I’m thrilled to announce that my poem, “Psychology,” has been published today on Spillwords. I want to thank Dagmara K. and all of her lovely staff for this opportunity to share my poetry. I feel truly honored.
PSYCHOLOGY
written by: Dawn Pisturino
A psychologist by trade, She brought order from chaos, Splicing together the broken threads Of fragile minds: Listening for the right tone, The right inflection, the right notes To harmonize the deepest Fears and desires of her clients. But, in her own disordered brain . . .
Please head on over to Spillwords here to read the rest of my poem and all of the other featured selections for today.
Thank you sincerely from the bottom of my heart!
Dawn Pisturino
June 18, 2022
Copyright 2022 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
And, don’t forget to check out the Wounds I Healed: The Poetry of Strong Women anthology, now available on Amazon and Kindle. #1 in Amazon New Releases of Poetry Anthologies. Thanks!
O Lord God Almighty, may there be peace in Celestial regions.
May there be peace on earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring peace to all.
May all beneficent beings bring peace to us.
May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself bestow peace on all.
And may that peace come to me also.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti Om.
~
Buddhist Metta Prayer
May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings awaken to the light of their true nature.
May all beings be free.
~
Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
A Jewish Prayer for Peace
Come, let us go to the mountain of the Lord, that we may walk the paths of the Most High.
And we shall beat our swords into ploughshares and our spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war any more.
And none shall be afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.
~
Muslim Prayer for Peace
O God! O our master!
You are eternal life and everlasting peace by Your essence and attributes.
The everlasting peace is from You and it returns to You.
O our Sustainer!
Grant us the life of true peace and usher us into the abode of peace.
O Glorious and Bounteous One!
You are blessed and sublime. ~
(Sitarist Ravi Shankar’s Aman Manch (National Peace Forum) performed by Anoushka Shankar (daughter)
Advent comes from the Latin word “adventus,” which means arrival. In the Christian tradition, the four Sundays before Christmas represent the Season of Advent. These four weeks are spent waiting for and preparing for the arrival of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, through prayer, penance, fasting, study, and good works. Children use special Advent calendars to mark each day, discovering a chocolate surprise behind each little door.
In the 16th century, German Lutherans began creating special Advent wreaths to commemorate the four Sundays before Christmas. It wasn’t long before Catholics adopted this tradition. The wreath contains four candles: three purple and one pink. Sometimes, a white candle is placed in the center of the wreath.
Each Sunday, a candle is lit as follows:
First Sunday: one purple candle, called the Prophets’ candle, in memory of all the prophets, but particularly, the Prophet Isaiah, who foretold the coming of the Messiah. This candle symbolizes HOPE.
Second Sunday: the next purple candle, called the Bethlehem candle, which symbolizes LOVE.
Third Sunday: the pink candle, called the Shepherds’ candle, which symbolizes Joy. This candle reminds us that our waiting is nearly over. Our faith is strengthened through prayer and fasting.
Fourth Sunday: The last purple candle is lit, completing the circle. This is the Angels’ candle and symbolizes PEACE.
Christmas: When the white candle is included, it is lit on Christmas Day and symbolizes CHRIST – the light of the World.
From Christmas Day (December 25th) to Epiphany (January 6th) is called the Twelve Days of Christmas, just like the old carol.
When Tariq ibn Ziyad and his Berber troops crossed the Straits of Gibraltar into southern Spain in 711 to displace the Visigoths, little did he know that Spain would one day exemplify the Golden Age of Islamic civilization. The Moorish invasion into Seville, Toledo, Cordoba, Granada, and other Spanish sites brought lasting influences onto Spanish culture, architecture, and knowledge that ultimately benefited Europe as a whole.
In 750, the Umayyad caliphate in Damascus was overthrown by the Abbasids. Abd al-Rahman, an Umayyad prince, escaped to Andalusian Spain. “In 756, with barely a whimper of opposition from the man who believed himself the emir, the governor, Abd al-Rahman moved into the old city of Cordoba and declared it the new House of the Umayyads, the legitimate continuation of the ruling family that the Abbasids thought they had exterminated and replaced” (Menocal 4).
