Talismans – Dragon Jar

Greetings Dear Reader,

I have written before about my belief that dragons are or at least were real.  On the shelf by my Grandfather’s Pulpit Commentary is a dragon jar.  By that I mean it is a small jar in which one keeps one’s dragons.

You have seen these jars at Renaissance Festivals or thrift stores.  You may have friends that own jars that say "Blonde Moments",  "Mistake Funds",  or "Dreams."   One of my simply says "Dragons".

Obviously the jar is too small for a real dragon.  It is, however, and excellent talisman for remember the value of fantasy.  Tolkien covered this well in his essay on Fairy Stories.  We have an imagination for a reason.  I have been told by those of my faith that to write fiction is wrong because it is a form of lying.  I find that very disheartening.  If we cannot tell fictional tales then what are the parables that Jesus told?

For me escaping into another world for a bit is very healthy.  It provides the opportunity for me to test my thinking against those who cannot be harmed by it.  It allows me to see how other feel and respond without risking the hearts of real people.  It allows me to teach without putting too fine a point on things.

From time to time I write down ideas that I cannot work on at the moment and put them in the dragon jar.  When I do not know what to write about I will look over the scraps of ideas to see if any of them have come to life. 

The stories I weave are fiction.  The truth I pursue in them is not.  If I may paraphrase the Bard; The story is the thing wherein I’ll reveal the heart of the King. 

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

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