One of the stories the Alexander Society for Inclusive Arts uses in the Creative Arts Programs is that of Odysseus’ adventures on his journey home from the Trojan wars. More than one adventure put our hero in the tricky situation of having to extricate himself and his mates from the effects of mind-altering substances. Inspired by the theme of this month’s Grapevine, we thought it a good idea to share a few of these cautionary tales.
When Odysseus’ crew landed on the island inhabited by the beautiful Sorceress, Circe, some of the men were sent to scout out the place. When they came upon Circe, she offered them a delightful, refreshing, drink. But alas! They were immediately turned into pigs! Fortunately for them, one of the scouts, being naturally suspicious, had hidden behind a tree and after observing this shocking event, ran back to the ship to share this intelligence with Odysseus. On his way to Circe’s house Odysseus was intercepted by Hermes (sent by Athena), who gave him an amulet as protection from the sorcery of Circe. It worked; the pigs were transformed back into men – only to eat and drink some more! In our version of the story participants enjoyed becoming pigs and other animals for a short period of time but were happy to be restored to their natural shape and personality.
Other adventures take place on the islands of the Lotus Eaters and Calypso. While the temptations were great, thanks to the help of the gods and goddesses, Odysseus eventually remembered that his ultimate goal was to return to his wife and son at home.
We are thankful to the gods and goddesses of Storytelling, Drama, Music, Dance and Art for providing us with these wonderful mediums that enable us to engage people with all abilities to play, socialize, learn and mostly to just have fun! We continue to invoke the Spirits, welcoming whatever form they may take.
