Paul Winter Consort - 42nd year of the Solstice Concerts - - an offering of a video retrospective

Beloved Friends,

To add to our honoring of the Earth and the Winter Solstice, each year I feel called by the Paul Winter Solstice Celebration.

The music that is created by Paul Winter and the musicians (and dancers) is for me an expression of joy, and of the deep listening inner and outer, by which which beautiful music is created.  This music is devoted to and comes from reverence for the Earth and her creatures, from the seeking of the joining with one another as people in unity, and in harmony and song.  Exploring and expressing music of people from many cultures and nationalities.  Expressed with passion and sublime presence by wonderful musicians, joining together in the resonance of the Cathedral (the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City).

This year (with no live concert again due to the pandemic), instead there is an on-demand compilation drawn from the 40 years of the Winter Solstice Concerts.

Michaela and I saw some of it tonight, and I am so deeply moved.  So for anyone who may wish, here is the link to it.  (Hearing Paul Winter playing Sun Singer in this, was extraordinary in how I felt him listening and creating).

Solstice Saga: A Video Retrospective

There is a cost ($20 +processing fee), though they also say: "Please note: If you have been hard hit by the pandemic and need a discounted ticket, be in touch with us via the contact form on the contact page."

Included also are two additional retrospective concert videos: Winter Solstice, The Early Years: Volume 1, and Everybody Under the Sun: Voices of Solstice Volume 1.

Blessings to each of you, on this day, and night, of Solstice. 

May the light within us rise.

To close, below are the words from a song from that concert, sung every year,

With love and deep joy: at the sound of the Universe, expressed through the heart, in words and in music.. shared by people seeking unity, with all that is, and all that we are part of on beautiful illumined Earth.

Robert

 

Sound Over All Waters

“A Christmas Carmen” by John Greenleaf Whittier; music by Paul Halley, sung by Theresa Thomason

The chorus of voices, the clasping of hands;
Sing hymns that were sung by the stars of the morn,
Sing songs of the angels when Jesus was born;
With glad jubilations bring hope to the nations: 

The dark night is ending and dawn has begun.
Arise, hope of the ages, arise like the sun.
All speech flows to music, all hearts beat as one.
The dark night is ending, and dawn has begun. 

Blow, bugles of battle, the marches of peace,
East, west, north and south, let the long quarrels cease;
Sing the song of great joy that the angels began,
Sing of glory to God, and of good will to man!
Joining in chorus, the heavens bend o’er us: 

The dark night is ending and dawn has begun.
Arise, hope of the ages, arise like the sun.
All speech flows to music, all hearts beat as one.
The dark night is ending, and dawn has begun.

 Beloved Friends,

For those who may wish to, I saw that there is a documentary narrated by David Attenborough, "Extinction - The Facts", on PBS - tonight at 8pm, or at various other times in the next week or so.

I feel such a strong connection with the life of the Earth, all her creatures, and plants: I yearn and pray so deeply for the awakening of humanity to care for all beings, all creatures.  

While this is likely to be a painful documentary to watch, it's purpose I believe -  in addition to waking people to the plight of species - is to waken people as well to the possibilities and hope for change to prevent further loss of species, and habitat.

Every bit of awareness about this matters: for to the extent the tide of love and care for the Earth can rise in one's heart - because all of us are connected in the sacred web of life - so too our care and prayers make a significant difference.

For those who may also wish to, after that program there is an additional PBS documentary: "Climate Change - The Facts", with Richard Attenborough, Sunita Narain and Greta Thunberg (9pm tonight, and also upcoming other times/days). 

Blessing to all of life and all her creatures.  May our hearts as humanity rise daily, to strengthen the bonds of connection with, respect for, reverence, awe, and gratitude, for life of the Earth. May we change how we live together, the choices we make, and may this grow out of our expanding experience of the wonder and miraculousness of each and every form of life. May we help each other with awareness.  May we step as a species into our responsibility to care for the Earth, for the future generations of all beings and all species.

With love, hope, and prayer,

Robert McIlwain

David Attenborough

from trailer for "Extinction - The Facts"

Critically Endangered Species - Sharks, and the web of life

Every creature on the Earth is part of the web of life.  I pray for the awakening of all humankind to the wonder and gifts of all species, around the Earth. The oceans once teemed with life, but our taking from the oceans with powerful fishing technologies must be changed -  so that we become stewards of the oceans, not plunderers.  

The miraculous Earth, her oceans, her forests, her dry and wet lands, and all her creatures that have evolved over thousands and millions of years: we must preserve her, care for her, be no longer separate from her. We cannot deplete the Earth but that we also deplete ourselves and future generations.  

Our course can change, if we choose to change it.  "When the people lead, the leaders will follow" said Mahatma Gandhi.

Below is article about the many endangered species of sharks, alarming not only for the species' but also for the myriad ocean ecosystems that depend on them in the web of life upon which all species in those ocean webs depend.

NY Times Article:

Shark Populations Are Crashing, With a ‘Very Small Window’ to Avert Disaster 

Oceanic sharks and rays have declined more than 70 percent since 1970, mainly because of overfishing, according to a new study.

