Appointment in Samarra

 

One morning a rich merchant was walking in the marketplace in Baghdad

As he looked across the street he suddenly saw the figure of Death beckoning to him

The terrified man rushed home, mounted his fastest horse, and rode a hundred miles to Samara

He booked a room at the inn and locked himself inside

That night there was a knock on the door of the room

He opened it there stood Death

"why did you beckon me in the marketplace in Baghdad today" asked the man

"I was not beckoning you" said Death

"I was merely surprised to see you in Baghdad since I knew that tonight we had an appointment in Samarra"

Appointment in Samarra

 

Appointment in Samarra

There was a merchant in Baghdad who sent his servant to market to buy provisions, and in a little while the servant came back, white and trembling, and said, “Master, just now when I was in the marketplace I was jostled by a woman in the crowd, and when I turned I saw it was Death that had jostled me. She looked at me and made a threatening gesture. Now, lend me your horse, and I will ride away from this city and avoid my fate. I will go to Samarra and there Death will not find me.”

The merchant lent him his horse, and the servant mounted it, and he dug his spurs in its flanks and as fast as the horse could gallop, he went.

Then the merchant went down to the marketplace and he saw Death disguised as a woman standing in the crowd, and he came to her and said, “Why did you make a threatening gesture to my servant when you saw him this morning?” “That was not a threatening gesture,” the woman said. “It was only an expression of surprise. I was astonished to see him in Baghdad, for I had an appointment with him tonight in Samarra

 

From the moment we are born, people tell us that the world is like this and like that, this way, that way.

 It is natural that - for a certain period of time - we end up believing what we are told. 

But we must soon push these ideas aside and discover our own way of living reality

 Spiritually, sand symbolizes the passage of time, infinity, and shifting foundations. Because it is formed by weathered rock, it represents transformation and resilience. It can also serve as a reminder to stay grounded in the present moment rather than letting life slip through your fingers.

In Abrahamic faiths, sand often represents abundance and divine covenants (e.g., the countless descendants promised to Abraham). Conversely, it can symbolize a weak or foolish foundation if one builds upon it rather than on a solid rock

 Because it is formed by both earth (minerals) and water (oceans), sand is believed to balance both energies. It is frequently used in spiritual practices for cleansing, grounding, and letting go of what you cannot control

The iconic hourglass is a direct representation of sand's connection to transience and the present moment. Each grain represents a single second, reminding practitioners of the value of every breath

 

All you have to do is contemplate 

a simple grain of sand, 

and you will see in it 

all the marvels of creation

 

 the estimated total number of all grains of sand on every beach and desert across the entire Earth is less than 8 quintillion (0.8 x 10¹⁹) 

 a single average grain of sand contains roughly 24 quintillion (2.4 × 10¹⁹) atoms

 

Ironically, while a grain of sand is a metaphor for a negligible speck, scientifically it contains mind-boggling scale. 

A single average grain of sand contains roughly 24 quintillion (2.4 × 10¹⁹) atoms

—which is more than three times the estimated total number of all grains of sand on every beach and desert across the entire Earth

 

 

"To see a World in a Grain of Sand,
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower,
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand,
And Eternity in an Hour."

 

 

You can’t choose whether or not you’ll suffer, 

but you can choose what you want to suffer for

when she looks in the mirror she does not see beauty looking back at her 

only her face 

 

 

several years later from a taxi you'll

1:49

1 minute, 49 seconds

see someone in a doorway who looks like her
 she'll be gone by the time you persuade the driver to stop you will never see her again

 

It's better to live cherishing a dream 

than face the possibility that it might all come to nothing

Fleetwood Mac

 

Fleetwood Mac (1968 album)

• Peter Green – vocals, guitar, harmonica
• Jeremy Spencer – vocals, slide guitar, piano
• John McVie – bass guitar 
• Mick Fleetwood – drums 
• 
  
• Bob Brunning – bass guitar on "Long Grey Mare"

