Pesach

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

April 8, 2020-

The Holy Days of major world religions take on extra meaning for many more than just their adherents, in times of peril.  So it is with Passover, the celebration marking the Israelites’ delivery from slavery in Egypt.  The eight-day festival starts this evening, ending on April 16.

The celebration of freedom is ironic, in a time when when a climate of oppression is felt by many, with the sense that things may get worse, before they improve.  Some will feel between a rock and a hard place, as two opposing groups of well-to-do entrepreneurs vie for public support of two very different treatments for COVID19- one, a pill with anecdotal, but not clinical, proof of efficacy; the other, a vaccine that is not likely to be ready for mass usage until the Fall of 2021.  In the meantime, it seems to me that deliverance from THIS pestilence will be up to us laymen, following physical distancing guidelines and self-isolating, for a fair number of weeks or months AND building up our immune systems through improving nutrition, taking natural supplements and getting enough Vitamin D, from sunshine.

I wish all Jews a healthy and happy Passover season-with the rest of us keeping our God-given sense of free will, and using it wisely.

Endurance

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, impediments, Inner Struggles, Personal Values, Spiritual, Striving

April 7, 2020-

I have to say this:  I don’t believe that the current virus is a contrived conspiracy to break people’s spirits, so a tyrant can take over.  I have heard this very thing, in so many words, from across the political spectrum.  It’s become a “fill-in-the-blank” exercise, with everyone from the current U. S. President to the Boards of Directors of major pharmaceutical companies being blamed.

That said, the race to see who can postpone public events the furthest out is getting out of hand.  It is giving credence to conspiracy theorists, when the science (if there is any) behind delaying even small events,scheduled for August and September, until November, is not being explained to the people on the street.

If the confidence and cooperation of the public at large is what is desired, then they cannot be treated like mushrooms-kept in the dark, with a diet of dung.  Too many decisions are not communicated well.

I am a very patient man, but if our leaders want the public trust, more had better start explaining their decisions in a clear and concise manner.  People like Queen Elizabeth II and the Governor of Kentucky are able to explain harsh decisions clearly.  Let’s see more do the same.

Change Surely Is A Constant

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Striving

April 6, 2020-

Several people are trying to circulate chain posts around social media. I don’t copy and paste anything, verbatim, as hackers are sometimes behind the posts.  I do note what is making the rounds, though, and one of the most popular items has been a listing of what has changed, in the last five weeks.

I will hold off on making my own list.  We have a way to go, yet, before all is said and done.  I do have a sense that only the most durable and equitable of institutions will still be standing, five years-or even five months, from now.  There will still be banks, and probably credit unions, as we need a medium of exchange to maintain commerce.  There will still be government, hopefully one based on the rule of law.  There will still be regular communication, as we are a social species and will figure a way to keep in touch, even in the absence of what we have now. There will still be goods and services, including restaurants and cafes, for the reason I just mentioned.  Most of all, there will still be the human spirit-alive, well and forward-looking.

We have miles to go, and eons to live.

The Promise of Palms

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Posted by on in Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Poetry, Spiritual

April 5, 2020-

A nonet, if you will:

The murmur of the crowd gathered strength

The tall, gentle man walked gamely

His route was roofed by palms

Fronds touched His fair head

Joy was the crowd’s

He was there!

Teacher

Christ

A nonet begins with a line of nine syllables, losing a syllable in each subsequent line, and finishing with one syllable.  As today is Palm Sunday, this is a gift for my Christian family and friends

 

 

Full Power

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Family, Inner Struggles, Inspiration, Matters of Faith, Personal Values, Social, Spiritual, Striving

April 4, 2020-

Today, the fourth day of the fourth month, is also seen by numerologists and astrologers  as Universal Year 4. This is figured by adding the digits of the year: 2+0+2+0= 4.  It is considered a year of feminine power, as multiples of two reflect feminine energy, whilst odd-numbered years reflect masculine energy.

I tend to have a balance of the two, having been raised by parents whose power was balanced.  Many, both male and female, who were raised in an imbalance-usually  patriarchic , have judged me as weak or even effeminate, as I  have leaned away from aggression-most of the time, in my earlier days, and always, of late.

Feminine energy, as most of my readers know, is far from weak.  I was raised by a lioness, who nonetheless knew how to nurture, as well how to exact obedience.  My father also showed a good balance of masculine and feminine, in his discipline. So, in my maturity, I chose a career that stressed being both supportive and showing my charges the value of boundaries.  The vast majority of “my kids” have grown to be mature, grounded and productive citizens, even those who have hard lives.

Now, in late middle age, I find myself cheering the arrival of a more balanced culture.  These Twenties are bound to be rough for many, who hang on to shopworn ways of looking at and doing things.  This year has already dragged many through the ringer, and the rest of us just taking one day at a time.  I am still ready to do what is needed to bring in the real sunshine, knowing that the love of the aging is going to be needed, as those of the Rising Generations:  Younger Gen X, Millennials, Generation Z and the Alpha Generation, will be doing the heavy lifting.

Each day is bringing with it, full power-the power each of us needs to effect transition- our own individual, that of the nations and of the planet.  Rise with the Sun, live your day fully and rest well at night.  We are all needed, in our way.

 

Archetypes

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Posted by on in collaborating, Inspiration, Social, Spiritual

April 3, 2020-

In everyone’s life, I think, there are those human phenotypes who one continuously encounters, over and over, especially fulfilling certain roles in the persons’ life.  I reflected today, on those who have done so, in my life.  Although, they don’t know one another and have appeared at different points in my life, they are phenotypically similar.

