FTWMI: Starting with the Foundation (a prelude) June 11, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Faith, First Nations, Healing Stories, Life, Meditation, Men, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Shavuot, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, asana, Benjamin Franklin, Committee of Five, Constitution, Counting the Omer, Declaration of Independence, John Adams, Lee Resolution, Robert Livingston, Roger Sherman, Shavuot, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, William Butler Yeats, yoga, Yoga Sutra 1.32, Yoga Sutras 1.30-1.32, Yoga Sutras 2.46-2.50
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Happy Pride! “Chag Sameach!” to everyone who has finished Counting the Omer and/or is getting ready for Shavuot. Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing Eastertide and/or building a world of peace, freedom, and fulfillment (inside and outside).
For Those Who Missed It: The following was original posted in 2023. A note regarding Shavuot has been added at the end.
Yoga Sūtra 1.32: tat pratiṣedhārtham eka tattvābhyāsaḥ
— “To prevent or deal with these nine obstacles and their four consequences, the recommendation is to make the mind one-pointed, training it how to focus on a single truth, principle, or object.”
On and off the mat, we start with the foundation. We build from the ground up. This is standard operating procedure whether we are building an asana; building a life for ourselves; building a relationship; building an edifice; building an organization or a business; and/or building a country. We may have an idea(l) in mind and our desire may be to build from the concept (i.e., that may be what motivates us to build); however, to make the dream come true — to make the idea(l) a reality — we need awareness and material/matter.
That’s the practice. On and off the mat (or cushion), we bring awareness to the foundation and then establish a foundation that allows us to bring awareness to our awareness… or to any number things which can be our point of focus. In mindfulness-based practices, like Yoga and Buddhist meditation, we are very intentional, very deliberate about this method of building. In fact, Patanjali outlined this practice in the Yoga Sūtras. (YS 2.46-50) More detailed instructions (on building asanas) can be found in texts like the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Shastras, like Yoga Vasistha, and many modern texts also include details on building a practice. And, we can extrapolate from there — taking the practice off of the mat/cushion and into the world.
On a certain level, reality forces us to build from the ground up. However, there is a difference between just doing it and being deliberate and intentional about it. There is also a difference between deliberately and intentionally building from the ground up and starting [everything] with the foundation in mind. For example, in a seated (or moving) meditation practice, when you loose the “thread,” you go back to the beginning — back to the foundation.
Are you still “sitting” in a way that balances effort and relaxation? If the answer is no, adjust. If the answer is yes, bring awareness to the parts of the breath. Notice when (and what) distracts you. Remind yourself that you are “sitting” and breathing. That’s the practice.
Off the mat/cushion, there is a tendency to forget about the foundation once we really get going. No, I’m not ignoring the fact that this also happens in yoga practices where there is a lot of movement and momentum. What I would like to point out, however, is that part of a practice like vinyasa is being mindful of the pace. Being mindful of the pace requires noticing when you are not breathing deeply; when you are moving faster than your breath; and/or when you are “flowing,” but not “placing things in a special way” (which is the literal meaning of vinyasa). Also, over time, not being mindful of the foundation may lead to injuries and/or obstacles to the practice. (YS 1.30-31)
Off the mat/cushion, the tendency to forget about the foundation also has consequences. People get hurt — on a lot of different levels. And, also, obstacles arise that prevent the fulfilment of the original idea(l). What I mean by that is: Sometimes we end up with a final product that looks nothing like the intention. And, sometimes, things fall apart because the center (which is the foundation) could not hold… was not designed to hold without attention/awareness.
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;”
— quoted from the poem “The Second Coming” by William Butler Yeats
Today in 1776, the Committee of Five started discussing and drafting a document which would be approved by the Second Continental Congress and presented to England as a Declaration of Independence. Representatives John Adams (Massachusetts), Roger Sherman (Connecticut), Robert Livingston (New York), Benjamin Franklin (Pennsylvania), and Thomas Jefferson (Virginia), worked until July 5th building what became the foundation of the United States of America.
