In The Middle of “The Wild Things” & EXCERPT: “Here Be The Wild Things” (the “missing” Tuesday post) June 10, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, California, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Love, Meditation, Music, One Hoop, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, addiction, Alcoholics Anonymous, Anne Smith, Bill Wilson, Bonnie Taylor-Blake, Christopher Walken, Dr. Bob Smith, Joseph Campbell, Jyeshtha Purnima, Maurice Sendak, mental health, PRIDE, Quote Investigator, Sir Austen Chamberlain, Terry Gross, Third Day of the Holy Trinity
add a comment
Happy Pride!
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating festivals associated with Jyeshtha Purnima, Pride, and/or the Third Day of the Holy Trinity.
This is a “missing” compilation post for Tuesday, June 10th, which includes a date-related excerpt. Some links will direct you to websites other than this blog.
You can request an audio recording of this practice or a previous 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.
“The earliest strong match known to QI appeared in a March 1936 newspaper report in ‘The Yorkshire Post’ of West Yorkshire, England. The expression was used in a speech by an influential British statesman.
Sir Austen Chamberlain, addressing the annual meeting of Birmingham Unionist Association last night, spoke of the ‘grave injury’ to collective security by Germany’s violation of the Treaty of Locarno.
Sir Austen, who referred to himself as ‘a very old Parliamentarian,’ said:—”
“‘…. We move from one crisis to another. We suffer one disturbance and shock after another.’”
— quoted from the December 18, 2015, Quote Investigator post, “Quote Origin: May You Live In Interesting Times” (with credit to “top researcher Bonnie Taylor-Blake”)
The other day I asked a question — “What are we doing?” — and noted that intonation (and adding a few choice words) can change the context. So, today, I am very much asking with a certain tone (and some choice words): “What in the ever-loving world are we doing?”
People might use the old adage and say we are “living in interesting times”. I’m going to say that we are in the middle of wild times and in the middle of wild things. So, the next question I want to ask you is, “What do you do when you’re in the middle of wild things”?
That last question, like my other questions, can be taken in different ways and will have different answers depending on how you react when your sympathetic nervous system is activated. Some people immediately fight (and that means different things to different people). Some people freeze up or collapse. Some people flee. While all of these very natural reactions are activated by our sympathetic nervous system, they can manifest in different ways. For instance, some people fight the with joy or other positive emotional expressions (like a little bit of random fun and silliness). Some people use prayers, mediation, plus rituals and traditions to battle whatever plagues them or those they love.
This year, Jyeshtha Purnima started today (June 10th) and runs through June 11th. This “elder” full moon is dedicated to Vishnu and is one of the most auspicious “moon days” in some Hindu traditions. It falls in the month of Jyeshtha, which some consider sacred to the Goddess Ganges (who is the embodiment of forgiveness, purification, and the river Ganges). In addition to a procession and ritual bathing ceremony in the Ganges, people will pray and meditate; make a puja (“offering”); and also donate to charities. This is a particularly auspicious time for married women — some of whom will pray and wrap thread around a banyan to ensure good health and good fortune for their husbands.
It is important to keep in mind that our sympathetic nervous systems can be activated when we are physically in the wild space (where wild things are happening), and/or when we mentally and emotionally find ourselves in the wild space, from viewing wild things on television, hearing things on the radio, or reading and/or viewing something on social media. All of our nervous systems are being activate.
So again, the question is, what do we do when we’re in the middle of the wild things? What do you (specifically) do? What allows you to respond more like Wayman Tisdale than Cole Porter?
And, don’t take this as me being flippant; because, I am absolutely serious when I suggest that you go a little deeper into your knee jerk response(s) and notice what you do when you find yourself “where the wild things are” — and what it takes for you to be like Max (and become the “most wild thing of all”).
“‘And now,’ cried Max, ‘let the wild rumpus start!’”
— quoted from Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Today is the anniversary of the birth of children’s book author and illustrator Maurice Sendak (b. 1928) and the anniversary of the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous (in 1935). The excerpted post includes passing references to mental health issues and addiction.
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT TITLE BELOW FOR MORE.
FTWMI: Here Be The Wild Things (a post-practice Monday re-post)
“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
As noted in the excerpted post, it is important to have a sacred space when battling things and people that push you off center. 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.
“There should be a place where only the things you want to happen, happen.”
— quoted from Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
Tuesday’s 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!
Practice Note: Since I changed the narrative for this year’s practice, I did not include the story about Maurice Sendak’s correspondence with a young fan (courtesy of the child’s mother). You can find the story (and a little history about the story) on the Truth of Fiction? website.
“GROSS: Well, I’m so glad you have a new book. I’m really glad we had a chance to talk.
SENDAK: I am too.
GROSS: And I wish you all good things.
SENDAK: I wish you all good things. Live your life, live your life, live your life.”
— quoted from the NPR Fresh Air interview “Maurice Sendak: On Life, Death And Children’s Lit” with Terry Gross and Maurice Sendak (originally aired September 20, 2011)
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!” ###
The Same Force(s) [Always] At Work (mostly the music, blessings, & excerpts) May 14, 2025
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Karma Yoga, Life, Movies, Music, One Hoop, Philosophy, Religion, Volunteer, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: 988, Bill Moyers, Claudia Gray, Counting the Omer, Force, George Lucas, Hero's Journey, J. W. Rinzler, Joseph Campbell, KISS MY ASANA, Mid-Pentecost or Prepolovenie, mythology, OM, Star Wars, The force
add a comment
Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating Counting the Omer, and/or observing the Mid-Pentecost or Prepolovenie.
“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
George Lucas was born today in 1944.
Click on the excerpt titles below (in “story order”) for posts about the new ways this director, writer, producer, and philanthropist tells an old myth (and how it applies to the practice).
“Great evil can only be fought by the strong. People need spiritual fuel as much as they need food, water, and air. Happiness, love, joy, hope — these are the emotions that give us the strength to do what we need to do.”
— quoted from Star Wars: Leia, Princess of Alderaan by Claudia Gray
“Yes, everybody can do it…. It’s just the Jedi who take the time to do it…. Like yoga. If you want to take the time to do it, you can do it; but the ones that really want to do it are the ones who are into that kind of thing. Also like karate.”
— George Lucas answering questions in a Return of the Jedi story conference, July 13 – 17, 1981 (quoted in The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by J. W. Rinzler (2013)
Please join me today (Wednesday, May 14th) 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 “05142022 That Same Force”]
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.)
You can still click here to Kiss My Asana Now! (Or, you can still also click here to join my team and get people to kiss [your] asana!)
### AUM ###
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
add a comment
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 ###
The Grace of Knowing [Where the Wild Things Are] (mostly the music and a “wild” excerpt) June 10, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Art, Books, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Life, Music, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Christopher Walken, Hero's Journey, Joseph Campbell, Maurice Sendak, monomyth, Shastra, shastra kripa, Vihari-Lal Mitra, Wayman Tisdale, Yoga Vasishtha
add a comment
Happy Pride! Many blessings to all!!
“24. Take the purport of my discourse in such manner, as to leave out what is unintelligible, and lay hold on its substance; as the swan separates and sucks the milk which is mixed with water.
25. Ponder upon it repeatedly, and consider it well in thy mind, and go on in this way to conduct yourself in life (viz by suppression of your desires, weakening the mind, restraining the breathing, and acquiring of knowledge).
26. By going on in this manner, you are sure to evade all dangers; or else you must fall ere long like the heavy elephant, in some pitfall of the Vindhya mountain. (Pitfalls are the only means of catching elephants).
