Just Around the Bend...

If I had to come up with a rule to live by, or just a piece of advice for a young person, it would surely be: “Never Ignore Anything God Puts in Your Path”. This is a rule that I’ve discovered over the years because of how my life has been blessed when I follow it and, how I have to keep dealing with the same things when I don’t.

I’m not one of those people who believe that everything happens for a reason. I’m convinced most things are simply random events. But I do believe God puts some things in our paths. He is either trying to teach us something or He’s revealing a part of us. I don’t think circumstances in life create our characters so much as they reveal them. Often they reveal us…to us.

Sometimes people come into our lives that we take little or no notice of. I’ve awakened to the fact that when I do take notice of them, and get to know them a little, my life is usually blessed for it. We still need to maintain some boundaries with people. A drowning swimmer will pull you down with them if you let them. Keeping our own boundaries clear still leaves room for getting to know some interesting people. And we never know whom we touch by simply taking notice of them.

I’ve found the people and things I’m drawn to usually have some lesson to teach me. I've often marveled that the lessons can be so profound. The burden is with me to actually see what’s in front of me.

Its funny that some people feel it necessary to go halfway around the world seeking something when the answers they seek are usually right in their own little corner of it. Maybe it takes that to open them up. I know it’s taken me years to begin to see some things right in front of me! To live life in such a way as to be oblivious to the things in our path is a shame. They can show us so much of our world and ourselves.

Remember the words of William Shakespeare: “If it be now, ‘tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come—the readiness is all.”

When you’re ready for the lesson…it will come--the readiness is all!

Lords of the Air

All of my life I’ve been captivated by birds of prey. When I was sixteen I was on a camping trip next to a creek a few miles from our home. While exploring a cliff face above the creek one night, I spotted several sets of eyes in a cleft with my flashlight. The next morning I fashioned an Indian style snare and attempted to catch, one of, whatever was in the cleft of the cliff face. I pulled out a baby Great Horned Owl. (He was not the least bit happy about his new predicament. And it was sheer luck on my part that his mother wasn't around or she might have taken my scalp!) I put him in a brown paper bag and secured it to the back of my motorcycle seat and took him home. I named him Amon-Ra after an Egyptian god. I didn’t know the first thing about raising a bird of prey but I was determined to learn. That began a love of hawks, owls, falcons and falconry that burns in me still.

I refused to cage my new friend. I opted instead to let him fly wherever he liked around the house. I would call him to eat and he would dutifully fly down from where he was perched to land at my feet. I didn’t realize then that I was doing him harm by feeding him raw steak. Raptors need bones, fur and feathers as roughage in their diet to stay healthy. (We can harm the things we love, while thinking we're doing them good, too easily...)

What I instinctively knew then, I more fully understand now. The thing I love about birds of prey the most is their spirit. To break that would be to destroy the very thing that draws me to them. Not to break it, is to risk losing them…but that’s a part of loving them.

It was given to mankind to dominate the earth…but that doesn’t mean everything in it should be dominated. To destroy the very things we are drawn to is to destroy a part of ourselves. We are all connected. God works through us to affirm that when we let Him. I pity those who haven’t found their sense of connection. And I especially pity those who’ve lost their sense of awe.

What a wonder and a miracle is a bird of prey in the air. It doesn’t matter how long the leash is from the jesses to the glove, sometimes the leash has to come off and then they’ll do what God intended them to do...the things that we love them for!

The falconer that treats his bird like a pet will destroy it. They're not pets. The person who just wants an unusual animal to keep and tell his friends about should avoid birds of prey. They're our partners. They have to be worked with every day. It is our honor that they allow us to participate with them in the Way. We owe them our respect. The falconer that doesn’t treat his partner with respect soon loses her.

The wise one learns the lesson…

The Breath of The Dragon

I’ve been studying and teaching martial arts for over thirty years. I was fascinated by the ‘secret’ techniques that were alluded to when I began. What I came to realize is that they aren’t the kind of secrets that can simply be told to another person. They are secrets that can only be revealed to individuals through practice. They may be more correctly seen as Ways of understanding. One such Way is The Breath of The Dragon. The Way of the Breath isn’t spoken about very often. Martial artists that practice The Way don’t speak about it openly because of the danger it can be to someone trying to advance too quickly.

Some Christians tend to see any allusion to a dragon as connected to Satan. That’s an overly simplistic and very misleading understanding. The more correct understanding of the symbolism is akin to the Celtic view. The Dragon represents all of creation and it’s breath the life-force, the pulse, of creation.

