The 24th Northern Winter Solstice Epistle
December 2021

In a dark time, the eye begins to see.
~ Theodore Roethke ~

Molecules aggregate into RNA proteins that enter organisms and use their cells to replicate, until the organisms' immune systems neutralize it, or not. Covid-19 is not something to believe in or not. It is a thing, not subject to human interpretation — that it is a hoax, that it was made in a lab for biological warfare, that Bill Gates, or villain of choice, has some nefarious intent. If a vaccine is successful in tamping down the pandemic, the combination of proteins we call Covid will morph, trying on different combinations of molecules, until it is successful in replicating itself once more. This is called mutation. This is how biological evolution proceeds. We likewise can develop herd immunity in response.
~ Larry Chang, 2020 ~

You know i have lost it when i begin to quote myself, but since writing that, we have had Delta and Omicron, and whatever is waiting in the wings. I am gratified that i have survived this year unscathed having been Moderna-boostered, without so much as a sniffle apart from the usual allergy/sinus-related ones. The lymphoma seems to have abated. Recent blood analysis numbers continue to improve. Have not had to take any medication since completion of chemotherapy 18 months ago. Low oxygen/energy levels i attribute to blocked arteries i try to mitigate with a regimen that includes daily rebounding which improves circulation, especially of the lymphatic system which has no pump like the heart but which depends on bodily movement to get it going. Highly recommended for anyone over 40, especially if you sit at your desk most of the day as i do. Mini-trampoline known as a rebounder.

At a certain moment the individual is carried beyond his rational self onto another
ethical plane where his actions are judged by new standards. The impulse which
moves him to irrational action I have called the sense of glory.
~ Herbert Read ~

When i do get up from my desk, i potter around in the garden or explore the fields and waysides to discover their floral treasures. As i learn about endemic and naturally occurring species i hope to propagate them to encourage their spread. They were here before us and will likely remain in place long after we have gone. Once established they basically maintain themselves, less work for mother.

When I touch that flower, I am not merely touching
that flower. I am touching infinity. That little flower existed
long before there were human beings on this earth. It will contrive
to exist for thousands, yes, millions of years to come.
~ George Washington Carver ~

		Some wild flowers on the property Far left - Himantoglossum robertianum is a species of flowering plant in the orchid family (Orchidaceae) native to the Mediterranean Basin. Left - Centaurium erythraea is a species of flowering plant in the gentian family known by the common names common centaury and European centaury.
		Far left - Arisarum simorrhinum, or friar's cowl, has a purple and brown spathe, native to Spain, Morocco and Portugal. Left - A wild patch.

Apart from the mask-wearing and social distancing in public, which have become routine, and which i will probably maintain beyond any easing of restrictions, the pace and content of my life is little changed. Am very much aware of the gravity of our collective situation but as there is nothing i or anyone else can do to turn the tide, i sally forth. What more do i need beyond a cat, a garden, internet and home-made bread?

—to be in direct and personal contact with the sources of your material life
—to find the universal elements enough
—to be thrilled by the stars and night, to be elated over a bird's nest or over a wild flower in Spring
—these are some of the rewards of a simple life.
~ John Burroughs ~

Patra helping with laundry.	More to fold?	Purrfect furry ball.
New growing experience: Gazanias.	Trying with hydrangeas.	First time pansies.
Bread, bread, bread – 100% wholewheat.	Bread, bread, bread – soda.	Bread, bread, bread – wholewheat and rye.
The joy of gardening.	Purity of form and colour.	Pelargonium display.

If you can just appreciate each thing, one by one, then you will have
pure gratitude. Even though you observe just one flower, that one flower
includes everything. It is not just a flower. It is the absolute.
~ Shunryu Suziki ~

When you are totally alive and cannot be trapped or caged, only then do you have some independence.
Then you can be in the ordinary world all day long without it affecting you.
~ Mi-An ~

Earlier this month i was a guest in the Fish Tea podcast to talk about my work with the Gay Freedom Movement of which i was a co-founder and General Secretary back in the 70s. The panel was led by Glenroy Murray current ED of JFLAG. Bright, capable youngsters which augurs well for the future — that is, if we have one. In addition to several Facebook groups that i admin, i maintain three pages with calendars: Wisdom for the Soul with daily wisdom quotations from my book; Jumieka Mechiz with Jamaican birthdays and events, written in Jamaican; and last year's addition Queer Today with events and birthdays of LGBTI interest. The work takes up most of my day, but it gets progressively lighter as the database gets built out. More time for writing.

A bit of history being recounted.

Do not let yourself be disturbed by what is to come;
rather, be in that which is still around you and which enters with
an immeasurable past into the present that is yours.
~ Rainer Maria Rilke ~

Together, we've completed another circuit of the sun. As you embark on another, make the most of the time, whatever that may mean for you. There is no other time, no other place.

It's a very short trip. While alive, live.
~ Malcolm S. Forbes ~

Awareness is all. Know that you are. Bliss. Joy. Here. Now.

Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal, Year-end 2021

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These annual epistles have been archived for ready retrieval:
1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

Quotations from Wisdom for the Soul: Five Millennia of Prescriptions for Spiritual Healing except where otherwise noted.

Images my own unless otherwise credited.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.