Rumi on Religious Tolerance

Religious tolerance is a significant issue among western thinkers, due to the widespread immigration and subsequently the subject of multicultural societies formation. They pay attention to the political, epistemological, moral and legal foundations of religious tolerance, especially the approval of equality of religions principle and the need to observe human ethics and protect the civil rights of all existing religions’ followers. Raising this issue in the Middle-East -whose people are currently suffering from terrorism, violence and bloody wars under the pretext of religious differences- is more necessary than in any other part of the world. There are valuable experiences in Islamic mysticism for the realization of multicultural societies free from violence and a peaceful life for people with different beliefs together, which can be considered as an effective pattern. Among Muslim mystics, Rumi has exhibited the highest level of religious tolerance in both theoretical and practical terms.

 

In order to reduce the scope of religious conflict and sectarian strife of his time such as the Crusades and the sectarian wars of the five Islamic religions that pervaded their world at the time, Rumi as a great thinker introduced the idea of tolerance, forbearance and patience. (ghodratallah taheri Rumi's principles of Religious Tolerance, Mysticism in Persian Literature, Volume 1, Issue 1, June 2022, abstract)

 

Muslim, Christian, Jew, Zoroastrian:
All are welcome here

(Everyone is welcome to This school, Divan Shams-Tabrizi, 23, The Forbidden Rumi, Will Johnson & Nevit Ergin, p. 157)

 

Islam and other faiths
have all come around so recently
yet Love has no beginning or end.
You can't call the unbeliever an infidel
if he's been the latest victim of love

(A stranger to myself, Divan Shams-Tabrizi, 23, The Forbidden Rumi, Will Johnson & Nevit Ergin, p. 159)

The man of God is not learned from book.
The man of God is beyond infidelity and religion,
The man of God right and wrong are alike.

The man of God has ridden away from Not-being,
The man of God is gloriously attended.

The man of God is concealed, Shamsi Din;

(RA Nicholson “Selected poems from “Divan e Shams e Tabrizi”, poem 8, pp. 29-31)

In regard to another he may be wrath and a foe; in regard to another he may be graciousness and a friend. (He has) hundreds of thousands of names, (but) he is one man: the owner of every quality belonging to him is blind to (incapable of) giving any (true) description (of him). 

Whoever seeks the (mere) name, if he is entrusted (with a confidential mission) he is hopeless and in distraction, even as you art. Why do you stick to the name ‘tree,’ so that you art left bitterly disappointed and ill-fortuned? Pass on from the name and look at the attributes, in order that the attributes may show you the way to the essence.

The disagreement of mankind is caused by names: peace ensues when they advance to the reality (denoted by the name).

(The search for the Tree of Life, Masnavi, Book 2, 62, 3675-3680, RA Nicholson)

 

I speak of plural souls in name alone –
One soul becomes one hundred in their frames;
Just as God's single sun in heaven
Shines on earth and lights a hundred walls
But all these beams of light return to one
If you remove the walls that block the sun
The walls of houses do not stand forever
And believers then will be as but one soul
(Masnavi 4: 415-18, Franklin Lewis, transl.)

 

The journey of the soul involves not time and place.

And my body learnt from the soul its mode of journeying,
Now my body has renounced the bodily mode of journeying;
It journeys secretly and without form, though under a form."
He added, "One day I was thus filled with longing
To behold in human form the splendours of 'The Friend,'
To witness the Ocean gathered up into a drop,
The Sun compressed into a single atom;
And when I drew near to the shore of the sea
The day was drawing to a close."

All religions are in substance one and the same.
In the adorations and benedictions of righteous men
The praises of all the prophets are kneaded together.
All their praises are mingled into one stream,
All the vessels are emptied into one ewer.
Because He that is praised is, in fact, only One,
In this respect all religions are only one religion.
Because all praises are directed towards God's light,
Their various forms and figures are borrowed from it.
Men never address praises but to One deemed worthy,
They err only through mistaken opinions of Him. 

