{"id":728,"date":"2015-03-13T12:44:01","date_gmt":"2015-03-13T19:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/dirtheartwitch\/?p=728"},"modified":"2015-03-14T21:50:02","modified_gmt":"2015-03-15T04:50:02","slug":"terry-pratchett-goodbye-and-hello","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/dirtheartwitch\/2015\/03\/terry-pratchett-goodbye-and-hello\/","title":{"rendered":"Sir Terry Pratchett ~ Goodbye and HELLO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

I had a few unlikely\u00a0teachers from whom I accidentally learned really crucial parts of my practice. \u00a0One of those teachers was Dr. Seuss<\/a>. \u00a0A large portion of my\u00a0entire spiritual system is based on Horton Hears a Who<\/span><\/a> and The\u00a0Lorax<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0Shel Silverstein<\/a> was another. \u00a0Whatever his personal issues, he delivered to the world this:<\/p>\n

Listen to the mustn\u2019ts, child. Listen to the don\u2019ts. <\/span><\/p>\n

Listen to the shouldn\u2019ts, the impossibles, the won\u2019ts. <\/span><\/p>\n

Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And then there was Sir Terry Pratchett.\"terry<\/a><\/p>\n

I came to his books later in life. \u00a0I was in my 30s when I began with him. \u00a0I read and enjoyed lots of his work, but it was the four books* of The Tiffany Aching Adventures<\/a> that\u00a0have a whole mess of post-its sticking out from between the pages.<\/p>\n

Many of you will have read the series, but if you haven\u2019t, go do that and come back. \u00a0Or better yet, be inspired to read them by these little snippets.<\/p>\n

There are things like this:<\/p>\n

Granny Aching, it had to be said, had never been seen to pray to anyone or anything in her life, and it was agreed by all that, even now, she wouldn\u2019t have time for a god who didn\u2019t understand that lambing came first.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Or this, which Granny Weatherwax tells Tiffany when talking about what she might give up in exchange for\u00a0occult secrets:<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t know when to be a human being, you don\u2019t know when to be a witch. \u00a0And if you\u2019re too afraid of goin\u2019 astray, you won\u2019t go anywhere.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And this, in a footnote:<\/p>\n

First thoughts are the everyday thoughts. \u00a0Everyone has those. \u00a0Second thoughts are the thoughts you think about the\u00a0way<\/em> you think. \u00a0People who enjoy thinking have those. \u00a0Third thoughts are thoughts that watch the world and think all by themselves. \u00a0They\u2019re rare, and often troublesome. \u00a0Listening to them is part of witchcraft.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

But don\u2019t answer yet! \u00a0There is also this, a graveside prayer:<\/p>\n

If any ground is Consecrate, this ground is.<\/p>\n

If any day is Holy, it is this day.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And this, describing a most important skill of the craft:<\/p>\n

Nanny Ogg rambled from cottage to cottage along the paths cut in the snow, drinking enough cups of tea to float an elephant and doing witchcraft in small ways. \u00a0Mostly it seemed to just consist of gossip, but once you got the hang of it, you could hear the magic happening. \u00a0Nanny Ogg changed the way people thought, even if it was only for a few minutes. \u00a0She left people thinking they were slightly better people. \u00a0They weren\u2019t, but as Nanny said, it gave them something to live up to.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The beauty and power of these insights\u00a0is directly related to how Sir Terry offers them. \u00a0There is no pretense. \u00a0There is no moral directive. \u00a0You won\u2019t feel bad if you don\u2019t \u2018get it\u2019 right away or if you laugh at how things are worded. \u00a0These books are not designed to teach you anything. \u00a0But the philosophy seeps in, nonetheless.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s pretty much an object lesson on how Pratchett\u2019s witches teach and learn their craft.<\/p>\n

Pay attention to the world around you. \u00a0Don\u2019t be afraid to go your own way and call out those naked emperors. \u00a0Take care of your own self. \u00a0Clean up your messes. \u00a0Take pride in what you do, whether that\u2019s making cheese or caring for pigs, or riding the hive mind of bees. \u00a0Or creating brilliant, hilarious works of \u201cfiction\u201d**.<\/p>\n

Resquiat in Pace, Sir Terry. \u00a0Thank you for your gifts and presence. \u00a0Blessed be your journey.<\/p>\n

*I just discovered that there is a 5th Tiffany Aching book supposedly set to publish sometime this year.<\/p>\n

**Fiction, schmiction. \u00a0What\u2019s true is true, on the page,\u00a0in the head, by the hands.<\/p>\n

Edit 3\/14\/15: \u00a0a couple other good articles on this subject from other Patheos Pagan writers: \u00a0from Sable Aradia at Between the Shadows <\/a>and from\u00a0Yvonne Aburrow at Sermons from the Mound<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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