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Prophet...or...loss...

Updated: Dec 11, 2025

Reflections to help us avoid getting mauled in a shopping mall...




These reflections developed over 2 weeks. Some of them were given to me as I awoke in the middle of the night. Others, as I was just waking up. And still another group came as I was talking with my labyrinth guide and friend Janet Rudolph about what seemed like a totally different topic.


"It's ALL connected..."


Meditation "Shopping" List (post sections)



Stairway to Heaven CHANT


Last week, in our Tittmann family text conversation, when we were discussing our Thanksgiving dinner adventures, I shared this photo of Garden City's Season 52's parfait dessert tower:



When I captioned it with Led Zeppelin's classic "I'm climbing a stairway to heaven"...my writing adventures "Led" me here...


Applying "the gods help those who help themselves"

...I helped my Muse lead me to this particular video...


Twice a day, I practice the

Each meditation session begins and concludes with a short chant. I really like this part, especially the female voices (see an example in the "In Germany" subsection of "Poems, Prayers and Promises for Meditation" near the end of the post)...

So, I searched "chanting and stairway to heaven" and this video appeared at the top of the results:





Here's their album art...recalls characters from Star Wars, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings:



I SHOP, therefore I AM (ego emere, ergo sum)


These words about the spirit of consumerism presented themselves to me in a 2011 article about NYC's Occupy Wall Street protests. The article also mentioned Fr. John Merz, pastor of Brooklyn's Ascension Episcopal Church. I was led to the article after a conversation with Janet Rudolph in which she mentions Fr. John. As I said at the beginning of the post, this is another example of how seemingly unrelated things showed themselves as belonging in this story…


Fr. Merz was our host at November's "Center Down" gathering.


Thanks to artist Karen Renna for contacting me about the authorship of this slogan. Karen joins other collaborators on this post! "We're all connected!"


Barbara Kruger - is the artist who brought this to public awareness.



[from the article] Barbara Kruger is an American conceptual artist whose career spans over 40 years. Even though most of her masterpieces were created in the 1980s and 1990s, Kruger’s art is still important and relatable in the present day. The timelessness of her works comes from the fact that she explores ever-present themes such as feminism, consumerism, and politics. Materialized in the appropriation of advertising language and pop culture imagery, Kruger’s artistic style also makes her art approachable and relevant in contemporary society.







A modern version of Rene DesCARTes original...





The 12 Steps before the Holidays




Feel free to replace "shopping" with your own issue...






The 12 Steps...Part of a Monastic Rule for Life...and for everyone else...


  • "Adopt the 12-steps as a method of conversion of life, specifically by working the steps in a small group".



The writer of this next piece - Kristin Vieira Coleman - is co-founder and Program Director for the Center for Spiritual Imagination.


In her article, Kristin mentions the two people that introduced our family to the Christian contemplative tradition and led me to investigate the Twelve Steps:

  • Richard Rohr - wrote "Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps"

  • Thomas Keating - wrote "Divine Therapy: Addiction Centering Prayer and the Twelve Steps"


Personal note: In the late 70's and early 80's Eileen and I participated in local events that featured both men. One of these venues was Wisdom House in nearby Connecticut.


Fr. Thomas Keating was a founding member and the spiritual guide of Contemplative Outreach.  Fr. Keating was one of the principal architects and teachers of the Christian contemplative prayer movement and, in many ways, Contemplative Outreach is a manifestation of his longtime desire to contribute to the recovery of the contemplative dimension of Christianity.

​

We were fortunate to participate in retreats and workshops with Fr. Thomas. He introduced me and my family to the practice of centering prayer meditation in August 2004 during a weekend retreat with him at Wisdom House in Litchfield, CT. Our son John was probably in the 8th grade and already practicing sitting at a master's feet.


Members of the Community of the Incarnation with Fr. Richard Rohr, author of Breathing Underwater, at the Center for Action and Contemplation.

[l-r]

Guesnerth Josue Perea (Director of Black Lives & Contemplation),

The Rev. Adam Bucko (Co-Founder and Director),

Richard Rohr,

The Very Rev. Dr. Michael Sniffen (a co-founder of the Center for Spiritual Imagination and serves concurrently as Dean of the Cathedral of the Incarnation and Dean of the Mercer School of Theology),

Kristin Vieira Coleman (Co-founder / Program Director)


Personal Note: In the early years of our relationship with contemplative prayer, Eileen and I were part of the Peter and Paul Catholic charismatic prayer group that met at the Bishop Molloy Retreat House (Passionist) in Jamaica, NY. A few years, it was renamed the Thomas Berry Place to honor the passion with which this Passionist labored to heal our Earth. Click here for more.


In the late 1970's, several leaders in our group were sensing a call to share life more deeply as an intentional covenant community and flew to Cincinnati to meet with Fr. Richard and other members of the New Jerusalem Covenant Community (1). Eileen and I accompanied them and all of us stayed in the homes of Community members and participated in their activities.