So, when a light falls upon a wall,
That wall is a connecting-link between all its beams;
Yet when it casts that reflection back to its source,
It wrongly shows great as small, and halts in its praises.
Or if the moon be reflected in a well,
And one looks down the well, and mistakenly praises it,
In reality he is intending to praise the moon,
Although, through ignorance, he is looking down the well.
The object of his praises is the moon, not its reflection;
His infidelity arises from mistake of the circumstances.
That well-meaning man goes wrong through his mistake;
The moon is in heaven, and he fancies it in the well.
By these false idols mankind are perplexed,
And driven by vain lusts to their sorrow.
The Man in the time of the Prophet David who prayed
to be fed without having to work for his food.
(The Masnavi, tr. by E.H. Whinfield, 1898, 3, Story XII)

Moses Cordovero on the oneness of God, humanity and nature

In the following passages from the works of Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, one can see strong sense of Advaita Vedanta monism and an eastern sense of non-duality, and this outlook is applied to his ethical view of interpendence of humanity. According to Matthew Gindin: 

' (The Ramak, 1522-1570) was a Sefardic Kabbalist from Spain who led a group of mekubalim (students of Kabbalah) in Tsfat. He is known for organizing Zoharic and Medieval Kabbalah into an encyclopaedic system, teaching many famous students, and being a saint (tzaddik) and mystic himself. He was also known for his stress on the teaching of panentheism- that all is God, and God is the only reality. His writings on how God could be found everywhere and in everything would later influence the Hasidic masters.

Tomer Devorah ("The Palm Tree of Deborah") is a guide to the practice- common to several faith traditions- of imitatio dei, or "the imitation of the behaviour of the divine." It is a wise, humble, and often very challenging and countercultural text (probably then as well as now). The Ramak is unique in the strength of his emphasis on radical forgiveness, universal love and compassion, and reverence for all the creatures of nature, even those people often treat with contempt.

The Tomer Devorah is also marked by its emphasis on the Kabbalistic teaching that humans partner with God in the bringing of blessing and healing into the world. When humans practice the virtues and intentions outlined in the Tomer Devorah, their behaviour is mirrored above in the Sefirot (divine energies) and they provoke tikkunim (repairs) which bring shefa (bounty, blessing) into the world. The study of the Tomer Devorah became very important in the Mussar (ethical self-discipline) movement and among Hasidim, and is believed to bring teshuvah (return to the divine) and protection. It is a custom among some to study the entire text in the month of Elul leading up to Rosh Hashanah.'

And so it is fitting that a person desire the good of their fellow and their eye be good towards the good of their fellow, and that their honour should be as beloved as their own - as they are literally oneself!

And from this reason were we commanded (Leviticus 19:18), "you shall love your neighbor as yourself." And it is fitting that they desire what is good for each other and not speak about each other's disgrace at all. And they should not wish ill on each other, in the way that the Holy One of Being does not want our disgrace nor our pain in relation. So too they should not want the disgrace of their fellow nor their pain, nor their corruption. And one should know that we are interdependent with each other and share each other's good and bad fortunes. (Tomer Devorah 1:5 2, Matthew Gindin, transl.)

“God is all reality, but not all reality is God . . . He is found in all things, and all things are found in Him, and there is nothing devoid of God’s divinity, God forbid. Everything is in God, and God is in everything and beyond everything, and there is nothing else beside God.” (Elimah Rabbati 24d-25a, Matthew Gindin, transl.)

The essence of divinity is found in every single thing — nothing but it exists. Since it causes every thing to be, no thing can live by anything else. It enlivens them; its existence exists in each existent. (Pardes Rimmonim,4:4, I7d-i8a (Jerusalem: Mordekhai Etyah, 1962) )

"And the Holy One—blessed be He!—shines in the ten sefirot of the world of emanation, in the ten sefirot of the world of creation, and in the ten heavenly spheres. In investigating this subject the reader will find: that we all proceed from Him, and are comprised in Him; that our life is interwoven with His; that He is the existence of all beings; that the inferior beings, such as vegetables and animals, which serve us as nourishment, are not outside of Him; in short, he will discover that all is one revolving wheel, which ascends and descends—all is one, and nothing is separated from Him." (Shi'ur Ḳomah, chapter xxii)

Before anything emanated, there was only Ein Sof. Ein Sof was all that existed. Similarly, after it brought into being that which exists, there is nothing but it. You cannot find anything that exists apart from it. There is nothing that is not pervaded by the power of divinity. If there were, Ein Sof would be limited, subject to duality, God forbid! Rather, God is everything that exists, though everything that exists is not God. It is present in everything, and everything comes into being from it. Nothing is devoid of its divinity. Everything is within it; it is within everything and outside of everything. There is nothing but it. (Elimah Rabbati, 24d-25a. (Jerusalem: Ahuzat Yisra'el, 1966))