Al-Rahman set about replicating in Andalusia the splendid culture of the Umayyad caliphate that had existed in Damascus. The Great Mosque in Cordoba, with its beautiful red arches and intricate ceilings, still stands intact —a lasting testimony to his work. In 929, Abd al-Rahman III ascended to the throne, ushering in the great Golden Age of Islamic civilization in Spain. In 1031 the Ummayad caliphate was abandoned in favor of small city-states. “Seville, Cordoba, Toledo, Badajoz, Saragossa, Valencia, Granada, and others” (Esposito 34) competed with each other economically and militarily, which weakened Islamic Spain and helped the Christians in Northern Spain to reconquer Islamic territories in the south (Esposito 35).
According to Maria Rosa Menocal, Andalusia evolved into a great Islamic civilization because it incorporated three basic elements: “ethnic pluralism, religious tolerance, and a variety of important forms of what we could call cultural secularism—secular poetry and philosophy—that were not understood, by those who pursued them, to be un- or anti-Islamic”. This tolerance and hunger for knowledge led to the Transmission Movement which would become so important to the preservation of ancient texts and the expansion of Christian Europe.
While Europe was enduring devastating invasions by barbaric hordes, “the widespread and rapid translation of Greek philosophical and scientific works into Arabic following the Muslim conquests of the seventh and eighth centuries” (Turner 209) led to the widespread dissemination of this knowledge across the Muslim world. In Andalusia, under the 10th century caliph Hakam II, “one royal library is said to have amassed four hundred thousand books” (Esposito 175) on a variety of sciences. Later on, 12th century Andalusian theorists Ibn Rushd (known as Averroes), Ibn Bajja, Jabir ibn Aflah, Ibn Tufayl, and Abu Ishaq al-Bitruji debated the virtues and defects of Ptolemaic astronomy. “Of these, al-Bitruji was the only one to formulate an alternative . . . proposed model” (Esposito 175).
Ethnically, the Andalusian population included Jews, Celts, Arabs, Visigoths, and Romans. Religious groups included Muslims and the dhimmi or People of the Book: Jews and Christians. Christians living under Arab rule were called Mozarabs (Melacon 5; Turner 209; Esposito 318). Christians were often reluctant to assimilate into Islamic culture (Esposito 34). Nonetheless, Jews and Christians were protected and welcomed into Andalusia by virtue of their belief in Abraham and the One God.
Jews thrived in Andalusia when they re-discovered Hebrew and used it in the same multipurpose ways “as the Arabic that was the native language of the Andalusian community” (Melacon 7). Jews began to write poetry in Hebrew, inspired by Arab poets. Maimonides, the well-remembered Jewish philosopher, wrote works in both Arabic and Hebrew (Esposito 33).
The Islamization of southern Spain was not without difficulties, however. Under Abd al-Rahman III, Andalusia reached the height of its greatness. Muslims, Jews, and Christians all contributed to increased knowledge in “the arts, literature, astronomy, medicine, and other cultural and scientific disciplines” (Esposito 318). Although many Christians did convert or assimilate into Islamic culture, Muslim jurists sometimes felt threatened by this and warned against Christian influence as “contamination and a threat to the faith of Muslim societies” (Esposito 318). Jews and Christians were forced to learn Arabic, whether they wanted to or not. And the loose morals of upper class Muslims often offended Jews, Christians, and Muslim clerics. Jews and Christians were always regarded as infidels by Muslims, no matter how much they assimilated into Arabic culture. When Abu Amir al Mansur (Almanzor) became ruler in the late 10th century, he began “a series of ruthless campaigns against Christians, including the plundering of churches and other Christian sites” (Esposito 320). The gulf between Jews, Christians, and Muslims grew wider. Muslim rulers, fearing the missionary zeal and influence of Christians, segregated them into isolated communities. Christian military forces reconquered Cordoba, Valencia, and Seville in the early 13th century. By the end of 1492 Granada fell, and that was the end of Moorish rule in Spain.
Some of the Moorish contributions which have had a lasting influence on Spanish culture include the importation and cultivation of citrus fruits; the production of paper and olive oil; the invention of the guitar; and “Arabic coffee culture” (Robert Thomas, 2011). The tourist trade is boosted by the rich architectural heritage left by the Moors.
