Medieval Mystics

It's a long story, but sometimes one reads an assignment incorrectly.  In a nutshell, that's how this post was born.  Hope it's of some interest!

Between Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe, Julian of Norwich definitely was my favorite.  Both her style and content were much more palatable for me than Margery Kempe’s writings.  I’m personally inclined to discount the latter writer’s work…but what do you think?  Was she playing with a full deck?

Here’s one passage from Julian of Norwhich that caught my attention, because it reminded me somewhat of an ancient homily for Holy Saturday, which is included in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  If interested, I’m copying Norwich’s passage first, followed by the ancient homily excerpt.

Also God shewed in part the wisdom and the truth of her soul: wherein I understood the reverent beholding in which she beheld her God and Maker, marvelling with great reverence that He would be born of her that was a simple creature of His making. And this wisdom and truth: knowing the greatness of her Maker and the littleness of herself that was made,— caused her to say full meekly to Gabriel: Lo me, God’s handmaid! In this sight I understood soothly that she is more than all that God made beneath her in worthiness and grace; for above her is nothing that is made but the blessed Manhood Of Christ, as to my sight.

Norwich, Julian of (2015-06-10).  The Showings of Divine Love (Kindle Locations 95-99). Wilder Publications, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Today a great silence reigns on earth, a great silence and a great stillness. A great silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who ever slept ever since the world began.... He has gone to search for Adam, our first father, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow Adam in his bonds and Eve, captive with him He who is both their God and the son of Eve.

(The Lord’s descent into hell from an Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday.)

I’ve not led an academic discussion for a very long time, so forgive anything I’ve overlooked!  Please select one or two questions from the following six to start our week’s discussions.

1.  Do you have any thoughts on possible literary or religious influences with regards to Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe?

2.  How would you compare and contrast this week’s selections? In what ways are Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe different in their approaches?

3.  Which writer spoke to your heart the most eloquently, and why? 

4.  What did Margery Kempe mean by referring to Mary as the “Empress of Hell?” In Book 1.79? 

5.  Do you have any thoughts on the following quote from Chapter 3 of Julian of Norwich’s book?  Does she have a different concept of heaven than you may personally hold?

And being in youth as yet, I thought it great sorrow to die;— but for nothing that was in earth that meliked to live for, nor for no pain that I had fear of: for I trusted in God of His mercy. But it was to have lived that I might have loved God better, and longer time, that I might have the more knowing and loving of God in bliss of Heaven. For methought all the time that I had lived here so little and so short in regard of that endless bliss,— I thought [it was as] nothing. Wherefore I thought: Good Lord, may my living no longer be to Thy worship! And I understood by my reason and by my feeling of my pains that I should die; and I assented fully with all the will of my heart to be at God’s will. 

Norwich, Julian of (2015-06-10). The Showings of Divine Love (Kindle Locations 60-65). Wilder Publications, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

6.  While this week’s texts are inherently religious in content and scope, is there perhaps a more secular message that can also be taken from one or both of these works?

     7.  What did Julian of Norwich mean by the vision of the hazelnut in Chapter 5?  What does this passage seem to mean to you?