There must be a contraction of God's presence. For if we believe that Ein Sof emanated the emanation and does not clothe itself within, then everything that emanated is outside of it, and it is outside of everything. Then there are two, God forbid. So we must conclude that nothing is outside of God. This applies not only to the sefirot but to everything that exists, large and small — they exist solely through the divine energy that flows to them and clothes itself in them. If God's gaze were withdrawn for even a moment, all existence would be nullified. This is the secret meaning of the verse: "You enliven everything." So divinity flows and inheres in each thing that exists. This is the secret meaning of the verse: "God's presence fills the entire world." Contemplating this, you are humbled, your thoughts purified. (Or Yaqar, 15:203a (Jerusalem: Ahuzat Yisra'el, 1987)

“The essence of God is in every thing, and nothing exists outside of God. Because God causes everything to be, it is impossible that any created thing exists except through Him. God is the existence, the life, and the reality of every existing thing. The central point is that you should never make a division within God . . . If you say to yourself, “The Ein Sof expands until a certain point, and from there on is outside of It,” God forbid, you are making a division. Rather you must say that God is found in every existing thing. One cannot say, “This is a rock and not God,” God forbid. Rather, all existence is God, and the rock is a thing filled with God . . . God is found in everything, and there is nothing besides God.” (Perek Helek, Modena ms. 206b, Matthew Gindin, transl.)

Do not attribute duality to God. Let God be solely God. If you suppose that Ein Sof emanates until a certain point, and that from that point on is outside of it, you have dualized. God forbid! Realize, rather, that Ein Sof exists in each exis- tent. Do not say, "This is a stone and not God." God forbid! Rather, all existence is God, and the stone is a thing pervaded by divinity. (Shi'ur Qomah, i6d-i7a. (Warsaw, 1883))

The Ramak's grave in Safed

‘God's knowledge is different from that of the creature, since in the case of the latter knowledge and the thing known are distinct, thus leading to subjects which are again separate from him. This is described by the three expressions—cogitation, the cogitator, and the subject of cogitation. Now, the Creator is Himself Knowledge, the Knower, and the object known. His knowledge does not consist in the fact that He directs His thoughts to things without Him, since in comprehending and knowing Himself He comprehends and knows everything that exists. There is nothing which is not united to Him, and which He does not find in His own Substance. He is the archetype of all existing things, and all things are in Him in their purest and most perfect form; so that the perfection of the creatures consists in the support whereby they are united to the primary source of His existence, and they sink down and fall from that perfect and lofty position in proportion to their separation from Him. (Pardes Rimmonim, 55a)

Through the Gates of Gold 1 Mabel Collins Chapter 1

Through the Gatesof Gold : A Fragment of Thought is a wonderful, profound, eloquent work, the study of which offers many insights and valuable seeds of inspiration… Intimately linked with that well-regarded spiritual classic, Light on the Path, and they are often packaged together; indeed, studying this text in relation to corresponding passages in Light on the Path is recommended, and in general, can be viewed as a good introduction to that more demanding text. We are also indebted to Mabel Collins for a third theosophical classic, The Idyll of the White Lotus, of which T. Subba Row has written a remarkable commentary, nigh indispensable for unlocking the profundities of that fascinating work.

Information on Mabel Collins and the possible original author of this work:
http://blavatskyarchives.com/sisson1.htm

The Golden Gate, is a semi-legendary Jerusalem gate with mystical symbolic import. Taken up by Christian culture, appearing in 19th c. hymns, adopted with full mystical meaning in Theosophy, Mabel Collins,Through the Gates of Gold, and continues to seen in popular culture, for example with a 2015 Los Lobos album. For the world history of this symbol see, Architecture, Mysticism and Myth, by W.R. Lethaby, [1892] Chapter 8, The Golden Gate of the Sun. 

Prologue- The cause behind the effects. Whether there is any mode of thought or any effort of the mind which will enable a man to grasp the great principles that evidently exist as causes in human life, is a question no ordinary thinker can determine. Yet the dim consciousness that there is cause behind the effects we see, that there is order ruling the chaos and sublime harmony pervading the discords, haunts the eager souls of the earth, and makes them long for vision of the unseen and knowledge of the unknowable.

