About the Blog

Welcome to They Are Fire.  I am your host, Mahajamatman.

This started out in concept as a venue for me to review books, particularly my favourite ones: what they’re about, why I like them, how they’ve affected me.  I then thought, however, “What if I want to talk about something else?”  I have other interests besides books.  Too, as my friends and family know, from time to time some subject or other will get my hackles up (as hackles are wont to do), and I simply have to spout off about it.   So really, then, this is just my blog.  I’ll (probably) have a large number of posts about books, but — in much the same way I find it extremely difficult to limit myself to a top 5 or top 10 favourite books — I can’t not write about something that’s tickling the back of my neck.

About the names

As this ostensibly began as a more book-oriented endeavour, both the title and username are homages to my favourite book, Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny.  I won’t go into too much depth, as that is the first book I’ll be reviewing, and thus I’ll be covering it in more detail there.  Keep your eyes out for the post.  Quickly, then:

My username – The main character of the book is called (among other things) Mahasamatman.  As the blurb on the book says, he prefers to drop the Maha- and the -atman and just calls himself “Sam.”  Maha in Sanskrit means “great,” and atman means “soul” (cf. the shortened version, mahatma, “Great Soul,” as in Mahatma Gandhi; it’s a title of respect, not a name).  Hence another of his epithets, “Great-souled Sam.”  Which leaves me, apparently, as the self-appointed “Great-souled Jam.”  While I make no specific claim to having a great soul (or to being comprised of Jam, for that matter), I think “Mahajamatman” has a certain way of rolling off the tongue that pleases the ear.  ;)  Your mileage may vary.

The blog name – There is a certain passage in the first chapter of the book that, for me, is so full of truth and beauty, it serves as my spiritual centre.  It’s probably the best sermon that Buddha never delivered.  You can find it excerpted here: http://alumnus.caltech.edu/~tec/Meditations/sam1.html.  Go on, have a read.  You won’t be sorry.  I’ll wait right here.  Finished?  Excellent.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.  And now you know where the blog name originates.

About me

Well, I’m leaving this blog open to the general public (as you do), so I won’t say too much.  If you know me, you already know that which you need to know.  If you don’t, you’ll learn about me by reading the blog (as any author cannot help but inform his writing with a piece of himself).  What have we likely been able to glean so far?  I’m male (well, not necessarily a given, but there’s a freebie for you), I like books, I like other stuff too, I like to write, my favourite book is Lord of Light, and Jam figures into my life in some fashion.  That’s enough to get you started, anyway.

I can be reached at my username on Yahoo! (take that, spambots), if leaving a comment here isn’t enough for you.

To everyone, welcome, thanks for stopping by, pull up a comfortable chair and make yourself at home.  I’ll see you on the other side.