2020: A Decade as a Bahai

      I do not yet personaly know anyone who has been infected by the virus (praise God!). In my state (Oklahoma) cases may be plateauing for the moment, but I believe much bigger spikes are yet to come. The winter will be much worse. In Norman there is a city wide mandate that masks must be worn when outside of your home. Some people remain sheltered in their places of residence hoping to avoid the plague as much as possible. And now there is a national coin shortage because people have been indoors and not spending hard money lately. It has mostly been with plastic/online. I try to use exact change whenever possible. That's my advice for you too. And also that you should wear a mask if possible. The states continue to be brutally hot with temperatures in the 90s and occasionally in the 100s. The humidity in Oklahoma is criminal. We had an almost non-existent tornado season.

    I have been studying monotheism in depth for awhile and God seems to be shifting me towards more Pagan practices. As a Baha'i, I accept this as another route to the Divine and does not contradict my faith in my opinion. I became a Baha'i in August of 2011. Previous to that I walked the left hand path, so that was a interesting remanifestation of my spiritual practices. I didn't "convert" to become a Baha'i. Rather, I discovered that I already was one, except now I discovered a name for my path. The transition was not nearly as dramatic as one might expect. In fall of that same year God introduced Herself in a most dramatic fashion. But, I was ever great full for it and remain eternally so. It seems like it was yesterday that I declared myself a Baha'i, even though it's been almost a decade. I still consider myself new to the faith. How time flies!

     A young Indian astrologer has predicted that the pandemic will hit harder in December. I believe it will disappear not long after that, though it could stay for a total of three or more rounds.

      

Saturnalia Special Edition

      Merry Christmas and merry Saturnalia. Why Saturnalia? Because grinches are doing good (bad) work at destroying Christmas for me this year, so rather than associate the beloved holiday of Christmas (it is vary sacred to me) with misery and living hell-on-earth, I will be observing the Pagan tradition with liberal flexibility towards "revisionism". For me it will be a very UNIQUE Xmas. Christmas is very sanctified to me for multiple reasons which include (but are not limited to):

*the childhood magic of Christmas

*I rue Santa deniers. We all know there is a Santa, that the earth is round and that God made it. If that offends you then why the hell would you be reading my blog? Seriously, who does that?

*I was baptized into the LDS church while in Marine Corps boot camp on Christmas Day, 2003.

*When I explored the Left Hand Path, Christmas has a certain atmosphere conducive to my recollection of that wintry time in my life. It is good. Not a bad thing.

*I spent Christmas season of 2012 (Mayan Apocalypse) with the teenage kids and girlfriend at the time. We were a family and that meant so much to me for that period of time, I can honestly say that her kids gave me the happiest moment of my entire life. They were the best Christmas Gift I could ever ask for and the memory of it warms my heart to this day and gives me a reason to be alive.

     I saw the following posted on Face Book and thought I should reproduce it here (thank you 'copy & paste') since I agree with it:

If you're offended by "Baby It's Cold Outside" you're going to have a tough go of it in life. And so are your kids.

First, you are completely ignoring the fact that the song is 74 years old--when women were ladies and men were gentlemen.

Her "protest" was typical of a way a lady would speak to a man instead of just downing some drinks and hopping into bed with him.

No one seems offended by that, but you hear that crap on the radio ALL YEAR LONG.

Men actually had to court women back in those days, a subtle dance that for both men and women no longer exists. Sad but true.

Secondly, "what's in this drink?" does not imply that she was roofied, or at least it didn't in 1944. Get a grip.

She's obviously deflecting her indecision toward her drink, which again, came with the times. She was not being drugged.

(Should we stop watching The Wizard of Oz because when they fall asleep in the poppy fields that means Dorothy is on heroin?)

Moreover, what are you worried is going to happen?? That people will hear this song, completely misinterpret the lyrics (as you obviously have) and then decide to go date rape someone?

Or maybe you're worried about your children and what they will think when they hear it? Gee, maybe it's the perfect teachable moment to actually sit down and have a conversation with your child about how men and women USED to be. Most notably, NOT offended by every stinking thing that crossed their path.

