Erev Yom Kippur 5775

“WE THE PEOPLE …” 

Tonight, in one of those curious intersections that happens with traditions keyed to lunar calendars, all-important-to-Muslims rites and rituals involving the Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, fall at the same as Yom Kippur, the most solemn Jewish Day of Atonement. 

 

It’s unusual that’s for sure. The coinciding Day of Arafat when pilgrims to Mecca will be at Mount Arafat atoning for their sins and misdeeds and the Yom Kippur activities with biblical links to the time of Moses will not happen again for many decades.

Yet the Hajj/Yom Kippur traditions and observances of these oft-times-at-odds “children of Abraham” are remarkably parallel.

The “children of Abraham” connection is the key, of course. As I understand it, the core reason Muslims desire to make their pilgrimage is to honor the Patriarch Abraham, the very same Patriarch Jews honor and revere.

(It’s not clear to me why a corresponding annual atonement/repentance observance isn’t extant in the Christian extension of the family. But I’d speculate that Easter time is closely connected with some elements and the largely secular New Year’s Eve with its resolutions and such is also in play.) 

More to the immediate date and point: The Jewish and Muslim communities worship the essentially same deity. They acknowledge and honor many of the same prophets. Many of the dietary restrictions are held in common. The underlying mindset in rituals of atonement and invocation to that deity for forgiveness and mercy are strikingly similar.

So what?

Most of you probably realize I’m not an especially religious person.  Some who know me more intimately are kind enough to deem my view “spiritual” at times. If pressed I might allow that I think many of my opinions in this region could align with positions I conclude the Founding Fathers of the United States articulated as “Nature’s God.”

 

So I hope to claim some status as a trying-to-remain-impartial outside observer.

And here’s my observation: There’s self-evident truth in today’s particular alignment of traditions. No matter the source or depth of your beliefs, the underlying concepts of –

 

• Spiritual introspection
• Retrospection
• Seeking pardon
• Granting remission or forgiveness
• Atonement, and
• Resolving and vowing to go forward anew. 

-- have legitimacy and power.

Tradition-observant Jews repeat a “confession” several times during the observance of Yom Kippur cataloguing fifty-six categories of “sin.” 

And here’s what’s particularly interesting to me about that and apt to our day and age: 

The confession is recited as a collective “we”

– not an individual “I.”

This tradition is one of sharing each other’s transgressions plus acknowledging general responsibility for the misdeeds of mankind.

TAKEAWAY: We might be well served if the secular “We the people …” could apply ourselves to ways to come together to do that now.

Mosaic floor with seven-branched menorah plus other Jewish ritual objects.
The latter are, from right to left:
a shofar [ram's horn used on the Rosh haShanah holiday];
 an incense shovel as used in the Temple;
an etrog [citron in English], a citrus fruit used on the Sukkot holiday;
what appears to be a lulav, a palm frond, also used on the Sukkot holiday.
The Greek inscription says "Praise for the People."
The mosaic is dated to the 6th century.

Sound the shofar. In ancient Palestine the ram’s horn trumpet was used to signal danger, convene the populace, call for defense, announce a holiday. May you – each and all, without regard to the particulars of our philosophical viewpoints – be inscribed and sealed for a good year.    

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

Thank Goodness It's Monday #439

SEASONS GREETINGS,

HAPPY HOLIDAY

-- AND, PLEASE: LIGHTEN UP

Does that sound– Bah! Humbug! – unseasonably vague and cranky?

TGIM Guy with the Big Guy
 circa 1949
Hey! He knows if you've
been bad or good.
You'd be apprehensive, too.

Perhaps it is.
So let me clear the air by saying upfront --


I’m a Christmas celebrator. Have been for as long as I can remember and expect to continue keeping the season and many of its traditions, especially the English/German ones that are part of my family history.

 

But I also try to “observe” and appreciate and enjoy experiences beyond my roots.

And I’m also more than a bit weary with the increasingly escalating broadcast, print and social media “fuss” over forcing the most doctrinal parts of Christmas front and center in the tangible, material world, especially to the exclusion of others.

In this day and age I can’t help but wonder at the failure to recognize the connectedness of all the belief systems that find reasons to celebrate at this time of the year. 

And I’m pretty confident that, in the best interpretations of those sacred observances, even the most orthodox adherent could find at least one secular, non-dogmatic connection that binds us in celebration to this –

Universal Truth: ‘Tis the season, in the northern hemisphere, of the Winter Solstice.



