About Reverie
When ideas float in our mind without any reflection or regard of the understanding, it is that which the French call revery.
This description taken from An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language by Skeat most accurately describes the content you will find here. While there may be a feeling of ambiguity at first, I am hoping you will discover my true purpose. Language provides us with the words and with these words we can communicate a message through stories and song. Discovering the history of the English language can be an exciting journey and while not the primary focus of my site, it provides the essential foundation of recommending books and sharing my own thoughts and stories.
Beyond the stories is music. In my mind, music and literature are perfect representations of the beauty of living. We can lose ourselves in a world of unparalleled imagination as we sit back, relax and become immersed in a beautiful piece of music or well crafted writing.
Prior to writing this page, I took a moment to clear my head and had a look at my bookshelf searching for something that would be able to provide the inspiration for this page. I chose Walking On the Wind (Cherokee Teachings for Harmony and Balance) by Michael Garrett. I opened to a random page near the back and interestingly enough, I opened to the section entitled The Talking Circle: A Traditional Coming-Together. Below are the amazing words which best explain what I hope to achieve:
Native Americans have long used the Circle to celebrate the sacred interrelationship we all share with one another and with our world. Old Western movies conjure up images of the “Indians” sitting together in council in the Circle, while they make decisions about whether or not to go to war with the “White man.” But the Circle is more far reaching than could be portrayed in movies.
The idea of the council or the “Talking Circle” permeates the traditions of Native Americans to this day. It symbolizes an entire approach to life and to the universe in which each being participates in the Circle and each one serves an important and necessary function that is valued no more or no less than that of any other being. By honoring the Circle, we as human beings honor the process of life and the process of growth that is an ever-flowing stream in the movement of life energy.
Many Native Americans consider the whole greater than the sum of its parts. Traditionalists have always believed that healing and transformation should take place in the presence of the group since we are all related to one another in very basic ways; we can always use the support and insight of our fellow brothers and sisters as we move away from something and toward something else. In this way, the ceremonial Circle has served a very sacred function through the ritual healing or cleansing of body, mind, and spirit, while also serving as a way of bringing people together. Each person comes to the Circle as a human being with his or her own concerns, and together participants seek harmony and balance by sharing stories, praying, singing, talking, and sometimes even just sitting together in silence.
The Circle is a sacred reminder of the interrelationship, respect, and clarity that come from opening oneself up to the energy of the Circle of Life — the wisdom offered by one’s experiences, the experiences of others, and the world in which we live. The Circle is a sacred symbol reminding us of the importance of our uniqe place in the universe and our relation with all things. In a traditional Native American “coming together,” the Talking Circle fulfills an important purpose by ensuring that relations are conducted in a very respectful manner. It traditionally serves as a forum for the expression of thoughts and feelings in a context of complete acceptance of participants.
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