Happy Pride! Happy Midsummer! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing Saint John’s Day, Ivana-Kupala, Day Of the Holy Spirit, and/or cultivating peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
This is a post-practice post related to the practice on Monday, June 24th. It includes an excerpt from a related 2020 post and a final note1 about Ivana-Kupala and Day of the Holy Spirit (which was not in the original post). The 2024 prompt question was, “Which do you pick: fire, earth, metal, water, wood, or all of the above?”You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
“No emotion, any more than a wave, can long retain its own individual form.”
— Abolitionist, suffragist, and minister Henry Ward Beecher (b. 06/24/1813)
Eastern philosophies (and their sister sciences) bring awareness to the fact that everything is a manifestation of energy and, also, that everything is constantly changing. The inhale becomes the exhale; the exhale becomes the inhale. Or, you can look at it as the inhale ends the exhale and the exhale ends the inhale. Either way, the same energy that builds/creates can also destroy.
For example, if we look at the five elements theory (in Taoism)2, every element in nature is an agent that has the ability to create (or generate) another element and, also, to conquer (or overcome) a third element. Earth produces metals which hold water which can be used to grow wood which produces fire which produces the earth. That’s the most common “creative cycle.” There are several ways to flip this around for a controlling/destroying cycle, including: wood depletes/stabilizes the earth; earth controls the flow of water; water extinguishes fire; fire melts metal; and metal cuts wood.
These are things that just natural happen in Nature.
While we are also manifestations of energy, constantly changing, and part of Nature, we have the ability to actively engage change, embrace change, or resist change. We have the ability to build or destroy — using the exact same elements. On a certain level, however, we are limited by our previous experiences — experiences which form our understanding of our current and (on a certain level) our future experiences.
Consider that your previous experiences determine how you understand the examples above and, therefore, how you use them. Did you notice that I referred to them as agents? Did you consider them as materials? As emotions? As energies? As symbols? As all of the above?
More importantly, with regard to this particular practice, did you consider that all of these elements are used in cleansing rituals and traditions around the world? Specifically, they are related to celebrations related to June 24th celebrations of Midsummer’s Day, Saint John’s Day, and Ivana-Kupala.
NOTES:
1aIvanа-Kupala is a Slavic summer holiday that combines the pagan celebration and fertility rituals of Kupala (and midsummer) with Christian observations of the Feast Day of Saint John the Baptist. In Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and parts of Ukraine, the 2024 celebrations fell on the evening of June 23rd through June 24th (as opposed to on July 6th and 7th in countries using the Gregorian calendar (e.g., Russia, Belarus, and parts of Ukraine). The name of the holiday is derived from a Slavic name for “John” and the Slavic word for “to bathe.” One of the elemental aspects of the celebrations focuses on the combination of water and fire (specifically, Saint John’s fire).
1bIn some Orthodox Christian traditions using the Julian calendar, June 24, 2024 (on the Gregorian calendar), was the Day Of the Holy Spirit, which is celebrated the day after Pentecost. In parts of the Bible, the Holy Spirit is represented by water and in other parts as fire.
2The five elements theory is found in Chinese Medicine and in Chinese philosophies other than Taoism. However, unlike the four elements theory found in places like ancient Greece, India, Africa, and some First Nations, air/wind is not treated as a separate element.
CLICK ON THE TITLE BELOW for the 2020 post about Midsummer’s Day, Saint John’s Day, and how our previous experiences color our current perspective.
“It is not so much what you believe in that matters, as the way in which you believe it and proceed to translate that belief into action.”
— quoted from “Chapter I: The Awakening” in The Importance of Living by Lin Yutang
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
“Eid Mubarak, Blessed Festival!” to anyone celebrating Eid al-Adha. Happy Pride! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating the Afterfeast of the Ascension cultivating a good heart, peace, freedom, and wisdom (inside and outside).
This is a post-practice post related to the practice on Monday, June 17th. It includes an excerpt from a related 2020 post and a note about the observation of Eid al-Adha. The 2024 prompt question was, “How long is your longest, ongoing friendship?”You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
“Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.”
— quoted from the poem “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus
I have heard that the Buddha described sangha (“community”) as one of the three jewels; in other words, it is something of great value. In Yoga and Sāmkhya, two of the six Indian philosophies, the ability to “cultivate a good heart” (i.e., make friends) is so valued it is considered a great power that all humans possess. It is something within us and all around us, something we carry with us.
The excerpt below is from a 2020 post about friendship. If you click on the link (here or below), you will find that I shined some light on causes and conditions that can lead to friendship, as well as several examples of how people have expressed friendship. Notably, the highlighted expressions or tokens of friendship — the Statue of Liberty (which arrived in New York on June 17, 1885) and the moment when Mbuyisa Makhubo and an unknown woman helped Antoinette Sithole after her 12-year old brother Hector Pieterson was killed during the Soweto uprising (June 16 – 18, 1976) — involved strangers.
Even though most of the people involved never met or, in some cases, never met in a way that allowed their friendship to blossom, we can still feel the strength of their bonds. Because, as I mentioned in the blog post, “What initially connects people is on the outside…. What keeps people connected, however, is on the inside.”
“What is on the inside is something that can only be felt. It doesn’t always have an external reference point. Yes, we can see an expression of love, a token of friendship, and understand it from our own experiences. However, when we see a parent and a child hugging, or even two children hugging, we don’t exactly know what they are feeling. We can only know how we have felt in similar circumstances.”
Some people would say that the feeling I’m referencing in that excerpt is something divine, something that requires faith. Some folks might even say that that same feeling — and a similar kind of faith — allows them to think of God as a the ultimate friend, someone who is always there and who offers tokens of friendship on a daily basis. If you count yourself in that number, the question then becomes, how do you express your friendship with God? How do others express their friendship with the Divine?
“Cause I can believe In the in-between What can’t be said And only seen When you close your eyes And open your heart And everything you know Just falls apart”
— quoted from the song “God is My Friend” by Bob Schneider
There is a story in the Hebrew Bible / the Christian Old Testament and in the Qur’ān, that is also referenced in the Christian New Testament. It is the story of Abraham and the Akedah or “Binding of Isaac (or Ishmael).” Growing up, I learned the very basics of the story from a (mostly) Christian perspective. That is to say, in some Christian traditions, it is a prefigured prequel to story of Jesus and a story about temptation, Abraham’s faith and devotion to God, and how the faithful are reward. As a kid, however, something about the story always seemed off to me. So, as an adult, when I first heard about Eid al-Adha (which started at sunset on Sunday night), I kind of dismissed it. It still seemed off to me.
Going a little deeper, however, I discovered a couple of things I was not taught — and/or did not understand — as a child. First, some biblical scholars (in all traditions) indicate that everyone in the story (save for the son, in some version) knew there would not be a human sacrifice. Or, I should say, God and the angel knew and Abraham had faith. According to these same scholars, the story is more about Abraham’s willingness to follow a commandment than it is about the actual intention to sacrifice his son. Second, the story might have been a cautionary tale against human sacrifice. Finally, there are some significant differences in the way the story appears in Bereshit / Genesis versus the way it appears in the Qur’ān.
