Another long hiatus. I wrote just six posts in 2020, none about tech. Just goes to show much the pandemic affected me (and of course a large workload that only let up in October and an illness).
Between January and early May of 2020 I experienced an illness that could have killed me. In the days after an intervention and short stay in the critical care unit of a nearby hospital, I experienced a renewed flow of oxygen into my body, as the doctor-prescribed medicine took effect. The sunsets were especially beautiful, and I recall one in particular that stretched like a canyon across the sky. It seemed as if this was the first sunset of the rest of my life, or the first sunset after a long period of gloom. I had been resigned to being always out of breath, and now I had a new chance on my daily walks to experience the wind in the trees, smell the pollen of spring, feel the sun on my skin, and revel in the physical sensations that we take for granted.
In the weeks that followed I continued to find joy and now a mystery in the winds that breathed through the pines and the oaks of my neighborhood. Not with a little self-consciousness, I would stretch my hands outspread, shut my eyes, and walk along humid, pandemic-stilled streets, feeling more alive and connected with the nature around me than ever before, daring myself to walk as long as possible before opening my eyes.
As months have passed and my body has returned to a healthy normal, that sense of intense connectedness has lessened, but it's left a mark on my beliefs. I currently believe primarily in a Shechina (composed of the aforementioned wind) and secondarily in a God of the little things (like lost objects). It can even be said that I believe in the wind, which is kind of pagan really. Since the only pagan experience that's fresh in mind is "The Holiday" scene from Andrey Tarkovsky's film "Andrei Rublev" with the pagans skinny-dipping in the river, it will have to do as a model of this new religion of wind.
1. It will be called Breezism. Adherents are Breezies. (Expect to see schisms with the Gusters, the Blusters, and the Winders. On no accounts are we to be confused with Environmentalists.)
2. Our prayers will take place outside during periods of strong breezes or gusty cold fronts. Short prayers during microbursts and thunderstorms are also acceptable, as long as prayers are offered to the wind. Blessings on lightning and thunder are a separate business.
3. Adherents shall prefer to wear loose flowing clothing.
4. As the wind is not directly a force that provides something valuable, such as health, prosperity, or light or water, I expect that adherents may frequently be sailors, where the wind really is important.
5. I hold the wind to be the most noticeable manifestation of the spirit in which I believe, so prayers can be offered to it. It takes or gives and is, of course, gender-less. Mind-altering substances are not part of the worship, however there is a benefit to psychedelic mushroom experiences. (Care must be taken not to become an Environmentalist though.)
6. Our sign shall be that of a wind turbine, in case you need something to hold onto. The three blades point to the land, sea, and air, from which originates the wind. To criticisms that this closely matches the Mercedes-Benz logo I say, tis' a work in progress.