Actually ... it's NOT
precisely Christmas.
This frequently shared
social media image
from recent days
underlies a bit
of my adamant tone.

It’s science, folks (not just Stonehenge mumbo jumbo). This year December 21 will be the day with the least hours of daylight and, therefore, the longest stretch of night.

Historically solstice celebrations have influenced the lives of many over the centuries, through art, literature, mythology and religion. So, whether you officially “celebrate” or not, you probably will (or recently have) observed the Winter Solstice in some way.

If you care to, you can find doctrine-neutral recaps at sites such as ReligiousTolerance.org/ or Beliefnet.com. There, and elsewhere, you can learn more about the wide range of solstice-related observances across time and cultures both extinct and extant around the globe.

 

Wikipedia lists 40+ that range from contemporary observances at science stations in Antarctica to references in Western Hemisphere cultures that date back to 1800 BCE and further back to Neolithic and Bronze Age practices in Europe.

So, for 12,000 years and maybe longer, the return of the sun and the lengthening days, represent –

The return of hope. Perhaps prehistoric man feared that the sun would keep on sinking until it went away forever.

I'm sure they knew it wouldn't. They were as intelligent as we. (They just didn't know as much.) But it’s only human to fear the darkness. When the sun came back, fear receded and hope returned.

In our bit of the globe the December solstice occurs during the coldest season of the year. Although winter was regarded as the season of dormancy, darkness and cold, the coming of brighter days after the Winter Solstice brought on a more festive mood. To many people, this return of the light was a reason to celebrate that nature’s cycle was continuing.

At this time of the Winter Solstice we all – without confronting the conflicting tenets of particular spiritual or secular beliefs -- can trace the evolution of our seasonal celebrations to origins in ancient nature rituals. We can acknowledge the primeval link to today’s widely practiced religions, monotheistic and otherwise.

And in this 21^st Century we can use all the tech and gathered wisdom and best thinking at our disposal to come to one inevitable –

TGIM TAKEAWAY: It’s still about the light.

►   Beacons of hope.

►   Moments of illumination.

►   Glimmers of insight.

►   The promise of brighter tomorrows.

Miracles of light and enlightenment. Whatever your traditions hold dear and celebrate and commemorate at this time of the year, we are all very much one in spirit.

It IS a very small and very interconnected world after all. Daily it becomes closer still.

 

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Lighten up and be enlightened. Know what you believe and why. Your core beliefs need to be your own, arrived at freely. 

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Like exploring the history of solstice celebrations, look for evidence yourself. Dig down. Get back to the source as you gather facts. Make your decisions based on your informed research and insight. Decide what works for you and use it.

Lighten up. You don’t even have to wait for an “official” holiday to begin.

We wish you an Enlightened Solstice … (belated) Happy Hanukkah … Merry Christmas … Joyous Kwanzaa … 

“Peace toward men of good will.” 

Happy holidays, one and all.

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373

tgimguy@gmail.com

P.S.  Deep peace of the winter solstice to you.

        Deep peace of the falling snow to you.

        Deep peace of the love of friends to you.

        Deep peace of the gentle deer to you.

        Deep peace of the moon and stars to you.

 

       Deep peace of the running wave to you.

       Deep peace of the flowing air to you.

       Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.

       Deep peace of the shining stars to you.

       Deep peace of the gentle night to you.

 

       Moon and stars pour their healing light on you.

       Deep peace to you.

       Deep peace to you.

              -- source(s) unknown

Thank Goodness It's Monday #423

REFLECTING ON A DREAM

AND MAKING HISTORY

The view
August 28, 1963
from the Lincoln Memorial
down the Mall and Reflecting Pool
to the Washington Monument

Fifty years ago, on a hot, humid August 28, 1963 in Washington DC, some 250,000 people assembled on the grounds between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.

The climax of the largest demonstration the Federal City had ever seen was an address that scholars rate as the most important political speech of the 20^th Century.

 

You know this, no doubt.

And, no doubt, you have an opinion and some memory of this moment and the related developments that have unfolded in the two score and ten years since.

 

I certainly do. 

 

But, as this anniversary and its official commemoration approaches, having been bombarded by the historical recollecting and reportorial build up in the media, I wonder –

Can we trust our memories?

This is tricky stuff. I was on the verge of adulthood in 1963. I’m convinced now that I was aware, somewhat informed and sympathetically sensitive to the struggles of the time. But …

Was I? How much of what I now think that I thought then was not even formed in my teenage boy mind?

