In each story, there sits a small gem of fear inside the one who tells it.  Have they wandered too far down the path, worn out their welcome, told too much?  If they are speaking out to the wind, is the wind still listening?  Are there ears out there to hear?  Stories are living things; they exist to be told over and over, in 10,000 ways, across 10,000 tongues.

I sit under a peculiar alchemy of fire radiating from the earth across which the lightning moves, invoked by the flow of water.  But in my head, I am sitting by a fire, the lodge -- the womb of the Mother -- waits and the hot stones are having their sweat and my uncle says again and again "There are 4 ways, there are 4 ways, there are 4 ways."

I am older than I once was.  I look around me and I see the strengths of the world, the threads of narrative that present themselves, the songs that come all the way from Deepwaters to now.  I sit under an Owl Moon, under Her watchful eye, in the land once known as the Land of the Lady of White Waters, now dry and hot since the Lost Ones swarmed here like a group of intoxicated ants.  I sit here and I tell stories.

I'm sitting here in silence but I have a story to tell.  It may not be your story.  We are the 10,000 Ways and we have many ways of speaking.  But this is one way.  It's hidden in what I was told, in what I've seen, in where I've been, but it's still there.

I'm going to start this post by saying I'm a believer in Godesky. I find his posts thoughtful and well-researched. When challenged on things, he will look for more evidence to back up his claims or modify what he's said appropriately. All of this means that when he states that he believes we reached the peak of our civilization around 50-100 years ago, I listen.

This story starts with a book I just finished "Eat, Pray, Love."  Wonderful book, highly recommended if you'd like to get away from the gloomy fare many of us read for 'fun.'  In it, a woman takes a year off to chase her passions, learn how to pray, and finally find those parts of herself she was missing.  Truly a delightful read.

Strange. I posted this in the forums, but it seems appropriate for my first blog entry.

Some of you know who I am; others don't. Some of you I've met at 10,000 Ways 2006; others I know only in spirit, across this wondrous medium we currently share. Hopefully, I'll meet others of you this year at 10K. I always look forward to meeting people of like mind.