That last few days Luna has been a feature celebrity on the local news. Luna is an extremely friendly Killer Whale that broke away from it's pod about three years ago and settled in close to the little town of Gold-River on Vancouver Island. Luna has developed a strong attachment for humans and insists on being the center of attraction, and loves to rub up against boats, jump and frolic, have his back scratched, the kind of thing you would expect from an aquarium act but Luna is a natural. Luna is also very intelligent and has learned how to safely disable the rudders on boats so they can only go around in circles and not leave.

Canadian fisheries has a plan to relocate Luna to it's pod. They have allocated a half million dollars to build a holding pen and arrange for transport with a crane lift, etc. The problem is that the natives from the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation believe that Luna is the spirit of their departed chief who made a deathbed wish to reside in an Orca and a week later Luna showed up. So today they were trying to lure Luna back to the pod, and away from the fisheries holding pen, by escorting canoes full of tribe members chanting ceremonial singing, and luring with chocalate bars, which it appears Luna is particularly fond of. (like who doesn't like chocalate). The chief said they wanted to let Luna return in a natural way, and it didn't take no half million dollars, not to mention the potential trama that the government had planned.

The story is in progress and a Google New's search on Luna + Gold-River turned up over 300 hits and new stories are coming in all the time. I tell ya, this one is a real emotional roller coaster ride and it just keeps better all the time.

There are lots of great pictures of this as well. Yesterday I noticed the Vancouver Province had a full page color photo on the front page, and there are a few local sites that have entire photo albums.

I remember it was just about the same time that Luna showed up that James Tyman, who works with the indigo kids and the emissaries of light, said that Earth was being forced to make a choice between war or peace, and if the whales and dolphins went into hiding then the collective wish was war but if they were in sight and playfull then it was a positive sign. Vancouver is very solidly in the peace camp.

More updates to follow.  More >

I've been spendng a lot of time talking with Gus lately (Great Universal Spirit; we've been on a first name basis for awhile now), maybe it would be more accurate to say I've been focusing more on listening because I've oft suspected that Gus never does shut up. One of our games is communicating through the super cheap bin at the used book store. The other day the new entry that grabbed my attention was The Courtier by Baldesar Castiglione, first published in Italian in 1528, and translated into English in 1561. (tangent: This interesting site on coursework.info came up during the google for previous link). One of the reason the book attracted my attention was a recent reading of Stephenson's novel Quicksilver.

This morning while waiting for the kettle to boil I flipped open Courtier at random for a morning meditation, and found these following sentences underlined (used book, eh).

Hence, to talk little and to do much, and not to praise oneself for deeds that are praiseworthy, but tactfully to dissimulate them, serves to enhance both the one virtue and the other in anyone who knows how to employ this method discreetly; and so it is with all other good qualities.

...And the first and most important of these is that he should avoid affectation above all else,

...And I think that even as it is wrong to seek false glory or what is not deserved, so is it wrong also to rob oneself of a deserved honor and not to seek that praise which alone is the true reward of virtuous labors.

Woaaa, that was hitting pretty close to the personal. These comments were bracketed by some more general statements which are below.

And often these errors are covered with a kind of veil that prevents the one who commits them from seeing them unless he keeps in this a diligent watch; and, although there are many reasons why our eyes are wanting in discernment, it is by ambition [emphasis added by anonymous underliner] that they are especially blurred, because everyone is ready to put himself forward in that wherein he thinks himself to be knowledgeable, no matter whether it be true or not.

...

...if he will but keep in mind the motive that leads him to war, which is nothing except honor.

These were from pg 97 - 99 in my copy, and the book was sparsely underlined and these pages didn't stand out such as sometimes happens with a broken spine or dogear. Anyway a very good contemplation to think about while I do some morning chores.  More >

In spite of this Irshad considers herself a devout Moslem and thinks that the vast majority of Moslems are moderates like herself and would like to see the fundamentalists out of power but are afraid to say much. Irshad has no fear, is quicker than a gun slinger and sharper than a lazer scapel. She distinquishes between spirituality and religious. She also considers it her spiritual obligations to stand up for what is written in the Islamic holy books and speak up against the fundamentalist position. She is a big inspiration to a lot of fellow Muslims who are starting to question the established authorities and thinks that the religion will survive this and emerge even stronger and more in alignment with the original text. She is a positive example of spirit and integrity.

Perhaps the best overview of her opinions can be found on the letters section of her website. The following response is but one example. The entire site is worth reading.

"Ultimately, I do believe in submitting to God's will. What I do NOT believe in is submitting to human beings who claim to know God's will. How do I reconcile these two things? With this bridge: God wills all of us to have the freedom to explore.

I take that idea from the Koran itself. As I explain in my book, the Koran contains three recurring messages. First, only God knows fully the truth of anything. Second, God alone can punish unbelievers, which makes sense given that only God knows what true belief is. Human beings must warn against corrupt practices, but that's all we can do to encourage piety - warn. The third recurring message follows from the first two: We humans must have the humility to be open to debate. Which means we're free to ponder God's intention for us without any obligation to toe a dictated line. 'Let there be no compulsion in religion,' states a voice in chapter 2 of the Koran. 'Unto your religion, unto me my religion' echoes another voice in chapter 109. And in-between, there's this: 'If God had pleased, He would have made you all one people. But He has done otherwise...' Ain't that the truth!

By my reading of the Koran, we should not only enjoy the freedom to explore; we have to ensure that this freedom exists for everyone. Anything less undermines God's jurisdiction as the supreme judge and jury. As a Muslim, I worship the majestic and enigmatic God, not the self-appointed arbiters and packagers of His will."

I'm going to adopt this next quote for my own I liked so much.

"Sects are led by people. But I don’t worship people. I worship only one entity – God. If that means I’m going to hell, then I can’t imagine a better reason to burn."

In the radio interview she talks about the problem not being religion itself but fundamentalism. Another difficulty was that since Islam was established after both Christianity and Judaism, and incorporated and considered the ideas of both of these religions it was considered by Muslims to be the more refined and accurate description of God's will.

The problem with Islam is the same problem with all religions, namely the fundamentalist war mongers that hold the majority of the population hostage. This is true if is is Islamic radicals, or Jewish zionist, or Christian neo-conservatives.

I think Irshad may be the source for positive reform of Islamic policy and for empowering the people to overcome their fear, stand up to the tyrants, and reclaim their religion. The world needs a lot more people like Irshad in all of the different religions. You go, girl.  More >