Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Four rings to rule them all!

Juny 20th, 2010

Since last weekend, four rings bejewel my fingers. And each has a story to tell about my life.
… friendship ring to rule my heart …
It all started with my beloved white gold friendship ring. The relationship between Vman and me has been so very special, right from the beginning. To honor our half-year anniversary – yes, we grab every opportunity to celebrate – we decided to exchange silver rings. Not just mere silver bands, but special ones. Not the normal friendship kind of ring, but a ring with character. So we strolled around town, stepping into a jewelry shop to see what they had to sell, but we found nothing to our liking: we needed another shop. And another. And yet another. But no ring called out to us. We broadened our horizon and started visiting goldsmiths, even started drawing our own design. Until, one day, we came upon Zuni. The window looked very promising so in we went. The shop is owned by a lovely eccentric woman, who immediately grasped the ideas we had. After a short tour she showed me a ring… and I fell in love right there and then. White gold, tiny diamonds, an irregular shape and feel. Vman also found the male companion to this ring and stared at it. Alas the price for white gold was a 'tiny bit' over our budget. We thanked Zuni and walked out with the promise to think on it. In a daze I felt Vman’s hand close over mine. I looked up at him, smiled and walked on without saying anything… for at least 10 seconds. Then I told him I wanted to go back and put the ring back on my finger. I was lost and so was he. After a week we had discussed all reasons why we should not do it. And then we went ahead and did it anyway. Away with caution and doubt ‘because it has only been six months’, we raced back to Zuni and told her we wanted these rings and no other. There hasn’t been a single day that I haven’t fondly stared at my friendship ring and softly stroked it. I’m still smitten with it : white gold ring, token of our love.
… wedding band to rule my soul …
Next on my finger is a Harley wedding band, symbolizing freedom of my soul. ‘Freedom?’, you might ask. Aye, without a doubt this wedding ring symbolizes freedom. Last year, Vman and me were wed in a very special ceremony. Not by an official, no, but by the Director of our chapter. We had rented an old monastery in the south of Holland and guess what: there was a beautiful chapel, just begging to be used. Before our gathered friends, we said our vows – not the usual wedding vows, but more like ‘Hereby I solemnly swear that Vman will always be allowed to ride his bike.’, and stuff like that. It was heartwarming, funny, impressive, and yet also so very real. No pressure by officials, but the pure sentiment and feelings between the two of us, witnessed by people who are dear to us. When the time came to exchange the rings, our best man came up with a different set of rings: polished screw-nuts with our initials engraved plus the date: July 12th, 2009. Vman jumped up, exclaiming ‘Those are NOT our rings!’, and everybody roared with laughter at his surprised distress. After that, we exchanged our real rings and were biker hubby and wife. There were even tin cans dangling behind our bike. A husband to share so many things with, who stimulates me to do whatever I want and need to do, to take adventurous trips into the wide unknown, to seek new horizons: Harley ring, token of our bond in freedom.
… elven ring to rule my spirit …
Another special ring around my finger is an elven ring, a little female figure with silver wings of lace. By wearing this I’m connected to the fantasy world. Fantasy which opened so many new worlds when I was sad and frustrated in this one. Fantasy that inspired me to create, to write, to venture into stories of my own. Fantasy movies, Lord of the Rings, bringing together a group of very special people who met online but became best friends in real life. Fantasy that changed my life, gave back meaning and showed new ways of thinking and living. So many fantasy books fill my book shelves, they also fill my mind and carry me along whenever I want or need to. For 30 years this creative and original genre enlightens my days and even nights, often not able to stop following the author on his wild dreams. Tolkien’s magic introduced me to a way of writing that was totally enchanting, and by reading his words, he lifted my spirit. Since then I’ve read many fantasy books, some awesome, others nice but not truly special or new. Even my youngest son was gripped by the fever, especially since I read ‘The Hobbit’ to him when he was small. The minute I saw this silver ring when we were on a long weekend in Luxembourg, I was lost. This little elf would find a new home around my finger, so I could carry her with me where ever I go. Elven ring, embracing my spirit.
… Celtic ring to rule my dreams …
The last circle is brand new, a silver band with a bat and Celtic signs engraved. Yes I’m batwoman ;-) For me this ring symbolizes all things invisible, unknown, mystic; it represents nature and the need for balance, the part of this world that we can only feel with our intuition, hope and trust. Druids dancing under moonlight in a silent forest, rangers roaming the wilds, a holy man who spends years in meditation, contemplating the folly of mankind.
My nickname in role playing games (RPG) is Green Sorceress, also know as Greeny. A nickname give to me by my best friend Maeglin, because I love the outside, the woods, have a deep respect for nature and the balance of things. A balance that is disturbed on great scale daily. Environmental disasters pollute our earth and we are on a collision course, heading towards… I truly don’t know how we can turn this tide. But we are in grave danger and need to change our ways in a hurry. Treasure white witches, who have knowledge of plants, herbs and old lore. Honor our elders who have a profound knowledge of life and its ways, who know simple solutions to everyday problems. Solutions that don’t weigh down on the environment. But that is a subject for another post.
Back to the mysticism: look beyond the world you can see, and feel the other dimension that is out there. There’s more to our existence than what our eyes behold. Where do dreams go when we wake up. Where do the spirits of our forefathers rest when they leave us in death. Open your senses and dare to feel. Celtic ring, dreams of a world in harmony.

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