Reading Notes: Laotze, Part A

• The Great Saint = Monkey King
• Heard this story before...so many names to keep up with
• Maybe he will be a different King; King on Earth or a leader in space! 
• One afternoon, turned himself into peach-worm to take a nap
• That's different...maybe I'll keep this in the story
• Or if it is different, he will just be napping
• 7 Fairies interrupted his wake because of Queen-Mother inviting people to feast
• She can actually be his mother or even his wife/ex-wife
• The Fairies will be less in # and more so random people that he hears walking by
• All Gods & Goddesses of Earth & Under were invited, but not him
• I'll keep this as his curiosity will unfold; instead of Gods/Goddesses, maybe leaders of council
• He casts the fairies to stay & then takes his cloud to fly to Queen-Mothers palace
• her palace will be a chamber; he won't fly but he will ride a hover-board
• Runs into Bare-Foot God on the way there - peach banquet
• Runs into a fellow council mate
• He lies to the Bare-Foot God that by the Lord of Heavens all Gods/Goddesses go to Hall of Purity to practice rites.
• Rather than she being the head of council, someone else is & he still lies about something else happening
• He turned himself into Bare-Foot God to enter the palace; He drugged cup-bearers with pulling his hair & turning it into sleep worms, so he can drink all the wine & feast as much as he wants
• Each of them still with magical powers; he can still change into people
• Drunk, he wanted to go home to nap; stumbled upon Laotze's home but Laotze is in God of Light's home, speaking to servants
• He will get drunk and possibly cause a disruption
• The Great Saint enters the empty place & goes in the room where Laotze's brewing the Elixir of Life; finds 5 gourds w/pills of life already rolled; pours out content & takes them in because he had been looking for them forever so it is by fate to find them.
• if he doesn't cause disruption, he will find this place and steal some type of potion, not an elixir of life but something that can have side effects
• He realized he had done wrong, so he decided to take himself back to Earth to be as an Ape King.  He passed all as invisible.
• He won't get away with it though this story shows that he did
• He told all of his stories and even of the peach-nectar/wine
• The story will go around as rumored by others; maybe a witness who wants to learn from him
• The apes wanted eternal life, so he went back for them & stole 4 more barrels.  He brought them back & they lived well, enjoying the nectar together
• the young-in that wants to learn from, he denies; so the young-in will rat him out and he will be sent to prison or worse, exile out of the ship?

(Statue of Laozi/Laotze at Tai Lake. Wikipedia Commons.)

This can be relatable to 'The 100' or another show.  Exiled in a sense that he will die in space or sent to Earth where he knows nothing of.  It will be a mystery....

Bibliography:  The Ape Sun Wu Kung in The Chinese Fairy Book: Laotze by R. Wilhelm.

Portfolio Guide

Welcome to a few of my favorite stories, retold and expressed in a different light.  Hope you enjoy!

(Cupid and Psyche's Statue.  Wikipedia Commons.)  

(Hut in the Woods.  Pixabay.)

 

THE FORBIDDEN LOVE:

For the first story I chose, it is not quite a favorite.  It isn't one of them, because of the challenge I didn't meet when writing the story.  Maybe this will help fulfill the challenge in the recreation of this beautiful story.

A love story that was promising in the beginning, yet ended in turmoil, one that shouldn't be spoken of.

THE POWER OF FOUR:

There once was a cottage in the woods where a witch, Serena, raised her four children, Alder, Baker, Ginjer and Blake.  Two sons and two daughters, a set of twins each.  Being a single mother and her children still in training, she told her children a story of a scary creature lurking in the night.  She wanted them to be careful and cautious of who to answer the door for, especially when she's gone running errands... 

(Moonlit ocean.  Flickr.)

WISHFUL CONSEQUENCES:

Dive deep into a story of an unhappy man who wishes for nothing more than to live a simple and easy life, but gets what he deserves when life teaches him a lesson. 

Storytelling, Week 6: Wishful Consequences

(Wishing Fountain.  Flickr.)

In a small village in Laos, there lived a man by the name of Cain, whom most call Ai Cain with 'Ai' meaning big brother, because he was the oldest of all those that worked as a bull and cattle herder.  Laos is considered to have tropical weather year-round and winter considered as monsoon season.  Because of the tropical weather, it can get quite hot in the summer, to the point of scorching hot.

