Getting through my mail bag each day can be a bit daunting as I just don't seem to have the time to read /reply/comment etc. This was a joy to read and made me quite envious to some degree but after reading, I felt an inner contentment and realised I was happy today and that it's all about perception and the perception deception we/they deal ourselves, I'm gonna happily do some chores now and have a deserved cuppa afterwards. "It's just a ride" Bill Hicks.
Basque country is gorgeous! The language, culture and food is very different from Spain. I passed through there in April so I don't know about the tourism at all. I avoided all tourist spots and stuck to the country roads, the lesser trodden paths.... I was looking for an escape from civilisation, not to witness more of it. UK had been MORE than enough!
Good stuff, love your stories, and I wish I could go and live this one myself... Maybe one day.
I will offer one thought (okay, several thoughts) on the Biblical quote, and that is that the Bible (NT) is by NO means untouched by hands not connected directly to his own followers. ROME also ate, swallowed, and spit out their own version of what the Bible was, and it wasn't what it used to be at all. There's also the Nag Hammadi Library, found in I think 1941, or some time around then... The Gospel of Thomas is amazing, give it a read sometime... NOT like the Bible we might have grown up with, OT or NT!
Anyway, I have a very hard time thinking that the OT or the NT are literal, factual writings, absolutely. I'm sure there's a lot of truth in there, but it ain't journalism. And these writings were written by MEN, of course, because I don't believe in that kind of magic... some other kinds yes, sometimes. ;) But there's that whole mortal thing, and there's that whole a long, long, long, time ago thing, and there's that Men Only thing, and so on.
I have read the Gospel of Thomas and loved it very much. However, I do not think we can dismiss the accounts given by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I am not too impressed with Paul (Saul) and his letters to various churches in the middle east (Acts etc).
I only used that quote to illustrate how long the Roman Empire has existed unchallenged. It was no endorsement of the New Testament as some sort of irrefutable truth....
As for feeling doubtful simply because the writers were men. So were the people who wrote the Nag Hammadi, the words of Buddha, the poems of Lao Tzu, the herbal formulas of Dr Po who lived at the same time as Jesus. All the laws, all the reports sent in to Rome by generals and philosophers. The Greek philosophy and all the amazing scriptures of Hinduism.
Women have only very recently been educated to read and write - and that is only in the West and among the upper classes in some other cultures. In Spain - only since Franco died in 1975!
This patriarchal system is ancient.
How much of it is because men had the time, but women had their hands full with childcare, cooking and caring for the elderly? I think that some women make too much of patriarchy.
My grandmother was a gypsy. She taught me that women run the world and men do their bidding. The trick she imparted to me was simple.
"Do all your thinking and then explain it to your man." she said "He will think on it and by the time he has discussed it with his mates down the pub, he will believe that it was all his own idea!" We would laugh and she would go on, grinning and knitting "Let him believe that he is a genius, feed him, love him and obey him but ONLY when he is enacting the plans you gave him!"
I did exactly that.
My man developed an ego the size of Jupiter! He thought he was the brainiest man on the planet!
And yeah, he did exactly what I wanted. In fact, I did not DARE to say I liked something I saw in the shops because if he could not buy it he would smash the glass and steal it for me!
That is real femininity, real matriarchy but shhh.... don't tell 'em how we are doing it. 🤣😂🤣😂
What a lovely reverie from a kindred adventuring spirit. At that same point in time, (i.e. age), and for similar escapist reasons , I rented a 3rd story servant's quarters space, in a restored Civil War era mansion in Portland, Maine. I found the place online, the pictures alone were irresistable. I was living in Seattle, my career wearing thin. I was ready to cast my fate to the wind. I gave up owning a vehicle, which was so freeing! Ultimately, the adventure was a success of personal, intellectual and historical discovery. (Although not as ambitious as yours, and somewhat shorter lived. ) When 9/11 came along, I had to rethink things. I had definitely achieved psychological freedom, (Individuation?), but there was still that nagging reality of what or whether my financial future might hold. So, after 18 mos., I returned to Seattle, where friends, family, and career possibilities were more abundant. All that said, the time, energy, faith, and investment for that particular adventure, was such a wonderful lesson in what it means to "know thyself". It gave me confidence to live my life with renewed attention to the details, and extra special attention to my intuition for decision making.
Thank you for your offer of friendship. I would take you up on it. But, my return to Seattle, seemingly had an expiration date! My work experiences there, (subsequent to the Maine adventure), ended up being a series of tests in Reality Recognition & Analysis 101. When "2020" hit, literally and figuratively, I knew it was time to leave once and for all. Having honed my research skills, I trusted the Universe and my intuition. All signs pointed to the state of Great Faces and Great Places. (A trip back in time it seems as well ,by about 25 yrs!)
