Jamaica was a haven for Jews from the Spanish Inquisition as the Columbus family did not allow this evil here according to the research of Ed Kritzler. Most of us welcome a good reasoning and have great respect for the guidance from the Torah.

A good read: http://www.amazon.com/Jewish-Pirates-Caribbean-Swashbuckling-Freedom/dp/product- description/0385513984

Best wishes.

turey...are you trying to be solomon or were you always?

Solomon says:
• All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full.

• A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

• Who is the wise man? He who sees what's going to be born.

Still being me Z. Old Solomon had a good start, but his passions seemed to tek him whe from wisdom at the end. Same thing many of us face today, just that the attractions are more sophisticated and of easier access.

Brother MAN,
WISDOM IS not of the Foolish and KNOWLEDGE IS not of the IgNorant.

Brother MAN,
WISDOM IS not of the Foolish and KNOWLEDGE IS not of the IgNorant.

To Back at Ysrd . Not sure about wisdom for the foolish but my opinion is that knowledge can be obtained by anyone. Ignorant or not. If we have the zest for learning we can pull ourselves out of ignorance.

Just saying, I believe BaY is saying some of us will never seek KNOWLEDGE and thus will remain in perpetual ignorance.

mr. solomon's prayer

Solomon, he wished a place
A place for to pray,
To the mystery,
The mystery of Yahweh.

He raised a dome of glory,
Far from the stain of sin.
The place he called Furthest Mosque.*
There to worship in.

Built it not of earth and stone,
Fire, water, air.
They would but a prison make
For Solomon's vast prayers.

He built it of intention,
And wisdom clear as dawn.
Of mystic conversations,
Compassion for the wronged.

Every atom is alive,
Light moves from room to room.
Every part in harmony,
Carpet bows to broom.

Door and latch and all the rest
With ease together swing.
Like musicians in a band,
Or choirs of angels sing.

This sanctuary of the heart
Is real as your own face.
Real as every living breath,
As real as Our Lord's grace.

Mortal tongue can not describe
A place so deep and high.
Nor bear the taste of God's embrace,
Why then do we try?

Temples made of earth will fall,
Victims of time's toll.
But the mosque of Solomon
Is safe within your soul.

Rumi...13th Century mystic poet writing in the Persian language of the Ottoman Empire...the most acquired poet in the contemporary US literary marketplace)

* Rumi's use of the word mosque meant the same thing as temple in his day!

It is remarked in shul that: the only time God laughs is when men draw borders on the earth and declare, "This side is mine!"...If that's so, then the Eternal One must weep when we proclaim a piece of the earth as His--and then kill each other to control it.--Michael Green

SHALOM!

turey...not sure whether your avatar presence was in Solomon's court, but could it be that the "exhaustion of his passions" could have had something to do with his fall? His amorous sleeping arrangements seem less than tidy:

The rest of Solomon's reign as described in the Book of Kings is far less bright and prosperous, as his fatal flaw, namely his weakness for women, manifests.
This portion of his reign is clouded by idolatry, mainly resulting from his intermarriages, which the biblical historian denounces as contrary to God's will.
Besides his famous marriage to the princess of Egypt, according to 1 Kings' 11:4, he accumulates 700 wives and 300 concubines.
Even if the numbers are exaggerated, many of these must have been political marriages sealing alliances with neighboring tribes and clans; the Bible specifically names Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites among Solomon's wives. For their sakes, and no doubt to honor the peoples and kings they represent, Solomon offers sacrifice to their deities as well as to Yahweh of the Israelites.
-New World Encyclopedia

The new Solomon's have the lesson of fleshicallity and disobedience from the old boy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar

Or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva_vows

History records that we have choice beyond these lifetimes. For good or not. I only have experience of this life but still take advise from the old stories. Wisdom or power? Control spirits or control my own?

Shaloman, a good name Z. I'll see if it resonates.

turey...nice pun. Who you calling a ShallowMan? Me...you...the captain of the Shallow Bar?
Thanks for the "coolie" spirituality references emanating from variants of avatar manifestations.

To that point and the epigramatic spoutings of the "wise", I've sometimes wondered where an inscription above the stairs at Shakespeare Books in Paris originated:
Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise?

You, turey, dropping crumbs of Eastern religions into the mix led me back to a biblical source...the spring of so much of our wisdom, epic myths and adventure stories.