Ai Cain was okay with his position, but hated the heat very much.  He hated it so much that he wished he could be a cow, because they live so leisurely and travel with whomever takes them.  They also don’t seem so bothered by the heat.  Ai Cain spoke of this to a worker of his and he happened to know someone who could fulfill his wish.  This person was the village’s lady shaman that lived in a hut-like home.

Ai Cain had gone to visit her beyond the village travelling by foot in the scorching hot weather and was even surer of wanting this transformation.  Nearing her home, he sees a short, little lady standing by the open door.  She had been waiting for him to arrive.  He asked her to change him into a cow for he wanted to live a simple life.  She scrunched her brows, looking concerned; she mentioned that there would be consequences.  He didn’t care for such as he didn’t believe in karma or fate.

Without hesitation, she brought him to her backyard and there she built a fire.  Ai Cain, as curious as he was, wondered why she created a fire when it was already hot.  She pressed her index finger to her lips, while closing her eyes.  She then pressed her hands together in the form of prayer hands, standing tall and still.  She reaches to her back pocket where she kept some herbs, knowing she would perform the ritual and grabs a handful dousing it into the fire and begins her chant.  Letting the fire burnout on its own in order for the transition to take place, Ai Cain passes out. 

He awakens the next day in the village next to his cart. He stands, confused, looking down and behind him; he sees hooves rather than hands and feet as well as a furry back and a tail.  He wants to scream for joy, but can’t and instead he snorts a few snorts of glee. 

Ai Cain notices that he is attached to his cart, not free to move.  His worker that helped him find the shaman has also taken his place in leading the herd.  They begin to move and herd the cattle and bulls.  As this occurs, Ai Cain’s worker whips him to move faster.  Though furious, there is nothing he can do.  They arrive at a stop and his worker feeds him some grass and water, not knowing that he is Ai Cain himself.  Ai Cain, hurt from the whippings, is still hot from the sun as well but after drinking his water, he realizes that this was his consequence.  Rather than living as a cow for the rest of his life, he decides that he wants to become the ocean.  He prays to be the ocean and hopes the shaman heads his prayer. 

Sensing his prayer, the shaman knew he would regret being a cow and helps him in his transition to become the ocean.  She walks out to her yard and does the same ritual as before. The transformation is a process and so he must endure the rest of his day as a cow.  Arriving in a town near his village, unsure whether his wish was granted he falls asleep waiting for the next day.

It arrives and as he awakens, he feels a cool breeze and his body moving as a current beneath the sun.  He is the ocean!  Feeling blessed, he feels as if there will be nothing wrong from hereon.  

Enjoying the breeze he begins to feel the fish swimming within him and he notices a boat riding the waves.  He then feels sharp pains as the people try to fish with their sharp rods.  With the unpleasantness of this, he wishes no more to be the ocean.  As night falls, he sees the moon in all its bright, serenity.  He wishes to be the moon and hopes the shaman heads his prayer.

The shaman, growing weary of his wants, she gives him one last chance.  Unbeknownst to him, she changes him with the same ritual, but this time rather than letting the fire burnout, at the end of the ritual, she pours water into the fire to end his cycle.

With all of the turmoil, Ai Cain’s day has ended as the ocean and his soul is immediately transferred to the moon.  Cast out in the night sky, looking down on everyone, he smiles with pure joy that he no longer has to suffer the heat of the day and the torture of those around him.

‘Lo and behold the next day arrives, the sun is out and so is he.  Hiding in the sky, he opens his eyes, feeling a burning sensation.  He looks above him, not very far off the horizon, the sun is still beaming on him.  He can’t escape the sun!  Upset, he prays for the shaman to help him.  As the shaman walks out of her home, looking up she tells him she can no longer help and explains why. 

From then on he must suffer the heat of the sun in the day and lonesome nights above.

Author's Note:  I chose this story of The Man in the Moon, because it resonated with me.  Not only being a story from my parent's country, but just one that teaches all of us that you must suffer the consequences given to you.  The original story is about a man who was a blacksmith and he changed into various forms, because he hated the heat from working as a blacksmith.  In the end he becomes the moon and cannot change back, because he has changed too much.  I tried a different writing style this time around with no dialogue.  I felt this could be better off as a narrative, though it is long and may be a tough read, but I hope it offers a story-telling experience!

