about a naked man or woman,
but there is everything to be said
about the world in which they live.
Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.
Wednesday, August 7, 2019
There Is Nothing to be Said
There is nothing to be said
about a naked man or woman,
but there is everything to be said
about the world in which they live.
Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.
about a naked man or woman,
but there is everything to be said
about the world in which they live.
Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.
What's In a Dream?
I keep a notebook by my bedside at night, in case the muse should visit, or something worthwhile should appear in a dream. Last night our dog, Betty, woke me up in the middle of the night, while I was dreaming about a great, mythical serpent. I knew that it was called something like "seshonq," and I wrote that in the notebook.
Checking the Internet this morning, I found that the only thing similar was Sheshonq, the name of an Egyptian pharaoh, founder of the twenty-second dynasty. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as "Shishak" (1 Kings 11:40, 14:25; 2 Chron. 12:2-9). I looked him up in my Holman Bible Dictionary, and found that his name was of "uncertain meaning." But perhaps my dream can shed a little light on this.
I recognized right away that the second part of the name, "onq," has to be "life" (Middle Egyptian "ankh;" Sahidic Coptic "onh," or "Onq."). I didn't know the meaning of the "shesh."
My library took a severe hit in the course of our recent move from one continent to another. I do still have a small booklet by Bruce Metzger, which is a list of all the most frequent words in the Coptic New Testament. I went through the booklet from cover to cover, and found that the most fitting word was "she," which means "hundred" (sorry, this computer is not set up to show the Coptic alphabet). "Sheshe" could then mean "hundreds," "a thousand," or simply "many," which is the meaning I had in my mind. Why should I have had any meaning at all in my mind? An interesting question, and one that I'll answer someday if you ask me.
So, back to the dream. Why would a great, mythical serpent have been called "Sheshonq?" It seems to me that the "many lives" is a reference to the snake's shedding of her skin, in turn symbolic of human reincarnation.
Here is how Pharaoh Shishak's name is written in the Hebrew Bible:
Checking the Internet this morning, I found that the only thing similar was Sheshonq, the name of an Egyptian pharaoh, founder of the twenty-second dynasty. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible as "Shishak" (1 Kings 11:40, 14:25; 2 Chron. 12:2-9). I looked him up in my Holman Bible Dictionary, and found that his name was of "uncertain meaning." But perhaps my dream can shed a little light on this.
I recognized right away that the second part of the name, "onq," has to be "life" (Middle Egyptian "ankh;" Sahidic Coptic "onh," or "Onq."). I didn't know the meaning of the "shesh."
My library took a severe hit in the course of our recent move from one continent to another. I do still have a small booklet by Bruce Metzger, which is a list of all the most frequent words in the Coptic New Testament. I went through the booklet from cover to cover, and found that the most fitting word was "she," which means "hundred" (sorry, this computer is not set up to show the Coptic alphabet). "Sheshe" could then mean "hundreds," "a thousand," or simply "many," which is the meaning I had in my mind. Why should I have had any meaning at all in my mind? An interesting question, and one that I'll answer someday if you ask me.
So, back to the dream. Why would a great, mythical serpent have been called "Sheshonq?" It seems to me that the "many lives" is a reference to the snake's shedding of her skin, in turn symbolic of human reincarnation.
Here is how Pharaoh Shishak's name is written in the Hebrew Bible:
שִׁישַׁק
In Egyptian hieroglyphs, the name looks like this:
𓆷 𓆷 𓈖 𓏘
This clearly suggests that the Hebrew letter "Shin," is related to the Egyptian letter that looks like lotus flowers growing out of a pond (they both sound like "sh"). I was not aware of this relationship.
Pay attention to those dreams! They can be very instructive.
Text © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
We Are Bodies and Souls of Light (with translations)
We are bodies and souls of light.
ᎢᏧᎳ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᏰᎸᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏓᏅᏙᏗ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎥᎿᎢ.
Nous sommes des corps et des âmes de lumière.
Somos cuerpos y almas de luz.
אנחנו גופות ונשמות של אור.
Ni estas korpoj kaj animoj de lumo.
हम प्रकाश के शरीर और आत्मा हैं।
Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Jacobson Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.
ᎢᏧᎳ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎠᏰᎸᏗ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏓᏅᏙᏗ ᎤᎸᏌᏓ ᎥᎿᎢ.
Nous sommes des corps et des âmes de lumière.
Somos cuerpos y almas de luz.
אנחנו גופות ונשמות של אור.
Ni estas korpoj kaj animoj de lumo.