Mr. Wonderful 

Fleetwood Mac

• Peter Green – vocals, guitar
• Jeremy Spencer – vocals, slide guitar, piano
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums

Additional personnel

• Christine Perfect – piano
• Duster Bennett – harmonica
• Steve Gregory – alto saxophone
• Dave Howard – alto saxophone
• Johnny Almond – tenor saxophone
• Roland Vaughan – tenor saxophone

Danny Kirwin joins

Then Play On

Fleetwood Mac

• Peter Green – vocals, guitar, harmonica, six string bass, percussion, cello 
• Danny Kirwan – vocals, guitar
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion
• Jeremy Spencer – piano on "Oh Well (Part 2)"

Additional personnel

• Christine Perfect – uncredited piano
• Sandra Elsdon – uncredited recorders 

Peter Green leaves 

Kiln House

Fleetwood Mac

• Danny Kirwan – guitar, vocals
• Jeremy Spencer – guitar, slide guitar, vocals, piano
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

• Christine McVie – Wurlitzer 200A, piano, backing vocals

Jeremy Spencer leaves 

Bob Welch joins 

Future Games

Fleetwood Mac

• Danny Kirwan – guitar, vocals
• Bob Welch – guitar, vocals
• Christine McVie – piano, vocals
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums

Bare Trees

Fleetwood Mac

• Danny Kirwan – guitar, vocals
• Bob Welch – guitar, vocals
• Christine McVie – keyboards, vocals
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Danny Kirwin leaves 

Dave Walker and Bob Weston join 

Penguin

Fleetwood Mac

• Bob Welch – guitars, vocals, bass guitar
• Bob Weston – lead guitar slide guitar  banjo and harmonica 
• Christine McVie – keyboards, vocals
• Dave Walker – vocals, harmonica 
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Dave Walker leaves 

Mystery to Me

Fleetwood Mac

• Bob Welch 
• – electric guitar, acoustic guitarr, vocals
• Bob Weston – electric guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
• Christine McVie – keyboards, lead and backing vocals
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Mystery to Me was Fleetwood Mac's last album recorded in England, the last to have two guitarists in the line-up until Behind the Mask and the last to be co-produced and/or engineered by Martin Birch. 

Bob Weston leaves 

Heroes Are Hard to Find

Fleetwood Mac

• Bob Welch – guitars, vocals, vibraphone
• Christine McVie – keyboards, vocals, ARP String Ensemble
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

Bob Welch leaves  Fleetwood Mac and was replaced by Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, 

Fleetwood Mac

• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Christine McVie – keyboards, synthesizer, vocals
• Lindsey Buckingham – guitars, vocals
• Stevie Nicks – vocals

• Fleetwood Mac (1975)
• Rumours (1977)
• Tusk (1979)
• Mirage (1982)
• Tango in the Night (1987)

Lindsey Buckingham leaves 

Rick Vito and Billy Burnette were hired to replace him on the subsequent tour, and they would remain part of the band's lineup for the next album, Behind the Mask 

Behind the Mask

Fleetwood Mac

• Stevie Nicks – vocals
• Christine McVie – vocals, keyboards
• Rick Vito – vocals, lead guitars
• Billy Burnette – vocals, guitars
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion,

• Lindsey Buckingham – acoustic guitar on "Behind the Mask"

Time

Fleetwood Mac

• Bekka Bramlett – vocals
• Billy Burnette – guitars, vocals
• Dave Mason – guitars, vocals
• Christine McVie – keyboards, vocals
• John McVie – bass guitar
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion, 

• Lindsey Buckingham – backing vocals 
• Lucy Fleetwood – backing vocals 

Say You Will

Fleetwood Mac

• Lindsey Buckingham – vocals, guitars, keyboards, bass guitar, percussion, programming
• Stevie Nicks – vocals, additional keyboards
• John McVie – bass guitar, black keys
• Mick Fleetwood – drums, percussion

.