“We have been shown our sign…and it’s a simple one. The sign is that there are signs!” < Back Show Us a Sign! David Cowles Aug 29, 2024 “We have been shown our sign…and it’s a simple one. The sign is that there are signs!” Everybody wants a sign. Is God there? Is God listening? Does God really care about me? “Then show me a sign!” Be honest, the thought has crossed your mind…and not once. Maybe not every day…or maybe! Don’t be ashamed. We live by signs. So does the entire biosphere. Signs tell bacteria to reproduce, birds to migrate, trees to defoliate, bears to hibernate, etc. Signs tell us where we’re going and how to get there. Signs also enable predictions – I didn’t say ‘accurate predictions’ – but predictions. Squirrels gathering acorns is a sign that winter is on the way. Unless you’re ‘skint’ (or under age 25), I’ll bet you check the markets from time to time for ‘signs’ of what may be ahead for your IRA or 401k or Pension. Asking God for a sign somehow feels different though. It feels blasphemous…and ungrateful…and selfish…and it is! But relax, you’re not to blame. In the Gospels, Jesus is asked for a sign on a few occasions. How droll! According to the Gospel accounts, Jesus spent three years whistle-stopping all over Galilee, curing ailments, driving out demons, feeding multitudes, and walking on water. “What do I have to do to get an ‘Amen’ around here? What sign exactly are you looking for?” Any high school student of debate would do well to study the Gospels. Jesus is a master of repartee. He regularly turns skeptics’ questions against them. And he is rarely at a loss for words. Exception: he does get a bit flustered when asked for a sign. No wonder. His whole life is a sign. What more could anyone want? What is it that they don’t see? What would constitute an acceptable sign for this lot? So he gives answers his followers cannot understand. He mentions ‘the sign of Jonah’ and his own looming death and resurrection. Of course, he answers correctly, but for once he is talking above the heads of his audience. Let’s start with Jonah. Without getting into detail, Jonah was swallowed by a whale but coughed up on shore 3 days later, alive. It is, of course, a classic symbol of death and rebirth but I doubt Jesus’ audience understood it as more than just another run-of-the-mill miracle. References to his own future death and rebirth were, of course, totally incomprehensible at the time. So back to Jonah. Obviously, Christians see in Jonah’s ‘adventure’ a reference to Jesus’ own passion. But there is something else here too. When Jonah lands naked on the shore, he has been created anew. The Book of Jonah is as much a Creation account as it is a book of Prophecy. Jonah represents Being itself (Stephen Hawking, were he more theistically inclined, might have referred to Jonah’s whale as a ‘white hole’). Jesus incarnates Being. Christ is the whole, born and reborn, the Alpha and the Omega. But back to signs. “There can be no sign,” because everything is a sign ! That’s what the World is: a tapestry of signs. Whether you call it Maya , or Urðr (Old Norse), or Doxa , or Logos , or Phenomena , it is the obverse side of the World; it is the world we see – and it is meaningful. We have been shown our sign…and it’s a simple one. The sign is that there are signs! Does this make Jesus the world’s first semiologist? Perhaps! Archibald MacLeish once wrote, “A poem should not mean but be.” Turning MacLeish on his head, we would say, “The World should not be, but mean!” Being is the province of God; meaning is the province of the World ( logos ). This is perhaps what Jesus had in mind when he said, “…The very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Because the World is meaning , every element in that World, every hair on every human head, has meaning. To be is to mean, to mean is to be! Fast forward 1500 years. The so-called Renaissance and the pseudo-Enlightenment that followed disenchanted the World. Logos (meaning) was replaced by Techne (technology). The world was no longer something to decipher; now it was something to manipulate. The magnificent, crystalline world of signs was shattered, leaving the shards we call ‘tools’. Imagine some Philistine scrapping the pigment off the Mona Lisa and using it to paint his kitchen – Mad Max has nothing on the Renaissance & Enlightenment. But salvation would come - in the persons of Melville, Proust, Eliot, Monet, Van Gogh, Cezanne, et al. Since 1875, the intellectual project of the West has, unwittingly, been the re-enchantment of the World. Picasso, Dali and Pollack; Einstein, Heisenberg and Bell – it’s happening right here, right now! But above all these, the true Savior of the age, was the great James Joyce. All his work, but especially Ulysses , was an effort to recover and represent the semiotic content of the physical and social world. Vivisecting a single day in the life of a single city (Dublin, June 16, 1904), Joyce showed how every event, every detail points at something beyond itself. With great respect for the Council of Nicaea, it is hard to read the Gospels, especially John, and not feel that you live in enchanted space. It is impossible after reading Ulysses . He even describes the phenomenal world as ‘signatures of all things I am here to read’. Everything is a sign, ‘a cascade of signification’ in fact. That is The Sign! The Sign of signs. The Sign is that ‘everything signifies that which gives it meaning’. But meaning is regressive: A means B but B means C. Our job, per Joyce, is to peel away the layers of the semiotic onion, until… logos – the source and end point of all signification - is revealed. The logos , of course, is Christ. Jesus answers the skeptics 7 times in the Gospel of John alone. Reprising YHWH in Exodus (3: 14), Jesus simply says, “I am.” That is the sign. Not that I was born, died and resurrected, but that I am! While the World was still enchanted, a medieval Irish poet (possibly St. Dallan) wrote of God: “Naught is all else to me save that Thou art!” Whatever “is to me” is a ‘sign’ and the sign, for Dallan, is that ‘God is’. We have our sign! John spells it out in his opening verses (1 – 4): “In the beginning was the logos (word or sign) and the logos was with God and God was the logos …all things came to be through him ( logos ) and nothing that came to be came to be without him ( logos ). In him ( logos ) was life…” Ultimately, there are innumerable signs but only one ‘signified’, God. The sign of signs is not the birth, death, or resurrection of Jesus; it is the existence of the Christ: “That I am”. David Cowles is the founder and editor-in-chief of Aletheia Today Magazine. He lives with his family in Massachusetts where he studies and writes about philosophy, science, theology, and scripture. 