In the start of a new year, take a look at the wise reflections of Quaker Howard H. Brinton

Religion, spirituality, social actions, politics, etc.! so often fail.
All human thoughts and actions, seem given to near constant divisive fragmentation--to one extreme or another; almost always leaving us humans unbalanced, often distorted in our quest for truth.

As Quaker Howard H. Brinton insightfully explained in Friends for 300 Years this fragmentation even happens to renewal movements including the Friends who came into being for the very purpose of regaining the wholistic truth.

Yet the Quaker movement itself has swung amongst 4 different poles, seldom seeming to walk in balance and wholeness.

An excerpt by Brinton:
--
CHAPTER 10
Quaker Thought and the Present

"Through the three centuries of Quaker history the four primary elements present in all religion have at different times exerted their influence in varying degrees."

"During the first century and a half mysticism and evangelicalism were in balance in the group as a whole though many individuals tended to stress one or the other;

during the nineteenth century mysticism and evangelicalism were in conflict, each pressing the other to extremes in the group as a whole, though in many individuals the two were in balance;

and during the past half century rationalism and humanitarianism have assumed greater prominence, sometimes becoming dominant, though here again there are some individuals in whom the four tendencies are in balance."

"The best type of religion is one in which the mystical, the evangelical, the rational and the social are so related that each exercises a restraint on the others.
Too exclusive an emphasis on mysticism results in a religion which is individualistic, subjective and vague;

too dominant an evangelicalism results in religion which is authoritarian, creedal and external;
too great an emphasis on rationalism results in a cold, intellectual religion which appeals only to the few;

too engrossing a devotion to the social gospel results in a religion which, in improving the outer environment, ignores defects of the inner life which cause the outer disorder."
"In Quakerism the optimum is not equality in rank of the four elements. The mystical is basic."
--

Brinton goes on to warn against "vitalism which worships the life-force in its biological sense" and the other distortions of true spirituality.

About the only point where I disagree with Brinton is when he says the 4 qualities "each exercise a restraint on the others."

It is rather that when most open to the LIGHT, the 4 parts of true spiritual reality relate/commune, giving a redeeming uplift of each other.

Read Friends for 300 Years (it has been updated to Friends for 350 Years)
and be not only intellectually enlightened, but raised up in the LIGHT!

Daniel Wilcox

Live in the Light--do good actions, reject wrong ways

Here's some of the good ways
versus
wrong ways:


Good Actions and Ways:

kind, care, generous, humble, fidelity, monogamy, meticulous honesty, just,
equality, forgive, share, peace-seeking-creating, compassion, permanent-commitment, authentic,
moderation, help, bless, altruism-love, chaste, fertility, nurture, moral realism


VERSUS
Wrong Actions and Ways:

pride, abuse, promiscuous, group-national egotism, kill-slaughter-war, malice, obscene, greed, idolize what is finite, immorality, lgbtq*dq-actions, kink, fornication, porn, prostitution (sex work) adultery, lust, envy, jealousy, covet, drunkenness, stripper, slander, steal, hate, prejudice, insolent, polyamory, swindle, cheat, boastful, divorce-right, abortion-on-demand, wrath, revenge, hypocrisy, ruthless, sexual assault




In the LIGHT of the Good, the True, the Just..

Daniel Wilcox

Beauty of Quilting at Christmas

Here's a Christmas quilt to bring beauty, joy, merriness, worship, and thankfulness this Christmas.
It was created by my sweetheart, Betsy. She calls it Christmas Sparkle.
(I've added, Christmas Sparkling Vividly.)

a "son of man" present

A "son of man"

So, awe hoped the birthing
of G_d's message, new cauled
in humble manger's smells,

The base and apex of
a starred cave's presents
of all future festivals

Yet abandoned, forsaken to
the crowned world's cruel nails,
every human's done wrongs;

Farthest reach of best hope
this Apocalypso dancer
crosses our tragic history,

Morning us night-less;
he compassions earth
ever peopling progress,

Emptying the pitiless bottom
zeroing down apollyon,
bringing ever's new Present

Beloved human, Eashoa,
Jesus, child of the masses
point man for us all.



1st pub. in The The Greensilk Journal

In the LIGHT of the Good, the True, the Just, the Kind, the Caring,

Daniel Wilcox

7 O'clock News / Silent Night

Not “calm,” not “bright”...

A wondrous Christmas hymn, “Silent Night” was written by a German priest Josef Mohr in ( maybe before) 1816.
Needless to say, northern Europe in the early 1800’s was neither calm nor bright, nor holy, nor at peace, nor filled with love’s pure light, nor redeemed by grace.