First, the Torah / Christian Old Testament does not indicate exactly how God spoke to Abraham and/or how Abraham knew the message came from God (versus the devil that tempted him to do the wrong thing). Second, the text (almost) makes it sound as if Abraham was lying to his son — which is one of the things that always felt really off to me. Another thing that felt off to me was that the son in the New Testament (Jesus) knew his role in the story, while the son in Genesis did not… at least in the Christian tradition.
“…[Ibrahim] said: O my son! surely I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice you; consider then what you see. He said: O my father! do what you are commanded; if Allah please, you will find me of the patient ones.”
— quoted from Sūrah as-Saffat (“Chapter of Those Who Set the Ranks” or “The Rangers” / Portion 37 of the Qur’ān”) 102
As quoted above, the Sūrah as-Saffat makes it very clear that the messages came to Abraham in his dreams. There is also a very clear conversation between the father and the son. That conversation established consent and, also, reinforces the idea that the story is as much about the faith of the father as it is about the faith of the son. In the Qur’ān, it is the faith of the father and the son that is emphasized and, also, celebrated. It is celebrated on Eid al-Adha, which started at sunset on Sunday (June 16th) and is observed in some countries through June 20, 2024.
In addition to a special prayer, there is (obviously) a feast, a ritual sacrifice (of a sheep or other livestock), and symbolic stoning of the devil. There is also extra alms giving, similar to the extra charity given during the holy month of Ramadān and Eid al-Fitr. The extra alms during this particular eid (“feast” or “festival”) have a particularly special significance since a third of the meat from the livestock is given to family and friends and a third is given to the poor. Eid al-Adha also marks the end of the Hajj (“pilgrimage”) in Mecca. The alms giving and the pilgrimage are two of the Five Pillars of Islām — which make up the framework of worship and signs of faith. In other words, they are tokens or expressions of ones devotion, respect, and affection.
FRIEND [Old English, with Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German words “to love,” also related to “free”] 1. One who is attached to another by affection; one who entertains for another sentiments of esteem, respect and affection, which lead him to desire his company, and to seek to promote his happiness and prosperity; opposed to foe or enemy.
“FRIEND’SHIP, noun frend’ship. 1. An attachment to a person, proceeding from intimate acquaintance, and a reciprocation of kind offices, or from a favorable opinion of the amiable and respectable qualities of his mind. friendship differs from benevolence, which is good will to mankind in general, and from that love which springs from animal appetite. True friendship is a noble and virtuous attachment, springing from a pure source, a respect for worth or amiable qualities. False friendship may subsist between bad men, as between thieves and pirates. This is a temporary attachment springing from interest, and may change in a moment to enmity and rancor.”
— quoted from Webster’s Dictionary 1828
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
“‘Take this story to heart,’ Rabbi Bunam used to add, ‘and make what it says your own: There is something you cannot find anywhere in the world, not even at the zaddik’s [home of a righteous person], and there is, nevertheless, a place where you can find it.’”
“There is something that can only be found in one place. It is a great treasure, which may be called the fulfilment of existence. The place where this treasure can be found is the place on which one stands.”
— quoted from “VI. Here Where One Stands” in The Way of Man: According to the Teaching of Hasidim by Martin Buber
ERRATA: I originally posted this with the wrong end date for the Soweto uprising.
Happy Pride! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing Eastertide and Apodosis of Prepolovenie (mid-Pentecost); Counting the Omer, and/or working as a force of peace, freedom, and fulfillment (inside and outside).
“I’ve always been interested in the relations of mind and body, growing up as I did in a culture that separated them distinctly. In science class we studied the material world, which we expected would someday be understood and predicted down to the last molecule. In philosophy we studied models of reality, based on the rational mind, that took no notice of conditions male and female, sick and well, rich and poor. And then in church we learned that we would someday take off this body as we might a suit of clothes and live as disembodied souls. Yet every day in this divided world of mind and body, our language betrayed our limitations of our categories.”
— quoted from the “Introduction” of Healing and the Mind by Bill Moyers (Editor, Betty Sue Flowers; Executive Editor, David Grubin; Art Research, Elizabeth Meryman-Brunner)
For Those Who Missed It: The following is a slightly revised 2023 post related to Sunday, June 5, 2022. It is the third post related to Bill Moyers (and the second one originally posted for the first time in 2023). Links or excerpts for the earlier posts are embedded below. Class details and extra quotes, plus some links and formatting, have been updated or added. References to religious observations have also been revised for 2024.
“Joseph Campbell said that all the great myths, the primitive myths, the great stories, have to be regenerated if they’re going to have any impact…. Are you conscious of doing that?”
— Bill Moyers, quoted from the transcript of “The Mythology of Star Wars, with George Lucas”
Let’s talk about heroes, heroines, and great adventures. I love them! I can’t say I was a huge fan of The NeverEnding Story, but I did appreciate the idea and, when I was a kid, I always got a kick out of “choose your own adventure” books. I also loved Star Wars, Star Trek, Italo Calvino’s If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler, and almost any series of books with reoccurring characters who went places I had never gone, had experiences I never had, and met people I had never met. Part of what I loved was that I recognized the places, the experiences, and the people. How could I not? After all, they were all the same — just using different names, and dressed up in different clothes and faces.
I don’t remember exactly when I first heard about Joseph Campbell or Harold Bloom; but, their works around literature, mythology, and anthropology (as it intersects literature and mythology) seem to be like long shadows towards the end of the day. They’re always there, you just can’t always see them. Towards the end of college, I took a publishing course and one of the people in my small group ended up working at a major publishing house. A few months later, he sent me a big box full of books. Joseph Campbell’s A Hero with a Thousand Faces was one of those books. I knew about it, but had never read it.
If you watch movies, read comics and/or books, or just like listening to someone weave a good adventure, odds are you fall into one or more of the following categories: (1) you love heroes because you’re always looking for someone to save you; (2) you love adventure and fancy yourself as someone who — given the right means and opportunity — could save yourself or someone else; and/or (3) you love the life lessons found within a good story.
After all, every good story comes with at least one life lesson. That’s one of the boons of living vicariously through a fictional or historical character.
“LUCAS: I guess it’s more specific in Buddhism, but it is a notion that’s been around before that. When I wrote the first Star Wars, I had to come up with a whole cosmology: What do people believe in? I had to do something that was relevant, something that imitated a belief system that has been around for thousands of years, and that most people on the planet, one way or another, have some kind of connection to. I didn’t want to invent a religion. I wanted to try to explain in a different way [than] the religions that have already existed. I wanted to express it all.
MOYERS: You’re creating a new myth?
LUCAS: I’m telling an old myth in a new way. Each society takes that myth and retells it in a different way, which relates to the particular environment they live in. The motif is the same. It’s just that it gets localized. As it turns out, I’m localizing it for the planet. I guess I’m localizing it for the end of the millennium more than I am for any particular place.”
— quoted from the Time Magazine article “Of Myth and Men” by Bill Moyers; George Lucas (published April 18, 1999; based on “The Mythology of Star Wars, with George Lucas”)
Born on June 5, 1934, in Hugo, Oklahoma (and primarily raised in Marshall, Texas), Bill Moyers is more than a journalist who has spent a lot of time talking to and about heroes. He is even more than a journalist who has also spent a lot of time talking to and about people who create heroes. But, he has done all of that… and more.
