Kingfisher

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Everything posted by Kingfisher

  1. Another year already? Man, I really gotta stop blinking. Oh well, you know what they say... stuff happens. Dear People of the Earth, The above is a snapshot of some damage from a windstorm over the weekend. What was a sorrow for the pine will provide shelter from the elements and a safe home for generations of rabbits. They need it, their population has been growing ever since I built brush piles out of the trimmings from the apple trees. In turn, some of them will be eaten by the hawks and owls and bobcats and coyotes. Death is part of Nature's cycle, it is the sacrificial gift that grants others the opportunity to live and share the beauty of their spirits with the world. Honor Her with the reverence She deserves. Yeah, the rabbits get into my gardens, but I don't need ALL of that food. Let us not remain so unwilling to give back to that which has provided us everything. This world is sacred, and we are but guests. There is nothing respectful about mowing it all down so we can have bigger houses or "pretty" lawns to impress the neighbors. There is nothing kind about smothering it with asphalt so we won't get our boots dirty. There is nothing divine about poisoning it so we can make more money at the Market. As our Mother, sometimes Her lessons are painful. But let us never forget that it is we that need Her and not She that needs us. Our intelligence doesn't make us better than everything else, it just gives us more responsibility to maintain the harmony. We must learn how to act, but we must also learn how to do nothing. That's not a hundred dollars worth of lumber wasted there on a bunch of stupid animals, it is the Alpha and the Omega. The "good news" is that it's not too late to learn how to care about something other than ourselves. When a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around to hear it, it still makes a very big noise. With love and a hopeful heart, ~The Easter Bunny "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you just might find you get what you need." ~ The Rolling Stones "Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The shadow of greed, that is." ~ Yoda
  2. Working with inmates, indeed with anyone, I've found that treating them with dignity (i.e., you are a good person, you've just done some bad things) is just as much an encouragement to positive behavior as treating them like worthless animals enhances the negative. What makes us good? Receiving Love. That's not an opinion, it's an observable phenomenon. The potential for good and evil lies within us all, make sure you're feeding the right wolf. "How do we change the world? One act of random kindness at a time." ~ Morgan Freeman, Evan Almighty
  3. I didn't want to infringe on your joy of crashing the party, but I saved a flagon of mead fit for a warrior of your stature. Skål!
  4. Hey, a Pesach seder is great, but sometimes a good Pentecostal revival says it all.
  5. I also learned how to play Hava Nagila on the ancestral pueblo (Anasazi) flute. Debating theosophical points is a useful intellectual exercise, but when it comes to worshiping the Lord I'm all about rejoicing in the glory. When we're in the Spirit, the differences really don't seem to matter.
  6. I don't believe Yahweh can be "blamed" for it either. That's just my opinion. I respect yours, but I humbly disagree. I don't see a lot of Jews splashing blood on their doors, and I don't see a lot of Christians drenching their robes either. There's a lot of symbolism involved. You're absolutely right, killing is not the point of of passover. מה נשתנה, הלילה הזה מכל הלילות
  7. Jeez, am I the only one that cares about the poor first born sheep? Must be a Franciscan thing... Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
  8. I'm going to "passover" the anticipated reply and simply say thank you for the warm wishes.. and Happy Passover to you too, Rabbi. שָׁלוֹם
  9. Similarities Between Sethian Baptism and the Bridal Chamber of Thomas Gnosticism and Valentinianism
  10. We're not judged on how we feel, we're judged by what we do. Sorry, that's just the cabin fever talking. Midsummer weather is beautiful in upstate NY, so courtesy offers a . Heyah!Lyrics I guess half a million people CAN gather and be festive, each to their own, without killing each other. Greedstock was an apt tag that year, perhaps, but the Spirit was there under all the mud. Get a little peace on your soul, neighbors. It gets messy when folks are repressed for too long. Just ask . Ahem, anyway... Eight and a half years to gold, I can hardly wait to see how the grasshoppers have grown! {In case of Primus overdose, take two and call me in the morning. (Yes, you can has , si vous préférez.)}
  11. Thanks, I haven't heard that one yet... kind of a lame hard rock station around here and the classic station mostly plays his old stuff. Hey, the cat's still got it! And man, that axe.... :lighter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DWwRah2loM
  12. There sure are some hot peppers in the Garden of the Gods! I flew out to Colorado in '94 and climbed for twelve miles, just so I could stand on the bottom of the ocean and gaze down upon clouds that were higher than a freefall. Yeah, it was like coming home... I was born in the of summer of his 27th year, and he died (might say he was born again), flying free as a bird, in the summer of mine. God, I miss him. I lost a friend, but I've kept the memory. For my brother who remains there, on his 39th, and for all my friends around the campfire... ...and Special K thanks to the other half of my soul. With Love, from Hawks Valley Farm Rocky Mountain High The Eagle and the Hawk Seasons of the Heart Sunshine on my Shoulders Flight ...you know that I'll be reaching for higher ground...
