What a strange time, to be celebrating, genuinely. Laughing and sharing good times, genuinely. And yet to be concerned about what is happening all around, also genuinely. To be aware of what is and what is to come. It's a hard thing, to be in more than one place at once. Sometimes I wouldn't mind being able to do things that others I know can do, stepping through the veil like stepping into another room. But most times I'm all right with being right where I am in that regard. High the price of such gifts.
I have the possibility of learning more about my pasts. Do I want to do that? No going back if I did. For now, I think I'm happy with the way things are, knowing that I can call on the skills and talents I've acquired over time. But if someday I think the need is there... For now, knowing without knowing is enough. That knowledge is not far away though; I can feel it.
Too much going on. Need to work on that.
Sunday, 21 December 2008
Winter Solstice
Late last night I lit a beeswax candle shaped like a pine cone for some personal observances, and as well we did an I Ching reading. Very illuminating. We'll be making some changes in the coming months. It promises to be a challenging year.
This morning Oakstone celebrated at the Sunwheel astrally. As I noted elsewhere, it's kind of fun walking through astral snow.
The snow is still coming down even as I write this afternoon.
Generally I find watching the snow fall to be a peaceful, delightful activity. Today, not so much... the motion catches my eye and I look out into the fields and hills and see.... desolation. Despair. An emptiness of the land. The land itself is in mourning. And what of the people there...
Looking out with intent, I don't think it is a physical environmental thing in our area, but whatever "it" is, it is so vast and far-reaching that even those not directly affected by it will still feel the spiritual and psychological side effects; hard to be a victim but hard to be a survivor and/or witness as well. Somewhere out there, a great and fearful thing is building; it is waiting but it will happen. It makes me want to weep with the power I sense from it. It will be a heartbreaking thing in so many ways.
I cannot prove it. I cannot point to articles or research. I cannot simply point to the vastness of the thing I have seen. I can only say that I have seen it.
For those who are aware and persevere, no matter what happens, there is still hope. This is the season where at the darkest time, a small spark of light is shining. Remember.
This morning Oakstone celebrated at the Sunwheel astrally. As I noted elsewhere, it's kind of fun walking through astral snow.
The snow is still coming down even as I write this afternoon.
Generally I find watching the snow fall to be a peaceful, delightful activity. Today, not so much... the motion catches my eye and I look out into the fields and hills and see.... desolation. Despair. An emptiness of the land. The land itself is in mourning. And what of the people there...
Looking out with intent, I don't think it is a physical environmental thing in our area, but whatever "it" is, it is so vast and far-reaching that even those not directly affected by it will still feel the spiritual and psychological side effects; hard to be a victim but hard to be a survivor and/or witness as well. Somewhere out there, a great and fearful thing is building; it is waiting but it will happen. It makes me want to weep with the power I sense from it. It will be a heartbreaking thing in so many ways.
I cannot prove it. I cannot point to articles or research. I cannot simply point to the vastness of the thing I have seen. I can only say that I have seen it.
For those who are aware and persevere, no matter what happens, there is still hope. This is the season where at the darkest time, a small spark of light is shining. Remember.
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
Dreams
First one is just a short bit, from a couple nights ago. Duke, the farm dog, went out the door of the house Lyle and I usually use, with someone who I'm pretty sure wasn't a family member. Very unusual, since he isn't on that close terms with many folks outside the family -- or, why he's such a good 'doorbell' for the farm, as he lets us all know when someone drives in to the dooryard. But he went willingly with this person. He is getting a little older and stiff in the hips, so I wonder...
Second one is from last night. Siani and Lyle were in it.
Busy place, lots of people, both indoors and out. Kind of like a fair or event or concert or all of the above? L and I got separated, maybe because we were looking at different things. It wasn't an alarming thing to have happen.
I went into the library. It was a rather ordinary-looking library, one of the more modern constructs, with bright lighting.
In the library was Siani. She was seated, looking downward almost like she was hiding her face/presence. She was dressed in her white druid robes, or at least the over robe was white. Her nemyss was white with a gold edge. Or maybe gold with some hints of blue and some other colors in it? I remember there being more than just white and gold. She had her staff in one hand. She was lean and fit, much closer to how I remember her being years ago, except still with the hair color she has today.
