Author Archives: Jeff

Coping vs. Change

Posted on June 28, 2018 by Jeff

Several traditional Buddhists have criticized mindfulness training.  At first this seems a bit odd, but reading the whole critique explains the problem they have.  It wasn’t mindfulness practice per se, it is mindfulness only as a way to cope with … Continue reading →

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Prophecy by Pauli Murray

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Jeff

Powerful 1969 poem by Pauli Murray, still relevant. I sing of a new American Separate from all others, Yet enlarged and diminished by all others. I am the child of kings and serfs, freemen and slaves, Having neither superiors nor … Continue reading →

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Gatekeepers

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Jeff

The gatekeepers have stopped the barbarians at the gate. They guard access to empty pews. The horde demanding entrance is empty too. Who are the gatekeepers for: botanicals (e.g. quinine) religious images (e.g. kachina dolls) recipes (e.g., chitlins, gumbo, pizza) … Continue reading →

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Appropriate? or Appropriation?

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Jeff

Austin, TX is a “humid, sub-tropical” climate.  In my daily activities, the “strenuously casual” dress of where I came from Davis, CA. It is a hot-summer Mediterranean climate, so drier than here. My clothing is less appropriate here, but a suit, … Continue reading →

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The Great Silence

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Jeff

At a writer’s retreat in a former convent, the leader, a Zen Buddhist practitioner, spoke of the Great Silence, a practice shared by many monastic traditions. Silence is observed by the whole community from dinner to breakfast the next morning. … Continue reading →

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Review: The Witch’s Vacuum Cleaner

Posted on March 2, 2018 by Jeff

I enjoyed Terry Pratchett’s Discworld and Tiffany Aching stories.  The first page always grabbed me and the climaxes made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.  We lost a great writer when he passed away last fall.  … Continue reading →

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La Bloga

Posted on February 28, 2018 by Jeff

First publication of the year, “Condemned”, published on La Bloga, “The world’s longest-established Chicana Chicano, Latina Latino literary blog.” Edward Vidaurre, Poet Laureate of McAllen, TX, read at the Austin Poetry Society’s Open Mike earlier this month. To continue the … Continue reading →

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Review: Chasing Francis

Posted on February 13, 2018 by Jeff

Chasing Francis—A Pilgrim’s Tale by Ian Morgan Cron is a novel with workbook and bibliography attached. The novel is not great art, but it is an engaging read. I read it in two sittings, unusual for me. I tend to … Continue reading →

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Grey Brother

Posted on January 29, 2018 by Jeff

Gray Brother Grey Brother comes, speaking to me and I listen for I know that if I do not, he will act in my name, with my face, and people will claim it was me that did it when I … Continue reading →

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Shape Shifter

Posted on January 27, 2018 by Jeff

Shape Shifter “The desert is the ultimate labyrinth.” — Arab proverb The stars have gone all strange. The compass wanders and will not hold. The dunes shift in the night, and if I’m not watching, again in the day. Lost … Continue reading →

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