.......
Serious Thoughts on
Laws and Leadership
Cora E. Cypser
Published by KIM PATHWAYS
Copyright 2006
ISBN: 978-1-892063-17-4
...
CONTENTS
The Earth Is Alive-----1
The Thought Layer of The Earth----2
Oscillations-----3
Criminal Justice-----4
The Reason for Laws-----5
Woe to The Legislators of Infamous Laws! ---6
Rain-----7
Against Stereotyping-----8
Animals as Humane-----9
How Deer Talk----10
Fill Souls with Joy-----11
Leadership-----12
Great Souls-----13
Uriel The
How Buddha Suffered-----15
Three Steps Out of Trauma-----15
Sad Facts (2005)-----16
The Wars our Leaders Wage? -----17
Who Is My Neighbor? -----17
Diseases of our Flesh-----18
The Birthing-----19
Healings-----20
Circumcision of The Spirit-----21
How To Rule The Earth-----22
Soldiers and Peasants-----23
The Spirit in All of Us-----24
Voting Problem-----25
The Donkey and The Elephant-----26
Spirea-----26
Difficulties-----27
The Spirit of The Messiah-----28
Builders-----29
Symbols -----30
Warriors and Mothers-----31
The Task Given to Adam-----32
Into The Wilderness-----33
The One God Has Many Names-----34
Before Abraham Was-----35
Folk Heroines-----36
The Sacrifice of The Lamb-----37
What Is Earth For?-----38
Exclusivity-----39
Brotherhood-----39
Prayer for Group Solidarity-----40
Our
Equality -----43
Ordained by God-----44
Consistory of Women-----45
Rape-----45
Up-Side-Down World-----46
On Community Guidance-----47
Proclaim Good News-----48
Failure of Our Species-----49
Search Out The Truth-----50
The Education of Our Children-----51
Threats-----52
Sharing-----53
Meteor Shower in December-----54
The Responsible and The Abusers----55
We Are to Help Each Other-----56
The Age of Aquarius-----57
Governments-----58
An Energy Exercise-----59
Myth of The White Bird on The Chinese Plate-----60
The Commitment -----61
Personal Renewal vs. Restorative Justice-----62
Evangelization-----63
The Word of Haggai-----64
Treatment of Prisoners-----65
Risking The Welfare of The Earth----66
A Time for Forgiveness-----67
Does God Hear? -----68
One Man or The Nation? -----69
Thanksgiving-----69
Tiresome Tyrants-----70
We Must Be The Change----71
Planning for A Positive Earth-----72
On Forgiving Terrorists-----73
The Pleiades as The Feminine Side of Divinity-----74
Venus at
Is Death A Destroyer or A Transformer? -----75
Blundering on The Budget -----75
The Poor Are Safer -----76
The Gifts Given to Us-----76
Cycle of Rebirth - Recycle of The Holy-----77
Transforming The World-----77
The Immigrant-----78
The Malignant Egophreniac-----78
Renewing The Mind-----79
The Call-----79
All Life Is Connected-----80
Hagar Weeping in the Wilderness---81
Alpha and Omega-----82
Judges, Be Fair-----82
Those Traveling in Boats-----83
Tsunami Thoughts-----84
Fireworks over
Information on
Terrorism and Abuse-----86
How to Fight Today's Battles-----86
Psalm 23-----87
Sonnet of The Spheres----87
The Good We Do-----88
Gate to Heaven-----89
Connections-----89
Observe, Feel, Note Needs, Requests-----90
An Historical Review-----91
Did You Know?----93
Why Women Can't Rule-----94
Give Fort Benning Back----94
Chains Will Be Broken ----95
Serious Thoughts
On Laws and Leadership
Cora E. Cypser
Variation
on Matthew 5:44
Love your
enemies
and pray
for those who persecute you,
so that
you may be expressions
of the
Great Compassionate Spirit.
The Earth Is Alive
Often when we think of the
word, ALIVE
we picture a living human
being.
We can admit that animals also
are alive
but we do not credit to
animals
the "educated"
aliveness
that we allow to ourselves.
We admit that trees are alive
but we do not credit trees
with "thinkability".
Trees are big and mice are
small
but we seem to feel that human
beings
are just the right size to
think.
We might express our belief as
"Humans have reasoning
souls."
Now the earth is much bigger
than us
and who is to say that such
largeness
excludes the ability to reason
or to have a spiritual
component?
After all, the earth contains
all of us
and if you put all our
spiritual parts together
you obtain what Teilhard de Chardin called
the "thought layer of the
earth".
1
The Thought Layer of The Earth
If I am to describe the
thought layer of the earth
I must bring it down to size
so that you and I can
understand its workings.
We are too small to understand
the minds of bigger elements
than us
such as the mind of God.
Perhaps as being of the earth
we can make questionable sense
of what the earth is all about
but surely there will be
vast errors in our reasoning.
The thought layer of myself–
how to describe it?
I have my ups and downs.
Just as surely as I have an up
I can predict a down.
The earth is similar.
Earth has her hideous wars
and interspersed are periods
of peace.
There are times of famine and
of plenty.
For every bad, there is a
good.
These oscillations are the way
of earth.
So can I say, "The earth
thinks thoughts like me;
has ups and downs like me;
the soul of earth is like the soul of me"?
2
Oscillations
However much time the process of new understanding, new love, new
security takes, the process must never be abandoned ... Joan Chittister
The pendulum goes swinging
back and forth.
What goes up must come down.
Actions demand reactions
yet at some point energy runs
out.
Governments come into power
and fade away.
Death overtakes the military
horde.
An untried generation takes
the stage.
Humanity evolves, goes blindly
forward.
Some human thoughts pierce the
sublime;
some fall quite low.
I must remember that when days
are sad
that joy is coming soon
is breaking in
like sunrise in the spring.
So too with earth.
There is wide room for
renaissance–
for feeding all the earth
for giving human rights to all
the people
for making earth a pleasant
home
for all God's creatures.
3
Criminal Justice
The way the criminal justice system treats criminals is criminal.
The words we use describe the
way we act.
Our actions often are too
militant.
Laws oscillate from punishment
to rehabilitation.
So when we see how humans
torture fellows
we must remember that such
deeds begin within
that unkind acts are birthed
within the mind
prompted by other unkind acts
or words or pictures.
It's easy to debase a little
child calling him evil
or to label the adult as
unforgivable.
How blind we are!
How selfish we become
when we protect our own.
We smugly make our laws
to describe our human rights
the right to own our home
the right to educate, to vote
the right to oil to drive our
cars
and heat our homes
the right to own and use a
gun.
Unfortunately, such
self-preserving laws
often deny the rights of
others.
In consequence, our justice
courts
are prejudiced against the
lowly
and bow before the powerful and wealthy.
4
The
Reason for Laws
The Son of Man [the
human being]
is master of the
Sabbath.–Luke 6:5
“Law, it would seem, is
set up to work on the side of those who
wish to enslave the
soul.” The Gospel of Mary of Magdala by Karen
King.
Laws must be made to help the people
not
enslave them.
The Sabbath law gave slaves a day of rest
much needed by them.
The turning of the earth upon its axis
is orderly and to be much admired.
Folk copied time as marked by moon and sun.
The phases of the moon divided into quarters
combined with the sun's horizon solstice
settings
helped make a seven day week.
The order of the spheres passed down to earth
and influenced the ways of human beings.
Some laws are made for purposes of order.
No one set down the rules enforcing love
but busily listed punishments
which only serve to make for hatred
and encourage further violence.
Make laws that lead to love and restoration!
Make rules fulfilling earth and human beings!
5
Woe
to The Legislators of Infamous Laws!
-to those who issue tyrannical decrees
who refuse justice to the unfortunate and
cheat the poor of their rights. - Isaiah 10:1
Unilateralism is not a gospel tradition.
The gospel advocates human security
as opposed to national security.
There is no need for a standing army
ready to overrun a neighboring country.
There is no need for a representational
government
eager to please the rich and oppress the poor.
Daily our government makes choices of death or
life
by the way it allocates money
by the way it regulates food and drugs.
There is no need for having political leaders
who do not understand
higher expressions of human consciousness
or the need for justice for all persons.
Dressing politicians in velvet robes
does not make them wise.
6
Rain
Droplets of rain
pattering on windows
setting the tree leaves
chattering
droplets prancing on roof tops
with clattering heels
droplets gathering as storm
rain
dashing, dancing
from gutters to ground
racing to the puddles
pacing a graceful design
through indifferent dust.
We are the rain.
We are proclaiming spirit
like storm rain gathering
holding our banners high
having our thoughts blow
wildly
in a Kairos
wind
as we pace out a graceful design
before indifferent legislators.
7
Against Stereotyping
It is against human rights to
label someone as violent
and thereby take away his
right to a good name.
93.2% of those incarcerated
under
are minority Black or Hispanic
but they are no more violent
than you or I.
Some politicians have agreed
to label those involved with
drugs as violent.
Who is more violent–
the one who names another
disgracefully
or the one who is so labeled?
Let us all speak
kindly and compassionately
to one another.
Then there will be
less violence in our world.
In a just and peaceful world
we will care for the needs of
our neighbor.
8
Animals as Humane
I do not think dogs
practice prejudice.
Black dogs and tan
all settle down together.
Orange cats and
black can come in the same litter.
Albino tigers are
accepted by their mothers.
So why do human
groups exclude the different?
We come in varying
shades, shapes, and sexes
which influence us
to poor reactions.
