Research, Reconstructionism, and ADHD

[Kuroiban]

So a few things to put out plainly so as my topic makes sense.

I'm a Norse Reconstructionist. I am, more or less, at a neophyte's stage of understanding. I have ADHD.

Okay. With all those cards on the table, hopefully the rest of my post will make a bit more sense, and my rambling will be more focused. sweatdrop

I know I'm hardly alone in being either a recon here, or in having an attention span disorder. I've heard/seen several of you talk about both aspects. Where I'm stuck is that I'm having problems doing some of the leg work and research that goes hand in hand with Recon when my attention span betrays me an awful lot.

This may not seem a problem initially. However, when you're trying to bog down through two translations of the Poetic Edda and make sense of the whole lot, it can be veeeeeeeeery difficult to keep the little gremlins in the back of my head from being so noisy. Especially when it takes a lot of concentration for me to work with something that is, essentially, a second hand retelling of tales that has been translated thru lords only know how many languages until it was dropped into my hands in Olde English, and realizing you have to pull back the lens of Christian reinterpretation to boot!

burning_eyes = head explodey

Now something I recently found that helped me out was typing everything out as I was going along. I've loved the Havamal since I started reading it, but much like Shakespeare , I can only read a little at a shot before I can't focus on it very well. So what I've done is to begin "deconstructing" the Havamal, bringing the two translations I have available to me together at the same time, reading and comparing them verse by verse, and then putting down what I think each verse means individually. It's a very busy process which keeps more of me active, and thus, more of me involved.

However, this is just one document out of many from the Eddas, and I doubt it will work for the more story oriented Eddas and Saga; the Havamal being more concerned with actions, behavior, ethics, and wisdom then with telling a specific tale from start to finish.

So I pose this to the collected readership; if you're recon and have an attention span problem, or just have an attention span problem and have had to do a lot of thick research, how do you go about it? Any tips or tricks? Any ideas from the peanut gallery at large? I want to get to better know who and whom I'm working with here; I don't just want to take the collected wisdom of Krasskova, Paxton, or anyone else in their five paragraph description of a deity and call it a day.

I want to learn, but I'm having a rough time of it.  

[Deoridhe]

I think you're mixing up a bit in thinking your response has to be the traditional scholarly write-write-write.

If you have others around you who are sympathetic or interested - read the stories aloud. Most of the Eddas were meant to be a form of entertainment as well as information.

Draw pictures about different bits that attract you. Or, even more physically, act them out.

Start doing more active things, like giving an offering. These days, with my time constraints, most of my ritual is very, very simple. I stand outside, ask the gods to come to my little hoff if they're so minded, say what I want to say, then pour out. I tend to do it straight from the bottle.  

[Bastemhet]

I can only read so much before I tire myself out. I don't have ADHD but I need to take frequent breaks to stay fresh. Sometimes this only takes 30 min., other times, up to a week or more. In order to stay focused and remember where I was at when I left it, I have started to take notes, and then organize those by subject with citation. That way I can dive back in without too much effort, and have a handy personal reference for ideas.  

[maenad nuri]

Short answer? I don't memorize, I index. My brain doesn't have to hold all the answers, but it should know how and where they are. If you know how to research, you don't need to keep everything straight.

This is why I buy books though. I can mark them up and reread as much as needed.  

[Aydenfyre]

maenad nuri

Short answer? I don't memorize, I index. My brain doesn't have to hold all the answers, but it should know how and where they are. If you know how to research, you don't need to keep everything straight.

This is why I buy books though. I can mark them up and reread as much as needed.

I don't exactly have books, but I often keep .pdf of what I got, or, even more fun, I index them through an offline website I keep on the computer. Although... I lost the whole thing this morning because my partition went bad, and on the day I was planning on backing everything up...
Oh well, always next time, hopefully I still have a good bit of things marked.

