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.

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.

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".

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.

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