Friday, November 25, 2011

Words

The word of the day is invalid.


in·val·id

2 [in-val-id] Show IPA
adjective
1.
not valid; without force or foundation; indefensible.
2.
deficient in substance or cogency; weak.
3. void or without legal force, as a contract

However, pronounced differently, it becomes:

in·va·lid

1 [in-vuh-lid; Brit. in-vuh-leed] Show IPA
noun
1.
an infirm or sickly person.
2.
a person who is too sick or weak to care for himself or herself: My father was an invalid the last ten years of his life.
3.
Archaic . a member of the armed forces disabled for active service.
 
This would insinuate that an invalid is an invalid human being. Would you think they are? It's a little harsh, but one of the nine noble virtues of Asatru is self-reliance; an invalid certainly cannot be self-reliant. By the very definition, they are reliant on someone else for their care. In ancient societies, having an invalid to care for may have been a such a liability that no amount of love or compassion could overcome it. If the choice was to feed your child or your dying grandmother, you'd want to give the food to the one most likely to survive. We like to think we no longer have to make such rough choices, so we leave it up to charities and the government. Barnabus has been fighting for disability for 5 years, he has almost no cartilage in his right knee and is too young for a knee replacement (this means it is too painful for him to be able to even sit in one place for more than three hours without needing to lay down to stretch out his leg and his pain medicine makes him space-out; this means he cannot work). Now, due to relying on his cane, his right arm is becoming damaged, making him even less capable of work (or even helping out around the house).  It's hard. 

At least in modern society, he's not an invalid human being...well...until the Zombie Apocalypse, I think he would agree that his usefulness then might best be as a strategist...until the stronger are forced to leave him as a tasty distraction...
 
May you be blessed by whichever gods you fancy, 
BellaDonna Saberhagen
 

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Been a While

Sorry, sorry sorry.

Oh yeah, this is BellaDonna, by the way.

First, our interwebs went bye bye, then I got a new job...working all day at a computer screen   (this always impacts how much I write.. I need to remind Barnabus that he can write entries too.)


Anyway, since I left you last, two more articles have come and gone on Witchvox. One on Samhain (my goal is to write a series on the holidays...best get crackin' on Yule) and one on my experiences as a fluff-butt wacko in my early Pagan days.

I have more articles pending on Witchvox. Man, I seem to ruffle feathers...which is a good thing. I like making people think.

I would like to also acknowledge our two new followers, thank you for following us!

I have one article started on the use of modern technology in a ritual setting (why its useful and why you still might not want to use it...this one is proving harder than I thought because I can't seem to think of any modern technology I would use in ritual beyond an electronic music player) and one almost finished on The Elements (needs polished and citations need added, and it needs a good conclusion). I suppose I should polish my elements paper and work on researching Yule.

As for my craft, I am currently working on runes, I used to know them a good deal better than I do now, but lack of use makes one forget (like my German, I can remember the word for ball-point pen, but not for fork); and I am working on a mini-course for Traditional Witchcraft. I'll probably get the full course once Yule is past, money always gets tight this time of year. I am putting in real effort to DO THE STUFF, something I wimped out on in the past.

Anyway, guess I've rambled long enough.

May you be blessed by whichever gods you fancy,

BellaDonna Saberhagen