  13. Young Master Alexander Ethan arrived by C-Section a little after 8am EST this morning, weighing in at 6lb 8oz. Everyone is doing well. May he be a light unto the world! My brother sarcastically joked that he wasn't giving him a great name. I suggested if the joy it has brought our families isn't enough that Egypt may be looking for a new leader...
  14. I surfed into the mosh pit when Metallica played Woodstock. Found myself dumped in with these two huge Norwegian fellas, seven foot tall and built like tanks, that had been knocking everyone around. I was focused on the band, ignoring the shoves and blows. I caught Hetfield's eye, held up one finger, flashed peace and laughed as I gazed at the ground. Ain't no one here but the music, what a riot! They kicked off the next set and the fight came to rest. Brothers in Arms... One.. he tossed a pick out that way after the show, but the chick in front of me caught it so I consoled myself with a swan dive to Aerosmith down the mudslide... Well, it sure beat stomping bottles barefoot at Cypress Hill. Ahhh, now that was a long week. "We're all fools to make war on our brothers."
  15. INXS Mötley Crüe Woodstock ('94)
  16. There are a million things I could say, but I know you don't need to hear them. As I was searching for a way to express the healing light in my heart without tired platitudes, I stumbled across this song. It touched me in a way I haven't experienced since I chaperoned a youth retreat as a lay minister many years ago. I have long abandoned the dogma of Catholicism, but I have never forgotten the ineffable grace and glory of God. If the dog hadn't eaten my microphone I would have accompanied it for you. I couldn't help but cry, and in joining his song my soul testifies to a faith beyond words. May the Holy Spirit descend upon you and your family, and provide comfort in this time of deep suffering. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCFdLap6l7w There's a place of quiet stillness 'Tween the light and shadows reach Where the hurting and the hopeless Seek everlasting peace Words of men and songs of angels Whisper comfort bittersweet Mending grief and life eternal Where joy and sorrow meet There is a place where hope remains In crowns of thorns and crimson stains And tears that fall on Jesus' feet Where joy and sorrow meet There's a place the lost surrender And the weary will retreat Full of grace and mercy tender In times of unbelief For the wounded there is healing Strength is given to the weak Broken hearts find love redeeming Where joy and sorrow meet There is a place where hope remains In crowns of thorns and crimson stains And tears that fall on Jesus' feet Where joy and sorrow meet There's a place of thirst and hunger Where the roots of faith grow deep And there is rain and rolling thunder When the road is rough and steep There is hope in desperation There is victory in defeat At the cross of restoration Where joy and sorrow meet There is a place where hope remains In crowns of thorns and crimson stains And tears that fall on Jesus' feet Where joy and sorrow meet {{hugs}}
  17. Why does that not surprise me... dang, now I gotta get that idea outta my head! "The principle purpose of dream meditation is to train oneself in such a way that, even during the dream state, the individual can actually experience what is known as the Clear Light." ~ The Dalai Lama
  18. When I take my dog out for a walk she literally throws herself into the grass or snow to roll around in ecstasy. She doesn't attempt to define the experience, she simply wraps herself up in the moment. Her enthusiasm in the way she hurls herself to the ground makes me laugh every time. Her joy is contagious in its simplicity. When I come home she's all a-wiggle with love. Not because of what I provide for her, but just because I'm there. Despite all my intelligence and learning I think my dog understands G-d and the universe much better than I. I'm not trying to teach her, I'm trying to learn from her.
