Tea Bag Wisdom
Self-respect is the fruit of discipline.— Abraham Heschel (1907 – 1972); from tab of Good Earth ® tea bag
Thursday, December 11, 2003
6:45 a.m.
I'm listening to John Fahey play Americain all its pre-fascist glory
before the tide rolled out
I'm thinking about Frederick Buechner
how his words shined
back when belief was a luxury
I'm thinking about wrestling with the angel
in the early morning hours
when I still lay a-bed
She whispered of days
when angels consorted with men
I'm thinking about the day
living in the belly of the beast
breathing infernal desires
of the Whore of Babylon
the perfume of her daughter Diana
Now Ares' footprint is firm on the soil,
for he is the royal consort,
and the Ghost of the Flea
delights in pyre ash
Most of all,
I'm thinking about you
and the hour
you will stand at my door
Matthew 23:26
Cleanse my heart, Gracious One;with your healing light
burn away all falsehood.
Shine the light of your countenance
upon my faltering heart
reveal each pocket of hypocrisy
each hint of pride
or superiority
or aesthetic.
These I use to hide from you
and from my fellow travelers.
Teach me the way of true compassion.
Open my eyes to see your face
in each face I meet.
Scour my heart, Patient Lover,
drive away fearful shadows
that my hands may perceive your touch
in each hand I clasp
Daily clean my heart
Daily draw me closer to you
Daily may I walk
in the way of justice, mercy, and faith.
For I pray in your Holy Name.
So Be It.
See Matthew 23:13-26. See also a'Kempis, Imitation of Christ, Book Two, Chapter Two, "Of Lowly Submission".
Early Watches
In the early estival watcheshe ponders the inner rose
which burns before him
he smells the rosary
on his fingertips
and explores the sacred cave
the house breathes
around him; he
wants to sing
he wants to sing
for the frost dancing
in moon-dimmed starlight
he wants to sing
give thanks for the cave
and for the early estival watches
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Who Reads "Love During Wartime"?
The table below reflects visitors to this web-log between 9:48 a.m. and 11:11 p.m. yesterday (9.Dec.03). This is reproduced from Site Meter.| Domain | Page views | Duration | Time |
| aol.com | 2 | 0:07 | 11:11:50pm |
| Level3.net | 2 | 0:04 | 10:51:56 pm |
| attbi.com | 2 | 0:01 | 10:39:17 |
| yale.edu | 2 | 0:01 | 8:29:32 pm |
| ppdi.com | 2 | 0:01 | 4:44:47 pm |
| 213.212.195 | 3 | 1:01 | 4:36:13 |
| ppdi.com | 4 | 17:46 | 4:04:28 pm |
| ppdi.com | 3 | 6:50 | 2:43:16 pm |
| Level3.net | 2 | 0:08 | 1:45:38 pm |
| mo.us | 2 | 0:00 | 1:38:50 pm |
| ppdi.com | 4 | 24:22 | 11:46:39 am |
| uscourts.gov | 2 | 0:01 | 11:44:31 am |
| txucom.net | 2 | 0:01 | 11:22:36 am |
| 65.166.25 | 2 | 0:22 | 11:19:31am |
| mo.us | 2 | 0:01 | 9:48:08 am |
I am curious about the person or persons who log in from ppdi, which is apparantly a pharmaceutical company. Wonder how they learned of this space, and why they come back.
I will confess that I'm a little nervous about the listing from uscourts.gov. Sure hope I haven't written anything sue-worthy. Or, perhaps worse, something that will send me to Guantanamo. I do have kin-folk who live & work in the Washington, DC area, so maybe that's the connection.
Feel free to introduce yourself, as Matthias did. Leave a comment, or drop me an e-mail. Let me know what you like here, what you'd like to see more of (or less of).