हम प्रकाश के शरीर और आत्मा हैं।
Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Jacobson Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.
The Day's Potential
The day's potential is formed
before the rising of the sun.
What's lost is lost,
and what's won, is won.
Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.
before the rising of the sun.
What's lost is lost,
and what's won, is won.
Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Janis in the Window
Janis was singing
in the open window,
her window,
I'd often passed that way.
I forgot she shouldn't
be there--seemed OK.
Looking inside,
there were others with her,
probably Mimi and Richard,
Jimi, Amy,
and ol' Hank, I'd say,
looking all of twenty-seven,
if a day.
But it wasn't her house,
the one I knew,
it was now
a café.
And they were jammin',
that day.
I ordered a meal
from a tall blonde,
the owner, I'd say.
The food was great--
I asked if it was hers,
she showed me the recipe,
and it was blank.
She offered me
a malt of Lethe,
I asked for something in it,
if you know what I mean.
They'd lose their license, she said,
but then, bottle in hand,
(brandy, I'd say,)
"We know who you are,
I guess it would be okay."
But I said no,
not today,
and went on
my way.
https://youtu.be/azYCMyEvp34
Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.
in the open window,
her window,
I'd often passed that way.
I forgot she shouldn't
be there--seemed OK.
Looking inside,
there were others with her,
probably Mimi and Richard,
Jimi, Amy,
and ol' Hank, I'd say,
looking all of twenty-seven,
if a day.
But it wasn't her house,
the one I knew,
it was now
a café.
And they were jammin',
that day.
I ordered a meal
from a tall blonde,
the owner, I'd say.
The food was great--
I asked if it was hers,
she showed me the recipe,
and it was blank.
She offered me
a malt of Lethe,
I asked for something in it,
if you know what I mean.
They'd lose their license, she said,
but then, bottle in hand,
(brandy, I'd say,)
"We know who you are,
I guess it would be okay."
But I said no,
not today,
and went on
my way.
https://youtu.be/azYCMyEvp34
Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Traxler.
Saturday, August 3, 2019
Piano
It was a day like many others
on Wightman Street
in East San Diego,
except that my mother
and grandmother
were crying.
I was two and a half
years old, and hadn't
seen this before.
"What's wrong?"
I asked my mother.
"President Roosevelt died,"
my mother said,
"he was a very good man,
and we liked him
very much. You wouldn't understand."
I didn't understand,
not at all.
I needed to think,
so I went and sat
under the keyboard
of the old, upright
piano.
That piano had come
with the rented house,
when my mother
was in high school.
She was hardly more
than that then,
only twenty-two.
My grandmother,
educated in an Irish
convent school,
was the only one
who could really play
that piano.
I loved it when she
would play The Steamboat
song. The music went like this:
do duh dút do do,
do duh dút do do,
do do do doo do,
do do do doo do.
My mother, who had less skill
and knowledge,
could play "I like coffee,
I like tea, I like the boys,
and the boys like me,"
When I was six or seven,
she showed me how
to play that song.
She said that my fingers were long,
like hers, and that I could reach
an octave.
The old piano, made in Chicago,
was always in tune.
The owner of house and piano,
Mr. Skinner, had a son
who played for the Pittsburgh
Pirates.
Duh duh dút duh duh,
I like the girls,
duh duh dút duh duh,
and the girls like me.
An octave is from "c"
to shining "c,"
and death has no power
over me.
Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Jacobson Traxler.
on Wightman Street
in East San Diego,
except that my mother
and grandmother
were crying.
I was two and a half
years old, and hadn't
seen this before.
"What's wrong?"
I asked my mother.
"President Roosevelt died,"
my mother said,
"he was a very good man,
and we liked him
very much. You wouldn't understand."
I didn't understand,
not at all.
I needed to think,
so I went and sat
under the keyboard
of the old, upright
piano.
That piano had come
with the rented house,
when my mother
was in high school.
She was hardly more
than that then,
only twenty-two.
My grandmother,
educated in an Irish
convent school,
was the only one
who could really play
that piano.
I loved it when she
would play The Steamboat
song. The music went like this:
do duh dút do do,
do duh dút do do,
do do do doo do,
do do do doo do.
My mother, who had less skill
and knowledge,
could play "I like coffee,
I like tea, I like the boys,
and the boys like me,"
When I was six or seven,
she showed me how
to play that song.
She said that my fingers were long,
like hers, and that I could reach
an octave.
The old piano, made in Chicago,
was always in tune.
