Author Archives: MeridaGOround

Poem : : OUR WHOLENESS

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Fair use. Myth, from Plato’s Symposium, speech by Aristophanes.

 

OUR WHOLENESS

Gazing into the sacred mirror, 

Rearward, focused on the past, 

examining lessons had,

We often struggle…

 

What’s the point of instant-replay? 

He fumbled, dropped the ball — 

watching again won’t change that day. 

But wait!  Can it change today…if

we win a lesson learned?

 

Greek myth says humans once were whole,  

four legs, four arms, two faces, too,

but gods split them in half.

So now we look for…

who?  Is my soulmate you?

 

I am one, and you are one, and one plus one is two. 

But only One is real, says math. All else is fractions, 

split, divided. The Whole is holy, wholey complete, entire, 

One, which cannot be undone, divided: 

Alone originally spelt and said allone.

 

The beauty in the mirror looks back at you

to tell you, gently, true:  You were always One:

Completely you. 

(~eric.)

 

 

GEO-POLITICS > “FROM MANY, ONE”

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FAIR USE

Geo-politics:  E PLURIBUS UNUM > “from many, one” appears on the Great Seal of The United States.  At the moment there does not seem to be much oneness (unity) in evidence anywhere in USA, or across the globe. Nearly half of American voters pardoned DJT for attempting to crash Congress so he could remain in office and stay out of jail!  And on our currency it says “In God We Trust”. Really?

Emeritus law professor Jay Dratler comments on this lack of unity currently (“Now or Never”  04 December 2024), offering a “what-if” observation:

Can politics (many-ness) “sit down together” to become one? Well, religion and politics have much in common. Spinoza got kicked out of synagogue by Amersterdam’s chief rabbi for daring to question the concept of “chosen-ness” which he seems to have perceived as precocious-ness, instead.  “Off with his head!” said the rabbi, further stipulating that no Jew was to speak with him, ever, not even his brother, who was his business partner — no room to “sit down together to solve” anything in that edict!
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The central tenet of Jewish religion, the Christian religion, and the American sense of “chosen-ness” — (“a city set on a hill; an experiment in the wilderness” etc) — seem stuck in a ditch, presently.  So, allow me to attempt to unpack and re-translate what I perceive as a sticking point — found originally in Deuteronomy 6:4 —  (here’s my attempt, as Jacob’s new name, Israel, variously means “God-wrestler” or “God is in charge” — a pregnant reminder for us to stop quibbling, and focus! :  Listen up, you who say that God is in charge:  I AM is God, [ultimate good]; I AM is ONE.   This One-Thing concept is key to solving our messes.  Presently I’m proof-reading a lengthy piece of writing for a friend, naturalist Jim Conrad, a Nature Study Meditation, in which he considers One Thing. (I think he’s onto something vital.)  I’m also re-reading an excellent book, SOCRATES: A Life Examined, by philosophy professor Luis E. Navia. (You could read the free Kindle sample on your laptop.)

!! YOU’RE FIRED !! — MANAGING for CHANGE

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Quote:  “The EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) just published “Hottest May on record spurs call for climate action”, including data on daily global temp increases over the past 3.5 yrs, compared with the 1991-2020 baseline, and here’s the summary: the global temp has increased 0.214 degC on ave. annually over the baseline, so at this rate we could see 2 degC by 2027, and 3 degC by 2032. The Economist magazine published “What 3 degC of global warming looks like” 2 yrs. ago on youtube. Check it out, as that appears to be what we’re headed for by 2032. God help the children.”  SOURCE.

Here in MĂŠrida, we’re accustomed to the heat, mostly, after more than a decade.  But this past summer was different.  So we decided to add a clima unit to our media room.  We’ve avoided using air conditioning (clima) for most of our time here, relying on fans, and a generous breeze across our site, and thru our house. (Buffalonians know what cold feels like; Texans know what grid failure feels like; Meridanos don’t need additional heat stress.)  So we bought a Carrier 18k btu from Costco, which we use rarely, but is able to cool other parts of the home, as needed, via “spill-over”.