Anyways, I'd recommend what Nuri said. There's no point in learning everything immediately, especially when you can just find it when you need too. Just find a preference for recording things, and organize them how you see fit. If you're writing these things down, then try getting binders, or folders, something to hold your notes.  

[Brass Bell Doll]

How do you define reconstruction and why did you select it for yourself?  

[Kuroiban]

Thanks to everyone who had something to say. I'm sorry my responses take a little bit; I've been busy with a number of things lately, and an additional manic phase hasn't made keeping things sorted any easier. sweatdrop

Deoridhe

I think you're mixing up a bit in thinking your response has to be the traditional scholarly write-write-write.

If you have others around you who are sympathetic or interested - read the stories aloud. Most of the Eddas were meant to be a form of entertainment as well as information.

Draw pictures about different bits that attract you. Or, even more physically, act them out.

Start doing more active things, like giving an offering. These days, with my time constraints, most of my ritual is very, very simple. I stand outside, ask the gods to come to my little hoff if they're so minded, say what I want to say, then pour out. I tend to do it straight from the bottle.

I appreciate all of those of suggestions, and I plan to work with all of them. Thank you muchly. 3nodding

As an aside, yeah, I do tend to focus on the scholar's route first. That's what makes the most sense to me at heart though. It's just sometimes I have a hard time bringing together the side of me that wants meticulous research with the side of me that wants to go look at shiny things. mrgreen

Bastemhet

I can only read so much before I tire myself out. I don't have ADHD but I need to take frequent breaks to stay fresh. Sometimes this only takes 30 min., other times, up to a week or more. In order to stay focused and remember where I was at when I left it, I have started to take notes, and then organize those by subject with citation. That way I can dive back in without too much effort, and have a handy personal reference for ideas.

When it comes to proper note taking skills, and I could produce witnesses on this one, I am horrid to the extreme. Do you have any suggestions or sources on how to improve one's basic study skills?

maenad nuri

Short answer? I don't memorize, I index. My brain doesn't have to hold all the answers, but it should know how and where they are. If you know how to research, you don't need to keep everything straight.

This is why I buy books though. I can mark them up and reread as much as needed.

Good tips, thanks! 3nodding

This only covers so far for me though; part of the problem is getting thru some of the very long, and very archaic sagas. I'm not look to memorize them, but I do have a very rough time even cracking their surface, much less getting to the juicy lore nuggets within.

Noble_Nogitsune

I don't exactly have books, but I often keep .pdf of what I got, or, even more fun, I index them through an offline website I keep on the computer. Although... I lost the whole thing this morning because my partition went bad, and on the day I was planning on backing everything up...
Oh well, always next time, hopefully I still have a good bit of things marked.

Anyways, I'd recommend what Nuri said. There's no point in learning everything immediately, especially when you can just find it when you need too. Just find a preference for recording things, and organize them how you see fit. If you're writing these things down, then try getting binders, or folders, something to hold your notes.

I'd take the PDF route myself, as I loves me some PDF. However I really dislike the spacing and pagination of the one copy of the Eddas that I know of existing in such a manner.

On that note, does anyone have the Eddas in PDF? From somewhere other then Sacred-texts would be majorly helpful. mrgreen

Brass Bell Doll

How do you define reconstruction and why did you select it for yourself?

For me, it was a matter of something resonating deep inside when I started doing research into Asatru and Norse Mythology in general.

Recon, to me, means researching the way a religion was traditionally practiced, and then making the changes needed in order to make the religion flush with today's society. This, I fear, may smack of not being TRUE reconstructionist, but I feel that to hold the religion in a position of utter stagnation does it more a disservice then practicing a heartfelt, yet modified, version of the religion in question.

I personally believe that any authentic practicing of a religion which uses a pantheon of deities from a lost and/or converted religion uses at least some part of the reconstructionist's tools. I just don't believe it's the ONLY set of tools.

