Pesach and Easter

A time of reflection – to deepen faith; a time of redemption – to deepen faith; a time of renewal – to deepen faith.

A time of ‘looking back to the going forward’. Pesach commemorates the Exodus (Greek: going out, 2nd book of the Bible), from Egypt. A time to look back to the 400 years of slavery, and Moses’ leading the children of Israel to the land God had promised on oath to Abraham. Their homes were passed-over when Pharoah ordered the slaying of all first borns.  Joyfully celebrated, in remembrance of the fulfilment of God’s promise of reaching the Promised Land, in spite of trials and tribulations.

Had the Passover not happened, we would not have had the birth of the carpenter from Nazareth. We would not have had His extraordinary teachings applicable to every human, of religious feeling or not, many times told in parable form. Every word, every setting, every moment, is painfully poignant. They are of psychological meaning. The gospels, also, are succour to my soul as I enter the story and feel it, challenged, speaking directly to my psyche.

 I celebrate Easter as a remembrance of His Life and message. For His unconditional Love, for sacrificing His own life so that our sins be forgiven and arising again, and again as we do even among these very difficult times we live in. His poetic justice; His showing us that the spirit alone is of value; His love for the sinner who repented.

For all, my Chag Sameach good wishes to you, to Christians too who celebrate this time, to all of any persuasion of good will, may this be a time of reflection, redemption, renewal.

New Moon, Solar Eclipse, Equinox 

The new moon (super moon) is tomorrow, Friday night and at the same time, there’s a solar eclipse (partially viewable only in some parts of northern Africa and Europe. The total eclipse is viewable from Greenland and Iceland); and it’s the equinox the following day on Saturday. Three rather extraordinary celestial events.

The new moon is always an inspiration to me – even if she causes a solar eclipse while passing in front of the sun (the solar disk) and her shadow falls on our planet. The moon will be in her waxing phase from tomorrow night, growing brighter and fuller in the night sky  – even if she plays hide and seek.

 The equinox, when the days and nights are of the same length, 12 hours each, before the days and nights slip into a different gear. For a moment, balance. Here in South Africa, the days become shorter while in northern climes you’ll be welcoming spring and longer days of sunlight. Here, we note the advent of autumn. Already I see signs of it when I walk around my small garden. But surprisingly, while I note some things looking decidedly tired and weary, I note other plants and flowers coming into their own. They’ve been lying low, giving me surprise and joy. Yesterday when I went for a walk, my first in ages, I noticed the lengthening shadows, and the sun lower down in the sky.  It’s our season for turning towards darkness and burial, while for many of you a time to look toward renewal. 

As I write it is hailing, something I haven’t seen for a while. So far it does not look destructive. The thunder is rumbling, at times hugely banging. We have fearsome lightning bolts. I’m writing off line as I’ve disconnected from the plugs – I’m taking no chances while the celestial happenings are making themselves felt.

May the balance of the equinox, and the new moon and the sun in alchemical counter poise to each other, be a reminder to us all of the changing and turning of the seasons, bringing change into our lives, a harbinger of a positive and healthy kind amidst all the turmoil of the world.

With Easter and Pesach approaching early next month, I’m reminded that both are times for redemption and renewal. May these days irrespective of your perspective, bring you exactly that. 

Does anyone feel really fit and well these days? You know, fighting fit, glad to be alive, full of energy, full of the joys of life and brimming with good will?

I’m  not sure if it’s the change of seasons here in South Africa from summer to autumn – harbinger of winter – but so many are ill, feeling low, exhausted, depleted, weak. But sometimes I wonder if it is the outer events on the world arena that predispose one – me – to feeling drained, enervated, anaemic, from hot to cold, like the weather, and back to feverish again.

The world near and far seems to me a troubled and dangerous place. I feel anxious when watching the news, hearing flowery, political spin by those doctors about the behaviours of their leaders. All that plotting and planning, depriving the ordinary citizen of their rights, exploiting their hard earned money by way of inter alia higher taxes to fund their extravagant lifestyle – while smiling. I want to withhold my taxes and let them know why and wherefore. My anarchic protest is my way of not colluding. R33 BILLION rands lost to corruption in the last financial year. 700 BILLION rands in last 20 years. Let them know that I will not be bound or bowed by their illegitimate rules and laws, that I am fed up to the back teeth of their fleecing, the injustices, not only on my person but on all of us, in the attempt to render us sheep like, obedient, subservient. We, the tax paying public (only about maximum 10% of the total population), fund their flamboyant flights with families in tow to far-flung places, boisterous parties, sexy shoes, cars the size of their egos, systemic, systematic failure of the government where patronage is the name of the game. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Parastatals like our power utility service, the post office, our national air carrier, mines, hospitals and clinics in dire straits ‘managed’ by ill educated CEO’s, our education system designed to keep the majority dumbed down…

My husband is a medical specialist and he tells of the sick people he is seeing at his rooms, more so than ever before.  It’s like a malaise that has gripped us all. The parasite that is the government, sucking away at its host. I feel the prison walls coming closer, the power elite sniggering outside. Our beloved beautiful country, being fracked and f*%#@ed, waters and rivers poisoned from mining, fish dying, animals, birds, forests under threat, rhino, elephant poached. This is what misery feels like – and it’s why I am in favour of anarchy. Purposeful anarchy may be necessary for my health if it means freedom from the shackles of a government who does not have my or anyone else’s best interests at heart. They are tyrants who do not know the meaning of being servants of the people. They call themselves the ‘ruling party’ – and this is what they stand and live by, forgetting who it is who pays their salaries.