Tuesday, December 09, 2003
Doggerel
The second part of my series on prayer will appear early next week. In the meantime, this "blog" will return to its standard regimin of occasionally good poetry and half-formed (or half-informed) political opinion. The following is a draft toward a (hopefully) better poem.30% chance of rain
70% chance of dry
fog rises from sleepy hollow trees
bare-armed trees
raise their hands in prayer
a near-by roof blazes bright
white concrete spot light
while the next building
is shrouded in gray
rankle the cottonwood
descend the terrace
the terra cotta grenery
of happenstance conversation
in the long narrow halls
contrasting cranial distortion
on the ocean redefining
the letters behind the words
the ideograms behind the letters
On Prayer, Part I
Verbal Prayer, ContinuedAfter my presentation, which is reflected in the entry below, I asked the attendees to break into four groups. I had already arranged for people to be facilitators of these groups. The goal was to share, as much as comfortable, personal prayer practices and disciplines. I asked that the focus be practical and concrete. For example: did one pray certain times each day - if so, how often? What names or titles were used for the divine (God, Jesus, etc)? Were certain intents always considered in the same order?
The following list reflects the responses which came out of the groups. These responses confirm my notion that there are almost as many ways to pray as there are people. Although I believe you will note some common features as you review these responses.
Group One focused on "practices we use to encourage ourselves to pray":
- morning solitude; carving out time in the day before the chaos kicks in — no noise, no distractions, no others
- walking the dog and praying favorite prayers (e.g., Psalms 3 and 51)
- "observing the day", that is, sunrise, sunset, weather, nature (one said s/he "smells God in mums")
- displaying icons that inspire prayer and meditation
- informal conversations with God throughout the day, regardless of time or place
- participation in prayer-related groups or ministries; for example, at church or in a 12-Step program
- practicing meditations on gratitude to increase awareness of blessings
- taking advantage of any opportunity to pray, including secular situations (e.g., traffic, workplace, etc.)
- we have a God who loves to be read to
- Episcopalians are "people of the book," who are accustomed to using prayers or psalms from the Book of Common Prayer
- most pray in the morning, a few at other times
- expressing gratitude in prayer helps one be aware of more things to be grateful for
- prayer encourages gratitude, as gratitude encourages prayer
- discussed why Episcopalians are uncomfortable with leading public prayer
- one theory offered was that Episcopalians see prayer as intimacy with God
- thus, public prayer would be a sort of "public display of affection"
- most pray intermittently during the day, but mostly at night
- offer brief prayers throughout the day, but still set special time apart for "focused" prayer
- use prayer beads (Roman Catholic or Anglican rosary)
- are encouraged by the example of other denominations (one member lives in a predominantly Baptist community)
- Many in this group shared the story of being raised as Christians, then drifting away in young adulthood. As they matured, these people felt a spiritual hunger; their childhood experiences encouraged them to return to the church.
- one person who shared this story also shared that s/he is struggling to re-learn how to pray
- pray that God will know his/her heart, that it might be at peace
- find comfort in St. Francis' prayer, "Make me an instrument of your peace"
- put on armor of God before praying
- pray that every room you enter be defended from the enemy
- One person drives to work early every day, taking a picturesque route so s/he may rejoice in God's creation
- when praying for another's healing, picture that person enveloped and filled with God's healing white light (see Agnes Sandford, The Healing Light)
- some begin their daily prayer time using a service from the Book of Common Prayer
On Prayer: Introduction
"The yearning to pray is a prayer in itself"My presentation is not original; it is based on a presentation I heard a number of years ago, given by a person I respect. Furthermore, I have found these categories to be accurate, based on my own experience and the experience of others.
However, what I call "Methods" of prayer are not intended to be exhaustive, but are a means to begin a discussion and consider the breadth of prayer.
These methods are:
- Verbal
- Imaging
- Physical; and
- Contemplative
- Prayer Book
- Episcopal Book of Common Prayer
- Book of Psalms
- Roman Catholic Breviaries
- Memorized Prayers
- The Lord's Prayer
- Gloria Patri (from Roman Catholic tradition, means "Glory be to the Father")
- Original, spontaneous prayers
- Singing
- St. Augustine said that singing was praying twice
- Adoration
- Contrition
- Thanksgiving
- Supplication
If you are struggling to learn how to pray, consider St. Paul's promise in his letter to the church at Rome that the Holy Spirit will provide us with the words we need (c.f., Rom. 8:26). Paulsell's book offers this definition of prayer: "The ultimate goal of prayer is to look beyond earthly things, to see beyond the created order, and arrive at the contemplation of God. . . . We pray to know God, not to give God orders" (pg 7). This may seem daunting at first, but less so in the light of St. Paul's promise.
