This week's haiku, by the Editor & his cousin Rowan:
"Giving and sharing:
Santa Claus, bodhisattva.
Love conquers the world."
Image (by the Editor): Santa Claus is an inspirational philanthropist. :)
RHC Fortnightly Quotemail
Compiled & Edited by Rob Chappell (@RHCLambengolmo
on X)
Vol. XXX, No. 2: Late November 2025
·
Co-Editor: Sophie Fairgate
·
Editorial Associate: Wendy Applegate
·
Art Director: Verena Fairgate (Designer of the
Masthead)
·
Creative Consultant: Meadow Morgenfeld
·
Book Reviewer: Mallory Jamison
·
Director of Development: Jill Prydain
On this
Thanksgiving weekend, we take time to honor and express gratitude for our
ancestors and forebears. Their heroic and brave lives have laid the foundation
for ours, and we are forever indebted to their sacrifices and contributions.
Their strength and foresight, courage and resilience, wisdom and kindness have
shaped the world we live in today. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and we
are thankful for their legacy. On this holiday, let us remember and salute the
trailblazers who have paved the way for our prosperity and wellbeing.
“Dance of the Northern
Lights”
By Solveig Nielsen, Staff
Writer
A dazzling display of heavenly hues on show.
The aurora weaves a gossamer net,
A tapestry of colors across the night,
An enigmatic spectacle, so splendid and bright,
A celestial ballet, a mystical delight.
In the heart of winter's darkness deep,
The dancing lights do ignite our hope,
Their vibrant hues a promise in the night,
An omen bright, of the Sun's return.
As winter's grip begins to wane,
The dancing lights foretell the dawning day,
The long-anticipated promise of spring's delight,
A symphony of colors, nature's purest light.
With each dance, the winter's chill does fade,
As the aurora weaves its silken thread,
An enchanting promise of warmth and grace,
A harbinger of life's eternal embrace.
In its fleeting brilliance, the aurora shines,
An ephemeral moment in time's dance,
Brief yet wondrous, like a cherished glance,
A gift from the heavens, a splendid trance.
Like a whisper in the cold night air,
The northerly lights may appear,
Surprising stars, they shine, then vanish with care,
A mesmerizing dance, an elusive affair,
Unfolding, as if in a mysterious dream.
In its awe-inspiring grace,
The dancing lights ignite a sacred space,
In the hearts of those who bear witness to its dance,
An unparalleled experience, a profound trance.
As the northern sky ignites,
The aurora calls, a gentle invitation,
To marvel, to reflect, to find peace within,
In the spectacle's sacred and enchanting span.
From the frozen landscapes, the ice and snow,
To a canvas of colors, a colorful show,
The aurora paints a scene of wonder,
A breathtaking transformation, serene.
Those who witness the dancing lights,
Are touched by their profound insight,
In awe of their majesty, inspired by their light,
An experience, that in their soul, ignites.
Thus, the dance of the northern lights,
Weaves its enchanting tale,
A cosmic ballet that's both wild and serene,
A symphony of colors, a winter-time dream.
The aurora borealis, as seen from Norway, on November
5, 2025 – the night of the Full Hunter’s Moon. (Digital image by Solveig,
processed by the Editor.)
“The Aurora Borealis in
the Bible”
By the Editor and Lauren
Matthias, Staff Writer
For thousands of
years, nations and tribes living near the Arctic Circle have stood in awe of
the aurora borealis – the Northern Lights – and many myths, legends, and
folktales have been told about them. In Norse mythology, for example, the
aurora’s multicolored tapestries of light have been seen as a glimpse of the
Rainbow Bridge that departed souls use to ascend from our mortal world to a
blessed afterlife in the heavens. Indigenous peoples of the Arctic regions have
also seen the aurora as being related to their ancestors who had long ago ascended
into a higher plane of blissful existence.