We have evolved by
feeling threatened by unknowns.
Machiavelli,
about 500 years ago
proclaimed
the end can justify the means.
John Humbach
calls inflicting suffering wrong.
"It
is to be avoided
unless
it is an inseparable and unpreventable consequence
of an
action that is honestly meant
as the
most humane alternative that the situation presents,
giving
due regard to the interests of everyone affected.”*
Machiavelli
would doubtless have approved
of the
28,000 bombs rained down on Iraqi civilians
with
the accompanying collateral damage
if a
peaceful and united Italian society was the outcome.
The Humbach theory would see the
and the
treatment of Iraqi prisoners as excessively violent
and
that restorative justice practices such as mediation
would
have been a more acceptable solution.
Restorative
justice is a system that responds to wrongs done
by
using reparative practices
instead
of reacting with simple punishment or retaliation.
Surely,
the animals are more accepting of others
and
more naturally restorative than many political leaders.
*John Humbach of
9
How
Deer Talk
An uneducated king will
be the ruin of his people. - Ecclesiasticus 10:3
Woe to you, country,
when your king is a lad. Qoheleth in Ecclesiastes
10:16
The mother deer communicates her wishes to a
fawn.
She visualizes him as napping
while she leaves to feed, and then returns.
When we talk, we can hear sounds
but we do not see the thought train
traveling from mind to mind, in human kind.
Thoughts are invisible in deer and man.
They are sent from patterns in a brain.
They transfer by vibrations to penetrate
another brain
and register some similar patterns there.
But different brains interpret variously.
A thought that pleases you
may deeply offend me.
What happens when the fawn becomes defiant?
What happens when a teen believes he knows it
all
when the young are not educated to be peaceful?
Be wary when the prince has a childlike mind
and his advisors have dollar signs in their
eyes.
The male fawn has exploratory genes
that lead to disobedience. The ruler waging war
is making use of a backward and medieval
process.
10
Fill
Souls with Joy
So how does Spirit work?
This living, moving, swirling that we cannot
see
can leap from mind to mind, body to body
can leap across the universe
can slide into the past or push the future
can bind all minds with tangling threads.
Do you believe that we have souls to fill!
To turn these souls
from hatred to compassion
let's put our lips to song
our hands to clapping
feet to dancing, stamping
for we are brothers, sisters
of the stars, the sun, the moon
and of each other.
Hold hands up high
and shout out praise to God
who sends good things to earth
making the lame to walk
helping the blind to see.
willing the prisoner set free
and having all the world experience
the saving power of spirit
flooding
into souls.
11
Leadership
Some follow leaders.
Some follow gods.
Some turn their fallen leaders
into gods.
What are the gods anyway?
Are they dreams of what the
human being might become?
It is impossible to know all
about God.
Those who think they know how
God thinks
are misled.
Some turn loving communities
of people
into religious groups
who forget what it is like to
love
and turn to hate
and vandalize outsiders.
Some oust women.
Some formalize caste systems.
What is the church?
What is community?
What is the place of empathy?
How can the human love another
human
as he loves himself?
12
Great Souls
Some souls are filled with
Spirit!
How is this?
Each soul being a part of One
Great Soul
reflects such greatness in the
plans it makes
to guide its fellows onward to
fulfillment.
You can tell a great soul
by the words she speaks
by the thoughts she thinks
by the deeds she does.
The great soul is filled up
with qualities of God
and thus resembles God
and can be known as godly.
This does not mean the great
soul is all just
and will never suffer harm.
Survey the universe!
Observe how stars go rattling
from the sky
and disappear in the abyss.
Some leaders are promoted to
the heavens
and are translated into angels
by their followers
who judge with human judgment.
Only All-knowing God can tell
just who is saint or sinner.
13
Uriel The
The name Uriel means "Light of God" or "God is my
Fire."
(I Chronicles 15:5)
Who is wise enough to be trusted
with knowledge of the stars?
Uriel
is mentioned twice in Chronicles
as counted among the sons of Aaron and Levi.
He was the first named of the priests of Israel
a son of the obedient Kohath
congregation
This chief of priests who ruled
with his one hundred and twenty kinsmen
dwelt in a sun-filled palace.
Priests used the gems of Urim
and of Thummin
as aids for seeking out perfected truth.
These precious stones residing
on the breastplate of the high priest
indicated the divine will by a preternatural
brilliance
or through rotation or movement
as in a divining rod or dangling crystal.
Who is wise enough to be trusted with truth?
Uriel,
as one of the foundations of the Hebrew Midrash
is described as standing on the left hand of
God
where he ministers to the wandering.
Newgrange
in
where Uriel communed
with spheres and angels.
Can it be that a material temple
is accompanied by a spiritual energy
and that Uriel still
ministers to those needing wisdom
in a spiritual place of golden fire?
Do
saints return to help us on our pathway?
14
How Buddha Suffered
Alas for you who laugh now; you shall mourn and weep.–Luke
Do great men suffer?
Of course the Buddha suffered.
He did not merely sit in
meditative mode
and dream sweet dreams of
peace.
He agonized the whys of
poverty and pain.
He processed kidney stones in
anguish.
These kidney stones are
preserved
in shrines throughout the
world
as memorials to his suffering.
His thought is preserved
throughout humanity
to be remembered as a prelude to nirvana.
Three
Steps Out of Trauma
Culled from an article
in the National Catholic Reporter
by a prisoner on
Centering Prayer
First, empty your mind, so goodness can enter
invite the goodness through quiet
and through the repetition of a meaningful word
(thus forming a relationship with God).
Next, group meditation or prayer
on a calming short reading, with responses
(thus forming a relationship with others
in the presence of God).
Then, a teaching on forgiveness
in which we accept the common humanity
and
problems of all around.
15
Sad
Facts (2005)
There are one billion cases of malaria .
Three million children will die this year
of this preventable disease.
Wear red! Remember the dead!
Our 84 billion dollars for war in
one billion African lives every year.
More than 2000 American soldiers died in
with 16,000 wounded. How many traumatized?
100,000 Iraqi citizens dead plus many more
wounded.
How many traumatized and provoked to
counter-terrorism?
Wear red! Remember the dead!
Remember four women martyrs in
Remember 70,000 in the Salvadoran civil war
and millions from poverty and civil war in
four million dead in the
86,000 dead in the earthquake in
five hundred dead in mud slides in
2,000 from the terrorism of 9/11
20,000 from terrorism worldwide
30,000 killed by handguns in the
42,000 in
30,000 tsunami victims
10 million AIDS victims.
Wear red! Remember the dead!
Also remember 2.3 million incarcerated in
All these, our fellow humans, are worthy of our
compassion.
Many of these tragedies were preventable.
Pray
for our world!
16
The
Wars our Leaders Wage?
Is the Drug War
a war against the misuse of drugs
or a war on impoverished minorities?
Is the War on Terror
simply a mobilization of the military
to harass or even bomb civilians
or could it be turned into a creative program
to build communities that support the oppressed
to give voting rights to the disenfranchised
to make gardens out of deserts
to encourages the use
of solar and wind power
instead
of oil?
Who
Is My Neighbor?
Every person on the earth
becomes my neighbor
by right of one creation
and one communion network.
We all are human beings
interrelating with one another
for better or for worse.
Prisoners are human beings.
We are to treat them as we ourselves
would like to be treated.
All human beings should receive an education.
All human beings should participate in their
government
by voting or assisting in a responsible
political office.
17
Diseases
of our Flesh
Today most Americans would agree
that smoking leads to cancer and early death.
Why can't we also see
drug abuse and alcohol abuse as health issues.
Addiction is a disease
and should be treated as a disease.
The laws of
to heal those convicted because of their
addiction.
It has been rumored that monitored doses
of an anti-testosterone drug can curb
an inborn disposition to predatory violence.
Thus, it would be safe
to allow rapists using this drug to heal their
affliction
to be released from prison
to rehabilitative communities
that understood their problem.
Likewise, if the violence enacted
in warfare, genocide, and terrorist situations
can be subdued by anti-testosterone treatment
why don't we give dosages to pornographers
or to over reactive police officers
or even to politicians who would rather go to
war
than use mediation and consultation
or finally, to those citizens whose reaction
to violence and terrorism
is
more violence and retaliation?
18
The
Birthing
Tell me, little mother
was there pain?
Did you cry out in labor
or did the good God send
an angel to sit by
and help you breathe?
And mother speaks:
My baby is so beautiful!
I can't believe
he's mine to cherish
and to hold and guide.
He never cries.
He smiles and chortles.
Surely, such a wonder
will save our earth from troubles.
Surely, if we love enough
all our children
will save the earth from troubles.
How could I remember pain
when love is in my arms?
Will we recall the pain and horror of war
when
a brave new world strides in?
19
Healings
Healings can be done by the mind anticipating.
When a friend speaks healing words
Endorphins in the brain
ooze out a substance that induces healing.
When doctors give placebos
endorphins in some people have reactions.
When Catholics view the Eucharist held high
their endorphins dance in sweet anticipation.
Some of us have endorphins
that dance more readily than others.
Make use of this wisdom
when confronted with the illnesses of society.
We have been using a pathology-based philosophy
when observing illness and formulating cures.
Instead, how about a fulfillment philosophy
visualizing personal sainthood
assisting our society to have the kindest
and most compassionate soul possible.
Let's search for the common ethical base of all
religions
and respect each others' sacraments and
symbols.
