Confessions of a Mystical Fangirl

Most teachers, tarotists, ministers and spiritual advisors I know reference quotations and stories to help illustrate their point. Even Jesus taught in parables.

I draw from a wide range of sources for inspirational and illustrative passages, although I will admit that, while many of my friends often quote Rumi and Kahlil Gibran, I am more likely to quote the Grateful Dead.

Yesterday, I realized that I pepper my language with references from another source. I am a huge sci-fi fan – I always have been. As a kid, I read Bradbury nonstop one summer. While I don’t watch broadcast or cable TV, I do love watching series on Netflix and Hulu. Most of my favorite shows are sci-fi.

I figured I was normal in that. I mean, most of my friends and family bemoaned the loss of “Firefly” with me. However, on three occasions yesterday, my sci-fi reference garnered only blank stares.

One person didn’t know why I was mentioning red pills and blue pills in a conversation about those who are willing to see reality and those who are not. The iconic Matrix reference missed completely.

In another conversation, we were discussing why sometimes divination yields confusing results. “No spoilers,” I said in my best River Song voice. My friend was clearly not a Whovian.

Finally, in discussing a friend’s business conundrum, I told her that she must, above all else, honor her inner Ferengi and not lose sight of her financial interests. The message resonated, even though she didn’t know anything about the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition.

I share with others the things that inspire me. Is it odd that stories of time and space different from our own inspire me so much?

Year ago, when I was in the hospital fighting a post-surgical infection, it was an image from a Stephen King novel that kept me grounded and fighting for my life. The Bene Gesserit Litany against Fear, from Dune, was my daily mantra in the early years of my business, when everything felt new and scary.

Many people draw their inspiration only from sacred texts, or lauded philosophers and poets. I find value there, too. I also believe there is much for us to learn from stories that place a human element in an alien setting. When everything else is foreign, it becomes easy to see what is innately human and immediately resonant.

There is a special joy, too, in finding the magic that hides within the mundane.

Pop culture and geek fandom may not be as intellectually or artistically important as ancient works, but they can be every bit as relevant and enlightening. As the Grateful Dead said, “Once in a while you can get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right.”

The Joy of a Hand-Written Letter

Woman Reading a Letter  circa 1664-1666, artist Gabriel Metsu, painting and representative photo public domain, currently on display National Gallery of Ireland.

Today I had an experience that has become unique. I received a letter in the mail. This was not a form letter nor a card, nor an email.

This was two pages neatly hand-written on lined paper, and mailed in an envelope with a stamp.

There was a time we all communicated this way over the miles. Now we have email, text, Skype and social media.

It’s probably obvious that the person who wrote the letter was over eighty years old. The last time I received such a great letter, it was from my late grandmother.

I always hated writing letters, and certainly don’t miss having to. But this lovely missive, filled with news, musings and ideas, made me long for a time when we all knew how to express ourselves this eloquently on paper, and took the time to do it.

I’ll treasure this letter. Who knows when I’ll receive another?

On the other hand, as much as I enjoyed the letter, I’m planning on acknowledging it with a phone call. As much as I love the concept of hand-written letters, I’m not going to try to start a retro-fad.  I wish someone would, though.

Dancing with Daleks: Time Lord Fest in Tampa

This Sunday I met a mechanical dog, danced with some Daleks and hung out with the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. I purchased an original t-shirt (“Optimus Time”) from the artist himself, met some authors, and attended a costume contest judged by Robert Allsopp, prop designer for both the classic and new Dr. Who.

I did all this in a bizarre storefront event venue in a Tampa shopping plaza. The neighboring bar (sporting a sign that said “Welcome, Time Lords”) and the Mr. Empanada were happy to serve the motley crew of Doctors, Companions, Tardis’ and Daleks, whose cleverly decorated vehicles filled the plaza parking lot. Inside the venue, fans of BBC’s “Dr. Who” eschewed the empanadas for fish sticks and custard, fish and chips and “Hot K-9s.”

The whole scene reminded me of Grateful Dead tour in the 1980s.  All of a sudden, a freaky group of fans in weird clothes with unusual bumper stickers can bring magic to the most mundane of places.

