over the river and through the woods...

The river’s a dividing line. Going south on Congress, Lamar, or Guadalupe from central Austin; you cross a border. Little did you know this when crossing it. There are no “Welcome to South Austin” signs or visitors centers. But it is a different place. The hippies pretty much “kept Austin weird” there until just recently when the hipsters and businessmen moved in. Yet, the fact remains that though many parts of Austin are cool, the South Austin vibe rings loud and clear when you cross Town Lake.

I felt like Paul this week when I crossed this river and made my way down a small street lined with cars. Little league baseball parks on the north side of the street and little shops and trees on the other. Amongst the trees lies a microbiotic, meditational, schooling hub of mystical activity. This little Zenly manicured, rustic spot undergirds Austin spirituality. Though there’s no specific idol “to an unknown god,” we truly entered an Austin Areopagus. The place was great. It had a wonderfully simplistic and honest feel to it. Nothing seemed trendy or cool. Winding past the Japanese tea hut, playground and various shrubberies, Mel and I made our way to Casa de Luz, the microbiotic restaurant at the back of the property. Ambient lighting and music. Quiet people, chewing their food up to 100 times so as not to disrupt their digestive system. Teal walls and large windows soothing the soul. A little corner of yoga/diet/meditational books.

Beneath one of the large windows, we found our small crowd – the beginnings a book club with some friends at CM. We were certainly the loudest ones in the place, but we had a good time. Though only one guy in the group had read the book (and many other books by the same author), we discussed our future-read together A Brief History of Everything by Ken Wilbur. Ken is a New-Age philosopher and mystic who has systematically synthesized the all of the material and spiritual world into a four-part grid. Seems like a natural choice to chat about in the Austinopagus.

After hearing a little bit more about some folks spiritual background, we parted ways. Mel hugged everyone goodbye (I could write more about this wonderful sentiment, but I’ll let her). In a world where what you do is good for you as long as it helps you and where your way can’t be my way, I must admit that I don’t expect to preach as Paul did or even defend the faith as many before me have done. My hope is that Mel and I will be the potent fragrance of the loving Christ amidst a culture “incensed” on the individual spiritual quest.

Looking forward to next week. I’ll let you know how the book develops.