Bibliography:  Laos Folk-Lore: The Man in the Moon by Katherine Neville Fleeson.

Reading Notes: Why the Lip of the Elephant Droops, Part B

• Poor man and woman have 12 daughters that they don't love anymore so they try to get away from them
• The father took them out to hunt; they sat down when they got tired
• Asked the girls to get water for him with a bamboo joint; they struggled & came back to realize he was gone
• They figured out their parents didn't want them anymore because the basket they brought was filled with ash & little rice; with no way out, they decided to sleep in the jungle 
• As they woke up, they found a woman nearby; asked her for help & she offered them a place to stay in exchange to keep her daughter company because she is always gone, of which they accepted
• They traveled to her home & found a small garden that they could visit, but could not enter when she was gone to the jungle the entire time
• They didn't enter the garden the first time because she was gone all day, the second time they thought she would be gone all day so they entered the garden and found human bones realizing the woman was a cannibal
• They fled her home and ran into a cow, asking it for help; the cow opened its mouth & they jump in, when the cow came home, it ran into the woman that asked for the maidens, but it replied no
• She threatened to kill it if he lied but he pointed a different direction showing where the maidens went; when the woman left so did the maidens
• As the maidens were fleeing, they ran into an elephant & asked it for help from the cannibal
• The elephant opened it's mouth & the maidens jumped in but 1 maiden left a garment hang out of the elephant's mouth
• They ran into the cannibal woman again & she asked if it saw the maidens head towards the city, but he lied & said no; the maiden saw the garment & cursed the elephant to have a drooping lip much like the garment, forever.

(Smiling Elephant and family.  Pixabay.)

This is a tough story to recreate.  Rather than there being 12 daughters, there can be about 3-5 daughters because the parents tried for a son but couldn't get any.  Set in modern day, the parents are ready to send their kids off to college, not abandoning them.  In a sense, the kids can abandon the parents.

The woman will not be a cannibal, but a woman who is doing research on random strangers.  She owns a zoo, so she tricks some people that she chooses to keep.

The girls happen to go on a zoo trip for class, a couple of them in the same course & the others just meet up with them.  They happen to go searching around the zoo, being nosy & find another girl (supposedly her daughter) but she is trapped.

Maybe they get caught & try to escape...but how to incorporate the elephant's lips drooping.  Quite possibly each animal can talk.  Two sisters can understand animals vs the other sisters having different powers.  That is if we incorporate powers because the elephant must talk.

If the elephant talks and lies then the woman will clamp the lip in order for it to stay drooping.  Much like the face of a dumbfounded elephant.  Punishment for lying, since she doesn't have powers, but only the girls do. 

Bibliography:  Laos Folk-Lore:  Why the Lip of the Elephant Droops by Katherine Neville Fleeson.

Reading Notes: The Man in the Moon, Part A

• Begins with a Blacksmith
• Does not want to be one anymore because it's too warm so he wants to be a stone on a mountain because it is cool & the wind blows
• Powerful man changes him into a stone
• Stone-cutter appears & takes the blacksmith turned stone because it's what he wanted & starts cutting
• It hurts so he doesn't want to be a stone anymore, but a stone-cutter.
• He became a stone-cutter but he got tired & his feet hurt, he whimpered & decided to be a sun instead
• He changed into the sun, but it's warmer than all the previous things he was before so he asked to be the moon, for it looked cool
• He became the moon; because the sun still shined on him he was warmer than the sun & asked to go back to being a blacksmith, since that is the best life.
• The wise-man was tired of him changing so he left him as the moon because that is the last he chose

(Man/mask hidden within the Moon.  Pixabay.)

This was short, but enjoyable.  This is a story of a man who doesn't enjoy what he does and is always changing, not appreciating what he has, so karma reaches it's stopping point where he suffers for the rest of his life.  

I can recreate the jobs for the man and rather than just jobs and objects, he can be animals too. 

There can be more with the wise-man as the wise-man can be God?  Or they can both have powers so he can be his Father or even a homeschool Teacher of all things.  

Rather than leaving him as the moon, there are prices that the wise man offers the young man for changing into each profession or being.  Those prices are such, not being able to speak, not being able to see or even hear.  He will still consider some of the options and learn his lesson through that.

The wise-man reminds me of a dark-one: Rumplestiltskin from "Once Upon A Time."  

