tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-145231562024-03-12T20:18:01.452-07:00The Eighth Sermon to the DeadMonsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.comBlogger400125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-35336887540492416972022-04-20T10:12:00.008-07:002022-12-20T13:34:09.899-08:00100 books to readI went and found this over on my old livejournal. I've decided to start working on the list again. I have read a few of the books since I posted the original list in July 2008, but I'll update it as I go along."Someone" reckons that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they’ve printed. It's not the Big Read though -- they don't publish books, and they've only featured Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-59954865906146632352022-01-27T09:13:00.005-08:002022-01-27T09:13:56.355-08:00Virginia Adventures: The Road Trip I January 5-7 It's been a few weeks, but I thought I'd give a recap of our trip from Oregon to Virginia. It's been an adventure to be sure, and it's taken a while to all sink in. In a lot of ways, the journey and the culture shock give it all a veil of unreality.January 5thI left off our story on the Afternoon of January 5th. We left our home in Amity at about 2 pm, and after our sheep/Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-68056896471218968342022-01-07T09:18:00.002-08:002022-01-07T09:18:44.051-08:00Virginia Adventures XI - A lack of time and space We were supposed to close on 12/22, and have 2 weeks to sort everything out for the move. Due to a snafu (The appraiser for the buyers put down it was a private road, when we actually live on a public road, and that screwed things with the VA) the closing was pushed back to 12/28.That gave us a week less to do the stuff we needed to do in two weeks. So, we packed like crazy for the Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-15030032619112906712022-01-07T08:59:00.002-08:002022-01-07T08:59:22.438-08:00Virginia Adventures X - The Quest for the Missing Documents Most of you know that we've closed on both houses (here in Virginia), but you haven't heard HOW we closed.Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up:On December 28th, we knew the physical documents we had to sign for the Virginia house had entered the state of Oregon, but the Lawyer in Virginia had accidentally put the wrong address on the envelope.We signed on our house in Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-79215433896571598422021-12-21T15:12:00.007-08:002021-12-21T15:19:43.920-08:00Virginia Adventures IX - Takeoff in T-???Since my last post, so much has happened that it's been hard to keep up.Let me explain. No, that'll take to long; let me sum up:We have an agreement to sell our Amity house to some lovely folks from Arizona. They are set to take possession January 5th, 2022.We had an appraisal on December 8th, which went quite well, HOWEVER;The appraiser said that we live on a private road, which is Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-45446556612087487632021-11-15T11:13:00.003-08:002021-11-15T11:17:01.358-08:00Virginia Adventures VIII - What a difference a Month MakesMy birthday was November 6, so we didn't think about the house too much, but we had two showings. One of them was a facetime walk-through with some folks from Arizona. The people had found a new job in Oregon, and needed a house with some property.We're happy to oblige. On November 14, we reached an agreement for the sale of our home. There are still some things that need to Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-23306583588793291302021-10-14T14:58:00.001-07:002021-10-14T15:11:20.667-07:00Virginia Adventures VII - The Ecstasy of Success, the Agony of Defeat We had an offer! YAY!It was about $70K less than we wanted. Boo.We countered, came down in price. YAY!They refused. Boo.Back to Square one. One of the hardest parts of this, is we have to give up two of the equipment pieces we wanted to purchase, so the owners of the new place can afford to keep the Virginia property going while also having the Florida place they just Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-72990966641848685592021-10-06T14:58:00.002-07:002021-10-06T14:58:23.288-07:00Virginia Adventures VI - The Waiting, Part II Still.Waiting.We've had showings, but apparently our property is not what the buyers are looking for: either there's not enough room for their RV, or they don't like the finishes in the house (like, the baseboards, the