Hey you.
I suppose you are probably wondering what this is all about...
Who is Andromeda? Why is so little known about her? What is it that I am going to share in these writings? How will this effect you? And what will entice you to return to these writings?
Andromeda is a fictional super hero, more of a legendary myth, a beautifully faded story, without an ending; not exactly the widely talked about wonder-woman returning-to-save-the-day type. She stood 5 foot 8 inches tall, with green eyes. Her identity transitioned when she moved from the sea to land. In the sea her skin was blue; on land, with the aid of a special serum, she looked like any other land-dweller. Andromeda was single. She was described as a warrior, an adventurer. Her identity was kept a secret for most of her life, she had a good nature. She was a leader among her people. She fought many battles, one against her own father. At one point in her life, her host body was destroyed and she took on a new identity, calling herself: Andrea, to finish what she had set out to do and save her people. Andromeda was determined, she was described as a woman of honor. The word honor, comes from the latin word honoris, which is to say: the evaluation of a person's trustworthiness. The way the word honor was used to describe Andromeda meant that she was esteemed, having an illustrious reputation; she was respected, and found to be an object of praiseworthiness. It was last recorded that she had been captured and taken away from her home, Atlantis. However, before she could be entrapped as a slave, she managed to escape. From there her fate and life was left a mystery.
Andromeda was a woman whose story was never quite complete. Had she existed in our world, her story would have been complete, only we as her observers would have never fully known her. I suppose it is much like how others perceive you and I....fractionally. Perhaps, we only recognize ourselves fractionally, at times.
Photographer Roland Bathes stated something quite profound in relation to his work that I believe is so true to how we see others and how others see us and often, I think this is how we all feel that most of the world sees us...or rather...misses us... "did I recognize her? ...sometimes I recognized a region of her face, a certain relation of nose and forehead, the movement of her arms, her hands. I never recognized her except in fragments, which is to say that I missed her being, and that therefore I missed her altogether. It was not she, and yet it was no one else. I would have recognized her among thousands of other women, yet I did not ‘find’ her. I recognized her differentially, not essentially...straining toward the essence of her identity, I was struggling among images partially true, and therefore totally false."(Barthes, 1987, 65/6)
Sadly, we do not see the entirety of Andromeda's identity; but perhaps in the fragmentation, we will see more of ourselves. Through the investigation of Andromeda's character we can somehow feel relatable to each other, ultimately seeing each other's fragmentation with a more open heart. I hope to uncover some qualities of Andromeda and relate with personal experience and replaying of time in my life. My story is far from complete, but neither is yours. Often our experiences that others see in partiality are quite similar to to the experiences that we all face. Most of the time, it is not about the end result, but rather the investigation and discovery along the way.
Some of my stories will be quiet funny, and perhaps make you feel like you are not the only silly one out there. Other stories are filled with challenges and I hope you will find strength. And a few or more will be a bit sad, but may you find comfort in that you are not alone and that someone else has a similar story.
I suppose 'finding andromeda' is for: the teenage girl, with questions.....the young woman in her late teens and the fabulous 20-something woman, who finds herself searching for her own identity amongst a sea of unknown....the collage graduate whose world looks different than she imagined...the faithful Christian...the questioning Christian American....the single girl at any age....the woman who is surrounded by others but at times still feels very alone...the artist who is unclear....the adventurer...the woman who owns her own business...perhaps 'finding andromeda' will help you among the fragments...
Good-bye for now,
Andrea