And then we looked into securing our energy source by adding a battery back-up system for our solar array. The earlier SMA SunnyBoy inverter had served us well since 2017, but a new inverter was required for storing solar energy overnight, covering possible grid failures. So we sought help from a French solar engineer, Luc D’azemar, of Solarlapsmid, who had earned high marks from friends.  Our new 6000w system worked seamlessly, during one brief power outage from CFE; and we are very happy with Luc’s support.  His tech located and replaced a fried connector on our rooftop array which was being detected as an anomaly by the new inverter. (see photo below).  Now, if the grid goes down, we can still power the house, as long as the sun continues to shine.

HAMMOCKMAN PAUL HAS DEPARTED

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Paul, of Hammockman blog, and Marc, of An Alaskan in Yucatan.  February 2012, Sisal MX

My wife and I first learned of Merida from watching a food show.  I began researching the city, and encountered Hammockman blog from someone who would soon become a dear friend.  We came to Merida on vacation for three weeks in 2009, staying at a B&B near the bullring.  Paul walked from his home on c.61 to greet us.  A rich friendship ensued. (I had begun blogging a few years earlier, at yahoo, which later “vaporized” my digits when Microsoft bought it; and at Travelblog — see entries for hat making in Becal, Campeche; and at Ballenberg, Switzerland.)

 

“Three amigos” weekly coffee @ Flor de Maya, Sanitago Plaza, Merida

I met Marc at a bloggers conference in 2010.  The three of us began meeting weekly for coffee. A fourth friend, blogging at BackyardNature.net captured our attention from further afield. Jim Conrad is a modern-day Thoreau whom I’ve written about in these pages, here, and here, etc. Paul’s wife Susan, “graduated” earlier this year. And overnight, he moved on, too. My life has been enriched for knowing them.

L-R: Jim Conrad of BackyardNature.net, Hammockman, son Isaac. Nov 2010, Piste MX.

 

Paul and Susan, Sisal, Nov.2011

 

Goodbye friends. ÂĄVayan bien!

An Indigenous poem Paul sent me shortly before departing:

For Calling the Spirit Back from Wandering the Earth in Its Human Feet
by Joy Harjo  (Fair Use)

Put down that bag of potato chips, that white bread, that bottle of pop.
    
Turn off that cellphone, computer, and remote control.

Open the door, then close it behind you.

Take a breath offered by friendly winds. They travel the earth gathering essences of plants to clean.

Give it back with gratitude.

If you sing it will give your spirit lift to fly to the stars’ ears and back.

Acknowledge this earth who has cared for you since you were a dream planting itself precisely within your parents’ desire.

Let your moccasin feet take you to the encampment of the guardians who have known you before time, who will be there after time. They sit before the fire that has been there without time.

Let the earth stabilize your postcolonial insecure jitters.

Be respectful of the small insects, birds and animal people who accompany you.
Ask their forgiveness for the harm we humans have brought down upon them.

Don’t worry.
The heart knows the way though there may be high-rises, interstates, checkpoints, armed soldiers, massacres, wars, and those who will despise you because they despise themselves.

The journey might take you a few hours, a day, a year, a few years, a hundred, a thousand or even more.

Watch your mind. Without training it might run away and leave your heart for the immense human feast set by the thieves of time.

Do not hold regrets.

When you find your way to the circle, to the fire kept burning by the keepers of your soul, you will be welcomed.

You must clean yourself with cedar, sage, or other healing plant.

Cut the ties you have to failure and shame.

Let go the pain you are holding in your mind, your shoulders, your heart, all the way to your feet. Let go the pain of your ancestors to make way for those who are heading in our direction.

Ask for forgiveness.

Call upon the help of those who love you. These helpers take many forms: animal, element, bird, angel, saint, stone, or ancestor.

Call your spirit back. It may be caught in corners and creases of shame, judgment, and human abuse.

You must call in a way that your spirit will want to return.

Speak to it as you would to a beloved child.

Welcome your spirit back from its wandering. It may return in pieces, in tatters. Gather them together. They will be happy to be found after being lost for so long.

Your spirit will need to sleep awhile after it is bathed and given clean clothes.

