The Greatest Gift

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 30, 2019 in collaborating, Community, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Spiritual

October 30, 2019-

As I mentioned yesterday, these two days mark the consecutive birth anniversaries of Baha’u’llah and His Forerunner/Herald, al-Bab. I have recounted the story of Baha’u’llah in previous posts, over the years.

In this post, I wish to note why His life and those of other Divine Messengers, are important to people of all faiths, or of no faith. Rather than see these Great Beings as merely Founders of competing religions, it is beneficial to view Them as guides to the continuous process of the unfolding of human spirituality-as it pertains to both the life of the individual and the life of society.

We have progressed, in fits and starts, from the relationship of the individual to the Divine (the Revelations of Adam, Abraham and Noah); through the spirituality of the human family and clans (Krishna and Zoroaster); the spiritual focus of tribes (Moses and countless Teachers of Indigenous Peoples, across the world); detachment from fortune and misfortune, alike (Gautama Siddhartha); unconditional love, across boundaries (Jesus the Christ) and spiritual guidance of nations (Muhammad). The Twin Messengers, al-Bab and Baha’u’llah, have extended the knowledge available to us, that the common people of the Earth may both determine their own spiritual destiny and organize the spiritual unification of the entire planet.

Baha’u’llah’s Revelation, far from being yet another means to sectarian division, is a road map away from human-caused cataclysm and strife. This is the underpinning of my belief that all people possess the means to seek and find Truth, both independently and in groups.

Equity/Equivalence

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 27, 2019 in children, Community, distraction issues, Education, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

October 27, 2019-

There is no inherent tie, between being in touch with femininity and emasculation.

On a visit to one of my best friends, here in Home Base, I enjoyed another of her unfailingly fine meals, followed by plenty of food for thought. The fare, this evening, included a thorough look at the effects of excessive social policing on the male psyche.

I am a fairly sensitive soul, who notices people’s feelings and reactions to their surroundings. As such. weighing my words and actions has been a much higher priority, in my life, especially these past ten years. Yes, I have had relapses, during the low water marks of grieving and recovery, not so many years ago. Said friend has had much to do with the movement away from that low state, as has my personal faith.

I thoroughly enjoy the company of peaceful people, especially of women who have arrived at a state of personal peace. The higher goals of one’s existence are far more achievable, when one is not pre-occupied with a set of self-conscious, other-imposed expectations.

All this underscores that emasculation, depriving boys and men of their pursuit of meaning, in the name of gender equivalence, is the source of much of the violence and aimless behaviour, which we see increasing in some quarters of the populace. It cuts across all sectors of society, and its fingers may be found in the areas of drug abuse, domestic violence, unemployability, and general listlessness.

Emasculation does NOT proceed from giving women and girls the wherewithal to process their goals and pursue their dreams. It does derive, though, from making gender equity a societal seesaw. When Penny was alive, there was no time when her pursuits meant that mine did not matter, and vice versa. My son’s dreams and goals matter no less than do those of my daughter-in-law, and vice versa.

Equity of opportunity and encouragement under the law does not mean equivalence of function, any more than any group of men or women must all do the same things.

Jordan Peterson calls for less political correctness, in the overall course of civic life. To the extent that one group does not actively work to diminish another, I see his point. I don’t really believe that there are all that many women who wish to emasculate the men and boys in their lives. There is, though, an urgency that people attend to those who feel cut off from their hopes and dreams- regardless of the social inequality that led society to turn aside from their needs. Again, gender equity is NOT a social seesaw.

I Care Not; I Care

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 25, 2019 in children, Community, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Poetry, Social, Spiritual, Striving

October 25, 2019-

The year, of which I thought as a pinnacle,

when it was approaching,

now seems a plateau of focus,

as it begins to recede,

into the alpine mists of history.

Here and now have become

more urgent.

Past is a glimmer,

whose lessons impact

the present stage.

Future is “that time”

of promises,

which only I

can bring to fruition.

Twenty-twenty

appears in my

mind’s eye,

like yin and yang.

In the heat of the now,

I care not for the culture

which glorifies drug use.

The mantra,

“This is better than crack!”,

is the cackling of the ignorant.

I care not for the powers

that pretend to be,

sending their tanks,

flame throwers and

armor-piercing bullets,

against unwitting defenders

of freedom.

I care not for the puppet masters,

who order the innocent

to stand down,

to step aside,

that the purveyors

of death,

may present their wares,

to the foolish and

the deluded.