Chapter 1 –The Search for Pleasure

Part 1- The mystery of pleasure and pain. Would it not be a bolder policy, a more promising mode of solving the great enigma of existence, to grasp it, to take hold firmly and to demand of it the mystery of itself? If men will but pause and consider what lessons they have learned from pleasure and pain, much might be guessed of that strange thing which causes these effects. But men are prone to turn away hastily from self-study, or from any close analysis of human nature.”

Part 2- Desire like an addiction. Man returns to physical life as the drunkard returns to the flagon of wine, — he knows not why, except that he desires the sensation produced by life as the drunkard desires the sensation produced by wine. The true waters of oblivion lie far behind our consciousness, and can only be reached by ceasing to exist in that consciousness, — by ceasing to exert the will which makes us full of senses and sensibilities.”

Part 3- The Sanctuary of man’s own nature. Yet there is now and then one brave enough to gaze fixedly on this glittering, and to decipher something of the shape within it. Poets and philosophers, thinkers and teachers, — all those who are the “elder brothers of the race,” — have beheld this sight from time to time, and some among them have recognized in the bewildering glitter the outlines of the Gates of Gold.

Those Gates admit us to the sanctuary of man’s own nature, to the place whence his life-power comes, and where he is priest of the shrine of life. That it is possible to enter here, to pass through those Gates, some one or two have shown us.

Part 4- The courage to enter. If, therefore, instead of accepting the unknown as unknowable, men were with one accord to turn their thoughts towards it, those Golden Gates would not remain so inexorably shut. It does but need a strong hand to push them open. The courage to enter them is the courage to search the recesses of one’s own nature without fear and without shame. In the fine part, the essence, the flavor of the man, is found the key which unlocks those great Gates. And when they open, what is it that is found?

Part 5- Hunger for sensation. There are certain pleasures which appeal to each individual; every man knows that in one layer or another of sensation he finds his chief delight. Naturally he turns to this systematically through life, just as the sunflower turns to the sun and the water-lily leans on the water. But he struggles throughout with an awful fact which oppresses him to the soul, — that no sooner has he obtained his pleasure than he loses it again and has once more to go in search of it. More than that; he never actually reaches it, for it eludes him at the final moment. This is because he endeavors to seize that which is untouchable and satisfy his soul’s hunger for sensation by contact with external objects.

Part 6- Indolence, the curse of man. Indolence is, in fact, the curse of man. As the Irish peasant and the cosmopolitan gypsy dwell in dirt and poverty out of sheer idleness, so does the man of the world live contented in sensuous pleasures for the same reason.

The man suffers the final penalty for his persistent ignorance of a law of nature as inexorable as that of gravitation, — a law which forbids a man to stand still. Not twice can the same cup of pleasure be tasted; the second time it must contain either a grain of poison or a drop of the elixir of life.

Part 7- The elixir of life. The man who chooses the way of effort, and refuses to allow the sleep of indolence to dull his soul, finds in his pleasures a new and finer joy each time he tastes them, — a something subtile and remote which removes them more and more from the state in which mere sensuousness is all; this subtile essence is that elixir of life which makes man immortal. He who tastes it and who will not drink unless it is in the cup finds life enlarge and the world grow great before his eager eyes.

The pleasures of art, of music, of light and loveliness, — within these forms, which men repeat till they find only the forms, he sees the glory of the Gates of Gold, and passes through to find the new life beyond which intoxicates and strengthens, as the keen mountain air intoxicates and strengthens, by its very vigor.

But if he has been pouring, drop by drop, more and more of the elixir of life into his cup, he is strong enough to breathe this intense air and to live upon it. Then if he die or if he live in physical form, alike he goes on and finds new and finer joys, more perfect and satisfying experiences, with every breath he draws in and gives out.

