Stopping and looking
Published: Wed, 10/01/14
I have been putting up notice boards which are on view at the Stav
Centre. Part of the purpose is details of classes, when, how much,
that kind of boring stuff. But unless someone is completely
predisposed to look for a Martial Arts class then a simple, when,
where and how much is just boring and is not going to get
anyone's interest. So curiosity has to be cultivated a little
bit at a time. Since Stav literally means 'knowledge of the
rune staves' then one thing certainly worth trying is getting
people curious about the runes, so I am using a board which is well
over a metre square to display the rune of the week, you can see
how I am doing it with Ur this week at
http://somersetstav.co.uk/sc.html. We have been working in the
centre over the past few days and people are definitely stopping
and looking. That is the idea, get people in the habit of
stopping and noticing the place and being curious. Then at some
point they may just take some action based on something they see,
or at least mention the place to someone else.
So as you will have worked out I am already on the second rune of
the week. Having Fe on display last week reminded me that the
first rune in the Futhork is very relevant to the project like
this. The story of Frey and Gerda tells how Frey went to a high
place where he should not really have been and caught a glimpse of,
and fell in love with, Gerda, daughter of a giant who would make a
very reluctant father in law to put it mildly. Not knowing what to
do but not being able to forget his vision either sends Frey into
a seemingly hopeless despair. He only comes out of it when a
servant called Skirnir offers to woo Gerda for him but for a very
high price. There is quite a nice retelling of the story here by
Padraic Colum http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/ice/coo/coo08.htm
A project such as creating a Stav martial arts school can feel a
bit the same. Somehow you get a glimpse of the possibility of
turning a very neglected and dilapidated old shop into a space for
a very special kind of training. Then the reality of what is
involved in making it happen becomes apparent and it seems
impossible. So then you can either sink into depression or see
what has to be done to make the dream a reality. Maybe you have a
dream like that which you are desperate to pretend you never really
thought about because it seems impossible. Well think again, life
is nothing without visions and dreams, but a vision is also a call
to action, to undertaking a journey, to (using a horrible modern
expression) 'go beyond your comfort zone'. Achieving
anything means leaving stuff behind, and the most precious thing
that we find hardest to release is our own sense of what is not
possible, sometimes our whole identity is tied up in what we
believe to be our limitations. I know, I am more guilty of this
than anyone.
Talking of undertaking journeys in (relative) discomfort I will be
flying to the USA to teach a course in Minnesota on the 8th to 11th
of May next year. I will post links to a site with more
information and booking details as soon as I get them.
regards
Graham
PS Of course you don't have to wait until then to train with me
in the UK, next day course in Crewkerne on the 11th of October,
details at http://www.iceandfire.org.uk/train.html