E-MANUAL

Sunday, January 29, 2012 - I attended the local Unitarian Universalist Church service this morning, where guest music director Sarah Dan Jones taught a three-part song with text written by artist Paul Gaugin.

The lyrics begin, "Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?" and conclude with "Mystery, Mystery, Life is a riddle and a mystery."

At your fingertips is a handbook that can guide you toward becoming a Spiritual Agent of the highest earthly order. By learning and using the investigative and instinctual skills explained herein, we learn to recognize the secret message placed beneath our feet and elsewhere around us. Through walking and sharing our findings, along with the threads of our personal stories, we can begin to unravel the tangled mysteries of our past and present, and learn the parts we play in weaving a better world for the future. This handbook is a live document, written for the child in you, no matter what your age.

The true stories within this E - M A N U A L are instructional and demonstrate the basics of spiritual detective work... finding and interpreting clues, symbols, and language... and responding with instinct. The stories are in-lightening; the words are meant to make you smile and wonder.

Language is rich with meaning. The very word language comes from the Latin root word lingua meaning the tongue. Language is any means of expression or communication, including gestures, signs, and animal sounds, which suggest evolutionary origins. The roots of our language run deep.

Consider... while the modern concept of an E-Manual and the ancient name Emmanuel are separated by centuries... meaning ties them tightly together.

In Hebrew, Emmanuel or Immanuel means God with us. Im (with) anu (us) el (God).

The word manual is derived from an Old French (OFr) word manuel. Manuel comes from Latin (L) manus, meaning the hand.

A manual is a handy book for use as a guide; a handbook. It is composed of words with meaning, so let's look at the word word. It's meaning is closely tied to language. A word means more than just a group of letters representing a unit of language. It also means an expression... a promise... talk or speech.

The Torah and the Bible are manuals inspired by God and written by man... man's hand. These books are among many carrying the Word of Spirit... existing in many forms and expressed through stories and verse and illuminating illustrations, shared by men and women from varying cultures and from different times in our history.

Another definition of manual is an exercise used for the training of recruits and soldiers to perfect them in the handling of a weapon. Each day, we walk out into the world and continue our part in the mission to make this a happier world, and the weapon of choice is the WORD... 'sWORD. Did you ever wonder why the word sword is one of the few words in the dictionary with uncertain origin? WORDPLAY... sWORDPLAY... swordplay... Could this be the Universe's subtle code?

Consider... swords can be playful toys or delicate and powerful weapons. The same can be said for words. This manual examines our use of language and shows how we can dissect and analyze language in order to solve curious riddles, mysteries, and problems... and how we can use words safely and effectively to communicate with others for the best possible outcomes. Consider the pen versus the sword.

Whether you believe in some divine power or not, it really does not matter... not if you are simply interested in exploring the questions posed above. In order succeed in this game, however, one must respect differing beliefs and keep an open mind to the infinite possibilities. Therein lies the magic.

This E - M A N U A L is composed of three distinct sections.

Storywalker is a giant Scavenger Hunt designed for early elementary students, with lots of pictures to look at and mp3 stories to listen to as new learners follow along reading the words, and then embark on their own personal treasure hunts.

netergetics is a Spiritual Detective game for upper elementary kids which combines storywalking with aspects of many popular board games - Life, Clue, Chess... It exercises the brain with math, science, and language challenges.

Vanguard is a highly interactive Real World Strategy game. Vanguard players take on youth leadership roles, build alliances, engage in more introspection, and incorporate the learning from all three levels of the E - M A N U A L.

As we advance forward together in Netwalking, learn to better interpret the special clues, signs, and gifts that are granted to you, telling you who YOU and where YOU are going.

Start at the home page and click on the icon that represents your age. Parents click on the Netwalking icon.

The rules are simple: love and respect others as you would want them to love and respect you, and HAVE FUN!

And, please, let us know how we can help.

Wendy

Netwalking, P.O. Box 2221, East Greenwich, RI 02818

December 10, 2012