New Oil Painting

Click below to see a new 8x10 oil painting painted for Lisa Dickman.

New Still Life Painting: December 2012

Stormy (live SAMA Altoona)

http://3stormy.blogspot.com/

1000 Gnats Flitter

In the flickering of the sun beneath the cedars

1000 gnats flit

and the little boy in his red shirt 

flashing in the vacant lot 

I have never known more of paradise. 

Leaning back to gaze through the heavy laden apple  branches

and I have never been more there than now

(so much simpler than widely imagined).

The gossamer filaments radiate in rainbow light

and the spiral web beneath the cedar limbs

so-well equipped to capture evening’s flutter

from the green grass  to the sunken limbs

the golden light splashes upon.

Two squirrels romance and game in luxuriance 

while July’s poet contemplates the ‘be’

 and ‘to be’

of the birds’ persistent whistle.

Reflections on the Beauty of this Day

I am so very thankful for this day! Its crisp, cold wind, its solar radiation, the last flickering of autumn leaves upon the breeze. The greatest gift is not the tree or the, dazzling blue sky, or the big brown dog---it is that I can see these things, I can hear her speaking. This gift surpasses every other miracle.

Here is a wonderful quote from Thomas Merton that I read today in his book, No Man is an Island: "If you go into solitude with a silent heart, the silence of creation will speak louder than the tongues of men and angels."

Lisa

On the trail at Trough Creek

Prayer of a Frog

Today Most Blessed of Days
Today is blessed---today, of all days, the one dipped into the river of eternal presence--the holy Now!

Let your mind be still now! Truth everywhere shines, and everywhere my open eyes bathe in its glory. God is not far away in a distant time or land, God is this Presence---here and now.

The Kingdom of Heaven, like a seed grows into the smallest leaves and into the depths of the sky. It grows in the warm soil of my heart. I see God, I hear God!

There is nothing to separate me from God, no mountain, no sea.

The Clientele Live

Click here. :)

Ian Anderson interviews Ian Anderson!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFO6Z0HqMaA

In this funny and provocative interview with himnself, Ian Andersdon discusses his new album, Thick as A Brick 2 and its upcoming tour. Brilliant!

Ian Anderson: Life's a Long Song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE8YLPHZImw

Ian Anderson resurrects the Baroque string quartet, with drums, piano and flute.
He is the musical 'avatar' of this age, no one even in his league. Also great to see,  in these days of corporate 'music' and pseudo-pop stars performing non-acoustically to cowering audiences, a true musical champion!  

Essays

Click for Essays

Focus

Focus: In and Out of Focus

New Website: Peter Wolf Poetry

Peter Wolf Poetry

The 'Foolishness" of the Cross

It occurred to me that to be a "christian" is synonymous with being a fool in the contemporary scene, particularly in the "brain belts" such as Cambridge-Boston or Palo Alto or the research triangle. Frankly, I prefer ''disciple of Christ'' to the name 'christian'. I realize that the term meant a lot to St. Paul but like so many other terms today it has become dilute---far too many come  in that name who are not truly devout, who moreover do not have the "mind of Christ. There are many other terms which have lost their potency in today's public discourse---for example, 'democracy'---whatever it may have meant back in the day to the founding fathers or even Lincoln, it has become so dilute as to be meaningless. Another analogous disconnection of term and essential signification is 'war' and 'peace'. The Orwellian doublespeak that Ronald Reagan ushered in with the term 'peacekeeper' is a case in point. It reminds me of James Joyce's line in Ulysses: "Love--I mean the opposite of hate."


Well, back to the foolishness of Christ's cross. As history 'advances' and more things are 'known' (history does not advance ---progress is a belief system; and knowledge is not equivocal with amassing and manipulating information) be that as it may in worldly terms or in the mind of someone who has no indwelling of the Holy Spirit, for example, someone like Bill Gates appears to be 'smart', whereas someone who echoes Paul in saying that all earthly knowledge is indeed foolishness compared to the knowledge of Christ. Further this knowledge of Christ is of a different order than earthly knowledge or what might be called 'science'. Science asserts so-called finite certainties like 2+2=4 or E=mc2, whereas knowledge of Christ testifies to a relationship with a person best characterized by the word love.


