LEVI(RO)TATION :: To Day, Jah View

"... A thousand-petalled lotus picked a petal a year ..." ~ Trans



As the season's first major snowfall brings some of the East Coast to cleansing stillness, this is for the beautiful "Vanilla Child" from Santa Monica, CA born Mary Christine Brockert a.k.a Teena Marie (March 5, 1956 - December 26, 2010) who especially sweetened my musical enjoyment and aspirations since the days of sneaking the radio into bed with, if not instead of, a teddy bear.

Lots of Love, few words & what I receive as a soulful reminder from "Lady T"
to let go of all sin

Elevation: ___ Feet

.: 'God's gonna show you higher ground!' :.

This is track #5 on the Verve album, "Motor City Moments", by critically acclaimed violinist Regina Carter. Carter has been a personal favorite since her days as a member of the jazz quintet, Straight Ahead. (New listeners, check her out on "Hallucinations", "Last Night Marion Had A Real Good Dream" and the lush favorite, "You Touch Me" from their 1991 debut, Look Straight Ahead.)

Here, she lends her immense talent to a sparse yet percussive rendition of the Stevie Wonder classic, "Higher Ground", from his 1973 Innervisions album. Enjoy, look within and reach up! The original's lyrics are below :)

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"Higher Ground" by Stevie Wonder

People keep on learnin'
Soldiers keep on warrin'
World keep on turnin'
Cause it won't be too long

Powers keep on lyin'
While your people keep on dyin'
World keep on turnin'
Cause it won't be too long

I'm so darn glad He let me try it again
Cause my last time on Earth I lived a whole world of sin
I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then
Gonna keep on tryin'
Till I reach the highest ground

Teachers keep on teachin'
Preachers keep on preachin'
World keep on turnin'
Cause it won't be too long
Oh no

Lovers keep on lovin'
Believers keep on believin'
Sleepers just stop sleepin'
Cause it won't be too long
Oh no

I'm so glad that He let me try it again
Cause my last time on Earth I lived a whole world of sin
I'm so glad that I know more than I knew then
Gonna keep on tryin'
Till I reach my highest ground...Whew!
Till I reach my highest ground

No one's gonna bring me down
Oh no
Till I reach my highest ground
Don't you let nobody bring you down (they'll sho 'nuff try)
God is gonna show you higher ground
He's the only friend you have around

KNEWS :: Sighs, Matters

(c) Trevor Riggen

Changes of season take place in much of North America four times a year, but the coincidence of December 20/21's Winter solstice and total lunar eclipse is a reported rarity. The phenomenon occurs when the Earth essentially stands between the light play of the Sun and Moon, hiding and slightly reddening the lesser body against what was a dark sky in my neck of the woods then. I believe such an alignment of three planets is also known as a "syzygy", which I perceive as having an odd kinship to the word "sizing" only asking 'why, why, why' within its unique appearance.

During the early phases of the heavenly movement, my main website's server and a few other sites I accessed in the surf had undergone system maintenance that presented minor setbacks and underscored the event's suggestion to pause 'business as usual'. That downtime's late night or otherwise lunar news of positive relief efforts found its place among negative reports of disease and death. Similarly, the First Lady's health promotion efforts met with the frosty reception of a "food fight". Even NYC's poetic commuter pick-me-ups are taking a back seat to more structured service info for straphangers. No good news or even positive approaches to solving the bad news is at the popular fore. For the moment, contrast is the headline.

Obscure, almost frustrating answers may arise when questioning these humbling and equalizing accounts. This is to be expected  as the blockage of light can make it very hard to discern, or size things up, if relying only on the natural senses. Thankfully, peace and perspective are available beyond mundane reason. Let's stay tuned to these stories as they develop.