ARTFUL THURSDAY: I am Woman, Hear Me Roar. Reflections of Rhea.

As Mother's Day approaches, let us reflect on one of the greatest Mothers ever.


-From www.theoi.com

RHEA was the Titanis mother of the gods, and a goddess of female fertility, motherhood, and generation. Her name means "flow" and "ease." As the wife of Kronos (Time), she represented the eternal flow of time and generations ; as the great Mother (Meter Megale), the "flow" was menstrual blood, birth waters, and milk. She was also a goddess of comfort and ease.


In myth, Rhea was the wife of the Titan Kronos and Queen of heaven. When her husband heard a prophecy that he would be deposed by one of his children, he took to swallowing each of them as soon as they were born. But Rhea bore her youngest, Zeus, in secret and hid him away in a cave in Krete guarded by shield-clashing Kouretes. In his stead she presented Kronos with a stone wrapped in swaddling clothes which he promptly devoured.


Rhea was closely identified with the Anatolian mother-goddess Kybele. They were both depicted as matronly women, usually wearing a turret crown, and attended by lions.


Presenting Rhea:

Hope you enjoyed.

Lucky Seven Meme... and a Sky Throne Excerpt

I have been tagged to participate in the Lucky 7 Meme... a *Get-To-Know-My-Work* exercise, of sorts. Here are the rules:

The Rules:
1. Go to page 77 of your current MS/WIP
2. Go to line 7
3. Copy down the next 7 lines – sentences or paragraphs – and post them as they’re written. No cheating
4. Tag 7 authors
5. Let them know


So here we go: (I went with 7 paragraphs)
*****
This selection is from my WIP The Sky Throne, which recently got accepted to the Nevada SCBWI Mentor Program and is being considered by several agents.
*****

Once the crowd dissipated, the first wrestling match was set to begin. A tall, athletic man with the obvious talent of throwing his voice to the far reaches of the arena, announced the contestants.

“From Elite Academy of Sumeria we have the Asian champion, Enlil.”

The crowd applauded as he jogged out. He didn’t seem very big, but his muscles were well defined and popped out of nearly everywhere. His hands glowed as he walked to the center of the circle. Then he surprised the crowd by slapping himself in the head several times and howling like a rabid wolf.

“And from our own Othrys Prep... Menoetius!”

“O.P.” the crowd chanted over and over until it reverbed in my ears.

As soon as the judge dropped his hand to begin the match, the contestants attacked and mauled one another. Strong stance after clever defense, the combatants clawed their way to points of advantage. I admired their brute strength.

I remembered wrestling with Tos. I’d always beat him, which was interesting in its own right because he was better than me in nearly everything else. I had a signature move that he fell for every time. But as I looked on at Enlil and Money, it occurred to me that Tos and I were only playing at wrestling. Enlil and Money were engaged in the real thing.

Now for seven more victims, I mean, authors.

1. Brooke R. Busse 
2. Carrie Bastyr 
3. Kerri Cuevas 
4. Sarah Pearson 
5. Esther Spurrill-Jones 
6. Andy Brokaw 
7. Tara Tyler 

Spartan Race Wrap Up- Obstacle Course As A Metaphor For Life

The descent to Hades is the same from every place.

Anaxagoras

The greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.

Epictetus

You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.

Plato

In many ways, an obstacle course is a metaphor for life. As we go through this one life we have, there are ups and downs, windy roads, easy spots, tough spots, tougher spots, impossible spots, things to go over, things to go under, sometimes you'll have a heavier load, sometimes a lighter load. Along the way you'll notice people traveling faster than you, and some going slower. 

What an obstacle course of this magnitude will teach you, is that you have to run your own race at your own pace. Sometimes you'll get hurt and will have to carry wounds... but you'll be surprised how they pale in comparison to the next task. And in time, they all heal. You will discover when you can push it and when you have to walk a spell. You will figure out when to ask for help and when to offer help.


Most importantly, though, it all boils down to this. Whatever obstacles you face...


"The best way out is always through." -Robert Frost

Yes, I overcame nervousness and trepidation to run my first Spartan Race. They distribute no maps before the race so no one had any idea where they were running except to follow the ribbons and path provided, thereby testing not only your physical prowess but mental toughness as well. Just like in life... there are no road maps, right?


