Making Connections, Part 1 February 3, 2024

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Baseball, Changing Perspectives, Football, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Minnesota, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: Branch Rickey, Buddy Holly, Charles Follis, Charles Follis Foundation, Dr. Mike Miller, friendship, J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson, Michael Franti, music, Ritchie Valens, Roger Peterson, Season for Nonviolence, Season of Non-violence, Spearhead, Val Willingham
add a comment

Peace and ease to all during this “Season for Non-violence” and all other seasons! You have to take care of yourself (before you can take care of others)!!

“Everyone deserves music, sweet music”

— quoted from the song “Everyone Deserves Music” by Michael Franti & Spearhead

Yes, everyone deserves music… and friendship. Friendship is one of the six siddhis described as “the powers and privileges unique to humans” in the Yoga and Sankhya (or Sāṁkhya). It is the power to “[cultivate] a good heart; finding friends;” i.e., the power of making connections with others. This is an ability we start learning about as soon as we are aware that there are “other” people and things. Initially, however, geography and general location plays a big part in who becomes our friends. Our proximity to someone, combined with things we have in common — like shared experiences and hobbies — strengths that bond.

For better or for worse, modern modes of travel, media, and the internet have created opportunities for people who are geographically far apart to make really intense connections. However, technology doesn’t change the ties that bind: ties like music, sports, art, and shared history.

Click here to learn about a tragic part of music history that binds us and why today (in 1959) is known as The Day the Music.

Click here to learn how an athlete known as “The Black Cyclone” (born today in 1879) is connected to the breaking of the color line in baseball.

“On October 17, 1903, [Branch] Rickey felt the ‘Black Cyclone’s’ full power when he ran their ends dizzy for 20, 25, 35 and 70 yard gains, the last being a touchdown. After that game Rickey praised Follis, calling him ‘a wonder.’ It was the power of his example, his character, and his grace that convinced Rickey, that color could not belie his greatness. The rest is history….”

— quoted from the “Background” section of the Charles Follis Foundation website

Please join me today (Saturday, February 3^rd) 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 playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “02032021 The Day the Music Died”]

NOTE: The YouTube playlist has the Tommy Dee version of “Three Stars” during the practice and the Eddie Cochran version in the before/after music. The Spotify playlist has Cochran’s version during the practice and Charlie Gracie’s song “I’m Alright,” a tribute to Eddie Cochran, in the before/after music.

“For years, [Dr. Mike Miller], a research cardiologist, has been studying the effects of happiness — or things that make people happy — on our hearts. He began his research with laughter, and found watching funny movies and laughing at them could actually open up blood vessels, allowing blood to circulate more freely.

Miller thought, if laughter can do that, why not music? So, he tested the effects of music on the cardiovascular system. ‘Turns out music may be one of the best de-stressors — either by playing or even listening to music,’ said Miller.”

— quoted from a 2009 CNN Health segment entitled, “The power of music: It’s a real heart opener” by Val Willingham, CNN Medical Producer

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.)

### CARING ###

2024 / “For Those Who Missed It (& those who still don’t get it): Divine Remembrance” January 27, 2024

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Life, Loss, Love, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
Tags: Allen Mandelbaum, chakras, Cliff Eisen, Daniel Goleman, Dante Alighieri, Dov Forman, Dr. Viktor Frankl, Eli Wiesel, Experimentum Crucis, Franz Vesely, hatha yoga, Herman Abert, Holocaust, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israel "Izzy" Arbeiter, Jessica A. Botelho, Lily Ebert, Muladhara, President Joseph R. Biden, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Selma van de Perre, Stewart Spencer, Trevor Noah, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
add a comment

Peace and safe passage to all on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

This is the “missing” post for Saturday, January 27^th. It includes an introduction related to the 2024 Saturday practices and the 2022 version of a 2021 post (with the 2022 “preface note” moved to the end. This post and practice references political conflict, war, and genocide. You can request an audio recording of a related practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at 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.

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.

“I promised myself when I was in very deep in this terrible situation that when I came out, I will tell the world what can happen.”

“I know what it meant because I came normal, in a normal family [from a] normal country and suddenly— And it doesn’t begin with killing, never. It begins only with words. and then it gets worse and worse.”

— Lily Ebert, a Holocaust survivor and co-author of Lily’s Promise: Holding On to Hope Through Auschwitz and Beyond—A Story for All Generations explaining why she tells her story in the 2022 Home Office video “Holocaust Survivor Lily Ebert’s Story” (featuring Lily Ebert, her great-grandson and co-author Dov Forman, and then-Home Secretary Priti Patel)

During the 2024 Saturday practices, we are exploring how this present moment (every present moment) is the culmination of past moments and how this present moment (every present moment) becomes the beginning of the next/future moments. There are several ways we could go about this exploration. For obvious reasons, I am (primarily) using paradigms based on the chakra system in Yoga and Āyurveda as they come to us from India. During January, we have been focusing on the lower body and lessons we learned from our first family, tribe, and/or community of birth.

Some of these lessons were directly and intentionally taught to us. However, others were inferred and/or completely unintentional. No matter what age we are, there are some lessons we absorb and soak in and others that we reject. Either way, those lessons make up our foundation in life. With regard to the first chakra, which is energetically and symbolically connected to survival, these lessons are also related to trauma — and, in particular, generational trauma.

On a certain level, it doesn’t matter if (or to what degree) you believe in the energetic, symbolic, spiritual and/or religious aspects of this practice. Neither does it matter, on a certain level, what you believe about some of the egregiously atrocious things that have happened — and are happening — in the world. Our belief or doubt does not change the big “T” Truth and Reality (of our past). Our belief or doubt only changes how we understand the world and our place in the world. Our belief or doubt only changes how we engage the world — which means our belief or doubt can change the world (of our future).

My hope is that you come along for this ride — on the mat and/or on the blog — and that, somewhere along the way, your heart gets bigger and your mind becomes more open.

“What we create, experience, and suffer, in this time, we create, experience, and suffer for all eternity. As far as we bear responsibility for an event, as far as it is ‘history,’ our responsibility, it is incredibly burdened by the fact that something has happened that cannot be ‘taken out of the world.’ However, at the same time an appeal is made to our responsibility—precisely to bring what has not yet happened into the world! And each of us must do this as part of our daily work, as part of our everyday lives. So everyday life becomes the reality per se, and this reality becomes a potential for action. And so, the ‘metaphysics of everyday life’ only at first leads us out of everyday life, but then—consciously and responsibly—leads us back to everyday life.”

— quoted from “Experimentum Crucis” in Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything by Viktor E. Frankl (with an introduction by Daniel Goleman and an afterword by Franz Vesely)

For Those Who Missed it: The following was originally posted in relation to the January 27, 2021 practice and re-posted today in 2022.

“Io non mori’ e non rimasi vivo;
pensa oggimai per te, s’hai fior d’ingegno,
qual io divenni, d’uno e d’altro privo.”

“I did not die, and I was not alive;
think for yourself, if you have any wit,
what I became, deprived of life and death.”

— quoted from Dante’s The Divine Comedy — Inferno, Canto 34 (lines 25 – 27), translated by Allen Mandelbaum

“I did not die, and yet I lost life’s breath: imagine for yourself what I became, deprived at once of both my life and death.”

— A popular, oft quoted, translation of Dante’s The Divine Comedy — Inferno, Canto 34 (lines 25 – 27)

In November 1301, Florence, Italy was the site of a great political upheaval that destroyed much of the city, established a new government, and resulted in the death or banishment of many of the previous leaders. One of those people exiled from their hometown was Dante Alighieri, who was banished on January 27, 1302. Dante had very briefly served as the city’s prior, one of its highest positions, and when the new government — ruled by his political enemies — took over, he was accused of corruption, ordered to pay a fine, and to spend two years in exile. But, the poet didn’t believe he had done anything wrong and, more to the point, his assets had been seized by the new government. So, his sentence was changed to perpetual exile (with the threat of death if he returned without paying the fine.)

Thus began the poet’s bitter wandering. He was in his mid-30’s; and while he would participate in several failed attempts to retake Florence, much of the remaining 20-odd years of his life would be devoted to writing The Divine Comedy, a long narrative poem divided into three parts: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. In the poem, the poet (and his soul) literally travel through Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven (or Paradise) — and metaphorically travel towards God. He is initially guided by the ancient Roman poet Virgil, who represents “human reason;” but it is Beatrice, who symbolizes divine knowledge/love and who first appeared as the object of the poet’s great love in his “little book” La Vita Nuova (The New Life), who guides him from the end of Purgatorio into Paradiso. The poem reflects Dante’s medieval Roman Catholic beliefs and draws strongly from the teachings of Saint Thomas Aquinas, one of the great saints he meets in Paradise.

“Article 1. Whether the soul was made or was of God’s substance?

Objection 1. It would seem that the soul was not made, but was God’s substance. For it is written (Genesis 2:7): ‘God formed man of the slime of the earth, and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man was made a living soul.’ But he who breathes sends forth something of himself. Therefore the soul, whereby man lives, is of the Divine substance.”

— from Summa Theologica (1a Qq. 90, volume 13) by Saint Thomas Aquinas

Even when we have different theological and/or philosophical beliefs, we can agree that breathing is a sign of life, of being alive. However, there are medical situations where someone is breathing and there are no other signs of life. Then there are medical and existential situations where someone is alive, but not living. This latter can be very subjective. Yet, I would argue that there are situations under which almost everyone can categorically agree that it would be really hard to truly live (and feel alive). Those same situations are the ones where it would be hard to take a deep breath in and a deeper breath out.

I think, perhaps, Dante felt that feeling (of being alive, but not living) to a certain degree when he was exiled from his home and had almost everything familiar to him stripped away. However, Dante could still roam, and to a certain degree freely. He lived out his life in relative comfort and he was still free to worship according to his beliefs. He was not persecuted for his beliefs (only, for his politics) nor was he tortured because of his gender, ethnicity, height and appearance, or simply because he had a sibling born on the same day. He could write what he wanted to write and received recognition for his efforts. Furthermore, with the exception of what would happen if he returned to Florence, he did not have to fear being killed for his beliefs — or any of his personal attributes. He may have felt, metaphorically, as if he was “deprived of life and death,” but he still had some control over his life and his ability to live it. On the flip side, the millions of people rounded up, persecuted, imprisoned, tortured, and killed during the Holocaust, spent many of their days in a reality much like the first part of Dante’s poem: they were actually deprived of life and living.

“‘I [will never forget ‘the very bad things’….] I was there and had to see this with my own eyes,’ he said. ‘My mother and my father, and my 7-year-old brother, were murdered in another camp in Treblinka, which is not far from Warsaw.’”

— Israel “Izzy” Arbeiter, a 95-year old Holocaust survivor and lifelong rights activist, telling his story in “Auschwitz survivor reflects on Holocaust Remembrance Day” by Jessica A. Botelho (for NBC 10 News, WJAR, 1/27/2021)

The persecution during the Holocaust started with social and physical segregation; it escalated into government-sanctioned destruction of property; and eventually progressed to the establishment of concentration camps across German-occupied Europe. Millions fled their homes. Millions more would be held captive and tortured. An estimated two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population was murdered while the world stood by, in some cases in disbelief. In addition to the approximately 6 million Jewish people who died, the Holocaust claimed the lives of an estimated 5 million Slavs, 3 million ethnic Poles, 200,000 Romani people, 250,000 mentally and physically disabled people, and 9,000 members of the LGBTQIA+ community (mostly identified as gay men). This horrifically tragic destruction of society and community during the Holocaust was not, cannot be, over-dramatized. It also should not be forgotten.

In November 2005, the United Nations General Assembly resolution 60/7 designated January 27^th as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In addition to establishing a day of remembrance and calling for an outreach program, the UN’s resolution also “urges Member States to develop educational programmes… in order to help to prevent future acts of genocide…; rejects any denial of the Holocaust as an historical event, either in full or part; and condemns without reservation all manifestations of religious intolerance, incitement, harassment or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, wherever they occur.” The original resolution is reinforced by UN resolution 61/255 (issued in January 2007), which reaffirmed the General Assembly and Member States’ strong condemnation of Holocaust denial and noted “that all people and States have a vital stake in a world free of genocide.”

