Thursday, September 6, 2007

Quixotic Hierophant?

I thought I'd explain a little for those scratching their heads over the name of this blog. First of all I'm a little weird, in a good way (at least I think so) so there's that. I'm also rather eclectic with interests, tastes and beliefs that run from one extreme to the other.

You could look up these words yourself but I'll save you the time:

Quixotic, according to Merriam-Webster, is derived from the story Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes and means
1 : foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals; especially : marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action;
2 : Capricious, Unpredictable.
Synonym see IMAGINARY.

A Hierophant according to the Encarta Dictionary is an
1. explainer of mysteries: somebody who interprets and explains obscure and mysterious matters, especially sacred doctrines or mysteries
2. interpreter of events: somebody who explains or comments on everyday matters ( formal )
3. ancient Greek priest: in ancient Greece, a priest who revealed the mysteries at the annual festival of Eleusis.

Furthermore the Hierophant is one of the major arcana cards in a Tarot deck. Interpretation of Tarot cards varies pretty much with the number of interpreters but for my purposes here I like this one I've excerpted from Aeclectic Tarot:
A Hierophant is described in the dictionary as being a priest in ancient Greece, an advocate, or an expositor. An expositor is one who explains or interprets...the Hierophant represents education, learning, conformity, group identification, and belief systems. We all learn by living with others. The Hierophant represents churches, schools, clubs, companies and societies because his realm is structured groups, rules, rituals, procedures, and assigned roles. The card represents when the blind following of tradition or conformity can be enriching or stifling. The Hierophant's role is the gift of learning, the ability to balance one's own counsel against that of the group. Wisdom doesn't solely belong to external or internal forces. Relationships with others can be enriching or stifling. Keeping only one's own counsel isolates one from others and any support or comfort gained in a group. Wisdom is learning the best times to accept or to contribute to the support and comfort of others. True wisdom is a complex balancing process of weighing both internal and external factors.

So there you have it. A capricious, unpredictable, foolishly impractical, extravagantly chivalrous, romantic explainer of mysteries who interprets and explains obscure and mysterious matters, interprets events and explains or comments on everyday matters in the pursuit of ideals, learning, and wisdom through interaction with others while maintaining balance with my own counsel.

I put my ideas, opinions, etc. out there. You read them and comment on them. We converse, debate, etc. I learn about you, you learn about me. We go away hopefully respecting each others views and having at least thought about something that we otherwise wouldn't have thought about that day. In short...A Blog.

And so it begins.

2 comments:

Malicious Intent said...

hehehe, was just browsing through some of your original blogs. Does your name mean, loosely translated over course...that you are a "Foolish Storyteller?"

Just wondering. :)

Bruce, a work in progress said...

MI, indeed I am. Indeed I am. As well as many other things.