27. If you do not receive my words with attention, and act accordingly, you are sure to fall into the pit like a blind man left to go alone in the dark; and to be blown away like a lighted lamp, exposed in the open air.”
– quoted from (Book 6) “CHAPTER I. Description of the evening and Breaking of the Assembly.” of The Yoga-Vasishtha Maharamayana of Valmiki (translated from the original Sanskrit by VIHARI-LALA MITRA)
Here’s an excerpt from today’s date-related 2020 post:
“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?’”
Here, here be the wild things! Click here to continue reading this 2020 post.
Please join me for a 90-minute virtual yoga practice on Zoom today (Saturday, June 10th) at 12:00 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.
Since music soothes the wild beasts, the goblins, and the cooks, Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06102020 Here Be The Wild Things”]
NOTE: YouTube is the original playlist and includes the video below.
My all time favorite rendition!
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.)
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
### “I’LL EAT YOU UP!”• “I LOVE YOU!” ###
The Journey Continues… (a “long lost” Sunday post) June 5, 2023
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: Bill Moyers, Counting the Omer, George Lucas, Gina Sharpe, Harold Bloom, Joseph Campbell, Judith Suzanne Davidson Moyers, monomyth, Moses, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Shavuot, Star Wars
add a comment
This is the “long lost” post related to Sunday, June 5, 2022. It is the third post related to Bill Moyers (and the second one being posted for the first time). Links for the 2021 post are embedded below. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.)
“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 could save yourself or someone else – given the right means and opportunity; 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. Someone like Moses.
I mentioned Moses, specifically, because sunset on Saturday (June 4, 2022) marked the beginning of Shavuot. Known in English as the “Festival of Weeks,” Shavuot is the anniversary, the celebration, and the commemoration of the Jewish people receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. It occurs on the 50th day after the 2nd night of Passover – making it a moveable feast – and is the culmination of the counting of the weeks, which is observed by the Counting of the Omer. Since the 49 days of counting make up a spiritual journey of preparation, Shavuot marks the end of one journey and the beginning of a new journey. Or, you could think of it more specifically as the beginning of a new time.
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 Moses’ hero journey to the hero journey of the Buddha (or Jesus), 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.
“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, our breath is the “Supernatural Aid” that facilitates our transition from the external to the internal and then back again. 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. 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.
That mastery or stewardship 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
The playlist for this practice is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06052022 Hero(ine)’s Journey”]
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”
### Peace ###
The Last Appointment (a “long lost” Saturday post) June 5, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma, Life, Loss, Meditation, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Religion, Suffering, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: abhiniveśaḥ, Betty Sue Flowers, Bill Moyers, David Grubin, Death, Elizabeth Meryman-Brunner, George Lucas, grief, Hero's Journey, John Mellencamp, Joseph Campbell, Judith Suzanne Davidson Moyers, kriya, Matthew Sanford, R. S. Thomas, Samyama, Savasana, siddhis, yama, Yoga Sutra 2.9, Yoga Sutra 3.16, Yoga Sutra 3.23
add a comment
Pardon me as I catch up on some “long lost” posts. It looks like the first Saturday I missed in 2021 was June 5th. So, here is the “long lost” post related to Saturday, June 5th. My apologies for the delay. It is the second of three posts (so far) dedicated to Bill Moyers (and the first of two being posted for the first time). You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com. TRIGGER WARNING: This post is a philosophical exploration of death.
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.)
“Still; all that close throng
Of spirits waiting, as I,
For the message.
Prompt me, God;
But not yet. When I speak,
Though it be you who speak
Through me, something is lost.
The meaning is in the waiting.”
– quoted from the poem “Kneeling” by R. S. Thomas
Most physical practices of yoga conclude with Śavāsana (“Seat of the Corpse” or Dead Man’s Pose). I often refer to it as the final pose, even though it’s more like the penultimate pose – if you don’t count the fact that we usually roll over into a “recovery pose” before we sit up and seal in the practice (in which case it’s the third to last pose). I don’t do them often, but I especially appreciate practices where there is more than one moment to lie down and be still. On the flip side, I know people who say they only come for Śavāsana. Then there are those people who habitually skip Śavāsana (not because they can’t lie down on their backs, but because they don’t like the stillness and the silence). How ever you look at it, though, there is symbolism in the practice and so that moment, lying in stillness, is an important part of the practice for several reasons. Some people say it is THE most important part of the practice. It’s a moment to rest and digest what we’ve done/accomplished. It also marks the “death” of our practice. It’s a moment when we let go of everything we’ve done and everything we could have done. It is also, depending on your beliefs, a moment of waiting.
Waiting… for what comes next.
We can get super metaphysical, religious, and/or spiritual about what comes next. Since the Yoga Philosophy comes to us by way of India, we could even get into the fact that – for someone who believes in reincarnation – Śavāsana marks an ending and a beginning. Or, we can just stick to the simplest reality, which is that what comes next is this present moment, right here and right now, or… no more moments (at least as we know them). Those options are a great starting point for meditation. So, bring your awareness to this present moment and, on another existential level, bring your awareness to how you’re engaging the gift that is this present moment.
ATHA [Sanskrit] – Here or Now, often used at the beginning of a story or sacred text, such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sūtras, to indicate an “auspicious moment” and a beginning that is the culmination of previous trainings, teachings, moments, and/or preparation.
Saying that that we call it the “present” (in English), because it is a gift may be one of those trite, pithy sayings that some people are sick of hearing. But, the statement is also a reminder that this time we have been given is not promised. It’s also a reminder that, once it’s gone, we never get it back. There will never be a moment like this exact moment. Even if you do something more than once, it’s never exactly the same – if for no other reason than that you’ve done it before and that, in and of itself, makes things different: your brain is different, your experiences are different. You are different. So, as trite as the statement may be, it can bring awareness to how we spend our time.
In the Yoga Sūtras, Patanjali spent a lot of time talk about how the mind works and how we can work the mind. His treatise can help us understand the sheer power of the mind/brain, the power of the mind-body-spirit connection, and how we can use all of that power to alleviate three-fold suffering (physical, mental, and spiritual). Of course, to really understand how everything comes together, we have to understand the nature of our suffering. So, just as the Buddha would do, Patanjali sketched out a road map to – and away from – suffering. This road map moves through five afflicted/dysfunctional thought patterns, beginning with avidyā (“ignorance”) and leading straight to abhiniveśaḥ (which is often translated as “fear of death/loss”). In truth, that last afflicted/dysfunctional thought pattern is literally a desire for and attachment to this life we are living, even when/though it is a life of suffering. While avidyā is the bedrock of the thoughts and behaviors that lead to suffering, abhiniveśaḥ is the culmination and the fruit. Or, you can think of it as the end.
Yoga Sūtra 2.9: svarasavāhī viduṣo‘pi tathārūḍho’bhiniveśaḥ
– “Fear of death carries its own essence and rides [the consciousness] of even the wise.”
An alternate variation of Yoga Sūtra 2.9: svarasavāhī viduṣo ‘pi samārūḍho ‘bhiniveśaḥ
– “Flowing through its own nature, and established even in the learned, is the clinging to life.”
Ah, yes, Death.
