December 15, 2020-
Nothing, no one, is ever in a state of total repose.
Once a job is complete,
and there has been enough rest,
the Universe introduces something else.
There is always a need,
somewhere.
Even seemingly inanimate molecules
in a piece of furniture,
or a building,
are moving, within their bounds.
I feel this,
every morning,
knowing that it is impossible
for me to lay around in bed,
when there is always a need.
If you are confused,
as to what is next,
look around.
Nothing is static.
December 14, 2020-
This is inspired by a post I saw, a few minutes ago.
The bright blue sky, followed by a gorgeous starlit night;
remember the sacred.
Children on their skateboards, bicycles and sturdy two feet pass my front window;
remember the sacred.
My son calls, and reminds me to look after a few ailments;
remember the sacred.
A hardy team of people go out, on a daily basis,
and deliver food, firewood and water to the destitute;
remember the sacred.
Friends show up on Facebook, Zoom calls or downtown at certain events,
reminding me of their unconditional love;
remember the sacred.
Birds and mammals show themselves to me,
in the course of my meanderings;
remember the sacred.
God has never left Humanity alone;
remember the sacred.
December 13, 2020-
December 10 was designated by the United Nations, in 1948, as Human Rights Day. In that year, the UN issued its Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As it’s a declaration, and not a law, there is a misperception, by those who style themselves as all-pwerful, that these provisions are toothless and unenforceable.
That last is only true, as long as the people of the world allow it to be the case. When the people of a community, a country or a region stand up to actual tyranny, it can be brought to a halt. One recent example of this was in Sudan, where the people carefully built a civic movement which resulted in removing the country’s dictator from power. This took several years, but it succeeded because the nation did not lose heart.
In the United Nations declaration, there are about thirty areas that are mentioned as applicable to every person on Earth. See https://www.un.org/en/udhrbook/pdf/udhr_booklet_en_web.pdf, for the complete document.
I want to address a few of these rights, specifically as they impact my life and the lives of those around me:
(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled
to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock,
shall enjoy the same social protection. I have made my own position on these two matters very clear, in several places in the past. Mothers, whether wed or unwed, should be enveloped in love. This goes doubly for children.
There are codiciles about the rights of women, in general. That no one should be subjected to substandard treatment, owing to gender or any other physical trait, is something which often requires deep psychological and social pondering, and excision at both personal and communal levels.
There are many women in my life, each of whom expects what one of them calls “neutral love”. They are, each and all, as valuable a friend, if not more so, as any of the men. It is my honour and privilege to encourage all friends in pursuit of their dreams and goals, so long as those dreams and goals are not injurious to self and others.
Finally, no one should be subject to patronization or to being led astray. I have had to struggle with balancing between not disappointing someone and not abiding his/her engaging in false hope.
It will be a long and hard effort to overcome deprivation of the individual and collective rights of the most marginalized people, but we have the means to embark on this very effort. It will take all of us, regardless of circumstances and mindsets, if it is to be achieved.
December 12, 2020-
I am always interested in days which match the numerical position of the month in which they occur. 1/1 is universally understood to be special, as it marks the new Gregorian year. 2/2 has the folksy attachment of Groundhog Day, important to those who are sick of winter. 5/5 also has a folksy theme, commemorating the Mexican people’s revolt against a French invader. 6/6 is the day Penny and I were married, in 1982. 7/7 was the day Aram was born. 10/10 is the National Day of Taiwan. 11//11 is both Armistice Day, which ended World War I and Veteran’s Day in the United States.
12/12 is the cusp of autumn and spring, taking on the attributes of the seasons which follow them, more than those which define them in the human mind. For me, the day gave me the energy and focus to make changes in some of my affairs, which needed to be simplified. It was also another day of remaining on the healthy side of things, which is never a small matter.
It is mildly cold here, and will likely remain so until mid-January, when the days gradually begin lengthening, a minute at a time. I’ve actually found December to offer the greatest chance of snow, here in Prescott, though it looks like that won’t happen this year. Someone recently made a remark- “We get the weather we deserve.” Well, if sunshine is what we have coming to us, that will be okay for a time, but there is the water question.
So far, though, 12/12 has not been a day of either significance or trouble-at least around here. May the Christmas season, even with physical distancing, remain a time for celebrating commonality.
December 11, 2020-
Simply put:
When someone tells me that no one died, six years ago next Monday, at Sandy Hook Elementary School and that all the kids are in Witness Protection somewhere,
I beg to differ.
