We were signing papers. Getting them notarized. It was a jocular moment. I was trying hard to keep it that way. I was giving him complete authority to take over my affairs should my brain start to melt and/or body start to fry its circuits. For that time, in other words, when we cease to…
Author: mira
Mira Z. Amiras is Professor of Comparative Religious Studies and founder of the Middle East Studies Program at San Jose State University. She is past-president of the Society for the Anthropology of Consciousness, and has served on the Executive Council of the American Anthropological Association. She is co-founder, with Ovid Jacob, of Beit Malkhut, a study group in Jewish sacred text. She's most attached to the creatures of her body and her household — first and foremost, her kids, of course: Michael and Rayna — and then the other folks large and small of various species, including Roshi and Vlad, a whole lot of hummingbirds, the old parrot who lives next door, and a beautiful garden that does what it will.
the problem with music: a preamble in expectation of a response
I’ve got to put my cards on the table here. Finally. I’ve let my collaborator-extraordinaire do all the music-talking, and I’ve sat in the shadows and nodded (frequently without comprehension) and watched — and mostly listened. Sometimes I’ve even heard. The fact is, I can’t believe I agreed to this contract we have at all….
the little country that could — a kaddish for mohamed bouazizi and ibn khaldun’s oscillation of elites
Once upon a time there was a little country. It hadn’t always been a little country, but it had for the most part been an outlier in the larger scheme of things. It prided itself on being the ‘breadbasket of Rome’ but if the Punic wars had gone otherwise, Rome might have been the breadbasket…
the paintbrush
“What you really want is closure,” he said. I had called him knowing I was in peril. I asked him what he thought I should feel. He’s pretty good at feeling stuff. But I’m not so sure he’s right. I’m not sure closure is attainable in cases like this. Just as I’m not sure there could…
techno-bling and the demise of the Qigong master
[powerpress] Sylvester teaches Aikido to 80 year old ladies. And Qigong. And breath work. And energy work, of course. Whole food nutrition. Color and aroma therapy. African-American pragmatism. If it’s a healing art — he can convey it. And the ladies at the North Oakland Senior Center love him. And so do I. He’s my…
what is it about cemeteries?
Sometimes just going out to lunch or dinner with an ex isn’t just the pleasant experience you think it’s gonna be. We went to one of the places we usually go to. We ordered items congruent with who we each are at the moment. And instantly, the conversation turned to disease, dying, and death —…
a kaddish for the israeli flag, may it rest in peace
People say that there are a lot of reasons to open up a bible. Here’s one of them you might not have ever been asked to think about. And a reason why using the bible — especially לך לך — as a basis for validating nation-building is not a terribly good idea. We can lay…
a kaddish for the printed word
If I grade one more paper tonight, I think I will scream! Problem is — I have another 4.5 years worth of papers to grade, and I won’t scream. I never have screamed. I’ll kvetch. I’ll pull my hair. I’ll eat chocolate. I’ll complain a lot. And I’ll look for something positive to say about…
a kaddish for terry dobson
There’s no reason for me to remember. There’s no reason to forget. I knew the man for 15 minutes. The last 15 minutes, it turned out. Riki, his partner, told me at SF General Hospital that night, that in those 15 minutes, I had gotten the best of Terry Dobson. Maybe it’s the focus on…
the concealed one, blessed be he
When Malkah (an incarnation of the Shekhinah herself — and why not?) was a little girl, the tzaddik used to tell her ‘Bobo Stories’ (of all things) at bedtime to calm her to sleep. And this was long before his journeys with Rav Gavriel rescuing artifacts in India. As the tzaddik told it, the Prince…