Again, thanks to everyone who took the time to answer. I really appreciate it. heart biggrin heart biggrin heart  

[Gho the Girl]

WOW like I get that. I'm not a recon, but I have ADHD, and it is very difficult for me to even read a book at times. Me, If I can be diligent, I'd read a bit at a time. I'd read up til when I felt I couldn't anymore, then I'd stop and think about it for a bit. Then try to pick up where I left off.  

[Ainwyn]

Noble_Nogitsune

I don't exactly have books, but I often keep .pdf of what I got, or, even more fun, I index them through an offline website I keep on the computer. Although... I lost the whole thing this morning because my partition went bad, and on the day I was planning on backing everything up...
Oh well, always next time, hopefully I still have a good bit of things marked.

Anyways, I'd recommend what Nuri said. There's no point in learning everything immediately, especially when you can just find it when you need too. Just find a preference for recording things, and organize them how you see fit. If you're writing these things down, then try getting binders, or folders, something to hold your notes.

What site was it that you used? I'm trying to find better ways to organize my pdfs, and that struck me as a really good idea. Right now I just have things put in different folders on my computer, folders within folders within folders. But it's still not exactly how I'd like it to be.

I also like the idea of reading outloud/performing/listening to myths. I have a couple of podcasts of people doing different mythologies, and I remember listening to audio for Beowulf and the Odyssey being insanely helpful when I was in high school. I'd really like to get a group of my pagan friends together to have reading sessions, but I've learned that most of my pagan friends at school are amazingly lazy, and my one friend who isn't is going off to grad school (probably in Ireland or Iceland) next fall sad  

[Bastemhet]

Kuroiban

Bastemhet

I can only read so much before I tire myself out. I don't have ADHD but I need to take frequent breaks to stay fresh. Sometimes this only takes 30 min., other times, up to a week or more. In order to stay focused and remember where I was at when I left it, I have started to take notes, and then organize those by subject with citation. That way I can dive back in without too much effort, and have a handy personal reference for ideas.

When it comes to proper note taking skills, and I could produce witnesses on this one, I am horrid to the extreme. Do you have any suggestions or sources on how to improve one's basic study skills?

I would divide what I highlight into categories. For example the categories "gods" in my pathways thread. There is the larger category of "gods" that includes definitions, but I made a smaller sub-category of "syncretism" because if I had put it within the "gods" category it would've been too much of an aside. By putting it in syncretism it gave it enough space to branch out on its own but still be included in the larger category of gods. When you highlight quotes always be thinking of how the quote would either define, add more vocabulary, or explicate what you're researching. Applying categories makes it easier to find specific information.

I also pace myself. Enough that I feel like I got something accomplished but not so much that sitting there too long would make my brain melt and I just forget what I read 10 minutes earlier. I set a goal of how many pages to read in a given amount of time that I know is reasonable. I also only study one thing at a time because there is such a wealth of information that if I spread myself thin I never finish anything.

And: http://www.scs.tamu.edu/selfhelp/elibrary/basic_study_techniques.asp  

[bobkitty1123]

I have ADHD and I agree it is hard to live with. I always have to take breaks and I find that if I print out pages it makes it easier to concentrate on my readings. Sometimes I take things in doses, leaving them on my desk to grab at random intervals. I avoid trying to study at all costs when I am hyper and just wait till I feel normal again. I have my friend help me too as she is also a practicing pagan. One time I would suggest while studying to place soft music in the background but not distracting music to block out all other sounds and help to concentrate on my studies.  

[Czidnoma]

I also have ADHD and I was challenged by a friend to study and annotate the Tao Te Ching. I'm in the process of this now. Since I have memory problems, I found that writing is effective and gives me a way to... versionize my responses, since I can go back to my own notes, compare them for each passage and revise if another passage has given me a different perspective. Furthermore, having extensive notes like this will help me interpret scholarly works about Tao and compare again.

It's a rather a**l way to get through it, but at its end, it will be extremely in-depth. It also helps that the Tao Te Ching is fairly short. Going at Shakespeare or the Bible this way might make me burning_eyes . Maybe when I'm old, retired and have years to spend on them.