Shamanic Vs. Modernist Mindset

כ"ט באב תשס"ז

In additional follow-up to my clarification regarding my transliteration of Ceridwen as differing from Elisheva's alternative, more literal transliteration, another distinction between our differing approaches merits making. My approach to transliteration is a shamanic approach. So, even as I was analyzing a soul connection to Celtic Ceridwen, my approach to that Celtic connection was very Native American in nature (and much like the ancient Israelite approach to traditions as well). In addition to Celtic and Jewish ancestries, I also have a significant Native American ancestry (Potawatomi and Cherokee) on my father's side.

XGH at Extreme GH discusses the Native American approach to tradition very well:

In native communities, we see a mindset starkly different than that of fundamentalism. The difference is, Indians understand the literary genre, myth. Of course "myth" is our label, not theirs; they would perhaps speak of "our traditions" or "the wisdom of the elders". Regardless, Indians "get" myth in a way that fundamentalists manifestly do not. For example, each Indian community has its own creation myth, often giving primordial animals a pivotal role. No one seems troubled by the fact that the tale circulated in one region contradicts the tale circulated in another region. No one asks whether Earth was "really" made from foam or mud, or whether the trickster is "really" a coyote or a raven. And no one feels compelled to take up arms to slay the infidel (or the witch - added). It's all good seems to be the general attitude: because Indians relate to the stories as myth. Even if the stories can't be taken literally, they have value because of the worldview they inculcate. They tell Indians how to relate to their world (e.g., respect Mother Earth; always give something back to her when you take something). They tell Indians what their place in the world is (man is not the focal point of creation, but just one of Mother Earth's inhabitants). And the stories inculcate not only a mindset but also a way of life. The stories look backward, and the way of life involves preserving the practices of the past. If you told an Indian that her traditions have no value because they are not science or history, she would tell you that you have a queer value system.

From this description, one can see that my approach to the transliteration of Ceridwen was Native American and shamanic (as opposed to modernist or fundamentalist) in nature.

Read XGH's entire article at the link above.