"Wotan's day spiritual hodgepodge"

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It's an incredibly warm, cloudless January evening tonight, about 70 degrees and eerily still. I just had a few ideas that I made note of recently, and I thought that I would lump them all together on this Wednesday, a day whose name was inspired by Wotan the Teutonic god of legend. Think of how many people in our society do not even know that the days of the week are named after ancient pagan gods, goddesses, and spiritual concepts. Sunday through Saturday: "Sun day," "Moon day," "Týr's day," "Wotan's day," "Thor's day," "Freya's day," and "Saturn's day."


Conflated time-spaces

There's an old saying regarding a person who may not like where they are at the moment; and it says that "your body may have to be here, but your mind can be wherever it wants to be." I had an experience on New Years Eve, and at other times too, which is a little bit of a different twist to that saying... but similar. We all have this experience, whether or not we want to acknowledge it. Sometimes we may find ourselves in a "place" which reminds us of some other unrelated faraway place from our memory or even from a perception.

Most places look and feel different with the combinations of different weather, times of the day, and the varying moods of light and shadow. So with the many different places--familiar or unfamiliar--there are endless combinations that make it entirely possible to experience one of these "geographical déjà vu experiences." Often this happens at night, where the darkness covers up most of the obvious clues that remind us of where we are. You know where you are, but under the right conditions--especially by yourself--you may have that silly idea about that "other time and place." It could even be a perception of a place where you've never been.. and it's nice to just go with it for awhile.

It's the same as listening to a song on your car radio that reminds you of a good experience from the past though a neurological association in your mind; so even though it may feel a little bit silly, you just go with it for a moment and relive the experience. Maybe even expand upon it in some way. It's amazing to me that some people are so closed-minded that they can't even experience something in their own mind without self-censorship. You can learn things about yourself through these mind exercises. It's not mere chance that one person ends up in a situation where they are nearly always in crowds, living and working in a densely populated areas; where another person always seems to live and work in quiet open places.

That's not necessarily an extrovert-introvert comparison either, but a long range consequence of internal self-will. Some people feed off of the energy of crowds, while others do not. History teaches us that there have been many men--"tough guys"--who swagger around with self assurance; but when men like this have gotten into trouble, they instantly crumble at the threat of solitary confinement. Their energy source is cut off. It's the same concept as people in a small town thinking that life in a big city would be a living hell; while people used to a big city would feel that life in a small town would be the same.

The place where I had this experience was near a business/industrial area; at the base of a mountain at night. I was having a few beers with a couple of friends. Behind us towards the mountain were familiar woods and trails. The bright lights from a couple of commercial buildings in front of us illuminated the small field and the woods behind us. I could see some lower hills dotted with homes in the distance, but most of the scenery was darkened out.. looking more like just some lights amid the darkness. Not far ahead I could hear an occasional truck ramble by on the main road while I watched its lights pass by as I sat in my fold up chair.

While sitting in the cool air drinking a Guinness under a half Moon, Venus, and the stars of this remote island amid an urban sea; it occurred to me that this particular spot created a neurological illusion in my mind of a particular spot on a particular evening one time just off of US 2 near Ironwood, Michigan. Despite the micromanaged proportions (in contrast, Ironwood is an urban island in a sea of remoteness), the two "spots" felt the same if I allowed my mind to wander. The cool night air, the woods behind us, the lights of the industrial area, and the main road here matched US 2 with the sound of an occasional truck driving by.

The only thing that would knock me back into the present time-space were the number of planes flying by. Ironically, something large and dark flying by caught my eye at one point. It was perhaps one hundred feet above us. I suspect that it was an owl, somehow symbolizing my alternate reality of the Northwoods. I have been seeing more owls lately than I ever have before. About a week ago at sunset, I saw one land on the very top of a twenty-five foot tree as I was hiking. I could see its body against the sunset as I walked downhill towards the tree, looking away from me in a southward direction; and suddenly it looked at me as I could tell by its ears. That's the second time that an owl has looked at me since December. Animal messengers?

Streghe-Yooper folk medicine?

A "Yooper" is a native of Upper Michigan or north Wisconsin, where they have a distinct dialect called "Finglish"... a mixture of English and Finnish due to the large number of Finns who had immigrated there and the areas' relative remoteness. There also were a sizable number of immigrants from Italy, and in particular the Alpine stretches of the northeast. Within these communities were women who were known practitioners of "folk medicine"... usually tied to literally "Witches" if you go back far enough.

