|
|
Wednesday, July 19th, 2006
|
|
|
|
Wow, How time flies! Been busy. Life, Earthhouse, reading, writing... Ah, there's a bright spot. I've written a few essays. At least one will be in Pagan Press. And no, not the Divination by Stones article that just came out. I've got one I think they'll like on New Saxon, but it's still gelling. Maybe I'll dust off WITCHBLOOD and see who screams. Hehe-hehe-he-he!
|
|
Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
|
|
|
|
Well, working with the brought-forward words of Neo-Saxon has bitten us on the butt. "Neo" is not AngloSaxon in origin, but "New" is. So, there is a name change. We live, we learn. Wait 'til Wodensday, Steve and I have a fun, new project. You WILL enjoy it!
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Sunday, February 26th, 2006
|
|
Wednesday, February 22nd, 2006
|
|
|
Yikes! Three weeks since I last blogged!
WELL, I BEEN BUSY, NYA-AH!
Thinking, mostly. Being apprehensive about taxes. Did you know death settlements from insurance are NOT taxable? Well, I didn't, either. I'm actually getting money back from the state and feds; that hasn't happened for some years now. Next year...?
Vikki died just over a year ago(02-18-2005), I went down to 9 Mile Creek Saturday(-26 wind chill) to pour her a libation(Jameson). When I reached the mill dam, I got a real shock. There was a column of frozen froth about 8-9 inches across and just under seven FEET tall! I wished I had my camera, but I didn't...so I made another trip Sunday. The column had tipped a bit and had lost about a foot in height, but was still quite impressive. Ask me to show you the pix - Awesome! I've never seen the like. Quite literally, an Ephemeral Memorial. I couldn't have asked for more and I get tears just thinking about it.
BB Valre'brand
|
|
Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.
|
|
Tuesday, January 31st, 2006
|
|
|
As I noted on my website, this exploration of terminology has affected my thinking on nearly all aspects of Twyern. I am reaching back to my linguistic roots for words that have dropped out of Standard English, yet are better suited for the discussion of spirituality by modern Pagans and Heathens. Partly this relinking is for reconnecting to the older cultural values, a goal most Heathens would applaud. But partly, this religiare is so I can spring forward into a new future that is based on the older values, yet proceeds beyond them while still being true to what is timeless about them.
Whew! Don't pick the easy paths, Robin, you cliff-leaping fool!
Well, a few reclaimed words for folk to worry at.
showen - emergent
fulfyllan - realized
droupen - declined
aweg(pronounced ah-way) - absent
sunstede - solstice
evenday or eenday - equinox
farthing - quarter
Gidden - Goddess
To join in the fun(?), go here: http://home.comcast.net/~modean52/oeme_dictionaries.htm
Just browsing is an education.
|
|
Comments: Read 2 or Add Your Own.
|
|
Sunday, December 25th, 2005
|
|
|
Words define our place in the Universe, our community, and our humanity. We need to express our feelings, ideas and goals; so we use words. Humans use words, nearly to the overt exclusion of our other modes of expression. In particular, when we are not face-to-face, such as now. And when we do, we need to bear in mind that words alone seldom carry much emotional freight. This is the treacherous realm of the casual email, where meaning is colored by the mood of the recipient rather than the sender. Consequently, we must choose our words with care and use them with as much precision as we can.
Yet to use words that are precise, often requires effort on both sides of a conversation. A reader must be aware of special terms and their meaning before they can successfully decipher a complex message. A writer must take pains to ensure that they are using any special terms correctly. Without BOTH efforts, a message will very likely be misconstrued.
So, a glossary of special terms is very helpful to both reader and writer. Many writers feel this instinctively, and include one in their books or on their websites. Yet many readers don't use them, whether out of laziness or arrogance or just plain ignorance. On the other hand, there are writers who believe that their writing is somehow touched by the Gods and the reader will magically absorb the writer's idiosyncratic usage. These folks NEED a clue-by-four.
Spirituality is a tricksy, mine-laden subject that demands a very precise and coherent vocabulary. It's hard to be clear if two sides of the discussion use the same words differently. That is why I try to find words that have been lost in time, so that an old concept has it's own precision brought forward to us moderns. Often generating the common vocabulary forces me and my readers to re-examine the glossaries and promotes better understanding by ensuring that we are all on the same page, if not the same paragraph! That's why I use words like Twyern, Gidden, and Weardian instead of the clumsy work-arounds that Standard English uses for those same concepts...they state concisely what the concept IS.
