About Me

Among many things I am a rhetorical critic and teacher. I currently teach in the Rhetoric and Media Studies Department of Willamette University. I've taught at Ithaca College, NY, and at other institutions. I graduated from the University of Maryland.

WoodMoor Village is a blog devoted to fun, learning, mindfulness, and whatever else strikes my fancy. This blog is pretty eclectic and serves as an outlet for my thoughts and ideas about mindfulness, ethics, humanism, politics, etc. In fact, it is best described as a space for exploring the blending of a Zen mindfulness practice with a humanist philosophy. I'm interested in Philosophy, Ethics, Politics, Social Theory, Religious Studies, etc., and often post about such subjects.

I am non-religious, non-theist, and non-supernaturalist, but I believe people can experience wonder and awe at the mysterious or unknown in nature. I'm also intrigued by, and friendly to, philosophy of religion or liberal theological positions that challenge traditional understandings of religion (see for instance, Bishop Spong, Lloyd Geering, Don Cupitt, and others). Lastly, I'm also an ordained lay member of Thich Nhat Hanh's Order of Interbeing. My dharma name is True Mountain of Compassion.

Why WoodMoor? Because I find peace and solace in woods, in glens, in lakes, in nature. Walking through a grove of trees, giant witnesses to life, serves as a mindfulness bell and soothes my...soul? Nope. Just me. No soul here. If you want to read more about mindfulness read the What is Mindfulness entry.

The seal characters below: on the right from top to bottom is "Koudo." The top character is "Kou" and the bottom is "Do." On the left from top to bottom is "Neisan" with the top character being "Nei" and the bottom being "San." The seal stands for Nathaniel Cordova and reads: "lustrous politeness, honorable actions." The Artist is Eri Takase at Eri Takase Artworks.

As a final disclaimer: the content of this site is but informed opinion, albeit often supported by what I consider to be solid evidence and good reason. Read it with whimsy in your mind, it is more enjoyable that way. Heck, life is more fun that way!

Namaste,

Nacho

Nacho's Hanko