“This is about empowerment. This is about all of us coming together and empowering anybody that’s under the sound of my voice, talking about this. This is about empowerment to each and everyone of you. Ok? That’s the energy I want in this moment. We’re doing this together. I’m teaching you and then we’re teaching ‘the children.’ Ok? We’re all ‘the children.’ Ok? Right. So, it’s about hope. It’s hopeful. And I know there’s not a lot to be hopeful about; so we’re counteracting that on purpose. Ok? That’s what this is about.”
— quoted from the official video for the song “Children” by Billy Porter
I came into this PRIDE weekend chasing rainbows… and questions. Some of my questions were about rainbows (and yes, I am still working on that post). Then there were questions I kept hearing from others — some from inside the LGBTQIA+ community and some from outside the community.
The first questions are about the origins of PRIDE and why the celebration happens in June. And, well, there’s a post for that (and you can click on the titles below for that post and a dated-related post about the origins of the species).
Then there were questions about whether or not we still need PRIDE. While, I have posted a little about that (including in the post excerpted below), nothing highlights the need for and purpose of PRIDE like current events, such as the murder of Liara Tsai, a 35-year old transgender woman who loved music.
“Is it on your grandmother’s or grandfather’s side that you are descended from an ape?”
— Bishop Samuel Wilberforce to Thomas Henry Huxley (reportedly), June 30, 1860
“I asserted – and I repeat – that a man has no reason to be ashamed of having an ape for his grandfather. If there were an ancestor whom I should feel shame in recalling it would rather be a man – a man of restless and versatile intellect – who, not content with an equivocal success in his own sphere of activity, plunges into scientific questions with which he has no real acquaintance, only to obscure them with aimless rhetoric, and distract the attention of his hearers from the real point at issue by eloquent digressions and skilled appeals to religious prejudice.”
— Thomas Henry Huxley to Bishop Samuel Wilberforce (reportedly), June 30, 1860 (from Life and Letters of Thomas Henry Huxley, by his Son Leonard Huxley by Leonard Huxley (Volume I)
Please join mefor a 65-minutevirtual yoga practiceon Zoom today(Sunday, June 30th)at 2:30 PM.Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recordingof this practicevia a comment belowor by emailing myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06302024 PRIDE, redux”]
NOTE: The Spotify playlist includes an extra interlude track (since the message above is not part of the studio recording). The YouTube playlist includes additional videos, including the one below.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Happy Pride!Many blessings toeveryone and especiallyto anyone celebratingthe Apodosis of Pentecost,Pride, and/or embracing peace,freedom,and wisdom(inside andoutside).
Please join me today(Saturday, June 29nd)at 12:00 PMfor a yogapractice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment belowor (for a slightly faster reply)you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06252023 PRIDE”]
NOTE: The Spotify playlist includes an extra interlude track (since the message from the playlist is not part of the studio recording).
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Happy Pride! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone embracing peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
For Those Who Missed It: The following is 2022 version of a 2020 post (with some links, an extra quote, and formatting updated or added).
Making contact
I believe
The greatest gift
I can conceive of having
is
to be seen by them,
to be understood
and
touched by them.
The greatest gift
I can give
is
to see, hear, understand
and to touch
another person.
When this is done
I feel
contact has been made.
— quoted from the poem “Making Contact” by Virginia Satir
For those of you who missed the memo: I am a huge fan of the work of therapist and author Virginia Satir. Born today in 1916, she is known as the “Mother of Family Therapy” and she placed her work in “family reconstruction” and “family sculpting” under the umbrella of “Becoming More Fully Human.” She developed the Virginia Satir Change Process Model — which was adopted by corporations in the 1990’s and 2000s as a change management model — and the Human Validation Process Model.
Similar to other existential therapist (although I’m not sure she ever used such a label), Satir found that when people came into therapy, the presenting (or “surface”) problem was seldom the real problem. Instead, her work revolved around the idea that the real issue was how people coped with situations in their lives. Additionally, she documented that people’s self-esteem played a part in how they coped with conflict and challenges. So, here again, the issue comes down to functional versus dysfunctional thought patterns and how those thought patterns manifest into words and deeds that alleviate suffering or cause suffering.