I sat down to talk with her for a bit, and among other things she mentioned a learning program that she'd been working on and had completed. It could be studied in school or independently. She wondered if I had a copy if I would actually read it. I joked that if I were interested in something in both chapters 4 and 6 I would likely read chapter 5 just for completeness, but that yes, I would read the whole thing if I had a copy. Now, it's a question worth asking because with some types of books I often only read parts of them, especially reference-type books. And there were a lot of chapters, at least 13. And maybe there was going to be more written at some point? Not sure, but seems like there ought to be 19, don't you think? Or perhaps the last chapters will be written by each person when he or she is ready.... hm...
We both got up and left the library, looking for Lyle. Although at the beginning of the dream it had been late evening, now it morning. We were holding hands as we went. I don't know why, but I think it was important, to signify a close connection?
Few people were stirring at such an early hour, and some people were sleeping outdoors as well as wherever one might normally think of staying the night. Siani saw one such sleeping to one side and noted the sheathed machete on the belt. The person's face was covered with something (to shield from the sun?). She wondered if it might be Lyle, but I said 'no' because the clothing was wrong -- modern clothing, which on waking I realized was what stood out the most, so he and I were likely wearing some of our more druidic or homemade clothing ourselves, although not white robes (sorry, a little fuzzy on some details). Also, the machete was on the left side instead of the right, which is where L wears it when he's out working in the woods. We walked on and eventually found Lyle, who'd been busy elsewhere, I think learning about what was going on in the area and who was who.
That's it for now.
Second one is from last night. Siani and Lyle were in it.
Busy place, lots of people, both indoors and out. Kind of like a fair or event or concert or all of the above? L and I got separated, maybe because we were looking at different things. It wasn't an alarming thing to have happen.
I went into the library. It was a rather ordinary-looking library, one of the more modern constructs, with bright lighting.
In the library was Siani. She was seated, looking downward almost like she was hiding her face/presence. She was dressed in her white druid robes, or at least the over robe was white. Her nemyss was white with a gold edge. Or maybe gold with some hints of blue and some other colors in it? I remember there being more than just white and gold. She had her staff in one hand. She was lean and fit, much closer to how I remember her being years ago, except still with the hair color she has today.
I sat down to talk with her for a bit, and among other things she mentioned a learning program that she'd been working on and had completed. It could be studied in school or independently. She wondered if I had a copy if I would actually read it. I joked that if I were interested in something in both chapters 4 and 6 I would likely read chapter 5 just for completeness, but that yes, I would read the whole thing if I had a copy. Now, it's a question worth asking because with some types of books I often only read parts of them, especially reference-type books. And there were a lot of chapters, at least 13. And maybe there was going to be more written at some point? Not sure, but seems like there ought to be 19, don't you think? Or perhaps the last chapters will be written by each person when he or she is ready.... hm...
We both got up and left the library, looking for Lyle. Although at the beginning of the dream it had been late evening, now it morning. We were holding hands as we went. I don't know why, but I think it was important, to signify a close connection?
Few people were stirring at such an early hour, and some people were sleeping outdoors as well as wherever one might normally think of staying the night. Siani saw one such sleeping to one side and noted the sheathed machete on the belt. The person's face was covered with something (to shield from the sun?). She wondered if it might be Lyle, but I said 'no' because the clothing was wrong -- modern clothing, which on waking I realized was what stood out the most, so he and I were likely wearing some of our more druidic or homemade clothing ourselves, although not white robes (sorry, a little fuzzy on some details). Also, the machete was on the left side instead of the right, which is where L wears it when he's out working in the woods. We walked on and eventually found Lyle, who'd been busy elsewhere, I think learning about what was going on in the area and who was who.
That's it for now.
Hopi Prophecy
One of the messages going around this year... (I posted this at my other blog also)
“You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour.
And there are things to be considered:
Where are you living? What are you doing?
What are your relationships? Are you in right relation?
Where is your water? Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
This could be a good time!
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of
the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.
See who is in there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally.
Least of all, ourselves.
For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a
halt. The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
–The Elders, Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation
***
In the I Ching, there is the phrase "Step into the Great River". When this comes up as part of a reading, it means that now is the time to take action. There are times in life for everything - resting, learning, sharing, keeping one's counsel, turning away from a path, leading, following, working together.