When someone tells me to shut up about those trying to overturn a free and fair election,,
I beg to differ.
When someone says there is no reason to stop putting fetal humans to death, because they aren’t “real people”,
I beg to differ.
When someone says that advocating the increased participation of people of colour in the life of the nation is itself racist,
I beg to differ.
When someone insists that White people can only lose, if “those others” advance,
I beg to differ.
When someone sprinkles urine, and tells me it’s raining,
I beg to differ.
The days when we ought to accept being treated as if we were all born yesterday are long gone.
Take a hike, wirepullers.
December 10, 2020-
The spread of teleconferencing during this time of worldwide pestilence is probably the single most useful occurrence of the year . I can only hope it remains, especially as when I find myself away from Home Base, come late Spring onward, carrying on regular communication, via Zoom, YouTube or what have you, will be a much easier task.
There is, though, the matter of working out synchronicity. This evening, there were four events occurring simultaneously. Two were parties, one was a memorial gathering and the last was a worship service. I focused on the latter two, just barely greeting folks at the first of the parties, before it was time to leave.
We will, as with any other endeavour, need to work out etiquette and protocols of expectations for Zoom gatherings, lest feelings be hurt, unnecessarily. I know that, just because one is among many on a teleconference does not mean feathers won’t get ruffled by someone’s absence or abrupt departure.
So, I have worked out a set of priorities for my own Zooming- Offering condolences and memories will have to come first, then regular worship and devotionals, followed by special celebratory events and lastly, someone’s random informational offering-which ought, by definition, be recorded for later viewing.
In any case, may your Zooming be helpful and a source of connection.
December 9, 2020-
A few days ago, I took breakfast at a cafe whose owners subscribe to a more dated world view, one more widely expressed in the American West, of the 19th and early 20th Century. There are many good things about the Old West- Respect for others, unbreakable honesty and “My word is my bond”, parents who stood tall for their children. The immediacy of frontier justice, however, may have worked then, but it is now a tool of dark forces.
I felt a bit sluggish, most of today, until my chiropractor adjusted me back into shape. It underscores just how much more I need to ramp up my stamina. While I continue to monitor my temperature and vital signs, as long as COVID-19 remains a nationwide threat, thus far I feel no symptoms. I practice CDC-recommended hygiene, prudently, and know that stressing wellness, and not panicking, are what will get us through in the long run. It has been hard to say farewell to thirty-one people this year, but others have had it far worse. In the end, the darkness of coronavirus will be sundered, by policies and practices of wellness and medical treatment.
Depending on one’s point of view, either the will of the people is being honoured or it is being flouted. I have been told, by fearful individuals, to keep my views on the state of this country to myself, as if silence will stop the worst of things from happening. Truth is, only vigilance will do that and vigilance requires following the laws of the land. The darkness of wishful thinking, combined with the darkness of censorship-both institutional and individual, will cause only continula heartbreak.
The darkness always prepares us for the light that will follow, if we pay attention. In twelve days’ time, the planets Jupiter and Saturn will appear as one, in the southern sky. They will remind us that darkness, though it occupies half of the twenty-four hour day, in time of winter, is no more than the absence of light.
The darkness of ignorance cries out for knowledge. The darkness of disease summons us to better slef-care and wellness. The darkness of fear and hate asks for understanding and a safe way forward.
We can, and will, move into the Light, but it will take a great deal of forebearance and caution, on all sides.
December 7, 2020-
Today was my first weekday without work, in quite a while. I toyed with taking a hike somewhere, but ended up focusing on getting my Christmas cards and message ready for mailing-actually getting a few of them sent out. I also organized the Beta version of my life story, with the draft now in the hands of its editor.
Otherwise, today was a day for taking stock of our debt of gratitude to a generation who, in a very real sense, saved the best of our way of life. The 79th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor once again put the spotlight on my parents’ generation. Two survivors of the attack on the USS Arizona are still alive. Several thousand veterans of World War II, as a whole, are still with us- including a dozen or so Code Talkers, from various First Nations and a small number of Tuskegee Airmen. All who served, regardless of their status in a then-segregated military, merit the appreciation of their countrymen.
Pearl Harbor, among all attacks on United States soil, remains perhaps the most infamous such event, if only because it came totally without warning-and at a time when good faith negotiations were underway between Imperial Japan and the United States. We saw, for the first time, a comprehensive plan for bringing a global conflict to North America. We saw the possibility of domination by forces whose philosophies of governance and economics were at variance with our own.