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< Back Causality & the B-Gita “Because every event is sui generis, no event causes any other event! That said, every event contributes to the Actual World of every subsequent event.” David Cowles In an earlier article Cause and Effect , we spelled out a ‘new’ theory of causality , based in part on the philosophy of Alfred North Whitehead. According to this model, every ‘act’ ( aka Actual Entity) begins with the conversion of the disordered multiplicity that is Universe (“Universe is plural” – Buckminster Fuller) into a uniquely ordered nexus, an Actual World. Each Actual Entity (event) has its own Actual World: one world, one event; one event, one world! However, it is important to note at the outset that the Actual World does not in any way cause or determine its Actual Entity; rather every Actual Entity determines its own Actual World. The first stage in the concrescence of any Actual Entity is a single process with three aspects: (1) conversion of the Multiplicity (Universe) into a nexus (Actual World), (2) evaluation of that nexus in terms of objective eternal values, and (3) formation of intent (‘subjective aim’), not necessarily conscious, based on that evaluation. Expressed this way, these three ‘aspects’ seem to suggest a sequence; however, that is a trick of language. In fact, they constitute a single act with three simultaneous aspects. In the real world, process is multi-valent, not simply vectored through time. This initial stage is motivated and guided by transcendental values (‘eternal objects’), like Beauty, Truth, and Justice, that logically (not temporally) precede Universe and subsist in God’s Primordial Nature. The final stage in the concrescence of any Actual Entity is also a single process with three simultaneous aspects: (1) satisfaction, (2) objective immortality, and (3) superject. These aspects are denotatively identical but connotatively distinct. Here the three-in-one phenomenon is a bit more apparent. ‘Satisfaction’ is the realization of the ‘subjective aim’ as felt by the Actual Entity itself; ‘objective immortality’ is that satisfaction seen from the perspective of the Multiplicity; and ‘superject’ is that objective immortality felt by other Actual Entities, including God’s Consequent Nature. The function of every act is to convert intention into satisfaction. This is the act itself and the process is called ‘concrescence’ (Whitehead). In the process of concrescence, the subjective aim usually undergoes substantial modification. The event ends as a ‘settled matter of fact’ (objective immortality) projected (superject) into the Actual Worlds of all future Actual Entities. The ‘subject’ of the action, the Actual Entity itself, is responsible (1) for its intention (subjective aim), (2) for its objective immortality (superject), and (3) for the way (‘subjective form’) that the intention is reflected in the satisfaction. Style counts! Every event is sui generis , it ‘causes itself’. Is this Nihilism? Or Solipsism? The very opposite! Every event begins with an evaluation of ‘everything that is’, and the formation of a complex intention that reflects that valuation and the relevant values it seeks to realize. On the other hand, no event is responsible for the way it is received by and integrated into subsequent Actual Entities. That is entirely the responsibility of those subsequent entities. Because every event is sui generis , no event causes any other event! That said, every event contributes to the Actual World of every subsequent event. This model of reality is not new, not to me, not even to Whitehead. In fact, I discovered a similar concept of causality in a 2000 year old Hindu scripture, the justly famous Bhagavad Gita . Let’s set the scene: We are on a field of battle but Arjuna, commander of one of the armies, is having second thoughts. He recognizes his kinship with the warriors on the other side and he is loath to kill them: “I foresee no good resulting from slaughtering my kin in war…for if we killed these murderers, evil like theirs would cling to us…The wrong done by this destruction is evident… Nor do we know whether it would be better for us to vanquish them or to be overcome.” In just a few words, Arjuna raises three cogent arguments against ‘activism’: (1) ‘karma’ from committed acts blows back on whoever commits those acts; (2) the acts that duty calls us to perform may be immoral per se (for example, killing other human beings); (3) there is no way to know anything about the long term consequences of our actions. Fortunately, however, Arjuna is best buds with the divine Lord Krishna and this ‘Handsome Haired One’ sets the ‘Strong-Armed Warrior’ straight: “Your concern should be with action, never with action’s fruits.” Lord Krishna swats away Arjuna’s weighty reservations with the flick of his supple wrist. In the process, he exposes the unstated premise undergirding both the Renaissance and the Enlightenment: i.e., that future events ( ends ) are ‘caused’ by prior events ( means ). Krishna exhorts Arjuna to detach himself from the fruits of his actions and to focus exclusively on the actions themselves. This is not an appeal for Quietism. Rejection of the fruits of action is not the same thing as rejection of action itself: “Not by not acting in this world does one become free from action… Not even for a moment does someone exist without acting… In order to maintain the world, your obligation is to act… Should I not engage in action these worlds would perish, utterly…” Today, we know that the cessation of all activity is synonymous with Absolute Zero on the Kelvin Scale; 0°K defines Big Freeze , the end of Universe. Krishna was ahead of his time. Non-action is an illusion. To be is to act. The question is how : “Scripture is your authority for what to do and not to do. Understanding its injunctions, you are obliged to action…These actions, though, should be performed without attachment to their fruits…” By Scripture, the Gita is referring to the Hindu Vedas and the Upanishads. Scripture plays a comparable role in Judeo-Christian theology. Here though, we are referring to the Torah, the Midrashim, the Talmud, the Semon on the Mount, etc. “All actions are undertaken by the qualities of nature though one deceived by his ego imagines, ‘I am doing this’… Qualities act on one another.” In other words, God, the conduit of all values into the world, acts through us, his mortal agents. Per Whitehead, all action is motivated by qualities (values). Actual Entities are the loci of acts but the acts themselves are pure expressions of values. The ‘subject’ is merely the mechanism by which