8th Day


On, the eighth day God blessed what he had blessed. He remembered us in him. And, with his breath he formed the pre-existent idea of our existence and reality inside of the World and him into the everlasting reality of its truth. Thus, God our Father made himself Jesus Christ (the fullness of his image and likeness in us), our King of Kings.



Figure 1 Morning Light Skips Across the Waves

Morning Blessings
(to be said upon arising)


My God, the soul you have placed… within me it is pure. You created it; You formed it; You breathed it into me; You keep it within me; and You will eventually take it from me… and return it to me in the time to come. So long as my soul is within me, I gratefully acknowledge your presence… Adonay my God and my ancestor's God, Master of all creation, Lord of all souls, Blessed are you, Adonay, who restores souls to dead corpses.


Elohay n'shamah shenataeta… bee t'horah hee. Atah boratah, atah yotzeratah, atah n'pachtah, v'atah m'smarah b'keer'bee, v'atah ateed l'talah meem'ehnay… v'l'hachazeerah bay l'ateed l'bo. Kal z'man shehan'shamah v'ker'bee modeh aenee l'pneach… Adonay elohay v'elohay a'botay, rabon kal h'maeseem aedon kal n'shamot. Baruch atah adonay ham'chaezayr n'smot l'pgadeem mateem.

1) Blessed are you, Lord, our God… Ruler…of the Universe who opens… the eyes of the blind.



Baruch atah Adonay, Elohenu… melek… h'olam, pokay'ach eevreem.



Some metaphysicians correlate ocean waves in dreams and in the collective human psyche with problems we are experiencing together. But, I see them along with the sea turtle’s return as good news signaling the coming of Christ Jesus the Messiah for the 3rd time. See http://www.ourprayergroup.blogspot.com October, November 2006 postings for more on this, along with some Biblical references to turtle doves and sea turtles.



Figure 2 Morning Waves I Along with some Shore Birds: “Thanks be to God for His many blessings that we share in our lives here on earth.”
2) Blessed are you, Lord, our God… Ruler… of the Universe who clothes the naked.


Baruch atah Adonay, Elohenu… melek… h'olam malbeesh aerumeem.




Figure 3 Morning Waves II Middle Ridge

3) Blessed are you, Lord, our God… Ruler… of the Universe who releases the bound.

Baruch atah Adonay, Elohenu… melek… h'olam mateer aesureem.






Figure 4 Morning Waves III Ocean Spray
4) Blessed are you, Lord, our God… Ruler… of the Universe who lifts up the bent over.


Baruch atah Adonay, Elohenu… melek… h'olam zokayf k'fufeem




Figure 5 Morning Waves IV Breaking Wave
5) Blessed are you, Lord, our God… Ruler… of the Universe who spreads out the land on the water.

Baruch atah Adonay, Elohenu… melek… h'olam rokay h'aretz al ham'ayeem





Figure 6 Morning Waves V Middle Trough
6) Blessed are you, Lord, our God… Ruler… of the Universe who has provided my every need.

Baruch atah Adonay, Elohenu… melek… h'olam sheasah lay kal tsar'kay




Figure 7 Morning Waves VI Some Light patterns captured between the waves.

7) Blessed are you, Lord, our God… Ruler… of the Universe who makes firm our steps.

Baruch atah Adonay, Elohenu… melek… h'olam hamaycheen meetsaday g'aver



Figure 8 Morning Waves VII Reaching the Shore

8) Blessed are you, Lord, our God… Ruler… of the Universe who strengthens Israel with might.

Baruch atah Adonay, Elohenu… melek… h'olam ozer Israel b'gevurah




Figure 9 Morning Waves VIII Light Sparkling on Waves

9) Blessed are you, Lord, our God… Ruler… of the Universe who crowns Israel with glory.

Baruch atah Adonay, Elohenu… melek… h'olam oter Israel b'teefarah






Figure 10 Throne of the Sea Turtle, Isle of Palms Beach just North of Charlestown SC.

For information and videos about groups in South Carolina helping Sea Turtle, see the Sea Turtle Rescue Hospital video at the Charlestown, SC Aquarium’s web site. http://www.scaquarium.org/STR. There are also groups elsewhere if you do a google search on “sea turtle rescue”.





Figure 11 Morning Waves IX A wave does a sashay in the middle of the camera’s view
Definition of sashay: a. To walk or proceed, especially in an easy or casual manner. b. To strut or flounce in a showy manner


10) Blessed are you, Lord, our God…Ruler… of the Universe who gives strength to the weary.

Baruch atah Adonay, Elohenu… melek… h'olam h'noten layoayf poaych.





Figure 12 Morning Waves X: Some Blue and White Waves revea what is called a meditation on “The Three Diamonds”, 1) Absolute consciousness of God’s Light from Heaven, 2) Absolute consciousness of God’s Light inside the Human Heart, 3) Absolute consiousness of God’s Light on Earth

11) Blessed are you, Lord, our God… Ruler… of the Universe who removes sleep from my eyes,
slumber from my eyelids.



Baruch atah Adonay, Elohenu… melek… h'olam h'ama'aveer shenah mayaynay vt'nomah mayaf'aypay.


12) Blessed are you, Lord, who compassionately bestows goodness to those of his people who have struggled to understand him..

Baruch atah Adonay, gomayl h'asadaym tobaym l'amo Israel.




Figure 13 Morning Waves X, A View Farther Out

12) Blessed are you, Lord, who compassionately bestows goodness to those of his people who have struggled to understand him..

Baruch atah Adonay, gomayl h'asadaym tobaym l'amo Israel.



Figure 14 Family Taking a Morning Walk Along the Sea Shore

YHWH School of Christianity
Scheme for Transliteration of Hebrew Vowels into English

vowel name sign sound additional symbol

qamets, patah a as in yacht sof pasuq

hireq ee as in bee appears below last word in a verse

tsere ay as in hay (transliterated as )

seqol eh as in bed

holem o as in low

qibbuts, shureq oo as in zoo

shewa silent/short-sound (transliterated as ' )

qamets shewa o as in (obstruct)

patah shewa a as in (around), that is ae

segol shewa e as in (effect), that is e as opposed to ee

Day of the Holy Name of Jesus 2008/2009
Partners in God, partners in Christ, we are one family.


Vista up the river valley from top of canyon rim overlooking Mt. Zion National Park, Western US
Yearly Prayer Calendar:


View from above of part of the Angel’s Landing rock formation from lunch stop at the top of the eastern canyon rim. Christmas vacation hiking trip to Zion National Park 2005




Water Flowing down the rocks into Petroglyph Canyon Mt. Zion National Park, US

Holy Days 5768-5769/2009 Confession of St. Peter (Jan 18 Psalm 23), Conversion day of St. Paul (Jan. 25 Psalm 67), Tu B’Shvat (Festival of the Trees) February 9,
Ash Wednesday (February 25), Saint Benedict’s day (March 2), Purim (March 10), Saint Gregory’s day (March 12), Saint George’s day(March 23),
Passover (April 9), Easter (April 12),St. Mark (April 25 Psalm 2), Lag B’Omer (May 11), Shavuos (May 29), Pentecost (May 31),
St. Peter and St. Paul’s day (June 29 Psalms 66, 87,97,138), Independence Day U.S.A.,St. Mary Magalene (July 21 Psalms 30,42,116,149),
St. James day (July 25, Psalms 7, 33,34), St. Ignatius Loyola'Saint Bernard’s day (August 20), Saint Barthomew’s (Nathaniel’s ) day (August 24 Psalms 15,67,86, 91),
World Peace Day (September 21), Rosh Hashanah (September 19), Yom Kippur and Gabriel, Michael, Ariel, Raphael and All Angels day (Sept. 29),
Shemini Atzeret October 10, Saint Francis of Assisi’s day Oct. 4 , St. Luke (Oct 18 Psalm 103), Saint James of Jerusalem day (Oct 23 Psalm 1),
All Souls/All Saints Day (Psalms 111,112,148,149,150), Veteran’s Day(Nov. 11) St. Martin's day, Saint Margaret’s day (Nov. 16), Thanksgiving day,
Saint Andrew’s day (Psalms 19,24,96,100), Channukah (December 12), St. Thomas’s day (Dec. 21 Psalms 23,27,121,126),
Christmas,St. John’s day (Dec. 27 Psalm 92,97,98,145), Holy Innocent’s day (Dec. 28, Psalms 2,26,19,126), Day of the Holy Name of Jesus (Dec. 31, Psalm 8).