The Alhambra in Granada, completed in the 14th century, was erected by the Nasrids. “It comprises the most extensive remains of a medieval Islamic palace anywhere and is one of the most famous monuments in all Islamic art” (Blair and Bloom, 124). The Great Mosque of Cordoba, remembered for its beautiful red arches, and completed in 965, boasts carved marble panels decorated with fragile arabesques, whose “popularity lasted until the fourteenth century . . .” (Esposito 239). After the reconquista, “many mosques were changed into churches. In Seville, for example, the top of the fifty-meter-high minaret of the Almohed mosque, built from 1184 to 1198, was remodeled and transformed into a cathedral bell tower” (Esposito 305). The Great Mosque of Cordoba was converted into a Catholic church but still retains Qur’anic quotations and decorations on its interior designs. Many mosques were demolished or stripped of all Islamic associations. The distinctive Moorish architectural style remains on both secular and religious buildings, however, throughout southern Spain.
Andalusian Spain perfected the art of making ceramics (called lusterware), glass mosaics, colorful tiles, and silk textiles (Esposito 254-256). Couscous, a traditional North African food staple, adds a flavorful diversity to Spanish cuisine. Some experts even believe that flamenco, the exotic Spanish dance, was influenced by the Moors (Robert Thomas, 2011).
Andalusia Spain became a bridge between the Muslim world and Europe. After the reconquista of southern Spain, Arabic texts were translated into Latin and exported to Europe. The Muslim contributions to medicine, science, and philosophy were included in those texts and exerted a profound influence on European thought and development.
Modern Muslims are re-discovering their historic contributions to the arts and sciences and gaining a newfound pride in their accomplishments. The Western world is now more open to giving them credit for those accomplishments. The historic accomplishments and events of the Moors are celebrated throughout southern Spain with festivals, parades, and other special celebrations.
Dawn Pisturino
Thomas Edison State University
February 4, 2019
Copyright 2019-2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
Works Cited
Blair, Sheila S., and Bloom, Jonathan. The Art and Architecture of Islam, 1250-1800. New
Haven: 1996.
Esposito, John L. The Oxford History of Islam. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Menocal, Maria Rosa. “Culture in the Time of Tolerance: Al-Andalus as a Model for Our Time.”
Occasional Papers. 2000. Yale Law School Legal Scholarship Repository. 2000.
Michael means “who is as God.” Among Jews, Christians, and Muslims, he is the highest angel in the hierarchy of angels. His occult name is Sabathiel. In Islam, he is known as Mika’il. The Zoroastrian book, Avesta, portrays him as Saosyhant, the redeemer.
As chief among angels, he is revered as the “angel of repentance, righteousness, mercy, and sanctification.” He stands guard over the nation of Israel. He is a known enemy of Satan. As the Prince of Light, he leads the angels of God against the angels of Satan in the Dead Sea scroll, The War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness. In the Last days, he is the fierce angel who will finally slay the Dragon (Satan).
In 1950, Pope Pius XII affirmed Michael as the patron of policemen. Today, he watches over all first responders. He has been identified as the angel who stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son, Isaac, although this act has also been attributed to other angels, such as Metatron. Jewish tradition describes him as “the fire that Moses saw in the burning bush . . . ,” although some scholars attribute this to Zagzagel. Michael may have been one of the three angels who visited Abraham in his tent. Religious lore credits him with assisting the other three archangels – Raphael, Uriel, and Gabriel – with burying the body of Moses. In fact, Michael has been identified as the angel who fought with Satan over Moses’ body.
Islamic lore describes him as bearing wings “of the color of green emerald.” His body “is covered with saffron hairs, each of them containing a million faces and mouths and as many tongues which, in a million dialects, implore the pardon of Allah.” The Qu’ran claims the cherubim were created from Michael’s tears. The Persians regarded him as the sustainer of mankind.
Catholics pray for Michael’s heavenly intercession as St. Michael. They regard him as God’s warrior who protects the faithful from the Devil’s wily snares. As the angel of death, prayers to St. Michael request his intercession in a good and holy death. Fra Filippo portrayed him as the messenger who announced to the Virgin Mary that she would soon be taken up into Heaven.