those values are realized in the present and projected into the future. “Better to do one’s own duty ineptly than another’s well.” Here, The Gita calls to mind Paul’s contemporaneous Letter to Ephesians: “For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God had prepared in advance that we should live in them.” (2: 10) We do not determine our duty. We divine it and we perform it…or we don’t! Duty is dictated by the ‘eternal objects’ ( aka ‘transcendental values’) that constitute God’s Primordial Nature. Nor is Krishna (God) exempt from these laws ( dharma ): “In order to protect the good…and to establish righteousness, age after age, I come to be.” God too is a manifestation of ‘qualities acting on one another’. Good is what constitutes God and it is God who projects Good into Universe. No Good, no God! No God, no Good! This is a radical form of the ontological argument for the existence of God. Medieval theologians noted that some entities are ‘more good’ than others. They reasoned that there must therefore be something that is ‘ most good ’, and that whatever is ‘most good’ must exist, because it is better to exist than not. That ‘most good being’ is what we call ‘God’. The Gita arrives at the same destination via a somewhat different route; Krishna says, “Know me as one who never acts.” - i.e., as one who selflessly lets qualities act through him. Speaking of qualities, “Of lights, I am the radiant sun…of stars, I am the Moon…of beings, I am consciousness…of waters, I am Ocean…of mountains, I am the Himalayas…of mortal men, I am the king…of rivers, I am Ganges…of creations, I am beginning, middle, and end…of speakers, I am the discourse…of secrets, I am the silence, and the knowledge of those who know…” Anslem of Bec never wrote like this! But a Medieval Irish poet ( St. Dallan ) came close: “Be Thou my vision…my best thought…my light…my wisdom…my true word…my treasure...” Like Dallan, Krishna defines himself in terms of essential qualities: “I am water’s taste, Arjuna, I am the light of the sun and moon…sound in the air, manhood in men. I am the pure fragrance of earth and the radiance of fire; I am the life in all beings…the mind of the intelligent, the splendor of the radiant. I am the might of the mighty…” “And know that states of being…proceed from me – however, I am not in them, they are in me…Here behold all the universe…standing as one in my body.” “I am that which is the seed within all beings, Arjuna – without me nothing can exist.” The Gospel of John applies this same insight to Christ: “All things came to be through him and without him nothing came to be.” (1: 3) Finally, Krishna makes clear to Arjuna that he neither controls nor is responsible for the course of events in the world: “Those warriors arrayed in lines opposing your men, even without you, will have perished…I have destroyed your enemy already: serve as my tool, O Ambidextrous Archer! (Arjuna)” “Who sees himself as the sole doer, does not see…even after slaying these people, he neither slays, nor is he bound…” Arjuna is responsible for discerning his duty, perhaps with a gentle nudge from Lord Krishna, and then performing that duty to the best of his ability. That will be his legacy, not the outcome of some battle now barely visible through the fog of history. So how is any of this different from the traditional Western view of causality? I’ll grant you the distinction is subtle…but important! We tend to focus on intent, motive, ‘what was he trying to do’. The model we are proposing here includes the formation of intent but also the execution of that intent. Our judges put great emphasis on the dismount. We focus on ‘settled matters of fact’: what did he do! We are not concerned, however, with what happens next. What use future Actual Entities make of Arjuna’s Objective Immortality is between them and their God. Leave Arjuna out of it. He is not to blame for the Great London Fire (1666) or for Johnny’s poor performance on this morning’s algebra exam. So, in the spirit of Voltaire ( Candide ), “Tend to your own patch!” David Cowles is the founder and editor-in-chief of Aletheia Today Magazine. He lives with his family in Massachusetts where he studies and writes about philosophy, science, theology, and scripture. He can be reached at david@aletheiatoday.com . Return to our Harvest Issue 2023 Share Previous Next

< Back Deidre Braley Contributor Deidre Braley is author and host of The Second Cup blog/podcast, where she loves to teach people that Jesus is for them, not against them. She has a monthly newsletter on Substack and her subscribers enjoy weekly content that focuses on communing with Jesus and others, creating beauty when it's hard, and celebrating this weird and wild life. She serves as editorial advisor on The Truly Co. Publication, and has been published in both The Truly Co. magazine and Joyful Life magazine. Deidre has also recently published her 2022 Advent Guide and invites you to follow along with her during this season of anticipation. Refresh the Crèche Call Me a Dinosaur. I Won't Use ChatGPT Summer of Enchantment A Simple Christmas

< Back Voice Verbs David Cowles “I am stuck on Band-Aid ’cause Band-Aid’s stuck on me!” So says the jingle for one of the world’s most iconic products. But more importantly, and quite unexpectedly, this slogan is one of the best examples of ‘middle voice thinking’ in American pop culture. “I am stuck on Band-Aid ’cause Band-Aid’s stuck on me!” So says the jingle for one of the world’s most iconic products. But more importantly, and quite unexpectedly, this slogan is one of the best examples of ‘middle voice thinking’ in American pop culture. We are used to sentences built around active (or passive) voice verbs. (The passive voice is just the active voice turned around.) ‘Billy hit Tommy’ and ‘Tommy was hit by Billy’ describe the exact same event but each with a different focus. The active voice puts the focus on Billy (the one who hit) while the passive voice focuses on Tommy (the one who was hit). But what about the more likely scenario that Billy and Tommy are simply fighting. In English, we have to say, “Tommy and Billy hit each other.” Clumsy! Other languages, especially ancient languages, often include a third voice, the ‘middle voice’. If English had a middle voice, there would be a form of the verb ‘to hit’ that would convey simply the ‘middle voice’ reality of this event. In Icelandic, the language with a middle voice that is closest to English, you usually just add ‘st’ to the end of the root verb to make it middle voice: “Billy and Tommy hitst,” for example. The band-aid jingle highlights this dilemma. Is the bandage stuck on you (active voice) or are you stuck on the bandage (passive