[For Bible readings and Psalms that go with these Holy Days see the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (both the two year daily office
and the two year lectionary readings) or the three year revised common lectionary at http:\\divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary .
The revised common lectionary was created for the occasions of common prayer and worship services among Protestants, Catholics and Jews.
It has more readings from the Old Testament than the ordinary episcopal or catholic lectionary.
Using these two or three year daily offices is an excellent way to keep track of an intention for reading most of the Bible in two years.
The best translation of the Bible I have found is “The Amplified Bible” published by Zondervan.
It has cross-references in the text to related passages and prophecies which make this translation even more of a “Tree of Life” than others.]




New Moons of Shevet (January 26), Adar (February 25) , Nissan (March 26), Iyar (April 25), Sivan (May 24) , Tammuz (June 23), Av (July 22), Elul (August 21), Tishrei / Rosh Hashanah (September 19),Yom Kippur (September 28), Succos (October3), Hoshana Rabba October 9,. Shimini Atzeres October 10, Simchas Torah October 11,Chesvan (October 19), Kislev (November 18),Tevet (December 18) (months of correct eating, laughter, speaking, thought, movement, seeing, hearing, action, feeling, smell, relaxation, judgement) tribes of Asher (Psalm 100 ), Naphtali (Psalm 98) Judah (Psalm 92),Issachar (Psalm 95), Zebulun (Psalm 96), Reuben (Psalm 90), Simeon, Gad (Psalm 94), Ephraim (Psalm 97), Menashah (Psalm 97) , Benjamin (Psalm 93), Dan (Psalm 99))


Vista overlook, Zion Canyon Christmas vacation 2005


[According to Jewish tradition, Moses gave the eleven psalms 90-100 to eleven of the tribes of Israel., the tribe of Simeon was excluded because of the events in Numbers 25-1:15. Psalm 91 was given to the tribe of Levi. Psalms 95 to 99 have been called the “Coronation Psalms” and are used in the Jewish Saturday Morning Kabbala Shabbat service. For some Baptist Christian Hymns related to the Messianic age see “The Coronation Hymnal”, by A.J. Gordon and A.T. Pierson, Revell and Co., N.Y., Boston, Chicago.( which is now out of print, but copies are available in several University
libraries)



Jewish and Christian Blessing
“May the eternal light and good energy in the Lord Bless you, protect you, and keep you,
May he lift up his face upon you while being gracious unto you,
May he uphold you and that which you value, and give you peace. ”




Area north of the Angel’s Landing rock formation.

Please pray with us assisted and helped by the prayers at
http://www.yhwhschofchrist.org/prayers
(you may register there and post your own prayers if this is helpful to you)

Irish Prayer and Blessing
“May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be always at your back.
May the Sun(Son) shine warm on your face, And the rain fall soft upon your fields.
And May God hold you in palm of his hands.”
(Until we talk and pray together again and he blesses you again through us)

Light Upon the Path 2
22
Photo taken 10/26/2008 at 10,500’ latitude 35 deg. 10 min. longitude 93 deg. 20 min. from Cessna 182 8189G
while flying south easterly from Little Rock AR toward Greenville,MS
(for an enlargement of the photo click on it in your browser)


Another interpretation of how to understand a short summary of the Bible
hidden in, Genesis, the first book of the Torah.

We meditate while looking at the first words of the 12 Torah portions in the standard
yearly lectionary. This allows us to see the process of spiritual enlightenment
(working out of the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit) occuring in us through the soul and spirit of the prophet (man of God) Noah.
It occurs as a repeated yearly unfolding during this time of the Holy biblical year.
Furthermore, each of the twelve first words can be meditated on in terms of the individual
Hebrew letters and their corresponding sounds* .
See previous posting for more discussions about the significance of the Hebrew letter
Vav** as it appears in the Torah.

1) B’rayshit In the beginning
2) Noah the soul and spirit of Noah (with God’s help)
3) Lech Lekha separated and walked forward
4) Va-yera and appeared as
5) Hayyei Sarah
6) Toledot the story of Sarah’s life
7) Va-Yetze It left (Beer-sheva…the well of the seven)
8) Va-Yishlah and sent (messengers ahead to Esau)
9) Va-Yeshev while staying in place
10) Mikhetz to the end
11) Va-Yighehsh as it ascended
12) Va-yehi. Unto its place in heaven

*See “The Cipher of Genesis” or “Song of Songs” by Carlo Suares for much more on this.
** When you (a man or woman of God having done your share of your duty to God and Country) meditate on it as you prophesize... Vav becomes the light sword of the Holy Spirit of God's Truth in us . As an example of one way to do this through meditation you can autiot or spell out the letter as a set of hidden letter eg. Vav Aleph Vav for the letter vav. Then meditate on the meaning (conceptual value or purpose) hidden inside of the meaning of the letter.


Photo from 13,500’ 104 deg. 30 min. longitude 37 deg. 10’ min. latitude. The mountains in
The center of the photo are called the Spanish Peaks.
10/24/2008
for more photos from recent flight up the Red River Valley, Jackson, MS to Colorado Springs,CO and return flying along above the Arkansas River to Dodge City, KS, Fort Smith AR,Little Rock AR, Greenville, MS see postings at http://www.yhwhschofchrist.org/news

May 4 Pentecost/ June 9 Shavuous 2008

Thought for the last millenium and also the next:
"A committment to upholding a truth that we both know about together is more fundamental than hoping for one that we don't [know about]. But, both are important."

Continuation of Translation of parts of the 1st chapter of Genesis
(untransliterated Hebrew script and some of the ideas for these translations are taken from the book “The Linear Chumash by Rabbi Peasch Goldberg, Feldheim Publishers, Jerusalem/ New York. See last year’s postings for the rest of translations of the first 5 of the 10 sayings of God in Genesis chapter 1)



View looking down on the Colorado River below, toward the east, from Plateau Pt. (3640’), Grand Canyon, AZ The Bright Angel creek (not visible) goes off to the upper left from near the middle of the picture. The rock formations in the background are called the Zoroaster temple (7136’) and the Brahma temple.