Michael’s feast day is September 29th (the Feast of the Archangels).
Prayer to St. Michael, the Archangel
Saint Michael, the Archangel,
Defend us in battle!
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil;
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
And do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
By the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits
Who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.
Amen.
(1932)
(Eastern Orthodox Church icons) – The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Michael’s feast day on November 8th.
This painting by Cesare Nebbia tells the story of the four apparitions of Michael, the Archangel, that allegedly occurred in Southern Italy many centuries ago.
Apparition #1: A wealthy landowner, named Gargano, in the 3rd to 8th century C.E., lost a bull, became angry when he found the bull grazing near a cave, and shot a poisoned arrow at him. Miraculously, the arrow turned around and shot him instead! The local bishop ordered three days of prayer and fasting. On the third day, Michael appeared to the bishop and ordered him to “dedicate the cave to Christian worship.” Since the cave had been used by pagan worshippers in the past, the bishop did not honor Michael’s request.
Apparition #2: Michael allegedly appeared again in the year 492 C.E., but scholars have determined that the apparition actually occurred later, inspiring Duke Grimoaldo I to defeat the Greeks on May 8, 663 C.E., who had attacked the Sanctuary of Gargano. May 8th is now celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church as the Feast of the Anniversary of the Apparitions of St. Michael, the Archangel.
Apparition #3: After the victory over the Greeks, the cave was finally dedicated by local bishops to St. Michael. But Michael is reported to have said, “I founded it, I myself consecrated it.” When the bishops arrived at the cave, they found Michael’s footprint in a crude stone altar that was already erected there. Since then, the cave has been called the “Celestial Basilica” because Michael consecrated it to himself!
Apparition #4: In 1656, Michael ordered Bishop Alfonso Puccinelli to bless the stones of his cave. Michael carved the sign of the cross and the letters “M.A.” onto the stones. He then told the bishop that “anyone carrying the stones would be immune to the plague” that was ravaging southern Italy. The bishop’s city was cured of illness. The stones, known as St. Michael’s relics, are now used in exorcisms.
In popular culture, Longfellow wrote, in The Golden Legend, that Michael was the spirit of the planet Mercury who brought patience to mankind. In the Hollywood movie, The Bishop’s Wife (1947), Cary Grant plays Michael in the form of a mysterious assistant who suddenly appears to aid the Episcopalian Bishop Brougham.
Dawn Pisturino
September 7, 2021
Copyright 2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
Gabriel means “God is my strength.” In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, he is regarded as the angel of “annunciation, resurrection, mercy, vengeance, death, and revelation.” His primary role is that of God’s messenger. His most important task in the New Testament was announcing to a young Jewish virgin that she would soon become the Mother of God’s Son, Jesus Christ (known as the Annunciation).
Islamic tradition names Gabriel (Jibril) as the angel with “140 pairs of wings” who revealed the Qu’ran to the Prophet Muhammad.
Gabriel has sometimes been identified as the angel who destroyed Sodom and Gommorah. In Jewish tradition, he is featured in the Book of Daniel as the angel who rescued Hannaniah (Shadrach), Mishael (Meshach), and Azariah (Abed-Nego) from the fiery furnace. (After the exile to Babylon, Daniel and his fellow chamberlains were given Babylonian names.)
Joan of Arc testified that it was the archangel Gabriel who inspired her to embark on her great mission to save France from British domination.
Literary figures such as John Milton portrayed Gabriel as commander of God’s angelic forces in Heaven. Longfellow wrote about him as “the angel of the moon who brings man[kind] the gift of hope.”
In the Catholic Church, Gabriel’s feast day is September 29th (the Feast of the Archangels):
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, November 8th is Gabriel’s feast day:
(Eastern Orthodox Church icon)
In occult circles, wearing an angel Gabriel talisman modeled after the Grimoire of Armadel, brings the wearer success in business and love, the blessing of many children, and magical powers.
Dawn Pisturino
September 1, 2021
Copyright 2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
This painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, titled “The Virgin of the Rocks,” depicts the Virgin Mary, John the Baptist, the Child Jesus, and the Archangel Uriel.