When it is time to step into the great river, do not hesitate. Do not let doubt control your actions. Some people may think that it is still better to stay at the river's edge, but then their hopes and dreams may be lost as the riverbank is worn away.
Interesting that in this Hopi prophecy and in the I Ching, change is not necessarily something to be feared. Many people fear the unknown in the modern world, but who profits most from things remaining stagnant? Worth thinking about.
“You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour.
And there are things to be considered:
Where are you living? What are you doing?
What are your relationships? Are you in right relation?
Where is your water? Know your garden.
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
This could be a good time!
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of
the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.
See who is in there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally.
Least of all, ourselves.
For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a
halt. The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.”
–The Elders, Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation
***
In the I Ching, there is the phrase "Step into the Great River". When this comes up as part of a reading, it means that now is the time to take action. There are times in life for everything - resting, learning, sharing, keeping one's counsel, turning away from a path, leading, following, working together.
When it is time to step into the great river, do not hesitate. Do not let doubt control your actions. Some people may think that it is still better to stay at the river's edge, but then their hopes and dreams may be lost as the riverbank is worn away.
Interesting that in this Hopi prophecy and in the I Ching, change is not necessarily something to be feared. Many people fear the unknown in the modern world, but who profits most from things remaining stagnant? Worth thinking about.
Friday, 29 August 2008
Wonderings
Pennsic.... I really enjoyed it this year. Had a lot of fun, loved watching the battles (even though being in them would have been event better), loved the classes, wandering the streets, chatting with folks, archery, the baronial champion tourney... it was all great. And yet, I wonder if we can really justify the gas for that next year. Before we went, it was easy for me to say that this would be our last year going down there -- we didn't go last year because of the house (renovations/putting on market), so I was more removed from the spectacle. But while we were there, swept up in the whole phenomenon, it was so easy at times to get enthused about getting more rattan weapon supplies, the beautiful ceramics there, and more. In fact I did more shopping at Pennsic than I've done in years... although some of that may have been because if we don't go back, this year was my last year to see a lot of these artisans. Certainly there were times when I'd wonder what we were doing there, mixed in with everything else.
When we got home I was reading more on ice shelves cracking (northern part of Greenland!), ice melt in the arctic (polar bears having to swim farther and farther to get to land or an iceberg, with more of them not surviving), etc. Harder and harder to justify driving very much. As it is we'll be staying home from one of the two family weddings because it's in Indiana. We're considering a trip to Rhinebeck, NY (NY Sheep and Wool Show), which is a day-trip for us (although we could camp out in the back of our van and make it a two-day thing). I don't know, maybe we should skip Rhinebeck... although since L can't make it to Fiber Twist this year, maybe we should do Rhinebeck and then I'll stay home from Fiber Twist. I suppose I could go do some things with friends, as long as we carpool -- no way can I justify driving around in the minivan by myself.
And of course now that I've been to CA this summer, my mom's pressuring for another trip out there. And then apparently there's an expectation that when she goes to do whatever they're doing with giving a lot of her Chinese studies research materials to the Library of Congress, that I'll be there as well. ?? All I'm doing is re-typing the chapters of her book for her -- officially anyway. I also help to keep her on track from time to time, and because the quality of her writing isn't what it was before this past spring's series of health issues, I've taken to correcting some of her writing without asking her anymore -- only if it's something fairly straightforward, of course.
Family expectations and SCA ("family") expectations make for some difficult choices. Well, for me anyway. Part of the Pennsic issue is that Lyle and I are the landed baron and baroness for our local group, and they expect us to be there. Although in the long run I truly believe none of us should be travelling that far, not only because of using all that fossil fuel but also because a large number of us in our group should be saving that money to use on things like, oh, say, food and medicine.
I know a lot of people in or out of the SCA, feel like they deserve annual vacations. Certainly true in the U.S., and probably true in a number of other places. And not only annual vacations but special weekends here and there, etc. I haven't done a lot of research on this, but I think that vacations as they are currently understood, are kind of a new thing. I don't remember reading anything about them in texts from the 1800s anyway. People had "outings", or if someone was ill they were sent to this place or that to restore their health. There were fairs of course, which are sort of fun and work combined for many of the attendees, even today.
