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Daily
Thoughts & Issues IN THIS ISSUE: SEPTEMBER
30
Photo of the Week
September 30 - Independence Day in Botswana. * Meredith enrolls at Ole Miss (1962). Rioting broke out when he became the first black to enroll in the all-white University of Mississippi. President Kennedy sent US troops to the area to force compliance with the law. Three people died in the fighting and 50 were injured. On June 6, 1966, Meredith was shot while participating in a civil rights march at Mississippi. On June 25, he, barely recovered, rejoined the marchers near Jackson, MS. * Babe sets home run record (1927) and play his last game for the Yankees exactly seven years later (1934) * First Criminal Execution in American colonies (1630), John Billington, one of the first pilgrims to land in America, was hanged for murder. * The first section of the Gutenberg Bible published (1452), was also the first book printed from movable type, in Mainz, Germany. Johann Gutenberg was the printer. The book was completed in 1456.* The first atomic-powered submarine, the U.S.S. Nautilus, is commissioned (1954). Birthdays: Truman Capote, Johnny Mathis, Eric Stoltz. Jalal ad-Din rumi (1207), Sufi Saint and poet. He believed the soul to be one with Deity, and thought ecstatic experience of Deity could be attained with music, whirling dance, and chanting Deity's holy names. More and more Americans over sixty-five are taking part-time jobs: 52 percent of all white men in 1990, compared with 30 percent back in 1960. New Passages When your child asks you about the "birds and bees," make sure you understand the question, answer quickly, keep it short and simple, and don't volunteer more information than you think the child can handle. Dr. Buff's 365 Day Parenting Calendar One problem with a rational approach to romantic love is that love is treated as a purely interpersonal matter of human dimensions. Mythology and poetry teach us to imagine this kind of love differently. Soul Mates My boyfriend puts a tablespoon in the freezer, then runs the cold, smooth underside over my breasts during foreplay. - Becca, 24 Best of 1001 Sex Secrets Every Man & Woman Should Know As soon as we believe it is possible for man to become God, we can really never rest for long, never say, "Okay, my job is finished, my work is done." We must constantly push ourselves to greater and greater wisdom, greater and greater effectiveness. By this belief we will have trapped ourselves, at least until death, on an effortful treadmill of self-improvement and spiritual growth. God's responsibility must be our own. It is no wonder that the belief in the possibility of godhood is repugnant. The Road Less Traveled Push on - keep moving. - Thomas Merton. Achieve Your Dreams Things to Be Happy About: A kid and a wheelbarrow. Standing up for yourself. Music festivals. 14,000 Things to Be Happy About It's more fun to color outside the lines. Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me Harold had been locked in a dysfunctional working relationships with his boss for nearly seven years and was having a difficult time separating from him. Whenever he protested or tried to assert his independence, his boss would make him feel guilty by saying he had invested many years in him and that he owed him for his career. Harold learned that the situation with his boss was mirroring an old wound of guilt and recollections of not being able to stand up for himself to his mother. After many rehearsals, Harold eloquently, graciously, and with unshakable confidence told his boss he was leaving to further his own growth. Thus, the old wound in his psyche healed. If Life is a Game, These are the Rules Gay author Truman Capote, born on this day in 1924, rose to recognition with his first novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms, in 1948. Capote went on to write Breakfast at Tiffany's (1958) and In Cold Blood (1966). Gay & Lesbian Calendar Win/Win is not a personality technique. It's a total paradigm of human interaction. It comes from a character of integrity, maturity, and the Abundance Mentality. It grows out of high-trust relationships. It is embodied in agreements that effectively clarify and manage expectations as well as accomplishments. It thrives in supportive systems. And it is achieved through empathic communication and synergy. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People 11 ti 13 years - Let's Make a Deal. To be respected as separate, independent people is something all preteens need from the adults in their lives. They negotiate for that respect by pushing for a greater say in their lives. If you approach their requests in a spirit of compromise - willing to grant privileges in exchange for a greater degree of responsibility - you can actually build a more trustful relationship. Make sure you listen. Then engage in a discussion of ideas and options openly and honestly. Try not to let your feelings get in the way of what the actual request is about. Once you've discussed it thoroughly, and you feel the request is reasonable, shoot for a compromise that shows that you trust them with this new responsibility. Parents Tips & Tricks If you find the Christmas card chore overwhelming, send cards to only half your list this year, and send the other half next year. Simplify Your Life "Walking is man's best medicine." - Hippocrates. Do your body and mind both some good and take a long walk today. Stress Busters Teach your kids to bake cookies for bucks! Seal the cookies in plastic wrap and pack them in paper sacks. Mark each bag with a price and the name of the cookie. Sell them in dozens for $2 or in groups of two for 50 cents. Take broken cookies for samples! To Do Today How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser. - Lou Holtz. Win the Day! Favorito/a (fahbohREEtoh/tah) Favorite. Azul es mi color favorito. Blue is my favorite color. Living Language