When Satir worked with patients, she utilized role playing and guided meditations. The role playing was to get family members to consider each other’s perspectives and, in doing so, cultivate empathy and better understanding. The guided meditations were a way for people to recognize that they already had (inside of themselves) the tools/toolkit — or abilities — needed to overcome challenges and obstacles within their relationships. They also empowered people to use the tools that were inside of them, and to cultivate those tools. However, Satir did not see her work as being limited to “traditional” families; she believed that if her work could heal a family unit, it could also heal the world. The key, again, was offering people that “greatest gift” and figuring out what people really wanted and/or needed.
“It is now clear to me that the family is a microcosm of the world. To understand the world, we can study the family: issues such as power, intimacy, autonomy, trust, and communication skills are vital parts underlying how we live in the world. To change the world is to change the family.”
— quoted from The New Peoplemaking by Virginia Satir
Virginia Satir was born on the anniversary of the birth of the award-winning novelist Pearl S. Buck, who was also known as Sai Zhenzhu. Born in Hillsboro, West Virginia in 1892, Buck spent most of her life in China. Her experiences in China, both as a young child of missionaries and as an adult, resulted in a plethora of novels, short stories, children’s books, and biographies that exposed Western readers to the people, culture, and landscape of China. She won the Nobel Prize in Literature and was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize.
Buck was a humanitarian who wrote about everything from women’s rights and immigration to Communism, war, and the atomic bomb. Her work was a form of activism, but she didn’t regulate her actions to the page alone. When it came to Asian, mixed-race, special needs, and international adoptions, Buck was more than a writer — she was also a parent. In addition to advocating against racial and religious matching in adoptions, Buck adopted six children of various ethnicities and nationalities. (Previously, she had given birth to one special needs daughter. So, she was a mother of seven.)
“I was indignant, so I started my own damned agency!”
— Pearl S. Buck explaining why she started Welcome House in 1949 (after multiple agencies told her that she could not adopt Robbie, a mixed race 15-month old boy, because his skin was brown)
Pearl S. Buck co-founded Welcome House, Inc., the first international, inter-racial adoption agency (with author James Michener, lyricist and producer Oscar Hammerstein II, and interior designer and decorator Dorothy Hammerstein). She also established the Pearl S. Buck Foundation, to support children who were not eligible for adoption, and opened Opportunity Center and Orphanage (aka Opportunity House) to advocate for the rights of orphans in South Korea, Thailand, Philippines, and Vietnam. Buck believed that families were formed from love (as opposed to blood, race, religion, or nationality) and that they were living expressions of democracy — something she felt the United States could not unequivocally express during the Jim Crow era.
In 1991, Welcome House and the foundation merged to form Pearl S. Buck International and continue Buck’s legacy. However, like so many historical figures, that legacy is complicated. She was (and still can be) considered controversial when you think about her family history and some of her views. Buck was described as “a thorn in the side of the welfare establishment” and her award-winning novel The Good Earth is considered by some to be literary propaganda.
“What lingers from the parent’s individual past, unresolved or incomplete, often becomes part of her or his irrational parenting.”
— quoted from Peoplemaking by Virginia Satir
Take another look at the poem at the top of this post.
No, don’t read it… just look at it.
What do you see? More specifically, who do you see? Granted, your device, your eyes, or even your brain may not see what I see. But, consider what you might see. What if you saw yourself? What if you saw someone you loved? What if you saw someone you didn’t like? Even if you don’t see what I see, the underlying meaning is the same: Right in front of you, there is an individual, with open arms, wanting, needing, and waiting to be seen.
“We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”
— Virginia Satir
“We must not allow other people’s limited perceptions to define us.”
