Prayer Time in Jerusalem for Muslims

Hundreds if not thousands of Muslims exiting the walls this past Saturday (5/5/18).

The massive walls seen in this photo surround the Dome of the Rock Islamic Shrine that sits atop the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem that first opened in 691 AD. It is considered to be one of the most sacred sites for Muslims around the world.

The rock was said to be the beginning point for Prophet Muhammad’s Night Journey to Heaven. That rock is at the center of the mosque.

The location is watched and prayed over by more than one faith. It is also a significant location for those of the Jewish Faith in Israel. It is thought to be the Foundation Stone of where God gathered the dust to create the first human known as Adam on Mount Moriah and where Abraham attempted to sacrifice his son. The Jewish community actually turns towards this location in prayer.  

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Non-Muslims are not allowed to pray on the Temple Mount. It is also against the rules to bring any type of prayer book other than the Koran into the area. Furthermore, non-Muslim followers are not allowed to wear their religious apparel into the area next to the mosque.

Muslims once prayed towards the Temple Mount, but that changed when Muhammad was said to have had a revelation from Allah.  That revelation led to the direction of Mecca for Islamic prayer.

What do you see?

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”

— Isaac Asimov

I captured these photos directly next to a historic site that is visited by millions of people from all over the world. Local residents and tourist alike find the clutter distracting and the trash undermining of the finely kept museum pieces next door. I thought the same until I slowed down to take in my surroundings with a deeper consideration for where I was standing.  

The trash filled passage ways between the homes, the children in the streets without shoes and the field containing the garbage of nearby residents sits within 105 yards of where Jesus spent his final days while on trial prior to being sacrificed.

The neighborhood of the working class was a vivid illustration of how accepting Jesus was of people and surroundings. It was an illustration of his life in so many ways that tourist who want neat and tidy fail to see. It was a reminder that he walked with the unclean, the unhealthy and the unloved. In reality, the perfect setting.

When Jesus was at this location it was known as the Palace of Caiaphas. The High Priest of Israel lived in the palace that was utilized as a court setting for Jesus. Caiaphas presided over the Jewish Council which ordered Jesus be put to death finding him guilty of blasphemy. This is also the location of where Peter denied Jesus in the court of the palace three times.  

It is at this site some 105 yards away from the garbage filled homes that you will find the hole that Jesus was lowered into and held captive.

Today, the Church of St. Peter is built over that jail cell where Jesus was held.

The Basilica of the Assumption

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He was walking down the ancient stone sidewalk that was originally built under John II, Bishop of Jerusalem between AD 387 to AD 417.

The Basilica of the Assumption (or Dormition) is in Jerusalem near the Zion Gate.  The church was hit by warriors in year 614 and destroyed. A new structure was built on the site in the 12th century, but destroyed again in the 13th century. This is a similar story line to many of the buildings, churches, and structures in Israel.

However, the foundation of the original building left behind was staunch enough to stand a rebuilding in 1899. The Catholic Diocese of Cologne, Heinrich Renard, sought the reconstruction and moved forward with the project after a brief visit to the Holy Land.  

In just ten years, the massive structure was complete and dedicated to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in year 1910 under the Catholic Church.

The property was extremely important to save as this was believed to be the site where the “Blessed Virgin Mary” died or as many refer to her passing as, fell asleep. It is also near the location of where “The Last Supper” was believed to have been held.

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The Oldest City has Skylines Galore

Just when you think you reached the end of the city limits, you see several more miles of condominiums, houses apartments, synagogues, mosques and churches.

Jerusalem is a large city located in Israel. The Middle Eastern city sits on massive hills, valleys and mountain lines that are a part of the Judaean Mountains between the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean. It is one of the oldest cities in the world. The earliest settlement dates back to the Early Bronze Age (c. 3000-2800 BCE). It is also considered to be one of the holiest cities in the world.

Inside the Holy City you will find three major religions that include the Jewish followers, the religion of Islam and Christians. However, not all of the religions see eye to eye, which is why walls have been in place dividing different areas for hundreds of years.

