Compatibility of Opposites

Never have I experienced
     the magical glory of contrasts
          until this particular morning
               deep inside new mountain spring
                     where wildwood forest gardens
                           await the few who venture in...

Everywhere you look you find
     all manner of colors, textures, shapes
          tirelessly unfolding, whirling, imploding
               world within worlds.

I never noticed before
     by what steady grace
          the ageless y chromozone trees
               stand so rooted, so content and giving...
          how those guys appear without the need to prove themselves
                to all the the soft and curvy hangers on -- nor do they
                pose for the oogling male upstarts --
                who are leaning from their newer places.

Tufts of silk grass circle and soften those thick old trunks.
Tri-colored ivy dance lines cup dew and last night's rain --
     mirroring sunrise while they wind and hug those muscular limbs.

Tall and tiny truths line the rocky paths.
Find the starkest or quietest or most intricate of beauty
     around every boulder or corner.    

Just look, breathe, listen anywhere in such an intoxicating place
     where undulating patterns keep repeating yet with endless variations.

Silvery birch and beach branches lift their princess like arms and sway
     against a strong burst of wind.  Instantly, invisible curtains open --
          the sky embraces a full sunrise -- rare in these woods --
                paint-brushings of deep ripe mango spread out against
                      purplish blue wisps and disappear -- the sun rises.

If you were here, like me, you might silent your soul
     in awe of childhood memories...
           little bells are quietly ringing from their mini-orchards.
Like me, you might begin to sing along...
    "White coral belles upon a slender stalk,
          lilies of the valley by the garden walk,"

Turning around to walk back,
     you might feel yourself melting into the flat long clouds overhead --
     this morning, they look like fancy wings like on cars from the fifties.
     against a cumulous parade of fluffy angels and elephants...

The sun adds more dappling to the deep-down fresh exhibits...

Where is the tension between the opposites?
Where is the warring or competition?

I only sense a merging into the whole...
     a submitting from, to, and in all things...
          yet without any loss of who or what each particle wants or
                needs to be.

Surrounding all is a fierce mercy and tender unmovable force...

Come with me and see the secret, wild gardens giving out their gems,
Every wonder-er, sick of "civility",
Come here...



 (I wrote this last spring and rewrote it with deep gratitude and affection just now for my husband of 41 springs -- who also loves forest places.)  


             



              

Being in God -- In your day....

 According to a well-known hadith; prayer is the essence of worship. It is the living ground and basis of religion. In Iqbal’s conception of prayer we find the keystone of all his religious ideas. Prayer in the contact of God and humanity. As Iqbal says, “religious ambition soars higher than the ambition of philosophy. Religion is not satisfied with mere conception; it seeks a more intimate knowledge of and association with the object of its pursuit. The agency through which this association is achieved is the act of worship or prayer ending in spiritual illumination.” For Iqbal, each act of prayer is a kind of ‘ meraj’ or Ascension to Heaven ( From "Iqbal on Prayer" by Dr. Riffat Hassan -- found here http://www.allamaiqbal.com/publications/journals/review/oct87/5.htm 

Victor Hugo said, there are moments when whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees.[

Prayer cannot stand alone without action emerging from it. Contemplative prayer without action stagnates, and action without contemplative prayer leads to burnout or running around in circles. Contemplative prayer sifts our contemplative vision and our ideas about what we should be doing. It enables us to blend the two and to bring the spirit of our contemplative commitment into daily life. ...God is not just for the time of prayer but for the whole day. The presence of God is going to accompany us into daily life whether in other forms of prayer, in our relationships, or in our workplace. Without trying to, but just by being in God as you go about your daily functions, you exercise a kind of apostolate. In your very joking you may be pouring grace into the atmosphere and into other people. All our activities need to come out of this center.

— Thomas Keating in Intimacy with God

 

 

 

Action for a Strong Arms Trade Treaty

Friend –

No one – not you, not me, not the millions of responsible gun owners here in the US and around the world – wants to see arms and ammunition fall into the hands of war criminals, terrorists or human rights abusers.

Yet, there are no binding international laws – not one – to regulate the global arms and ammunition trade, making it fairly easy for those dangerous actors to access conventional weapons and commit atrocities.

Such a large global problem requires a global solution: a legally binding Arms Trade Treaty to prevent the irresponsible global transfer of weapons without infringing on domestic rights to bear arms.

