dark and light in the spirit of our weekend

O Karma, Dharma, pudding and pie

gimme a break before I die

grant me wisdom will & wit,

purity, probity, pluck and grit.

Trustworthy, loyal, helpful and kind,

gimme great abs and a steel-trap mind,

and forgive, Ye Gods, some humble advice—

these little blessings would suffice

to beget an earthy paradise:

make the bad people good –

and the good people nice:

and before our world goes over the brink,

teach the believers how to think.

 

Philip Appleman

More Synchronicity

I heard two things on NPR today that seem relevant to our weekend:

http://www.wbur.org/npr/356045103/animated-book-of-life-celebrates-day-of-the-dead

http://onpoint.wbur.org/2014/10/14/goya-mfa-order-disorder-war-isis-spain

I have to confess I haven't been able to listen to the second one yet.

Google Docs Anyone?

Hi All,
I was thinking of John's story of how when he took over the group administration, much of the documentation and records were missing and he had to do his best to recreate them. It occurred to me that maybe we could use Google docs as a place to upload things like our mission statement, operating procedures, and even past seminar agendas -- whatever we think we want to keep for posterity and make available to attendees. Google has calendars, too, and we could use that for things like payment due dates and seminar dates. I believe it also allows you to create an email distribution. Maybe we can even link the blog to it, as it is also a Google project.


I've used some of these things a little, but is anyone really familiar with it? Or interested in researching? I can do the latter but not for a while.


P.

projection

Michael writes:

One thing I learned from our sojourn with Jung & Job is that the problem with projection is not only the individual's problem but also the planet's.  

That is, my projections don't hurt only me, which they do by forestalling my growth and leading me down dead-ends and also perhaps into deeds I will later regret).  And of course, through my actions, the people whom I dislike or idolize may be harmed.   But that is still in the sphere of the individual.

Jung argues that my projections also feed psychic energy that is objectively independent and manifests in the world. 

As I write this, I recall that Mme Blavatsky and the theosophists argue that thoughts are incorporeal entities - they live.

Spoto Sustanance 2013

Hi Everyone,
Looking forward to seeing you all and immersing ourselves in the study of the Red Book. For those of you new to the group, I'm the "snack coordinator" for the seminar. We supplement the 3 meals/day offered by the Mercy Center with some snacks for breaks and evenings, and wine to enhance our evening conviviality. I typically send out my working grocery list to see whether you have any special requests, suggestions, or dietary constraints. Here's what I base my shopping on, with some impulse buys or variation thrown in:

Shopping List

Groceries

These are generally reimbursed from the general kitty and we have a small fridge in the break room:

·         Apples – 6 pounds Macoun (had some left over); note: they are your Snack Coordinator’s favorite); If anyone wants to bring a few local apples from their area, we could do an apple tasting.

·         Grapes – 1 bunch red seedless
·         Dried apricots – 1 container

·         Almonds – salted and unsalted

·         Cheese – 3 cheeses, including cheddar, 1 goat cheese

·         Crackers for cheese (include whole grain, sesame-flavored Asian Rice Crackers; gluten-free for Mollie. Look for Diamond brand.)

·         Nuts: 1 big container (qt.-sized) mixed nuts and/or trail mix

·         1 bag hard pretzels

·         1 package pita bread

·         1 pint hummus tahini

·         2 big bags chips (corn and blue corn)

·         1 pint salsa

·         Cookies – two tubs of mini cookies

·         Yogurt: plain coffee, lemon, and cherry

·         Caffeine-free diet Coke (Angelo’s request) [Angelo: Are you on to another beverage? I seem to recall you traded in Coke for Perrier last year.]

·         3 2-liter bottles of seltzer

·         Cider

·         Vanilla soy milk

In the past, I've bought a case of assorted "value" wines from around the world and those of us who drank chipped in, but this year Nord Brue, an avid wine aficionado, offered to bring a couple of cases to share with the group.

 

These are the dietary constraints I'm already aware of:

·         Mollie cannot eat cow’s milk cheeses and yogurts, only goat’s and sheep’s milk. She also cannot eat gluten.

·         Sister Nancy needs gluten-free snacks.

Please email me at paula.spizziri@verizon.net with any input you have. See you Friday!