Greetings! View this email in your browser

Good Day at Once! On this, the 400th anniversary of the passing of the world's greatest bard, I thought it was only fitting to say hello to all of my faithful readers! You've perhaps noticed that this is the first e-mail like this in about half of a year.  Well, as some of you already know, I'm busy finishing that English degree that I began in 1987 at Seattle Pacific University.  I'm happier than a clam on a beach to be attending Marylhurst University in Portland now.  While I've temporarily suspended "book promotion" efforts while in classes, I did want to wish you all well and draw your attention to several pieces you might enjoy. I know that writing about places and trips is looked down upon by some of my writing friends; it's not intellectual enough, you know.  I beg to disagree.  As a fellow who grew up in Eastern Washington and has lived in Seattle, Whidbey Island, Bellingham, Dallas (TX & OR), Lawrence, KS, Redding, CA, and now Oregon's beautiful Willamette Valley (since 1996), I am fascinated when discovering new and unique places.  (If you've read my last novel, you can probably tell how critical a solid sense of place is to me.)  The Wallowas are a particularly strong case in point.  I'll never forget the first time I visited northeast Oregon; I was totally unprepared by the majesty I discovered.  I hope I am successful in conveying a little sense of that wonder in this recently published article from Travel Oregon.  As an added "bonus," I am including a couple paragraphs immediately below that we decided not to include in the published article.  It might just bring a smile... Of course, if you annoy the locals, you may find yourself taking the longest "short cut" you can imagine.  One local confided that a sweet old lady she knew had finally lost patience with an out-of-towner bearing a laundry list of complaints: the mountains weren't that special, the weather was too hot, there were no stores in which she cared to stop, etc.  Having finally had enough, the old woman carefully gave the complaining visitor detailed instructions to Hwy 3 out of Enterprise to Lewiston/Clarkston.  She explained that this route might offer her exactly what she was seeking.  Now, as someone who accidentally took this frightening little stretch of asphalt (again, thanks go to Google Maps) back in 2007, I can understand the humor here.  Still, I have to say I feel a little sorry for the complainer, too. Imagine a narrow road weaving steeply towards the hilltops, and you have some inkling of the drive.  There was beauty, too, of course: wild deer and a huge owl to name a couple examples.  As I recall, when the road began to feel more like a paved walking trail, I remember my wife asking me to drive slower and slower until we were inching along at less than 20 mph.  When I expressed concern about traffic, she insightfully pointed out that no one else was stupid enough to take that particular road.  Enough said. I also invite you to read two pieces associated with my educational venture.  First, here's an article concerning the importance of continuing education (and completing what one begins).  Second, here's a page created for a digital humanities course that you might also enjoy.  Truth be known, my selection of Stafford and Roethke probably has a lot to do with that sense of place element again. As Shakespeare might have said, had he done online newsletters, Adieu!

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Mock NEH Grant Application (Academic Project)

Karl Erickson, Marylhurst University

Nature of the Request: Sounds and Words, a Project for the Preservation of Domestic Humanities endeavors to safeguard precious audio and video recordings of renowned United States’ authors, poets, and playwrights before they are lost to future generations of readers and scholars. Its goals extend beyond becoming merely a comprehensive repository for these audio and visual recordings; the project aims to unearth new and forgotten content reflecting professional and personal sides of our country’s greatest writers.   A successful project would be evidenced by not by preservation efforts alone, but also by making these works more available to the public. As envisioned, this project will accomplish what no other online media source has before attempted: a comprehensive, searchable, and intuitively-accessed audio and video content of our country’s greatest writers.   It is hoped that similar endeavors may also be sparked in other parts of the western world.  In order to accomplish this project, we are seeking necessary funds to begin the first phase of this important work.

Humanities Content:   In an earlier Digital Humanities project entitled William Stafford & Theodore Roethke, A DigitalHumanities Project, I demonstrated the irreplaceable value found in recordings of the writer’s thoughts and readings in his own voice. Is this context or background required for the appreciation of the writers’ work? Usually, it is not. However, if one wishes to delve more deeply into the complex mind of the writer, there is great value in this audio and visual content of a wide-ranging nature. From old and forgotten interviews to recovered family recordings, these snapshots of time are our heritage; the time has come to step forward and preserve them for future generations.

There is perhaps a tendency by some in the field of humanities to too quickly pigeonhole or characterize great authors after only a single novel or collection of poetry is read. Sounds and Words, a Project for the Preservation of Domestic Humanities aims to make more widely available a diverse range of media, which will shed direct light on the true nature, character, and thought of those to whom we owe such a great debt for the work of their minds. This way perhaps we may begin to see these writers in a deeper and less stereotyped sense.