Uriel means “fire of God.” In Catholic tradition, he was the angel that stood outside the Garden of Eden, after the expulsion of Adam and Eve, holding the revolving fiery sword. His feast day is celebrated on September 29th (the Feast of the Archangels).
In 1 Enoch, Uriel is the angel that “watches over thunder and terror.” In the apocryphal book, The Book of Adam and Eve, Uriel is the angel of salvation and repentance. II Esdras, an apocalyptic writing often included in the King James Bible, portrays Uriel as the angel who interprets Ezra’s dreams. Uriel has sometimes been identified as the angel who wrestled with Jacob at Peniel and helped bury the bodies of Adam and Abel in Paradise; as the messenger sent by God to warn Noah and his family about the flood; and the angel who destroyed 185,000 Assyrians in II Kings 19:35.
Occult literature names Uriel as the angel who brought alchemy down to earth from heaven, although many sources attribute this act to the angel Metatron.
John Milton, in Paradise Lost III, refers to Uriel as the “Regent of the Sun.” Dryden portrays him “as descending from heaven in a chariot drawn by white horses.”
The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates Uriel’s feast day on November 8th:
(Eastern Orthodox Church icons)
Dawn Pisturino
August 30, 2021
Copyright 2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
The name Raphael means “God has healed.” The Archangel Raphael is mentioned in the Catholic Book of Tobit and 1 Enoch.
In The Book of Tobit, he disguises himself as a traveler and helps the son of Tobit, Tobias, pick up some money and take it back home to his father. He binds the demon Asmodeus, cures Sarah of a curse she has been living under, and heals Tobit of blindness. The happy result is that Tobias and Sarah get married and prosper. The Catholic Church regards Raphael as the patron of travelers (especially pilgrims), the blind, happy reunions, sacred marriage, nurses, doctors, and pharmacists, and matchmakers. In Italy, Raphael is the protector of sailors. He is a known enemy of Satan.
In 1 Enoch, Raphael was appointed the healer of all disease and wounds. He incapacitated the armies of Azazel and threw them into the fiery pit.
Jewish tradition regards Raphael as one of the angels who visited Abraham. He was appointed by God to heal Abraham after his late-life circumcision and to save Lot during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Christian tradition tasked him with stirring the waters in the pool of Bethesda (John 5:2-4).
Muslims call Raphael Israfil. On the Day of Resurrection, he will blow the trumpet that calls the dead back to life:
Raphael’s feast day is September 29th in the Catholic Church (the Feast of the Archangels):The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates his feast day on November 8th:
(Eastern Orthodox Church icons)
Dawn Pisturino
August 29, 2021
Copyright 2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
Psalm 23 is one of the most beautiful and lyrical verses in the Bible. Scholars believe it was composed by King David more than 2,500 years ago. David was a shepherd who loved God and often sang songs to the Lord while tending his sheep. Psalm 23 is a love song to the Lord filled with gratitude, hope, and faith in the constancy of God’s love. It is a poetic meditation reflecting on the power of God’s protection in the face of adversity. Most of all, it is a vivid portrait of the natural world, our humble place in nature, and God’s role as Supreme Master of the Universe. Reading this psalm and contemplating its message brings an inner feeling of comfort, peace, and joy.
Psalm 23 (King James Version)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anoinest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Psalm 23 (The Jerusalem Bible)
Yahweh is my shepherd,
I lack nothing.
In meadows of green grass he lets me lie.
To the waters of repose he leads me;
there he revives my soul.
He guides me by paths of virtue
for the sake of his name.
Though I pass through a gloomy valley,
I fear no harm;
beside me your rod and your staff
are there, to hearten me.
You prepare a table before me
under the eyes of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil,
my cup brims over.
Ah, how goodness and kindness pursue me,
every day of my life;
my home, the house of Yahweh,
as long as I live!
Dawn Pisturino
July 8, 2021
Copyright 2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.
Cosmic Health Blog
Entertaining and informative articles about health and wellness, yoga, meditation, nutrition, stress management, exercise and more, written by a licensed Registered Nurse.
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