voice)? Or are you and the bandage ‘stuckst’ (middle voice)? See how the active and passive voices distort slightly what happens with a band-aid. It takes a middle voice verb form to properly convey what is actually going on. So, who cares? Well, we all do or at least we all should. The current active-passive dualism makes us prone to think in categories such as ‘maker-made’, ‘employer-employee’, ‘ruler-ruled’. I’s exploit it’s. For some purposes, the dominance of active/passive voice verb forms may make practical sense. After all, this is the language of the industrial revolution: skyscrapers and assembly lines. But it is decidedly not the language of interpersonal relations. The philosopher Martin Buber called the proper relationship between two persons ‘I thou’ (rather than ‘I it’). ‘I thou’ is Buber’s way of introducing middle voice thinking into languages (German and English) that do not have a middle voice verb form. One of the most profound lessons of the New Testament is that what I do to another is simultaneously done to me. I am both the subject and the object of my actions. But without a middle voice verb form, we Anglophones have no easy way to express this ethos – and therefore we tend to lose sight of it in our everyday lives – at immense personal and social cost. Previous Next

< Back /ˈdjuːti/ Annie D. Stutley Why can’t a monarch wear whatever shade of nail polish she wants? Years ago, when I was performing in Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit in my alma mater’s spring arts festival, I had to master the British dialect—well, as much as a teenager from south Louisiana could. In my dialect training, one word stood out from the rest: duty. I relished how the pronunciation promenaded off my tongue: /ˈdjuːti/. That “j” after the “d” made all the difference. When I spoke it, I instantly found myself standing taller, shoulders back…regal. Before my entrance each evening, I’d stand in the wings, whispering, “duty, duty, duty,” drumming the word over and over to warm up my dialect and get into character. My character, Elvira, was no stiff-upper-lipped queen, though. In fact, she was mischievous, morally flippant, but nonetheless hailed from the UK; and no word breathed the land of tea and scones, country sides and dressage, polo and Paddington Bear into me more than noble, dignified “duty.” I’d go on to inherit my mother’s tendency toward Anglophilia. I can rattle off the difference between afternoon tea and high tea with more confidence than I can explain the purpose of Groundhog’s Day. (Which shadow is the one we want? I never remember.) I’m both a Mayflower and Jamestown descendant, and yet I have more books about the Plantagenets than I do the colonists, and when I stood in the childhood bedroom of Anne Boleyn at Hever Castle five years ago, I was at a complete loss for words, a reverence I usually reserve for places of holy significance. Through all this, “/ˈdjuːti/, /ˈdjuːti/, /ˈdjuːti/” is what I utter as I turn on another rerun of Downton Abbey and picture life as a countess. If you’re watching the coverage of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, you hear “duty” repeated, except it is often alongside the noun selflessness. “The queen was ever committed to her selfless duty, country before self.” Duty is defined as a moral or legal responsibility, something we may not want to do but something we should do because, well, “it’s our duty.” It seems selfless is almost unnecessary. Did the queen secretly want to let her sister marry the man she truly loved, regardless of the scandalous optics? Probably. Did she even want to have such a big funeral for Diana? Maybe not. Did she even like that shade of pink nail polish she exclusively wore, Ballet Slippers, but only wore it because…wait. Why can’t a monarch wear whatever shade of nail polish she wants? Because duty? That one seems a little stuffy, even for Great Britain. But regardless, my point is we equate duty with an elite class when the essence of duty is about as humble as anything abstract can be because isn’t duty just another word for sacrifice? Make believe is fun no matter my age, but silly, Annie. Duty, not even /ˈdjuːti/, is reserved only for the divine right of kings. In fact, it was the king of kings who left all of us with one job: duty. Jesus didn’t deliver what would become the Great Commandment ( Matthew 22:36-40 ) to a room of royalty. It was directed toward all of us regular sinners, people like you and me, and Queen Elizabeth, also a regular sinner. The Beatitudes? Same. The Lord’s Prayer? Yep, for all of us. The prodigal son, the mustard seed, and the pharisee and the tax collector? He was calling all of us to duty, all of us to love God and let that reverence produce forgiveness, generosity, wisdom, faith, and hope regardless of its convenience. I find it noteworthy that my key verse this week in my devotional is Colossians 3:23-2: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” In other words, assuming our life’s calling isn’t illegal or morally corrupt, whatever we do, we must do it for righteousness, knowing that a kingdom awaits all of us who believe. Thoughts While Shaving is the official blog of Aletheia Today Magazine ( ATM) . To never miss another Thought, choose the subscribe option below. Also, follow us on any one of our social media channels for the latest news from ATM. Thanks for reading! Previous Next

< Back Brexit David Cowles Feb 21, 2023 “What was lost on the battlefield was won back in the taverns, classrooms and monasteries of medieval England. The turning point: Geoffrey Chaucer…who says art can’t change the world?” I am sure our readers have a variety of views on the UK’s latest ‘Declaration of Independence’. Like the American Declaration of Independence, promulgated in 1776 but not recognized by treaty until 1782, the policy of ‘Brexit’ was settled by referendum in 2016 but was not fully implemented until January 31, 2020. It is not our intent here to reenact the Battle of Brexit. Instead, we’re looking to situate Brexit in the context of Britain’s long struggle for independence – from the Romans, the Vikings, the Normans, the Spanish (armada), and most recently, the Nazis. We begin with the Roman conquest, which brought Latin and, ultimately, Christianity to the island. The Romans ‘pulled out’ of Britain in 410 CE…just in time for ‘King Arthur’ in the late 5 th century CE. Arthur notwithstanding, the Roman influence persisted until King Alfred the Great suggested that educators teach their classes in English ( aka Old English or Anglo-Saxon) rather than the traditional Latin. While Britain was ‘liberated’ from Roman rule in the 5 th century, it was not until the 9 th century that its