Fish, Eyes, Rabbits and the Workout of the Week

“The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.”  ~Ecclesiastes 1:9

One of my assignments in the seminary (did I mention that I’m an interfaith minister and I’m enrolled in an online seminary in pursuit of Holy Orders?) was to meditate on the image of the vesica piscis, otherwise known as the Christian fish symbol.  This meditation comes from Chapter 10 of Inner Christianity by Richard Smoley which is, by the way, a really excellent book.

Left: Eye of Horus. Right: vesica piscis

As I meditated on the symbol it began to fade in and out focus as often happens when meditating on objects and photos.  But soon thereafter, in its semi-focused state it seemed to look like an Eye of Horus. Once I saw the similarity it was hard to maintain focus because my mind began to race — and then I was involuntarily pulled out of the exercise by my intellectual mind’s desire to explore the similarities in the myths of Horus and Jesus.

Left: Isis and baby Horus. Right: Mary and baby Jesus. Note that Mary and Jesus are inside a flaming vesica piscis. That’s not a coincidence.

Certain things just make sense to humans — visually, mathematically, culturally, spiritually and so on — and those things just keep showing up across time and cultures.  Again and again and again.

This weekend Christian people are will be celebrating Easter, which typically aligns with Jewish Passover and is named after a pagan goddess named Ēostre (if you believe the Venerable Bede anyway).*

So no matter what your religious affiliation may be, give some thought to celebrating Easter tomorrow.  Color some eggs to symbolize rebirth.  Give the kids a chocolate bunny, or treat yourself.  The ancients believed that rabbits could reproduce without losing their virginity, so they were associated with Mary and Jesus.  And they were fertility symbols long before that.

To burn off all your eggs and peeps and chocolate bunnies, here is the Cabal Fang Workout of the Week.

Cabal Fang Workout of the Week #52

• Core Workout.  Set timer for 1:00 min rounds and complete alternating rounds of 8 Push-ups and 16 Neck Bridges (8 forward and 8 back) all on the minute (OTM).  In other words, do 8 Push-ups and then rest until the timer beeps.  Then do 8 Forward Neck Bridges, 8 back, and then rest until the timer beeps.  Repeat 6 times for a total of 12 minutes.  See video below for variations applicable to beginner, intermediate, and advanced players.
• Meditation on Eye of Horus or vesica piscis.  Pick one and sketch it boldly on a piece of paper.  Set timer for 10 minutes.  Place your sketch at eye level, assume your preferred meditation posture, and focus your eyes on the object as you regulate your breathing (you may find it helpful to narrow your eyes a bit).  Record your experience in your training log or journal.

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* This is why the modern idea of “cultural appropriation” is a step backward rather than a stop forward — encourages people not to share ideas and think of themselves as one race, one species, and generally equal.  People have been sharing and borrowing and influencing each other since time began.  That’s called evolution, progress and dialogue, and it’s a good thing. Christians borrowed from Hebrews who borrowed from the Egyptians.  The Romans stole from the Etruscans who were influenced by the Greeks and the Phoenicians.  And so on.  Now, if you rip stuff off and pretend you invented it, well that’s called “theft.”  And that’s not nice.