Rusty's Armory

Morning, coffee, Arbatel, and lazy gardening.

Posted on May 16, 2015

Whosoever would know Secrets, let him know how to keep secret things secretly; and to reveal those things that are to be revealed, and to seal those things which are to be sealed: and not to give holy things to dogs, nor cast pearls before swine.  Observe this Law, and the eyes of thy understanding shall be opened, to understand secret things; and thou shalt have whatsoever thy minde desireth to be divinely revealed unto thee.  Thou shalt have also the Angels and Spirits of God prompt and ready in their nature to minister unto thee, as much as any humane minde can desire. 

Shabbat dawns a mild but humid 70° this morning.  I arose before Snookums so it is my job to make the coffee.  In this house, it consists of hitting the brew button because Snooks makes it up ahead of time.  The coffee pot seems to wheeze and gurgle forever, sounding like an old man having an asthma attack, but eventually, it delivers up the thick black brew that I crave.

I have been reading a translation of an old mystical book; Arbatel De magia veterum (Arbatel: Of the Magic of the Ancients) that first appeared in 1575.  It was written to be read as aphorisms to an illiterate populace, and used the gospels extensively, but I still do not recommend the book to those without a strong grounding in scripture.  It is a deceptive extra-biblical treatise.

But I do find the early methods of teaching scripture a refreshing departure from todays method.  One could just sit back and listen to the expositor and not fact-check every word with every translation ever written.  I am not so convinced that the wisdom produced by today’s scholars match the wisdom of the ancient sages when it comes to spiritual matters.

Today is my cooking day, and I have no idea of what we will have.  Pecan waffles sound good, but then so does eggs, ersatz bacon and hash browns.  But we haven’t had pancakes in awhile, so maybe ….

I still have several planters that I need to fill and repot.  Some of my plants are still in the shipping pots.  My lone tomato plant is growing like a weed in its new pot, and the plants I did get into the planters are growing twice as fast as the ones I have yet to do.  Still, it is Shabbat, and one must cease from their labors, so I apologize to the unspotted plants for being a slacker, but inform them they will have to wait ‘til Sunday.

And later today the long schlep to the synagogue in the next county.  I really hope to find a congregation a bit closer to home, some day.  But I sure do like the late afternoon services at this one.  I can have an unhurried breakfast and awakening, time to ruminate, and more time to come up with a good excuse for not attending …

Good morning!