English identity was fully restored. Restored only to be threatened again, first by the Danes, then by the Normans. In 1066 William defeated King Harold at the Battle of Hastings. Once again, Britain’s cultural identity was threatened. A dialect of Old French known as Anglo-Norman replaced Anglo-Saxon (Old English) as the language of record in government and commerce, the language of the nobility and the nascent merchant clash. If the first estate was still dominated by ‘Church Latin’, the second and third estates were firmly Anglo-Norman. By the 13 th century, much of the English elite could no longer speak, or even understand, English. But the new lingua franca did not trickle down. The peasantry and the nascent proletariat continued to speak the language of Beowulf and kept it alive as it incorporated some Norman vocabulary and morphed into Middle English ( Piers Ploughman , e.g.) on its way to becoming recognizably modern English. In a triumph of cultural democracy, and contrary to all expectations, then and now, English won out! What was lost on the battlefield was won back in the taverns, classrooms and monasteries of medieval England. The turning point: Geoffrey Chaucer (d. 1400). To the chagrin of many an English schoolkid, the ability to read Chaucer was then and still is a sine qua non of English literacy. In only a few decades, social classes that no longer spoke or even understood English, became native English speakers. Henry IV in 1399 was the first king since the Norman Conquest to include English in the coronation ceremony. His successor, Henry V (1413), was the first to conduct the coronation ceremony exclusively in English. Do not imagine that this was an easy transition. Anglo-Norman and Middle English have little in common. William the Conqueror, no slouch, tried to learn English…but failed. Chaucer began work on his Canterbury Tales in 1387; 25 years later the language of Chaucer was the language of all England. There is scarcely a trace of Anglo-Norman influence (except in imported Romance vocabulary) in the United Kingdom today. The language is not even studied in school. It is a dead language, a linguistic cul-de-sac …all because of the work of some poet ! Who says art can’t change the world? Drool on, Karl Marx, drool on! I am aware of no better example of successful resistance to cultural imperialism than this and no better example of the utter triumph of the proletariat over the nobility and the bourgeoisie. Today, the British Isles are frantically fighting to reclaim their ancient Celtic and Norse languages, including Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Cornish, and some Old Norse derivatives. The outcome is uncertain at best. My suggestion: take a page out of Chaucer’s book. Create a body of work so compelling that educated people will have to learn the language it’s written in. How are you as a Welsh poet? Previous Share Next Do you like what you just read and want to read more Thoughts? Subscribe today for free! Thoughts While Shaving - the official blog of Aletheia Today Magazine. Click here.

< Back The Dance of Autumn Deborah Rutherford "Autumn is a season of Remembrance – where we remember what God has done for us and are thankful and praise Him for His Goodness." Can we reflect on God's goodness as the seasons change and Winter approaches? I called my husband, Don, into the prayer room. Outside the large windows adorned with white faux wood blinds, we marveled at the first leaves of Fall changing their hues. I had anticipated this moment—the vibrant burst of colors. Yet, soon, the trees would shed their foliage, nearly stripping themselves bare. Don remarked, "See, Fall has arrived," as I recalled the skeptics who had doubted its arrival this year. We had just returned from our annual beach trip to Florida, which we had delayed this year, allowing us to experience the transition from Summer to Fall. At the beach, it still felt like Summer, despite what the calendar said. We basked in the sun, enjoyed the ocean waves, and relished in the warmth. I asked Don what Fall meant to him, and he replied, "Football, turkey, outdoor barbecues, watching the leaves change, and eventually raking them up." I nodded in agreement, acknowledging the beauty of the leaves, even though I knew they would eventually fall and need to be gathered into piles. As I contemplated this change of season, I pondered my own feelings about Fall. Had I harvested and reaped what was necessary in my life? Were there things I needed to let go of? Don and I had just emerged from a challenging and demanding season, facing trials that felt like walking through a den of lions. Yet, with God's guidance, we had made it through. Now, we found ourselves on the mountaintop of faith, enjoying the harvest and redemption that only God could provide after such a trying journey. I reflected on the various changes happening in my circle of friends and family—some leaving long careers behind, others facing unexpected health challenges, and some embarking on new journeys like my brother-in-law with his new job. In some cases, I witnessed how God had transformed adversity into beauty. I questioned the nature of this season and why I felt hesitant to fully embrace it. I admitted it: as the season began and everyone around me discussed Autumn, shared fall-inspired pictures, and engaged in debates over chips and salsa versus pumpkin spice, it left me somewhat uncertain. I noticed a friend posting pictures of her fall wardrobe, complete with plaid skirts and pumpkin-colored dresses, and another wearing flannel. I wondered if I was ready for the transition, as I still sported shorts and sundresses with sun-kissed skin. My husband hung up our Autumn wreath and surprised me with a bouquet of sunflowers. I heard Autumn beckoning me, assuring me that I belonged in this season. The birds and squirrels seemed to concur as they went about their preparations, and farmers worked tirelessly in the fields. I could almost hear the angels singing. God whispered to me, "This season is for you as well. You belong in this time, from the beginning of time to its end. Come, dance with me." I felt the leaves crunch beneath my tennis shoes, the breeze brushing against my shoulder, and my husband's love as we decorated the house and simmered apple, cinnamon, and vanilla potpourri on the stove. "Join me in the soothing lullaby of the Harvest," God urged, "I have provided for you, and I want to fill you with joy that will spill over to others. This is a season of celebration, solace, and remembrance." Amidst the wind, songs, and devotions, I reminded myself to remember God's goodness. He had chosen and treasured me. Autumn was a time for both Harvest and the