National Dance Day will include a variety of dance themed activities for people of all ages. It will empower, challenge and inspire everyone to try various styles of dance ranging from hip-hop to ballroom to anything that moves. Above all, it will encourage everyone to DANCE as a means to stay fit and be healthy.
At their finest, movie theaters across America in their very best moments can be a Church for all of us, secularists and faithful alike. During times when darkness may engulf us it can be pierced by the projector's steadily flickering light. Truly the theater is, as Dylan Thomas might put it, one place where light breaks while no sun shines.
When coupled with thoughtful artistry the light of the cinema can illuminate aspects of human nature in ways that even mystic texts might only suggest. Too often though Hollywood trots out the same old script in a flashy new package. This week I hope to offer up at least one glowing recommendation as we take a look into the inner workings of the mind nestled somewhere between the soul and consciousness within our deepest imaginings. In a very dreamy Hollywood kind of way Christopher Nolan’s latest visually arresting, noir-tinged caper Inception sets itself in the recesses of man's core being at his most vulnerable; while asleep and dreaming unmolested.
Of course it wouldn't be Hollywood without a few heavily armed molesters on the prowl...
One of the most intriguing archaeological sites in the United States was constructed nearly 4,000 years ago in Louisiana. At a place which is today called Poverty Point, Indian people constructed a series of large earthworks. These included a large mound, three smaller mounds, and a series of six interrelated concentric low ridges in the shape of an octagon. The ridges were about two meters (a little more than six feet) high and ranged from 17 to 50 meters wide. Some houses were built on the ridges. The site covers nearly 500 acres and was occupied by about 2,000 people.
Moreover, Subhuti, when a bodhisattva practices generosity, he does not rely on any object--that is to say he does not rely on any form, sound, smell, taste, tactile object, or dharma--to practice generosity. That, Subhuti, is the spirit in which a bodhisattva should practice generosity, not relying on signs. Why? If a bodhisattva practices generosity without relying on signs, the happiness that results cannot be conceived of or measured....
Subhuti, if a bodhisattva does not rely on any concept when practicing generosity, then the happiness that results from that virtuous act is as great as space. It cannot be measured.
The Diamond that Cuts Through Illusion sutra, 4
After leaving the privileged life of a prince, Buddha was a poor monk. So one can assume that when rich or even comfortably affluent people heard him speak of generosity, they may well have been suspicious.
Cynicism aside, however, he was addressing this teaching to his fellow poor monks, not to lay persons. So what is he talking about then, if not giving money?
I am back from the desert and give thanks for the waters of Oregon. I became dehydrated while in Las Vegas and I feel so much better being home. Nurse Kelley told me that, coming from a more humid environment as I do, I probably needed to drink twice as much water as usual to stay hydrated. But how to do that? Water in the hotel was not plentiful. Any glasses provided were tiny. I believe the tap water was softened (salty). And bottled water was expensive and not always around – not to mention the waste of the plastic bottles. Oh, wonderful, sweet water of home!
Lots of wingnut wailing and gnashing of teeth of late over plans for the infamous "Ground Zero Mosque," and a host of rabid (mostly) non-New Yorkers are in full attack mode.
Last week, Newt Gingrich joined in on the right-wing freak out over plans to build a mosque and Muslim community center near the site of the former World Trade Center in New York City. Strangely arguing that the U.S. should model itself after a non-democratic country, Gingrich said in a statement, "There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia."
Last night on Fox News, Gingrich seemed to stand by that claim, reiterating, "I’d love to have these folks say, ‘Let’s build a church and a synagogue in Mecca, or rather in Saudi Arabia, and that would balance off our having an interfaith mosque.’" Gingrich went on to say that the organizations behind the project — which are based in New York — are "hostile to our civilization."
In 1799, a new religious movement was born among the Seneca Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy. The new religious movement, considered to be a traditional Iroquois religion today, began with a series of visions received by Handsome Lake. Among this vision was the prophecy that the world would end in 2010.
This parsha contains what is at the heart of Jewish thought: God’s sovereignty and that faithfulness to God will include the need to bring justice into the world.
Welcome to Coffee Hour! Pull up a chair, pour your favorite beverage, and tell us about your day!
My 22-year-old stepson arrives tomorrow for a 10-day visit. McDoc and I are really looking forward to it, because Stepson lives in California, and we don't get to see him nearly as often as we would like. Also, he recently completed basic training for the Army National Guard, and I'm curious to see what that did to him. ;)
To celebrate his visit, I've decided to cook Thanksgiving Dinner in July! Well, to be honest, I'm using this as an excuse to do it, because I had been craving it anyway. So I sure hope Stepson likes it!
Wiccan Weekly Writings are first, an opportunity for me to talk about ideas brought up by various quotations from a Wiccan point of view and secondly an opportunity for members of this community, whatever their spiritual path, to enter into dialogue about these ideas. Please feel free to ask any questions you have about my path, my personal interpretation of Wiccan theology, or the religion in general. We Wiccans don't proselytize, but we'll answer questions. And now, onto the thinky thoughts....
Tomorrow, July 31, is National Dance Day. (Huh?)
