¡Buen Cinco de Mayo!

Mike Manning, Charge of the Mexican Cavalry
at the Battle of Puebla. Wikimedia Commions. 

¡Buen Cinco de Mayo!


"Cinco de Mayo (Spanish for "fifth of May") is a holiday held on May 5. It is celebrated nationwide in the United States and regionally in Mexico, primarily in the state of Puebla. The date is observed in the United States as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride,and to commemorate the cause of freedom and democracy during the first years of the American Civil War. In the state of Puebla, the date is observed to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín.Contrary to widespread popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day, the most important national patriotic holiday in Mexico, which occurs on September 16th." -- Wikipedia


A major celebration of Hispanic heritage in North America, Cinco de Mayo's popularity can be traced to two causes:  its significance for the U.S. Civil War, as the French Defeat kept Napoleon III from supporting the Confederacy, and also to join St. Patrick's Day, St. Joseph's Day, Columbus Day, Oktoberfest, Lunar New Year, Pride Day, etc, to highlight various ethnicities and interest groups in the U.S.

Welcome Summer!

Welcome to Summer: In the old European tradition, May 1 marks the beginning of Summer, while the Solstice marks the Summer's Midpoint (Midsummer)!

Happy Belteinne! The feast of life immortal! Celebrated around the world as humanity's creative power in labor!
More on this Ancient Fire Festival this week! Enjoy jumping the fire and the May Pole!

Welcome Walpurgis Night!

Walpurgis Night Bonfire in Sweden, 2006. Photo by David Castor,

Wikimedia Commons.

Happy Walpurgisnacht! 


The night of April 30 is a major celebration, especially in central, northern and eastern Europe. The vigil of the Fire Feast of Belteinne, it was a time that the followers of the old ways would gather to begin their Belteinne celebrations.

Today it is a major folk holiday in many countries. Although there are certain aspects of some local celebrations that are negative holdovers (e.g. the burning of witch effigies in the Czech Republic), for the most part the celebration is a positive continuity with its Mediaeval and much older roots.

Sint-Walburgakerk, built 1641, was the Jesuit church
of Bruges. Photo by LimoWreck, Wikimedia Commons.

The name comes from the Western Christian commemoration of  the canonization of St. Walburga or Walpurga on May 1, 870 by Roman Pope Adrian II. She was an Nun, an English missionary to the Frankish Empire.

On the Byzantine Christian Calendar, there are several commemorations on April 30, including:

• Holy Apostle James, the brother of St. John the Theologian
• St. Donatus, Bishop of Euroea in Epirus
• Martyr Maximus of Ephesus
• Opening of the Relics of St. Nicetas, Bishop of Novgorod
• Translation of the Relics of St. Sabbas, abbot of Zvenigorod Monastery
• St. Clement the Hymnographer, abbot of the Studion
• Neomartyr Argyra of Prussa
• Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos "Of the Passion" (Strastnaya)
• Repose of Schema-abbess Martha (Protasieva), disciple of St. Paisius Velichkovsky (1813)
• Repose of Bishop Ignatius (Brianchaninov) (1867)
• St. Cynwl, Hermit

Most importantly, Walpurgisnacht and Belteinne (more tomorrow on this) are the actual correspondences with Pascha (April 24 in 2011)!

In all instances, this is yet another example of how a modern monotheistic tradition (Christianity) was meant to harmoniously blend with the older wisdom traditions. The kinder, gentler monotheism of Alexander the Great and Emperor Julian II also point to this, still a vibrant possibility today.

Enjoy the feast!

Congratulations to Miss Middleton and HRH Prince William

Congratulations and prayers for a wonderful day and life together. You have an admirable legacy of social reform and justice in the history of your Kingdom, and we pray that your leadership in the years to come will be part of the movement to a much better life for our Planet! May God Grant You Many Years!