— quoted from The New Peoplemaking by Virginia Satir
Please join me today (Wednesday, June 26th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom.You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube andSpotify. [Look for ”06262021 Satir & Infinite Insight”]
“In short, a direct experience of the reality beyond the senses engenders faith, vigor, retentive power, stillness of mind, and intuition — the key ingredients we need to succeed in our practice.”
— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 1.35 from The Secret of the Yoga Sūtra: Samadhi Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
“After long searches here and there, in temples and in churches, in earths and in heavens, at last you come back, completing the circle from where you started, to your own soul and find that He for whom you have been seeking all over the world, for whom you have been weeping and praying in churches and temples, on whom you were looking as the mystery of all mysteries shrouded in the clouds, is nearest of the near, is your own Self, the reality of your life, body, and soul. That is your own nature. Assert it, manifest it.”
— quoted from “The Real Nature of Man” speech, delivered in London and published in The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (Volume 2, Jnana-Yoga) by Swami Vivekananda
Yoga Sutra 2.26: vivekakhyātiraviplavā hānopāyah
— “The clear, unshakeable awareness of discerning knowledge (insight) is the means to nullifying sorrow (created by ignorance).”
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Happy Pride! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Third Day Of the Holy Spirit, and/or cultivating peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“Anne Frank kept a diary from June 12, 1942, to August 1, 1944. Initially, she wrote it strictly for herself. Then, one day in 1944, Gerrit Bolkestein, a member of the Dutch government in exile, announced in a radio broadcast from London that after the war he hoped to collect eyewitness accounts of the suffering of the Dutch people under the German occupation, which could be made available to the public. As an example, he specifically mentioned letters and diaries.
Impressed by this speech, Anne Frank decided that when the war was over she would publish a book based on her diary.”
“The last entry in Anne’s diary is dated August 1, 1944. On August 4, 1944, the eight people hiding in the Secret Annex were arrested. Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl, the two secretaries working in the building, found Anne’s diaries strewn all over the floor. Miep Gies tucked them away in a desk drawer for safekeeping. After the war, when it became clear that Anne was dead, she gave the diaries, unread, to Anne’s father, Otto Frank.”
— quoted from the Foreword to The Diary of a Young Girl: The Definitive Edition by Anne Frank (edited by Otto H. Frank & Mirjam Pressler, translated by Susan Massotty)
Diary of a Young Girl was first published today in 1947. CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW for the philosophy-based 2020 post.
Please join me today (Tuesday, June 25th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06252022 A Young Girl’s Thoughts”]
NOTE:The opening tracks are slightly different as some music was not available on Spotify. Click on the excerpt title above for the entire “Anne No Nikki” soundtrack.
“The cheerful Anne laughs about it, gives cheeky answers, shrugs her shoulders indifferently, behaves as if she doesn’t care, but, oh dearie me, the quiet Anne’s reactions are just the opposite. If I’m to be quite honest, then I must admit that it does hurt me, that I try terribly hard to change myself, but that I’m always fighting against a more powerful enemy.
A voice sobs within me: ‘There you are, that’s what’s become of you: you’re uncharitable, you look supercilious and peevish, people dislike you and all because you won’t listen to the advice given you by your own better half.’ Oh, I would like to listen, but it doesn’t work; if I’m quiet and serious, everyone thinks it’s a new comedy and then I have to get out of it by turning it into a joke, not to mention my own family, who are sure to think I’m ill, make me swallow pills for headaches and nerves, feel my neck and my head to see whether I’m running a temperature, ask me if I’m constipated and criticize me for being in a bad mood. I can’t keep that up: if I’m watched to that extent, I start by getting snappy, then unhappy, and finally I twist my heart around again, so that the bad is on the outside and the good is on the inside and keep on trying to find a way of becoming what I would so like to be, and what I could be, if there weren’t any people living in the world.”
