31st March: Easter hymn

Easter Hymn

It's you again,

falling like a vagabond back into my heart.

It's you again,

spinning rhymes and riddles that tear these walls apart.

And am I me again,

sifting through old memories, the litter of our nights and days?

It's spring again,

rising like a promise and greening all the land.

It's spring again,

bringing light and warmth into the darkness where I stand.

And am I me again,

singing ancient melodies, the litanies that love betrays?

For I have walked the spiral path that led me deep into this night;

Step by step and stone by stone, the labyrinth has turned me round,

but never quite reached home.

The web of tears will trap me, bind me to the past,

unless at last I trust in what I cannot hold

and look beyond what I can see,

to sing the pilgrim liturgy.

It's you again,

lodging like a fallen angel here within my heart.

It's me again,

rising with green promises to tear these walls apart.

And so it's spring again,

bringing light and love and hope where darkness cannot stand...

So take my hand, and walk the spiral path to darkness and to light.

Step by step and stone by stone the labyrinth will turn us round

until at last we're home.

We do not choose the trap of fear that bound us to the past,

because at last we trust in what we cannot hold

and look beyond what we can see...

It's spring again, it's you again, it's me.

Earth Day: Sunday April 22nd

Hi & happy Easter.

If you're looking for Holy Week/Easter stuff, you're almost too late - and it's on my other blog page 'Celebrating the Year'.

Meanwhile,  please take some time to look at this website, thanks:

https://www.earthday.org/earthday/

Lazarus Saturday

That which was lost is now found! So here it is, only a few days late :-)

Mary Magdalene has been of much interest over recent years. Speculation is on-going as to whether she was the disciple that Jesus loved, possibly even his wife, or at least lover, and the mother of his child; the jury is still out as to whether she was the woman who was delivered from possession by seven demons; but it has been established that there was no evidence that she was a prostitute. She was probably not the 'repentant sinner' of Luke's gospel; she may or may not have been the sister of Lazarus and Martha who lived in Bethany; but she probably did come from Magdala (also known as Migdal, the Hebrew word for 'tower'), a village on the shores of the Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee). 

One thing we do know, from the gospel accounts, is that on the equivalent of this day, the day before Jesus entered Jerusalem on what we call 'Palm Sunday', Mary went to where Jesus was at supper with some of his friends and disciples - possibly the house of Simon the leper, but more likely that of Lazarus, Martha and Mary; both Simon and Lazarus lived in Bethany, not far from Jerusalem, to the east of the city. Mary Magdala brings with her a shockingly expensive jar of perfumed oil - spikenard, which, interestingly, is used in Catholic Church iconography to represent Joseph, the father of Jesus (see footnote, below).

 Mary opened the jar and anointed Jesus' feet with the precious oil. When she was upbraided for this, Jesus defended her, on the grounds of her love, and that she was preparing his body for burial, and he foretold that 'wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.' And it is.

Six days later, Mary Magdalene was with Jesus' mother Mary, and Salome (the wife of Zebedee and mother of James and John), at the foot of the cross on which Jesus died - a place reserved for the closest members of the family, putting themselves into danger by being there, associating themselves with a convicted and executed criminal. And it was Mary Magdalene who was the first to go to the tomb where Jesus' body was laid, finding it empty, seeing the Lord risen again to life.

Once upon a time, around 600 to 200 BCE, in Babylon, another woman was celebrated who had anointed her lover/husband/king, Eshmun, before his death, mourned for him, sought out his body, and brought him back to life. She was Estar, also known as Ishtar, or Astarte. Before that, around the first millenium BCE, the same story was told, but the goddess/heroine was Isis, Egyptian Mother Goddess of the Earth, and the god-king was Osiris. And an even longer time ago, as early as 7000 BCE, the Sumerians worshipped the Goddess, the Great Mother, Queen of Heaven and Earth, Inanna. And Inanna, yes, you've guessed it, anointed her bridge-groom, Tammuz (also known as Dumuzi) as a sign of his kingship, mourned and sought him after his death, and brought him back to life.

Eshmun, Osiris, and Tammuz had something else in common too: they were all known and worshipped as Shepherd-Kings. Doesn't that make you think of someone else, only two thousand years ago?!

Footnote: Spikenard

Spikenard is also known as nard, nardin, and muskroot. It is an aromatic, amber coloured essential oil, derived from a flowering plant of the Valerian family, Nardostachys jatamansi, which originates in the Himalayas of Nepal, China, and India. The oil is made by crushing and distilling the rhizomes of the plant, and, historically, was kept in alabaster containers in order to preserve it.

