A Theology of Space

I worked at a Science Center for years and it's probably warped my thinking -- I like to think of our environments as "ecosystems" -- and I've been thinking about how we build our own spiritual, mental and physical "ecosystem." Western thinking is (usually) missing a philosophy or theology on space; yet I spend a lot of time thinking about my space, my ecology.

I usually begin thinking about God as creator. This is the primary way I relate to God; I feel closest to God when I, too, am in the midst of a creation -- a painting, embroidery, stained-glass window, mosaic, quilt, room design, song, poem, what-have-you. When we create, we are participating with God. God created order out of chaos (Gen 1) and when ever I impose a little order onto my personal chaos, I literally feel better about the world. That is why I like to pick rooms up and put them in order. It is a soothing activity; putting things back in their own place. I think that's why I like to design rooms -- it's putting beautiful objects together in harmony so that each object is shown to best advantage and each item can be celebrated for its beauty.

It's also being a good steward of the good and beautiful gifts that God has given us; both the item and the ability to make beautiful things. I wonder sometimes if God didn't back away from the earth to admire God's own handiwork and say "Isn't that pretty?" (or maybe that is what is implied when God found the earth to be good.) To maintain that beauty is to be a good steward of this earth.

And it's sacramental. A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward working of Grace. When we set things in order in our spiritual, emotional and inner life, it can show on the outside as well, in both our bodies and our environments (ecologies). Tillach said something about this -- as well as Jung. In the West, we tend to (falsely) separate body from mind and spirit; in reality, they are one. We are BOTH physical and spiritual. To deny one over the other is to fall into heresy (really, look at all the Gnostic stuff in the 3rd century).

So I am working on my "house" -- both literally and metaphorically. I'm cleaning corners that have needed to be cleaned for years; I'm purging unnecessary things; I'm giving away things I'm not using in order to be a better steward of what I've been entrusted with. This task is going to take a while. And once I have cleaned and purged, we will all, in this family of mine, have to develop new habits and skills to keep it that way. (FlyLady, anyone?)

What are you thinking today? How else is "Space" spiritual? What am I missing?

For John the Bunny Lover

For John.

Real Bunny. Look here.

Dang, that is one big bunny.

Picture 196 of 365

Goofing off with Photoshop. I've been watching the tutorials on a great website: Photoshop Quick Tips. I'm pretty familiar with Photoshop -- I started a long time ago with Aldus PhotoStyler. (L0-o-ong time ago.) I miss some of the tools in Photostyler, but am picking up some new tricks from Photoshop Quick Tips. He does it in small little bites, one technique at a time. I can flip back and forth from the video to Photoshop -- much easier than a book, in my opinion.

I did want a black phone for this, but couldn't find one I like. It would have made the humor better... oh well.

Picture 195 of 365

Plain, then enhanced via Photoshop. I'm learning the first thing you always do is to duplicate the background, then diddle with the top layer.

Thanks, Gavin

91%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Thank you Gavin and Wabi-Sabi. I really needed to know this.

Little Kitty Update

I just got a call from the vet -- she's getting better. What a tough little kitty! All the bad kidney enzymes have been cut by half -- they are still way above "normal" but are coming down. We can pick her up on Wednesday. We are going to have to do sub-cutaneous fluids daily for a while, and continue them at least twice a week all the time now. She's going to have to have a phosphorous binder sprinkled on her food and eat nothing but the canned wet stuff. And she's costing a mint. The vet says she can continue like this for quite a while.

Playing Around with Photoshop

One of my favorite things to do is to play with Photoshop. Of course, there are so many people so much better than I, but it's fun.

Here's two pictures -- I thought that the kids got lost in the top one -- they are so small in the frame. So I created a "frame" so that they would pop a little. I like the effect.

Another pair.

12.25.08

Star Trek.

Enough said.

Yee Haw!

