This week I’ve been thinking about terra incognita — about lands unknown — both literal and metaphorical. I’ve been thinking about how amazing it is to live in a world that is at times both familiar and alien.
There’s so much we know and even more that we don’t, but we get to wake up every day full of questions and awe and ask Siri or Google or Alexa a million tiny questions that they answer on demand. We chip away at the unknown.
I remind myself daily that everything we now know, was once unknown. Every map laid in out photographic detail was once a sketch with shadows and serpents warning us away from uncharted terrain. The unknown only becomes known when we bravely roam unmapped landscapes, explore inner worlds, or untether our thoughts.
Sometimes, we have to choose to get lost in order to find something new.
So, let’s set off together into terra incognita — explore unknown lands, get a little lost, and then find our way back again.
Ready?
Parts Unknown
For the first part of our adventure, we’re gonna need a map. Google Maps is great, but you know what it doesn’t have? DRAGONS. SEA MONSTERS. LIONS. Old maps may have been less accurate, but they sure were cool.
“Some maps of the era depicted dragons to metaphorically indicate uncertainties or dangers in a region. But the Carta Marina’s mythological sea creatures were thought to really exist at the time Magnus drew them.”
Ancient Roman cartographers used the phrase HIC SVNT LEONES (Here are lions) to mark areas of unexplored territories and medieval map makers used dragons, kraken, or other sea creatures to warn explorers that an area was uncharted and possibly unsafe.
While Google Maps lacks the old world charm of the 1510 Hunt-Lenox Globe with it’s warning of HC SVNT DRACONES (Here are dragons), it does have the advantage of getting me to any Target in Austin virtually lion-free.
So, come on guys, let’s show a little respect for the map.
Getting Lost
Well, here we are. I never charge my phone and the map I have is full of lions and dragons. We’re gonna have to be okay with being lost.
“When it comes to getting lost in unfamiliar territory, your saving grace may not be the GPS, but "dead reckoning", a form of navigation (still used by sailors) that relies on reasoning and previous experience . . . Be it in a forest or your child's imagination, getting lost is an important part of being human. The unknown is often where serendipitous adventures take place and resilience is found.” — Cath Moore, The Sydney Morning Herald
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was my first real experience with a literary terra incognita. I was simultaneously fascinated and horrified by Alice’s adventure in such a strange and threatening world. What ultimately brought me back to the story was Alice’s resilience. There’s a moment when she finally goes from lost little girl to someone whose had ENOUGH and that magic moment made me want to revisit Alice time and again. This Cheshire cat is a real jerk though and I’m not sure he’s gonna help US get home.
Finding Our Way
Oh look! I found something familiar up ahead— a poem! See, we’re almost back. Let’s rest here a minute and let D.H. Lawrence help us understand the terra incognita inside of us.
Okay, wow that was super deep. See? We meant to get lost. In fact, we weren’t really lost at all, we were just discovering the vastness inside of ourselves.
Thanks for coming with me as I explored some terra incognita today! I hope you enjoyed yourself and weren’t too afraid of all the scary map dragons. Let’s do it again soon.
Until next time,
Ava
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