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Memento Mori / Tír na nÓg

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  Memento Mori . Remember... Our task presently is to read chapters 5 and 6 and seek to discover, daily, where the ideas of Ecclesiastes intersect our lives. We began our last conversation with a story — Memento Mori . In ancient times, when a Roman general returned victorious from a battle, they would have someone follow them, repeating the phrase Memento Mori , which means remember that you will die. This was to remind them that even though they survived the battle, they needed to remember their own mortality. This is a very sobering thought, like much of Ecclesiastes. A word that appeared and reappeared in our conversation was struggle . When we meditated on our daily lives and brought those meditations back to Ecclesiastes, we found that our lives had some element of struggle in them. This week, we heard a speaker on a panel say that we have gotten so used to doing things the easy way that we never do things the fun way. There is some joy to be found in persistence and struggl...
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Seasons will pass you by...

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  The Close to the Edge gatefold. An epiphany.  Artist: Roger Dean.  "Seasons Will Pass You By..." Our task presently is to read chapters 3 and 4 and seek to discover, daily, where the ideas of Ecclesiastes intersect our lives. The title, "Seasons Will Pass You By," comes from "Close to the Edge" by the band Yes. A 20-minute piece of music based on the novella Siddhartha . Both are about the seasons turning, the river flowing, and the endless cycle of being. Much like Ecclesiastes. Autumn, the time of harvest, is for giving thanks: Thanksgiving . This explains the wine and the bread we share. The Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, in the fall, is a celebration of God's gifts in the harvest. This is when the community reads Ecclesiastes together. It is a reminder to be thankful, grateful for God's gifts. It is also a reminder to the People that they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. They lived homeless for decades in tents. This is why they live i...
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What the Hevel? An Introduction to Ecclesiastes.

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  Chasing the Wind What the Hevel ? We have had an introductory conversation about Ecclesiastes. Our task presently is to read chapters 1 and 2 (or more) and seek to discover, daily, where the ideas of Ecclesiastes intersect our lives. We are seeking to have our eyes open to the wisdom of the text. The book is read in Israel after the harvest. In essence, we are exploring 12 weeks of Thanksgiving. Ecclesiastes is the story of Solomon . Tradition suggests that Solomon was the writer, but the book of Ecclesiastes never names him. There are two “voices” in the text. The compiler or editor who introduces and concludes the book and the primary writer, who was described as Qoheleth , likely a title, sometimes translated as the Teacher. Ecclesiastes can be best symbolized by the word hevel, used 39 times , exclusively in scripture, in this book. Hevel is the Hebrew word that suggests that nothing makes sense. All is vanity, futile, meaningless. Everything is like smoke, vapour or me...
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