Attendance at Pennsic was over 10,000, but down from last year. It's likely to go down more next year. Despite how some things have gone up over the last month or so, winter is coming, and lots of people are worried about how they're going to get through the winter. I hear more of it up here in the hilltowns, maybe because there are more folks struggling here, but more likely because when I lived in Holyoke I spent more time with SCA folks specifically than town folks. I bet those folks aren't thinking about going to holiday fairs or other things similar to SCA events...
Is going to a fair or an event as important as having enough to eat or having electricity and heat? Hardly, and yet some folks will go to these things because they've "earned" it, or they "need" it to de-stress. There are cheaper ways to de-stress, even if getting out of the house is one of the pre-requisites for the de-stressing. I think a lot of it is a social/modern cultural thing, because although my mom "needed" a trip to a big city once in a while (while we lived in Northampton), most of the time her way of de-stressing was to garden or take a long soak in the tub.
In Sharon Astyk's post this week on little things we'd like to have during a long emergency, I mentioned rovings and yarn for spinning and knitting, etc., and someone else said she'd thought of that but didn't mention it because it was useful -- but these activities can also be a good way of de-stressing, relaxing, and be a cause of enjoyment (I have some very cool rovings and yarn!).
If I weren't in the SCA, I wouldn't be traveling as much, for sure. But a lot of my friends are in the SCA, and also L and I currently have responsibilities, not only as baron and baroness, but there's the choir as well. And as hobbies go, it has the possibility of having a smaller carbon footprint than some others.
So I wonder if I can still be involved in the SCA at my current level, when I read about things like what's happening in Greenland, or about all the pollution that's happening everywhere. I could be doing more to cut down on waste, I'm sure. But the SCA's been a part of what I do for more than half my life, and I know if we were to drop out that we'd probably never see some people again. Not because they won't have anything to do with non-SCA people, just that the hobby does tend to eat up available social time... And I do enjoy the time I spend with folks, for sure. But would it be acceptable for us not to go to Pennsic? Would we need to step down? And then there's the fact that we seem to have a dearth of suitable candidates -- no, truly, there doesn't seem to be anyone that would draw a large number of folks to vote for them, besides L and me right now. I don't want the group to suffer, as they're family, in a way. And there are some signs in the SCA of people being more aware of travel issues, so perhaps we can transition to a different way of doing things...
Blargh. That about summons this up for me. Too much going on, too much to do, and so much not getting done. I get overwhelmed sometimes by it all, and end up not doing much at all. Which is better than some years ago when, if feeling overwhelmed, I could literally end up just standing in the middle of a room, unable to figure out what direction to go in first. So at least something gets done. It's the being stuck between worlds (SCA, non-SCA, present and future) that undoes me.
When we got home I was reading more on ice shelves cracking (northern part of Greenland!), ice melt in the arctic (polar bears having to swim farther and farther to get to land or an iceberg, with more of them not surviving), etc. Harder and harder to justify driving very much. As it is we'll be staying home from one of the two family weddings because it's in Indiana. We're considering a trip to Rhinebeck, NY (NY Sheep and Wool Show), which is a day-trip for us (although we could camp out in the back of our van and make it a two-day thing). I don't know, maybe we should skip Rhinebeck... although since L can't make it to Fiber Twist this year, maybe we should do Rhinebeck and then I'll stay home from Fiber Twist. I suppose I could go do some things with friends, as long as we carpool -- no way can I justify driving around in the minivan by myself.
And of course now that I've been to CA this summer, my mom's pressuring for another trip out there. And then apparently there's an expectation that when she goes to do whatever they're doing with giving a lot of her Chinese studies research materials to the Library of Congress, that I'll be there as well. ?? All I'm doing is re-typing the chapters of her book for her -- officially anyway. I also help to keep her on track from time to time, and because the quality of her writing isn't what it was before this past spring's series of health issues, I've taken to correcting some of her writing without asking her anymore -- only if it's something fairly straightforward, of course.
Family expectations and SCA ("family") expectations make for some difficult choices. Well, for me anyway. Part of the Pennsic issue is that Lyle and I are the landed baron and baroness for our local group, and they expect us to be there. Although in the long run I truly believe none of us should be travelling that far, not only because of using all that fossil fuel but also because a large number of us in our group should be saving that money to use on things like, oh, say, food and medicine.