Unlike the other DH project mentioned above, this new project would focus on all (United States born) great authors, poets, and playwrights of the last century, or so. While its scope extends greatly beyond the original Stafford/Roethke project, I believe it could be a successful long-term endeavor.  Restricting focus to United States writers would likely encourage more thorough efforts into discovering and legally acquiring use of new recordings into the repository; a worldwide writer focus is believed to be too monumental a project to reasonably undertake at this time.  Once a sufficient number of media resources have been acquired, efforts would begin to focus on the creation of a website dedicated to the purpose of sharing the acquired media with students, researchers, and the general public.

Project Format: The archive or media repository will be restricted to audio and visual recordings featuring (United States born) great authors, poets, and playwrights. With few possible exceptions, these will be the writers themselves as opposed to talks or discussions about them. The media content would be tagged in such a way that complex searches will be possible—e.g. family recordings of novelists. This ease of user searchability would help encourage greater use as a new academic resource.

As touched on earlier, the project will allow both researchers and the public to have a greater understanding and appreciation of the viewpoints and differences of thought and art of selected writers.

Audience Distribution: A multi-prong approach is intended to increase audience size (demographic distribution) and interaction. First, letters and other media forms will be utilized when the project is ready for Beta Testing. It will invite a select group to utilize the repository for a time without any cost in exchange for sharing feedback and completing surveys. Second, social media will endeavor to build interest in Sounds and Words, a Project for the Preservation of Domestic Humanities by highlighting particularly important and interesting media discoveries. It will invite new users to join in the research and discovery at the heart of the project. Third, it is also our intent to consider ways of employing a crowdsourcing technique with regards to media tagging. This will not only build involvement and interaction, but it will improve tagging quality.

As found in “By the People, For the People: Assessing the Value of Crowdsourced, User-Generated Metadata” from the Digital Humanities Quarterly (2015, Volume 9, Number 1), there is great potential found in harnessing the power of crowdsourcing.

As of now, there remains debate about the comparative value of traditional and folksonomic metadata as organizational systems for today’s information needs. Nonetheless, there is growing recognition of the fact that folksonomies offer libraries with an ideal return-on-investment scenario [Syn and Spring 2009] with minimum cost (much of which can be off-set by digital humanities grants), maximum output of data [Bischoff et al. 2009] [Noll and Meinel 2007], as well as the chance to increase community engagement with their patrons. As the findings of the present study demonstrate, folksonomic metadata, when used in tandem with traditional metadata, increases findability, corrects preventable search failures, and is by and large accurate. Furthermore, the data suggest that given the same tagging conditions, librarians and non-librarians produce a surprisingly similar distribution of useful metadata. Collectively, these findings point to the potential to change the way we search for and organize our most treasured media.

Works Cited:

Manzo, Christina, Geoff Kauffman, Sukdith Punjasthitkul, and Mary Flanagan.

        ""By the People, For the People": Assessing the Value of Crowdsourced, User-Generated Metadata."

        DHQ: Digital Humanities Quarterly: By the People, For the People: Assessing the Value of Crowdsourced,

        User-Generated Metadata. Digital Humanities Quarterly, 1 Sept. 2015. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.

Erickson, Karl Bjorn. "William Stafford & Theodore Roethke, A Digital

       Humanities Project." Karl Bjorn Erickson, Author. Karl Erickson, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2016.

Fannie Mae's Homepath Lipstick on a Pig (404 McKinley St. SE)

     

We just wrapped-up a truly miserable experience with a Fannie Mae property in Salem, Oregon.  Sadly, Fannie Mae complaints and controversy are nothing new.  Our particular experience, though, displayed such a clear and intentional deception, however, that I felt compelled to briefly share some of the details.

     At first glance, the McKinley property appears to be in pristine condition.  (This is no accident.)  We even inquired about possible roof issues, but the representative assured us that Fannie Mae professionals had gone through the property with a fine-toothed comb; that must have been one bad comb.  We were taken-in, offering significantly more than the asking price, which led to our misguided offer eventually being accepted.  Upon later inspection, however, we leaned the following: heating/cooling system requires replacement, roof requires replacement, compressed wood siding needs to be completely or partially replaced (west side), and animals (alive and dead) have taken up residence under the house.  Oh, there's also likely asbestos in the garage.  The repair bill for the above?  Well, let's just say that it's in excess of $30,000, or so.  Without a home inspector (or our great realtor), we could have missed all of this.

