New Beginning

I'm sitting here singing one of my favorite songs to myself: New Beginning by Tracy Chapman. Suddenly I realize how appropriate it is for this post that I'm starting to write.

This blog is coming to an end. Yes, I know, it's sad, but it's true. There are several reasons for this decision, but the big one is that I'm sick of Blogger and it's lack of certain features that I've come to realize could be really helpful. And so, I've decided to move over to Wordpress.com

This is a good thing. New blog, new name, new address, new layout, and new outlook. No pretense, no boxes; just Jonah writing about Jonahy thoughts, and hopefully some more substantial offerings to come.

So within the next day or two, you will start seeing my new posts at jdove.wordpress.com. This blog will remain here for posterity. Well, maybe not for posterity, but at least for a while :-)

So, my two loyal readers, ::snicker:: onward and upward! I'll see you at wordpress.

Peace and blessed be!
- Jonah

Jonah's Prayer

May each step I take
and word I speak
be guided by truth
and lead to peace.

I've written my fair share of prayers, but if I were to pick one that is my prayer, this would be it. I'm surprised that I haven't posted it yet (I think I did in a comment somewhere, but, I'm not sure).

There are a handful of prayers that I try to say every day. This is one of them, and it's always towards the end of my morning practice. It's sort of "the point" that I'm trying to get across to myself. One of them, anyway.

Could you imagine if this prayer came true? If every step you took was aimed towards peace? If every word you spoke came from a real place of truth? Could you do it for even one day? What would that day be like?

This is truly a lofty goal, and one which I've never completely achieved even for one day. But some days, the words catch me at the times when my behavior least matches my goal. In those moments, I see where I've gone wrong, and growth can occur.


What is your prayer?

Sun Salutation

O, Sun!
I greet you in your radiance.
I feel your warmth, and it enlivens me.
I accept your blessing,
and offer you mine in return.
May you inspire me
to share that blessing
with the whole of the Earth
on this brilliant,
blessed day.





(The guy in the picture is totally not me)

Brigid In Cyberspace 2008

Here is my poem for Brigid in Cyberspace 2008. Sorry it's a bit late, and a bit dark >:-]

River of Blood
by Jonah
Feb 3, 2008

A hunger within me,
which cannot be snuffed
asks deftly to be acknowledged, and waits
(secretly wishing to be ignored)
for an answer.
See me! it cries
and runs the other way
Find me!
and ducks behind a corner.

walking in circles by dim candlelight
searching for only what makes me a liar
give me a hint that i might find my way
quick to the end lest my spirit should tire

Voices call loudly
from my boiling blood
asking for forgiveness, redemption
from sins never committed
and guilts never earned
and a perceived emptiness where none
should ever exist.
They compel me to act,
as if these aches were my own
as if this unreachable itch held residence
within my own (fleshly) body.
The Ancestors peer at me sideways.

from other worlds come the dark desp'rate cries
wrought in the blaze of a deep-hearted fire
give me that look and i'll take up a crown
lit on my head in bright burning desire

When all is said and done,
the voices become my own
and the hunger passes down a thread of
red or pink.
I have turned away from the airy promises
of serenity and salvation
(See me! they cried;
Let go! and vanished from my sight).
No god or demon or
fay or power or
angel
or star
would dare ever take my hand and pull
me along
and show me that all of this is my choosing.
No. No.
They would never do that.
They have too much to lose.

i firmly reject what i say that i wish
and never will claim that to which i aspire
i pass on my burden to those who come next
go to the ground and then dism'lly retire

To Ease the Passing

Today Thorn wrote about Cora, and her final struggles as she waits to pass from this world to the next. I have sat before with a woman (one of my aunts) waiting for her final breath, sending her the energy to help her either recover or pass. It was clear that she was ready to pass, but she used that energy to hold on just a bit longer, until more relatives could arrive... until she could see everyone off.

I don't know Cora, except by reputation and through the teachings of Feri. For those teachings, for all great and small contributions to what Feri has become, for touching the hearts and souls of the teachers who bless the world by passing that tradition on, I bless her.

In honor of Cora, and the process she is going through which I have witnessed only once but am sure to witness again, I was inspired to write this.

Song to Ease the Passing

Open the door
let the light flow in
they sing to you from beyond.
Open the door
let your light flow out
we sing for your safe return.
Open the door
and close your eyes
they wait to welcome you home.
You are our friend
we must say goodbye
we know that we will meet again.

It's a little cliche, but lovely when set to music. I thank the ancestors for unraveling it within me.

Blessed be, Cora. May your remaining time be joyful and your transition be peaceful.
Blessed be, Fay. May you move Cora's spirit safely to the next world when the time comes.
Blessed be, Ancestors. May you great our elder with open arms.

How to Change the World

If there is one thing that my spiritual work has taught me, it's that the only way the world is going to change is if people change, and the only way people are going to change is if we change ourselves first.

There is a reason that Feri teaches Iron before Pearl. Even teachers who teach them at the same time discuss Iron first. It's because we need to fortify ourselves, be Kala in ourselves, before we can fortify and be Kala in our communities. Skipping (or glossing) the first step leads to putting forth a great effort but never achieving your goal, like spinning your wheels in the sand.

We can't force anyone to wake up, to see the bigger picture, to look at things and care about things the way that we do. Society won't change until people change. It's not about the actions people take or the laws that govern them. It's about who they are inside. And we can't change that. We can only change ourselves, and offer ourselves as a model for the "better way" that we so desperately want others to adopt. But if we were truly living in that better way, maybe we wouldn't be so desperate. Maybe we would see that pressuring people to change is what got us here in the first place. Maybe we would see that the system is flawed because it's run by flawed people. Maybe we would see those flaws within ourselves and learn to have compassion when we see them in others. Maybe we would see that the war is within us, ourselves, individually - not out there with everyone else.

A Toast to Health

Today, and for a while, I'm feeling under the weather. I know I'm not the only one.

When was the last time you enjoyed your health, truly and consciously. When was the last time you felt good and were thankful for it?

Raise your glass. If you don't have a glass, raise it the next time you do. Raise your glass and let's toast to health. Feel your good health, or remember what it was like. Feel yourself feeling good, and feel that feeling for everyone you love, and everyone you know, whether you like them or not. Feel good, and feel it for everyone.

Here's to Health. Good Health. May it be shared by all!

Drink that in and be kala.