Graphic Widsom

Each day on the Internet I encounter graphics that impart wisdom. A few months ago I shared a few and have been periodically sharing the ones I believe to be important. Here are ten more:

Inkensoul: A Fellow Traveler

I  encountered Steve McAllister, a.k.a. Inkensoul and the videoed journey that he calls The Unbroken Path on YouTube a few weeks ago. I have viewed six or seven of his daily videos since then. I find his thoughts to be informative, sometimes quite discerning. I should like to dialogue with Steve; perhaps I shall find a way to do so.

I share these two recent videos from May 2nd and 5th, respectively, to provide my readers with an introduction to Inkensoul’s The Unbroken Path:

Blessed are the Poor

In the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus is attributed with two versions of the Beatitudes. In both, he regards the poor, both in spirit and just plain old broke, as being blessed, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. In both cases, I think it refers to a level of unattachment and openness to a greater unfolding beyond the temporal as we make our way up the Unbroken Path. ~ Inkensoul

The Call to Adventure

I shall be sharing more about Inkensoul and his path in coming weeks.

The Prayer

I pray you'll be our eyes

And watch us where we go

And help us to be wise

In times when we don't know

Let this be our prayer

As we go our way

Lead us to a place

Guide us with your grace

To a place where we'll be safe

I pray we'll find your light

And hold it in our hearts

When stars go out each night

Remind us where you are

Let this be our prayer

When shadows fill our day

Lead us to a place

Guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe

We ask that life be kind

And watch us from above

We hope each soul will find

Another soul to love

Let this be our prayer

Just like every child

Needs to find a place

Guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe

Need to find a place

Guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe

Creatures I Have Encountered in the Desert

I was discussing a retreat with a very dear friend when my thoughts encountered that part of my memory that stores the retreat center overlooking Tucson, Arizona. That is where I spent a couple of weeks about 13 years ago when I worked on certification as an Intentional Interim Minister. I have mentioned the center and my stay there a couple of times, but I haven't shared there stories about non-human creatures that I encountered.

 Eagle

Because of the time difference between Tucson and Louisville, I was awake well before sunrise.  I'd rise and go outside into the "desert" where I would sit on a stone bench, meditate, and watch the sunrise. The first day, just as the sun began to rise over the desert,  I noticed an eagle soaring very high above me, the new light reflecting off of its feathers.

Each morning I was blessed with the eagle's company. At some point my mediation began to merge with the eagle's ascending and circling glide. I flew with the eagle, seeing the earth through the peerless eyes of that marvelous bird. It was then that I was captured by the spirit of the eagle. The eagle has become part of my spirit--or, perhaps I have merged into the soaring spirit of the eagle.

Buffalo

One morning when I came out of my room, I found myself looking at an addition to the desert: a huge male buffalo! He didn't move; he just stood there. We did approach him; we stood on the sidewalk beyond which was the desert and the bison, awed my its magnificence and size.

We were transfixed by the huge beast! But then our instructors chased us into the dining hall for worship, breakfast, and classes. It was during the latter than we heard the beginning of commotion outside.We surged out of the building to our sidewalk beside the desert. The buffalo had not moved since we last saw it; but a truck had arrived to take that magnificent creature home, a dude ranch a mile or so away. from which the buffalo had wandered.

The buffalo, too, impacted my psyche. Being so close to that august creature gave me a cognitive and spiritual perception of the place Tatonka holds in the spirituality of Native Americans that all of my reading could never have provided. Like the eagle, the buffalo has become at one with my spirit

Representations of eagles have dominated the various headers I have used on Nick's Bytes.

Representations of eagles dominate the walls of my home.

This is one of the concret benches from which I watched the sunrise. At the retreat center, one stepped off the sidewalk and immediately entered the desert.

The buffalo stood in the desert a few yards off the sidewalk for hours, just as the bison in this painting.

Friday Mishmash

Graphic by Yoko Ono

If you have not visited Yoko Ono’s blog, 100 Acorns, I urge you to do so. As an explanation of her blog, she writes:

It's been 44 years since my book of conceptual instructions, GRAPEFRUIT was first published in 1964.

On 15 June 1968, John Lennon & I planted two acorns for peace at Coventry Cathedral. It was the first of our many Peace 'Events'.

In the summer of 1996, I picked up from where I left off, and wrote 100 ACORNS.

Starting on the 40th anniversary of the Acorn Peace Event on 15 June 2008, I will publish here an 'Acorn' every day for 100 days.

After each day of sharing the instructions, you should feel free to question, discuss, and/or report what your mind tells you.

I'm just planting the seeds.

Have fun.
Love, yoko
June 2008

Perhaps I am an eternal optimist, but I really had hopes that the G-8 conference would somehow impact the every growing problems of today’s world. However, this headline from The Economist (UK) (and the story you may read by clicking the headline) sums it up all too well:

They came, they jawed, they failed to conquer

I have a medical appointment at the VA outreach center this afternoon. It is actually further from my house than is the hospital. But the doctor I see only operates from there. My big concern is that I have enough oxygen in the portable tanks to make it there and back. I need a renewed supply and the folks who provide it tell me that I am not eligible (VA rules) for a resupply until after July 15^th.


That’s enough for now. I have a cat who is demanding to be brushed!

moar funny pictures

"For the Greatest Possible Good" Reprise

Sunrise [Photo by Steve Locke]

Eighteen months or so ago I posted a blog entitled For the Greatest Possible Good. In it I wrote about a prayer that I encountered many years ago that I have used to replace those short prayers that most people utter at times of stress or when they feel violated—you know, small prayers such as Damn you, you S.O.B. and the like.

Since I have recently been “flamed”—is that still a concept as it was years ago when I was involved in one of the news groups?—based upon a comment I made on a blog, I believe again mentioning this positive little prayer is worth the effort.

No, I wasn’t attacked by the author of the blog; in fact, the same flamer regularly attacks her. I probably wouldn’t even have known that I was assaulted had another reader not emailed me out of concern for my possible hurt feelings. It was that email that reminded me of the Light Prayer and so I responded:

Many years ago I encountered a little prayer that it was suggested one pray rather than reacting with road rage when some driver cuts one off or otherwise irritates one. It goes something like this: "May the Light of God shine upon __________ for the greatest possible good." So I pray it not only when I am driving but also when I encounter the _____s of this world, leaving the definition of "the greatest possible good" up to God. Then I wipe the memory from my mind until the next time the person attacks or flames me.

I suppose that’s a good lesson for me to remember on a Sunday morning. And since I was reminded of it, I thought I’d again blog about it as sort of a reprise of my previous blog post.

Blessings and much shalom to all of you on this fine Sunday morning!