Welcome to a World of Spiritual Harmony

We’ve all been immersed in Michael Jackson’s death for the last week, haven’t we? Such a sad and beautiful person. So haunted, so lost.

It’s amazing to see the images and videos of him as a boy with his brothers. Cute, with all that big hair. Tremendous energy, deep in the music even at a young age. And looking like a person.

At the end, in many pix, he barely looked human. Dead white skin, a cleft in his chin that had not been there before, the long Cher hair. What had he done to his body to get his skin that color? Whatever it was, it could not have been good for his body - most especially his liver, I would think - since the liver is the great toxin remover / cleaner up-er.

Un-grounded, un-settled. Unquestionably brilliant. Seeing clearly his music / his vision of that next step always perfect. In his life unable to find the path, unable to separate from us.

How can we create a new world where great gifts are cherished, manifested, allowed to unfold, adding to the joy on the planet? How can we stop the destruction of the next Michael?

The Grand Inquisitor is the Ayatollah Khameini, the King with all that power and no ability to see and understand, the Queen perhaps being all of us, observers grieving. And Don Carlo the stricken people of Iran.

The people of Iran truly did not want to destroy their country or overthrow the religious system. They simply wanted, as I heard one man say, to be more friendly with the world. Being met with rigidity, repression and cruelty rather than accommodation and flexibility, they can individually be overthrown/murdered. But time always runs out for those leaders whose rage and hatred toward their own people leads them many steps too far. And so it will be in Iran.

Thus the Grand Inquisitor (blind, in the opera), in his vicious righteousness, will lose everything, instead of actually enlarging his power through opening his culture. That which he fears he is actually creating day by day. And the King / Ahmadinejad is in love with power, wants more, wants to hear how great he is. Even if all is ashes around him.

This scenario is playing out, has played out, in so many places on this small and fragile globe of ours. Different players, different names. Agony, hunger, hopelessness for the citizens. The pattern over the 6 to 8 thousand years of the patriarchy. Where war has been seen as necessary and talk as weakness, where control and power, ala King Phillip, are what life is about.

And yet - do we remember his name? Except in this opera, where he is not a hero? The Ayatollah and the Iranian president could take a look at this infrequently performed opera, consider history, and make some new choices. Because change is coming to Iran, whether they will or no.

Wow! What a story, what music, what exquisite singers. A true story out of 16th century Spain, which ends badly for all concerned, with the exception of the Grand Inquisitor. Eight principle roles, any one of which would have been enough in most operas.

The opera was nearly 5 hours long when written, and has been reduced to just bit over three - so we don’t see Don Carlo, son of King Phillip II of Spain, actually fall in love with Elisabeth of France, his betrothed from childhood. We read it in the surcaps. Then the King blithely wants Elisabeth for himself - and she consents for the sake of peace between the two countries. Let that be a lesson to you - always do what you want to do. Trust your own heart, not the words of another. Even if that other is your father and the king of France.

Then comes craziness for Carlo, who tries to find an honorable way out, by asking his father to send him to Flanders to remedy the dire straits of that country - probably caused by his father. The father, resisting the pull of history and common sense, says no - thus keeping Carlo around, adding to his pain, finally resulting in several disasters.

The casting is wonderful, including three principal roles with African American singers. Queen Elisabeth, the Grand Inquisitor - and the ghost or monk who is the dead Emperor, Charles V, grandfather of Carlo.

Over the top, as all opera is. And that story line caused me to think most furiously, as Monsieur Poirot would say. About that thinking - more in the next blog.

What a summer! Wetter than we’ve had in a while. And hotter sooner. Plus the daylilies bloomed earlier than I ever remember. They are almost totally done for the season. I remember when they didn’t even bloom until early July. Our growing season is longer, too.

The real daylily surprise was that the deer ate a couple of beds of them. I don’t remember deer ever eating any. But after I sprayed with Liquid Fence all the impatiens beds and the phlox and the Swiss chard - they tackled the daylilies. So now I’m spraying them. And using the spray on the squash blossoms on everything that has them - since the squirrels have decided the blossoms are a tasty treat. I have no idea if that will work or not with squirrels. Crossing my fingers!

Harvested a ton of green beans. Last year was the first year to try growing them - and none made it in from the garden. I ate them by the handfuls as I walked around. This year I managed to cook them with potatoes - my favorite.

It has been heartbreaking, hasn’t it, watching the air and hope leaking out of those wonderful and courageous Iranians. Such beautiful people, such a beautiful country. Such mean spirited and negative leadership.

Leaders should be more careful of about saying never. This particular Ayotollah is so full of fear, that he’s calling in the revolution he says he doesn’t want. The Iranians were not calling for overthrow. They just wanted their votes to count. Now they want real change, to be really part of the openness and shifts occurring in the rest of the globe.

Both my spidey sense and my pendulum feel that Ahmadinejad will be gone / out of power / ineffective by December / January. Khameini may be gone as soon as September / October. It could be the other way around. In any case, big and beautiful change is coming to those beautiful people.

Let’s make sure we’re driving less, using less oil in every way. Cut down on plastic bags, etc. That takes dollars directly away from petrodictators - which the Iranian leadership is now clearly exposed as. It is not about Islam, it’s all about power. As the dollars melt, so will they.