The final document was approved on July 2nd, printed on July 4th, and signed by the delegates of the Second Continental Congress over the course of several months. It contains some of the best and most quoted language associated with democracy and freedom. It is considered, by some, to be the best language regarding an ideal government. Yet, the original language is interesting — as is the language of the final draft. First, the committee originally included language criticizing English people, slavery, and the British slave trade. Ultimately, they decided to exclude the language about slavery, because they thought including it would cost them votes. Another interesting point (of exclusion) is that the words didn’t exactly mean what they said. The words “all men” was not, in fact, applied to all men (let alone all humans).
A portion of the following is an excerpt from a July 2020 post.
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
— from “The Declaration of Independence” drafted by the Committee of Five and (eventually) signed by delegates of the Second Continental Congress
The Declaration of Independence was the formal announcement and explanation of the “Lee Resolution” (aka “The Resolution for Independence”). Its second sentence is often referenced as “one of the best-known sentences in the English language” and is possibly the most quoted sentence in American history. It provided justification for revolution and the building blocks for a new nation. It was, however, not completely true. While we may want to delude ourselves into thinking the founding fathers meant all humans when they signed off on the declaration — or even all males — the “all men” was very specific in that it meant “white men only.” And, if we are being honest, there was also a religious subtext which further restricted who would be granted the subsequently mentioned Rights. (Yes, yes, we can go around and around about religious freedom, but there was a definite assumption within the text that “all men,” see above, believed in one God — even if they had slightly different ways of worshiping said God.)
The Second Continental Congress approved the resolution and the declaration unanimously, but it was never a sure thing. There was debate with the Committee of Five as to how to present their argument to the other delegates in a way that would sway things in their favor. Remember, everyone on the committee and every one of the delegates was, at the time, a subject of the Crown — meaning they were citizens of the British Commonwealth — and what they were proposing was straight-up treason. They knew this would be evidence of treason. Furthermore, they knew that they were placing their family, friends, and neighbors at great risk. They also thought freedom, liberty, and independence were worth the risk.
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States can be seen as the cornerstone of our democracy or the two visible sides of that cornerstone. Included within the Constitution is the governments ability to propose, ratify, and implement amendments. One could argue that providing such a proviso was the 1787 Constitutional Convention’s way of strengthening the foundation and of making sure future leaders (and their descendants) kept the foundation in mind.
“It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error. But nature has not given to everyone a talent for that purpose; and among those to whom such a talent is given, there is often a want of disposition or of courage to do it.”
— quoted from the “Preface” (addressed “To the Ministers and Preachers of all Denominations of Religion.”) of “Part III” in The Age Of Reason by Thomas Paine
2024 HOLIDAY NOTE: It is not enough to gather your building materials, you also have to be prepared to put things together. You have to cultivate the disposition and the courage, the will and the desire. On the second night of Passover, some people began Counting the Omer — which is a 49-day period of prayer and contemplation, a period of preparation. That preparation period culminates with Shavout (also known as Shavuos), which is the “Feast of Weeks” and the anniversary of the revelation of the Torah: part of the foundation of the Abrahamic religions. Today is the 49th day and tonight at sunset marks the beginning of Shavout.
Please join me today (Tuesday, June 11th) 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 “07012020 Caesar Rodney’s Ride”]
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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### OM FREEDOM AUM ###
FTWMI: Here Be The Wild Things (a post-practice Monday re-post) June 10, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Life, Music, Pain, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Vairagya, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, addiction, Alcoholics Anonymous, Anne Smith, asana, Bill Wilson, Counting the Omer, disability, Dr. Bob Smith, Dragon Boat Festival, Eastertide, Eugene Glenn, G. Alan Marlatt, Holocaust, In the Night Kitchen, Loss, Maurice Sendak, Mindfulness, Outside Over There, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, recovery, Richard Gottlieb, Stanton Peele, survivors, trauma, Where The Wild Things Are, yoga practice
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Happy Pride! Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing Eastertide; Counting the Omer, and/or working to cultivate peace, freedom, and fulfillment (inside and outside).
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2020 and is related to the practice on Monday, June 10th. Some formatting, links, and 2024-related information have been updated or added. The 2024 prompt question was, “What is your concept of a sacred space?” 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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“And so we have…this critical problem as human beings of seeing to it that the mythology—the constellation of sign signals, affect images, energy-releasing and -directing signs—that we are communicating to our young will deliver directive messages qualified to relate them richly and vitally to the environment that is to be theirs for life, and not to some period of man already past, some piously desiderated future, or—what is worst of all—some querulous, freakish sect or momentary fad. And I call this problem critical because, when it is badly resolved, the result for the miseducated individual is what is known, in mythological terms, as a Waste Land situation. The world does not talk to him; he does not talk to the world. When that is the case, there is a cut-off, the individual is thrown back on himself, and he is in prime shape for that psychotic break-away that will turn him into either an essential schizophrenic in a padded cell, or a paranoid screaming slogans at large, in a bughouse without walls.”
