Happy Halloween

Hallowe'en .... ever wonder if there is some connection between this word and that phrase in the Lord's Prayer, "Hallowed be thy name"? There is.

Hallowe'en is a contraction for Hallow's Even(ing), and is another way of saying "the Eve of All Hallows". All Hallows is November 1, All Saints Day.

You see, "Hallow" is an Old English word meaning 'Holy". On November 1, we remember all the Holy people of our history — from Moses to Francis to Teresa of Avila. When we praise the Lord's Prayer, we acknowledge that G–d's name is sacred, set apart, holy.

The word "saint", in turn, is related to the Greek word, "martyr", which means witness. The earliest saints of the church bore witness to their faith by risking torture and death. Later saints bore witness through their actions and words.

And yes, I know Halloween is a borrowing of an older ritual from the Celts. And some people object to it because it's a "pagan" holiday. What these people forget is that "pagan" just means "country-dweller".

So far as first century (C.E.) Romans were concerned, the early Chrisitians were some kind of country bumpkin. Only uneducated rural folk could believe something contrary to the "true religion" of Imperial Rome.

I imagine some modern atheists would agree with the view that a Christian is a type of bumpkin who is willing to accept an infinite number of impossible things before breakfast. Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins seem to subscribe to this view.

I heard a grand story last night that points to a 20th Century witness. I was stuffing envelopes for a local campaign, and was joined by two young girls; one was in fifth grade, the other in ninth. I asked the older girl if she was going to dress for Halloween.

She said, yes; she was dressing as Gandhi, and would give people candy rather than accept it. With the candy, she would hand out cards with quotes from Gandhi's life, such as "Be the change you seek in the world."

Within that quote lies the secret of being a saint.

Idée d’jour

People are pretty much alike. It's only that our differences are more susceptible to definition than our similarities.
— Linda Ellerbee

Ghoulish Friday Five

As suggested by Reverend Mother:

1. Do you enjoy a good fright?
   Only at a safe distance, at the movies or in some other fictional representation. I've been scared a couple of times in real life, and I decidedly did not enjoy it.


2. Scariest movie you've ever seen
   The original version of Thirteen Ghosts kinda weirded me out the first time I saw it. And I didn't even see it in 3-D! I saw it again just a few years ago, and it wasn't nearly as scary or weird.


3. Bobbing for apples: :
   I have no meaningful recollection of bobbing for apples, so I don't feel qualified to respond to this question. I'm not opposed to it, as a concept.


4. Real-life phobia
   Heights. Two years ago, Mary T— and I walked to the top of the grandstands at Winfield, which were (maybe) two stories tall. I was OK going up, but I was frozen walking down. In fact, I was so frozen, I had to ootch my way down in a sitting position. I later discerned the problem was that I could see the ground (two stories below) throught the stair's slats.


5. Favorite "ghost story"
   Henry James was probably the master of the literary ghost story. "Turn of the Screw" is his best known, but there is another I liked even better. I've tried to find the title, and have failed; I think it's something like "In the Corner." Robertson Davies' collection, High Spirits runs a close second. Robert Lewis Stevenson also wrote some fine ghost stories.
      Mark Twain includes the Tale of the Golden Arm in his essay on how to tell a story. It's more amusing than it is spooky.
      Late Ad:I almost forgot Big Joe & Phantom 409. It's a song made famous by Red Sovine (country singer of the 40s), but I'm more familiar with Tom Waits' cover version (on Nighthawks at the Diner)

Cat Friday

In which the Lady discerns whether a capo or the tin in which I store my picks might be edible.

The case is empty because the 12-string was getting its picture taken:

Where I've Been

Despite potential evidence to the contrary (lack of blog posts), I'm still here. I am currently facilitating a writer's group at church. Part of my function is to make assignments (we're writing devotionals in response to the readings assigned in the RCL for Advent), and I feel duty-bound to write as well. So, my creative energy seems to be spent there.

I do plan to post my essays/devotionals here, come Advent. So, this may be something for you to look forward to, if you don't mind my religious reflections.

I'm also rehearsing, at least once a week, for a performance at a local coffee shop. Friend Ben and I have been practicing for about a month and a half, and I think we're pretty tight. Details are forth-coming, soon.