— quoted from the last entry by Anne Frank, written in her diary (“Kitty”) on Tuesday, August 1, 1944
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Happy Pride! Happy Midsummer! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing Saint John’s Day, Ivana-Kupala, Day Of the Holy Spirit, and/or cultivating peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
This is a post-practice post related to the practice on Monday, June 24th. It includes an excerpt from a related 2020 post and a final note1 about Ivana-Kupala and Day of the Holy Spirit (which was not in the original post). The 2024 prompt question was, “Which do you pick: fire, earth, metal, water, wood, or all of the above?”You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
“No emotion, any more than a wave, can long retain its own individual form.”
— Abolitionist, suffragist, and minister Henry Ward Beecher (b. 06/24/1813)
Eastern philosophies (and their sister sciences) bring awareness to the fact that everything is a manifestation of energy and, also, that everything is constantly changing. The inhale becomes the exhale; the exhale becomes the inhale. Or, you can look at it as the inhale ends the exhale and the exhale ends the inhale. Either way, the same energy that builds/creates can also destroy.
For example, if we look at the five elements theory (in Taoism)2, every element in nature is an agent that has the ability to create (or generate) another element and, also, to conquer (or overcome) a third element. Earth produces metals which hold water which can be used to grow wood which produces fire which produces the earth. That’s the most common “creative cycle.” There are several ways to flip this around for a controlling/destroying cycle, including: wood depletes/stabilizes the earth; earth controls the flow of water; water extinguishes fire; fire melts metal; and metal cuts wood.
These are things that just natural happen in Nature.
While we are also manifestations of energy, constantly changing, and part of Nature, we have the ability to actively engage change, embrace change, or resist change. We have the ability to build or destroy — using the exact same elements. On a certain level, however, we are limited by our previous experiences — experiences which form our understanding of our current and (on a certain level) our future experiences.
Consider that your previous experiences determine how you understand the examples above and, therefore, how you use them. Did you notice that I referred to them as agents? Did you consider them as materials? As emotions? As energies? As symbols? As all of the above?
More importantly, with regard to this particular practice, did you consider that all of these elements are used in cleansing rituals and traditions around the world? Specifically, they are related to celebrations related to June 24th celebrations of Midsummer’s Day, Saint John’s Day, and Ivana-Kupala.
NOTES:
1aIvanа-Kupala is a Slavic summer holiday that combines the pagan celebration and fertility rituals of Kupala (and midsummer) with Christian observations of the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. In Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and parts of Ukraine, the 2024 celebrations fell on the evening of June 23rd through June 24th (as opposed to on July 6th and 7th in countries using the Gregorian calendar (e.g., Russia, Belarus, and parts of Ukraine). The name of the holiday is derived from a Slavic name for “John” and the Slavic word for “to bathe.” One of the elemental aspects of the celebrations focuses on the combination of water and fire (specifically, Saint John’s fire).
1bIn some Orthodox Christian traditions using the Julian calendar, June 24, 2024 (on the Gregorian calendar), was the Day Of the Holy Spirit, which is celebrated the day after Pentecost. In parts of the Bible, the Holy Spirit is represented by water and in other parts as fire.
2The five elements theory is found in Chinese Medicine and in Chinese philosophies other than Taoism. However, unlike the four elements theory found in places like ancient Greece, India, Africa, and some First Nations, air/wind is not treated as a separate element.
CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW for the 2020 post about Midsummer’s Day, Saint John’s Day, and how our previous experiences color our current perspective.
“It is not so much what you believe in that matters, as the way in which you believe it and proceed to translate that belief into action.”
— quoted from “Chapter I: The Awakening” in The Importance of Living by Lin Yutang
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
Happy Pride! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Pentecost — Trinity Sunday, Midsummer’s Eve, and/or dreaming and working for more peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“BOTTOM: When my cue comes, call me, and I will answer. My next is ‘Most fair Pyramus.’ Heigh-ho! Peter Quince? Flute the bellows-mender? Snout the tinker? Starveling? God’s my life, stol’n hence, and left me asleep? I have had a most rare vision. I have had a dream—past the wit of man to say what dream it was. Man is but an ass if he go about to expound this dream. Methought I was—there is no man can tell what. Methought I was, and methought I had—but man is but a patched fool if he will offer to say what methought I had. The eye of man hath not heard, the ear of man hath not seen, man’s hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his heart to report what my dream was. I will get Peter Quince to write a ballad of this dream. It shall be called ‘Bottom’s Dream’ because it hath no bottom. And I will sing it in the latter end of a play before the duke. Peradventure, to make it the more gracious, I shall sing it at her death.”
