Stanley, I love your work…

30 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

by jeannepoland in Poetry Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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It’s the birthday of poet Stanley Kunitz , born in Worcester, Massachusetts (1905). His parents were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. His father committed suicide in a public park before Kunitz was born and his mother, Yetta, erased all traces of Stanley’s father from the house and refused to speak about him. She opened up a dry-goods store and sewed clothes in the back room, working overtime to pay off the debts that her husband had left behind, even though legally she was not obligated to pay them.
One thing his mother did not destroy were the books his father had left behind, books by Tolstoy and Dickens. One of Kunitz’s favorite books was the dictionary. He said:
“I used to sit in that green Morris chair and open the heavy dictionary on my lap, and find a new word every day. It was a big word, a word like eleemosynary or phantasmagoria — some word that, on the tongue, sounded great to me, and I would go out into the fields and I would shout those words, because it was so important that they sounded so great to me. And then eventually I began incorporating them into verses, into poems. But certainly my thought in the beginning was that there was so much joy playing with language that I couldn’t consider living without it.”
His first job as a boy was riding his horse down the streets of Worcester and lighting the gas lamps at night. He became a reporter for the Worcester Telegram, went to Harvard, and stayed for his master’s degree. He wanted to pursue his Ph.D., but the head of the English department at Harvard told him that Anglo-Saxon students would resent being taught by a Jew.
So he moved to a big farm in Connecticut, and worked as a reporter and farmer. He sold fresh herbs to markets in Hartford. Kunitz was drafted into World War II, and when he came back he was offered a teaching position at Bennington College. In 1949 the college tried to expel one of his students — Groucho Marx’s daughter Miriam — right before her graduation because she had violated a curfew. Kunitz helped organize a protest of the decision and the president of Bennington showed up at his house and told him to stop immediately. Kunitz took the plant that he was potting and threw it in the president’s face, then quit.
He published two books, but both were barely noticed. He was so unknown that his third book, Selected Poems (1958), was rejected by eight publishers — three of them refused to even read it. When it was finally published it won the Pulitzer Prize. When someone asked W.H. Auden why nobody knew about Stanley Kunitz, Auden said: “It’s strange, but give him time. A hundred years or so. He’s a patient man.”
It was more than 10 years before he published his next book, The Testing Tree (1971), and slowly but surely, people began to take notice. He was appointed the poet laureate when he was 95 years old. He died at the age of 100.
He said, “It is out of the dailiness of life that one is driven into the deepest recesses of the self.”
 

share food, clothing, company, childcare……

29 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

by jeannepoland in Poetry Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

pents06

According to The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by A.E. Waite, the Six of Pentacles is described as the following:
A person in the guise of a merchant weighs money in a pair of scales and distributes it to the needy and distressed. It is a testimony to his own success in life, as well as to his goodness of heart.
Divinatory Meanings: Presents, gifts, gratification another account says attention, vigilance now is the accepted time, present prosperity, etc.
Reversed: Desire, cupidity, envy, jealousy, illusion.
Today’s tarot card, the Six of Pentacles, is about finding a balance in the give and take in your life and generosity. It’s a sign that you may need to start to donate more of your wealth to the less fortunate.
Or, on a less materialistic level, the Six of Pentacles could mean that you have a great gift that you need to share more. If you possess wise and healing words, speak them more often; if you have a calming aura, be there more to soothe people’s stresses.
Today’s card is telling you that if you have more than enough, give it away to someone to someone in need. When you’re struggling, and someone offers a helping hand, take the help and express your appreciation. This will help keep balance and harmony in your life and the lives of those around you.
What does the Six of Pentacles want you to donate?
This card is a reminder of how good it feels to share. When you have an excess of something that someone else needs, rather than throw it away, give it to someone who actually needs it.
It also wants you to know that it’s not just money that can you can donate. If you don’t need or use something and another person needs it, you should give it away to keep the balance.
Here are some things other than money that you can donate to others:

  • Bring food to your local food bank.
  • Give away clothing that you no longer wear or fit.
  • Spend your spare time to give company to the lonely elderly in nursing homes.
  • Use some of your time and energy to reading books for children at the library.
    Keep in mind that it doesn’t take a millionaire to be generous and kind to those in need.
    Why is it important to donate?
    The Six of Pentacles is here to deliver the same message as karma—give out good, and you shall receive good in return. If you are generous with what you have now, people will be helpful with you whenever you find yourself in need in the future and return the favor.
    Contributing to your community is a great way to make a positive impact on it. The Six of Pentacles wants you to know that you’re also working towards giving yourself a healthy living environment when you work towards building a healthy community.
    Being generous can also be good for your health. It can lower your blood pressure and reduce stress levels. A study conducted by the Queensland University of Technology found out that the more you donate, the lower your stress levels go.
    Research done by the University of Oregon also shows that giving to the less fortunate activates the part in your brain that makes you feel pleasure and contentment.
    What can you do to give your life the balance the Six of Pentacles asks for?
    Get involved with a local charity in your community. Look into what sort of charities are active in your community. Find one that interests you and find out how you can get involved or show your support.
    Go through your stuff and figure out what you no longer need. If you feel that your home needs a little purge and clean-up, go through all your things. Figure out what you need and don’t need. Donate anything you no longer use to a local homeless shelter or non-profit organization.
    Be accepting of what is given to you. If help is offered to you and you need it, don’t be afraid to accept it. Express gratitude and appreciation for everything you are offered or given. Always respond to kindness with more kindness.

My Guardian Angel: Haniel:

28 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

angelHaniel

Bible scripture according to this name: Proverb 16:9
“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.”
Latin name: Liberum Arbitrium
Meaning: Free Will
Imaginative and emotional, Archangel Haniel is the embodiment of womanly intuition and imagination. She is a strongly feminine angel that is tied to the Netzach Sephirot, which is the emanation of God’s will that denotes the beginning of giving mankind free will. She is often associated with images of the full moon, which also happens to the best time to seek her assistance, or guidance, for extremely important matters.
No matter what your gender is though, Archangel Haniel grants all those who are born with her as a Guardian Angel a special sense of intuition and the potential for a very strong imagination. These two gifts are seen as excellent examples of free will, which flourish when the mind is unbound and undirected. She is also seen as the embodiment of emotions, which are also seen as a defining trait for mankind. The full moon is a perfect icon for her as it has been a great source of inspiration for mankind’s imagination, and is a strong image that can evoke many different emotions.
My Friend, to embrace and be guided by Haniel, let your imagination run free as you envision having a conversation with her, in which you beseech her for guidance, or assistance. Keep your mind open though, because it is not uncommon to receive her answer in an imaginative way.