A note to Donald Trump

Dear Mr. Trump,

If you want to be taken seriously as a candidate, you must stop this Reality TV-style buffoonery. Harping on the silly birther issue was a repeat of the trumped up (hmmm... interesting word!) lies of the Swift-Boat slurs. Everyone (including you) who was using the birther slur knew full-well that there was no real issue, just a club to (1) beat President Obama over the head, (2) exploit the always just-below-the-surface xenophobia of the confused and frightened 40% of the electorate, and (3) distract people from the real issues. So we can conclude first that you are an opportunistic provocateur.

Now you blatantly accuse the President of having only gotten into the Ivy League through Affirmative Action. So we can add opportunistic racist to your list of vices: (1) Nego suppositum: I do not accept your unsubstantiated presumption that Affirmative Action is unfair or misguided; (2) This is particularly galling after 8 years of mis-rule by a "legacy admission" to my Alma Mater and a draft-dodger; (3) The end-product of his education has made President Obama an incredibly intelligent, perceptive and capable leader, inspired by not only his education, but also his Christian Faith.

Stop it now.

Rev. Steven A. Armstrong, M.A. Hum., M.Div., M.A.
Yale College '76

Christ is Risen!

Christ is Risen!
Christos Anesti!
Al-Massihu Qam!
Christos Voskrese!

Working Together

Our U. S. President is speaking right now, and as is in his excellent character, he will urge us all to work together to address the serious problems facing us.

Let's heed this call.

And listen to the responses...

Evaluate all on their merits, not which party you belong to.

We'll pick this up after it all sinks in.

Your faithful correspondent,

BT

Where in the Scriptures is the command to remove health care from those who need it?

Dear Readers,

As we witness the spectacle of the new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, fueled by the falsely named "Tea Party" astro-turf movement (funded and artificially created to appear to be a "grassroots movement" by the radical right wing Koch brothers among others), and their signature goal to repeal our hard-won reforms to U.S. Health Care (which moved us only minimally toward the health care that every other industrialized nation of our type in the world has), I have a question.

Where in the Scriptures of the great monotheistic creeds, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which I believe encompass all of the "Tea Party" adherents, can the Divine command be found: "Thou shalt take affordable health care away from those who need it, and make sure that only the well-to-do and powerful have healthcare."

Eastern (Byzantine) Christianity, the Tradition of the greatest Christian Empire in history, the Roman Empire (from 330 to the Fall of the Empire in 1453) includes a class of saints, the Holy Unmercenary Physicians, who heal without charge. The Empire emulated this in creating the finest health care system in ancient Europe (the best care until the 18th century), which, by its height in the 12th-13th centuries, provided free healthcare for all, funded by the state, the Emperor, the wealthy and the Church.

So "Tea Partiers" and neocons in the House... where is your justification? Don't look to "Fox News-Entertainment"* for answers, go pray about it, and ask the One you claim to worship what God really wants. I think you will find the answer in your Sacred Scriptures too.

More on this to come.

BT

* Fox News-Entertainment bears the same relationship to a real news channel that the WWE (Pro-Wrestling) bears to real sports...its just that Vince McMahon is honest enough to call his programming "Sports-Entertainment." Thank you Mr. McMahon for your honesty!

Happy St. John's Day and Summer Solsticetide!

I would like to give you a preview of what will be posted on this blog for the future. I encourage all spiritual warriors to contribute.

The Master Jesus told us, "Humans were not made for the Sabbath, the Sabbath was made for humans" (Mark 2:27). This is the basic principle we must use in analysing the incredible mess we have made of our planet.

And our Sainted U.S. President, one of the People of the Book, said, "the government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the Earth" (Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln.)

Therefore we can derive the following postulates:

Humans were not made for the Ecomomy, the Economy was made BY humans and must be made for the benefit of all humans, not just the rich and powerful.

Governmental structures are made by humans for humans. These are human artifacts just as much as clay pots and computers and jets.

How we treat our EcoSystem is up to us. We have no a priori dogmas.

God has made us creators in the Divine Image. We The People can create the reality we live in. This blog is dedicated to bringing about the Earthly Paradise envisioned in the literature of our planet, and in particular, the Rosicrucian Paradise signaled in The New Atlantis, Star Trek, and other visionary literature.