Nard was used as a sedative within the Ayurvedic herbal tradition of India, known as a luxury perfume in ancient Egypt, and part of the Ketoret, the consecrated incense, of Judaism, offered on the incense altar of the Jerusalem Temple. Nard was also mentioned by Homer in his 'Iliad' for the anointing of the dead, and it was also used as a flavouring in ancient Roman food, occuring in the recipes of Apicius. It was as a seasoning that nard was mainly used in Medieval Europe, especially as part of the spice blend used to flavour Hypocras (sweet spiced wine) and, from the 17th century, as an ingredient in Stingo, a strong beer.

Joseph is the patron of the Catholic Church, and, especially in its Hispanic iconography, he is represented by spikenard. Pope Francis has therefore included the spikenard in his coat of arms, next to a star which represents Mary, the Mother of Jesus. (Above them is the symbol for Jesus, the sun, with the cross, nails, and the Christogram IHS.)

This is all complicated by the fact that the term 'nard' is used of other flowering plants, such as lavandula stoechas (French/Spanish lavender) not just spikenard! And in some representations, Joseph appears holding a stem of a white lily, rather than the spikenard. The lily is said to represent purity: the 'purity' of his wife Mary, and of their marriage. But the 17th century Spanish artist Murillo represents him both looking young and loving, and holding a stem of spikenard, in his great painting The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities.

What I find fascinating (and perhaps that is just a sign of an under-used mind?!) is that spikenard thus occurs (Scripturally at least) at both the beginning of Jesus' life (as it represents Joseph) and at the end (used to anoint him by Mary Magdalene). Yes, of course it could be a coincidence... but that doesn't sit right with me.

Whatever, I shall be planting spikenard in our new herb bed this spring!

Turn up the Dark!

Lights out tomorrow evening: it's Earth Hour!

Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organized by the World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

Every year, on the last Saturday of March, individuals, communities, households and businesses are asked to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m., as a symbol for our shared commitment to the planet.

It’s a symbolic and spectacular lights out display with a big message – we want to protect the future of our planet from climate change.

Earth Hour is not necessarily a religious occasion, but here at Karningul, before we light the candles and turn off the electric lights, we'll be using this short responsive prayer:

Blessed is the Earth, our home:

Blessed is the Universe in which we are set.

Blessed is each star and flower, each drop of water,

and each person: all are part of the web of life:

May we honour, and strive to safeguard,

the wholeness of creation.

Blessed is the heritage of our land:

May we respect what we have received,

and be good stewards,

so that future generations may be glad for what we hand on.

Blessed are those whose hearts are full of awe and gratitude,

who walk gently upon this earth:

May we return to the balance of right relationship

with the earth, with all its creatures, and with each other.

Blessed be this celebration of the fragility,

and the strength, of the Earth:

In darkness and in light, we will rejoice!

Background People

Today, 19th March, is the feast day of Joseph, husband of Mary. What do you know about Joseph? What do I know?

Well, firstly we know that Joseph was open to angelic messengers, and acted on what they said. Not only did he not hesitate to take Mary as his wife, and to name the child Jesus, as the angel advised him to, he also left everything – possessions, family, friends – and fled with his wife and baby to Egypt, thus escaping Herod's massacre of all boys aged under two (Matthew 2.13-23).

Secondly, that he came of the lineage of King David – not only according to the long family trees quoted in two of the gospels (Matthew 1.1-16 and Luke 3.23-38), but also because the angel calls him 'Joseph, son of David' (Matthew 1.20).

Thirdly, Joseph either wasn't rich or he was against the corrupt practices of the Temple: when he took Jesus, his first-born son, to the Temple to be presented and Mary to be purified, he offered the sacrifice of two turtle-doves – the offering allowed for those who couldn't afford a lamb (Luke 2.24).

Fourthly, we know that Mary regarded Joseph as Jesus' father: When the young Jesus went walkabout in the Temple, and was only found after much searching, Mary said: 'Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.' (Luke 2.48) And others also regarded Joseph as Jesus' father: 'Is this not the son of Joseph' (Luke 4.22).

Fifthly, Joseph was the father of four other sons - James, Joses, Jude, and Simon - and probably three daughters (Mark 6.3; Matthew 13.55-56). Some suggest that these were children of a first marriage – but it seems unlikely to me that such a man as Joseph would abandon them and fly to Egypt, so I think they were younger, and the children of Joseph and Mary. The sons, and possibly the daughters as well, were with Mary during Jesus' ministry.

