Cleansing: what, how, why? Part 1 of 2

Well, I delayed this post because I was chasing a literary reference, and I'm not prepared to read all of Karen Armstrong to find it.

At least I think it was Karen Armstrong (in The Great Transformation) who said that, back before the Bronze Axial Age, sin didn't really mean evil conduct or have much to do with morality at all. It really meant "anything that got between you and the experience of divine power" - or, in more concrete terms, "anything that spoiled the ritual." Offering a badly prepared sacrifice was a sin; killing somebody was a good reason to run you out of town.

In the old Levitical holiness code, "uncleanness," including such ordinary events as menstruation, wet dreams and childbirth, had to be atoned for ritually. Now, I was taught to include hyssop in many uncrossing and cleansing tricks, because of the strong Biblical association with cleansing. Note the reasons given for cleansing with hyssop: mildew, a death in the house. Uncleanness, once removed from the sufferer, transferred itself to the priest, who was unclean only until sunset.

In short, these common occurrences were "disturbances in the force," if you will, which required a trained expert (a priest); not the same thing as cackling narcissistic evil, not at all.

And yet the Holiness Code of Leviticus includes "Love your fellow as yourself."

There is more, much more, to be said about it, but I haven't digested it all yet. More later, I promise.

Is it dementia, or philosophy?

Well, I'm finally old enough to lie about my age, so I've been coming to terms with little gaps in my memory, of the "where did I put my keys?" variety.

And I've always had a touch of hypochondria, so I've been entertaining dark thoughts of Alzheimer's, diabetes side effects – "Why, yes, Paranoia, I'll be happy to pour you a fourth martini. And your little Black Dog, too."

But I think it's something much more benign. While I was washing dishes, I was deep in meditation on inchoate thoughts about the connections between blame, responsibility, purification, sin, moral failures ... and what the Bible word translated "sin" used to mean, back in the day, and why sacrifices actually worked to ...

You see where I'm going with this? I can't remember why I left the living room and went into the bedroom, because I'm trying to figure out how spiritual purification baths work.

I really am thinking hard about this subject, too; watch this space.

A palindrome for your heart

It starts out grim, but be brave for a minute or so and you will be rewarded.

(Thanks to Brian Smith at the Beautiful Heresy blog.)

Cleaning the mess out of your house

I'm talking about spiritual cleaning, not about actually shifting dust bunnies and spiderwebs. To do that, you simply sweep/mop your house from back to front with some good strong herbs, such as you find in Lucky Mojo's Van Van for instance. Unfortunately, my husband is allergic to the main ingredient, so I used Henry's Grass Oil, which is very similar to Chinese Wash, another fine old cleansing formula. I also added their lovely Crucible of Courage Oil, and a little of my own "CSI."

Well, it was the most thorough job I've ever done – it's amazing what a bigger, better-arranged living space can do for you! And I have a feeling that this property, or even just this house, is a luckier place than my old one was, because the difference was incredible! Last night, you see, I was having a lovely poverty tantrum. Today, ever since I did that job, I know I've got money strictures and health problems – and yet I haven't a care in the world.

Just so you know. Lots of great classic spiritual cleansing formulae at Lucky Mojo – and check out New Orleans Mistic, too – go and try some!

Mommy, what does "vibration" mean?

When magic workers or New Thought folk talk about "vibrations," it can be confusing to the materialist who visualizes a sound wave on an oscilliscope. How can "a higher vibration" change one's life? What a confusing way to put it.

Here is a little illustration. Note that the higher the pitch, the more complex the "landscape" on the metal (?) sheet laid over the speaker.

(BTW, TURN DOWN YOUR SPEAKERS; this demo gets extremely shrill.)



This kind of complexity can mean two things, depending on how optimistic you are:

• More variety of opportunity, or
• More rules to learn and negotiate.

Even "more rules" is not necessarily a bad thing, once you remember that knowledge is power.

"Now we can do Big Things for love"

Preach it, Brother Geek!



... with thanks to Rev. Jack at the Pirates of the Unitarians blog.

I believe...

Well, I gave my friend Lakisha a copy of Get Right Church for Christmas. She told me she was going to take it home and listen to it during a nice hot bath, where she could relax enough to concentrate on the message. Now, Rev. Cleveland knows how to raise the roof, so I was surprised she wanted to listen to jumpin' happy music at such a time.

Anyway, we got on to the subject of the message. "I can't stand to hear anybody sing about 'before it's too late,'" I said. "I can't believe that you don't go on learning after you die, so you could still grow enough to repent."

"Well," said Lakisha thoughtfully, "it depends on what we come back as. If you're gonna come back as a ladybug, you're not gonna learn nothin'."

I had an answer for that, and it was interesting and possibly even wise, but also totally irrelevant to my sermon story tonight.

"Be exactly what you are," said Rev. Franklin, "and let God work it out."

Or, as an unnamed gentleman told me at a Friends of Negro Spirituals event I went to, "We each have to interpret these things in our own way."