My mentors and advocates have, for the most part, been either African-American men, in late middle age, with a profound reservoir of spiritual knowledge, or women who are slender, brunette and of medium height, likewise having a wealth of spiritual acumen.  There is one such man among my friends, at this stage of my life, an astrologist with keen intuition.

This second  was true of my mother, yet without my seeking any surrogate, such women have shown up randomly, in my life, since I left home in 1974.  There are several such people in my life, right now,  most notably my primary human spiritual guide, and my best friend.  I do not see any of them as mother figures.

I have frequently encountered people, who seem to have materialized out of nowhere, and after a brief, pleasant exchange, they disappear almost as quickly.  These are, with one exception, also brunette women, of medium height, who are quite a bit younger than those mentioned above.  They seem to have a strong spirituality and have mainly appeared to me when I’ve been hiking.  The one exception resembled my late wife, except she was gaunt in appearance and also appeared to me out of nowhere, when I was hiking in the high desert, some years back.

Finally, among men and boys, I always seem to encounter those with a snarky, fun-loving demeanour, usually when I need to get out of my introvert shell.  They set me straight, though not in a mean way.

Of course, my door is wide open for all manner of people, regardless of phenotype.  Those mentioned above just seem to be who the Universe has guided my way or me to theirs.

 

 

 

 

 

Lessons from Flubs

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Posted by on in distraction issues, impediments, Inspiration, Personal Values, Striving

April 2, 2020-

Never let it be said that I have it all together.  Each day brings its share of little victories, but there are also those times when I’m all thumbs.  Each flub, though, brings a lesson.

This morning, I found myself in front of my laptop screen, trying to take part in an online Yoga class, while keeping myself visible on the Zoom screen AND Keeping the laptop plugged in.  It was a comedy of errors, which I’m glad the instructor could not see.

SOLUTION:  For the next session, whenever that is, I will simply bring the laptop and power cord over to my floor-based power strip, and make myself both visible and ready to roll.

I was up until midnight, waiting for a Facebook Live, which never showed, so my equilibrium was a bit off, and I napped longer, mid-afternoon, than I had planned, thus missing a Zoom call that WAS showing.

SOLUTION:  Don’t stay up until midnight, for a definite maybe.  Find someone who was on the call, OTHER THAN the host, and get an update.

I kept forgetting what Zoom call was going to be when.

SOLUTION:  The big whiteboard that I had bought in December, for travel planning, is now my Zoom Calendar board.  I also keep a Google calendar, for good measure.

Small matters, but they do impart lessons, for what may become larger events, when one has to be “on-game” much of the time.

 

In Trust

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Posted by on in collaborating, Community, Inspiration, Personal Values, Service Activities, Spiritual, Striving

April 1, 2020-

The past month has been a time of highs and lows, for me,as for many others.  While I am gravely concerned with the rampage of Coronavirusdisease 2019, the lows did not stem primarily from the pandemic.  They were more psychic in nature, as several who claimed to be in tune with an elevated state of mind revealed themselves, especially these past few days, to be as hobbled with political intrigue and conspiracy theory, as the most troubled among my friends.

Trust comes hard for me, for reasons too varied to describe in this post.  I have long sought after those who have a clear view of the Universe as a whole, and of the essentially spiritual nature of humans.  Baha’u’llah, His Teachings and the Faith being built in His Name have given me that comfort.  I likewise feel close to those who understand and embrace the essential Teachings of Christ, Moses, Mohammad, Gautama Siddhartha, Krishna and of the Spirit Guides of ages even further back than our present historical records can fathom.

There have been those who claim knowledge of deeper spiritual truths, but my trust in them has been broken by their fallback into addiction, profanity, a judgmental stance towards others and a claim of superiority.  I do not judge them in kind, but neither can I place my trust in their pronouncements.

Thankfully, those coming from a Higher Realm give all the assurance that I need, in order to press on with what their messages tell me I must do- Stay in place and serve humanity now, and work farther afield, when the crises afflicting us at present are abated.

Pledge

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Personal Values, Service Activities, Social, Spiritual, Striving

March 31, 2020-

I made a pledge to myself, sometime back.

I will ever support sincere efforts to bring

people together.

I will ever oppose tyranny, obfuscation

and gaslighting,

regardless of their premise.

I will ever support the dignity

of the individual.

I will ever oppose bullying,

whisper campaigns and

“cleansing” of whole

ethnicities, nations,

denominations.

I will ever work to

safeguard the rights

of children and youth.

I will ever oppose those

who deny our young

a voice in their own affairs,

or worse yet,

ignore their needs

for education,

character building

and affirmation.

I will work to

help expand

consciousness.

I will oppose

mindlessness.

Winds and Tremors

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Posted by on in Assistance, collaborating, Community, Personal Values, Poetry, Spiritual, Striving

March 30, 2020-

What has changed?

What has been blown away,

by the winds?

What has cracked and fallen,

in the tremors of this

lugubrious season?

Greed is blowing away,

though it is grasping

at branches,

and trying to

deflect our attention.

Pride is collapsing,

being confronted

by a chastening.

Lust is becoming

irrelevant,

in the stirred dust,

of a cosmic haboob.

The selfish cannot

ignore the cries of

babies,

of their grandparents,

of those who can’t move.

on their own.

Those who stand on

ceremony,

are finding

that ladder

is

toppling.

Bedrock, alone,

will keep us upright.