Finished One Book, Started Another

I finally finished “Children Into Swans” and found it fascinating. There are so many clues to pre-Christian spirituality in fairy tales! I urge you to check into this topic if you are looking for history that’s been appropriated.

What perked my interest toward the end was the depiction of the wise woman in the woods, which was my dearest ambition when I was 28. Jan Beveridge did a great job, laying out the players and tying them to the culture where they predominated. Along the way, she gave some wonderful examples of actual fairy tales, many dating back over 1,000 years.

First-rate!

Picked up “Regret the Dark Hour” by Richard Todd. Set against Prohibition-era Tennessee, it’s been interesting, so far.

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I watched several new plays by the RSC and loved every one of them. I think Macbeth was a little gory, but it was well done. The version I watched depicted several of the more militaristic scenes from WW2, and I could see the totalitarianism that Shakespeare was alluding to in the play. This new series from the RSC is well-done.

I also picked up “Midsummers Night Dream” and saw it for the first time. Stanley Tucci was wonderful as Puck. I never would have cast him in the role, but he did a wonderful job. Michelle Pfeiffer and Callista Flockhart were good in their roles and Kevin Kline was surprising. Again, not something I would have expected from him.

Series Recommended!

Watched “Cool Runnings” again.  It made me proud of the boys who made it to the Olympics.

I also watched the original “Manchurian Candidate,” which I prefer to the new version. No disrespect to the effort, but Richard Condon’s book was written in the 1950s and was originally filmed in 1962. It was prescient for its time.  The new version is more up-to-date for new audiences and I relate to it, though I still prefer the version with Frank Sinatra, Angela Lansbury, and Lawrence Harvey in the lead roles.

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My daily meditation group is still going, and I’m still participating. Thank you for asking. I will say that it’s hard to “put down roots” from the 6th floor! But I’ve managed it and anchored into the earth for this series. I even “earthed” in bare feet for a little while today! It was very cold though, and my toes rebelled.

Ah well. The full moon is covered by rain clouds again, so I don’t get to see it. I did, however, feel it’s energy! How much more can we take?!? From what I hear, there’s a lot more coming.

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I’m still staying away from the news. It’s all too crazy. I feel better when I’m uninformed. Don’t get me wrong – I do care about the state of the world, but I have to protect my sanity right now. Without that, nothing else matters.