Yes, I agree, Rudolph gets bullied in the animated version of "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer." Aaaaand?? Wasn't that the point of the whole story??

It's the ultimate story of redemption and turning the other cheek and doing what you gotta do in the face of adversity.

He was called a bunch of names by his peers but shook it off and guided Santa's sleigh anyway--in the fog no less!

Is there a better or more stoic way to flip a red nosed middle finger at some jealous reindeer?

What if Rudolph was just offended and cried and sulked off and went to his room and that was the end of the story? A really stupid story, that's what.

Last but not least, have you seen violent video games or watched modern TV or listened to modern radio? 

And you're still worried about a 74 year old Christmas song? Have you lost your mind!?

If you are still offended by these things, good. BE OFFENDED. 

But please don't imply that the rest of us lack morals or good judgement, especially when it comes to parenting.

If you want to raise your kids to be on the lookout and offended at every little thing that they might not understand or agree with, have at it.

I will be watching Rudolph when it's cold outside.

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      True America is falling. We can try and preserve it and save it, or we can give it up to the neopolitik fascism coming over the American society like a plague of locusts. Its awakening a violent, hateful, loveless and dark quagmire in our nation and I can't stand it. No one who is a true patriot and American can stand to see our country bruised like it has been. In our age of 'fear of terrorism' we have become blind to see the real terrorists. It is us. We are the ones ripping it apart. It isn't foreign extremists, or Muslims, or immigrant caravans or foreign invaders. It is bigotry and hate and cold heart and lack of spirit that runs epidemic like a plague through our communities. We have created this golem-this tumor that is eating our country and if we don't light the candle of love in our hearts, our country will be destroyed. Not by North Korean Missiles or Iranian cyber attacks, Chinese invasion or Russian collusion. It will be us. Your neighbor. YOU. FIX OUR WORLD. IT IS SICK IT NEEDS A NURSE. They say charity begins in the heart...that is also where the route of this carcinogen is. In our hearts. Fix your heart and love. Do whatever you have to do to feel it, but find it and bring it out.

     We have very little time left, before the cancer metastasizes and we will see a "new world order" and not a healthy one. It is too late to change that fact. It is coming and is upon us. It is necessary. But, it will get much worse, before we see the best part. I don't tell you this with negativity. I tell it to you with hope. It it necessary that this cycle of things must complete itself and we are at zero hour. Very soon we will see the world shaken to its very limbs by some great cataclysm that will nearly destroy civilization. It will probably be in the form of atomic exchange. Whatever it is, it will be society putting a gun to its own head and pulling the trigger. We have many, many toys laying arounf that are perfect for such a thing. Our sharpest scientists have manifested them through invention and ingenuity.

     Through all of this LOVE. Yourself, your neighbor and as many people as you possibly can. That's the only cure for our diseased world. The medicine will hurt, but just as rubbing alchohol stings the wound, it does so because the medicine is working. We will get through this time, and coming time of crisis by looking inward and treating one another with care and compassion just as the Great Jewish Rabbi instructed us 2,000 years ago [and as have many Messengers of Divinity]. And though the date is wrong, we celebrate his birth this season. Others have different reason for celebrating yule tide, but the one thing that bonds all these divergent traditions together is that this is a a season of love. Love for one another. Charity and giving over taking. And whether you be Jew, or Christian, Buddhist or Bahai, Hindu or Muslim, Wiccan or are a brother or sister of the left hand path-whomever, whatever and where-ever you are; Happy Holidays, I send Love to you all and I hope you will do the same to each other.

     Please. Im sick of seeing us slaughtering each other in the news. Lets make schools and playgrounds and churches and theatres a safe, happy place again. A place for families to go and not have to worry about bullets or bombs from some evil person who wants to hurt people they dont even know. The Devil, the terrible destroyer is at work and he is putting in overtime. But we can beat him. Armed with love, let us put in over time too. Until it hurts.

-Seasons Blessings

Brian Hill