I Now Invite You To Learn The First Angelical Message Haniel Was Anxious To Communicate To You Through Me
Luck and You: Your Creativity Creates Good Luck
Your Guardian Angel, Haniel, wants you to know that you can create your own luck. While there are times when its seems the outcome of a situation is left purely to chance, you can generally find a way to turn the odds to your favor. Your boundless imagination and keen intuition can help guide you through such situations in a way that seems most remarkable.
This natural tendency towards luck means you can have a very fun and fruitful life. If, however, you find that your luck seems to be wanting, or not good, take time to call upon your Guardian Angel for guidance. Archangel Haniel can help you unlock your creativity to find a solution to any problem that may be holding you back.
Money and You: A Keen Imagination is Advantageous
Archangel Haniel tends to truly inspire the minds of those born under her guidance. This tendency towards creativity can result in rather lucrative potential for your career, or any endeavor you make that stands to provide income. Keep in mind though, nothing is simply given and you must work to hone and utilize your inborn talents.
Should you find yourself searching for something more fulfilling than what you are currently doing, remember to stop and take some time to really assess your situation with an open and imaginative mind. With your blessed imagination and potential intuition, you can make the most of any situation, as well as find new ways to utilize what you have.
If you ever find that you are unable to unlock your creative potential, call upon Haniel to help you find your way. Not only should you have faith in your Guardian Angel, you should have faith in yourself. Doubt and second guessing can often muffle a person’s creativity, which can greatly impact the quality of their life and finances. Believe in yourself and the talents Archangel Haniel bestows upon you and your life will be rich and fulfilling.
Love and You: Love is an Adventure
Your love life, like your other relationships, is often filled with adventure and wonder. The creativity of your imagination and strong intuition allow you to easily read the emotional state of others and to find things that you both can enjoy and bond over.
For your most intimate of relationships, it is important to you that your partner supports your creativity. Marriage in particular can be a bit of a challenge since it calls for two people to learn how to negotiate emotions and to often make comprises as you work to knit a new life from two. However, keep in mind that not everything can be a compromise, at the core of any marriage is still two individual personalities, or two nations, that have created a strong accord without losing their identities. So in the end, you must support one another when it comes to the day-to-day things, but there must be acceptance and understanding in regards to your creativity and intuition.
At times you may find it hard to control your creativity, or your intuition may seem a bit off. When this throws your relationships into discord, take time have counsel with Haniel. It is not uncommon, and rather easy, to let your imagination run a bit too wild, which can interfere with your intuition. Always take time to be calm and reflect upon your actions and the reactions of others to help ensure your relationships stay balanced and inspiring.
To sum up, my friend, it’s clear to me that you’re destined to a better future when you act on your Guardian Angel’s great plan.

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts.

Peter 4:10-11

It’s your Guardian Angel’s plan to INCREASE you. To open new doors that will take you to places that you’ve never imagined. There is something big in your future. Haniel has something planned out for you. Big breakthroughs. Big opportunities. As long as you live according to this plan.

Your Guardian Angel knows you very well my friend. Haniel asked me to clarify some questions that you may be thinking right now: You may be wondering why is this happening now? You’ve been in this thing too long. Why haven’t I got this earlier? So let me take a few moments to explain this.

First, rest assured that your Guardian Angel knows your dream and is committed to make it a reality. So if you wondered why were there times for every step forward, you took two steps backward.

Well, the reason is your Guardian Angel has a plan for you and it’s better than your plan. All those setbacks contained valuable lessons to learn from. Life lessons that Haniel feel are essential to your overall personal growth.

In other words, your Guardian Angel never wastes a step. Every step, good or bad, happens for a reason. If you follow the plan, you will be rewarded.
Haniel says: Have Faith…
Remember Joseph in the Bible?

This is the story that Haniel wanted me to share with you. The story of Joseph.

It looked like God made a mess of his life. You know the story. He had a dream of “The Sun, Moon and the eleven stars bowing down to him”. It signified a life of influence and power.

But instead… his brothers, out of jealousy, threw him into a pit. He was sold as a slave to Egypt. Thereafter, thrown into prison.

Now observed to what he learned in prison. He learned to to deal with deceptive people. He learned that God can use him to feed hungry people. He learned about food service.

While he was working as a slave, he was learning all about people as well. He learned how to run things and it may have looked like “Well, this is not the dream”. The dream was the whole world bowing down to him.

But God has a plan for him. He has lined up something big that can catapult Joseph to a whole new level. All these hardships were to train him. He was getting training in food service and in areas that seemed insignificant but that was exactly what he needed.

Because with God by his side, God never wastes a step… even when it seems like a bad step, for there’s always a powerful life lesson waiting for you to learn from it.

And as Joseph lived to God’s plan, he was rewarded. The Pharaoh of Egypt made Joseph the Chief Minister, the most influential person in all known world at that time. His wisdom and planning saved lives of people from not only Egypt but many other nations.

My Friend, Your Time Has Come To Be Catapulted Forward… To Something Big
There are times when it seems like your dream just isn’t going to happen. There are times when steps you’re taking don’t seemed to be going forward… they seemed to be going backwards.