There was a high infant mortality rate, crop failures, ravaging disease, and horrendous slaughter. Europe had had almost continuous, calamitous war for 25 years! No “calm” there.
Nothing bright or holy!

Napoleonic troops and anti-French troops had ravaged back and forth. 558,000 French-lead soldiers died during the campaign into Russia. In 1813, over 600,000 soldiers fought in one battle alone at Leipzig, Saxony. As many as 110,000 were killed or wounded.

Approximately 1 million or more civilian died from that war. Total deaths reached between 3 to even 6 million! Then Germany as a confederation was created from parts of the former Holy Roman Empire, but German nationalists assassinated leaders… Speaking of assassinations, that takes us back to the time of Jesus’s birth in Roman Palestine under Herod the Great in about 4 B.C.E.

Not a time of love, peace, goodness, Godliness, or light either.

Nor was Britain at the birth of the Quaker movement in the 1600’s. Strangely, not even the early Quakers waged peace, contrary to many Friends histories and popular understanding! Many of the early Quakers fought in the great slaughter of the English Civil War.

Traagically, George Fox who would later emphasize the Lamb’s War, the peaceful way of Jesus, at first urged the Puritan killer Oliver Cromwell to carry forth his holy war all the way to Rome!! “Let thy soldiers go forth…that thou may rock the nations as a cradle.”

Not at all like the cradled-manger of Jesus.

So much for “silent night, holy night”...

Instead, even with those Friends of Jesus, the Children of Light, there was an ocean of darkness at first...

Nor is there any peace and holiness in the 21st century. Multi-millions of Christian Russian Orthodox soldiers and their leaders continue to invade and slaughter thousands of innocent Ukrainians.


Hundreds of Ukrainian children have been kidnapped and taken to Christian Orthodox Russia.

Then there is the endless massacres of Palestine-Israel, the Sudan, etc.

Consider that powerful “Silent Night” meditative song by Simon and Garfunkel back in the 1960’s, also a horrific time of slaughter.

What a paradoxical contrast between the way of Jesus versus how Christians, Muslims, and Jews trash Jesus’ way now.

May we truly witness of the love and peace of God in this often Christ-less, unholy season.

Yet still hoping--despite endless despairing news--

in the Light of Care, Good, True, Just...

Daniel Wilcox

Can the Lamb’s War ever make a difference with Muslims, Jews, Christians?

Can the Lamb’s War ever make a difference with Muslims, Jews, Christians? For over 10 years, Russian Orthodox Christians including its leader have strongly supported Russia’s horrific invasion and slaughter of innocent civilian Ukrainians.

Opposing Muslims are engaged in the constant murder of untold numbers of Sudanese, and many thousands of Nigerians.

Muslim HAMAS refuse to lay down its terrorism, slaughter, raping, stealing, lying, abusing, killing continuing its slaughter of the last 40 years.

Rightwing Jewish Israel refuses to share and repent of its own past terrorism Even now Israeli settlers attack innocent Palestinian civilians in the West Bank, destroying their old olive trees, burning cars, abusing killing (while the Israeli Army stands by doing nothing!)

And countless Americans in this 21st century support these various sides in their immoral and unjust slaughters.
The tiny voice of Quakers (and other Christian pacifists) still are convinced of the truth that all war is evil and are committed to nonviolence, peace, sharing, meticulous honesty, opposition to false ideologies (whether of the Right or the Left).

But most of the time, the present seems unhopeful.

The 100 -year-old grievous injustice and tragedy—indeed evil-- Palestine/Israel is so very complicated, with both sides guilty to various degrees of blame.

However, though at least many Jewish Israelis are committed to only defense, and totally oppose the slaughter of Palestinian civilians,
but HAMAS and other Palestinians are up to 80% committed to HAMAS’s massacre of Jewish civilians, (even infants and children) Of October7th and other forms of injustice.

The important phrase, by George Fox, “the Lamb’s War” sounds great, but countless evil failures since the 1600’s are in the ‘devilish’-details of how grossly committed every nation is to putting itself FIRST, and thus justifying every war.

There are no quick answers for the extremely complex situation. For instance, I did live in Palestine/Israel in 1974, worked on a Jewish kibbutz, stayed briefly with a Palestinian family who befriended me in Nablus, and have read extensively books by both sides, etc.

For a somewhat balanced history which shows both Jewish and Muslim terrorism in the last 100 years, read Righteous Victims by Historian Benny Morris.