(1) Both Fr. Richard and Fr. Adam began their ministries working with youth. In the early years of our 47-year young relationship, Eileen and I also cared for youth in parishes we were part of and working on young adult retreats alongside guitar-playing Passionist Fr. Don Ware. In addition to being the chaplain of our charismatic prayer group, he also had the honor of officiating when Eileen and I tied the knot over 47 years ago.

"Who knows where the time goes...?"


Before going holiday shopping...PAUSE...and ask ourselves: How Much is ENOUGH???


As these reflections were unfolding, I'm so grateful that the following refrain from Kevin Griffin's song started reverberating in my mind:


"Enough, enough, we got enough stuff..."




ENOUGH

By Kevin Griffin, Wes Nisker

 

(Sung to the bass line of “The Beat Goes On” by Sonny and Cher.)

 

Enough, enough, we got enough stuff (repeat four times)

 

I got a SUV, DVD, HDTV

Laptop, hip-hop, diamond-studded flip-flops

Prozac, Xanax, no-carb candy snacks

My cell phone ringtone’s a symphony by Beethoven

 

Enough, enough, we got enough stuff (repeat four times)

 

Video, stereo, vacation in Guantánamo

Microwave, electric shave, a thousand ways to help me save

Internet, virtual pets, a ninety-inch TV set

Credit card, bodyguard, a hundred-acre backyard

 

Enough, enough, we got enough stuff (repeat four times)

 

WE GOT ENOUGH

To sink a ship

WE GOT ENOUGH

To make your backbone slip

WE GOT ENOUGH

Don’t need anymore

WE GOT ENOUGH

We bought the whole store

 

Xbox, punk rocks, refrigerator that talks

iPod, hot rod, summer house on Cape Cod

Pokémon, Spiderman, drugs that make me Superman

Hot tub, back rub, pet Tibetan tiger cub

 

Enough, enough, we got enough stuff (repeat four times)




The 12 Steps help us recover our direction...BUT, we have to take the FIRST step...




I first met Kevin Griffin via his book "One Breath at a Time: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps." I read it and did a workshop with him. To continue to get to know myself better, I also consulted books on recovery from addiction from other spiritual traditions


As part of my early journey, I've spent helpful times in the rooms of recovery movements. In the early years of our marriage, I got up in the middle of the night to score some cocaine from a coworker. When I got home, Eileen gave me a choice between her and this other lifestyle. NOW, 47 years later...I made the right choice


In my state of self-awareness at that time, I wasn't aware of any other addictive behaviors...(This would change as I continued my journey, learned more about myself and others became apparent...)


Back then, the Malverne, NY church we were part of had a 12-Step meeting that was led by a guy with a lot of charisma. Around this time, I came upon a book on recovery from the person who had been my spiritual guide for years - Richard Rohr - "Breathing Under Water: Spirituality and the Twelve Steps.." The title is from a poem by Sr. Carol Bieleck: "Breathing Underwater." (See the video in the "Poems, Prayers and Promises for Meditation" section at the end of the post.)


So...I donned my Sociology Degree from Cal State Fullerton and went to my first recovery meeting in that church's basement to see what "THEY" were like.


At my first meeting, as I heard people describe what was going on in their minds...I quickly realized that

I was THEM...

...and stayed for several years.


I returned to the rooms a few years ago, when a neighbor told me that he was going to a closed A.A. meeting at the Witches Brew Coffee House at 311 Hempstead Turnpike in West Hempstead, a block from our home. As a service to the community, the shop provides this space from 11-12 on Thursday's, an hour before they open for the public. I was going through a rough time and benefited from the company of others who were working the Steps...FYI-they're NOT just for people in recovery.



Step 1: Start close in. Take the first step. The step you don’t want to take.





Start close in,

don’t take the second step

or the third,

start with the first thing

close in,

the step

you don’t want to take.




Seek Presence rather than Presents by letting go of what's holding us captive...














Teach the children


Spotted this a few weeks ago as I was walking in the Presidential section of our town:



Hopefully, the child has a practice to bring balance to the Force...



The power of example...



Teach the parents


Also on one of my daily rounds through West Hempstead...



Hmm...wonder if the white rabbit by the steps played a role in this acquisition? We'll have to go ask Alice or Grace. Slick, huh?


In April, I did a post to celebrate Janis after "bumping into her" at the Whole Foods parking lot in Garden City.



Mercedes Benz

Song by

Janis Joplin


I'd like to do a song of great social and political import

It goes like this


Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends

Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends

So, oh, Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?


Oh Lord, won't you buy me a color TV?

Dialing For Dollars is trying to find me

I wait for delivery each day until three

So, oh, Lord, won't you buy me a color TV?


Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a night on the town?

I'm counting on you Lord, please don't let me down

Prove that you love me and buy the next round

Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a night on the town?


Everybody

Oh, Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends

Worked hard all my lifetime, no help from my friends

So, oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz?