The city is composed of 850,000 residents. Another 300,000 residents or more live just outside of those limits, but still consider themselves to be a part of Jerusalem. So, in reality you could say about 1.2 million people live in the Jerusalem area of Israel.

Sadness in the streets

There is a great divide in Jerusalem that I did not hear a lot of talk about. If you are not a part of the Muslim, Jewish or Christian community you will fear very alone. It not a welcomed alone feeling, but one of desperation, sadness and pain.

Jerusalem is divided into multiple areas with large walls that are similar to the walls that once stood in Berlin. However, these walks you can walk around to exit or enter. Regardless of entry or exit, the walls continue into the subconscious to where you know that you may not be welcomed after entering.

“I think that humans have a huge capacity to carry pain and sadness. There are things that haunt us our entire lives; we are unable to let them go. The good times seem almost effervescent and dreamlike in comparison with the times that didn’t go so well.”

— Henry Rollins

Watching Lag B’Omer in Israel

It was the night of Lag B’Omer and events were being held throughout the city of Jerusalem by different Jewish Communities.

At this event, a stage was the center focus lined with Jewish teenagers with adults nearby. In other areas, bonfires within the city roared to life constantly fed by oil to keep the flames alive. 

Lag B’Omer is the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer, which is a period of 49 days between the Jewish holidays of Passover and Shavuot.

Some of the traditions on Lag B’Omer Day include three year old boys receiving their first haircut, Jewish weddings and of course, bonfires, food and singing.

The Eldorado Motel of Nashville - Where those of color could spend the night

The vintage sign read, “Eldorado Motel, Room Phones, Pool and TV.” The sign still stands today in between 28th Avenue and Clarksville Pike in Nashville. However, the only sign of the motel is the sign itself.

I spoke to the owner of the property who said that her father was one of the first black men in Tennessee to receive a bank loan to build a motel.

What makes the motel history stand out even more, is that it was one of the few places in Nashville that allowed for men and women of color to spend the night.

During the changing times of the 1960’s, musicians like BB King, The Temptations, and even James Brown stayed at the motel while visiting Music City.

In the 1960’s, the  Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)  booked two rooms at the property for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and musician Harry Belafonte. King was good friends with Belafonte who supported the SCLC financially. Belafonte was in town to play at the Ryman Auditorium, but became too ill to play. So, he recouped at the motel until he was well enough to travel home.

Learn more by listening to the short interview below with the daughter of the man who built the Eldorado Motel so many years ago. 

The bare feet of Hippie Hill

August 2017: Hippie Hill is known for bare feet and hippies. While it is true that not everyone on the hill is barefoot, the hippie ideals of accepting others has always been alive in the small community.

“On stage, I make love to 25,000 different people, then I go home alone.”

— Janis Joplin (1943-1970, died at 27)

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The future of the hill is somewhat up in the air as far as living arrangements go. It appears as if the government has been cracking down on their use of campers verses tent living.

It all has to do with zoning and it being called a primitive camping area verses a campground that allows for long term RV parking, etc.

Sometimes you have to look at the bigger picture… Government getting too involved.

While rules are rules, it makes sense to allow for special permits when many who would normally be on the streets are currently living in a community where they feel safe. It is hard to feel safe under a bridge by yourself.

Violence, Trauma and Children

Black, white, red, tan or brown… those who live a life of violence, hurt, crime, addiction, relationship issues, etc. typically have one thing in common: Childhood trauma

I have been thinking about this project I came across in Chattanooga. It is in an area that is known for violence, increased arrests, drug sales, etc.

The project is called FACE to FACE and it shares thoughts of children in East Chattanooga by way of art.

It is always interesting to me that some of the most talented youth live in some of the most crime ridden areas of America. The arts is their escape from childhood pain experienced at home, an escape from the violence they witness on the street – art is the safe place for some.

The painted faces on the red, yellow and blue backdrop are self-portraits of the youth involved in the project. Some of the quotes written are their thoughts on violence.

One of the thoughts put into words:

“I live in East Chattanooga and I am affected by the poor housing. The lack of education and the lack of recreational activities for our youth. Also, there is a lot of drugs and gang violence. But on the real, East Chattanooga is rich with deep history and people.”