Though he is a moon in the end, he can still offer to speak and only show his face whenever he is in the night sky, because the sun is so hot on him, he will sleep in the day.  

He will conjure up magic to try and change him back or cry a song in the night for those to hear him sing.  

He doesn't have to be alone in this, rather than just the wise-man and the blacksmith, he can have a family that he leaves behind.  Or a best friend that tries to talk him out of changing and in the end he helps him go back to being human, but he sacrifices much for his dear friend.  Or it can be a she, because there is an unrequited love as well.

1. There may be too many elements...starting off with him working at the shop with a friend of his who is his coworker.  They work together rather than for another shop.  He complains and complains, the friend offers him someone they know that can help him change.  Though given the consequences by the friend, he decides to go anyway.
2. It takes on from there as he changes and changes, other things unravel with his friend as well, seeing/hearing of the changes. 
3. Battle can ensure for the friend brought him in, he/she will take him out of it...

Bibliography: Laos Folk-Lore: The Man in the Moon by Katherine Neville Fleeson

Storytelling Week 5: The Power of Four

There once was a cottage in the woods of Germany where a witch, Heather, raised her four children, Alder, Baker, Ginjer and Blake.  Two sons and two daughters, a set of twins each.  Being a single mother and her children still in training, she told her children a story of a scary creature lurking in the night.  She wanted them to be cautious of answering the door, especially when she was gone running errands.

"Alright, kids, I'm on my way to fetch us something to eat. Be sure to keep the doors locked and answer to no one." The kids nodded towards her as she gave them each a kiss on the forehead.  "On second thought, I will mark the door with a seal and if you hear my knock to the chimes of a song, break the seal to let me in."

Alder, the oldest, asked, "How will we know it truly is you?  Anyone can knock with a song."

"If you are uncertain, ask me a question about old Clementine.  I should know the answer and you will hear my voice." They then agreed and she went about her way to the shops in town.

All the while, the creature was crawling near, listening to their conversation.

(In the Woods.  Flickr. )

Hungry and curious about how these kids would taste, the creature decided to go to a witch in order to transform into a human.  Unbeknownst to him, the mother and both twins were a family of warlocks and witches...

Crawling towards the witch's home he stood in front of the door.  "Witch!  I have a request to make!" 

The witch opened the door. “Oh?  Look what we have here.  What might that request be?” she asked him.

“I want to change my appearance to become human, but not my hunger for humans,” the creature demanded.  The witch then requested, “In return, you will give me your soul.”  And the 

creature had no choice but to accept if he truly wanted the children.

The witch changed him into a human.  He then went to search for Heather.  Not so used to being human, the creature struggled with his senses.  Unable to scout the mother with just a sniff, he kept looking. 

An hour passed and he finally found her in a market picking vegetables and fruits.  He had the idea to seduce her in order to trap them in their home, once he got close to her.

He picked up a ripe apple, paid the vendor upfront and took a bite.  “Mmm…these apples are quite delicious.”  He breathed in through his nose while chewing and smiled at Heather, who was standing next to him.  

She glanced back at him, smiling. “Yes, they are.  If you like their apples, you should try their strawberries.  They're just as sweet.”