Finally, consider Paul's instruction to the church at Thesolonica:
Rejoice always,My hope is this series will suggest ways we may achieve that goal of praying without ceasing.
pray without ceasing,
give thanks in all circumstances;
for this is the will of God
in Christ Jesus for you
1 Thes. 5: 16-18, NRSV
Monday, December 08, 2003
Must See!
Was led to this Mad Magazine parody. Couldn't wait to pass this on to you folk. The various positions are "priceless".Poet Dreams
Recently, the members of the Poetry Espresso e-list have been discussing dreams in which they encounter fellow poets. This discussion brought to mind a couple I've had, one quite recent:Dana (a.k.a. Dr Omed) and I were in a tall building overlooking a public park. Very lovely and lush, quite green too (unlike Okla's current status). I spoke a spontaneous poem. Dana said, "That's quite good, when did you write it?"
OK, so it's an ego dream....
The frustrating thing is, I can only remember a fragment of the dream poem.
The second dream is older:
In waking life, there was a hymn I didn't care for much; might have been "Let All Mortal Flesh". Don't know why. Anyway, in this dream the metaphysical poet John Donne approached me & informed me that he had written the words for that hymn. Having a great deal of affection for Donne (both pre- and post-conversion), I took a 2nd look.
Shortly after the dream, I did indeed take a 2nd look at the hymn. The
one in question had not been written by Donne, but I did find something in it that spoke to me — perhaps because of the dream. There are, in fact, two hymns in the Episcopal 1982 Hymnal based on Donne poems: "Wilt thou forgive" and "When Jesus died to save us".
Speaking of "Waking Life", I give a qualified recommendation to Richard Linklater's movie of the same name. I've seen it twice, and received something each time. It has its own quality of surreal poetry, as well. Not something for a permanent library, most likely, but worth seeing at least once.
In Memoriam, John Lennon
You are directed to Dr. Omed's Tent Show; skip the "Nun of the Week" (for the nonce) and meditate instead on the illustrated lyrics for "Imagine".In the "no shame" department, the copy of Double Fantasy Lennon autographed for his murderer, Mark Chapman, is soon to be auctioned by Southby's. Don't believe in the death penalty, but I might favor a sentence of having to listen to the Monkeys or muzak versions of Beatle's tunes.
Friday, December 05, 2003
Greatest Story Never Told
The Real Life Preacher (RLP) has set himself the task of retelling the Christmas Story, and adding in some details the Gospels omit. The first two parts of the story focus on how Joseph felt [note the above link will take you to part two. You will probably want to read the Introduction and Part One as well].This focus on Joseph reminded me of a short story by the folk singer John McCutcheon, The Gospel According to Joe. McCutcheon's story is a little different, as it gives the tale a very modern spin.
John also wrote a song on a similar theme, titled theGreatest Story Never Told; the lyrics are worth a read, and I recommend the cd of the same name.
Who knows what Joseph thought, and how Joseph felt? Well, RLP and John McCutcheon have written pretty good midrashes which help Joseph seem like a full-fleshed human being.
Kudos to Wesley Clark!
This Salon article reports on a speech Wesley Clark gave last night at Daniel Webster College. According to the article, former general Clark criticized Prez. Busch for his "bring 'em on" comment. But here's my favorite quote: Clark "called the Bush administration 'all bully and no pulpit'."Thursday, December 04, 2003
Compassion
So, on Monday, I was almost finished with Jack Kerouac’s Dharma Bums. In it, his character is frequently calling himself (or others) a bodhisattva. He seems to think the main point of being a reincarnated enlightened being is having compassion for one’s fellow creatures — even if they are part of the vast benighted middle class glued to their TV screens. However, as others have noted, this compassion does not seem to apply to women. As in On the Road, women seem to exist primarily as "real gone chick(s)" who serve men — either as Earth Mother home-makers or as sexual companions (or "conquests"). This seems more like a typical 1950s male attitude than that of an enlightened one.Be that as it may, "Compassion" is a word Kerouac uses frequently.
