"Without the enchantments to kindle the beckoning flame of mystery, and wonder, we lose touch with the on-going story of the soul."
___ Caitlin and John Matthews "The Little
Book of Celtic Wisdom"
The ancient bards of Britain maintained 'perpetual choirs of song' that kept the land harmoniously connected and whole. As long as there was one voice, the land and its inhabitants remained within the enchantment. We now think of enchantment as a malign magical spell, but the original meaning of 'to enchant' was 'to infuse with song' which is what the ancient choirs of once did, maintaining the interconnection between the world and the otherworld. When awareness of this sacred link is severed, we lost the enchantment and fall into a sorry condition of disconnection.
Disenchantment happens to us all, taking the familiar forms of depressive illness, addictive behavior and malaise from which there seems no escape. It is important to act quickly when these states begin to set in, to realize that our soul's story is out of phase with its sacred connection.
How can the soul or the world be re-enchanted once it has lost the enchantment? Only by returning to the story of the soul and retelling it up to the point of fracture; only by placing our own story within the context of the greater song. When Myrddin (MER'thyn), now known as Merlin, is exposed to the carnage of battle, he runs mad through the forest. Many try to calm him and bring him back to society but only when the Welsh poet Taliesin (Tal-ee-ESS'in) comes and sits with him does Myrddin respond, asking the odd question "Why do we have weather?" This seemingly trivial query is all that Taliesin needs to help his friend. He begins to recite the creation of the world. At the end of Taliesin's recital, Myrddin is restored as the sacred context of his story is given back to him.
"Consider the enchantment that keeps your soul's story on track."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]
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