BoshSpong's Open Salon Blog

Dance

Tue, 5 Jan 2010 14:01:42 -0500

Dance the night away..

Trembling air caresses the skin
As the beat begins to seduce the very soul
Overwhelmed by the cadence and the rhythm
The spirit awakens and stirs deep within

Uncertainties of the day recede and fall
Problems dissolve in a frenzy of the drum
Cares are dropped as the piano keys take off
The horns capture and ever higher lift the soul

Flying through space, breezes flow as we meet
Hands touch, eyes lock - bodies rhyme
Our essence melts as we become one
Without releasing the will, we surrender to the beat

Freedom is an illusion that takes full body and form
When we move together in a fantasy of sound
Together we find that link so sweet; sublime
The music takes over; no fear, no harm.

Now the water flows around us in a swirl
Sweet surrender to the vibes and voices we feel
The basic essence - the beating of the heart
Then the end of our dalliance; time to pay the bill…

Found! Christian Republican Stallwart's Email to Soul Mate

Thu, 2 Jul 2009 14:07:56 -0400

(Note - This appeared suddently on my computer screen. It would seem to have arrived via the internets - so Steven Colbert would say it must be true - however I can neither confirm nor deny that it was written by a famed Christian Conservative Republican Governor to his South American Mistress......)

My dearest, I so enjoyed our last conversation in which we discussed the foibles of socialist thought and the virtues of free and unfettered markets. Matters of deep philosophical weight are difficult to tackle for most of the unlearned. I am also glad to hear that you found value in my thoughts regarding your marital troubles; relationships are a blessing when you are in communion with your soul-mate; a curse when you are not.

Darling girl, I must note that your expressed desire to continue your spiritual development has truly warmed my heart and deeply aroused my soul; I daresay I have not felt such stirrings within me in quite some time. I have often held a firm and fervent hope, an unwavering and stiff determination that you would at last feel the quickening; the desire for spiritual union and thusly the salvation of your soul.

As you read these loving words, you may also begin to notice a tingling within you, an excitement that rouses within your very soul and that sets your spirit aflame with the expectancy of the delirious summit of ecstasy that you will encounter along the pilgrim’s path. Much too long have you and I awaited your spiritual development.

You know that we are His sheep, and as sheep are wont, we have oft strayed from the true path; now however, free from guilt and shame, you may understand that a firm and vigorous love waits for you - a love that will provide endless and steadfast satisfactions. Such an experience may only be reserved to be revealed to the enlightened; those chosen few who forsake mediocrity and cling to excellence.

A sweet loving spirit will come upon you - you will feel it softly blowing as it caresses the most intimate parts of your being; inflamed by its ebb and flow you will shudder and glow as lifeblood rushes to your cheeks and forehead. As the blush subsides and your heart beats with mirth, you will enjoy a sublime emotion that will shake up your world and cradle your heart. You will be taken up to the heavens, as the earth and the mundane recedes from your delicate soul.

As in the famed and glorious day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3), when tongues of fire descended upon the apostles’ heads; a fiery tongue will also descend upon you and caress you softly; awakening in your deepest core an intoxicating vibration that will cause you to shiver and shake with emotion. As did the apostles (Acts 2:4), you may also make guttural sounds and speak in unknown tongues to express your rapturous and joyful disposition.

Then and only then, will you have made the required preparation due in order to participate in the most intimate of sacraments, for then, leaving behind all fear and doubt; you may finally open yourself completely and wholly. Soaked by your baptismal emotion and free from all coverings and obstacles, you will be prepared to properly receive the descending spirit - a spirit of love, whose firm and steady manner will take you to experience unexpected spiritual delights.

The deep sparking within your own heart, will by then announce your readiness so that the good shepherd may completely fill you with his joyfulness, until your cup runneth over. The spiritual headiness will send you flying towards the heavens. Slowly and patiently you will then have the opportunity to taste and savor a dense sample of the paradise to come. You will come to know then, that the things that matter are those that are rock solid, long lasting and eternal - not the fly-by-night ordinary wishy-washy matters of commonality.