Let's build peace on the hilltops
hold councils to discover root causes
come to understandings about diseases
and
thus bring on a positive future.
20
Circumcision
of The Spirit
His
disciples said to Him, "Is circumcision beneficial or not?" He said
to them, "If it were beneficial,
their
father would beget them already
circumcised from their mother. Rather, the true circumcision in
spirit
has become completely profitable."
Gospel of Thomas, Saying 53, (42:20).
Circumcision is a cutting away of a protection
because the protection has become an entrapment
and a housing for germs which we have
engendered.
Are we to cut away that which diseases souls?
Has our church become a foreskin that entraps
half truths?
Has our government become a loin cloth covering
corruption?
Our God
empowers us to choose life and truth.
We can cut away that which causes corruption.
Our people opted for a government by the people
who are ordained (and qualified) to rule the
earth.
Fascists and Neo-fascists show an illness in
society.
People often grovel before the government they
establish.
They can seize on a charismatic leader
treating him as speaking for God.
Are we to cut away this quasi-protection
given us by leadership who make us fearful
and open the way to further disorder?
21
How
To Rule The Earth
What has one who is
not able to govern himself
to do with governing
others?–Confucius (c. 551-479 BC)
The Bible says that humans are to rule.
We might read that as– we should get along
might better say we pacify the earth.
The earth has got a mindset of its own.
Earth is a holy place.
It has its ordered ways.
The seasons come and pass.
The daffodils glow bold in spring.
The trees proclaim the seasons variously.
Some argue that the trees should have their
sway
although they shut out sun from smaller plants.
Others would trim the trees or cut them down.
Some cut them down for fuel or for a house
and thus denude the hillsides.
Then the earth reacts.
Rain falls; floods come.
Disasters may arrive
yet still the earth remains a holy place.
Some argue that leaders must be obeyed.
Others say ruling is not the game.
We must be compassionate cooperators.
How can we get the sun and rain to all the
earth?
How do we help the lesser folk to grow?
Cooperation is the word.
Let's plant trees in the desert!
Send
water to the earth instead of fire.
22
Soldiers and Peasants
"At times the
mind is inflated with a renegade ego with self-importance, and identifies with
its thoughts and ideas, and thinks itself indispensable and smarter than other
minds it sees as separate from itself."
Evan
Pritchard, p.125 of The
Temple Within.
The way I worship
the God who speaks in me
and the way you worship
the God who speaks in you
may be completely different.
The words you hear from your
God
may tell you to be critical of
me
and not to trust me.
Yet at some point
we both believe in justice and
compassion.
We both agree God loves us
both
and wants the best for both of
us.
We are the offspring of our
Mother Earth
wishing for peace and order to
prevail.
It is not you or I who think
these thoughts--
It's all of us, the parts of
that Great Mind--
the Mind of Earth?
the Process of The Universe?
We all are bits and pieces of
the whole.
We need the wisdom of each
other
the strength in others' hands
to grasp the tip of God's garment.
23
The
Spirit in All of Us
When circumstances cause you to live with a
stranger
as in a college dorm or a prison or a city
shelter
recognize that your companion will have
handicaps.
Their bodies will need healing.
Their minds may be entangled.
They may be paraplegics.
You are to accept them and encourage them--
not reject or discourage!
Keep in mind that we each have the mind of the
Shell Woman.
We can walk in her wake in the rushing surf
until we are glowing with compassion.
We have for comrade the gentle Christ.
We are one of the friends of the Buddha.
We were in the cave with Mohammed
when the angel whispered words for him to
write.
We have sat in the circle of relatives by the
council fire
with Hiawatha and the noble Minnehaha.
We each are part of the splashing, spraying
water of life
sending a sparkling mist of dew drops
to all those along our path.
We are water of life and carrier of Spirit.
Together with saints and Buddhasatvas
we form the healing rivers of eternity.
24
Voting
Problem
In 2005 there were 57,000 complaints
about election fraud, particularly in
Are prisoners still citizens
although they have done wrong
according to the laws of our country?
Who is worthy to vote?
When the census was taken in 2000
prison inmates were counted
in the electoral district
where their prison was located.
In
this gave some upstate districts 9000 nonvoters
When these citizens were counted in
with the rest of the district
it raised the amount of education money
granted to that district.
It lowered the amount of education money
in the poorer districts that they came from.
If these 9000 human beings were given
their constitutional right to vote
they might change the political situation
in that upstate district
or they might enable their home districts
to
have better schools for children.
25
The
Donkey and The Elephant
The wise ruler
comes riding on a donkey,
not on an elephant.
The donkey represents humility
at service to the poor
and lowly.
The elephant comes
trumpeting his power
across the hour.
His rider is too high
to hear requests from kneeling needy
but has great chests
to carry bribes
from
rich and greedy.
Spirea
White blossoms clustered thickly on a stem
growing potential seeds for future full-bloomed
plants.
Oh, what a job for overburdened bees.
Do we humans hang so close together
waiting for pollinizing
angels to chose a winner
who will bring on new thought, new deeds, new
world?
Each of us is given a star to follow.
Each given our own soul to hallow.
Each to bloom on the stem where we find
ourselves.
Some flowers have more perfume.
Some
communities are more accepting than others.
26
Difficulties
We do not yet know how
to serve man. How can we know
about serving the
spirits? –Confucius (c.551-479BC)
It is difficult
to build a global culture
based on fair rules
that encourage virtue.
The rules are there
both ethical and cultural
but something in our hearts rebels
at tracing other peoples rules.
We like our own
and children even stand against their parents
How to get guidelines accepted
is the problem--
how to do peacemaking
without forcing authority.
A temporary worldwide solution might lie in
multinational and non-governmental
organizations
such as ecumenical and religious organizations
devoted to world ethics
organizations to uphold the rights
of women and of children
organizations to eliminate armaments.
These groups could guide world thinking
into channels of peaceful action
until these fairly powerless entities
become powerful and respected
and therefore subject to
authoritarian
and charismatic leaders.
27
The
Spirit of The Messiah
We belong to
the Spirit of the Messiah
who believes in the goodness of all of the
earth!
Look around you!
See your brothers and sisters
all working for, believing in
the goodness of all.
But we are imperfect.
We have our idols that we worship.
We bow before the golden calf.
cow-tow to power
believe in righteousness.
Some put the other down
so they themselves can climb up higher on the
ladder
and so we clash and fail in our pursuit
of truth and justice.
Some think that serving God is bombing others.
Bombing does not serve human beings.
How could such violence possibly please God?
How can one person know
what
God is like?
28
Builders
Thomas Jefferson
thought he would spread democracy
across the world
and education for the masses.
He couldn't handle slavery.
The least he could do was free
his own sons and daughters.
End the curses of slavery and racism.
Do not build walls along borders.
Mohammed
thought he would spread true faith
across the world.
He believed that angels spoke to him.
Like prophets before him
he spread division.
Who of us knows good from evil?
End the evil of intolerance.
Build bridges to cross rivers.
Believe in what faiths have in common.
Presidents, prelates, and politicians
think they can spread freedom
across the world
Such cannot be forced down people's throats
by
military weaponry.
A leader is not God.
Who among us knows God's will?
End the need for wars and retaliation.
Build beloved community.
Do
not build barriers to keep others out.
29
Symbols
Jesus as symbol of God and man-
Jesus as prototype–
"I am in the Father and the Father is in
me."*
Jesus comes clothed in golden gossamer
with a plenum of spirit that flows out freely.
He does not come with power
but with layers of love that reach across time
and cover over inflammations of many nations.
We do not see this Jesus
but we sense the reality of his personality.
Love is greater than fear.
Forgiveness is greater than hate.
Love and forgiveness keep us safely
in the arms of our creator.
Symbols keep us from hurting ourselves
and from destroying another
from aborting the innocent
abusing the children
punishing the addict
using the death penalty
bombing and terrorizing
and the full-birth abortion
which is war.
Until you can re-create the human being,
you must not take his life.
Symbols
help to keep us sane.
*Gospel of John 14:11
30
Warriors
and Mothers
How did Tiamat, old mother goddess of Babylon
feel about Marduk, the new young god
out to use his war
machine–
the powerful horse,
the chariot wheels, the iron sword
on all the
opposition?
Marduk, Royal Duke, Noble Lord
got tired of the
maternal stance of Mother Earth
carved her up and
cast half of her body
into the sky, thus
displacing the matriarchal system;
killed her consort,
mixed him with clay
and made us human
beings.
Thus we are both
God-Spirit and material flesh.
The Duke of Mars
still shines blood red
and kings and
rulers still send fellow men
to wound and to be
wounded, to kill, and also die.
And Mother Earth
with half her body in the sky
still weeps with
tears for the young men who kill
and for the
innocent who bear the battle scars.
How can the wealthy
justify the raping of the earth
the staging of the
hideous weaponry drama
their bragging
about justice and freedom
as they encourage
police states and solitary confinement?
God weeps,
"What are you doing to my people
my little ones, your sisters and brothers?"
31
The
Task Given to Adam
God shouts down
from heaven
"Adam, care
for my earth!
I've gone to a lot
of trouble
to make you wise
and adjustable."
God has plans for
us.
We are designed to
be,
to multiply, to
live, to dream.
God watches. God
queries,
"What have you
done to my earth?"
God meditates,
"You have
siphoned oil from deep holes
leaving vast empty
spaces.
The ground shifts
and quakes
shaking down houses
and hills.
