ABANDON THE HANDSHAKE FOREVER

When I was moving among the Hindus, the common symbol of greeting and leavetaking was the anjali mudra, performed in the standing pranamasana position. Sometimes, the word "namaste" or "namaskar" is said at the same time as this palm-to-palm gesture is made.

When greeting a person more senior than oneself, it would be common for the junior person making this sign to incline their head in a very slight bow, which generally communicates humility in the presence of one's elders and/or betters.

This prayerful position is extremely respectful and points to the spiritual life of each person - the one giving the salute, and the one being saluted. I have always found it meaningful, charming and graceful.

The word "namaste" - loosely translated - means, "the spirit within me salutes the spirit within you." One could hardly go wrong with that!

Considering what we are going through at the moment, I would certainly recommend trading our typical handshake with this gracious gesture instead. There is nothing like a pandemic to make one more aware of the constant presence of germs, viruses and other forms of natural biological warfare that nature inflicts upon us.

In addition to consciousness of viruses, there are many people who are not comfortable having someone's hands on them, whether with a handshake or a hug. I could write a much longer blog about the many reasons why this is true for some individuals. I would just suggest that, if you DO intend to resume the handshake or the hug, that you ask permission before assuming, one way or the other.

I will be reverting, from now on, to the namaskar and the anjali mudra of respect and graceful deference, and I recommend it to you, if you have been considering the possibility of giving up the handshake.

God bless us all

and may we all be well

Silver Rose

"Sannyasini Kaliprana"

YET ANOTHER VIRGIN SAINT - BELINA OF TROYES

SAINT BELINA OF TROYES, FRANCE

died 1135

"For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, 

that you should abstain from fornication."

~ 1 Thessalonians 4:3 ~

I had some free time today, as I had put aside the day for relaxation, and I was unable to find anything of appropriate diversion on any of the venues in my computer. More and more, it hardly seems worth even attempting to find any entertainment because it seems that nearly everything I try has the most rank pornography in it! Just as I begin to become interested in a plot, whether it is a mystery or an historical treatment or some such other drama, all of a sudden, everyone's clothes drop away and my eyes are assaulted with genitalia, acres of naked skin (usually the women, but sometimes also men), and the most unfortunate sounds assail my ears.

I am not a prude. I just find the sudden introduction of naked, heaving bodies incredibly boring, after the initial shock. Honestly, who does not know how sex works? We are familiar with what people do in bed, and it rarely advances the plot of the dramatic production one iota to include a scene of people having sex! Seriously, I can't see the purpose of it, but, apparently, modern culture is firmly established in the idea that pornography is a type of entertainment and "everyone" wants to see naked people in every dramatic production on television.

"Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting

and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness,

not in strife and envying."

~ Romans 13:13 ~

If the rest of the production has captivated my attention, I might occasionally walk away and grab a snack. By the time I return, the sex scene is typically over. Sometimes, if I don't feel like rousing myself to go to the kitchen,  I will skip to the next scene in which people have retained their clothing. Usually, however, I move on to a different movie or episodic series because I know that, where there is one sex scene there will be more!

"But fornication, and all uncleanness, or

covetousness, let it not be once named among

you, as becomes saints."

~ Ephesians 5:3 ~

Neither am I interested in seeing that people are punished for having sex or that production companies be fined for showing a field of flesh. Again, it is a question of avoiding focus on the sex lives of other persons, which is not where the mind of the spiritual aspirant should reside! Clearly, though, it should be obvious that obeying religious prescriptions about sexual matters is an act of the heart and the will, and no one should be forced, especially since monitoring the sex lives of others would put the purity of one's own mind at risk.

 "I made a covenant with my eyes; why then

should I think on a maid?"

~ Job 31:1

Chastity is recommended throughout the Bible, it is recognized in all the major religious traditions as a necessary practice for those wanting to become close to God, and all of this is well known, especially among my Christian, Catholic, Hindu, Vedanta and Buddhist friends. The Hindus teach that chastity ("Brahmacharya") is essential to the physical processes that contribute to the "realization" of God, which adds an extra layer of spiritual practice.

"Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have 

his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband."

~ 1 Corinthians 7:2 ~

There is one female saint for whom today is the feast day, and that is Saint Belina of Troyes, a young French girl who just happens to be known for her devotion to chastity. She rejected a suitor who was powerful and well placed, in order to retain her virginity, and she was killed for her impulse toward chastity.