I care not,

for those who

cry foul,

at being told

that an infant

has the right

to life,

the right

to be adopted,

instead of killed.

I care not,

for those who

start wildfires,

in the hopes

of returning later,

and building

cookie-cutter,

gentrified living resorts,

affordable only to

the favoured few.

I care,

for the struggling,

for the lost children,

kept in a prison box,

with no resources,

save the cement floor,

which they share,

with hundreds,

and with their reluctant

guards,

who are themselves

pariahs.

I care for those

who are beaten,

chased down,

hunted like animals

and then,

treated like filth,

by the jurists,

who look first

at the well-being

of those

who beat, menace

and hunt the innocent,

like so much prey.

I care for those

who have given

their all,

and end up

as footnotes,

in the journals

of narcissists.

Give us your tired,

poor, innocent,

that we may find room

in our hearts and

in our diminishing spaces.

The Myth of Beyond

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 22, 2019 in Community, distraction issues, impediments, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

October 22, 2019-

No one is truly an outsider.

In a recent online discussion about a purported conflict, between two public figures, one of the participants made the valid point that the whole thing is contrived. Many public spats, and not a few private ones, are indeed straight out of WWE.

I am what is known as an ambivert. I live alone, though that is likely to change, if a relative shows up, in December, for a month’s stay. I live alone, mostly hike alone and, when I go to a restaurant for a meal, I usually sit alone-unless I’m at the counter. I do, for the most part, travel alone, preferring to set my own schedule.

I do not, however, regard myself as an outsider. True, I am not in very many “inner circles”- my Baha’i community, groups with which I volunteer and a handful of friendships being the exceptions. Camaraderie, with both men and women, is important in my life. If I am at an event, conversation with those around me tends to be organic and fluid. If I am in nature, I also find myself speaking, quietly, to animals, plants and even the elements. The reason is, communication is a thing of joy.

My sense is, even a hermit needs to interact with some humans, every so often. So, to say a person is an outsider is something of a chimera. We can be isolated by circumstance, and that is temporary. We can be isolated by choice, yet sooner or later, there will be a knock on the door, a phone call, a postal letter or a message of some kind on an electronic device. People in institutional settings are a serious concern, yet even they face multiple interactions with staff, volunteers and, hopefully, loved ones.

These are some thoughts that came to mind, after reading the above-mentioned participant’s rebuttal of the public figure’s claim of being an outsider.

The Round and Square of It

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 20, 2019 in Community, Hiking and Nature, Historical, Matters of Faith, Social, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 9, 2019, Aneth, UT-

Any illusion that Native Americans are somehow all cut from the same cloth, or are otherwise a uniform group, was hopefully dispelled, some tome ago. This is as true, with regard to various aspects of culture, including architecture, as it is to language and physical appearance- just as it is with people of any large subgrouping.

Hovenweep, a Paiute name meaning “Deserted Valley”, is the site of a large number of mud brick structures, both atop and just below the rim of, Cahone Mesa, in southeast Utah-about 15 miles northwest of this small Dineh settlement.

I last visited this area in 1979, about a month after summer break began. There has been an expansion of the National Monument since that time. For this visit, though, I focused on the Main, or Square Tower, Group of structures. Outlying ruins will be the focus of a future visit.

The trail around the Main Group is 2 miles long. The terrain is similar to that of Natural Bridges and other nearby canyons. A short walk across the table of Cahone Mesa leads to a short, but rugged, canyon crossing, then around to Twin Towers and the Square Tower triad, before snaking back towards the Visitor Center.

As you will see, the Puebloan architects variously used square corners and round construction, depending on the function of the building. Squared structures appear to be more for dwellings and the rounded buildings either as kivas or as observation towers of some sort.

The descent and ascent of Little Ruin Canyon is the most rugged part of the hike around Square Tower Group. I would rate it as moderate, in difficulty.

A small heart-shaped rock is visible, towards the rear of this small cavelet.

Remains of several small homes, on the mesa top, precede one’s arrival at Twin Towers.

As I approached Twin Towers, a girl of about twelve passed by me, cheerfully in her own experience of the area. Her grandparents called her back, not so much out of fear, as to ask her to carefully pull a discarded plastic water bottle out of this crevice! She gingerly did as asked, and had no trouble getting out of the fissure.

Here are the remnants of Twin Towers.