Since auroral
displays are rarely seen south of 45-50 degrees north latitude, it might be expected
that the aurora might not appear in the pages of the Bible. However, when a
major solar storm occurs, sending a massive amount of charged particles to
collide with Earth’s magnetic field, then it is possible – although very rare –
that an auroral display could be glimpsed above the northern horizon in the
Middle East. The Editor recently had a conversation about this with Lauren, and
here is a summary of our conversation, in which we discussed a few scattered
verses of Scripture that might allude to the mysteriously otherworldly Northern
Lights.
·
“Out of the north cometh
golden splendor, about God is terrible majesty” (Job 37:22, JPS Tanakh
1917). In this verse, Elihu the
sage appears to be describing an auroral display of “golden splendor,” coming
from the north. He evidently regards it as a reflection (in the mortal world)
of the Shekinah, the Divine Glory that is described elsewhere in the Hebrew
Scriptures as a manifestation of the Divine
Presence.
·
“And I looked, and,
behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, a great cloud, with a fire
flashing up, so that a brightness was round about it; and out of the midst
thereof as the color of electrum, out of the midst of the fire” (Ezekiel
1:4, JPS Tanakh 1917). This is the grand opening
of the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of the Divine Throne Chariot (Merkabah).
Exegetes have speculated endlessly about the context of this vision. Since the
luminous fiery cloud came out of the north, one might legitimately wonder if
the vision began with an actual sighting of the Northern Lights by the prophet,
and that the vision of the Divine Throne Chariot then came bursting through the
auroral display, as it were.
·
“As the appearance of the
bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the
brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of
the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one
that spoke” (Ezekiel 1:28, JPS Tanakh 1917). This is the prophet’s description of the brightness that surrounded
the Divine Throne Chariot in his vision, and it seems to compare the auroral
display (which was the backdrop for this visionary experience in the first
place) to the “glory of the LORD” – the Shekinah, as mentioned above. The
aurora borealis is here understood to be a bright shadow or reflection of the
Divine Glory.
·
“And immediately I was in
the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there
was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald” (Revelation
4:2-3, King James Version). John of
Patmos’ highly symbolic vision of the heavenly throne room bears a striking
resemblance to Ezekiel’s vision, and the emerald-green rainbow encircling the
Divine Throne is quite remarkable for two reasons. First of all, its color is
emerald-green, instead of having the seven standard rainbow colors. Secondly,
it’s extraordinary because it completely encircles the Divine Throne, like a rainbow
ring (which can only be seen from an airplane). This would seem to suggest that
the emerald-colored “rainbow” might actually be based on an auroral display,
because green is a very common color for the Northern Lights, and this “rainbow”
is not an arc in the sky – it’s a circle.
Lauren and the Editor would like to encourage
our readers to study these passages of Scripture in different translations and
commentaries, both traditional and modern, to see what further insights might
be gleaned from them. Enjoy!
“The Game of Dominoes and
the Game of Life”
By the Editor and Alex
Nicholas, Staff Writer
(Adapted and Expanded
from the “Legacy of Leadership” Column in the October 2012 Issue of the Illinois
Administrative Professionals Newsletter)
“We have to make people lift their eyes back to the horizon, and see the line of ancestors behind us, saying, ‘Make my life have meaning.’ And to our inheritors before us, saying, ‘Create the world we will live in.’ I mean, we’re not just holding jobs and having dinner. We are in the process of building the future.” – Captain John Sheridan in Episode #37 of Babylon 5 (“And Now for a Word”)
Have you ever
created an elaborate picture with dominoes that have to be tipped over, one by
one, in the proper order, so that the picture turns out exactly the way you
wanted it to be? Human life resembles a picture made of dominoes, and (for the
sake of analogy) the dominoes in such a comparison could represent individual
people and the plans that these individuals make for their lives (and the lives
of others, too). I had a memorable conversation about this topic with my [then]
sixteen-year-old cousin Alex during Spring Break [in March of 2012]. The
substance of my conversation with her follows, along with a few enhancements
and practical applications mixed in for good measure. 😊
If we understand
the dominoes in our comparison as individual people and the plans that they
make, then the picture I described could be used to help us understand how and
why we got here and what we are supposed to be doing. We are alive right now,
and doing the things that we do at this point in time, because our ancestors
lived their lives in such a way as to make our existence and accomplishments
possible (whether they knew it or not). Our ancestors grew up, learned a trade
or skill, emigrated from one country to another, met and married their spouses,
raised children, sent them to school, etc. Because our ancestors survived and
thrived amid life’s challenges, we are here today.