If only there had been as much attention placed on chastity for men as for women in human history, we might not now be finding ourselves in this situation where sex shows have become general entertainment for the masses. I use the word "entertainment" with some skepticism, since I doubt that it is entertaining, so much as it is intended to be titillating. Yesterday, I was told by a friend who works in the motion picture industry that it is generally accepted that a good number of people want that sort of thing in their movies and television shows, and this is why naked bodies and sexual situations are featured in most of the modern motion picture fare that is offered to adults.

"Oh, how I love Your law! All day long it is

my meditation."

~ Psalm 119:97 ~

I feel the need to stress here that, in order to practice chastity, it isn't required that one be a virgin, or innocent or spotless or "pure" as far as one's history is concerned. That's the marvelous thing about Christ. He is the God of second chances and, as such, he is the most intelligent counselor that ever lived. I think many people who have fallen by the wayside when it comes to the practice of chastity have a hard time getting back "on track," as it were. One needn't punish oneself with excess scruples in this regard. Repent of past indiscretions and gently shepherd yourself back to the pure life expected of a spiritual aspirant.

We are not required to have been saints our entire lives in order to aspire to becoming saints in future. Think on the people, such as Saint Augustine, who led completely dissolute lives, became converted, and were saints by the time of their demise.

Reading my own words, above, I can almost hear some of the modern Christians deriding me for "antiquated" ideas, but these "antiquated" ideas are an essential part of spiritual life, not just with the Christians. There are many reasons why chastity is crucial, but I can't reinvent the wheel here. There are entire books written on the topic, and you need to go read those if you are one of the people who has decided to twist religion into something of your own invention that incorporates sexual license.

I will just say that in the 17 years since I took actual vows of celibacy, I have not regretted it. In fact, I grow to love this practice more and more. It has much to offer and I highly recommend it to the serious spiritual person.

God bless us all.

Silver Rose
aka Sannyasini Kaliprana

(c) Copyright 2020, all rights reserved
Silver S. Parnell

MUSINGS ON SAINT LIBERATA AND VOWS OF CELIBACY

Saint Wilgefortis, 

also known as Saint Liberata

Sometimes conflated with one other "Liberata"

of a similar time period

I love to pick out the names of the obscure female saints about which most people know little to nothing, including ME! When I run across an interesting female saint on a day when searching for them, I spend some hours researching them.

With Saint Liberata, also called Wilgefortis, Librada and other derivations, and sometimes confused with another Liberata who also died as a martyr, we have again a woman who, when faced by an angry father determined to give her in marriage when she definitely did not WANT marriage, is saved by some circumstance.

In this case, Liberata is rescued by the sudden appearance of a beard on her chin! The beard disgusts her would-be husband, and he abandons his suit. She goes on to become a nun, etc.

Is this a myth? Did this person actually exist? Does it matter?

In some cases, the saints appear to answer the needs of the spiritual heart. Those of us with leanings toward the contemplative life, who yearn to be with God alone and for whom earthly romance pales in comparison, are encouraged by stories of brave young female saints who eschewed the married state from the very beginning and pursued God alone.

There appear to be fewer male saints who specifically cite aversion to the married state as a reason for adopting a life of celibacy, likely because women were pretty much at the mercy of their family and society as to the form their life would take, in many instances. Men were also expected to marry, but their work and duties of station were  considered important, whereas the purpose of women's lives was, for centuries, limited to childbearing and rearing within a family. That was their sole contribution to society in the eyes of that society, and I can well imagine chafing at THAT particular bit, as it were.

In the case of Liberata, legend has it that she was eventually martyred at the insistence of her father, who was incensed that she chose religious life instead of the Muslim husband he had picked out for her. Because she was killed for choosing faith instead of family, she is officially considered a martyr for the faith. The backstory on this isn't given in any of the sources, and we are left to wonder why the extreme of crucifixion was imposed on her in the middle ages. Was her father just mad because she disobeyed the orders of this petty king? Was he tired of supporting her, as was his duty until she married? Was it a religious thing because he was a pagan and he objected to her faith? I don't know.

I look upon her story as one of many in the general theme of preferring God to man, and an example for all the vowed and secular women who have given themselves to this life. In my 17 years as an "accidental hermit," I have relied upon the examples of female saints like these.

Currently, there is a minor kerfuffle in the Catholic blogosphere about a book to which Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI may or may not have intended to have his name attached. In it, he supposedly makes the case for continuing the norm of celibacy for priests, in contradiction to some exception that Pope Francis may be making for the priests in the Amazon, where priests are few and far between. Humans like a good controversy, and there are plenty of Francis-haters who have traded in their Catholic faith for a Republican worldview that is cruel and punishing. Pope Francis has made it clear that Trump's wall is unChristian, and he certainly objects to ripping children away from their parents at our borders as punishment for daring to apply for sanctuary in our prosperous and promising country. Francis-haters became so because of these contradictions, for obvious reasons.