Love alone is capable of revealing the truth of Love and being a Lover. The way of our prophets is the way of Truth. If you want to live, die in Love; die in Love if you want to remain alive. Mevlana Jelalu'ddin Rumi The name Mevlana Jelalu'ddin Rumi stands for Love and ecstatic flight into the infinite. Mevlana is one of the great spiritual masters and poetical geniuses of mankind and was the founder of the Mevlevi Sufi order, a leading mystical brotherhood of Islam. Rumi was born in Balkh (Afghanistan)on September 29, 1207 A.D. or 6th Rai'u-'l-avval 604 A.H. to a family of learned Persian theologians. The had a brother and sister, was married twice and had 3 sons and one daughter. Escaping the Mongol invasion, Rumi and his family traveled extensively in the Muslim lands, performed the pilgrimage to Mecca and finally settled in Konya, Anatolia (Turkey), where he succeeded his father in 1231 as professor in religious sciences. At the age of 37, on Saturday, November 28, 1244 A.D. Rumi was introduced into the mystical path by a wandering dervish, Shamsuddin of Tabriz. and on March 14, 1246 A.D. Shams left Rumi for the first time. Rumi's love and his bereavement for the death of Shams found their expression in a surge of music, dance and lyric poems, 'Divani Samsi Tabrizzi', a compendium of poetry in praise of Shams in over 45,000 verses in Farsi (Persian).. Rumi is the author of a huge didactic work, The 'Mathnawi', and discourses, 'Fihi ma Fihi', written to introduce his disciples to metaphysics. If there is any general idea underlying Rumi's poetry, it is the absolute love of God. His influence on thought, literature and all forms of aesthetic expression in the world of Islam cannot be overrated. Mevlana Jelalu'ddin Rumi died at sunset on December 17, 1273 at the age of 66 solar years, 68 lunar years at his home in Qonya. Men of five faiths followed his bier. That night was named Sebul Arus (Night of Union). Ever since, the Mevlevi dervishes have kept that date as a festival. As waves upon my head the circling curl, The Mevlevi rites symbolize divine love and mystical ecstasy; they aim at union with the Divine. The music and the dance are designed to induce meditation on the love of God. Mevlevi music contains some of the most valuable elements of Eastern classical music. It serves mainly as accompaniment for poems of Rumi and other Sufi poets. The music of the sema (ceremony) is generally conducted by the chief drummer. Percussion accompaniment is supplied by the kudums (small kettledrums) and cymbals; melody is provided by the ney (reed flute), the string instruments and the voice. The words and even syllables of the poetry are connected to the musical sentences. "Dervish music cannot be written in notes. Notes do not include the soul of the dervish." Sema is part of the inspiration of Rumias well as of Turkish custom, history, beliefs and culture. From a scientific viewpoint we witness that contemporary science definitely confirms that the fundamental condition of our existence is to revolve. There is no object, no being which does not revolve and the shared similarity among beings is the revolution of the electrons, protons and neutrons in the atoms, which constitute the structure of each of them. As a consequence of this similarity, everything revolves and man carries on his life, his very existence by means of the revolution in the atoms, structural stones of his body, by the revolution of his blood, by his coming from the earth and return to it, by his revolving with earth itself. However, all of these are natural, unconscious revolutions. But man is the possessor of a mind and intelligence which distinguishes him from other beings. Thus the "whirling dervish" or Semazen causes the mind to participate in the shared similarity and revolution of all other being. Otherwise, the Sema ceremony represents a mystical journey of man's spiritual ascent through mind and love to "Perfect." Turning towards the truth, his growth through love, desert his ego, find the truth and arrive to the "Perfect," then he returns from this spiritual journey as a man who reached maturity and a greater perfection, so as to love and to be of service to the whole of creation, to all creatures without discrimination of believes, races, classes and nations. The dervishes turn timelessly and effortlessly. They whirl, turning round on their own axis and moving also in orbit. The dervish with his headdress (his ego's tombstone), his white skirt (his ego's shroud) is by removing his black cloak spiritually born to the truth, he journeys and advances there. At the onset and each stop of the Sema, holding his arms crosswise he represent the number one, and testifies to God's unity. While whirling from right to left around the heart, his arms are open, the right hand is turned up towards heaven to receive God's overflowing mercy which passes through the heart and is transmitted to earth with the down turned left hand. This is his way of conveying God's spiritual gift to the people upon whom he looks with the eyes of God. Revolving around the heart, from right to left, he embraces all the mankind, all the creation with affection and love. While one foot remains firmly on the ground, the other crosses it and propels the dancer round. The rising and falling of the right foot is kept constant by the inner rhythmic repetition of the name of "Allah-Al-lah, Al-lah..." The ceremony can be seen