It’s interesting to note that there are (at least) two different variations of this sūtra (in Sanskrit) and that the translations and commentaries from various scholars range from an emphasis on the fear to an emphasis on the clinging/attachment and from an emphasis on death to an emphasis on life. In either case, there are two consistent factors: (1) things change and (2) it is human nature not to like change. The subtext, of course, is that no matter how wise you are; how learned you how are; how rich, powerful, and/or beautiful you are, you have an appointment with Death. We all do. In fact, it doesn’t matter if we have a digital calendar, an analog calendar, or if we just keep events in your head, it is our final appointment.
Ancient philosophers, like Patanjali and the Buddha, are not the only ones who have contemplated this final appointment. Modern philosophers, anthropologists, psychiatrists, and teachers, like those interviewed the 2003 documentary Flight from Death: The Quest for Immortality, have also considered our relationship with this final appointment. In fact, the documentary focused on research showing how the very human fear of death manifests as xenophobic behaviors that mirror the two different translations of Yoga Sūtra 2.9. Even subtle reminders, like this blog post, can cause some people to cling to those they love and cause others to lash out (sometimes violently) at those they perceive as being different from them. Overt, violent, and/or unexpected reminders can produce extreme manifestations of these two types of behavior.
Storytellers from many different cultures have played around with the idea that we can escape (or reschedule) death. Every year during Diwali, I tell the story of the clever wife who saves her husband from Yama (in the guise of a snake) by lighting up the bedroom and singing songs and telling stories all night. It is similar to the story of Scheherazade, who tells the king 1,000 stories over 1,001 nights in order to save her own life. Another very popular variation on this theme is the story of a servant (or sometimes it’s a business person or a rich and powerful person) who tries to escape when their in the marketplace and they see Death making a threatening gesture. Only later, the reader learns, Death was just shopping (or, perhaps, there for someone else) and was simply startled because they didn’t expect to the servant until another time… and in another place.
There’s no escaping it. In fact, from the moment we are born and take our first breath, we are on a journey towards death and our last breath. We just don’t know when it’s going to happen. Would you want to know? Would knowing change the way you handled your other “appointments” or the manner in which you engage other people you encounter?
For some, the answer to the first question is absolutely not. Still, there’s no denying that having a time limit, as it were, will change some behaviors. Just thinking about the possibility causes some people to metaphorically stop living and causes others to live each day as if it is their last – even though, in most cases, they “know” that it is not and so there’s a little cognitive dissonance there. For those, however, who would like to know the date and time of their last appointment, there’s a yoga sūtra for that.
Yoga Sūtra 3.23: sopakramaṃ nirupakramaṃ ca karma tatsaṃyamādaparāntajñānamariṣñebhyo vā
– “Karma is of two kinds — soon to come to fruition and late to come to fruition. By making Samyana on these, or by the signs called Arishta, portents, the Yogis know the exact time of separation from their bodies.”
Remember, karma is a Sanskrit word that means “work,” “effort,” or “action.” It refers to everything we think, say, and do, as well everything we experience. Or, more accurately, it refers to everything we thought, said, did, and experienced. Because, unlike kriya – which is similarly translated into English – karma specifically refers to the effect of work/effort/action completed in the past. Hence, we often think of karma as a seed that has been planted. It can take root, it can blossom, and it can grow – regardless of if it results in a fruit tree, a root vegetable, a shade true, a flower, a bush, or an unsightly weed. The key here is to remember that not everything grows the same way and/or at the same rate. Some things are like the Chinese bamboo tree. Other things are like night-blooming jasmine or cherry blossoms.
If we look at the idea of karma from the perspective of reincarnation, then our actions in this lifetime determine our next lifetime. If we look at it through the lens of some Abrahamic religious traditions, then our actions in this lifetime determine if we go to heaven or “hell” or some form of purgatory. More often than not, I tend to look at karma through a more immediate lens – that is to say, how have our past actions determined this present moment and how do our actions in this present moment inform our future moments? According the Yoga Sūtra 3.16, if we apply samyama – the combined force of focus plus concentration plus meditation – to three kinds of changes, we gain knowledge of the past and the future. By that same token, if we apply samyama to certain signs (related to our actions), we will know the exact moment of our death. Again, you could look at this in relation to past lives and reincarnation; however, it is much easier to grasp Patanjali’s intention when we focus on the here and now, this present moment.
Go deeper still and you will find that the things to which we must pay attention are specifically “warning signs.” The instruction in Yoga Sūtra 3.23 is to focus-concentrate-meditate on signs of something bad, calamitous, distressing, wretched, and even evil. In some ways it’s like the ancient version of “if you see something, say something.” So, in the natural world, we could look at things that don’t grow as expected; scavengers that circle around dying prey; flooding; and/or draught. Patanjali, though, was emphasizing contemplation and introspection that leads to how we show up in the world. It’s “when you see something, do something.” In other words, turn inward and notice how some of your thoughts, words, deeds, and experiences are signs and/or roots of demise, decay, suffering, and destruction. Again, turn inward in order to turn outward.
“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)
Ideally, we are all living life in a way that reflects our beliefs. The reality, however, is that we sometimes compromise our beliefs because our actions contradict them and/or because our fear of failure – which can manifest in a lot of different ways – freezes us in limbo. It can happen in the most subtle and insidious ways: We hang around someone who is constantly saying, “I don’t know,” (even when they do); then we get in the habit of saying, “I don’t know,” (even when we do); and suddenly we find we have abdicated our own expertise and given up our opportunities. Somehow, being reminded that we have a limited amount of time in these mind-bodies, flips the script. We start thinking about our legacy and how we will be remembered. We start re-aligning our mind-body-spirit and our thoughts, words, and deeds.
Think about it: What would you do (or not do) if you knew you only had a day, a week, a month, or a year or two? Yes, of course, some time would be spent coming to grips with the change in your circumstances – or, really, the change in your awareness of your circumstances. At some point you would go through all, some, or most of the stages of grief – maybe more than once. But, then what? Does knowing how much (or how little) time we have with our mind-body change the way we engage our mind-body? It must, right? I mean, for most people, that sense of urgency creates a shift in priorities. But, when (or how) does the general awareness of our temporal nature change the way we spend our time? When or how do we live as if we are dying? Do we only cherish our lives when we are confronted with death?
Questions about life and death, faith and reason, and the stories we tell about our lives and our beliefs inevitably come up when people talk to Bill Moyers, who was born in Hugo Oklahoma on June 5, 1934. Primarily raised in Marshall, Texas, Bill Moyers is more than a journalist. He is also an ordained minister who 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.
Intimacy and vulnerability are two of the beautiful and amazing attributes found in Bill Moyers work. For example, in the introduction to the book Healing and the Mind, he wrote about the seemingly contradictory things he grew up hearing, his brother’s death, the way his father reacted to his brother’s death, and the way he (Bill Moyers) reacted to his father’s reaction. What he shared highlighted the mind-body connection and explained his own fascination with the power of that connection. His observations and insights can be a jumping off point for anyone who wants to explore their own connection to life, death, healing, living, and dying, as well as their connections to other people.
“All my life I’ve prayed the Lord’s Prayer, but I’ve never prayed, ‘Give me this day my daily bread.’ It is always, ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ Bread and life are shared realities. They do not happen in isolation.”