In addition to being an ordained minister, he served as the 13th White House Press Secretary (working with both Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson). Along with his wife, Judith Suzanne Davidson Moyers, he has produced a variety of programming, including Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth (filmed on George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch, in 1988); The Mythology of Star Wars, with George Lucas (also filmed at Skywalker Ranch, in 1999); Faith and Reason; and Healing and the Mind. He has also produced and facilitated conversations about a wide range of topics, including evil, racism, prayer, democracy, poetry, art, and the experiences of U. S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. His many books include Listening to America: A Traveler Rediscovers His Country, A World of Ideas : Conversations With Thoughtful Men and Women About American Life Today and the Ideas Shaping Our Future, A World of Ideas II: Public Opinions from Private Citizens, The Language of Life (which is a conversation with poets), Genesis: A Living Conversation, and the book based on the series Healing and the Mind.
More often than not, when I lead a practice on Bill Moyers’s birthday, it centers around Joseph Campbell’s monomyth and references superheroes from comic books and movies. My intention is to highlight how we are all the hero(ine) of our own story — and, additionally, how we can also be someone else’s hero. Sometimes, I even reference a specific historical and/or religious figure.
I could, just as easily, reference someone close to me — as Bill Moyers did when he wrote Healing and the Mind.
“When my brother died in 1966, my father began a grieving process that lasted almost twenty-five years. For all that time he suffered from chronic, debilitating headaches. I took him to some of the country’s major medical facilities, but no one could cure him of his pain. At one point during that ongoing search for a help, a doctor tried to teach him that his headaches were somehow related to his grief. But my father persisted in treating his pain exclusively as a medical problem, and the headaches continued to torment him.”
— quoted from the “Introduction” of Healing and the Mind by Bill Moyers (Editor, Betty Sue Flowers; Executive Editor, David Grubin; Art Research, Elizabeth Meryman-Brunner)
Technically speaking, the Hero’s Journey is always about moving into a new time, a new era, or a new season of life. It’s about coming out of an old season, shedding the old skin, and moving forward with that “Ultimate Boon” — that life lesson that serves the heroine and their community. While I often compare the hero journey of people like the Buddha, Hanuman, Moses, Jesus, or even Penelope, the parallels do not stop with the beginning of their lives and their “calling” to alleviate the suffering of the people in their community. In fact, an additional parallel is found in what some might consider the end of the journey: a path (i.e., a set of instructions or commandments), which can be seen as their own calling/journey.
Click on the title above for more about Bill Moyers, healing, and “the last appointment.”
“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.”
— quoted from A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living by Joseph Campbell
Every adventure begins in the “Ordinary World.” It’s not a perfect world; it’s just the everyday, mundane world. If everything and everyone were perfect, there would not be a “Call to Adventure.” But there is a call. In real life, individual people have things they are called to do and then there is a philosophical call issued to everyone who is exposed to systems like the the Noble Eightfold Path (in Buddhism); the 8-Limbs of the Yoga Philosophy (as codified in Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtras); the various paths of yoga (as described in the Bhagavad Gita); and/or the teachings in the Torah, the Christian New Testament, and/or the Qur’ān.
Of course, in the monomyth, the hero or heroine initially refuses the call. The “Refusal of Call” happens everyday in modern times and in biblical history — and for the same reasons. It is a refusal to give up the status quo. It is the rejection of a new way of living. Think of Moses (and Joshua) returning from the Mount to find that the newly freed Hebrew people are actively breaking their newly established covenant. According to Shemot – Exodus (32:1), the people were motivated by fear — specifically, fear of the unknown and fear of loss. If we go deep inside ourselves, we may find that similar fears cause each of us to stray from our chosen path. In Buddhism, all clinging leads to suffering. In the Yoga Sūtras, Patanjali described five types of attachment that lead to suffering. The final type, described in Yoga Sūtra 2.9, is fear of loss/death — and getting beyond that is part of the practice and, also, another practice from another year.
“GEORGE LUCAS: What happens is that no matter how you do it, when you sit down to write something all other influences you’ve had in your life come into play. The things that you like, the things that you’ve seen, the things — the observations you’ve made. That’s ultimately what you work with when you’re writing. And you — you are influenced by the things that you like. Designs that you like, characters you like, moments that you remember, that you were moved by. It’s — it’s like trying to compose a — a symphony in a way.”
— George Lucas responding to a question Bill Moyers asked about the creative process, quoted from the transcript of “The Mythology of Star Wars, with George Lucas”
In some ways, every mindfulness-based practice is like sitting down to write: things come up and all of those things, in the moment, become part of the practice. In fact, one of the lojong (“mind-training”) aphorisms in Tibetan Buddhism is “Whatever you meet unexpectedly, join with meditation.” (16) Additionally, the theme is that “localizing” that George Lucas referenced when talking about how Star Wars fit into the rubric. The theme details, the poses and sequences, even the duration of the practice are simply the unique details of the moment. But, every practice is the same journey.
For every mindfulness-based practice, breath is the “Supernatural Aid” that facilitates our transition from the external to the internal and then back again (“Crossing the [First or Second] Threshold”). Every practice takes us deeper into our own belly — which can also be that metaphorical “Belly of the Whale.” While they may not all be physically challenging, the practice is a “Road of Trials” with the opportunity to experience the deep love and acceptance of the “Goddess” and the “Atonement of the Father.” There is always the “Temptation” to stay in Śavāsana (“Seat of the Corpse” or Dead Man’s Pose); to give up mid-way through the practice; or to just not show up. These can be seen as the “Refusal to Return.” There is also the temptation to do more simply because it is suggested.
Finally, every practice has that final Śavāsana-moment — and, even if we are not actually in Śavāsana, that moment symbolizes the death of the practice: an “Apostasis.” All the preparation, all the getting ready leads to a moment of meditation that, ultimately, brings an understanding of every plane of existence and freedom from suffering: that’s the “Ultimate Boon” — that is what allows someone to be “Master of Two Worlds.”
In 2024, Bill Moyer’s birthday coincides with Day 43 for people in the Jewish community who are Counting the Omer. This is the first day of the final week, a week devoted to the seventh sefirah or divine (“eminations,” attributes, or manifestations) in the practice: Malchut.
Malchut can be translated as “mastery” or “stewardship” as well as “kingship/queenship.” In Jewish mysticism it is energetically and symbolically connected with the mouth, hands, and feet. The (external) parts of us that we use to physically do things in the world.
Mastery or stewardship in the hero journey leads to the ultimate freedom: “Freedom to Live.” The final stage of the journey is partially defined as the freedom to live “in the moment, neither anticipating the future, nor regretting the past” — which is also one of the goals of Eastern philosophies like Yoga and Buddhism, to be fully present in the moment.
“…really pay attention to what’s happening internally…. Meditation is learning how to get so still, and so calm, tranquil, through the directing of the attention, to this present moment, that we begin to see really deeply…. And so we go more and more and more deeply into the nature of things, and when that happens, and reactivity ceases, then responsiveness arises.”