preparation of our hearts through gratitude and remembrance. It marked the beginning of the Holy Days, tracing back to an exodus that continued to shape our lives, leading us to the most significant event in human history—the birth of our Lord Jesus, which ultimately led to redemption. So, I took the leap, embraced this Harvest season, and donned a rust, gold, and cream dress. Walking the path near my home, I inhaled deeply, resting in God's love for me. The warmth of the sun caressed me, and I felt immense comfort. There was a change in the air, and a full, radiant moon graced the sky. I rejoiced in the moment, knowing that it was a privilege to be alive. Down the path, as sunlight filtered through the trees, I noticed some leaves beginning to change. It was a symphony of colors and transformation, a masterpiece crafted by God Himself. But I wondered, how do we, as God's people, navigate this sacred season? It was a time for thanksgiving, rejoicing, and gratitude, as seasons always brought transformation. This particular change, however, was God's reminder to remember His goodness during the Autumn of our lives, preparing us for the Winter ahead. The bountiful Harvest sustained us during leaner times, both spiritually and physically. God's wisdom in leading us through the cycles of nature mirrored the seasons of our lives, and together, we walked hand in hand. "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever" (Psalm 136:1 KJV). Autumn served as a season of Remembrance, where we acknowledged God's blessings and praised Him for His goodness. His grace flowed not because of our deeds but because He was inherently good. We remembered: Our eternal journey, regardless of our circumstances. Heaven as a place of abundance and plenty. Past blessings and God's faithfulness in providing. Gratitude for daily blessings, recognizing that God's goodness extended to the ordinary. Living in a state of thanksgiving, finding joy in it all. Autumn was a delicious season of Harvest, when leaves fell and we reaped what we had sown. It was a season to hold onto faith and believe in God's promise that it would be beautiful. For it was a privilege to be alive, and I vowed to make every day count. This seasonal display was orchestrated by God and always arrived as a reminder: God remained in control. His nature was unchanging. His power extended over all creation as the Creator and Artist behind all this beauty. Remembering God's goodness in Autumn prepared us for Winter. The abundance of the Harvest sustained us during leaner times. God had provided us with this beautiful planet, the gift of breath and life. Shifting our hearts towards gratitude helped us remember that when Winter came, we needed to have faith and trust that God was still in control. Just as the leaves fell and lay dormant in Winter, they would burst forth with life in Spring, mirroring the resurrection of Jesus and the eventual celebration of all Creation. A Harvest Prayer Dear Heavenly Father, We thank you for the Sacred Seasons, both in nature and in our lives. These transformations, seen in the changing leaves and bountiful Harvest, remind us of your presence. May we gather together in your name, whether at our tables, pumpkin patches, or football games. May we encounter you in every aspect of the changing seasons, for everything has its time. Thank you for your boundless love and for including us in the magnificent transformation of life itself. May we share your love with everyone we meet as we prepare for the greatest gift of all—the celebration of the birth of Jesus. Thank you, God, for equipping us and all of Creation for Winter in the dance of Autumn. In Jesus's name, Amen. Deborah Rutherford is a Christian wife who loves to write stories, devotionals, and poetry. She is also an award-winning makeup artist. Deborah shares her journey of faith, joy, and beauty on her blog at www.deborahrutherford.com and social media. She is a contributing writer for Aletheia Today Magazine , Kingdom Edge Magazine and Gracefully Truthful Ministries and has a devotional in the book “Shepherd on Duty: Promises of God you Can Trust ” (Arabelle Publishing) and the Calla Press, Literary Journal Spring 2023. Return to our Harvest Issue 2023 Previous Next

< Back Bacteriology…and American Football David Cowles “…Will it surprise you to learn that not every bacterium is a team player?” (I am indebted to Holly Barker, Ph.D., and Mariella Bodemeier Loayza Careaga, Ph.D., for these insights into the science of bacteriology and to my grandfather, J. Leo Foley, for my appreciation of the art of football.) As children, we waited impatiently for the ‘major holidays’, Halloween and Christmas, and somewhat more patiently for ‘minor holidays’ like Thanksgiving and the 4 th of July. As adults, our priorities have changed: now we join the rest of America in counting down the hours to the beginning of another NFL/NCAA football season. But what on earth does bacteriology have to do with football? A lot, as it turns out, and I’m not talking about COVID-19 infections. Turns out, an understanding of football can enhance our appreciation of cellular processes…and vice versa. In contrast to the bacteria that we (and by ‘we’ I mean ‘you’) study in the lab, most prokaryotes (cells without nuclei) in nature live in complex communities, often consisting of several interacting, cooperating species. Within these communities, different bacteria assume different responsibilities. Some individuals focus on reproduction to expand the colony, while others specialize in construction, oozing proteins that make up the extracellular superstructure. Yet other bacteria defend the community, building and shooting molecular weapons (toxins) at competitors. What makes this interesting, and important, is that these secondary functions are not hard-wired. Like Shakespeare’s players , ‘one cell in its time plays many parts’. As the needs of the community change, an individual bacterium may take on new responsibilities. In populations of Bacillus subtilis , for example, young microbes are responsible for the production of the colony’s extracellular superstructure, but as that construction progresses, some cells switch to producing spores or enzymes. So how do bacterial colonies coordinate this division of labor? Most likely, they don’t! Then how does it happen? Perhaps individual bacteria simply amplify random fluctuations in cellular chemistry, resulting in auto-specialization. Inefficient, but possible. More likely, cells may react to perceived stresses in the colony, taking it upon themselves to fill the gaps. In no case, however, is it likely that the morphing of cell function is due to the cell’s structure ‘at birth’ or to