New Hawkscry Poem by Linda Metzner

This poem was written at Hawkscry on Saturday, August 25th, 2012










Hawkscry

Alone on the Earth at Hawkscry, all quiet,
     a fullness of beauty, of light.
In sun and shadow on the mountain peaks,
     a circle of love.
Lying here long upon our Mother’s warm skin,
     one feels a sound, deeper than any sound,
     energy reverberating from within Her Heart.
It is late summer, 
     when the Earth speaks through singing.
Do you hear Her song?
A soft warm cradle of Her singing,
     this hum of the Great Mother
     we can only feel.
In Her soft warm cradle, in the circle of Her arms,
     She sings for all of us,
     the finned, the furry, the feathered.
She sings, too, for the Stone People, Her most ancient ones,
     the peaks and valleys and rivers where Her waters run,
     Her oceans and Her air.
Can you hear Her song, so huge, so wild,
     so deep within, yet immanent in all things?
That song is for us, for you and me,
     here where we lay close to Her on the Earth,
     and where e’er we walk,
     each step springing from Her deepest heart.

Annelinde Metzner
Hawkscry, August 25, 2012

Devastation in the Mid West

It is certainly getting harder to deny that the planet is heating up beyond what modern society can bear. Along with the increase in temperatures comes a whole panoply of problems from the decrease of bee populations and the resulting decrease in crop pollination, to the diminishing aquifers, a water source that has existed since the beginning of time and which is seriously threatened by pollution and over use. Many of the areas affected by serious drought lie in very conservative parts of the nation. My hope is that when this segment of the population begins to see the reality of global warming they will push for legislation that will support a saner environmental  policy. Not to do so will mean sustained suffering for all and will push modern society to the brink.

Click here for a few photographs and the heartbreaking story of one farmer.

Let's get real about using the bible to define marriage!