They conversed as she was still shopping, walking side by side.  Smitten, she invited him back home to have dinner with her family.  Of course he agreed instantly.

~~~

As the sun was setting, they arrived back at the house.  Heather knocked on the door with the melody and Alder asked the question about old Clementine.  She shouted a German word only they would understand.

Alder opened the door and they ran, hugging their mother.  “You’re finally home!” Baker shouted gleefully.  

“Yeah!  We’ve been waiting forever!” Ginjer snapped at her.  

“Alright, alright.  I’m home now.” She gestured them to settle down.  “Well, I want y’all to meet…I never got your name,” she pointed to the creature.  

“Ah…just call me Taylor,” he nervously replied.

She smiled and said, “Say hello to Mr. Taylor everyone.  Be nice.”  She headed to the kitchen and began prepping for dinner.  Ginjer and Blake helped her while Alder and Baker entertained ‘Mr. Taylor.’

Taylor, growing impatient, finally grabbed Alder and Baker and bolted out of the house.  Heather realized what happened and chased after them with Ginjer and Blake. 

“Stop right there!” Heather sent a jolt of magic to stun Taylor.  Feeling uneasy, she shouted a revealing spell and turned him back into the creature.  “I knew it!”  The creature got back up and bolted toward Heather, jumping and biting her. 

Terrified, the children screamed and as they did, an aura formed around all of them.  Their powers were coming into light.  Though the youngest of them all, Blake reached her hand toward the creature and sent an electric shock stunning him even more; she was the first to reveal her ability to emit and control electricity.  Ginjer then lifted the creature without a touch, revealing her ability to levitate objects, throwing him against a tree.  Baker walked to the creature and with one touch, he killed him with the ability to emit pain, however and whenever he wanted.  Alder, although the oldest, was the most confused as to why he couldn't control anything. 

Crying, Alder walked up to his mother, picked her up and held her dearly.  With just a hug, she awakened.  Surprised, Heather looked up at him smiling weakly. “Of course you would have the power to heal with love.”

They trod home.  Though disheartened by what had happened, the children had finally become strong and didn’t need their mother to protect them anymore.

Author's Note:  I wrote my story based on the original The Wolf and the Goat, about a goat mother and her four goat children.  The mother was leaving to run errands and told the kids not to open the door unless they saw her red hoof, but the wolf heard the entire conversation.  He painted his paw red and tricked the children to open the door for him, which they did.  He took three, while the fourth hid.  Once the mother came back, the fourth kid told what happened and she went on a search.  Upon meeting the wolf, she demands a fight and as they prep for battle, she decides to trick him into drinking water prior to the fight.  He falls for the trick and falls into the stream of which they drink, leaving the goats free of harm and from being eaten.
My version of the story shows a more mystical side.  Not quite a lesson learned, but overcoming fear, working together, and fighting out of love can triumph in the end.  Being a single mom is hard.  I may not be one, but I know that they are smart and raise strong children that can grow to become better and return the favor in treating their mothers with the respect and love they deserve.

Bibliography:  Persian Tales: The Wolf and the Goat translated by D.L.R. and E.O. Lorimer.  Link.

Reading Notes: The Wolf & the Goat, Part A

• 1 God
• 1 mother goat & 4 goat children: Alil, Balil, Ginger Stick & Black Eyes
• Was leaving for errand, told them not to open the door unless they asked to see her hand
• If it was red, it was her, if it was black then it wasn't her
• Wolf overheard them & painted his paw red
• Came at the door & the children fell for it
• He took all but Black Eyes
• Mother came home, Black Eyes told her what happened & they went to search for them
• Climbed the roof of the wolf's home, seeing him prepare to cook
• They throw earth in his ash (Persian soup) & he asks who it is, they meet & she calls him to go fight
• They each took a skin, filling it with different things: 
• the goat's w/curd & butter for a knife-grinder to sharpen her horns
• the wolf's w/air to a tooth-puller to sharpen his teeth
• The dentist, curious, opened the skin & air puffed out
• instead of sharpening wolf's teeth he pulled each & filled them w/twists of cotton-wool that looked much like sharp white teeth
• Before fighting they stopped at a stream, goat tells to drink before fighting; she doesn't but the wolf does until he's full
• She then tells to jump over the stream, she jumps easily but the wolf so full can't & falls in
• She pokes him in the stomach w/her horn & he dies; she gets to take her children home safely

(Fearless goat.  Pixabay.)

Rather than goats, they can be human children, two sets of twins.  Each with abilities unbeknownst to them, except the mother.  The wolf can remain the same or be another animal/creature.  Reminding me much of the Little Red Riding hood.  A witch can be involved to bewitch the animal into a human in order to trick the mother & her children.  Much like coming into the family as a step-father.

