My Dearest Uncle,

Funny that I should write to you in a language other than our beloved Hebrew, a sign of the bilingual cross cultural identities that you and I share.

I feel we share even more than this. I feel we share the same faith, not Judaism, nor atheism but pure unadulterated mysticism. Be it in Hebrew or English, Arabic or Sanskrit, we know who we are, where we are headed and where we have come.

Years ago, a physical ailment inflicted your body and the forecasts were grim. At one point last year, I recall you saying this was the single greatest gift bestowed upon you. I was most impressed with this statement. Only an enlightened being owns up to his or her destiny, embracing life’s greatest challenges as an opportunity to discover, what we are made of – stardust!

And so my solar soul, we meet once more, on paper or in the web, always inexorably interlinked, by virtue of memory, bloodline, and most importantly – spiritual cohesiveness.

You, Adi, have been a pillar and a role model in my life, these last couple of years. I thank you for all that you have meant to all of us. Your behaviour has constituted a beacon of shining light. That little bell inside of me, that always rings when truth is uttered, has chimed non stop around your presence.

I love you dearly and you shall always be with me, through all eternity.

Your nephew and spiritual comrade,

Iyar

I, Iyar Yosef Semel, am a fortunate being.

Had I been in Israel today, I would have been in uniform, preparing to evacuate Jewish settlers from the most densely populated strip of land on this planet, Gaza. Instead, I spent the morning on the beach with my friends, recovering from a night of chillums, raspberry vodka and a stint on the wheels of steel. I was hurled onto the dj booth to rescue the dancing few from the carnage of generic dance music displayed by 95% of my colleagues on the decks. If God(-dess) really is a deejay, she must have abandoned us all. No wonder I have crossed over to the other side of the recording studio - engineering is not enough, I wish to play.

Electronic Music is not enough. I want to hear the infinite harmonics of any acoustic string.

I want it all to mean something, anything. Of-course that job is ours . We volunteered to descend from the heavens and participate in Prime Creator's experiment - The realm of the relative. And with the perks, comes the responsibility, that of gifting meaning that is, for with out it, we can not go on, we will not go on.

And so, although this peculiar physical body is demanding at times, although it drags me down with cravings and aversions, it is part of me. It enables (me) to observe, so that i can give witness to these happenings down here. Man, the angels must get a kick from our soapy lives. They must be fearful of sensations, for if they were not, they would head jump into incarnation. They must be jealous though, of our relativity. They must be sick of their unending cosmic love for it all, I know I was. That is why I made the leap. I wished to feel "bad", just so I can choose to feel "good", just so I won't take it for granted. And now that I am choosing, I realize, I am a fortunate being. Fortunate for all the goodies and more importantly, all those that are not. All those that endow me with the faculty to differentiate.

So thank you Goddess. Thanks for granting me this S&M wish. Thanks for finally letting me breathe. Fret not over my journey in this sea of Samsara, I must. I enjoy the swim. And when I have had enough I shall return to your caring embrace. Till then, Adios Amiga.


(un)fortunate being

-----------------

I wrote this a while ago, and as I wrtie THIS, I reflect on the growth I have invoked into my Self since. Yesterday we had a Passover gathering at my house. We assembled round a main fire in our lush rain forrest back yard and told each other tales of each other's roots. We shared some seriously authentic Hebrew Humous, had a drum circle which evolved into a full blown musical jam with a drum kit, piano, bass, guitar, trumpet and spoken word on the mic.

All in all, my past self would surely be impressed.

Re-Member note:

Being Alone is actually ALL-one, shy not from it, be its best friend.
Loneliness on the other, is often experienced with others beside you.

my Lover, my Friend, my Goddess,


I wrote this the other week, my 2nd song ever. Will perform it in concert practice with two girls playing guitar and flute:

_____________________

"Freedom or Me" - Iyar Semel, March 2007

We had so much lovin',
But things go on

We shared some space & time,
and it hurts to let go

Chorus:
I just don't know, should I let go?
Which is the greatest gift, freedom or me?

When I see you smiling,
my heart sends me a blow

When I think of eternity,
all I want for you is just to grow

Chorus:
I just don't know, should I let go?
Which is the greatest gift, freedom or me?

Bridge:
Locked in time, forever entwined
You're in my dreams, just let me be

Lost in time, are you still mine?
Allways together, never apart

Cause life is so short,
expressing love is of the utmost

Nothin' to be sorry,
we're headed to a good place

--- Lucy Elliott wrote:

> my Lover, my Friend, my God
>
> Today I remembered the time we first met....
> I knew straight away that i was to rise in love with YOU...... And every day
> after that my pulsating being has skipped a rythm at the whisper of your
> name
>
> As I begin to let go, the tears seem to lighten the heaviness and intensity
> of my love for you
>
> I had no expectations of you or Us and therefore I was never in a space to
> be dissapointed... You where always with me in pure thought, word & deed and
> ultimately in TRUTH, JOY & LOVE
>
> There has been so many moments of growth in which you have created a space
> for me to remember who I am and who I choice to be. I Give thanks.
>
> And when I try to make sence of the things that shall be, may I always
> remember that we are all one, so we shall never be apart. You and I.
>
> Let our Love Linger on,
> Ever changing,
> Limitless,
> Eternal and Free

Indeed, A Life Well Spent.

Such was Batz's life. A friend, a brother, a role model, a fisherman. He belonged to the sea and that is where he came back to. Who knows how it may have happened. I imagine it like so:

Batz went out fishing like he usually does on a random Monday. As he delves into sea with his little kayak, a cloud assembles over his head and from it, a voice emmits - 'Batz! Come here, we need your help, ASAP'. Startled, Batz looks at the sky only to gaze upon a speaking cloud.

ALthough full knowing how many humans he could have helped through out his lifetime, nevertheless, Batz acquiesces to God's request and transports upstairs. The things you do for love.

Thank you for the good times brother man, my prievelage.

Iyar

It seems this relationchip with the Goddess formely known as Lucy has cemented to the point of NoReturn. I all wayz wondered if I ever would be one of those lucky/yucky couples who do EVERYthing 2gether. U know the ones, they keep sticking their tongues down each other, insist on holding hands as if to outcast those less fortunate. To make things worse, they radiate their unabashed loveliness without ever asking. They're almost alwayz nice, to each other, to you. You just feel hard pressed to find any flaws, which makes you feel less than perfect yourself.

I'm there. Don't know what or how I got here but it's damn noyce. There is a lot of re-adjustment as far as I am concerned, after being an eligible bachelor for so many years. All of a sudden I feel thrown into LucYar world. Where do I end and she begins? Is there really a fine line? Or are we truly conglomerations of consciousness, at times individual, part of a duo on others, sometimes trios or even a company.

Before I totally lose track, I am fasting on this auspicious random Jewish Day of Atonement (Yom-Kippur), as I have been every year since the age of 13. I am becoming a proponent of fasts, some for physical health, while others for Spirit.

Peace