Because of the novelty of this attack, there were overreactions- Internment of Japanese-Americans being the worst of those. Mistakes get made, in dealing with situations with which we have no experience. Nonetheless, our country’s overall response to the attack on Pearl Harbor was rapid, intense and correct. Our continuing expressions of appreciation, for those who carried out that response, should never let up.
December 6, 2020-
Dearest Soul Charger,
On the night of this day, in 1980, I had a slight awareness that I was about to have a woman in my life, for the first time in eight years. It was, as you surely remember, cold and rainy-then somewhat snowy, in that little village where a house blessing was taking place. We were there for different purposes, though both concerned with learning from the continent’s First Nations. I was earning college credits; you were finding out more about the relatives of your hosts-the Hopi.
We were drawn to one another, that night, through the happenstance of my classmates’ amusement at your speaking Spanish with a North Jersey accent. I was just glad for your smile, and yur companionship. The weather ceased to matter after that. It was the beginning of thirty years’ physical connection and forty years’ spiritual.
We grew together, and you taught me more than you may have known. I like to think that I brought you out of your inward focus and I know you brought me out of mine. You taught me to love children with a ferocity that had been latent within me. We raised one person to adulthood, even as we were “raising” one another. As this was happening, I realized that every child was a focus of my heart.
We came to adore every Messenger sent by God, and all in the Name of His most recent Manifestation: Baha’u’llah . We drew no lines as to with whom we would share the healing Message. We did not separate ourselves from even the most destitute of people; nor did we separate ourselves from one another. We were seldom apart, in fact, and made landfall in so many unlikely places: Dinetah and Hopi; southern Alberta; Israel and the West Bank; Guyana; Korea; Taiwan and so many places in between.
You never lost your luster-not for a fleeting moment. For my part, I’ve spent the last ten years cleaning the rust off my soul, feeling your abiding guidance every step of the way. Now, at long last, I see what the purpose of my life might have been, these forty years, had I used my vision more clearly. Now, at long last, I see what needs to be done, with how ever many more years I am given in this life.
I know you are still close at hand, Soul Charger, and it may have been you who held my arm, early this morning-or it may have been you who moved another spirit away from me. Either way, I can sense that the Creator of us all has you in a safe and uplifting place. He has me where I need to be, and the path will continue, not always as I imagine in advance, but always where I can be of utmost service.
I will ever see you reflected in our son’s visage, and in any progeny he and his wife may bring into this life. I will ever hear your voice, so rich and resonant, in all of their pronouncements. I will see you in every rainbow, every shower and every rising and setting of the Sun. I will hear you in every rushing stream, every tumbling tide and in every sweet song of the birds who frequent where I happen to be. I will feel you, in every warmth that comes my way.
Shine on, Soul Charger. You taught me what it means to love.
December 5, 2020-
As has been the case quite often, of late, I had a vivid dream last night-this one of my being a personal guest of the President of Brazil, at his country villa. I was actually speaking Portuguese, intermittently, with the leader speaking English, in his turn. It was a cordial, and rather casual, visit- with the two of us having an earnest discussion about Amazonia-and me pointing out that there is evidence of a grand ancient civilization in the river basin.
As often happens in dream sequences, the matter went unresolved, with the president excusing himself to go to bed and me being escorted to the guest bedroom. The next dream scene had me being greeted by a full-grown alpaca, which was a house pet-in a different house (and probably a different country). The beast looked out the window and saw a bunch of kangaroos gamboling outside. Alpaca went to the door and looked at me to let him out. I opened the door, and he nudged me to go outside with him. Then I woke up.
I cannot readily imagine either scenario; neither can I rule eother one out. It’s as likely that something I ate may have sparked the unusual, as it was that the books I’ve been reading about ancient peoples of the Americas planted thought threads in my mind. I can’t speak to the animal vision, but perhaps the fact that I’ve been close to animals, most of my life had something to do with it.
I do know that certain spiritual attributes are tied to particular animals, the stereotypes being such as an owl embodying wisdom, a coyote or a fox depicting stealth or treachery or a large feline exhibiting courage and ferocity. For some reason, I have always felt close to the bear, though exactly what lies behind that is unknown to me.
Perhaps each of us does have a true connection with a given animal, in which case, awareness of our true attributes is a good place to begin, in the search for understanding that connection.
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