{"id":360,"date":"2011-03-16T11:38:00","date_gmt":"2011-03-16T11:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/2011\/03\/16\/a-place-where-things-come-together\/"},"modified":"2020-08-30T22:09:44","modified_gmt":"2020-08-30T22:09:44","slug":"a-place-where-things-come-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/2011\/03\/16\/a-place-where-things-come-together\/","title":{"rendered":"A place where things come together"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MyAs I wasn’t writing much about Gaelic spirituality at the time I started this blog, having started at a time of conflict, flux and burn out in the community and taking things more private for awhile, I have realized it might seem a sudden switch to some of my readers. While the intent of this was always to be about various aspects of the warrior path in my life and how they came together, the focus had been on fitness, self-defense and popular culture. That itself might seem quite a mix to some. But it really is in my interest in the warrior ways of ancient Ireland and Scotland that all those things come together, the physical training and the importance of story.<\/p>\n

\n

I’m not good at compartmentalizing. Somethings need to be, however, and therefore when I wanted a space to blog about homesteading and to share with my husband, I made another blog D\u00f9n Sg\u00e0than Notes<\/a>, I also joined a blog for horse advocacy<\/a> although between three of us we seem a bit too overwhelmed by it all to post much. Then, in order to share space for writing about things related to The Sarah Connor Charm School<\/a>, I created a blog for the group. This last is the most likely to have cross-posting. (What am I saying? The only thing I’v<\/span>e posted there so far has been reposts of things from here. I hope this doesn’t annoy those who might read both.)<\/p>\n

But this blog is for all things related to women on the warrior path, however diverse that may be for me. It’s a place where things come together for me in my practice. Now I also have a real space location that brings things together, as well.<\/p>\n

For years now I’ve had limited space for exercise equipment. Usually a small room, which usually means that things overflowed into the rest of the house.It lead to some bad habits, like making a stop by the computer in between sets, removing my focus.<\/p>\n

When I was planning to build my own house, it was actually pretty much centered around the idea of having a gym. A gym\/temple, really. But I never built my house. A decade ago we moved into the “in-law apartment” of my parents’ home. Since their deaths, we now own the house…and we still live in the apartment. I wasn’t ready to use the rest, the apartment is smaller and easier to care for and heat and it just doesn’t “flow” into the rest easily. But we decided to find ways to expand into the rest. And, it of course, started with a gym.<\/p>\n

Moving the living room \"Lindafurniture out of the way (come spring most of it will be moved completely out), we put down padded flooring, moved in the weights, benches, heavy bag. We added a pull-up and dip tower, as I have given up, for now, on finding the perfect bed frame to turn on it’s side. When things are moved out more we’ll have more open space, especially to work the bag, and probably get more equipment over time.<\/p>\n

And in the far corner is a shrine. I may be the only Polytheist, especially the only HARD Polytheist, out there who has a shrine in her gym with a statue of An Morr\u00edgan and a figure of Sarah Connor. I hope these are joined by a figure or picture of Sc\u00e1thach or other literary Irish warrior woman, or many, but I’m not finding the right one(s). I’m looking for well done and muscular, tattooed would be nice but muscle is more important. I have some great ideas in my head but a lifetime frustration of never being able to get such images out onto paper (my sister got that talent). I do have a list, a sort of prayer, instead:<\/p>\n

I serve the War Goddesses<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Badb and Macha and An Morrigan, whose name is Anand<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Fea and Nemain, B\u00e9 N\u00e9it<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
I follow in the footsteps of the banf\u00e9nnidi<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Macha Mongruadh<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Ness ingen Echach S\u00e1lbuidi <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
<\/a> Medb ingen<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i> Echach Feidlig <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Creidne<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Sc\u00e1thaig Buanand ingen Ardgeimme<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
Aifi i<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i>ngen Ardgeimme<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
Bodbmall<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
L\u00edath L\u00faachra<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
Luas Lurgann <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
\u00c9tsine<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
Br\u00e9fne<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
S\u00edmha ingen Chorrluirgnig<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
Bec ingen Conchoraig<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
Lithben ingen Aitreabhthaigh <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Truth in our Hearts, Strength in our Arms, Fulfillment in our Tongues<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n

(ETA April 2012: I have changed this over this time period, please read this post on why and how it reads now<\/a>)<\/p>\n

There are photos all around of Linda Hamilton as Sarah Connor. Some, now collected in a frame, are worn, faded, damaged, having gone from apartment to apartment with me for years, the first for 20 years this year, taped to the walls of various “workout rooms.” Likewise, there are similar pictures of Kathy Long. Later these were joined by Demi Moore doing one-armed push-ups as Lt. Jordan O’Neal in G.I. Jane<\/i> (this also includes the statement “Failure Is Not An Option” at top and D.H. Lawrence’s poem “Self-Pity” at the bottom) and Sigourney Weaver as Ripley 8. But now I have more pristine photos of Linda, with autographs, including one of us together. I’ll be printing more from ComicCon to go up, too.<\/p>\n

But while An Morr\u00edgan and Sarah Connor grace my shrine, it is not to say that the two images are the same. One is a representation of my Goddess, the other is a representation of a role model. As a hard Polytheist I do not believe that the Goddesses and Gods are archetypes. They are real and They are many. Even a Goddess I worship of the same name as a Goddess you worship might not even be the same Goddess. We are limited, They are not so much, we do not always know who They are, only Who They tell us and They may tell us to meet our always limited understanding.<\/p>\n

And while I might be limited, I’m not completely simple either. I have no problem with both worshiping Goddesses I believe are very real and alive and being inspired by stories both ancient and modern. For me Sarah Connor and other modern role models are as potent as the ancient ones of Ness and Sc\u00e1thach and other literary figures who I also do not believe are degraded* Goddesses but humans in the tales.<\/p>\n

So this space, this very sacred space to me, is filled with images that represent the warrior path for me. It allows me to stay far more focused and mindful, more reverent than I have been for some time when working out with weights. I meditate, usually sitting on the balance ball, before the shrine between sets. I focus on what I am doing, what I am offering. Because working out is worship for me, a practice that deteriorated by bad habits, which now I am breaking.<\/p>\n

There are no offering plates on this shrine as there are on my others. The offering is my blood, sweat and tears. If something else is demanded there, it will be given, but the focus here is on the work of the body. And where that meets the spirit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

*Yes, I know even some Celtic scholars these days use “<\/i>euhermerized<\/i><\/a><\/span>” but this word actually means the opposite; it actually means that the historical becomes mythological, that humans become Deities, not the other way around.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

———
\nText and top photo copyright \u00a92011 Kym Lambert<\/span>, wolf picture is currently photoshopped but a similar one will go there Drawing copyright \u00a9 2002 Aaron Miller<\/span>
\nPhoto of Linda Hamilton from Terminator 2 copyright <\/span>\u00a9<\/small> 1991 Carolco, currently owned by Pacificor LLC<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As I wasn’t writing much about Gaelic spirituality at the time I started this blog, having started at a time of conflict, flux and burn out in the community and taking things more private for awhile, I have realized it might seem a sudden switch to some of my readers. While the intent of this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[31,20,5,38,64,52,32,26,50,63,36,27,22,48],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pad6Py-5O","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=360"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":623,"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/360\/revisions\/623"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dunsgathan.net\/feannog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}