You have shipped
this oil to far away cities
to heat homes of
rich people,
to run cars which
pollute the air I created.
You have cut trees
from the mountains
so when the rains
come
landslides roar
down burying villages.
Streams flood.
Huge waves crash
into unprotected land"
"Adam, what
are you doing?
Why are you hiding from me?"
32
Into
The Wilderness
Christ entered the
wilderness of the world
and was tempted to
exchange
humility for pride
respect for others
for power over
others
spiritual freedom
and wisdom
for material
surplus and satisfaction.
We follow Christ
into the wilderness
divesting ourselves
of rage and weaponry
leaving behind the
politics
of success,
glamour, charisma
carrying the water
of life to parched places
where we can plant
trees and quiet thoughts.
We try to interpret
the Messianic message
of justice beyond charity.
Many believe in charity
but cannot bring themselves
to forgive those who have offended them.
If we follow in the footsteps of Christ
we will learn about justice and forgiveness.
33
The
One God Has Many Names
Great god is called by many different names.
What’s in a name, the many divine names?
When we beseech Earth’s goodness
By an unfamiliar name
It does not nullify our prayer.
What does it matter
The name you implore for assistance?
Each age and tongue calls out in a unique way.
Noah and Miriam, Sarah and Abraham,
in their abundance, and in their lack
shouted prayers out to the blackness
and the blackness answered them back.
Their names and the way they lived
are carried on in our myths.
The woman Isis wandered by the
When Divinity revealed its name to her
she acquired courage, wisdom, and power
which she used for the good of her people.
May all our prayers be heard by holy ears!
May we use all our power for good!
We each have special roles to play on earth.
It helps to name our God and call out to that
name.
34
Before
Abraham Was
Before the Jews proclaimed their specialness
before the Bible and the Ten Commandments
God was the God of earth and of the heavens.
The Jewish faith does not depend on words.
The Christian faith does not depend on church
and Islam serves a God beyond The Book.
All faiths believe in goodness of the person.
Ancient traditions have their flaws.
No one person, no book, is infallible.
Doctrines made by people
or depending on the word of a person
or translated by a person
are liable to create confusion.
Do we see Islam and Christianity
as rivals for peoples' souls?
Have religious bodies stooped so low
that they think souls are prizes
in a power game of sorts?
Which group claims souls existing
before the time of Moses?
Names, historical concepts, tribal movements
myths circulating in the Asian world
gave birth to three great faiths that formed
beliefs
to fit their various systems of worship.
Is that what people were created for–
to be pawns in politics or war–
thrown in a fire for sacrifice?
Or were we made for trust
and
for forgiveness?
35
Folk
Heroines
Husbands, love your wives.-Ephesians
5:25
Fatima, daughter of the prophet
scolded her sisters:–
"If you knew how God dwells in your menfolk
you would serve them, oh, so diligently!"
She is seldom quoted as saying:–
"If your husbands knew how God dwells in
you women
they would treat you, oh, so reverently!"
If all God's created people
believed in the equality of women
and the rights of women
to pursue right livelihood and self-respect
then men might cease their militant ways
and follow the guidance of gentle women.
36
The
Sacrifice of The Lamb
(They saw) a Samaritan
carrying a lamb on his way to
Will the social system kill us
and then deviously devour us?
Do prelates and politicos
plan a feast on our disposal?
Have we believed in a deception
thinking those who lead would love us?
Where is this Repose we're promised?
We must be diligent to find it.
Did the good and gentle Jesus
find a place to dwell in safety
or did social systems grab him
twist him, make him suffer?
May we follow gentle Jesus
and
go forward on our journey!
37
What
Is Earth For?
The human has not evolved to destroy the earth
but to care for earth. In caring for the earth
the person serves himself. Without an earth
how could the human being, be?
The earth was made to help folk live.
In learning how to care for earth
the earth and all our kind will live.
If we destroy the earth, we die.
What are songs for?
Voices were made to sing.
Without the magic of a song, what would we be?
Songs give us comfort in our hearts
lift us from pain to hope when grave disaster
strikes
when politicians hurtle bombs
when tsunamis hit the coast line.
What are souls for?
Without a soul, what are we?
Souls are made to interact together.
Together we make Holy Spirit.
We hold our hands up high.
We shout our praise to God
who sends good things of earth to us.
The way to thank God
for our belonging to the earth and God
is to raise a song of praise.
38
Exclusivity
Some of us find ourselves uneasy.
We cannot join a group and rest in comfort.
Covenanting with others makes us queasy.
Community is not proclaimed by many groups.
Each group should try to be an All-Are-Welcome.
Some have been hurt by groups that are
exclusive.
It's good to give the reasons why we come.
Reasons that lie inside ourselves can be
conclusive.
We could ask for each meeting and each moment
“Why did Great Spirit gather us together?”
We may be glue that's needed to cement
the words and actions tying all together.
The group depends on every individual.
We
strive for solidarity over exclusivity.
Brotherhood
Spit-brothers
spitting into each others hands
as a pledge of support.
Blood-brothers
gouging each others veins
and mingling life blood
to emphasize brotherhood.
Spirit-brothers
guiding each other to great thoughts
to bring fulfillment to all.
What
a circle of gems!
39
Prayer
for Group Solidarity
Loving God, we are gathered together this day,
because we believe that you have called us
to serve humankind and to serve one another.
We want the best for our family, friends, and
community.
We want the best for our world.
We want to be made whole by your love.
Loving God, we ask you to infuse our
relationships
with compassion and kindness. We trust you
to help us rise above any challenges to our
unity.
Loving God, when there is friction in our community
we ask you to turn such frictions into peace.
When there is illness, let there be healing.
When there is distrust, help there to be
forgiveness.
Loving God, in our seeking for the good that we
desire
the blessing of health, the blessing of education,
the blessing of safe housing, the blessing of
fulfillment,
help us to look to you for support and
encouragement.
Help us to remember that you will supply all
our needs.
Loving God, let us put you in charge of our
lives.
Help us to recognize our importance
in our ability to spread compassion on earth.
Loving God, help us to heal those with trauma
and in despair
by helping them to perceive your goodness,
to perceive the goodness of others,
to recognize their inner strengths and their
ability to forgive.
Help us to spread Jesus' message of
forgiveness.
Loving God, help us to change the world.
Help us to recognize our gifts and to cultivate
our gifts
and to help others to cultivate their gifts.
Loving God, we make these requests
remembering the life, death, and resurrection
of
Jesus Christ, our savior. Amen.
40
Jesus said,
"Blessed are the solitary and elect, for you will find the Kingdom. For
you are from it, and to it you will return." Gospel of Thomas, Nag Hammadi Library. Saying 49, (41:30).
The mission of a Universal God
is universal love.
The transformation of a reckless universe
to one of order
is done by Infinite Mind
which has decisive plans
for nebulae and solar systems
and for persons.
We see God's footprints
in the stars strewn through the heavens
and God's plans in meteor showers.
We also find God's grace
descending into human hearts.
follows the footprints of Loving Spirit
that rules the heavens
and the hearts of persons.
41
Our
The Mission of St.
Joseph's Church is to be a welcoming, caring, Christ-centered Catholic
Community. We desire to experience and share God's unconditional love. Inspired
by the example of Jesus, we strive to lead all people to wholeness and fullness
of life.
The mission of every church, religious
institution
community group, and political organization
should be to be welcoming and caring.
The mission of every person, including ourself
should be to lead all people (singly or
collectively)
to wholeness and fullness of life.
This should be easy
for each and every one of us
desires what is good for herself.
We realize that what is truly good for us
is good for others.
Thus, if we treat our neighbor
as we ourselves would like to be treated
we fulfill the whole law
and the dream of prophets
and we act in the flow of the Spirit of
Compassion.
We
help the earth to turn.
42
Equality
Material bread that gives us life
and wine to change the ordinary
into extraordinary
are excellent symbols
to remind us
that we share God's love equally.
Unfortunately
due to cultural hang-ups
we find that such tremendous love
is not shared equally
and many men proclaiming ordination
find women quite unworthy
to share this ordination
to bless this bread
hold high this wine
or speak out words inspiring others.
Women are left to weep
beside the waters of
and commemorate the love and wisdom
brought into the world by Jesus
with
their tears.
43
Ordained
by God
It is ridiculous to think that a human being
such as a man-ordained pope or cardinal
can prevent you, a woman
from being an able servant
of the most high God of Love
in the holy community of the world.
When you sense in your inner being
that you are ordained to a particular ministry–
you are to enter that space
and speak God's words
think God's thoughts
and do God's deeds.
You do not excuse yourself from doing your duty
by saying that men have prevented you from
serving
for God has ordained you.
You are therefore to go forth
to serve all humankind
with justice and compassion.
As a Christian I believe
that God would not withhold ordination
from
those who desire it.
44
Consistory
of Women
I am a cardinal in a long red robe, one among
many.
My many sisters and I have come together to
consult
the loving spirit that resides in each and
every heart.
We publish love upon the earth
each
sister in her own tongue and culture.
The men do not see us as humans
capable of wise solutions to the wars they have
made.
Rape
Rape is when one group or genus or sample
forces its way into another.
Rape is abuse of authority
or of the natural process.
The result of rape can be disastrous.
Rape seed is seed that will take over
and cause the fall of
what was originally prospering.
The earth is being raped.
We greedy people have raped
We are raping
Let the indigenous people live.
Let
the rape seed bramble in its own plot of ground.
