For many of us, learning is something that never ceases. We acknowledge the fact that there is so much to know, and always something new to uncover. But I think that we sometimes keep looking for fresh ideas from new sources, and forget that as we grow, we can glean new insight into things we have already studied.
I am participating in a rune study group right now, and we are working our way through the Elder Futhark. Now, I have been working with runes for quite a while now...like over twenty years. So, my experience in this group is very different from the people who are experiencing the runes for the first time. However, I am definitely finding new insight and things to think about, and some of it is where I am learning from the other people in the group (no matter their level of experience!), but some of it is also me going back to my own notes and books and reading things over that I haven't read in years.
I think with many subjects, we reach a level of familiarity where we feel like we 'get' the subject. While I still don't consider myself a master of the runes, I do think that I get them. I can look at a rune and meanings come to my mind. If asked what runes I would use to work magic on a particular subject, I can answer (without looking it up....though I often also look it up because memory is not a strong suit for me).
When I seek out new rune information, I do typically look for more advanced books now. If I stumble across a beginner source, I often take a peek, just because I know that different perspectives are always great, but also because I like to see what is out there for people just starting out. But if I am going to spend money on a new book, I want it to be something more than just the basic meanings.
But here's the interesting part. By being a part of this study group, we are going through the runes, one by one, and sharing our thoughts, interpretations, what we know about the runes. Since I am familiar with them, when I read a new book, I don't tend to sit with each rune as much. I will read the new information, and maybe make some notes, or think about how it relates to what I already know...but I don't stop and try to consolidate all the information into one blurb...like I am doing to share with the group.
Approaching familiar topics as if they were new to you makes you think about things from a different angle. You approach study differently the first time you learn something versus the tenth or twentieth time. Of course, you can never truly recreate that first experience. Even with subjects that don't tend to stick with you (astrology I'm looking at you!), once you get into the books, you find yourself remembering things that you didn't think you knew. But I think it's worse with super familiar subjects, there is a tendency to just skip a bunch of material and not really think about it...because you've read it so many times before.
Most of the time, this is an efficient way to approach integrating new information. And this is something I sort of struggle with (skimming books or outright skipping sections), even though I know that trying to slog through something I've read in a slightly different version a dozen times makes me less likely to actually read it at all. It's something I'm getting better at.
But it is definitely worth it, from time to time, to go back through and treat a subject as if it were new to you. Write new notes, as if you didn't already have books of notes! Things come up when we try to condense our knowledge into clear and concise notes that we might not have paid attention to. We make connections that we didn't think of before, because we are actually slowing down and giving things a proper study.
I have also found that the more you interact with other people of varying knowledge about a subject, the greater your understanding will grow. If you only interact with people at your own level of understanding, you aren't challenged as much. People who know more about a subject will often introduce you to ideas that you maybe wouldn't have stumbled across for a long time. And people who are newer to a subject may be looking at things in a completely different way, especially if they come from a different path. Also, the questions people ask can be amazing thought sparkers, and answering questions can be a wonderful learning too. I often find that, by trying to word my explanation in a way that makes sense to someone who may not be as well versed in a subject means I end up with a much clearer view myself.
There is also something very soothing about returning to a source (especially your own notes) that you are already familiar with. It kind of reminds me of looking back at old photos...or your yearbook. You have these vague memories, but as you flip through, things sharpen and come back into focus. And sometimes you become very aware of how much you have grown, but other times you realize how accurate some of your early observations were, and by going back and revisiting them, you can take what might have been a simple thought or idea and turn it into a fully realized connection or interpretation.
So, while we may always be temped to look for that new, fresh perspective that gives us that "aha!" moment, sometimes it is by looking back, by re-studying a subject, that we find that clarity. Taking time to not only read through your old notes and favorite books, but actually study them as if it were the first time, brings a depth to your practice that can't be readily acquired by only seeking out the new and unknown. Sometimes we have to turn to the familiar to grow.
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