— quoted from Act IV, Scene i of A Midsummer’s Night Dream by William Shakespeare
Tomorrow, June 24th, is Saint John’s Day (in Western Christian traditions*), also known as Midsummer — making today, June 23rd, Saint John’s Eve or Midsummer’s Eve. Another way to think of tonight is as Midsummer’s Night, since this is when the celebrations begin and, theoretically, could be the night made famous by William Shakespeare’s play.
CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW for the entire 2020 post.
“They say a dream takes only a second or so, and yet in that second a man can live a lifetime. He can suffer and die, and who’s to say which is the greater reality: the one we know or the one in dreams, between heaven, the sky, the earth”
— quoted from the closing narration of The Twilight Zone, episode “Perchance to Dream” by Charles Beaumont (episode directed by Robert Florey, aired November 27, 1959)
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, June 23rd) at 2:30 PM.Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06232020 MidSummer’s Night Eve”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
*NOTE:In Orthodox Christian traditions, today is Pentecost — Trinity Sunday, which falls on the “fiftieth” day after Easter. Similar to (and related to) Shavuot, this is the feast day associated with the Holy Spirit descending on the apostles.
Happy Pride! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Commemoration of the Dead and/or working for more peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“Now. as a professor of applied maths, I have fun with thinking about different ways of looking at things. There are known-knowns; there are things we know that we know. They are known-knowns. For example if you leave a cake on the stove too long, my wife tells me, it gets burned and so on. You know what I mean. There are known-knowns, ok? There are things we know that we know.
But then there are known-unknowns. That is to say, there are things that we know we don’t know. Alright? Then, there are unknown-unknowns. There are things that we don’t know that we don’t know.
And then, fourthly, there are unknown-knowns — these are things that we don’t know that we know.”
— quoted from the lecture “From Tyndale to Galileo: Grace and Space” by David Block, professor emeritus in the School of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
Have you ever wondered how can we ever really know the truth — IF you can really know the truth? I mean, how can we ever know that we know the Truth (when there is so much we don’t know)?
Truth comes up a lot in Yoga Philosophy. Dedication to it is satya, the focus of the second yama (external “restraint” or universal commandment). It could be considered “correct knowledge,” which is based on “perception, inference, and testimony or verbal communication from others who have knowledge.” (YS 1.6 – 1.7) Additionally, seeking it is the focus of the sixth chakra, which has been central to the June Saturday practices.
More specifically, the Ajna chakra is energetically and symbolically associated with “Big T” Truth, self evaluation, intellectual and emotional intelligence, the ability to learn from experience, and one’s openness to other people’s ideas. While the third eye is often referred to as the “seat of intuition,” it could also be called “the seat of curiosity.”
Of course, some people think curiosity is dangerous. Maybe those same people don’t realize that what they are really thinking is that knowledge is dangerous… that the truth is dangerous…. Or, maybe they know and that’s the whole point.
Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has spent his whole career seeking the truth and then presenting it to the world. On May 19, 2024, in a key note address at Brandeis University, he said, “Remember the opposite of faith is not doubt. Doubt is central to faith. The opposite of faith is certainty.” Hearing that made me think of the Holy Office in Rome, which forced Galileo Galilei to recant the truth today in 1633.
For Those Who Missed It:The following was originally posted in 2022. It includes an excerpt from 2020 and an additional excerpt from 2024.
“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them.”
— Galileo Galilei, as quoted in Angels in the Workplace: Stories and Inspirations for Creating a New World of Work by Melissa Giovagnoli
Pay attention to those times when you, or someone around you, is very certain about something even though all evidence indicates that you, or someone around you, is wrong. In some cases, people may (or may not) acknowledge the truth when given the opportunity. In some cases, people are forced into situations where they intentionally prevaricate. Sometimes they are so adept in evasive language that it sounds like they are saying what you think they should be saying when, in reality, they aren’t acknowledging the truth at all.