I know a lot of people in or out of the SCA, feel like they deserve annual vacations. Certainly true in the U.S., and probably true in a number of other places. And not only annual vacations but special weekends here and there, etc. I haven't done a lot of research on this, but I think that vacations as they are currently understood, are kind of a new thing. I don't remember reading anything about them in texts from the 1800s anyway. People had "outings", or if someone was ill they were sent to this place or that to restore their health. There were fairs of course, which are sort of fun and work combined for many of the attendees, even today.
Attendance at Pennsic was over 10,000, but down from last year. It's likely to go down more next year. Despite how some things have gone up over the last month or so, winter is coming, and lots of people are worried about how they're going to get through the winter. I hear more of it up here in the hilltowns, maybe because there are more folks struggling here, but more likely because when I lived in Holyoke I spent more time with SCA folks specifically than town folks. I bet those folks aren't thinking about going to holiday fairs or other things similar to SCA events...
Is going to a fair or an event as important as having enough to eat or having electricity and heat? Hardly, and yet some folks will go to these things because they've "earned" it, or they "need" it to de-stress. There are cheaper ways to de-stress, even if getting out of the house is one of the pre-requisites for the de-stressing. I think a lot of it is a social/modern cultural thing, because although my mom "needed" a trip to a big city once in a while (while we lived in Northampton), most of the time her way of de-stressing was to garden or take a long soak in the tub.
In Sharon Astyk's post this week on little things we'd like to have during a long emergency, I mentioned rovings and yarn for spinning and knitting, etc., and someone else said she'd thought of that but didn't mention it because it was useful -- but these activities can also be a good way of de-stressing, relaxing, and be a cause of enjoyment (I have some very cool rovings and yarn!).
If I weren't in the SCA, I wouldn't be traveling as much, for sure. But a lot of my friends are in the SCA, and also L and I currently have responsibilities, not only as baron and baroness, but there's the choir as well. And as hobbies go, it has the possibility of having a smaller carbon footprint than some others.
So I wonder if I can still be involved in the SCA at my current level, when I read about things like what's happening in Greenland, or about all the pollution that's happening everywhere. I could be doing more to cut down on waste, I'm sure. But the SCA's been a part of what I do for more than half my life, and I know if we were to drop out that we'd probably never see some people again. Not because they won't have anything to do with non-SCA people, just that the hobby does tend to eat up available social time... And I do enjoy the time I spend with folks, for sure. But would it be acceptable for us not to go to Pennsic? Would we need to step down? And then there's the fact that we seem to have a dearth of suitable candidates -- no, truly, there doesn't seem to be anyone that would draw a large number of folks to vote for them, besides L and me right now. I don't want the group to suffer, as they're family, in a way. And there are some signs in the SCA of people being more aware of travel issues, so perhaps we can transition to a different way of doing things...
Blargh. That about summons this up for me. Too much going on, too much to do, and so much not getting done. I get overwhelmed sometimes by it all, and end up not doing much at all. Which is better than some years ago when, if feeling overwhelmed, I could literally end up just standing in the middle of a room, unable to figure out what direction to go in first. So at least something gets done. It's the being stuck between worlds (SCA, non-SCA, present and future) that undoes me.
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
Misc. and Vincula
Misc:
Since the last posting, continued with studies, wrote essays, ritual, and about special project, and was accepted for being inducted as a Companion in the AODA. Themselves visited in June, which was a splendid visit and we got to take them to the Sunwheel, Walden's Pond, the Awen Tree (for giving their lectures), and of course around the farm. Both L and I were both made Companions during their visit, and S was made an Adept, and also an Archbishop in the UGF and Archdruid of the East for the AODA. A wild time indeed!
Since then, mostly been a bit out of focus, having a hard time settling on any one thing without quite often _literally_ falling asleep. So I'm sort of doing a light multi-tasking thing right now -- about what I can handle in this weather anyway -- and touching briefly on things as they come to my attention. Picked up an interesting brief contact from CA when I was first really looking at the wildfires. No vindictiveness or malice, just satisfaction that the fires were clearing out all the brush -- long overdue. Unfortunate for the folks living there, but the land is actually coming back into balance, strange as that might sound to some folks. Even the mayor pro-tem for one of the threatened communities commented that the nearby brush had been needing clearing for 50 years...