Grand Canyon Rock layers from top to bottom:
Kaibab Limestone (deposited 250 million years ago)
Toroweap formation (d 260 m years ago)
Coconino Sandstone (d 270 m years ago)
Hermit Shale (d 280 m years ago)
Supai Group (d 300 m years ago)
Redwall Limestone (d 330 m years ago)
Mauv Limestone (d 530 m years ago)
Bright Angel Shale (d 540 m years ago)
Tapeats Sandstone (d 550 m years ago)
Vishnu Schist
Rock layers less than 250 m years ago have been eroded away
Rocky mountains begin to form 60-70 m. years ago

(information from http://www.bobspixels.com/kaibab.org/geology)

Picture taken 5/10/2008. You can take a short ½ day 12 mile mule trip from the south rim lodges (which are situated at 6860’) to get here/there and back.


The 6th saying (7th utterance) of God occuring
in the 1st chapter of Genesis, 1st of the fifth day

“V’omer Elohaym
God said:

Yeesheer’tzu hamayim.
Let the water swarm

shehrehtz nehphehsh hayah

with creeping living souls

v’oph
and birds

V’ophayph
shall fly

al haerehtz

over the earth

al ph’nay
on the face of

r’kay hashamayim
the expanse of the heavens.”

Genesis 1:20





Another view of the Colorado River from Plateau Pt. Rock formations on the right of the river are (from right to left) Cheop’s pyramid, Horus temple, Tower of Set. On the left of the river canyon is the Dana Butte.
Picture taken 5/10/ 2008

The 7th saying (8th utterance*) of God occuring
in the 1st chapter of Genesis, 1st of the sixth day



Havatsu Falls, Havatsu Indian Reservation AZ located in a side canyon further down the Grand Canyon toward the west. It is assessable from a parking area at the trailhead after a 10 mile hike down the canyon to the Indian village there. 5/2008

V’omer Elohim
And God said,

Totzay haeretz
Let the earth bring out

nehphehsh hayah
living souls

l’maynah
each of their own kind

bheehaymah
animals

v’rehmehsh
and creeping things

v’chay’tu erehtz
land animals

l’maynah
each of their own kind.

Vay’hay kayn
And, it was so.

* If we count Barashayt as the 1st utterance but not a saying.

Genesis 1:24




Havatsu creek, Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) campground, Havatsu Indian Reservation NW AZ. Although the outside temperature was in the 80's the water was very cool (maybe 70 degrees) because of loss of heat descending down the falls and across the rocks. 5/2008

The 8th saying (9th utterance) of God occuring
in the 1st chapter of Genesis, 2nd of the sixth day

V’omer Elohim
And God said,

Nashehh Adam

Let us make man

bh’tzal’maynu
in Our image

kheed’motaynu
in Our likeness***

Veeyeer’du
and they shall rule

bheed’agat hayam v’bhof hashamayeem

over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens

v’babh’haymah v’bchal haretz
and over the animals and over all the earth.

v’bachal harehmehsh haromaysh al haretz
and over every creeper which creeps on the earth.

Genesis 1:26

*** these words are also reflected as an important part of our own lives when we observe the Jewish community blessing, the birchas hamazon said after meals on the Sabbath and Holy Days.
“Blessed are You, Lord, Our God, King of the Universe Who yotzered (fashioned) Adam (mankind) , in his image and his likeness and tikayn( prepared) for him a structure unto our untoness.

According to my friends, the rabbis in Brooklyn NY, the image mentioned here is the intelligence and spiritual free will of man.
The image of the likeness is his or her physical body which serves as host to the soul or image.

Baruch atah Adonay, yotzeayr h’Adam.
Blessed are thou Lord, who creates man in two parts.

But, note, why does the first part of the verse not say yotzeayr (forming us with his imagination) when Elohim God creates us in his image and likeness? This is because Elohim God inside of us is asehh or making us (creating us in four parts with his own hands) in this verse. For Jews the Spirit and Soul of the Holy One of Israel and his Bride (What Christians call our Holy Spirit) according to the Torah,is Bahir (inside of the mountain of God in us) at this time. Begotten creation (as when we say in the Eucharist that Jesus Christ was created, begotten, not made by God and the Virgin Mary) occurs on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This is the Unity School of Christianity. The Yotzer, or the formation of man's image and likeness as a part of God in our imagination occurs during the Passover Seder. It is also reaffirmed with denials and affirmations during the two months of the Jewish lunar fall calendar after Elul. This is Our Prayer Group YHWH School of Christianity. Making (as Moses inscribed or made the tablets of the Ten Commanments when God lifted up his face upon him)* occurs at Shavuous. This is YHWH School of Christianity informing Our Prayer Group.

*and as the prophet Isaiah explains in his transcendent teachings that God made humankind out of a potter's clay turned in four directions being assisted by the instruction and knowledge of his four archangels...Ariel, Gabriel, Raphael, Michael
The 9th saying (10th utterance) of God occuring
in the 1st chapter of Genesis, 3rd of the sixth day

Vay’bharehch atam Elohaym
God blessed them

V’omehr lahehm Elohaym

And God said to them,

ph’ro urabho

Be fruitful and multiply

umeel’o et haretz

and fill the earth

V’cheeb’shehha ur’du
and conquer it and rule

bheed’agat hayam v’bhof hashamaym

over the fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens

v’bchal hayah

and over every living being

haromaysheht al haretzwhich creep on the earth.

Genesis 1:27




Navaho falls, located around the corner from the Havatsu falls.


The 10th saying (11th utterance) of God occuring
in the 1st chapter of Genesis, 4rd of the sixth day


V’omehr Elohaym
And God said,

Heenayh natatay lachehm et chal eyshehv
Behold, I have given to you every herb

zray zehra
seed of a seed**

ashehr al ph’nay chal haretz

which dwells on the face of the earth

v’et chal haaytz ashehr bho ph’ray aytz
and every tree which bears a tree's fruit

zrav zehra
as a seed of a seed**

lchehm yeeh’yehh lach’lah:
which will be your food.

ul’chal hayat haretz v’bhof hashamaym

and to all living creatures and the birds of the heavens

ul’chal romaysh al haretz
and to all which creeps on the earth.

ashehr bho nehphehsh hayah

which bears a living material soul [outwardly visible]

et chal yehrehq ashehv l’ach’lah
all green herbs…for food.

Vay’hay kayn:
And it was so.

Genesis 1:30

** Note to the above: the words seed of a seed remind us of the philosophical term “concept of concept” see last year’s blog for the 1st part of an amateur philosophical/ theological paper about this.






Flying back up the Pearl River after departing from New Orleans Lakefront Airport 3/15 2006. The first part of the trip passed the north shore area of Lake Pontchartrain then kept a straight line course at about 3000’ as I flew to the Vicksburg MS area. This is indicated on the altimeter and Garmin 300 GPS in the above photo. The last leg of the flight continued to return the aircraft to its base at Jacobs Aviation, Hawkins Field Jackson MS.





Cockpit instrument rack as viewed from the pilot’s seat in an instrument flight rules equiped (IFR) Cessna 182, N8189G. On left of center there is clockwise from upper left : the altimeter, the two very-high frequency omni directional receivers (VOR) course deviation needles. These are tuned from the frequencies set in radios stacked in the second level on the middle (above the required transponder which identifies the aircraft to flight controllers. Finally finishing the trip around the circle there is the vertical speed indicator. On the right of center there is…moving down from the top from left to right .. the left fuel tank fuel indicator, ammeter, right fuel tank fuel indicator. Then on the row below that, again moving left to right …cylinder head temperature, oil temperature, and oil pressure . Below that the circular gages indicate engine manifold pressure and engine revolutions per minute (RPM) gage respectively . Note the Garmin Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) 300 receiver directly below the radio switch panel. Its moving map display allows for much better display of map and other routing information for a single pilot than previously.