– from “Pass the Bread,” baccalaureate address at Hamilton College (20 May 2006), as quoted in “Moyers on Democracy” by Bill Moyers
Lots of people have had different views and philosophies about the best way to live (and even the best way to live while dying). The ancient stoics believed in acknowledging what was, in any given moment; accepting their circumstances; and then making the most of the situation. Modern stoicism has interpreted this to mean that one should stuff down and/or ignore their emotions, but that often leads to mental and emotional instability. On the flip side, old-fashioned stoicism emphasized being content, happy, even joyful (depending on what that means to you in this moment) within a given fate. To be “independently happy,” requires philosophical and emotional stability that supports your through anything. It requires a foundation of faith that can be applied to any situation. On a certain level, it requires a story – a certain kind of “healing story,” as Matthew Sanford calls them,” which is a story that makes sense of every situation within which we find ourselves.
As a society, as communities, and as individuals, we all have stories that bring us comfort, especially in challenging and troubling times, and we use those stories to make sense of the world (especially in challenging and troubling times). Our stories explain why we do the things we do or don’t do the things we don’t do. Our stories are the way our brains create certainty where there is uncertainty, reason when there seems to be no reason. Since most people fear the unknown, and fear can be our strongest (and most motivating) emotion, our stories create something known out of the unknown. Philosophy, religion, science are all different ways that we tell these stories. Sometimes, we even have stories about not having stories – or not believing someone else’s stories.
“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)
The details may be different; however, we ultimately have the same story that moves through the same cycle or journey. It’s the hero’s journey that Joseph Campbell outlined in books like The Hero with a Thousand Faces and that Bill Moyers discussed with him and with George Lucas during visits to Skywalker Ranch. Part of that journey is fear of the unknown and grief over what the hero(ine) has lost by leaving the “Ordinary World” and “Crossing the Threshold” (both coming and going). Another part of the of the journey is the “Apotheosis,” which is a moment of death. This can be a physical death and a period of time where the protagonists “lives in spirit” or it can be the death of one’s ego. It is a divine state of being, a moment infused with knowledge, love, compassion, and bliss – which, through the existential philosophy lens, is the exact opposite of the lives we are currently living… the very state of being to which we cling with all of our being.
Moving beyond the “Apotheosis” results in receiving/earning the “Ultimate Boon” and marks the beginning of the end of the journey. Once we reach this point in our story, it is time to return to the “Ordinary World.” Only, when we return, everything is different; we are different. As Patanjali points out in the Yoga Sūtra 2.20-2.26, once we realize certain things, we cannot un-see them; once we reach a certain point in our practice, we achieve great powers (the siddhis) and attain a previously unexperienced freedom. This freedom is freedom from ignorance and freedom from suffering, which means it is also freedom from fear.
How would you spend your time if you were fearless? How would you live your life? What risks would you take? What risks would not make sense? How would you treat your mind-body and the mind-bodies around you?
Note that while there are certain individuals in society who are described as having no conscience – and, therefore, no fear – these individuals are not concerned with moral and/or ethical consequences. They only focus on cause and effect as it relates to “winning” or besting someone. This is not wholesome, skillful, or functional. In fact, it is the exact opposite. Remember, the hero’s “Ultimate Boon” is not only something that serves the individual who achieves/earns it, it is something that serves their whole community.
“Our very lives depend on the ethics of strangers, and most of us are always strangers to other people.”
– Bill Moyers
Saturday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “06052021 The Last Appointment”]
I normally take a different path on this date (but it is the same journey). Or, click here for my 2022 post “The Journey Continues…”
“[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)
### “Your life is now / in this undiscovered moment” ~ JM ###
Callings & Purpose-Driven Lives (this is the “missing” Wednesday post) April 9, 2023
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Faith, Healing Stories, Hope, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Love, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Passover, Peace, Philosophy, Ramadan, Religion, Suffering, Wisdom, Women, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Anthony of Sourozh, Counting the Omer, Diane K. Osbon, Exodus, Fast of the Firstborn, Feast of Unleavened Bread, Feast of Weeks, Gospel According to Matthew, Gospel of Judas, Great Lent, Great Wednesday, Great Week, Holy Wednesday, Holy Week, Joseph Campbell, Lent / Great Lent, Ma Nishtana, Mark M. Mattison, monomyth, Nahshon, Oxford English Dictionary, Passion of the Christ, Passion Wednesday, Passion Week, Passover, Pesach, Pope Francis, Ramadan, Ramadān, Robert Walter, Safron Rossi PhD, seder, Shemot, Spy Wednesday, Stuart Chase, svādhyāya, The Gospel According to John, The Gospel According to Luke, The Gospel According to Mark, The Gospel According to Matthew
add a comment
“Chag Sameach!” to everyone celebrating Passover and/or Counting the Omer! Blessings to anyone observing Palm Sunday during Great Lent or Easter! “Ramadān Mubarak, Blessed Ramadān!” to anyone who is observing the holy month of Ramadān.
This is the “missing” post for Wednesday, April 5th. It is a little comparative analysis related to the story of Exodus and the Passion story. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email me at myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es). Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.)
“To refuse the call
means stagnation.
You enter the forest
at the darkest point,
where there is no path.
Where there is a way or path,
it is someone else’s path.
You are not on your own path.
If you follow someone else’s way,
you are not going to realize
your potential.”
– quoted from “In the Field” in A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living by Joseph Campbell (edited by Robert Walter, Conceived by Diane K. Osbon)
Technically speaking, Joseph Campbell was a professor of literature. His Bachelor of Arts degree was in English and his Master of Arts degree was in medieval literature. But, he also studied languages, philosophy, and religion and he became known for his research and teachings about comparative mythology and comparative religion. In The Hero with a Thousand Faces (published in 1949), he theorized that every mythic story (including every folk story and every religious story) in the world was just a variation of a single story: a monomyth. His conclusion was based on shared elements and a common order of events. The order and the elements can be broken down into seventeen (17) stages that fall within three categories.
These categories of separation, initiation, and return – as well as the seventeen stages within – can be found in our lives, just as they are found in the stories that some people commemorate throughout their lives. While I have highlighted all the steps on other occasions,* this year I felt “called” to highlight just a few elements and stages that show up in the stories people commemorate during Holy Week (also known as Passion Week or Great Week) and during Passover. First, we have to identify the hero – which may not always be as obvious as modern movies make it out to be – and, if there is a hero/protagonist, there will be an antagonist (or two) who is often in a position of authority and some kind of confrontation and reckoning. There is also a calling, a purpose – even though the protagonist may not always know it or understand it – and a refusal to answer the call. Then there is some supernatural (or magical) aid; trials and tribulations; a goddess (who represents “all-powerful, all encompassing, unconditional love”); temptation; apostasis (a death of some kind); and the ultimate boon (something beneficial) that can in some way be shared with the world.
Variations of the details within the following comparison have been posted in different contexts. An index of the earlier posts appears at the bottom of this post.
“For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who do not believe, no proof is possible.”
– attributed to Stuart Chase
We’ve hit that auspicious and holy time on the calendar(s) when all of the Abrahamic religious traditions (and several traditions outside of those religions) are engaged in sacred celebrations and rituals that are tied to suffering and the end of suffering. Wednesday, April 5, 2023, was a particularly significant time as it simultaneously marked the last week of Lent, which is also Passiontide (in Western Christianity); the penultimate week of Great Lent (in Orthodox Christianity); the beginning of the third week of the holy month of Ramadān (in Islām); and the beginning of Passover (in Jewish communities). Outside of the Abrahamic religions, some communities also started celebrations for Hanuman Jayanti (which was on Thursday).