The owner of house and piano,
Mr. Skinner, had a son
who played for the Pittsburgh
Pirates.
Duh duh dút duh duh,
I like the girls,
duh duh dút duh duh,
and the girls like me.
An octave is from "c"
to shining "c,"
and death has no power
over me.
Text and image © 2019 by Donald C. Jacobson Traxler.
Open Your Mouth and Speak
Open your mouth and speak.
Open your mind and think.
Open your heart and love.
Open your voice and sing.
We are alive,
and we are Life,
Blessed be God.
פתח את פיך ודיבר.
לפתוח את הראש ולחשוב.
פתח את ליבך ואהבתך.
פתח את הקול שלך ושר.
אנו בחיים,
ואנחנו החיים,
'ברוך ה
Ouvre ta bouche et parle.
Ouvre ton esprit et réfléchis.
Ouvre ton coeur et aime.
Ouvre ta voix et chante.
Nous sommes en vie,
et nous sommes la vie,
Béni soit Dieu.
Abre la boca y habla.
Abre tu mente y piensa.
Abre tu corazón y ama.
Abre tu voz y canta.
Estamos vivos,
y somos vida,
Bendito sea Dios.
Malfermu vian buŝon kaj parolu.
Malfermu vian menson kaj pensu.
Malfermu vian koron kaj amu.
Malfermu vian voĉon kaj kantu.
Ni vivas,
kaj ni estas Vivo,
Benita estu Dio.
ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏚ ᏂᎯ ᎠᎰᎵᏁ ᎠᎴ ᎧᏁᎫ.
ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏚ ᏂᎯ ᎣᏓᏅᏛᏁ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏍᎫ.
ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏚ ᏂᎯ ᎠᏓᏅᏙᏁ ᎠᎴ ᎨᏳᎤ.
ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏚ ᏂᎯ ᎧᏁᎬ-ᎤᏃᏴᎬᏁ ᎠᎴ ᎧᏃᎩᏍᏚ.
ᎢᏧᎳ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎬᏃᏛ,
ᎠᎴ ᎢᏧᎳ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎥᎴᏂᏙᎲ,
ᎠᏓᏙᎵᎩᏔ ᎨᏒᎤ ᎡᏆ-ᎠᏓᏅᏙᏁ.
This poem/song is for all my sisters and brothers in the world and in spirit. It, along with the accompanying image, is hereby given into the public domain. Donald C. Jacobson Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.
Open your mind and think.
Open your heart and love.
Open your voice and sing.
We are alive,
and we are Life,
Blessed be God.
פתח את פיך ודיבר.
לפתוח את הראש ולחשוב.
פתח את ליבך ואהבתך.
פתח את הקול שלך ושר.
אנו בחיים,
ואנחנו החיים,
'ברוך ה
Ouvre ta bouche et parle.
Ouvre ton esprit et réfléchis.
Ouvre ton coeur et aime.
Ouvre ta voix et chante.
Nous sommes en vie,
et nous sommes la vie,
Béni soit Dieu.
Abre la boca y habla.
Abre tu mente y piensa.
Abre tu corazón y ama.
Abre tu voz y canta.
Estamos vivos,
y somos vida,
Bendito sea Dios.
Malfermu vian buŝon kaj parolu.
Malfermu vian menson kaj pensu.
Malfermu vian koron kaj amu.
Malfermu vian voĉon kaj kantu.
Ni vivas,
kaj ni estas Vivo,
Benita estu Dio.
ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏚ ᏂᎯ ᎠᎰᎵᏁ ᎠᎴ ᎧᏁᎫ.
ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏚ ᏂᎯ ᎣᏓᏅᏛᏁ ᎠᎴ ᎠᏓᏅᏖᏍᎫ.
ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏚ ᏂᎯ ᎠᏓᏅᏙᏁ ᎠᎴ ᎨᏳᎤ.
ᎠᏍᏚᎢᏚ ᏂᎯ ᎧᏁᎬ-ᎤᏃᏴᎬᏁ ᎠᎴ ᎧᏃᎩᏍᏚ.
ᎢᏧᎳ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎬᏃᏛ,
ᎠᎴ ᎢᏧᎳ ᎨᏒᎠᏎ ᎥᎴᏂᏙᎲ,
ᎠᏓᏙᎵᎩᏔ ᎨᏒᎤ ᎡᏆ-ᎠᏓᏅᏙᏁ.
This poem/song is for all my sisters and brothers in the world and in spirit. It, along with the accompanying image, is hereby given into the public domain. Donald C. Jacobson Traxler ꮨᏺꭽꮅ.