GO to http://www.oxfam.org/
and find the action item:  Control Arms Trade Treaty (and also go to your own nation's leaders with the same.)

Later this month, world leaders will gather at the United Nations to negotiate the Arms Trade Treaty. Oxfam has been campaigning for a strong treaty for more than a decade, and our fight has never been more important than it is right now.

What's making our work even harder? The National Rifle Association and its allies are spreading lies and misconceptions about the Arms Trade Treaty – and, unfortunately, it's working. That's why we're setting the record straight, right here:

The Arms Trade Treaty will prevent international arms sales to known war criminals while protecting millions of people from human rights abuses. It will have no effect on the Second Amendment right of US citizens to bear arms – domestic rights fall outside the scope of the treaty.

A bulletproof arms trade treaty – and the safety it can bring to families around the world – is a vital part of the fight against poverty and injustice. President Obama needs to know that you support a robust arms trade treaty, and that's why we're asking you to speak up today.

Poor regulation of global arms trade threatens the security and rights of millions of people, exposing them to death, rape, assault and displacement. For people working to lift themselves out of poverty in communities plagued by armed violence, easy access to conventional arms threatens both lives and livelihoods.

It's our job to speak up for those communities and to fight for a strong Arms Trade Treaty – so thank you for taking action and standing with us today.

Sincerely,

Judy Beals
Oxfam America

Upon Rachel Corrie's Death Anniversary...

Ten years ago, on March 16, Rachel Corrie was killed in Rafah, Gaza Strip.  She was engaging in nonviolent action to protect one of  countless Palestinian homes Israel has destroyed. She was also added to this injustice.. Rachel,  like many homes of the innocent, was brutally run over by a U.S.-built Caterpillar bulldozer.

I just read this heartfelt, wrenching article this morning and can imagine no other better tribute to such an act of courage and love:

http://www.mybitforchange.org/2012/rachel-never-died/#comment-5254

The first and last photos used here come from the following:

http://electronicintifada.net/content/photostory-israeli-bulldozer-driver-murders-american-peace-activist/4449

The top photo comes from http://rachelcorrie.org

Also see Aljazeera today for more of this story and a really striking quote by Rachel on human dignity...

Prayer for Peace

Send Thy peace, O Lord, which is perfect and everlasting,
that our souls may radiate peace.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that we may think, act,
and speak harmoniously.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that we may be contented
and thankful for Thy bountiful gifts.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that amidst our worldly strife
we may enjoy thy bliss.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that we may endure all,
tolerate all in the thought of thy grace and mercy.
Send Thy peace, O Lord, that our lives may become a
divine vision, and in Thy light all darkness may vanish. Send Thy peace, O Lord, our Father and Mother, that we
Thy children on earth may all unite in one family.
Amen.

Sufi Tradition

First City in U.S. Passes Resolution Against Drones

By David Swanson
http://warisacrime.org/firstantidrone

Shortly after 11 p.m. on Monday, February 4th, the City Council of Charlottesville, Va., passed what is believed to be the first anti-drone resolution in the country. According to my notes, and verifiable soon on the City Council's website, the resolution reads:

"WHEREAS, the rapid implementation of drone technology throughout the United States poses a serious threat to the privacy and constitutional rights of the American people, including the residents of Charlottesville; and

"WHEREAS, the federal government and the Commonwealth of Virginia have thus far failed to provide reasonable legal restrictions on the use of drones within the United States; and

"WHEREAS, police departments throughout the country have begun implementing drone technology absent any guidance or guidelines from law makers;

"NOW, THEREFORE, LET IT BE RESOLVED, that the City Council of Charlottesville, Virginia, endorses the proposal for a two year moratorium on drones in the state of Virginia; and calls on the United States Congress and the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia to adopt legislation prohibiting information obtained from the domestic use of drones from being introduced into a Federal or State court, and precluding the domestic use of drones equipped with anti-personnel devices, meaning any projectile, chemical, electrical, directed-energy (visible or invisible), or other device designed to harm, incapacitate, or otherwise negatively impact a human being; and pledges to abstain from similar uses with city-owned, leased, or borrowed drones."

The same City Council passed a resolution on January 17, 2012, calling for an end to drone wars, as well as ground wars, excessive military spending, and any possible attack on Iran.

(Photo by Ted Strong of Daily Progress)

The wording of Monday's resolution comes largely from a draft suggested by the Rutherford institute. An initial line was deleted and two amendments were made to the final paragraph, one endorsing a two-year moratorium on drones (something that had passed in committee in both houses of the Virginia legislature as of Saturday in the House and Monday in the Senate), the other committing the City not to use drones for surveillance or assault.