Hurray!

p s Here’s an excellent travel narrative about Iran - Mirrors of the Unseen: Journeys in Iran, by Jason Elliot.

You know how much I love birthdays - especially my own. I’ll celebrate everyone’s birthdays, any time, any place. My celebration started two weeks ahead of time, and now, over a month later, I only have 2 - no, maybe it’s 3 - or more likely - 4 more to go.

My Glendale sister was working on my actual birthday, then had a cruise to Alaska getting in the way of our celebration. By the time she got back, I was busy with a huge community development event so I couldn’t stop in the middle of the day for the appropriate length of time. We just celebrated yesterday at Sung Korean - the day after that event. Great food, great gifts (and I had some for her!), good to have time together. Today a student / friend and I went to the Bonbonerie for our own celebration. Hadn’t been there in a while, though it’s just a minute and a half away. Excellent as ever.

I’m going to get organized this week, and get the other 4 scheduled. I’ll let you know when it’s all over! And then next year is a big birthday - so there will have to be an extra special over the top gathering. Can’t wait!

Even for me, this was a busy weekend, and I’m approaching wipe out.

For my birthday present to myself, I attended the Earth Spirit Rising conference at Xavier, sponsored by Imago, an ecological / spiritual group. So early Friday, son Brian and I started to fill out the financial aid forms for grandson Patrick, and then I worked on the big event the community development group I run is having on the 25th. At 2 p m, I taught and then Attuned as a Second Degree Reiki healer a friend / client from Cleveland who drove down for the teaching. At 5, I was at dinner at Earth Spirit Rising, with the opening celebration and presentation at 7. I managed to leave early enough to pop out to Ann Taylor to find a dressy brown shirt to wear to the opera on Saturday.

I got home, blogged, worked on my dream book, and fell into bed. Saturday morning after feeding the birds and organizing the house, I got to Xavier at 7:45 for breakfast. We got into such big conversations that our table was late for the opening at 8:45. But I was in plenty of time to hear the first and second speakers, who were great.

After lunch, I joined two discussion groups, and at 4 left to go home and get ready for The Marriage of Figaro. So I missed the evening presentations at ESR. But had a great dinner and Sung Korean, and spent the evening listening to magnificent voices. Figaro is also a very funny opera, so the laughter was great, too. Home at 11:30 p m, asleep well after midnight.

Then this morning, woke up still sleepy, which never happens to me. Got to Xavier right at 8, enjoyed breakfast and talking to some new folk (hung out with different people at every meal, some I knew and some I didn’t. Loved Sr. Paula Gonzalez’ thinking and feeling presentation, and her good energy, and hit the Grailville bookstore for my last purchases. With lunch to follow.

And then headed toward home, stopping by a friend’s house to assist her ailing cat. The cat was very receptive, after initially being confused about what was happening. Got home with enough time to decide to meditate, which turned into a wonderful nap. Then it was off for dinner at Dusmesh and The Soloist at the Esquire - terrific on so many levels!

I need the weekend to stop so I can rest! This was a busy weekend, even for me.

Best Ever Fringe - 6 years in, and each year gets better. This year, I managed to see 11 of the 30, plus Visual Fringe - the art show. I completely missed Film Fringe. It would be great if they’d show those later on, maybe through Cincinnati World Cinema.

I made It Might Be Okay my Pick of The Fringe. A lot of the same themes other artists worked from (interesting how artists pick up what’s out there in the ethers, not yet articulated, and put it in front of us), but with a more hopeful note. I completely loved the winner, though. The Edge - edgy (which is to say Fringe-y) in all kinds of ways, and incredible performances.

I also loved the Critics and Producers Picks, too. 7 (x1) Samurai was a tour de force mime of Kurosawa - 1 guy, 2 masks - and he filled the stage with bandits, samurai, villagers, horses, buildings. Amazing. And Empire of Feathers by Giant Bird - those three guys were everywhere, being appreciated and lauded by everyone for their innovative, creative, low budget hilarity. A great time.

I also loved the Fringe’s goal - we’re not the biggest, but we are going to be the friendliest. The performers really blossomed with that kind of support. Next year, from June 1 to June 12, I’m going to be vacationing at The Fringe. Then I’ll get to see and do it all. And I know Year 7 will be as over the top as this year’s was.

Meditation is so easy. There are no rules, no requirements, no need to twist yourself into the lotus position and try to get your knees to the floor. Just sit in a chair or lay down on the floor.

Then try any one of these ideas:

Empty your mind

Fill your mind with one concept - love, gratitude….

Count your breaths to 10 - then do it again - and again

Bring a person to mind and just listen

or a current situation or a memory

just lay or sit until you’re refreshed - 5 to 15 minutes

And notice how great you feel!

Just beginning to burst open, the first day lily of the season had made its announcement this morning. Hooray! Over the years, we’ve dug up and split the bulbs, starting more beds. Soon the yard will be filled with brand new day lilies every morning for several weeks. These are the common ordinary yet spectacular and beautiful orange daylilies you see everywhere. What joy to be there at the very beginning.

This is, though, just the 10th of June. I remember when they bloomed in early July, and that was not so long ago. We have really re-structured the planet in big and small ways already.

Still, beauty is here to be enjoyed and expressed! And….the magnolias will be starting in a week or so.

Aaaaahhhh