Studies in Anesthesia

Show that "according to the leading theory ... surgery and anesthesia trigger the release of stress hormones, such as norepinephrine, that in turn activate inflammatory responses in the body and undermine the workings of the immune system." (from here).

Also, there is strong evidence that Anesthesia can trigger depression and cause other cognitive problems that can take a long time to resolve. (look here.)

I have noticed that since my appendectomy, I've been unusually blue. I've also had all the things that can be inflamed become inflamed -- headaches, joint pain where I've had arthritis, muscle soreness and now my Bell's palsy is flaring up. I had no idea that Anesthesia could do this -- I knew the bits about not lifting more than 6 pounds and that Anesthesia could take days to clear out of your system, but I had no idea there were so many long-term effects. I'm going to work with my Doctor to get this inflammation down and determine if my feeling "blue" is something we need to treat as well.

So, if you go in for surgery, be aware of this -- I certainly wasn't and this has been a rude awakening.

Cat Grim Reap-purr

The Cat Grim Reap-purr has appeared in many articles this last week.
Here is one.

We got home from vacation

at Epworth by the Sea and noticed that Little Kitty is not looking well -- it's pretty obvious to me that she is declining from her ancient age. 19 (and a half) is old for a kitty. We are taking her to the vet shortly to see if there is any way we can make her more comfortable, but I fear the end is near for Kitty.

Update:
Her blood levels are showing that her kidneys are shutting down. She's lost 2 pounds and weights less than 5 pounds now. She's severely dehydrated but cannot take fluids on rapidly, as she is anemic as well. They are going to try an IV fluid therapy for a day and hope for improvement. If not, the kitty is well into kidney failure and has entered a condition "not compatible with life."
=o(

Book Discussion -- "Vision of Light"

This month the RevGals are discussing A Vision of Light by Judith Merkel Riley. The book reminds me very strongly of The Book of Margery Kempe but a lot more interesting and engaging. The Book of Margery Kempe was written circa 1430 by a middle class English woman in English -- the first known autobiography written in English. Margery was the child of a wealthy English merchant and was a mystic who encountered visions of Christ after giving birth to her first child and falling ill. She went on to have 14 children with her husband and was known for her skills in brewing. Sound familiar?

Margaret's second marriage was to a strong and wealthy merchant; she learned her brewing skills from her stepmother, Anne; she didn't give birth to multiple children, she midwifed them. Yet there are echoes of Margery's story in Margaret's.

I also found echos of history in the way that Margaret's father married the Widow Anne and Margaret's ease of shifting "allegiance" from her natural mother to Mother Anne. As few as 200 years ago, when life expectancies were much shorter, diary records, wills and other ephemera testify to such shifts of allegiance. It makes me reflect of the nature of "Motherhood" -- what is it that makes a mother, but her love and care for the child? The authenticity of the love that Mother Anne and Mother Hilde, the midwife each have for Margaret cannot be denied. Perhaps the idea of parenthood and family we have today is more rigid and does not leave for the flexibility that is inherent in true love. (And by extension, I can see applications here for the household of God....)

I really enjoyed these books (and yes, I've read BOTH of the sequels already! They are addictive!) In fact, these books rekindled my interest in Margery of Kempe as well as the Letters of Egeria. These texts though, are not for the faint of heart. Margery's depth of devotion and turn of phrase have caused for many scholars to regard her as a madwoman. Yet they were appropriate for the time -- and worth a gander.

(Note: I've the world's flakiest internet connection -- I can POST but I can't COMMENT (or email either reliably). If anyone can, could you please link this posting to the RevGal's discussion? Thanks.)

Something like this

But not exactly. I am going with the blue because the green looked awful -- reminded me of the color they painted my 1st grade classroom.

I want the lamp to be square crystal pieces, not spheres. I want the bed to be darker and with blue undertones. The seaglass pieces here almost look grey -- they need to be blues and greens. And more polished silver. And I am wondering if the Fenton is too frilly for the space. Maybe sticking to Blenko would be a better choice. It's coming along...