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Wednesday, December 21st, 2005
|
|
|
I was talking to Steve P. on the way to the Blot Saturday; he has been very helpful when I've needed words brought forward from Anglo-Saxon. It seems he was looking at the roots for "God" and "Goddess". Turns out "Goddess" is a swiped word that didn't exist in English prior to the 14th(I think he said)century. If you go back to the AS the actual word, when brought forward is "Gidden". I like it, God and Gidden.
I've used several brought forward words in Twyern, "twyern" included. Gidden has a good feel and I think it will be adopted as well. Every now and then, I'm struck by the importance of language in building a tradition and a community. Words are more than placeholders for ideas, tho, they are that as well. Words define boundaries and either allow or curtail discussion on concepts within a culture. Hence the words are the roots of a community and from them grow the defining boundaries. Imagine a Christian having to explain salvation without the use of the word "sin".
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Wednesday, November 30th, 2005
|
|
|
We all have those moments when the world takes a spin - apparently without us! Last night I had a religious experience of the first water. First Hadin and then Frelor spoke to me without me being in circle or even thinking about my spirituality!
Frankly, I'm not used to that happening. Commentary during ritual, I'm used to and even expect. Comments unsolicited, that's unusual! Among other things, I was told I would have to live up to my name. But not which name. Valire'brand means "Victorious Blade" but Robin means "famebright". Does that mean I can look forward to attempting to win a battle or becoming well-known. Or both. I think I'm a bit flustered by this experience. Maybe I'll just have to see what comes.
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Wednesday, November 23rd, 2005
|
|
|
Dropped an entry recently. Had a nice long(for me) thoughtful post - which I've blanked on since the Incident. I guess this is as good a place to whine as any! WHINE!!!
Good to get that out of my system!
|
|
Comments: Read 1 or Add Your Own.
|
|
Wednesday, November 16th, 2005
|
|
|
Well, the Yair'yemund is done for another year. Russell apparently did his on the 5th. So, it gradually spreads... Mine was the 12th. I decided that the second Saturday in November is the best time for it. Last year I tried the 1st Saturday...and was run over by a late Samhain! So, Second Saturday it is, henceforth.
I made John Barleycorn(a REAL recipe!)and brought my mead, S. brought Potato Kugel(sp?) which is verry tasty! I also brought the pumpkin pie and topping for same. A stuffed time was had by all, after the main event.
This year's "Soul Train" was as colorful as all the others have been. The great galaxy of colors spiraling down to the northern gate of the circle and fountaining out of the circle bounds. The downward rush of souls within the circle and out the northern gate to spiral up to the great galaxy of colors. Only one minor incursion for me to ward; nothing like the days of the bright, dark cloud. The flow went quickly this year, or so it seemed. But it was a good rite, the folks all agreed. And it was a great feed. Urp!
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Sunday, November 6th, 2005
|
|
|
Lately, I've been thinking. A shock, I know, but it happens. What I've been thinking is that Witchcraft(be it Twyern or variations of Wicca, etc.)is not enough. Part of this comes from hanging with Heathens, who actually have the remnants of cultural practices and norms to live out of. In a real sense, religions, whether reconstructions like Nordic Heathenism or constructions like Twyern, are overlays on certain cultural basics. To be honest, I find a lot to admire in Asatru - but I don't find their religion compelling. So-o where does this leave me? On the edge as usual.
I think that I am going to have to mine my Northern European ancestral cultural roots while I continue to evolve my North American religious branches. Grafting my new religious awareness onto my reclaimed culture. I suspect that I'm going to alienate a LOT of people. Which has a few pros as well as the obvious cons. Folks who don't approve of what I'm doing are a lot less likely to try and "help me get it right". This is a fascinating and admittedly torturous project. But, long term, it means that Twyern will MEAN something more than a different take on witchcraft. I've always envisioned that Twyern might one day become a lifestyle, but I don't think I ever foresaw that I would need to look back to see(and go) forward.
The Yair'yemund approaches, there is much to do. This warrants return at a more auspicious time.
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Saturday, October 29th, 2005
|
|
|
|
Yesterday, I attended a Staving Class given by Kari Tauring. I was the only student who had tried it before. The other four were REAL beginners. Kari and Mara were teaching, and it was wonderful! When we got all seven staving at once, the room shook - and I'm not being rhetorical! I'm flying on adrenaline, still. After class, I got invited to show up at Kari's performance at the Midway Farmer's Market closer. After a rousing show, I was invited up on stage to play with them for a song!! Sweet! I'm floating! What a rush that staving is! I can hardly wait for the next opportunity to do it! Not necessarily perform, just to stave.
