Finding Gollum

OMG! I must be a really successful ranger! I just found Gollum - and I didn't almost die, nor did I have to go hungry, or kill Orcs, or hang out in an ale house. Turns out he's alive and well, and right here, right now! Don't believe me? Here's a picture:

And... if it works... an audio clip too!

Why Does It Cry

The Hunt For Gollum

Check this out! I just found a movie about Rangers. It's an award winning unofficial prequel to The Lord Of The Rings dramatising Aragorn and Gandalf's long search for Gollum directed by British filmmaker Chris Bouchard. Based faithfully on the appendices of the books this is a non-profit, serious homage to the writing of J.R.R Tolkien and the films of Peter Jackson. I watched the trailer - and it wasn't terrible.

So I went on a search and found the official Hunt For Gollum website, and discovered that I could not only WATCH it on YouTube, I could embed it here so you can see it too! How cool is that?. I figure that I need all the help I can get in finding and releasing my inner Ranger - so hey, I'm watching it now! How cool is that?

Ok... I watched it.

Not bad for an indie film with a really small budget and volunteer actors. I think my favorite thing about the movie was this comment I found on YouTube -

"So, when Gandalf told Frodo 'I looked everywhere for the creature Gollum' what he really meant was 'I sent another guy to look for him and he almost died'."

Finding My Inner Ranger

Well, day one of finding my inner Ranger has gone pretty well, I think. I have an idea that this could possibly be the one year when I actually succeed in my quest to "be" who I want to be. But I dunno... it's just the first day. I'm posting a clip from Lord of the Rings to give me some inspiration and some umph... especially when I just want to sit around and eat cookies...

And this post has been moved to my personal blog at shirleytwofeathers.com, and can be found in its entirety here: Finding My Inner Ranger

It's Not My Fault

Every year - on the first day of the year - I watch the Lord of the Rings. I watch the whole thing, the extended edition, all the way through, start to finish. I totally immerse myself in Middle Earth, and I think about if The Lord of the Rings was real and true, and if I was an actual person in that real and true story - who would I be? who have I been? and most importantly who do I want to be?

I've blogged this before (Gandalf Changed My Life) - but last year I didn't talk about it at all. Which I find interesting. And because of that, I'm not entirely sure what my thoughts were - I do remember that I was pretty damn sure that I was a miserable failure at "being Aragorn." And since I'd failed time and again in my quest to personify the coolest character in the trilogy, I decided to try something totally different.

I decided that I'd give "being Frodo" a go. I had this idea that I would spend the year "taking the ring to Mordor." The ring being a metaphor for my sugar and crap food addiction. The idea being that how could I ever hope to achieve Aragorn if I couldn't even defeat the craving for a cookie.

And this post has been moved to my personal blog at shirleytwofeathers.com - I think it's definitely worth reading all the way through, and if you're interested, you can find it here:  It's Not My Fault

I love this quote!

Theoden: A great host, you say?
Aragorn: All Isengard is emptied.
Theoden: How many?
Aragorn: Ten thousand strong at least.
Theoden: [astonished] Ten thousand?
Aragorn: It is an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of men. They will be here by nightfall.
Theoden: Let them come.

Filling In The Blanks

Over on the Prosperity Project I uploaded a thing about Buffy, a sort of introductory story and I was talking about how interesting and informative it might be if we each wrote our own introductory story. Initially, I had the idea of also uploading a blurb about Aragorn, but it was too much. So I said to myself, I'll just put that part of it here on Shirleytwofeathers.

Here are the two descriptive paragraphs I found:

"In the Third Age, another tale may be heard, that of Aragorn son of Arathorn, the nine and thirtieth heir in the right line from Isildur. Descended from the faithful of Númenor and whose destiny it was to reclaim the kingship of the fractured realms of Arnor and Gondor."

"His ways were hard and long, and he became somewhat grim to look upon, unless he chanced to smile; and yet he seemed to Men worthy of honour, as a king that is in exile, when he did not hide his true shape. . . 

And this post has been moved to my personal blog at shirleytwofeathers.com, and can be found in its entirety here: Filling In The Blanks

Look what I found!

Ok... I stumbled onto something very cool and hilarious. It's the very secret diary of Aragorn... something I definitely  need if I'm going to be him, don't you think?




The Very Secret Diary of Aragorn, Son of Arathorn

By: Cassandra Claire

Day One:
Ringwraiths killed: 4. V. good.
Met up with Hobbits. Walked forty miles. Skinned a squirrel and ate it.
Still not King.

Day Four:
Stuck on mountain with Hobbits. Boromir really annoying.
Not King yet....

Oops... this post has been moved to my personal blog on my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com, and can be found in it's entirety here: The Very Secret Diary of Aragorn

Being Entish

Ok... so I just posted a bunch of stuff about Ents. As a matter of fact, you now have access, on this site, to just about everything you might ever want to know about Treebeard and the Entmoot. I have quotes, a list, and fresh from wikipedia - a history. Why?

