(creep)

Brain-injury Inspiration

During my medical crisis in 2013, my brain swelled. I’m not sure for how many days, but I couldn’t read. I saw the words and even knew it was English and I know English but between my brain and mouth was just—“I dunno”.

Once I was healthy again, I realized I could have had to relearn everything but miraculously recovered (Jesus is pretty Awesome, guys).

Yeah, I almost unlearned how to read.

So fuck that, right? Now I read like a nut—probably save a few too many files but I feel like I’d rather have a library than run out, right?

“Unhindered” by schooling I found myself rereading a lot of historical texts, and really enjoying first-hand sources. I feel like ever since I really retain more, read a little slower and pick up more meaning. No more skimming for keywords.

My Bookshelf

The bookshelf has become a testament to the practical and spiritual. Farming guides, gardening, brewing, distilling, parenting. Bibles and Scrolls and alchemical etchings and Mysteries.

In a way it makes me feel like a total looney toon to be interested in this stuff. Tunisian-born Scottish Admirals, or Mesopotamian deities, or declassified government documents. I know I’m all over the place.

And then it connects. And it feels right. The Beeb writes about how the first Britons were black (link). The Gate of Ba’al is placed in an ancient town square (link). Strange, surprising, little tidbits that inform and inspire research.

The weird things I have learned calm my understanding of the tumultuous world around me daily—this shouldn’t be profound but rarely is there time to think calmly about truly out-there things.

What of words and symbols do we retain, nowadays? Can long forgotten symbols sway our thinking?