Thank you
Published: Thu, 01/12/17
I was touched and encouraged by the response I got to my post yesterday. I have sent a message this morning to say that I am willing to give up the Stav centre. I feel at peace with that decision now. The various messages of support and encouragement certainly helped, so thank you.
Sometimes I need a situation to remind me to practice what I preach. While training on Tuesday Mike asked me what I meant when I say that even if you are washed up on a desert island or thrown into prison you should still have Stav? What it should mean is that if you know the runes, are aware of the web and can do the stances then you have everything you need to maintain your practice of Stav. If you know the main bind runes you should also have the essentials of healing, craft and conflict resolution skills. The point of Stav is that you are not dependent upon structures, organisations, equipment and libraries, everything that is needed for you to be self-reliant is embodied in body, mind and spirit. So, maybe a Stav Centre isn’t really in the spirit of Stav after all. (Not that it has not been a joy and privilege to share it with those who have trained with me there.)
Something else I talk about is chaos points on the web of life when change is most possible. Frequently we simply ignore the opportunity to change direction and simply carry on as we were regardless of whether we are going in the right direction or not. Giving up the Stav Centre is a chaos point for me, it looks like it will be a necessary change of direction too.
Another important point is that Stav practice is about aligning ourselves in time and space with the whole universe. The best way of doing this is by training out of doors, doing each side of the stances in alignment with the rising and setting sun. Doing our practice with the earth beneath our feet and the sky overhead. This is certainly how I prefer to do my own practice. Most mornings I walk up to our highest point locally at sunrise. When staying at my mother’s there is a corner of a playing field which is perfect for stances and training. When I was in Mexico in October it was wonderful to train on the beach as the sun rose over the Caribbean. So, maybe it is best to teach those who want to learn Stav to do the stances and simple training drills in the open air. See the link to the video in the PS below if you want to see more about training in the open air.
I intend to retain use of the Stav Centre until the end of March, so there will be three more courses there. Each one will focus on equipping you to do your own training and being responsible for your own development. Programme here http://www.iceandfire.org/calendar.html After that? The CQC weapons course will probably be held there too, if not I will find another local venue in good time. Then it will be spring so maybe we train out of doors? I will be doing some travelling anyway, the USA in May and I am always open to invitations.
Thanks again for your support and interest
Regards
Graham
PS Another video for you. Sometimes people have problems working out which way they should be facing when doing the stances, this might help https://www.screencast.com/t/vyE6p9W4viB