"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

The messengers. Don't expect wings.

From Wiki:

The word angel in English is a fusion of the Old English word engel (with a hard g) and the Old French angele. Both derive from the Latin angelus which in turn is the romanization of the ancient Greek(angelos), "messenger",which is related to the Greek verb meaning "bear a message, announce, bring news of" etc.[The earliest form of the word is the Mycenaean a-ke-ro attested in Linear B syllabic script.

turey...back in a February 7, 2011 thread (Looking forward to...) introduced as an inquiry about programs of Jamaican's "multicultural history", your posting responded to Gladys (Delevante) Finlasons fascinating exploration of her Jewish ancestry in Jamaica was:

Thanks Gladys. Whenever I want my Jewish family history, I go to Marilyn, Ainsley or yourself.
My African and Celtic history is probably hidden deep in some archive or burnt in a Great House fire. My Tainos show themselves through their cohoba trance inspired stone carvings.

I am sure that you have heard by now that Gladys's wonderful husband, William, passed away, peacefully, a few weeks back in Mandeville Hospital.

In this community's desire to console Gladys, her family and all those who grieve, Judaism provides some profound lessons:
Not just a formulaic phrasing: "May God console you among the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem."

Alighting on the words: "...among the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem."
This phrase emphatically moves the consoler away from the natural tendency to focus solely on those presently grieving. It connects both the specific griever and grief in general in two salient and subtle ways.

First, the phrase broadens God's consolation to include "other mourners"--of Zion and Jerusalem--thereby expressing a critical im­perative in the process of grief work: the universal need for mourners to share their grief, the natural interconnectivity of all mourners. Griev­ers are not alone, and they must know this so that they do not feel singled out unfairly by God, specially targeted for suffering.

The phrase also brings the mourners to the realization that death, in all its guises, is suffered by everyone, "other mourners," and that it is an inherent quality of life.


It not easy to mentally break the bond that William Finlason shared with his goat herd, especially his prized, highly intelligent Nubians. The biblical image of shepherds "tending" sheep (Jesus: "My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.”) and goatherds "herding" their goats add a subtle difference to their approach and outlooks.

The biblical pastoral work of a shepherd is to lead, guide, guard, feed and protect the sheep. The more arduous task of goatherds is to relentlessly chase after the goats, round them up, herd them, drive them and contain them.
Herding goats is much more difficult than herding sheep…goats do not have a herd mentality.
...the fact that a flock of sheep tends to stay together is noteworthy (If all the sheep follow The Shepherd, then all the sheep will naturally be together). Shepherds are charged with tending the flock (a flock is singular entity, a cohesive group, a herd). So shepherding is relatively easy in comparison to herding
animals that have no herd mentality.--Ralph Petersen

I don't know for certain if these attitudes of herding are pertinent to William's life...its lesson, rhythms and flows, but it amusing to imagine that, in dealing with trials & difficulties, a healthy co-existence with his animals was beneficial.
Long may William be remembered!

Jewish Learning Link:
www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ethics/Caring_For_Others/Comforting_Mourners/ Words_of_Comfort.shtml

It must have been strange to some Z; William and his goats, Miss Salmon and her birds, Jim Gore and his crocs and monkeys, Mr Lacey with his John Crow and snakes up in Stony Hill and many of us with dogs, cats and more sharing our spaces as family of sorts.

It must be stranger still when some of us mourn the passing of certain animals. Those that looked us straight in the eyes, those that comforted us non verbally when things got intense, those that warned, those that guarded pickney and on.

Old Solomon would be at home with us on this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Solomon's_Ring_(nonfiction)

Yea, Shaloman does not resonate. I still like Grasshopper, my JC name. Jumping from one thing to another.