The wording was not as comprehensive as the draft that had appeared in the City Council's official agenda for Monday's meeting, a draft I had authored. See it here in the city agenda or on my website.

At the previous meeting of the City Council on January 7, 2013, I and a few other residents had spoken in support of a resolution, and three of the five city council members agreed to put it on the agenda for the February 4th meeting. Some of the public comments were excellent, and the video of the meeting is on the city's website.

On Monday, citizens speaking in favor of the anti-drone resolution dominated the public speaking period at the beginning of the meeting, shortly after 7 p.m. Many were quite eloquent, and the video will be available soon on the city's site. The council members did not discuss and vote on the matter until shortly after 11 p.m. The discussion was quite brief, coming on the heels of hours devoted to other matters.

The same three city council members who had put the item on the agenda voted in favor of the resolution, passing it by a vote of 3-2. They were Dave Norris, Dede Smith, and Satyendra Sing Huja. Norris and Smith negotiated the slight improvements to the Rutherford Institute's draft with Huja, who initially favored passing that draft as it was written. Norris and Smith favored banning the City from purchasing drones, but Council Member Kristin Szakos argued that there might be a positive use for a drone someday, such as for the fire department. Kathy Galvin joined Szakos in voting No.

Norris has been a leader on the City Council for years and sadly will not be running for reelection at the end of his current term.

Following the January meeting, I submitted my draft to the city, asked people to phone and email the council members, published a column in the local daily newspaper, and organized an event in front of City Hall on Sunday, the day before the vote. Anti-drone activist John Heuer from North Carolina delivered a giant model drone produced by New York anti-drone activist Nick Mottern. Our little stunt produced coverage on the two television channels and in the newspaper. I asked people to commit to attending the meeting on a FaceBook page. The room ended up packed, and when I asked those who supported the resolution to stand, most of the room did so.

No organized pro-drone lobby ever developed. We met and confronted the argument that localities shouldn't lobby states or Washington. And, of course, some people are opposed to drones in the United States but eager to see them used however the President may see fit abroad. Charlottesville's City Council ended up not including the section in my draft that instructed the federal government to end its practice of extrajudicial killing. But there was no discussion on that point, and several other sections, including one creating a local ordinance, were left out as well. The problem there, according to Smith, was that "we don't own the air."

Yet, we should. And Oregon is attempting to do so with its draft state legislation.

In the past, Charlottesville has passed resolutions that have inspired other localities and impacted federal and state policies. Let us hope this one is no exception.

--

David Swanson's books include "War Is A Lie." He blogs at http://davidswanson.org/ and http://warisacrime.org/ and works for http://rootsaction.org/. He hosts Talk Nation Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @davidcnswanson and FaceBook.
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My work is loving the world....

MESSENGER

My work is loving the world.
Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird —
equal seekers of sweetness.
Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums.
Here the clam deep in the speckled sand.

Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?
Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me
keep my mind on what matters,
which is my work,

which is mostly standing still and learning to be
astonished.
The phoebe, the delphinium.
The sheep in the pasture, and the pasture.
Which is mostly rejoicing, since all ingredients are here,

which is gratitude, to be given a mind and a heart
and these body-clothes,
a mouth with which to give shouts of joy
to the moth and the wren, to the sleepy dug-up clam,
telling them all, over and over, how it is
that we live forever.


~ Mary Oliver ~

Mary Oliver's love of nature might be seen in the way she addresses it as addressing a good friend, as in "When I Am Among the Trees," where she says

Around me the trees stir in their leaves

and call out, "Stay awhile."

The light flows from their branches.

And they call again, "It's simple," they say,

"and you too have come

into the world to do this, to go easy, to be filled

with light, and to shine."


**************

While Mary Oliver here is naming her specific work of loving and being nurtured by nature, at the same time, she reminds us each of other similar work of Love...

Coming from a perspective of loving Jesus and his teachings, I oft remember his beautiful
statement that his work was/is to do the Will of Him who sent him...

Although we are oft imperfect in the task of doing the Divine will...my understanding today is that by seeking that will with all our heart, soul & mind...we can sometimes find our way back to that central life-force to be given all that might be required for this one day, this one hour, this one relationship, this one need to be aware....and most of all to find the way to Love specific to what is required and beyond.