Just a few paces from the round towers is another rectangular tower, likely an early apartment dwelling.

There were several people at Square Tower, as I approached, so care was taken to honour each one’s quiet investigation of this central area of Hovenweep.

Checkdam is a building where the caretaker of an earthen dam spent his duty hours.

These are the structures of Hovenweep House.

Square Tower is in the midst of the main kivas.

Below, is a small single family dwelling.

This is Eroded Boulder House, an example of the effects of the climate change of that era (1200-1300 A.D.)

There are four areas of Hovenweep National Monument that are accessible by high-clearance vehicles. One of these days, I will get to those outliers.

Today, though, I had two other visits to make. I headed out of Hovenweep and made it to this oil and gas-producing community, in Utah’s southeast corner. Here, I visited for about 1 1/2 hours, with two Dineh sisters, who are caretakers of this small Baha’i Center. Members of our Faith have lived in Aneth for about fifty years.

After visiting with the ladies, I am headed to The Farm Bistro, in Cortez, for an early dinner, then will likely drive back to Prescott. It’s been a fascinating Fall Break!

The Goosenecks and Valley of the Gods

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 17, 2019 in Community, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Spiritual, Striving, Travel

October 8, 2019, Blanding-

There have been several goals that I have kept on embers, for several years now. Camping out, above the Goosenecks of the San Juan River, is one of these. The otherworldly ambiance of this unique landscape has captivated me, every time we passed by there, en route to visit the Dineh of southeast Utah.

Once out of Monument Valley, one comes upon Mexican Hat, a small, mainly Dineh town that offers astonishing cliffs, a small, expensive motel and a fairly economical cafe. I enjoyed dinner there, then pursued my camping option.

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Small outcroppings of Monument Valley appear to the southeast of Mexican Hat.

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Three miles due east of the town, I turned left, drove three miles north and came upon the Goosenecks.

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As the soil at the campground is powdery, for at least a foot down, I opted to sleep under the stars. It was a bit chilly, towards morning, but the brilliance of the stars and the sheer stillness of the place made it more than worthwhile. I felt there were two rivers, one below and the other above.

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The easternmost promontory of Monument Valley is visible to the south.

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Once morning arrived, I greeted a few of the other campers, ate some stale leftover cinnamon buns and called it breakfast, changed clothes in the port-o-potty and headed uphill, to the Valley of the Gods. This small, unorganized park is accessible by gravel road, just before engaging the 3-mile series of narrow switchbacks which leads to Natural Bridges National Monument. I opted to take several photos from the side of the road.

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The last two photos were taken from turnouts, along the switchbacks.

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This view of the area was made even more otherworldly by the early morning cloud cover.

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In about twenty minutes, I had scaled the switchbacks in my Elantra and was en route to Natural Bridges. I look forward to returning to this area again, in the near future.

The Peak of the Canyon-Part II

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 11, 2019 in Community, Hiking and Nature, Inspiration, Travel

October 6, 2019, Jacob Lake-

I made a silent promise to my long-departed maternal grandfather, whom I never met in this life, but who has appeared to me, a few times, that I would not give in to a more irrational level of acrophobia. He has been one of my spirit guides, all these years, exhorting me to face life and overcome obstacles. He and Grandma imparted that message to my mother and her siblings; an examination of their lives bears out that exhortation’s fruits.

So, as I readied for visits to three of the overlooks at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, there was no trepidation at engaging the heights of this wondrous place. The North Rim exists at the highest point of the western Colorado Plateau. Had the canyon never been carved, one would face a 2,000 foot increase in elevation, from Tusayan to the site of Grand Canyon Lodge.

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My first order of business, after looking around the Lodge for a bit, was a walk out to Bright Angel Point. As today was one of the most gorgeous Sundays in quite a while, there were dozens of people, of all ages, walking about or at least lounging on the Lodge’s patio, which also offers views of the canyon below.

Here are a few of those scenes available to the sedentary.

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I then availed myself of a couple of overlooks, close to the Lodge.

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Bright Angel Point involves a fairly strenuous hike, mainly due to the elevation. Those with pulmonary issues do best to stick to the Lodge area. An intrepid woman using trekking poles made it half-way, before concluding it would be a mistake to continue. There were several of us late middle-agers who made the walk, though, along with folks as young as five.

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It was at the above guard fence that a little girl wanted to climb up, for “a better view”. You’d best believe her mother’s hands were firmly on her, for that exercise in bravery!