Indeed in this climate the one who loves Christ is "dumb and dumber" getting dumber everyday compared to the world that gets "smart and smarter". This reveals a curious inversion of values---at least in the milieu where I was brought up intelligence was considered to be a good thing, a value to be sought for. However, as I go on now with new eyes that see with Christ's mind, I see that what I considered to be intelligence was not good but was a very subtle conditioning via education within my cultural milieu. To quote Dylan" "I was so much older then I'm younger than that now..." I was so much smarter then, etc...


Personally I thank God today for my growing ignorance of worldly affairs. The world powers that be that put The Holy One to death on the cross are still the same---there is nothing new under the sun! And we are still mocked for being enlightened in Christ, and the smug religious leaders and politicians, and peacekeepers go on reviling, cursing and murdering the innocent (very often in the name of Christ---but this is obviously antichrist). Everything is upside down.


The mind that was in Him, that is in me penetrates with understanding to the core of reality. It is the primary 'word' from which the material world is born (genesis). Hence to be enlightened in Christ's mind is to penetrate all understanding and grasp true knowledge. Paradoxically this enlightened grasp of truth which goes far beyond philosophy is by worldly standards 'foolishness' actually a more pithy term would be 'idiot', 'insane', or colloquially 'loser'. Yes, by this world's standards I am a loser, and so is Jesus Christ! 


Consider the Beatitudes---worldy teachers and preachers cannot communicate anything meaningful about Jesus' teaching because the teaching is idiotic, backwards, stupid, insane.  Parents cannot teach their children to imitate Jesus because he was uncool, stupid, demonstrated zero ability to defend himself in front of the court---and did not seek money, fame, ambition or a wife and kids. If a kid acts like Jesus in America he or she gets punished because Jesus teaching is the antithesis of American virtues, ethics and values. The term Christian Nation makes as much sense as 'peace keeper'---it is perfect double speak. To be honest a Christian nation would also lay down its life for its friends, would turn the other cheek, would never kill, etc...


The paradox that Apostle Paul reveals is that to be in Christ is loss for world but gain for the Kingdom. And the kingdom is not a purified American picnic or whatever materialistic fantasy is promulgated. The kingdom is present, yet hidden, is infra and yet beyond, timeless, neither large nor small, true, full of life---both within and without.

Belgian Sketch circa 1990

                       

Here is a sketch I recently discovered in an old book from the days in Belgium, and I added some color to it!

Forest Song

Late Spring’s tributaries are muddy encasements

joining into a larger stream, 

following its source

the forest song 

murky stream murmuring

the sharp whistle of wood thrush

diaphanous light filtering into the canopy 

lime-yellow shining!

I am listening to the forest song

and all that it tells me is ancient and perduring.

Kneeling on the rusty yellow Winter mosses

shielding new red sprouts and tendrils;

lone hanging oak limb

pale buds silhouette the setting sun,

mist on steely grey Glendale.

The song of ripples and wavelets

soothes me in rhythmic caresses.

Giving praise to God in all things, 

worshipping the beauty of the Lord

in this Springtime kingdom;

shining and opening before me

envelops my musing 

gives me a sweet new song. 

Stalker: by Andrei Tarkovsky

The Stalker---what an incredibly rich and original person! I love the film more each time I see it. The 'zone' is completely relevant in the context---the film's theme grows more poignant as we advance into the 21st century. He is the priest of our time!

Ian Anderson (finally) Plays w/Justin Hayward!

Forever Autumn at Canterbury Cathedral

Rob E. Rooster

Here is the rooster that has taken to visiting my porch. He enjoys the bird feed and cracked corn---what a beauty! 

Glendale-Gopala Krishna

Muskrat Beach-Glendale

I returned today to Glendale to find that the water level has been restored to its pre-autumn level. There was ice today and a biting wind, a feeling of vitality, the cold wind biting... 

We Miss You JoePa! 1926-2012

Joe Paterno Vigil

As Megan states in this video Joe Paterno was a "class act"---and in a total sense. The tragic end of this great man full of virtue was fouled upon by the Penn State Board of Trustees. 

Johnny Cash Covers Neil Young's Pocohontas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRoGr24KWyo&feature=related

Happy New Year 2012--- Delve into Twelve!

The year is off to a good start. I feel that this year is about clarity and manifestation; clarity in self acceptance and manifestation in clarifying my desires precisely, visualizing them and allowing them to come into focus.