As I previously mentioned, in reference to a question from my brother, it is not a coincidence that so many holy obligations are happening at the same time even though different faiths use different calendars. While how the holidays overlap on the Gregorian calendar is different from year to year, the fact that they overlap is significant and relevant, because the stories of Exodus and the story of Jesus’ last week are connected – and, on Wednesday, we focused on some of those connections. Specifically, we focused on the story of Holy/Passion Wednesday, also known as Spy Wednesday during both practices and, during the evening practice, we also focused on the story of Passover, which started on Wednesday at sunset.
Stories (& Back Stories)
“What makes this night different from all [other] nights?
1) On all nights we need not dip even once, on this night we do so twice?
2) On all nights we eat chametz or matzah, and on this night only matzah?
3) On all nights we eat any kind of vegetables, and on this night maror?
4) On all nights we eat sitting upright or reclining, and on this night we all recline?”
– The Four Questions (“Ma Nishtana”)
How is this practice different from all the other practices? Good question. It is a question you can ask before any practice. It is also a question that sounds a lot like “The Four Questions” traditionally asked by the youngest person at a Passover Seder. The word seder is a Hebrew word that means “order” or “arrangement,” and it refers to the ritual feast people in the Jewish community have on the first night of Passover (or first two nights for Orthodox and Conservative communities outside of Israel). The meal is a symbolic celebration of the Exodus story, which is the story of how the Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt. Really, the meal is the story – beginning with the questions, which are also symbolic.
Passover, which is also called Pesach and The Feast of Unleavened Bread, is considered a spring festival. In ancient times, it was directly connected to the harvesting and offering of barley – which was the first grain to ripen and harvest in the Holy Land. For seven days (eight days for the Orthodox and Conservative communities, especially in the diaspora), people commemorate the story of Exodus, which is a story of faith. The ritual observation actually begins before the Passover Seder, with the removal of chametz (“leavening”), as it is forbidden to consume, keep, or own chametz during Passover. Some forms or chametz will be burned; other forms can be given away or even sold. Keep in mind that the agents of “rising” or fermentation are not forbidden – in fact, wine is a required part of the celebration. However, the action of rising is symbolic and part of the story (2. where the Jews have to flee so fast their bread doesn’t have time to rise.)
Another part of the story and another ritual that occurs before the Passover Seder is the Fast of the Firstborn, which falls on the day before the evening of the Passover Seder (with adjustments made when Passover begins on a Saturday night – which is the end of the Sabbath). Again, this is a symbolic element of the story as first-born sons (and “newborn” sons) play critical roles in the Exodus story (as you will see below).
The observation of Passover is the link between the two observations, because, historically speaking, Jesus was a Jewish teacher or rabbi, who returned home to Jerusalem for Passover. The Gospel According to Saint John (12:1) is the only New Testament gospel that specifically refers to Passover as a reference point for the beginning of the last week of Jesus’ life. However, all four of the canonical gospels mention preparation for the festival, feast, or first day (depending on the translation) of “Unleavened Bread” and describe a jubilant and memorable moment where Jesus rode into town on a donkey (a symbol of peace) and was greeted by people who honored him by laying down palm fronds (and possibly coats) to cover his path. In Christian communities, Palm Sunday or Passion Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent and marks Christians’ final preparation for Easter.
The Heroes/Protagonists & Their Callings
“The Lord saw that he had turned to see, and God called to him from within the thorn bush, and He said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am!’”
– Shemot – Exodus 3:4
In some ways, both Moses and Jesus were born to be the heroes. However, to fit Joseph Campbell’s criteria, they must have a “call to adventure:” something that separates them from their mundane, everyday existence and propels them into a mystical experience. The call is the first of three (or four, depending on how you count) stages that mark a separation from community. In some ways, Moses had two separations before he heard the call. In some ways, Jesus was always separated; however, there is a point where he is specifically called out (i.e., betrayed and denied).
According to Shemot / Exodus, an Egyptian pharaoh first oppressed and then enslaved the Jewish people. He also ordered all Hebrew newborn sons to be killed. For a while, the midwives and the Jewish mothers circumvented Pharaoh’s order. Then, he ordered all the newborn sons to be thrown in the river. Jochebed, Moses’ birth mother, hid her son for three months. Then, she very cleverly placed him in a basket in the river and sent her daughter, Miriam, to watch the baby in the basket. When Pharaoh’s daughter scooped up the baby – who she would eventually name “Moses… ‘For I drew him from the water’” – Miriam offered to secure a wet nurse (who was, of course, Jochebed, their mother). In this way, Moses grew up as the Pharaoh’s grandson and, also, grew up knowing he was Jewish. This was the first separation (and the first return).
At the age of 40, Moses stepped in to protect a Jewish man who was being beaten by an Egyptian and had to flee his home. This was the second separation. When he was 80, he received his “calling.” Now, we could say that Moses was called earlier (see earlier separations), but there is no denying what happened when G-d (in the form of the burning bush) commanded him to return to Egypt and speak to Pharaoh about freeing the Jewish people. Because he had lived a lifetime (40 years) and established a home in Midian, the return to Egypt is the second return and the third separation (if you’re counting). Theoretically, Moses was also 80 when he received the Torah, G-d’s truth for his people, and he was 120 when he died – but that’s a story for a different day.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
– quoted from The Gospel According to John (3:16, NIV)
Christians believe that Jesus was born with and for a specific purpose – and that, unlike Moses, he was aware of this purpose and his calling. According to all four canonical gospels of the New Testament, Jesus spent a period of time in the desert and then spent the last week of his life preparing for Passover (and for what he knew was coming, in terms of the Crucifixion and Resurrection). The Gospels also indicate that Jesus spent that time preparing his disciples. Three of the four indicate that what Christians (and artists) refer to as the “Last Supper” was actually a Passover Seder. While most Christians do not have a Passover Seder, they do commemorate this preparation time through the observations of Lent and Great Lent.
Supernatural/Magical Aid
“And He said, ‘For I will be with you, and this is the sign for you that it was I Who sent you. When you take the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’”
– Shemot / Exodus 3:12
“God said to Moses, ‘Ehyeh asher ehyeh (I will be what I will be),’ and He said, ‘So shall you say to the children of Israel, “Ehyeh (I will be) has sent me to you.’””
– Shemot / Exodus 3:14
According to Joseph Campbell’s paradigm, every hero(ine) encounters a supernatural or magical aid when they begin their journey. This aid often helps navigate the transition between the known and the unknown and also aids in the transition back to the regular world once the mission is complete and the ultimate boon has been acquired/achieved. In the Bible stories, this aid comes in multiple forms. First, aid comes in a purely Spiritual/Divine form – and the hand or power of God (and the Holy Spirit) are explicitly detailed in both stories. Second, aid comes in the form of other people.
Both stories are full of what some might consider coincidences, but they are also full of “open miracles” and signs of the power of God. If we are skeptical, we can ignore Moses’ lineage and consider it a coincidence that he survived Pharaoh’s orders to kill all the newborn Hebrew sons. It may also seem like a wild coincidence that his life unfolded as it did. But, then there’s the burning bush that called him and showed him how his staff could become a snake. There’s also the fact that Aaron received a call to meet his brother Moses. Finally, there are all the different signs that the Pharaoh considered to be nothing more than magic: Aaron’s staff becoming a snake; the Ten Plagues (blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts in the streets, pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, day(s) of darkness, and the death of the first born male child); the fact that the tenth plague “passed over” the Jewish people; the fact that the river parted; and, finally, that the people were sustained in the desert. One critical – but not often highlighted – aspect of the Ten Plagues is that they not only started on command, they also ended on command.
