I was at the resistance & resilience conference at Powell House this past weekend and here’s what I’m noticing…

The world is a carnival. Or maybe a casino; where the gamblers and the dealers (you can insert Congress, the Judiciary and the Executive branch here) bet on everything.  In 1540 it was the time being "in the flesh" before Lent.  Carne is Latin for meat. Lent was a time of fasting and return to spiritual matters.  

A song comes to mind by Natalie Merchant which I think captures perfectly our present political climate — CARNIVAL 
https://youtu.be/VQ_Wqtnlv4U?si=1-DUYxXbMPhVyCZ5

The lyrics 
Have I been blind, have I been lost
Inside myself and my own mind
Hypnotized, mesmerized by what my eyes have seen
Have I been wrong, have I been wise
To shut my eyes and play along
Hypnotized, paralyzed by what my eyes have found
By what my eyes have seen
What they have seen?

As I look back on the circus, the carnival and the chaos of the last 10 years I am in a state of wonder— what’s it all for? 
Of course, that environment is ripe for bait & switch, swindling and graft & corruption. 
Haven’t we been hypnotized by it? Dazzled by the spectacle? 

In my way of thinking it might be time to walk out of the circus tent. Lending our time, attention & energy to anything that lacks integrity is not only a waste of time, but it is also a theft from a future that holds more promise.  The circus grabs our attention but steals our spiritual focus away from the things that Spirit is calling us to do. 
WHAT IS THAT WORK? 

• In the realm of SERVICE: it could be caring for those who need nurturing and spiritual guidance.
• In the realm of INTEGRITY: it could be doing the work of transparency where there is just opacity.  I'm talking about our civic life here. 
• In the realm of EQUALITY: it could be creating and standing for a world that works for everyone (not just the few, the moneyed or the well connected) 
• In the realm of PEACE: it might look like actually being a demand for justice and putting an end to killing our brothers
• In the realm of COMMUNITY: it might look like inclusivity ... bringing everyone along. 

My hope is that we are now entering the period of backlash where we've seen enough of the circus.  Where we are really ready to see it pack up and leave town and roll up our sleeves and get down to the real work (not the performative politics) of building a lasting intergenerational society that is far more than something purely transactional.  A time where we turn our hearts and minds toward each other and do the most powerful thing we can do ... face one another and ignore the fire breathers. 
​
~ Joseph 

It is with profound sadness that I mourn the transition of Merry Lathrop.  Few people practice the art of goodness the way she did.  Solene Grace said "Whenever there was a need around her she tended to it -- that was Merry Lathrop."  And I can attest from personal experience this is true.  

During OPJ meetings she was fond of saying that she "didn't have a spiritual bone in her" but you could have fooled me!  Every word and deed that I saw was consistent with the Quaker testimony of truth and integrity.  And I could always count on Merry  to never mince her words and do it in such a kind way that I was often swayed by her arguments. 

We served together on the Outreach, Peace and Justice committee for many years -- since 2009 to be exact.  I have to say that she was a constant and gentle presence. A person you could count on.  And that was demonstrated in so many ways.  Merry took people into her home who needed a place to land and traveled far and wide to share nuclear non-proliferation. 

Peace and justice were in her DNA.  No matter where she was in the world, peace and justice were present. 

I'm reminded of the poem by Mary Oliver, When Death Comes 

When it's over, I don't want to wonder if I have made of my life something particular, and real. I don't want to find myself sighing and frightened, or full of argument. I don't want to end up simply having visited this world

The full poem here:
​https://www.loc.gov/programs/poetry-and-literature/poet-laureate/poet-laureate-projects/poetry-180/all-poems/item/poetry-180-102/when-death-comes/

Merry led a full life.  A life full of contribution.  Definitely not a visitor.

Please continue to hold her in the light these next few days and also Don, her loving partner of 75 years.

This question was posed to me by a friend.  I never imagined an angel would want anything from humans.  Why?  Were they not assigned by God to be our protectors, benefactors and guides? What duty, if ;any , do we have to them?   

As usual, I turned to the good book to see what I could discover.  Of course I knew about the first angel to visit humans in the Garden -- Lucifer, angel of light and a fallen angel, tempts humans with the apple from the tree of knowledge. A story of pride and prejudice against the authority of God.  But what did Lucifer want? Genesis tells us to separate them from God and usurp their dominion over the earth. They were fooled and they were cast out. 

Later in Genesis Jacob wrestles with an angel desperate to receive a blessing before seeing his brother Esau. The angel injures him leaving him with a permanent limp as a reminder of his faith in God. What did this angel want?  To true up Jacob to his faith?  True him up to himself? 

There are many other instances of angelic encounters (about a dozen or so) but the one that really speaks to me is Lucifer tempting Christ when he was in the desert for 40 days.   Tempting him with food, and power and asking him to test God. We know that Christ is not tempted.  What did Lucifer want this time? He wanted Christ to abandon his mission of salvation and worship Lucifer instead.  

So what do the angels want?  The fallen angels want power for sure, but if we pull back the lens even farther we could say that the angels are asking humans to discern for themselves what is good and right and just by having them check in with themselves.  

• wait before eating the apple
• check in an find your faith
• remember your calling. 

The Quaker idea of discernment is the practice of listening for and aligning with the "Inner Light" (the voice of God or the Divine) to make decisions. Rather than relying solely on human logic, majority votes, or intellectual debate, Quakers view discernment as a deeply spiritual process of uncovering truth together in stillness. 

Could the Angels be asking this of us? Why not?  We are down here on earth really making a mess of things.  A little discernment would go a long way.

~ Joseph Olejak