Where was I? It was Ken Spivey’s “Time Lord Fest 2014,” of course.

The venue, Tampa’s Event Factory, was a fanciful and surreal place to hold such a timey-wimey event.  Behind the strip mall doors is a glittery, Styrofoam-looking medieval castle resplendent in fairy lights and bountiful fake flowers. There is an enchanted forest, a Camelot-style courtyard and many sumptuous ballrooms. One might find it either cheesy or breathtaking, but one would have to admit the kitsch added to the ambiance of Time Lord Fest.

One of the things I love about Dr. Who is its diverse audience. Because Dr. Who is a fifty-year old institution; the Doctor has fans of all ages. Dr. Who, and its spinoff, Torchwood, both reflect real inclusivity without being preachy.

That inclusivity showed itself in some of the cosplay. There were recognizable Doctors and Captain Jacks wearing skirts, and folks of all ethnicities playing people of many species. The youngest Tardis I saw was three months old; the oldest was much older than I am.

There were an impressive number of panel discussions and presentations. I especially enjoyed the guest of honor, Robert Allsopp. I was a bit disappointed with the panel discussion of “Supernatural and Occult Elements in Dr. Who.”

The panelists were personable, intelligent and interesting. Two of the three panelists were horror writers. For them, supernatural and occult elements are tools for creating horror stories and nothing more. The discussion may have gotten more informative. I left; frustrated that is was about “scary” storylines and not the occult elements in Dr. Who at all.

I was hoping to hear about true occult symbols and themes used in Dr Who, such as the tarot reading received by the Seventh Doctor. Next years’ Time Lord Fest could use a real occultist who also happens to be a Whovian. I can tell you for sure we exist.

It feels weird for me to be such a fan of a TV show. I don’t even watch broadcast TV! I have often accused big media companies of taking creativity out of the hands of common people and giving it only to the select few. Yet Time Lord Fest was an awesome display of individual and original creativity. Dr. Who, and the rest of fandom, inspires costumes, music, stories and art. Time Lord Fest wasn’t just about a TV show, it was a celebration of art and creativity.

I worry sometimes about the thin line between fan art and copyright infringement. On the other hand, I was thrilled to see so many people inspired by fifty years of Dr. Who.

The final events of the day included a performance by the Ken Spivey Band. The interesting thing about this three-person line-up is they have some actual and impressive musical cred.

I love that the Ken Spivey Band plays “Time Lord Rock,” and that “Time Lord Rock,” or “Trock,” is an actual genre.  I would love to hear more songs inspired by Dr. Who.

The Dalek Dance was one of my favorite moments of Time Lord Fest.

Next year, I’ll come in costume. For the final event, I’d like to see fewer chairs, and more dancing; because if you have a chance to dance with Time Lords, Daleks and other aliens, you definitely should.

Does your Relationship have a Future, and Does it Matter?

There is no denying that we do relationships differently, much differently, than in generations past. Yet, we often trot out our grandmother’s worn-out relationship wisdom to help us understand the complexities of modern life. Sometimes Grandma’s advice is timeless. Some of the time old relationship protocols just don’t translate well to our new world.

One of the standard and unquestioned rules of dating is to make sure your relationship “has a future.” The person you are investing time in must be “marriage material.”

If you want to get married and have kids, this is an essential rule. If you don’t want kids, you might want to rethink this rule. For you, the present may be more important than the future.

Sometimes we meet people who aren’t exactly “marriage material,” but who are really enjoyable to be around. If marriage is what you are looking for, these people are a waste of time for you.

However, if you are not interested in reproduction, or if your kids are already grown, the value of a relationship might be measured more in what it offers you in the present, rather than what it might secure for the future.

Generations ago, people formed relationships to ensure their survival. Now, we are perfectly capable of surviving on our own. Often, the purpose of a relationship can be recreation and enjoyment, rather than sharing work and resources.

These days not every relationship needs to have a future in order to be considered an appropriate relationship. Sometimes it really is ok to just be in the now, as long as everyone is on the same page.

In a rapidly changing world, it’s important to remember that the relationship norms of earlier times may not work for every person. The freer we feel to create the exact relationship that works for our unique situation, the more likely we are to find the simple happiness of love.