45
Up-Side-Down
World
Nag Hammadi Library: Authoritative Teaching VI, 3,
We have here a map of the world.
You can see
It is obvious that this map was published in
When I turn the map up-side-down
our
world becomes less recognizable.
A map published in
might have the North pole where the South pole
is.
Those of us used to our right-side-up view
have trouble reorienting ourselves to this new
idea
of
in the more dominant location. One’s perspective
when looking at the world, is very important.
The same is true with our outlook on society.
We in the
that believes in punishment.
When someone harms us, we feel justified in
retaliating.
I want to tell you that retaliation is not the
only option.
We are not obliged to return evil for evil.
We have a choice. We can turn society
up-side-down.
I would like to describe how a system of
punishing justice
can be transformed into a system of reparative
justice;-
a system of restoration which is more healing
for victims and those harmed by aggressive
actions;-
a system which can help cure addicts and
mentally ill
who are now caught up in imprisonment.
Turn the map and the system upsidedown;
perhaps
we will see what's wrong with the world.
46
On
Community Guidance
"When you see one
who was not born of woman, worship him.
That one is your
father." Gospel of Thomas, Saying 15, (35:30).
"Call no man Rabbi or Father or
Teacher." Matthew 23:9-12.
Be wary
about giving authority and worship
to any human being!
There is no man
who was not born of woman!
All men should face this fact
they owe their lives to women
receive their nourishment from women.
Men are not wise enough
compassionate enough
to be the godlike father of community.
Communities need a woman's smile
a woman's tenderness
to help in guidance of the world.
The warlike force of leaders
such as Hitler, Caesar, Alexander
is doomed to fail.
The children
frightened by the tromping boots
and bursting bombs
huddle behind a mother's skirts.
Be wary of a mother bear with cubs.
But call no woman Mother, Teacher, Goddess!
We are all brothers, sisters
of the same creator.
Call us, not Teachers, Leaders.
We
are Servants and Facilitators.
47
Proclaim
Good News
"I must proclaim
the Good News of the
to the other towns,
too." –Luke 4:43
Come sing the Good
News!
God has made us
like the winged warbling birds
who make sweet
harmony together.
We proclaim good
tidings, welcome words.
The song we're
given to sing is just so beautiful
it makes the old
world catch its breath
if ears would only
listen.
How fortunate that
we have ears to hear!
How marvelous that
we have lips to sing!
We sing Good News
in this choir loft of earth.
We share with one
another, the pains, the jubilations.
We soothe each
other with soft murmurings
for both the good
news and the bad.
Come, sing with us!
Proclaim compassion!
Don't thrushes do
the same?
48
Failure
of Our Species
The Pentagon Office of Net Assessments says
that by 2020
there will be mega droughts and mass
starvation.
Ethnicians
see global warming as an impending disaster.
God has given us charge of the earth. Are we
failing?
One way to fight back is to plant trees.
Ethnicians
see suspicions of the other
as one of the major problems of the world.
Blacks, browns, and whites
religions, sexes, are all the same species.
All deserve equal rights to earth, air, water.
One way to show unity is to share.
What reason have we to fight one another
for the goods of the earth?
Will we let the military-industrial-media
complex
sell us a bill of goods? As a buy and sell
society
we must not be deceived into buying death.
One way to bring peace is forgiveness.
Are the people of the world willing to forgive
the politicos
for
what those blinded ones have done
to
the people of the world?
49
Search
Out The Truth
Jesus said, "The
Pharisees and the scribes have taken the keys of knowledge and hidden them.
They themselves have not entered, nor have they allowed to enter those who wish
to. You, however, be as wise as serpents and as innocent as doves." Gospel
of Thomas, Saying 39.
Neither the privileged or the unprivileged
are called to rule the world.
We can choose to be music
or we can choose to degrade each other.
Our calling is
to be agents of transformation
to each other
so that all may unite
in spite of diversity.
White North Americans
Black South Africans
neither possess absolute truth.
Each person is empowered to search
but does not acquire perfect knowledge.
50
The
Education of Our Children
There are good fathers in the world
who can quell rebellious sons by one stern look
that can remind such sons that justice
and responsibility are guiding norms.
Can we feel the eyes of God resting upon us
beseeching us to nobleness and truth
drawing us back from violence and sword
urging us to teach all people ways of peace?
Who teaches
to kill their parents for no purpose?
Who taught the guards at Abu Ghraib
to torture and demean the prisoners?
Who sold the poison gas
and weapons of destruction to Sadam?
Who planted land mines in far countries
which fell into the hands of children?
Who manufactured land mines?
Who designs the bombs
that cause grief to civilians?
What army schools teach torture tactics
to soldiers from far countries?
What TV stations glorify this violence
and justify it as a path to freedom?
With so much violence in our world
how can we keep in mind
that this earth is a path to heaven
for those who seek peace?
Help us to teach all people ways of peace?
51
Threats
How can the US and Israel
demand that
devoted to peaceful purposes
when they are using their nuclear refuse
and depleted uranium for weaponry?
Despotic threats do not endear U.S. people
to other nations in the world.
"Take out the mote in your own eye
and then you will be able to see clearly
to take the mote out of your brother's
eye."
Don't do your own nuclear proliferation
and condemn someone else for uranium
possession.
That's like the pot calling the kettle black.
Why should we be trusted with nuclear power
that is such an easy target for terrorists?
Not signing the
is another case of avoiding reality.
If we want a viable world
we should agree to lower acceptable pollution
levels.
We should curb our dependence on fossil fuels.
This is the only earth we have.
The message of Jesus is to respect all people.
Suspicious vote tallying in 2002 Florida and
2004 Ohio
reminds us that the United Nations advises
prisoners should have the right to vote
and not be subjected to torture.
Those opposed to
non-diplomatic threats believe
"War with all
its moral implications, is too important
a subject to leave
to our elected officials alone."
52
Sharing
"All that inhabit
this great earth,
Whatever be their rank
or worth,
Are kindred and allied
by birth,
And made of the same
clay."
from Keramos by Henry
This was my mountaintop vision-
that those who had lost life and land would
return
would find solace and comfort
would plant their fields and vineyards in
safety
the Sudanese, the Irish, the Hutus, the Tutsis,
the Native North and South Americans,
the Palestinians and the Jews.
Come, share the goods that are excess;
divest us of what we possess.
For we are one, one family.
Whatever on earth is good for me
is good for you and others, too.
Guns do not help the world to share.
Bombs show that someone does not care.
We
must respect folk everywhere.
53
Meteor
Shower
in
December
They said
"This night the stars will fall.
The God who made the light
is ready to destroy it all."
They said
"The earth will end.
The sun will die;
its pieces flow across the sky."
I threw myself into the dark
and searched the heaven above.
Three stars rained down.
One was called faith
one was hope
the last was love.
We cannot live
without faith, hope, and love.
The sun, the moon, the stars, the earth-
they need us to believe
that they will live.
54
The
Responsible and The Abusers
To rule the world
to rule a country
to lead a community
a person must be able to rule herself
and not be vengeful.
The World Jewish Congress believes:
All Jews Are Responsible for One Another.
They might rather affirm,
All Jews Are Responsible
for All People on The Earth,
or
All People are responsible for All People.
Am I a responsible person?
How can I recognize when I am the abuser?
I am an abuser when I do harm to others.
Is making weapons to kill, a human right?
If Sadam had no right
to weapons of destruction
how can we condone our use of weapons?
How can we encourage Congress to make
more gruesome weapons and build a more militant
and more aggressive military force?
Are we abusers? Are we irresponsible?
Forgive us all for harm that we have done.
All people made by God are surely holy.
All
the earth is holy, not to be bombed or harmed.
55
We
Are to Help Each Other
What is the origin of the Jewish people?
Like all of us, they are a part of the creation
of God.
Their particular ancestor Judah
came from the hills of
The Gudeans were
rulers in Babylon
before they migrated westward
forced from their homeland
by invading tribes, some of whom
were noble herders from
sons of the River
who believed in a river god
who nurtured land and people.
The Jewish people won't have
a peaceful home, country, or world
until all the persons that God created
have a peaceful home.
It is not enough to say
“Each Jew must help his brother Jew
when he sees him in need.”
Each Jew must realize
that he is to help
all those in need of help
or in need of a peaceful homeland.
56
The
Age of Aquarius
We are all Aquarians
all bearers of the water of life
to one another.
So we plead to Loving Spirit
who has created each one of us–
"Help us to transform our culture of death
to a culture of life.
Help us to change the social systems that tell
us
it's allright to drop
bombs on our neighbor-
systems that approve the death penalty-
that deprive the poor of just wages
health care, meaningful education."
Loving Spirit does not desire our death
but
desires our fulfillment.
Loving Spirit is not a God of the dead
but a God of the living.
God who made all life
is pleased when we exercise
compassion and forgiveness.
Let us immerse each other
in
living water.
57
Governments
My tax money does not go
where I want it to go
which is to help the suffering.
My tax money goes to bomb and maim
because this is not a democracy
but a representational democracy!
Being representational, the system is open to
greed.
Many members of Congress
flourish when the bribes roll in
so the majority does not make laws to restrict
itself.
We do not need such representatives
in this modern world
which is very communications capable.
The public will can be made known
almost instantaneously by opinion polls.
Church governments could be led in like manner.
Now pastors are chosen or appointed
to rule over their congregations.
Some are worthy and just
but others succumb to the lure of power
and cause harm to those who trust them.
Under God's rule, those ordained
serve by love.
