religious stuff

My father and I had to clean out my great-aunt's apartment last week, because she's been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and is now staying in a nursing home. As I was cleaning out her dresser drawers, trying to decide if any given thing was trash-worthy or not, I came across a little brown spiral notebook.

This little notebook was my aunt's personal notes from when she first joined the Spiritual Israel Church, the church of my youth. (My grandmother and another great-aunt were heavily involved in this church. It's a Black church, though in recent years more Caucasians have joined.) The last time she took notes in this book was in 1958.

This is the first page of notes:

The Foundation of Spiritual Israel

(A) Affirm: I want to come out of myself. And I want the Spirit to tell me something.

(B) Center the mind upon the high properties of earth.

(C) 23rd Psalms and the Lord's Prayer--daily meditation.

see 1 Corinthians 12.

Now, I went to the referenced chapter. It's all about spiritual gifts.
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the fisher

He set about
seeking those few
with gold in their ears

let he
with a subtle ear
let him hear

he stricken
with the heavenly fear
let him hear

and come unto
my familiar hand
that once seemed austere.

the lucid Elect
have ocular silver
and auric ears,

metallic intercessionaries
which rend maya
so clear.