A great deal I’m willing to concede. 

How about you? 

TGIM CHALLENGE #1: Can you objectively look back across the years -- and not just at this momentous world event but at any significant memory that involves thought and emotion and consideration and opinion -- and say with certainty what you think and feel now is what you thought and felt at the time?

Scientists say we can’t. And personal experience has me agreeing. Apparently our imprecise recollection of “stuff” that has happened is altered by the very act of remembering it; altered at a cellular level. 

And in line with that fact, every time we re-remember in a slightly altered way, it all shifts again.

So the reality of our today is not the reality of our recent past and certainly not our distant past.

 

That’s not necessarily bad. Or wrong. Or, well, not necessarily harmful.

It is, however, cautionary.

 

TGIM TAKEAWAY: What we let in -- the information we accept as truthful and accurate and that goes to reshaping our memories -- needs to be suspiciously viewed and seriously vetted before we allow it to go messing with our biology and influencing our biography.

Especially these days. The 21^st Century is awash with – 

►   suspect information

►   from non-objective sources

►   quickly and cleverly packaged

►   and delivered at nanosecond speed

►   directly to our already over stimulated senses.

And what we accept as true or truth, as well as what we elect to argue with or ignore, matters. It matters inasmuch as it shapes who we are and our understanding of the next round of information proffered for our delectation and consideration.

 

Why this bit of reflection on this day?

Because what I do remember in the days and decades following the “I Have A Dream” speech is a far cry from what I perceive others, mostly younger, have concluded. The memories I’ve built are far less benign than the behavior of many in this second decade of the new millennium appear to enjoy.

As it appears to me: The American Dream that Dr. King referenced is still a long, long way from being a reality for many. Lack of opportunity, equality, liberty, justice, freedom from so many oppressive factors still sweeps across the landscape of our lives – with and without regard for race. 

I suspect even the Founding Fathers would find cause to object. 

Yet we seem to have become complacent.

TGIM CHALLENGE #2: Please don’t let this anniversary go by without seriously considering that, although we have come far –

We still have a long way to go. What that means precisely, where and how we get there is a course of action you must choose, informed by your own process of discovery, ability to act and sense of commitment.

However, if nothing else, appreciate the genius of MLK Jr. on that day in August 50 years ago in striking a balance between comforting the assembly and challenging them. Then rise to the challenge.

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Discover your own dreams. Seek to understand what’s at the core of your thinking. Find out what you believe that enables you to move forward. 

To help you do that, use this anniversary occasion as a jumping off point.

• Take the time and make the effort to consider the content and context of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. (That was the proper historical name for the event. Surprised? )

 

• Listen to or read (or both) the entire “I Have A Dream” speech – not just the highlights that will loop in the media over the next news cycle or two. Seek to understand it’s historic precedents and its consequential developments – and lack of them.

Do this in the spirit of being or becoming an informed citizen of the world in the 21^st Century.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Make sure you’ve got facts (not speculation) and all the facts you need before you settle on a course of action. Check and double check. Know your sources. Search for independent resources to verify what others tell you.

Then make your own history.  

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

 

P.S. “King called our country forward on that beautiful day in 1963, but he also called out our failings. He told us there could be no peace without justice, and no justice without struggle. We honor him best by sharing not only his hope but also his impatience and his resolve.” E. J. Dionne, American journalist and political commentator, and a long-time op-ed columnist for The Washington Post recently concluded his column with that observation.




We know, both figuratively and literally, what MLK Jr. “saw” when looked down the National Mall August 28, 1963. The "humanity" of it all is pictured at the top of today's post.
 

The US Park Service ranger assigned to guard Dr. King on the podium, Gordon Gundrum (loooking to the left above), is quoted as saying recently, “It was something I knew was going to change the world.”

My long-time local acquaintance Arnold Brown was also present (leaning forward, behind and right of the woman with the patterned hat) with his brother Jerome who recalls, “The march made me aware of non-violence – and I think it changed the way I thought about things, and approached things in my life.”

 

Thank Goodness It's Monday #380

MAKE MAGIC

– NOT MISCHIEF–

 ON HALLOWEEN 

When you were growing up, what did you call the night before Halloween?

 

In our New Jersey neighborhoods October 30th goes by several names, depending on where you grew up.

 

·         Mischief Night seems to be most common.

·         But in some rural areas it’s called Cabbage Night.

·         Around Paterson it’s called Goosey Night (and it’s listed that way on the Public School calendar).

·         It’s Hell Night around Camden.

