Weekly Writing Prompt No. 53
St David's Day
Hello everyone and welcome to this week’s writing prompt.
Writing is the act of putting into form the thoughts that appear in our head. This doesn’t make the thoughts real except in the tangible sense of being able to see them on the written page or typed screen, but it does give them a legitimacy they wouldn’t have if they remained only in our imagination.
Crafting such words is to participate in the co-creation and building of a reality that didn’t exist before we started. It doesn’t matter if we are writing poetry or prose, fiction or non-fiction, the act of putting the words to the page is creation in one of its most potent forms.
So it is with written histories and myth-making, and we would do well to remember that as authors and writers, we craft and create alternative realities all the time. Sometimes, we do it in full knowledge of our complicity in the act, and at others, it plays out below the level of our conscious mind.
So have fun, enjoy the process and write heaps.
Today is St David’s Day in Wales. Born around 500 AD, he died on 1st March 589. He is the only native-born national patron saint in the UK. It’s believed he founded monasteries across the British Isles and Brittany, including St David’s Cathedral and possibly Glastonbury Abbey, he was made an archbishop after his pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
It’s reported he was a pious vegetarian with no personal possessions, he is also said to have performed miracles including raising a child from the dead, restoring sight to a blind man, and raising the ground so the people gathered could better hear his sermon.
It wasn’t until 1120 AD that he was canonised, and we only know about him from the work of the 11th-century scholar Rhygyfarch. His work, the ‘Life of St David’, was written in the aftermath of successive Norman invasions of Wales. It may even have been written as a precursor to his ‘Lament’ which is considered a call to arms to the Welsh population to rise up against their persecutors.
National days tend towards other traditions as well. In Wales, it’s still common to wear a daffodil or a leek to commemorate the day. The leek represents the belief that St David lived only on leeks and water whilst the daffodil is a relative newcomer as an emblem. It only appeared in the 19th century at the suggestion of David Lloyd George. As the 1st March is also (officially) the first day of Spring, at least according to the meteorological office, daffodils in full bloom make an obvious association with the onset of warmer weather and new growth.
The Prompt
Let’s pretend you have the makings of a modern-day ‘saint’ in your current or past circle of friends, family and acquaintances. What is their back story? And, which of the many possible legends, myths and symbols will you associate with them, and why? You can be as outlandish or conventional as you wish, this is after all a work of fiction and wishful thinking.
Next, reflect on the purpose of your particular ‘saint’. How will they fulfil that purpose? What will they invoke in populations of the future? Are they a religious ‘saint’, or more mythic and spiritual? What will their story remind us of, or tell us about in the future? How might we change in relation to their story? How does the narrative you create explain the world as it is, or will be?
As usual, you can approach this prompt practically with yourself in mind as the potential saint, or from the perspective of a character you have created. And remember, you never know where today’s prompt may take you in the future!
My effort will be added to the comments later.
As a coach, mentor and counsellor I work with a wide variety of people on very different journeys. Some, hope to write a best seller, others want to be healthier and happier. Each person has a unique way of starting the work. If you’re a writer who wants to manifest your writing hopes and dreams from the practical and pragmatic to the esoteric and spiritual, or who would like to find and clear any subconscious self-sabotage you may be experiencing, then you could begin by working with me. To find out more head over to my website by clicking the button below.
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With love, light, and laughter
Linda
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(Image By Llywelyn2000 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Her smile was as wide as the moon, her hug was as warm as the sun. It is said, that where she walked it was impossible not to feel uplifted simply by her very beingness. All who came into contact with her were changed, most without realising were kinder, gentler, nicer; their friends and relatives commented so, but they themselves didn't see it, for this was as they had always been so they thought.
She is the saint of good thoughts, of living life happy with what is, of being at peace in the world. She is the hope for humanity as it arises in all of us; so she is all our saints and none.
Steady of hand and heart, too shy and mute to crow, only a lanyard to identify (too far away to read).
'You saved my life!'
'That's my job.'
'Thank you so much.'
And the next bed waited, momentarily, while notes were scribbled.
And the while, a brush quietly sweeps dust ushered in on busy feet.
Why is a saint so everyday? Why does the everyday offer so many opportunities for sainthood, yet so few applicants go noticed? For they are all around; everyday people, everyday opportunities, everyday events. And me? I just give them opportunity to practise.