     When made aware of deficiencies, Fannie Mae's local representative (Coldwell Banker's Brian Smith) declined to make any concessions.   It was, we were told, an as-is deal.  Yes, but it's crystal clear what they were trying to do with this property; it was lipstick on a pig.  A naive buyer could have been sent to financial ruin with this house by an organization his tax dollars helped bail-out.  Incompetence or deception?  You decide.

     If you are a buyer considering 404 McKinley St, please contact us for the complete inspection report--at no cost to you. Don't waste your time on Fannie Mae.

Disappointing Sounds from Alanna-Marie Boudreau

I first discovered Alanna-Marie Boudreau's music more than a year ago.  Sadly, I've been increasingly disappointed with her more recent performances.  "I'll Be Your Woman" from her Hints & Guesses album was a track I could overlook--given the fresh originality of her first album, Hands in the Land.  Two more recent performances, though, are also bringing a return of this sappy and sentimental crooning. 

In "O Come Let Us Adore Him" from a collection: O Come Let Us Adore: A Christmas Collective, she turns a Christmas classic into something slow and about as celebratory as April 15th tax day.  Again, in her most recent release entitled "Simon (Petros)," she takes a soft approach to otherwise thought-provoking lyrics.  The sentimental--almost easy-listening--direction of her music is indeed a disappointment.  She could be a force to be reckoned with, if only each new song didn't come across as an echo of a past one.  Sadly, there's a problem with Catholic music.  Usually, the content of present-day Catholic music is not articulated well, and the music is hardly worth mentioning.  In Alanna's case, the lyrics are most often very good, but it feels like she's having difficulty finding her unique voice this year.  Here's hoping she does better in 2016!

Sentimentality Awakens (A Review of Star Wars: Force Awakens)

I should preface this mini-review with a little disclosure. I'm a huge fan of the first two movies. They were real bright spots in my childhood. Sadly, though, none of the subsequent motion pictures has come close in matching the quality of the original--until now.  If my review seems too harsh, bear this context in mind.


I liked this motion picture quite a lot, and I especially thought Daisy Ridley's performance was a bright spot. She brought an authenticity and passion to the character that was refreshing. Still, there were too many heart-string pulls and hat tips to the original motion pictures that spawned this monster franchise.

Yes, Star Wars: Force Awakens was better than anything offered from George Lucas for a very long time--perhaps since Empire Strikes Back, but it could have been even stronger and tighter if more of the allusions to the first two movies had found themselves on the cutting room floor. A few hat tips and continuity references are great, but this one went just a little too far. For instance, there were even audio snippets of Death Star radio communications spliced into one scene in Force Awakens. This doesn't strengthen the current scene; it distracts from it. The tavern owner, Maz Kanata, was also too Disneyfied for my tastes: another distraction. A great movie, but it could have been awesome if it didn't convey the feeling, as others have first noted, that it was a motion picture created by committee.

Criticisms aside, this was a great family movie and a welcome relief from what passes for science fiction these days.  Daisy Ridley's new character really is helpful in bringing this movie up out of its sentimental tone (partially) and moving the narrative forward.  I only wish the strong casting choices had been paired with other good decision-making by George Lucas and J.J. Abrams.  

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Hey, are you looking for a short science fiction tale to help you face Star Wars withdrawal?  Check out Alcatraz Burning, a fresh release from Karl Bjorn Erickson (writer of this blog)!

The Syrian Refugee Dilemma

     The Syrian refugee crisis is a heart-rending example of man's inhumanity to man.  The Middle East, no stranger to wickedness on a grand scale, is a house on fire.  While many of its victims are truly innocent, some are likely not.

