Q is for Quetzalcoatl.....

With all the excitement/dread/confusion/disbelief surrounding the Mayan prophecy of the world ending in 2012, how could I not do Quetzalcoatl for my letter 'Q' entry--- we won't mention the fact that there probably aren't any other 'Q' supernatural/mythological creatures that I could discuss anyway.

Until all the hoopla about the end of the world started revving up, I think I had heard Quetzalcoatl's name maybe twice in my lifetime--- enough to know how to pronounce it, but, not enough to know who or what Quetzalcoatl was.

Strange though it may be, I have found that I like the name Quetzalcoatl, and even enjoy saying it over and over again. The problem with liking such an uncommon word---all the strange looks you get when you randomly spout the name in the grocery store.

That's why I love working where I do. One of the benefits of working in a bookstore is you can use random words, like the name of a strange world-ending creature, in everyday conversation and no one will think anything of it. "Have you read the new book on Quetzalcoatl's return?"

A Meso-American deity whose name means, "Feathered Serpent," Quetzalcoatl was first documented around 100 B.C. The god of light, mercy and wind-- Quetzalcoatl presided over the Western cardinal direction (his three brothers each preside over a different cardinal direction) and was the patron of priests.

He also created the infamous Mayan Calendar that had doomsdayer's counting down to the calendar's end-date of 12/21/12.

One Aztec story states that Quetzalcoatl was tricked by one of his brothers into getting drunk and sleeping with a celibate priestess. In remorse for what he had done, Quetzalcoatl burned himself up.

Another story has him being banished on a raft of snakes, vowing to return on a day of his own energy. Quetzalcoatl always told the Mayans that he would return in a year One Reed, which occurs every 52 years. The next year One Reed will occur in December 2018---- so, the end of the Mayan calendar didn't bring about the end of the world. Perhaps it will take the creator of the Mayan calendar to set things right...or, perhaps to end it all?

Heaven's Fires

Skies ablaze,

the west wind cries,

Morning Star returns.

In feathered might,

on serpent feet,

the maligning world burns.

---e.a.s. demers

Bitter Honey

Weaving dreams of beguiling gold, a future's price for happiness. What secrets do you, determined, hold? asks the summer wind's soft caress. A guarded name, a hidden hope. Spinning wheels clutching time, grasping straw that falls away, What dreams may come, we soon may find, won't recall at end of day. A cherished life, a memory lost.

A-Z Reflections, year 4....

A-Z blogging challenge for 2014 has come and gone, seemingly without my realizing it. And, though I fell behind once or twice toward the end, I finished this year's challenge right on time. Really, I can't believe it's already over. I feel like I just finished my post for letter A... Year 4, for this blogger, was a far cry from the tortured state of despondency that was most of Year 3 -- I'll not mention the irony of this year's focus on death being easier to blog about than last year's foray into supernatural creatures, we'll leave that for my therapy sessions *ahem* As always, A-Z brought with it, not only 26 days of unbridled and far-reaching knowledge (disguised as entertaining and thought-provoking blog-posts), but a chance to connect with new faces while reconnecting with familiar faces--who had perhaps drifted away--from A-Z's past. I am always amazed by the ingenuity and inspiration that comes from lumping a couple thousand folk...

A to Z reflections....

Another A to Z challenge comes to an end--- another collection of posts and poetry have been written, another deep breath of relief is released. For my fellow bloggers that survived as well, it's another 'challenge-completed' notch carved into the writing desk. I've come to enjoy my yearly foray into the world of all things alphabetical. This was my third year, though it was only the second year I had a workable theme (which made the challenge substantially easier than the first year I attempted this challenge.) And, though my first year was difficult because my focus was so scattered, I found this year was more difficult because I lost the enthusiasm that came with the first year excitement----excitement which helped me plug along until the end of the challenge. Year 3 was a success in the sense that I completed the challenge, though, this was the year that almost wasn't---- Somewhere about a third of the way through the challenge, I seriously considered...

From the Inkwell, From the Vein.....

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