That's it



Poems, Prayers and Promises for Meditation


Underwater...




On Stage...


Unpacking "Stairway"...



At its core, “Stairway to Heaven” is a mystery, a riddle set to music that has fueled decades of debate and speculation. The lyrics, written by Robert Plant, unfold like a spiritual journey, a meditation on materialism, choice, and transcendence. The “lady” at the center of the song is often seen as a symbol—perhaps of greed, or blind ambition, or even spiritual yearning. She is “sure all that glitters is gold,” a phrase that recalls Shakespeare’s warning that appearances can be deceiving. She believes she can buy her way into heaven, that wealth can unlock the ultimate truth. But can it? Or is she chasing an illusion?

Click the following link for complete article.




In the $hopping mall...





In Senegal West Africa...


I'm including this next topic because these Senegalese nuns were mentioned during last Monday evening's first of three sessions of Center for Spiritual Imagination's course and practice in Lectio Divina.


Kora and emancipation in secular and liturgical music


[from the link below this text] The founders of the Keur Moussa monastery in Senegal came from Solesmes monastery in France, which since its new foundation by Dom Guéranger has distinguished itself which the tradition of Gregorian chant. In the wake of the Second Vatican Council, the Benedictine monks endeavoured to adapt the music to African conditions and introduced the Kora as a liturgical instrument. After many years of experimentation, the West African Griots’ instrument, which was played primarily by men from certain families of musicians, became, in the hands of the monks of Keur Moussa, an instrument played internationally by men and women and used for liturgical music throughout West Africa. The Mandingos’ instrument has been transformed into a chromatic scale instrument, produced in Keur Moussa and sold worldwide.


From the monastery of Keur Moussa in Senegal, we will follow the musical networks, which lead us, among others, to the monasteries of Burkina Faso, Benin and France, to find answers to our research questions: the feminisation of the liturgy as a secondary effect of acculturation, the exercise of the kora and Gregorian chant by women, as well as the cooperation or competition between monks and nuns concerning the commercialisation of liturgical music.


During the 2nd research phase we would like to go further in our questioning as well as explore the process of feminisation thoroughly: To what extent has the opening of the Kora playing for women by the Keur Moussa monastery also contributed to making this instrument more accessible to secular women, or conversely has the recent emergence of female Kora players in the Global North influenced nuns in Africa?









In Germany...



A sacred spiral...



[from the video description] Hildegard of Bingen, also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, mystic, visionary, and as a medical writer and practitioner during the High Middle Ages. She is one of the best-known composers of sacred monophony, as well as the most recorded in modern history.


The title of her piece called up this modern version from the Gospel of John, Paul, George and Ringo:


Combining Underwater and England




In New Hyde Park and along Long Island's beaches


Ray is a member of our monthly Men2Men group. He fashions Christmas creches of all sizes from driftwood he collects along Long Island beaches. Here's one he gave me:



Here's a 2024 post about our group and others influenced by the men's work of Fr. Richard Rohr:



Seeing those Nativity figures reminded me of this oldie...


And on the dashboards of our cars along life's highways and byways...





"There's a Grateful Dead song for every occasion"


So says Steve... in our early years, a fellow surfer and today, still a longtime friend...and a "Friend of Jerry"...


[from the article...more at the above link] Wharf Rats are a group of concertgoers who choose to live a clean and sober lifestyle and are present at concerts to provide support and encouragement to others who live a drug-free lifestyle. Their name came from the song of the same name which was written by Jerry Garcia and lyricist Robert Hunter of the iconic jam band The Grateful Dead. The song tells the story of a wino named August West and the consequences of his decision to choose alcohol over all other things.

This sub-group of music lovers first appeared at Grateful Dead shows in the early 1980’s and were comprised of AA and NA members who are afraid of divulging their status as Deadheads during Twelve-Step meetings. Members of this group could be identified by the presence of yellow balloons that were clearly visible overhead, and during intermissions would hold (and still hold) Twelve-Step type meetings. While the group is comprised of those who are in recovery, they are not affiliated with formal Twelve-Step groups; instead, they see themselves as a group which can provide information and support in an environment which is hostile to those in recovery.


Let's hear his tale as visually crafted by a favorite chronicler if Grateful Dead stories...


He ends this "tragedy" where we begin...at the wharf...





The Center for Spiritual Imagination


As I spend time with these folks, I'm seeing that we share some similar "watering holes" and have been influenced by some of the same teachers and guides - such as Richard Rohr and Thomas Keating.




Weekly Meditation and Contemplative Prayer

Mondays

6:30pm to 7:00pm ET

Each week, we practice making conscious contact with God by showing up as we are, gathering all of our fears, anxieties, and life circumstances that need special care, and simply bringing them to God. Our time together includes a guided meditation based on an ancient monastic prayer practice, time for intercession, silence, and beautiful ancient chants.

To join us online:

Meeting ID: 891 0907 5281


Two of my posts:





 
 
 

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