God be With You till we Meet Again
United Methodist Hymnal
Hymn 672
Nashville, Tenn 1989

God be with you till we meet a-gain;
By his coun-sels guide, up-hold you,
With his sheep se-cure-ly fold you;
God be with you till we meet a-gain.
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Je-sus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

God be with you till we meet a-gain;
Neath his wings se-cure-ly hide you,
Dai-ly man-na still provide you;
God be with you till we meet a-gain.
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Je-sus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

God be with you till we meet a-gain;
When life’s per-ils thick con-found you,
Put his arms un-fail-ing round you;
God be with you till we meet a-gain.
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Je-sus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

God be with you till we meet a-gain;
Keep love’s ban-ner float-ing o-er you,
Smite death’s threat-ening wave be-fore you;
God be with you till we meet a-gain.
Till we meet, till we meet,
Till we meet at Je-sus’ feet;
Till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.

Words: Jeremiah E. Rankin, 1880
Music: William G. Tomer, 1880

Breathing and sitting meditations, the name of God sings an old song, walking meditation, some teachings from the Haggadah and a parable.
Easter/Passover 2008


Waves breaking along the shore of the island of Oahu, Hawaii
Picture taken July 2006 after a short climb to reach atop the U.S. Army Diamond-head defensive fort which overlooks and protects the city of Honolulu from there.


Some Sutras for OurPrayerGroup

Hail Mary! Hail Jesus! Hail Soul of Christ!
Blessed art thou among women Mary.
Blessed art thou among men Jesus.
Pure art thou my soul of Christ as that of He who created, formed, and makes you... He who creates, forms, makes you from himself, the World, and us...He who breathes life into me, will take it from me, and return it to me in the hereafter.
And, blessed is the fruit of God’s womb that bore you three inside of us.
No birth, no death is there in our here and now.
Good Jesus hear us, if ever we loved thee tis now.
From the wicked foe defend us.*
At the hour of our death call us unto thee,
that thy wounds hide our souls of Christ in thy eternal kingdom, power, and glory...
until God reigns and rules its time for them to rise and shine forth in all of us and thee.

*portions of this prayer are inspired from a prayer of St. Ignatius Loyola which has been published in his spiritual exercises. A good translation of St. Loyola's wondelful and useful directions for meditation of the spiritual exercises (by Louis J. Puhl, S.J.) may be purchased, while they last, from St. Andrew's Cathedral's bookstore (Episcopal) in downtown Jackson, MS.

Breathing in, we go back, we go forward
To God’s island of Christ inside ourself .*
There is an eternal tree of life
There is water, there are birds,
There is sunshine and fresh air.
Breathing out, we feel safe .**

Breathing in, breathing out,
God’s loving seed of faith and hope is blooming in us as a flower.***
We are fresh as the resurrection dew.
We are solid as the mountain
Here there is freedom and truth.
We are firm as God’s own earth in us.
We are the water of Christ’s baptism reflecting what is true.
Here there is goodness and beauty.
We are the space of God’s universe. We are free.

*Dear prayer friends, the Pure Land, the Kingdom of Heaven… is within us and among us. Breathe we are alive…please wake up to who we are! God has a plan for us! We have places to go together and things to do together!
**For all of us as Individuals and collectively together. For Christians try a ha-tha ra-ja 4:8:16 left right ratio alternate nostril breathing here (also called Sun Moon mental breathing). For Buddhists or Jews you will want to use a 4:4:8 in/hold/out ratio wisdom physical body wisdom breath to get here/there.
*** The starting form for these sutras are take from the Rev. Thich Nhat Hanh’s books and teachings . Please see previous blogs for more details.


We’ll Never Say Good-bye
Christian Hymn, Lyrics by J.H. Tenney, music by Dr. Adoniram Judson Gordon 1895

“There is a land far out of sight, A calm untroubled shore,
Where they who said on earth good-night, Now meet to part no more.

We’ll never say good-bye in heav’n, We’ll never say good-bye,(good-bye,)
In that fair land of joy and song, We’ll ne-ver say good bye.

Each day as pilgrims reach that strand, All hearts with rapture swell;
Wel-comes are heard on ev-‘ry hand, But nev-er one fare-well.

We’ll never say good-bye in heav’n, We’ll never say good-bye,(good-bye,)
In that fair land of joy and song, We’ll ne-ver say good bye.

For-ev-er with the Lord they reign, His face for-ev-er view;
For them no sin, no grief, no pain, No tear-ful last a-dieu!

We’ll never say good-bye in heav’n, We’ll never say good-bye,(good-bye,)
In that fair land of joy and song, We’ll ne-ver say good bye.

Je-ru-sa-lem my glo-rious home, Thou ci-ty built on high,
When shall I to the man-sions come, No more to say good-bye!

We’ll never say good-bye in heav’n, We’ll never say good-bye,(good-bye,)
In that fair land of joy and song, We’ll ne-ver say good bye.

Lyrics and music Copyrighted 1883 (at that time, by John J. Hood)
From “The Coronation Hymnal” By A. J. Gordon 1895

A sitting meditation from the books, “Present Moment, Wondelful Moment” and "Be Free Where You Are",by the Rev. Thich Nhat Hanh

Breathing in,I know I am breathing in,Breathing out, I know I am breathing out.
Breathing in, I notice that my in-breath has become deeper, Breathing out, I notice that my out-breath has become slower.
Breathing in I calm myself, breathing out, I feel at ease.
Breathing in I Smile,Breathing out I release.
Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment, Breathing in I feel it is a wondelful moment. ****

****These lines of the Sutras are designed to be used to concentrate and contemplate in a stable yogic sitting pose. Try an easy heart breath with ratio 5:5:5.

Central to the Jewish teaching for Passover in the Haggadah there is the discussion of the four different types of sons:

1) The wise son or daughter, who asks to be taught, whom we should tell everything (so he or she can be independent of us) when we are teaching him,

Chocham, mah hu omayr? Mah haodot v’ hachukim v’hamsh’phatim aser tzoach Adonai Elohaynu etachehm V’af atah ehmor lo k’heel’chot haphehsah. Ayn maph’tirin echar haphasach aphikoman.

The wise son, what does he say? “What is the meaning of these laws and ordinances which the Lord Our God has commanded us?” What then do we say to him to teach him about Pesach? Nothing is left out, including the rule that nothing is eaten after the Afikoman

2) The evil son who thinks he is different( better) than others. For, he thinks that we don’t need to interact and work together with others. Him, or her we should confront. But, not because he or she is different from us. Indeed they are our sons and daughters too.

Rash amah hu omayr? Mah haobodah hazoach lachehm? L’chehm v’lo lo.

The wicked son, what does he say? “What is the meaning of this that is commanded to you?” (that is he says this to you and not himself).

Vol’phi shehhotzi et atz’mu mean hach’lehl v’chehpahr baakehr. V’af atah hak’hayh et sheenavm emar lo:

Because he says it this way he has removed himself from us (the community)… even he has denied the laws said to him.

Bobor zehh ashah Adonay Eloheynu B’tzati meemeetz’rim. Li v’lo lu. Elu hayah sham lo hayah neeg’al.

Answer him by saying it is because of that which has been done by the Lord God for me when I came out of Egypt. “For me” and not “for him”. Had he been there, he would not have been redeemed.


3) the simple son or daughter, whom we should assist by teaching him or her to expect miracles and giving them a simple and easy to understand answer.

Tam mah hu omayr? Mah zoat? V’amar’ta elav. B’chazehq yad hotzianu Adonai meemeetz’rim, meebayt abhadaym.

