A new realm

Back to work today, feeling a little more human.
Teaching 40 kids about the most amazing birds in the world. Great fun.
Last couple of weeks have been a little lost, slightly unreal.

Speaking of unreal......

On the recommendation of dear mister Hobbit, I have been spending some time in Carmarthenshire.

After Triskele it became clear to me that I need to have a roleplay place in SL. Wandering around SL randomly confirmed much of what I felt when I first joined over a year ago. So much of the virtual world is shallow , concerned with commercialism and strangely false. Yet I feel at home in a roleplay environment, where the concerns are more human (or elf, dragon ,fae). More about people, less about money

Weirdly some of the most real encounters seem to come in these doubly unreal places. Perhaps it is because I am slightly shy. Taking on a mantle of 'Wren the villager' or 'Wren the healer' helps me to feel more able to speak to people. The words are still my own and generally come from the heart, but the mask helps (most of the time) to hide any awkwardness.

It probably says a lot about me that I find other SL interactions tricky, and invariable end up on the perimeter feeling like a wallflower. I don't suppose this is a good thing, but its me I guess.

Anyway, it seems for me to 'be' in the virtual world I need roleplay. So Carmarthenshire is being scoped, and so far it's looking very interesting.

For David

For my Grandfather
6th Sept 1921 - 12th June 2008
who looked for the goodness in humanity,
and who carried so much of it within himself.
.
Imagine

.

Imagine there's no Heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today
.
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace
.
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
.
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world
.
You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
.
John Lennon

Sacred Nature

My husband and I were watching a documentary the other night about the nomadic horse peoples of Mongolia.
As part of this documentary it was noted that they regarded the animals at a particular lake as sacred, the wildfowl and particularly the whooper swans which nested there.
There have been similar documentaries we have also watched recently in which certain cultures or religions hold animals in a high regard, as special or sacred to their Gods.

It occured to me that Christian belief doesn't have this connection to animals and nature.
Is this right?
Thinking back on my Bible stories I cant think of any which venerate animals or nature? (other than the Arc) and I am unaware of any animal sacred to Christians.
I am sure those of you who know your Bible better than me (I am looking at you Old Crone!) might put me right, and I welcome any stories that I don't know about.

But perhaps this is part of the reason I have always felt a little detached from the Christian tradition (that and the role of women, which OC and I were also discussing recently).
I find in my RL as well as my SL, that I gain great spiritual strength from the natural world. For me just 'being' with the world can reveal wonders and beauty which often my everyday life can block.
When I spend time outside I can almost feel the connections that bind us to each other as humans, that connect us to the rest of creation and , I believe, connect us to something greater.

Vulture . by Robinson Jeffers

I had walked since dawn and lay down to rest on a bare hillside
Above the ocean. I saw through half-shut eyelids a vulture wheeling
high up in heaven,
And presently it passed again, but lower and nearer, its orbit
narrowing,
I understood then
That I was under inspection. I lay death-still and heard the flight-
feathers
Whistle above me and make their circle and come nearer.
I could see the naked red head between the great wings
Bear downward staring. I said, 'My dear bird, we are wasting time
here.
These old bones will still work; they are not for you.' But how
beautiful
he looked, gliding down
On those great sails; how beautiful he looked, veering away in the
sea-light
over the precipice. I tell you solemnly
That I was sorry to have disappointed him. To be eaten by that beak
and
become part of him, to share those wings and those eyes--
What a sublime end of one's body, what an enskyment; what a life
after death.

One year on

So my Rezz day has come and gone, and I seem to be back to the start again (only with slightly better hair)

Wandering the vast expanse last night, aimlessly looking for a place of meaning I pondered what SL is, has been and could be.

I first came to SL because of a newspaper article I read about the place which intrigued me. I didn't really know what to expect, I guess I was interested in the technology, the gimmick , the new experience.
What surprised me is that under all this, SL is fundamentally about people, the human race, the human mind.
It is never satisfied with itself.
It is full of emotions, negative (greed, lust, pride, jealousy, anger,) and positive (love, caring, creativity, friendship and joy).
It carries the weight of all the outside influence, the things we are bombarded with in our daily lives, advertising, expectations, the media, our cultural stereotypes. Yet it also frees us from much of this, we can become who we wish, we can loose some of our chains and take to the skies.

It is unlike anything I have ever been a part of and yet so much of it is familiar.
Hidden in the layers and layers of the pulp of human existence are jewels that sparkle. If you are lucky you might come across them before you sink in the quagmire.

So I don my waders, and set off hunting again.
Throw me a rope if I start to sink.

Walking for breast cancer charities

My good friend and work colleague will be walking a marathon through the streets of Edinburgh in her decorated bra in the next few weeks. She is part of a local group who are doing the Moonwalk to raise money for breast cancer research.
I admire her hugely not only because she is doing this as part of the many charity things she is involved in, not just because she has found time to do this despite work and family life (she has 4 kids at home and one away from home), not just because I have a family member who has suffered from breast cancer... but because on top of all of this she has suffered from chronic back pain for a large part of her life and this 26 miles will be all the more of a challenge because of it.

She sent an email to friends that reads..

"Some of you may already know that I am taking part in the 'WALK THE WALK' MOONWALK CHALLENGE, which is a full 26 mile marathon.
This will take place on June 14th to raise funds for Breast Cancer charities. I will be walking within a team of five ladies from my village -'THE KIRKBEAN FLYERS'!.
We have one particular friend who is fighting this disease at the moment, In fact we all know someone who has been affected by Breast Cancer.
As we walk we are celebrating the lives of of the brave ladies who are winning the battle and of those whom we have lost, so I am humbly asking for your support by sponsoring our team.
You can do this by following this link to our fundraising page.
If you don't want to donate this way then cheques or cash gifts will be gratefully received. THANKYOU.
I must go and tend my blisters now!"

If you want to help donate to them it would be well received ,if you want to donate but not online let me know and we can work something out.(removed my email as I am already getting junk mail, the spammers are so quick to pick up on it!!grr)

Burning bridges

Well I finally stopped debating and took some action.

I have left the Clerics Guild for good.
I wrote a farewell note, which I handed to Scyber to send to the Guild as a whole, I packed up all of my things from the guild building and I left.
(I still have my island, and will keep it until I can find another quiet spot to make a natural haven in.)

I realised the only thing keeping me was the people.
I had lost all faith in the stability of realm, the likelihood of anything happening for UK timed people, my search for the natural in the 'realm of castles' and my ability to work with the 'free' roleplay model.
So my heart wasn't truly there anymore. Better to have a cleric who still has faith to lead.
So I say farewell to Parlamay, my created Goddess, and hope that she ends up in safe hands.
I say farewell to all the wonderful clerics who I have had the honour of being with over this year,
and as I approach my Rez day, I look at how I might find future inspiration in Second Life.

Anyone with any ideas?