Ceallaigh's Blog
So, I was in Cape Breton yesterday doing pre-close house things and had two experiences I wanted to share.
The Post Office in Baddeck
I was in line behind this guy with a huge, oddly-shaped package he was insuring for thousands of dollars. He offered me the opportunity to cut in front of him if my business was brief, and when I politely declined, I asked him what was in the package.
He answered, "A wolverine and a grizzly bear."
I thought he was joking, but then he told the postmaster about the polar bear pelt that was stolen from his airplane luggage once. He really was mailing a wolverine pelt and a grizzly bear pelt, probably to himself, in Nunavut. I was gobsmacked, but I took it for the warning it was. Sean and I are going to have to be like wind and water, not earth and fire, as we integrate in this new place.
The Herring Choker
Modern Paganism has more than a few bloody roots. The early Celts practiced both animal sacrifice and human ritual killing1 and might well have engaged in ritual cannibalism under extreme circumstances, as historical and archaeological evidence attests.23 Elaborate human sacrifices were performed at the temple in Uppsala and elsewhere in Northern Europe as late as the 10th century AD, and there are well-documented accounts of animal sacrifice as well.45 The early Greeks may have engaged in human sacrifice or human ritual killing and certainly engaged in animal sacrifice.6 These are only a few among many examples, as students of pre-Christian religion well know, and they collectively represent a disquieting piece of theological history. However, while most Pagans will agree that cannibalism, human ritual killing and human sacrifice are better abandoned to history, the practice of animal sacrifice has been reconstructed by a few sects of the Pagan community.
Some of you might remember that I was a sound extra for a Gaelic short film in 2011. That film is The Fiddler’s Reel - Ruidhle an Fhidhleir, and it's finally coming to DVD! You can pre-order it now from Sìol Cultural Enterprises, and it's listed on the front page of Sìol's web site.
A couple of weeks ago, I began to seriously consider an MFA at Goddard College. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the school, Goddard is a small college in Plainfield, Vermont with a reputation for being on the bleeding edge of liberal study. Just my style. =) The MFA offered there is a distance program with required on-site instruction one week each semester and welcomes writers from all corners of the industry; from poets and screenwriters to hardcore genre writers like myself. I’ve considered it often over the years, usually when I’m feeling the need for a boost in my writing skills, but ultimately I’ve always decided against it for various reasons.
Back in 2000, I was in Ireland at the same time as Isaac Bonewitz, and we traveled together for a couple of weeks. Before we parted company, he shared Brigid's flame with me from a candle he had lit at the shrine in Kildare. Subsequently, I passed the flame to friends, among them a priestess in Maryland.
I've recently mentioned that I'm self-publishing a chapbook of previously-published short stories and poems and that some months ago, I turned down a problematic contract for it. Unfortunately, that contract was likely the only one the chapbook will ever be offered for various reasons; it's specifically Pagan, it's a mix of fiction and poetry, it's short and I'm not a well-known writer who can sell on her name alone. Still, the pieces in it have passed through independent editorial processes, the collection is well-blurbed and a Pagan colleague introduces it.
I'm delighted to report that from August 2-4, 2013 I'll be appearing as a guest at the awesome Harbour Con-Fusion in beautiful Saint John, New Brunswick!
This time, I'll be running two worldbuilding panels, one on physical worldbuilding and one on cultural worldbuilding, both with the speculative fiction writer in mind. I'll also have my forthcoming Pagan fiction and poetry collection on hand, The Ruin of Beltany Ring: A Collection of Pagan Poems and Tales.
I'm really looking forward to this event. Saint John is a beautiful place, and the convention organizers have been incredibly kind. More later on this, when there's more to tell!
I just finished my second run on the treadmill in three days. Every day this week, I've made time for meditation. I'm rediscovering an old friend in the positive, health-affirming work of Louise Hay. My journal is filling up with daily goals and the ways I've met them. I'm drinking tart lemon water by the quart and have indefinitely given up alcohol, caffeine, processed sugar and the few bad fats we vegans do eat.
As a result, my perspective is beginning to shift. My tolerance for negativity is decreasing, and so is my willingness to place myself in situations where I am forced to deal with the hurtful behavior of others. My fear for my health is transmuting into action, and I'm ready to change in order to be well.
Here's why.
Our house bid has been accepted by the seller and signed, so now I am comfortable writing about our soon-to-be new home. As I mentioned before, the house is in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, chosen by National Geographic as a Traveler's Best Trip for 2013 and a regular Lonely Planet top destination. I know I sound like a tourist brochure, but Cape Breton really is that special; so beautiful even in foul, autumn weather that it makes you want to weep and so sacred that softens even the most cynical of hearts. Around here, my Gaelic and 'Caper' friends all say they feel suddenly better when they cross the Canso Causeway onto the island, and it's absolutely true of us as well.
We've just crossed the Canso causeway back into mainland Nova Scotia. It's 4:52 in the afternoon, our house paperwork is signed and there is a seal in our trunk that howls so loudly we're afraid to leave the car in a public place.
Perhaps I should backtrack a bit.
This morning actually began last night when I picked Sean up at the airport near midnight. An hour and a half later, we hit the sack knowing we'd have to be on the road early for a meet-and-greet with our new doctor in Cape Breton today. And so we were, coffee and toast in hand with me behind the wheel, which meant a few traffic laws were gently bent along the way.