— quoted from A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living by Joseph Campbell
How do we keep from becoming, to paraphrase Joseph Campbell, a screaming paranoid person? How do we face trauma, loss, and disability with a smile on our face, as Wayman Tisdale did? Maybe we have to go all the way back to the womb to figure out why some people survive the challenging circumstances they face in life. Maybe we have to go back even farther than that to see why some people just inherently know how to stay connected to their “inside stuff” even when life throws them one curve ball after another fast ball. Whatever the reason some people rebound and some people don’t (or don’t as easily as others), trying to figure out that reason has fascinated people since the beginning of time.
Children’s book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak, born today in 1928, in Brooklyn, New York, once said, “I only have one subject. The question I am obsessed with is: How do children survive?” Like the poets mentioned during the June 7th class, Mr. Sendak wrote about what he saw — and what he saw was a family decimated by the Holocaust and trying to acclimate to a new country and a new culture. He saw kids being kids, being alive and full of so much life despite the overwhelming and pervasive feeling of perpetual mourning. The adults called the unruly children “vilde chaya,” which is Yiddish for “wild animal.” Mr. Sendak turned it into “wild things” and wrote a children’s book that become the center of a trilogy about (you guessed it) how children survive and thrive.
“I grew up in a house that was in a constant state of mourning.”
— Maurice Sendak, quoted from a 2002 interview with children’s book historian Leonard Marcus
“’And now,’ cried Max, ‘let the wild rumpus start!’”
— quoted from Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Where The Wild Things Are, published in 1963, tells the story of preschool-age Max who, as adults would have said during my childhood, gets a little too big for his britches. He is sent to his room without his dinner because he can’t behave and, as children do, he lets his imagination take over. His bedroom becomes a magical land full of wild animals, beasts, monsters….
[In 2020] My amazing friend Julie K just sent me a recent essay in The New Yorker about metaphorical monsters. I found it problematic because the identity of the monsters is too vague. Mr. Sendak, however, was always very clear; the monsters in his first book were the perpetually mourning and stern adults in his family. He just exaggerated them into something endearingly grotesque. As Max manages his emotions, becoming “king of all wild things” (a. k. a. the “most wild thing of all”), he finds his way back to the regular world. Managing one’s emotions, it turns out, is the secret to making one’s way back to the regular world.
“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again. You really don’t have a sacred space, a rescue land, until you find somewhere to be that’s not a wasteland, some field of action where there is a spring of ambrosia—a joy that comes from inside, not something external that puts joy into you—a place that lets you experience your own will and your own intention and your own wish so that, in small, the Kingdom is there. I think everybody, whether they know it or not, is in need of such a place.”
— quoted from A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living by Joseph Campbell
“There should be a place where only the things you want to happen, happen.”
— quoted from Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
As I mentioned before, Where The Wild Things Are was the first of a three-part series to be published, but it is actually the centerpiece to the trilogy. In The Night Kitchen (published in 1970) follows toddler-age Mickey as he falls, naked, into the Night Kitchen, where he has to avoid getting baked into the cake batter and eaten up. Max, again, is preschool-age. Outside Over There (published in 1981) features pre-adolescent Ida, who shirks her responsibility and then has to face the consequences of making things right. It is interesting to note that while there is always a symbol of a mother and evidence of a mother’s love in all three books, Ida is the only real-live human girl featured prominently in the books and she is given (in the book) the mother’s role of caregiver — a role she initially fails to take seriously.
“When Papa was away at sea and Mama in the arbor, Ida played her wonder horn to rock the baby still – but never watched.”
— quoted from Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak’s trilogy is recognized as a series which traces the psychological development of children. Each protagonist has age appropriate responsibilities, feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Each protagonist also has to navigate and find balance between the (age appropriate) expectations of the simultaneously present yet absent parent(s) and their feelings, thoughts, and emotions. One of the emotions that figures prominently, especially in Where The Wild Things Are, is rage and one of the themes that figures prominently in the books is how to manage emotions like rage. Because, as I sated before, managing one’s emotions is the secret to making one’s way back to the regular world. It is the boon, as it were, of this particular hero’s journey/cycle.