  19. The Biography channel has a new sub-series called I Survived... Beyond and Back that I've really been enjoying. I find myself identifying with every single one of these people, even though their stories vary dramatically. Everyone has a different experience and yet there's an undercurrent of commonality that binds them all together. Kinda like religion. Ever awake in the middle of the night and pick something up in that half-dreaming/half-waking state, where there's a familiarity to the object but it doesn't really make sense? That's the feeling I get when we're discussing things like the meaning and origin of life. It doesn't matter if we're talking about physics or G-d, if we adhere to a particular faith or none at all, when we stop saying "I'm right and you're wrong" and compare notes we find that we're all holding the same Truth. When I look into y'alls eyes (metaphorically speaking) as you share your particular points of view, I see the same Light shining... You might also find some of Hawking's research to be illuminating... the transformation of Energy to Mass probably isn't uniform across the multiverse. When I can't wrap my brain around how an infinite Energy field could have existed forever, I try to remember that Time and Space are localized phenomena. A 14 billion light-year radius isn't really all that big, it just looks like a lot from way down here. Similarly, I suspect that what we define as "conscious creation" (and the existence or lack thereof) might not matter to G-d at all. But that's just my opinion. ;o)
  20. I don't fully remember the answers, and wouldn't know how to express them if I did. When we exist as the flesh we are bound by the laws of the flesh, and there's a reason why can't see through the Veil. I really wish I could share the experience... it's turtles all the way down.
  21. According to science... Many aeons ago, two separate yet distinct portions of a vast (perhaps infinite) energy field collided. In this contact all the rules of physics, as we know them, were established. According to these laws, energy condensed into matter and began to interact. Fourteen billion years later a group of these semi-coherent agglutinations of quivering energy packets gathers around and debates the meaning of their own existence. Some will say that the concept of a directed, loving consciousness acting as Creator is too bizarre to be real. I don't have the answers, but stranger things have happened around here.
  22. For those who missed the cosmic dance, I've shared a few shots of my ragged and humble craft (set tags; slideshow slow) at Flickr [Here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/57410334-at-N05/sets/72157625667047302/]. With the equipment I had on hand I'm amazed I was able to capture any of it for posterity. It was great fun, sharing stories like treasures and participating in the ancient sagas, though we are but poor players. Feel free to use or share any of the images as you see fit.. a higher Authority holds the copyright to this show, mine is but a mere echo of an Ocean beyond measure. The names may have changed, yet the song remains the same. Three days later and I'm still tired and sore, but I'm grateful to have lived to bear witness to the rhythms beyond time. If you listen carefully, you can still feel the Word moving softly through the night. And what is with that dude with the ankh?... ~Merry Yule, and a Hopi New Year!!! PS - How's this for an Omen? The two (5s) videos I shot were marked as being recorded January 4, 1970, despite my camera and the computer being set to NIST. All photographs were recorded accurately and have I been unable to view the video since. It's probably a random Quicktime glitch or some such, rather than "spooky" in a Blair Witch or CIA sort of way, but it's interesting to note that this date is approximately the time of my conception. I'm sure the 1638 Puritans would have hanged me for it, silly English kannigits. Now, maybe y'alls will just laugh and write it off. Perhaps "Bona Dea" was just a shivering time lapse. Perhaps the deciphering of omens and portents depends entirely upon your point of view. Gaze into the Mirror, if you dare. "People don't you listen now? Sing along!" ~ Led Zeppelin (Edit: Bad link, trying to work it out.. ahh, forum formatting replacing "-at-" with "-at-"... what, here too? *shakesfist* LOL)
  23. My brother and I used to cut it up pretty good at Sunday School. We liked to keep people on their toes, and weren't afraid to voice our opinions. It was so gloomy and serious all the time, we didn't see why it couldn't also be fun. One day, another kid had a seizure at the back of the classroom. Our teacher told us this was God punishing us for misbehaving. After all, that's what the Bible says. 1 Samuel 15:23 "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king." And.. Isaiah 13:11 "And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." We weren't really offended. She meant well, saving our souls and all, but we left the school after that. We must have needed that instruction, we grew up to be those guys playing Dungeons and Dragons and passing around bootleg tapes of George Carlin. The thing is, while she was trying to teach us this really important lesson to save our souls, and she was so certain of her vision of a terrible and vengeful God, she missed the message any child can tell you. Psalm 118:24 "This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." Sometimes the old magic is best.