I do NOT want to SPOIL YOUR PER-CEPTION of WHAT YOU THINK I MEAN,(Just Saying,& My Take).I GOT NO-
right,what-so-ever,2 THINK of YOU,or SAY about YOU,{edited by TBNet}UNTIL,I UNDER-STAND YOUR-
HEART;
If I JUDGE YOU WRONGLY,I will GET JUDGE-MENT back wrongly.I ExPerience it BeFore and IT IS Never PLEASANT.(Being a HUMAN BEING.) HAVE YOU EVER SEEN ANY-ONE,PLANT GRAPE SEED(S),and GET MANGOES,or ORANGES,in THEIR HARVEST(S)..YES,or NO?
I WISH WE WERE at a Table,after a MEAL of ACKEE,- DUMPLINGS,-BROWN RICE,-SALAD,- and TALL-
GLASSES of Wash Downs,WE certainly WOULD,or COULD,
HAVE QUITE a DISCUSSION,ON what YOU Believe,or think,I am sugesting.
WE HUMANS will NEVER KNOW ALL THINGS,IN THIS LIFE TIME.(AGREE,or DIS-AGREE.) Science,Biology,Trigonometry,ALL Sea-Life,Quakes,-
etc;etc; Because,WE will NOT KNOW ALL THINGS,that IS WHAT MAKES US IGNORANT. If YOU Drive a CAR,YOU have Conquered that KNOWLEDGE.(AGREE,or DIS-AGREE.) Space & Time IS Short.
Head KNOWLEDGE alone,VALUES NOTHING...PLEASE!!!-
READ THIS UNTIL,YOU GET THE IN-SIGHT,OK.(over/over/over-- etc;

--KNOWLEDGE IS THE POWER, TO KNOW:

--WISDOM IS THE POWER, THAT GUIDES KNOWLEDGE:

--UNDER-STANDING IS GREATER THAN THEM ALL:
UNDER-STANDING GUIDES Both Know-ledge & Wisdom,
WITH Direction(s).

LEARN THESE ExPensive QUALITIES and APPLY THEM TO
YOUR LIFE,(Daily Walk) and YOU WILL BE GREATER THAN YOUR TEACHERS:
BLESS YOU- As YOU MAKE the EFFORT,to STRIVE HIGH:

You forgot pear with the ackee and rice BaY.

Yes no one can gather all the information in creation, some can utilise the information they have with wisdom and understanding.

Many have been directed to external knowing while ignoring or only dipping toes in the vastness within.

http://bible.cc/luke/17-21.htm

Best.

So turey...what's your take on Wisdom & Judgement? What do the fence-sitters have to say?
Could these aphorisms tease your brain to spritz out how we morally/reflexively/hormonally act on what we "believe" to be our supreme knowledge?

• The major block to compassion is the judgment in our minds. Judgment is the mind's primary tool of separation.
Diane Berke

• Good judgment comes from experience, and often experience comes from bad judgment.
Rita Mae Brown

Wow Z. A thesis.

'Be here Now' is the best decision I've made so far.

Sufi aphorism: Introspection is a form of lunacy.
Taoist aphorism: Give up wisdom, renounce sainthood, and it will be a thousand times better for everyone.

Van...since you bring up religious traditions and those who have come through the "fires of experience" to some self-defined bliss, it doesn't hurt to reflect on what the poet, Kathleen Norris said about "true believers' or ecstatic converts".

What religious conversion is not: if it serves us a bit too well, if it reinforces all our prejudices and allows us to call ourselves holy at the expense of others whom we can now judge to be unholy, it is probably not the real thing.

...or the social communitarian values of a Virginia Satir, who when it comes to human judgement, based on wisdom-experience said:
I want to appreciate you without judging. Join you without invading. Invite you without demanding. Leave you without guilt.

...or the all-encompassing entreaty of the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso:
I find hope in the darkest of days, and focus in the brightest. I do not judge the universe.

Therefore, Van, as inane or cruel as as the Taoist aphorism to give up "wisdom" sounds on the surface for an "action-get things done-celebrity-legacy leaving" mentality, then Krishnamurti's admonition:
The highest form of intelligence is the ability to observe without evaluating. ...will seem like feckless passivity, rather than our efforts to introduce our own prejudices & predilections (evolved or insane) into the grand equation of Life (Vitality-Livity).

Interview with Poet/Essayist Kathleen Norris:
www.homileticsonline.com/subscriber/interviews/norris.asp

Youtube::Kathleen Norris on Poetry
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivUCNkVufcU

turey...i sort of doubt that you really, deep-down, feel ex-cluded, un-manifested, un-revealed, un-remarked-or-able.

Was it not the Sufi poet, Rumi, who said:
Christian, Jew, Muslim, shaman, Zoroastrian, stone, ground, mountain, river, each has a secret way of being with the mystery, unique and not to be judged.