Sixthly, Joseph was a carpenter. We know that because it was asked of Jesus 'Is this not the carpenter's son?' (Matthew 13.55). Or was he? The Greek word used here is 'tekton' (τέκτων) which, as well as being the word for a craftsman, particularly in wood (not in stone or metal) was also the term used for those who were the Master of any art. It can also mean a very learned man such as a Pharisee (in Talmudic texts, literally a 'skilled handler of the Word of God'), a planner (in the sense of an Architect), a Maker, or a Creator. Interesting...

All of that's maybe not a great deal to go on – but it's enough, it's the important things. They tell us that Joseph was a man both of faith and of action, a skilled man who put his family first. He was very much the man in the background, both in the narratives of Jesus' birth, and his early life, but sadly we don't know what became of him.

Who are the people in the background of your life? The people we might take for granted, the ones who support us, cherish and protect us, enable us to do what we are called to do, without seeking any thanks, any lime-light for themselves?

And who are the people that we support, cherish, protect, and enable, without seeking gratitude? It's like a great chain of love, linking us together... but it's good to say thank you too, so THANK YOU to all my loving friends (you know who you are!): love you too.

Of snow and chickens...

After days of rain and wind, which rather marred the first visit to Brittany of Thomas and Amy, we now, on the heels of their departure, have snow - albeit not as much as the UK.

The garden is white, the birds are back to their ravenous selves, and the jonquils, which survived the trip from the south, have bent their heads in the face of all the white stuff. Wish I'd picked them all now, but hey, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

More wonderful is the news that we are going to have five additions to our pack. Our friends Brenda & David F. can't keep their little flock of hens, as they're needing to go to & fro to the UK more often these days. So, Mrs Fluffy-Bottom and her Gang of Four are coming to Karningul. I spent a large part of yesterday morning trawling the internet, as yet unsuccessfully, for a lovely new coop for them; and we already have names lined up for the anonymous four - Big Venus, Grey Malkin, Chick-Pea, and Little T. (after Teresa, our friend in Puivert, who started our chicken enthusiasm with her enormously healthy girls and their amazing eggs). Little T is already known as 'Teabag' :-)

Here is a pic. of them. Can't wait!

March 14th - Cathar Remembrance Day

The Cathars ('pure ones'), or, as they called themselves 'Good Christians' (Bon Hommes) lived mainly in Catalonia and Occitania (northern Spain, southern France, and northern Italy) in the 12th and early 13th centuries C.E. They were Gnostics, believed in equality between men and women, and modelled themselves on what they understood to have been the patterns and practices of the earliest church. The lay people were known as 'credente' (believers) while their 'holy' men and women - the parfait/perfect - were wandering ascetic teachers, who ate no meat and were celibate.

The Cathars' scriptures included the non-canonical text of 'The Secret Supper - The Book of John the Evangelist' as well as the New Testament. Possibly influenced by the Bogomilists and Manichaeans, their beliefs may have included an element of dualism: the good God of Love whose realm was that of the spirit, and a demon of the realm of matter. Because of this apparent dualism, and, no doubt, their popularity, they were regarded by the institutional Roman Catholic Church as heretics, and the Albigensian Crusade was waged against them during the 13th century. This resulted in a significant depopulation of the area, although some Cathars escaped over the border to Spain.

By early March 1244, the remaining Cathars, some 200 people, were gathered together at the fortress of Montsegur, near modern day Lavelenet. On 14th March, Easter Day, knowing that they could not hold out in the face of the forces ranged against them, they celebrated their rite of Consolamentum - a spiritual baptism by which sins were absolved and the spirit was elevated. Two days later they walked down the mountain-side to their death by fire at the hands of the Church.

A relatively well-known, and haunting, Cathar song is Lo Boièr. We heard it at a concert at Puivert Castle, another former Cathar stronghold. You can hear it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlGO9IRJeqg

Lo Boièr, The Herdsman, is the Occitan name for the Bootes constellation, the main star of which is Arcturus, the brightest star of the northern celestial hemisphere. The name Arcturus derives from the Ancient Greek Ἀρκτοῦρος (Arktouros) meaning Guardian of the Bear, the bear in question being the neighbouring constellation, Ursa Major. Some believe that it was Arcturus that the Magi followed on their way to the Holy Land.