The really twisted thing is that the scenario can play out in the same way even when you, or someone around you, is actually correct and you are being forced to recant your views because the people in the wrong are the people in power. This is exactly what happened to Galileo Galilee, today in 1633, when the Holy Office in Rome forced him to recant views that were (and are) widely accepted as the truth.
When compare what happened then to some things that are happening now, we must remember Yoga Sūtra 2.20, which indicates that we only see what our brain shows us, and we have to carefully consider if we are centered and grounded in what is real or if we are centered and grounded in something specifically designed to deceive us.*
As I blogged today in 2020: “Every one of us has a center — physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and energetically. Every one of us believes something is solid and true — even if we what we believe in is the impermanence of all things. We view everything we experience through the lens of our belief. This, more often than not, causes us to cling tightly to our beliefs. We cling tightly even when there is something inside of us that quietly whispers, or loudly shouts, that that to which we cling is wrong. We hold on to what is familiar, even if it no longer serves us, but we also hold on to that thing that we believe centers and grounds us. Sometimes we cling so tightly that we are unable to see we are off-center and completely ungrounded. Because, what we miss in holding on is that we have essentially told our mind/intellect, ‘This is the part that’s important; don’t bother me with anything else.’”
Please join me today (Saturday, June 22nd) at 12:00 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [“06222021 Staying Centered & Grounded”]
*NOTE:My intention in not naming names or specific current events is not to gaslight anyone or convince someone that I believe what they believe. Neither is it to imply who I see as “Galileo Galilee” and who I see as the “Holy See” in any modern example. Rather, I offer this as an opportunity to bring awareness to what our mind shows us and to observe how we respond or react to the information. Noting that, I also (unfortunately) recognize that some people may get it “wrong.”
“As long as our mind is contaminated by likes and dislikes, fear and doubt, we are bound to experience pain. Getting rid of this contaminated mind (chitta nivritti) is the ultimate pain reliever. We acquired a contaminated mind by embracing avidya. As soon as we renounce avidya, mental contaminants evaporate.”
— commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.25 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Happy Juneteenth! Happy Pride! “Eid Mubarak, Blessed Festival!” to anyone celebrating Eid al-Adha. Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating the Afterfeast of the Ascension and/or working for more peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
This is the “missing” post for Wednesday, June 19th. It includes a couple of excerpts and some previously posted quotes. You can request an audio recording of this practice or a related practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
— Ms. Opal Lee, speaking during a Juneteenth concert on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, June 13, 2023.
NOTE: Ms. Lee recently clarified that “young people” is anyone under 97 years old.
Don’t take this the wrong way. But, I am once again going to ask what you were celebrating today (Wednesday) — if you were celebrating — and why you were celebrating (or not celebrating). When I ask a similar question on the Fourth of July, I’m being kind of being cheeky. Today, I’m asking because I was reminded over the last week or so that some people are still not clear about the history of Juneteenth and about why it is being celebrated as a federal holiday.
I could say it’s about freedom and emancipation. I could say it’s about the United States living up to its intentional idea(l)s. I could say it’s about any number of things — all of which are true… and most of which you will probably forget, even if I tell you a story.
But, if I tell you a story, there’s a good chance more of it will stick.
“‘People think it’s a Black thing when it’s not. It’s not a Texas thing. It’s not that,’ [Opal] Lee said. ‘Juneteenth means freedom and I mean for everybody!’”
— quoted from the CBS News story, “‘Grandmother of Juneteenth’ Opal Lee reflects on her journey to secure a national holiday” by Nikole Killion (dated June 15, 2022)
This year, as I celebrated this day of freedom and emancipation, I was thinking about stories (what Matthew Sanford calls “healing stories”), myths, and a living legend — all related to Juneteenth.