Here is where the
comparison gets really interesting (and Alex agreed with me on this point
wholeheartedly). We are not always aware of the consequences of the plans that
we make; we cannot see into the future to measure all the ways in which we will
influence other people and their circumstances. However, we can (to a certain
extent) arrange ourselves (like dominoes in a row) in such a way as to make our
inheritors’ lives better than our own. We can align ourselves with the row of
ancestors behind us, and the row of inheritors in front of us, so that we can
“fall into line” and keep the overall pattern unfolding.
The Editor’s teenage cousin Alex sets up a tabletop
domino display in 2012. (Digital Image processed by the Editor.)
One implication of this comparison between human life and dominoes in a picture is that when we meet a new friend, it is the result of some very statistically unlikely occurrences. So we should, by implication, be grateful for all the friends that we have and the opportunities that come our way to improve their lives along with our own. It also goes without saying that we should also be grateful for the opportunity to have families and to be connected with other people through our common ancestors. We should also remember that we are all part of the one great human family, and for this reason, our friends can become like relatives to us, given enough time.
But setting up a
picture made of dominoes requires patience – just like the unfolding of human
life. We all have so many dreams and aspirations for ourselves, our families,
and our friends – but sometimes, it seems to take forever for events that we
are waiting for to happen, no matter how hard we may try. As J.C., a wise and
witty ACES James Scholar, once wrote on her Twitter page, “No one likes to play
the waiting game. ‘Tis why it’s not sold in stores.” 😊 Nonetheless, patience is an essential ingredient in any recipe
for making progress through life (and in creating a picture made from dominoes,
too).
So let us do our
best to be good ancestors to our inheritors, and line ourselves up like
dominoes in a row so that the best possible future can unfold through our
efforts. We cannot know exactly what the finished picture of humankind’s
overall story may look like, but I am certain that it will be something really
magnificent when it has been completed.
It is not our part to master all the tides of the
world, but to do what is in us for the succor of those years wherein we are
set, uprooting the evil in the fields that we know, so that those who live
after may have clean earth to till. What weather they shall have is not ours to
rule. – J. R. R. Tolkien (1872-1973): The Lord of the Rings (Book
V, Chapter 9)
“A Harvest of Golden Days”
By Meadow Morgenfeld,
Staff Writer
The furrows sing of seeds we sow,
And every hand, through toil and grace,
Has left its mark upon this place.
The table waits with fruits of cheer,
A circle drawn of hearts held near,
Where memory’s flame and friendship’s light
Turn darkest hours to stars of night.
O phoenix rising from the grain,
Through loss, through love, through joy and pain,
Your wings remind us, year by year,
That hope is born when thanks appear.
So let us lift our voices high,
As geese in silver pathways fly,
And bless the harvest, bless the flame,
That binds our souls in love’s true name.
Notes on Symbolism and
Sources
By Meadow Morgenfeld
This Thanksgiving poem draws upon several intertwined traditions:
·
Harvest Imagery — The “fields where autumn’s embers glow” echo the agrarian roots of
Thanksgiving, recalling both biblical harvest festivals (Leviticus 23:39–43)
and classical celebrations of Demeter and Ceres. The table of fruits and cheer
becomes a ritual circle, binding community through shared sustenance.
·
Phoenix Motif — The phoenix rising “from the grain” symbolizes renewal after loss.