— Gina Sharpe, Suffering and the End of Suffering
Please join me today (Wednesday, June 5th) 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 “06052022 Hero(ine)’s Journey”]
“[At the Institute of Medicine at the National Academy of Sciences] Experts in the field of endocrinology, immunology, neuroscience, psychology, psychiatry, and epidemiology gathered to compare notes, findings, and doubts. Why is it, they wondered, that about 60 percent of the outpatient visits to primary care physicians are related to stress or mind/body interactions? That perhaps one in five primary care visits are attributable ‘to major depressive anxiety disorders’? I read of one such meeting where a notable declared that ‘if this were a medical disorder that wasn’t being diagnosed or treated, the situation would be regarded as scandalous.”
— quoted from the “Introduction” of Healing and the Mind by Bill Moyers (Editor, Betty Sue Flowers; Executive Editor, David Grubin; Art Research, Elizabeth Meryman-Brunner)
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.
GEORGE LUCAS: […] The average human being has much more awareness of the other cultures that exist — co-exist with them on this planet, and that certain things go across cultures, and entertainment is one of them. And film and the stories that I tell cut across all cultures, are seen all around the world.”
— quoted from the transcript of “The Mythology of Star Wars, with George Lucas”
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.
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Second Eastertide, Counting the Omer, and/or working as a force of peace, freedom, and fulfillment (inside and outside).
“Myself when young did eagerly frequent Doctor and Saint, and heard great argument About it and about: but evermore Came out by the same door where in I went.”
“With them the seed of Wisdom did I sow, And with mine own hand wrought to make it grow; And this was all the Harvest that I reap’d– “I came like Water, and like Wind I go.”
— XXVII and XXIX from The Rubáiyát by Omar Khayyám
The excerpt below is from a 2022 post about how Omar Khayyám (born today in 1048) and George Strait (born today in 1952) share more than a birthday. Click on the title or picture to read more.
“And there’s a road, a winding road that never ends
Full of curves, lessons learned at every bend
Goin’s rough unlike the straight and narrow
It’s for those, those who go against the grain
Have no fear, dare to dream of a change Live to march to the beat of a different drummer
And it all might come together
And it all might come unraveled
On the road less traveled”
— quoted from the song “The Road Less Traveled” by George Strait (written by Dean Dillon / William Brock)
Please join me today (Saturday, May 18th) at 12:00 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05182021 Omar’s Strait Road”]
Thank you to everyone who Kiss[ed] My Asana!
We surpassed the overall fundraiser goals & one of my personal goals!!! Whether you showed up in a (Zoom) class, used a recording, shared a post or video, liked and/or commented on a post or video, and/or made a donation — you and your efforts are appreciated! Thank you!!!
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.
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Second Eastertide, Counting the Omer, the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima, the Feast Day of Julian of Norwich, and/or working for peace (inside and outside).
This post-practice post for Monday, May 13th. It includes an excerpt from a 2020 post. The prompt question was, “Would you describe yourself as an optimist or a pessimist?”You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
“optimism n. hopefulness: the attitude that good things will happen and that people’s wishes or aims will ultimately be fulfilled. Optimists are people who anticipate positive outcomes, whether serendipitously or through perseverance and effort, and who are confident of attaining desired goals. Most individuals lie somewhere on the spectrum between the two polar opposites of pure optimism and pure pessimism but tend to demonstrate sometimes strong, relatively stable or situational tendencies in one direction or the other. See also expectancy-value model. —optimisticadj.”
— quoted from the American Psychological Association’s APA Dictionary of Psychology
Take a moment to consider how your outlook on life (and future events) factors into the way you move through your life and engage future events. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? I tend to describe myself as an optimist — who can be pessimistic about certain things; but there are people who would (credibly) argue that I am a pessimist. Maybe that makes me a realist.
Or maybe, as indicated by the American Psychological Association (APA), I’m just like most people: somewhere in the middle.
It all comes down to perspective and that perspective can change the way we interact with ourselves, with other people, with challenges, with new experiences, and even with our physical and mental health. In 2009, a group of researchers presented a paper (published in May 2010), about the effect of optimism. The abstract of the paper indicated that being (even a little bit) optimistic can be healthy and promote wellness.
“Through employment of specific coping strategies, optimism exerts an indirect influence also on the quality of life. There is evidence that optimistic people present a higher quality of life compared to those with low levels of optimism or even pessimists. Optimism may significantly influence mental and physical well-being by the promotion of a healthy lifestyle as well as by adaptive behaviours and cognitive responses, associated with greater flexibility, problem-solving capacity and a more efficient elaboration of negative information.”
— quoted from “Optimism and Its Impact on Mental and Physical Well-Being” by Ciro Conversano,1,† Alessandro Rotondo,2,† Elena Lensi,1 Olivia Della Vista,1 Francesca Arpone,1 and Mario Antonio Reda1
“1Istituto di Scienze del Comportamento Università degli Studi di Siena 2Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Pisana †These authors contributed equally to the work.”
Obviously, there is a difference between being optimistic (or pessimistic) and being delusional — or, in the case of pessimism, being fatalistic and/or riddled with anxiety. In some cases, however, the difference is a matter of perspective and that perspective brings our awareness to why some people are optimistic and some people are pessimistic. Notice that the source of optimism is not addressed in the APA’s definition of optimism. Many people may point to faith as the source of their optimism — especially this time of year, when there are so many holy obligations and sacred observations (including today’s celebration of Julian of Norwich and the Feast Day of Our Lady of Fatima). But notice that the APA’s definition doesn’t even include the word “believe” — and, yet, these mental attitudes are all about what our beliefs.
Neuroscientists like Dr. Beau Lotto highlight the fact that our beliefs are at the heart of this discussion. He often directs our attention to our previous experiences and the idea that we not only interpret current events through the filter of past events, we anticipate future events based on our past experiences. To me, his explanation sounds a lot like the concept of samskara (a “mental impression”) and vasana (a literal “dwelling” place of our habits). It also highlights why someone like Julian of Norwich thought she was dying back in 1373 and why, once she recovered, she was able to “shew” her experiences in a positive and loving light.
“Your brain is, at its core, a statistical distribution. Thus, your history of experiences creates a database of useful past perceptions. New information is constantly flowing in, and your brain is constantly integrating it into this statistical distribution that creates your next perception (so in this sense ‘reality’ is just the product of your brain’s ever-evolving database of consequence). As such, your perception is subject to a statistical phenomenon known in probability theory as kurtosis. Kurtosis in essence means that things tend to become increasingly steep in their distribution… that is, skewed in one direction. This applies to ways of seeing everything from currents events to ourselves as we lean ‘skewedly’ toward one interpretation positive or negative.”
— quoted from “Chapter 5. The Frog Who Dreamed of Being a Prince” in Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto
Dr. Lotto went on to write, “We’re really talking about math when we say, ‘The optimist sees the glass as half full and the pessimist as half empty,’ though in my view maybe true optimists are just glad to have a drink in the first place!” Julian of Norwich, a 14th century anchoress, fit that definition of a “true optimist.” Her Revelations of Divine Love (Revelations of Love in 16 Shewings) — which is the oldest surviving book written in English by a woman — refers to giving thanks (through prayer) as a way to truly understand oneself and ones situation. She even gave thanks for her illness! Additionally, one of the most well known quotes from her book can be considered a mantra for optimists (and for those wanting to be more optimistic):
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and (in) all manner of thing(s) shall be well.”
