Hitting Send

Happy Birthday peace sign! Cool! You’re fifty years old! And look at all you’ve come to symbolize in that time. I think my first memory of you was on the side of a VW bus. But, it has been awhile, so let’s just say that I’ve adored you for a long time! Let’s take a look at how you came into existence, some controversies you’ve stirred and how you became so darn popular.

The symbol was designed on February 21, 1958, by Gerald Holtom, a British textile designer and graduate of the London Royal College of Arts. As a member of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) in Britain, he was asked to create a badge symbolizing the nuclear disarmament for their Easter demonstration planned by DAC from Trafalgar Square, London, to the Atomics Weapons Research Establishment at Aldermaston in England. (Haha, sounds like something I would have enjoyed attending!)

It is said that he originally wanted to use the Christian cross symbol within a circle as the motif for the march. But various priests told him that using a cross in a protest march was not a good idea (Thank God/dess! Can you imagine?!). He knew he wanted something the size and shape of an extra large pizza which would be lightweight, look great on television, and would trumpet the message of nuclear disarmament without the need for cumbersome words. The symbol he ended up using is a combination of the semaphoric signals for the letters “N” and “D” for Nuclear Disarmament. Huh? I know! The flag semaphore system was developed by the military to convey information from great distances. “N” is two flags, arms down stretched at a forty-five degree angle, and “D” is two flags, one arm straight up and one straight down. For those with the mindset, you may have noticed that the symbol is upside down (D over N). That’s because semaphore is military code, so inverting it says “anti-military”.

There are many theories about how the peace sign migrated across the pond. Was it the friend of Martin Luther King Jr., Bayard Rustin, a Quaker-raised black pacifist who used it in civil rights marches? Was it the appearance on the 1960’s leaflet from the Committee for Non-Violent Action protesting Polaris submarines berthed in Connecticut? How would I know? I wasn’t even born yet! Evidently, those of you around weren’t keeping good track, because there are many more theories. My mom says that you were too stoned, so I guess I understand!

Let’s look at it’s controversial past! Various far-right and fundamentalist (shudder) American groups seriously considered banning it in the 1970’s and spread the idea that it held satanic associations or condemned it as a Communist sign. In South Africa, during the apartheid regime, there was an official effort to ban it. Anti-Vietnam war protestors picked it up and it was called “the footprint of the great American chicken” (suggesting that peace activists were cowards, boo hiss). There have been claims that it has an older, occult or anti-Christian association, and that it’s a symbol of death. One claim is that it’s an upside down crucifix with the arms broken downward, suggesting the way in which Saint Peter was crucified. The inverted crucifix has been known for centuries as the Nero’s Cross, from the Roman reign of the Emperor Nero (54-68 ACE), which in the Middle-Ages was adapted in satanic rituals and thus became known as the symbol for Satanism. Alternately, it has been suggested that it is an inverted Elhaz rune, which would reverse the rune’s meaning from life to death. Gerald Holtom’s explanation and original drawings of the peace sign do not support these claims. Ack!! Busy minds, busy minds, I guess. I’m showing an image so you can picture it, but I in no way condone these ideas. Peace=Peace

What I find really cool is that the peace sign was deliberately never copyrighted. It is known worldwide for peace and non-violence and no one has to pay or seek approval before they use it. As a symbol of freedom, it is free to all. That said, it has been exploited for uses such as commercial, advertising and fashion purposes. But next month the peace sign returns to its roots. On Monday March 24, 2008, Britain’s Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament hopes to have protestors, carrying peace signs, encircle the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston in Berkshire, west of London. Yes, a return 50 years later to it’s original unveiling. Wish I could be there. Go peace sign! You rock!!!

I am feeling very excited about the full lunar eclipse. Lunar eclipses occur when the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow. Since this occurs only when the moon is on the far side of the Earth from the sun, lunar eclipses only happen when the moon is full. The shadow of Earth will creep across the face of the brightly lit full moon for more than an hour before totality (the total phase) occurs. The total phase will last approximately 50 minutes.