“But it is more than mere survival that Sendak aspires to, for his children and for himself. He asks the question of resilience: How do children surmount and transform in order to prosper and create? It is tempting to imagine that Sendak conceives of the trajectory of his own life and art as a model for the way he has handled these questions in his works.”
— quoted from a 2009 The Psychologist article by psychoanalyst Richard Gottlieb
When Where The Wild Things Are was turned into a movie, therapists like Richard Gottlieb offered their clinical take on the book and the movie. Psychoanalyst and attorney Stanton Peele noted in a 2009 article for Psychology Today that Dr. G. Alan Marlatt, a psychologist who focused on addiction, “specifically developed mindfulness as a relapse prevention technique, one that assists addicted people to combat cravings. In brief, a user may imagine the urge to use again as a physical challenge – like a wave – that he or she rides out.” Then, Stanton Peele called Mr. Sendak’s work “a model of mindfulness.” For his part, Richard Gottlieb did not think it was an accident that Mr. Sendak’s work was so psychologically applicable. In fact, he specifically highlighted various “psychological proddings and teachings” which influenced Maurice Sendak’s life — including the fact that his partner (for over 50 years) was psychoanalyst Eugene Glenn — and shared bits of conversations with colleagues who also see the value in the book.
“I’m not the milk and the milk’s not me. I’m Mickey!”
— Mickey, quoted from In The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
Call it a coincidence, a cowinkydink, God winking, or serendipity, but it is interesting to note that Maurice Sendak, whose seminal book has been hailed and praised by addiction experts, was born on the anniversary of Dr. Bob Smith’s last drink, which is also the anniversary of Alcoholics Anonymous. Today in 1935, Bill Wilson and Dr. Smith’s wife Anne gave a severely hung-over Smith (a. k. a. “Dr. Bob”) a beer so that he would be “steady enough” to go into surgery. Hours beyond when the surgery should have ended, Smith announced that yes, the surgery was successful and that he had spent the remaining time reaching out to creditors and others he had hurt when he was drinking. Founded by Smith and Wilson, with support from Smith’s wife Anne, Alcoholics Anonymous is a 12-step rehabilitation program that has helped some people cope with alcoholism. It is also the model for other 12-step programs. While I have not counted the steps as they apply to Maurice Sendak’s work, there are very definite parallels in the way the main characters acknowledge their problems, turn inward, and offer restitution and express remorse. There are also, in the books and in recovery, humongous amounts of love and forgiveness (in particular, self-love and self-forgiveness).
“If Ida backwards in the rain would only turn around again and catch those goblins with a tune, she’d spoil their kidnap honeymoon!”
— quoted from Papa’s song in Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak
NOTE: For some people, a sacred space is on the outside; for some it is on the inside; and for some it is both. For some it is all of that mixed in with tradition, ritual, and intention. Ultimately, to go back to the words of Joseph Campbell and Maurice Sendak, it is a place where everything falls into place — where we have good “luck.” It is a place we have to find and/or cultivate, as we do in our practice and as some people do during the Dragon Boat Festival.
The 2024 practice coincided with the Dragon Boat Festival in China and other parts of Southeast Asia. Held on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the celebration (and it’s counterparts in places like Korea, Japan, and Vietnam), features dragon boat races, dumplings, and what some consider “the poor man’s fireworks.” Since double fives (in Chinese) is considered inauspicious, some people will make a point to protect their homes and/or offices by adorning their doors with garlic and flowers that repel insects. Some will also stick pins in pictures of five poisonous animals — a snake, centipede, scorpion, lizard, toad, and/or spider — as a way to ward off illness or bad fortune.
“Quiet down there!”
— Mickey, quoted from In The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
There is no playlist for the Common Ground Meditation Center practices.
Since music soothes the wild beasts, the goblins, and the cooks, the 2020 playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06102020 Here Be The Wild Things”]
MUSIC NOTE: YouTube is the original playlist and includes the video below.
My all time favorite rendition!
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).