January 27^th was chosen as a day of remembrance as it was the Saturday, in 1945, when Auschwitz-Birkenau (the largest Nazi concentration and death camp complex) was liberated by the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army. The liberators found approximately 7,500 survivors — not realizing at the time that these “survivors” had been designated as too sick or weak to be transported (i.e., marched) to another site as the Allies were closing in on the Nazis. The Red Army also did not initially realize that the camp complex had held at least 1.3 million prisoners, most of whom had been or would be killed before the other camps were liberated in April and May of 1945.

“For in my tradition, as a Jew, I believe that whatever we receive we must share. When we endure an experience, the experience cannot stay with me alone. It must be opened, it must become an offering, it must be deepened and given and shared. And of course I am afraid that memories suppressed could come back with a fury, which is dangerous to all human beings, not only to those who directly were participants but to people everywhere, to the world, for everyone. So, therefore, those memories that are discarded, shamed, somehow they may come back in different ways, disguised, perhaps seeking another outlet.”

“What is a witness if not someone who has a tale to tell and lives only with one haunting desire: to tell it. Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.

After all, God is God, because He remembers.”

— quoted from an April 7, 2008 All Things Considered: “This I Believe” essay by Elie Wiesel

Elie Wiesel was one of the most famous survivors of the Holocaust. He was a teenager when he and his family were sent to the concentration camps. His parents (Sarah Feig and Shlomo Wiesel) and his sister Tzipora would not survive the camps. He was reunited with his older two sisters (Beatrice and Hilda) at a French orphanage. For 10 years, Professor Wiesel went about the business of living his life — but he did not speak or write about his experience during the Holocaust.

He did not speak or write about his younger sister or about how his father guided him with reason and his mother guided him with faith. He did not speak or write about the guilt and shame of being helpless or about how (and why) he maintained the will to survive. Then he began to write and speak and advocate for change. He advocated not only for Jewish rights and causes, but also for non-Jewish people oppressed in places like South Africa, Nicaragua, Kosovo, Sudan, and Armenia. In 1986, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and he received a plethora of awards from around the world, including the United States’ 1986 Medal of Liberty and the 1992 Presidential of Freedom.

Anne Frank was born less than a year after Elie Wiesel and would spend much of Germany’s occupation of the Netherlands in hiding. A mere five months before the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp was liberated Anne’s family and friends were discovered and sent to the concentration camps. She was 15 years old, basically the same age Elie Wisel had been when his family was rounded up. Anne; her mother Edith; her sister Margot; their friends Hermann and Auguste van Pels; and Fritz Pfeffer, the final person to hid in the Annex, all died in the camps or while being transported between the camps towards the end of the war. Anne’s friend, Peter van Pels, died 5 days after the camp he was in was liberated by the Americans. Peter’s parents (Hermann and Auguste), and Fritz Pfeffer all died in the camps.

Otto Frank was the only person hiding in the Annex who survived the camps. He was one of those designated as “too sick” or “too weak” to be transported and therefore was at Auschwitz-Birkenau when the camp complex was liberated on Saturday, January 27, 1945. He would soon discover that his family and friends had not survived. However, a piece of Anne and the family’s history had survived.

Miep Gies, his former secretary and one of the six Annex “helpers,” had held onto Anne’s journals. Those journals, which Anne called “Kitty,” were full of the day-to-day minutia of their lives in hiding; Anne’s thoughts about the state of the world, her feelings about her family and the others in hiding; details about her first kiss and budding romance with Peter; her personal ambitions and desires; and her passions. She wrote about the things that gave her hope: a tree, a patch of blue sky, fresh air, and music.

In fact, on more than one occasion, Anne Frank wrote about being inspired by music. She wrote about receiving a biography of the composer Franz Listz and about listening to “a beautiful Mozart concert on the radio” with Peter. It is presented as a date, a little living in the middle of hiding. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born January 27, 1756, might have especially appreciated that she wrote, “I especially enjoyed the ‘Kleine Nachtmusik.’ I can hardly bear to listen in the kitchen, since beautiful music stirs me to the very depths of my soul.”

“…music, in even the most terrible situations, must never offend the ear but always remain a source of pleasure.”

— quoted from a letter (dated September 26, 1781) from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to his father, as printed in W. A. Mozart by Hermann Abert (Editor: Professor Cliff Eisen and Translator: Stewart Spencer)

Saturday playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “012701 Holocaust Liberation & Remembrance”]

A 2024 MUSIC NOTE: The playlists are slightly different, as some music is not available on Spotify. The YouTube playlist also includes videos of Holocaust survivors telling their stories (one of which is embedded below).

A 2022 NOTE: As I mentioned ~~yesterday~~ (and in the previous post), I find it twisted, upside down, and backwards that we need to remind each other that we were all born to be loved (and to love).

Similarly, it boggles my mind that on this day of remembrance there are still people in the world who want to brush the unsightly bits of our collective history under a rug or deny that certain atrocities even existed. Just as bad, in my mind, are people who just refuse to get that staying home and/or socially distancing so that a disease doesn’t kill them or someone they love, is not the same as hiding in an annex so that you or someone you love isn’t murdered. Wearing a mask (of your choosing) is not even close to wearing a yellow star — and it hurts my heart to realize some folks may actually believe otherwise.

I’ve added an embedded video from ~~last year~~ 2021. And, even if I’m “preaching to the choir,” I’m going to keep preaching.

“I first learned about the horrors of the Holocaust listening to my father at the dinner table. The passion he felt that we should have done more to prevent the Nazi campaign of systematic mass murder has stayed with me my entire life. It’s why I took my children to visit Dachau in Germany, and why I hope to do the same for each of my grandchildren — so they too would see for themselves the millions of futures stolen away by unchecked hatred and understand in their bones what can happen when people turn their heads and fail to act.

We must pass the history of the Holocaust on to our grandchildren and their grandchildren in order to keep real the promise of “never again.” That is how we prevent future genocides. Remembering the victims, heroes, and lessons of the Holocaust is particularly important today as Holocaust deniers and minimizers are growing louder in our public discourse. But the facts are not up for question, and each of us must remain vigilant and speak out against the resurgent tide of anti-Semitism, and other forms of bigotry and intolerance, here at home and around the world.”

— “Statement by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on International Holocaust Remembrance Day,” released January 27, 2021

Sssh. Listen. Selma is speaking!

### PEACE IN, PEACE OUT ###

### AUM ###

EXCERPT: “The Day of Introductions” January 20, 2024

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Kumbh Mela, Life, Music, One Hoop, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
Tags: Amanda Gorman, Elizabeth Alexander, Joseph Robinette Biden, Maya Angelou, Miller Williams, Richard Blanco, Robert Frost
add a comment

May all beings everywhere feel a sense of belonging! Warm wishes for peace and righteousness to everyone celebrating Kumbh Mela!!

“We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts. If we show a little tolerance and humility, and if we’re willing to stand in the other person’s shoes, as my mom would say, just for a moment, stand in their shoes. Because here’s the thing about life: There’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days when you need a hand. There are other days when we’re called to lend a hand. That’s how it has to be. That’s what we do for one another. And if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future. And we can still disagree.”

— quoted from the January 20, 2021, Inaugural Speech by President Joseph Biden

The following (reformatted) excerpt is from a 2021 post:

“So: Here we are — again, beginning and also ending. Ending also and beginning, again – are we here? Are we all in? That is a question that could be asked (and is implied) by every president and vice president. Never forget, that every administration is intended to serve us, we the people. And yet, we also serve; as citizens of this nation — even of the world — we have responsibilities to ourselves and to one another. Just as we look at what a candidate, a president and/or vice president elect, and a sitting president and/or vice president has to offer us, we must consider what we have to offer ourselves and one another. Then, we offer it.

Offering what we have to offer is a reoccurring theme with these inaugurations. And, it’s what Robert Frost meant when, on January 20, 1961, he spoke of “The Gift Outright” as the first poet to recite a poem at a presidential inauguration. What we offer can be as profoundly simple as a ‘[hopeful] Good morning,’ as Maya Angelou suggested when she became the second inauguration poet on January 20, 1993 — or as simply profound as ‘[dreaming] for every child an even chance’ as Miller Williams had us consider on January 20, 1997. We must, as Elizabeth Alexander said on June 20, 2009, ‘consider, reconsider [our words]’ and the mighty power of love. We must, as all the poets have said, remember where from where we come and, as Richard Blanco reminded us in January 21, 2013, to say ‘hello / shalom, buon giorno / howdy / namaste / or buenos días in the language my mother taught me—in every language spoken into one wind[.]’ And we can, we must, as the sixth and the youngest inauguration poet to date implored us, ‘forge our union with purpose’ and ‘lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.’ This is what we need to live well.”

Click here for the entire post about palindromes and a brief history of Inauguration Day in the USA.

“Scripture tells us to envision that ‘everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree and no one shall make them afraid.’ If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade but in all the bridges we’ve made.

That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb if only we dare it, because being American is more than a pride we inherit – it’s the past we step into and how we repair it.”

— quoted from the poem “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman, during the January 20, 2021 Presidential Inauguration (the “Scripture” she cites Micah 4:4)

Please join me today (Saturday, January 20^th) 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 playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.

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.)

### AUM ###

EXCERPT: “What We Need to Live Well” January 17, 2024

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Faith, First Nations, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Kumbh Mela, Life, Loss, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: 988, Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King Day, mental health, Peter Collinson, Sebastian Junger
add a comment

May all beings everywhere feel a sense of belonging! Warm wishes for peace and righteousness to everyone celebrating Kumbh Mela!!

“Though they have few but natural wants and those easily supplied. But with us are infinite Artificial wants, no less craving than those of Nature, and much more difficult to satisfy….”

— quoted from the “Hardwicke Papers” copy of a letter addressed to Peter Collinson dated “Philadelphia May 9^th, 1753” and signed “B: Franklin”

The following excerpt is from a 2021 post:

“[Benajamin Franklin] was once critical of himself because, as he wrote, his experiments were ‘able to produce nothing in this way of use to Mankind.’ Yet, he stayed curious, kept trying new things and eventually invented many things that made life easier for people; including the lightening rod, bifocals, and the Franklin stove. While these things all served a purpose and made life easier, maybe even more efficient, they didn’t (in and of themselves) help others live well — when living well is related to purpose and, therefore, related to others.

Ultimately, once we establish the meaning of the living well, the real question we must ask ourselves is. ‘What do we need to live well?’ Whenever we’re addressing life ‘needs,’ I find that we sneak a whole lot of ‘wants’ and desire into the mix. These are what Benjamin Franklin would classify as ‘Artificial’ and that would fall into the category of ‘extrinsic’ values, according to the definition Sebastian Junger uses in his book Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging, which is a discussion on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.”

Click here for more about the work and insights of Benjamin Franklin (born today in 1706, according to the Gregorian calendar) and Sebastian Junger (born today in 1962).

Click here for similar insights discussed (in 2022) when today was Martin Luther King Day.

“The findings are in keeping with something called self-determination theory, which holds that human beings need three basic things in order to be content: they need to feel competent at what they do; they need to feel authentic in their lives; and they need to feel connected to others. These values are considered “intrinsic” to human happiness and far outweigh “extrinsic” values such as beauty, money and status.”

— quoted from Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger

Please join me today (Wednesday, January 17^th) 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 “01172021 Franklin Junger”]

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.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

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.)

### DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO LIVE WELL, LOVE WELL, & STAY FULLY HUMAN ###

Understanding [Your] Karma & Putting Cash in Your Karmic Bank Account (the “missing” Saturday post) January 13, 2024

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Donate, Faith, First Nations, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Karma Yoga, Life, Meditation, Movies, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Suffering, Super Heroes, Tragedy, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: Anstalten Österåker, “Pam” Hendricks, Österåker Prison, Österåkersanstalten, Beverly Mahr, Carl Perkins, Dr. Reginald “Reggie” Ray, Ecclesiastes, Folsom State Prison, Glen Sherley, Gordon Jenkins, Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, kamma, Karma, Karma Yoga, kriya, kriyā, kriyā yoga, Little Brother Montgomery, Martin Luther King Jr, Merle Haggard, prison, Reginald Rey, saṃskāra, San Quentin State Prison, Sir Isaac Newton, Soledad State Prison, Swami Jnaneshvara, Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati, The Tennessee Three (music), The Tennessee Two (music), vāsanā, Yoga Sutra 2.1, Yoga Sutra 2.12
add a comment

May you breathe deeply, with the awareness that you have what you need to be stable, steady, comfortable, at ease… and maybe even joyful.

This “missing” post for Saturday, January 13^th. Some explanations (related to definitions) have previously been posted. You can request an audio recording of a related practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at 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.

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.

“To Westerners, the doctrine of karma can be somewhat off-putting, seeming to be a mechanical law that exacts full payment from us for our moral infractions. Yet Buddhism actually takes the opposite view. Only when we see fully the ramifications of karma [can] we understand who we are and why we are here, connect with the warmth and blessing of the world, and experience genuine compassion for other people. Beyond this, to understand that there is no ‘I’-but only the operation of impersonal karmic forces-is to attain the freedom of complete liberation.”

— quoted from the Lion’s Roar article “Understanding Karma” by Reginald Rey

This present moment is the culmination of all the previous moments and the beginning of all the moments that come after it. Mindfulness-based practices — like the philosophies of Yoga and Buddhism — are an opportunity to observe cause-and-effect in action. Throughout a practice, we note how one thing can lead to another. Even in this moment, you can notice…

How an inhale leads to an exhale and an exhale leads to an inhale;
How moving with the breath allows us to notice how one pose leads to another;
How what we do in one part of our body affects another part of the body (and vice versa). For example, notice how stability in the lower body allows you to extend your upper body and how extending your upper body allows you to stretch out the lower body.

If you’ve practice with me a bit, you have probably heard the aforementioned example a lot. (And, hopefully, you’ve tested it out for yourself.) You have probably also heard me state, “What happens in the body, happens in the mind; what happens in the mind, happens in the body; and both affect the breath… So we harness the power of the breath to affect the body and the mind.” At various points throughout the year, I reference saṃskāra (“mental impressions”) and vāsanā (“dwelling places” of our habits) and encourage people to notice that what happened to our hearts (and ourselves) in the past informed this present moment and what happens in this present moment — i.e., what we do in this present moment — informs our future moments. All of this applies to our thoughts, our words, and our deeds.

What people may not immediately realize is that all of these things are related (or can be related) to karma and kriyā, two Sanskrit words that can be translated into English as “work” or “effort.”

“Buddhism highlights two types of karma. The first is the karma of result. This addresses the age-old question of why our life is this way and not some other; it shows us that every aspect of our lives is the result of actions we have performed in the past. This includes our body and its physical condition, our parentage and other elements of our history, current friends and relatives, our overall life situation, our general state of mind, and even the thoughts we think and the emotions we feel.”

“The second type is the karma of cause. This addresses the question of how or even whether we influence the future. It says that every action we perform in the present is going to produce results of some kind further down the road. Our minds and the actions that proceed from them are that powerful.”

— quoted from the Lion’s Roar article “Understanding Karma” by Reginald Rey

Dr. Reginald “Reggie” Ray is the co-founder and Spiritual Director of the Dharma Ocean Foundation and University Professor (retired) at Naropa University. While he described karma (or kamma, in Pali) as having two different definitions in Buddhism — and while many Western practitioners of Yoga may be most familiar with some idea of “karma” — sacred texts about the Yoga Philosophy use two different words for the two different types of action/work. Karma is the effect or consequence, while kriyā is the cause. Kriyā is an ongoing process and also the steps within the process; it is active. You could also think of karma as fate and kriyā as destiny; where the former is unchangeable and the latter as the journey to your destination.

Some traditions take the latter concept a step further and specifically use kriyā in relation to internal action or work and speak of karma when referring to external work. In some ways, this dovetails with Yoga Sūtra 2.1, which defines kriyā yoga (“union in action”) as a combination of the final three niyamas (internal “observations”): discipline/austerity, self-study, and trustful surrender to a higher power (other than one’s self). In this context, kriyā yoga is a purification ritual and, as I mention throughout the year, there are several religious and philosophical observations that would fit within this rubric (including Lent, Yom Kippur and Passover, the Baháʼí 19-Day Fast, and the holy month of Ramaḍān).

Additionally, in the Kundalini Yoga tradition, “kriyā” is the term applied to sequences with specific energetic intentions.

This is where it gets (even more) convoluted, because karma can also be the intention. Classically, when we talk about karma, we talk about planting seeds and things coming into fruition. So, one way to think of it is that we plant seeds that already have within them the image of the final product and kriyā is what we do to nurture and harvest what’s been planted — and/or what we do when we need to uproot the poisonous weeds.

“Although both kriya and karma can be translated as ‘action,’ there is a vast difference between them. Both are derived from the verb root kri…, which means ‘to do.’ Kriya refers to an action in process as well as to the dynamic force propelling the action. Karma refers to completed action. Unless a fresh wave of action is exerted on karma, it remains unchanged. Karma is an unchanging field of completed action waiting to be harvested by the performer of the action, while kriya is ever-moving, ever-changing energy. Kriya yoga is yoga in action, not yoga of action, and should not be confused with karma yoga.”

“The literal meaning kriya is ‘verb.’ Every verb is representative of a distinct process or function and no process of function reaches fruition without a doer.”

— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.1 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

After the Saturday practice, someone asked me if “karma” is going to be our philosophical focus for 2024. At first, I was going to answer no. Then I thought, not exactly. Yet, when I really sit with the question, the actual answer is, sort of and partially. This year, during the Saturday practices, we are going to focus on how our past moments lead us to these present moments (karma) and how the things we do in this present moment can lead to certain future moments (kriyā) — and we’re going to use the chakra system as a paradigm for understanding where we are, how we got here, and where we’re going (or, all the places we could go).

Just to clarify, this practice is a moving meditation with some self-study, contemplation, and reflection. While I am not going to put a lot of focus on the concept of past lives and reincarnation — although those ideas do make up part of the foundation of karma/kamma in the Buddhist and Yoga philosophies — there will be times when we reflect on generational trauma — and, of course, there will be stories… and music.

“[Verse 1]
I hear the train a-comin’, it’s rolling ’round the bend
And I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when
I’m stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin’ on
But that train keeps a-rollin’ on down to San Antone”

— quoted from the song “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash

On January 13, 1968, Johnny Cash, June Carter (who wouldn’t become a Cash until March 1, 1968), Carl Perkins, The Tennessee Three, and the Statler Brothers performed and recorded two (2) concerts at Folsom State Prison in Folsom, California. Although, the subsequent live album made these performances the most well known, they were not the first time Johnny Cash performed at Folsom Prison, nor the last time he performed at a prison… in California, in the United States, or in the world. In fact, he performed at least 30 prison concerts in the United States — including one at Correctional Training Facility (also known as Soledad State Prison) in 1980. He also recorded live albums in places like San Quentin State Prison (now known as San Quentin Rehabilitation Center) at Österåker Prison (known as Anstalten Österåker and Österåkersanstalten), north of Stockholm, Sweden.

We could just listen (or listen and move) to the music. But, let’s put a little “cash” in our karmic bank account and look at how the performances, as well as much of the music — not to mention the stories behind the music and how the concerts came about — are great illustrations of cause-and-effect and of karma and kriyā.

“[Verse 2]
When I was just a baby, my mama told me, ‘Son
Always be a good boy, don’t ever play with guns’”

— quoted from the song “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash

While serving in the United States Air Force in Germany (~ 1951/1952), Johnny Cash saw the film Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison (released in U. S. May 18, 1951) and he was inspired to write a song. Keep in mind that, even though he had more than his fair share of troubles and spent some time in county (or city) jail, he never served time as a prisoner. (Unlike Merle Haggard, who would be incarcerated and in the audience during at least one prison concert.) Mr. Cash did, however, have an imagination. So, as he sat not far from Landsberg Prison (in Bavaria), inspired by the film about Folsom and the instrumental song “Crescent City Blues” by Little Brother Montgomery (1930) as well as the lyrics by Gordon Jenkins (released by Beverly Mahr in 1953), he thought about the worst thing someone could do to wind up in prison. Keep in mind that his “worst thing” was based on his previous experiences.

Then he wrote a song that (he said) he never expected to get as big as it got: “Folsom Prison Blues.” Johnny Cash went on to write songs about prison life, in general, and about San Quentin (1969) — the latter of which he also sang as “Österåker.” In between cobbling together one of his most famous hits and some of those other prison songs, Mr. Cash decided he wanted to go to prison… not to serve time, but to serve the inmates. By playing a series of concerts, he and the other musicians were giving back, doing a little karma yoga.

The songs they sang simultaneously lifted the spirits of the inmates and spoke to/of the experiences of the inmates. In some cases, the songs, the concerts, and the live albums changed the way people perceived Johnny Cash and the inmates. They also changed the way some of the inmates saw themselves. For instance, during the first July 13^th concert, the inmates at Folsom barely reacted to the music, because history had taught them that making too much noise would result in a loss of privileges. But, the musicians and their producers needed/wanted the crowd reactions for the live albums. So, perceptions and expectations changed. Consider how you would feel if you spent your days (and nights) suppressing your natural reactions because you feared punishment. Consider how you feel knowing the cheers, laughs, and applause on the live recording were re-mixed after the concerts.

The life of Glen Sherley is another example of the effect of the concerts. It is also an example of how past actions inform present actions and influence future actions. Mr. Sherley was an inmate at Folsom, who had written a song. Someone played Johnny Cash a tape of the song, thinking the morale of the inmates might be boosted if the “Man in Black” referenced the song and the songwriter. Johnny Cash and the other musicians took the idea a step further: they learned and sang the song. Glen Sherley had no idea the popular musicians were going to sing his song. Neither could he know how much his life was going to change because of that simple act; but, change it did. Even while still in prison, Glen Sherley became a popular songwriter who eventually released his own album and (for a brief period) performed under the House of Cash label.

However, despite being given a “second act” and a different way of life, Glen Sherley couldn’t handle it. He had a long history of violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and other illegal tendencies. Johnny Cash dismissed him from the House of Cash out of an abundance of caution (because people feared he would follow through on some of his threats) and, in 1978, within 7 years of his release from Folsom, those fears came to fruition when Glen Sherley shot a man while he (Mr. Sherley) was high. A couple of days later, after telling his daughter couldn’t go back to jail, the fledging musician died from a suicide. He was 42 years old.

Johnny Cash understood that, given a chance, some people could break the cycle of violence and poverty. He also understood his affect on people like Glen Sherley and on people who would judge someone like Glen Sherley. Understanding cause-and-effect is part of the reason he sometimes said he shouldn’t have singled Glen Sherley out. It is also the reason Mr. Cash met Mr. Sherley when he was released, gave him a job; and (ultimately) paid for his funeral.

“… Well, you wonder why I always dress in black
Why you never see bright colors on my back
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone
Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on

… I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town
I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime
But is there because he’s a victim of the times”

— quoted from the song “The Man in Black” by Johnny Cash

As they do with Martin Luther King, Jr (especially this weekend), people often quote and/or coopt Johnny Cash’s legacy. Throughout his life, he told people not to put words in his mouth — a message his children continue spreading to this day — and to, instead, pay attention to what he said and what he did. If we do that, if we really listen to what he said and what he did, we find that Johnny Cash advocated for the poor and the disenfranchised. He wrote protest songs about people in prison and how they were treated (before and after they were released); the Vietnam War (and war in general); and the oppression of Native Americans. Then he backed those lyrics up with action/deeds.