Recently, a woman complained to my mother about some aches and pains that she was experiencing... especially in the morning. My mother told her to place a bar of soap--packaged is fine--under the covers as she slept. Perhaps a month went by before they spoke again, and the woman raved about how the soap had helped her. She was acting excitable, even though she was usually very reserved. When I got to thinking about this later, it occurred to me that this was "folk medicine" in action! A direct link from the ancient Gaulish-Alpine village of Grömèl, to Hurley, Wisconsin, to Brisbane, California. At an earlier time, perhaps centuries ago, a crystal may have been prescribed for this problem by the local Strega.

Controlling anger

I have a possible answer to out-of-control anger. Just about everyone can think of times where they were angry and said and/or did things that they wish they could take back. When confronted with this sudden feeling, try to attain the discipline to at least try to think about the anger in the form of a round glowing ball of energy about the size of a football in front of you. Try to picture it as you stare at the space in front of you. Imagine the pulsating electricity of it's outer dimensions. Tell yourself that you are its master, since your emotions created it... albeit unwillingly.

Hopefully this mind exercise will at least remove the irrational element from it. Perhaps something truly needs to be said or done as a result of someones words and/or actions, but at least you will be in control, and not the ball of energy. Emergencies aside--no matter how deplorable the situation may seem at that moment--if you at least take out two seconds to at least try to picture that energy ball in front of you, your chances of regaining control are good.


Dream symbolism

If you ever have a really dramatic or powerful dream, you really should write it down as soon as possible. You think that you will remember the details, but you will not. I just reread my own account of the most powerful dream that I ever had a few years ago, and I had forgotten most of the details. I wish that I could share some of my dreams here, but they're too personal. The symbolism that our minds conjure up is amazing. Dreams are the way that the mind tries to make sense of our personal issues. They can range from the glorious to the depths of negativity.

Although I am not comfortable giving an account of my inspirational dreams at this point, I did have a dream recently that gave an example of this mind symbolism. I have had four primary enemies in my life. One person I don't see much of anymore, while the other three I have not yet been able to rid myself of. One is my "big enemy," while the other two are slightly lessor enemies that are part of one unit. After recently dealing with all three of them, I had a dream about this frustrating long-term saga.

I was walking up to a driveway of a nearby street collecting for something it seemed. This was the third house on that block, which is a very steep street. Three = "three enemies"; Steep = "the stress" from these enemies. As I walked up the driveway, there was a large bush to the left of me, and a car to the right. Suddenly a large red snake blocked the path in front of me. Its dimensions were not rough like a rattlesnake, but more smooth and rounded. As I turned around to leave, a second large red snake blocked the path to the sidewalk.

As I was trying to figure out what to do, a third red snake--larger than the other two--appeared in the bush which had a slight overhang over the driveway, with the snake outstretched directly above me. I dropped to one knee, blocked on all six sides. The largest snake was my primary enemy, and the other two snakes were the other two of my enemies. Always trying to trap me. This is very typical of dream symbolism, albeit a negative example.

Miscellaneous odds & ends

From the ancient proto-European polytheism--which later developed into what generally became known as "European witchcraft"--there was the "triple goddess" symbolized by "three moons." However, wouldn't it seem that there would be a "triple god" as well... especially since the two fit together? A "triple sun?" Ironically, there are examples in nature where there is an illusion of a triple sun under the right conditions.

I find it interesting that the historical Chinese sailing vessel--"junks"--are not really creatively used as symbols of Chinese culture. They have such a unique design and coloring, even the smaller ones. I think in most other cultures, they would flaunt such a symbol.. as with the Viking ships.

I read somewhere recently of someone of Lombard descent suggesting that an "Iron Crown of Lombardy" could be fashioned as a wristband. Since this is one of the chief symbols of the ancient nation, this idea makes sense to me. It could also be masculinized to suit a man.

I saw where there are "outdoor picture frames" available on the market now. This is a good opportunity for someone to place any type of symbol or person in an outdoor location... perhaps serving as some type of memorial, or to somehow have that person's energy around. You could use your imagination, as maybe a certain sized frame could be placed in a carved out section of a large stone/rock or timber/log and placed in a good spot.

A couple of weeks ago, I watched the popular 2005 movie 'Walk the Line' with my mother. We had seen it once before. It was about the early careers of Johnny Cash and June Carter, played by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. Coincidentally, during the following week, I saw where "the man in black" had played at the 23 Club in Brisbane decades ago. He and a few other famous musical artists' pictures, like Jerry Lee Lewis, were posted behind glass outside. There are always connections and tie-ins when you look for them

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