The song Lo Boièr is believed to contain encoded messages for the listener, and it has been said that 'Joana' represents the Cathar church, the spiritual essence of which 'still vibrates in caves and water'. Here are the words, in Occitan and in English:

Lo Boièr

The Herdsman

Quand lo boièr ven de laurar Planta son agulhada: A, e, i, ò, u ! Planta son agulhada. Trapa (Tròba) sa femna al pè del fuòc Trista e (Tota) desconsolada... Se sias (Se n'es) malauta digas-o Te farai un potatge (una alhada). Amb una raba, amb un caulet Una lauseta magra. Quand serai mòrta enterratz-me Al pus fons (Al prigond) de la cròta (cava) Los pés virats (Met-me los pès) a la paret La tèsta a la rajada (Lo cap jos la canela) Los pelegrins (E los romius) que passaràn Prendràn d'aiga senhada. E diràn « Qual es mòrt aicí ? » Aquò es la paura Joana. Se n'es anada al paradís Al cèl ambe sas cabras.

When the drover returns from ploughing He plants the point of his plough A, e, i, o, or! He plants the point of his plough. He finds his wife near the fire Sad and sorrowful ... If you're sick tell me I'll make you a soup, With a beet, with a cabbage A slice of lean bacon... When I'm dead, bury me Deep in the cellar Feet facing the wall The head under the tap. When the pilgrims will pass They will take holy water. And say, "Who died here? " It's poor Joana. She went to heaven In the sky with her goats

International Womens' Day

A prayer for today:

Who shall find a valiant woman?

Look! We are all around you:

in the work rooms of industry, and of every functioning enterprise,

unheralded, invisible, some way non-existent,

but we know otherwise.

Who shall find a valiant woman?

Look! We are all around you:

contributing, setting standards, changing the course of history,

preparing, supporting,

challenging those resentful of our claims and capabilities.

Who shall find a valiant woman?

Look! We are all around you:
Woman of courage, compassion, and patience.
Our number is legion, our gifts diverse,
our goal one and the same:
that history hear, that history is cognizant of,
that history will one day recall our names.

We honour the women of the Hebrew scriptures,
especially Mary, the Mother of Jesus,
whose courage, persistence, love, and fidelity
kept the lineage of faith alive.

We honour the women of Jesus' time,

who cared for the community of believers;
who followed Jesus to Calvary; who buried Him;

who proclaimed Jesus' resurrection
who passed the Gospel to their families, friends and strangers.

We honour the valiant women of our own time

who nudge us back on track;
who remind us of the promises of Christ,
who claim the Gospel for women, too;
who preach the reality of wholeness;
who strain against a patriarchal church
who challenge us to grow.

Living God, today we gather in and among your presence.
Valiant women throughout the world, and all gathered here,

raise our voices in global petition for your promise of wholeness,

of fullness of life, to be realized in all our world,

in our nations and in our lives.

May we, women and men alike, be agents of that fullness,

and live for ever in your kingdom.
This we pray in your holy name. Amen.

... and we have got snow!

March has come in, not so much like a lion, but like a polar bear, bringing drifts of dry white stuff on the bitter winds to clothe our frozen landscape. I am glad to hear people saying that this has been a particularly wet and, now, cold, winter: it makes me more hopeful for future years!

And, today's other excitement: scientists have detected a signal from the 'cosmic dawn' [- the moment when the earliest stars emerged. Apparently, for millions of years after it began, the universe was dark and cold, containing only invisible clouds of hydrogen gas, and its only energy the radiation left over from the Big Bang - the 'cosmic microwave'. Then gravity gathered up the densest regions of gas, matter coalesced, collided and collapsed, and the first star nurseries were formed.

No telescope can reach far enough to detect the glow of those primitive stars, which were comprised of just hydrogen and helium, and burned blue, bright, and fast, and, when they died, produced explosions that gave rise to heavier elements, including the carbon and oxygen on which life depends. So since 1999 astrophysicists have turned to the analysis of wavelengths to detect the signature of the stars, deriving from an imprint of that cosmic microwave radiation. An antenna in the Australian desert has been listening for the signature signal, and, by excluding everything else, it has now been 'heard' - the signature of emerging stars emanating from 180 million years after the Big Bang, which is twice the time/distance anything has been observed before.

The stars whose signature has now been heard - and which was twice as large as expected -  'made the seeds for everything that came out of them' One of the team involved in the discovery says: 'It's about understanding our cosmic origins. If you think about, how did humans get here, basically the first rung on the ladder is you need something in the universe.'  And they have found that 'something'. Well done them!

(Graphics from msn news report)