As the scripture instructs in the book of Matthew 11:12 - "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.", you will clearly see and understand that you are created in His image and as such you are powerful - you will have the opportunity to take the reins and ride forth with courage and gusto.

Finally my dearest (Psalms 23), you know that as a sinner and as a little sheep that has strayed from the path, you need to be kept close to your shepherd’s breast. The srcipture states "Thy rod and Thine staff, confort me" Also know that from time to time, it will be necessary for you to feel the firmness of his staff; so that by its skillful use you may be guided back to the paths of joy and correct behavior.

This is why at times you must joyfully endure the pushing and shoving that life throws at you. It is precisely this pushing and shoving that shapes our character and helps us develop the necessary strength and endurance to face life and all of its complexities. It is in surrender and acceptance that you will encounter true bliss and joy. This must be done so that you may at last find yourself virtuous, submitted, exhausted and prostrate gladly accepting the repeated agape, the love and protection that is in store for you. As you persist in the path, you will, with a grateful heart accept the all lessons given.

I consider myself the most blessed of men, in that I have the enormous privilege to be your teacher and guide along your path of discovery and spiritual awakening. My intimate knowledge of scripture will provide a solid foundation for your future. What is more when you are able to take sometime off and visit my city, I will gladly take you to a place where you may find the sweet and holy fellowship and deep communion that you so anxiously desire.

Yours.

Of Crabs, Republicans, Mexico, Dad, a Storyteller, & a Gift

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:06:42 -0400

Life

Time, with its all its complexities and vicissitudes arrives, passes, and carries us incessantly forward, leaving in its wake either a treasure-trove or a Pandora’s Box of memories; mostly a mixture of the two. As time takes me on this journey and I travel further along the path, it becomes quite clear to me that, yes, all we really have are memories - after all, we really can’t take anything with us, furthermore what we leave behind is the impact we’ve left in other people’s lives; more memories.

Amongst the misty remembrances of my earliest childhood, one clearly shines through, never losing its brightness. I’ve come to appreciate it as a true jewel that extends its light from that distant point in the beginning to the present; this life long companion is the earliest memory that I have of my Father.

Mountains

The scene of this vignette takes place in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, the South American country named after the discovery of the equatorial line that divides the southern and northern hemispheres.

Traveling through this strikingly beautiful country, spectacular landscapes are routine. The roads that pass through the Andes mountain range take you beside some the world’s highest mountains and through rolling fertile volcanic valleys; where the black topsoil is at times more that four meters deep. Volcanoes abound, necklaces of waterfalls adorn the descent into the tropical rain forest, where giant and multicolored butterflies flutter through curtains of dense greenery, broken by the colors of innumerable species of wild orchids. The head gets light and dizzy with the dense fragrance of jasmine and heady perfumes of wildflowers. Then there are deserts and canyons and as you reach the seashore, extensive white sandy beaches appear. Off the coast lie the famed Galapagos Islands. All of this neatly packed into a piece of real estate roughly the size of North and South Carolina.

The weather of the region is extremely varied, from steaming hot to freezing cold. Due to its location on the equatorial line the climate is also very stable, varying mostly according to elevation, not so much affected by the season of the year. There is no true winter, spring, summer or fall – just rainy season (called winter) and dry season (called summer).

Quito, located within a volcanic valley at the foot of an active volcano and surrounded by snow capped mountains, rests at almost 3,000 (9,000+ feet) meters above sea level. The center of the city is 15 kilometers south from the equator; the combination of altitude and location results in spring time weather all year round, similar to summertime in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, At that altitude the sky is a brilliant blue and colors are exceedingly bright on warm days when the sun is out, it feels melancholic and chilly when clouds hide the sun, nights are always cool and the clear night sky is ablaze with the brilliance of the milky way.

At the heart of the city lies the historic colonial center, built between the 15th and 16th centuries by Spanish settlers after the conquest of the Inca Empire. Its architecture transports you to colonial Spain. The rest of the city and the largest part by far is “Modern Quito”, currently the center of business and where the majority of the population dwells. “Modern Quito” resembles a modern metropolis like many that exist in the southern hemisphere. Altogether it is an enchanting place full of culture and history, situated in a breathtaking setting.