I do have some fresh shots of Dame Julian. I'll post one later today, time permitting.

New to the Blogroll

I recently added a new blog to that list of regular reads you see there at the left. I think this addition deserves to be highlighted.

Beauty Dish was once part of the Salon blog community, but defected earlier this year because of frustrations with the "LoserLand" software. The author, Birdie Jaworksi, is struggling to make a living as an "Avon lady" and free-lance writer.

Her blog includes multi-part adventures in Avon marketing and sales (including the current series on pursuing clients in Area 51); reports on her sons; and other slices of life. She has a gift for the particular that I envy. Her writing appeals to all the senses, especially the heart.

Her blog also includes occasional reviews of Avon products, including a recent investigation into which (if any) Avon mascara was best for a certain type of show dog.

I've thought for a long time that I should add Birdie to the blogroll. Hers is definitely a blog I read on a regular basis, and I frequently check whether it has been up-dated.

Three recent events finally convinced me that I had waited too long:

1. She recently won a contest for this autobiographical essay. She's going to Bermuda for a week. After you've read the memoir, I think you'll agree she deserves all that and a bag of chips.
2. This entry, titled "The Pennies You Hold You Can't See." It took my breath away. I shook my head in amazement at how effortless it seemed to be. Without question, I think this is one of the most profoundly spiritual essays I've read in a long time – and it never mentions G–d (or any other deity).
3. A recent review of Avon Instant Manicure mentioned that the product seemed to strengthen the existing nails. Being a person who plays a steel-string dreadnaught guitar, and who prefers playing with fingernails rather than any type of pick, the nails of my right hand get a pretty good work-out. They are constantly chipping and breaking. The way I play, the strings seem to act like multiple high-grain emery boards.
      Several years ago, I attended a finger-style guitar workshop with Ed Gerhard, and he mentioned that he regularly gets manicures (for his right hand only), sometimes using applied nails, and has used products such as "Tough As Nails." In fact, I've been using "Tough As Nails" (and a similar Avon product) for a couple of years now. The point being, of course, that my masculinity is not threatened by the use of nail-care products.
      So, I e-mailed Birdie for ordering information. See, if I order from her, she earns some money; it's an easy way for me to support what I perceive to be a worthy cause. She responded by saying she would send free samples. I felt that was an extremely generous offer, and was very touched by it (especially when you consider the Instant Manicure Kit is relatively inexpensive).
      Later that same day, she sent the following e-mail:

   I've been reading through your archive this morning. You have such a gentle presence. The language you choose has a deep integrity. I'm going to add you to my list of friends, if that's OK with you.

   "Gentle presence"! "Deep integrity"! Clearly, this is a woman of discerning tastes.

What are you waiting for? Go visit her now. Say "Hello," and tell her Jonah sent you.

Friday Five: Word Association

Five words from Job 38 selected by Songbird:
whirlwind, foundation, lightning, den, prey.

---

Who speaks from the whirlwind?
Who laid the earth's foundation?
Whose voice is lightning?
The mysterious shadows in the den.
The devotion of the hunter, the prey's fear.

The cave has its own voice. A fearful
whisper at the back, the wind
at the ear. The shadows find motion
in the den's soft echoes,
in the soft warm earth.

We were born from our mother clay
before prey learned to fear.
Our eyes were ignited by lightning.
Our lives are longer than our shadows
and shorter than our breath.

This mouth could not breath forth the whirlwind.
These hands only found the clay,
they did not form it. The thunder
is not our voice. We live in the den
lest we, in our turn, become prey.

More on today's devotional

In my previous entry, I gave a brief description of the series of devotionals I wrote which are currently being featured at Ordinary Time. Here, I will write more about the devotional which was "published" this morning.

The meditation is written in response to Mark 10:17-31, in which the rich man approaches Jesus and asks how to obtain eternal life. This meditation is one of several I wrote as a fill-in, with a deadline looming, and it's one of the few I think shows the stress.

There is a great deal of "thinking out loud" which occurs in the essay. I frequently use the word "Perhaps" and similar modifiers. I first suggest that the rich man is observing the first five of the Ten Commandments, which have to do with our relationship with God; then I suggest that he isn't.

Perhaps most radical is the end of the essay, in which I suggest the consequences of taking Jesus' words seriously: we'd reduce the military budget. I suggest we falsely assume that our affluence reflects God's favor for our nation.