Part 2

Astrology: Fall Equinox September 23, 2023 Part 2: Chart

March 7 Saturn enters Pisces brought a lessening of restrictions and more discipline in holistic views

March 24 Pluto enters Aquarius brought a foretaste of more socially-conscious power structures

May 16 Jupiter enters Taurus

Brought a slower, more practical outlook 

May 17 Jupiter square Pluto

Increased ambitious tendencies, with problems of dogmatism and fanaticism

June 11 Pluto Retrograde re-enters Capricorn

Favours more conservative, strict, rigid tendencies

June 19 Jupiter in Taurus sextiles Saturn in Pisces

Brings a period of focused, balanced productivity

My full summary for the Summer chart:

The Jupiter-Saturn sextile brings a balanced, productive, efficiency while Mercury sextile Mars brings clear-minded, focused, articulate communication. A Moon, Venus, Mars conjunction brings creative, imaginative, romantic inspirations, but is complicated by an opposition to Pluto, which is part of a T-square with Jupiter. Hence there could be confused, deluded, exaggerated postures, with an underlying tendency for repressed emotional baggage to surface. Moreover, a volatile Mars square Uranus can bring conflicts based on need for asserting independence.

One interesting example illustrating some aspects of this is a controversial tweet about Judy Garland in blackface on August 16 that went viral, with over 58 million views. There was a strong response in her defence, with underlying racial tensions and some intense debates. Many articles about the incident appeared in various media outlets as well. https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/judy-garland-blackface-discourse-gen-z/

1-Sun, Neptune, Pluto, Uranus Kite

Here the Neptune opposition can be a stimulus for transformation.

Sun in Virgo opposite Neptune in Pisces – 'Your encounter with others today may be demoralizing or confusing', also a possibility to 'experience a spirituality and depth of feeling that is quite magnificent.' (Robert Hand, Planets in Transit, p. 83)

Sun Pluto Uranus trine

Sun trine Pluto in Capricorn– Look within yourself to determine what motivates you , what your are seeking in life and what changes you should make so that your life will rune smoothly – forceful get things done (85).

Sun trine Uranus in Taurus- engaging in new activities and making new discoveries about yourself and the world around you. (80)

Uranus trine Pluto- deepen your philosophical concerns , enrich your understanding of life and give you the chance to make constructive changes that will make your life more worthwhile later on (415).

Pluto Neptune Uranus minor grand trine

Uranus sextile Neptune-Stimulates interest in spiritual ideas and occult concerns – sudden insights in your experience of the everyday world (410).

Pluto sextile Neptune – explore the hidden depths of existence and revue experiences that are profound and revealing. (515).

2-Moon Mercury Jupiter trine

This brings a friendly, helpful, idealistic feeling.

Moon in Capricorn trine Mercury in Virgo- in touch with your feelings to an unusual extent and are more able to express them to others – you listen most sympathetically to other people’s problems (107).

Moon trine Jupiter- warm and friendly to the people around you, and your are willing to offer emotional or physical support to anyone who needs it (114).

Mercury trine Jupiter in Taurus- enlarges your mental scope. You are eager to be exposed to much more new information than usual. New ideas don,t bother you. In fact, you are fascinated by them because they broaden your understanding of the world around you (157).

3-Moon aspects

These can bring dreamy distractions, but it can be balanced with a sense of responsibility.

Moon square Sun- some sort of challenge to the structure of your daily life, that is, your home life, intimate relations, routine daily contacts (102).

Moon square Neptune-dreamy state of  mind in which fancies and illusions become more important than reality (121).

Moon sextile Saturn in Pisces- balance your emotional needs with your sense of duty and obligation (312).

4- Venus aspects

These can bring some eccentric enthusiasms, but can be balanced with discipline.

Venus in Leo square Uranus- seek excitement and stimulation through your love relationships, even to the point of provoking a fight (204).

Venus square Jupiter- 'good feelings rub off on those around you' with tendencies to 'assume arrogantly that everything you touch turns to gold' and 'indulge in many ways that are not good for you' (199).

Venus sextile Mars in Libra- balance in your life between self-assertion and the need to relate to others (196).

5- Jupiter square AC-(312) 'a desire to grow and advance through contacts with others' with a tendency for 'a desire for advantages through others without giving anything in return' (312).

For the Summer chart, I observed that:

Ukraine has made progress in pushing back Russian forces, but the return of Pluto in Capricorn will probably tend to favour the conservative Russia. Most of the aspects that signalled the invasion have faded, but I think that it’s unlikely that peace discussions will progress much until Pluto returns to Aquarius on January 21, 2024.