58
An
Energy Exercise
The sun radiates light to the moon.
The moon radiates the same light to the snow
and I see sparkling pieces of sun in the snow.
I do not think too clearly of the source of
this beauty.
I do not think of where the sun gets its energy
or who I am indebted to, for my energy.
In the beginning
God created the heavens and the earth.
God's energy is through the whole creation
all
around us.
Let us absorb this gift.
Stand up!
Raise your hands to heaven.
Praise God!
Now draw down energy from heaven
by bringing your hands towards you.
Reach down to earth.
Feel all the energy rising.
Encourage it by waving your hands to draw it
in.
There is energy all around you.
Draw it in from in front of you
from behind, from your left, from your right
from east, west, north, and south.
What can we do with all this energy?
Give it out to others
by
waving it towards them.
59
Myth
of The White Bird
on
The Chinese Plate
The egg, the serpent
and the great white bird
all gather on the golden plate together.
The egg is guarded by the bird who laid it.
She is a great white bird
whose wings protect the world egg.
She is spirit giving life to all the souls
and to the great soul energy
pervading all the world
pulsing inside the egg.
Then there is the wisdom of the serpent
the material knowledge
giving to humankind the gifts
of comfort, food, the building of great
buildings
bridges, highways, roads to peace
laws made for justice, rehabilitation
and wisdom's darker side
punishment, miseducation,
trauma
misdirected power, abuse.
How sometimes wisdom feeds the world egg
then seduces it
then eats away at it.
Greed for the material
can oftentimes displace
the
dreaming of the great white bird.
60
The
Commitment
Jesus
said, "Do not be concerned from morning until evening and from evening
until
morning about what you will wear." Gospel
of Thomas, Saying 36, (39:25)
How do you change the material mindset
to one of spiritual feasting
so that the mind no longer craves
the stimulus of TV
the raucous music
the power of possession?
How do you turn desertification around
control population growth
encourage the use of solar energy
use military money for welfare
build communities to support the poor?
To build prisons and detention centers
is a waste of human energies.
Rather, help the displaced and jobless
to construct their own homes
and service their own communities.
Then there is less time to think about material
things
like "what shall I wear?"
Encourage spirituality in thought, word, and
deed.
Let everyone speak with empathy
listen
with understanding
accept
indignities with forgiveness.
Then we will see (with gratitude)
that our relationships
with the people in our world
are
gracefully transformed.
61
Personal
Renewal vs. Restorative Justice
Does my freedom to live and serve remain secure
if the king does not act justly
if the king in his freedom and power
does not understand the needs of widows and
orphans?
How can I tell the king
he is killing the goose
who lays the golden eggs?
How can I talk to a soldier
and remember that I am talking to a human being
and not a uniform
who will answer me according to which button is
pushed-
his polite one if I am his superior
or his authoritarian one if I am an ordinary
citizen
or his cruel one if I am poor or black
a soldier, a machine
who will enter my name in a data bank-
who is capable of kindness or gross evil
such as bombing a building
elsewhere (or here).
Noah was told to build a boat
to preserve the species living on the earth.
We are told to build justice
for present and future generations.
Like Noah, we must build.
The rains will come, but the rainbow
representing the cooperation of diverse
cultures
is God's promise that the flood of power and
greed
will
not overcome the earth.
62
Evangelization
The first task is evangelization of ourselves.
Why waste our energies
complaining on another
when we have such infirmities within?
Let's make ourselves into the model we perceive
and let the neighbor labor on his own
enhancement.
The second task is to evangelize the churches.
Let each one list his reasons for belief.
Why should we try to make our friends believe
just
what we feel and think?
Let's listen kindly to the opposition.
Let's gather in communities of freedom
where understanding and compassion
are the keys to entry.
The third task then is to describe a dream
of what we want society to be.
Do we want crass corporate power to rule the
world?
Do we want women to have equal rights?
Do we want war and weapons through the earth?
Do we want health or drugs with side effects?
The
blueprint of our future world is up to us.
Let's
make a world with human rights for all.
63
The
Word of Haggai
Is this a time for you
to live in your paneled houses
when God's temple lies
in ruins? – Haggai 1:4
The time to rebuild the temple is now.
We ask, "What temple?
The temple of pillar and stone?
The temple of our physical body
where God's life dwells?
The temple of our soul as it joins with other
souls
to form a community of caring and
understanding?"
Jesus spoke of the temple of his being saying
"Destroy this house and in three days I
will rebuild it."
We speak here about
the
The children of our mother earth
lie bleeding, drowning
because we do not care
because we gather riches into barns
because we eat fine foods
and turn away the dirty beggars
from our golden doors.
The door to this most precious temple
of our souls lies in ruins.
God's temple is the earth!
All people of the world, rebuild!
Change stony hearts to hearts of flesh.
When you
share your homes with others in your land
you
will find the temple blooming in your hearts.
64
Treatment
of Prisoners
If a UN convention is ratified by a country
that country must change its laws to comply.
If we want our soldier-prisoners
to be treated compassionately
the
conquered combatants with civility.
Because we are required to give good treatment
to suspected terrorists in our prisons
we must also give good treatment to everyone in
prison.
US officials that mistreat US citizens
(even if these citizens are convicted
criminals)
must pay a price for the misdeeds they have
performed.
US guards who rape or sodomize inmates
must pay a penalty for this act
of dehumanization of the prisoner
for all the prisoners
are human beings.
65
Risking
The Welfare of The Earth
What are we doing
when we drive a car?
By relying on oil
we are risking lives
in many ways.
In digging oil from earth
we make great hollows in the earth
that lead to quakes.
By using cars
we clog our highways.
The time that we might save
by using gasoline
we lose in traffic jams.
We could go by bicycle
or use mass transportation
or walk our way to health.
We have the power
to change sunlight into energy
to garner power from wind
to forecast earthquakes
to stop dropping bombs
to make smaller vehicles.
We could stop needless deaths
and lessen traffic tolls
while being kind to earth
and building wise community.
66
A
Time for Forgiveness
Wherever there is a
dead body, the vultures will gather. Matthew
24:28
Whenever a leader is deaf to the cries of the
wounded
those who opt for war and profit from stolen
resources
will hover around him jostling for favors.
Set aside a time to search out justice
to advocate for peace in law courts, churches
and the market.
It is our business to make all things new
as God works to make all things new.
We are not required to do big things.
Doing little things
with a positive desire to please God
makes them great.
Would those guilty of infamy
consider apologizing to all people
who have lost homes and families
and compensate for their loss
helping them financially with reconstruction.
Would you consider giving soldiers shovels
and hammers instead of guns
to build rather than destroy.
Encourage all religious faiths
to reunite and rebuild.
Instead of profiteering on oil companies
have the nations of the world
use taxes on oil consumption
to
rebuild devastated countries.
67
Does
God Hear?
Broken trees, collapsed bushes
tangles of brush after a long winter.
Does God hear the plea
of the beaten earth?
Broken dreams, collapsed structures
violence grown in hearts
with dusty clogged chambers-
in minds closed to empathy.
We feel betrayed.
False leaders have affronted us.
Our trust is broken.
Our future, bleak.
The powerful have
idolized the bread
and dismissed the message
given by the bread giver.
God, we are sorry
for the havoc we have wrought
in our ignorance and our innocence.
Good people weep;
God sees our tears.
God is forgiving.
God is in all things, all seasons.
God is the offering
and the altar
and
the Spirit that surrounds.
68
One
Man or The Nation?
The high priest Caiaphas
is quoted
in John
It is better for one man
to die for the people
than for the whole nation
to be destroyed.
Is this why
Priest Romero
had to go?
Was it a danger for the whole country
to have one man sympathize
with oppressed farmers?
Were power and order threatened?
Would the nation perish?
Would
it dissolve into chaos?
Thanksgiving
Thank you for the martyrs–
for the lives they've lived
and for their spirits
that will live forever.
What does it mean to live forever?
What is Eternal Life?
If you have someone following your beliefs
(in actions of service and love)
then you have helped to build the earth–
to build the Universe–
to build the heart of God.
That is Eternal Life–
building
the heart of God.
69
Tiresome
Tyrants
How
monotonously alike all the great tyrants and conquerors have been:
how
gloriously different are the saints! –C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity
Golden Rule
Discarded!
Human Rights
Disregarded!
The poor are plundered.
Jesus said, and I tell you, too
“Do unto others what you would like
them to do unto you!”
Cast your bread upon the waters.
If you cast bombs and terror
bombs and terror
will return to you.
I resent being controlled
and then being told
“I am bringing you freedom.”
I resent warlike men
(who see women as less
and unable to lead authoritatively)
leading others in prayer
as if that were the only way to pray.
Let's end the tyranny in our world
caused
by egotistic leaders.
70
We Must Be The Change
We
Want to See in The World
Is there any possibility
that the Legislative branch of the government
can take back the authority
that they so recklessly and illegally
gave away to the Executive
against the directives of our Constitution?
The Executive branch of the government
(represented by the President)
took on the authority to declare war
which was not his right
but belonged to Congress.
The President may know how to wage war
but he does not know how to wage peace.
The world needs leaders that will build peace.
The decision about wars
or a political land grab in
and an oil grab in
should be a majority decision
from the people of the
which is communicated through elected
representatives.
Can Congress arrange to bring our troops home
and help the United Nations construct viable
governments
in
The Senate's duty is to make treaties.
The duty of the House is to allocate resources
to reconstruct the countries
that
our policies have bombed and terrorized.