I can’t help but wonder what he would say about other musicians being investigated and incarcerated because of their lyrics and/or the political climate here in the U. S. and around the world. Neither can I blame someone with different views from mine doing the same thing. I think such thoughts are natural, human, inclinations. However, I am very careful to come back to his words, his action, his karma, and (in a way) his kriyā.

His kriyā, because the music is still alive and still actively acting on the world.

“Each week we lose a hundred fine young men

… And I wear it for the thousands who have died
Believin’ that the Lord was on their side
I wear it for another hundred-thousand who have died
Believin’ that we all were on their side

… Well, there’s things that never will be right, I know
And things need changin’ everywhere you go
But ’til we start to make a move to make a few things right
You’ll never see me wear a suit of white

… Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day
And tell the world that everything’s okay
But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back
’Til things are brighter, I’m the man in black”

— quoted from the song “The Man in Black” by Johnny Cash

Given all of the above, take a moment to consider your first lesson in “karma.”

Was it called that or was “cause-and-effect” first taught to you with a different way with different words (and in a different language)? Maybe it was taught to you in the scientific way. Remember this is just a different spin on the laws of nature and Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion. According to Yoga Sūtra 2.12: kleśamūlah karmāśayo dŗşţādŗşţjanmavedanīyah / “The reservoir of our actions is rooted in affliction/pain that is experienced in seen and unseen lives.” So, take a moment to consider that how you view all of this is based on your previous experiences and lessons (about the subject at hand and, also, about the historical and cultural context of these concepts). Now, take a moment to consider how you use this information (about yourself) when you are really grounded in it. Meaning:

What do you believe (or not believe)?
How much of what you believe (or don’t believe) is based on lessons you were taught (or not taught) and how much is based on what you’ve experienced/learned in the meanwhile?
How do your thoughts, words, and deeds reflect your beliefs?

Just like I wonder about his thoughts on current events, I wonder about Johnny Cash’s first lesson in karma. He is often quoted as saying, “ … I’m the biggest sinner of them all…” and, in the very next breath, talking about his faith in Jesus. So it is possible that his first lesson in “karma” was similar to mine, someone quoting or paraphrasing “the Teacher” (King Solomon) in Ecclesiastes 11. Even though he may not have called it karma yoga, Johnny Cash spent a lot of time doing things that came back to him.

What are you doing and how is coming back to you?

“Cast your bread upon the water and it shall return to you.”

— My great-grandmother Pam, quoting Ecclesiastes 11:1

“The law of Karma is a universal process, whereby causes lead to effects. This is something that all of us are already familiar with, whether or not we use the word Karma to describe it. Newton’s third law of motion, that every action leads to a reaction, is an application of the law of Karma.”

— Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

Saturday playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [“01132021 Karma Cash I”]

Looking for more? You can scroll through all my posts tagged with karma or check out one of the posts highlighted below:

We Begin With a Curious Teacher, or 2 (the “missing” Saturday post) September 16, 2023

The Last Appointment (a “long lost” Saturday post) June 5, 2023

Leadership & Kriya Yoga (the “missing” Monday post) February 21, 2023

Effort and Effect (a “missing” post from a week ago) February 28, 2022

When You Need A Good Hard Rain (the “missing” Sunday post) February 7, 2022

It’s Bach’s Day Too! March 21, 2020

### GIVE ###

Re-Addressing the State of the “Union” (& 2024 thank-yous) January 8, 2024

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Changing Perspectives, Food, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Music, New Year, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Twin Cities, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
Tags: 612 Jungle, “Yoga Week”, Center for the Performing Arts, Constitution, David Bowie, Dr. Stephen Hawking, Elvis, Elvis Presley, Joe South, North Community High School, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, President Calvin Coolidge, Roosevelt High School, State of the Union, yoga
add a comment

May your mind-body-spirit be well, be great, and be in harmony with your thoughts, words, and deeds.

This can be considered a “missing” and “long lost” post for Monday, January 8^th (with one tiny reference to January 9^th). Other than the Wednesday (7:15 PM, CST) practice, there are no Zoom practices until Saturday, January 13^th. You can request an audio recording of previous practices via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

“He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient…”

— quoted from “Article. II. Section. 3.” of the The Constitution of the United States

Any time we get on the mat (or the cushion) we scan our mind-body-spirit and get a sense of how things are (or are not) working and working together. In other words, we address the state of our “union.” I put that last part in quotes, because the Sanskrit word yoga translates into English as “union” — and, so, we get on the mat and spend a little time delivering our own personal State of the Union address (to ourselves).margin-top:

George Washington delivered the first State of the Union address to the joint sessions of Congress in New York City, the proposed capital of the fledgling United States of America, on January 8, 1790. His interpretation of “from time to time” was annually and other presidents followed suit. Up until Franklin Delano Roosevelt used the phrase “State of the Union,” in his 1934 address, it was called “the President’s Annual Message to Congress.” People often think presidents are required to deliver an oral speech, however, the State of the Union does not have to be spoken. In fact, Thomas Jefferson discontinued speeches in 1801, and the tradition of a U. S. president speaking in front of Congress was not re-established until Woodrow Wilson’s speech in 1913.

Some presidents, like Jimmy Carter, delivered spoken and written addresses during their time in office. For instance, former President Carter’s last State of the Union address (in 1981) was the last written address, so far. Presidents have delivered written address for various reasons. Sometimes illness or political conflicts resulted in a written speech. At other times, there was a desire to provide clarification and nuance that they may have felt would be missed if a speech was delivered. In fact, the lengthiness of the address resulted in some being written — and some being written and partially delivered or summarized. President Richard Nixon (who celebrated his birthday on January 9th) gave Congress six (6) written State of the Union address in 1973, with each message being preceded by a radio address.

Former President Nixon was not, however, the first president to utilize media and technology in order to share the State of the Union with the entire Union. Nor was he the only president to submit a written address to Congress and broadcast a summary for the populace. Warren G. Harding was the first U. S. president to speak on the radio, in 1922, but he unexpectedly died in office, in 1923. Later that year, Calvin Coolidge became the first president to deliver a State of the Union on the radio and his first words were addressed the untimely death of his predecessor.

“Since the close of the last Congress the Nation has lost President Harding. The world knew his kindness and his humanity, his greatness and his character. He has left his mark upon history. He has made justice more certain and peace more secure. The surpassing tribute paid to his memory as he was borne across the continent to rest at last at home revealed the place lie held in the hearts of the American people. But this is not the occasion for extended reference to the man or his work. In this presence, among these who knew and loved him, that is unnecessary. But we who were associated with him could not resume together the functions of our office without pausing for a moment, and in his memory reconsecrating ourselves to the service of our country. He is gone. We remain. It is our duty, under the inspiration of his example, to take up the burdens which he was permitted to lay down, and to develop and support the wise principles of government which he represented.”

— quoted from the “First Annual Message,” delivered December 06, 1923 by President Calvin Coolidge

Just as radio changed the reach and impact of the State of the Union address, so too have television, the internet, and social media. Former President Harry S. Truman delivered the first televised State of the Union, in 1947, and former President Lyndon B. Johnson set the precedent of delivering a televised speech during primetime (while using a teleprompter). In 1997, the first State of the Union on the internet was delivered by former President Bill Clinton — who also has the unfortunate distinction of being the first to deliver a State of the Union during an impeachment trial.

Of course, former President Clinton was not the first or the last president to deliver a State of the Union address during a time great tragedy and/or national embarrassment. Former President Ronald Reagan postponed his 1986 address because of the Challenger disaster and, in 2019, the then-sitting president was “disinvited” by the then Speaker of the House. Such events change our perspective of current events and, therefore, place the (actual) state of the Union in a certain context. In other words, what we are going through individually and collectively allows — and/or causes — us to see things in a certain way.

“My expectations were reduced to zero at twenty-one. Everything since then has been a bonus.

Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind I am free.”

— Dr. Stephen Hawking (CH CBE FRS FRSA)

When we practice on January 8^th, I sometimes reference Stephen William Hawking, the theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author, and director of research, who was born January 8, 1942, in Oxford, England. When he was diagnosed with a motor neuron disease in his early 20’s, he was forced to take a daily accounting of his mind, body, and spirit — as well as how they were (or were not) working… let alone working together. For similar reasons, the playlist includes music by Elvis Aaron Presley, who was born January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, and by David Bowie, who was born January 8, 1947, in London, England. I include the “King of Rock and Roll” and “Ziggy Stardust,” because they produced great music AND, also, because their music gives us a musical (and visual) picture of the state of society (in America and in the world) at various points in history. Additionally, moving to their music — mindfully and “in a special way” — can awaken our awareness of how our different parts are (or are not) working… let alone working together.

“If I could be you, if you could be me
For just one hour
If we could find a way
To get inside each other’s mind, uh huh

If you could see you through my eyes
Instead of your ego
I believe you’d be, I believe you’d be
Surprised to see
That you’ve been blind, uh huh”

— quoted from the song “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” by Elvis Presley (written by Joe South)

“I’ve got scars that can’t be seen
I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen
Everybody knows me now”

— quoted from the song “Lazarus” by David Bowie

As established by Article II, Section 3 of the U. S. Constitution, the State of the Union address is a re-cap of and reflection on the recent past and a look forward with hope, expectation, and a plan. Since it generally happens as early as January 3^rd and as late as February 12^th

, it is pretty much the same thing individuals do at the beginning of the year — and, also, what we have the opportunity to do every time we step on the mat: look at what’s worked and what hasn’t worked in the past and propose on a way to move forward.

This year, my personal State of the Union finds me back in Minnesota simultaneously looking forward and back, reflecting on what worked (or didn’t work) over the last 15+ years, the last almost 4 years, and the last week. Like the presidents of yesteryear, I am not going to spend a bunch of time recounting the negative stuff, I am just going to use it to provide a little context for the good stuff.

“A tranquil and one-pointed mind is purposefully creative. With such a mind you get more done in less time, and what is more, because it is done with clarity and purpose, the work you undertake is not a burden and does not become a source of misery.

A confused mind is not fit to follow any path. It is not even in a position to tell the body and senses what is good for them and what is not. That is why we go on complying with the urges of the body and senses, even when these urges serve no useful purpose. Such a mind has no way of deciding what it should unite with or what it should separate from; this confusion is what causes a person to live a purposeless, meaningless life.”

— quoted from “Yoga: Union with What?” (a Q&A response) by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

When my “hostess with the most-est” first suggested the idea of me returning to Minnesota for a couple of weeks, she had said that she had (and I quote), That could be considered “no expectations” and, also, could be a way to describe the practice of non-attachment in the modern world: speak a plan into exist, do some work to make it happen, and be open to the way it unfolds.

I, however, had a bit of an agenda and some expectations — if only because I normally offer some special practices on New Year’s Day and on the First Friday Night of each month. I also had some hopes and desires about reconnecting — uniting, if you will — with some people I had seen in awhile. Then, too, I had the awareness that it had been a long time since most of us had practiced together (let alone together-together) and that some things about each and everyone of us are different. My desires, hopes, agendas, expectations, and even fears could all be considered forms of attachment and afflicted/dysfunctional thinking. In other words, they could all lead to suffering… and, on a certain level they did.

I had moments of frustration and disappointment. I know others also had similar moments (for different reasons). However, when everything is said and done, I am overwhelmed by gratitude. After almost four years of practicing together-while-apart, I am so very grateful that so many people were able to join in “Yoga Week” (as some of you were calling the first week of January 2024). I appreciated the presence of everyone who physically practiced in our four (4) studios — as well as to those who Zoomed in from as far away as Portland and the Middle East and those who did their best and could only make it in spirit.

