Archive for Peace

The Edible Garden; a Permaculture Workshop

{ 2008 July 1 @ 1:17 pm } · { Creativity, Design, Food, Healthcare, Love, Peace, Solutions, health }
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The Edible Garden: a Permaculture Workshop

Wow. Milena and I had a great time Sunday at the Permaculture Event at Tom and Susan Armstrong’s “Park” out in Redmond. They are great people: very knowledgeable, energetic, loving, sharing. They own the Raw Source raw food store– it’s in their converted garage. And they brought in Bruce Horowitz, a really great permaculturist/sustainable comunitist/raw food chef from Bellingham. And there were about 8-10 other guests, all of whom were really great, too!

It was just a really positive time of learning about sustainability, permaculture and how its design principles fit into your everyday life, and just being around cool people. And creating stuff! Yes, Milena and I worked on the “Herb Spiral,” which is a circular/spiral-shaped built-up area for growing herbs. It is south-facing, and each quadrant or so has a special purpose. For instance, the southern quadrant or so is made up of sun-loving plants, since south is the direction of the sun. Likewise, the north-facing quadrant or so houses more shade-loving herbs, since they will be shaded by the more southerly plants. HerbSpiral.tTARgwmUospQ.jpg

Get it? One of the main principles of permaculture is that each element of the design serves at least 3 purposes. Another is that the elements are all symbiotic. So, efficiency is prime.

Earth My Body

{ 2007 August 27 @ 8:14 pm } · { Creativity, Love, Meditation, Music, Music Composition, Music Production, Peace, Poetry }
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My old friend Dell is helping me with “Earth My Body,” which is a song taught to me by this great guy Kaj (pron: “kai”) at the Kerrville Folk Festival back in, say, 1991. Simple words:

Earth my body,

water my blood,

wind my breath,

and fire my spirit.

For my first two years at Kerrville, drum circles were just kick-ass: very often, very nice, very humbling, spiritual, powerful, communal. Exactly what my soul desired at the time (and has been craving ever since). (Since the KFF is a "songwriter’s" festival, KFF, Inc. officially banned drums after my second year– quite probably as a direct result of our drumming– which was, to me, at least, and i know to most anyone who was present at this particular circle– among the most divine experiences in my life.)

One evening, on the back of Chapel Hill, the darkest, quietest, most sacred spot on the ranch…

…nice fire,

a dozen or more beautiful hippies,

clear sky, no moon.

lots of stars.

smallish fire.

 

Kaj starts this beat.

He’d taught me this song earlier,

so i knew it. Dropped right in with my talking drum,

got it going.

Organically, grows.

People join in as their spirit gets it–

“gets” it.

Groks it.

All of it going on: super-natural.

Kaj starts singing.

I join.

We sing in unison for quite some time,

and one by one,

people start joining in,

start singing in this unison, this one song…

Once this feeling, this communal bond, is established,

i add a harmony,

the 5th,

very quietly at first,

blending it in as just an overtone.

And it grows.

Soon others join in the harmony as well.

i add the 3rd,

quietly at first,

and soon all three parts are going,

and everyone is feeling it,

knowing,

that–

this is something special!

Everybody knows it, is singing,

playing, harmonizing,

the spirit of the song so growing organically,

moving us all

from the inside

to play as IT

–the SONG–

wants to be played, to be manifested in this plane of reality…

for she is the message,

and we, the messengers…

And i’m on fucking autopilot–

dun-dun talking away–

talking with–

–holding conversations with–

every individual musician/instrument-combination in the circle–

taking turns, listening, responding–

listen/reply–

hear/say–

joke/laugh–

cry/weep–

bless/thanks–

spit/spat–

The spirit rises–

we are all orbiting Pluto–

the stars spinning round our heads–

the gods whirling ‘twixt our souls–

hearts beat in time–

the earth throbs with us–

fire-sparks join our spirits rising–

the wind sings harmonies in the trees octaves higher–

energies race to the farthest oceans of space–

brightening the darkness

all around us,

within us

…

eventually we drop;

we feel the spirit quiet.