71
Planning
for A Positive Earth
Be glad and
rejoice!
It's hard to
rejoice
when everyone is
carrying guns.
The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights
dreams a great
dream for all peoples.
The United Nations
write arms treaties
to limit wars, and
propose accords on torture
to calm those
suffering from fear and anger.
Aid for indigenous
people and rules to protect children
are part of the
dream of all the nations.
When corporations
rule the world
guns are put into
the hands of children.
Nations are saddled
with unjust debts.
The earth and the
peoples of earth
undergo bombing and
environmental degradation.
Rejoice! We have a
part of the vision.
We have a hold on
the dream
and we can make the world a better place
if we put our hearts into it.
72
On
Forgiving Terrorists
Can we forgive the terrorist
the one who bombs the innocent
the one who kills the ruler's sons
making his own judgment on their souls?
Can we ignore the making of a war
on a people who never harmed us?
Can we reason for justice and forgive
when the terrorist is our own leader?
Can we forgive in similar manner
the strident politician
who applauds the use
of bombs and landmines?
When tigers sit back on springy haunches
and lick your face
with oh-so-friendly tongue
what can one do but sigh relief?
When the wild child
who has been bullying and bumbling
comes cuddling in your lap
of course, all is forgiven.
Surely, it would not be hard
to
see pure motives!
73
The
Pleiades as
The
Feminine Side of Divinity
"It is dissension which I have come to
cast upon the earth: fire, sword, and war."
Gospel of Thomas,
Saying (16), 35:35
The sisters gather together
to weep and mourn
the death of love and kindness
and the rising of retaliation.
Mars, the god of war
gleams brightly in the sky
and Venus has hung her wings
in a quiet room behind the sun.
The night has come
when everyone must work
to save the earth
and
save the breath of God.
Venus
at
At Christmas season
waiting for the sunrise
we cast our thinking back
two thousand years.
We remember that a star
shone in the eastern sky
a Venus star, a star of love
so welcome after Mar's ascendancy.
Thus the violent God of War
gives way to empathy, compassion
and the healing rays
of
Venus, Star of Wonder.
74
Is
Death A Destroyer or A Transformer?
We don't know yet
about life, how can we know about death?
–Confucius (c.551-479BC)
When does life begin in the womb?
Does it make any difference to us which life is
destroyed
the life in the womb
or the life of a murderer?
There is always hope that a baby will grow up
gracefully.
Yet there is also hope for reform of the
wrongdoer
particularly when the crime was done
by someone addicted to drugs.
What happens to the fetus we destroy?
What happens to the criminal we kill?
What happens to the Christs
we sacrifice?
What
does death do with spirit?
Blundering
on The Budget
Only crazy
fear-filled people
would make guns to
kill other people.
Only mixed-up
fearful people
would contrive to
bomb buildings
that house the
innocent.
Only misguided
politicians
would borrow money
from Asian banks
to fund tax cuts
for the wealthy
while cutting off
education funding
for the jobless of
college age.
Asian banks will
soon own
valuable American
real estate
and the
for repairing the damage done in
75
The
Poor Are Safer Than The Rich
Jesus said, "How
blessed with spirit are the poor, for theirs
is the
Riches engender jealousy and pillage.
The poor are far more safe. You are blessed
if you are unencumbered with material goods.
How blessed are the poor with overflowing
spirit!
They fear no robber of the goods they do not
have.
People have a desire for safety
in their own home, nation, or environment.
What is allowed to keep a people safe?
Is war
allowable?
Is imprisonment allowable?
Do war and imprisonment
make some people very unsafe?
We won't be safe as a nation
until
all people are safe.
The
Gifts Given to Us
Some people donate body parts
when they die.
Romero donated his spirit
to the people of
that the world would operate out of God's
justice.
St. Francis left the sun and moon
to be our partners.
Jesus died that nations might know
the message and the need
for
forgiveness, truth, compassion.
76
Cycle
of Rebirth - Recycle of The Holy
There are always new poems to make
but never a new God
always new truths to state
new perceptions through new eyes
but looking ahead through the mists
of the stars in the universe
we see back around to infinity -
the back side of God
who creates all and is ever creating.
We strive to reach ahead and be like God
only to find that we were like God
when God created us, and that we continue
in God's holiness with every breath
and, yes, the Messiah of God is risen
is always with us
or
we would be as good as dead.
Transforming
The World
Use our voices to be kind!
Kindness can transform the mind.
If we truly search for justice
justice will be what we find.
We are the thought layer of the universe
the tool God uses
to redeem poor choices
to fulfill, redeem, sanctify.
77
The
Immigrant
In Brewster immigrants wait on street corners
for someone to come and hire them.
These people are not really immigrants
but are the native Americans
whose tribes dwelt here long before
Europeans claimed these hills and valleys.
Yes, many of them live together
and rent sleeping space
those who work nights and those who work days
share the same closet and couch.
They telegraph most of their wages home
to their wives and relatives.
They keep a low profile
and cause few disturbances.
Yes, they are brave to be quiet strangers here
in the land of their ancestors
so that all the world's children
will grow in equality.
The
Malignant Egophreniac
Give me a little power and I become
that which I do not want to be.
The God in me succumbs to loving self
and, thus diseased, I am no longer free.
78
Renewing
The Mind
If
only there were vile people ... committing evil deeds, and it were
only
necessary to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them.
But
the dividing line between good and evil cuts through the heart
of
every human being. –Aleksander
Solzhenitsyn
Can the Jewish people forgive Hitler?
Can the Palestinian people forgive
Can the Iraqi people forgive George W. Bush?
If there is an effort
to see the human being in the offender
and to see the root cause of his offense
and a reassessment of one's own culpability
then there are possibilities
of a renewal of the mind
which can lead to a healing of trauma
and
a type of forgiveness.
The
Call
Greed, hunger, fear, sickness, and hatreds
these black robed figures cloud our sparkling
world.
Into this dullness and this darkness
we are called to spread the light
to scrub the fears from off the face of earth
to make metallic art from barrels of guns
to demand true justice for our neighbor
to transform persons and to transform systems
to sing out songs of faith
to
bring the Good News spoken of by Christ.
79
All
Life Is Connected
Taxi driver Dilawar was tortured in Bagram
Prison in
when his only
crime was driving by a check point without stopping.
When four women are
murdered in
angel whispers ride
the winds around the earth
and inspire good
people everywhere to prayer.
When a taxi driver
in
ministering angels
hear and calm his fear.
Heaven is somehow
near to earth.
Terror returns to
those who cause the terror.
Those who fight
fear
make room for
research
having to do with
preserving life
rather than
degrading life.
An ethical people
will make their
prisons
into ethical places
where people are
helped
and not harmed.
80
Hagar
Weeping in the Wilderness
Groups form into community
to discuss a common problem
to fight an oppressor
to suggest solutions
to dream dreams together
of a peaceful world.
I hear voices clamoring
for their hurts of abuse
to be noticed and corrected.
How does one heal the harm of centuries
the wounds of warfare
the disgrace of discrimination
the making of an unjust war?
What is a possible pathway
out of trauma
for both the victim
and the victimizer?
The Abuser, Abraham
left Hagar and her son
(his child also)
to starve out in the desert.
Should we be proud to claim
such a man as Father?
Every time we persecute another
we
proclaim our genetic bond with Abraham.
81
Alpha
and Omega
"For where the
beginning is, there will the end be."
Nag Hammadi, Gospel of Thomas, Saying (18), 36:10
The universe speaks one tremendous alleluia
from its Beginning through its Always.
Stars look like stars
from any angle that you view them
and planets turn and orbit
to celestial rules.
There is no fear in love
and there is room in all this universe
for all of us
who tune ourselves
to
harmonize with God.
Judges,
Be Fair
Judge not that you be not judged for with what
judgment you judge,
the same will be measured out to you.
Matthew 7:1-2
We have an abusive government.
We have abusive political organizations.
We have army schools that teach abusers to
abuse.
How is justice served
by sentencing those who witness against
the teaching of ways to commit mass killings?
Make our courts in the United States
places of Restorative Justice
rather than of punishment.
God, forgive us as we forgive others.
82
Those
Traveling in Boats
In the misty beginnings, God made the sea
for humans to conquer with boats.
The northern earth had a frozen edge on the sea
where walruses lounged, feeding on the deep
and humans plunged carved Clovis points
into the walruses and feasted.
The southern earth
had a warm ocean dotted with fruitful islands.
Fish jumped onto rafts
as they floated from island to island.
Bounty was spread by houseboats and war canoes.
Sea people in the south had more sea to
conquer.
They were guided by stars and winds.
They invented the compass.
Their clocks imitated the observed rotation of
the earth.
As they faced the Southern Cross in the sky
their idea of time moved westward or clockwise.
The cross became their symbol for the winds.
Their compass arrow pointed south.
When these travelers populated the islands
and the continents
the northern seafarers found it more convenient
to show the compass pointing to the north.
Our clocks still rotate clockwise
copying
the southern idea of sky.
83
Tsunami
Thoughts
The earth is thick with love
but there are hideous holes
where love has not made entrance.
Yet governments are put in place
by loving hearts
to create order on the earth.
The sea, too, follows orders that we give it.
If we care for Mother Earth
treat all the earth with tenderness
treat every person
every creature
with compassion
then Mother Earth will follow suit.
Creator God, who makes the sea
if we had only monitored earth's rhythms
if we had acted out our love
rather than hate
then humans with the animals
would have been wise enough
to climb upon the hills
safe from the roiling seas.