The simple son, what does he say? What is this? And, the answer to him:”With a mighty hand Adonay brought us out from Egypt, from the house of bondage.

4) What about the naïve but potentially good son or daughter who hardly knows what to ask as a question or how to ask it? Them we should assist by treating them special and using all our advanced techniques of breathing, assisted contemplative prayer. But, we leave out the part above about the miracles and the mighty hand,

V’shehaynu yoda lee’shol et patach lu? Shehnehmar: Vhagad’ata bhayom hahu limor:
Bhovor zeh ashah Adonai Eloheynu bh’tzati meemeetz’raym.

And, what about him who does not know how to ask the question? (We quote from the Torah) “And, on that day you shall teach him.” “We do all of this because the Lord Our God brought us out of Egypt.”


Walking Meditation by the Rev. Thich Nhat Hanh

We have arrived We are home
In the here, in the now.
Dwelling with God and in her
We are solid, we are free.
Dwelling together in a Kingdom of Heaven of God and Christ on earth. *****
*****These lines are for walking meditation, try a breathing ratio of three steps on the in and three steps on the out, centering in the lower dan tien (3rd chakra).


Breathing in his breath a lotus of his happiness blooms in us,
Breathing out of us her breath we help God guide the World.
It is a gentle touch… soft like a gentle breeze swaying bamboo along a river’s shore
Or an angel whispering a message of the hope of salvation to our heart and mind,
Who already knows that at its final confirmation there will be in the World and us a greater joy and louder silent shout of universal delight.





Parable which tells about God’s
four sons and his daughter
(the Shekinah)
(written in 1983)

Once, now, and in the future God is a King. He has/had four Sons and a daughter who lived here on earth. Each of his sons and the daughter were unhappy and wanted to leave and find fame and fortune for themselves. So God decided to divide up the portions of his Kingdom as an inheritance unto his sons. But, he was concerned that even though they said they told him they wanted to work together to find wealth, they would fight among themselves after he had left. So he gave each son and the daughter only enough so that they would still need the portions of the other four in order to prosper. But, each son became too proud to ask for help from his brothers and his sister. Instead each convinced himself that his portion was sufficient unto itself. Worse yet the daughter didn’t do anything to help or say anything (while God was trying to speak through her to everyone) while this was happening. She was the One God normally used to help others and heal with his Words (if people took time to listen to this still small voice of God which she spoke for him inside of them). Sure as the lack of love that grew inside of them for each other the Kingdom fell apart. Each of the sons blamed the others for the disaster. The daughter was left without anyone to protect and defend her.

Some time later God returned from heaven in order to find out what had gone wrong. Even though the Kingdom had been left in ruins, three of his sons had become authorities teaching others how to live better and be happy. So, God, the King disguised himself as a beggar. He went to each of the different authorities representing them in order to find out how to be Holy and prosper.

1) And, the authority set up by the first son had a special day, the Sabbath, and a large collection of rules set aside as Holy. They said he should obey the rules and worship the King who had left and rest on this special day. Then he would see how foolish all the rest of the men and women were to go around not paying attention to these rules and conducting business while the King's people were worshipping him.

2) And then the King went to the authority set up by the second son. This authority said that they had special people called priests set aside as Holy. And these priests had special powers or charisms that were hidden to most of the men and women. They told him that if he would confess his sins to these priests he would see how foolish all the rest of the Kingdom was to try and solve their problems themselves. Why should he tell his sins to ordinary people who didn't understand when these special Holy people better at forgiving mistakes and keeping secrets.

3) Then he went to the authority set up by the third son. This authority said they had a special book set aside as Holy. If he would study and memorize the passages in this book he would see how foolish all the rest of us (other than them) were. The King smiled as he recognized a few of the words in the book as his own. But, they had taken the four or five pages of clear instructions that he had given them and made it into a very long book of over 1000 pages.

4) Finally he went to the fourth son who was not a recognized authority at all. He was a prophet, but he didn’t know it. He and the sister had been left by the others to fend for themselves. So, then, God asked him what he had set aside as Holy. But, the fourth son said, "Old beggar man you must be mistaken. Why do you ask me that question for I am just an ordinary person not much different from you. I have tried all my life to find out what is Holy. But each time that I think I have found it I am told that I must take away the heavenly inheritance of some of my brothers and sisters. These people are very dear to me, some of them have even been my benefactors. Wherever I go, I take them with me. I would never be happy if I went off to heaven and left them behind. So I have given up what is Holy. The other sons and daughters think I am foolish and have taken what my father left me and my sister away from us... so we will not use it unwisely. What hope is there left for me or her to find my Father again. To tell you the truth I do not know whether he is alive or dead."
And then the old man said: “Young man if you do not know what is Holy, then what do you know.” And, the young man said, “Not so much.” “I do not even know that I don’t know anything.”
Then the old man said, "Young man, why do you tell me this? Perhaps you need someone to know these things for you and be God for you?"
And the young man thought about this and he said: "Yes, I do." Then all of a sudden, before his eyes the old beggar man turned into a King. It was as if the words he spoke were his Father’s words.

And this is what the King, an old beggar man, said: "You are like the other three sons and my daugher. You neither know who you are or who I am. For, if you knew who you were, you would know who I am. And, if you knew who I am you would know who you were. I am the name of God and whosoever knows me, in him or her shall the name of God be known.”

I am your Father the King. Everything you are I am. And, everything I am you someday shall be. Remain in me and you will someday be the name of God. Then whosoever knows you and glorifies you, in him or her shall the name of God be known and be glorified.” Now the other sons have possession of the Kingdom. In time they shall be known just as they have chosen to know others.

And then the Old man became sad and said: "All I have to give you and your sister, the Shekinah, now is the love that has been given to me. I am afraid that it is only a tiny spark, a seed, a glimmer of my hopes and dreams that some day we will all be united again and prosper together. But, this seed if it is nurtured can grow into a large tree full of the happiness of eternal life.

“How shall I know this love in order to nurture it”, said the Son.

And, then He said, “This love is who it is and this love tries to keep its
promises and it does what it says it is going to do.”

“And, why is this love who it is and why does it do that?”, said the young man. (his sister wanted to know also for she was listening to all of this)

“That is because this love knows where it has been and where it is now and
where it is going later all in One present moment”, God said.

“How can I and my sister know this love when it seems that the other four sons
are more powerful than we. For they are admired by most in the World. We have no choice about whether we can change this, for what we do is controlled by something outside of ourself”, he
said.

And, the Old man thought a while and then he said,
“ You already have this love and it is who it is inside of your heart and mind.

“Unfortunately, just now you don’t know it enough. But, if you and your sister trust my spirit inside of all of us (which is inside of your heart) and remain in me you will
know it more and more. And it will know you more and more. For the Self
knows itself when it is in itself(in you) and when it knows itself, then it is in
itself (in me). I have made the World out of nothing. But, I have made you out of something, myself.”

Now, it was the fourth son's and his sister’s turn to smile. They thought carefully for a while. Then they said: "Your love and your hopes and dreams are what is most important. We have no other inheritance left so you yourself shall be our inheritance. And, it became so!

Day of the Holy Name of Jesus
December 31, 2007
Psalm 8


photo taken 5/2004 kayaking near the mouth of the Columbia River (where it empties into the Pacific Ocean)

Partners in God, partners in Christ, we are one family.
Have a blessed, safe,healthy,happy, and truthful 2008 Epiphany,Tu B'Shvat,Lent,Purim,Easter,Passover,Ascension, Pentecost,Shavuous season
this year.
Being One in Jesus Christ today, we are One in God Our Father,
Being One in God Our Father today, we are One in Christ Jesus forever.