This image resonates with early Christian writers (e.g., Clement of Rome, First
Epistle to the Corinthians 25) who saw the phoenix as a sign of
resurrection. Here, it ties the seasonal cycle of death and rebirth to
gratitude, suggesting that thanksgiving itself is a form of renewal.
·
Friendship and Memory — The refrain of “memory’s flame and friendship’s
light” reflects the deeper meaning of Thanksgiving as not merely a feast, but a
ritual of remembrance. This aligns with medieval traditions of communitas—the
binding of souls through shared ritual and story.
·
Flight of Geese — The closing image of geese flying in silver pathways recalls both
natural migration and the Psalms’ imagery of souls lifted heavenward. It
suggests that gratitude is not static but a journey, carrying us toward hope.
Together, these motifs weave a tapestry of gratitude, renewal, and
fellowship. The poem situates Thanksgiving within a continuum of mythic and
spiritual traditions, affirming that the harvest is not only of food, but of
love, memory, and hope.
“Heimdall’s Watch: A
Tribute to the Rainbow Bridge”
By Kendra Skaldmaer,
Staff Writer
A steadfast guardian, strong as an oak,
His eyes aglow with wisdom and grace,
Watching the Rainbow Bridge in a sacred embrace.
The Rainbow Bridge, a path of light and wonder,
Guides souls on their journey to a blessed land,
The shimmering Aurora Borealis dances in the air,
Reflecting Heimdall's watchful gaze, ever there.
Heimdall keeps vigil through the ages,
A sentinel steadfast, never astray,
In the shadows and the misty haze,
His presence lingers, in silence, we pray.
Heimdall sees the past, the present, and the future,
A cosmic oracle, wise and true,
His sight peers into the depths of space and time,
Guiding the souls upon the Rainbow's climb.
The souls of warriors, healers, and loremasters,
Pass through the gates, led by Heimdall's care,
As Aurora's glow gently adorns the night,
The bridge shimmers, a path to eternal light.
In the halls of Valhalla, a mighty feast awaits,
A gathering of souls, brave and true,
With mead and stories, laughter anew,
In the presence of Heimdall's guiding hue.
Within the embrace of the Rainbow Bridge,
Souls find peace and belonging,
Guided by Heimdall's watchful eye,
In the land where all ancestors abide.
In Norse mythology, Heimdall is the divine watchman of
Asgard, the city of the Nordic deities. He stands at the gates of Asgard, at
the end of the Rainbow Bridge (Bifrost), to ward off all evil creatures, until
the Last Battle and the Day of Doom РRagnar̦k! (Image Credit: Digital artwork
by the Editor.)
By Knowles
Shaw (1834-1878)
“Though he goeth on his way
weeping that beareth the measure of seed,
He shall come home with joy,
bearing his sheaves.” – Psalm
126:6 (JPS Tanakh 1917)
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of
reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the
sheaves.
Refrain:
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the
sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the
sheaves,
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the
sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the
sheaves.
2. Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the
shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter's chilling
breeze;
By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the
sheaves.
(Refrain)
3. Going forth with weeping, sowing for the
Master,
Though the loss sustained our spirit often
grieves;
When our weeping's over, He will bid us
welcome,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the
sheaves.
(Refrain)
The Bardic Gorsedd
An Original Poem by Viviana Rivera & Rhiannon
Blythe, Staff Writers
“Gratitude and Love”
We gather together on this day
To give thanks for those we hold dear
Those who have walked with us through life's way
And brought light to our hearts, clear and near
On this Thanksgiving Day, we pause to be thankful
For the people who warm our hearts in every season
Who share our laughter, tears, and every tale
And remind us that love is the reason we're reason
Family and friends, near and far
Our lives are richer with them here.
Here’s a Thanksgiving
quote from the great Taoist sage Lao Tzu. It's a beautiful and poetic way to
express thanks for our roots and the generations that came before us:
"To honor the ancestors is to respect life's origins."
This ancient wisdom reminds us that our lives are woven into a
beautiful web of ancestry, nourished by the love and labors of those who came
before.