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The various striations in the sandstone clearly show the levels it has taken, to build this most magnificent of geologic records.

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In the next post, Point Imperial and Cape Royal offer a northeastern perspective of the Canyon’s wonders.

Diahann Carroll

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 6, 2019 in Community, Entertainment, Inspiration, Striving

October 6, 2019, Flagstaff-

Supremely dignified,

even in a scene of hand-to-hand combat,

she graced the small screen,

and cinema, alike.

She played out her life,

in a television program,

called, simply, “Julia”.

Her presence was magnificent,

throughout.

Diahann never took a backseat,

to anyone,

and the world is the better,

for having seen her like.

Rest in power,

dear queen.

Shaman-ish

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 2, 2019 in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal goals, Personal Values, Spiritual, Striving

October 2, 2019-

Last Sunday, I texted a friend, to see whether a meet-up we had planned earlier was still on. Immediately, I got a spirit message: They are all sick. Thirty minutes later, a text from friend verified that.

Within the past year, two women, who do not know one another but each claim to be intuitive, have told me that my own intuition and spirituality run very deep. After saying so, each distanced herself from me-one, by a series of vicious verbal attacks, followed by a loud demand that I not contact her again. (Interesting, as I had no plans to do so.) The second quietly has dropped off the radar screen, as have both of our mutual friends.

I was told that my identified strengths are best used for the healing of those around me- and although I don’t possess medical knowledge, I have taken that aspect of the women’s pronouncements to heart. In fact, helping others, with essential oils, has been part of my friendships with people, for about five years now.

I thought of these things, after finishing reading “Spiritwalker”, by Hank Wesselman. In this account, he claims to have made contact with a distant descendant-from 5,000 years hence, at a time when mankind is regrouping and recovering from a worldwide calamity. It is a compelling and plausible account, though I don’t have a great sense that the future will unfold in quite the manner he sees.

Both men, and several people, both male and female, who are around them, appear to possess shamanic powers. My erstwhile acquaintances ascribed such powers to me, the latest one saying that my using these powers is totally elective. So it is in Mr. Wesselman’s book. He and his descendant choose to do what they can, to help their loved ones and others in their respective communities.

I have embarked on a life of service, which has been understood by several, and greatly misunderstood by others, including the two women who diagnosed my nature. All I know is, at the end of a given day, I am thankful to the Universe for having bestowed such gifts on me, and ask that the signs of how I may continue to be of use, be made clear, each day. Titles, such as shaman, or even prophet, seem rather over the top, at least in my case.

Integrity

Posted by Sagittarian Seeker on October 1, 2019 in Community, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Spiritual, Striving

October 1, 2019-

Every crisis that strikes between people, and within a person, is a matter of integrity. The old saw defines integrity as “the way a person behaves when no one is looking.” The problem is, someone without integrity will have difficulty in code switching. When one is outside of one’s room, there are most likely going to be other people around, going about their own business, and simultaneously noting what everyone around them is doing. So, the non-integrated person will go about being foolish, or angry, or drawing attention to self.

A person with integrity, on the other hand, will take the presence, as well as the legitimate feelings and rights of other people, into consideration, before engaging in an activity. There will be ownership of that activity, no blame-casting, gaslighting or obfuscation.

I have come by integrity, after much self-work, over the years. Ownership of my mistakes and errors has at times been painful, and come at a great price. In the end, I am more worthy of being in the world and have been able to achieve more.

I say this, looking at various public figures, several of whom have a fair degree of integrity and others whose public persona is one of “duck, doge and hide”. Some of these people are obvious to anyone, whilst others have managed to keep their inner character a secret, behind a facade of “good works”.

Sooner or later, though, as we have been seeing, the truth comes clear: “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.” (Luke, 8:17) This truth is well to be remembered by BOTH sides, in any given dispute. The first thing that needs to be established is, “Who lacked integrity first, and to what degree?” Then may the truthfulness of others be established. This is the whole purpose of legal cross-examination and academic rebuttal-that things which are not as they seem, should be made clear.

“Two wrongs don’t make a right” has never been truer. This is all I have to say, for now, on the current state of affairs in our nation’s capital.

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A Sagittarian Seeker

Sharing a life of inner and outer journeys

Category Archives: Community

The Greatest Gift

The Goosenecks and Valley of the Gods

The Peak of the Canyon-Part II

Diahann Carroll

Shaman-ish

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