I believe that Edmond's Bastion, the home as well as the story, are a product of nostalgia. I have always been an advocate of living in the present and never supported the notion of the "good old days". I have argued against those that believed that the world was a better place in the past; that there was less crime or that the youth were more responsible. I just don't believe this to be true, and in fact statistically we do see some crime figures declining and less discrimination. It does go beyond simple optimism, which I generally fall under, but is supported by going beyond the media hype and looking at how our world is actually functioning, which I do believe has improved with time. Given this belief in the present moment I have been very humbled with the realization that I have fallen victim to a serious case of nostalgia.
The term nostalgia derives form the Greek words nostos (return) and algos (pain). The literal meaning of nostalgia, then, is the suffering evoked by the desire to return to one's place of origin. Given that I am currently living where I was born my current condition is even more perplexing.
The term nostalgia was first used by a Swiss Doctor, Johannes Hofer. who diagnosed Swiss mercenaries serving European monarch in the 17th and 18th centuries as suffering from nostalgia. Symptoms included "bouts of weeping, irregular heartbeat, and anorexia". The condition was attributed to "demons inhabiting the middle brain, sharp differentiation in atmospheric pressure wreaking havoc in the brain, or the unremitting clanging of cowbells in the Swiss Alps, which damaged the eardrum and brain cells" (credits to Tim Wildschut et al).
The practice of using bells extends into France. Even the smallest herds of cattle wear cow bells. This was taken during a recent trip in the Rhone-Alps.
One of the cow bells that made it's way over from Switzerland and was used for a short time on the cows at the Ranch. Friends and family often ring these bills as an expression of joy and free will. We like to hear the "unremitting clanging of cow bells" over our lands.
By the early 19th century and into the 20th nostalgia became more closely associated with depression or the "immigrant psychosis "(Frost, 1938). It was regarded as a "regressive manifestation... related to the issue of loss, grief, incomplete mourning and finally depression" (Castelnuova-Tedesco, 1980). It was clear that nostalgia was being seen more as homesickness, or "mal du pays". I have not encountered the sense of homesickness in any of the correspondence or stories between my father and his family nor my grandmother. Perhaps because my father was born in Canada, and my grandmother came as a young girl, the sense of home was always Canada rather than Switzerland. The message I always received from my father and grandmother was that Switzerland was always a nice place to visit, but it was good to come home. I do believe that I actually experience more feelings of homesickness for Switzerland than my father or grandmother ever did.
My Aunt's bedroom window, Hermance, Switzerland
Today homesickness and nostalgia are two separate "conditions". The New Oxford Dictionary of English defines homesick as "experiencing a longing for one's home during a period of absence from it" and nostalgia as a "sentimental longing for the past". Now that I had diagnosed myself I went searching for a cure and instead came across an interesting article "Nostalgia -From cowbells to the meaning of life" that has led me to embrace my condition. The writers of the article undertook a study on the psychological significance of nostalgia. What they discovered is that nostalgia enhances mental health by increasing a person's positive feelings, enhancing self esteem, strengthens social bonds and gives life meaning. People are more likely to turn to nostalgia during times of personal strife or grief in an effort to restore psychological equanimity. Nostalgic recall can be about sad events as well as happy, and are in fact often mixture of emotions and events from injury, death, separation to absolute joy. Many nostalgic reminiscing progress from a negative to a redeeming or positive life scene. I see my Edmond's Bastion story in this description. My nostalgic journey of my farm's history has helped me to recover from the never ending losses and find a personal sense of resolution. The story liberates and strengthens. I am thankful that I have such a wealth of nostalgia to draw from.
View of the farm with the expansive forest, circa early 1980s.
Late 1970s, preparing Mr. Ed for a trail ride. One of our favorite places to go with the horses was on the trails that interlaced the forest on the farm.
Using the saddles as seats for a picnic on one of our trail rides, circa late 1970s.
Passing of a Forest
The term nostalgia derives form the Greek words nostos (return) and algos (pain). The literal meaning of nostalgia, then, is the suffering evoked by the desire to return to one's place of origin. Given that I am currently living where I was born my current condition is even more perplexing.
The term nostalgia was first used by a Swiss Doctor, Johannes Hofer. who diagnosed Swiss mercenaries serving European monarch in the 17th and 18th centuries as suffering from nostalgia. Symptoms included "bouts of weeping, irregular heartbeat, and anorexia". The condition was attributed to "demons inhabiting the middle brain, sharp differentiation in atmospheric pressure wreaking havoc in the brain, or the unremitting clanging of cowbells in the Swiss Alps, which damaged the eardrum and brain cells" (credits to Tim Wildschut et al).
The practice of using bells extends into France. Even the smallest herds of cattle wear cow bells. This was taken during a recent trip in the Rhone-Alps.
One of the cow bells that made it's way over from Switzerland and was used for a short time on the cows at the Ranch. Friends and family often ring these bills as an expression of joy and free will. We like to hear the "unremitting clanging of cow bells" over our lands.
By the early 19th century and into the 20th nostalgia became more closely associated with depression or the "immigrant psychosis "(Frost, 1938). It was regarded as a "regressive manifestation... related to the issue of loss, grief, incomplete mourning and finally depression" (Castelnuova-Tedesco, 1980). It was clear that nostalgia was being seen more as homesickness, or "mal du pays". I have not encountered the sense of homesickness in any of the correspondence or stories between my father and his family nor my grandmother. Perhaps because my father was born in Canada, and my grandmother came as a young girl, the sense of home was always Canada rather than Switzerland. The message I always received from my father and grandmother was that Switzerland was always a nice place to visit, but it was good to come home. I do believe that I actually experience more feelings of homesickness for Switzerland than my father or grandmother ever did.
My Aunt's bedroom window, Hermance, Switzerland
Today homesickness and nostalgia are two separate "conditions". The New Oxford Dictionary of English defines homesick as "experiencing a longing for one's home during a period of absence from it" and nostalgia as a "sentimental longing for the past". Now that I had diagnosed myself I went searching for a cure and instead came across an interesting article "Nostalgia -From cowbells to the meaning of life" that has led me to embrace my condition. The writers of the article undertook a study on the psychological significance of nostalgia. What they discovered is that nostalgia enhances mental health by increasing a person's positive feelings, enhancing self esteem, strengthens social bonds and gives life meaning. People are more likely to turn to nostalgia during times of personal strife or grief in an effort to restore psychological equanimity. Nostalgic recall can be about sad events as well as happy, and are in fact often mixture of emotions and events from injury, death, separation to absolute joy. Many nostalgic reminiscing progress from a negative to a redeeming or positive life scene. I see my Edmond's Bastion story in this description. My nostalgic journey of my farm's history has helped me to recover from the never ending losses and find a personal sense of resolution. The story liberates and strengthens. I am thankful that I have such a wealth of nostalgia to draw from.
View of the farm with the expansive forest, circa early 1980s.
Passing of a Forest
Tell that to the dead tree,
that it is part of a master plan,
skin scrapping on earth.
Stripped clean.
As I make my way along the many paths
of this life I sometimes think of the trees,
turned to logs.
I wonder at my own transformation.
Trust, I am told, bent over in pain, trust.
There is a purpose, stay faithful.
Often I am witness to other’s suffering,
I am there, unflinching, as they twist and turn.
a grace of sorts.
A moment when we see, recognize all that binds us,
earth, water, our precious life,
and then to all, a passing.
A softer word than death.
So, the forest has passed.
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