I am forever grateful to my hostess for planting the seed, nourishing that seed and, doing so much to make it happen (including sharing her family and her practice). Similarly, I am grateful for the people who suggested possible spaces and the four lovely lovelies who connected me and helped me get situated in our “pop up” studios. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Thank you to the staff members at Center for the Performing Arts, Gabrielle and the teachers at 612 Jungle, and the teachers and staff at Roosevelt High School and North Community High School. Thank you for those who offered technical support (even before I arrived) and thank you to everyone who offered me a ride (even if I didn’t take it), fed me, offered to feed me, and/or made a donation (so I can feed myself when I get back to Texas)! Thank you, in advance, for those who will make it to the Open House on Thursday and thank you to JK who is opening her heart, home, and hearth to us exactly four years (to the date) from the last time we gathered together.

Looking forward, I hope this week has reignited you and your practice. I hope it has given you some insight into what comes next for you. I hope it has allowed you to let go of some things that no longer serve you, so that you can move it the new year with a little more unencumbered purpose and determination. I hope that purpose and determination inspires you to plan… something. I hope you are safe and protected, peaceful and happy, healthy and strong, and that you have ease and well being from this day forward.

As for me: I am open to coming back… for a visit. Maybe it will be another New Year Yoga Week; maybe it will be a series of workshops and/or a retreat. Maybe it will be in another place all together, but we will be back — together — again.

“In contrast, a peaceful, one-pointed mind has a natural ability to see itself, its role, and its place in relation to both body and soul. This ability allows the mind to command the body to discharge its duty to hear and heed the voice of the soul. The practices that help us acquire a one-pointed mind are called yoga. Reaching that state is the goal of yoga.”

— quoted from “Yoga: Union with What?” (a Q&A response) by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

The 2022 playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for 01082022 State of the “Union”]

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.)

### YOGA ###

2 Short EXCERPTS: “Living ‘A (SAD) Wonderful Life’” December 20, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Love, Movies, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: Charles Dickens, Clarence Odbody, Frank Capra, George Bailey, It's A Wonderful Life, mental health, Philip Van Doren Stern, SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder
add a comment

Peace and blessings to all, and especially those celebrating Advent.

“Every time you hear a bell ring, it means that some angel’s just got his wings.”

— Clarence Odbody (AS2), quoted from It’s A Wonderful Life

Here are a couple of excerpts about a holiday favorite:

Even people who don’t celebrate Christmas, as a religious holiday or otherwise, may have a favorite Christmas story or carol. These stories — which become such perennial favorites they are often turned into plays, ballets, musicals, and all manners of pageants — are full of not only the trappings and traditions of Christmas, but also the spirit. You may think the spirit of which I speak is the hope, the cheer, and the good tidings; but, one consistent element in these stories is grief, desolation, isolation, sadness — and yes, also SAD-ness.

The Greatest Gift was self-published by its author, Philip Van Doren Stern, in 1943 – exactly 100 years after Charles Dickens first published A Christmas Carol. In fact, Stern (who was half Jewish) was partially inspired by the Dickens-classic. Although the story takes place at Christmastime and was initially sent out as Stern’s 1943 Christmas cards, the author intend the story to be universal. The following year the story was picked up by a two different magazines (including Good Housekeeping, which called it ‘The Man Who Was Never Born’) and a movie production company. By 1945, the original movie rights for The Greatest Gift had been sold to director and producer Frank Capra, who would change the title and tweak some of the details.”

Click here for more about Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life, which premiered today in 1946.

“[Remember,] real life is different from a novella by Dickens, a short story by Stern, or a movie by Capra; in part because there’s not a writer or director making sure the intervention happens. Also, not everything gets tied up at the end. However, if you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms associated with SAD, it is important to take two big lessons from these fictional works: 1. You are not alone. 2. You can get help.”

“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. And when he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”

— Clarence Odbody (AS2), quoted from It’s A Wonderful Life

Please join me today (Wednesday, December 20^th) 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 “12202020 A SAD Wonderful Life”]

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.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

### Breathe. Know that you are loved. ###

EXCERPT: “‘Bah Humbug!’ & Other SAD Sayings” December 19, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: A Christmas Carol, Advent, Charles Dickens, holidays, mental health, SAD, Seasonal Affective Disorder
add a comment

Peace and blessings to all, and especially those celebrating Advent.

“‘But you were always a good man of business, Jacob’ faltered Scrooge, who now began to apply this to himself. ‘Business!’ cried the Ghost, wringing its hands again. ‘Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, benevolence, were all my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!’”

— quoted from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

A Christmas Carol, the novella by Charles Dickens was first published today in 1843. Here’s an excerpt from my post about how Scrooge might have had Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a form of clinical depression that affects over 3 million people in the United States each year:

“Some people view A Christmas Carol as a secular holiday tale; others see it as Christian allegory. I see both sides of that coin, but also consider that there is a mental health message within the text. Even if Scrooge is a ‘scrooge,’ he also exhibits all the characteristics of someone who is unhappy because his mind-body is out of balance. (When you think about it, it’s not surprising given how much he works, and how little work-life balance Dickens gives him!) All that said, anyone of us can be scrooge. So, it’s important to note that there is a lot we can do to help our mind-bodies find balance. It is equally important to know when we need some external intercession. SAD treatment can include light therapy, talk therapy, changes in diet and exercise, antidepressants, and/or a combination of the above.”

Click here to read the entire post, which includes symptoms, treatments, and a little bit of Yoga Philosophy.

“He went to the church, and walked about the streets, and watched the people hurrying to and for, and patted the children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked down into the kitchens of homes, and up to the windows, and found that everything could yield him pleasure. He had never dreamed of any walk, that anything, could give him so much happiness.”

— quoted from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Please join me today (Tuesday, December 19^th) 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 (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.

Tuesday playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “12192020 SAD Carol”]

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.

If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).

### Breathe. You’ve Got This. ###

Remember, “It’s Much More Than Just a Candlelight”* (the “missing” Saturday post w/excerpts) December 9, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Changing Perspectives, Chanukah, Dharma, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma, Life, Loss, Mathematics, Meditation, Men, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Yoga.
Tags: 1 Maccabees, Beresh't, Chanukah, coding, computers, Deuteronomy, Devarim, dreidel, Eliyahu Touger, Ethics of the Fathers, Exodus, Genesis, hanukia, Hanukkah, Hebrew, Irving Montak z”l, Jan Adkins, Jean Haddon, Leviticus, Maccabeats, Maccabees, Maimonides, Matisyahu, Matitiyahu, Matīṯyāhū, Moses ben Maimon, Nissim Black, Pirkei Avot, Rambam, Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, rving Montak, Shamash, Shemot, Vayikra, Yoga Sutra 1.36, Yoga Sutra 2.44
add a comment

“Happy Chanukah!” to all who are celebrating. May all be safe and protected, during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence (November 25^th – December 10^th) and on all the other days of the year.

This “missing” post for Saturday, December 9^th is a compilation of previously and newly posted information. You can request an audio recording of a related practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at 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.

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.

“If [a person has the opportunity to fulfill only one of two mitzvot,] lighting a lamp for one’s home [i.e., Sabbath candles] or lighting a Chanukah lamp – or, alternatively, lighting a lamp for one’s home or reciting kiddush – the lamp for one’s home receives priority, since it generates peace within the home.
[Peace is of primary importance, as reflected by the mitzvah requiring] God’s name to be blotted out to create peace between a husband and his wife. Peace is great, for the entire Torah was given to bring about peace within the world, as [Proverbs 3:17] states: ‘Its ways are pleasant ways and all its paths are peace.’
Blessed be the Merciful One who grants assistance. This concludes the third book.”

**— quoted from Mishneh Torah, Scroll of Hanukkah (Halakhah) by Rambam (translation by Eliyahu Touger. Jerusalem, Moznaim Pub. c1986-c2007, Dedicated in memory of Irving Montak, z”l)**

Moses ben Maimon, known as Maimonides and often referred to as Rambam, was a Sephardic Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher who was as prolific and influential as he was (to some) controversial. He is remembered as one of the most important scholars of Torah and Halakhah (Jewish law) and his legacy is very much alive in the way people live, celebrate, and honor their faith. For example, one of his treatise is a breakdown of Chanukah — in which he continually reinforced the most important aspects of the holiday in the event that one could not celebrate under ideal conditions.

Unfortunately, those contingencies were vital to people who have, historically, found themselves living under less than ideal situations. Of course, I understand that highlighting a reference to peace and Chanukah — especially one from Rambam, who was also an Islamic scholar — may feel off to some people right now.

But… let’s be real.

If you are Jewish, if you celebrate the commanded holidays, if you are in community with Jewish people — and/or Palestinian people — and/or if you are someone (like me) who honors the rituals and traditions of different cultures, Chanukah hits different this year. How could it not? After all, Chanukah is a celebration of a series of miracles directly connected to a revolt against oppression and battles fought for the survival of the Jewish community — and it started at sunset on Thursday night… exactly two months (to the date) after a horrendous terrorist attack in Israel.

The attack happened during a sacred time of celebration within the Jewish community and during a music festival that attracted people from around the world. It also happened around the anniversary of a war in 1973 (that also occurred during a holy time in both Judaism and Islam) and on the anniversary of other significant conflicts that have taken place in Israel and in the Gaza Strip. For two months and counting, Israelis and Palestinians (not to mention people of other nationalities who were in the area), have dealt with more terror and more horror, more conflict and more war… without any end in sight.

One could argue that none of this is new in the Middle East. One could argue that this darkness has been omnipresent and that people have celebrated Chanukah in Israel for decades in spite (and because) of this exact kind of darkness. One could argue that there have been (and continue to be place) places where it is not safe to celebrate — yet people find a way. One could argue that Chanukah has always inspired some people to shine in the way they live their faith and for some people to shine in the way they defend their faith.

I would argue, however, that for people outside of Israel — and maybe, even, for some people in Israel — the parallels between what was and what is are more striking. I would argue that what felt (for some) like a theoretical threat has become a very real (and present) existential danger. I would argue that while it is easy (maybe too easy) to ignore what was happening to others (e.g., random Greek citizens) during the the 2^nd century BCE, it is detrimental to ignore how this current crisis affects Palestinian civilians, a good majority of whom were/are children.

I would argue that it is one thing to study and debate the laws of faith when one can spiritually (and/or intellectually) bypass the connection between what someone thinks and says and the actions that person actually commits and/or inspires others to commit.

“It’s much more than just a candlelight
’cause we’ve fought more than just a little fight”

— quoted from the song “Victory” by Nissim Black

Full disclosure, I do not political (or even philosophically) align with the American-Israeli Rapper/Singer Nissim Black, who was born today (December 9^th) in 1986. That said, I have been inspired by some of his music, including his 2022 Chanukah song entitled “Victory.” Yes, the song and video literally (and figuratively) hit different given current events and the fact that his home is under attack. Yes, his song and lyrics are very intentional and specific to Chanukah and the Jewish people. None of that, however, negates the fact that the symbolism he references in the song applies to everyone in the world.

Remember: Light shines on more than one person or group of people and we all must fight against the darkness, inside of us and all around us.

For Those Who Missed It: The following excerpt was originally posted, in a slightly different context, in 2021. In addition to some slightly revisions, some dates and links have been updated. As we do in the physical practice, I encourage you to use it as a starting point for svādhyāya (“self-study”).

Light and the symbolic meanings of light have been celebrated since the beginning of time and by every culture on the planet. During the darkest times of the year, people celebrate light as well as the symbolic meaning of light overcoming darkness. In the Northern Hemisphere, we have a whole long list of winter celebrations that start around Halloween and will continue into the beginning of the new secular year. This year’s celebrations started with Samhain (October 31-November 1); which was followed by Diwali, the 5-day Indian festival of lights, (November 9-15); and now Chanukah, the 8-day Jewish festival of lights, which started at sunset on Thursday. The highlight, some might even say the culmination, of the Chanukah story is “the miracle of the oil,” the miracle of light. However, the fact that there were eight nights and eight days of light when there was only enough oil for one day is just one of many miracles in the story — and one could argue that it’s not even the final miracle.