But my friend, your Guardian Angel never wastes a step. Sometimes when walking with your Guardian Angel, they put you in a BIG SLINGSHOT.

And you know what you do when you got something on a slingshot? You pull it backwards. And sometimes even when you’re in perfect alignment with your Guardian Angel, instead of advancing you…

He pulls you back… pulls you back… pulls you back… pulls you back till the point you say, “This isn’t the dream.”

And that is what God did to Joseph. God got Joseph in his big old slingshot and he keeps pulling it back… lower and lower… further and further from what God promised him.

But remember, God never wastes a step.

There was a purpose behind every Joseph’s setback. But when the time was right. When God sensed he had taught Joseph what he needed to know. He lets him go, he releases the slingshot, to catapult Joseph to the throne of Egypt.

And this what you’re experiencing now. You’ve been on this big old slingshot of your Guardian Angel… and every “backward step” you’re put through is for your own good, so you can catapulted forward when the time comes.

The good news is, the time is ripe now. Your Guardian Angel is hinting you. It’s time for you to act on your Angelic Plan for Abundance, and I can be the interpreter.

If you ask for help today, I can complete your Angelic Plan for Abundance, so you can follow the path your Guardian Angel has charted for you to realize your new future.

You Have My Full Support When You Take My Hand Today
My Friend, you’re not living the life of your dreams now. And a simple decision can change all that.

But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

James 1:23-25

Everything is here for you: abundance in wealth, love and maybe even fame.

If this is what you truly desire my friend, and I know it is because that is why you sought me out, then I strongly encourage you to continue on this journey with me. You have my full support. I feel and see that you have all the qualities you need to become someone whose dreams are realized.

But you MUST act now my friend, and take my hand today.

I’m pushing you to move forward because you deserve a better life, one filled with luck, love and money. You deserve much better than what you’ve received so far.

Image by jeannepoland

Be your own bank…

27 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

by jeannepoland in Poetry Tags: ,

The intuitive transfer from the Divine to You is Strong…

savings

It’s time to be your own bank!

The intuitive transfer from the Divine to you is strong!
This card means you have been accurately listening to your angels and the Divine and your angels wanted to assure you that those messages are true. Those little gut feelings you’ve been getting, the twinge in the back of your head, continue to heed those and you’ll remain on the right path.
The Universe is on your side, sending you intuitive messages as well and now, more than ever, is the time to listen to your angel’s guidance!
Trust your intuition.
Your body can feel changes and shifts in energy even before your brain catches up to it. That’s why listening to the transfer of intuitive feelings is so important! Your body is already telling you when something is very, very wrong.
When you feel tense about something but have no reason to be, take a quick moment to check with yourself. Ask your body why it’s tensed up. The reply may come as thoughts, feelings, even occasionally as images or words, but the reply will come.
There’s something about the situation that’s off, perhaps a person who may not be all that they seem, or a situation that could hurt you or your spiritual journey. By that same token, when you feel light and as though you’re floating, ask your body what’s going on. Express your gratitude for the situation and listen for the answer. You’re on the right path!
When in doubt, ask your angels.
It can be hard to simply trust your intuition and act on it. Remember that your angels are always right beside you, waiting for you to ask for guidance.
The transfer of energy between you and someone else can be so subtle that not even your body knows exactly what’s going on, just that something is. Then, rely on your angels to pass the message from your body to your mind. They will deliver the message with perfect timing and you will know which path you should take.
This card means you have been accurately listening to your angels and the Divine and your angels wanted to assure you that those messages are true. Those little gut feelings you’ve been getting, the twinge in the back of your head, continue to heed those and you’ll remain on the right path.
The Universe is on your side, sending you intuitive messages as well and now, more than ever, is the time to listen to your angel’s guidance!
Trust your intuition.
There’s something about the situation that’s off, perhaps a person who may not be all that they seem, or a situation that could hurt you or your spiritual journey. By that same token, when you feel light and as though you’re floating, ask your body what’s going on. Express your gratitude for the situation and listen for the answer. You’re on the right path!
Whether life feels empty or happy,
prayer makes good lives complete.Talk…