A whitetip shark in the Red Sea.Credit...Gamal Diab/EPA, via Shutterstock

In NY Times, January 27, 2021

Blessings to President Joe Biden, and to Vice President Kamala Harris

 Blessings to President Joe Biden, and his kindness, humility, and strength,  and his call for us to come together as Americans, to be united, not divided.  May we rise, as a nation, to the call to unity.
Blessings to Vice President Kamala Harris, on this historic day, the first woman to be Vice President of the United States!  

Here is President Biden's Inaugural speech.

President Joe Biden - Inauguration 2021  (NBC News)

Inauguration evening there was a wonderful production,"Celebrating America, hosted by Tom Hanks , of Americans of all walks of life, musical performances, and appearances by the President and Vice President (as well as three former Presidents) - and ending with an inspiring fireworks display.  

One song performed, by Tyler Hubbard and Tim McGraw,  "Undivided".  You can find it at the 1 hr 10 minute minute mark in the above link,  or there is a different version here .

At the end of a tumultuous day in America

 At 3:45am on January 7, 2021, the Joint Session of Congress concluded.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have been certified by Joint Session of Congress to have won the majority of Electoral College votes in the Presidential Election, and will be the President, and the Vice President, at noon on January 20, 2021.

Here is the prayer by the Chaplain of the Senate, Barry Black, at the end of the Joint Session of Congress - after this tumultuous day in the history of our country.

The Sacred Right to Vote

On behalf of our Constitution, here are powerful quotes by leading Republicans - Liz Cheney, Paul Ryan, Mitt Romney, Ben Sasse, Pat Toomey - opposing Republicans in Congress who intend object on January 6 to President-elect Joe Biden being certified as the winner of the Presidential Election.

Also quoted here is an excerpt of the statement by all former Secretaries of Defense. (All the quotes are in the first 3 minutes of this MSNBC segment)

A few other Republican Senators have since indicated they will take similar stances, despite the political pressure to do otherwise or consequence to self-interest; when this is so, it is a victory for the deeper conscience, for the greater self and for the country.

* * * * *

I honor the truth that rises to seek to dispel falsehood: truth that lives within the depths of each and every heart.

* * * * * 

*

For those who would like to read further in regard to these statements, here are some links:

Rep. Liz Cheney - sent a 21 page memo sent to all Representative in the House.  The excerpt here makes absolutely clear there is no basis in the Constitution or in law for the legitimacy of what certain Republican members of Congress are seeking to do.

Sen. Mitt Romney

Sen. Pat Toomey

Sen. Ben Sasse summary of statement; (here also is the full statement)

Former Rep. Paul Ryan, former Speaker of the House

Letter of the living former Secretaries of Defense summary of statement (here also is the full statement published in the Washington Post)

* "I Voted" sticker picture, from Time Magazine

On being prepared to Vote - and Helping Others be able to Vote - in the November 3, 2020 Election

Dear Friends,

With the importance of the upcoming November 3 Election, it appears feels of pivotal significance to me that as many people in the country participate and vote, as never before.  We can set a goal - for the Highest Voter Turnout in History.

Every person matters. Every person’s vote matters.  YOU MATTER – so, please Vote.  When a great majority of the people vote, we will have results that more truly reflect what All the people decide.  All the people, that is, who vote.

Below is a set of resources that you can use, or send to people to help them vote.  No matter what party or affiliation or belief. 

You can use these resources to find out:

- how to register to vote

- what form of ID is required, to vote

- how to request a “mail-in ballot”, which may also be called an “absentee ballot” or “early voting”

- what the deadlines are

- what to do if there are obstacles you or others may face to being able to vote

- other information about how to vote - so you can do what you need to be sure vote is counted!

*

Take care of this early.  As I write this, it is now September 4, and the November 3 election is less than two months away.  With the need for people to request a Mail-In Ballot (Early/Absentee Ballot), for some people to get the form of ID needed, or for many to Register to vote - by the state’s deadline – time is moving fast.  Find out what you need to do, and when you need to do it by.  Mark it in your calendar.  Then - do it early, and vote when you are ready to, so you can be sure your vote counts.

Let your choice Matter. Be ready to exercise your fundamental right as a Citizen.  Our Democracy lives or flounders based on these profound and essential choices we make: the act to express who we are, and what feels right to each of us, in the choice we make by voting.

Here are some non-partisan resources to help:

League of Women Voters - "VOTE411"

Common Cause - “Voting Tools” 

Axios - "When and how to vote in all 50 states"  

League of Women Voters (home page) 

You can also let people you know – family members, friends, in communities and workplaces - what matters to you about voting, and what they can do to be sure to vote.  If they need assistance with what to do to be able to vote, you can help them.

And, pass the word on.

For those who wish to be more involved in turning out the vote, the resources above as well as other resources and information you can find online can be a starting point for exploring ways to help.

Blessings to all of America.

Visit the Voting Information Center for election resources and official updates.

Get Voting Information

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