*******************
Most of my dreams have been quite fragmentary, but one word stuck from one of them, even though I've been forgetting to looking up for the past few weeks.... vincula. No, no idea...
So, looking it up....
***
Vincula:
From a medical dictionary,
Vin·cu·lum (v
ng
ky
-lm)
***
Also found a company called Vincula Industries, Inc. Here's their cover mission statement:
***
Then there is St. Peter ad Vincula (St. Peter in Chains/Bonds), in Pennal, Wales:
http://www.castlewales.com/pennal_church.html
And this one in England (it is the Welsh church's sister chapel in London, at the Tower):
http://www.st-peter-ad-vincula.org.uk/history.html
There is a third in N. Lincolnshire, but it doesn't appear to be connected to the other two.
I found the first church interesting as it was founded in the 6th century by Celts from Brittany, and also Owain Glyndwr visited Pennal in 1406. The last assembly of a free Wales was at this church, summoned together by Owain Glyndwr.
The churchyard is an oval, which would suggest a pre-Christian sacred site.
Couple other tidbits from the Castlewales site:
11. Throughout the Middle Ages, Pennal was one of three chapels-of-ease that came under the care of Tywyn Church, the other two being Llanfihangel-y-Pennant and Llanfair (Tal-y-Llyn).
12. Green Man in the East Window is the only stained glass version of this ancient figure in any church or chapel in Wales, and probably also in England.
I note 11. because L and I have leapt back into reading The Dark Is Rising sequence, and are currently reading The Grey King. Interesting that I finally get around to looking up Vincula at this point, hm? Because right now we are at the point where Will has found out out the old name of Tal-y-Llyn. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tal-y-llyn_Lake)
***
Then there was the weirdness of it apparently being the name for the center of a Borg ship -- although since they're all connected to one another, I guess that's as good a name as any. I stopped looking after I came across the handcuff site...
***
So, unity, bond, tie, connection, restriction, limit. Wonder which one(s) pertained to the dream? Now that I've looked it up, if it comes up again maybe I'll remember more of the dream. All I really remember of the dream was that it was one of those types where a small group of people were on a mission of some sort, sigh. Not sure what for, but I believe it was information-gathering.
Got that down finally. Back to being hot and muddling along best I can on things.
Since the last posting, continued with studies, wrote essays, ritual, and about special project, and was accepted for being inducted as a Companion in the AODA. Themselves visited in June, which was a splendid visit and we got to take them to the Sunwheel, Walden's Pond, the Awen Tree (for giving their lectures), and of course around the farm. Both L and I were both made Companions during their visit, and S was made an Adept, and also an Archbishop in the UGF and Archdruid of the East for the AODA. A wild time indeed!
Since then, mostly been a bit out of focus, having a hard time settling on any one thing without quite often _literally_ falling asleep. So I'm sort of doing a light multi-tasking thing right now -- about what I can handle in this weather anyway -- and touching briefly on things as they come to my attention. Picked up an interesting brief contact from CA when I was first really looking at the wildfires. No vindictiveness or malice, just satisfaction that the fires were clearing out all the brush -- long overdue. Unfortunate for the folks living there, but the land is actually coming back into balance, strange as that might sound to some folks. Even the mayor pro-tem for one of the threatened communities commented that the nearby brush had been needing clearing for 50 years...
*******************
Most of my dreams have been quite fragmentary, but one word stuck from one of them, even though I've been forgetting to looking up for the past few weeks.... vincula. No, no idea...
So, looking it up....
***
Vincula:
From a medical dictionary,
Vin·cu·lum (v
ngky-lm)n. pl. vin·cu·lums or vin·cu·la (-l)
From Merriam-Webster:) A uniting band or bandlike structure, such as a frenum or ligament.