Some people can be mistaken by looks, so he shall be handsome & the mother will fall for him without realizing what kind of 'man' he is. 

Rather than taking the kids, they can be trapped in their own home and rather than involving the dentist or knife-grinder, the knife-grinder an be the mother's best friend while the dentist will be the wolf's accomplice.  There will be a fight to save her children, the witch will be involved.  Maybe she could be a which herself as well.  The kids can become powerful if the mother is hurt.  Thus the kids will save the day, using their powers and their wits rather than the mom. 

Bibliography:  Persian Tales: The Wolf & the Goat.  Link.

Tech Tip: Blogger Template

I've always loved the idea of blogs.  I don't exactly write in a blog on a regular basis, but I do physically write in a journal whenever I can.  What can I say, I like the old fashioned way.  Because of that, I created my blog in a way that speaks to my personality.  I love cursive font and I even write in cursive and am itching to learn calligraphy one of these days, so it just suits me perfectly to have my blog in cursive.  If not in cursive, I usually enjoy the type-writer's font, another old school fetish.  As for color, although blue is my absolute favorite, for some reason, I've gravitated towards green these days and not just any green, but a deep forest green.  It was fun changing up my blog template, I plan to play with it some more and change it up even more whenever I get bored of this one.  My mind is always changing for something new!

Feedback Focus

With the three of these strategies given for focusing on reading in general, I would have to rank reading aloud as my most utilized strategy and the google timer as my least favorite.  In the order that they were offered, funnily enough.  I ranked these the way that I did, because I already use reading aloud as my basis when trying to focus and understand a story.  Along with reading aloud I also combine the copy-and-paste strategy with it, except copying-and-pasting isn't how I focus.  I usually just read a story as a whole and then in sections, whether in paragraphs as written or just in particular sections that are helpful to me, and I comment on them immediately after reading it.  I do so in order to grasp the entire readings in specificity.  I'm not quite surprised as to how these affect my reading since I already do these, but the one that I don't exactly utilize is the timer.  I don't like the idea of the timer, and just by applying it to the readings provided, I felt like I was being rushed to finish at a certain time.  Because of the rushed feeling, I wasn't able to fully grasp the stories until I had to look back at the timer to see how much time I had left and if I had enough time, I would then begin to focus on the reading.  Re-reading a story after the timer would end up happening.

(Focus through a lense. Pixabay.)

I can't say that there is a big advantage or disadvantage of reading aloud.  To me it is a lot like silent reading, though when read aloud, the readings can be heard and would only benefit those that are unable to stick to one focus mentally as the mind can be full of many thoughts.  Reading aloud stops what a person is doing and provides multiple outlets of focus and not just one, such as reading with your eyes, mind and mouth rather than just the eyes and mind.  Splitting up a reading into sections can be advantageous in the comments that are being provided being it will come together in the end and add specificity to what is needed to be said.  A disadvantage in that is that, the general idea of a story can be forgotten immediately if separated and at the end of a story, things can change and cause an overall thought to be misconstrued or strayed.

I don't have any other recommendations on how to stay focused other than immersing oneself in a quiet room with no noise, just you and the reading.  That is something I notice that helps me stay focused and I'm sure that's anyone else also.  I wish I knew other techniques aside from these already listed, but they apply to me indefinitely.  I will have to say as well, that I enjoyed reading the Zoology 1114 story of Adam and Eve.  The story was brilliantly written metaphorically speaking and modernized rightly.  The writer portrayed the story in a way that I would not have thought of, while still keeping the morals and ideas of the original.  

Reading Notes: The Tree of Knowledge, Part B

• Siddhartha = Hero
• Has 10 women that cater to him; Sujata (one of the women), one of her slaves died
• She wrapped him red shroud to put him in the cemetery
• Hero needed clothing & saw the shroud & took it.
• The Gods above helped him make it into a piece of clothing.
• Sakra - giving him a pool of water & wash-stone to wash it
• Mara (the Evil One) - steepened the pool so he couldn't get out
• There was a nearby tree & Hero prayed to the Goddess to let down a branch to help him get out, she did so.
• He sat under the tree and began to sew his new shroud