In Christianity, Jesus is the supernatural and the aid (as I note below). His very nature is more… super. Throughout the New Testament gospels, the disciples detailed “open miracles” performed by Jesus – especially during the period of time that is commemorated by the Lenten season.
People in both stories were required to have faith in order to be saved and released from their suffering. Faith is, in this case, the magic or supernatural element. Through their faith, Miriam and Aaron served as aids who assisted Moses (as did the Pharaoh’s daughter). Additionally, the people in the Passover story were told that the most have faith and follow the instructions of G-d in order to to be passed over and saved. Remember, not everyone celebrated the first Passover – neither did everyone flee when given the opportunity. The Midrash, talmudic commentary, describes the assistance of Nahshon, who believed that G-d would save the Jewish people and, therefore, waded into the water.
Trials and Tribulations
Passion (noun): 1. [mass noun] strong and barely controllable emotion; 1.2 intense sexual love; 1.3 [in singular] an intense desire or enthusiasm for something; 2. (the Passion) The suffering and death of Jesus.
Origin: Middle English: from Old French; from late Latin passio(n-), from Latin pati- “suffer”
– from Oxford Dictionaries
The first big piece of suffering within the story of Shemot / Exodus is the oppression and enslavement of the Jewish people. Then, there is Pharaoh’s edict. We can debate how much (or little) Moses suffered before he intervened and had to flee; but, there is no question that the Jewish people suffered nine of the Ten Plagues, right along with the Egyptians. In the monomyth outline, the series of trials and tests are challenges one has to overcome in order to be transformed. In the story of Exodus, the Jewish people were told to have faith. Part of that faith involved envisioning, and also celebrating, freedom that had not yet come. That was the whole point of the first Seder, which actually happened before the exodus. The moment when Pharaoh’s heart hardened again, and the Jewish people were stuck between the Egyptian army and the raging water of the sea, is another example of a test.
The trials and tribulations related to Holy/Passion/Great Week are multiple. First, there is the passion (or suffering) associated with Jesus being born into a human body and therefore experiencing the suffering that is associated with being human. Then there is the passion narrative, which is chronicled in the Gospels as the last week of Jesus’ life. Events described as “the Passion of Jesus” and/or as “the Passion of the Christ” may include everything beginning with the events of Lazarus Saturday, Palm Sunday, and the cleansing of the temple all the way through the betrayal, crucifixion, death, and resurrection – or may only include the anointing of Jesus; the Last Supper; the agony of Jesus; the betrayal; and Jesus’ arrest, trials before the Sanhedrin and before Pilate; as well as the crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. To be clear, the passion or suffering described includes that of the disciples and of Mary (his mother) and the other people Jesus met along the Via Dolorosa.
The Goddess(es)
“People often think of the Goddess as a fertility deity only. Not at all—she’s the muse. She’s the inspirer of poetry. She’s the inspirer of the spirit. So, she has three functions: one, to give us life; two, to be the one who receives us in death; and three, to inspire our spiritual, poetic realization.”
– quoted from “Chapter 1. Myth and the Feminine Divine: Th Goddess as Nature” in Goddesses: Mysteries of the Feminine Divine by Joseph Campbell (edited and with a forward by Safron Rossi, PhD)
The Goddess of the monomyth is also depicted as the temptress. She represents all-powerful, all encompassing, unconditional love. It is love that is described as “love that a fortunate infant may experience with his or her mother.” In the story of Exodus, Jochebed, Miriam, all the midwives, and even Pharaoh’s daughter exhibit the characteristics of the goddess. Moses’ wife might also be considered a goddess of the story.
If you think of this type of love in the context of Christianity, you might immediately think of the Virgin Mary – which is fair and true. However, in the context of the Passion Story, there were several women who showed Jesus (and others) great love and compassion. One woman, in particular, is usually unnamed, but she is notable in the Gospels specifically because of the way she loves (and expresses her love) for Jesus – and because her part of the story is critical to the way events unfolded.
In the Gospel According to Luke (7:36 – 50), Jesus was having what might be described as a luxurious dinner (because he was “reclining”) when a woman who had a sinful past washed his feet with her tears and hair. Then, she poured expensive oil from an expensive alabaster jar onto his feet. This incident took place in the home of a Pharisee named Simon and the woman is not identified by name. In the Gospel According to Matthew (26:6 – 13) and the Gospel According to Mark (14:3 – 9) the incident – or a similar incident – took place in Bethany at the home of Simon the Leper and the oil is poured over his head (but there there is no mention of tears and hair). Here, again, the woman is not identified; however, all three synoptic gospels indicate that the woman “came,” which could be interpreted as meaning that she did not live in the home.
The indicated timelines, as well as the different locations, also lead some to believe that these may be different events. Some traditions identify the woman (or women) as Mary Magdalene – and that misrepresentation never ends well – but the Gospel According to John (12:1 – 8) is the only account that identifies the woman as someone named Mary. According to John, “Mary” poured the oil on Jesus’ feet and then wiped his feet with her hair. The account does not, however, indicate that she “came” to the home, leading many to believe that she was Mary of Bethany, the sister of Lazarus and Martha.
Jesus ultimately used the washing of his feet as a teaching moment for the disciples; but, first, it was a moment of contention that led to the betrayal. [Insert villain music here.]
The Antagonists
“This is the secret message of judgment Jesus spoke with Judas Iscariot over a period of eight days, three days before he celebrated Passover.
When he appeared on earth, he did signs and great wonders for the salvation of humanity. Some [walked] in the way of righteousness, but others walked in their transgression, so the twelve disciples were called.”
– quoted from The Gospel of Judas, translated by Mark M. Mattison
The Egyptian Pharaoh, with his hardened heart, is undoubtedly the antagonist in the Passover story. He is motivated by power and greed – as is the case with so many villains. It is curious, however, that the passive voice is sometimes used with regard to his hardened heart and that (in Shemot / Exodus 10:1 and 14:17) G-d is clearly the one that hardened Pharaoh’s heart.
The Wednesday of Holy Week, Passion Week, or Great Week is also known as Spy Wednesday. A spy is a person inside a group, organization, or country who collects information so that others can attack, ambush, or otherwise ensnare the group, organization, country and/or the leaders therein. In the Passion story, Judas Iscariot is the spy and the woman washing Jesus’ feet pushed Juda’ buttons, which resulted in him betraying his rabbi and friend.
Several gospels indicate that more than one disciple was upset by the woman’s actions; however, Judas was particularly incensed by the cost of the honor. He was the one who held the purse strings – sometimes, too tightly and too personally – and felt that the cost of the oil and the jar used could have gone to the poor (or, into his own pockets). He was so upset that he decided to betray Jesus. [Insert villain more music here.]
“Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, ‘What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?’ So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.”
– The Gospel According to Matthew (26:14 – 15, NIV)
When it comes to Judas’ betrayal there are also different accounts. Most people are familiar with the idea that Judas was paid 30 pieces of silver. In the Gospel According to Mark (14:11), the chief priests promised to pay Judas and this is often referenced as “a few pieces of silver.” In two accounts, however, Satan possessed Judas. Yes, that’s right, in the Gospel According to Luke (22:4) and the Gospel According to John (13:27), the devil made him do it. Or, you could look at the devil as a euphemism for his own anger, jealousy, and hubris. It’s also important, I think, to note that in a few places – including at least one gnostic gospel, Judas betrayed Jesus because Jesus told him (Judas) to do so. Which, if you look at it that way, means God gave both men a purpose and a call.