This would fit with Russian cancelling the grain agreement with Ukraine at the height of the third consecutive difficult Mars aspect on July 17.  The Winter Solstice chart will have some tensions, but overall, it is not as tense as the Summer and Fall charts. Things could improve with Pluto’s  upcoming return to Aquarius in January 20, 2024, through September 1, 2024; and November 19, 2024 through March 8, 2043. Note that Pluto will once again be in Capricorn for 10 weeks in the fall of 2024, therefore we are not quite done with the lessons of that momentous aspect, which saw the emergence of reform movements such as occupy Wall street, #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter, and #FridaysForFuture, and on a more extreme side, an increase in right-wing authoritarian government repression.

 

 Summary

1-Sun, Neptune, Pluto, Uranus Kite

Here the Neptune-Sun opposition can be a stimulus for transformation. Good tools for cutting through illusions by using discrimination and investigation provided.

2-Moon Mercury Jupiter trine

This brings a friendly, helpful, idealistic feeling. 

3-Moon aspects

These can bring dreamy distractions, but it can be balanced with a sense of responsibility.

4- Venus aspects

These can bring some eccentric enthusiasms, but can be balanced with discipline.

5- Jupiter square Midheaven

A tendency to take things for granted.

 

Fall Prognostic

There should be less volatile conflict than the Summer, although conflicts of a more deceptive, illusory, fantastical nature could occur. Conversely, there may be a tendency to take people for granted and for failing to give people proper consideration. There is, however, a good opportunity for transformation by learning discrimination and seeing through any illusions, smokescreens, halls of mirrors, moon mist and gaslight in your life. There may also be needs to better balance other people's expectations into your priorities. But for that, it will require patience, investigation, introspection and an open mind to solve the mystery... It could open the doors to distinguishing valid spiritual values from superficial psychic impressions.

 

PS - Most of the planets in the kite formation are outer planets and usually require tight orbs. In this case, it is the presence of the Sun that makes this reading feasible. It may perhaps however be considered a foretaste of when these planets will be in exact aspect. According to Astrology with Andy:

From July of 2025 until February of 2027, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto will be getting along splendidly. By that I mean that Uranus and Pluto will be in a trine (120-degree) aspect to each other while simultaneously sextile (60 degrees away from) Neptune. The three of them will be speaking the same language and supporting one another.

While they will bring major global shifts, they will do so like a well-rehearsed orchestra (as opposed to, say, an out-of-tune electric guitar). In fact, I think that a lot of the ugliness that will emerge as Pluto wraps up its transit of Capricorn (and especially in the US, where this also coincides with the United States’ Pluto return) will begin to be cleaned up during this 2024 – 2026 period.

 

Astrology: Fall Equinox September 23, 2023 Part 1: Review

Just prior to the Summer Solstice, we had:

June 11 Pluto Retrograde re-enters Capricorn

Favours more conservative, strict, rigid tendencies 

 

June 19 Jupiter in Taurus sextiles Saturn in Pisces

Brings a period of focused, balanced productivity

 

The Summer chart prognostic was:

Overall, the chart tends to indicate a favourable, productive Summer, with good potential for imagination and creativity, balanced with practicality. The passions and enthusiasms could tend to get out of hand and a Pluto opposite Moon would tend to make things uncomfortable by being too restrictive and bringing up deeply-repressed emotional issues.

Some spectacular water disasters, a Greek migrant boat sinking with 700 casualties on June 14, and a Sub-Marine exploring the Titanic wreckage had an accident causing five fatalities, June 18. These could be related to Saturn In Pisces, also Pluto on cusp of Aquarius & Capricorn, I would relate it also to Mars square Uranus, June 26, & fading Mars opposite Pluto-themes: meltdowns, watery depths, unusual, tragic

https://greekreporter.com/2023/06/23/obama-on-the-titanic-sub-and-the-greek-migrant-boat-disaster/

 

Another Saturn in Pisces related-theme of water regulation awareness occurred on July 11 when a growing list of countries have also called for a halt to deep-sea mining, at a key moment for the fledgling industry as the International Seabed Authority (ISA) meets to determine rules for mining

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jul/11/seafood-industry-joins-chorus-of-groups-calling-for-a-halt-to-deep-sea-mining-plans

 

Around June 24, reports began to emerge of major militia conflicts in Sudan, which broke out in April.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65962771

A third very volatile month-long Mars aspect in a row occurred with was Mars opposite Saturn, July 20. Circumstances or people tend to thwart our will, feelings of resentment or frustration; difficult to assert ourselves; action & expressing our urges blocked; difficult to complete tasks. There was also Sun opposite Pluto, July 21, bringing issues of power and competition.