Do not be dissuaded by the children of the Father of Lies who is the Enemy of Human Nature, St. Ignatius Loyola tells us--Fox News, the current leaders of the Republican Party in the U.S.A., Fundamentalists of all religions, dogmatists of any stripe--the Novus Ordo Seclorum is coming, and we are its heralds.

The Blessed Teilhard de Chardin saw clealy that we are evolving toward the Omega Point. The Naysayers, fundamentalists, "Tea Party Members" (who disgrace the noble name of the Masonic and Rosicrucian revolutionaries of our US history), are dead wrong: we must assist in the dawning of the New Age. Those who resist the irresistable and inevitable movement of the Holy Spirit into the Age of the Spirit fortold by the Blesses Joachim of Fiore will simply be brought forward as those who try to stand in the way of a steamroller.

In the New Age, Initiates of every Tradition will recognize and welcome Initiates of all Traditions. We are all seeking the Wisdom of the Heart, the core where the Spirit dwells within us. Divine Wisdom is our Bride, there can be no mistake.

Welcome the Age of the Spirit!

Benefactor Taciturnus

Just to put everyone on notice: Joyful Light Rays is back..... coming soon !

The Culmination of Deification.

If anyone following the Orthodox, Catholic Christian Calender asks why we celebrate this feast as the last and culminating feast of Salvation History, as the Imperial Christian year (Beginning Sept 1) starts soon, they would be surprised. Aug 15 is the day that we affirm that the deification of all matter, soul and spirit is our own heritage, not just that of the God-Human Jesus.

Mary shows us that she is not the great exception, but the great example. Meditate on this, and we will talk later!

Peace!

BT

The Feast of Deification

Dear Readers,

Today, Aug 6 on the New Calendar (Revised Julian, similar to the Gregorian), is the Great Feast of the Transfiguration for Eastern Orthodox, Byzantine and Roman Catholics, Anglicans and many other Christians. (Left: An Icon of the Transfiguration from 15th century, Novgorod.)

This Feast celebrates the Uncreated Light which shone from the Master Jesus on Mt Tabor, witnessed by some of the Apostles. For many scholars, it represents an account descrbing the experiece of the Risen Christ.

Liturgically and mystically, it comes at the end of the Orthodox / Byzantine Church Year, and together with the Dormition on Aug 15, it is the culmination of Salvation History, as it proclaims the Theosis (Deification) of all things in the great Apocatastasis (Reintegration, Tikun Olam, Cooling of the Fire).

This, it is no surprise that at this end of the Iron Age, the Evil Spirit and the Prevaricating Spirits were able in 1945 to tempt us into blaspheming this day of Divine / Human transfiguration by using the power of the Stars to "transform" two cities in Japan and all the Divine mainifestations within into blasted, twisted horror, melted flesh and lasting sickness.

For a chilling vision of how such temptation works, I recommend re-reading the scene in Walter Miller's A Canticle For Leibowitz where the Monks are reading the account of world leaders being persuaded to use nuclear weapons by the Enemy of Human Nature.

Those -- such as Earth-Based practitioners: Druids, Bards, Wiccans, et al. -- also tell us that these and subsequent nuclear explosions have ripped the fabric of time/space, and that much work is needed in cooperation with Faerie and the Underworld to heal this. We are not only harming our own plane, but others as well.

As we strive to make the transition to the new Golden Age, let us take this day back from the perfidies of the Prevaricating Spirits, and focus our energies on healing, reinregration and Theosis, both for the victims of this and other tragedies, and for all the planes of the manifested Cosmos.

Left: Icon of the Transfiguration by Theophanes the Greek (15th century, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow).

Your faithful correspondent,

BT

Man calls 911 after Subway left sauce off sandwich

Dear Readers,

I suppose we must now list Stupidity as one of the signs that we are in the Kali Yuga of the Kali Yuga! 

After all, as Schiller writes:

"Against Stupidity, the Gods themselves contend in vain."