Well, I'm getting to that. Don't be hasty, little human.

I watched the Lord of the Rings, as I always do this time of the year. And while I've already blogged about how once again, I'm going for the gold and will be trying to "be" Aragorn, what I haven't talked endlessly about, at least not yet, but I will... soon enough, is who I have actually succeeded at "being" for the past year. And yes, you've probably guessed it already. I'm pretty sure that I've spent most of last year being about as Entish as a person can get....

And this post has been moved to my personal blog on my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com and can be found in its entirety here: Being Entish

The Long List of the Ents

This is an old list of a living things that ents learned when they were young. Treebeard recited this when he met Merry and Pippin, trying to figure out where hobbits were in the list. When he bid goodbye to them at the fall of Isengard, he had added them in.

Learn now the lore of Living Creatures!
First name the four, the free peoples:
Elders of all, the elf-children;
Dwarf the delver, dark are his houses;
Ents the earthborn, old as mountains;
Man the mortal, master of horses...

And this post has been moved to my personal blog on my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com and can be found in all its glory here: The Long List of the Ents

My Favorite Treebeard Quotes

Merry: It's been going for hours.

Pippin: They must have decided something by now.

Treebeard: Decided? No, we have just finished saying "Good Morning".

Merry: But it's night time already! You can't take forever!

Treebeard: Now, don't be hasty, master Merriadoc.

Merry: We're running out of time!

Treebeard: You must understand, young Hobbit, it takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say.

Treebeard: I promised Gandalf I would keep you safe and safe is where I'll keep you...

There are more, and you can find them at my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com, on my personal blog Hey It's Me - here's a direct link: My Favorite Treebeard Quotes

All About Treebeard

Treebeard (Sindarin: Fangorn) is a fictional character from J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth fantasy writings. The eldest of the species of Ents, he is said to live in the ancient Forest of Fangorn and stands fourteen feet in height and is tree-like in appearance, with leafy hair and a rigid structure. His motto is, "Don't be hasty."

Fangorn Forest lies next to Isengard where Saruman the White resides. In the The Two Towers he meets with Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took, two Hobbits of the Shire known also as Merry and Pippin. Treebeard is known to have a strong hatred of Orcs, and, after Saruman's betrayal of the Ents, of Saruman as well.

Spirits were sent by Eru Ilúvatar to inhabit the trees, which the Vala Yavanna had created along with other plants or olvar. The Vala longed for their protection since Morgoth or Melkor was destroying the trees and olvars, which could not defend themselves from him. The Ents were created by Ilúvatar at the behest of Yavanna as the Shepherds of the Forest or Tree-herders. Entwives were also created for the Ents, but, in the Second Age, were driven out by Sauron....

And this post has been moved to my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com, it can be found in its entirety here on my personal blog: Hey It's Me

Aragorn Again

Every year, I sit down and watch The Lord of the Rings Trilogy from start to finish. I think about my life, and about who I would be if  that movie was my real life - what character I'd be playing. Then I think about who I would WANT to be, what role I would elect to play if I could just figure out how to do it.

So, I watched Lord of the Rings - and once again, I'm electing to "be" Aragorn. It would really be helpful if I was a man, a man in great physical shape, someone strong and cool looking... and it would be even more helpful if I was Viggo Mortensen... yes,.. it would be extremely helpful if I looked like this guy and could actually ride a horse!

But... no... It's just me, Shirley. Trying once again to be more than I am. Ok, that's not exactly true. It occured to me yesterday that the reason I have this deep seated desire to BE Aragorn is because I am Aragorn in my heart, and to see a vision of the inner me unfolding in a successful way... well... it draws me.. And it's frustrating as hell because my vision of my inner self and my vision of my outer self are so irreconcilably different. And the failure of my life is so unbearably present.

It's as if what Eowyn feared the most has already come true for me:

Aragorn: What do you fear, my lady?
Eowyn: A cage. To stay behind bars until use and old age accept them and all chance of valor has gone beyond recall or desire.

Maybe instead of consistently picking Aragorn - I should set out to be Bilbo. Old and done. I could do that one quite easily, I think. Not happily. But easily. And I don't because the Aragorn inside me will not allow it. I guess I'm a fight to the death kind of person with no great battle to fight in...
 or something... so I end up just flailing around...

And this post has been moved to my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com - it can be found in it's glorious entirety here: Aragorn Again

,

Aragorn's Awesome Speech At The Black Gate

Wow and wow!

I would follow that man into ... well... anywhere!

And I did find another video... I think it's a better one too... If you are interested you will find it on my personal blog at my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com - here: Aragorn's Awesome Speech At The Black Gate

It's My Life

Wow!

I guess this was really cool... and now it's gone. Who says once on the internet, always on the internet. Clearly not true!

