Yesterday, the 26th of August marks a momentous day in US history. Not that you would necessarily know, given the scant attention he received in the press. It was on that day, yesterday, in 1920, that Bainbridge Colby, the then American Secretary of State signed the proclamation enacting the 19th amendment, securing American women the constitutional right to vote. He did so in the privacy of his... Read more
As it happens, today, the 24th of August, back in 1662, the English Parliament enacted an Act of Uniformity, enshrining the then current edition of the Book of Common Prayer as the only appropriate prayer manual within the churches of the kingdom. As a practical consequence the church became a bit less comprehensive than it had been, with an ejection of those clerics who refused to conform. But it also established what happened to be one of the true masterworks of... Read more
As it happens, today, the 23rd of August, in 1335 is the anniversary of the death of Heilwige Bloemardinne, also known as Heilwijch Blomart. Born to wealth in Brussels Heilwige was a popular spiritual teacher and mystic. While throughout her lifetime she was protected, appears to have authored a book, and definitely many pamphlets, we really only know her teachings today through the cracked mirror of a harsh critic, John of Ruysbroeck. While some of... Read more
As it happens it was today, the 16th of August in 1930, that’s 93 years ago today, that Ub Iwerks produced his first theatrical cartoon short since a fight with Walt Disney and leaving employment with Disney studios earlier that year. Featuring his character Flip the Frog, Fiddlesticks was the first cartoon filmed entirely in color. Iwerks is notable for a number of things, probably not least among which was taking a sketch provided by Walt Disney and... Read more
In Japan today, the 15th of August, is marked as a time to celebrate the life of the second founder of Soto Zen in that country, Keizan Jokin. He’s a fascinating figure, one I wish was a bit better known among Zen students in the West. He is, among other things, the author of the best of the ancient Zen meditation manuals. Keizan was born on the 13th of November, 1264 and died on the 22nd of... Read more
Memory is such a tricky thing. I have a memory that some gnostic schools, perhaps it was the Valentinian school, which required potential initiates to compose their own gospel. However, I’m having a little trouble finding the citation. And I notice among the charges of novelty laid against Valentinus was that he composed his own gospel, some speculate it’s the “Gospel of Truth.” And I notice a general... Read more
I have seen the freest and best educated… in the happiest circumstances the world can afford; yet it seemed that a cloud hung on their brow and they appeared serious and almost sad even in their pleasures (because they) never stop thinking of the good things they have not got. Alexis de Tocqueville[1] Among the various smaller and larger... Read more
It’s true. I’m pretty relentlessly a fan of the scientific method as it has evolved over the years. I really like what can be found in double blind testing. Certainly by testing claims about what presents, decisions can be made that are vastly more likely to be useful than not. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb saying this. Anything... Read more
I had a dream the other night. I was walking down the street and past a bum sitting on the street. I’m guessing a bum. Lots of reasons for lots of people to be sitting on the street. He seemed to be nodding off, probably drunk. Maybe. If I didn’t note, hard to say about such things. Hard to say about things… As I walked by I thought I heard him say “It’s all connected.” Or, maybe the voice... Read more
(A few years back I shared a retelling of case two in the Wumenguan, the Gateless Gate. It turns on the master Baizhang’s encounter with a fox. I’ve polished it a bit, and here’s the new and improved version, “The Song of Beyond Measure…) Once upon a time, long ago and far away, there was a nun. She was... Read more
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