It’s enough; it’s making us ill.

 Faith, Synchronicity, Doubt, Uncertainty –

 What does one do when one can do no more? Perhaps a better question is what can one be when all else seems dark and hopeless? Is keeping Faith uppermost in our hearts and minds the only way to endure, and thereby ‘get through’ suffering?

 Last week I was away from home in another part of our country to be witness and hopefully a comfort to a dearly loved human being’s suffering, distress and despair. My sister was with me. The word Faith cropped up in the novel I was reading although this wasn’t its premise; on social media; someone else’s blog post; the newspaper; a billboard – in the strangest of places. This word was jumping out in front of my eyes practically all the time and I couldn’t ignore it any longer – the synchronicity was very real – it was like I was being knocked over the head to receive the message of Faith – when the tiniest bit of positive energy was no-where to be found –

 The more this happened the more I questioned whether my internal Faith muscle needs some exercising. It’s been dormant for too long –

What does this mean, practically, to me? Is it legitimate that I have faith that this person will get well again and come back to himself, and be the lovely soul that he essentially is? In other words, can I have faith on that person’s behalf? Does this in some peculiar way lessen that person’s authority  – and his own faith in himself – and could this also be arrogance on my side? My faith for that person? Could I rely too much on faith in order to lessen my own pain at being witness to another’s suffering? Will my faith in this person having the ability to overcome his pain and suffering go some way towards alleviating his darkness? Is it sufficient to ask G.d for His help for that person, and ask only once and to have faith that this request be granted – and consider it done? One asks only once –

Doubt is the other side of Faith – the strangest of bedfellows, so apparently poles apart at first glance. But bedfellows nevertheless. Side by side, not exclusive or opposite to each other. They belong together. Like quicksilver, mercury, Hermes on winged feet, doubt always creeps in. Or doesn’t creep but barges in and shakes you up. And brings uncertainty blazing in its wondrous wake. The ground beneath one’s feet does not seem so sure anymore.  Yet, Doubt has its extremely healthy aspect to it especially when it serves to strengthen one’s faith.  Doubt is indeed faith’s strange bedfellow. For me it is a tough struggle leaving me raw, maybe a little more rugged –

It can of course be thoroughly destructive if used in an unhealthy way to serve some or other nefarious purpose –

There are times in our lives which are hard, painful, including witnessing another’s suffering. And we have doubts and we do not know –

Living with un-knowing, uncertainty – a fertile landscape, welcoming it in, willing to walk in its wake no matter what, means exercising those inner muscles, struggling with them, trusting the process, having faith in the process –

In a way I have written this post fairly freely while thinking along the way about ‘things’ which pertain to me at this time. A sort of need on my side to put it down on paper and clarify my thoughts. Thank you for sharing it with me –

 I forced my slothful, gloomy self to take a walk yesterday. We’d been back from our long sea holiday for a few days already, and I could feel myself sinking deeper into the quagmire of reality as I saw it. Not only within my gloomy self but on the world stage as well and, closer to home, the politics here in South Africa.

I was thinking about diet while walking. I re-arranged those letters. I’ve been tied up in knots and distressed about the extra kilograms gained.  When thinking about ‘weight’ I’ve been inclined to think in terms of ‘gaining lightness’ as opposed to ‘losing weight’. I don’t like the emphasis on losing. It is my plan to gain lightness this year, by shedding unnecessary baggage whether a kilogram or two, being less of a procrastinator, more focused on WIP, less time on e.g. FB, more time on walking and taking the air, making time to meet a friend here and there for coffee, shedding bad habits –

Re-arranging the letters again I get edit. A letter I wrote recently to a newspaper was published this last Friday to my surprise. A superfluous paragraph was removed by the editor rendering it tighter with stronger emphasis and more flow. My very own experience and one I will take with me while doing much needed editing on WIP. My letter was in response to an article in that newspaper the previous week headlined ‘Why we should not give racist white people what they want‘ the author of which has the same surname as our president. No idea if they’re related but it demanded a response from me expressing my dismay inter alia at its content.

The tide always turns and I’m keeping this idea foremost. I sink into its swells and rip currents from time to time or tide to tide. While holidaying in Plettenberg Bay there were many warnings about rip tides. Instead of trying to get out of it by battling the current and attempting to swim to shore, the best thing to do is to let the rip tide or the undercurrent take you, keeping the shore in sight and swimming parallel to it. Our first panicked thought may be to battle the undertow to try to get back to shore, maybe drowning in the attempt, but this is one of those times that following that first instinct is ill advised –

It is a bit like life I sometimes think –

The below photo was taken with my cell phone. The Kiffness was live on the lawns of the Beacon Island Hotel in Plettenberg Bay. It was around 7.00 p.m. Fishermen on the rocks, the Robberg Peninsula jutting out into sea, the seagull taking off, the tide momentarily stemmed -all was calm and peaceful and all was light and right with the world.

Do you go with the ebb and flow of life and its tides, many times extreme? Yet, ever changing, re-arranging, becoming one thing, then another, retreating, advancing –