on Finnish independence

For the past few years now, I have had the honor of attending a party to commemorate Finnish independence. Not until reading Antti Tuuri's book Winter War, (the edition in German from Kiepenheuer Verlag) however do I understand how bravely the Finns fought for Liberty, how much they sacrificed, how greatly outnumbered they were, or how brutal was the Soviet invasion. All hail the Finnish people, they who refused to bow to tyranny and aggression. Huzzah.

mentiri factorem fecit – 場黑麥

on bucking wheat

Just now, following my intuition, I took the loaf my whole-wheat bread out of the cupboard, walked it outside, and threw it onto the compost pile. There it now sits with the bagels someone had given me earlier in the week. During a brief Wiser Self meditation last night, while working on my Forrest Yoga teacher training homework, I asked Spirit what I could do to hew the Path and realize the Tao within myself. A soft, quiet, patient voice inside me responded, telling me to get serious about this New Way and stop eating refined sugars and wheat. Perhaps if I stop toxifying my innards with lumps of gas-producing and highly processed materials, I can get my psoas muscles to loosen up and my dura to unwind. Pray it be so, aho.

mentiri factorem fecit – 場黑麥

on spider–mothers

For years, I have welcomed any spider into my house who could make her way inside. Instead of killing them or sucking them into my vacuum cleaner, I dust around them and apologize to them if I should disturb their webbing or jostle their young. I fear some of the spiders who live here, as I suspect them of being black widows, but now that I know which boxes they live in, I avoid those boxes. Some of the spiders are jumping spiders, who are harder to track and to appFor years, I have welcomed any spider into my house who could make her way inside. Instead of killing them or sucking them into my vacuum cleaner, I dust around them and apologize to them if I should disturb their webbing or jostle their young. I fear some of the spiders who live here, as I suspect them of being black widows, but now that I know which boxes they live in, I avoid those boxes. Some of the spiders are jumping spiders, who are harder to track and to appreciate because they tend to move around a lot, eschewing the building of webs; others are grand and spindly things who vibrate on their webs upon being disturbed.

I welcome these spiders because they embody Iktomi (see drawing), a First People god who created the Earth by flinging his web over its entire surface. Iktomi also taught humankind about technology; the Internet is one of his greatest gifts. I welcome them also because I gain joy from discovering these my little house-guests sitting patiently in dusty and forgotten corners, and because they catch and eat common houseflies (which I then do not have to chase down with a flyswatter and kill myself). My spider-mothers seem to like it here; they stick around and keep recruiting more of their kin in from the outside. Whereas some people collect cats, I collect spiders, a simpler house-pet that needs neither food nor drink nor rabies-shots. Aho.

mentiri factorem fecit – 場黑麥

on subtle changes

Since deciding to no longer vituperate and lambaste the American political system and Western society as a whole, I am breathing easier. No longer does this author try to hoist the problems of the world onto his shoulders, slash and burn through them, and nose around in the rubble for solutions; now, he better understands what the limits of his responsibilities are, which things are his concern, and which thoughts and rants and habits are simply no longer worthy of his time. It feels as if these americanifestos are morphing from platforms upon which a lone figure would spout and foam and rave into logbooks of one no-longer-quite-so-confused native son who is slowly learning not to lash out at everything so violently. Perhaps now, with the hatred draining from my heart and the spaces within me that once held rage and grief slowly filling up with compassion and acceptance, these American manifestos will become something truly grand, truly worthwhile, truly fitting of their name and of my heritage. We shall see, and thanks for reading. Huzzah, mahalo, and aho.

mentiri factorem fecit – 場黑麥

habit flung Westward

This morning, after nearly 12 hours of sleep, having slept in for the first time in more than a month, I took an old, stuck thought, and buried it in that most endless of burial grounds, the West. Thinking the thought – a memory of how someone had sneakily insulted me in front of some of my relatives nearly a year ago – for perhaps the thousandth time, I recognized it as a self-deprecating habit, investigated it at its root, congratulated myself for having caught myself in the process of self-mutilation, took out my little leather salt -pouch, and focused all of the negative emotions and pent-up frustrations surrounding the memory into the salt-pouch and from there into the welcoming arms of the House of Death. Black is the soil of West, and deep, and I am slowly learning how to bury my toxic and useless habits there so as to free up my energies for such thoughts and actions that will be helpful rather than detrimental to me and to mankind. Aho.

mentiri factorem fecit – 場黑麥

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eastside moonwalker - Freddie Gibbs!!!

on cascading priorities

A hard task is completed: I have chosen a name and secured a URL for my yoga practice (thousandmilesyoga.com), one that reflects my spiritual views while reminding myself and my students to take things one step at a time, one day at a time. Now, the detailed work begins, the process of lining up my pachyderms, of obtaining personal liability insurance, finalizing my logo design, getting business cards printed, and building my website from just a name to a slick and compelling cross-platform space upon which to promote my services. As each new step is completed another challenge takes its place, worms chasing snakes chasing dragons chasing pearls, rivers spilling down from high above to carve and shape the bedrock into new and exciting designs. Add to all this my efforts to clean the house and make it presentable for the guests who will soon arrive, and this author's life is busy. Oh how he has missed having so much to do. Huzzah.

mentiri factorem fecit – 場黑麥