direction from some central or hierarchical ‘authority’. Football commentary places a lot of emphasis on game plan (i.e., the X’s and O’s, the plays as designed). This is the functional equivalent of the bacterium’s DNA. But does strategy (alone) win football games? Of course not, execution is key, and execution comes in two flavors: How well does the team execute its designed plays? How well does the team execute plays that are not designed, i.e. the plays that happen once the designed plays fall apart in the fog…in other words, all plays? Researchers have known for more than 20 years that bacteria differentiate in order to enable complex social behaviors that benefit the colony as a whole. But will it surprise you to learn that not every bacterium is a team player? Hmm. While members of the colony generally ‘realize’ that the overall health of the colony broadly benefits its members, it is also the case that some players seek to enhance their individual well-being by free riding . Sound familiar? Instead of producing (secreting) socially valuable molecules, these cells assume the role of consumers , reaping where they did not sow, taking advantage of the insight and labor of their eleemosynary cousins. So how is a football team like a colony of bacteria? First, each player is assigned a ‘position’ and that position includes a specific set of behaviors which become that player’s primary responsibility. But as with bacterial colonies, this is only the beginning. As each play unfolds, novel stresses arise which must be addressed if the team is going to meet its goals (e.g., score points). After fulfilling their prime directive , each player must react ‘to circumstances on the ground’: What secondary function can I perform that will increase the play’s likelihood of success? My pass route’s a bust; can I still get open? I knocked down one defender: why not two? I’m supposed to run over Center, but the front’s a brick wall; should I run to daylight? I missed one tackle; but can I still catch up to the action and try again? And the free riders ? These are the guys who ‘do their jobs’…who just do their jobs. They will throw themselves full force into a pig pile…once the ball carrier is safely down…or push a retreating runner out of bounds. So long as the free riders are relatively few, and team relatively successful, these malcontents are likely to get away with their shenanigans. But once free riding proliferates, or the team starts to lose, as it will, watch out! Since Genesis, we humans have shamefully sought to distance ourselves from ‘lower’ life forms; you know, plants, other animal species, people from other tribes, races, nations…the usual suspects. But the last 50 years have made it crystal clear that this strategy is a bust! It is as impractical as it is immoral. We need a new, more inclusive, bio-ethics, and I suggest that we begin our investigations with a new guiding principle: “Bacteria…and football players…are people too!” Keep the conversation going! 1. Click here to comment on this TWS. 2. To subscribe (at no cost) to TWS and ATM, follow this link . 3. We encourage new articles and reprints from freelance writers ; click here to view out Writers’ Specs. 4. Aletheia Today Magazine (ATM) will be devoting its entire fall issue (released 9/1/23) to artificial intelligence (AI). What are the philosophical, theological, cultural and even spiritual implications of AI powered world? If you’d like to contribute to the AI Issue, click here . Previous Next

< Back Jan Heckler Contributor Jan Heckler was called to Africa beginning in Zimbabwe before 911. She received doctoral training at U. of Fla.. Sharing effective teaching methods became a primary way she serves God in mission. Jan is a published author and has taught in Namibia and Malawi - twice, winning teaching awards. As a consultant for the Govt of Ethiopia, she helped attain a five-donor nation-World Bank funding package for $417 million. Forced into early retirement by injuries she writes and consults from her home in Berkeley. Mamisoa

< Back Finding Gold in the Scars Fernanda Nascimento "We will adorn our scars with gold and reminisce on our journey—guided by hope." Kintsugi, or the golden splice, is the name of the Japanese art that repairs broken ceramics and adds an aesthetic touch by filling its "scars" with gold. It seems to offer a metaphor applicable to our reality. Even if we embrace social isolation, at some point, we will experience hurt. As I write these words, my country remains under isolation due to a virus that is unfamiliar, leaving us vulnerable without antibodies to protect us. All of nature, including humans, possesses means of defense. Antibodies serve as a prime example. However, for our immune system to effectively defend against a specific threat, it must first encounter and learn from it. Such is the nature of real life. Bringing my own experiences to light, I endured the most challenging two years of my life. I confronted battles with depression, anxiety, defamation, fears, and numerous frustrations. When I endeavored to pursue my life's purpose, fear whispered lies, urging me to postpone my college aspirations for a year due to cost and presumed failure. I relented, only to face anxiety's grip once again a year later. It was a dark period, yet today, as I reflect, I recognize that without those trials, I would not be the person I am now. Amidst loss, I found resilience. Someone stood by me throughout it all, offering unwavering support and love without judgment—a true friend indeed. This year undoubtedly stands as one of the nation's worst in history. We collectively face a formidable battle, yet individually, we confront our own. The mere thought is exhausting, but every struggle has its resolution. Even if our stories lack happy endings, they are stories worth telling—experiences uniquely our own. Life unfolds in cycles, akin to seasons, where the body becomes a battleground for past conflicts, and the mind navigates an uncertain future. To live is to embrace vulnerability, to break, rebuild, and restore oneself. It entails acknowledging our losses and learning to defend ourselves better. Perhaps living is akin to traversing dense darkness while retaining faith in an unseen light reserved to shine upon us all. In such trying times, we must cling to hope, for it is the last ember to fade. Better days lie ahead, where we will adorn our scars with gold and reminisce on our journey—guided by hope. We will recall our tears and find solace in their passing, for everything shall be alright. Each day feels like a moment captured in a frame. "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." — John 1:5 **This piece has been republished with minor style edits with permission from the author.** Fernanda Nascimento is a Brazilian writer whose work has appeared in Koinesune Magazine. Return to our Holy Days Table of Contents Previous Next

