The whole landscape a
manuscript
we had lost the skill to read
A part of our past disinherited…

John Montague

I considered Earth Magic as the title for this post, but for our Irish ancestors it wasn’t about magic at all. Knowing and working with the Earth elements and energies was neither magical or extraordinary, it was the way of it. It was intrinsic. The Irish people knew how to read this mystical manuscript, indeed many still do.

I watched The Last Airbender again last night. Clunky dialogue and poorly developed characters have caused the movie to be panned by critics. But I think they miss the point. The story is brilliant. Air, Water, Earth, Fire. Each a nation of people with the power of elemental relationship. Four nations tied by destiny when the Fire Nation launches a brutal war against the others. This is the story of the return of the Avatar who alone holds the power to align the elements and the nations…and bring peace to the world.

Interesting that these elements are also fundamental to the cosmology of the African Dagara tribe which ascribes these energies to the nations in our world, the United States holding and expressing the aggressive fire energy. But I digress.

In the movie those with elemental relationship are called benders. While the Irish were more likely to use labels of Wise Woman, Shaman, or Druid, the power is the same. And the stories are amazing.