### “I’LL EAT YOU UP!”• “I LOVE YOU!” ###
FTWMI: The Journey Continues… (with an excerpt) June 5, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Shavuot, Suffering, Super Heroes, Vairagya, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Betty Sue Flowers, Bill Moyers, Counting the Omer, David Grubin, Elizabeth Meryman-Brunner, George Lucas, Gina Sharpe, Harold Bloom, Joseph Campbell, Judith Suzanne Davidson Moyers, Malchut, monomyth, Moses, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Star Wars
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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.
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).
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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### Peace ###
It’s Not About What We’re Saying… (a short post with links & an excerpt) May 25, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Japa-Ajapa, Karma, Karma Yoga, Life, Mantra, Meditation, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Twin Cities, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: Aaron Lindsey, chakras, Counting the Omer, Eastertide, George Floyd, India.Arie, mantra, Ralph Waldo Emerson, United States, Veterans, Yoga Sutras 3.15-3.16
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing Eastertide, Counting the Omer, and/or working as a force of peace, freedom, and fulfillment (inside and outside).
“Don’t say things. What you are stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary. A lady of my acquaintance said, ‘I don’t care so much for what they say as I do for what makes them say it.’”
— quoted from the essay “Social Aims” in Letters and Social Aims by Ralph Waldo Emerson (b. 1803)
Yesterday, a group of United States veterans reportedly spent part of their Memorial Day weekend in Greensboro, North Carolina with the intention of asking people at the Republican National Convention to honor the basic principles of the “republic, for which it stands” and they were (reportedly) escorted out of the area. Even if I don’t talk about it, this practice is about that and the about the idea of still serving even after one’s official service is over — and about how people react to that.
Four years ago today, George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis. Even if I don’t talk about it, this practice is about that and the about the importance of treating someone you perceive as being different from you with respect — and about how we seem to keep forgetting that.
Two hundred, twenty-one years ago today, Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts. I often say that I am blown away by the fact that his words are still relevant to our present circumstances. And, even if I don’t talk about it, this practice is about that.
The excerpt below is from a 2021 post. Click on the title for the entire post.
Please join me today (Saturday, May 25th) 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 “05252022 Pratyahara II”]
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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### “Continue to breathe / In honor of your brother / That’s what your heart is for” ~ India.Arie (Aaron Lindsey / India.arie Simpson) ###
FTWMI: The Hardest Part (a post with links & an excerpt) May 22, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Love, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Counting the Omer, Eastertide, M. Scott Peck, Sherlock Holmes, Sigmund Freud, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing Eastertide, Counting the Omer, and/or working as a force of peace, freedom, and fulfillment (inside and outside).
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2023 and is an introduction to an earlier post (which is linked and excerpted below). Class details and links have been updated.
“Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths.* It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult-once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”
— quoted from “I: DISCIPLINE, Problems and Pain” in The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values, and Spiritual Growth by M. Scott Peck, M. D.
*Dr. Peck noted that he was essentially paraphrasing the first of the Four Noble Truths from Buddhism.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (b. 1859) and Dr. M. Scott Peck (b. 1936) had several things in common. In addition to sharing a birthday (today, May 22nd), enduring suffering during their early schooling, and earning medical degrees, they also both had a penchant for paying attention — bringing awareness to awareness. Additionally, they both used their attention to detail in ways that benefited the world.
Yes, they did it in different ways — one used fictional characters who became larger than life and one used case studies of his own life and the real life characters in his practice — and, yet, they both encouraged a habit that we also cultivate in yoga, a habit that might be the hardest part of the practice.
What is “elementary” and “difficult” at the same time? Taking a look at yourself, on and off the mat.
Svādyāya IV: Take A Look at Yourself (the “missing” Saturday post)
“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
— Sherlock Holmes
Please join me today (Wednesday, May 22nd) 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 ”05222021 Take A Look At Yourself”]
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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### “Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.” ~ Dr. Sigmund Freud ###
EXCERPT — “Svādyāya III: Being In the Middle” May 19, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Lorraine Hansberry, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Volunteer, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: Counting the Omer, Eastertide, Ernö Rubik, Johns Hopkins, Lorraine Hansberry, Malcolm X, Manipura, Muladhara, Myrrh-bearing Women, Svadhisthana, yesod
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearing Women and/or Eastertide, Counting the Omer, and/or working as a force of peace, freedom, and fulfillment (inside and outside).