The brick archway was once the entrance to Delanie Park and later the Highway 58 Drive-In Movie Theater. Now, it is an overgrown field, but perhaps an open field to more positive growth in the city.

This mural was put together between 2013 and 2014 and still stands in 2018 with natural growth, but without vandalism.

In closing... Black, white, red, tan or brown - - those who live a life of violence, hurt, crime, addiction, relationship issues, etc. typically have one thing in common: Childhood trauma

“Many abused children cling to the hope that growing up will bring escape and freedom.

But the personality formed in the environment of coercive control is not well adapted to adult life. The survivor is left with fundamental problems in basic trust, autonomy, and initiative.

She approaches the task of early adulthood ―― establishing independence and intimacy ―― burdened by major impairments in self-care, in cognition and in memory, in identity, and in the capacity to form stable relationships.

She is still a prisoner of her childhood; attempting to create a new life, she re-encounters the trauma.”

— Judith Lewis Herman

The Vantage Point, Not an Advantage

In September of 1863, the Confederates occupied Lookout Mountain and Missionary Ridge. However, things quickly changed as Ulysses S. Grant is given the reins to command the Union.

It was from this location on November 24, 1863 that Confederate Troops were defeated when the Union attacked Lookout Mountain.

The Confederate Army of Tennessee, lead by General Braxton Bragg, were pushed back allowing the Union to make their way further South.

Quiet Midnight Street

On a quiet midnight street.

"I want to run
I want to hide
I want to tear down the walls
That hold me inside
I wanna reach out
And touch the flame
Where the streets have no name"

- U2, 1987

Different

LasVegas: It looks like a unique design from the funky 1970’s with wood to match a Frank Lloyd Wright home. Of course, Wright would have designed it to be a suspended square box, which is why I said designed in the 70’s.

The restaurant is called Mastro’s and it is known for both steak and seafood. As for the costs, a steak with two sides will set a guest back about $65.

Inside the restaurant is an automated sound environment with music or sounds pumped in to make you feel more alive. The JBL speakers powered by Crown Amplifiers are invisible to the guest, but the sound quality is far from lacking. Mastro’s has a total of 46 speakers.

“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”

— Virginia Woolf

NASHVILLE: Madness within the camps

“I have found both freedom and safety in my madness; the freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us.”

— Kahlil Gibran, The Madman

Quiet for a minute

Sometimes nothing is best:

I once heard pastor Rick Warren talk about the gift of silence shortly after his son committed suicide. He talked about how hard it was to cope with the pain and loss.

Warren said that some people showed up telling him how sorry they were and how they remembered his son. Others talked about the pain that he and his wife were experiencing, but they didn't need to as the Warrens were in the the grasp of that pain and they knew it well.

The friends who did not speak other than to say they were there - were the most meaningful as no words can fill the void and those friends knew that. The gift of silence in powerful. Warren stated, "The deeper the pain, the fewer words needed."

“But to me nothing, the negative, the empty, is exceedingly powerful.”

— Alan Watts, British philosopher, writer (1915-1973)

Photo captured today... somewhere in the Nashville area.

The Eagle on Sacred Land

Photo of “The Eagle” on sacred Indian Land in the Grand Canyon. By the way, I did not take this photo from the glass Skywalk as you will notice towards the end of this piece.

On my visit to the Grand Canyon Glass Skywalk, I noticed multiple Native Americans working at the ticket booth, the parking lot, in the gift shop and taking photographs for families on the actual skywalk. I wondered why, other than the logical explanation that I was surrounded by tribal land. But, I figured there was more to the story.

As recent as 2012, Native Americans have had issues with the Grand Canyon being used for different purposes. But this issue may have been placed in a negative light due to one tribe in the area.

The Skywalk is built on the lip of the Grand Canyon and juts out over the Colorado River. The land where it was built is on the Hualapai Indian Reservation in Arizona. The walk was built under a contract that the Hualapai Council agreed upon with a Las Vegas developer who funded the costly venture.

In 2012 the Hualapai Nation overtook the development company responsible for overseeing the skywalk. The company had a contract in place that did not expire until year 2037, according to an article in Reuters newspaper on March 19, 2012.