Your faithful correspondent,

BT

Man calls 911 after Subway left sauce off sandwich  

Aug 4  US/Eastern

911 Audio:  http://www.thesmokinggun.com/graphics/sound/subwaysandwich.mp3

Subway Snafu is Among Many Odd Calls to 911

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - Jacksonville police say Reginald Peterson needs to learn that 911 is not the appropriate place to complain that Subway left the sauce off a spicy Italian sandwich.

Police said the 42-year-old man dialed 911 twice last week so he could have his sub made correctly. The second call was to complain that officers weren't arriving fast enough.

Subway workers told police Peterson became belligerent and yelled when they were fixing his order. They locked him out of the store after he left to call police.

When officers arrived, they tried to calm Peterson and explain the proper use of 911. Those efforts failed, and he was arrested on a charge of making false 911 calls.

Peterson did not have a listed phone number.

___

Information from: The Florida Times-Union, http://www.Jacksonville.com 

=

A Way Out of Our Mess

Dear Readers,

We can take a break from the negativity about the IOC for a while...I think plenty of people have got the message. Now we can see what will be done to reform the IOC. But that can wait.

Over the next sessions, I will be talking about a way out of the global mess we've made of economics, and the National disaster we have in my beloved US in politics and related areas, such as health care, the economy, etc.

Since, among other paths, I am a Christian (the members of my family tree have been Christian for going on 1900-2000 years now, just as we have been on this North American continent for nearly 500 years) I will be drawing on ancient Judeo-Christian sources (as well as others) to talk about how we can and must restructure things to survive.

These solutions can also be found embedded in all world spiritualities, and in the approaches of the Primordial Tradition, as spoken of in its mainifestations such as Rosicrucianism, Masonry and others who serve The Great Fellowship of Light.

Thus I am not advocating any kind of religious domination. The separation of Church (Temple, Mosque, and any other kind of religion) and State is a great Gift of The Spirit to us, one of the ongoing lessons coming from The One Source of All. However, we need to look back at the deepest traditions of our own Faiths and Paths about these issues, to discover, like Dorothy, that we have everything we need to solve these problems in our own back yards. Practical ideals which can be instantiated today.

For the Christian approach, I recommend reading an out-of-print book, Social Thought edited by Peter C. Phan. Get it, read it, and we will be talking about its ideas from the early days of Christianity, and the Christian Roman Empire that flourished for 1100 years ... I hope everyone has by now seen through the 18th Century lie about the Fall of the Roman Empire... It fell not in the 5th Century, but on Tuesday May 29, 1453. More on that later...

For those from other Traditions, please add parallels from your ancient sources, and how The Spirit is leading your Path in new ways today.

So, read up, and discover a Tradition the right-wing Televangelists and other conservative leaders don't want you you to know about.

Have Fun!

BT

Weasels in Beijing (More Shame on the IOC and Government of the PR of China)

More of the IOC’s and China’s Shame

Here are some more news items exposing the International Olympic Committee’s and the PR China’s Government’s shame. Please contribute more in the Comments to this Blog.

BT

AsiaNews (Italy) July 29, 2008

“The head of the Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy criticises Jacques Rogge's silence on human rights, calls on political leaders attending the Olympics to ask Hu Jintao about the fate of 5,500 Tibetan prisoners. There are great fears that repression will increase after the Olympics.” Read Full Story

The Herald Sun (Australia) August 2, 2008

IOC deepens its Shame (Andrew Bolt Blog)

“The IOC announces a breakthrough. Somehow it still involves breaking its most solemn promises.” Read Full Entry.

Weasels bow to China’s will (Andrew Bolt Column)

“WEASELS gave the Olympics to China’s dictators - so how lovely to see this deal now backfiring on both.” Read Full Column.

Shame on you Olympic Committee: Why China's Government was a bad choice for the Olympics

Dear Readers,

It is becoming clear now, even before the big event starts, that the International Olympic Committee made -- what many of us have known for a long time --a big mistake in giving the Olympics to the "Peoples' Republic" of China. Now I don't blame the Chinese people, who are an ancient, noble group of peoples, with an incredible culture. Nor do I so much blame the Chinese Government. That's kind of like blaming Vultures for doing what they do to protect themselves ... they vomit on you . The Chinese Government is a totalitarian, repressive regime.