“If you are curious, you’ll find the puzzles around you. If you are determined, you will solve them.”
— Ernö Rubik
In addition to being the day, in 1974, when Ernö Rubik invented the Rubik’s Cube, today is the anniversary of the birth of Johns Hopkins (b. 1795), Malcolm X (b. 1925), and Lorraine Hansberry (b. 1930). The following excerpt is from a 2021 post related to how the things that make people different are also the things we have in common:
“All three of the people profiled above shared a problem, a problem we also share: How do we create a society that lives up to its legendary origin story? We each have our experiences — which result in certain perspectives — and we each have certain gifts, which we can share with the world. To share our gifts, however, we sometimes have to understand what shapes our perspectives — and what shapes the perspectives of the people around us. To understand what shapes us, we have to go deeper into the core and how we’re all connected.”
Click on the title below for the entire post.
Svādyāya III: Being In the Middle (the “missing” Wednesday post)
Please join me for a 65-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Sunday, May 19th) 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 “05192021 Being In The Middle”]
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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### 
###
The Same Force(s) [Still] At Work (mostly the music) May 14, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Healing Stories, Karma, Life, Music, Philosophy, Riḍván, Wisdom, Yoga.Tags: Bill Moyers, Counting the Omer, George Lucas, gunas, Malchut, samskāras, The force, Tiferes, vasanas, Yoga Sutra 2.13, yoga sutra 2.18, Yoga Sutra 2.3, Yoga Sutra 4.11, Yoga Sutra 4.12, Yoga Sutra 4.13, Yoga Sutra 4.14, Yoga Sutra 4.7, Yoga Sutras 4.1-4.10
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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).
“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.”
— George Lucas (b. 05/14/1944) in the Mythology of Star Wars with George Lucas & Bill Moyers
Please join me today (Tuesday, May 14th) 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 “05142022 That Same Force”]
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.
### 🎶 ###
A Well, Well, Well(ness) Monday (a post-practice post w/excerpt for Monday) May 13, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in "Impossible" People, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Depression, Donate, Faith, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Jane Hirshfield, Julian of Norwich, Karma Yoga, Life, Love, Mantra, Mathematics, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Science, Suffering, Tragedy, Volunteer, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Alessandro Rotondo, American Psychological Association, Beau Lotto, Ciro Conversano, Counting the Omer, Eastertide, Elena Lensi, Francesca Arpone, Julian of Norwich, KISS MY ASANA, Mario Antonio Reda, mental health, Olivia Della Vista, Optimism, Our Lady of Fatima, Pessimism, Psychology Today Staff, samskaras, samskāras, vasana
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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.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“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. —optimistic adj.”
— 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
A Graceful Saturday & FTWMI: An “All Will Be Well” Wednesday
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.
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).
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!!!
### BE WELL & BE GREAT ###
The Ties That Bind (a short “renewed” post for Mother’s Day) May 12, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Dharma, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Karma Yoga, Life, Love, Maya Angelou, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Super Heroes, Volunteer, Wisdom, Women, Yoga.Tags: Ann Reeves Jarvis, Anna Marie Jarvis, Chögyam Trungpa, compassion, Counting the Omer, family, Hero's Journey, loving-kindness, lovingkindness, Martha Graham, Maya Angelou, monomyth, Mother's Day, samskāras, Shawn Rivera, sutra, The force, Tim Harford
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone observing the Second Sunday of Pascha, Counting the Omer, Buddha Jayanti, and/or working for peace (inside and outside).
“I know ten thousand women called Jane and Mary Jane
I’ve not seen any two who really were the same
(Mirror twins are different, although, their features jibe)
And lovers think quite different thoughts
While lying side by side”
— quoted from the 4th stanza* of the song (5th & 6th stanzas of the poem) “Human Family” by Maya Angelou (song by Maya Angelou / Shawn Rivera)
This following is a “renewed” and slightly revised post from 2023 (with some additional context from 2020). The first embedded link connects to the original post, entitled “The Force of the Mother.”