Mother Sarah Dylan draws similar political conclusions from the same passage. But, her essay is more straight-forward and seems to me to be better written.

My essay may not be the worst thing written, or even the worst essay included in the Ordinary Time collection. I'm still too close to judge that question. It is mildly embarassing to have the essay "out there" with its stays and braces showing.

Devotionals at Ordinary Time

Beginning today (Sat, Oct 14), I have meditations in the Ordinary Time collection of devotionals. These are availabe on-line at http://ordinarytimebook.blogspot.com, which is updated daily.
{I know, because I'm generally the one who insures the site is updated}

Today's (Oct 14), is a reflection on Psalm 22 ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"), with some discussion of different prophetic interpretations of the psalm.

Sunday's (Oct 15) is a brief poetic interpretation of Psalm 23.

On Monday, Oct 16, I examine some different postures for prayer, and consider what they might mean.

On Tuesday, Oct 17, I work my way toward an interpretation of the story told in Mk10:17-31 (rich man asks Jesus what he must do for eternal life).

Finally, on Wednesday, Oct 18, I consider the story of Jonah.

Friday Five: Creature Comforts

Courtesy of Reverend Mother

1. Comfort beverage
   Tea. I drink "Gun Powder" green tea almost every morning. Now that the weather is getting chilly, I tend to follow that with Celestial Seasonings' Red Zinger. I tend to collect teas like some people collect trading cards.


2. Comfort chair
   My recliner at home. I've lost count of the number of times I've fallen asleep in this chair. Of course, it is carefully arranged for optimal viewing of the opium box. So, that helps.
      My former wife and I bought this recliner at a second-hand shop in Norman. So, although it was reconditioned, it had lived a full life before it came to us. It's quite comfortable.


3. Comfort read
   There was a time when I read Mr. God, This Is Anna every year over Easter weekend. Padre introduced me to the book when I was a junior or senior in high school. I still remember the sound of his baritone voice as he read passages he found especially meaningful.
      The book has good points and bad points. It has some sentimental elements. Some of the theology can seem mushy, which the reader may forgive since it is presented through the character of a little girl.
      I don't worry about these flaws when I pick it up. I sit in my recliner, open the book, and imagine I hear Padre's voice reading those passages one more time.


4. Comfort television/DVD/music
   Some things provide comfort through familiarity. Several old TV shows serve this function, such as the original Dick Van Dyke Show or Perry Mason. Certain DVDs are standard reliables when I'm feeling under the weather or a little blue, such as Field of Dreams or Love, Actually. I'm a fan of a broad variety of musical genres, and often any piece of music will lift my spirits.
      I'll mention just a couple of examples – the blues as sung by Billie Holliday, or Górecki's Third Symphony (Dawn Upshaw, soprano).


5. Comfort companion(s)
   There is no question that her royal catness has become a comfort companion. Cooler weather has encouraged her to spend more time in my lap, and to sleep with me.
      Companions from church, such as Pam, provide comfort. Another long-time comfort companion is Dr. Omed, who I haven't seen since his 2005 Winter Solstice event. Happily, the miracle of the internet makes it possible to keep tabs on his doings and creations. And the innovations of G'YuTube make it possible to hear his voice without driving to Tulsa.
     However, I do have hopes to visit the Right Rev. sometime before this year's solstice celebration. Perhaps the day after Thanksgiving?

Post #1690

Idée d’jour

The more intelligent and cultured a man is, the more subtly he can humbug himself.
— Carl Jung, psychiatrist (1875-1961)

Cursive

One of my daily reads is Josh Marshall's Talking Points Memo. His liberal bias seems obvious, but he is not as screeching as many of the posters at Daily Kos. The "diaries" on this site may be what Bull Moose has in mind when he talks about the "nutroots".

I digress. I consider "TPM" a reliable news source, especially for "Washington Insider" stories. For example, I first heard about the Foley scandal on NPR, as I was driving to work. I've able to follow the scandal, and it's fall-out, through Talking Points Memo and its sister sites.

So, I was thrown off-guard yesterday afternoon when – amidst sound political reporting – Josh commented on an article on the decline of cursive writing. Toward the end of this entry - which seems one of the longer entries on his page - Josh asks, "How do you write when you put pen to paper? And how old are you?"

