"Welcome, oh life! I go to encounter for the millionth
time the reality of experience, to forge in the smithy of
my soul and the uncreated conscience of my race....."
___ James Joyce, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
These words of Stephen Dedalus are the ecstatic greeting of a young man on the verge of exile and adventure, creative destiny and the fulfillment of his heritage. "Creative destiny" sounds like a very grand proposition, the kind of thing that poets and artists might get themselves excited about. That we each have a creative destiny to fulfill is often conveniently forgotten, especially if we have carved out our niche in the world of work or have put the aspirations of our youth far behind us.
We think of creativity as the production of professional and beautiful artwork or music or other achievements, but the whole course of our lives is one creative endeavor: not only the work of our hands, but the way we weave our relationships, the way we make our homes, the way we raise children, cook food, dream, garden shop - all these and more are our creative fields. Our creative destiny is not fated by distant galaxies or proscriptive deities; it is nothing other than the mindful growth, development and manifestation of the gifts that lie in potemtia, the talents, aptitudes and heritage with which we were born.
Every year, millions of young people begin their active, determined and intentioned lives as adults. Like salmon returning to their source, they set their faces toward the fulfillment of their creative destiny. It is a great adventure that few pursue unansweringly to the source; but for all who undertake it, there is no greater joy than to enter 'the smithy of the soul' and bring into manifestation something that was not possible before we brought our creative destiny to play there.
"What is your creative destiny? If it seems far off or unknown, consider the shape of your life to this point. Where has your life been wanting to flow?"
[From: The Celtic Spirit Catlin Matthews]
The Lamp of Memory - November
With thy lamp, O Memory....."
___ Dante Gabriel Rosetti
The dark days of November lead us deeper into the mysteries of Samhain, with All Saints' Day on November 1st and All Souls' Day on November 2nd, two Christian festivals that overlaid the earlier Pagan festivals of the dead.
In modern America we tend to regard death as something of an aberration, but our Celtic ancestors viewed life as a never-ending spiral of birth, death and rebirth. They believed that after death the soul journeyed to the Summerlands beyond the Western sea, where the grass was always green and fruit and flowers grew together. Feasting, hunting, music, love and joyous sporting contests went on forever; and if any were wounded or killed one day, they sprang back to life the next. In the Iron Age men and women of noble rank were buried with everything they were likely to need in the afterlife: drinking horns, cauldrons, jewelry, weapons and even chariots. Because of their beliefs, they were fearless in the face of death, which they considered to be 'but the center of a long life.' In fact, it was not uncommon for a man to lend money and agree on repayment in his next lifetime.
[From Kindling the Celtic Spirit" by Mara Freeman]
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