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the moms. No matter how you came to be a mom (or what your kiddos call you), you are a powerful force in the world and represent a powerful Force in the world. The Mother archetype is present in every life story, every healing story, and in every religious and cultural story or myth. In the monomyth (or “Hero’s Journey”), the Mother can represent life, death, and time; nurturing, nourishment, and protection; unconditional love, acceptance, and devotion; as well as unselfishness. The Mother can present as the Matriarch, as Mother Nature/Gaia, as a Fairy Godmother, or as a Divine Mother/Goddess. The Mother can be seen as the Good Mother, the Working Mother (which opens up into a whole host of other archetypes), the Stay-at-Home Mother, the Perfect Mother, the Devoted Mother. the Co-Dependent Mother, the Abusive Mother, the Abandoning Mother, the Critical Mother, or the Hovering/Helicopter Mother.
I used the word “or” for the aforementioned archetypal patterns; because, in many stories, maternal figures are often portrayed as one-dimensional. As if every Mary is the same as every Mary Jane and every Mary Jane the same as every Jane (or Jean). In real life, however, mothers can be more than one thing… simultaneously — and sometimes in ways that may seem contradictory. In real life, mothers are people: they love, they hope, they desire, they fear, they teach, and they fit into so many boxes it doesn’t even make sense to put them into a box… let alone to regulate them to a single day.
And yet, here we are… Mother’s Day in the United States.
“I hope and pray that someone, sometime, will found a memorial mother’s day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is entitled to it.”
— quoted from the end of 1876 Sunday school lesson by Ann Reeves Jarvis (words that inspired her daughter Anna Maria Jarvis)
I added that “in the United States,” because for years I willfully ignored the fact that other countries — not to mention a variety of religions — celebrate Mother’s Day at other times during the year and in very different ways than the way the observation has evolved here in the US. While I don’t know if I will ever go back to teaching on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I will continue to offer the 2020 recordings and a philosophy-based alternative recording for those who are on my Sunday mailing list (or who request a recording via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com).
Click here to check out my 2020 blog post about Mother’s Day (which lands in a special way since my mom unexpectedly passed in 2020). For a deeper dive, check out the April 28, 2023 episode of Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford – The Dark Money Behind Mother’s Day. (This link takes you to the episode on Tim Harford’s website.)
The Mother’s Day playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Mother’s Day 2020”]
“It is time for the preachers, the rabbis, the priests
Pundits and the professors
To believe in the awesome wonder of diversity
It is time for parents to teach young people early on
That in diversity, there is beauty, and there is strength
I note the obvious differences in the human family
Some of us are serious, some thrive on comedy
Some declare their lives are lived as true profundity
And others claim they really live the real reality”
— quoted from the 1st & 2nd stanzas* of the song “Human Family” by Maya Angelou (song by Maya Angelou / Shawn Rivera)
Since Mother’s Day 2024 falls on a day when I often focus on the common “threads” between different traditions, I am also sending the Sunday mailing list the practices from May 12, 2020, which feature another heart-centered (and hip-y) sequence inspired by Martha Graham.
The playlist for May 12th is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “05122020 Threads, Instructions, & Truths”]
“We are more alike, my friends,
than we are unalike.”
— quoted from the last (repeated) lines of the poem “Human Family” by Maya Angelou
*NOTE: The song “Human Family” contains the original poem written by Maya Angelou, plus additional lyrics by Maya Angelou and music by Shawn Rivera.
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).
You can still click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can also click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!)
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
I will be back on schedule (and on Zoom) tomorrow. Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### AUM ###
Healing and Dreaming on the 8th (the “missing” post) May 10, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Donate, Faith, Gandhi, Gratitude, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Love, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Volunteer, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 93 Harbi, al-Burda, Battle of Solferino and San Martino, Bhagavad Gita, Bright Wednesday, chesed, Counting the Omer, Geneva Conventions, gevurah, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, Henry Dunant, Ibrāhīm ibn Muḥammad al-Bājūrī, Imam al-Busiri of Egypt, International Committee of the Red Cross, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Jack Hawley, Jean-Henri Dunant, Julian of Norwich, Ka’b ibn Zuhayr, kabbalah, Love, Muscular Christianity, Nobel Peace Prize, Red Crescent, Red Cross, Red Crystal, Red Sun and Lion, Russo-Turkish War, Sami Yusuf, Shaden M. Tageldin, symbolism, The Gospel According to John, tiferet, White Lotus Day, World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day
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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).
You can still click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can also click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!)
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
“‘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.
A Joyful Practice 