Now you can have a party. Invite everyone you know who loves and supports you. Keep room for those who have no place else to go.

Make a giveaway, and remember, keep the speeches short.

Then, you must do this: help the next person find their way through the dark.

Reprinted from Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings by Joy Harjo. Copyright Š 2015 by Joy Harjo.  Used with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. All rights reserved.  https://poets.org/poem/calling-spirit-back-wandering-earth-its-human-feet

 

 

 

 

THE HUMAN ELEMENT ?

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Periodic Table, from Wikipedia

After prayers and quiet listening, my first thoughts this morning tumbled out with this:

NATURE’S HUNGRY WOMB:

SHE wants to continue running her Kosmic Experiment of natural selection.  WE are causing/contributing-to a Sixth Extinction (according to Elizabeth Kolbert), and could be on the cusp of a global meltdown, due to our abuses of carbon energy, and of our waging of perpetual warfare (with potentially life-altering nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons).

SCIENCE begins with attempts at defining any given problem.  Yes, it’s guess-work.  And better guesses eliminate feebler guesses.  But the human element is not on the Periodic Table! Yet it can’t be ignored.  The problem is US! We are a part of Nature, and our desires are shaping HER options.  (SHE is not sweating; but perhaps we should be.)  So, what’s our next “best guess”?  Who are WE as a species?  What is our DESTINY?  What is our DUTY?  Do we have a CHOICE?  What do we really desire? 

Heraclitus said  ‘he who does not expect the unexpected will not detect it: for him it will be  undetectable, and unapproachable.’   (~Karl Popper, quoted in Conjectures and Refutations, Routledge paperback, p.198).
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BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR MY BROTHER ROY

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Note to my readers:  I self-identity as a Judeo-Christian heretic. I make no apologies to anyone, trusting that God, our Tutor, has faith in each of us. (I did graduate study briefly at an “ivy” divinity school, but not for the ministry; I dropped out, welcome to return.) I’ve been elected by congregations to conduct weekly worship, doing so for several years, but no longer sit in pews – instead, studying The Text(s) daily at home, but always approachable by anyone with spiritual curiosity, hunger, thirst. (I peddle no brand, aside from Universal Divine Love.)   ‘Nuff said.

 

Dear Roy,

“The Lord is my [our] shepherd . . .”  (see Psalm 23)

The Lord is also our Patient Tutor, inviting us into daily dialog. Rabbi Jesus was a speaker of truth, but not a writer. Showing up for breakfast with Jesus is stimulating!    He speaks to us between the lines of our Textbook, the Bible.  We speak with him in prayer and listening, in quiet meditation — “My sheep know my voice . . . (see John 10).
     I don’t sit in pews anymore, except to pay respects to late friends, young couples, or new arrivals. Church is/and can be enjoyed anywhere; ad hoc, spontaneously. St Paul terms church “the body of Christ; ekklesia”(118 times in Luke-Acts).  It’s not a building, or a brand; it’s a relationship, a delight regarding our community, our context, recognizing Christ in each other, and in our neighbors.

             The Welcoming Committee / “Prepare to meet thy God.” ~ Amos 4:12    [photo by MeridaGOround]

     I’m about 15 years your senior. And for about 15 years, while still up north, I learned much from a small weekly Saturday-morning Bible study at a nearby farmhouse attended by Catholics, Baptists, Mennonites, non-affiliateds, after which a few of us would adjourn to a local prison to continue in a nondenominational Bible study with a group of about a dozen inmates, reading the Text aloud around the circle, for discussion. Being a fellow student in both of those studies was often a high point of my week. We were there to learn, too, along with those prisoners, some of whom were very astute.

     The portions of the Textbook detailing the career and after-effects of the life of Jesus — the “good news”/gospels and “the letters”/epistles — were written by witnesses, or reported to their listeners, at least 30+ years after the crucifixion, but we have none of those original documents, which were later tampered with by well-meaning (but biased and meddlesome) scribes/”copyists”, as is clearly evidenced in the many hand-copied scrolls and codices of those early times, by comparing them, which reveals variations between them.   (Could anybody write accurately of what they heard that long before? — but the point is moot, as we don”t have the originals.) So, if we want to listen for our Tutor’s voice, it’s an asset to have flexibility for reading between the lines of the Text in it’s many translations; and to think with intense curiosity about the words and meanings.

