Archive for May, 2008

Blog Love

Published by Ketzirah Carly קצירה on May 28, 2008 in B'Chesed. 2 Comments

I don’t keep a standard blog roll on this site but I do like to acknowledge the lovely people who have added me to their’s from time-to-time. I really appreciate it and thank you for thinking enough of my site to include me in your blog roll, or your site’s version!

Blog Love Shout Outs!
These sites area wonderful mix of Jewish, Pagan, Goddess, and even a Christian site. Much respect and love to Rev. Chris for having the courage to include my site in his blog roll!

If you link to me and I missed you — leave a comment below! I may not have found you yet!

Here are few of my favorites that I also want to share:

If you are curious about what posts on any of the blogs have moved me or are ones I wanted to share with others, check out my Google Reader Shared Items page.


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Memorial Day 2008

Published by Ketzirah Carly קצירה on May 26, 2008 in Spiritual Practices. 0 Comments

Saturday night I lead a silent vigil walk from the Lincoln Memorial to the George Mason Memorial. Our small group joined pilgrims from all over the country and world who were in Washington, DC to remember the fallen. The vigil held the silence as we walked from memorial to memorial. We would come together and remove our silent bubble and share our thoughts before entering our silent temple to continue the walk. We honored those who died in our name, even if we disagreed with the war they are fighting.

Our Route:

View Larger Map

Below are the readings I prepared to read at each memorial. Two of the readings are poems I wrote after the last Memorial Day vigil and the rest are the words of Octavia Butler from her book “The Parable of the Talents.”

Setting our intent before beginning our walk:

All that you touch
You Change.

All that you Change
Changes You.

The only lasting truth
Is Change.

God
is Change.

by Octavia Butler

Read after viewing the Lincoln Memorial:

Read the words child, just read the words
It matters not why — just read the words
You say a word is misspelled?
Which one? Where?
Never mind - keep reading — maybe you’ll find it.
Wait what’s it saying about slavery and war?
Just keep reading and you’ll discover much more.
Read the words, child
Please — just read

by Ketzirah (Carly Lesser)
I wrote this after the 2007 Memorial Day Vigil after watching a group of teenagers actually read Lincoln’s second inaugural address because one of them said there was a typo in it.

Read after the Korean War Memorial

The ghosts of Korea rise in the night
Scared young boys haunt my sight
Through them walk the living hushed into silence
Flash bulbs pop
Tears are dropped
As the ghosts of Korea rise in the night

by Ketzirah (Carly Lesser)
I wrote this after the 2007 Memorial Day Vigil

Read after walking through the FDR Memorial

To survive
Let the past
Teach you–
Past customs,
Struggles,
Leaders and Thinkers.
Let
These
Help you.
Let them inspire you,
Warn you,
Give you strength,
But beware:
God is Change.
Past is Past.
What was
Cannot
Come again.

To survive,
Know the past.
Let it touch you.
Then let
The past
Go.

by Octavia Butler

Read at the end of the vigil:

Darkness
Gives shape to the light
As light
Shapes the darkness.
Death
Gives shape to life
As life
Shapes death.
The universe
And God
Share this wholeness,
Each defining
The other.
God
Gives shape to the universe
As the universe
Shapes God.

by Octavia Butler


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Wisdom of the Bees

Published by Ketzirah Carly קצירה on May 9, 2008 in B'Chesed. 1 Comment

Buzz off!
Photo by Art Drauglis (my husband!)

“Sometimes the world seems on the verge of insanity, and one wonders what limit there can be to greed, aggression, deception and the thirst for power or fame. When reflections of this sort threaten one’s serenity one can be glad for the bees, for the riches they yield to the spirit of those who love nature and feel their kinship with everything that creeps and swims and
flies, that spins and builds, to all living things that arise and perish, to the whole of creation of which we are only a part, like the bees.”
Richard Taylor, The Joys of Beekeeping, 1974.

My first beehive fell to colony collapse disorder about two weeks after it was established. I don’t know where all the bees who have dissappeared all over the world have gone. I hope that mine decided that the National Arboretum was a nicer place to live than my yard and the queen took them there.

BTW - Angela-Eloise over at Blogickal just pointed out this gorgeous site from Haagen-Dazs that explains the issue in a fun way.  Now you can support honey bees by buying ice cream.


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