This topic is of some interest to me, particularly the research the Washington Post article points to that links a type of neurological development with cursive writing. I've long been curious about the what parts of the brain are involved in different modes of recording are thoughts. As recently as last year (or thereabouts), I wondered whether it made a difference if I created a poem while writing, or while typing.

To return to Josh's questions, I'm a bit over 50 years old. My memory is that we studied cursive writing for significant blocks of time through sixth grade. By high school, my cursive writing was neat, but extremely small (for some reason, I was obsessed with saving paper).

I broke my right thumb following my freshman year of college. Since I am right-handed, this adversely affected my writing, and my cursive has never recovered. When I review things I wrote as recently a year ago, I often feel like I'm trying to crack a code.

Let's take a recent example, written shortly after lunch yesterday. I had some potential poetic fragments floating in my consciousness, and I wanted to record them. From those fragments, I then free-associated with a number of nouns:

Harvest moon
yellow veil
red horizon

Spica and Pollox
brackish barrens
blue twilight

Spectrum shift
reflection indistinct
sketched outlines

Lost tales
stolen hiway 
Fomalhaut
Mugo Pine

The last two entries were printed in block letters, because I wanted to remember how to spell them correctly ("Fomalhaut" is especially tricky, because it's pronounced "foamalow").

You may have been able to make out most of the letters prior to seeing the typescript version. But I think it's fair to describe my writing as "scrawl" rather than as "cursive".

Playing God

Most of us like to play God. Even people who don't believe in God like to play God.

Naturally, we don't normally phrase it that way. A phrase I commonly use - with my tongue only slightly placed in my cheek - is, "If I were king of the world." Common variations on this are "If I were president" or "Congress really ought to" or "There oughta be a law."

It's not just that we want someone whose word is Law, or can institute change at will; we want to be that someone. Often, we don't want the responsibility or accountability that comes with being in charge. So, if we are really honest with ourselves, what we really want is to be puppet masters. We would directly control a figure head who would enact our wishes, and accept the responsibility for the consequences.

I suspect this view of an omnipotent God has its origins in childhood. Child development psychologists have suggested that infants perceive themselves as the "center of the universe", which is to say, as a type of god; their needs are met upon demand - and often before demand.

Another theory is that infants and young children perceive their parents (especially the mother) as gods, because the basic needs of life are provided by these large creatures. Parents also serve a God-like function as they correct and praise the child.

So the average child faces a couple of disappointments early in life: first, that the child is not god. At some point, the child will be expected to become increasingly self-sufficient. Secondly, the child learns that his/her parents are not god, either. The parent will inevitably fail in some way.

It seems to me the vision of God as an omnipotent being is also a product of childhood. We want to believe in a God that is as powerful as we thought we were as infants. Often, we want to believe in a God who acts as we would act, and defines "good" and "bad" the same way we do.

I agree with St. Benedict, who said that the most we can know about God is what we don't know. These labels we like to use for God - omnipotent, omnipresent, good, kind, and so on - are means of limiting God to human terms. God may be all these things, but not necessarily in a way we can fully comprehend.

So, when someone says they don't believe in God because "God wouldn't allow x to happen", I understand that they are saying they don't believe in a particular definition of God. It's almost like the classic straw-man argument: they get to define God, then shoot down that definition.

This definition of God is essentially how that person would act if they were God. I'm not sure I could believe in that god, either.

I believe in a God whose nature can only be hinted at. I still might use those age-old labels, but I understand those labels to be (at best) faded sign-posts. I can make some educated guesses about God based on my understanding of creation; but those guesses will only be as sound as my rudimentary understanding.

Idée d’jour

No man is justified in doing evil on the ground of expediency.
— Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd US President (1882-1945)

Idée d’jour

A friend is someone who sees through you and still enjoys the view.
— Wilma Askinas

Friday Five: Civic Duty

As suggested by Songbird.

1. How old were you when you voted for the first time?
   20


2. What was the contest at the top of the ballot?
   Presidential - I voted for Jimmy Carter


3. Can you walk to your polling place?
   It's within the range of possibility, as it is between 1/8 – 1/4 mile away. However, I normally vote on the way to work; therefore, I drive.


