A melancholy walk at the end of town
Published: Tue, 12/20/16
I went for a walk this morning. It is a good idea to get as much light as I can this time of year since the days are so short. A good place for walk locally in the Townsend Cemetery which is a little way along the Yeovil road. As the name suggests, the last resting place for local residents is at the end of the town and located on a hillside overlooking the valley with the road that goes South to Merriot. Rather a lovely spot and when I am feeling melancholy it is one of my favourite places for a walk.
It seemed particularly appropriate today with the year drawing to a close and the end of a solar cycle tomorrow. From tomorrow the days start getting light for longer again, although strangely it gets light later in the morning for at least another week.
So, this is a time of endings and beginnings, and a cemetery is quite a good place to reflect on this subject. In Christian terms Christmas marks the end of one age and the start of a new one. From a pagan point of view the solstice marks the rebirth of the sun and another cycle of springtime, midsummer and harvest. Even disregarding either spiritual point of view we still have the period of time out at Christmas and New year which breaks up the usual patterns of work and leisure. Then there is the idea of ‘New Year Resolutions’ when we resolve to be different, and preferably better, human beings in the new year. This is generally good news for gyms and activity centres which promise health, fitness and weight loss. Most of the subscriptions swell the gym owners bank balances far more than they reduce waist lines. A subscription which begins on January first may show good intentions but actually turning up at the gym and working
out helps too.
If you consider the Web of Orlog in time and space there are lines and there are points where the lines meet. In the conventional nine line diagram we see a pattern of interconnecting Hagl runes. Each of those Hagls is a point where a line ends and several new lines begin. This intersection represents a chaos point of beginning and end when anything is possible. It is very hard to change direction when on a specific line. But at a chaos point a change of direction is possible although it is often easiest to continue on the same path. Frequently we don’t even notice that a meeting point was there, so set are we on a particular path. We may only notice the opportunity for change when something dramatic happens in life, illness, accident, losing a job or relationship breakdown. Part of the reason for having a holiday at this time of year is to give us a chance to pause and consider our options without the need for a disaster in
your life.
The main purpose of Stav training is to develop our awareness and two of the things to be most aware of are, the way we are heading and the opportunities to change direction. Change is never easy but if you are going to live more effectively you might as well change direction at the most opportune time.
An awareness of chaos points in the web is an important principle in Stav martial training. There is a major difference between meeting the force of an attack which is still on an intended line and intercepting the attack at its limit. At that point force is spent and the attackers next move can be influenced by the defender. Training in finding these chaos points makes for very effective martial skills and makes you aware of the nature of the web as it manifests in all aspects of life.
The principle of chaos points is easier to demonstrate than demonstrate than describe. Come to Crewkerne in January and February and I will show you a couple of methods of training which will help you understand this principle of change. Details at http://somersetstav.co.uk/cqcseminars.html
Regards
Graham
PS Graded two of my junior students this evening, will post a picture of them tomorrow with their yellow belts and certificates. I don’t particularly hold with gradings for adults but it certainly motivates a 10 and 11 year old.