Note: Plural is vincula. Also, from other sites, it ties/unites, but also limits movement. In the case of the body, this generally a good thing, because otherwise mammals would have a harder time moving in a coordinated fashion :D
***
Note: Plural is vincula. Also, from other sites, it ties/unites, but also limits movement. In the case of the body, this generally a good thing, because otherwise mammals would have a harder time moving in a coordinated fashion :D
***
- Main Entry:
- vin·cu·lum
- Pronunciation:
- \ˈviŋ-kyə-ləm\
- Function:
- noun
- Inflected Form(s):
- plural vin·cu·lums or vin·cu·la
\-lə\
- Etymology:
- Latin, from vincire to bind
- Date:
- 1661
1 : a unifying bond : link, tie 2 : a straight horizontal mark placed over two or more members of a compound mathematical expression and equivalent to parentheses or brackets about them (as in a-b-c=a-[b-c])
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Also found a company called Vincula Industries, Inc. Here's their cover mission statement:
We are the Connection. We at Vincula see ourselves as a conduit or channel delivering the best in American products, technology and services to a worldwide client base.
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Then there is St. Peter ad Vincula (St. Peter in Chains/Bonds), in Pennal, Wales:
http://www.castlewales.com/pennal_church.html
And this one in England (it is the Welsh church's sister chapel in London, at the Tower):
http://www.st-peter-ad-vincula.org.uk/history.html
There is a third in N. Lincolnshire, but it doesn't appear to be connected to the other two.
I found the first church interesting as it was founded in the 6th century by Celts from Brittany, and also Owain Glyndwr visited Pennal in 1406. The last assembly of a free Wales was at this church, summoned together by Owain Glyndwr.
The churchyard is an oval, which would suggest a pre-Christian sacred site.
Couple other tidbits from the Castlewales site:
11. Throughout the Middle Ages, Pennal was one of three chapels-of-ease that came under the care of Tywyn Church, the other two being Llanfihangel-y-Pennant and Llanfair (Tal-y-Llyn).
12. Green Man in the East Window is the only stained glass version of this ancient figure in any church or chapel in Wales, and probably also in England.
I note 11. because L and I have leapt back into reading The Dark Is Rising sequence, and are currently reading The Grey King. Interesting that I finally get around to looking up Vincula at this point, hm? Because right now we are at the point where Will has found out out the old name of Tal-y-Llyn. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tal-y-llyn_Lake)
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Then there was the weirdness of it apparently being the name for the center of a Borg ship -- although since they're all connected to one another, I guess that's as good a name as any. I stopped looking after I came across the handcuff site...
***
So, unity, bond, tie, connection, restriction, limit. Wonder which one(s) pertained to the dream? Now that I've looked it up, if it comes up again maybe I'll remember more of the dream. All I really remember of the dream was that it was one of those types where a small group of people were on a mission of some sort, sigh. Not sure what for, but I believe it was information-gathering.
Got that down finally. Back to being hot and muddling along best I can on things.
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
'nuther Dream
Meh. More going on than I want to write in detail, but it involved needing to be able to do multiple things at once... Testing a complex ritual because someone had a divination or something that said something bad was going to happen, and it had to be tested immediately, even though a large group ritual was about to start. Had to let myself in the proper gate, carry something from that gate around to where I was supposed to be, then go around the outside to return the item to the original gate... where was the gatekeeper? And there was someone in my position (who wasn't the gatekeeper), helping out which is good, but I hadn't known there would be someone there. And there were some helpful newbies near my spot who stopped me to offer to help in the future, if I could spend the time training them (um, chatting at a ritual? really, really new people...).
Oy. I felt bad because someone had had to cover for me, like I wasn't doing my job. And in real life we have folks in the SCA all the time, who instead of looking at what's happening so they can see where the problem spots are and ask about learning about those things, they expect to be spoon-fed -- give them a list of things, so they can check out the menu first, and be led through the process. Mind you, I do sometimes take on people and have them shadow or assist, but... it isn't how I ever worked, so I don't quite understand passive volunteerism. Actually, I don't really understand passive living, for that matter...
First Note: None of the above is in reference to folks in our study group. Although we may all be at different stages of study, experience, skills, everyone is an active learner. Thank goodness for that!
It's a little different with learning about ritual and magical things than what I think of as more everyday activities, because it isn't quite as obvious or simple, if you don't have much background in this kind of thing, as stepping in to help serve tables or wash dishes. Not that I had much trouble with learning these things (aside from memorizing specific wordings), but it isn't everyday stuff for everyone, so I understand that. I still remember being surprised at a woman who came into So-Fro Fabrics years ago, who didn't know how to sew and needed to make a shepherd outfit for her son. I mean, she was older than me, so I figured she must know how to sew! Shows my naivete, I guess.
