It takes faith to work with people week after week, year after year and not know them.
When you talk to people it can get confusing. “Did they say vacation or vaccination?” “Cholera or call ‘er up?”
But when they write, it’s clear.
We have four columnists who deserve mention. Robert Johnson knows exactly the perfect time and water temperature and depth to catch fish. He’s written for us since 2012 and we’ve never met him.
Danny West called a couple of years ago offering a Razorbacks football/basketball column. He has national credentials and is a thorough, knowledgeable writer. We’ve never met.
Kirk Ashworth lives 10 or 15 miles from here and started submitting columns sporadically, now consistently. He’s a former high school teacher and a jolly writer. We’ve never met.
Risa writes a horoscope column, and astrologers here in Eureka Springs tell us she’s the “real deal,” which is high praise coming from peers. Some people shrug astrology off as non-scientific, but they read their horoscope every week. Astrology might seem non-scientific, but being the mother of physics and mathematics does have clout.
Risa has been talking about kali yuga recently, an ancient understanding that time is cyclical, not linear. For instance, “We’ve been married for fifty years,” or “I’m thirty-two years old,” or the Ice Age or Renaissance or when we lived in Dallas – all linear.
Linear moves in one direction, while cyclical is rhythmic, like phases of the moon, dawn/twilight, the seasons. They will keep occurring despite our interference. They are inevitable.
Kali yuga is the fourth phase of the cycle, the one we’re in now. It’s dark but will change.
The first yuga is 40 percent of time’s circle. It’s when people are happy and weather is perfect. The second and third yugas are when people stray from sharing to stockpiling. Property and wealth accumulation, crumbling morals and uncomfortable diseases take over. Weather can be dire.
This stage will end and we’ll return to Satya Yuga – once planets are aligned rather than conjunct.
Whaaaat??
We haven’t met Risa, either. She’s written for us for seven years.
I’m learning about astrology and fishing, know a boatload about football and am blissed on Berryville because of these writers.
At least when I read I can tell the difference between I sowed poppy seeds and I sold poppy seeds.