• Night fell & he had 5 dreams:
1. Lying on the whole bed of Earth; Head on Himalaya, right hand on western sea, left on eastern & feet on southern sea.
2. Saw a reed grow out of his navel, so fast that it touched the sky
3. Worms crawled up his leg covering them
4. Birds flew toward him from every horizon, appeared of Gold
5. He saw a mountain of filth & excrement; he climbed to the summit, descended & was not phased by the filth.
• He knew after the dreams that he would obtain supreme knowledge & become Buddha
• Went back to Uruvilva to beg; Sujata made milk w/ rice flour & honey, put into a golden bowl.
• He arrived to their house & received the bowl while Sujata cleansed his feet.
• Unsure of what to do w/the bowl, it's understood that those before him that become Buddha have their last meal in a golden bowl.
• He bathes in the river & finishes his meal; lets the bowl float & states that the bowl will go upstream if he is to become Buddha & float downstream if he is not; so it floats up.
• Night falls & he walks towards the Tree of Knowledge, sees the Reaper Svastika & asks for grass in return to teach him the law, so he hands the Hero 8 handfuls
• Using the grass, he bows to the tree from the east side, 7 times & sprinkles the grass for then a seat appears for him to sit; no matter what happens, he'll obtain the supreme knowledge.

(Buddha experiencing Bodhi (The Awakening). PBS.)

I could tie this story in with The Great Truths, he could still be a lion or even just a poor man struggling in life to understand the world and universe.

Rather than the servants and the Gods catering to help him, on his journey he can run into random strangers that want to help.  Much like the book/movie 'Into the Wild'.

The supreme knowledge that can be obtained in life can be that of life's simple pleasures.  Just being an honest, good person.  Accepting life's faults and enduring pain and suffering when necessary. 

Bibliography:  Life of Buddha: The Tree of Knowledge.  Link to reading.

Reading Notes: The Great Truths, Part A

• Siddhartha's unhappy in his palace (lost like a lion stung by a poisoned dart)
• Leaves the palace in search through the common world. 
• He pitied mankind for they can: get sick, old, weak, ignorant.
• He lost his understanding for everything mankind had to offer.
• Encountered a man, "monk" that only he could see.
• Spoke of solitude, an itinerant monk seeking 'deliverance'
• Seeks highest good, lives freely.
• Siddhartha believes he is 'God' in the form of a monk, because he went back to the sky.
• He then wanted to become a monk, his father saddened & wanted him to be King instead.
• Tried offering his father 4 options to keep him: 
1. His life wouldn't end in death
2. sickness won't impair his health
3. age won't follow his youth
4. misfortune won't destroy his prosperity
• The King couldn't promise him this.
• "Solem as Meru Mountain": Mount Meru = center of universe for Hindu, Jain & Buddhist traditions
• Decides to leave, states w/the True Law that he could bring peace to all men bc the world is corrupt

(Lion rising from the dark.  Pixabay.)

Maybe I could change Siddhartha to a lion cub as he is compared himself to so.  A lion cub seeking peace among the other animals.  He leaves his family for the jungle, an innocent lion knowing nothing of the wild.  It could be a metaphor.

His father could deny this of him or instead of him being a cub, he could be fully grown and leave his wife and cubs.

Rather than the conversation between father and son, could be him talking to a God above.  God offers plenty, but in the end he will learn the the world isn't perfect.  It is perfect in its own way.

He was leaving to find true meaning to life.  Though he's found it realizing that traveling alone, he misses his family.  His family is his true meaning to his life.

There are trials along the way, but those that can be triumphed. 

Bibliography:  Life of Buddha: The Great Truths by Andre Ferdinand Herold.  Link to Reading.

Week 4 Storytelling: The Magic of Family

Hi everyone, my name is Kentigern Roberts, but y’all can call me Kent.  I have twin brothers (Sander and Sage) and loving parents (Virginia and Gary), we also have a pet robin named Red.  I’m only 12 years old and not your average kid.  My parents picked me out of a crowd of children, to be their new son.  Yes, I am adopted.  For this very reason I feel like they always give me special treatment.  I’m not sure whether I deserve it or not, but I know I never want to upset them because they might throw me away like every other family has.  But…this isn’t necessarily about my parents. 

(Being the Sap in the Family.  Flickr.)

Journal Entry #44

It has been a while since I have written.  Adjusting to my new family is a tad rough around the edges.  I don't think my brothers like me very much.  They've definitely been giving me crap since I moved a week ago.  I'm used to it since I've been around so many kids and teenagers.

--“Hey four eyes!  Mom told us to do their laundry and the dishes.  Why don’t you do the laundry while Sage and I do the dishes?” Sander asks, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

That’s strange, this is the first time he’s asked me something without throwing anything at me or bullying me. 