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Sunday, October 23rd, 2005
|
|
|
|
I have experienced something writing that I never really believed in. That is, the intrusion of a character that altered the story in ways 'I' never planned. I guess I never really believed that an author didn't have total control over their creation. So it's funny(peculiar, not ha-ha)that now it's happened to me. Okay, maybe it IS funny in an ironic sense. I've joined the ranks of the "wayward character" authors; now others can not believe ME when I tell them about my new experience! Talk about poetic justice! Even if this story goes in the dumper(and I don't think it will!)it has shown me that the creative process has depths that I hadn't been aware of before.
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Tuesday, October 18th, 2005
|
|
|
|
Time for stories, Samhain approaches. Hmm...
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Saturday, October 8th, 2005
|
|
|
At Mentoring Elders Thursday, the topic of soul/spirit came up. Traditionally, "soul" seems to be used to refer to humans specifically; while "spirit" which essentially means the same thing refers to everything else with an animating force. As usual, I found myself in a minority of one on the topic. I think I cracked a few paradigms when I espoused the concept of Oversoul for humans as well as animals, etc. But as I think about it, what are the "Children of the Gods" but Oversouls? As a polytheist, I maintain that we(collectively) comprise a variety of "Children of the Gods". These COtGs are the collective of individuals who POTENTIALLY follow the same path(note: this has NOTHING to do with racial groupings), whether or not they currently are on that path. All those individual sparks of divinity combine to create the COtG of that path. And, I believe that COtG is nothing less than the Oversoul for that path of people. This, if true, means there are multiple Oversouls for humans. I believe that animals and perhaps plants share this characteristic. Even within a given species, some thrive on the mountain, others in the valley; humans create spiritual communities in the desert, or the city, wherever.
I guess this is a topic to return to at later date when I've had more time to reflect on the implications.
BB Valire'brand
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Thursday, October 6th, 2005
|
|
|
|
Last night's Coffee Cauldron was a gas. The Guild, Harmony Tribe and the usual hordes were all in attendance. I'm getting Joe to do me a banner for Spiral Ash, he is really quite brilliant as an artist. It was pretty cool to see all the folks packing in for society. I'm still buzzing...
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Sunday, October 2nd, 2005
|
|
|
Well, screwed up by Time Warner! Tho they told ME the installer was coming the 1st, they scheduled the install for the 2nd. You know, right during Pagan Pride. Needless to say, I wasn't overjoyed. Wasted hours waiting for them when I could have been outside on my scooter or working on my Great Stang. Crap.
Next time available is Friday afternoon - you can bet I'll be calling before my scheduled time this time around!
To blow off steam, I went to see SERENITY. A great show, if a bit darker than I expected. Not sure if I succeeded in steam-blowing, the show is an emotional rollercoaster. It's a brilliant film; I'm glad to have caught it and I'll collect the DVD. It just caught me at an emotionally fragile time. Samhain is coming, and Vikki is often on my mind.
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Saturday, September 24th, 2005
|
|
|
Well, I'm finally biting the bullet and crawling out of the Dark Ages. The First of October I'm getting a brand new cable modem to replace my crusty ol' dialup connection. I guess that means I should buy me a wireless router, too. Hehehehe!
On another note, I was at Mentoring Elders Thursday. Discussed Social Capital, Radius of Trust, and suchlike hairy topics related to creating social structures. Afterward, I asked if Volkhvy would think about a starting point for forming the necessary structures for the Guild Alliance.
First, and foremost, he said that tolerance and mutual respect are vital norms for the Alliance.
That means no dissing other All. members behind their backs, and accepting that what works for you may not work for them.
Then we discussed more general topics like building in ways to formally join & learn the norms. I kinda like a great and gruesome oath that everyone has to swear. One that includes EXPLICIT mention of the norms for the All. But that's me. Volkhvy favored passing a test on the All.'s ethics(at 100%!) before allowing someone to join. Then they merely have to swear to abide by the All.'s ethics. The point being, no-one will be able to claim lack of knowledge of the ethics of the Alliance. Other points being preferential use of All. members skills, fair play between All. members(actually to everyone, builds a good reputation), and possibly, a more out membership(needs a lot of input on this). Oh, support for fairly decided Alliance policies - even if your side lost. See, this slides into politics, for good or ill. I have to check out the Coalition site to see if they have some ideas I can swipe,er,ah get inspired by!
