Back to Reality

Published: Thu, 08/15/24

On Sunday I got back from the Spirit of Awen camp and I had a lovely 10 days in the Gloucester countryside. There is a new site for this year which is an improvement on the old one in that access is easier and the area is surrounded by hills and woods. Th gainingere was also a new energy and even enthusiasm in the camp this year. Last year I found it very difficult to get any interest in morning training sessions or my talks and workshops. I went with the attitude that I would not worry about whether or not anyone actually noticed I was there at the camp at all. I would be available if anyone was interested in what I had to offer, However, I took my computer (I can charge it from the inverter in my van and tether to my phone for online access) with the intention of doing quite a bit of writing. I also took plenty of reading matter. As it happened I think I turned the computer on once and just managed to finish reading one
paperback novel which I was already half way through when I left.
As it turned out the morning sessions were well supported by a group of women who got quite excited by the runic stances and various ways that you can work with them. The 18 animal exercises went down well as did some basic self-defence training. There was also some interest in cudgel/walking stick training which needs quite a bit of practice before you can get much benefit. Even so, the cudgel strikes are a good warm up exercise. I decided that my talks would be focused on the Runes as we use them in Stav. So, my first talk was an introduction to the Younger Futhork in which I started with a progression from the myths of Odin and Heimdal, to the legend of Hos and Earling, then to the more recent history of Stav, to the use of the runes in the present day. It seemed to go down well. In my second session I looked at bind runes, how they work, and what we can learn from them. I was invited to participate in a story telling session
on the Wednesday evening. I told the story of the Midgard Serpent and my workshop the next morning expanded on the story and was entitled ‘The Riddle of Norse Cosmology’ . I was asked to do a fourth talk on the Sunday morning. Sessions on the last day tend to be poorly attended as people are packing to go home. However, I had between 5 and 6 people at all my sessions, which is not bad going considering how niche my ideas are, even for a pagan camp.
I was also in some demand for rune readings and I must have done more than a dozen over the ten days. I can’t say much more than that about rune readings as the conversations have to remain confidential. However, I will report one first in many years of rune reading. I use a set of 24 counters which have the 16 runes of the futhork inscribed on both sides meaning that the 16 runes are represented 3 times over. It is therefore possible to draw the same rune more than once in the same reading, and every now and them this happens. What had never happened to me was someone drawing three runes the same in one reading. Well, it happened last week when a lady pulled out Is three times and laid them down on the cloth. And I don’t think I am giving too much away by saying that the subsequent conversation explored the difficulties of moving forward in life.
A great deal more happened over the ten days and I found little time for reading or writing, apart from preparing for my talks. I will share more in future posts. I did however, have time to think and reflect quite a lot especially after teaching morning sessions to several enthusiastic beginners. How does one teach martial arts? How does one share an educational system such as Stav? Where exactly are you taking a person who is paying attention to demonstrations and explanations of runic knowledge and experience? I know I should write more often and I have all kinds of excuses why I don’t. For example, doing the workshop on bind runes reminded me of the limitations of the written word, in particular the structure which we impose on an idea or concept simply by writing from left to right, top to bottom, with a beginning, middle, and end, attracting interest with an introduction, making and argument, and then drawing to a close
with a neat conclusion. Just as I am attempting to do in this post. In reality knowledge, ideas, motivation, inspiration, practice, and development combine and work together in much more interesting and unpredictable ways that the conventional structure of writing. I find myself frustrated with the way that writing imposes limited patterns of thinking which we unconsciously accept.
I have been thinking about five essential aspects of martial arts which I am hesitant to write down here as I would be imposing an order and structure on elements which have no particular priority over each other. Rather, the elements work together to create a whole of personal development. True development happens not as a linear progression from beginning, through a middle, and reaching the end. I see the path to real understanding as more like a spiral which keeps bringing you back to the same point but with a slightly elevated level of understanding. I am currently learning Tai Chi, which I frankly find quite tedious. However, I am also discovering new insights which I might not have gained another way. All I can really say is that although I may be 66 next March my journey is not over yet and I am happy to share what I have learned so far. So, if you want to find out what I consider to be the five essential elements of
martial arts check out http://iceandfire.org.uk/salisbury16112024.html and maybe join me in Salisbury on the 16th of November when we can explore these ideas through actual Stav Martial Training. The page includes a video in which I attempt to explain and demonstrate AIM (action, intention, and movement).
Regards
Graham
PS I will be doing some teaching, as well as having a fun time, at Samhain where we have a camp at Silver Forest in Lincolnshire on the 1st to 3rd of November. Let me know if you are interested and I will give you more details. If you are on Facebook I can get you invited to the event page.
Graham Butcher
21 Beaver Road
Beverley East Yorkshire HU17 0QN
UNITED KINGDOM

To unsubscribe or change subscriber options, visit:
https://www.aweber.com/z/r/?ThisIsATestEmail