Kharássō,“I scratch, engrave”

Words by Becca

Curiosities surrounding the art of reinvention have fluttered their wings around the clockface in my house over the last few weeks. Dancing between the old, the new and the yet to be discovered whilst leaving gaps in their flutter-paths to be filled with answers when the time is right.

How long does someone or something have to behave ‘out of character’ for, before their character is no more? How many stages of evolution does one have to experience before they are considered different to what they once were? When does the caterpillar realise it will fly?

Derived from the Greek word Kharássō, meaning “I scratch, engrave”, ‘character’, the word, is built upon foundations of mark-making and leaving imprints. Perhaps that is why acting ‘out of character’ can be unsettling and sometimes even exciting; for the engravings are changing, transforming into something unknown. Maybe occasionally acting a little bit ‘out of character’ is the very thing that is required for us to step into truly who we are. Etched upon this land, this Earth, this life and upon the hearts of others are the engravings of the essences of our very own ever-evolving ‘characters’.

When was the last time you danced in the puddles of reinvention? Or flirted with the winds of identity? What is it, that is calling you from afar across the shores and lands of the dreaming, to pick up the engraver and make a new mark, a new scratch in the land in which you walk?

What is it that is calling for your ‘out of character’ self? And, most importantly... are you listening?