Did anybody have any doubts about that? Some examples:

• D0 the Tibetans have any doubts?
• Or maybe the practitioners of Falun Gong?
• How about those who were imprisoned when Yahoo turned over information to the Chinese government ? (In Yahoo's partial defense, they might have saved some people.)
• Or perhaps the Catholic Bishops and Priests still imprisioned by China?
• The Starship Tian An Men will be named by Star Fleet in Star Trek's 24th century in honor of those who were killed in the 1989 Massacre. I guess history will finally settle this.

I think we could all expand the list. However, the point here is, the Chinese Communist Government is just continuing to do what they have done since their revolution which climaxed in 1949-50. But the IOC told everyone this would be OK. This would be an opening to the world. This would be constructive engagement. And reporters would be free to interview anyone, anywhere in China, and their internet access would be unfettered.

I guess things haven't turned out exactly the way the IOC told us they would. Even before now, the hypocritical reaction around the world during the Olympic Torch relay (which began with another nice government, the Nazis) protests began, crying that "the Olympics should not be politicized!" Now the Olympics are one of the most political events in the world, and why not? We don't do what the ancient Greeks did, and stop fighting during the Games. We just play to win. These are the modern Olympics.

Don't mistake me: I hope and pray that everyone is safe throughout the whole Olympics. This isn't about them. Critiques of the Chinese Government can wait (but not long). This is about the IOC today.

The goal here is so that the IOC refrains from awarding the Olympics to nations whose governments have some big gaps in their human rights, etc., records, such as North Korea, Iran, any Wahabist country, and (at the moment, until -- I hope! -- after Jan 20, 2009) my own beloved nation, the U.S.

So what have we seen in the behavior of the Government Officials of China that demonstrate to us that the IOC was as wrong we thought they were, or maybe even not telling us everything? I will begin listing news items here, and I invite you to add more in the comments!

NPR:

"Morning Edition, July 31, 2008 · While the Chinese government promised that the foreign media would be free to cover more than just the Olympics while in China, Internet censorship will still be in place. The International Olympic Committee admitted it cut a deal with Beijing to censor Internet content. That has outraged human rights and press groups." Listen

"All Things Considered, July 30, 2008 · Journalists from around the world are gathering in China for the Beijing Summer Olympics and their access to some Internet sites is being blocked. China had pledged to provide media with unrestricted access to the Internet." Listen

Tourists Face Difficulty Getting Visas for China Travel "Morning Edition, July 30, 2008 · The Beijing Summer Olympics was supposed to be a big international party, but the Chinese government has tightened visa requirements in recent months, making it harder for foreigners to come to the country."

The Economist:

Welcome to a (rather dour) party "In 2001 The Economist argued against the Olympic games being given to China, making unkind comparisons to the event in Berlin in 1936. Now that the games are about to begin, many people, not least in China, say we were wrong: the Olympics have helped the world's largest country. We disagree. China has certainly made a huge and admirable leap forward, but that is attributable to other things, such as opening up its economy or the spread of mobile telephony. On closer examination, the Olympics have been bad for human rights and the environment, and they have done little to make China more biddable when it comes to foreign policy. Now they may further fuel the flames of nationalism." -- John Micklethwait, Editor in Chief of The Economist.

The Mercury News:

China denies work visa for Los Gatos Olympian; political motive suspected. "Kendra Zanotto is a big believer in the power of the Olympics. But the 2004 bronze medalist has been shaken after the Chinese government denied her application for a visa to travel to Beijing for the Summer Games..." (July 23, 2008)

PBS:

In Beijing, Reporters Encounter Internet Curbs as Olympics Near
"Beijing is putting the final touches on preparations for the start of the Olympic Games next week -- but reporters are encountering Internet curbs despite expectations of open Web access for foreign journalists. A reporter and media expert weigh the issue." - The News Hour, July 31, 2008.

I will add more as I find them. Please add your own in the Comments!

And pray for all of those in Beijing for health and safety.