Evidently, the Hualapai Nation saw that the Skywalk had potential to keep their families alive and healthy as there is a hefty charge for tourist to walk onto the glass walkway. But, they did not agree with the management or development company and claimed a breach of contract.

5 Years ago, the Native Americans took over or seized the skywalk with the idea of putting their tribe members to work. Of course the original agreement showed that the tribe commissioned the project with an agreement to let the developer run it. After all, the Skywalk is built on land belonging to an Indian tribe while a developer is the one who came in and built the $30-million structure… under contract.

In 2013 a U.S. District Judge ruled that the Hualapai Tribe owed the developer from Las Vegas $28.6 million, according to the USA Today. The judgement came as a result of a contract that was signed with the tribe in 2003. The tribe contended that the developer did not abide by that 2003 contract, which is why they took over the management. The Judge did not see it that way.

The Hualapai tribe consists of 2,000 residents and a 50% jobless rate. Other problems that plague the tribe are reported to be widespread problems with alcohol. Plus, some members view the Skywalk as disturbing because it is built on sacred grounds.

Today, the Hualapai tribe operates the Skywalk. However, they must pay the developer of the project instead of the original contract which had the developer paying them.

As for making that walk onto the Skywalk, you have to pay to ride a bus about 2 miles down a paved road to the site. Then, you have to buy a ticket to make the walk. If you want a photo while on the walkway you have to pay for that as well because cameras are not allowed. The price to walk the walk… About $85 per person.

A Camera is a No-No: If you think you can sneak a camera or cellphone onto the walkway, you are wrong. I tried. You go through a metal detector first, which you can get through with a GoPro, but then you are frisked.

Now you know the rest of the story. Or at least a few more details.

Finding oneself and the balance of nature

The new graffiti appears to be rock stacking or cairns. While this has been done for centuries to mark burials, ceremonial grounds, trails, directions and more, the National Parks System wants it to be halted.

This photo was taken in a National Park in the area of the Grand Canyon.

Does it really matter in the larger scheme of things? No. Will it matter in 100 years? Not likely. However, some suggest it offsets what nature is meant to be while others suggest it offers balance. Regardless, it is not natural which is what the National Parks want… nature in its natural state.

“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.”

— Henry David Thoreau

Nature and quietness

Horseshoe Bend... Silence.

“A man can be himself only so long as he is alone; and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom; for it is only when he is alone that he is really free.”

— Arthur Schopenhauer

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Silence... Complete Silence

Silence. Complete silence. Not a passing car nor plane and not even a breeze.

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.”

— Mother Teresa

The Natural Wonder

“In the Grand Canyon, Arizona has a natural wonder which is in kind absolutely unparalleled throughout the rest of the world. I want to ask you to keep this great wonder of nature as it now is. I hope you will not have a building of any kind, not a summer cottage, a hotel or anything else, to mar the wonderful grandeur, the sublimity, the great loneliness and beauty of the canyon. Leave it as it is. You cannot improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it.”

— Theodore Roosevelt

An amazing state full of different

The area surrounding the Grand Canyon in Arizona is interesting on multiple levels. Nature supplies the region with thick firm plants, multicolored rocks filled with reds, browns, grays and even shades of green. The rock formations are massive, jagged, and far reaching. When you see them in person it is almost too hard to comprehend they are real.

Below the shadows of the rock mountains you will find vast fields and small homes or even huts every 10 to 20 miles. You may spot boats left to decay in a field, old cars or trailers. Farm animals are something you don’t see as much. Gardens and landscaping are equally rare.

The high school graduation rate in Arizona is not on par with the rest of the country. Arizona ranks number 44 on the list for having one of the lower graduation rates. On the flip side, Arizona residents seem to enjoy better health with a ranking of 28 on the list. They also rank at number 17 on the list for having the fewest hospital re-admissions.

Depending on where you live in the mountainous / desert environment you may receive notices from the National Parks Service to conserve water. One of those notices is in effect now.

Bottom line: A trip to Arizona is like a trip to a far away planet. It looks too unreal to be real. It is amazing in every way. It is beautiful yet strangely scarce.