Packing To Leave

Welcome to L'Enchanteur et la Muse

I was delighted with the response to my suggestion and now that the chairs are filled we are ready to start our quest. The nature of this quest will unravel with the passage of time.

But, first we need to pack. We are going to take up residency in the long abandoned Grotto della Sibilla, in the Umbrian Mountains in Italy. The Grotto was first mentioned in medieval, not classical
legends and the Sibyl pronounced her oracles there for hundreds of years.

I don't have a recent map but I am sure we will manage to find the Grotto and will settle in quickly.

Now you have to think about what you will take with you, especially given that you will need this case to bring home the treasures you gather during our stay.

I want each of you to find a small suitcase and quite literally pack for our three month stay. In a comment on the Lemurian Mysteries, Winnie Cross, who has left for Denmark wrote a piece in response to
Fran Sbrocchi's suggesting she take a photo of her in her case.

I couldn't zip
the suitcase
so I
unpacked two shirts
and some
earrings who needs that many
earrings and
the lotion and almost my swimming
suit but I
didn't and I put in
opera glasses and took out
binoculars
and squeezed
my shampoo into tiny
bottles and the incredible new suit
case from eagle creek finally zipped
shut and it was then
that I realized that there
had been plenty of room for Fran all
along and that I had packed her
long
long ago

in my heart

We have to travel light.

Deep breath! Are you sure you still want to come?

love The Enchantress


Megan said...
I have my trusty green suitcase, I was going to take the large one, but I figure space is at a premium, so I have opted for the smaller.In it I have packed my regular journal and pens, as well as a journal specially for this trip. I have the clothes that I am wearing as wellas solid walking boots to explore my surrounds. My Ugg Boots for cold nights, and my favourite knitted scarf and beanie. That remindsme I must take my current project - my knitted bag. I think that will do - that leaves plenty of space for treasures that I collect during the trip.There also has to be room for a few books, one of which has to be Marina Warner's From the Beast to the Blonde. You see whenHeather sent the first email to pack our bags, I did a search for the Grotto della Sibilla and one of the sites was talking about Warner'sbook. So I hunted down my copy and then Heather sends another email recommending it.I am ready to go, let the enchantment begin.

Karen said...
My sturdy "Art Can't Hurt You" totebag is filled with sunlight(andmaybe a few corn shucks from the Farmer's Market!) I embark on thisjourney with new eyes and the pilgrim's soul. My familiar, Katy, isat my side, whispering canine codewords of encouragement. I clear mymind. The enchantment begins.

Lisa Phoenix said...
Okay, ihave my trusty backpack, notebook and extra pens. Tha's the bare minimum, and i still have room for a book or two, warm sox, candle stubs, packets of dried herbs, ribbons in various colors, a mixture of seeds, a profusion of beads,a few buttons, some water-polished pebbles, an assortment of feathers, and a collection of tiny bones (mouse, mole, hedgehog) because well, you never know...

Gail Kavanagh said...
Sorry I'm late...but I never pack much anyway, travelling is a journey of discovery.I've popped some dried fruit and a picture of my grandchildren into myold shoulder bag which has seen better days but is used to beinghauled off places at a moments notice. There's room for a small box ofpaints, my sketchbook journal and a charcoal pencil, but they arealways in the bag anyway. Only need one pair of shoes (the ones I'mwearing, sturdy for walking) because I mostly go barefoot. A pair ofglasses (my eyes aren't as sharp as they used to be), a small copy ofthe Children's Garden of Poetry and off we go.Gail

Believer said...
Good morning Heather and Fellow Travelers,My suitcase is a small red and black tartan in stretchy canvas with buttoned and zipped pockets inside and out. It is waterproof, of course and will float if the occasion warrants. I suspect I shall pack cold chicken as well as, "coldtonguecoldhamcoldbeefpickledgherkinssaladfrenchrollscresssan dwichespottedmeatgingerbeerlemonadesodawater -- -"I have seed and a bag of peanuts for the local birds and squirrels. And chocolate. A notebook and a few pens. I'd best tuck my memory into one of the pockets now before I forget or mislay it.I think I'm ready. I haven't packed my inhibitions, worries, fears or misgivings. I've left my lack of confidence behind in the hall closet. The TV, radio and computer are turned off. There's a smiley note on the fridge saying I've gone and can't be followed. Done. Wait for me guys, I'm comin'!Barbara

Lois said...
As Heather said don,t take too much because we will be sharing.Now corn shucks,dried fruit,cold chicken (WE could always make soup) but not from Lisa's Mole Hedgehog or Mouse bones unless fresh of course...All sound good tucker to me I shall bring a flask of red wine as my contribution,see you all there.Lois (Muse of the Sea)

@lex Chua said...
Oh Yes! I sure am excited about this journey! With such an experienced and wise guide, I will be in for lots of learning... maybe even enlightenment ;-)All I bring is my heart and she will lead me to all that I may need.

