Good News and Not So Good News

Good news: Wolfling asked me yesterday if she can start attending my class!

Not so good news: I really need to buy a new car. Not a "new from the factory" car, but a new-to-me car. Fortunately, I still have enough money from the sale of my share of the house to do this. Dad is helping me research my options.

Blades & Sibling Polarity

Last night my daughter and I were visiting my sister and brother-in-law, and the talk turned to woo-woo. I told them about my initiation and the Two of Swords aspect -- and my sister got a bit bristly, because although I am the Queen of Swords and she is the Queen of Cups, she has always felt like the Two of Swords is one of her cards.

Was it non-rational of her to get defensive because that pattern was a part of my initiation? Yes -- but I've been equally non-rational about things involving her. Fortunately, now that we're both in our forties, we're usually able to identify when we're being non-rational and get past it, but that doesn't mean the impulses don't come up.

I also told them about an unexpected and somewhat unsettling encounter I had with my underworld knife after I got home -- in which the knife started talking to me via images, something which had never happened before.

In response to that story, my brother-in-law, who is a warrior, brought out his two magical blades.

( Snow White and Rose Red Choose Their Blades )

Honesty in Myth-Making, Please!!

Aaarrgghh!

Myth-making is a wonderful, honorable pursuit.

Re-writing old myths is -- or can be -- an act of sacred creativity.

But for heaven's sake if you re-write an old myth, and post it, label it as such!

Twice in the past week I've come across references to Inanna's mythology in which major roles were attributed to entirely different figures than in the originals, with no hint given that this was a modern variation. And there was nothing about the way they were posted to give a casual, uninformed reader, any reason to think it wasn't the original version of the tale.

In one case, a feminist re-telling of Inanna and the Huluppu Tree tells the story with Ninshubur, Inanna's friend/servant, helping her drive out the creatures from the tree instead of Gilgamesh. Just a few minutes ago I read a reference to Inanna's Descent in which the person who wrote it said that Ereshkigal was a warrior goddess who rescued Inanna from the underworld. Ummm. . . . NO!

Elsewhere -- on a site which I usually hold in high regard -- someone refers to a story in which Inanna steals something from Ereshkigal by sending a handmaiden to seduce her. The handmaiden succeeds in the seduction, steals the item, and Ereshkigal waking, curses her. Inanna then tries to soften the curse and promises to be the patron of prostitutes to be with them in their despised state -- a story which is totally unsubstantiated in the ancient texts.

Did I mention: Aaarrrggghhh!

Tell new stories! Please!

But make sure your readers or listeners are aware that you are telling a new story.
If it's UPG, great! But say so.

Let those who hear it hold your story dear if it moves them -- but honor the original story, and your readers, by being open about what you've done.

/rant