In any case, it amuses me that so many people take for granted that celibacy is some horrible, arcane punishment and that it "should" be dispensed with, just as we have dispensed with archaic practices like putting naughty people into stocks in the middle of town so that citizens can throw rotten vegetables at them. I have lived as a celibate person for more than 17 years, and I find it not at all inconvenient.

Saint Liberata relic

Don't get me wrong. Being married is wonderful. It is a lovely state of life, but it isn't for everyone, and it is damn hard to both have a family AND live entirely for God. In fact, it seems an oxymoron to me!

As I have mentioned before, there is some historical proof for people adopting a celibate life after they've been married and seen to the raising of a few children. Husband and wife both take up the life of a hermit or a sannyasi or a Buddhist monk. All the major religious traditions on earth have precedent for this. In fact, it seems natural that, after one has moved through the child-rearing stages, that the elderly would try to move closer to the God to whom one will 'return home' before long. There is absolutely no provision for continuing one's sex life after embarking on this stage, and I think it is terribly funny that Americans are so obsessed with sex that they get all up in arms about this issue about whether or not the Catholic Church should only accept married priests.

I keep reading from these people about what a TRIAL it is to go without sex, and what a horrible thing it is to ask of someone. It's hysterically funny, to me!

As with all rules, there will always be exceptions. In isolated regions, there is no possibility for the kind of day-to-day support that is generally given priests in developed countries. In the Amazon, it really IS a lot to ask of someone that they serve that community entirely alone, without the assistance or support of the church's institutions. Few people would be able to carry on like that, and I think it is smart of our Pope Francis to recognize this and to make provision for the only type of support that is feasible under this circumstance - a WIFE. To do otherwise might be considered cruel.

But, generally speaking, having a wife and children is a full time job in itself, and being a priest on top of those duties isn't practical. Without question, it would draw the church into a responsibility for the costs of raising such a family. Parishioners would be saddled with this obligation that has monetary and social implications, I would think. Providing separate housing for each priest and their families would be onerous. Disregarding the financial entanglements, there are very real burdens on a person's time, when it comes to children, especially. All of this has practical connotations, which can be substantial, if you give it some thought.

I am not saying that these pedestrian considerations are the reasons the Catholic Church proposes for just why celibacy should remain the preferred state for most Catholic priests. I WOULD point out, however, that many of the other religious traditions consider celibacy essential to the aim of the mystically inclined. When I was studying with the Hindus, and then in the Vedanta Convent, there was a lot of information about how necessary celibacy was to the "realization of God." Buddhists also have celibate monastics, for similar reasons. Those who have a dog in this fight and who feel compelled to opine about this controversy, should research the celibacy issue in various religious traditions in order to broaden their understanding of this topic. There is more to this topic than meets the casual eye!

As always, I encourage other women who are living the solitary life to contact me and say "hello." It is always good to hear from you, as it is to hear from all my readers, but I especially send a message of solidarity and support to my sisters in this life.

God bless us all.

Silver Rose
Sannyasini Kaliprana

SHOCKING NEWS - UPDATED

Saint Lucy

Patron Saint of the blind

I had imagined that the increased blurriness of my vision and my inability to read street signs lately was just a part of my "ordinary" bad eyesight, which has been worse than 20/500 since I was a child. (They don't or can't measure beyond that point) but I was shocked to learn, recently, that my macular degeneration has progressed from "dry" to "wet" in my left eye, which means that blood is seeping into that eye and destroying my vision, starting with a black area in the center. Eventually, barring a miracle, I will be functionally blind.

I am still able to drive, but I am unsure how long that will continue, because I have already started having trouble seeing the writing on the street signs.

UPDATE:

When I first wrote this post, I had anticipated undergoing a series of shots in my eye and, since writing it, DID get one of these shots in a very traumatic procedure at my doctor's office.

Communication with the employees at the eye clinic at the local university hospital has been a nightmare. They're very nice when you show up for your appointment, but God save you if you try to telephone them.

The afternoon that I learned of these shots, I called and asked that patient materials about the drug be mailed to me. They should have given it to me during the appointment, but failed to do that. The clerk mailed it to me without my apartment number on the envelope AND NO POSTAGE! I didn't receive it until more than a week later, on the Monday afternoon before the Wednesday morning appointment!