As one, we fade,

leaving only the crackling of the fire,

the chirping of the crickets,

the wind, still calling our universal names…

In silence, we all exhale,

for the first time in 20 minutes

(though it seems lifetimes).

i look up at the stars and think,

“wow! look at the stars!”

i hear a voice across the circle whisper:

“wow! look at the stars!”

i think to myself, “this must be God,”

another voice across the way:

“this must be God.”

i think to myself: “I am THIRSTY!!!”

someone hands me a bottle of water.

Like that.

–

Anyway, it’s such a wonderful, meditative chant on our inner connection with our world. It’s always stayed with me, and I always wanted to lay down some kind of version of it. So, finally, in the summer of ‘05, i did. But I’m not perfectly happy with it, so just a few nights ago, I was iChatting with Dell, and he brought up again how he’d like to do some collaboration over the internet, like I’m doing with Jon. So, right there I tell him about “Earth My Body,” and he says, “send send.”

So, I’m excited about music again. Lots of it going on in my life right now… just need some money to be able to keep it coming. Oh, Brotherhood of God, help me open the God-Mind connection, to manifest greatness and goodness, joy and health, for the greater good of the Universe and Everyone Concerned…

Kirtan: the Yoga of Singing. Of Course.

{ 2006 August 23 @ 12:05 pm } · { Change, Creativity, Family, Love, Meditation, Music, Music Production, Peace, Poetry }
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Just heard Jai Uttal and his group (Jai Uttal and the pagan love orchestra) singing “Om Nemah Shivaya”, a gorgeous Hare Krishna-esque chant from their “Nectar” album. Upon visiting his website, I’ve discovered that there is– suprise!– a “yoga of singing,” called “kirtan.” And here is some information about a workshop Uttal will be holding around the turn of the new year.

What a wonderful thing! As I heard the song, a call-and-response singalong, I just couldn’t help but sing along. And soon, I was picturing in my head “my people.” My future. The dream of my future, in a beautiful, natural setting, with my friends and family surrounding me, all of us singing together in this beautiful sound, feeling and sharing love and smiles.

Kirtan. The Yoga of Singing. Of course.

The Fourth Reich: Avoided for Now?

{ 2006 March 30 @ 10:22 am } · { Civil Liberties, Peace, Politics, Truth, Truths & Lies }
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Admittedly, I am not very good at keeping up with the latest news. I mean, I just found this today (from March 11th), about Colorado High School Social Studies teacher Jay Benning being reinstated in his job after originally being placed on leave for comparing certain of PrezBush's Jan 06 State of the Union address to certain sayings of Adolf Hitler. I am happy that Benning is back at work, although, like most news articles, I am not satisfied with the (lack of) depth of explanations. What did the school board determine, exactly?

Well, they did say that Henning must present the opposing argument right then, rather than waiting 'til next week.

God, teachers have it tough. I mean, who determines the polar extents of any particular debate? Is Benning's question simply that Bush is Hitler or is NOT Hitler? And since he's a social studies teacher, here are examples of both arguments?

Well, what if the argument for one side is logically unsound, like the arguments for Intelligent Design? I guess the teacher is supposed to present that argument anyway, as is, and let the students decide.

That's why it's extremely important that students learn how to think critically first. They must have the tools to determine what is a sound argument and what is NOT a sound argument.

Anyway, here's that Post article:

(from Washington Post website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/10/AR2006031002330.html?nav=rss_print/asection"

–

Colo. Teacher Accused Of Bias Is Reinstated

He Had Likened Bush's Speech to Hitler's

Associated Press
Saturday, March 11, 2006; Page A06

DENVER, March 10 — A high school teacher who was placed on leave after comparing President Bush's State of the Union address to speeches by Adolf Hitler has been reinstated, his attorney and school officials said Friday.

Officials declined to say whether social studies instructor Jay Bennish faced disciplinary action. His attorney, David Lane, said Bennish would be back in the classroom Monday "with full pay."