Well, I certainly don't blame you! Seattle (and WA generally, and the entire West Coast, actually!) is so WOKE it's a bit of a nightmare! I'm glad you're outta there, for your sake. ^_^
Adventures are fantastic opportunities to test our mettle and learn about our strengths and shortcomings. I am so grateful that my government pissed me off until I ran away.... they did me such a huge favour! Previously I had worked for 35 years, paying mortgages and keeping the roof over my family's head. I have not worked a day since I returned to the UK, preferring to devote all my time and energy to defending against an unjust system and writing about it. If I had never set myself free in 2004 I would not have become the word warrior I am now!
¡Que maravilla! I can feel and smell your time on the finca and in the pueblo. How wise and fortunate of you to take that all on. Before the invasion of Northerners, Spain was truly the edge of the universe.
Another parallel- I too taught English- in Madrid- somewhere off the Puerta del Sol- which street name I've long forgotten. My students were all ages.
Thank you, Francheska, for sharing these great memories and experiences. While your adventures in Spain resonate personally with me- the crux of your message is profound indeed.
I know where you mean and the terrain is very similar. Almanzor is a mountain more or less central to Spain, maybe a tad south. Its name means Big Soul and it was the homeland of Iberian Celts for thousands of years. Everywhere around my property were ruins and piles of stones. The entire foothills are terraced with uncut stone ledges... too old to guess whether they are Celtic or Stone Age. The Romans drove the Celts to the north and many migrated from Spain to Britain or Ireland, 2000 years ago.
Getting through my mail bag each day can be a bit daunting as I just don't seem to have the time to read /reply/comment etc. This was a joy to read and made me quite envious to some degree but after reading, I felt an inner contentment and realised I was happy today and that it's all about perception and the perception deception we/they deal ourselves, I'm gonna happily do some chores now and have a deserved cuppa afterwards. "It's just a ride" Bill Hicks.
https://youtu.be/KgzQuE1pR1w
Respect & X 2 All
THIS WAS FASCINATING!!! Thank
You!!!
One can smell your trek. Idyllic. Thanks.
Wondering how the Basques are faring?
Still autonomously grazing their sheep with rifles in hand and genuine Border Collies?
Or have they succumbed to being tourist attractions?
Basque country is gorgeous! The language, culture and food is very different from Spain. I passed through there in April so I don't know about the tourism at all. I avoided all tourist spots and stuck to the country roads, the lesser trodden paths.... I was looking for an escape from civilisation, not to witness more of it. UK had been MORE than enough!
Good stuff, love your stories, and I wish I could go and live this one myself... Maybe one day.
I will offer one thought (okay, several thoughts) on the Biblical quote, and that is that the Bible (NT) is by NO means untouched by hands not connected directly to his own followers. ROME also ate, swallowed, and spit out their own version of what the Bible was, and it wasn't what it used to be at all. There's also the Nag Hammadi Library, found in I think 1941, or some time around then... The Gospel of Thomas is amazing, give it a read sometime... NOT like the Bible we might have grown up with, OT or NT!
Anyway, I have a very hard time thinking that the OT or the NT are literal, factual writings, absolutely. I'm sure there's a lot of truth in there, but it ain't journalism. And these writings were written by MEN, of course, because I don't believe in that kind of magic... some other kinds yes, sometimes. ;) But there's that whole mortal thing, and there's that whole a long, long, long, time ago thing, and there's that Men Only thing, and so on.
I have read the Gospel of Thomas and loved it very much. However, I do not think we can dismiss the accounts given by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. I am not too impressed with Paul (Saul) and his letters to various churches in the middle east (Acts etc).
I only used that quote to illustrate how long the Roman Empire has existed unchallenged. It was no endorsement of the New Testament as some sort of irrefutable truth....
As for feeling doubtful simply because the writers were men. So were the people who wrote the Nag Hammadi, the words of Buddha, the poems of Lao Tzu, the herbal formulas of Dr Po who lived at the same time as Jesus. All the laws, all the reports sent in to Rome by generals and philosophers. The Greek philosophy and all the amazing scriptures of Hinduism.
Women have only very recently been educated to read and write - and that is only in the West and among the upper classes in some other cultures. In Spain - only since Franco died in 1975!
This patriarchal system is ancient.
