Brain storming sesh and 5 minutes on Folklore

Tuesday August 28 we’ll be at Second Cup in Kensington / Sunnyside, corner of 10th Street and 3rd Avenue NW (across the street from Safeway); and Wednesday August 29 at Vendome (940 2nd Avenue NW). The dialogues start at 6 PM.

On Tuesday we’ll brainstorm ideas for things we might do in September that are outside the box of our dialogues – for example, attend a meeting of City Council; visit the Calgary Planetarium to get a better idea of our location in the galaxy; or learn about “tiny houses” as a possible solution to the homelessness problem. In September we’ll pick one from that menu of ideas and do it.

On Wednesday, with Brian facilitating, you’re invited to do a five minute presentation on some aspect of folklore (from any part of the world). Brian’s orientation is appended below.

Last Tuesday we talked about the interdependence of personal well-being and well-being of the community. Last Wednesday we heard about the remarkable range of uses and potential health benefits of hemp and also discussed how we should respond if we unexpectedly encounter someone who is about to commit suicide. At least two of the participants had encountered this emergency (one of them fairly recently) and the discussion left us better prepared in case it happens again.

Arthur

Here's Brian's orientation for the dialogue at Vendome next Wednesday:

The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog: The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit (by Patricia Monaghan)

The human brain is genetically wired for tales. Indeed, in an age before CGI, the Internet, television and movies, the person who could spin an engrossing tale around a roaring fire or the communal gathering space following supper was an integral part of the evening’s entertainment.

Personal tales and the wider body of myth and folklore are universal throughout humanity. On a recent visit to Salmon Arm, I had the pleasure of reading a book about Irish mythology by an Irish- American poet named Patricia Monaghan. I will be sharing with Moveable Feast on Wednesday, August 29th, my review of Ms. Monaghan’s wonderful, lyrical, book, which is titled The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog: The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit

Patricia Monaghan - The Red-Haired Girl from the Bog: The Landscape of Celtic Myth and Spirit

It was just past dawn on a soft day in January. Three pilgrims moved through the mist that swaddled the Curragh like a cold white blanket. The muddy path led straight for a time, then made a sudden arbitrary curve to the left, then right, before straightening out again.

www.patricia-monaghan.com

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I have volunteered to facilitate this session on the 29th. I invite others to either share with us a review of a book they’ve read that addresses the mythology of a people and/or to share with us tales from the folklore of a people. In doing so, it will be interesting to see how our respective tales indeed represent the ties that bind.