At the time of this remembrance old Quito was still the business center; the majority of the population lived, worked and studied in it or nearby. Modern Quito was barely a thought. Where the modern city now stands, then were farms, country estates, empty fields and eucalyptus forests.

Our family lived in a colonial home in one of the most prominent and historic plazas of the city, “La Plaza de San Francisco”, its main feature being the beautiful church and convent which were built between the 15th and 16th centuries. Its large stone paved plaza has been the scene of countless cultural and political events throughout the nation’s history.

The storyteller

We were a family of seven at the time, three brothers and two sisters, my Mother whom we called “Mamita” or “Mami” and Father whom we called “Papito” or “Papi”. Mami was and still is one of the most creative people I have ever met. She is a to this day a prolific painter and poet. At bedtime, once we were all in our pajamas and nestled between the sheets, Mami’s bedtime story ritual would take place. She would weave intensely exiting stories with numerous characters; elves, princesses, ogres, dragons, heroes, wizards, witches; they all battled, loved and lived in fantastic magical kingdoms of her creation.

Mami’s stories developed all sorts of plots and subplots that she would invent on the fly as one by one we fell asleep; this kept us enthralled until we settled into the sandman’s warm embrace. However if dad came home during story time, at the sound of his arrival Mami would twist the tale and bring forth a magical spell that suddenly solved all of the problems and brought the princess and the hero together, meanwhile all the bad guys either disappeared or changed their evil ways and everyone lived happily ever after.

Disregarding the vociferous protests of those of us who had not yet fallen asleep - mother would rush off to greet her man and serve him his supper. We knew that there was no turning back once Papi got home, she was his then. Nevertheless I remember the feeling of warmth and security I felt, lying in bed while in the background I heard the muted speech between them, and I felt that everything was just as it should be.

The Crabs

On this occasion my father had gone on a trip to the coast, to the port city of Guayaquil; we were left eagerly awaiting his return. In the early eve after my brothers and sisters had fallen into a deep sleep, I had also began my descent into a sleepy trance, induced by one of my mother’s creative bedtime stories. I unexpectedly felt myself nudged by my mother’s glee at Papi’s arrival. The whispered debriefing of his trip, delivered in his customarily lively manner and my mother’s muted laughter, slowly brought me out of the sleepy trance; I became fully awake.

I crawled out of bed; ambling into the kitchen I interrupted their intimate tête-à-tête. I made my way into my father’s arms, he picked me up, hugged and kissed me; I felt like the most special person in the world. The sensory and emotional content of the experience was overwhelming to me. Papi’s arrival brought with it a profound feeling of relief, of safe mooring. His sweet caring demeanor, his strong arms, and his Clark Gable good looks assured me that all’s well in the world. He was finally home and like my mom, I was overjoyed.

On return from this particular trip he had brought a special treat for Mom, one of her favorite foods and a most interesting new discovery to me; a bundle of live crabs from the coast. Since we lived in a high mountain valley a day’s trip from the tropics - crabs were a very special and unusual delight. Despite their spider like appearance and their large menacing claws, nothing associated with this wonderful occasion, could be anything but good to me.

So it was that as I found myself contentedly held in Mom’s arms, sharing her exited heartbeat and immersed in our shared emotion. I beheld my dad’s masterful performance as he prepared the gift he had brought for his woman. The love and the intimacy between those two permeated the room and infused the memory with such power as to have it seared into my toddler’s mind.

Dad

Papito was a whirlwind of perfect movement as he effortlessly unwrapped and untied the bundle of live crabs, all the while sharing stories and anecdotes that kept mom smiling and commenting. He handled the crabs with a dexterity that comes only from repeated practice – he spent a lot of time on the coast and lived parts of his childhood and early maturity there – he rinsed the crabs under fresh water and prepared them to be cooked. While he busied himself with his chore, mom, using her free arm filled a large pot with mountain water and set it a boiling with just the right pinch of salt. Then Dad carefully deposited the hapless live crabs into the steaming container, always maintaining his controlled and carefree composure. In a magical way he avoided the crabs’ desperate flailing and the snapping of their massive claws.

