The Rehab Center's Weekly Prompt (updated 9/22)

[maenad nuri]

You know the drill guys, about every Friday or so I'll post a new prompt here and in the topic itself. You answer it!

Big thanks to Tea for coming up with these, and providing me with 52 of them.

Do you celebrate the coming of Autumn?  

[TeaDidikai]

Traditional folklore and "fairy tales" have had a huge impact on my tradition- providing a breathing context for understanding elements of theology.

In a broader sense, I think The River Why provided a philosophical understanding that has become a background note when I was a kid.  

[maenad nuri]

I got my first hit of a fully functional polytheistic worldview reading The Elenium by David Eddings. He has his problems, but that Aphrael was quite an eye-opener. And then the nearly pre-requisite Mists of Avalon...

After that? I don't really know. The Green Man : Tales from the Mythic Forest and The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm are quite amazing and have a lot of resonance for me, but I couldn't pick just one.

And apparently there's a third one: The Coyote Road, which I should really buy soon. Complete my collection.  

[patch99329]

'The famished road' by Ben Okri. Zomg.
The boys journeys though the spirit world and his experiences really made me contemplate the nature of such things.  

[Deoridhe]

I definitely have to cite Robin Hood, the BBC television show as an early influence which shaped my later inquiries. Robin McKinley stuff, after that, mostly for the "feel" of what life could be, a life where the factual is a lot more complicated than facts.  

[Morgandria]

Michael Moorcock chewed up my brain at a young age, and every so often I'm still picking out bits of drool-covered thoughts implanted there.  

[Ethermus Prime]

Right now I'd have to say the "Sword of Truth" series. Not only are the "Wizards Rules" excellent, the story is such an excellent portrayal of how to properly build upon the foundation of our Essence.

Not to mention there are all these incredible nuggets that spark a thousand questions to ask my Teacher, and questions for the teacher are always ways good ^_^  

[Violet Song jat Shariff]

Honestly? I'm not sure what, if any, fiction has influenced my spirituality sweatdrop . I don't really make any connections between the two.  

[Autumnal Light]

In retrospect, I think I was pretty heavily influenced by Jean Craighead George's books when I was younger. Julie of the Wolves and My Side of the Mountain deeply influenced my beliefs about the importance of the connection between humans and nature.

I'm certain there are others, but those are the ones that come to mind most readily.  

[MoonJeli]

Books like My Side of the Mountain were HUGE in my childhood, though not from a spiritual angle. They just made me want to run away and live off the land. I still dream of living in a cob house off the grid. Heh.

I have read so many books since I learned to, so it's really hard to pinpoint all that have had an impact (or even remember most of what I've read!). I'd say books in general have greatly influenced my world view -- books themselves are about as close to the sacred and spirituality as I have (along with a couple other things that are significant to me).

I've taken a sort of ethical, secular humanism from reading a great deal of classic literature (both ancient and modern). I also read (and have read) a lot of sci fi, and I think that's had a very big impact as well. Authors like Ursula K. LeGuin have made big contributions to my world views.  

[Molly Mollusca]

I would have to say "Mist of Avalon"by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Mainly because it got me to think about the Goddess, and how she might not be dead like the Christian school I was in at the time wanted me to think. ( read it when I was 12/13) Made me go search for her.  

[Cranium Squirrel]

Probably Zen Shorts by Jon Muth. Sure, it's a kids book and a recent publication, but Stillwater the panda is probably one of the best guides I've had outside scripture itself. 3nodding  

[maenad nuri]

2) Do you celebrate the Last Summer Harvest?  

[TeaDidikai]

I'm off to bake myself some zucchini-chocolate loaf and play around in the sun in honor of it, even if this doesn't count so much as a celebration in any formal sense of the word.

I also plan to stop by my Nana's. It's her birthday today and I'm making her a birthday dinner tomorrow.  

[patch99329]

Do you celebrate the Last Summer Harvest?

Not anymore. ninja