And while it's highly unlikely that what happened in my dream would happen exactly like that in real life (trust me) -- it's certainly possible for a lot of stuff in general to be happening all at once. So I guess I better get cracking!
Hm, maybe it's time we get more into the roles that people play in a grove. CF noted that this is on the list, discussing the officers' duties. People are getting more practice in the different positions in the rituals, but maybe time to work on some of the nitty-gritty... or maybe I can write some stuff up. Or both. I'm glad people are getting practice in the different positions for rituals though, because it means that if/when some happens, like my having to be somewhere else for some reason, there will be someone who can take my place. Redundancy is a good thing! And everyone gaining more confidence is also a good thing!
Second Note: Didn't recognize anyone in the dream except one, who looked familiar but I wasn't quite sure who it was until I woke up. The man who stood in for me until I could get to and stay at my station looked to be JMG. I was little thrown off the the headgear, which wasn't the usual nemyss. I think it was a gold and red band, like a coronet type of deal, or maybe it could have been a cap of some sort... he has dark hair and it was dark above the red and gold, so it could have been his hair or the top of the hat. Definitely metallic gold and garnets or other clear, deep red stones. But he was wearing the green tabard that JMG wore at BTW last November. Weird... and makes me want to _really_ make sure I'm getting things done on time...
Third Note: Spent a little time today re-reading some of Judy Harrow's book, Spiritual Mentoring, before going on to parts I haven't read yet.
Oy. I felt bad because someone had had to cover for me, like I wasn't doing my job. And in real life we have folks in the SCA all the time, who instead of looking at what's happening so they can see where the problem spots are and ask about learning about those things, they expect to be spoon-fed -- give them a list of things, so they can check out the menu first, and be led through the process. Mind you, I do sometimes take on people and have them shadow or assist, but... it isn't how I ever worked, so I don't quite understand passive volunteerism. Actually, I don't really understand passive living, for that matter...
First Note: None of the above is in reference to folks in our study group. Although we may all be at different stages of study, experience, skills, everyone is an active learner. Thank goodness for that!
It's a little different with learning about ritual and magical things than what I think of as more everyday activities, because it isn't quite as obvious or simple, if you don't have much background in this kind of thing, as stepping in to help serve tables or wash dishes. Not that I had much trouble with learning these things (aside from memorizing specific wordings), but it isn't everyday stuff for everyone, so I understand that. I still remember being surprised at a woman who came into So-Fro Fabrics years ago, who didn't know how to sew and needed to make a shepherd outfit for her son. I mean, she was older than me, so I figured she must know how to sew! Shows my naivete, I guess.
And while it's highly unlikely that what happened in my dream would happen exactly like that in real life (trust me) -- it's certainly possible for a lot of stuff in general to be happening all at once. So I guess I better get cracking!
Hm, maybe it's time we get more into the roles that people play in a grove. CF noted that this is on the list, discussing the officers' duties. People are getting more practice in the different positions in the rituals, but maybe time to work on some of the nitty-gritty... or maybe I can write some stuff up. Or both. I'm glad people are getting practice in the different positions for rituals though, because it means that if/when some happens, like my having to be somewhere else for some reason, there will be someone who can take my place. Redundancy is a good thing! And everyone gaining more confidence is also a good thing!
Second Note: Didn't recognize anyone in the dream except one, who looked familiar but I wasn't quite sure who it was until I woke up. The man who stood in for me until I could get to and stay at my station looked to be JMG. I was little thrown off the the headgear, which wasn't the usual nemyss. I think it was a gold and red band, like a coronet type of deal, or maybe it could have been a cap of some sort... he has dark hair and it was dark above the red and gold, so it could have been his hair or the top of the hat. Definitely metallic gold and garnets or other clear, deep red stones. But he was wearing the green tabard that JMG wore at BTW last November. Weird... and makes me want to _really_ make sure I'm getting things done on time...
Third Note: Spent a little time today re-reading some of Judy Harrow's book, Spiritual Mentoring, before going on to parts I haven't read yet.
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