— quoted from Chapters 1 of Revelations of Divine Love (Revelations of Love in 16 Shewings) by Julian of Norwich
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
“Optimists are likely to see the causes of failure or negative experiences as temporary rather than permanent, specific rather than global, and external rather than internal. Such a perspective enables optimists to more easily see the possibility of change.”
— quoted from the Psychology Today webpage entitled, “Optimism” (Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff)
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.
Thank you to everyone who Kiss[ed] My Asana!
We surpassed the overall fundraiser goals & one of my personal goals!!! Whether you showed up in a (Zoom) class, used a recording, shared a post or video, liked and/or commented on a post or video, and/or made a donation — you and your efforts are appreciated! Thank you!!!
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Bright Friday (as I post this), Counting the Omer, and/or working for peace (inside and outside).
This is the “missing” post for Tuesday, May 8th, which was World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day and White Lotus Day. There are several passing references to war and situations related to wars. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
“‘Arjuna, I will now enumerate the marks of the devotee I most dearly love. I love the one who harbors no ill will toward any living being, who returns love for hatred, who is friendly and compassionate toward all. I love the devotee who is beyond “I” and “mine,” unperturbed by pain and not elated by pleasure, who possesses firm faith, is forgiving, ever contented and ever meditating on Me.
“‘I love the peaceful devotee who is neither a source of agitation in the world nor agitated by the world. I love those who are free of fear, envy, and other annoyances that the world brings, who accept the knocks that come their way as blessings in disguise.’”
— Krishna speaking to Arjuna (12.13 – 14 and 12.15) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley
Just like other emotions, energies, and manifestations of the Divine, Love is something that can be felt, but not touched. It can manifest in a lot of different ways and we can express it in a lot of different ways, but we can’t actually hold it in our hands or in our arms. What we can do is hold each other and, in doing so, express a symbol of our love.
Symbols come up a lot in the physical practices of yoga for several reasons. First, many poses are named after things which hold meaning either through their stories and/or through our association with the idea behind the object. For example, when we think of a pose inspired by Virabhadra as a “Hero-Friend Pose” and/or a “Warrior Pose,” we can consider the qualities that make someone a hero-friend and/or a warrior. We could also think of the story of Daksha, Sati, Shiva, and Virabhadra as a cautionary tale about how our actions affect others and how we channel strong emotions (like anger and grief).
The practice can also be symbolic when we view the mind-body through an energetic lens, like the ones offered by the chakra system (as it comes to us from Āyurveda), the meridian system (as it comes to us from Traditional Chinese Medicine), Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah), and other indigenous systems. In all three of the cited examples, each part of the mind-body can be energetically and symbolically related to a plethora of things, including: different colors, different elements, different minerals, (the energy of) different organs, and different emotions.
Love is often associated with one or both arms. In fact, in Kabbalah, chesed (“loving-kindness”) is associated with the right arm and is the primary focus of the first week when people start Counting the Omer on the second night of Passover. I mentioned last week that chesed is also the focus of the first day of each week and that the second week and second day of each week highlights gevurah (“strength” and “discipline”), which is associated with the left arm. Tuesday at sunset marked the beginning of the third week which brings awareness to tiferet (“balance,”“compassion,” “beauty,” “harmony,” and “justice”) and is associated with the torso. Coincidentally, this week’s Wednesday classes overlapped the end of Day 15 and the beginning of Day 16, as well as two celebrations that highlight the beauty that happens when we balance loving-kindness and strength, with compassion, discipline, and (to a certain extent) justice.
“‘I love devotees whose attitudes are the same toward friend or foe, who are indifferent to honor or ignominy, heat or cold, praise or criticism — who not only control their talking but are silent within.’”
— Krishna speaking to Arjuna (12.18) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley
Wednesday (May 8th) was World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day, which falls on the anniversary of the birth of Jean-Henri Dunant, who was born in Geneva, Switzerland in 1828. Also known as Henri (or Henry), Mr. Dunant grew up in a prestigious, religious family that emphasized the importance of balancing faith and good works. His father, Jean-Jacques Dunant, worked with orphans and parolees while his mother, Antoinette Dunant-Colladon, was devoted to people who were poor and people who were ill. By the age of 18, young Henri was involved in the Muscular Christianity movement. He founded a Bible-study and service group called the Thursday Association and the Swiss branch of the Young Men’s Christian Association [YMCA]. He also served as the Secretary of the YMCA Geneva; spearheaded the idea for a YMCA World Conference; and attended the first conference, in August 1855, when 99 delegates from nine countries adopted the Paris Basis, which included an international mission and motto. That motto came from John 17:21, “That they all may be one.”
Around the same time that he was working with the newly-formed YMCA, the philanthropist turned his energy towards international business. He worked for a company doing trade in French-occupied Algeria, Tunisia, and Sicily and wrote a book about his travels, Notice sur la Régence de Tunis (An Account of the Regency in Tunis), which was published in 1858. The fact that one of it’s chapters was also published as as it’s own work — L’Esclavage chez les musulmans et aux États-Unis d’Amérique (Slavery among the Mohammedans and in the United States of America) — indicates that even as he traveled and focused on business, he kept his eye on the needs of the world. This ability to be compassionate and devoted to the needs of others became even more evident in late June of 1859, when he traveled to northern Italy to petition Napoleon III for land and water rights needed by a company he had started.
At the time, the French emperor was engaged in the the Second Italian War of Independence, which was part of the Italian Risorgimento (the unification of Italy), and had achieved a victory in the Battle of Solferino and San Martino. The battle, which took place on June 24, 1859, pitted the Franco-Sardinian alliance (i.e., the allied French army and the Piedmont-Sardinian army) against the Austrian army, with all the combatants being led by their respective monarchs. Over 12,000 soldiers (including officers) were killed; almost 30,000 were injured’ and a little over 12,000 would eventually be designated as missing. Henry Dunant arrived in the northern town right after the battle and was horrified at what he witnessed: Almost no one was caring for the wounded, burying the dead, or searching for the missing.
“The moral sense of the importance of human life; the humane desire to lighten a little of the torments of all these poor wretches, or restore their shattered courage; the furious and relentless activity which a man summons up at such moments: all these combine to create a kind of energy which gives one a positive craving to relieve as many as one can. There is no more grieving at the multiple scenes of this fearful and solemn tragedy. There is indifference even…. There is something akin to cold calculation, in the face of horrors yet more ghastly than those here described, and which the pen absolutely declines to set down.
But then you feel sometimes that your heart is suddenly breaking—it is as if you were stricken all at once with a sense of bitter and irresistible sadness, because of some simple incident, some isolated happening, some small unexpected detail which strikes closer to the soul, seizing on our sympathies and shaking all the most sensitive fibres of our being.”
— quoted from A Memory of Solferino by Henry Dunant (English version, American Red Cross)
Even without the very detailed and descriptive passages in the book, we can do a little svādyāya (“self-study”) and put ourselves in the shoes of anyone who has witnessed the horrors of war. We can imagine the fear, the grief, and a host of other emotions. Maybe we can even the imagine the feeling of being overwhelmed that many in Solferino experienced that day. But, how many of us would have been able to channel all of that emotion — all of that energy — and do what Jean-Henri Dunant did? How many of us would have mobilized the civilians to do what needed to be done — and to do it regardless of nationality? How many of us would have purchased the supplies needed to not only care for the wounded, but to also shelter them in temporary hospitals? How many of us would have successfully negotiated the release of Austrian doctors being held as prisoners of war?
