---

It’s hard to explain how it comes at me…[edit] or comes to me… or makes sense in my understanding of the world. One part Empirically, one part Epistemologically, one part Etymologically In the totemic way, and one part Symbolically. 

It’s in thousands of books I choose/chose to read. Thousands of conversations, and podcasts that I tuned into and turned inward to consider. It’s in songs I played on repeat. It’s in the media/stories/narratives that play/played out in my mind during the quiet times, or buffered me through the storms.  It’s in understanding the deeper ideas behind motifs.

This is what Artist DO.

That is why we take quill to paper, paint to canvas, why we build calluses mastering our art. It stains our clothes, hardens our fingertips in the practice against the clay, harp strings, or loom shuttles. 

The Call of The Bard. 

This is the quest. To follow the blue bird (Joy) toward MY happiness and self mastery.

I knew what was standing in my way.  Honest admission: I once, (or twice… maybe more) let myself be convinced the world was a dangerous hostile place. I was convinced that I was helpless. 

But I am not.

Listening to the stories, where the hero gets back up is where we get the courage to try, again and again and again.  As though we are training to master the quest. 

Every Gamer knows this. 

It is a massively different paradigm to live in.  Upcoming post about that Book that shined a light there, and the Twins I found to teach me. I took notes, internalized the implications and considered. I got curious about what results come from the trail/trial less travelled.

It seems that now in these times the airwaves are flooded with the opposing messages; of defeat, mockery, depreciation, and surrender. It’s hard to keep one’s mind clear of the t.v. programming.  >You know it’s programming you.< The Industry doesn’t hide the magic trick they are doing.

Same snake oil as a century ago, same motives, same split tongue, “be afraid so I can sell you salvation.” 

It’s odd to me that other people don’t hear it for what it is.  What they heard/ herds them toward the fleecing, towards the slaughter in the F.O.G.   

I took the Quests.  I built the skill tree. I pushed myself to level up.  

It starts by asking the first quest-ion.

What would that look like?

What would I have to see to believe?

---