Bennish had been on paid leave from Overland High School in suburban Aurora since March 1 while Cherry Creek School District determined whether he violated a district rule that teachers present balancing viewpoints in the classroom.

Superintendent Monte Moses declined to offer specifics of the investigation or its findings, but said administrators and Bennish now "have a good understanding."

During a Feb. 1 lecture in a geography class, Bennish said some of Bush's State of the Union address the night before "sounds a lot like the things that Adolf Hitler used to say."

Bennish later said the lecture was intended to stimulate his students to think critically. He also said he presents balancing viewpoints in class but not always at the same time. Lane acknowledged that was a mistake.

"Jay's teaching style will perhaps be, as some would say, a little more fair and balanced on a minute-to-minute basis," Lane said. "When you put out one side, put out the other then and there."

Bennish said he would continue to try to improve as a teacher and to encourage students to think critically.

"I will be back in the classroom on Monday, and I am excited to continue to teach," he said.

One of Bennish's students recorded part of the lecture and provided the tape to a Denver radio station. Cherry Creek administrators said the student's father gave a copy to them.

On Friday, the state Senate rejected a proposal authorizing schools to fire teachers who routinely present one-sided views in the classroom and instead agreed to a measure saying teachers who violate school policies can be dismissed.

the Fourth Reich

{ 2006 March 8 @ 1:24 pm } · { Civil Liberties, Peace, Politics, Truth, Truths & Lies }
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Why is nobody pointing out that this is what the Third Reich would have done?

More power to Jay Bennish!!!

–
(from the CNN.com website:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/EDUCATION/03/08/teacher.bush.ap/index.html)

Teacher who compared Bush and Hitler put on leave

Wednesday, March 8, 2006; Posted: 10:17 a.m. EST (15:17 GMT)
DENVER (AP) — A high school social studies teacher who was put on leave after comparing President Bush's State of the Union address to speeches made by Adolf Hitler defended his lecture on Tuesday, saying he was trying to encourage students to think.
“My job as a teacher is to challenge students to think critically about issues that are affecting our world and our society,” Jay Bennish said on NBC's “Today Show.”
Bennish is on paid leave from Overland High School in suburban Aurora while Cherry Creek School District investigates whether his Feb. 1 lecture violated a policy requiring that balancing viewpoints be presented in classes.
A student recorded at least part of the lecture in Bennish's world geography class and took it to a Denver radio station, which played parts of it on a talk show.
Bennish told “Today” the excerpts broadcast weren't representative of the full lecture.
”This is 20 minutes out of a 50-minute class. The rest of the class provides the balance,” he said.
On the recording, Bennish told the students that some of Bush's speech “sounds a lot like the things that Adolf Hitler used to say. We're the only ones who are right, everyone else is backwards and our job is to conquer the world and make sure that they all live just like we want them to.”
Later in the recording, Bennish said he was not claiming Bush and Hitler were the same, “but there are some eerie similarities to the tones that they use.”
Bennish said no parents — including the family of the student who recorded the lecture — have complained to him. He said all the students' parents had seen his syllabus and that school officials had approved it.
”My job as a social studies teacher is to argue alternative perspectives and viewpoints so that students are aware of those point of views. They do not necessarily reflect my own views. They are simply thrown out there to encourage critical thought,” he told “Today.”

Dreams of a Particular Destiny. And Not in Real Life.

{ 2006 January 20 @ 3:48 pm } · { Change, Meditation, Peace, Problems, Therapy }
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Had an interesting dream t’other night… Of all people, Frank Garcia was sorta my avatar… I knew Frank in high school, in choir, mainly, and he was mean. He was a “friend,” in a way, but he was mean to me and alot of others, too. In other words, not the kind of person i would consider “enlightened” or a “spiritual guide” of any sort.

Anyway, the dream had been going on for a while, and i only remember from this point: we were in an airliner, but i was holding onto Frank’s hands as he was dangling out a hole in the fuselage. Deafening wind. He’s holding in his hand this keychain with two keys on it. He wants me to say something like “i believe in God,” or “i believe in your church,” or something like that– something having to do with his religion. But i just couldn’t bring myself to say it. Instead, i said, “it’s not worth it.”