Various incidents around that time included: A mass shooting in Australia, a third indictment for Donald Trump, a big Tornado in South Carolina, a UPS and Hollywood writer’s strike occurred, as well as major Russian attacks in Ukraine and a big heat wave in the US.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/20/us/5-things-to-know-for-july-20-auckland-shooting-trump-tornado-ups-netflix/index.html

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/21/us/5-things-to-know-for-july-21-ukraine-extreme-heat-strikes-ai-e-cigarettes/index.html

On July 17,  Russia suspended its participation in a crucial deal that allowed the export of Ukrainian grain, once again raising fears over global food supplies and scuppering a rare diplomatic breakthrough to emerge from Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/07/17/europe/russia-ukraine-grain-deal-intl/index.html 

 

Record Forest Fire outbreaks in Canada were announced, July 24

https://www.reuters.com/graphics/CANADA-WILDFIRE/HISTORIC/znvnzebmavl/

 

There was a military coup in Niger on July 25.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/blindsided-hours-coup-niger-us-diplomats-said-country-was-stable-rcna99708

 

On August 4, Ethiopia declared a state of emergency due to militia conflicts.

https://www.cnn.com/2023/08/14/africa/ethiopia-explosion-finote-selam-intl/index.html

 

We lost several important musicians:

 

Singer and social rights activist Tony Bennett passed away on July 21.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/tony-bennett-racism-civil-rights-mlk-rcna95575

 

Singer and social rights activist Sinéad O’Connor passed away on July 27.

https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/sinead-oconnor-death-a-life-in-activism-b1097080.html

 

Singer/songwriter and social activist Sixto Rodriguez passed away on August 9.

https://www.cbc.ca/music/rodriguez-sugar-man-protest-music-freedom-truth-in-america-1.6931249

 

Robbie Robertson, the string-bending guitarist and principal songwriter of The Band, and indigenous rights supporter passed away on August 9.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/robbie-robertson-singer-storyteller-influencer-roots-six-nations-1.6934152

There were a lot of interesting cultural events over the Summer that had Theosophical connections.

OZ: A New Musical freeFall Theatre Company Florida Musical about L. Frank Baum with Matilda Joslyn Gage good run  

https://www.facebook.com/freefalltheatre/posts/pfbid02iGCyNrh5jb9tMe8DmQHUDA3hKjafsPHCag7wvwuux2pMegXANL6XtxNRqB73ZuoZl

 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was released.

http://greydogtales.com/blog/fawcett-saga-1-lovecraft-book-dzyan/

 

Hayao Miyazaki's fantasy epic The Boy and the Heron.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_and_the_Heron

 

Barbie film has Gnostic Wizard of Oz elements

https://www.ladbible.com/entertainment/film/barbie-movie-wizard-of-oz-tiktok-theory-935689-20230717

 

Oppenheimer film, he was into the Bhagavad Gita.

https://religionnews.com/2023/07/12/oppenheimer_gita/

Several major esoteric theosophical painting exhibitions:

Embracing the Esoteric-Inside Mystical Realm of Occult Art June 19,2023 Eli Anapur Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid Rubens Chagall Miró Munch Dalí Kandinsky Ernst

https://widewalls.ch/magazine/occult-art

 

In London, another exhibition that brings together two artists in dialogue opened at the Tate Modern. Hilma af Klint & Piet Mondrian: Forms of Life

https://artreview.com/just-the-two-of-us-the-rise-of-the-blockbuster-dialogue-exhibition/

 

“Another World: Transcendental Painting Group, 1938–1945” opened for the final stop of its multi-museum tour at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, where it will remain through June. 

https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/transcendental-painting-group/

The current Charmion von Wiegand show at the Kunstmuseum Basel is her first solo institutional show

https://www.artnews.com/list/art-news/artists/who-was-charmion-von-wiegand-geometric-abstraction-spiritual-art-1234664456/1920s-and-1930s/