“Of course, no one needs to invoke Mary’s intercession… (but) imagine OJ without his Dream Team.” < Back Ave Maria David Cowles Jul 15, 2023 “Of course, no one needs to invoke Mary’s intercession… (but) imagine OJ without his Dream Team.” It’s one of two prayers that form the core of Roman Catholic piety. More often called Hail Mary by the prayerful, it is a staple of every post-confession penance and often makes an appearance at weddings. It also forms the body of the Rosary , another uniquely Catholic spiritual practice: Hail Mary, full of grace, The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us sinners, Now and at the hour of our death, Amen. The prayer naturally breaks into two halves, the first part highlighting things done by God for Mary, the second part highlighting Mary’s active contribution to the process of salvation. “Hail Mary” is the voice of the angel Gabrielle, sent by God to bring ‘glad tidings’. God’s grace is his free gift to Mary; for all her renowned sanctity, she has done nothing to earn it. It is God’s to distribute as he will. Out of all women, God chooses Mary to partner with him in the Incarnation. So, she is doubly blessed, first by God’s selection, then by the fruit of her womb . Abruptly, the tone changes. While ‘grace’ is the unearned gift of God, ‘holiness’ requires the cooperation of the saint. God alone cannot make us holy, unfortunately. (That is indeed a rock he cannot lift!) In the prayer’s first stanza, Mary is God’s passive beneficiary, but if you thought that Mary was a little lamb , it’s time to disabuse yourself. She is a lion! This should not surprise us. Mary’s Magnificat , in response to Gabriel’s annunciation message, tells us everything we need to know about her: My soul proclaims the greatness of God… He has shown the strength of his arm, He has scattered the proud in their conceit, He has cast down the mighty from their thrones… The rich he has sent away empty. Mary is no wall flower; God made a good choice (of course) and Mary does not shy away from the awesome responsibility of her role in cosmic history. She will be Mater Dei ; she will be the Mother of God! God chose a fierce partner…and we have an opportunity to do the same. Speaking strictly from my personal experience, we are sinners. Not even OJ’s Dream Team can get us out of the pickle we’re in! We need an advocate even more persuasive, more unrelenting than Johnny Cochran. Who comes to mind? The Mother of God, perhaps? I mean, who among us can turn down flat a heartfelt request from our mother? Your mother might ask you to visit her more often; duly noted. Jesus’ mother asked him to turn water into wine, which he did…with a flourish (best saved ‘til last)… even though he was trying his best to remain incognito. I want her on my side! Of course, no one needs to invoke Mary’s intercession. We’re free to go it alone if we choose. We can represent ourselves; we can appear before God pro se . But we all know what’s said of those who choose to be their own attorneys. Not convinced? Ok, imagine OJ without his Dream Team ; and now imagine me…without the Mother of God at my side. ‘Nuff said? David Cowles is the founder and editor-in-chief of Aletheia Today Magazine. He lives with his family in Massachusetts where he studies and writes about philosophy, science, theology, and scripture. He can be reached at david@aletheiatoday.com . Return to our Beach Read 2023 Table of Contents Previous Next Share Do you like what you just read? Subscribe today and receive sneak previews of Aletheia Today Magazine articles before they're published. Plus, you'll receive our quick-read, biweekly blog, Thoughts While Shaving. Subscribe Thanks for subscribing! Click here. Return to Table of Contents, Winter 2023 Issue Return to Table of Contents, Holiday Issue Return to Table of Contents, Halloween Issue Return to Table of Contents, September Issue Return to Table of Contents, Beach Issue Return to the Table of Contents, June Issue

< Back Can Subject/Verb Agreement Make the World Go Round? David Cowles We imagine that our world is made up of ‘things’ (nouns), their accidental qualities (adjectives), and the relationships between them (verbs). We imagine this because just such a classification system is embedded in our native tongue: modern English, for example, or most any other contemporary Indo-European language. We imagine that our world is made up of ‘things’ (nouns), their accidental qualities (adjectives), and the relationships between them (verbs). We imagine this because just such a classification system is embedded in our native tongue: modern English, for example, or most any other contemporary Indo-European language. What can we say about such a classification system? First, it works; it works well, marvelously well! The enormous technological progress achieved over the past 500 years is a direct reflection of the power of grammar – who knew? (Pity the 5th grader overheard asking, “Why do I have to learn all this grammar? What good is it? I’ll never use it.”) In a world made up of subjects, objects, verbs, and attributes, each of us (subjects) becomes the center of our own world, and everything that is not us (objects) becomes raw material (yes, even other people) for us to shape in service of our own ends. Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to transform that raw material, to rearrange its attributes so that nature can be more productive. This is one way to slice and dice the world, and it works beautifully, provided that material productivity is the only standard of measurement. This is one way to slice and dice the world…but it is not the only way! William James advanced a theory of buds or units (quanta?) of experience. He developed what became known as the James-Lange theory, which argues that emotions arise as a physiological response to external events. James’ model is broad enough to include all of the usual parts of speech, only now, the measured experience (the bud) itself is the subject, the object, the network of relationships, and the shifting attributes mentioned above. The focus has moved from the individual to the individual’s experience with external events. Each bud, therefore, is like the universe experiencing itself and acting on itself; we are just grateful parts of that process. Were language built to reflect the dynamics of James’ buds, it might be a less efficient tool of industrial production, but it would certainly be a much more efficient medium for interpersonal communication. Previous Next