Bardic Perspective: Awen Charted: Old Age

To reflect on Old Age, I went to a swampy area where three streams converge. On two sides of this area are woods, several houses on one side, and a road on another side. Crossing over the swamp was a bridge spanning the road and the houses on the hill. This is a liminal place for me for several reasons, such as the swamp is neither earth nor water. Moreover, the wild area lies between a road and houses, with the bridge connecting the two.

For me, noon represents mid-life followed by old age. After the noon hour comes the afternoon, the decline of the day. Since noon, for me, is a liminal time, I chose this time to start my meditation on Old Age.  

The day I went was a blustery winter day. The strong wind blew the dried leaves, which swirled around me, in small eddies. Meanwhile, the sparkling stream water, as it rippled over the tangled roots, reflected the weak winter sun. Seeing the dead leaves strewn about the bottoms of bare trees, I was reminded of Old Age. As the sharp wind knifed through me, it called to mind my own mortality. Moreover, I was off the beaten path, in a place of ancient decay, symbolic of Old Age. The active life, represented by the road and houses, was separated from me by this swamp.

 As I stared out at the swampy overgrown area, an ancient being of hoary old age popped out of the bog. This male being had an unkempt appearance with unruly white hair sticking out of his brows and ears. Sailing about on the wind, he played with the whirling leaves. Laughing, the being said to me, “Never be neat, clean, or civilized. Always be wild and unruly. Never be staid or docile.” As I listened, the being twinkled at me and danced off.

 As I was leaving, I felt the wildness of the swamp bubble up inside of me. Being old was a time to not to live up to anyone’s expectations, instead it was a time to be content with myself. The being’s advice had resided inside of me, and made me rethink growing old. I think I should go and play in the gusting wind with wild abandonment.

Other Worldly Beings: Star Trek: The Next Generation (2)

("Picard and Q" courtesy of StarTrek.com)

As an Old Soul, Picard goes toe-to-toe with Q to defend humanity. Deeply committed to humanity‘s evolution, Picard fights Q’s machinations. He challenges Q, “If we are going to be damned, let us be damned for what we really are.”

With his knowledge of the law, Picard becomes “Perry Mason” (the fictional lawyer) to thwart Q. Frustrated with Picard, Q becomes more arbitrary in his actions. Then in a “Perry Mason moment”, Picard thunders at him, “It is **your** conduct that is uncivilized!” Because, he knows that humanity has progressed, Picard sees through Q’s baiting. Finally using his authority, Picard, the Old Soul, orders the omnipotent Q off *his ship*.

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(Mason and his secretary, Della Street)
Perry Mason: From stories written by Erle Stanley Gardner, "Perry Mason" the TV series (1957 - 1966) set the tone for other lawyer/mystery series. Mason, a defense attorney, solved cases through logic and close observation.




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Other Worldly Beings: Star Trek: Next Generation (1)

(Deanna Troi and William Riker, courtesy of StarTrek.com)


When I watched the first episode of “STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION” (1987-1994, Roddenberry): “Encounter at Far Point” (101, 102), I thought that several of the characters were “other-worldly beings”. Captain Jean-Luc Picard was an Old Soul. Commander William Riker was an Incarnated Star Person, and Counselor Deanna Troi, an Incarnated Angel.

As an Incarnated Angel, Troi uses her special abilities to heal. With her luminous looks, she conveys an aura of healing and serenity. Being an empath, she struggles to shield herself from the painful emotions of others. Because she is an Incarnated Angel, Troi seeks to quiet people’s roiling emotions. In encountering the two nebulous space aliens, Troi puts herself at risk to aid them. Although, their pain and anger overwhelms her, she continues to help them.

Unlike Troi who is a Betazoid, Riker is an Incarnated Star Person in a human body. In fact, he has a prior relationship with her. Because of their deep relationship, Troi and Riker greet the other telepathically as “Imazi”. Besides being comfortable with non-humans, Riker treats Data, the android, as a person and not a curiosity.

When Picard orders him to join the Enterprise’s two halves manually, Riker does so with great aplomb. While the rest of the crew is nervous, he is relaxed. Moreover, Riker reassures the crew that everything will be fine. As an Incarnated Star Person, he is used to meeting these challenges, and merges the two parts of the spaceship with ease.

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Copyright: Virginia Carper, Animal Teachers, 2008, animalteachers @ gmail.com
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Other Worldly Beings: Old Souls

When I watched “SMOKE SIGNALS” (1998, Eyre), I perceived the two main characters, Victor Joseph and Thomas Brings-the-Fire, to be a split soul. Rarely apart, they guide each other towards wholeness. Victor brings Thomas into the present, while Thomas teaches Victor the way of the Worlds.

Wearing a suit and his hair in braids, Thomas resembles a medicine man from the last century. Known in the Coeur d’Alene Nation as an eccentric storyteller, Thomas lives his life by his own compass. He fears neither lies nor the truth. Weaving the past, present, and future in his stories, Thomas offers wisdom to those around him. As an old soul, Thomas delivers his pearls of wisdom with good humor. “Sometimes it is a good day to die. Sometimes it is a good day to have breakfast.”

Thomas, for his part, regards Victor’s father, Arnold, to be his teacher, he tells about going on a vision quest and encountering Arnold instead. In Thomas’s stories, Arnold emerges as a Shaman working magic and illusions. He hides in plain sight, and practices disappearing. Through Suzy Song, Arnold’s neighbor in Phoenix, Victor discovers that his father was an old soul who made a tragic mistake. Because his pain was so great, Arnold slowly let go of all his connections to this world. However, after his death, he returns to his son in a vision.