At which point he lets go and falls into oblivion.

Fast forward to “now.” My life is in shambles. M has left me. I have no job. I’m an emotional wreck. Directionless, pointless. But one day i get this overwhelming feeling that i need to go to Fairbanks, Alaska. And there just so happens to be a Humvee show at a local exhibition hall. M and i (yeah, somehow she’s back) devise some way to steal an H2– it must be a white one, since we’ll be in snow.

So we’ve got the H2 and we’re on the road, and i somehow hear that there has been a death in Frank’s family. I go to the funeral, and his whole family is there, and they tell me that Frank wanted me to have this: and they hand me one of the keys he’d been holding onto when he fell out of the plane.

That was important. That was like the third sign that i had some particular destiny. Some distinct destiny that was uniquely mine. And i became conscious of it. I really began to notice little things i probably wouldn’t have noticed before that indeed pointed me in this distinct and particular direction: Fairbanks, Alaska.

I began having “visions” of sliding a key into a lock, and just figured that that lock must be in Fairbanks.

And this whole while, i was sorta waking up at various points in the dream, making little notes, hoping to be able to bring it all to surface again someday while i was awake, so i could write it down. It just really felt important that i follow my feelings to Fairbanks, to see what i could open with Frank’s key. Very much like some sort of redemption for letting Frank die, for letting him down, for not simply saying those two simple words: “i believe,” even if i didn’t believe.

That’s it. But since then, i’ve been trying to see some particular destiny for myself. Like last night, M and I went to the grand opening of Brother Chi Sing’s Trinity River Sangha. I’ve really been attracted to Chi Sing’s energy since he gave a talk and really led the service one Sunday in early December 2005 at the Oak Cliff Unitarial Universalist Church. His service was very mindful. And he was just so nice, and peaceful, and his way of talking very soothing and his presence so easy and happy. He started out leading us in a like 5-minute silent sitting meditation right there in our chairs. Then he talked beautifully about being fully present in the here and now, and about what Buddhists are, what they believe, etc. And finally, he led us in a 10-minute walking meditation around the church’s nice 5-acre lot thru the trees, around the grounds, etc. Very very nice.

And M and i had the very night of this dream hadda very nice talk about the direction of our lives, and about the lack of such direction in my life in particular, and how i am starting to feel like i need mentors & teachers & guides in my life. We talked about how i’ve always been fed the idea that i need to be unique, and unlike anyone else– always be myself, as if who i am really is different than everyone and anyone else.

But what if i am NOT unique? What if i have a particular destiny? What if i can’t “make it” anymore by just “getting by”, by just “letting it be,” by not making any decisions, by just “going with the flow?” What if all that kind of attitude has gotten me is poor, lost, and directionless?

So. More change. More change is needed. I want more change. The sangha last night was really good feeling. I mean, other than the pain between my shoulder blades 15 minutes into the 20-minute silent sitting meditation. It felt good even afterwards while we were hanging out munching and socializing. Met a really cool local photographer, Kent Barker. One person mentioned “all those who suffer from substance addiction” during the “name your own prayer” segment of the service. To which i wanted to add, “and all other kinds of addiction.”

So it looks like some people are using this Sangha as a means to fight their problems. To which i say, “more power!” I know I need help in that direction.

Gotta go. Money problems now. Need to come up with like $1000 really soon. Fucking sucks. Somehow i got one month behind on our CCATCU loan payments… I fucking HATE money…

Who Frames the Parameters of the Debate?

