No, this isn’t a book review, but to understand my context, it contains a long spoiler to Duncton Stone, the sixth and final book of William Horwood’s Duncton Wood series. All books are highly recommended, though somewhat dark. The first book is a standalone, and reading the remaining five (making two trilogies) is unnecessary. The books are high fantasy in the tradition of Watership Down, about communities of moles living under the standing stones of Britain. There is somewhat of a pagan slant to them, although the third book, Duncton Found, contains a Jesus allegory.
In Duncton Stone,
a female scholar and scribemole named Privet is seeking the lost seventh sacred
book of moledom, The Book of Silence. Eventually
she comes to realize that the book is “lost” because it has yet to be written,
and that she has to be the one to write it. Going through a dark period
personally and for moledom in general, she throws everything she has into the
writing of the Book. At one point, she
is interrupted by her adoptive child Whillan, and lovingly allows him to
inscribe his name on a page. She
continues her endeavour to write the definitive Book of Silence, driven to the point of insanity. Finally, out of madness and frustration, she
furiously crosses out everything she has written, but cannot bring herself to
cross out the one remaining word, Whillan’s name written in his tentative
paw. And thus is the great work
completed.
.
.
END OF SPOILER.
.
.
Facebook followers (feel free to do so; if you send me
a nice message I may even Friend you) are aware of my now nine-year quest to
end two lifetimes’ worth of hoarding, both from my mother-in-law who passed in
March 2008, and of Margarian, who passed last August. And you have probably been hearing my
frustration over dealing with paper archives, whether personal, or Craft-,
Mensa-, or Interfaith-related. The thing is, having had no real children, the
papers will be the only thing to remain of me (and Mar) when I meet my
scheduled appointment with the MAN
IN BLACK. And as an erstwhile and physical elder, I
am in effect writing my own Book of Silence, deleting all the chaff of three
lives plus Evergreen, COGCOA, and Calgary Inter-Faith that was, to determine
what will survive. I some cases these
decisions have to be made quickly. In
others, I’m beginning to accumulate boxes of papers that require a second and
even a third sorting, a process which may have to wait until I move to smaller
space next year (perhaps? sooner). As my
organizer (big plug for Laurie of Simply Neat Ltd.; tell her I sent you) has
taught me, I have to keep that which reflects who I am now: the stuff I love, the stuff that is beautiful, the stuff that
is useful. To which I need to add (perhaps as a subset of “what is useful”),
what I need to leave behind: my legacy, if any. The recent deaths of Mar and my cousin, and
my own recent health problems, have taught me that the MAN IN BLACK can come at any time. The
Christian subtext I grew up with, that "pie in the sky will come by and by", no
longer applies; nor does my lifelong habit of procrastinating. I can’t wait
until “later”. Later is now.
June Events:
Note these events are listed for
information purposes only. Dates and locations may be subject to change; see
the source for details. If I’ve missed anyone and you’d like to add to this
listing, please contact me. All times MDT.
May 27, 7:00 pm: Paranormal
Investigation at East Coulee School Museum, hosted by Ghost Hunt Alberta.
Tickets through Eventbrite.
Jun 4, 10:00 am: Calgary Lilac
Festival on 4th St SW. http://lilacfestival.net
Jun 4, 7:00 pm: Paranormal Pub
Night at James Joyce, hosted by Ghost Hunt Alberta. Tickets through Eventbrite.
Jun 5-11: Canadian Environment
Week: “Why climate action matters to
you”.
Jun 6-8: Mayor’s Environment Expo
at City Hall.
Jun 9, 7:10 am: Full (Strawberry
or Strong Sun) Moon.
Jun 9-11: Paranormal
Investigation at Clarion Hotel, hosted by Ghost Hunt Alberta. Tickets through
Eventbrite. Ticketed separately from:
Jun 10: Duir/Oak Tree Month
begins, according to Robert Graves.
Jun 10, 10:00 am: Calgary New Age
Craft Market at Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Hall.
Jun 10, 3:00 pm: Let’s Get
Witchy! Meet and Greet. https://www.meetup.com/meetup-group-BWnukeJp/
Jun 17, 10:00 am: Hergest’s
Magical Mystery “Losing My Religion” Garage Sale.
Jun 17, 10:00 am: Calgary
Heathens Midsummer Community Ritual and Games. Info: Calgary Heathens on Facebook.
Jun 18: Father’s Day.
Jun 18, 2:00 pm: Dances with
Witches. Info: Calgary Pagan Network on Facebook.
Jun 20, 10:24 pm: Summer
Solstice.
Jun 22-26: FreezerBurn, Alberta Regional Burning Man Festival.
http://www.freezerburn.org
Jun 23, 8:31 pm: New Moon.
Duir/Oak Lunar Month begins.
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