-- "Sure." I bravely accept.

I go into the parent’s room to grab their dirty laundry basket to put into the washer.  As I am loading up the washer, I notice the detergent jug looks tampered with.  I pour some into a cup and smell it closely.  It is pure bleach and baking soda mixed into it.  Hm….

--“Stop kidding yourself Sander, I’m sure he’s found out already.”  Sage nudges Sander’s elbow as Sander’s snickering while rinsing the dishes.  “What?  I’m sure he fell for it, it’s pretty easy to miss.” Sander snarks back.

All of the laundry finishes and I begin to fold the clothes, “You’re already done?”  He asks me, his eyebrows scrunched in with wonder.  “Of course, it shouldn’t take more than two hours to finish a couple loads.”  I smile back in response.  “Dang…”  He muffles to himself as he walks away.

--“Arrghhh! Sage you were right, he figured it out!”  Sander shouts at Sage as he enters their room, slamming the door behind him.   “I told you, he’s smarter than he seems.”  Sage replies, laughing. 

Journal Entry #47

I was right from the start.  They have definitely been giving me crap because I’m new to the family and they don’t want me here.  I just don’t get it.  I mean I know I’m not their real brother, but I haven’t done anything wrong to them.  What could it be?  Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut and go along with whatever they tell me and try not to upset them too.  Let’s see how this goes.

Journal Entry #48

It’s warm out..a little breezy, just like Spring should be.  Our parents decided to take my brothers and I to the park with our little Red in her cage.  Red’s incredibly smart for a bird.  They’re never afraid to let her fly free, because they know she will always come back to us.  I am truly lucky to be a part of this family….

--“Catch!”  Sage shouts as he’s throwing the football towards me.  I reluctantly catch it, letting it hit my chest.  “Nice catch!” He shouts again, smiling.  He seems to be the friendlier one out of the two, but I still don’t know about him.

--“Meow~~” A cat appears, purring and rubbing it’s body against my legs.  “You’re cute.”  I tell him as I pet him behind the ears.

Sage and Sander notice the cat and whisper to each other. 

Sage and I play catch with each other and I realize Sander and Red are missing…the cat too.  Mom and dad are on their picnic blanket just enjoying each other’s company. 

--Sage stops us, “I need to go to the bathroom.” I nod my head towards him.  Sage runs toward the recreation building and I decide to search for Sander.  I go behind the building and see Sander running passed me towards Mom and Dad, he smirks at me, “Mom!  Dad!  Look what Kent did!!”  Showing them the cat, a piece of Red’s feather sticking out of its mouth….

--“He fed Red to the cat!!”  Horrified, mom begins to sob, while dad sullenly walks toward me and asks if I did such a thing.  “I promise I didn’t! I was only gone for a brief moment!”  I tell him distraughtly, shaking my head and my hands at him, tears slowly forming.  Sage heads over from the bathroom.  “What happened??”

I don’t know how else to prove that it wasn’t me.  Out of impulse, I grab the cat, kneel on the floor and open its mouth to see if Red is there or swallowed.  She was swallowed so I squeeze his body and try to get her out. I squeeze and squeeze, suddenly she pops out!

--“Please don’t be dead…please don’t be dead!” I sob as I pick Red up.  Tears rolling down my cheeks, my glasses fogging up, I rub my eyes and with a flinch…Red perks up and by God’s graces..she starts talking!  My tears brought her back to more than just life!  Not only does she begin to talk, but so does the cat.  They begin to tell us all what truly happened…

Journal Entry #60

It’s been a few days since the incident.  I think they’ve learned their lesson, because they haven’t messed with me since.  After bringing Red home, we decided to take the cat in as well, seeming that he didn’t have a collar or tag.  Becoming a part of the family wasn’t so bad after all.

Author's Note:  I chose to write about the story of Saint Kentigern and the Robin for this unit.  It is a story about a young boy who went to an all boys school and was praised by one of their elder Saints.  He was always a good kid and the other boys envied him.  So jealous, they always bullied him and tried framing him.  In the end, they never got what they wanted.  My story is quite similar.  I didn't want to stray away too much because the base of the story tells true that we shouldn't bully anyone for anything.  The truth will always come out in all sorts of ways unimaginable.  I decided to write it in first person, because we often don't understand why we get bullied and sometimes we just have to stay strong.  Most people keep to themselves when it happens, though I was limited by how much to write, I tried conveying his hurt and struggle.  Not so much in a way that he couldn't come out of it a stronger person in the end.  I also wrote in a way that everyone could differentiate between his narrations, journals and present conversations.  I hope you all enjoyed my version!! 

Bibliography: Book of Saints and Friendly Beasts by Abbie Farwell Brown.  Link to reading.