Note: This article from Robert Stalling's blog Out in the Wild

Moby Dick, the Great Green Whale and Biblical Definitions of Marriage Posted: 08 Aug 2012 03:31 PM PDT If I were to claim that Moby Dick is God, many people might disagree and say I am wrong, but nobody could definitively prove otherwise. But if I were to claim that the great white whale in Herman Melville’s classic book is depicted as being green and others disagree, they could easily prove me wrong by picking up the book and pointing out the passages in which Melville clearly describes the great white whale as being white. If I were an influential, well-known person, the press might likely report it something like this: “Although Dave Stalling continues to insist that the great white whale Moby Dick is depicted as being green, several thorough readings of the book find no evidence to back his claims. To the contrary, there are numerous passages in which writer Herman Melville describes the great white whale as being white as well as great.  According to Yale Literary Professor Elijah Ishmael, widely considered the world’s expert scholar and authority of Melville’s work, the great white whale is indeed depicted as white. “As ludicrous as it may be, Mr. Stalling is well within his rights to believe Moby Dick is God,” Ishmael says. “But to persist with his false notions that Melville depicted the great white sperm whale in his story as being green is absolutely absurd and easily refuted. Stalling should actually read the book he ignorantly professes to understand before perpetuating lies and ridiculous misinterpretations.” I’m sure I would be justifiable scoffed at, but at least such lies and misinterpretations would not harm others, or inspire hundreds of thousands of Americans to flock to a fast food restaurant to support the denial of equal rights to a large segment of American citizens. Yet every day, I read reports of people such as Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachman, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Robert Jeffress, Dan Cathy, Bryan Fisher, Billy Graham, Pat Robertson, and dozens of other influential, well-known people claiming that God intended marriage to be between one man and one woman, that the bible defines marriage as between one man and one woman, and that they support and defend the biblical definition of marriage. Hundreds of thousands of American share these beliefs – beliefs that often ignite bigotry, hate, violence, and the desire to deny equal rights to many Americans.  And when others disagree, the media reports it simply as a difference in opinion, a “cultural war,” a matter of a religious faith vs. other beliefs where neither side can be definitively proven right or wrong. But what about the facts? Although many Americans continue to insist that the bible depicts marriage as being between one man and one woman, several thorough readings of the book find no evidence to back these claims. To the contrary, there are numerous passages that define marriage in ways that include polygamy, incest, rape, slavery and even calls for the stoning to death of women who fail to prove their virginity before marriage.  As ludicrous as it may be, people are well within their rights to believe God opposes same sex marriage. But to persist with false notions that the bible depicts marriage as being between one man and one woman is absolutely absurd and easily refuted. People making such claims should actually read the book they ignorantly profess to understand before perpetuating lies and ridiculous misinterpretations. Here are the undeniable, irrefutable, easily demonstrated facts of what the bible says about marriage: Marriage consists of one man and one or more than one woman (Gen 4:19, 4:23, 26:34, 28:9, 29:26-30, 30:26, 31:17, 32:22, 36:2, 36:10, 37:2, Ex. 21:10, Judges 8:30, 1 Sam 1:2, 25:43, 27:3, 30:5, 30:18, 2 Sam 2:2, 3:2-5, 1 Chron 3:1-3, 4:5, 8:8, 14:3, 2 Chron 11:21, 13:21, 24:3); Nothing prevents a man from taking on concubines or sexual slaves in addition to the wife or wives he may already have (Gen 25:6, Judges 8:31, 2 Sam 5:13, 1 Kings 11:3, 1 Chron 3:9, 2 Chron 11:21, Dan 5:2-3); A man might choose any woman he wants for his wife (Gen 6:2, Deut 21:11), provided only that she is not already another man’s wife (Lev 18:14-16, Deut. 22:30) or a relative (Lev 18:11, 20:17, Lev 20:14, Lev 18:18). The concept of a woman giving her consent to being married is not in the Bible. If a woman cannot be proven to be a virgin at the time of marriage, she shall be stoned to death (Deut 22:13-21); A rapist must marry his victim (Ex. 22:16, Deut. 22:28-29), unless she was already a fiancé, in which case he should be put to death if he raped her in the country, but both of them killed if he raped her in town (Deut. 22:23-27); If a man dies childless, his brother must marry the widow (Gen 38:6-10, Deut 25:5-10, Mark 12:19, Luke 20:28); Women must marry the man of their father’s choosing (Gen. 24:4, Josh.15:16-17, Judges 1:12-13, 12:9, 21:1, 1 Sam 17:25, 18:19, 1 Kings 2:21, 1 Chron 2:35, Jer 29:6, Dan 11:17); Women are the property of their fathers until married and the property of their husbands thereafter (Ex. 20:17, 22:17, Deut. 22:24, Mat 22:25); The value of a woman might be approximately seven years’ work (Gen 29:14-30); Inter-faith marriages are prohibited (Gen 24:3, 28:1, 28:6, Num 25:1-9, Ezra 9:12, Neh 10:30, 2 Cor 6:14); Divorce is forbidden (Deut 22:19, Matt 5:32, 19:9, Mark 10:9-12, Luke 16:18, Rom 7:2, 1 Cor 7:10-11, 7:39); It is better to not get married at all—although marriage is not a sin (Matt 19:10, I Cor 7:1, 7:27-28, 7:32-34, 7:38). People who claim the biblical definition of marriage is between one man and one woman can easily and clearly be proven wrong – and yet such dangerous lies (which fuel ignorance, hate, bigotry and violence against others) are commonly and continually passed on as faith, as a simple difference in opinion. Why do they get away with it? Where’s the accountability?

The Tallest Man On Earth: Love is All

The Tallest Man On Earth: A Field of Birds

J. Tillman; Earthly Bodies

Legalize Love

New Theory on Sexual Orientation

Recent research points to a new theory concerning the causes of sexual orientation that steers away from attributing a genetic basis. The human brain is constructed with two hemispheres. Though there is plenty of cross-over between the two, one or the other is generally dominant. The left brain is dominant in the majority of men, and the right is dominant in the majority of women according to this research. The left hemisphere is more analytical and aggressive. The right side is more empathetic and emotional. Obviously we need considerable cross-over if we are to have a balance between the two and behave as complete human beings.  The question here is how does this dominance factor play out in the brains of gay and lesbian people? According to the research, a great majority of gay men are right brain dominant and have brains that look like, and percieve the world like women and the opposite is true for lesbian women. This dominance preference is established in-utero which might explain why the sexual preference is basically hard wired into the brain. This research refutes again the idea that sexual preference is a choice. Read the article below. WPS

New Theory: Sexual Orientation Determined by Brain Hemisphere Dominance

One California author believes he’s found the missing link to the physiological source of sexual orientation, and it lies in the brain, not the loins.