When in doubt, ask your angels.
It can be hard to simply trust your intuition and act on it. Remember that your angels are always right beside you, waiting for you to ask for guidance.
The transfer of energy between you and someone else can be so subtle that not even your body knows exactly what’s going on, just that something is. Then, rely on your angels to pass the message from your body to your mind. They will deliver the message with perfect timing and you will know which path you should take.
Trust the Universe to be on your side.
Sometimes your intuition will speak when you’re alone and then it’s a matter of listening to the Universe around you. The Universe has its own energy that fluctuates and will also trigger that intuitive transfer. The more you listen the easier it will become to listen, and the easier it will become to act on the information you’re receiving.
You may be picking up on the energy of the place you’re in, for instance, and it may be wonderful and soothing, or it may be stagnant and bitter. Trust your instincts and, when necessary, consult with your angels for clarity.
When you share your intuitive feelings, others will follow.
It’s easy to keep your intuition to yourself, but what’s the point of not sharing? Sure, some feelings will be personal, or only affect you, but the rest of them can be shared with the people you’re with. Simply speaking up that you felt creeped out by someone will allow others to come forward with their own intuitive feelings.
Conversely when you feel loved and full of light, tell others and spread that joy to them as well. Many people aren’t as in-tune with their intuitive transfer as you are, and a small push is all they’ll need to realize they’re feeling the same way.
One of the best gifts you can give someone is the freedom to express themselves, and that definitely includes intuitive thoughts and feelings. You never know what string of events you’ll set off by listening to and following your instincts.

tranquility…

26 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

by jeannepoland in Poetry Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free


by William Wordsworth

It is a beauteous evening, calm and free,


The holy time is quiet as a nun


Breathless with adoration; the broad sun


Is sinking down in its tranquility;
The gentleness of heaven broods o’er the sea:


Listen! the mighty Being is awake,


And doth with his eternal motion make


A sound like thunder—everlastingly.


Dear Child! dear Girl! that walkest with me here,


If thou appear untouched by solemn thought,


Thy nature is not therefore less divine:


Thou liest in Abraham’s bosom all the year,


And worship’st at the Temple’s inner shrine,


God being with thee when we know it not.

 
“It is a Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free” by William Wordsworth. Public domain.

Sharing goodness of heart grows abundance…

25 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

by jeannepoland in Poetry Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

pents06

Six of Pentacles
According to The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by A.E. Waite, The Six of Pentacles is described as the following:
A person in the guise of a merchant weighs money in a pair of scales and distributes it to the needy and distressed. It is a testimony to his own success in life, as well as to his goodness of heart.
Divinatory Meanings: Presents, gifts, gratification another account says attention, vigilance now is the accepted time, present prosperity, etc.
Reversed: Desire, cupidity, envy, jealousy, illusion.
The central figure on the Six of Pentacles card is dressed as a merchant, but he doesn’t act how we expect him to. We imagine a merchant as someone who takes our money away; here, the merchant is giving to those in need.
According to The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by A.E. Waite, The Six of Pentacles is described as the following:
A person in the guise of a merchant weighs money in a pair of scales and distributes it to the needy and distressed. It is a testimony to his own success in life, as well as to his goodness of heart.
Divinatory Meanings: Presents, gifts, gratification another account says attention, vigilance now is the accepted time, present prosperity, etc.
Reversed: Desire, cupidity, envy, jealousy, illusion.
The central figure on the Six of Pentacles card is dressed as a merchant, but he doesn’t act how we expect him to. We imagine a merchant as someone who takes our money away; here, the merchant is giving to those in need.