In Eastern schools of philosophy the direct experience of reality is considered the ultimate experience. The symbolism of a veil between us and reality is commonly used. The function, the goal, of Eastern religious-philosophical schools is to lift the veil and allow us a direct understanding; a direct connection with “IT”. The Breath of the Dragon is one such Way.

I don’t consciously think about martial arts very much these days. They are so much a part of me that they're almost too natural to question. I sometimes have to stop and realize that most people have little to no understanding of that approach to life.

The Breath makes you face life and death directly. Without betraying any of its techniques or secrets I can say that it brings you to new levels of understanding. It brings you to a place where paradoxes and inner conflicts are reconciled, a place where connections are seen where none were visible before. You learn to see beyond life and death. The Breath shows you that inner peace is the greatest strength, but it’s not a place you can live in all the time. With practice your visits there can become longer and longer.

The Breath is a part of me…or, I should say, I'm a part of it. The way that it influences me sometimes surprises even me. I find, as I get older, that I don’t care for ambiguity or subtlety nearly as much as directness. I tend to go straight to the heart of a matter when it’s important to me. That puts some people off and even scares some people. The Breath is a way without rituals or games…it drives us to seek only truth and connection. I’ve found in life that not many people are comfortable directly facing truth. It can be very scary…because it forces you to change and grow.

What the masters say is true, the taller the tree...the stronger the wind. I only know that if acorns didn’t change…there would never be oak trees. I can’t imagine a world without oak trees.

Garbage in...Garbage out

So much power and so little wisdom of how to use it… That’s what I think of Hollywood and its contribution to American culture. Hollywood is the land of illusion. Everything coming out of it should be suspect. Their ‘raison d’etre’ is to make money and they’ll even fake sincerity to do so…

While I often question the psychological health of someone who would pretend to be someone else, solely for the approval of strangers, (my definition of an actor), I do like movies. I find many to be vulgar and without any redeeming values but there are some responsible producers and directors who are not only artists but responsible members of the human race with honest stories to tell.

Some stories can give us a glimpse into our fellow human beings and a greater understanding of what we hold in common. I remember watching ‘The Joy Luck Club’ for the first time. At first I thought it would be nice to see some attractive Asian women on screen. Somewhere, while watching it, I forgot they were attractive Asian women and just saw them as fellow human beings struggling to live and grow like every one else.

I recently watched ‘Antoine Fisher’, the story of a young black man growing up in America. That he was a black man became completely irrelevant to the story. He was another fellow human being trying to put the broken pieces of his life together and grow beyond the cruelty he’d known. There was no graphic sex or violence in the story, no cheap thrills, just honest human emotion. It’s a touching story of human redemption and how we need each other. Such stories should be told.

Unfortunately Hollywood, while condemning things like handgun violence, too often exploit the very things they ‘pretend’ to abhor solely for their profits. They argue that they only reflect what is really going on in society and that what happens on screen doesn’t affect the behavior of the average person. Of course that argument is reversed when they are selling commercial airtime at say, the Super Bowl. Then the power of what happens on screen to affect the publics behavior can be worth millions for a thirty second spot.

Many of us are more concerned with what goes into our mouths than what goes into our minds. It would do us well to remember a very old adage…”Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil”. If we keep the garbage from coming into us…we’ll keep it from coming out of us. It can pay to turn the channel or even turn off the TV to keep the garbage out.

Hollywood would eventually get that message.

The Way of a Man with a Maid...

In Proverbs 30:18-19 King Solomon declares: “There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent on a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid.”

I share King Solomon’s awe in these things. I’ve worked with birds of prey for some years but I still get a rush when I see them in the air! While standing in a yard recently I saw a prairie falcon silently swoop from her perch just yards away to cross my line of sight. I stopped and my heart gave thanks at the miracle of it! It was…too wonderful for me!

I’ve never had the aversion to snakes that many people have. I’ve always found them fascinating too. I’ve caught and played with, then released, hundreds of snakes in my life. In my youth I killed many that were poisonous, or many that I thought were anyway. I don’t do that much anymore, unless they pose a threat. When I see them now, I think the world is a much more interesting place with them in it, so I pay my respects and move on. It would be a shame to kill one of Gods miracles…

I think I have a little different take on ships at sea than the one King Solomon may have had. I’m in awe of the men that sailed the old wooden ships out into the vast blue, not knowing what they would face. My awe is of their courage and ingenuity. The adventure of it sends my heart there…to feel the wind and the salt spray on my face, to wonder what the next horizon will bring!

It is the forth which I know not…the way of a man with a maid. It amazes me that one day a man can be thinking of how to join one piece of steel to another or about where to stop on his next trip through the land of enchantment and then a woman can unexpectedly enter, then consume, his thoughts. All it takes may be a simple hug or a moment when the sunlight brings out the gold flecks in her eyes. The sight of it captures your imagination. Maybe it’s the moment when you touch her skin and it feels softer than the finest silk... It can be completely distracting!