To be fair, a better way of phrasing those questions would be: “How many of us could…?”
In some ways, Jean-Henri Dunant was uniquely qualified to do what he did and to inspire one of the women (in Castiglione delle Stiviere) to use the phrase “Tutti fratelli” (“All are brothers”) in relation to their humanitarian efforts. All of his previous experiences prepared Mr. Dunant for what he did in Solferino. It also enabled him to write about his experiences in his book, A Memory of Solferino. Published in 1862, A Memory of Solferino recounted the battle (which he did not witness), the aftermath, the recovery process, and a plan. That plan kicked off the the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and led to the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), as well as to the Geneva Conventions.
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the world’s largest humanitarian network and is made up of the following three parts:
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which “provides assistance and protection to victims of war and armed violence, and promotes respect of and adherence to international humanitarian law.”
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), which “carries out relief operations to assist victims of disasters, in combination with work to strengthen the capacities of its member National Societies,”
The 191 member Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, which include over 16 million volunteers providing “first-line disaster response services, as auxiliaries to the national authorities in their countries.”
“Would it not be possible, in time of peace and quiet, to form relief societies for the purpose of having care given to the wounded in wartime by zealous, devoted and thoroughly qualified volunteers?”
— quoted from A Memory of Solferino by Henry Dunant (English version, American Red Cross)
Henry Dunant grew up under different variations of the Flag of Switzerland (a white cross on a red background). According to historians like Joseph McMillan, the Red Cross flag was meant to be a colour-reverse version of that flag (a red cross on a white background) and “was selected in recognition of the pioneering work of Swiss citizens in establishing internationally recognized standards for the protection of wounded combatants and military medical facilities.” It was approved in Geneva in 1863, and extended to naval ensigns during the 1899 Geneva Convention at the Hague.
However, there was some controversy about the Red Cross flag; because, the symbol which brought comfort to Christians did not feel neutral to others. The objection to the Red Cross as a universal and neutral symbol led to the establishment of the Red Crescent, which was first use during the Russo-Turkish War — also known as 93 Harbi, or “War of ’93,” (1876 – 1877 / 1293) — and officially approved in 1929. It is officially described as a colour-reverse version of the Ottoman Empire flag.
It is possible that a Red Lion and Sun flag was also used during the War of ’93 since the red lion and sun have historical significance in Iran (and ancient Persia) and was used as some part of Iran’s national flag up until the 1979 revolution. The Red Lion and Sun Society of Iran was established in 1922 and admitted to the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in 1923. Although it is not as prevalent as the other three ICRC-sanctioned symbols, the Red Lion and Sun flag was introduced at Geneva (as early as 1864) and is an approved symbol of the ICRC.
Although they are not officially described as being religious in nature, there is no getting around the fact that the aforementioned symbols have religious significance to people around the world. As a result of those connotations, various countries and organizations around the world have advocated for a more neutral symbol or for a symbol with significance to their culture. For example, the State of Israel has advocated for a Red Star of David and China has advocated for a Red Swastika. The Nazis used a “hooked cross” and, in doing so, appropriated the shape of the swastika, which is an ancient symbol in India, and East and Southeast Asia, as well as in Africa and parts of the Americas, and is a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. While a Red Star of David is used in Israel and a Red Swastika Society1 was formed in China (in 1922), neither symbol is recognized by the ICRC. Instead, a Red Crystal was proposed in 1992, and officially adopted by the Geneva Conventions as Protocol III in 2005. In Israel the Red Crystal is often used in tandem with the Red Star of David.
“On certain special occasions, as, for example, when princes of the military art belonging to different nationalities meet at Cologne or Châlons, would it not be desirable that they should take advantage of this sort of congress to formulate some international principle, sanctioned by a Convention inviolate in character, which, once agreed upon and ratified, might constitute the basis for societies for the relief of the wounded in the different European countries? It is the more important to reach an agreement and concert measures in advance….”
— quoted from A Memory of Solferino by Henry Dunant (English version, American Red Cross)
In addition to the aforementioned observations (and to being Bright Wednesday in the Orthodox Christian tradition and the Feast Day of Julian of Norwich in Anglican and Lutheran traditions2), Wednesday, May 8th, was also White Lotus Day which is an annual celebration held on the anniversary of the death of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (née Hahn von Rottenstern). The Russian–born American mystic known as Madame Blavatsky or HPB was an author and co-founder of the Theosophical Society. While much of her background is sketchy (as in dubious) and while she and the Theosophical Society (before and after her death) engaged in some highly questionable behavior, she was an influential part of the Spirituality movement and in the popularity of eastern philosophies in the East and the West. Her books inspired people like Thomas Edison, Major General Abner Doubleday (of the Union Army), the poet William Butler Yeats, Leo Tolstoy, the social reformer and activist Annie Besant, a young Indian lawyer named Mohandas Gandhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru (India’s first prime minister). A list of her critics — which can be just as long and impressive as one consisting of admirers — includes Arthur Lillie, John Nevil Maskelyne, Robert Todd Carroll, James Randi, and Dr. Carl Jung.
During the pandemic of 1889 – 1890, HPB contracted the flu and died on May 8, 1891. In her will, she asked that her friends and family spend the anniversary of her death reading The Light of Asia by Sir Edwin Arnold and The Bhagavad Gita. People also meditated on the symbol of the lotus, which some people said grew in abundance in 1892. The lotus is a beautiful and fragrant flower that is rooted in the mud, but blossoms above the water. Used by a variety of cultures and organizations around the world as a symbol for spiritual growth, it’s seeds can lay dormant for at least a millennium and are said to contain a miniature image of the ultimate flower.
In many ways, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is very much like a lotus flower: something beautiful that grew out of the muck, the mud, and the mire of war. Also, remember that it all started because Jean-Henri Dunant need water rights for his company.
“‘Also very dear to Me are those generally content with life and unattached to things of the world, even to home. I love those whose sole concern in life is to love Me. Indeed, these and all the others I mentioned are very, very dear to Me.’”
— Krishna speaking to Arjuna (12.19) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley
Henry Dunant never received the water rights he was originally seeking (and he and his company eventually went bankrupt); but, he created a legacy that continues to this day. He extended the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to include aide during natural disasters, advocated for worldwide access to literature (via an international library) and peaceful resolutions to international conflicts (including proposing a two-state plan for Israel and Palestine and plans for hostage negotiations and conflict arbitration). In 1901, he received the very first Nobel Peace Prize.
Despite the fact that he received monetary prizes like the the Nobel Peace Prize and several other awards, Mr. Dunant spent the last thirty-five years of his life impoverished and in a slightly isolated hospice room. Per his request, there was no fanfare after his death — “no funeral ceremony, no mourners, no cortege” — and he bequeathed the majority of the prize monies to “those who had cared for him in the village hospital, [to] endow a «free bed» that was to be available to the sick among the poorest people in the village, and… to philanthropic enterprises in Norway and Switzerland.”
