[Shaahayda Rizvi]

My dear Sunbug,

Thank you for such a charming  response to my question, and including your personal childhood symbols as well.

You wrote, “And I think it was only later through a love of mythology and discovering Campbell through  the Power of Myth and reading the books…that THEN symbols became keys to a new way of seeing looking backwards as well as the present! It definitely meant more to me!”

Sunbug, you and I, and oh so many others came to recognize the importance of symbols in our traditions through Campbell and through the Power of Myth. What a giant leap for mankind I’d say. So many different traditions have much in common when it comes to symbols.  Campbell talks of a tradition in India, which is,  to make something sacred, you draw a red ring around it.  One day, while strolling the king’s gardens in Oslo, I noticed that many trees were dressed with long beautiful red satin ribbons. – it was to mark them sacred. I’ll go through the pictures to find those particular ones.. but here are the Palace Gardens and now imagine, a red ribbon tied around the center of each —- simply gorgeous.

YOU  mentioned that you are lucky to have friends of all different backgrounds from Methodist/Presbyterian to Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist and even one Cherokee Elder storyteller.  And now you have me, Born to a Muslim family, but remained closer to a Theosophist friend from a very young age, and thus had the good fortune to listen to Krishna Murti lectures, later  an atheist for a while, and now like you,  totally devoted to Campbell, myth and metaphor, and the mystery that surrounds us all.

“I loved what Stephen wrote to you above. Perfect! He nailed it in my opinion! The Trickster energy!”

I too loved what Stephen wrote, which cleared my misunderstanding of  ‘that which are misunderstood’.  Now here is a strange dream, I had on the heels of that question, and immediately after Stephen, Mars and your answers. (+THANKS ALL)

Dream Scene: Time period: Almost 50 years ago, I am about to misunderstand the event that I alluded to. I am given a long beaded necklace (not plastic but neither very precious stones) I look at the chain that holds the red beads, and its black in color. At this point I am about to return the beaded necklace, when I wake up, and say to myself, “oh my, I have lived that mistake and it’s almost over.”

“If there was no harm/hurt caused to others and a joyous life has/is being lived (the yea! As Joe Campbell and Stephen are saying) then this “concretization” of what was or wasn’t true definitely seems the (trickster energy).”

Harm done to self, and perhaps others, definitely Sunbug but then Stephen posted that podcast: the personal myth. Joe Campbell talks on different topics, all immensely interesting, but what caught me was , Section 42:00>>> of the personal myth, ” Marx tells us to blame the society for our frailty.. Freud tells us to blame the parents for our frailty, astrology tells us to blame the universe… The only place to look for blame is (yourself) when you didn’t have the guts to bring up your full moon – and live the life that was your potential. Bingo!

Much more to write, and yes Loreena Mckennit is singing in the background. I love her too, and the Celtic music.

Shaahayda (Tying an imaginary red ribbon around our friendship)