But wait... I found another video... probably the same one.. I can only hope. And it can be found on my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com - right here: It's My Life

Making peace with Aragorn

Ok OK... I know, enough already about Aragorn... and you'll have to bear with me at least one more time, because I think this is really profound!

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.
From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows will spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken:
The crownless again shall be king.

I am finding so much comfort in that phrase, "not all those who wander are lost... the old that is strong does not wither..." If it is indeed possible to be Aragorn all that is required of me is to just show up and do whatever I can do. I am not lost in a maze....

And this post has been moved to my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com. It can be found in its entirety on my personal blog Hey It's Me

I found something really cool!

It's the Hobbit Name Generator.

My actual hobbit name is -
Are you ready for this?

Iris Sandybanks of Frogmorton

How cool is that?
What's your hobbit name?

Or maybe you're an elf?
I have an elvish name too... but it's a secret.
Want to know what yours is? Discover it.

This post has been migrated to my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com, and if you want look at it over and over again, you can find it on my personal blog: Hey It's Me.

So I asked the I Ching Oracle...

I asked the I Ching Oracle:
How can I be more like Aragorn?

(present) 38. Keui - Opposition
Dampen your enthusiasm, no success lies down that path. Opportunity arises when opposites are reconciled.

(future) 2. Kun - Mother Earth
The path may take a little longer, but it is worth the wait. Show the largeness of your heart and your success will benefit more than just yourself.

What does the Oracle hold for you?
http://luckyhonu.com/iching/oracle

Hmmm...
Ok, I'm going to go clean my sword,
kill some of the bad guys hiding in the kitchen sink,
and think about this for a while.

And then later I moved this post to my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com, it can be found on my personal blog - Hey It's Me

Channeling Aragorn

Ok, so I've been considering how to channel Aragorn and it occurred to me that I need to answer some basic questions first:

1. Where is the shire?
2. And what exactly am I protecting it from?
3. Who are the hobbits?
4. Rivendell... how do I get there from here?
5. Arwyn, who are you? Where are you? And how do you spell your name?
6. What is the sword that was broken?
7. Where do I find it?
8. Who is going to reforge it for me?
9. What is the quest?
10. Where the heck is Frodo, anyway...

And this post has been moved to my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com, and can be found on my personal blog, Hey It's Me

Being Aragorn

This year I watched the Lord of the Rings with my friend Daniel. We did an all day marathon... watched all three DVDs, one right after another, it was incredible! And I did my usual thing of thinking about "If the Lord of the Rings was my real life, which character am I portraying?" and it occured to me that I have been working at being Theodin, King of the Rohirrim - which is better than Denethor by a long shot, so things are improving.

Then, we talked about who we would want to be... and Daniel suggested Aragorn. Well... Aragorn just happens to be my favorite character in that series. And, of course, I could never live up to his level of competence and strength of spirit. I'm was pretty sure on that score. But... the idea had a certain appeal.. it felt ambitious as hell.. so I decided to go for it.

And now... what is it... 45 days later... and I still haven't a clue as to how to actually DO it....

And this post has been moved to my new website, shirleytwofeathers.com and can be found in its entirety on my personal blog, Hey It's Me,

Talking about Lord of the Rings

I'm still talking about the Lord of the Rings. Earlier, I mentioned something about how Gandalph changed my life, and how I made a decision to begin to live my life as if it was an Epic Fantasy Adventure.

So, having mulled it over for several weeks, I came to the conclusion that I couldn't just pick someone out of the move and "be" that person, because I wasn't actually them. I didn't have their skills, or their resources, or their support systems, or their history. Obviously, I'd have to be me. And I'd have to figure out how to be me in a more interesting, magical, adventurous, larger than (real) life kind of way.

The first thing I did was to quit my job. It was clear to me that I was working for was not one of the "good guys." The next thing I did was get a part time job working for a company that at the very least had the appearance of being a "good guy." And, indeed, my coworkers are for the most part, good people - and open minded. It's one of the only work places I know where I can talk about angels, aliens, faeries, tarot, extraterrestrials, astrology, shamanism, reiki, drumming circles, underground kivas, ascended masters, yogis, buddhism, meditation, mantras, crystals, magic and etc etc... and while, I am the resident heretic, and I do frighten some of my coworkers, most of the time it's OK, and very few people leave the room when I open my mouth. Maybe they even find
my "wierdness" charming?

Having carved out a "comfort zone" for myself, I have set about working on creating a life that, for me, has magic and adventure. Which is one of those easier said than done sort of things, especially since life in America right now here where I am seemingly bears no resemblance to the landscapes, vistas, people, and events in larger than life fantasy movies.

And now, two years later, I'm still lost in a maze of what the heck does that look like? And how the heck can I do THAT? Am I too old? Is it too late? Am I up to the task? Is it even possible? Etc. Etc. I think it would be so much easier if I lived HERE: