Listening to ZZ Top 'cheap sunglasses' while reading about Zoroastrianism crossing WI in a Toyota 4Runner. Sometimes a song is just a song. I tried reading deeper into the lyrics, but I think the words might be all there is to this one.

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Labels: music, theological sources

Hi Everyone-

I mentioned the opening of the Center for Islamic Studies several weeks back, and want to take just a moment to post a few pics that I took of the opening exhibit at the library with my sweetie's camera (Ibrahim, I know I originally said I'd upload some pics from my camera, but those had horrible quality).

Here they are (click to embiggen).





When I took the pictures, I found it frustrating that the skylight was reflecting so brightly off of the glass of the display case, but now that I see the pictures, I kind of like it. The book that is covered up in the last photo is called "Islam: Art and Architecture."

lyrics: "I've got an angel. His name is Steve. He's kind and gentle, and he's watching over me. Thanks Steve!" One Beautiful Day, by Marcus Bovre and the Evil Twins

colors: the color of the wooden display cases above

mood: harried. gotta drop off the cats at the sitter, and then hop an airplane today.

chant/prayer/mantra: communication is key.


pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel

Labels: inter-faith, Islam

Death, Dying, and Bereavement: Got prepared to be in touch with the realities of mortality. Hopefully this has been good preparation for chaplaincy internship this summer (if I get one -- still waiting to hear back!)

(The Life, Work, and Trans-national Communities of) Bawa Muhaiyaddeen: In addition to the direct wisdom given by Bawa, this course provided a brand new context for understanding how religions develop. Specifically, I found myself asking -- and coming close to finding answers to -- questions examining the differences and similarities between the roles of prophets, sheikhs/priests/ministers, in terms of introducing revelatory knowledge in the former role, or interpreting/expanding on that knowledge in the latter. And I found myself examining how the role of the latter, when expanding on the knowledge can be similar to new revelation, especially when Bawa is telling stories about past prophets.

UU Polity: Wow. If you want to have a group of people living in community, you need to have rules and principles for how we can live together. What are they, and where do they come from?

Chapel Committee: Getting involved in our community's worship life. Very involving and time-consuming.

Oakland Youth Group: Connecting back in with the energy, and syncing up with the next generation. Makes me feel old.

Edges Magazine: Volume 3 now in progress!


pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel

PS- Interstate Highway I-35 may be holy. Who knew?

Labels: coursework, religious community, theological sources

Islam and World Peace - Explanations of a Sufi - Appendix: Glossary | God, Wisdom, Peace, Prayer, Love, Unity, Sufi, Islam, Sufism, Inner Heart, Sufi Path

OK, I'm just testing out and setting up the latest version of Google Toolbar, which *finally* includes the ability to share bookmarks across computers in a way in which I can agree. Though I will add that the flat structure of the bookmarks (i.e.-only one level down of folders) leaves a little to be desired. Then again, perhaps that will make it difficult for me to get my bookmarks all messy like I usually seem to do.

lyrics: Sinead O'Connor, Troy.

colors: same as before. still with the burgundy and burnt sienna, etc.

mood: tired.

chant/prayer/mantra: asleep in heavenly peace? sometimes i wonder, by continuing to envision a heavenly state of existence here and now, does it keep me/us from being fully awake to the hellish war slogging on around us?


pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel

Labels: computers, Islam, peace

today i donated blood. after today, i have only three pints to go until i reach my current blood giving goal. for those who are familiar with the red cross blood donation process in the u.s. (and likely in other countries as well), they ask a giant list of questions including: where you've lived, who you've had sex with, whether you've done IV drugs, have you ever had malaria, and whether you've had a tattoo in the last year.

so if you have a tattoo, you can't donate blood for a whole year. bummer, because i like giving blood and knowing that its helping people who need it. i've wanted to get some new tattoos now for several years, but won't do it until i reach my blood donation goal.

one of the ones i want to get is some variant of a tribal version of the poincare plane, on my forearm/wrist. before i do that, i want to become more familiar with the hyperbolic geometry associated with it, and its connection to space-time curvature. this paper by george von brzeski looks intriguing, and it also has an interesting picture to go with it. so hopefully in six months or so, i'll be ready to get a little new ink.

lyrics: "i had a talented wine" - from planet of sound, by the pixies

colors: burgundy, orange, burnt sienna, yellow

mood: switching gears - will be posting reflections soon on bawa muhaiyaddeen.

chant/prayer/mantra: wear your heart on your sleeve. if muham= countenance, and ahmad="state of the heart", does that make the true muhammad the countenance of the state of the heart? if so, that's beautiful. if not, well... i'd like to allow that it does. :)


pax hominibus,
agape to all,
joel

Labels: blood donation, tattoos, theology

Concrescence - a series of discrete atomic events following one another, or a wave traveling along parametric vectors?

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[edit - i will note that the above was while reading about Alfred North Whitehead's thoughts on concrescence, and after reading some dictionary definitions, maybe this word doesn't fit what i was thinking about as well as i'd like. i might still be in search on this hard-to-find word.]

Labels: Process Thought, theology