{ 2005 December 9 @ 10:47 pm } · { Peace, Politics, Truth, Truths & Lies }
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Currently Listening
ambient@hyperreal.02 Compilation CD
By Forrest Fang, Stephen Philips, Farfield, Jason Sloan, eM, Numina, Jonathan Hughes, Isomorph, dreamSTATE, Musical Nature, Craig Padilla, JackTheTab, and more Various Artists – Ashera
see related

OK, you know what pisses me off about the Bush administration and people (like this guy Gary Schmitt of the Dallas Morning News, whose article here appears on the Project for a New American Century website) who think our war on Iraq was justified even though we went there based on lies? What pisses me off THE MOST (out of ALOT that pisses me off) about these guys is that they have successfully framed the issue in irrelevant terms. That is, the argument these days is “should we pull out our troops now or later?” when the REAL question is how can we have peace on earth? How can we “all just get along?”

On 9/11, i was as shocked as anybody. Perhaps moreso than most. But my shock led me to question WHY. Why did these people want to do such a thing? So i did a little research. You know, BASIC RESEARCH: hopped on Google, looked up “Osama bin Laden.” Watched alot of TV news (and there was a LOT of it going on at that time).

It didn’t take me long to realize that bin Laden’s main complaint about the USA was that we were meddling in the affairs of his nation (or his nationS) and of the Islamic leadership of those nations.

Ok then, why don’t we try some basic DIPLOMACY??? Send our ambassadors over there to find out how the people feel about us. Ask the PEOPLE. “Let’s talk…” What could we do that might help mend resentment among the people there? LET’S BE FRIENDS!!!

But NO! On the very evening of 9/11, what does our President– the most powerful man in the world, a self-proclaimed “Texan,” the “man of integrity” who during his campaign called himself “the great uniter”– DO??? HE THREATENS EVERYONE!!! “Either you’re with us or you’re against us.” Um, let’s see… we’ve just been attacked by fundamentalists who think that if we’re not friends, we’re enemies. And then we tell them, what? We tell them that if we’re not friends, we’re enemies.

Is this not supremely irrational? I mean, are we not giving bin Laden exactly what he wants? Lending him credence, legitimacy?

George Bush had the perfect opportunity to heal some major wounds for humanity. What if he had said, on that infamous evening of September 11, 2001:

Wow. You have really given us a wakeup call. We had no idea you were in so much pain. The United States takes a vow to make our world a better place, to listen to your concerns, to reach out and LIFT YOU UP, to empower EVERYONE to become the best person they can be, and this wonderful, beautiful, rich and delicate world of ours to be a warm and healthy place for humanity to prosper for millenia to come.

Imagine what our world would be like now, four years later. Ask yourself, Gary Schmitt of the Dallas Morning News, “would the world be safer for having reached out to the poor and the disenfranchised?”

“Tree-House”

{ 2003 October 1 @ 11:45 pm } · { Composition, Creativity, Family, Love, Peace, Poetry, Therapy, writing }
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http://yugen.files.wordpress.com/2006/06/Milena-sm.png
M’s Birthday Poem- v2

Tree-House

This is our tree-house.
It asks nothing of us.

When i first saw her
i was enchanted.
My heart sang that night–
there was communion, there was community.

As we grew closer, her depth drew me in,
both strange and beautiful,
i fell.

At first the fear was too strong,
the mystery too dark,
the exotic too alien.

So i kicked her away, once, then again, and yet again…

But she was infinitely patient.

And now i find…

I want to crawl inside her,
like a seed,
that sprouts roots inside her womb and branches out her heart
to enfold the world,
to embrace the local and the lonely;
To bare our one soul
to whatever rays of sunlight find their way
to our green, green cells.
And like chlorophyll transform that warmth,
transform that light,
transform the shit,
the decay,
the death,
in which we are rooted…

And like the branch that lengthens,
buds,
grows,
reaches–
constantly reaches out,
i want to find that which isn’t me–
but in fact just may be me,
and in fact is me…?

And the strange and new become comfortable and home,
and what’s mine is yours and what’s yours is mine…

Our tree-house is equal parts darkness and light,
with a seedy underbelly dragging itself across mud & muck,
and a shimmering pearly-white pate shining brightly above the treetops.

