The View Up Here

I'll start with this quote from Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P. (Dominican priest) from CatholicAnswers (website and radio). He's quoted as saying/writing: The Lord told us to ask for what we need—not because he doesn’t already know, but that we come to him in love, humbly acknowledging our complete dependence on him—and willingly accepting whatever and however he chooses to respond. The prayer of petition is a matter of loving trust and absolutely nothing else. To that I would add that God wants us to co-create with God. My charismatic community in L.A. taught me the phrase "agreeing in prayer," which means that we are agreeing with each other and with God's will (whatever that may be) for the best possible outcome - even if it's not the one we'd prefer. This acknowledges that God sees far more than we can in our limited scope, while offering ourselves as a community and individually to be God's presence to others in a difficult situation, as God longs ...

10 ways to love, according to the Scripitures. Dust off your #Bible and start loving! pic.twitter.com/Ct4kTSFaAT — CatholicLink English (@catholink) November 17, 2015 Loving is a way of being in the world, a disposition, and a choice. Similar in concept and practice are  The Four Agreements .

In many Eastern religions and philosophies exists the concept of living "in the present" or "in the now." If you say it out loud, you risk sounding like a Hippie or a New Ager or (God forbid) an artist. But I've come to the very clear understanding that this idea of living right in the moment isn't just for gurus and Vegans. While I strived for many years as a Buddhist to attain this moment-by-moment lifestyle, more often than not, I failed miserably at it. However, as a Catholic newly reintegrated back into the Church, I have found this to be an essential part of living fully in the light of God, attaining God's peace, and understanding what is truly important. Of course, it's not something the Catholic or most Christian Churches explicitly teach, per se, although plenty of Christian Mystics experienced and wrote at length about this aspect of prayer and spiritual life. But I believe it is part of what Yeshua the Messiah taught: not worrying about...

Today is the Feast Day of St. Mary Magdalene. This holy woman was maligned by Pope Gregory the (not so) Great when he declared with absolutely no scriptural basis that she was the "sinful woman" of Luke 7:36-50, which of course everyone in 951 assumed meant "whore." Thus began 1,400+ years of Mary Magdalene known as the reformed prostitute, a penitent sinner. The Church in 1969 declared this identity was a misnomer, but her unfortunate and maligned reputation lives on. Mary Magdalene was one of Yeshua's close disciples, was connected with the Crucifixion, his burial and anointing, and the first to witness the Resurrection (depending on which Gospel you refer to). So... props to MM on her special day. In trying to find a suitable image to put up here, I became aware that most of the paintings of her throughout the ages depicted her nude or semi-nude, sometimes with a Crucifix and a very seductive pose. I have a strong feelin...

I've been slaving away at the Space: 1999 novel revisions. I'd hoped to have it done by Monday of this week, but seeing as how it's Thursday late afternoon and I'm not done yet, it's looking like I won't make that (self-imposed) deadline. That was 4 days ago. But hey! Tomorrow's Friday! And I can have it finished before the weekend is over. Then I'll be able to turn back to the other projects panting and waiting and staring at me from the wings. I've also been wrapped up in personal life stuff, which while difficult, is moving forward in a positive direction. I have begun a discernment process for a new life, basically. More on that as things unfold, but for now, suffice it to say that I am floating down the river of life on the raft of God. And I will leave you with this thought, which sums up how I feel right now:

The Peace Garden at Holy Spirit Retreat Center Today was another sunny in the 70s day in the L.A. area. I took a short drive over to the Holy Spirit Retreat Center (a.k.a. " the best kept secret in Encino ") so I could walk and meditate in the Peace Garden. The garden isn't very big, but it is restful, with roses, succulent plants, resounding wind chimes, and sandy paths that wind through wooded and open areas. Later I visited a friend of mine who works there (Sr. Linda, who I met when I started attending the Centering Prayer group at HSRC). Such a warm, pleasant, smart lady. I'm pleased to know her and receive spiritual counseling from her on occasion. Nuns are awesome. Today was just the sort of day when it's a crime to stay inside all afternoon. I'm grateful for the Peace Garden for when I need to soak in some solitary outdoors time not interrupted by the sound of traffic (nor requiring any hiking).

I took a day off from blogging yesterday. I've been dealing with what I can only imagine is a histamine reaction. I suppose I should see a Doctor about it. I've got itchy patches on my face and neck. Hrrrm. Today, I'll do a list of appreciation. Tomorrow, I'll be back with more eloquence and verbosity. Trader Joe's all-natural lotion with aloe Mystics of the Christian Tradition by Steven Fanning My fuzzy red blanket on a cool, overcast morning Lattes made at home Clean bedding minus all the cat hair Fixing my rosary with tweezers (i.e. MacGuyvering my rosary) The power of my public library card Roses Movies with Tom Hiddleston in them Burt's Bees lipbalm, aka " my lipshit "

Freedom This word is thrown around a lot, especially with regards to patriotism and the greatness of the U.S. It also has strong connotations of personal freedom from government control (especially in this election year!). I'm not here to argue with any of that, but I do want to explore another application of the word. Specifically, I'm interested in spiritual freedom. In a basic sense, spiritual freedom can refer to one's ability to choose between options, actions, reactions, and beliefs. But I think there is a more meaningful application of this idea: that of becoming free by trusting that we don't have to control every single freaking detail of our lives, that we can rely on a Higher Power (whatever you want to call that - God, Yeshua, the Universe, human intuition, stillness) to guide us. And here's the thing I'm learning: when I put my faith and trust in that Higher Power, there comes a freedom from worry and stress and anxiety about every moment, direc...

I admit I was neglecting this blog for weeks, mainly because I wasn't sure what the point was to keeping it up. Most people I know follow me on Facebook and get a fairly decent picture of my life there. But I suppose the blog is more than just the minutiae of every day life, isn't it? So I will attempt to get back to what I started with this format - analysis, rants, musings, and updates on my writing. The 1999 novel is rolling along into revisions with my editor, so that's very exciting. Debut will be at the con this fall here in L.A. I also have to work on publicity and other such perfunctory duties. Into revisions for "Eden" my latest screenplay - that's going much more smoothly once I hammered out the first act re-write. I prayed for the Muse to help me with this first act re-write, because I felt like I was staring into the gaping maw of "I don't know what the fuck to do with this." Literally 30 minutes later, in the shower, it was like ...