My paternal grandfather, who followed the family’s military tradition, reached the grade of coronel before his untimely demise. I have heard some of my relatives tell that he was a very demanding and ruthless man; rumor has it he was killed in a skirmish during a rebellion of his own soldiers. At any rate he passed on when Dad was a baby, we never knew him.

According to family lore, in grandfather’s house food was a very important affair. Grandmother used to say that he insisted that a restaurant type menu be prepared, so that he could choose between a number of meats and diverse dishes on a daily basis. These had to be ready for consumption precisely at lunch or dinner time - since his home was the center of his very large estate, this was not a difficult task for the kitchen staff and farmhands to produce. Grandma told us that the house employees ate the dishes that he did not choose, so nothing was wasted.

Born into that household, my father developed a delicate, gourmet’s palate. He was an extraordinary cook who left us all a legacy of good cooking and a finer culinary taste; judging by the empty plates at the end of the meals and the laudable remarks offered by our dinner guests, a few of us seem to have inherited this trait.

I do not remember whether or not he prepared drawn butter to go with the crab; I do remember the aroma and delicate sweet flavor of the meat, seasoned by the deliciously conspiratorial manner in which we three partook of that intimate moment, sucking out and enjoying the delicate flesh - while the rest of the family soundly slept.

Of Mexico and Republicans

From there the story takes many turns, Papi’s dream of giving us a better life and opportunities eventually brought the whole family to the US, by that time there were eight of us; all arrived as children and have since grown up, we have our own families and friends.

On occasion Papi would be home at bedtime, we would get a very special treat. He read us the classics - as I lay in my bed I got to know Ulysses, the heroes of Troy, Moby Dick, Captain Nemo, Oliver Twist and so many others. Without knowing it I was introduced to philosophy, politics, romance, religion, war, peace and life in general. He induced and abetted in us a deep appreciation of literature, art, classical music, politics, dance and the theater; it is no wonder that after being living apart for years now we have, separately, all become avid listeners of NPR.

Papi was a proud liberal, tolerant and fair. He never judged anyone by color, race, religion, nationality, wealth, education, sex or culture. He taught us to judge each man individually, according to his own characteristic actions. He believed in the concept of family and he believed in togetherness. He loved this Country and relished his right to vote. Papi never had an enemy; he said that he had no use for them. He was thick skinned and did not easily take offence and he taught me not to hold a grudge. He only held contempt for two things: The institutionalized corruption in Mexican society and the Republican Party platform as a whole, however he had quite a few Republican as well as Mexican friends whom he hosted and held dear and who held him in the same high esteem.

The gift

Papi left this existence a few years ago but he still lives in all of us, his children and intimate friends. He is present in our thoughts, actions, meetings and relationships. I don’t really know whether Papi really understood just how much he meant to all of us, I suspect he did. His most precious gift to me was and still is the one he repeatedly gave me, especially during Christmas or New Years. He would come up to me and after giving me a hug, he would place his hands on both my shoulders, he would then look at me square in the eyes and would say: “Son, no matter what you do, no matter where you go, whether you become a scoundrel or a hero, a doctor or a maintenance man, know this and know it well; I will always, always love you”. What a gift indeed.

The Storyteller and Papito

Limbaugh’s Viral Swine Epidemic

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 20:04:38 -0400

How does the virus spread?

Limbaugh’s commentary feeds on the most primal human tribal emotions; fear of the stranger and of the unknown. This is why his “ditto heads” (followers) do not display intellectual curiosity nor open minded dialog. He places himself and his followers inside a “Wagon Train” defensive ring composed of “pure-bred righteous pioneers” - his followers liken themselves members of a wholesome and pure society that is under a vicious and continuous attack.