I ran up and down steep inclines, darted along winding forest paths, crossed a rope bridge that spanned raging rapids, climbed a rope out of waist high mud, climbed another rope up a sheer incline, hauled a sandbag, dragged a rock by a chain, trudged/ swam through shallow river water littered with fallen tree limbs, crawled on my belly under barbed wire, hurled a javelin, scaled high walls, and hurdled fire. And now... I am Spartan!

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ― Neale Donald Walsch

It took me 2 hours and 7 minutes to complete the 4.5 mile course. And at that time, I beat roughly 40% of the field. It was one of the most challenging events I've ever experienced. And I would absolutely do it again now that I halfway know what to expect. What I WILL NOT be doing is going after the Spartan Super Race (8+ miles) or the Spartan Beast (10+ miles). The Spartan Sprint is quite enough for me. Though, I might do a Super with a team. Maybe.

At it's core, the Spartan Race is about overcoming, physical and mental... and in some cases emotional. I discovered new aspects about myself in the process. I shattered limits that I'd previously had in terms of activities performed and general endurance. Three days after the race, my legs are still sore in areas that had not yet known anguish. In the end, I am soooo glad I did it. And even more than that, I'm proud of myself for finishing.

Below are a few pics of me and a video.

Before the race

In action...

http://myspartanvideo.com/view-video/carolinas/2309

After the race.

Battle scars, right leg

Battle scars, left leg

I EARNED that medal!!

Here are some videos and news coverage of the event, which was held in Charlotte, NC.

Here's a link to some still shots from the event

http://www.wsoctv.com/gallery/sports/runners-battle-mud-fire-spartan-race/gfFZ/#1376856

Here's a video

http://www.wsoctv.com/videos/sports/charlotte-area-sports/lnQ/

SPARTAN RACE... Am I Crazy?

"Spartans... Prepare For Glory!" is a line from the movie 300. But it is that, which I am doing right now. Tomorrow, March 24th 2012, I will embark on the most physically challenging undertaking I have ever encountered; The Spartan Race!

The Spartan Race is not just cross country running, not just a trail race or mud run or an obstacle course... No, the Spartan Race is the ultimate obstacle race designed by seven ultra athletes and a Royal Marine. It is designed to test your resilience, strength, stamina, and quick decision making skills.

On a given day, a given circumstance, you think you have a limit. And you then go for this limit and you touch this limit, and you think, 'Okay, this is the limit.' As soon as you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high.

~Ayton Senna, former F1 champion

There are four levels of difficulty for a Spartan Race
Sprint 3-4 miles, 10 obstacles
Super 8-10 miles, 15+ obstacles
Beast 10-12 miles, 20 obstacles
Death mud runs, obstacle racing, trail racing, physical challenges and mental challenges all in a +48 hour adventure race


I am participating in the Spartan Sprint. (Baby steps, people). Below are some videos to give you an idea of what I'll be facing.









So... what are you waiting for? Click here: Spartan Race and sign up for the closest Race to you.

Artful Thursday: Cronus... Like Father, Like Son- The Prophecy Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree

In Greek Mythology, Cronus (also spelled Kronos) was the youngest male offspring of Gaia (The Earth) and Uranus (The Sky) and leader of the Titans, who were the second generation of deities following the primordial ones. Cronus was also known as Father Time.

According to Hesiod's Theogony, Cronus deeply envied his father, Uranus' power to rule the heavens, so he devised a plan to overthrow him. After a murderous coup in which he castrated Uranus with a sickle, Cronus became king of the gods and ushered in the Golden Age. He ruled with the help of Rhea, his sister and queen and had six children; Hera, Hestia, Demeter, Poseidon, Hades, and Zeus.

It was later prophesied that Cronus himself would be overthrown by one his own sons. In a fit of madness and cunning, Cronus attempted to preempt the prophesy and ate all of his children as soon as they were born... All save one; Zeus, who later fulfilled the prophesy. Rhea gave Cronus a rock in swaddling clothes whom he thought was Zeus. Meanwhile Rhea gave birth to Zeus on Crete. Zeus returned to Mount Olympus, rescued his siblings and a ten year war ensued, during which the Olympian gods overthrew the Titans.

Presenting Cronus as Art:

In case you're confused, this picture is an older version of Marvel Comics' modern interpretation of Cronus.

This is an updated Marvel Comics' interpretation of Cronus that gets back to his roots a bit.