4. Have you ever run for public office?
   No.


5. Have you run for office in a club or school or on a board?
   I have run for vestry (church board) at two different churches, and won. In fact, I'm currently serving the second year of a three-year term at the second church.
   
      I also ran for Diocesan Council (state-level church board), and served two successive terms of three years each.

Jack Frost Is Dead

Jack Frost is dead.
Just when the time was right
Just when the blanket was blinded
just when the coffee overturned the butter
just when day was traded for night.

The report is in from the foreign precincts:
Jack Frost is dead.
What was he looking for in the barrens.
Where was his shadow at two o'clock.
Who saw the body and lost the pulse.

The miser clock has wilted.
The clouds have worn to shreds.
Jack Frost is dead.
He spoke his last backwards.
Memory tore its collar.

In the tallons of the forest;
in the crystals of the moon;
out of weary understanding:
Jack Frost is dead.
Childless rests the head.

The limber lumber rests
after hearing the ancient news.
The patricians count the sounds.
Sunset carries the banner.
Jack Frost is dead.

Foleygate

The big news this week is the fall-out surrounding questionable e-mails sent by former Florida representative Mark Foley (R), and a series of salacious IMs he conducted with under-age boys, all of whom were former Congressional Pages. Depending on the poll or commentator, this issue is either very important to voters, or ranks well below the growing mire in Iraq.

There's no question that Rep. Foley crossed a moral line, if not a legal one. There's every possibility that he broke a law against on-line predators that he helped move through the House. At the very least, his communication was inappropriate because of the age of the boys (around 16), and because – even after the young men had left the Congressional page program – he had a position of authority over them.

All this is pretty clear, and "icky" – as the former page who broke the initial e-mail put it.

What is more disturbing is the fact that the Republican leadership knew about these inappropriate communications as recently as last year, and possibly as far back as 2001.

In the business setting, this sort of inappropriate activity would be classed as a form of sexual harassment. Once the harassment had been reported, the accused would be cautioned to avoid contact with the person(s) making the accusation. If the accused did not break off contact with those person(s), or acted in a similar fashion with others, the accused would be fired.

Based on the press statements coming from the House Republican leadership to date, none of this happened. Not even a warning. Certainly no request to resign, until the most benign ("overly friendly") e-mail had been published last Friday by ABC News.

All of which suggests, to my mind, a cover-up. The House Repugnant leadership was more interested in preserving its power than in protecting these young men.

I think an analogy may be drawn to Iraq. The majority of the service people are young men, many as young as 18 or 19. The planning for this invasion was unrealistic and poor from the beginning. The budget was under funded, and funding in many significant areas (especially health care) has been slashed. The responsibility for much of this may be laid at the feet of Secy. of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.

Not a single member of the Repugnant leadership, from either house, has called for Secretary Rumsfeld's resignation. The argument has been they are supporting the leadership of the Commander in Chief during wartime. What they are doing is countenancing incompetence that is as morally repugnant as Rep. Foley's e-mails.

Bottom line: if the Republicans cannot protect the "Hallowed Halls" of Congress, why should we trust them to protect the U.S. for one more day?

Idée d’jour

We all have to learn how to negotiate our unconscious worlds. We have to go into the labyinth of our own selves and fight our own monsters.
— Karen Armstrong ("To Go Beyond Thought," Parabola, Fall 2006, 21)

Idée d’jour

He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
— Friedrich Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)

Using Secular Media

The title of the presentation was "Using Secular Media in Adult Formation: There's A Lot of Treasures Out There!" In my modest defense, I did not create the title; I didn't object to it either, because I couldn't think of anything better.

To a degree, using secular media in an Episcopal church seems non-controversial. Preachers quote TV shows and song lyrics frequently in their sermons. The Harry Potter books are considered appropriate for study for a number of age groups.

On the other hand, it is possible to limit oneself when considering mass media. It's easy to consider most mass media as purveyors of moral choices contrary to ones a typical Christian (if there is such a person) would support.

I began the session by challenging the group to define the term "secular" in relation to the common antonym, "sacred". This discussion seemed to engage the group, and some were challenged when I asked them to give examples, or go deeper in their examples.

Once the terms had been defined, and we agreed that both "secular" and "sacred" might both address ethical issues and deep, existential, questions (e.g., who am I, where have I been, where am I going).

