Autumn G. Van Kirk.com

Greetings! It’s been too long, and I have nobody to blame but myself for not writing more often. Today’s thoughts were provoked by PeaceBang’s blog entry asking the Unitarian Universalist community to chime in with our thoughts and impressions on this controversial topic. My thoughts are as follows:

Is there life after death? An equally puzzling question could be posed: What has happened before our life’s frame of reference and will happen after it? Some may assign great meaning to the various answers that questions such as these evoke, and some may not. My own take is that we cannot and will not know the true answer until we slip the bonds of this life, so our time and energy here are best spent ruminating on what we can do in the here and now.

Currently the evidence I have available to me suggests that there is not an afterlife in the traditional sense that humanity teaches. Biologically we can prove (as much as anything can be proved when there are few or no known absolutes) that the vast majority of our personality and individuality resides in the brain, and that brain activity eventually ceases upon death. My working hypothesis is that when death occurs, hypoxia in the brain causes increased neural activity and a massive hormone rush that speeds up perception in a way that produces the so-called near-death experience. We suspect that time is perceived relatively by different people in different situations, and I consider it likely that we can experience a seeming eternity in the window between death and the time brain activity ceases. Obviously this is subject to scientific verification and open to reinterpretation given further evidence.

Given this stance, the best way I’ve found to honor the memory of loved ones is to heed their wisdom and to act in ways that honor their memory. There are many and various ceremonies that pertain to this practice, such as Halloween or Día de los Muertos that we can take part in to remember and honor our departed loved ones. These need only have the spiritual implications that we place upon them, and can provide healing and joy to those who choose to celebrate them.

Similar to honoring the dead, the best way I’ve found to improve this life is to live it to the fullest. Live responsibly but don’t be too sparing when indulging yourself. Spend it improving life for others, as those who do the same may bring some joy to you in return.

If you’re a UU, please feel free to leave your thoughts on PeaceBang’s blog and link your comment here. If you’re not UU, please feel free to leave your thoughts here. I ask this only to keep her blog entry on-topic, and I ask that you respect the views and opinions of others even if you are diametrically opposed to them.

September 30 – October 27

Among other cherished qualities of the Ivy Celtic tree astrology sign, most prized is your ability to overcome all odds. You have a sharp intellect, but more obvious is your compassion and loyalty to others. You have a giving nature, and are always there to lend a helping hand. You are born at a time of the waning sun so life can be difficult for you at times. This sometimes seems unfair because it appears that obstacles are coming at with no prompting on your part. Nevertheless, you endure troubling times with silent perseverance and soulful grace. Indeed, Ivy signs have a tendency to be deeply spiritual and cling to a deep-rooted faith that typically sees them trough adversity. You are soft spoken, but have a keen wit about you. You are charming, charismatic, and can effectively hold your own in most social settings. Ivy signs are attracted to the Celtic tree astology sign of Oak and Ash signs.

Celtic Tree Astrology

I’ve been poked and prodded to update this dusty old thing. Things have changed a lot in the last year and I have a lot to say, so expect more soon!

I just woke from a dream in which there was this grand hall. I recall flying through it as though riding in a tiny helicopter or as though I were floating about. This hall was attached to an old, Victorian style house full of mysterious rooms which were in turn full of mysterious things. Attached to the back of the house was the Grand Hall. It was definitely “older” than the house to which it was attached. There was an open roof at the very top of the hall the size of what I will call the dance floor, and the whole hall was covered inside and out with ivy and moss after decades of apparent neglect. It was two stories and there were old stone pillars holding up the second floor and the partial roof. Statuary littered the hall, and in fact the statue in the very center of the hall may look familiar to some of you:

Continue Reading »

Want an honest and long lasting relationship? Make sure you and your partner can recite these five statements.

• I can live without you, no problem
• My love for you will definitely change
• You’re not everything I need
• I won’t always hold you close
• You and I aren’t one

There really isn’t much more I can add to this, so go check it out!

Threats of the war are
Knocking at our door
It’s the coming horror picture
of heroes on the floor
The taller monster of hate
To smother our hope or love here
But I have faith because
I know that you believe

Continue Reading »

On my way home from work tonight, I watched as countless snow drifts floated by and snow devils swept around. I got to thinking about how quiet it is around here. This of course is ironic considering I live in a noisy apartment building on the bustling campus of Purdue. When I say quiet, I mean the kind of quiet that comes with feeling a yearning for community. Again, I find it ironic that I live in an ever changing city of 30 or 40 thousand students (during school sessions, of course) and yet it feels like nobody really knows anyone else. I think of all the people going to class, walking by each-other and not saying hello. Heck, I live in a building with 12 apartments and I couldn’t tell you the first name of anyone but the student manager.

It seems to be a societal thing, this voluntary solitude. With the proliferation of the internet and nearly instantaneous communication with nearly any corner of the globe (I can IM my buddy in Iraq as though he’s across the street from my cell-phone) it’s as though people have forgotten the need to nurture their local communities. I can’t say I’m not guilty, of course, but I wonder where it will all end? Will we get to a point where everyone’s minds are linked in some massive neural network and nobody needs to actually talk anymore? It seems like the only people we really communicate with are those we encounter on a daily basis anyway (coworkers, fellow students, church and club members, etc.) and the art of striking up a conversation with a total stranger is lost.

I feel like I should be going out to the coffee shop and making some new friends, but I’d probably just weird people out because I’m a stranger trying to strike up a conversation with them. That and the internet’s more entertaining; and have you seen the price of coffee these days?

I was going to bitch about all the diamond and jewelry commercials that happen this year until I stumbled upon this little gem. I don’t agree with everything said here, but I do think the outcome is worth reading the whole article. You’ll have to look past the seemingly overwhelming nefative tone of the article to catch the good stuff. Essentially it says that we aren’t happy because technology is enabling us, perhaps even forcing us, to be unhappy. I’m going to be re-reading this one for awhile to catch what I missed by skimming over it the first time.

7 Reasons the 21st Century is Making You Miserable