This is the first time I've written anything along the lines of a chant or hymn to a deity. I could go on about Sarasvati and her Japanese avatar Benzaiten, but I should probably just let the song speak for itself -- or fail to do so, as you may judge. Read more
Speaking of martial arts, one of the great fictional martial arts heroes is about to return. Samurai Jack, last seen in 2004, is about to return for a fifth and final season. Read more
Welcome to another Random Wednesday here on The Zen Pagan. Today’s episode is being written from the employee lounge of an undisclosed spa in Columbia, Maryland, where I recently picked up a weekly massage shift. There will usually be some writing time in between clients, so, here’s to a new way of doing things. March Blooms I like spring as much as anyone. More, perhaps; I hate the cold, get a little seasonally disturbed affect from the dark, and in... Read more
The scent of the alarm The sound of a hot pepper The taste of a pencil-point breaking Read more
I didn't forget that a lottery is a tax on people who are bad at math. But I had reasons for this purchase: it gives me an excuse to relate one of my favorite jokes-slash-stories. Read more
One of the keys to creativity is learning to see everyday, ordinary things in a new way. This week’s entry in my 52 makeup challenge looks at the lamp and the LED colored string on my mantel — a sight I see everyday — through two lucite coasters, everyday objects on my table. Together these ordinary things create a pattern reminiscent of a X-ray of a crystal. (Click on the image for a larger view.) Read more
Hello friends. This week’s dose of randomness comes a little late due to your humble correspondent being overcome by events. (My father is doing better, thank you to all who’ve checked in.) The Streisand Effect You probably heard about Elizabeth Warren’s speech last week criticizing the execrable Jeff Sessions, in spite of Mitch McConnell’s invocation of an dusty old Senate rule to shut her up. “She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless, she persisted” is quite likely to... Read more
Rhythm can be a more subtle form of poetic organization than rhyme. This week’s entry in the 52 Makeup challenge plays with iambic pentameter. details “Every poem could be titled either ‘Heaven, a Detail’ or ‘Hell, a Detail.’ — Stevie Smith chocolate chip bread pudding and a beer the man behind the counter knows my name it’s warm and bright and just enough people a cheerful crowd against the winter night I could sit here and write unceasingly and lose... Read more
But we all have messed-up stuff going on in our lives, even the great spiritual teachers. Read more
Photography sent my father to Vietnam. He was the photographer for his high school newspaper. He was something of an aimless kid, but this was something that interested him. When the Air Force recruiters came to his school his senior year, in late 1962 or early 1963, they told him, "Hey, you're interested in photography? Well young man, we do a lot of reconnaissance photography. Sign up and we'll give you a whole bunch of training that will set you up for a civilian career later." Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In