Conscientious peace-seekers try to live out the “Lamb’s war.” This includes the Friends School in Ramallah, nonviolent Palestinians at Bethlehem Bible College, etc.

Eli Chacour, a Christian priest, as documented in BLOOD BROTHERS, his memoir, has spent years practicing the Lamb’s war. He gives out the Good News to all, runs a high school of several thousands, for all peoples--Christian, Muslim, Druse, Jew, Atheist.

Chacour's father, a Palestinian said that they needed to love
the Jews (when the Jews were escaping to the M.E.) but later
the Israeli army kidnapped him and Chacour's brother
and dumped them in a foreign country, then they blew up
their Catholic church and drove all of them
out of their town. Chacour and others have never been allowed by the Israeli government to return to their home! Yet Chacour still shows Jesus’ love to the Jewish people!
In years past, the famous “Brother Andrew” tried to bring Jew and Arab together. He even visited a few HAMAS leaders and shared Jesus’ way.

Most Palestinian Muslims and Israelis Jews refuse to truly seek just peace.
Tragically, many American Christians support one side of war or the other.

Books worthy of reading:

Righteous Victims (900 page fair history) of Palestine-Israel in the last 100 years
by Benny Morria

Once Upon a Country: A Palestinian Life by Sari Nusseibeh and Anthony David

Blessed are the Peacemakers by the former assistant mayor
of Ramallah (don't remember the name right now)
Blood Brothers by Elias Chacour
We Belong to the Land by Elias Chacour


Peace in the Light of the Lamb’s war,

Daniel Wilcox

For DOGS and their care-givers –

Hardwood Tap Dancer

At the oak door
Their young golden retriever—
Who chewed through the metal
Water pipe and flooded their rental
Townhouse
Totally—
That infamous hound, now most
Head wagging the air to tailed excess,
Greets me like his long-lost buddy
In a bounding tap dance of ‘paws’
Clack, clack, Clacking

Across their shiny hardwood floor
To a sliding dognail-scratched stop,
Frenzied movement and pointed-pup
Cold wet nosing;
With joy, he’s the wonder
Jumper
Thumper
Prancer
Dancer
Of
Dog
Here
Ness.

1st pub. in The Greensilk Journal

--


Indy Pacer Racing Down the Freeway

Taking it easy, zooming down 101,
California-coasting on a 3-dog night—

Suddenly screeching brakes--red metal tails;
Me, muttering doggish words,

I jam my stop pedal, scanning
Sluggish crawls of tired cars ahead,

Doing under 10 in the fast lane;
Where's the eye-goggled wreck?

Lo and below! way up ahead,
It’s a small mongrel, running,

Only a little blurred brush of fur
Paws fast down dim-lit pavement

In front of a Honda Civic lady;
Howling down, outrunning the moonlight

The rest of us, 'paused' gas-guzzlers hanker
Down until a Ford trucker swerves

Off the un-freeway, jumps out,
Makes a mad grab for the sprinting pooch,

But the small canine switches lanes,
Into the doggy good night, an Indy Pacer,

Ahead of our growls on this paved terrain
--One lone barking whelp, night's terrier,

Howling down, outrunning the moon
And all of us 'paused' smoking cars.


1st pub. in The Write Room poetry magazine,
and in previous pub. poetry book,
selah river
(based on actual happening)


--


The Canine Trail Memorial

Puppy pulling on his collared leash,
In the verdant high rolling hills of San Ramon,

We wind along a lariat of blacktop,
Two 2-legs and their best friend, at a dogtrot,

This weaving trail sequestered
In the intertwining valleys,

Resorts and multi-million homes,
Below green cattle-grazing heights.

Yes, we fast-pace this pedigreed path
Through lush grass near sunset,

Sol's corona glow lowing in the west.
At a cross-path, we stop, hug and brush

Our Black Lab pup,
"Atta boy, ;Scout.”

Next to us rises up a short telephone-pole
Banded with 33 canine collars in rainbow

Colors and dangling metal ornaments.
A modern totem, it's a pooch memorial

To beloved deceased barkers who led
And sniffed this trail, their caring givers

Out for sunset dog-pulled hurried strolls.
But as we ascend from that canine shrine

Headed back In the hilly shaded dusk,
I, in a muttering "tailing" mood,

Lean over to my wife and whisper low,
While giving Scout a hug, "Doggone it."


1st pub. in vox poetica
and the pub. poetry book,
selah river

In the Light,
Daniel Wilcox