BB Valire'brand
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Monday, September 19th, 2005
|
|
|
Just returned from The Gathering of The Clans(G.O.T.C.) yesterday. An interesting event, one I'll be repeating. GOTC is an attempt to engender more community solidarity. The entire weekend was aimed at that goal.
'Community' was used a lot at GOTC, which may have actually gotten in the way of communication since the word is generally misused by most people. 'Community' actually refers to a mutually supportive group of LIKE-MINDED people. Pagans, generally, tend to form many communities of this kind. I think what was really on the Guild's mind was less of a community, and more of a society. Societies are collections of communities that are mutually supportive. However, because the communities are NOT like-minded, societies require a structure to define this mutual support.
Why all this definition B.S.? Because at GOTC, I deciphered 3 ideas of what the 'community' being built was all about. The first was "community as surrogate family", this seemed to come mostly from the solitaires and actually is closest to the correct definition of community. The second, "community as institutions/social services", was championed mainly by the folks in Recovery - and reflects their understanding of what good institutions can do for people. The third was "community as an alliance within diversity", backed by people who have seen the power of networking.
Of these 3, the last is the most robust model of what the Guild is trying to do, IMO. Pagans and Heathens have the potential to ally together under a common code of ethics that encourages working together, mutual support for our craftspeople, stores, and professions; and active discouragement of Pagan Pissfits. Within this structure there is no need for communities OR individuals to lose their autonomy to express their spirituality or submit to some imposed way of doing things. Personally, I'd LOVE to discourage that discourtesy called Pagan Standard Time, but if I could impose that, others could impose things I find objectionable, and we'd soon be back where we are now. So I am firmly behind the idea of Alliance.
The Family model suffers from the problem of families everywhere: what defines one family, distorts or destroys another. The Institution model, while seductive, has two major weaknesses. The first is the imposition of forms that is mandated by the greater society around us, and the second is the credibility issue. Who are the Clans to make judgements or certifications on groups or individuals? This second problem can be alleviated, over time, by a functional Alliance which lives up to its ethical code. Then, with a track record, the Alliance MIGHT be able to at least look at certification.
Anyway, GOTC was a good event, and amazingly enough, actually proposed some short-term goals that sound doable. In my own small way, I hope this blog entry will help clarify some of the issues we see before us. Long Life to the Guild Alliance!
BB Valire'brand
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
Wednesday, September 14th, 2005
|
|
|
Tavern Bread
by Valire’brand of Spiral Ash
If you're looking for something a bit more substantial than simple
cakes for your Esbats (and who doesn't now and then?); I have just
the thing. It's called Tavern Bread. The basic bread recipe is
adapted from From Celtic Hearths by Deborah Krasner. It is called
Irish Wheatmeal Soda Bread. Now, the bread is quite tasty by itself, BUT with a couple minor additions it becomes a meal in itself!
Here's the recipe:
2 cup unbleached flour
1 cups whole wheat flour (or 1 cups unbleached and 2 whole)
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups buttermilk(8 TBSP powdered buttermilk + 2 cups Water)
1 TBSP honey or sugar
1 lb. cubed sharp cheddar
or
1/2 cup cubed cheddar(sharp, by preference)
1/2 cup cubed summer sausage(or other hard sausage)
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Sift (or just mix well) all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Add cheese and sausage at this point. Stir to coat. (so they don't stick together!) Gradually add the buttermilk, stirring to mix well. Dough must be moist, I usually need almost all 2 cups of buttermilk. Pour into a well greased cast-iron skillet and pat into a loaf shape. Cut a cross(solar) about an inch deep in the loaf. This allows it to bake properly. Stick in the oven for 10 minutes at 450 then turn down to 375 for 25-35 minutes or until done. Or you can make a tavern bread
bar by adding more liquid til the dough is mucky. No loaf, but it will
fill the skillet like a cake. Baking is the same.
Remove bread from the skillet. Now comes the hard part, waiting for
it to cool! You'd never think this is healthy food. Well, aside from the sausage. Anyway, no butter needed for this bread! A drop of wine and, voila, a feast! Just the ticket for a coven of Cancers. For you vegetarians, you can just use a pound of cheese. Good Feasting!
|
|
Comments: Add Your Own.
|
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
twyern's journal
flirty.
creative.
grateful.
contemplative.
tired.
nervous.
cranky.
accomplished.
indescribable.
melancholy.