Traveller said...
When I was a child we used to play a memory game. A group of us would sit in a circle and the first one would start off “I packed my suitcase and in it I put …. “ . The next child would repeat this sentence and add their item and so the game would proceed around the circle until someone forgot one of the items and we had to start over again.Oh how I hate packing. I’m accustomed to packing as if I was going on an arctic expedition and the prospect of having to travel light fills me with dread. As I’ve reached that stage of my life frequently described as the mental pause I know I’m bound to forget something vital so I have decided to go against my grain and pack light, relying on the enchantress to supply me if I really need something. I must not forget my wits however even if I forget everything else. I have decided to take my hooded cape – made of swansdown and therefore light as the proverbial feather but waterproof – which will serve as my main outer garment. I will need a belt of some sort from which to hang my scallop shell (ancient symbol of all pilgrims) and my little gauze pouch with the seed pearls sown on to it. This, my shamanic bag, contains tree essences and crystals my friend, Jane of the Green Heart, has given me for this journey, and a dreamcatcher. In common with many people born under the sign of Pisces, I have problems with my feet - I would be much happier in water than on land - therefore I will pack my Mercury shoes, with the wings attached to the heels. These will assist me in my flights of imagination. One of the material objects I will take with me will be my digital camera without which I never travel for I surmise I will see many things of wonder and I would wish to preserve them in some more permanent way than my memory can. I will also need to take a journal, a pen filled with everlasting ink and some zip lock bags for storing all those found objects I will pick up.I think I'm ready now.

Karen said...
Traveller: I love the items you packed...I admit I am coveting some of them! Karen

Traveller said...
Karen, you would be welcome to share my swansdown cape should the weather turn inclement. It is the latest model - the fully expandable, fits any size version -indeed I'm sure the whole group could probably shelter within

Simone Crowther said...
I pack my case with solemnity. A pad of paper, a camera to record the countryside so that I can paint at my leisure. I choose an unusual pack of shapeshifter Tarot Cards - to put me in touch with the invisible force that underlie the warp and weft of the world and ourselves as part of its tapestry. Symbols of the elements, candles, a container of water, a wren's feather and a stone - ruby zoisite - said to help you utilize your talents in their greatest potential as well as assist healing and communion with spirits.Clothes. An eccentric costume to express the deep instinctual self I keep inside. My wild self: Ms Hyde. Something incongruant to the identity I have established here but expressing the creature that has lain hidden under conventional camouflage. There is a freedom to being a stranger in another land. A tattered cinderella skirt of black and browns, my witchy clothes that I don't often wear here. I grab my hiking grear for who knows where Heather will take us and something to lounge around in besides pyjamas. I also bring a rug to lie on and define my sacred space.So much for the worldly goods. I don't feel attached to them. They are only props, outer coverings I could abandon if necessary. The essential equipment I carry on this quest is the spirit of adventure.

Leonie Bryant said ...
I now have a lovely old wicker basket to take with me. It is a little dusty on top and beautiful inside. My excuse for the tardiness in packing has been a long search for my imagination, which unfortunately has been deeply buried since I was a child. I so badly wanted to bring it that I persevered with the search. So here I am with excited anticipation, hoping to make friends with my long lost muse.I have left locked in the cupboard my practicality and sensibility. I am so glad to have such inspiring friends to journey with to Umbria!

Heather Blakey said...
As soon as the notice to depart came I rushed to find my great grandmother's old, leather saddle bag, the one she used when she was a midwife. I have it slung over my shoulder, quite empty. I am coming with what I have on, naked without identity.

AshleyShea said...
What an adventure this will be! Twenty-one days to places unknown. First, I will bring my camera. I'll want to capture every sunrise and sunset over distant lands, every flower and animal, every city and building, and, especially, every face -- of those I meet and my fellow traveling companions. These images will feed me the rest of my days.

What I can't capture in images, I'll capture in words. I'll pack a small, leather-bound journal and a few pens of different colors to record mental pictures, thoughts, and discoveries I make along the way.

With these two items packed, I have the most important items I'll need. I'll pack a few clothes -- something warm, something cool -- and a blanket to cover me at night. I'll hope that water will always be nearby so that I can wash clothes at any time.

One more item I will not pack, but will carry with me, and that's my sturdy walking stick. I'll pluck a new one from the forest behind my home. I'll pack a small knife to carve images to represent my adventures and/or tally marks to mark the days.

Lisa J said...
I sit quietly in the corner, slightly unsure of myself, leaning against my rucksack as I wait for more travellers to arrive. I'm not quite certain what to expect of this journey - what revelations it will bring me, how the people I meet will change me, where placing one foot after the other will take me - but I am filled with anticipation!! I have my old blue rucksack packed and ready to go. I have thrown in my journal, and a blank book for when I run out, and a few pens. My bag also contains a small wooden indian flute a close friend gave to me - apparently it brings good fortune, but I also intend to learn it as we stroll through forests and ruins and fields :) I wear a St Christopher medallion around my neck that my grandfather gave me and a rose from my mothers garden in my hair. I will later put it in my diary and dry it to keep for the remainder of our journey. I have the usual camp clothes, but only the bare minimum, I have left lots of room in my bag to carry treasures found and gifts for loved ones when I return. Before I left I bought my cat a new collar, and I wear his old on - bell and all - around my wrist. I know I will miss him dearly, we have been through a lot together, and I like the light musical sound the bell makes every time I move.

I have (quite literally) thrown some other things in my bag, but part of the surprise of the journey will be to see exactly what I've ended up packing!! Dashing around the house, I packed things, decided I didn't need them and unpacked them, packed some of them again, packed a few other things, decided I didn't need them so unpacked some (along with taking out some of the other things that had already been in and out and in.!!) put some of the things I originally took out back in and....you get the picture!! :)