Maybe Lakisha doesn't believe in reincarnation, but she was willing to entertain the idea. No, it was she, not I, who brought it up. I guess it was the handiest way for her to make sense of my idea, of learning after death.

But, you know, I was a Christian once, and I sure wouldn't have stepped outside my belief system to carry on a conversation like this.

Mad props to Lakisha! And more Happy New Year!

A great dream for the new year!

This morning I dreamed of a mysterious plant with a blue, trumpet-shaped flower and a stem like a jade plant; I cut it preparatory to placing it in some kind of rooting medium to start a new plant.

Wikipedia says that the jade plant is also called “friendship tree” and “money tree,” and is very easy to propagate; a great dream symbol for someone who needs to catch up on their networking. Looks like my task this year is to be a true friend to the folks who know what I need to know.

A coded message

Lately, since I'm still figuring out the real-life marketing thing, I've been feeling pretty hopeless about working for myself. It's the first poverty-tantrum I've had in a long time.

I was thinking of praying Psalm 23 to receive guidance in a dream (as Secrets of the Psalms recommends), but I had a powerful dream last night before I got the chance!

I was working in a big, handsome office. A homeless man was trying to get in to harass the employees. A coworker named FAITH – a strong lady whom I know and remember fondly from real life – was keeping him out. (Come to think of it, one of the most energetic women in my small business class was named Faith.) I sat down at my desk to call the library and ask for a book. Instead, a lady named "Joan Mendez" came on the line and addressed me as "Sis." Meanwhile, I noticed that a little green eraser on my desk had caught fire. Without any bewilderment or trepidation, I put it out while talking to Ms. Mendez.

So, after I found the links highlighted above, I googled "Joan Mendez," and found:

• Joan Mendez was the sound person on a documentary called After 45 Years of Working
• a Joan Mendez has a one-man contracting business in Kissimmee, Florida
• ...was an early explorer of the Philippines
• ...was a sister of the founder of the Lima Lima Flight Team, "The world's original six aircraft civilian formation aerobatic team!"

So, Joan Mendez is a signifier for independent work, an end to drudgery. Financial independence is my sister; this is what I must learn down to the marrow of my bones!

But still no practical marketing tips :)

(At 6:37 pm, it occurred to me: in my dreams, I often get names wrong. I know a real live person with the same initials, J.M., who has given me a number of punchy, inexpensive marketing ideas. In short, I already have the tools in my hands :)

"...and praise God ... "

Now I'm thinking where Pastor Franklin said he could walk into any church and praise God, because he had the Holy Ghost in his life.

I submit that it goes farther than that, much farther.

One of my favorite books, as a theist, is Richard Dawkins' The Blind Watchmaker. But if you've been following the news lately, you'll discover that Richard Dawkins has no use for religion of any kind, and is convinced that the very idea of God is a delusion. He doesn't think that "true" and "religion" belong in the same sentence.

Yet when I read his explanation of the pressures of natural selection – by which all mutations that "don't work" just drop out of the game – I looked up from the book with a new sense of the vastness and beauty of the universe – yes, even its lovability. I was trying to be an atheist then – it didn't take – and at the time I wished God was real, so that I could compliment Him/Her/Itself on the elegance of the vast, complex universe. (Now I know better, or at least different.)

Which just goes to show that – to turn a favorite scripture inside out – anything that is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction," or "for training in righteousness," so that you are "completely equipped for every good work" – that is scripture, inspired of God – no matter where you find it. If "the stones themselves cry out," why shouldn't a scientist?

Jesus and John ... no, not that John

Last week, in circumstances that have nothing to do with conjure at all, I met a wonderful, powerful woman who turned me on to the Friends of Negro Spirituals. She also alerted me to an upcoming event, their Fourth Annual Negro Spirituals Heritage Day, an awards ceremony. The speechifying was brief, informative, and to the point. The atmosphere was respectful, courteous, and friendly; not only to me, but to each other.
But here is where Jesus and I inch a little closer together:

Anthony Jerome Smith, baritone and composer, sang three spirituals, including one that was new to me: “I Got a Home in That Rock.” The chorus runs:

You got a home in that rock, don’t you see?
You got a home in that rock, don’t you see?
Between the Earth and sky
I heard my Savior cry,
“You got a home in that rock, don’t you see?”

That’s about as universalist as you’re going to get.

Pretty as that was, I was going to let that roll off my back, until Diane Ferlatte got up to tell a story. Her subject was the mysterious High John the Conqueror, and how he brought the gift of hope where there is no hope. His sign, indeed, is laughter, just as Zora Neale Hurston says. As Ms. Ferlatte told it, he fell on the slaves like the Holy Spirit and took them off on a tour of the cosmos which included a stop at hell – “just for a minute!” – and a visit to heaven itself. The voice of the slave master shook them out of this vision, but they were left with gifts of song and laughter that were not dependent on outside events, but could be called up whenever they were most needed.

As soon as I heard that, I realized: High John and Jesus are cousins!

I offered this insight to several people there, and they didn’t quite get it – but neither did they contradict me. In fact, one gentleman told me, “Well, we each have to approach these things in our own way.”