Regardless of why he did it, Judas’ betrayal means that for generation after generation his name is mud. His reputation is smeared. One action made him the ultimate villain, the devil incarnate, and… one of the reasons we have the story. Remember, there is no Easter without the Resurrection. There’s is no Resurrection without the Crucifixion and the Passion. There is no Crucifixion and Passion (or Suffering) without the betrayal. And there is no betrayal without Judas of Iscariot. I’m not saying that he is equal to Jesus. What I am pointing out is that they are both an important part of the story and they are both “sacrificed” because – according to the teachings – “God so loved the world….”
Temptation
“[[Jesus]] answered and said to them, ‘I’m not laughing at you. You’re not doing this because you want to, but because through this your God [will be] praised.’”
– quoted from The Gospel of Judas, translated by Mark M. Mattison
“Jesus shows us how to face moments of difficulty and the most insidious of temptations by preserving in our hearts a peace that is neither detachment nor superhuman impassivity, but confident abandonment to the Father and to his saving will, bestows life and mercy.”
– excerpt from 2019 Palm Sunday homily by Pope Francis
There are several underlying temptations in the story of exodus, although they are not all explicitly described as temptations. However, if we do a little svādhyāya (“self-study”) and put ourselves in Moses’ shoes, several temptations become obvious. Moses knew his family and his people – he knew he was Jewish – but he was raised in the royal household. He was raised without experiencing some of the direct oppression felt by his family and friends. He is like the Old Testament Buddha, a prince who witnessed the suffering of others. He could have ignored his brothers’ “burdens;” just as he could have ignored the Hebrew man being struck by an Egyptian – and perhaps he was tempted to do so. Furthermore, when he was called by the burning bush, he was fearful, doubtful, and tempted not to answer. We also see temptation in the fact that some enslaved Hebrews stayed in Egypt and others (later) compromised their faith during their exile.
According to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, as well as in The Epistle to the Hebrews, Jesus spent 40 days in the desert praying and fasting. He was also tempted by the devil / Satan. Judas, obviously, fell into temptation when he betrayed Jesus – as did Peter when he denied Jesus three times (according to all four canonical gospels).
Apostasis
“Contrary to what many think or feel, Lent is a time of joy. It is a time when we come back to life. It is a time when we shake off what is bad and dead in us in order to become able to live, to live with all the vastness, all the depth, and all the intensity to which we are called. Unless we understand this quality of joy in Lent, we will make of it a monstrous caricature, a time when in God’s own name we make our life a misery.”
– quoted from “An Introduction to Lent” (dated February 17, 1968) by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
Joseph Campbell described a moment of physical and/or spiritual death, which could also be considered as a moment of limbo, abandonment, and/or a moment when the hero is categorically altered. Oddly, it is also described as a state of “divine knowledge, love, compassion, and bliss.” In Shemot / Exodus, G-d specifically told Moses that he (and the Jewish people) would not be abandoned. But, the previously mentioned moments of separation were also times when Moses “died” and was no longer identified in the same way. The Jewish people, themselves, were in a state if limbo before (and just after) their emancipation – but, remember, they were told to celebrate the freedom that had been promised.
Holy Saturday, which is the Saturday before Easter in the Western Christian traditions, is the commemoration of the apostasis in the Passion story. According to the Gospels, Jesus died and rose again – but, there was that moment (or day) of limbo and waiting. That day was (and is) a moment of transcendence, love, compassion, and knowledge – even though everyone was not aware of it at the time.
The Ultimate Boon
“This notion of joy connected with effort, with ascetical endeavour, with strenuous effort may indeed seem strange, and yet it runs through the whole of our spiritual life, through the life of the Church and the life of the Gospel. The Kingdom of Gd is something to be conquered. It is not simply given to those who leisurely, lazily wait for it to come. To those who wait for it in that spirit, it will come indeed: it will come at midnight; it will come like the Judgement of God, like the thief who enters when he is not expected, like the bridegroom, who arrives while the foolish virgins are asleep.”
– quoted from “An Introduction to Lent” (dated February 17, 1968) by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
A boon is, literally, a favor or request. It is something helpful or beneficial. It can also be seen as a reward or prize. Ultimately, however, it is grace. In the biblical stories, that grace is the promise of salvation. The overall message – of the existence and power of the Divine and of God’s love – can also be considered the ultimate boon in both the Exodus story and the Passion story.
More specifically, freedom (first from the suffering of slavery) and the freedom to worship according to their faith and culture are the ultimate boon for Moses, the Jewish people in the Exodus story, and for the modern Jewish communities. Remember, however, that Exodus story as commemorated by the observation of Passover is just one part of a larger story. In fact, on the second night of Passover, some people begin Counting the Omer – which is a 49-day period of prayer the culminates with Shavout (also known as Shavuos), which is the “Feast of Weeks” and the anniversary of the revelation of the Torah: another boon.
For Jesus, the apostles, and for the modern Christian communities, the ultimate boon is (again) freedom from suffering and the ability worship according to their faith and culture. Additionally, for Christians, there is the belief that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus (as well as belief in the Divinity of Jesus) delivers everlasting life. In this way, Jesus himself is the ultimate boon – because he is the Christian Messiah. Dogmatically speaking, the concept of a Messiah originated within Judaism and included specific qualifications for how the Messiah would be identified. According to Judaism, Jesus does not meet the criteria; for Christians he does. Therefore, for Christians, faith in Jesus as the Messiah is the “ticket to heaven” (because his crucifixion and resurrection are considered the Ultimate Boon).
“‘A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.’”
– The Gospel According to John (13:34 – 35, KJV)
Wednesday (4:30) afternoon’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Spy Wednesday 2022”]
Wednesday (7:15) evening’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “03312021 Spy Wednesday + Passover”]
INDEX
Here is a partial list of some of the original posts related to the Lenten seasons, Passover, and Easter. (Most of these are Wednesday posts.)
April 12, 2020 – Down the Rabbit Hole, On the 12th
April 16, 2020 – The Cost of Freedom
March 28, 2021 – Questions of Faith
April 14, 2022 – How You Use Your Power Matters
April 22, 2022 – Remembering Rachel’s Challenge, Especially When You’re Suffering
*NOTE: I have several “missing” posts that are still draft mode, but I plan to post them later this year (and may add links accordingly).
### THERE IS GREAT POWER IN THE STORIES ###
BE THE HERO(INE) THE STORY June 5, 2020
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Healing Stories, Hope, Life, One Hoop, Pain, Peace, Philosophy, Suffering, Super Heroes, Tragedy, Wisdom, Writing, Yoga.Tags: Bill Moyers, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, George Floyd, George Lucas, Gina Sharpe, Hero's Journey, inspiration, Joseph Campbell, pandemic, truth, Van Morrison, yoga
add a comment
“The best way to help mankind is through the perfection of yourself.”
– from A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living by Joseph Campbell
“Democracy doesn’t work without citizen activism and participation. Tickle-down politics doesn’t work much better than trickle-down economics. Moreover, civilization happens because we don’t leave things to other people. What’s right and good doesn’t come naturally. You have to stand up and fight for it as if the cause depends on you, because it does.”