How much of it is because men had the time, but women had their hands full with childcare, cooking and caring for the elderly? I think that some women make too much of patriarchy.
My grandmother was a gypsy. She taught me that women run the world and men do their bidding. The trick she imparted to me was simple.
"Do all your thinking and then explain it to your man." she said "He will think on it and by the time he has discussed it with his mates down the pub, he will believe that it was all his own idea!" We would laugh and she would go on, grinning and knitting "Let him believe that he is a genius, feed him, love him and obey him but ONLY when he is enacting the plans you gave him!"
I did exactly that.
My man developed an ego the size of Jupiter! He thought he was the brainiest man on the planet!
And yeah, he did exactly what I wanted. In fact, I did not DARE to say I liked something I saw in the shops because if he could not buy it he would smash the glass and steal it for me!
That is real femininity, real matriarchy but shhh.... don't tell 'em how we are doing it. 🤣😂🤣😂
Wow. All I can say is you are frickin' amazing!!!!!!!!!🙌
What a lovely reverie from a kindred adventuring spirit. At that same point in time, (i.e. age), and for similar escapist reasons , I rented a 3rd story servant's quarters space, in a restored Civil War era mansion in Portland, Maine. I found the place online, the pictures alone were irresistable. I was living in Seattle, my career wearing thin. I was ready to cast my fate to the wind. I gave up owning a vehicle, which was so freeing! Ultimately, the adventure was a success of personal, intellectual and historical discovery. (Although not as ambitious as yours, and somewhat shorter lived. ) When 9/11 came along, I had to rethink things. I had definitely achieved psychological freedom, (Individuation?), but there was still that nagging reality of what or whether my financial future might hold. So, after 18 mos., I returned to Seattle, where friends, family, and career possibilities were more abundant. All that said, the time, energy, faith, and investment for that particular adventure, was such a wonderful lesson in what it means to "know thyself". It gave me confidence to live my life with renewed attention to the details, and extra special attention to my intuition for decision making.
I live near Seattle, over the water, Kitsap County... If you have any rebel ;) leanings, I'd love to have some contacts... pretty isolated over here.
Thank you for your offer of friendship. I would take you up on it. But, my return to Seattle, seemingly had an expiration date! My work experiences there, (subsequent to the Maine adventure), ended up being a series of tests in Reality Recognition & Analysis 101. When "2020" hit, literally and figuratively, I knew it was time to leave once and for all. Having honed my research skills, I trusted the Universe and my intuition. All signs pointed to the state of Great Faces and Great Places. (A trip back in time it seems as well ,by about 25 yrs!)
Well, I certainly don't blame you! Seattle (and WA generally, and the entire West Coast, actually!) is so WOKE it's a bit of a nightmare! I'm glad you're outta there, for your sake. ^_^
Good luck and Best wishes.
Adventures are fantastic opportunities to test our mettle and learn about our strengths and shortcomings. I am so grateful that my government pissed me off until I ran away.... they did me such a huge favour! Previously I had worked for 35 years, paying mortgages and keeping the roof over my family's head. I have not worked a day since I returned to the UK, preferring to devote all my time and energy to defending against an unjust system and writing about it. If I had never set myself free in 2004 I would not have become the word warrior I am now!
sounds wonderful
Fascinating and very well put together. Many thanks for sharing x
Agreed.
¡Que maravilla! I can feel and smell your time on the finca and in the pueblo. How wise and fortunate of you to take that all on. Before the invasion of Northerners, Spain was truly the edge of the universe.
Another parallel- I too taught English- in Madrid- somewhere off the Puerta del Sol- which street name I've long forgotten. My students were all ages.
Thank you, Francheska, for sharing these great memories and experiences. While your adventures in Spain resonate personally with me- the crux of your message is profound indeed.
We are in serious trouble.
¡Hasta pronto! ✌
!Claro que si! ---How do you get the upside down punctuation??
She has a Spanish laptop or computer. I used to have one when I lived in Spain.
Muchisima gracias, amiga! xx
great story, you have really lived! i need more adventures
Everyone needs lots of adventures! I had very itchy feet when I was younger.... got me into some rare ole straights, I can tell ye! 🤣😂
I know where you mean and the terrain is very similar. Almanzor is a mountain more or less central to Spain, maybe a tad south. Its name means Big Soul and it was the homeland of Iberian Celts for thousands of years. Everywhere around my property were ruins and piles of stones. The entire foothills are terraced with uncut stone ledges... too old to guess whether they are Celtic or Stone Age. The Romans drove the Celts to the north and many migrated from Spain to Britain or Ireland, 2000 years ago.