I almost cancelled the appointment because I didn't have enough time to thoroughly read the patient materials, and I couldn't get anyone to return my telephone call. In fact, one of the clerks hung up on me Tuesday afternoon during my 3rd attempt to get someone to talk to me. As of today's date, no one has even opened the messages that I sent them through the patient portal 8 days ago.

The injection in my eye was very painful and remained so for more than 24 hours. I wish now that I had not followed through with that procedure because, according to the patient materials I was finally able to study, there is something in this medication that can cause stroke or heart attack. It is not just a matter of some patients having experienced a stroke or heart attack coincidentally during the study period (which is what the doctors' assistant had told me the morning of the appointment!)

In addition, only 3,000 patients were part of the study and this medication is still very new.

I have numerous syndromes and allergies, most of which are odd and atypical. If anyone were to react badly to a medication, it would likely be ME. This fact, combined with the disorganized office procedures and difficulty getting questions answered, I have decided not to have any more of these shots at this time.

Instead, I am going to focus on things I can do to improve my situation. Mostly, it involves the special diet and supplements that the doctor prescribed to slow the process of the disease. It is the same diet prescribed by the doctors who are monitoring my arthritic conditions.

I could use some help with:

• The organic anti-inflammatory diet, vitamins and supplements prescribed by my doctors;
• Supplies for my writing and art, to assist me in resurrecting those careers, in order to attempt to fund my increasing needs, over time; and,
• Organizational items for the household, so that I can function independently now and in future, as my vision disappears.

If you would like to donate toward the supplies that I mentioned, above, please click on the DONATE button, above and to the right, and follow the prompts.

If you want to help but do not feel comfortable donating money, I would be very happy if you would take a look at my DONATIONS WISH LIST on Amazon. In fact, I would prefer it! It is one thing to tell you how I intend to spend the money, but it is more clear cut when you see for yourself that this is, indeed, where your money is going. 

AMAZON WISH LIST FOR DONATIONS

If you are not able to contribute, I would be MOST grateful if you would share this blog post on Facebook and twitter.

COPY AND SHARE THIS LINK

MOST OF ALL, I ask that you pray for me, as I pray for you.

[UPDATE: OCTOBER  5, 2020 - I have lost most of the vision in my left eye. It is like trying to look through a puddle of water.]

God bless us all.

Sister Silver "Rose"

(Sannyasini Kaliprana)

Silver Cottage Ashram Hermitage

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Copyright © 2019

All rights reserved

WHAT I CAN TELL YOU ABOUT THE VICTIMS

When the news broke of the release of the report about the pedophile scandal in the Catholic Church in Pennsylvania, all hell broke loose on social media, and everyone seemed to be focused on lengthy discussions about how to punish the evildoers, and how to fix the Catholic Church so that this does not happen any more.

At first, I joined the conversations. As a convert, I was horrified by the revelations of the ever-widening scope of the pedophile ring. Then I realized that none of the posts I was reading made mention of the victims. The focus seemed entirely on the perpetrators, present and future. I found that odd.

After questioning many people about this remarkable lack of interest in the victims, and reading many weak and unconvincing arguments about why it was somehow 'right' to ignore them, I realized that there is STILL considerable squeamishness around this topic. WHY? Evidently, the fact that the victims were subjected to sexual abuse makes other people feel uncomfortable.

As a victim of several instances of childhood sexual abuse and rape, I am speaking out for the victims in the Catholic Church scandal. Rapes and assaults are not part of the "sexual history" of someone who has been assaulted, and there is no reason why anyone should be embarrassed about the fact that they have been victimized. Assault and rape are not "sex." They are crimes against innocent persons. Though my PTSD would flare dramatically if I was made to recount the details, I do not mind presenting my credentials as one of a huge group of people violated by adults when we were children.

I was sexually abused by my father when I was a toddler.

My first stepfather tried to rape me when I was 7 years old.

My second step father tried to strangle me when I was 11.

When I was 14, I was drugged, gang raped, and thrown into a river to die.

Instead of just jumping right into a vigorous discussion about how to punish the latest batch of perpetrators and their co-conspirators, I would ask, what would Jesus do? His first care would be for the victims, which is what I recommend.

Empathy, sympathy, kindness, emotional support, prayer vigils; these are all good things, but mostly I recommend that, instead of barging in and making pronouncements of the causes and cures of the pedophilia problem in the Catholic Church, we should first care for the victims.