The living legend is Ms. Opal Lee (née Flake), who was finally able to move (back) into her childhood home this year. Born in Marshall, Texas, and known as the “Grandmother of Juneteenth,” the 2024 Presidential Medal of Freedom honoree was 10 years old when her family moved into a house in a predominantly white part Fort Worth. Two years later, a mob ran the family out and destroyed their home.
That hate-fueled violence happened on June 19, 1939, also known as Juneteenth 1939 — exactly 74 years after General Gordon Granger stood on the balcony of the Ashton Villa and read General Order No. 3, which stated:
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”
— “General Order No. 3” read by General Gordon Granger in Galveston, Texas on June Nineteenth, 1865
“Juneteenth” is a portmanteau of June Nineteenth. Although some people still call it “Emancipation Day,” that moniker is also used on other dates (in other states) commemorating similar announcements. So, what makes June Nineteenth so special? As Galveston was the last part of the Confederacy to be officially notified, the announcement on June Nineteenth, 1865, meant that everyone was (theoretically) officially free.
CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW FOR MORE ABOUT THE HISTORY OF EMANCIPATION.
While some folks have only recently started celebrating this day, Black Texans like me and Ms. Lee have been celebrating since we were kids. The fact that twelve year Opal Lee was traumatized on such on auspicious anniversary motivated her to live well, to be a teacher, and to engage in the workings of the country. She worked on several Democratic political campaigns, volunteered with some nonprofits, and joined the efforts to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. At one point, she started walking 2.5 miles each year to symbolize the 2.5 years people “waited” to be free. Eventually, she decided to walk from Fort Worth, Texas to Washington, D. C. — just to get people’s attention. In 2022, she told CBS News (and other outlets), “I decided that maybe if a little old lady, 89 years old, in tennis shoes [walked] from Fort Worth to Washington, somebody would pay attention.”
Her efforts paid off. Juneteenth became a United States federal holiday in 2021. Ms. Opal Lee’s story is inextricably linked to Juneteenth as an anniversary and, also, as a holiday. Now, her story has come full circle. She is back, living in a new home, on the land her family owned in the 1930s… celebrating Juneteenth.
As I thought about how that full circle moment makes for a great story — a story of mythical proportions — I started reflecting on how the human brain loves puzzles, patterns, rhythms, and stories and on how some of us love myths… and myth building. I certainly do. On a certain level, we all do. I’m not even sure we can help ourselves. I think it is human nature to take the facts, the details of a story or situation, and magnify them into something so grand that it is both memorable and inspirational.
Especially when the story is important.
And the most important stories in U. S. history are stories about freedom, liberty, and independence.
“When asked what she wants to be remembered for, [Opal Lee] responded, ‘I want them to know that the little old lady dreamed and they can dream too and that dreams can come to fruition.’”
— quoted from the CBS News story, “‘Grandmother of Juneteenth’ Opal Lee reflects on her journey to secure a national holiday” by Nikole Killion (dated June 15, 2022)
Myths and myth building are not, in and of themselves, bad things. Yet, when we see stories in history being built into myths we also have to look at what is getting magnified, why it is getting magnified, and how it is inspiring people.
In other words, what are people doing with the inspiration?
That last question is particularly important, because the best stories come out of conflict. Conflict is always a great source for myth building, especially when you combine a story with art. We see this all over world; we definitely see it here in the United States… especially in the South. Myths (and myth building) about the Civil War are the reason we ended up with statutes and places dedicated to the losing side and why we still see at least one of the Confederate flags out in the world. Myths are also the reason Alabama has three state holidays related to the Confederacy — and why none of them are Juneteenth.
Don’t get it twisted; I’m not saying myths or myth building are bad. After all, myths (and myth building) related to the Civil War are the reason William Tolman “W. T.” Carlton painted “Watch Meeting—Dec. 31st 1862—Waiting for the Hour” in 1863. It depicts a group of Black people focused on a pocket watch, waiting for the moment the Emancipation Proclamation became law. To this day, there are people who celebrate that moment on December 31st. However, “watch meetings” didn’t start with that moment. They predated 1862 and were secret church services in Protestant traditions. Additionally, it is unlikely that the moment in the painting happened as it is depicted.
