My name is Jeff, and I would like to welcome you to the Omphalos Cafe.
Was it a coincidence that I first stepped through the door into the Omphalos Cafe shortly after turning my back on formal education? Back then, some twenty odd years ago, I might have said yes; today of course I know it was not.
What I do know is my education finally took wing at the Omphalos Cafe. It was there that joy and wonder became the driving inspiration for inquiry and learning.
Imagine for a moment giving free reign to curiosity and fancy, to follow a chain of discovery wherever it might lead, and to read only what your heart desired, and to do that not for a month or even a year, but for a decade or two! That is what the Cafe afforded me for so many years and still does to this very day.
About? This is not a blog about me. There is nothing remarkable about a man in his mid-to-late forties with wife and son, living in a modest house in a fairly quiet leafy neighborhood not far from the center of a medium-sized Canadian city.
Nothing remarkable…except for the Omphalos Cafe.
What can I say about it? There is a timelessness about the place. It has a magical, indescribably poetic quality, like nowhere I’ve been before. Like where you strive to go when meditating or doing yoga.
And then there is Xenon’s back room, with the laden shelves of books ranged around a circular table and chairs. The collection spans the ages, he seems to have gathered giants of the human spirit from all lands and times. Xenon sometimes refers to this cozy book-filled back room as his ‘Bible Room’, though I’m not sure whether or not it actually contains a Bible. I suppose it must. For me, Xenon’s Bible Room is the heart of the place.
So once again, welcome. Come in, sit down, and take a load off. Take a load off… I like that. Free yourself, and enjoy.
Omphalos Cafe 
Hey Jeff, thanks for the invite to the Omphalos Cafe, it already feels like a very good place to be 🙂
Oh this is a beautiful and glorious place to sit a spell. Thanks for visiting, and commenting, on my blog. Your handling of words and thoughts is simply brilliant!
I want to start by saying . . . if you’d rather not participate, I totally understand. I have declined in the past myself. It is kind of a pain in the arse. That said.
I’m awarding you the Versatile Blogger Award because I like your blog and think others will too. As with everything in life, there are strings attached. 1) You are to give the award to 15 other bloggers you feel are deserving and notify them of the award. 2) Make a post thanking the person that gave you the award (moi’) and listing your 15 choices. Provide links to these 16 blogs in your post. 3) Lastly, in your post, list seven things the bloggy world doesn’t know about you.
Here is the info I was given for the graphic of the award to be used in your post.
Personally, I had trouble with it, so feel free to contact me if you need help.
The bottom line . . . whether you participate or not . . . I think you have a rockin’ blog.
i wasn’t invited, but saw your comments on ‘to a dusty shelf we aspire’, where you wondered where all the men were…..
nice to meet you.
David in Maine USA
Welcome, Dave. No invitation required. I was just having a little fun over at the dusty shelf, where things can get a tad dark at times. Is it just me, or is there far more female bloggers than male?
Thanks, I’ll enjoy browsing around Omphalos Cafe – thanks for dropping by five reflections and your kind comments…
I really like how you describe your blog. I’m intrigued!
Thanks Valorie. I took the liberty of dropping by bookscansavealife.wordpress.com and enjoyed the joyous calm of it. It bespeaks a life full of adventure, both happy and sad, and yet affirming, guided, prodded, inspired by events and especially the voices contained in books. They can and do save lives, from ennui as well as other forms of derailment.
As you say, ‘nothing lasts’, except the birthing of the New.
Whoops, waxing semi-poetic here, but that’s all part of the fun too!
Thank you, I so appreciate your comments.
Hello,
It is so great to find another aspiring writer. You have done great things with your posts here, so keep penning and keep inspiring! I am sure the door will open for you one day. 🙂
I have a joyful ride in your blog, and now I’d like to invite you to visit mine. Thank you and have a wonderful day, my friend! 🙂
Subhan Zein
Thanks for the comment there, Subhan. Aspiring writer? More like a respiring writer.
And a big good-luck with the writing and living. You’ve got lots going, enjoy the journey.
Thank you, Jeff 👍
I love love love love your videos on Ulysses.
Keep going!
John