The word logos in Greek means reasoned, principled; we see it in our English word logical — something very different than emotional : moving (Fr. a public disturbance). In John’s gospel, Logos is capitalized as Word in chapter one to represent the Messiah, the Christ, “the Annointed”. Rationality (logos) is a two-edged sword, affirming and denying. It defends truth and cuts down lies. Ancient Greeks wrestled to fathom truth, eventually describing it as “that which is not a lie”.  Such a slashing definition!  Faith requires logic and appetite — hunger and thirst for right thinking and principled living — to maintain justice and balance in our communities.

     In spite of our distractions, rebellions, class-skipping, chasing after our own desires, God has patience with us, and faith in us.  Faith comes from God. We can’t generate it on our own! Trust, yes we can do that, gradually. But the faith is God’s, in us and through us. God believes in the human family!  The best way to sharpen our appetite is to dine with God daily, our morning meal of communion.  Bread and fish and many a dish are served, freshly prepared and deliciously seasoned, washed down with the fruit of the vine (see John 15; and John 6).   Relocating hunger from our bellies to our hearts is wise. The “SERMON ON THE MOUNT” (Matthew 5-7) is a good place to start. I hope you will visit this great gift often. (You can pick your preferred translation from dozens.) THE GIFT: I’ve queued up a fresh modern version for you.   Got appetite?
     Religion and politics are very separate topics, which the Founders of our nation treated wisely in the First Amendment. But we’ve forgotten much, and are ignoring those guardrails.  (America is not a “Christian nation”; we allow all religions.) The Founders built a wall of separation between church and state – a global first – to protect the church from the state, and the state from the church.  See  CURING CHRISTIAN NATIONALISM by Congressman James  Talarico (TX) a short video (19 minutes) – a powerful Christian rebuke! (NOTE: his sermon starts with funny beer-jokes.)
     Roy, if you insist on voting for someone who is unkind, unChristian, undemocratic, unreasonable, I will honor your right to do so; that’s your privilege in America. (We both defended that right.) But just remember: I still love you, and my vote cancels yours <wink/grin>
     ~God is the Giver!  “Thank God for this gift, too wonderful for words.” (2Cor9:15 ~NLT)
      Note: I’ve attempted my own translation from the Greek, consolidating many of the ethics teachings of “The Sermon” from the gospels into a single document, for anybody who knows how deeply hungry they are.

Book review : : a divine We ?

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This entry is for rationalists, atheists, and weary Christians capable of thinking outside the box; and for anyone interested in a One-Thing approach to ontology (the science of being).  Brace yourself. Fasten seat-belts: Turbulent god-language ahead.  Below I will show a screenshot of text — a pdf-page from a book first published in 1910, but the pdf is from a 1919 edition.  (Note: the book is written in the voice of a divine We – which is not the title; I wonder if it might be from an author’s “near-death experience.”) I’ve never seen a printed copy of any editions.  The book speaks of One Thing: wholeness, health, holiness — as a unity.

PHOTO by MeridaGOround

SCREENSHOT of pdf page below:

[it . . . the pages break thusly.]  If you’re a brave and open-minded student, open the pdf of the book, below in red, which is titled CHRIST IN YOU.  (This generically-Christian work seems devoid of factional Christian denominationalism.)

A personal note: I no longer sit in pews (except to honor late friends; weddings, etc).  I studied briefly in a graduate program at a nondenominational “ivy” divinity school in the early 80’s where the school provided financial support.  Without being ordained, over the years I was elected to conduct worship by two congregations, which I did for a total of nearly six years, often twice weekly — four of those years while I was daily running a commercial business with a technical staff and a retail footprint. I also did weekly nondenominational Bible study in a local prison for nearly 15 years.   I carry no brands or banners, but endeavor to wear and share the light divine, without partiality.

christinyou

Further research at Library of Congress rare book collection has revealed that the book was published by Dodd, Mead, in 1919.

JOE, are you listening ?