The political group that Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter, Beck and the like cater to, shares an extreme "us vs. them" mindset. They see themselves as the "Real America” their imaginary vision is of a Norman Rockwell 1950's country populated by red blooded Americans (victorious, white, church going, conservative, patriotic folks). Their ideology is one of "manifest destiny"; power for power’s sake - survival of the strongest. Their vision, is of the America of the heady victory of WWII, the strongest nation in the world - the world's most powerful empire.

These are not conservatives, they are radical revolutionaries willing to sacrifice all for their faith. All and all when the idealized notion of their America comes in contact with reality, with today’s America; a nation of immigrants, multiracial and multicultural; a powerful nation that cannot control the world by force; a nation that has known military stalemate and strategic defeat in Viet Nam. This real America is much removed from their ideal, its existence is in effect unacceptable to them; their reaction is to simply go into denial.

Denial, denial

The creed of denial goes something like this:

1 - Viet Nam was not a defeat: we ran away because our politicians lacked the guts to fight and because they tied down our soldiers by not letting the army loose to fight without constraints.

2 – Joe McCarthy was a true patriot and he was ruined by the commies and liberals.

3 – It is perfectly fine to abrogate human rights and people’s privacy in order to defend the Nation, if that worries you, what is you need to hide?

4 – Torture shmorture! We should have the right to do to them whatever they want to do to us! And if we must torture them to get information.. so be it! And so what if it doesn’t produce good info, hell they deserve the punishment anyhow!

5 – We are strong, we have the most powerful weapons on the face of the earth, why not use them? We should show them a lesson or two just so they see who they are messing with! If God did not want us to rule, then why has He given us all the power?

6 – Invading a Country because it is perceived by our leaders to be a threat is not only right; it is the obvious patriotic duty.

7 – God has chosen America to be the new Empire and to spread the true faith the faith of unfettered markets and WWJD. (this one is specially hard to swallow with our current economic crisis)

“My country! Right or wrong - my country!”

In their minds there is no room to question neither our strategies nor motives, “My country! Right or wrong - my country!” is a slogan that they find both agreeable and acceptable – they see nothing wrong with that idea at all.

They learned nothing of Germany's Nazi period when the German people were led into their own destrucction along with the rest of the world under that slogan. Their misguided sense of patriotism would make America's founding fathers shake in their revolutionary boots, this is what they tried so hard to avoid.

They perceive absolutely nothing wrong with “shock and awe”, the idea of “Kill them all and let God sort them out” is just fine and dandy. Scruples? What scruples? The admission of mistakes or errors is weakness in their “macho” reality. To apologize is to show weakness, to admit mistakes is feminine, defeatist.

Obama’s recognition of mistakes and blunders made by past US policy makers is in their minds taboo, even more it is to them a crime of mayor proportions and extremely unwise foreign policy.

Blame it on "them"…

Whatever misfortunes the “ditto heads” may be suffering are blamed on the things that are not part of the vision, minorities, other ethnicities, immigrants, gays, etc. Anything that is not a part of that idealized 1950’s America.

Of course that idealized America never existed at all.

Though they are in large part members of the middle class they cannot fathom that the middle class was a born out of the heroic actions of the labor movement and of FDR’s progressive policies; not a product of America’s corporate management. Ignorant of history and fearful of the things that require complex thought, they yearn for a fantasy that never existed at all.

Their pseudo patriotism, xenophobia, bigotry and racism are not consciously arrived at, these spring forth from fear and ignorance.

As the old janitor at my high school in Atlanta used to say: “there is nothing more dangerous that a fool with initiative”. Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter (Beck's not included he is obviously a big dummy) are either intelligent people completely devoid of conscience or they just happen to be fools with a lot of initiative. Either way their message is composed of fear and their objective is divisiveness. Unfortunately their followers are in great measure good folks who just happen to be scared out of their wits.

As their delivery seems to find success by sheer repetitiveness – That old untrue proverb "Where there’s smoke – there’s fire" is generally accepted as truth; so it is that the endless repetitive predication of some lie, exaggeration or baseless rumor seems to convince people as proof of the existence of some grain of truth. After all some folks believe that Obama was not born in the U.S. and that they did find WOD in Iraq, despite the obvious.