The waters overwhelmed the land.
The earth was fighting back
condemning bombs and greed
condemning peoples unconcern
about
the earth's future.
84
Fireworks
over
Forgiveness is having compassion
and understanding for “the other”.
Hatred has nothing to do with forgiveness.
Bombing has nothing to do with love.
Calling the activity patriotism
does not change its obscenity.
What a horror show!
Now every time I see fireworks
I remember the citizens of Baghdad
and the unthinking cruelty of leadership.
Information
on
When you see the
abomination of desolation
set up in the holy
place– ... Matthew 24:15
Muddy boots tromp
on the plush carpets of the mosque.
Guns point at those cowering in corners.
There have been
1214
and 8956 wounded
not counting those with broken psyches
who will return home to project their trauma
onto their families and friends.
The number of
The number of mosques destroyed has not been
determined.
85
Terrorism
and Abuse
Those who have
reasoned carefully claim
terrorism cannot be
fought by military means.
Terrorism is abuse in the extraordinary.
What is the cure for such abuse?
An abusive spouse is acting from an unconfronted fear.
There is a need to unmask the fear
and establish the root cause
before there can be healing of the situation.
Punishing the abuser using force and harsh
words
contributes to further abuse and causes trauma.
More military prowess leads to more terrorist
attacks.
How
to Fight Today's Battles
The war against terrorism
can not be fought by soldiers.
The battles must be led
by wise mediators
seeking out root causes
and informing all parties
of these problems.
Then it becomes the task
of compassionate communities
to correct these wrongs
and to encourage forgiveness to flow
among those involved.
Soldiers equipped with guns and bombs
who are not aware of root causes
often promote further mayhem
in serving out their daily routines.
86
Psalm
23
Gospel of Thomas 35:5
- Jesus said, "I am not your Master.
Because you have
drunk, you have become intoxicated
from the bubbling
spring which I have measured out."
The Psalmist said: My cup is overflowing.
I understand the words.
The spirit of compassion can enter in one's
being
and fill one so completely
that all the dross burns out and one is left
resting in the arms of God
where quiet waters border green pastures.
Sonnet
of The Spheres
We are the music of the spheres!
We are the song that God dreamed up!
We are the message of God's Word!
We are the action of God's heart!
To all we are to give their human rights
their right to justice and to food
their right to family and peace
their right to life and love and light.
To despise anyone is wrong.
We are the hope for peaceful years
for all
who dwell on this, our earth
where we can bring God's love to birth.
for we are music of the spheres.
All human beings are the song!
87
The
Good We Do
New wine must be put
into fresh skins.– Luke 5:38
We thought we'd
seen the end of human sacrifice
yet human sacrifice
continues on
with abortion which
we still haven't solved
and our willingness
to sacrifice the criminal.
Political leaders
still make
their own judgment
on who should be exterminated.
We have killed the
sons of foreign leaders
giving them no
trial to defend themselves.
What will those
leaders do with our children
if they chance to
entrap them?
We hope to have
seen the demise of slavery
yet many poor in
the world are lowest caste.
The leaders send
them off to war
another form of
slavery.
Gun dealers in the
to become soldiers
and to kill other villagers.
They succeed in
this sordid design
because the young
lack both food and education.
There is a sieve to
sift our souls–
a sieve to save us
out of hell
The bad sifts
through and what remains
reflects like
diamonds sparkle.
Forgiveness is the
gem that lifts our souls.
and helps us set
aside retaliation.
88
Gate
to Heaven
How awesome is this
earth!
This is the dwelling
place of God.
This is our gate to
heaven!
Genesis 28:17
My body may degenerate
and then become fodder for flock
but if my soul can grasp some mighty truths
these truths within the minds of others
may help them past a melancholia
and guide them into peaceful lives.
How awesome is this earth!
How awesome evolution
that we are formed
to understand the love of God
by watching deer guiding their young
by resisting greed and fear and hate
by caring gently for all people.
Connections
The tiniest push here on earth
sends ripples out to trouble stars
which then send ripples back.
A soft song sung on earth
can make the space debris to dance.
An earnest prayer
can send out beams
to change the rule of pen or sword.
Truth cuts through guile.
89
Observe,
Feel, Note Needs, Requests
Military victory in Iraq
through force and destruction of churches and
cities
does not mean we have won a war against
terrorism.
It signifies that we have failed to win hearts
because we have terrorized others.
Nations need debt forgiveness. People need
forgiveness
of misdeeds. We need to listen to each other
to hear the joys and hurts of all the world.
Would we be willing to create a Department of
Compassion
an ecumenical group of ethical persons
who could help us to restore justice and love
upon the earth?
When I observe the trashing of other countries
with bombing and weaponry, I tremble for the
future of an earth
encased in terrorism without compassion.
I am distressed for all those bombed and
traumatized
both innocent civilians and occupying soldiers
traumatized by the horror of what they do.
Hate is running loose and hate generates more
hatred.
What is needed by our soldiers and by the
world's people
is understanding of and compassion for all
peoples
all nations, all religions, and governments.
We are using a fruitless pathology-based
philosophy
observing
illnesses and formulating cures.
Instead, how about a fulfillment philosophy
which visualizes personal sainthood
assisting the person to have the kindest
and most compassionate soul possible.
The earth is psychosomatic and it has stresses.
It tenses up. Its energies close in and
constrict vital organs
like the ocean sucking out before the floodtide
of good
that comes roaring in, tsunami-like
washing away old corrupt social structures.
90
An
Historical Review
5000 years ago
before the time of
ancient Greek philosophers
there were power
crazed charismatic men
who went to war on
neighboring tribes
in self-righteous
fury
about imagined
wrongs done to them.
Today
5000 years later
we find that
humanity
still has
power-crazed charismatic men
who do not
understand
sharing, equality,
or forgiveness.
How do we, the
people
react to such
politics?
In response to such
power-driven leadership
men willingly go
off to war
throw bombs, break
down doors, rape women
traumatize
civilians and their children
and all for what
purpose?
Have we made any
progress
in the last 5000
years?
How can we persuade
the human beings of
today to try
the philosophy of
equality, compassion, and forgiveness
proposed by Jesus?
91
When I-Pods come to the
African bush
will they reinforce
patriarchal ideas
such as the secondary position
or the sexual treatment of
women
which are already lived out
with marriage of young
uneducated women
to village elders? Will they
reinforce laws
that say 'no' to inheritance
of land by women?
Will they encourage sex
gratification for men only
at the expense of young women?
Will they continue
prostitution, female
circumcision
or will I-pods and cell phones
transform the back country?
When Gutenberg invented the
Bible
the world was changed by the
availability of ideas.
Cell phones, I-pods are new
tools
to spread brother/sisterhood
and human rights across the
earth.
But who will monitor
this noosphere
of information?
Do we want patriarchal ideas
(such as the secondary and
sexual
treatment of women) infused
via internet?
Or will we broadcast programs
that help to transform and
educate?
Will we spread the good news
of love and compassion
or will we degenerate and
emphasize only
the patriarchal
mistreatment of women?
92
Did You Know?
Women are not merely
reproductive
or sex services to men.
They are wise and wonderful.
They are the earth blooming.
All women need political
equality
health care, protection from
AIDS
an enabling environment.
How can we achieve this
in a world of patriarchal
structures
authoritarian popes, male
presidents?
Women are often nurturing and
relational.
Men are more structured,
making up rules
banding together in games or
in a war.
Why is there still war that
disfigures and kills?
There should be equal
representation of women
in our governing bodies.
Why is leadership usually
authoritarian male?
Our present Supreme Court is
not representative.
Pack it to make it 50/50.
Our Congress does not reflect
the make-up of the people;
hence it is acting
unconstitutionally.
Republicans and democrats
should nominate
only women for public office.
Christianity with its exclusion
policies
furthers violence against
women.
Women possess 1/2 of the
intelligence of the world.
Give them room to
operate.
93
Why Women Can't Rule
Women are relational.
They smile at
each other.
They call
each other 'Sister'.
They bypass
authority structures
to follow
their hearts.
There are
many reasons for a smile.
Power plays
that are consummated
can also
cause smiles on a face
but the heart
does not smile.
When a person
worships a God of Power
He measures
success when others are put down.
There is a
power relationship
between men
and women
that has to
do with primitive interpretations of sex
and of the
God of Power as male.
Condemning
the past creates problems.
The past was
in God's hands
and the
outcome was foreseen by God.
A future
world where women share the rule
could be more
peaceful.
Give
to The Native Americans
There are burial mounds on the
property.
The
to imprison people for
trespassing
on land that
belongs to someone else.
94
Chains
Will Be Broken
Let’s open all the
prisons of the world;
those of hate,
those of fear
for we are one, one
family!
Let’s open all the
prisons of the world;
those of lust,
those of greed
and those of power
for we are one, one
family!
We reflect that one
just God has made us all.
Yes, God is just,
yet God is love
and we are one.
The world is one!
In all things let
true friendship be our noble aim
and not retaliate
or blame
or cause another
pain.
Forgiveness is the
way that we should ever live.
We can forgive!
We should forgive
for we are one, and
God is love!
Since God is love
we’re free from
hate and fear
to care and share,
to serve in love, as family.
Since God is love
we’re free from
lust and greed and power.
We can be friends;
we can forgive.
Let’s do it now.
Let’s do it right!
Let’s do it now!
95