as a great crescendo in three stages: knowing God, seeing God and uniting with God. The Ceremony The steps of the way to union with the Divine are performed according to strict rules. Within a circle the sheikh stands at the "post". It is the highest spiritual position, marked by a red rug indicating the direction of Mecca. Red is the color of union and of the manifested world. There are 24 color of union and of the manifested world. The musicians' platform faces the sheikh; the whirling dervishes take their places to his left. The N'aat, a poem of praise to the Prophet, opens the ceremony. It is followed by a recitation from the Qur'an. The kudums (drums) then break the silence to introduce the flute solo that conveys the yearning for the union with God. The next step is the Sultan Veled Walk when the dervishes, following the sheikh, circle the hall three times, stopping to bow to each other at the "post". The first selam (salutation) introduces the dance: the dervish obtains his permission to whirl by kissing the hand of the sheikh. The master of the dance directs him to his position: As the musicians play and the chorus chants, the sheikh stands at the "post" and the dervishes unfold and turn repeating their inaudible "Allah, Allah, Allah. . ." This part of the ceremony lasts approximately ten minutes and is repeated four times. At the fourth selam the sheikh joins the whirling. He represents the center (the sun); the dervishes represent the orbiting planets turning around him and around themselves in the solar system of Mevlana Jelalu'ddin Rumi. The Ceremony is concluded by the recitation of the Fatiha, the opening chapter of the Qur'an, followed by a prayer to Mevlana and Shamsuddin of Tabriz. All dervishes then join in chanting the "Hu" which is the all-embracing Name of God, the One. For a listing of many of the translate books of Rumi, go to www.iranian.com/Books/rumi.html Hey Man: Did you make a difference yesterday? Let us know at mencare@menstuff.org. Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of the arts, because it is no mere translation or abstraction from life; it is life itself. - Havelock Ellis. Make a date with yourself to go dancing. Want to make a difference but you don't know where to start?
![]() eaarth: Making
a life on a tough new planet by Bill McKibben. Twenty
years ago, the author offered one of the earliest warnings
about global warming. Those warnings went mostly unheeded;
now, he insists, we need to acknowledge that we've waited
too long, and that massive change is not only unavoidable
but already under way. Our old familiar globe is suddenly
melting, drying, acidifying, flooding and burning in ways
that no human has even seen. We've created, in very short
order, a new planet, still recognizable but fundamentally
different. We may was well call it Eaarth. That new
planet is filled with new binds and traps. A changing world
costs large sums to defend - think of the money that went to
repair New Orleans, or the trillions of dollars it will take
to transform our energy systems. But the endless economic
growth that could underwrite such largesse depends on the
stable planet we've managed to damage and degrade. We can't
rely on old habits any longer. Our hope depends, the author
argues, on scaling back - on building the kind of societies
and economies that can hunker down, concentrate on
essentials, and create the type of community (in the
neighborhood, but also on the Internet) that will allow us
to weather trouble on an unprecedented scale. Change -
fundamental change - is our best hope on a planet suddenly
and violently out of balance. Times Books, www.henryholt.com,
2010 ISBN 978-0-8050-9056-7
Plus
September is Baby Safety Awareness, Children's Eye Health & Safety, Children's Good Manners, Christmas Seal, Cholesterol Education, Fall Hat, Gay Square Dance, Library Card Sign-up, Little League, Organic Harvest, Pediculosis Prevention, Piano, Pleasure Your Mate, Project Aware, Prosperity Creation, School Success, Sea Cadet, Self Awareness, Self-Improvement, Shameless Promotion, and Sickle Cell Month. 9/15-10/15: Hispanic Heritage Month. 8/29-9/4: National Sobriety Checkpoint Week, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, www.madd.org; 9/1-7: Childhood Injury Prevention; Self-University Week. 9/4-10: Full Employment Week, Mental Health Workers Week.. 9/5-9: Play Days. 9/9-16: National Five-A-Day Week. 9/10-16: National Suicide Prevention; Substitute Teacher Appreciation; National Brainstorming and Mind Mapping; Invisible Chronic Illness Awareness Week: 9/14-20 Dementia Awareness Week (Australia) 9/17-23: *Constitution; Balance Awareness; Love a Mensch; Farm Safety and Health; Historically Black Colleges and Universities; Rehabilitation Awareness; Single's Week. 9/19-25 - Prostate Cancer Awareness Week; 9/23-30: Banned Books, Religious Freedom Week. 9/23-29 - Deaf Awareness, National Dog Week; 9/23-24: Family Health & Fitness. 9/10: Swap Ideas Day. 9/17 *Citizenship Day. 9/19: International Day of Peace. 9/22: National Centenarians, Proposal Day. 9/23: Kiwanis Kids', *National Hunting & Fishing, Smash Out Suicide Day, 9/24: *Gold Star Mother's, National Good Neighbor, World Heart Day. 9/27: Ancestor Appreciation Day. 9/28: Cabrillo Day * Means a Presidential Proclamation has been made. Men are so competitive that we even "out-die" women in all 15 of the major causes of death in the U.S. Most of these deaths are preventable with a positive change in life-style, eating habits, and/or general health care. Let's not strive so hard to hold on to this record. See what you can change now to live a healthier life.
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