Remember, the proclamation only applied to states that were in rebellion — states that had, for all intensive purposes, created their own country. At the “hour” in question, the proclamation had as much power as a current American law has over any other country in the world. Similarly, the painting is symbolic, meant to capture the feeling of the time and to inspire people to keep fighting for freedom. Abolitionists in Boston purchased the original painting as a gift for then-President Abraham Lincoln. A copy was placed in the Lincoln Bedroom during the 200-year celebrations of the Declaration of Independence in 1976. When he took office, then-President Barack Obama had the painting in the Lincoln Bedroom moved so that it could be seen by anyone entering or leaving the Oval Office.
“Just outside the Oval Office hangs a painting depicting the night of December 31, 1862. In it, African-American men, women, and children crowd around a single pocket watch, waiting for the clock to strike midnight and the Emancipation Proclamation to take effect. As the slaves huddle anxiously in the dimly lit room, we can sense how even two more minutes seems like an eternity to wait for one’s freedom. But the slaves of Galveston, Texas, had to wait more than two years after Lincoln’s decree and two months after Appomattox to receive word that they were free at last.
Today we commemorate the anniversary of that delayed but welcome news.”
— quoted from President Barack Obama’s “Statement by the President on the Observance of Juneteenth” (2016)
Remember, a myth is just a well-told story and a well-told story is why we have the United States of America. It’s also why we have Juneteenth.
Happy Juneteenth, everybody!
“Everything you do, every thought you have, every word you say creates a memory that you will hold in your body. It’s imprinted on you and affects you in subtle ways – ways you are not always aware of. With that in mind, be very conscious and selective.”
— Phylicia Rashād, née Ayers-Allen (born in Houston, Texas, June 19, 1948)
“Memory is the story. Our memories are what make us.”
— Tobias Wolff (born in Birmingham, Alabama, June 19, 1945)
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for ”0619 Juneteenth 2021”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
Happy Juneteenth! Happy Pride! “Eid Mubarak, Blessed Festival!” to anyone celebrating Eid al-Adha. Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating the Afterfeast of the Ascension and/or working for more peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor. The freedmen are advised to remain quietly at their present homes and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere.”
— “General Order No. 3” read by General Gordon Granger in Galveston, Texas on June Nineteenth, 1865
NOTE: While I have previously posted about Juneteenth, I am working on a new post and will add a link here. CLICK HERE FOR THE 2024 POST.
Please join me today (Wednesday, June 19th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom.You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for ”0619 Juneteenth 2021”]
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
“Eid Mubarak, Blessed Festival!” to anyone celebrating Eid al-Adha. Happy Pride! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating the Afterfeast of the Ascension cultivating a good heart, peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
“Blackbird singing in the dead of night Take these broken wings and learn to fly (learn to fly, learn to fly) All your life You were only waiting for this moment to arise”
— quoted from the song “Blackbird” by Paul McCartney (b. 1942) (with credit to Paul McCartney and John Lennon)
Please join me today (Tuesday, June 18th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
I apologize for not posting before the Noon practice. Since I also goofed up, there is a separate playlist for the 2024 NOON practice.
Tuesday’s NOON playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06182024 Defining Moments (NOON 2024 only)”]
Tuesday’s EVENING playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06182024 Defining Moments (ALL)”]
NOTE: The YouTube playlists contain extra videos of featured songs. The “(ALL)” playlist can used for either practice; however, some things at the end will not synch up with the recording.
“Don’t let your heart get heavy, child
Inside you, there’s a strength that lies
Don’t let your soul get lonely, child
It’s only time, it will go
Don’t look for love in faces, places
It’s in you, that’s where you’ll find
Kindness
Be-
Be here now, here now”
— quoted from the song “Be Here Now” by Ray LaMontagne (b. 1973)
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
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A Joyful Practice 