Yearly Prayer Calendar

Holy Days 5768-5769/2008 Confession of St. Peter (Jan 18 Psalm 23), Conversion day of St. Paul (Jan. 25 Psalm 67), Tu B’Shvat (Festival of the Trees) January 22, Ash Wednesday (February 6), Saint Benedict’s day (March 2), Purim (March 21), Saint Gregory’s day (March 12), Saint George’s day and Easter (March 23), Passover (April 19-27), St. Mark (April 25 Psalm 2),Ascension of Our Lord Jesus Christ into his eternal rule in God's Kingdom of Heaven in US, May 1, Pentecost (May 4), Lag B’Omer (May 23), Shavuos (June 9),St. Peter and St. Paul’s day (June 29 Psalms 66, 87,97,138), Independence Day U.S.A.,St. Mary Magalene (July 21 Psalms 30,42,116,149), St. James day (July 25, Psalms 7, 33,34), St. Ignatius Loyola's day (July 31), Saint Bernard’s day (August 20), Saint Barthomew’s (Nathaniel’s ) day (August 24 Psalms 15,67,86, 91), World Peace Day (September 21), Rosh Hashanah (September 29-30) along with Gabriel, Michael, Ariel, Raphael and All Angels day (Sept. 29), Succoth October 14, Saint Francis of Assisi’s day Oct. 4 ,St. Luke (Oct 18 Psalm 103), Saint James of Jerusalem day (Oct 23 Psalm 1), All Souls/All Saints Day (Psalms 111,112,148,149,150), Veteran’s Day (November 11), Saint Margaret’s day (Nov. 16), Thanksgiving day (November 27), Saint Andrew’s day November 30 (Psalms 19,24,96,100), St. Thomas’s day (Dec.21 Pslams 23,27,121,126), Channukah (December 22, Christmas December 25,St. John’s day (Dec. 27 Psalm 92,97,98,145), Holy Innocent’s day (Dec. 28, Psalms 2,19, 26,126), Day of the Holy Name of Jesus (Dec. 31, Psalm 8).

[For Bible readings and Psalms that go with these Holy Days see the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (both the two year daily office and the two year lectionary readings) or the three year revised common lectionary at http:\\divinity.library.vanderbilt.edu/lectionary . The revised common lectionary was created for the occasions of common prayer and worship services among Protestants, Catholics and Jews. It has more readings from the Old Testament than the ordinary episcopal or catholic lectionary. Using these two or three year daily offices is an excellent way to keep track of an intention for reading most of the Bible in two years. The best translation of the Bible I have found is “The Amplified Bible” published by Zondervan. It has cross-references in the text to related passages and prophecies which make this translation even more of a “Tree of Life” than others.]
For about 1/3 of the Psalms as of now, some excellent contemporary translations,discusssions, and music are available. See the website of the New Zealand Christian Musicians who are called the Sons of Korah. CDs are available from www.familychristian.com.

New Moons of Shevet (January 8), Adar I (February 7) , Adar II (February 24), Nissan (March 29), Iyar (May 5), Sivan (June 4) , Tammuz (July 2), Av (Augus 2), Elul (August 14), Tishrei (August 31) , Rosh Hashanah (September 29),Yom Kippur (September 22), Succos (September 27), Hoshana Rabba October 3,. Shimini Atzeres October 4, Simchas Torah October 5,Chesvan (October 23), Kislev (November 22),Tevet (December 22) (months of correct eating, laughter, speaking, thought, movement, seeing, hearing, action, feeling, smell, relaxation, judgement) tribes of Asher (Psalm 100 ), Naphtali (Psalm 98) Judah (Psalm 92),Issachar (Psalm 95), Zebulun (Psalm 96), Reuben (Psalm 90), Simeon, Gad (Psalm 94), Ephraim (Psalm 97), Menashah (Psalm 97) , Benjamin (Psalm 93), Dan (Psalm 99))

[According to Jewish tradition, Moses gave the eleven psalms 90-100 to eleven of the tribes of Israel., the tribe of Simeon was excluded because of the events in Numbers 25-1:15. Psalm 91 was given to the tribe of Levi. Psalms 95 to 99 have been called the “Coronation Psalms” and are used in the Jewish Saturday Morning Kabbala Shabbat service. For some Baptist Christian Hymns related to the Messianic age see “The Coronation Hymnal”, by A.J. Gordon and A.T. Pierson, Revell and Co., N.Y., Boston, Chicago.( which is now out of print, but copies are available in several University
libraries)

Irish Prayer and Blessing
“May the road rise up to meet you, May the wind be always at your back.
May the Sun(Son) shine warm on your face, And the rain fall soft upon your fields.
And May God hold you in palm of his hands.”
(Until we talk and pray together again and he blesses you again through us)

Know that wherever I am and God is, God’s Son (Jesus Christ) is! And, we know that wherever I am and God (Christ Jesus) is, and I am who I am are, God (the Holy Spirit) is! So, then...
May the Light of Jesus Christ surround you ...
May the Love of God Our Father give you his highest blessing (that of the knowledge of his/our blessed peace that comes from the wholehearted obedience to the Words of Our Father in Heaven in US and sincere and compassionate participation in the imaginative unfolding of God's eternally restful and creative mind). May God guide you towards the final completion and fulfillment of his wise plans for all of us...
May the Power (good will) of Jesus Christ and Christ Jesus protect and defend you and give you spiritual understanding and joy.
(through knowledge of the certain truth in the Holy Spirit of his omnipresent, eternal Word, and his good name)
May the Presence (knowledge, wisdom, meritorious and graceful blessings) of God over-watch you as you go about your work.
(go before you, save you and help you... follow you, sanctify and redeem you.)
May the Power (renewed good will) of our director of the angels of God’s good name (the Lord God of Hosts) protect all of us who serve those who serve God and may
the Divine Love and Light of the incarnated, healing Jesus enfold and surround the souls of us all as we dwell together forever.

Jewish and Christian Blessing
“May the eternal light and good energy in the Lord Bless you, protect you, and keep you,
May he lift up his face upon you while being gracious unto you,
May he uphold you and that which you value, and give you peace. ”

Some thoughts for Veteran’s Day 11/11/07 and Thanksgiving Day 11/22/07


Limestone graveled mountain road going down about 12 miles into the Copper Canyon area. It leads through the small Tarahumara Indian villages of La Bufa, Cerro Colorado, the gold mining town of Batopilas, the side canyons and sparkling pools of the Rio Batopilas. Also there is a Spanish mission next to a 400 year old “lost Jesuit Cathedral of Satevo”. The view is from higher up in Central Mexico (Chihuahua State) down to the river flowing through the lower canyon area.
3000’ foot drop, elevation at canyon bottom about 1640’
Christmas vacation 2005-2006

How do we deal with a situation when those who ask for our help and whom we trust don’t reciprocate?

Jesus Christ said to Saint Andrew, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains [just one grain, it never becomes more, but lives] by itself alone. But, if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest.”

God said to Moses:
“Go down Man of God, speak for me,set my people free.”

(be faithful to those of us that uphold God’s truth by taking responsibility for not accepting the way things are when those around us do not keep their words*)


 sometimes the best way to do this is through our own actions, sometimes we have done all we can and we must give up all our hard work over a long time and walk away from situations and depend on God and the good consciences of all of us.