You have learnt so much
And read a thousand books
Have you ever read your Self?
You have gone to mosque and temple,
Have you ever visited your soul?
--Bulleh Shah

Deep inside where the mitochondria carry out their tasks and neurons allow messages to pass. Deeper, where electrons spin. Deeper yet, energy dances through vastness, condensing to form then transforming into light.

Outside, viewed from within; death and taxes, fear and love, hunger and thirst, happiness and sadness. The dances of life.

Yes Z, I am excluded and exclude myself sometimes. Excluded from ladies rooms and avoid time wasters. Life manifests without my help. My finite perception cannot witness all, when I listen carefully remarkable things are sometimes revealed.

Thanks for inspiring me to retrieve my thinking cap Z. Back to visualisation. Some enjoy processing words, some; images.

turey...Imagery & visualization are powerful agents, almost like trying to picture what a "turey thinking cap" looks like (www.made-in-china.com/products-search/hot-china-products/Caps_And_Hats.html).

More of a beret than a beanie with a propeller on top...i would i-magine?

But seriously, as we contemplate the power of images as they relate to the intellect, language and the emotions, masculinity and feminine associations, or invoking the psychology of the anima, here is a study that might just sweat-up your cap:


"Emotional responses don't just pop out of nowhere...They have to be triggered by something. And one possibility is that you hear the words describing some event, you picture that event in your mind, and then you respond emotionally to that picture."

That's the key: Some dilemmas produce vivid images in our heads. And we're wired to respond emotionally to pictures. Take away the pictures — the brain goes into rational, calculation mode.

Here's how (the experimenters) found that out: (They) set up an experiment. They presented people with moral dilemmas that evoked strong visual images. As expected, the volunteers made emotional moral judgments. Then the psychologists made it difficult for volunteers to visualize the dilemma. They distracted them by making them visualize something else instead.

When that happened, the volunteers stopped making emotional decisions. Not having pictures of the moral dilemma in their head prompted them into rational, cost-benefit mode.

In another experiment, (the experimenters) also found that people who think visually make more emotional moral judgments. Verbal people make more rational calculations.

(The experimenter) says people don't realize how images tip the brain one way or another. And that can create biases we aren't even aware of.

NPR Link:
www.npr.org/2012/09/20/161440292/why-pictures-can-sway-your-moral-judgment

Check this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1064431/The-thinking-cap-unlock-i nner-genius-boost-creativity.html

Think of something nowadays and it's most likely being done or thought of.

It is said that Nikola Tesla could design a machine in his head then run it to see where the design needed correction. He'd rebuild it and run it again to make sure the corrections were right, all in his head. Not sure if he had a cap.

turey...with so much flying around the airwaves of a focused "class warfare" pitting producers against moochers...makers against takers in an Ayn Rand* (The Virtue of Selfishness) vision of the world and who the independent, "free thinking", intellectually superior, economically successful heros of the modern age undoubtedly are.

Tesla's designing mind of twirling things axonometric-ly through all his brain filters has some practical DYI applications in the digital, artificial intelligence tech world. You may have already looked into the Maker Subculture, which Wiki succinctly describes as:
a contemporary subculture, representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture.
Typical interests enjoyed by the maker subculture include engineering-oriented pursuits such as electronics, robotics, 3-D printing, and the use of CNC tools, as well as more traditional activities such as metalworking, woodworking, and traditional arts and crafts.
The subculture stresses new and unique applications of technologies, and encourages invention and prototyping.There is a strong focus on using and learning practical skills and applying them creatively.

Economist Link: More Than Just Digital Quilting
www.economist.com/node/21540392

*Ayn Rand in the Trenches
[She] called altruism a “basic evil” and referred to those who perpetuate the system of taxation and redistribution as “looters” and “moochers.” She wrote in her book “The Virtue of Selfishness” that accepting any government controls is “delivering oneself into gradual enslavement.”

www.alternet.org/story/149721/ayn_rand_railed_against_government_benefits%2C_but _grabbed_social_security_and_medicare_when_she_needed_them

Thanks Z. Now I know I'm part of the Maker Subculture.

I am my brothers and sisters keeper. Thing is; how many can I keep with finite resources before I become overwhelmed? Am I keeping in order to control?

When does assistance support dependence?

If conscience and common sense were the guides, many stresses would ease.

Ayn Rand worte in newspeak. For makers, read takers. Those who have stolen the resources of the world and the freedom of the workers cloak themselves in false virtue. They claim to have "made" what they merely took.