“Power, true power, comes from the belief in true things,
and the willingness to stand behind that belief,
even if the universe itself conspires to thwart your plans.
Chaos may settle; flames may die; worlds may rise and fall.
But true things will remain so, and will never fail to guide you to your goals.”
James A. Owen, “Here There Be Dragons”

It’s been so good to read again during my recovery from a wolf spider bite. To sit on the veranda under a blanket, or snuggle down in bed with a cup of tea nearby. I’m rereading the Imaginarium Geographica series and enjoying it immensely. As I read through various adventures, the above quote leapt out at me:

“Power, true power, comes from the belief in true things.”

I grew up in a world where everyone knew The Truth. This was rather comforting and assuring until I got out into the larger world and discovered there were many people who also knew The Truth. Unfortunately for my sense of wellbeing, The Truth looked vastly different from person to person and group to group. Each Truth was defended vehemently whilst all others were decried and dismissed as lies and deceptions. It all became a confused muddle and for awhile there, I couldn’t believe in anything because nothing made sense.

For awhile that unbelief was deep comfort to me, a respite from wrestling and wondering, studying and agonizing. I could just be and look and wonder and discover and think. It was exquisite. As my soul and mind and body healed, I was able to start adding things to my treasure trove of thoughts: luminous ideas, stories, and ideals, things that supported what I cherish most.

I love the line “belief in true things” because it’s not limited to one dogma or creed, it’s a beautiful gathering of truths, collected one by one from experiences and observations and myths and songs and poems, nature and humanity, history and folklore until they form a precious assortment of truths that ground and fortify and inspire me each day.

As I talked with my counsellor this morning, we were both a bit teary at the wonder of being able to gather truths to our souls, to pluck them like flowers and hold them close, letting them breathe comfort and courage and strength into every part of us, watching in amazement as they heal the broken parts, soothe the weary ones, and give courage to the shaken pieces. How lucky we humans are to get to shrug (or pry!) off old lies that shame and cripple, and take on truths that nourish all the good things in us so we can thrive.

Bear and I were talking this week about betrayal, rejection, loss, and how destabilizing they are, how they unsettle and disconcert. We’ve seen anew that the way for us to face them is twofold: be yourself and believe true things.

Be yourself. Believe true things.

I’ve been mulling those two thoughts over and over this week, and they’ve brought me such peace and good purpose. We’ve had such fun being ourselves, spending hours doing things that make us happy and make our lives better.

I made strawberry lemon shortbread with strawberry liqueur and bush lemon zest and he restored an old chest of drawers.

I bottled 150 litres of apple and plum wine, he made a new drafting table for his workshop.

I weeded gardens and harvested ginormous turnips and beetroots, he designed and built new frames and feeders for the goose pens.

In between we hung out together, fixing up my bicycle, chatting on the veranda, checking on our baby animals. We read and snoozed and worked like mad, and loved it all.

Be yourself. Believe true things. Such good thoughts to carry with me on this oh-so-blustery day.