BY SUNNIVIE BRYDUM

AUGUST 06 2012 4:00 AM ET

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A Northern California author says he's discovered the missing link that explains the biological source of sexual orientation. While doing research for his recent book, The Whole-Brain Path to Peace, James Olson stumbled upon what he says is the direct correlation between hemispheric dominance in the brain and whether a person is gay or straight.

Olson’s theory portends that both heterosexual men and lesbians are generally dominated by the left hemisphere of the brain, which is committed to sequential, thought-oriented processes. And heterosexual women and gay men are much more likely to be dominated by the right hemisphere of the brain, which regulates feeling and cultural awareness.

Olson believes that current research looking for a “gay gene” is searching in the wrong place. Rather, Olson contends, sexual orientation is determined by brain hemisphere dominance. Most men are left-brain dominant, whereas most women are right-brain dominant. Seizing on the implication that “most” necessarily excludes some people, Olson wondered what happened when brain dominance was reversed from the standard.

After reviewing a large collection of scientific literature, Olson hypothesized that when a man is right-brain dominant or a woman is left-brain dominant, that person will be gay or lesbian.

“I think that probably a hormone or a gene is responsible for the brain-dominance [pattern],” said Olson in an exclusive interview with The Advocate. “That [reversed brain dominance] is what causes homosexuality.”

If sexual orientation is determined by brain dominance as Olson contends, it’s important to note that the pathways connecting the two hemispheres of the brain and determining which side is dominant are mostly finalized before birth. As such, Olson reiterates conventional scientific wisdom that sexual orientation is predetermined and unchangeable. The author, a straight, single man originally from Oklahoma, also believes that his observation could help demystify the source of sexual orientation and thereby foster peace and understanding.

“We fear what we don’t understand,” said Olson, who holds a business degree from the University of Oklahoma. “I’m looking for peace and an end to this war against gay people. The answer is education — if people understand what’s going on, then the fear disappears.”

Olson says he culled numerous peer-reviewed articles about the hemispheric preference — and corresponding behavior — of straight, gay, and bisexual men and women. One important study Olson cites comes from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, which found that scans of gay people’s brains most closely resembled — in structure and composition — those of heterosexual people of the opposite sex. Essentially, the 2008 study posited that a lesbian’s brain closely mirrored the structure of a straight man’s brain, while a gay man’s brain was most similar in structure to a straight woman’s.

Ultimately, Olson may have found the scientific explanation to what many consider to be common colloquial knowledge about traditional gender roles and queer sexuality. Olson’s theory provides a physiological basis for the idea that men are more aggressive and logical, whereas women are more compassionate and emotional.

Brain dominance, Olson contends, regulates more than just sexuality — it also controls perception of the world, which heavily influences perspective. Olson explained that right and left-brain processes and functions are nearly identical in all brains, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. Given that, he said, one could understand how a male perceiving the world through a right-brain dominant lens — like the one used by most heterosexual women — would share a similar perspective with that straight woman. This is the case with gay men and lesbians, he said, whose brains closely resemble the brains of straight people of the opposite sex.

The author, who considers himself an integral philosopher, says his theory can predict the sexual orientation of a person according to his or her hemispheric brain dominance with a 95% accuracy rate. Tests to discover one’s own hemispherical dominance are available online, and free to the public on Olson’s website.

Olson is quick to highlight the great amount of diversity among humans and readily admits that his theory is not proscriptive for the entire spectrum of human sexuality. He hypothesizes that people whose desires don’t fit into a binary model, such as bisexual, pansexual, and genderqueer folks, may engage both hemispheres of their brains on a more regular basis, though he currently lacks supporting research. Less research exists on transgender identities, bisexuality, and other non-binary sexual attraction, so Olson says his conclusions aren’t expected to extend to every segment of the LGBT spectrum.

Nevertheless, Olson’s supporters say his common-sense conclusions may be our next best hope at understanding the origins of sexual orientation and proving that LGBT people are not mentally ill, making a lifestyle choice, or in need of a cure.

Olson’s book, The Whole-Brain Path to Peace, has received four national book awards and required a broad range of research to complete. This brain-dominance theory, and the paper which presents it, is his first effort to synthesize scientific information, and Olson believes it is the first to discover the connection between brain hemisphere dominance and sexual orientation.

Trip Out West

Here are some of the photographs I took while travelling out west this summer. Enjoy.