BT

Happy St. Ignatius Day to all in the Jesuit Family

Dear Readers,

I wanted to wish a happy St. Ignatius Day (July 31 on the Western Christian calendar) to the extended family of all of the Jesuits and their co-workers in the many Apostolates that they serve.

If you don't know about the Jesuits (Society of Jesus), or the Mystic St. Ignatius Loyola, their Founder, I recommend learning about this extraordinary group of servants of the Spirit, companions of Jesus. Their U.S. Website is http://www.jesuits.org/ and in Canada http://www.jesuits.ca/, while the International Portal is http://www.sjweb.info/.

Joining St. Ignatius on the Byzantine (Orthodox) Christian calendar for this day are:

Righteous Eudocimus of Cappadocia (9th c.). New Martyrs Benjamin, metropolitan of Petrograd, and those with him: Archimandrite Sergius and George and John of Petrograd (1922). New Hieromartyr Nicolos priest (1941). New Hieromartyr Basil, bishop of Kineshma (1945) Martyr Julitta at Caesarea (304). Righteous Joseph of Arimathea (1st c.). St. Germanus, bishop of Auxerre (448) (Celtic & British). St. Neot, hermit in Cornwall (877) (Celtic & British). Twelve Martyrs of Rome (Greek). Translation of the relics of Apostle Philip to Cyprus. (Greek). Consecration of the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos of Blachernae (Greek). St. John the Exarch of Bulgaria (900). St. Arsenius, bishop of Ninotsminda, Georgia (1082). Martyr Dionysius of Vatopedi, Mt. Athos (1822). Eve of the Dormittion Fast. Forefeast of the Procession of the Precious and Life-giving Cross of the Lord.

Happy Feast!

Gratefully,

BT

Back to the Future: fighting for Habeas Corpus all over again

Another excellent commentary for your consideration.


Isn't it strange that here we are fighting for Habeas Corpus, one of the foundational struggles with the British at the time of the US Revolution, once again.


Some very wise men and women, inspired by Rosicrucian and Masonic principles, and by the best of the Traditions of Justice of The Peoples of The Book wrote and fought for this, "When in the course of human events..."


Wasn't that also a struggle against a King George? Hmmm!


Read the commentary linked below for good analysis!


BT

http://www.populistamerica.com/why_is_habeas_corpus_such_a_threat_to_those_in_power

J.K. Rowling, listen to this good advice!

A great opinion piece from MSNBC ... Worth passing on!

My comment: "What she said!"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24189855/from/ET/

BT

Welcome to Joyful Light Rays

Welcome to Joyful Light Rays, an occasional commentary on how things are going in this transitional world, as we move from the Kali Yuga to the Satya Yuga, from the Age of Pisces into the Age of Aquarius, from the Iron Age to the new Golden Age, and from the Age of the Son to the Age of the Spirit, not to mention the end/beginning of 2012!

The commentaries here will sometimes be pointed, however, that is in the spirit of the Christ who chased the merchants out of the Temple with a whip (John 2:13-16). Other great Masters have done similar things. The authors of these commentaries are not great Masters, to be sure, but we hope that we are working in cooperation with the Great Fellowship of Light.

Many of the commentaries will be seeking to bring to light reflections on our current situation from "that old time religion," not the religiousity of the popular hymn, but rather ancient sources from many traditions and spiritualities. There is a world of primordial wisdom there, which our modern world is largely -- and sometimes willfully -- ignoring.

Then too, the Spirit is teaching us new things all the time, and therefore, this is a living traditio (a dynamic handing on, ever alive, receiving newness from the original source), not dead tradita (old stuff handed on, no longer alive, and valued just because it is old). As the late Professor Jaroslav Pelikan once remarked, "Tradition is the living faith of the dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living."

I hope the commentaries will also be enjoyable, thought provoking and catalysts for change. The Ages mentioned above will certainly arrive, in the way of Teilhard de Chardin's
Omega Point, no matter what anyone does, however, the transition can be easy, or very, very difficult. I'd like to work toward making it a smooth transition!

Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Benefactor Taciturnus (BT)