The Magical World of Tylluan Penry

Here is a photo of Barney who was stung by a bee on the weekend. His face swelled up and he looked rather strange for a day or so, but I'm pleased to report he is back to his old self. He is a very sweet little boy (almost two years old now), and bilingual (he says he prefers Welsh however).

Phillip over at Life’s Lessons sent me a fascinating link yesterday, which I will reproduce here:

http://www.duirwaighgallery.com/inspiration_duirwaighfilms.php?section=172#

Scroll down that page and click on the little film, it’s quite lovely. It also set me thinking – what is it about modern life that makes so many people turn towards these mythical worlds? Yes, I know there's always been a longing towards a 'Golden Age' a time in the past when life was supposed to be so much better, but this is slightly different, - an Age that we have never known in a world few of us visit.

The idea of being called towards an identity isn't specific to paganism. I think it can be found in social sciences too, the idea of being 'interpellated' by an image of the self that we aspire to. My own call came when I was very young, and I was sitting on a hillside. I remember it quite clearly and even if the sceptics out there don't accept that the voice I heard came from another world, the social scientists among them might accept that in some way I was interpellated and then hastened towards a self image I found attractive.

I had always, for as long as I can remember inhabited these dual worlds of fantasy and reality, a bit like you see in the film on the link above. As far as I was concerned it was all quite normal and at first I thought it was the same for everyone. It was quite a shock to the system to realise that no, most people didn’t have conversations with trees or wander into enchanted landscapes. I was quite definitely on my own there!

I tried very hard to conform as I grew older, but the green world always called me. (And by 'green' I'm not talking about saving the planet, or recycling or cutting down on carbon footprints. I mean the green, living world, which mankind is permitted to enter but not control.) Sometimes the call was insistent, at other times it seemed to come from far, far away. But it was always there, no matter where I travelled or what I did. In the end I just went with the flow and returned to my magical green world because it seemed the most natural place for me to be.

I often took my family with me too. Children in particular can accept these green worlds quite easily. Instead of questioning, ‘Is this real? Am I seeing things?’ they just seem to accept it and get on with the experience. I never tried to force it on anyone – you can’t. All you can do is invite others to the gateway and then it’s up to them whether they want to enter.

I’m not the ‘fluffybunny’ type (though I love rabbits!) I’m too cynical, sceptical, and a fully paid up member of the Awkward Brigade much of the time. I know I have to live most of my life in this world because that’s the way things are. I also know that the green world is only a whisper away.

Those images that you will see if you look at the film mentioned above are literally there with you – if you want them. The world is a more mysterious place than most of us could possibly imagine. As children we know this. We accept it. It’s only as we grow older that we become too embarrassed to live by the truths that were once so important to us.

It’s sad really. As children we find the crock of gold at the end of the rainbow. As adults we throw it away and settle for a plastic bucket full of ashes instead.

Seeking the Green by Tylluan Penry, published soon by Capall Bann. For more info - watch this space!