Where your only thoughts of color may have been to see the way steel changes from black to bright yellow in a forge before…now you drift away with thoughts of how the gold and green in her eyes changes with the light. You dream of smelling her hair and feeling her breath on your skin.

Thoughts of candlelight dinners and hours spent with your arms around her in front of a fireplace crowd out the poems waiting to be written in steel. All of the sudden you no longer feel whole when she’s not there. The sunsets that were so beautiful not so long ago now seem empty without her to share them with. It can feel great to be alive and miserable all at the same time?? No wonder it’s inspired so many poems and songs !!!

The way of a man with a maid. Surely it’s one of Gods greatest miracles...one I hope I never understand!

War

There was a time when I wore a military uniform. I learned to use modern weapons and trained in modern tactics for warfare. I looked forward to putting my training to the test just like a football player looks forward to playing another team after training with a new coach, new equipment and a new rulebook. I actually thought going to war would be a good thing! That’s a view common among many young men, especially those exposed to military culture. The military is a kind of right of passage for many young men. There is something inherent in us that drives us to prove ourselves, to prove that we have become men.

It’s a natural thing for a young man to feel that way. It’s good that there are such young men to fill the ranks of our military. Without a strong military we wouldn’t enjoy the lifestyle that most of us take for granted. It’s an old saying but a true one…Freedom isn’t free.

There are always those who will try and impose their will on others, and they’ll do it with whatever weapons and means are at their disposal. It is a fact of human life that some people don’t respond to diplomacy…the only thing they respond to is greater strength. That makes war necessary sometimes.

Make no mistake…war is the most obscene evil that human beings can engage in. Old soldiers know that even if the young ones don’t…yet. The wholesale murder and maiming of other human beings is what we’re talking about. Those that die in war are far from the only casualties that it causes. It destroys hearts, minds and families in addition to destroying land and property. It has destroyed entire civilizations and generations. No one who’s been in a war has any romantic notions about it. Still sometimes wars must be fought. There is always a bully on the playground that only understands one thing…

The question arises then, what is a justifiable reason for going to war? Contrary to what some believe, a government has no right to dictate to it’s citizenry whom to hate… Governments and dictators have engaged in immoral activities ever since there have been governments. To conquer someone else’s territory is immoral. To go to war to protect the financial interests of some group is also immoral. These are motives based on greed, one of the basest of human drives. What are moral, justifiable reasons then?

To defend ones home and land is not only ones right but ones moral responsibility. To set the oppressed free is also a moral responsibility. In as far I’m concerned, those are the only justifiable reasons to engage in war. Every effort to avoid armed conflict should be exhausted beforehand. The cost should be carefully considered before sending men and women into harms way. Once the decision is made to go to war everything that can be done to insure victory should be done. No expense should be spared in arming and training those who will put their lives on the line.

There is one more thing…the values that our warriors are fighting for should be reflected in their actions and in those of their leaders. To defend human rights by breaking every decent principle of humanity is the kind of hypocrisy that only plants the seeds for future conflicts. Such things are not worthy of a free people and a noble nation.

I am not a pacifist or a warmonger…I’m a realist. I only pray that our leaders are guided by this principle. We should always strive for the noblest of intentions. Every human being is made in the image of the Living God, the ones we send to do the killing, and the ones we intend to kill. We can never take that lightly.

My Grandmother...

Saturday December 11, 1999 was the day my grandmother died. She was the only grandmother, and one of the finest people, I ever knew. Vera Francis Taylor Schipper was a woman of little formal education. She could read and write enough to get by. She married my grandfather in 1930 and bore him five children, a son and four daughters. My mother was in the middle. My grandfather abandoned my grandmother and his five children when they were all young. While he went off to chase other women and drink, she made sure that her children all had food, clothing and shelter by doing whatever it took to get by. They lived on a small farm at the time. My grandmothers heart was always in farming.

By the time I was a young child in Alaska she had remarried and settled on the outskirts of Austin in a small house that was little more than a shack. She, and the only grandfather I ever knew, worked as custodians at a small elementary school across the street. I lived with her for a time when I was a child, along with one of my cousins. Anytime anyone in the family was broke or needed a place to stay she did whatever she could to help. There were times when their small house was home to more people than it had room for but my grandmother would never turn anyone away.

