American politician, San Francisco City Supervisor, and civil rights activist, Harvey Milk was born on this day, the 22nd of May, in 1930. I note this nearly every year. It’s important. In a more just world he would have been ninety-two today. However, in 1978 he was assassinated together with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone. The reasons were complicated. Although the precipitating event was because the murderer had resigned his position as a Supervisor and realized... Read more

        Antoinette Louisa Brown was born, today, the 20th of May, 1825, in Henrietta, New York. She was the youngest of Abby & Jospeh Brown’s seven children. Her extraordinary intellectual capacity was noted by the time she turned three. She was also deeply religious, offering prayers and occasion children’s sermons in her local Congregational church. At sixteen Antionette started teaching, but aspired to seminary. Supported by her progressive parents as well as from savings earned teaching, Antoinette... Read more

      Happy are they who know good and do good. Their love for the good feeds them continually. They are like trees planted near the river, whose roots go deep and wide. They thrive, bear fruit in season, and weather drought without wilting. Those who are not so grounded will blow around like dry leaves in the wind. Root yourself in Good, and live. The Psalms are much on my mind these days. And, with that I think... Read more

        I am in the midst of a project reflecting on the Biblical Psalms. While searching for possible Buddhist comments on them I stumbled upon S. Yamabe & L. Adams Beck’s translation of the Buddhist Psalms of Shinran Shonin. Not the psalms I was looking for. But… While I’m a Zen person, I’m fascinated with Pure Land Buddhism, as it is in fact the most popular form of Buddhism in East Asia. And, the author of these... Read more

        Elizabeth Palmer Peabody was born on this day, the 16th of May, in 1804. The litany of her accomplishments is long. Widely read and cultivated, after starting and running two schools, and would eventually open the first kindergarten in the United States. Elizabeth served as William Ellery Channing’s private secretary for nine years. She transcribed his sermons, edited them, and saw them through publication. Continuing her interest in education she assisted Amos Bronson Alcott in his... Read more

      A while back BBC produced a wonderful six-part History of Christianity written and presented by the scholar Diarmaid MacCulloch. I recommend it. In the first episode Professor MacCulloch talked, briefly, about the Oriental Orthodox churches.  He interviewed a professor from a seminary of the Syriac Orthodox Church, which is a monophysite church in communion with the Coptic Church in Egypt & the Tewahedo Church in Ethiopia. The Monophysite (there’s actually a ton written on why the Monophysite... Read more

      It was on this day, May 14th, 1878. that the last trial on a charge of witchcraft was initiated in an American court. Somewhat awkwardly for all concerned, the case was heard in Salem, Massachusetts. It was brief. But it had an interesting backstory. Lucretia Brown of Ipswich, Massachusetts was a life long invalid. At the age of fifty she embraced Christian Science and its promises of cures for matters physical as well as spiritual. For her... Read more

      As it happens, today, the 13th of May, in 1373, Julian of Norwich starting having a series of visions. It would become the basis of her extended meditation, Revelations of Divine Love. I find myself thinking of Love. I find myself thinking of Universalism. At Wikipedia we find: “Universalism is a religion and theology that generally holds all persons and creatures are related to God or the divine and will be reconciled to God. A church that... Read more

    Hard to recall the date precisely. I was somewhere on the cusp of adolescence, maybe thirteen, possibly as old as fourteen. A friend and I were rummaging through some boxes of magazines and books looking for old copies of my father’s stash of Playboys. Instead found a cache of Ace paperback editions of Edgar Rice Burrough’s novels, replete with Frank Frazetta covers. I loved those covers. I’m almost positive my first Burroughs novel was At the Earth’s Core. And... Read more