Cinnia cocked her head to one side. “That music, it’s beautiful.” “Feel free to explore the grounds for as long as you like. I need to get back to my students,” said the woman in white. She returned to the stone hall. The music continued faintly and drew Cinnia in. She followed the sound and came upon three young druids sitting in a circle; one was playing the flute, one the mandolin, and one the Bodhrán. Entranced, Cinnia stopped and listened to them for quite some time. As she listened she became more attuned to her surroundings. It was then she realized the musicians were sitting in the middle of a maze in the shape of the triquetra. Listening to the enchanting melodies, Cinnia began to wander down one path of the trine. She was overcome with memories of childhood fairy tales and college studies of mythology and legend. She felt joy and amusement as she heard the words, “Evoke the Past,” whispering on the breeze. She continued venturing down the second trine. She thought of her job and was overwhelmed with a sense of tedium and fatigue as she heard, “Evaluate the Present.” She now ventured into the third trine. This brought a sense of peace and hope, “Embrace the Future,” she heard drift overhead. Cinnia was awakened by the bump and shudder of the landing gear descending. She startled and it took a moment to orient to where she was. I was dreaming. She fished in her bag for her journal. She made three entries on three separate pages, the words she heard spoken on the wind in her dream.
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Get away day had finally arrived! There was hardly a cloud in the bright blue sky. Cinnia’s flight didn’t leave until afternoon. She ate a leisurely breakfast and turned on some music as she checked the weather in Ireland for the next few weeks. Mild temperatures in the 60s and 70s were forecasted. Perfect weather for hiking and exploring the countryside, and I have my rain gear – just in case. Next she went over all her travel documents. Passport – check. Plane tickets – check. Lodging confirmations – check. Travel books – check. Maps and directions – check. Everything’s ready. She grabbed her Kindle and perused her reading list. She made sure she had all of the myths and legends she had been studying loaded. She also had plenty of light reading for the 7 hour-long flight. Her laptop and camera were packed in her carry-on; along with a few snacks. She double checked that she had all the correct chargers and power cords, and of course an adapter. I’m ready. I think I’ve got everything I’ll need. If I don’t it’s too late to worry about it now – I’ll just have to do without. I can always pick up anything I’m missing while I’m there anyway. At this point it was time to leave – she headed out to the airport. Getting through security was a breeze. It wasn’t terribly crowded. To pass the time while waiting to board she went over her itinerary. There’s so much to see and do – I can’t wait to get started! Once on the plane she settled into her seat and got as comfortable as possible. She had a window seat and was content to watch the city fall away and the wispy clouds float by allowing her mind to drift aimlessly in anticipation of the trip ahead. It wasn’t long before the drone of the plane had lulled her to sleep. “Welcome Cinnia.” A woman in a flowing white robe greeted her. Cinnia looked around, she was in a stone room and there were others dressed in white robes, like the woman who addressed her. “What is this?” Cinnia asked. “It is the Druids Hall. Come, I’ll show you around.” Cinnia followed the woman. They walked out into a beautiful garden; it was lush and vibrant. “We often come here to meditate and become one with nature. The trees, the Earth, animals, and people – we are all one. A change in one creates a ripple that brings change to all. Remember this as you begin your journey. You seek to reignite your gift, in doing so you will find so much more.” For three months Cinnia immersed herself in the legends and lores of the Celts. As she did so, she fleshed out her itinerary with the locations of ancient and archeological sites. Her list consisted of burial grounds, standing stones, castles, cathedrals, and ruins all over Ireland. She was eager to be able to marry the stories with the locations. In doing so she hoped to capture the essence of the magical tales, and in turn, to reignite a spark in herself. A creative spirit, Cinnia thrived when she was able to develop new concepts and ideas in her work. When she began her career she was able to do this and was happy and satisfied with her products. Over time, focus was placed more on the bottom line and less on innovation and creativity. Now the work is tedious and mundane, the atmosphere stifling. It’s time to give something new a try, something that will allow creativity to flourish once again. I’m happiest when I’m creating. I love the arts: dance, theater, and writing. Music and the spoken word were so much a part of the Celtic culture. I want to do what I love and earn a living doing it. A job shouldn’t feel like work. I need to start exercising that imagination of mine! Tomorrow is the day, her bags are packed, time to get this quest for creative energy started. Cinnia awoke to a cold and dreary Saturday morning. The sky was gray and there was a fine, but unrelenting rain. Weather reports indicated that would be the order of the day. It made you want to curl up under blankets with a good book. With thoughts of Celtic music and myth still running through her mind, Cinnia decided to follow through on the decision to head to the library. Perusing the shelves, she pulled several volumes on Celtic mythology and folklore and found a quiet, solitary corner to settle into. Before long she found herself immersed in the world of bards and tales of great warriors, kings, and feuding tribes. She got so lost in her research, time escaped her, and it wasn’t until her stomach began to demand food that she decided to call it a day. She chose a couple of books to check out and headed home. It would be amazing to travel to some of the locations referenced in these stories. Perhaps the ancient sites still have some of that old magic left in them, enough to reignite a creative spark. At the very least, it would allow me to indulge that wanderlust that is growing stronger and stronger. As she prepared dinner, Cinnia created a Celtic playlist on Pandora. Her mind wandered and danced along with the soothing melodies. With the meal in the oven, she popped open her laptop and scanned through her notes. She was surprised to see the number of places she had recorded, a whole itinerary so to speak. She checked her e-mail and found a travel deal for a two-week tour of Irish castles. That’s a sign. I’m booking this before I can talk myself out of it. Cinnia sat at her desk, head propped in her hand, staring out the window at the wispy clouds drifting across the bright blue sky. She jumped at the ping of the meeting notification, startled back to reality. After a moment of disorientation, she sighed and began gathering her notes and laptop to make her way to the planning meeting. As she walked to the conference room she mused: Is this really all it’s about? Meetings; processes and procedures; templates and spreadsheets; budgets, numbers, and statistics (another big sigh); this really wasn’t my master plan. This has become so tedious. I feel like I’m just going through the motions, day after day, after day. I need a break, to get away for a while. An adventure – a full out, no holds barred adventure. I need an escape to try something new and invigorating, something to get that spark of energy and enthusiasm back. It has been so long since I have allowed myself time for an adventure. At home that evening, Cinnia poured herself a glass of wine, turned the TV on, and began absentmindedly flipping through stations. As she raced through the channels, barely registering what was on before moving to the next, she heard some Celtic music. I’ve always found that style of music to be relaxing, she thought. That’s just what I need tonight. She backtracked until she found it again. The program was about the role of music in mythology, folklore, and ancient traditions. It captured her attention. I loved studying mythology in college – I haven’t thought about that in quite some time. Perhaps tomorrow I can get to the library and pick something up to read. If I can’t escape on my own adventure, maybe I’ll be content with reading about one. I admit, since I launched the website in January, I have struggled with getting some stories published on this page. I have some started but they seem to take on a life of their own and travel down roads I wasn't intending, as a result I haven't actually finished anything. I saw a friend on Facebook, and fellow blogger (shanjeniah.com), post about this challenge and thought it may be a good way to set some smaller goals and get that spark ignited. I'm hoping the challenge will help keep me motivated and accountable to write a little bit of something creative every day this month - well at least 26 days this month. Since I'm a few days late to this party - I am trying to get caught up today. To all the other folks who have also taken on the challenge - Happy Writing! |
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