There are three types of lunar eclipses: penumbral, when the moon crosses only the Earth’s penumbra; partial, when the moon crosses partially into the Earth’s umbra; and total, when the moon crosses entirely within the Earth’s umbra. Total lunar eclipses (as we’re about to have) pass through all three phases. Even during a total lunar eclipse, however, the moon is not completely dark. Sunlight refracted through the Earth’s atmosphere intersects the umbra and provides a faint illumination. Much as in a sunset, the atmosphere tends to scatter light with shorter wavelengths, so the illumination of the moon by refracted light has a redish hue. Recent volcanic eruptions in South and Central America may cause the eclipsed moon there to take on a black, blue, or violet hue.

It will be visible from western Europe and Africa, all of South America, and central and eastern North America. Unfortunately the full eclipse will not be visible in eastern Asia or Australia. One does not need special equipment to view the eclipse, nor does one need to take special precautions, as it is perfectly safe to view with the naked eye. NASA suggests using binoculars to enhance viewing. The next full lunar eclipse does not occur until December 21, 2010! A couple of partial and penumbral eclipses will occur between now and then. The moon will already be in eclipse phase during the moon rising for the western US, including Alaska. For those on the west coast, it will begin at about 7:01pm. For the east coast at 10:01pm and ends just after midnight February 21st. Europeans will view it on the 21 February. Don’t miss it! Enjoy my friends!

My earliest memory of the holiday resides in an elementary school classroom, the first year back to the states from Holland. I learned immediately that this was to be a popularity contest in who could get the most cards. It was a game I felt I would never win. My favorite memory of the holiday was attending an Anti-Valentine’s Day Goth party in Northern California. Granted, even dressed in black I didn’t exactly blend in, but I, like those in attendance, understood that we had been drawn together by our mutual rejection of being rejected. But this year I want to set aside my loathing of the cheesy Hallmark adverts, and focus upon the true origins of the holiday. There is an abundance of information around this holiday, much of which is conflicting, so I am choosing to focus mainly upon the earliest roots, which lie in the pagan traditions.

The first interpretation of the holiday is Lupercalia, a pagan tradition held in the third century in ancient Rome. As there were hordes of hungry wolves threatening shepherds and their flocks, the Ancient Romans gathered for a feast to honor the God Lupercus, who was known as a guardian against these threats. (Note: the word ‘lupus’ translates to wolf. Lupercalia is also said to be linked to fertility archaic rites.) Also during Lupercalia, but in honor of the Goddess Juno Februata (or Juno Februa, the Goddess of women and marriage), the names of young women were placed in a box and names were drawn by lot. The boys and girls who were matched up were then considered partners for the year. Can you imagine?

The Feast of Lubercus was given a name change, to Saint Valentine’s Day, by priests of the Christian church in an attempt to replace old “heathen” traditions. To give the celebration further meaning and eliminate pagan aspects, the girl’s names were replaced by Saint’s names. The boys and girls drew a saint and would emulate the life of the saint that following year. By the fourteenth century they went back to drawing the names of girls. In the sixteenth century an attempt was made to go back to Saint’s names, but this effort failed just as the first had. Hmmm. The girls…or acting like a saint all year? I can’t imagine why the latter didn’t go over well.

While it cannot be proved historically, there were between seven and eleven men named Valentine who were honored with feasts on February 14th. The most referred to of these men named Valentine was a Christian priest during the reign of Emperor Claudius. It is said that Claudius tried to convert the priest to Roman traditions and when he was refused, he had Valentine jailed. Another version says that Claudius was attempting to recruit men for his army, and banned marriage because he felt that only single men made good soldiers. The priest, Valentine, thought this was unfair and secretly married couples in the Christian church. When Claudius found out, he had Valentine jailed for the offense.

There are multiple stories about Valentine’s jail time. It seems that he fell in love with the jailer’s daughter. I like the version which says he cured her of blindness. Either way, he supposedly wrote her love notes signed, “From your Valentine”. In the tragic version of this tale, Claudius found out about this love affair and had Valentine beaten to death and beheaded on February 14, 269 AD (or 270 AD).