It’s easy to simplify this concept: it’s sharing.
How to share is one of the earliest lessons we learn as children. From letting a sibling have a turn with a toy to taking a break from hogging the swing set, we listened—or protested—as the adults in our lives tried to instill in us ideas of fairness. We learned that when we shared and came to appreciate another child’s joy, we were happy we did.
Sharing Our Time
But those early childhood days were simpler than today. We understood sharing then because we had little to give. How does an adult with complex responsibilities and relationships share?
Do they take the kids only on weekends? Do they buy a timeshare house and spend half the year in Mexico?
According to The Pictorial Key to the Tarot by A.E. Waite, The Six of Pentacles is described as the following:
A person in the guise of a merchant weighs money in a pair of scales and distributes it to the needy and distressed. It is a testimony to his own success in life, as well as to his goodness of heart.
Divinatory Meanings: Presents, gifts, gratification another account says attention, vigilance now is the accepted time, present prosperity, etc.
Reversed: Desire, cupidity, envy, jealousy, illusion.
The central figure on the Six of Pentacles card is dressed as a merchant, but he doesn’t act how we expect him to. We imagine a merchant as someone who takes our money away; here, the merchant is giving to those in need.

It’s easy to simplify this concept: it’s sharing.
How to share is one of the earliest lessons we learn as children. From letting a sibling have a turn with a toy to taking a break from hogging the swing set, we listened—or protested—as the adults in our lives tried to instill in us ideas of fairness. We learned that when we shared and came to appreciate another child’s joy, we were happy we did.
Sharing Our Time
But those early childhood days were simpler than today. We understood sharing then because we had little to give. How does an adult with complex responsibilities and relationships share?
Do they take the kids only on weekends? Do they buy a timeshare house and spend half the year in Mexico?

Perhaps they have money to spare, so they donate. That is what the merchant on the Six of Pentacles is doing, but do not be distracted by the depiction of coins on the card. Remember that it is representative—there are myriad ways we are sharing and being generous in our daily lives without any finances involved.
Consider your life today. Between how many people, jobs, and activities do you share your energies between?
Imagine Your Life as a Timeshare
Let’s think for a moment about a simple sharing example: the timeshare.
If you were to buy a timeshare property, you would get a certain amount of time per year where the property was your very own. The rest of the year, others would live there, experience the same house, and get to know the neighborhood as you did.
You all benefit. A timeshare is a cheaper way to be able to have a vacation home, but it also means that a single property impacts more lives. More families have the ability to make memories there. People with a wider range of incomes can explore other parts of the world for longer periods of time.
Now, imagine the twenty-four hours in your days as if they were a timeshare. Who gets what, and when? When do you carve out time for yourself? Before the busyness of life takes over today, spend a few moments considering what you are sharing in your life.
Pretend you are the wealthy merchant on the Six of Pentacles card, and his coins are the different parts of your day. Is there a type of sharing in your day that makes you feel happy that the other person has gained something from you? Is there a type of sharing that causes you stress and leaves you feeling like you don’t quite have enough left over?
Then, as you go about your day, reflect on how you feel as sharing happens. Good, because those you shared with appreciated what you gave them? Bad, because you were left with too little to take care of yourself with?
At the end of your day, take a few moments to consider what you have learned. Decide if there are any boundaries you need to draw to make your life a healthy kind of timeshare. A timeshare is great, but this changes when someone treats the property poorly and leaves lasting damage.
Finding Balance
Remember that the Six of Pentacles merchant gives to others, but not to the point that he is suffering himself. Balance is key.
Stay meditative as you share your time, your emotions, and your efforts today.

Use your natural vibrations to reach the universe…

24 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

by jeannepoland in Poetry Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

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Report from the West


by Tom Hennen

Snow is falling west of here. The mountains have more than a 
foot of it. I see the early morning sky dark as night. I won’t lis
ten to the weather report. I’ll let the question of snow hang.
 Answers only dull the senses. Even answers that are right often
 make what they explain uninteresting. In nature the answers
 are always changing. Rain to snow, for instance. 
 Nature can 
let the mysterious things alone—wet leaves plastered to tree
  trunks, the intricate design of fish guts. The way we don’t fall 
off the earth at night when we look up at the North Star. The 
way we know this may not always be so. The way our dizziness 
makes us grab the long grass, hanging by our fingertips on the 
edge of infinity.