I have made a pact with myself, in observance of Advent, to decrease my television viewing (perhaps inspired by the negative comments Ti Jean makes). One way to achieve this goal is to stay physically away from the tube; for example, by attending meetings.
Every fortnight, the Benedictine group meets at the Cathedral. This is a group of lay people who are interested in applying Benedict’s rule to their daily life. A few are Oblate Novices, people who have accepted the full discipline of the rule yet continue to live in the world, but most have no more official connection to a monastery than an ordinary layperson.
So as I drive to the Cathedral, Kerouac's "compassion" is echoing in my mind. I wonder if Ti Jean fully understood what the word means. I wonder if I even really understand it. Too often, I suspect, we see the word "compassion" and we think "pity".
Whenever I wonder about a word’s meaning, I consider its etymology. Just checked a dictionary, and the etymology is from Latin: "com, with + pati, to suffer". To "suffer with" is stronger than the common understanding of pity. It is possible to pity without taking action; but to suffer with another would almost certainly spur one into action.
After all, if one is suffering, the natural impulse is to take action to end that suffering. Likewise, if one experiences true compassion for another's suffering, one will take action to ease that other person’s suffering as if it were one's own.
Keep in mind, this meditation is taking place during my 20-minute drive from my warm middle-class home to the Cathedral. I have the non-commercial classical radio station playing, so my mind is not distracted. I walk in the door, with these thoughts still forming and rolling through my brain.
Turns out, the leader of the group has brought a video tape for us to watch. I had to laugh to myself; I had come to avoid watching TV, and now I was going to watch it after all!
The video tape was of an address given by Archbishop Rowan Williams at Trinity Church, New York, in April of this year. Congruent with the theme of our group, Archbishop Williams was talking about the tools Benedict recommends for life in monastic community. Those tools are transparency, being a peacemaker, and accountability.
None of these seems obviously connected with compassion, but I heard Archbishop Williams' address through that filter, as it were. Perhaps a few quotes from his address will be suggestive:
- I promise that your growth towards the good God wants for you will be a wholly natural and obvious priority for me; and I trust that you have made the same promise.
- What Benedict is interested in producing is people who have the skills to diagnose all inside them that prompts them to escape from themselves in the here and now.
- Benedict regards monastic life as a discipline for being where you are, rather than taking refuge in the infinite smallness of your own fantasies.
- [we are] standing together before Christ, becoming used to Christ’s scrutiny together. In this way, we both see ourselves under Christ's judgement and see others under Christ's mercy; and we are urged not to despair of that mercy even for ourselves.
Wednesday, December 03, 2003
Weather Report
30% chance of rainsky grey, grey, grey all day
never did rain
by afternoon, the sun is a glare
across the west horizon
then night stole on
as we entered the belly of the beast
dark night, no rain
time wants to sleep or
to eat its young or
pretend it's an invention
54° predicted high
low in the 30's tonight
30% chance of rain, he said.
where's my rain?
Worth a Read
Wired News has an excellent article on one of my favorite authors, Phillip K. Dick. Seems he's become flavor of the year, what with the number of his stories and novels that have been transferred to the movies.The story discusses the paranoia that pervaded Dick's personal life, as well as his fiction, in ample detail. I still have nightmares about the "contact paranoia" I suffered while reading the posthomous novel Radio Free Albemuth. Clearly, his work is not for the faint of heart.
One of his short stories which is in development at Disney, of all places, is "The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford". I don't recall reading this story, but have always been fascinated by the title. Turns out, according to the Wired article, the story concerns a brown oxford shoe which comes to life one day. It being a Phillip K. Dick story, one can safely assume things don't end well.
Been slow blogging of late. The flu has been making the rounds of our corner of the office the past week, and I seem to have early symptons (stuffy head, achy, etc.). I have a couple of ideas on the burner, including the outline for my prayer forum, but things might appear a little feverish for the next couple of days ....
Just like a Phillip K. Dick short story...
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