She never liked it when anyone called her 'grandmother'...She said it made her feel old. She preferred to be called by her childhood nickname: 'Beader'. I still don't know the true story behind that one! She taught me to love the old ways of doing things. We would sit on the front porch snapping green beans or shelling peas. I learned to churn butter and ice cream by hand. I learned to milk a cow and figure out where sneaky chickens would hide their eggs. I learned to make peach preserves and dill pickles and all kinds of things. My cousin and I washed the dinner dishes by hand for a dime a week. I learned the importance of the Farmers Almanac and to watch the phases of the moon when I planted my garden. And I learned about unconditional love...

I remember once a homeless person, we called them hobos then, wandered up. He asked if there was any work he could do to earn some food. My grandmother wouldn't hear of making him work for food. She made him a plate of Southern cooking about six inches high and when he was finished she gave him seconds. He tried to pay her with the only thing he had, a ball point pen, but she wouldn't hear of that either. My grandmother never turned anyone away hungry...not once in the forty years I was blessed to know her. If someone was cold she would see to it they had a coat or blanket. If someone was sick or lonely she would visit them. That was the foundation of her faith in God. She didn't understand all the philosophical arguments about religion. She understood what it was to be hungry, cold and lonely. She knew that we are all connected and that God works through us and that was enough for her.

I've studied most of the religions on earth at some time in my life. There have been times when I was certain about some of the things of God...only to be convinced of something totally different later. I no longer claim to know anything about God save what my grandmother taught me by her example.

She sleeps now, awaiting God's call. I know that one day she will be a jewel in His crown. I hope that I can be something of the man she saw in me so that I can be there to see that...

I miss you Beat...

Attraction and Love

As a student of the human condition I’ve found that the easiest way to study humanity is to turn my awareness on myself. I think that’s somewhat akin to what actors do. By studying ourselves we come to understand others. It’s a kind of empathy I suppose. The only flaw in it that I can see is that not everyone thinks or reacts the way I do. Some people are a genuine puzzle to me.

One area where most of us have some interest is the realm of attraction. Lately I’ve found myself thinking quite a bit about attraction and love. (Of course a woman blacksmith inspired it!) The nature of this particular subject seems to be what divides so many men and women because we think about it so differently. I know from experience that most men are attracted to women in one of three basic ways. First, there is basic sexual attraction. When a man sees a woman he wants to be sexual with his main focus is on her body. That’s what he’ll compliment… Some guys will say anything to get what they want here. When it’s understood by both parties it’s one thing…but when it causes a man to lie to get what he wants it crosses the line into using another human being. What a man says when the attraction is purely physical will usually give him away. Often after he gets what he wants he’ll move on to the next woman. This is the area where women feel used…because they are used. This is the basest kind of attraction. It is a need all of us have but there are ways to fulfill it that don’t involve hurting another person. Immature people…especially men…tend to focus only on their own desires. This is something women don’t seem to get primarily because they ‘want’ to believe otherwise. While physical attraction can evolve into romance, it’s rare that it does. A relationship that's built on sexual attraction won't last because sexual attraction waxes and wanes over time. That's natural. To build a lasting bond it needs to be on a different foundation.

The second kind of attraction that men often feel for women is a kind of mental attraction. They’re not usually physically attracted to these women, at least at first. The attraction begins around a common interest or sometimes just good conversation. This can be the ‘I just want to be friends’ area but a man can become physically attracted to a woman he feels mental attraction for too. Just like he can come to find a physically desirable woman less attractive because of her personality. Some women become more beautiful as you get to know them. When these evolve into relationships they're often very good because the foundation is one of friendship. Many women seem to sense that this is the way to go…get involved with your friend and you won’t get used. These relationships can grow into romance. There’s a danger here too though. Becoming physical can ruin the friendship. Sometimes romance can ruin it too. Romance is such a powerful feeling it can raise the expectations unrealistically high. Lose this one and you can lose it all.

The third kind of attraction is the one from the heart. This is when a man is drawn to a woman because of what she does to his heart. This can be love at first sight or it may happen over time. This is the birthplace of romance... It has an element of physical attraction, to be sure, but that’s not the main focus. The things we focus on and compliment are her eyes and her smile more so than her figure. This kind of attraction also has a mental element. We want to know what’s in her heart and on her mind. It is significant that the heart is between the brains and the loins. The heart is where they meet. This is the kind of attraction most of the songs, poems and love stories are about. All of them will make him think of her... This form of attraction lifts us to our highest level. This is the one that can make your heart ache when you're not with her. When a man starts to feel this way about a woman he can’t think of other women. ‘She’ becomes every woman for him. If, in the process of giving in to the attraction you feel, you can become friends, that friendship is the best foundation for real love. When this one is real, (and real means mutual), it can change your heart…and your life.

Just some observations…from the Blacksmith’s Corner….