Materially intangible

The Saturday mailbox had leftovers

Its Coronation Day in London. The British people have a new King and Queen

The dirigible Hindenburg exploded in flames today in 1937 at Lakehurst, New Jersey; and in 1941, at California’s March Field, Bob Hope gave his first USO show.

This is the birth date of Orson Welles, 108 years ago today in 1915 Kenosha, Wisconsin. It's also the 167th anniversary of Sigmund Freud's birth in 1856 Freiburg, Moravia (now part of the Czech Republic).

Yesterday, Friday, was the 210th anniversary of Søren Kierkegaard's birth. The philosopher was born in (1813) Copenhagen and gave us some major insights. Among them: that faith is not possible without doubt. One must doubt the existence of God to have faith in the existence of God. Belief without doubt is just credulity. Considered the originator of existentialism, he authored the notion of "subjectivity," the idea that we all perceive the world — and "truth" — differently.

The moon officially became full again yesterday. The Old Farmer’s Almanac calls the May full moon a “flower moon,” named for the flowers that spring forth in abundance this time of year. Astrologically speaking, the full moon will be in Scorpio. With the sun currently in Taurus, the moon in Scorprio encourages us to focus on the balance between the two signs, according to Cafe Astrology – between form and transformation, material life and intangible mysteries. Tides will reach their extremes in this cycle on Monday, May 8, according to predictions by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. At Newport, Oregon, tides will reach a low of -1.63 feet, and a high of 8.98 feet.

Back in March, the College of Liberal & Creative Arts at San Francisco State University conducted a panel discussion on ChatGPT, the new technology by OpenAI, capable of producing high-quality written responses to questions and essay prompts. The video was recorded in March and I've provided a YouTube link below. My quantum/AI SFSU professor and son (also associated with UCal Berkeley/Livermore) sent it to me.

The panelists discuss the impact of this technology on teaching and assessment, the role of writing as a humanistic inquiry, and potential implications beyond academia.

I was reluctant to take this on initially for two reasons : One, I thought it might be beyond my intellectual band-width and, two, I wasn't at all sure I wanted to invest two hours. I was majorly wrong on both counts. It's not "everything you ever wanted to know about AI," but its a good start. Find the time, take it on. You'll be glad for it. Here’s the YouTube link.

Joy is not made to be a crumb. – Mary Oliver

The times, they are a'changin'

Today is Cinco de Mayo, shared with Freya this year . . .

The times are urgent; let us slow down. – Bayo Akomolafe

Transitions can only take place if we are willing to let go of what we have known, the worlds we have created, and our assumptions about “how things are.” … Unfortunately, in the West, we don’t let go of anything...we cling to a past that no longer exists, grasping, desperate, and confused...we diligently guard our stories (true or not), our lifestyles, and our belief systems until they are ripped from our sweaty palms. And yet, letting go is a necessary part of transformation. – Barbara Holmes in Meditations.

The Way calls us to transformation. Beginning with letting go, we enter a liminal space beyond words to comprehend challenging our addiction to control. It is here the mystery unfolds and a new and quite different light comes in.

...embrace the ways of a Mystic Wayfinder, one who purposefully gets lost in order to chart new ways forward...we enter a space of liminality and emergence...summoning entirely new worlds….We do not have the answers today. We have the wondering. – Cameron Trimble

What matters in life is simple. Are you free and loving? Are you bringing your gifts to the world that so badly needs them? All aspects of your life are the precise place to find freedom and compassion. In Zen, this is called “no part left out.” – Jack Kornfield

Set the intention to accept rather than push away the underlying feelings of anxiety, fear, anger, and shame. Those precious moments of unconditional acceptance might not last long at first, but always in them is the discovery that the heart opens with care, and freedom. Even when thoughts you don't like continue to come up, they can be held with compassion. There is room for imperfection...pushing anything away creates a wall that barricades a small, separate self from others, from the world, from inner freedom...Opening to that vulnerability with compassion, the light and warmth of the heart shines through freely. – Tara Brach, from Trusting the Gold:.

We can't solve today's problems with the same kind of thinking we used to create them. – Albert Einstein

Rewilding the sacred . . .

It's a rainy Thor's day here in Okieland, the mailbox already filling at dawn with thunder and things to think about . . .

307 years ago today, in 1626, Peter Minuit landed on the island of Manhattan. It was also a Thursday. 107 years later, on this day, Horace Mann, was born in 1796 Franklin, Massachusetts. He would be appalled at what politicians have done to American education.

Stepping out of dominant cultural narratives, such as that of the patriarchy, involves a process of grieving. . .at its core, healing is transformation and this doesn't happen in an hour and cannot be “gamed.” The dominant culture we live in would have us believe that healing must be “bought” and acquired by prescription given by people with degrees. Not all disease is amenable to allopathy. The natural world has always been our chrysalis, our transformative medicine. Men sense, as now they do, that it is time to shed a dysfunctional way of being, to heal from the bottom up. As men try to attend to the wounds of patriarchy, hand in hand with the feminine, is important to remember that real healing cannot be rushed. This is a tender, vulnerable time. The whole world needs compassion. – after Sophie Strand in The Flowering Wand: Rewilding the Masculine.

Iron John was not made of iron.

As much as joy, our tears contribute to the Watercourse. We should take pride in our capacity to be sad and happy. We mustn’t ignore the preciousness of our human birth or take it for granted. It is extremely precious and very powerful. – Chögyam Trungpa

What is being transfigured here is your mind,

and it is difficult and slow to become new.

The more faithfully you can endure here,

the more refined your heart will become

for your arrival in the new dawn. – John O'Donohue

from “For the Interim Time.” in To Bless the Space Between Us A Book of Blessings

There are hundreds of ways to kiss the ground. – Rumi