MLK Pictures of Hope

There's alot of crap going on isn't there?  Dr. King would be the first to address it. Wars, terrorism, poverty, discrimination.  He would bring it to our attention.  Yet he would also call us toward hope and optimism.  He who had helped so many to overcome so much would urge us to do the same one more time- or as many times as it takes.  There are two images stuck in my mind from today.  His granddaughter standing in the front of the tomb of her noble grandparents.  Grandparents she will never know on the Earthplane. It is cold and yet she is beaming.  Hope, optimism.  The next image is of two daughters serenading their mother on her birthday.  The mother just happens to be the First Lady of the USA.  Again they are beaming.  Hope and optimism.  Could those be two of the ingredients to solving our problems?  We need those spiritual bifocals that Pastor Peter Marshall talked about so long ago.  We need to see things as they are and we need to see them as they could be.  Through the eyes of three little girls. Through the eyes of hope and optimism.  Dr. King would expect no less.

In Peace, Love, and Light,
Enoch

The Pentad of Archangels

I had a dream one time.  In my dream I was taken up to heaven.  I was directed to an office.  In this office were the five archangels. Micheal, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Metatron each had a bank of electronic stuff.  Faxes, computers, teletypes etc.  Each of the angels were frantically answering prayer requests.  They were incredibly busy.  "I want to see God" I demanded.  They ignored me.  I walked up to Metatron and grabbed his arm.  "I need to see God, now!" He replied "Look partner, there is a three month backlog.  File a request like everyone else." I could see I was going nowhere.  I turned and saw a door marked "God'.  I thought to myself "Ah, God hides in his office while the Angels do all the heavy lifting."  I started to grab the door knob when Michael yelled "No- don't open that door!"  Too late Buddy.  I opened the door.  I had discovered the ... broom closet.

What if there is no God? What if there is just a hierarchy of beings who are trying to fill in the gap.  Angels trying to make sense out of confusion?  There is a school of Buddhhist thought that says that the existence of God is not an important question.  That doing the spiritual practices are important. When we do the practices our answers will arrive.  I think there is a common ground (if not higher ground) that atheists, agnostics, theists, and deists can agree on without arguing about God's existence.  We who are concerned about Earth and our Earthmates have a job to do.  It doesn't matter if our orders come from God or from inside ourselves.  Let us serve one another, let us be compassionate toward each other.  And as we fix the problems our answers will come.  I believe in God, yet I can not prove his existence. So I will not argue for it.  I will continue to do the spiritual practices.  We can all agree to that, can't we?

In Peace, Love, and Light,
Enoch

Puzzled by Palin

In 1913 Leo Frank was lynched in Atlanta Georgia.  To my knowledge he is the only Jew to be lynched in America.  In 1955 the Jewish temple was bombed in Atlanta Georgia.  I would like to thank Sarah Palin for removing the Anti-Jewish stigma from my home state of Georgia.  Her comments today were insensitive and self-serving.  Instead of talking about the merits of her argument, Palin resorted to an appeal to raw emotion and fear.  Maybe that's because her aguments have no merit.  She redirected us from considering her old mistakes by creating new mistakes for us to ponder.  Isn't it funny that she believes that her words do not impact mentally instable people, they impact the sane.  Maybe, Governor, it is in fact the opposite.  You need a new speech writer and a new attitude.  You hate socialism.  Do you realize that the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag was written by an avowed socialist?  Tonight's ceremony was begun by the playing of "Fanfare for the Common Man" be Aaron Copeland- a gay composer.  Sarah do you hate gays?  On a Sabath morning when she could have been at Temple, Congresswoman Giffords was doing the people's business.  A Catholic Judge coming from mass was shot dead.  A  Catholic child also lost her life.  Sarah, we are not a nation of WASP's, but a nation of diversity. E Pluribus Unum the Latino said.  The president and the nation applauded.  Atlanta has become the city too busy to hate.  Maybe Sarah you are just too busy.  You had a chance to be noble today.  You blew it. You are just another thing we have to overcome in our stride toward peace, justice, and human rights. May Gabby Gifford's principles prevail and not yours.

Enoch

My Spiritual Pledge

"I Pledge Allegiance to: One God, having many expressions. Two wills-mine operating under the authority of God's. Three faiths; faith in my God, myself, and our relationship. Four loves; God, myself, humanity, and the universe.  Five spiritual practices; prayer, meditation, study, service, and giving. And the Celtic Cross representing all of the above: one emblem comprised of two symbols, made by three strokes, having four quadrants and five intersections."
The long version continues "Six sources of Spiritual Knowledge; scripture, tradition, reason, experience, intuition, and inspiration. The seven classic heavenly bodies and the rays they represent. The eightfold path of Buddha. The nine fruits of the spirit, namely -love, joy, peace, kindness, patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  And the ten commandmants."

 I am indebted to John Wesley, Sandra Kynes, and others for inspiring me to adapt their ideas.

In Peace, Love, and Light,
Enoch