Indian man, near Creel Mexico in the state of Chihuahua, taking his wife to town along a dirt road.
Elevation about 7668’
bicyling trip Christmas vacation 2005-2006.


The love of Christ and the fear of God is our mindfulness,
Hearing the Word of God and following his or her will is our breathing,
There is a Holy Spirit in our body and our blood, a complete fullness made up of an invisible faithfulness and truthfulness which works with God’s help in harmony, through fellowship and trust, with all believers in his Son Jesus Christ’s good name.

Daily Mindfulness Teaching for the One Human Holy Spirit who is God’s Son, Christ Jesus(a poem written to tie us all in love and trust, for as long as we are true to God and he to us)

Awareness and faithfulness~ are reflections of two truths*.
Truth is a heart that listens** and is faithful and aware,
Along with a mind that believes what is right for all of us.

Goodness~~ is a heart that loves and gives
Beauty is a reflection of what is good
And a mind that is open***.

~ God is a mind that is and knows no limits (is faithful toward our hopes and prayers) yet still is what he or she or it is (aware) until that knowledge blossoms (becomes true) in us.
~~ Jesus Christ is he or she who is the Prince of Peace, heals and saves us all (being what we need him to be in order to do this) and sanctifies the name of God. God has no Son or Daughter but him or her.
* or alternatively, toward two truths. “Jesus said, One person cannot ride two horses at once, nor stretch two bows, nor can a man serve two masters, as he will respect one and despise the other. “ The Gospel of Thomas, verse 47 op. cit. Also he said,
“Do not let your left hand know what your right is doing.” Op. cit. verse 62. So, this said, if we are aware of our own shortfalls in this area and ask God for help. it is possible for the Holy Spirit and thus God in all of us to do all of this for all of our benefit. “Jesus said, If two make peace with each other in a single house, they will say to the mountain, ‘Move from here!’ and it will move.” Gospel of Thomas, verse 48, op cit.


** the Holy Spirit is a heart that listens, eyes and ears that see and hear what is good, a mouth that speaks what is true, and strong arms and legs that lift up the fallen, walks with them and leads them in the right direction.
*** To say that it is a reflection means it does not have an independently existing self. Two reflections can be an image (perceptive reflection) and a likeness (conceptual reflection)making up the soul and the spirit of a human being. So, a reflection may or may not be a part of an independently existing object or person. For instance, the heavens and the skies are beautiful. But, so can be a person, a woman for example. As Dr. Immanual Kant has said in his section distinguishing the transcendental logic into a transcendental analytic and a transcendental dialectic... ,"the conceptions of pure reason are not obtained by reflection...but by inference and conclusion." The Critique of Pure Reason, Great Books # 42 edited by Dr. Mortimer Adler page 112. Another definition of beauty is needed in this case. Consider, “Beauty is controlled grace” a definition due to Leonardo da Vinci. This builds on the term grace which is sometimes defined as “Love that gives”. Also, I believe beauty may be due to an essential symmetry or a basic economy of expression in a humanly constructed definition containing a creative seed of truth or knowledge that can expand on itself growing into a material, psychological entity or living being (yet start over from the beginning or some midpoint along its path and reproduce itself if necessary). Mathematical proofs, a set of physical concepts and axioms or a well written and designed computer program can fall in this category. These three or four examples and definitions of beauty seem to me to fit well together into a shared human linguistic environment and belong to a common semantics or context that I commend unto you as part of a larger set of metaphysical definitions of heavenly terms. See previous blog for more on this.




Indian girl near waterfall on the rushing Cusarare River
Chihuaha District, Sierra Madre mountains in central Mexico
Elevation about 7220’
Hiking and bicyling trip Christmas vacation 2005-2006

This is the first part of an unpublished paper which fell into the earth back in 1974. At that time aprevailing opinion among academic philosophers was that idealism can hurt the innocent and that there was no such thing as a “Concept of a Concept.”
Now, 33 years later it seems, in the light of new discoveries in the philosophy of science and religion to be a good time to share it with others. Its topic for discussion is aimed to try to understand the transcendental idealistic epistemology (philosophy of knowledge) of Immanuel Kant.

"Do not lie to one another...but clothe yourselves with a new self...which is ever in the process of being renewed and remolded into [fuller and more perfect knowledge upon]knowledge after the image (the likeness) of him who created it." St. Paul Colossians 3

"Let not mercy and kindness forsake you...write them on the tablet on your heart." Proverbs of King Solomon, chapter 3

"And, God said, Let US[the Elohim Gods as US inside of the Father,the Son, and the Holy Spirit part of God inside of US] create [make] them [mankind] after Our image, after Our likeness, and let them [God in US reflected back as humankind in US] be free [have complete authority over the rest of creation]."

"And Jesus increased in wisdom (in patience, fear and honor of the Lord, peacefulness, trust and obedience and knowledge of him)in stature (depth of personality, character and strength) and years, and in favor with God and man." Gospel of Luke chapter 3 verse 52



Dr. Reinhold Neibuhr, a liberal realist, has said, “forgiveness is the final form of love.” And,”knowing this is our salvation.” But, suppose you believe that knowing that the final form of love is forgiveness is our salvation. Then you have to believe that this knowledge is not the end. There must be something(knowledge…life) afterward. Faith and hope are an important (in fact) interdependent part of love. In addition to hope faith can be a transforming power of God inside of our souls. All three of these wonderful ideas or concepts exist for us, with God’s help. In a non-temporal transcendental ideal part of the present moment. This being so, then, for those who have faith and hope in it, there must be such a thing as a concept of concept. What is it then?



Concept of a Concept
Part I

First definition of a concept....

--concepts form the meaning of meaningful words;
--concepts, smaller than a judgement, larger than a sense impression are units of thought;
--well-defined relationships between concepts are themselves concepts.

But beyond this, it is possible to list in more detail the most important ways concepts work for us.

With development of appropriate practical backing they:

--Define object precisely, for our future reference and mutual communication;
--Abstract what different recurring experiences have in common, saving us effort in the way we describe things;
--Make us able to imagine things, thinking about what isn't present;
--Spur problem solving, breaking us out of areas of mental confinement;
--Cue discoveries, the bright ideas we need to stimulate us forward;
--Help us learn how something works, and to remember what we have learned;
--Increase our understanding, making it easier to form still more concepts.

Stating a judgement involves conepts. Also, in making some decisions, we go through a process of trials and errors performed mentally, before reaching a decision. Concepts make this "idea testing" possible.

Even more fundamental than all this, is the way in which concepts develop our first perceptions of the world. Some everyday examples of how concepts do this include:

--the permanancy of concret objects;
--the switchboard of three-dimensional space;
--which way is [up] and right-handedness;
--the rules of logical thought.

II

Here are some objections, straight from Plato's dialogues, to studying concepts for their own sake:

The first comes from the dialogue of Socrates with Meno:

MENO. But how will you look for something when you don't in in the least know what it is? How on earth are you going to set up something you don't know as the object of your search? To put it another way, even if you come up right against it, how will you know that what you have found is the thing you didn't know?

Indeed. And, this can be followed up with a second, more specific, objection to studying concepts and though processes: It is held that the study of the method of thought for its own sake is of no use, except when almost superfluous. In otherwords, isn't it ridiculous to separate the study of thought from the day to day problems which we use if for?