In 469 AD Pope Gelasius declared the day in honor of St. Valentine. Through the centuries the Christian holiday became a time to exchange love messages and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers.

The Europeans believed that on February 14th, the birds began to choose their mates. In “Parlement of Foules” (1382) Geoffrey Chaucer wrote, “For this was Seynt Valentine’s Day when every foul cometh ther to choose his mate.” Shakespeare mentions the holiday in ‘Hamlet’, having Ophelia ruefully declare, “Tomorrow is St. Valentine’s Day.”(I know how she felt!) The poet Drayton wrote verses entitled, “To His Valentine” in which he expressed the idea of the birds mating on St. Valentine’s Day.

Each little bird this tide
Doth choose her beloved peer,
Which constantly abide
In wedlock all the year.

Have a very Happy Valentine’s Day!

When Antonia neared her fifth birthday I had an overpowering drive to move to Europe. I aimed for France, but upon arriving, chose Holland, instead. Living in Holland was a marvelous adventure. It gave us the opportunity to experience day to day living in a European culture. Given that our ancestors were all Northern Europeans, this was a wonderful chance to taste, perhaps, a bit of what they had left behind in coming to America.

One thing I loved about Holland is that it is full of cafes, and not the kind where you sit outside under an umbrella sipping wine or tea. But neighborhood cafes where people in the neighhorhood actually congregated and drank wine and talked and laughed and chatted without ever feeling like you were in a bar or a pub. Cafes were watering holes and all neighborhoods had them. Musicians would traipse in from time to time, sing songs, collect change and travel on to the next cafe (known as busking) creating a lively free-flowing ambience for all involved. It was a charming, friendly atmosphere.

I often recall the evening that I entered one such cafe in my earliest days in Holland and I was shocked as I entered to view my mind thinking the following thought, “You mean all these people are not Americans and it’s OK?” In other words, I realized in a flash of upending consciousness, I had been majorly programmed, however inadvertently, to believe that American was the Way to Go. It was definitely NOT part of my programming that it was Great To Be Dutch. Or French. Or English. Or any other nationality, frankly. It was Great To Be An American. So I was suddenly needing to integrate that other people had other programming and other considerations, choices and preferences! What a shock!

In the three years I lived in Holland I learned a lot about how some other countries view things differently. Peeks into my Dutch experience included, but were not limited to:

*prostitution was legal and regulated.
*pot was not that big a deal; you could buy it openly in clubs.
*the Dutch had Youth Centers all over the country; I know; I performed in a lot of them.

Small aside: on one such journey, to the north of Holland we arrived at the club where we were scheduled to perform only to learn that a small group of young people had recently squatted a local empty government building. We were asked if we might be willing to perform for these young people. Upon affirming our willingness we were whisked away in a taxi, where we were ushered into said building. We sang cheerfully and were applauded and we were shepherded back to our assigned club where we performed. I will never forget that the City Fathers of that town regarded the squatting episode as a youthful folly. They simply said, “They will get tired. And they will go home.” Apparently that is precisely what happened. I found myself imagining what would have happened had this incident occurred in the States. I imagined tanks arriving, sans musicians.

*So this would be a timely place to explain that squatting was legal in Holland and there were rules in place that squatters needed to follow in order to maintain their claim. It would probably take an extended stay in Holland where a roof over your head is not easily come by in order to understand how much a travesty an Empty Building would be regarded in that culture.

*I would also have to say that at that time I never saw homeless or crazy people on the street in Holland. The Dutch government always seemed to care for its people, including those who would be labled the “disenfranchised” in the United States.

*The Dutch have a charming, practical practice of leaving anything they do not want on the sidewalk and it’s yours for free. I once decided I wanted a dollhouse for Antonia, and the next week I found a huge handmade dollhouse (all you could wish for and more) on the street and brought it home!

Yes, we loved Holland and the Dutch. They are kind, grounded, friendly, practical people who, having few topographical barriers, have survived by learning to accept change and difference. We have much to learn from them…