“(1) Rabbi [Judah HaNassi] would say: Which is the right path for man to choose for himself? Whatever is harmonious for the one who does it, and harmonious for mankind.

Be as careful with a minor mitzvah as with a major one, for you do not know the rewards of the mitzvot. Consider the cost of a mitzvah against its rewards, and the rewards of a transgression against its cost….

(3) Be careful with the government, for they befriend a person only for their own needs. They appear to be friends when it is beneficial to them, but they do not stand by a person at the time of his distress.”

— quoted from Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) (2:1 & 2:3)

More often than not, I question where to begin this story. For some, it makes sense to start with Matīṯyāhū and his sons, the ones who would become known as the Maccabees, and how they defied the orders of King Antiochus IV Epiphanes. But, I like to put certain actions in context – which means going back over two hundred years to the rule of Alexander the Great who, in the 4th century BCE, conquered Persia and expanded the Greek empire – an expansion that included the Jewish people.

Alexander’s attitude towards the Jews and their faith is sometimes described as “tolerant.” He didn’t really care what they did or what they believed, because he didn’t see them as a threat. Life was hard if you were a Jew under the reign of Alexander the Great, and even under the rule of many of the Greek kings that came after him. It was hard to make a living and you would face harassment and bullying, but you could do you (as we say these days).

Of course, some people wanted an easier life. Known as Hellenic Jews, these people changed the way they dressed and wore their hair; the things they ate; how they talked; and what they talked about. They even changed the way they practiced their faith. They stopped observing the Sabbath and (publicly) studying Torah. They stopped circumcising their male children or devised ways to hide the circumcision. This last part was necessary, because of there were many aspects of Greek life that required men to be nude. However, by the 2^nd century BCE it wasn’t enough to hide who you were. King Antiochus made it illegal, under penalty of death, to be Jewish or to practice the faith. He also created situations, like appointing High Priests and building a gymnasium outside of the temple, that made it harder for people to hide.

It’s one thing to keep the faith when doing so just makes things a little uncomfortable. It’s another thing altogether to keep the faith when doing so could result in your death. Yes, I know; throughout the history of religion there has been religious persecution and there have been people who kept the faith despite that persecution. But, whenever it happens, I think it’s a bit of a miracle.

To understand why people keep the faith, sometimes it’s helpful to understand what the believe. Definitely, in this case, to really understand the Maccabees and the gravity of what they did, we have to understand what they believed – which means getting into a bit of Torah… and, eventually, going back to the beginning of time.

“And God said, ‘Light will be,’ and light was.”

— Transliteration of the Hebrew from Bereishit – Genesis (1:3), most commonly translated as “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.

So, in the beginning of the Abrahamic creation story, there was God, there was heaven and earth, there was water, and there was “the spirit on the water.” There was also emptiness and darkness. Then, depending on how you translate or interpret the text from the Hebrew Bible (which is also the Christian Old Testament), God either created light with a command or predicted the existence of light. Either way, in the original Hebrew, the twenty-fifth word is ohr (“light”) and Chanukah begins, every year, on the 25^th of Kislev. (Similarly, Christmas occurs, every year, on the 25^th of December, but that’s a another story.)

Matīṯyāhū and his sons believed this creation story, believed in God and the power of God, and lived their lives according to their faith. They were priests who studied the word and the laws of their people and, therefore, observed the commandments and the commanded holidays. Of course, if you look at Vayikra–Leviticus 23, where the appointed festivals and holy days are outlined, you won’t find any mention of a festival of light. Neither will you find mention of Chanukah in the similar list located in Devarim–Deuteronomy 16. After all, the word chanukah means “dedication” and that doesn’t happen until later in the story.

What you will find instead, at the beginning of Vayikra–Leviticus 24, is a commandment to “take to you pure olive oil, crushed for lighting, to kindle the lamps continually” and detailed instructions on how the menorah should be publicly displayed (24:1-3). You will also find, at the end of Devarim–Deuteronomy 16 and the beginning of Devarim–Deuteronomy 17, commandments on what not to do; instructions to investigate reports of transgressions; and instructions on punishments. Now, I am not going to support or condone the instructions on punishments. I am just pointing out that they are there and that Matīṯyāhū and his sons believed in these instructions.

When the father was told to make a sacrifice to the Greek gods, he refused. When a Hellenic Jew stepped up to perform the desecration in his place, Matīṯyāhū killed him. His actions meant that he and his family had to flee to the caves in the wilderness. Others followed them — and I don’t just mean physically. They also followed them spiritually. In the caves, the people studied Torah, observed the Sabbath, and kept the faith. They were a light in the wilderness.

“The world that we live in, so much cold and strife
One little light to warm another life
Fill the darkest night with the brightest light
Cause it’s time for you to shine
A little dedication, a small illumination
Just one person to change a whole nation
Let me see the light”

— quoted from the song “Shine” by the Maccabeats

At some point, someone suggested that this father and his sons, this band of brothers, should take on the Greek army. Now, keep two things in mind. First, Matīṯyāhū and his sons were Kohens; they were priests and scholars. They weren’t warriors or athletes, like the Greeks. In fact, one could say that they were the polar opposite. Second, the Greek army at this time was (reportedly) the biggest and best trained army in the world. Remember, they were the army of a people and a culture that prized physical prowess. So, it was kind of ludicrous to consider going up against them.

Yet, take them on they did… which brings us back to their beliefs and the power of their beliefs.

Remember, the earlier commandments on setting up temple, observing the Sabbath, and all the different ways of keeping the faith were codified within the context of God leading the Jews out of slavery in Egypt. Matīṯyāhū and his sons may not have been physically ready for the battle, but they were mentally and spiritually ready. They knew the wilderness and they knew the Torah. They knew that in Shemot–Exodus 15, their ancestors sang of the power of God. They knew that story included the words, “Who is like You among the powerful, O Lord? Who is like You, powerful in the holy place? Too awesome for praises, performing wonders!” (S-E 15:11) And that, at least that first part, became their battle cry.

They put the initials of the battle cry on their shields and banners. When Matīṯyāhū died, Judah, the son he left in charge, became known as Judah Maccabee (or Judas Maccabeus, in Greek). While there are several other explanations for the name and for the meaning behind the name, the one I learned first was that Maccabee (the acronym) sounded like the word for “hammer” and so the people in the revolt became known as God’s hammer. For seven years, the hammer came down on the mighty Greek army and eventually defeated them. This, depending on how you count, is the second or third miracle of the story: the light breaking through the darkness.

“But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas: How shall we, being few, be able to fight against so great a multitude, and so strong, and we are ready to faint with fasting today?

And Judas said: It is an easy matter for many to be shut up in the hands of a few: and there is no difference in the sight of the God of heaven to deliver with a great multitude, or with a small company:

For the success of war is not in the multitude of the army, but strength cometh from heaven.”

— 1 Maccabees 3:17-19 (DRB)

The Maccabees returned to the temple and found it was completely wrecked. Everything forbidden had taken place. There were idols and evidence of sacrifice. The menorah was not lit and bottles of olive oil had been shattered and in other ways desecrated. Cleaning up the temple became the new battle. Rededicating the temple became the new mission. In the process of cleaning up and restoring the temple, they (miraculously) found one vial of oil that still had the seal of the High Priest. Who knows how old the vial was? Who know who found it? Doesn’t matter. It was another miracle.

It would take several days, over a week, to make the oil required to light the menorah as detailed in the Torah. Using the one vial of oil would be a symbolic gesture — one might even call it a sign of faith. But, it wouldn’t fulfill the commandment, because they wouldn’t be able to keep the candles “continually” lit. They had to make a choice: wait or do what they could do.

They decided to do what they could do. Miraculously, the candles stayed lit. As I point out each year, going into the first day and the second night — even the second day and the third night — people might have thrown the word “miracle” around lightly. After all, there was always the possibility that someone had measured the oil incorrectly and that there was more than expected in the vial. (We won’t get into the odds of that happening or the odds of that particular bottle being the one that wasn’t violated.) However, as the nights and the days progressed, there was no denying that “a great miracle happened.”

Letters on dreidels (outside of Israel): nun (נ), gimel (ג), hei (ה), and shin (ש)

Letters on dreidels (in Israel): nun (נ), gimel (ג), hei (ה), and pei, (פ)

— Hebrew letters symbolizing the phrases (in Hebrew) “A great miracle happened there” and “A great miracle happened here”

Every year, people celebrate the miracle of the oil and commemorate the rededication of the temple. Part of that celebration is a game that involves spinning a four-sided top, a dreidel. Each side contains a Hebrew letter that represents a word. While many people only think of the dreidel in the context of modern celebrations, the practice of spinning the top actually dates back to the time of the Maccabees. It was a way for children (in particular) to study in secret.

Except in extenuating circumstances, when it is not safe to do so, people are instructed to place their hanukia (a special menorah for the occasion) next to their door or in a window that can be seen from the street — so that anyone walking past will be reminded of the miracle that started with faith. In some traditions, each person lights their own individual hanukia — again, in a place that is visible. Lighting the candles is a sign a faith, a sign that people are keeping the faith, and after all this time, that is itself a miracle.

Lighting the candles in as public of a way as is possible is a way to see someone’s faith and, also, a way by which the faithful “see everything else.” If you look at a hanukia you will notice that it is different from a regular menorah. The primary way it is different is that there are nine candles instead of seven. I know, if you are unaware of this, you’re thinking, “Wait. Aren’t there supposed to be eight candles?” One would think that, except for the fact that the eight candles (and lighting them) are part of a mitzvah (“commandment”). Therefore, they can’t do any other “work.”

The ninth candle, the one that is set apart — either out to the side or on a different plane than the others — is a worker, an attendant, a caretaker: the Shamash. It is the candle that lights all the other lights and, in Orthodox homes, it is the light by which people read the Torah and play the dreidel. It is the light by which people see.

Take a moment to notice, in this story and in all the other light related stories of this dark season (even the ones from faiths that don’t share roots), to notice there is always a worker, an attendant, a shamash or caretaker of the miracle. There is always someone who is the source of light. Whether that light is goodness, wisdom, love, kindness, compassion, equanimity, or joy there is always someone shining bright. And if we see the world in that light, by that light, we all end up living a better world.

Since the Saturday practice focused on grace (of self) as well as light, we ended with a little more light… and a little more grace — both in the form of a person who was true “shamesh” in the world: United States Navy Rear Admiral Grace Brewster Murray Hopper, who was born today (December 9^th) in 1906, and was known as “Amazing Grace,” “the Queen of Code,” “the Queen of Software,” and “Grandma COBOL.”

Click here for the 2020 post about the person who often gets the credit when we say we have a “bug” in the system.

“[Grace Hopper] said, ‘The most important thing I’ve accomplished, other than building the compiler, is training young people. They come to me, you know, and say, “Do you think we can do this?” I say, “Try it.” And I back ’em up. They need that. I keep track of them as they get older and I stir ’em up at intervals so they don’t forget to take chances.’”

— quoted from “Grace Hopper: The Admiral in Command of Knowledge” by Jan Adkins, published in 30 People Who Changed the World: Fascinating bite-sized essays from award winning writers – Intriguing People Through the Ages: From Imhotep to Malala Yousafzai (Got a Minute?), Edited by Jean Haddon

Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Chanukah (Day 2-3) 2022”]

NOTE: The YouTube playlists contains some official videos that are not available on Spotify.

*TITLE NOTE: The title for this post features lyrics from the song “Victory” by Nissim Black (which can be found at the end of the playlists).

### PEACE ###

Gazing into the Heart, redux…again (a “missing” and “long-lost” post) December 3, 2023

Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.
Tags: 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, Anna Freud, Beau Lotto, Elisabeth Young-Bruehl, Friedrich Nietzsche, James Baldwin, Joseph Conrad, Matisyahu, Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Mwikisa PhD, Raoul Peck, Twilight Zone, Yoga Sutra 2.52, Yoga Sutra 3.21, Yoga Sutra 3.26, Yoga Sutra 3.35, Yoga Sutra2 3.33-3.34, Yoga Sutras 3.19-3.20
add a comment

May you be safe and protected / May you be peaceful and happy, during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence (November 25^th – December 10^th) and on all the other days of your life.