While most of us will not have access to the actual victims of these specific crimes, neither do we have access to the movers and shakers in the curia. Our impact on the authorities at the top of the institutional hierarchy is no different than the impact we might have on the victims. There is really no good reason why we should be ignoring the victims and jumping on top of the "crime and punishment" aspect of the issue, nattering endlessly about what caused this and how to fix.

It is nearly hilarious the large number of people who behave as if their opinion about what the Church should do is very very important. Very. Never mind that none of us has any power over what the Vatican does! Their opinion is important, darn it! (Sarcasm.) There are fights breaking out. It is unnecessary, and I have the feeling that all the effort spent in arguing for one's personal opinion just rubs the emotional wounds raw. We are powerless in the grip of disturbing news about the government and about the church, and it is all too much.

Don't get me wrong. I have an opinion, but I'm not married to it. Basically, I think the cause of this widespread problem in the institution of the church is Satan. Satan loves to attack The Church. He infiltrates as a wolf among the sheep. He enters the seminaries. He rises in the ranks.

Putting aside the spiritual reality of the situation, I offer the observation that predators are attracted to any situation in which he or she will have access to their prey. You find them in the schools, in the support staff for team sports, in day care centers. Wherever there is easy access to the predator's preferred prey, they are there.

For instance, divorced mothers with young children are famously vulnerable to pedophiles who  move into the home and, at night when the wife is asleep, or when they are 'babysitting,' they assault the children. Scores of vulnerable women have been fooled into letting men into their home and trusting these virtual strangers to have access to their children, based upon nothing more substantial than a bunch of sweet sounding words, a few expensive dinners, and some gifts. The man did not become a pedophile AFTER he moved into the home. He was always a pedophile. He targeted that home and those children.

Many people are saying that "The Church" created predators. In their mind, it is because of celibacy or clericalism or the lack of female priests. Homosexuality gets the blame by some, who mistakenly believe that abuse of boys by men assumes that the perpetrator is homosexual. (Some ARE homosexual, but if they routinely violate children, they are pedophiles! Homosexuality and pedophilia are two separate things!)

The Church, like schools and day care centers and young mothers with underage children, represent opportunities in which predators hope to enjoy close access to prey. Access to prey doesn't CREATE the predators. Predators are the wolves. The Church is a pen that holds the lambs. The wolves do whatever they have to do to get access to the lambs.

But, whatever the cause of these crimes, I would suggest that everyone stop wasting their time trying to figure it out on Facebook. The public at large is not in possession of all the facts necessary to come to a proper conclusion, no matter how convinced we are of our accuracy in diagnosing the causes and cures of the problems the church currently faces. It is way beyond our pay grade.

So, what SHOULD we do? First, I recommend continual prayers for the victims and, if you have the ability, donate your time and your money to agencies that help with mental health concerns because people who have been assaulted by predators usually grow into adults with considerable emotional and psychological baggage. Some commit suicide. MANY go on to become abusers themselves, and that's a real tragedy. We should stay centered in love, care and concern for these souls who continue to suffer for the rest of their lives. The damage of abuse can be ameliorated, but it is never eliminated.

This is the jumping off point where research into the agencies that administer programs for adult survivors of abuse can be helpful. We do not have to find those specific people who suffered at the hands of these particular priests. Anyone who has been violated is in need of our prayers, and the community of sufferers in our society is huge.

There are many possible avenues of help, and this little blog is not meant to be exhaustive. I am just trying to get people to give some attention to the victims instead of pontificating about punishments.

It is worth noting, also, that many people are using this opportunity to trash Catholic moral teaching on sexual matters, wrongly claiming that celibacy is responsible for the assaults. There is absolutely NO evidence for that point of view whatsoever. Many religions advocate for the restraint of the sexual urges as a means of accessing higher mystical realms.

We can only have faith that, somehow, the institutional church will repair itself. Like everyone else, I have many ideas about how that might be accomplished, but it would be a waste of my time and yours to prattle on about it here.

I know several people who are leaving because of this scandal. My approach is to stay and fight Satan, but I understand some people do not feel strong enough to do it. They will learn, in future, that "The Catholic Church" did not create the predators and that Satan and his minions are everywhere. Perhaps the disaffected Catholics will return, once the overwhelming reality of the situation is demonstrated to them.

OF COURSE we should let our feelings be known and heard at the highest levels in the church hierarchy, but effective change will not be easily made, because this problem has been known for many many years, and the hierarchy is so clogged with perverts, little has been done.

But let us not forget to care for the victims. After all, when we happen upon a terrible accident on the highway, we take care of the injured first.

God save us all.

Silver Rose