cabinets, etc). We've talked to a cash buyer, but their offer is SO low, like $150,000 lower than our agent says the property should go for, that we can't in good Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-34172170644924734002021-09-23T16:29:00.001-07:002021-09-23T16:44:59.942-07:00Virginia Adventures V: The Waiting As Tom Petty said, it is the hardest part.The house is staged. The property is fairly empty. The weather is turning. And adventure awaits, and all we need is the firing of our starting gun.That gun, in this case, is an offer on our property.It has not been forthcoming.Everyone says 'Oh, it'll sell so quick.' So far, that has not been the experience.I try to keep in mind the statistics: Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-74709258563455167382021-08-31T16:21:00.003-07:002021-10-01T09:42:07.401-07:00Virginia Adventures IV: The EmptyingThe farm is quiet.We'd found new homes for the rabbits, and new homes for the chickens. The same people bought both sets of livestock. When they came to help us catch the chickens, we got most of them, but one hen decided she was going to hide in the blackberry brambles. So, they left that one with us.After they left, the hen started walking around, and calling for the rest of the flock. It made Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-24170684991650263192021-08-24T17:06:00.004-07:002021-08-24T17:06:31.362-07:00Virginia Adventures IIIParting with friends is a sadness. A place is only a place. -Thufir HawatOur first Garage sale is accomplished. I hope there will never be another. It's a heck of a process, selling and haggling and interacting with many people. I think it went swimmingly, but I don't want to do it again. We sold a huge number of items that we've held onto for one reason or another.However, when we Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-625391950374969522021-08-19T09:55:00.001-07:002021-08-19T09:55:10.484-07:00Virginia Adventures IIToday is Paddy and I's fourth wedding anniversary. We were married in the back yard of our Oregon property. The lead up to the wedding was very busy: trying to get the venue ready, trying to finish last minute fixes, cleaning, arrangements. At some point, the time ran out to get things done, and there was a relaxation as we realized that, whatever wasn't finished, wasn't going to get Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-58170314332256440802021-08-16T16:50:00.005-07:002021-08-16T17:42:01.640-07:00Virginia Adventures IMany of you will have heard, but this will be the official record that we are planning on moving to Virginia sometime this fall. As I know details, I'll publish them here, but here's what I know so far.Paddy, Bridget our daughter, and I are into farming, and we have 5 acres of steep clay in Oregon. We've been looking for more, flatter land in Oregon, but it's way, WAY outside our price Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-50715034370600698392021-08-12T11:12:00.001-07:002021-08-12T11:13:28.684-07:00AbraxasA reader asks: What is Abraxas?He always asks the best questions.My first encounter with Abraxas was in Jung's Seven Sermons to the dead.God and devil are distinguished by the qualities fullness and emptiness, generation and destruction. Effectiveness is common to both. Effectiveness joineth them. Effectiveness, therefore, standeth above both; is a god above god, since in its Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-18149384354191944472019-09-10T08:57:00.001-07:002019-09-10T09:04:32.937-07:00Why do we say Holy Ghost?
I went down a bit of a linguistic rabbit hole today.
One of the FB groups I’m on posted “Why do we say Holy
Ghost? Is it a ghost?”
After the first minute of smacking my head, I started
really looking into the question.
Ghost is an English word of Germanic origin, which is
used to translate spiritus from latin into old English. It’s first used in Old
English as such: sē hālga gāst is Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-2300278084526657342018-07-17T11:59:00.001-07:002018-07-20T10:52:29.558-07:00The Friary: Work, Opus, AspirationsFor the past few weeks, the Sacred Flame has been reignited in me to re-address my Friary Work.
I've been writing a lot of material and emails and general musings, all about the Friary Work. And as I've been doing that, I've been thinking a lot about the language I use. As a magician, the words have meaning, and choosing them carefully affects the outcome of the process in which I'm engaged.
Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-19256608847324220222017-12-12T13:56:00.003-08:002017-12-12T13:56:32.460-08:00LogosLogos is a fantastically complicated word.It is derived from a Greek word meaning "ground", "plea", "opinion", “law”, "expectation", "word", "speech", "account", "reason", "proportion", "discourse".To me, as we use it in the AJC, it has all of those meanings and more.It is the Ground of all being, the Word spoken when God at creation said “Let there be light” יְהִי אוֹרIt is the plea of the Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-30529914507169926772017-11-03T09:12:00.001-07:002017-11-03T09:12:31.776-07:00What is a Johannite: Spiritually Decisive
"And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him." -Matthew 4:21-22
As the Director of Communications for the Apostolic Johannite Church, I am the first point of contact for many people seeking a Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-80117045202214683362017-11-02T08:58:00.001-07:002017-11-02T08:58:22.804-07:00Reading material
I am reading a ridiculous amount of books at the moment. I should really pick one and finish it.
The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin
Complicity by Iain Banks
Driftless Spirits by Dennis Boyer
Northern Frights by Dennis Boyer
Sword of the Legion by Jason Anspach, Nick Cole
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
I really should finish one or more of these.
Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-69015652571521840312017-10-05T14:21:00.003-07:002017-10-05T14:21:40.233-07:00Holst: JupiterI am a fan of all of Holst's planet series, but nothing speaks to me like Jupiter, Bringer of Jollity.
Anyone who's read my blog for any period of time knows I like Jupiter in all his aspects: King, Bringer of Jollity and plenty, Expander of boundaries and limits.
The music is so upbeat! It fills one with joy, with granduer, with expansion, at least in the first movement.
Then it quiets, but Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-15538999614240658582017-10-04T15:50:00.003-07:002017-10-04T15:50:38.062-07:00Clothes Horse
There is nothing quite like wearing a good tailored suit. The cut simply falls correctly on the body, and the figure you cut, with a neatly tied tie and a pressed shirt, makes you think you can take on the world. A set of shiny dress shoes and some socks that speak to my personality, and I feel like a man about town, a captain of industry, a go-getter ready to take on the world. I can dream in aMonsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-71711204181413343212017-10-04T13:44:00.002-07:002017-10-04T15:42:09.149-07:00SickGreat balls of fire, I am feeling ill.
Grievous wails of despair come from my mouth
Groaning, sweating, swearing, failing of will.
Gone down a bad path, my health has gone south.
Give me release, succor, a cooling cloth
Growing is my unease that this illness
Growls and rolls in my belly, ceaseless froth.
Green mucus, bane color of un-wellness
Government healthcare does not cover me
Great witch Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-22881971221026778032017-09-29T12:03:00.003-07:002017-09-29T12:03:27.949-07:00MeditationI'd forgotten how wonderful and easy meditation is. I just finished a 5 minute meditation at my chair, and feel refreshed and wonderful.
I also identified some bad habits I have programmed in from working. We're gonna fix that shit right now. What bad habits, you ask?Well, soda, for one.
Eating while reading, as well. It makes both experiences sort of throw-away.
Not meditating. :)
As Monsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-80382959414278989592017-09-29T09:22:00.001-07:002017-11-02T08:58:59.499-07:00Why we writeAs used to be the case, I was talking with someone and it sparked a blog post.
My friend is worried about the volume of criticism he receives for his writing, and I tried to encourage him a bit with scripture about pearls and swine, and milk for babies, meat for adults. He replied with
I honestly think that is being too generous. It implies I have pearls and meat to give. I really don'tMonsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14523156.post-25893660990479737062017-09-29T08:52:00.001-07:002017-09-29T08:52:16.676-07:00Cleaning HouseRight before my wedding, we went to the dump.
Riverbend Landfill in McMinnville is a pretty nice place, all things considered. Sure, there's a smell. There's always a smell around garbage. However, there's also fairly clean recycling bins and a nice delivery system. It allows us to get rid of all our garbage, and being on a farm, we generally have quite a bit.
As I'm sorting the recycling andMonsignor Scott Rassbachhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11685549734111626335noreply@blogger.com0