I then listed examples of things that have been done, or could be done:

1. Books
1. Dante's Inferno and Purgatorio from the Divine Comedy
2. The Brothers Karamazov
3. The Canterbury Tales
4. Paradise Lost
5. Huckleberry Finn (to be studied during Lent 2007)
   The discussion of these five books were lead by a classically educated member of our congregation. Whether this could be replicated in another congregation depends on its members.
6. The Secret Life of Bees
   Which is a discussion group I lead in the summer of '05. The book may be best suited for a women's group, unless your community has a healthy proportion of "sensitive new-age men".
2. Movies
1. To Kill a Mockingbird
2. The Mission
3. The Life of Brian
4. Field of Dreams
3. TV
   These are suggestions
1. Lost
   I noted that many people interpret this as a variation of Purgatory. Episodes reveal errors made in the past that the character may be atoning for on this island. The show also explicitly explores issues of faith through the characters of Locke and Mr. Eko.
2. My Name Is Earl
   Also addresses questions of seeking forgiveness and making amends. Could also talk about Earl's concept of "Karma" and how it compares to our concept(s) of God.
3. Night-time "soaps", such as One Tree Hill
   Couple of ideas here: cite Biblical laws that are broken in each program; discuss whether consequences suffered in the program match consequences that might be suffered in reality.
4. Guidelines
1. With books, set realistic assignments. Depending on the difficulty of the reading, 200-300 pages a week might be realistic.
2. With movies and TV shows, create time people can watch it together. Unless you are only showing brief segments, 40 minutes between services is not realistic.
3. With movies and other long presentations, take at least one intermission. During this time, have a brief conversation about themes noticed up to this point, and suggest things to watch for in the remainder.
4. Allow at least 30 minutes for discussion following the presentation.
5. Have several questions in mind, but don't restrict the discussion to those questions. You'll often find new ideas and questions arise from the discussion.
5. Resources
1. Entertainment Weekly often this somewhat edgy weekly will recognize a spiritual element to some presentation. When it does, I take note. I've agreed more often than not with their assesment in this regard; one example is "Lost".
2. Parabola explores world myth very much in the tradition of Joseph Campbell. This quarterly journal can be helpful to see the big universal questions in new ways and from new perspectives.

Meeting Emily

I met a fellow RevGal blogger this past Saturday. The occasion was a diocesan educational conference titled “A Call to Formation”, held at the Cathedral. I was there as the facilitator of two of the learning opportunities, and Emily was there as a participant.

Emily is the interim pastor of a local church, and writes the web-log Hazelnut Reflections. The primary image I've seen associated with Emily is a Yahoo avatar in the top portion of the right-hand column of her blog. There is a surprising resemblance, even though there are remarkably few avatars to choose from (last time I checked, there weren't any blonde males).

Another priest was visiting with Emily when I spotted her, so I waited at the periphery of the conversation. When he left, I stepped up, introduced myself, and said, "I read your blog."

She mentioned that she thought I looked familiar. There's a couple of places (aside from this blog) that she may have seen my picture. We had a pleasant, if brief, chat.

The conference was broken into three 45 minute blocks, with four or five learning opportunities in each block. I facilitated two learning ops in the last two blocks, following lunch: Using Secular Media in Adult Formation and Asset Mapping. I'll have a bit more to say about that first class in a later entry.

Emily had signed up for the Secular Media op, and contributed to the conversation. In preparing for this class, I had focused on movies, tv, and books. When I learned that Emily had registered for the conference, I remembered the internet. In addition to her blog, Emily was also involved in the Ordinary Time project, and wrote several meditations for that collection of devotionals (available on-line and as a paperback book).

Immediately proceeding the class, I asked Emily's permission to talk briefly about Ordinary Time and her blog as examples of how the internet might be used. She graciously granted that permission.

Later in the day, she said it was nice to meet a fellow blogger, and I replied that it at least gave us something to write about.

Idée d’jour

People who are born even-tempered, placid, and untroubled – secure from violent passions or temptations to evil – those who have never needed to struggle all night with the Angel to emerge lame but victorious at dawn, never become great saints.
— Eva Le Gallienne, theater founder [quoted in Wild Words from Wild Women]