Even in death, Jean-Henri Dunant was focused on life and healing.
“Healing, a simple act of kindness brings such meaning A smile can change a life lets start believing And feeling, let’s start healing
Hearts in the hand of another heart and in God’s hand are all hearts An eye takes care of another eye and from God’s eye nothing hides [Something about Him is hidden]. Seek only to give and you’ll receive [Strive to give… and you will receive and be given]. So, heal and you will be healed
OUTRO (x2, from Arabic translation):
A heart is in the hands of another heart and in the hand of God’s. Every heart is an eye that takes care of an eye, and the eyes of God take care of a kind word of charity. Your smile for your brother is charity. Every favor is charity. Oh God, heal with a cure that leaves no disease.”
— quoted from song “Healing” by Sami Yusuf
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.
“All shall be well, and all shall be well, and (in) all manner of thing(s) shall be well.”
— quoted from Chapter 27 Revelations of Divine Love (Revelations of Love in 16 Shewings) by Julian of Norwich
NOTES:
1 While the Red Swastika Society is not affiliated with the ICRC and has been partially suppressed by the communist government, it is still active as a charitable organization in parts of China and the diaspora.
2 Julian of Norwich was an anchoress and Christian mystic who lived in the 14th and 15th century. Although she recovered, she was given last rites on May 8, 1373, and experienced visions which she eventually related in her book, Revelations of Divine Love (Revelations of Love in 16 Shewings). Her feast days are May 8th in Anglican and Lutheran traditions and May 13th in the Roman Catholic tradition.
In [“Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad] al-Bājūrī’s account the burda—the daytime garment of the Prophet Muḥammad turned, via the operation of dream, into the nighttime blanket that miraculously heals his stricken charge—comes to ‘be’ the poem that [Imam al-Busiri of Egypt] composes as a prayer for his cure by metonymic association with that cure. Yet it also gains that title—as al-Bājūrī goes on to note—by association with yet another burda: the mantle bestowed by the Prophet on the poet Ka’b ibn Zuhayr for eulogizing him at the end of his ode ‘Bānat Suʿād’ (Suʿād Appeared), which earned that work the epithet al-Burda. This last burda is less the sign of cure than the sign of recognition: recognition of a poet’s allegiance, through literature, to a new religiopolitical order.”
— quoted the “Reawakening to the Self in the Arms of the Other” section of “2. The Dismantling I: Al-ʿAṭṭār’s Antihistory of the French in Egypt, 1798–1799” in Disarming Words: Empire and Seductions of the Translation of Egypt by Shaden M. Tageldin
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Bright Wednesday, Counting the Omer, and/or working for peace (inside and outside) on World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day and White Lotus Day.
Please join me today (Wednesday, May 8th) 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.
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).
Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent on Great Friday and/or Counting the Omer.
This is the “missing” post for the “First Friday Night Special” on May 3rd.You can request an audio recording of this Restorative Yoga practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
“The brain—like life—does not search to live, but to not die.”
— quoted from the “Acknowledgements” in Deviate: The Science of Seeing Differently by Beau Lotto
Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain and the nervous system to change and grow. We can see this at work when we look at how neural pathways, samskara (a “mental impression”), and vasana (a literal “dwelling” place) create habits and a “space of possibility.” However, those same elements that create change can cause us to resist change and to hold on to things.
The paradoxical way the mind-body works makes sense when you consider that (a) known and controlled quantities have been the key to our survival since the beginning of recorded history; (b) the unknown (and uncontrolled) can be uncomfortable and scary, and (c) since everything around us is changing — i.e., potentially becoming unknown and uncontrolled — we have to change in order to survive.
But we don’t have to like it. And free will means that we can resist it.
“‘Some people believe holding on and hanging in there are signs of great strength. However, there are times when it takes much more strength to know when to let go and then do it.’ — Ann Landers”
— quoted from “Day 11 / MARATHON MAN: ENDURANCE IN DISCIPLINE נצח שבע גבורה” in The Kabbalah Sutras: 49 Steps to Enlightenment by Marcus J. Freed
Since change happens / shift happens, our inability to shift and change can be a detriment. Consider that all the major philosophies point to some form of attachment as the cause of suffering. Additionally, all the major philosophies — and religions, for that matter — offer a solution to that suffering: Letting Go.
It’s always about letting go. Even when it is phrased as “letting go and letting God,” we are advised to do our best, recognize what is out of our control, and then engage some form of “trustful surrender.” Trustful surrender is a critical part of why people are observing Great Friday today (which would be the equivalent of Good Friday in Western Christianity) and it is so crucial to the Yoga Philosophy that Patanjali stated it in two different sūtras and it is reiterated in the Bhagavad Gita. (YS 1.23 & YS 2.45, BG 2.48 & BG 6.30)
In the aforementioned cases, there is some awareness of the Divine — something more than one’s self — and that requires a certain amount of faith. However, Eastern philosophies diverge from the religions when they also recommend letting go of the path that leads to freedom.
In the Tao Te Ching, in some of the Buddha’s sutras, and in the Yoga Sūtras, there are warnings about holding on too tightly to anything — even the practice. In the Tao, it says, “This is a path of letting go so there will be room to live.” (TTC 9) In the Diamond Sutra, the Buddha explained that the words were simply words or “‘a figure of speech’” meant to be used as a tool to “‘bring one to the other shore of Enlightenment.’” (DS 13) Even one of the lojong (“mind training”) statements in Tibetan Buddhism, advises us to “Self-liberate even the antidote.” (9)
Finally, in Yoga Sūtras 1.14 – 1.15, Patanjali specifically indicated that the longer one practices the Yoga Philosophy, the more one is inclined to practice and the less one is inclined to crave, desire, and form attachments that lead to suffering. That last part is hopeful, but does not change the fact that it is challenging to balance the practice of non-attachment with the discipline needed to practice over a long period of time, without interruption, and with passion, devotion, and reverence — which is the definition of abhyāsa. In the commentary for Yoga Sūtras 1.12 – 1.16, Swami J highlights this balancing act with an illustration of a scale, above which abhyāsa (a dedicated and devoted “practice”) and vairāgya (“non-attachment”) are described as “two of the most important foundation principles of Yoga.”
Again, it is helpful (and hopeful) to know that abhyāsa and vairāgya can balance each other out; however, some times we need to look at things in a different way. Sometimes, we need to do it differently.
“Do it differently So it won’t come out the same Step up, be strong, Get yourself out of pain.”
— quoted from the poem “DIFFERENTLY” by Donna Garrett
Doing things differently — when the thing you are doing seems to be working — can seem just as counterintuitive as letting go of the path that leads to freedom. On the other hand, it makes perfect sense: When you reach your destination, you get off the road on which you traveled. This does not mean that your journey in life is over; nor does it mean that you won’t use other tools. It is simply acknowledging that what you needed at one point in your journey may not serve you — or may not serve you in the same way — during the next part of your journey.
You can think of using a different paradigm as being similar to someone getting a new set of prescription eye glasses, using a different set of sunglasses to watch the eclipse, or using a phone or a microscope to enhance something you can no longer (or never could) see with the naked eye. The way we practice is simply a tool to bring things into focus. For this month’s First Friday Night Special, we used our bodies and “attributes of the Divine” to consider where we are holding on to discomfort, dis ease, and things that no longer serve us — or maybe never served us.