     NBC News ran an interesting segment recently focusing upon some of the heated rhetoric regarding this divisive issue. While hardly representative of objective, non-biased journalism, it's worth a watch. Our nation has a rich heritage of immigration, and no thinking, rational person would contend otherwise. As a Judeo-Christian country, our faith traditions were deeply influenced by a particular refugee named Abraham.

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she[b]considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore. (Hebrews 11:8-12)

     The question in the particular case of the Syrian refugee crisis, however, is a different one than we've faced in the past. There are serious questions as to our ability properly and thoroughly vet the individuals applying for asylum in the United States. One also is reminded of possible connections of Syrian refugees with the horrific attack in Paris. All answers are not known, and the remaining mysteries may never be solved. There are valid reasons for concern. A knowledgeable friend shared the following words, which I will quote in full.

The short term: Who’s who?

What to do about those terrorists/wannabe terrorists that pass themselves off as just another refugee trying to escape oppression and start a new life? Well, I do think the rather long period it takes now (18 months plus is what I’m reading?) to get vetted before being allowed into the U.S. works in our favor because it can filter out those who were not entirely committed, convinced by emotion alone. But how to filter out the truly committed? There is no litmus test during the security screening parts of the vetting.

So in my view what we’re truly considering is:

1. Will there be terrorists/those with terrorist ambitions who will try to get in through this process? 

I absolutely believe the answer is yes.

2. If the answer to 1 is yes, then will, at least, some of those actually get through the process and enter the U.S. in this way?

I have no reason to believe they would not. Does anyone? How much cooperation do you think we’re getting from the Govt(?) of Syria in doing criminal record searches? How much biometric data do you think we have on terrorist wannabes from Syria? As for intel I can’t say but as you might imagine there are many, many, many names of Syrians that sound/read exactly alike (and/or are Romanized differently for the same person!). You can’t just run these guys through an NCIC.

3. If the answer to 2 is yes, then we turn to the moral(?) question: Do we take this risk anyway? Are we as a people willing to take in thousands knowing/believing that at least a few likely have terrorist ambitions and know-how?

The long term: Disaffected, disconnected, unemployed, and unassimilated.

After the refugees are placed (“resettled”) in communities in the U.S., what will be their future? Most will have few skills, most won’t speak any English. What are the odds that most will assimilate into American culture and adopt American values? Will they be inclined to do so if they can’t begin to make a living in short order? And if not, what’s the likely result? Alienation, resentment, anger, listlessness? Will they then be tempted toward a more radical interpretation of their faith. (Most, of course, will be Muslim.) What kind of social support structures, job training programs, and so on, can we put in place in these communities to help keep that from happening? Can anything be done? What will be their affect on native, if you’ll forgive the term, population and norms—will they be displaced? (See, for example, communities such as that in Leeds, England.)

The longer term: Disaffected, disconnected youth looking for a cause.

The vast majority of the immigrant generation will almost certainly remain poor because that’s the nature of this type of immigration. How will that affect the next generation—those born here? Some or perhaps even many parents will have embraced their new country and recognize and appreciate the escape from their previous situation and the freedoms and potential opportunities here in America. Nevertheless, the combination of growing up poor and culturally different sometimes engenders resentment by the next generation not felt by the immigration generation. (I’m trying to avoid the ambiguous terms “first generation” and “second generation” because that can be interpreted differently.) And that can encourage them to seek out striking back or at least being vulnerable to those that would seek to convince them that they are actively discriminated against by the infidels, they have betrayed Islam, and should right themselves by committing to jihad. (See, for example, the Lackawanna Six here in the U.S.)

     I suggest that we've lost a degree of common sense these days, and that more than ever we're influenced by sound bites and pictures that pull on our heartstrings.  This matter requires deep thought and a careful, measured response.  Pacifism at all costs, like open borders, is a pathway to a nation's destruction (from both the inside and out).  A government's responsibility is to protect its people, and the peoples' responsibility is to be informed citizens.  Sadly, we're losing the battle on both fronts.  

“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”

Isaac Asimov