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DEAR PRESIDENT BIDEN,

The “Lord Almighty” spoke to you on Saturday, saying that Donald Trump would survive to win in November, unless you, Joe, get out of the way, allowing for an open convention.  Are you listening, Joe?

Psalm 29 (KJV)

3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters.

4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.

7 The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire.

8 The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

10 The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever.

11 The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

AMEN.

Please share, if inclined.

CHURCH LAWYERS and SUPREME COURT JURISTS

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Politico dot com  “Fair Use”
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Jabba said to Han Solo (from translated subscript):
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“But if you fail me again, I’ll put a price on your head so big you won’t be able to get near a civilized system.”  <end quote>
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Alito lied regarding his findings on abortion, in Dobbs, according to Sabrina Haake: Alito’s sleight of hand used selective misrepresentations of ancient common law history to overturn 50 years of Constitutional protection for reproductive choice. He determined that legal abortion did not exist at common law, despite his own passages detailing how “abortion was a crime after ‘quickening’ (around 25 weeks) throughout common law. Pages 16 through 28 of Alito’s own opinion  describe how abortion was legal up to 25 weeks, for centuries, so when Alito said there was no abortion throughout centuries of common law, he was lying to reach his preferred outcome.

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!! VOTING for Dummies !!   ~ by Jesus!

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Jesus said “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” (Matthew 7:1)  So who am I to judge this overstuffed dummy?  Well, aren’t elections very much about judging the suitability of candidates?  BUT, since I have little personal knowledge of the candidate, I will leave it to highly-qualified leaders who have an actual basis for their severe judgement.  (And I remind you that Trump said “I am your retribution” — getting even is so telling, making him, and many who support him, decidedly unChristian. —Look in the mirror. ‘Dat you with a stick in your eye? Let’s see!)  Note: Jesus also said “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:24)  SO, what does that that looks like, up close? —

BUT FIRST, let’s remember that “We the people” have a jury system as a check against injustice, intended to help us reflect Divine judgement. And a jury of 12 brave, upstanding New Yorkers – fairly chosen in court by “both sides” – have risked their lives to find a former president guilty of 34 counts of fraud intended to rig a federal election! (Getting 12 New Yorkers to agree about anything is rare.)    THE MATH: 

100% agreement !   34 x 12 = 408

JUDGEMENT :   PROVEN LEADERS WHO SAW “DJT” UP CLOSE

“Former White House chief of staff, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly, has said that President Trump “is the most flawed person” he’s ever known, CNN reported. “The depths of his dishonesty is just astounding to me. The dishonesty, the transactional nature of every relationship, though it’s more pathetic than anything else. He is the most flawed person I have ever met in my life,” Kelly has told friends, the outlet reported. ~ TheHill

“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us,” Mattis writes. “We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society. This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children.”  ~General James Mattis, in The Atlantic.

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A FEW RECENT TRUMP LIES (with factual corrections from NYTimes):
Atkinson, N.H., rally, Jan. 16, 2024

“While Joe Biden is pushing the largest tax hike in American history – you know, he wants to quadruple your taxes.”

President Biden has not proposed quadrupling taxes. In fact, he has consistently vowed not to raise taxes on anyone earning less than $400,000.

Sean Hannity interview, Jan. 22, 2024

“I mean, what he’s doing with energy with an all-electric mandate, where you won’t be able to buy any other form of car in a very short period of time.”

Mr. Biden has not implemented an electric car mandate. The administration has announced rules that would limit tailpipe emissions from cars and light trucks, effectively requiring automakers to sell more electric vehicles and hybrids. It doesn’t ban gas cars.

Newsmax interview, Jan. 21, 2024

“And think of it, for four years we had no terror problem.”

There were in fact terrorist attacks in the United States during the Trump administration. In 2017, to name one, a native of Uzbekistan plowed a pickup truck down a bike path in Manhattan, killing eight people. The Justice Department said the driver, Sayfullo Saipov, carried out the terrorist attack in the name of ISIS.

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QUOTE from famous early 20th-century journalist H.L.Mencken, on the presidency: “As democracy is perfected, the office represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people …. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.”