This “missing” post for Sunday, December 3^rd (2023) includes information related to the 2022 practice on this date and a 2021 excerpt (as well as some information from 2014). You can request an audio recording of a related practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at 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.

Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.

“Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced.”

— James Baldwin (as quoted from the movie I Am Not Your Negro, directed by Raoul Peck)

Part of what appeals to me about the Yoga Philosophy is that I find it very practical: there are steps and step-by-step progressions. Another thing that has always resonated with me about the Yoga Philosophy is the idea that we all have an inner light and that we can tap into that inner light or (as Patanjali put it in Yoga Sūtra 2.52) uncover the light in a way that removes obstacles. In fact, according to Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtras, focusing on our inner light clears the mind and enables us to utilize the tool of samyama (the combined effort of focus, concentration, and meditation), which leads to all sorts of supernormal abilities. These siddhis (“accomplishments”) or powers include the ability to make oneself invisible (YS 3.21); the ability to see really small things, obstructed things, and things that are far away (YS 3.26); the ability to see those who have reached a higher plane of awareness (YS 3.33); and the ability to know… anything and everything (YS 3.34).

Keep in mind that those are just some of the abilities associated with light!

But, before we go any further into the light, I want to back up a little (as we did in 2022) — in order to better understand what comes next.

Yoga Sūtra 3.19: pratyayasya paracittajñānam

— “By making samyama on the distinguishing marks of another’s body, one obtains knowledge of the nature of the other’s mind.”

Yoga Sūtra 3.20: na ca tatsālambanaṃ tasyāviṣayãbhūtatvāt

— “But not of its contents, because that is not being the object of the samyama.”

Yoga Sūtra 3.35: hṛdaye cittasaṃvit

— “By making samyama on the heart, one gains knowledge of the content of the mind.”

Now, I’m not going to get into the physics, metaphysics, and logistics of the aforementioned supernormal abilities associated with light. Instead, let’s turn our awareness to something we can all do right now: Pay attention to our thoughts, words, and deeds — as well as the thoughts, words, and deeds of others. Because, as I often say, what is in the heart will be in the mind; what is in your mind (your thoughts) will become your words; and your words will precede your actions… which reflect what is in your heart.

Having said all that, again and again, it is really easy to look at what’s happening in the world and see more darkness than light. It’s really easy to think a lot of people are just running around with hearts of darkness — which is a really, super scary thought. However, I don’t completely believe that. Neither do I believe that most people are all sunshine and light. I believe we all have both light and darkness in our hearts.

I also believe that it is important to gaze into the places inside of ourselves where the light becomes the darkness… and the darkness becomes the light. I think that doing so allows us to engage our own light (more than our own darkness) and, also, to better help others engage their own light. Or, at the very least, this practice allows us to better understand why some people seem to consistently engage their shadow selves instead of the brighter parts of themselves.

Of course, we have to do this light (and dark) work mindfully, because…

“146. Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”

— quoted from “Fourth Chapter. Apophthegms and Interludes” in Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future by Friedrich Nietzsche

The following includes (revised) excerpts which were originally posted in 2021 and some new content. If you are interested in the original context, please click here for the post entitled “First Friday Night Special #14: ‘What’s at the Edge of Your Light?’”

“I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence but it comes from within. It is there all the time.”

— Anna Freud, psychoanalyst and teacher

Many people might think of Anna Freud (born December 3, 1895) as living in her father’s shadow. Really, as the youngest of six, some might think that she lived in her whole family’s shadow. It’s possible that being in everyone’s shadow gave her the perspective needed to see possibilities for other children. Either way, she didn’t stay in the shadows for long. She made a name for herself — first as a primary (or elementary) school teacher and then as a psychoanalyst. Her work as a psychoanalyst was slightly different from that of her illustrious father. She focused on the functions and benefits of a healthy ego and was able to parlay her experience in as an educator to become one of the pioneers of child psychology.

In her late twenties, Anna Freud presented a paper to the Vienna Psychoanalytical Society and then became a member. Within a year of joining the society, she was serving as its chairperson and had established her own practice (for children). In 1925, she started teaching her techniques and approach at the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute. In 1927, she published her system. She spent nine years as the Secretary of the Vienna Psychoanalytic Training Institute and then, ten years after she started teaching, she became the institute’s director. A year later, in 1936, she published her groundbreaking study, The Ego and the Mechanisms of Defence, which postulated the ways by which humans protect themselves. Her ideas around these methods — including repression (which she said develop naturally and unconsciously in children); projection (of one’s own feelings onto another); directing aggressive behavior towards one’s self; identification with an overpowering aggressor; and divorcing ideas from feelings — became one of the cornerstones of adolescent psychology.

After the Nazi’s annexed Austria in March of 1938, Anna Freud was interrogated by the Gestapo. Being a Jewish woman and an intellectual, she had good reason to fear the worst and was prepared to protect herself using one of the same methods she had described in her work. She was eventually allowed to return home and, when her father was offered a way out of Vienna, she organized the Freud family’s immigration to London. In England, she not only continued her work, she broadened it. First she focused on the effects of war on children and their development. Later, after she had spent some time traveling and lecturing in the United States, she broadened her horizons and began studying the effects of being emotionally and/or social deprived and/or disadvantaged. She also did some work around how crime affected children’s development and published her collaborations with regard to laws and policies that could help children thrive.

“When she was eighty-five, a depressed young man sent her a lament about the chaotic state of the world, and she sent him a succinct statement of her credo: ‘I agree with you wholeheartedly that things are not as we would like them to be. However, my feeling is that there is only one way to deal with it, namely to try and be all right oneself, and to create around one at least a small circle where matters are arranged as one wants them to be.’”

— quoted from “Preface to the First Edition” of Anna Freud: A Biography (second edition) by Elisabeth Young-Bruehl

Just as was the case during Anna Freud’s lifetime, the world is in a chaotic state and “‘…things are not as we would like them to be.’” While many have created the small circle she suggested, it gets harder and harder as people get more and more isolated, siloed, and marginalized. In some ways, taking her suggestion begins to highlight the edge of the light… which is also the edge of the darkness. It does not, in and of itself, however, spread the light — neither does it prevent the darkness from spreading. For that we have to look at cause and effect.

We can absolutely look back and see how we got here. However, I think it is also important (and necessary) to look at where we are in order to see where we are going — especially when we find ourselves heading into the darkness. Maybe we find ourselves engaging our shadow self and the darkness inside of our own heart and mind, because someone pushes our buttons (and/or physically pushes us) and we feel like we must defend ourselves. Maybe, instead of fear or anger, it is doubt or grief that distracts us from our own light.

Either way, there are a lot of situations (and people) in the world that activate our sympathetic nervous system, compelling us to fight, flee, or freeze/collapse. One of the things of which we must be mindful is when we go from instinctual actions related to survival — including those highlighted by Anna Freud — to actions that are more related to our darkness than our light.

“Darkness. Few things frighten us more. The fear it creates is a constant in our existence: The living darkness of our bedrooms after our parents turn out the lights. The pregnant darkness beyond the glow of the bonfire as we listen to ‘spooky’ stories. The ancient darkness of the forest as we walk past deep shadows between trees. The shivering darkness of our own home when we step inside wondering if we’re alone.

Darkness is a fundamental, existential fear because it contains all the fears that we carry with us in our brains — fears both real and imagined, engendered from living life and from the life lived in stories, from culture, from fairytales.”

— quoted from “Chapter 9. Celebrate Doubt” in Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto

As you consider your light — and what it symbolizes — you must also consider the dark. After all, we don’t really appreciate the light, until we contrast it with the dark. During a 2021 class I shared a little fear I experienced driving my old truck in the city (where there were so many bright lights that I couldn’t see my own headlights) and how that fear was, ironically, alleviated, when I was driving in the country where there were less cars and street lights. It’s a weird scenario, I know; but in the latter case I had a better understanding of my reference points, a better (and more consistent) understanding of where the light ended and the darkness began. You can think of it as a better understanding of the safety of what is known/seen versus the danger of what is unknown/unseen.

This holds true with all the different paradigms: good and evil, life and death, love and hate, knowledge and ignorance, kindness and anger/frustration, hope and despair, wisdom and fear; etc. We appreciate what we have more when there is the possibility of not having it. However, we can’t truly appreciate what we don’t have (or can’t see ourselves having).

Another way to look at this idea is vis-à-vis proprioception. Remember, when the “brain finds the body in space” and realizes it has more room, it stretches out. When the mind-body bumps into an obstacle, it pulls back. Similar to the defense mechanisms described by Anna Freud, when we are faced with the danger that we perceive as failure (or other people’s judgements), we pull back.

When we feel safe, we shine. However, when we only feel safe in a small sphere, our understanding of ourselves and our light (including our potential) changes. So, too, does that narrow frame change our understanding of others (and their light).

“‘Destiny. My destiny! Droll thing life is – that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of yourself – that comes too late – a crop of inextinguishable regrets. I have wrestled with death. It is the most unexciting contest you can imagine. It takes place in an impalpable greyness, with nothing underfoot, with nothing around, without spectators, without clamour, without glory, without the great desire of victory, without the great fear of defeat, in a sickly atmosphere of tepid scepticism, without much belief in your own right, and still less in that of your adversary. If such is the form of ultimate wisdom, then life is a greater riddle than some of us think it to be.’”

— the character Charles Marlow speaking of Kurtz’s death in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Born Józef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski in Berdychiv, Russian Empire (in what is now Ukraine, but was originally part of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland) in 1857, Joseph Conrad was known as “Konrad” by his Polish family. If you look at his family history, you might think that he was fated (or destined) to be a writer. Given the cultural interactions and socio-political clashes that he experienced growing up, perhaps he was even destined to write the dark plots and twisted characters that are found in his novellas. His dark plots and twisted characters are often the subject of criticism and debate* and sometimes analyzed through a (Sigmund) Freudian lens. Personally, I wonder what Anna Freud might have said about how his experiences informed his topics; but she was only three when the Heart of Darkness was serialized in Blackwood’s Magazine (February, March, and April of 1899) and only five when the last portion of Lord Jim appeared in the same magazine.

When Anna Freud said, “Creative minds have always been known to survive any kind of bad training,” she could have easily been talking about the “Prince of Darkness,” John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne. Born in December 3, 1948, the lead singer of Black Sabbath has a reading disorder, was abused as a child, dropped out of school at 15, spent some prison (as a young man), and discovered late in life that he was suffering from an undiagnosed central nervous system disorder. He worked at a variety of trades, but was inspired to be a singer at a very young age. Despite (or maybe because of) his childhood trauma, he persevered. But, there was a cost and a toll and a lot of darkness that played out in the music and on the stage. That cost, toll, and darkness have included years of substance abuse, mixed in with periods of sobriety, and criticism about how his music and behavior have (negatively) impacted young people. That criticism has included him being banned from certain cities and several lawsuits related to death and violence that people have attributed to his music.

“People look to me and say
Is the end near, when is the final day?
What’s the future of mankind?
How do I know, I got left behind

Everyone goes through changes
Looking to find the truth
Don’t look at me for answers
Don’t ask me, I don’t know”

— quoted from the song “I Don’t Know” by Ozzy Osbourne

At the end of the day, each of us to focus on our own inner light; figure out how we ~~show up~~ shine in the world; notice the situations that enable us to shine our brightest; and also notices “what’s at the edge of [our] light.” There are a few more questions in this rubric, but consider how the answers start pointing you in certain directions. Notice how the questions and their answers can start opening up your field of possibilities.

Sometimes it may seem like you are wearing a head lamp (or heart lamp) and you’re moving in a way that changes your field of awareness. And that’s fine, that happens — it’s part of life and part of the practice. But, sometimes, we experience a brightening and a widening of our field. Sometimes we find that what we couldn’t imagine was actually just outside our field of vision: It was always there, waiting for us.