Antidote:

Common sense and clarity consistently delivered in plain no nonsense terms could be the antidote to this disease. Make no bones about it, these folks are not your ordinary traditional conservatives - this virus will give no quarter nor hold back in any way on its mission to either conquer or destroy the host; our Nation.

Those interested in healing and in the future health of our Nation would do well to continually repeat the message of unity, strength, human rigths and traditional American values; these should be held up continually and repeatedly so as to form a vaccine to this political swine's flu and it's viral agents. Vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate.

Fear, loathing and torture in America

Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:04:27 -0400

According to the experts on interrogation techniques within our own armed forces and of those in our sister countries, torture is clearly the most inefficient method to gather accurate and valuable information from an adversary.

This is the net product of years of study and review of the diverse methods of gathering information by the world’s foremost intelligence agencies – it is also plain common sense; a person is more likely to open up to a friend than to open up to an enemy - a person under torture will say anything that he believes the torturer wants to hear in order to stop the pain. After being subjected to torture the prisoner will never trust the torturer, the possibility of gathering accurate and useful information through any other means vanishes forever. When our leaders under the Bush administration decided to use torture they were clearly advised by our armed forces that:

1 – Torture is illegal under our own domestic laws and under international laws

2 – Torture does not produce trustworthy nor accurate information.

3 – Torturing others opens up the right for our enemies to justify torture upon our own citizens and soldiers.

4 – Torture demoralizes and negatively affects both the torturer and the tortured.

However despite the tremendous amount of evidence to the absurdity of the use of torture and its many negative effects, our leaders chose a needless and wanton departure from common sense, established custom and law; thusly we were led astray into this angry, dark and defiled path that has marred our country’s character and our very identity as Americans.

How did this happen?

In one word it happened because of fear. The people that rose to power with GW are a group of individuals that live in a world of fear. They are afraid, very afraid.

They feared openness, they feared clarity - from the beginning they instituted an atmosphere of “Us VS Them” as they set about changing our traditionally open society into a two-tiered structure; on the outside were the multitude of ordinary Americans living their day to day lives, while on the inside there was a privileged, ideologically pure cadre, dwelling inside a “virtual” closed city much like the Beijing of old or like the Kremlin of the tsars and of the old USSR. Loyalty was demanded and expected, fear was the enforcer while political posts, assigment of profitable contracts and legislative goodies were the rewards.

V.P. Cheney of course stands out as the architect and engineer of this new vision of American society, he showed his nature from the beggining, remember his secret meetings for crafting energy policy (we still do not know who exactly attended that fateful meeting) - and the rude F*ck you! He directed towards Senator Patrick Leahy, in response to his questioning his Halliburton connections on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Mr. Cheney has always displayed his fearful nature and hyper-sensitivity. This irrational fearfulness also explains his draft evasion and his pseudo-patriotism. His cronies who are mostly memebers of the "chicken hawk" club, see danger and enemies at every turn; “if you are not with us you are against us” is their battle cry. This also explains our isolation from the world during G.W.’s term in office and the abdication of long standing mutually beneficial international treaties.

Indeed within the Republican party, this psychotic fear extends towards our very own system of governance and democratic principles – So many have bought in to the erroneous idea that it is cool and politically correct to fear and hate our own government (and therefore our constitution). To those who ascribe to the idea that our constitutionally established, democratically elected government is “the problem”, I have only one question to ask; what is it that you fear from a government “by the people and for the people”? What is it about our founding fathers and our constitution that causes such fear and loathing?

The America I know and love does not fear, it is a country that is secure of itself and of its values. It has a government based on freedom, liberty and human rights.

If nothing is done to dispel the stain of torture on our country’s soul – if nothing is done to clarify our identity and reestablish our true American nature and spirit – if nothing is done to discourage future public officials from ruling by fear and loathing, then it is almost certain that we will again repeat this foul chapter in our future, and what if the next time the “Cheney” character is the President?