Animals Medicine and Epiphanies

In Native American cultures, animals give humans strength. The individuals of tribes have moments of "complete clarity" and an animal comes to them bringing them strength and guidence in their lives. The Crow tribe of Montana had one of the greatest Indian Warriors and Leaders in the history of the US and Tribal Nations. His name, Plenty-Coups, means in white mans terms "many achievements." Counting Coups is a traditional war game, of physically touching the enemy with a coups stick, while in battle. It was not meant to kill the intended target, but rather to embarrass them by being so slow that it wouldn't be a challenge to kill them, and therefore they give them a little tap to reinforce their inability to get away.


Medicine, is used to enlighten the individual, as well as protection in battle. I cannot give the meaning behind medicine justice, since I am not Native, and do not fully understand Medicines. Plenty-Coups medicine was the Chickadee. In a way quite comical, seeings as how Plenty-Coups is one of the greatest warriors and chiefs of the Crow people, but don't let size fool you. "Every autumn Black-capped Chickadees allow brain neurons containing old information to die, replacing them with new neurons so they can adapt to changes in their social flocks and environment even with their tiny brains, and most birds that associate with chickadee flocks respond to chickadee alarm calls, even when their own species doesn’t have a similar alarm call." This adaptable and universal ambassador of the bird world is what gave Plenty-coups his strength to become who he was, and spread his word throughout Indian Country.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black-capped_Chickadee/lifehistory

Medicine from what I have learned in my Native American Studies classes is a powerful and extremely spiritual entity in the culture and lives of the Crow and other tribes. To be able to connect with another creature in such a way that it will protect you in battle, and give you knowledge throughout your life could be an entire life time of one giant epiphany. The many oo's leading up to the great AHH moment.

You do not pick your medicine, nor do you pick your epiphanies; they pick you.

~L.

Move Over Picasso, Miss Little Legs is here to Stay

look at that artistic ability! Honestly, I had no idea what to draw, so I started with wings and was going to draw boobs in between the wings but thought it inappropriate for school, so I added the world instead. Nothing special on my part, what we need is Tai to bring the real art.

Epiphany and Pain

In the Emergent Lit class we talked about, a single moment in time seeming to last a lifetime. So I blogged about this moment I had. Then today in Capstone we talked about Epiphany and Pain, and that same story popped into my head.

Epiphanies are painful, I broke my back--well I didn't break it some Raiders fan, wannabe snowboarder broke it--and I was given a massive concussion at the same time.

My moment of ahhh, and OWEEEEE! was in a hospital in Sparks, Nevada, right outside their CAT scan machine room. Strapped to a gurney body completely immobilized, I over heard the doctor ask the nurse to monitor me closely. "Her brain seems to be swelling, we might need to open her up and give the brain some room."

Thanks Doc! way to make sure your patient is comfy, and feels safe in your care! He had no idea I could hear him say this. But I did and my whole life flashed before my eyes. My epiphanic moment was this: "I have no words, I have only thoughts, and now my thoughts are going to be exposed to the outside air, something they should never have to be exposed to unless coming out of my mouth or out of my pen.

The pain I felt in my body was not as great as the pain I felt in my mind. The thought that I might lose my memory, my future, my present. I thought "this is the end."

Luckily they didn't have to operate, and instead sent me home with some anti-inflammatory medicine, and some muscle relaxers. And as for my mind. It still works, I see things in new ways, it worked out pretty well for me. Though my memory really isn't what it used to be, hahah, and I do have holes that I cannot fill in from my past. It's weird how I know the memories are there, my mind just wants to keep the hidden from me for now. At least I can remember never to go back to that doctor again!

~L.

The Wind in the Willows Moment of Clarity

In Chapter 7 The Piper and the Gates of Dawn, Ratty and Mole are paddling

 up stream in search of the otter pup gone missing.  The moon, a 

dim light in the night slowly fades away leaving the two rescuers to navigate the river in darkness, until the moment happens. 

"Then a change began slowly to declare itself. The horizon became clearer, field and tree came more into sight, and somehow with a different look; the mystery began to drop away from them...'So beautiful and strange and new! Since it was to end so soon, I almost wish I had never heard it. For it has roused a longing in me that is pain, and nothing seems worth while but just to hear that sound once more and go on listening to it for ever.'"