Yes, eventually, what is waiting for us all is Death. But, prior to that, there is an opportunity, “one tiny moment in time / For life to shine to shine / Burn away the darkness /”

“An old woman living in a nightmare, an old woman who has fought a thousand battles with death and always won. Now she’s faced with a grim decision—whether or not to open a door. And in some strange and frightening way she knows that this seemingly ordinary door leads to the Twilight Zone.”

“There was an old woman who lived in a room. And, like all of us, was frightened of the dark. But who discovered in a minute last fragment of her life that there was nothing in the dark that wasn’t there when the lights were on. Object lesson for the more frightened amongst us in, or out of, the Twilight Zone.”

— “Opening” and “Closing” narrations, quoted from “Episode 81 (3.16) — ‘Nothing in the Dark’” of The Twilight Zone (premiered January 5, 1962)

Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “12032022 Gazing into the Heart, redux”]

*NOTE: As I mentioned in 2014 (see asterisked link above), Joseph Conrad wrote his short novel after his own experiences in Africa in the late 1800’s and while his own words best describe the world he sees, I think the world he sees is the world in his own heart.

I initially resisted the book and the birthday, in part because literary greats like Chinua Achebe criticize Conrad and his work as racist and xenophobic — and I don’t think there’s any way to get around that. Neither did I want to seem to celebrate a depiction of racism given currents events in Ferguson, Missouri and around the United States in 2014. However, Dr. Peter Mwikisa said Heart of Darkness can be “…the great lost opportunity to depict dialogue between Africa and Europe…” and that made me wonder: Are we, right now, losing an opportunity for dialogue in the U. S.? As I asked in 2014, are we just not ready for dialogue?

Or, is it possible that we have made our circles too small to dialogue?

“‘Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, some vision – he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath:

“‘” The horror! The horror!’

“I blew the candle out and left the cabin….”

— the character Charles Marlow describing Kurtz’s death in Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

### Be The Light ###

« older posts newer posts »

A Joyful Practice

Making Connections, Part 1 February 3, 2024

“Everyone deserves music, sweet music”

— quoted from the song “Everyone Deserves Music” by Michael Franti & Spearhead

Click here to learn about a tragic part of music history that binds us and why today (in 1959) is known as The Day the Music.

Click here to learn how an athlete known as “The Black Cyclone” (born today in 1879) is connected to the breaking of the color line in baseball.

— quoted from the “Background” section of the Charles Follis Foundation website

Miller thought, if laughter can do that, why not music? So, he tested the effects of music on the cardiovascular system. ‘Turns out music may be one of the best de-stressors — either by playing or even listening to music,’ said Miller.”

— quoted from a 2009 CNN Health segment entitled, “The power of music: It’s a real heart opener” by Val Willingham, CNN Medical Producer

### CARING ###

2024 / “For Those Who Missed It (& those who still don’t get it): Divine Remembrance” January 27, 2024

“I promised myself when I was in very deep in this terrible situation that when I came out, I will tell the world what can happen.”

“I know what it meant because I came normal, in a normal family [from a] normal country and suddenly— And it doesn’t begin with killing, never. It begins only with words. and then it gets worse and worse.”

— quoted from “Experimentum Crucis” in Yes to Life: In Spite of Everything by Viktor E. Frankl (with an introduction by Daniel Goleman and an afterword by Franz Vesely)

“Io non mori’ e non rimasi vivo; pensa oggimai per te, s’hai fior d’ingegno, qual io divenni, d’uno e d’altro privo.”

“I did not die, and I was not alive; think for yourself, if you have any wit, what I became, deprived of life and death.”

— quoted from Dante’s The Divine Comedy — Inferno, Canto 34 (lines 25 – 27), translated by Allen Mandelbaum

“I did not die, and yet I lost life’s breath: imagine for yourself what I became, deprived at once of both my life and death.”

— A popular, oft quoted, translation of Dante’s The Divine Comedy — Inferno, Canto 34 (lines 25 – 27)

“Article 1. Whether the soul was made or was of God’s substance?

— from Summa Theologica (1a Qq. 90, volume 13) by Saint Thomas Aquinas

“‘I [will never forget ‘the very bad things’….] I was there and had to see this with my own eyes,’ he said. ‘My mother and my father, and my 7-year-old brother, were murdered in another camp in Treblinka, which is not far from Warsaw.’”

— Israel “Izzy” Arbeiter, a 95-year old Holocaust survivor and lifelong rights activist, telling his story in “Auschwitz survivor reflects on Holocaust Remembrance Day” by Jessica A. Botelho (for NBC 10 News, WJAR, 1/27/2021)

“What is a witness if not someone who has a tale to tell and lives only with one haunting desire: to tell it. Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory, there would be no civilization, no society, no future.

After all, God is God, because He remembers.”

— quoted from an April 7, 2008 All Things Considered: “This I Believe” essay by Elie Wiesel

“…music, in even the most terrible situations, must never offend the ear but always remain a source of pleasure.”

— quoted from a letter (dated September 26, 1781) from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to his father, as printed in W. A. Mozart by Hermann Abert (Editor: Professor Cliff Eisen and Translator: Stewart Spencer)

— “Statement by President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on International Holocaust Remembrance Day,” released January 27, 2021

### PEACE IN, PEACE OUT ###

### AUM ###

EXCERPT: “The Day of Introductions” January 20, 2024

— quoted from the January 20, 2021, Inaugural Speech by President Joseph Biden

Click here for the entire post about palindromes and a brief history of Inauguration Day in the USA.

“Scripture tells us to envision that ‘everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree and no one shall make them afraid.’ If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade but in all the bridges we’ve made.

That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb if only we dare it, because being American is more than a pride we inherit – it’s the past we step into and how we repair it.”

— quoted from the poem “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman, during the January 20, 2021 Presidential Inauguration (the “Scripture” she cites Micah 4:4)

### AUM ###

EXCERPT: “What We Need to Live Well” January 17, 2024

“Though they have few but natural wants and those easily supplied. But with us are infinite Artificial wants, no less craving than those of Nature, and much more difficult to satisfy….”

— quoted from the “Hardwicke Papers” copy of a letter addressed to Peter Collinson dated “Philadelphia May 9th, 1753” and signed “B: Franklin”

Click here for more about the work and insights of Benjamin Franklin (born today in 1706, according to the Gregorian calendar) and Sebastian Junger (born today in 1962).

— quoted from Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger

### DO WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO LIVE WELL, LOVE WELL, & STAY FULLY HUMAN ###

Understanding [Your] Karma & Putting Cash in Your Karmic Bank Account (the “missing” Saturday post) January 13, 2024

— quoted from the Lion’s Roar article “Understanding Karma” by Reginald Rey

— quoted from the Lion’s Roar article “Understanding Karma” by Reginald Rey

“The literal meaning kriya is ‘verb.’ Every verb is representative of a distinct process or function and no process of function reaches fruition without a doer.”

— quoted from the commentary on Yoga Sūtra 2.1 from The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

“[Verse 1] I hear the train a-comin’, it’s rolling ’round the bend And I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when I’m stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin’ on But that train keeps a-rollin’ on down to San Antone”

— quoted from the song “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash

“[Verse 2] When I was just a baby, my mama told me, ‘Son Always be a good boy, don’t ever play with guns’”

— quoted from the song “Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash

“… Well, you wonder why I always dress in black Why you never see bright colors on my back And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on

… I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime But is there because he’s a victim of the times”

— quoted from the song “The Man in Black” by Johnny Cash

“Each week we lose a hundred fine young men

… And I wear it for the thousands who have died Believin’ that the Lord was on their side I wear it for another hundred-thousand who have died Believin’ that we all were on their side

… Well, there’s things that never will be right, I know And things need changin’ everywhere you go But ’til we start to make a move to make a few things right You’ll never see me wear a suit of white

… Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day And tell the world that everything’s okay But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back ’Til things are brighter, I’m the man in black”

— quoted from the song “The Man in Black” by Johnny Cash

“Cast your bread upon the water and it shall return to you.”

— My great-grandmother Pam, quoting Ecclesiastes 11:1

— Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati

### GIVE ###

Re-Addressing the State of the “Union” (& 2024 thank-yous) January 8, 2024

“He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information of the State of the Union, and recommend to their Consideration such Measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient…”

— quoted from “Article. II. Section. 3.” of the The Constitution of the United States

— quoted from the “First Annual Message,” delivered December 06, 1923 by President Calvin Coolidge

“My expectations were reduced to zero at twenty-one. Everything since then has been a bonus.

Although I cannot move and I have to speak through a computer, in my mind I am free.”

— Dr. Stephen Hawking (CH CBE FRS FRSA)

“If I could be you, if you could be me For just one hour If we could find a way To get inside each other’s mind, uh huh

If you could see you through my eyes Instead of your ego I believe you’d be, I believe you’d be Surprised to see That you’ve been blind, uh huh”

— quoted from the song “Walk A Mile In My Shoes” by Elvis Presley (written by Joe South)

“I’ve got scars that can’t be seen I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen Everybody knows me now”

— quoted from the song “Lazarus” by David Bowie

“A tranquil and one-pointed mind is purposefully creative. With such a mind you get more done in less time, and what is more, because it is done with clarity and purpose, the work you undertake is not a burden and does not become a source of misery.

— quoted from “Yoga: Union with What?” (a Q&A response) by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

— quoted from “Yoga: Union with What?” (a Q&A response) by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD

“Io non mori’ e non rimasi vivo;
pensa oggimai per te, s’hai fior d’ingegno,
qual io divenni, d’uno e d’altro privo.”

“I did not die, and I was not alive;
think for yourself, if you have any wit,
what I became, deprived of life and death.”

— quoted from the “Hardwicke Papers” copy of a letter addressed to Peter Collinson dated “Philadelphia May 9^th, 1753” and signed “B: Franklin”

“[Verse 1]
I hear the train a-comin’, it’s rolling ’round the bend
And I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when
I’m stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin’ on
But that train keeps a-rollin’ on down to San Antone”

“[Verse 2]
When I was just a baby, my mama told me, ‘Son
Always be a good boy, don’t ever play with guns’”

“… Well, you wonder why I always dress in black
Why you never see bright colors on my back
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone
Well, there’s a reason for the things that I have on

… I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town
I wear it for the prisoner who is long paid for his crime
But is there because he’s a victim of the times”

… And I wear it for the thousands who have died
Believin’ that the Lord was on their side
I wear it for another hundred-thousand who have died
Believin’ that we all were on their side

… Well, there’s things that never will be right, I know
And things need changin’ everywhere you go
But ’til we start to make a move to make a few things right
You’ll never see me wear a suit of white

… Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day
And tell the world that everything’s okay
But I’ll try to carry off a little darkness on my back
’Til things are brighter, I’m the man in black”

“If I could be you, if you could be me
For just one hour
If we could find a way
To get inside each other’s mind, uh huh

If you could see you through my eyes
Instead of your ego
I believe you’d be, I believe you’d be
Surprised to see
That you’ve been blind, uh huh”

“I’ve got scars that can’t be seen
I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen
Everybody knows me now”

**Click here for more about Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life, which premiered today in 1946.**

**— quoted from Mishneh Torah, Scroll of Hanukkah (Halakhah) by Rambam (translation by Eliyahu Touger. Jerusalem, Moznaim Pub. c1986-c2007, Dedicated in memory of Irving Montak, z”l)**

“It’s much more than just a candlelight
’cause we’ve fought more than just a little fight”

“The world that we live in, so much cold and strife
One little light to warm another life
Fill the darkest night with the brightest light
Cause it’s time for you to shine
A little dedication, a small illumination
Just one person to change a whole nation
Let me see the light”

**Letters on dreidels (outside of Israel): nun (נ), gimel (ג), hei (ה), and shin (ש)**

**Letters on dreidels (in Israel): nun (נ), gimel (ג), hei (ה), and pei, (פ)**