And like our branches reaching up and away,
our roots, too, reach down and out.
They get dirty, get mean, get raunchy;
Squeezin’ that slime ‘tween their toes,
Grindin’ up stones;
Suckling sweet sustenance at the breast of the earth.

Out at one end of our tree-house
bubbles a cool pond–
spring-nourished, waterfall-fed,
nestled comfortably in a clearing
‘twixt our tree and a cliff.
And in the refreshing depths we sleep
and dream of golden-scaled mermen
and -women of silky sensuality carving curves inside curves,
while mer-children splash & play in the shallows,
and yellow-white butterflies dodge and dart
‘twixt the glinting droplets and rays.

At another end, a clearing,
where local two-leggeds lean
toward their thumping boxes,
then lean away,
lean toward,
and lean away,
in a twisting, writhing series of sumptuous thumps.
And others twist and writhe toward the sounds,
away and toward,
toward and away,
arms flinging, hands pushing,
at each other but not on.
And around a crackling fire they chant
and sing, and make joyful noises
at the fullest hours of night,
howling at the moon, lifting their hearts,
falling and flailing, twisting and turning,
until first light arrives,
and the noises of the day finally overtake their tired songs.

This is our tree-house,
situated softly in the center of the place where we are.
The tree asks nothing of us.

But we see.
We feel its syrupy veins,
and smell its sweet sap,
and slumber to the rocking
of its branches,
creaking in the night wind.

This is our tree-house,
which we have grown–
ourselves we have grown
this long and strong creature
with its reach beyond that of either of our own.

This is our tree-house.
It asks nothing of us.

– for M, 27 Sept, 2003

sum growth & sum flicking away…

{ 2003 June 19 @ 1:21 am } · { Change, Family, Love, Macintosh, Peace, Politics, Problems, Stress, Technology }
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the days i feel like i’ve made some progress on a problem are good days. The days i puke, too, are good days. But when it’s my wife that’s puking, it’s not so clear whether it’s “good” or not…

She is getting better at it; used to be she would just keep drinking Maalox or taking Alka Seltzer until she was finally able to stave it off. Now she downs glasses of water and crams her finger down her throat. And it works; she has had at least three all-night ralphing sessions in the past, oh, six months.

Ok. Looks like she’s done now– it’s 1:25am. She just put on 2001: A Space Odyssey; it always lulls her to sleep.

Speaking of 2001, since i bought the DVD for my birthday on May 1, i’ve watched it a half-dozen times or so, and have noticed alot about it in the decade or so since i’d seen it last. Much of note illuminates the changes that have happened in the world in this past decade-or-so.

For instance, one of the main themes of the film is HAL screwing up. Time after time during the introductory “Discovery’s Mission to Jupiter” scenes, references are made to how “perfect” HAL is, how he nor any of the 9000 Series computers have ever made a mistake. It was such a shock to realize that again, after all these years!

I mean, here i make my living every day trying to work around computers that are screwing up. Every day. And in 2001, HAL is trying to reconcile human dishonesty and deception. The Discovery has a hidden, secret, mission that HAL knows about but the human crew don’t.

I think in Arthur C. Clarke’s book, this is explained much more. I don’t remember for sure, but i think HAL doesn’t even know, consciously, the secret part of the mission until they actually arrive at Jupiter.

But the point is, HAL goes kerbonkers. So Dave Bowman disconnects him. Or rather, “disconnects his higher functioning.” A lobotomy, in effect.

And in the movie, from there to the end is just one acid trip after another until the Star Child at very end.

But in the book, HAL actually encounters an alien intelligence, i think. Or does that come up in 2010? I know that by 2010, at least, HAL has become a disembodied, fully self-conscious being.

I love science fiction! It’s so cool to look back to the real 2001, and know that that was the year of 9/11, and of Bush’s retreat back to the savage nature of the ape-scenes of 4-million B.C. 2001. Bush practicing more honesty and deception…

What a huge opportunity lost! I totally understand why Natalie Maines told that London audience she was embarrased to be from the same state as Bush. Me too.

In order to grow, we often have to flick off some old ways…