The events unfolding this past week, culminating in the horrific tragedy at Tree Of Life Synagogue have been so dark.

What to do with this energy?

As a Buddhist, I meditate and pray.

As an artist, I create art.

As both, I try to take action and serve, to offer healing.

In meditation, this image came to me – the Star of David, the candle, the word shalom.

I offer it to you.

And I ask that you join me in donating to HIAS to contribute to their good work and to what is light and good in this world.

May all be free from suffering.

~j

#Shalom #TreeOfLifeSynagogue #Peace #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #SitDownRiseUp #EngagedBuddhist #Calligraphy #Zen #JMWart #HIAS

yesterday was the 132nd birthday of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. Lady Liberty’s torch still burns bright, even as those in power who embrace fear and exclusion try as they might to extinguish her light. they fail to see that she stands proudly for hope and hope cannot be extinguished. it lives in the hearts of the oppressed and those who know better, who love, who align with life.

in honor of her and the hope she symbolizes, i’m reposting a piece of my art and the timeless Emma Lazarus poem.

~j

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame. “Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

~

Emma Lazarus

#StatueOfLiberty #LadyLiberty #Hope #Light #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #FamiliesBelongTogether #NoBansNoWalls #MindfulResistance #SitDownRiseUp #JMWa

many have faced dark times, many have faced times darker.

we draw upon the spirit of their strength and the strength within our own hearts to bring light, truth, and love to such times as this.

may we heed the call and serve with open hearts, steady resolve, and focused minds finding our grounding, our balance in the underlying goodness that is always present, planting seeds for the long arc.

may all be free from suffering.

~j

#VOTE #PlantingSeeds #TheLongArc #OpenHearts #Bodhisattvas #EngagedBuddhist #TheTalmud #JMWar

“The truth about aggression…If you’re aggressive in your dealings, that’s how you’ll be regarded in the world. You might smile and give generously, but if you frequently explode in anger, people never feel comfortable in your presence and you’ll never have peace of mind.”

~ Pema Chödrön

anger may give the impulse, but it burns fast and hot, affecting every cell in your body – weakening, aging.

rather ~ be inspired by Love, motivated by Compassion and Engaged with Community.

~ j

#aggression #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #love #compassion #EngagedBuddhist #JMWart

when the world is burning, from the ashes, we rise! rise bodhisattvas RISE!

#Rise #RiseUp #SitDownRiseUp #Bodhisattvas #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #EngagedBuddhist #Zen #Buddhism #calligraphy #enso #JMWart

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.

~ Desmond Tutu

#SitDownRiseUp #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #EngagedBuddhist #MindfulResistance #Buddhism #Zen #calligraphy #enso #JMWart

I #BelieveSurvivors.

thank you for your courage. whether it is coming forward or simply attending each day, seeing the beauty that does exist in life, or still willing to seek out such beauty. thank you for shining a light through the darkness of abuse of power whether it be through dominance and oppression, bullying, or sexual aggression and violence, in its many forms both obvious and subtle.

I hear you, I stand with you.

~j

09.24.18

#TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #light #shine #JMWphotograp

No external condition can prevent love; no one and no thing can stop it. The awakening of love is not bound up in things being a certain way.

~ Sharon Salzberg

#UpToYou #ChooseLove #Love #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #EngagedBuddhist #SitDownRiseUp #OpenHeart #Zen #Buddhism #calligraphy #enso #JMWart

this isn’t that difficult.

Dr. Ford alleges Judge Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge took her to a room at a party in their youth, locked the door, put her on the bed at which point Kavanaugh held Ford down while trying to undress her. She alleges Kavanaugh covered her mouth with his hand to muffle her screams, and the music was turned up in volume for the same purpose. she then broke free.

the allegation has been corroborated by both individual and couples’ therapy notes, which were corroborated by Ford’s husband. a classmate of Ford’s at the time has also came out recalling talk and rumors of the incident at the time. Ford submitted and passed a lie detector test.

Kavanaugh and Judge for their parts vehemently deny the allegation, saying it couldn’t have happened. it should be noted, however that Judge recalls incidents of he and Kavanaugh partying and over drinking until drunk, in his book.

so why not have an FBI investigation? to get to the facts and truth. maybe it was mistaken identity, maybe it wasn’t.

it doesn’t matter how old the claim is or that it has just come to light. please please don’t chalk up aggressive, violent (yes holding someone down and covering their mouth is violence) behavior as “youthful indiscretions.”

one has to ask:

If claim is false, why would Dr. Ford be willing to involve FBI which could result in a felony for her if lying?

If claim is false, why is Kavanaugh, the President, and GOP Senators avoiding an investigation at all costs, having prepping/coaching session in the Whitehouse, and dismissing and in some cases attacking Dr. Ford?

this is a lifetime appointment to a position that should be held to the highest moral/ethical standard. it deserves its due diligence in investigating these allegations.

don’t be fooled. the underlying issue is power. this is all about power, fear of losing it, and desperation and hubris in retaining it. the original attack was about power, the patronizing dismissive words from the GOP Senators and some Evangelical leaders is about power, the death threats to Dr. Ford and her family are about power, and this is also about power in our government/in the Judiciary – power to promote an aggressive/oppressive power over others. and it is all violence in different forms.

there is good news though. power is temporary. this perversion of power will burn and engulf those who embrace it. life has a way of balancing. life needs healers and bearers of light. let’s be on the side of life. fight this aggressive perversion of power. this isn’t just about this situation. it’s all related. we need a sea change and shift in the power structure within this country. #VOTE these people out on November 6, 2018.

#KavanaughConfirmation #GOPSenate #power #dominance #violence #RiseUp

We are so obsessed with doing that we have no time and no imagination left for being…We have what we seek, it is there all the time, and if we give it time, it will make itself known to us.

~ Thomas Merton

#ItsAllHere #ThereIsNoPlaceLikeOm #OmIsWhereTheHeartIs #TibetanOm #Om #life #gratitude #TheLongArc #PlantingSeeds #Tibetan #Buddhism #Zen #enso #JMWart