Tom Hennen, “Report from the West” from Darkness Sticks to Everything: Collected and New Poems. Copyright © 2013 by Tom Hennen. Used by permission of The Permissions Company, LLC on behalf of Copper Canyon Press, http://www.coppercanyonpress.org

Each of you can change the world…

23 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

by jeannepoland in Poetry Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

talisman_secret

The Days of Light Talisman by Elissa

gets rid of all negative energy blocks

It’s the birthday of Vera Rubin, the American astronomer who discovered dark matter; she was born in 1928 in Philadelphia. She told an oral historian that she traced her interest in astronomy to her childhood when her bedroom wall was lined with windows and she became fascinated by the movement of the stars. Despite her male high school physics teacher’s admonition that she “stay away from science,” she majored in astronomy at Vassar College, graduating in 1948. She described creative discoveries as happening when one gets “hung up on these little interesting things.” Many have said her discovery of dark matter should have won her a Nobel Prize; she never received one.

Exactly 48 years after her own college graduation she told the graduating class at Berkeley,

“Each one of you can change the world, for you are made of star stuff, and you are connected to the universe.”

Who is the thirteenth apostle?

22 Jul 2021 Leave a comment

by jeannepoland in Poetry Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Today, July 22nd is the Feast Day of St. Mary Magdalene, the woman most cited in the New Testament, and one of my favorite saints—if I were to choose! As we have not yet resumed our mid-week healing Eucharist with reflection upon the saints, or Images newsletter I wanted to share with you a few thoughts.

Let’s begin with her name: Mary (or Miriam) is a rather common name in the Bible. Yet her Aramaic epithet “magdala” is not, which means elevated, great, or watchtower; in some ancient texts she is referred to as “tower-ess” or “tower woman.” Perhaps too, “Magdalene” is an epithet given to her by Jesus. Magdala can also refer to a place or town, and indeed there was a town on the shores of Galilee known as “Magdala Nunaiya” or “tower of fish,” where she may have been born and raised.

Any of these possibilities suggest that Mary Magdalene was an unusually independent if not solitary woman who began following Jesus after he cast out seven demons from her. She is noted in all four canonical Gospels, and is one of only three enduring disciples and witnesses to the crucifixion at the foot of the cross. But her most critical role is at the Resurrection where she is alone at the tomb or with a group of woman (her companions vary). In either case, Mary Magdalene is the key figure in the story, and the one to whom Jesus first reveals his resurrection. The risen Jesus then sends her forth—a lowly woman—to proclaim the “good news” to the other disciples. Thus Mary Magdalene is the apostle—the one sent forth—to the Apostles. 

Yet despite, or because of, her prominent role in the Gospels, Mary Magdalene was cast early on as a sinful woman and prostitute, and it was not until 1969 that the Church officially recanted this unfounded characterization. In iconography, legend and myth, she is often portrayed passionately—her body moving and in motion, falling, reaching, turning, touching, on her knees—the transport of profound emotion in her anguished and tearful countenance. Her hair (and even body) is uncovered or loosed from its braid, suggestive of a desiring and sexual nature. Often seen in a red dress or cloak, she grasps and clings to the cross. But the color red is not a symbol of harlotry but of true love, or caritas. She is also depicted as the penitent confessed of sin; transformed, she cradles an egg and skull, symbols of new life and wisdom.

Mary Magdalene has been and remains a primary symbol of hope, for the message inherent in her story and imagery is that of transformation. Whether our own transformation be corporeal or spiritual, or both, like the Magdalene our surrender into God’s creative love is transfiguring and generative. May we be inspired by St. Mary Magdalene to become symbols of hope and new life in Christ and bearers of God’s love.  

Faithfully, 
Mother Kathleen 

Almighty God, whose blessed Son restored Mary Magdalene to health of body and of mind, and called her to be a witness of his resurrection: Mercifully grant that by your grace we may be healed from all our infirmities and know you in the power of his unending life; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen. 

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