Plato, stated this in his Socratic dialogue Charmides:

SOCRATES. And if a man know only, and has only knowledge of knowledge, and no further knowledge of health and justice, the probability is that he will only know that he knows something, and has a certain knowledge, whether concerning himself or other men.
CRITIAS. True.
SOCRATES. Then, how will this knowledge or science teach him to know what he knows? Say that he knows health; - not wisdom or temperance, but the art of medicine has taught it to him; - and he has learned harmony from the art of music, and building, from the art of building - neither, from wisdom or temperance: and the same of other things.
CRITIAS. That is evident.

Well, we won't try to hide it: in contrast to these carefully worded sentences, the rest of this section of this book will list instances in which the study of thought processes has value to us - instance in which it has a very real value.


All along it must be kept in mind that steps forward in knowledge proceed awkwardly. The initial coneption of a new discovery always has many details that are wrong. Socrates takes a critical position in those two quotations. But, he later states that for his part the desire to know what is good (not necessarily the actual knowledge itself) is the most important thing. The sum of what we don't know is so vast -- we will never get anywhere without a lot of pure desire to step beyond what we don't know with what we aren't sure of. There is no way to obtain knowledge without making mistakes and blunders. There is no roal road to any difficult art or skill.

WE SUMMARIZE: Our progress will depend on how important we conclude that it is to try to do what we aren't sure of; what we don't seem capable of; what we haven't been prepared for; and to what extent the theory that we do construct being built on hard-learned experience, does not outdistance our capability to produce results.


III

Not attempting to formulate any new principles, we will work with familiar ideas, elaborating them, the method can be called the study of concepts through concepts. Lets lay this technique out in part before hand:


.... We trace out the definition of a lessor known concept by recognizing in it the same elements as are present in a better known concept. In literature this method is used in the form of metaphors and similies. In ordinary speech it is the method of analogies.

....Since we are actually hunting concepts, we can bring one out in the open, so to speak, by asking questions about. These questions will expose what dols the concept together.

.... By seeking out those elements in concepts that constantly reoccur, we obtain the most economical description of them.

.... We wait for it (the work) to mature; repeatedly changing its presentation, searching for the best presentation of what [seems] profound; convinced that simple and elegant solutions are the shortest distance between two points. The work will be the product of many months, even years, of stubborn thinking and the subject of pride.


In the dialogue Theatetus, Plato first considers the claim of sense impressions (by themselves) to be knowledge. A rational argument is then given to discount this possibility. It is asked how false judgements are possible under these circumstance. A model is given that compares this to sense impressions not fitting the patterns in wax formed by objects. Then examples of false judgements are given which don’t fit into this paradigm of knowledge.
Then the possibility of true belief being knowledge is considered. First “having” knowledge is compared to holding birds (ideas) in cages in our minds. The cages are the truths of experience which constrain statements we can make about the ideas. In this situation it is argued that it is possible to make false judgements when we depend on these cages to interprete our factual
experience. An example of a lawyer twisting the facts of a case to make the jury come to the wrong conclusion is given.
Finally a definition for knowledge is given which is somewhat better. Knowledge is said to be true belief along with an account or logos. This account justifies our thoughts by making a sound (based on sense impresssions) rational argument about the experiences we have had. In order words we are saying that in some sense knowledge is “assured belief”. Here we see the importance of having a logos about God if we are to hope to be able to know him.
However, the limitation of even this definition of knowledge is explained further on in the dialogue. If an account is a rational logical demonstration (two different methodological approachs to do this will be explained later in this discussion), it must start with certain “unknowable”, “first order facts”. This is because we have already declared knowledge based on objects ( or sense impressions) not be knowledge by themselves. But any argument will then just be a series of rational exercises (tautologies) which come to no new conclusions about these unknowable starting points. The conclusions cannot be new because they cannot
be any more knowable or true than what we started with.
It wasn’t until Immanuel Kant that human philosophy explained how it was possible to have synthetic a priori truths. It we assume we humans have certain abilities (what Jesus called talents) in our minds Then, by postulating the truth of these God given abilities the truth of these postulates themselves can
be determined and influenced by the way we perceive reality. The objects that Plato called unknowable in themselves are this way because we don’t have access to studying their true nature. This is because they are in a sense outside of us. But our postulates about what is inside our selves are accessible through our subjective intuitive and common sense minds. So these talents can be good
starting points along with our experience about the World they can help form knowledge when we have a logos (or account of the connection between what has happened to us and what situation we started with). They then form an innate nature common to all of humankind.


IV

THE MIND AS A SWITCHING YARD----PASCAL "ONE MUST

SUBSTITUTE DEFINITION FOR THE DEFINED."


Names are associated with objects; so are their meaning. But an objects's name can be one the tip of the tongue when a corresponding meaning isn't: how else do we know sounds when we hear them, or other things when we see them. The answer is that our mind automatically deals with things by sorting them into pre-established groups. We have, in our mind, a switching yard. If we want to know what a song or anything else is, we must ask ourselves question about the mental defintion of it. It will be helpful to discuss the nature of this mental switching yard, in order to understand how to ask these questions.



Suppose that pieces of information start off in the mind like freight cars start at the high point in a railroad switching yard:

-- They coast down the hill; switches guide each one into its proper siding. There the cars wait, with others of the same destination to be sent to form a train [ see classification type expert system which is defined below];

-- Each time we send a "new" object rolling down the hill, new switches are added, and the network becomes better at sorting out information;

-- As we look at a scene of things in front of us, the mind couples thought onto the corresponding parts of the scene -- and all of a sudden, what isn't a blur, is a series of meaningful images moving through the mind [ see backward oriented reasoning as defined below].

In a freightyard the starting points of the cars is on a hill. But, before getting to the bottom of the tracks the cars may reach resting places. To get out of these resting places often requires some extra help [see genetic algorithm as defined below]. This is the case if there are substantial depressions in the ground: or it may be that only a little push is needed; if they, (the thoughts) are stuck on a rise in the ground level.

As images come through the mind to be sorted into concepts, they too reach resting places. These are resting places in the switchboard of the mind, speaking figuratively. If the route doesn't take us the full distance (does not give us enough understanding), there may be valleys; and in this case the help of other concepts needs to be introduced (more new switches added- things we haven't classified yet). There may be rises. In this case we just need to reflect on the situation. We must conciously give the cars a little push in our mind.

It is possible to push this metaphor too far. But it does provide the means to understand the quotation at the beginning of the section. The quotation in French is "Substitutuer mentalement les definition a'la place des definis". this means "Substitute mentally the defining facts for the defining terms".

Faced with a problem, not sure how to solve it, there is a reason for much of the uncertainity that occurs. We often fail to spell out the meaning of the ideas involved in the problem. This is when we should go back [see examples below] to the definitions of the ideas that we have in our minds:

-- Since the switching patterns branch out as they get more specific; our questions go from the general to the particular, the identification process quickly sorts one thing out of myriads of possiblities;

-- The "unknowns" in the problem are interpreted in terms of the conditions and data that are given; new connections are formed mentally; we see things clearer and in a concious sense;

-- By varying the conditions of the problem, the mind searches for a related problem that it has solved before; the general idea of a solution emerges; patiently, the problem solver waits until all the troubling points are dealt with, to insure that all the information is accounted for.


Second definition of a concept----

A concept is a rule that may be used to decide if a object falls in a certain group. It is an abstract way of grouping thoughts. It deals with the information associated with the object of thought by asking questions about it. This may be a simple process like the way we classify concrete objects by the "marks" of sense impressions: such as physical size or texture (this process is instinctual in simplier animals). Or it may be a more complicated process using a lot of other concepts.