Desiging a Room

That will probably never be built.
I keep thinking about dark polished wood -- deep mahogany with no gold but almost blue overtones. Most pieces almost stark in lack of ornamentation; only one or two pieces that are old Chippendale or Sheraton (no Queen Anne, no curves). Colors -- Robin's egg blue on the wall and for the accessories -- with a crystal bowl of seaglass. All white upholstery, curtains and bedding (with only a couple of green to blue pillows). Alternately, mint green instead of the Robin's egg blue, with riffs off the seaglass. I want a rhythm of squares -- I want the crystal bowl with the seaglass to be a Blenko, clear rectangular vase. Other elements: polished silver (not necessarily "dresser pieces" but other pieces used in a whimsical way) and calla lilies. Good paintings.

Curtains -- cotton, either plain sheeting, starched or a tone on tone woven pattern that incorporates squares or stripes. Bedding; ditto, as well as the upholstery.

I want it to look like a Peppermint Patty tastes.

What is Sin?

"Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes off your relish of spiritual things; in short, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself."
-- Susanna Wesley (Letter, June 8, 1725)

General Rules of the UMC:
First: By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind, especially that which is most generally practiced;
Secondly: By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their power; as they have opportunity, doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all [persons];
Thirdly: By attending upon all the ordinances of God.

Romans 14: 13-21
13 Let us therefore no longer pass judgement on one another, but resolve instead never to put a stumbling-block or hindrance in the way of another. 14I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. 15If your brother or sister is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died. 16So do not let your good be spoken of as evil. 17For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. 19Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual edification. 20Do not, for the sake of food, destroy the work of God. Everything is indeed clean, but it is wrong for you to make others fall by what you eat; 21it is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble.

I struggle with what is sin and what is not sin. I struggle that we Methodists allow all sorts of sin to prosper within our gatherings. Yet, did not Jesus eat with sinners? And how better for a sinner to understand the commands and ordinances of God than to listen to the Word proclaimed and to live in community with Godly people?

We Methodists have this understanding of moving on to perfection -- that we are looking to live in Holiness of Heart and Life. How can a person understand what that perfection is if they are cast out of the fellowship? On the other hand, how can the fellowship survive intact if sin continues in its midst? Ah, a conundrum.

We must allow the sinners to remain in our midst but reprove them in love (Rev 3). We must speak truth in love (Eph 4). How can it be loving to allow a sister or brother to continue in sin? But we also must lead with grace and not judgment, for we a no longer judged as unrighteous, but as righteous.

My 2 cents worth.

More Weird Cruising ...

More Weird cruising ...
Vintage Travel Trailers. Oooo... fun!

Tree Houses! Yipee! And more here.

Yurts. And more Yurts (with Tipis). And even more Yurts.

A Hobbit Home.
Hobbit Houses and Space Capsules.

Rock Lobster!

The B-52s are going to be at Chastian 1st week of August, but I don't think we will go -- not at almost $22 per ticket. But it sure would be fun. It surprises me when people know who the B52s are -- I think of them as an Atlanta group.

Here's more!

Weird-ish Mood

I'm in a weird-ish mood.
Not only am I looking at Yacht World finding things like this gorgeous cutter but also this grand old lady but I'm looking at other things.
Tumbleweed Tiny House Company has teeny tiny houses on wheels. I don't know why they appeal to me so much except that they look wonderful as a real "get away."
So do Gypsy Vardos, much for the same reason. And Circus Wagons! Who could resist Circus Wagons!
Or these cypress-cabins on wheels?
Being able to float or roll along is not necessary -- camping under the wing is OK for a couple of days, but I do like 1) modern plumbing 2) natural wood.
I have Wanderlust.

Picture 192 of 365

another favorite place. The clean laundry.

Picture 191 of 365

Disk warmer.