– from Moyers on America: A Journalist and His Times by Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers, born today in 1934, is more than a journalist. He is an ordained minister who served as the 13th White House Press Secretary (working with both Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson) and produced, along with his wife, “Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth” (filmed on George Lucas’s Skywalker Ranch, in 1988), “Mythology of Star Wars, with George Lucas” (also filmed at Skywalker Ranch, in 1999), and “Faith and Reason.” A big fan of Moyers, Campbell, Lucas – as well as faith and reason – I look forward to celebrating June 5th of every year with a yoga practice which features the symbols and archetypes of the Hero’s Journey / Cycle. Even when I don’t teach on the 5th, I usually practice the mandala, which moves through the core elements of every adventure story, as outlined by Joseph Campbell: Being in the Ordinary World, Call to Adventure, Refusal of Call, Supernatural Aid, Crossing the Threshold, Belly of the Whale, Road of Trials, Meeting the Goddess, Temptation, Atonement (usually with the Father), Apotheosis, Refusal of Return, Magic Flight, Rescue from Without, Crossing the Return Threshold, Master of Two Worlds, and Freedom to Live.
In mid-April, my friend Julie K. sent me this pandemic version of the hero’s journey, which I was going to use as a fun way to highlight today’s post. Fast forward to the last couple of weeks and this very creative take on an old classic seems dated and, for some, not that relevant.
“All my life I’ve prayed the Lord’s Prayer, but I’ve never prayed, ‘Give me this day my daily bread.’ It is always, ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ Bread and life are shared realities. They do not happen in isolation.”
– from “Pass the Bread,” baccalaureate address at Hamilton College (20 May 2006), as quoted in “Moyers on Democracy” by Bill Moyers
Don’t get me wrong. How each of us recognizes ourselves as the hero of our own story and how we engage each stage of the hero’s cycle is still relevant. We can still identify our version of the “Ordinary World” – it’s just that how we defined that world on Memorial Day or May 26th is very different from the way we defined it on April 15th. Now, we’ve all heard the Call and, while some answered the call right away and started moving into the mythical world that eventually leads us to a boon/reward for society, some of us are still in the “Refusal of Call” stage. Which is, dare I say, OK; because we are all going to get there. Part of the Role of the “Supernatural Aid” is to pull, us, drag us, push us – sometimes, kicking and screaming – into this experience.
“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.”
– from A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living by Joseph Campbell
What happens next is always painful, often dangerous, consistently challenging, and (eventually) satisfying/rewarding. (At least, that’s the promise of the myth.) There will be moments when we are not sure we can (or want) to keep going and times when we experience some relief (or the great love of the Goddess) and we want to stay right where we are – even if it is in the “Belly of the Whale.” But, in the end, we are promised a boon, a reward, something that we can bring back to our community – something that serves all of mankind. We are also promised that, through this experience, we will become the “Master of Two Worlds,” and that mastery leads to the ultimate freedom: Freedom to Live. This final stage 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
“Allow yourself that conceit – to believe that the flame of democracy will never go out as long as there’s one candle in one citizen’s hand.”
– from Moyers on America: A Journalist and His Times by Bill Moyers
If you need a little of that “Supernatural Aid” or to feel the divine love of the Goddess, get on the mat or the cushion. Take a walk. Sit by the water. Or, check out the free (outdoor) acupuncture happening on Saturday (11 AM – 5 PM, see details here). Either way, I’ll see you when you cross the threshold.
### “I’M A DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD” (VM) ###
It’s A Kiss My Asana “Flashback Friday” April 3, 2020
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in 7-Day Challenge, Abhyasa, Bhakti, Books, Buddhism, Changing Perspectives, Dharma, Donate, Faith, Healing Stories, Health, Hope, Karma, Karma Yoga, Kirtan, Lent / Great Lent, Life, Loss, Mantra, Mathmatics, Meditation, Men, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Movies, Music, Mysticism, One Hoop, Pain, Philosophy, Poetry, Religion, Suffering, Tantra, Texas, Tragedy, Twin Cities, Vairagya, Wisdom, Women, Writing.Tags: adaptive yoga, hatha yoga, Hellacopters, inspiration, Iyengar, Joseph Campbell, KISS MY ASANA, Matthew Sanford, Rip Van Winkle, Washington Irving, yoga
5 comments
“You want it bad you want it oh so much
There are some things that you should know
Some things that someone like you just cannot touch
You weep and dwell on our loss
Stand denied by the nails in the cross
And I for one you for two
Knows no one’s gonna do it for you
No one’s gonna do it for you”
– “No One’s Gonna Do It For You” by The Hellacopters
A lot of people, most people I would surmise, have a moment when they wish all the hard stuff was over – that they could just go to sleep and wake up with their problems solved. Can you imagine what that would be like right now? Can you imagine what it would be like if you fell asleep tonight and, when you woke up, all of this was over? No more pandemic, no more social distancing, no more self-quarantines.
Now, can you imagine what it would feel like if you actually slept through all of this…and woke up to find the world changed? Everyone else has lived their way into a new normal and you are just discovering that the old normal is…history.
Yes, this would make a great story – but it’s not a new story; it’s actually a very old story. It’s a story that predates all the specific details of this present moment, but a story that endures because it touches on some very basic and universal truths:
- Suffering happens (This is the first of the 4 Noble Truths from Buddhism.)
- Change happens (Or, as Heraclitus put it over 400 years BCE, “You could not step twice into the same river” – which implies that we want things to stay the same.)
- “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” (Joseph Campbell as quoted in Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion by Diane K. Osbon)
- As much as we want it to be otherwise, “no one’s gonna do it for you.” (The hard part of adulting, and lyrics from a song by The Hellacopters.)
Just to clarify, the four (4) items above are NOT the 4 Noble Truths, but it’s no accident that they mirror them or that I’ve pulled statements from what appears to be vastly different sources. And yet, and yet…. The reason why these elements can be found in philosophy, religions, comparative mythology, and rock music (even literature and mathematics) is that they are elements of the human experience. We find them everywhere; we find them inside of ourselves.
“You must unlearn what you have learned… No. Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.”
– Yoda in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (and a quote I used during a 2019 Kiss My Asana donation-based class)
Kiss My Asana is an annual yogathon, to raise awareness and resources for Mind Body Solutions and their adaptive yoga program. Founded by Matthew Sanford, Mind Body Solutions helps those who have experienced trauma, loss, and disability find new ways to live by integrating both mind and body. They provide classes, workshops, and outreach programs. They also train yoga teachers and offer highly specialized training for health care professionals.
This year’s yogathon is only a week long. Seven days, at the end of the month, to do yoga, share yoga, and help others. By participating in the Kiss My Asana yogathon you join a global movement, but in a personal way. In other words, you practice yoga… for 7 days.
We’re doing this, right?
You don’t need to wait until the end of the month, however, to consider how you might participate. Start thinking now about how you can add 5 minutes of yoga (or meditation) to your day, how you can learn something new about your practice, or even how you would teach a pose to someone close to you – or even to one of your Master Teachers/Precious Jewels.
To give you some ideas, consider that in past years my KMA offerings have included donation-based classes and (sometimes) daily postings. Since it’s “Flashback Friday,” check out one of my previous offerings dated April 3rd (or thereabouts):
30 Poses in 30 Days (scroll down to see April 3rd)
A Musical Preview (scroll down to see March 3rd)
A Preview of the April 3rd Practice
My next virtual practice is on Saturday. Use the same Meeting ID as last week’s class or, if you were unable to attend last week, check out the “Class Schedules” tab. You’ll find access details in the calendar description for Saturday, April 4th. I’ll post the playlists by Saturday morning.
Also, if you are interested in YIN Yoga, plan to join me and a special guest on Wednesday (April 8th) for a special webinar/mini-practice at 3 PM. Details to be announced.
“No One’s Gonna Do It For You”
A Joyful Practice 