A moment of clarity, a second in time when everything is perfect and in unison with each other.  The planet is a peace for that one moment.  Ratty has that moment and recognizes it in these lines.  He captures it for but a second and it is gone again, never to return to that state of pure utopia.  This moment--in my version of the novel--comes directly in the middle of the novel, could this be a coincidence?--or is Grahame teaching us a lesson about moments of nirvana? Why the middle of the story and not the end to complete the tale with clarity?  Are stories supposed to have epiphanies in them but not conclude them? 

"Sudden and magnificent, the sun's broad golden disc showed itself over the horizon facing them...when they were able to look once more, the Vision had vanished, and the air was full of carol of birds that hailed the dawn..." The whole chapter the moment in which they feel afraid and brave.  Ratty and Mole experience together.  It is like in Eliot's Burnt Norton the vision of sunlight and water and birds singing.  It ties together to form the perfect moment of simplicity and wholeness.  All is felt and all is understood at that single moment.  The pipers are piping at the sight of dawn, singing the praises of life. 

By concluding a story with an epiphanic moment can there be anything learned by that epiphany? It would seem not, because you must experience life after the epiphany to truly understand it, so the moment has to come before the end in order to complete the story.  It would be terrible story to have the moment of clarity at the very end with no explanation or follow up emotions/reactions to the character having that epiphany.  If it did end in an epiphany it would be too much like the way real life could end up.  Where everything you've ever wanted to know you learn on your death bed, how convenient.  I guess that is still a good way to go out--being the smartest person in the world. 

Eureka! I'm learning.

~L.

The Season of Epiphany

Growing up in Southern California I was exposed to many different cultures and races of people. In my home town of La Crescenta there was a large community of Armenians immigrants. For the 13 years that I was in public schools I always heard about Armenians Christmas, January 6th. My fellow Armenian classmates would take the day off and celebrate this holy day with their extended family. Celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and the arrival of the Magi.

January 6th is also known as the Epiphany holiday, along with Christmas and Easter it is one of the most celebrated days on the Christan calendar. On this day the Magi, three wise men, presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus.

Christians now celebrate the actual birth of Christ on December 25th, except for Armenians who choose to stay with January 6th which is now a holiday in the Glendale Unified School District in California, and is titled Armenian Christmas.

I see now the reason behind celebrating this day, where as before I was in the dark and had no idea that Epiphany was an actual holiday, celebrated by some of my closest and most dearest friends I grew up with, learned with, and played with. Could this be an epiphany for myself, seeing the holiday for what it really is?

A day devoted to epiphany.

~L.

expecting

For the past 6 years I have been expecting nothing but a paper in my hand and the title of college graduate under my belt. Finally I have reached that time, and though it is still a few months away from that paper and that title, I am expecting to grow the most in this final semester of college. This class could not have a better theme for graduating seniors than Epiphanies. My entire college career has had moments of enlightenment and understanding, without me knowing that I was having an Epiphany. Now I have the chance to reflect back on all those late night typing sprees, and early morning edits to think about what those moments were. Re-reading papers upon papers that I have filed away in my makeshift filing cabinet and reconnecting to a younger less focused me. I am more than excited to see where this semester takes me as well as you all, and see the light bulbs go off around the classroom and on these here blogs, when we can see the epiphanies that have happend and the ones happening now.

I am expecting nothing but greatness.

I am Salvage

"I do not know much about gods; but I think that the river
Is a strong brown god--sullen, untamed and intractable,
Patient to some degree, at first recognised as a frontier:
Useful, untrustworthy, as a conveyor of commerce;
Then only a problem confronting the builder of bridges.
The problem once solved, the brown god is almost forgotten
By the dwellers in cities--ever, however, implacable,
Keeping his seasons and rages, destroyer, reminder
Of what men choose to forget. Unhonoured, unpropitiated
By worshippers of the machine, but waiting, watching and
waiting."

I too, do not know much about gods, and I do believe that the river could be a strong brown god if that's what you believe. Myself--I have found in this opening line to the third quartet. My-self is woven into the pages of this tiny book that is supposed to be attached to our bodies this entire semester. My-self is back to school.


~L.