A Grammar Cop Turns in her Badge

Although my writing is full of hasty typos, my inner Grammar Police is pretty vocal. Sometimes it is everything I can do to keep from spray-painting road signs to encourage motorists to drive slowly, rather than slow.

I was raised that way. When I brought my new husband home to meet my grandmother her first words to us were that I was pronouncing his last name (now mine) incorrectly. I wasn’t – but that’s a good example of the tree from which my apple fell. My own apples (now trees themselves) are careful speakers and writers, too.

I understand the intentional use of bad grammar for emphasis, as in “That ain’t gonna happen!”

I understand poetic license. “He don’t love you like I love you” sounds better than “He doesn’t love you like I love you” in the cira-1975 pop tune.

And now, finally, I understand something else about language. Usage changes. The rules change. And that’s not always a bad thing.

If language didn’t change we would still say words like “forsooth” and “verily.” When I was a girl I read a manners book that instructed polite young ladies to acknowledge a kindness with “I thank you.” The curt “thanks” was rude.

In modern casual writing we now use terms like “ok” and “cool.”

Nonetheless, I have often railed against the changes in our language, fearing that when we lose the form of language we lose some of its function. I worry that that our language is becoming less beautiful and less precise.

Recently I read something that changed my understanding. The evolution of our language is not always about apathy, laziness and stupidity. Sometimes it’s about brilliance and creativity.

One of my favorite writing blogs is “Daily Writing Tips.” Recently Maeve Maddox shared “The New, Delightful use of Because” which outlines and praises a new slang way of using the word “because” as a preposition. For example, “I’m going to the movies because, popcorn!” Or, “I signed up to take senior citizens to the theatre because, hey, free plays!”

Maddox admits that not all grammarians will dig this new use of “because,” but it seems she does, and so do I, because, hey, clever sentence structure.

Communication needs to be precise. But words are also the material of creativity. The evolution of language is not always about dumbing down. Sometimes it’s about lightening up. Sometimes it’s about our cultural agreement of what things mean.  Sometimes new language trends are smart, sassy and descriptive. And that’s cool because, innovation!

Note:
While Maddox was clear to point out the obvious - that the "because" preposition should not be used in formal writing, I didn't get that her use of the word "delightful" in the title was actually sarcastic. She doesn't like it. but I still do.

Bow Ties are Cool

I was one of the many thousands of people who went to the movies the weekend before Thanksgiving to watch the 50^th Anniversary of Doctor Who “The Day of the Doctor,” in 3D. The movie only ran for two nights. I’m glad we got tickets in advance because most of the shows sold out.

Unlike regular first-run movies, waiting for the film to start was a blast. On the screen was a trivia game encompassing all fifty years of Whovian lore. In the audience were Who lovers of all generations. There was a gentleman older than me looking around, astonished to see that so many people loved the Doctor. There were children, grandparents and young adults. Fifty years is a long time to build a fan base.

The costumes were fun. My favorite was a seven-year-old Matt Smith Doctor, complete with fez and bow tie.  I saw Gwen, Ianto and Captain Jack Harkness, as well as plenty of Dr. Who T-shirts and hoodies. I even saw a Tardis dress, and a tiny Tardis steampunk hat!

The fans came equipped with their props. At the start of the movie many fans held their Sonic Screwdrivers aloft in celebration.

Doctor Who in 3D was pretty awesome. The 3D lent itself to the time and space thing.

I really enjoyed the movie itself.  In case there is a single Whovian who didn’t make it to the movies and hasn’t downloaded The Day of the Doctor yet I won’t go into the plot, except to say this. When you have all of time and space with which to play it is very easy to create stories that don’t actually make a lot of sense. “The Day of the Doctor” was brilliant with its twists and turns. The script honored all fifty years of Dr. Who, but opened the way for an entirely new story line to emerge.

I have to admit I wasn’t that much of a fan of the last season of Dr. Who. “The Day of the Doctor” has me energized and ready for the story to unfold. I’m even excited to meet the next Doctor!

Half a century is a long time. As much as I enjoyed the movie, what I enjoyed most was the opportunity to celebrate that milestone with a diverse audience who had one thing in common; a love for the Doctor.