·         Gate Night just a little north of me in Rockland County, NY;

·         Doorbell Night in Connecticut;

·         Hacker Night elsewhere.

·         Other names include Trick Night, Mizzie (or Mizzy) Night and Mat (or Mad) Night.

·         Around Albany NY they call it Beggar’s Night;

·         In Detroit it’s famously known as Devil’s Night and, since there’s a history in that town of setting fires all over the city, a more pacific Angel’s Night effort is now promoted.

·         Fair and balanced 2012 World Series reporting: San Francisco seems to favor the Mischief Night designation. 

No matter what you call it, the countdown to Halloween 2012 is dashing toward the finish line. Although, for a great many kids, as well as some adults, and certainly for all those retail establishments that sell candy by the bag, the “observance” has been going on for quite a while, the day (or maybe days) so many kids (and a good number of adults) have been waiting for is soon at hand. 

So how about a little Halloween history on the way to some TGIM treats?

Halloween comes down to us from the pre-Christian era Celtic festival of Samhaim, held October 31, the last autumn night before the cold and  bleakness of winter.

On this night, considered the Celtic New Year, the Druids believed that the supernatural world drew closer to the physical world. That meant human beings were more susceptible to the influence and power of the unseen. Magic spells could be cast more easily. Divination was more revealing. Dreams held special significance.

This capsule history is spelled out in Sarah Ban Breathnach’s book, Simple Abundance. She continues:

“I believe Halloween is the perfect reminder that Magic flows through us. Mystery infuses every encounter of every day. We conjure up the shoe that cannot be found anywhere in the house, transform leftovers into a feast, coax a bounty from the barren earth, banish fear, heal hurts, make money stretch till the end of the month. We do all this and much more. But most (people) aren’t aware of their tremendous power for good.”

Do you believe in Magic? You don’t have to be some sort of Druid or Celtic celebrant.  It’s not about some particular occult faith or any mystical hocus-pocus.

Belief is an informed mental exercise.

►   It’s about putting trust or confidence in a person or a concept.

►   It’s about acceptance and conviction about what you understand as a verifiable truth.

►  It’s about having faith in your own ability to get something accomplished.

►   It’s about consciously developing a habit that makes things happen.

Anyone can believe in Magic of that nature. It’s available to each of us because it’s not just about Halloween-ish trickery (or “treatery” if that’s a word.)

Magic flows through us. What an empowering approach to an occasion that’s become so over-commercialized and even subject to criticism from some quarters!

As Breathnach suggests, isn’t Magic what we perform when we create an authentic lifestyle for ourselves and those we love? Can’t we shape unseen forces with our creativity … bring into the physical world what only existed in the realm of unseen beliefs?

And if this can be done unconsciously, how much more could we accomplish — how much more success might we experience — if we were alertly aware of our powers, developed them fully and focused them on creating our desired outcomes?

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Summon the Magical powers that lie within you (and each of us). Direct them toward making your desires reality. It doesn’t take some dark art or spell or arcane incantation. 

What would you like to know more about or accomplish? Set your own course of study and make an earnest effort to know the ideas and ideals that work for you in the real world.

Of course –

Be careful what you believe.

TGIM IDEA IN ACTION: Make sure you’ve got facts (not speculation) and all the facts you need before you settle on a course of action. Check and double check. Know your sources. Search for independent resources to verify what others tell you.

And watch out for tricksters and mischief makers. Don’t be naive and think that with all of today’s sophisticated means of communication you can’t be duped in the 21st Century. Realize that, with the profusion of broadcast channels … and the gazillions of connections of the digitally interconnected world … and the only slightly more personal relationships created by social media, there are abundant opportunities to deceive a well as inform.

Added point: In the run up to this Halloween, consider all the lives you touch in the course of your life. Sometime in the perhaps-overhyped, candy-fueled course of the day, commit to using your Magical Powers more wisely and effectively. Stay a thoughtful and thinking person and you won’t be “tricked” into wrong decisions this or any other time of the year.

Wishing you nothing but treats.

Geoff Steck   
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

P. S. “I am sure there is magic in everything …” observed Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (1849 – 1924). She was a playwright and author best known today for her children's stories, in particular The Secret Garden and Little Lord Fauntleroy (which, although an anachronism now, was the Harry Potter of its time and made her essentially the J. K. Rowling of her day; wealthy, celebrated and influential).

 

“I am sure there is magic in everything” she said –“Only we have not the sense to get hold and make it do things for us.”