“This path accepts that developing an ego is an essential element in human growth. But it also suggests that this development might be a stage of human development rather than its end product.”
— quoted from the commentary for “Chapter 9” in A Path and a Practice: Using Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching as a Guide to an Awakened Spiritual Life by William Martin
The Bahá’í Faith and Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) highlight different aspects of the Divine on a daily basis.
The following practice-related breakdown is based on content posted on a different date and time. Details and links have been updated accordingly.
As I previously mentioned, the Bahá’í calendar has 19 months with 19 days — each named for one of the 19 names/manifestations/attributes of God. There are 4 or 5 intercalary days that occur just before the final month and these days are considered “transcendent” in nature. (The days of the week also follow this nomenclature.) This calendar starts around the Vernal (Spring) Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere with the month of Bahá, which can be translated into English as “Splendor,” and we are currently in the third month, Jamál (“Beauty”). Since each day begins and ends at sunset, this First Friday Night Special overlapped the end of Istiqlál (“Independence”) and the beginning of Jalál (“Glory”), in Central Standard Time.
Splendor, beauty, independence, and glory also show up as manifestations of the Divine in Jewish mysticism. According to Kabbalah, the Tree of Life has ten sefirot (“eminations,” attributes, or manifestations) of the Divine. On the second night of Passover, some people within the Jewish community begin the ritual of Counting the Omer — which involves prayer and reflection around 7 of the 10 sefirot. People count every day for 7 weeks (for a total of 49 days, plus a 50th day as commanded). Each day and week is associated with a different aspect of the Divine — which means that, on any given day, people are focusing+concentrating+meditating on how two aspects of the Divine interact and manifest in their lives.
Since days on the Hebrew calendar also begin and end at sunset, this First Friday Night Special overlapped the end Day 10 and the beginning of the Day 11 — both of which occur in the week devoted to the second sefirah: Gevurah. This second attribute can be defined as “strength” and “discipline.” Before sunset on Friday (Day 10), the focus was Tiferet She’b’Gevurah — with Tiferet meaning “balance,”“compassion,” “beauty,” “harmony,” and “justice” (which is also an attribute on the Bahá’í calendar). After sunset (Day 11), the focus became Netzach She’b’Gevurah — with Netzach meaning “endurance,” “sustainability,” “victory,” and “persistence.”
Additionally, the seven highlighted sefirot can also be associated with with different parts of the body. Gevurah is associated with the left arm; Tiferet is associated with the upper abdominal cavity (solar plexus) and torso; and Netzach is associated with the right hip in thigh. As teachers like Marcus J. Freed and Sandra Razieli* point out, we can explore different aspects of Divine interaction (and interrelationship) by exploring the different ways parts of our bodies interact. For this practice we referenced all seven attributes and parts of the body; considered how they are connected, and addressed how those connections can serve us.
“Developing a cocoon is a natural and essential part of being a caterpillar. But the time comes when the cocoon softens, wears out, and opens up. What if this is the case for all our opinions, possessions, and even for our ego? What if, when the cocoon of ego opens, instead of the feared abyss we find a butterfly?”
— quoted from the commentary for “Chapter 9” in A Path and a Practice: Using Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching as a Guide to an Awakened Spiritual Life by William Martin
The May First Friday Night Special features a Restorative Yoga practice. It is accessible and open to all.
Prop wise, this is a kitchen sink practice. You can practice without props or you can use “studio” and/or “householder” props. Example of “Studio” props: 1 – 2 blankets, 2 – 3 blocks, a bolster, a strap, and an eye pillow. Example of “Householder” props: 1 – 2 blankets or bath towels, 2 – 3 books (similar in size), 2 standard pillows (or 1 body pillow), a belt/tie/sash, and a face towel.
You may want extra layers (as your body may cool down during this practice).
Friday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05032024 Balancing Holding On & Letting Go”]
The playlist tracks are slightly different in length and duration; however, the overall content is the same.
Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent on Great Tuesday! “Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer! “Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Happy National Poetry Month & International Jazz Day!
“‘And this is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it in haste it is a Passover sacrifice to the Lord.’”
— Shemot / Exodus 12:11
The following excerpt is from the 2022 “renewed” version of a 2020 post:
“Every year, as we approach the end of Passover, I think about the first Passover Seder. What would that have been like? How would have felt to celebrate freedom? How would it have felt to give thanks to G-d for that freedom? Charlie Harary points out that while it is natural to think the first Passover Seder occurred a year after exodus, it actually happened the night before exodus. That’s right: G-d commanded the Jewish people to celebrate their freedom and give thanks for being delivered out of Egypt before they were even free — even before they knew their freedom was guaranteed.
Can you imagine doing that? Can you imagine how it would feel? Can you imagine the faith it would take to sit in the middle of your suffering, in the middle of your family and friends as they suffer, and give thanks for what’s to come?
There is a history of this kind of observation in the Hebrew Bible….”
“The study of scripture is another way of putting the principle of self-study into practice…. Elaborating on the concept of svādyāya, Vyasa emphasizes that only those texts that embody indisputable knowledge showing us the path to ultimate freedom are an essential component of self-study. In other words, svādyāya entails the study of spiritual texts that are authentic, contain experiential knowledge, and are infused with the energy to guide us on the path of inner freedom.”
— commentary on Yoga Sutra 2:1 in The Practice of the Yoga Sutra: Sadhana Pada by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD
Please join me today (Tuesday, April 30th) at 12:00 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules”calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Tuesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify.[Look for “04142020 Envisioning Freedom”]
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).
Many blessings to everyone, and especially to anyone observing Great Lent (& Palm Sunday)! “Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer! “Happy Riḍván!” to those celebrating “the Most Great Festival.” Happy National Poetry Month!
“Sometimes in my tears I drown But I never let it get me down So when negativity surrounds I know someday, it’ll all turn around because
All my life, I’ve been waitin’ for I’ve been prayin’ for, for the people to say That we don’t wanna fight no more There’ll be no more wars, and our children will play
One day (one day), one day (one day)”
— quoted from the song “One Day” by Matisyahu (written by Bruno Mars / Philip Lawrence / Ari Levine / Matthew Miller)
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, April 28th) at 2:30 PM.Use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or by emailing myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Sunday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “04242024 PRGL Stories”]
MUSIC NOTE: I slightly changed this playlist, but the remix does not affect the overall timing of the class music. Again, the before/after music is slightly different since I could not find “Oneness” on Spotify.
“A thought transfixed me: for the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers. The truth—that love is the ultimate and the highest goal to which a man can aspire. Then I grasped the meaning of the greatest secret that human poetry and human thought and belief have to impart: The salvation of human is through love and in love. I understood how a man who has nothing left in this world still may know bliss, be it only for the brief moment, in the contemplation of his beloved. In a position of utter desolation, when a man cannot express himself in positive action, when his only achievement may consist in enduring his sufferings in the right way—an honorable way—in such a position man can, through loving contemplation of the image he carries of his beloved, achieve fulfillment.”
— quoted from “I. Experiences in a Concentration Camp” (pgs. 35-36) in Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
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).
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A Joyful Practice 