In our discussion on Language for God last night, the starter of Jim Cotter’s prayer wasn’t nearly as productive as I hoped. We all liked ‘who is making the heavens and the earth’, and ‘My Unicorn’ did get some reaction, but when I asked that we play devil’s advocate and name the potential negatives and positives of the image, it was fairly dry.
I didn’t expect that. Not even the prompt: “imagine that you are praying with a 6 year old girl — how might she experience the phrase?” got us anywhere.
Eventually, I had to face the possibility that much of what I assume of unicorns is American.
So, in the spirit of educational research, I need your help.
Free association word game, please, for Unicorn.
gold stars for originality and good use of evocative language.
wonderful exchange 
Oooo! This is a fun game! (although I’m not sure this will be useful for your purposes of gathering a local take in the fantastic beast)
Off the top of my head (probably neither original, nor evocative – but perhaps I’ll have another go later):
virgin
one in oneself
tapestry
Garden
sharp
danger
awe
wonder
radiance
magic
mystery
numinous
here and not here
presence/absence
knowledge and ignorance, blended in measure
fearless
innocence
wisdom
[what does it mean to bring innocence and wisdom together? is this even possible? or desirable?]
snowdrops
clarity
white
gold
rare
portent
death
danger
catch
escape
desire
beauty
beyond
unachievable
transforming
transcending
impossible
flash
break over point
crisis
not lion
not Aslan
fighting
not there
lure
trap
imprison what should be free
what is not
what might be.
Due to either my isp or my lap top, I don’t see any posts for a long time, and have no idea if I did post my last list, or if as I think I accidentally deleted it. Sorry if you have two.
Not lion
not Aslan
fighting
fear
what is not
what can be imagined
unique
white
gold
shining
glimpsed
elusive
beauty not of the created world
magic
pure
trapped
escaped
half understood sexuality
beyond
portent
death
crossing maker
break over point
shimmering
fear
which takes
which gives
desired to madness
loved to destruction
flight
song
dance
the utterly beyond.
Noble
Love
Numinous
A sign
The rest have already been said.
Noah
left behind
horse-fear
white
coat of arms
state
glory
unicycle
solo
magic
capricious
fantasy
oh, Lesley: one word is all it takes. You are splendid. (and Presbyterian!)
And what is your own list?
today:
‘free’
[…] Mother Dunblane is getting us to think about Unicorns. […]
In the Holy Town on the edge of the North Sea it is easy to think about unicorns. I am convinced that they are to be seen at the end of the West Sands. I suspect that there are Narwhal swimming in the area as well.
Have wondered if there is a difference between unicorns and narwhals.
I am just *so* English, my first reaction was “no such thing as unicorns, harumph”. I have no problems with fantasy, creativity, etc, it’s just that unicorns in my mind belong with the tinfoil helmet brigade – I think that’s why I would have struggled if I’d been in this group*. It’s about as inspiring (and dismissable) as young earth creationism to me, and is one of those words that would just make me instantly switch off. But that is just me. Now, if you’d said “wind turbine” instead of “unicorn”, I could probably have come up with most of the suggestions above (and will probably now spend the rest of the morning daydreaming and riffing on the thought of wind turbines rather than writing my thesis!).
Hmmm, I’m wondering if I’ve revealed too much here ….!
* I’m now remembering a Lent group at St N’s you led a few years back where I thought the activity was inspired and led me to the most direct encounter I’d had with God in absolutely ages (I’ve still got the paper with the activity somewhere and still look at it and marvel sometimes), and the rest of the group hated it and reacted really vociferously to it. So I don’t think it’s that I’m being ornery for the sake of it …..