Round the Herne

 Wanted to do this for St George's Day but work got in the way (and I must admit to feeling  reservations - not being a Christian, it seems rude to presume to chip in). However, as the national day for all things English, I thought it would be nice to share some poetry from a man who, though Indian-born, was once thought of as the poetic soul of the nation - Rudyard Kipling (I could do with a Rudyard Kipling right now).  Whilst he has other poems that are more explicitly based around patriotism, I like these ones because they centre on history and folklore. The three poems are - Puck's Song, The Land, and The English Way.  Make sure to drink tea whilst nibbling a scone as you listen.

 A Greek myth about the invention of the aulos (two-reeded flute) and the subsequent fate of the satyr Marsyas, whom the Romans considered to be a great exponent of, possibly even inventor of, parrhesia (free speech). This myth, a bit like the one involving Apollo and Pan, can also be understood as a clash of musical cultures: the high classical lyre music of Apollo, versus the bawdy, rural, flute music of the satyrs (and to some extent the labouring classes). The fate of Marsyas is a tad grim, but (if you want to put a more positive spin on it) think of it as being akin to a snake sloughing to become a fresh, new form.  

 I was interviewed by Victoria Young Bennison for her American radio programme Fika United Public Radio on 107.7FM and 105.3FM, which mainly broadcasts in the New Orleans are. The first interview took place in February and was about my Magic of Wolves book: https://soundcloud.com/uprn/fika-with-vicky-author-robin-herne-the-magic-of-wolves-bard-song This was then followed up in April with an interview about Pantheon - the Egyptians book and A Dangerous Place crime anthology. It was an enjoyable experience being able to explore lots of ideas - not just talk about the books https://soundcloud.com/uprn/fika-with-vicky-author-robin-herne-returns-pantheon-the-egyptians-a-dangerous-place Discussing a third interview over the summer, so I guess the listener feedback must be fairly good!

 This reflection on the ethics of storytelling was prompted by a discussion on a radio broadcast that I took part in the other week. This considers some of the moral issues that might impact on the stories that people tell around the camp fire.

 This short ramble is just a few ideas around the topic of the genius loci - the spirit of place, as understood by the Ancient Romans. I had a guest spot last night on an American online radio talking about my books, including the murder mystery anthology (A Dangerous Place) one of whose themes is the power of the genius loci to shape and influence the people who live within its sphere. This recording picks up on some of those ideas and reflects further on the idea of how we interact with the entities that take up residence in a location where we also spend a great deal of time. If I can marshal my thoughts in a more coherent fashion in the near future, I shall do so - having been laid low with an infection, today is the first time I have felt able to say something even as meandering as this.

 To celebrate the arrival of a magnificent statue of Sebek in the house (a gift from close friends), I have recorded a story featuring the Great Crocodile. He is a side character in the myth, so I have padded his role somewhat - there being little in the way of surviving stories in which He is central. This story forms a subplot to the infamous Myth of the Lettuce, which regular readers of this blog will be familiar with. This story is a bit graphic and not suited for either children or anyone listening whilst bored at work. The kinds of things which horrify 21st century Westerners did not much phase Ancient Egyptians. The city of Nekhen was called Hierakonpolis during the Ptolemaic Period, meaning the City of the Falcon - and it does indeed contain the oldest example of a zoo so far found in the world.

 The video is a reflection on the story of Demeter and her daughter Kore (later Persephone) from a Jungian point of view. This is primarily as a basis for discussion in the Suffolk Jungian Circle at the end of the month but, as ever, it might be of some interest to others as well. I have included reflections on how the myth can be understood and applied in psychological contexts from the viewpoints of Kore, her mother Demeter, and her eventual husband Hades.

  Six poems by different poets (Henry Newbolt, Richard Murphy, Sir John Betjeman, Hilary Llewellyn-Williams, Aonghus MacNeacail, and myself) just for the love of sharing poetry. Please let me know about poets/poems which you really like. I think it would be good to share the works we like to introduce them to a wider audience. The poems (in order) are: Henry Newbolt - "The Final Mystery" Richard Murphy - "Casement's Funeral" Sir John Betjeman - "Diary of a Church Mouse" Hilary Llewellyn-Williams - "The Bee-flight" Aonghus MacNeacail - "You Gave Me Summer" Robin Herne - "The Threefold Father"

 Yesterday I held a launch party to mark the release of my fifth book with Moon Books (sole authored ones, not including the various anthologies I have contributed chapters towards) - The Magic of Wolves. The book, which can be ordered via any bookshop of online, covers the mythology and folklore of wolves and werewolves alike, looking at Irish, Welsh, Norse, Greek, Roman, Slavic, Japanese, Indian and other cultural traditions. It also looks at natural history, fairy stories, films, and magical practices involving lupines. I gave a talk at the book launch, which I have now also recorded as an audio for people to listen to below. If anyone fancies a signed copy, I will be selling copies of the book at various events during the year, such as the Leaping Hare convention in March. I am currently working on finishing the sixth book and also contemplating a future book about the ogam alphabet and its symbolism.

 A reflection for the Suffolk Jungian Circle (and anyone else who might be interested). We will be discussing Jung's idea of the contrasexual Self (the Inner Male/Female) at the end of February. I have made recordings on this topic in the past, mainly connected with seminars at work, which can be found both on this blog and on my YouTube channel should anyone be inclined to search. Some of those recordings go into greater detail about Jung's ideas on the fourfold nature of both the anima and animus. There's also one recording where I go into a little bit more detail on how the contrasexual Self is understood as working in gay men & lesbians (I didn't touch on transgender issues because I have not yet found any research on this from a specifically Jungian angle).

 A reflection on a variety of issues from a polytheist perspective - linking the notion of worship (from the Anglo-Saxon weorth-scip) to Max Weber's ideas on religious value systems, medical ethics and the boundaries of Beauchamp and Childress's philosophising around moral values in medicine.

 This is a reflection on Carl Jung's ideas around the Shadow Archetype which will be discussed in the January meeting of the Suffolk Jungian Circle, though it may be of interest to others outside that group. The Shadow is the repressed and unwanted side of the individual and also the collective society, which has a cultural perspective on what is unwanted - because it is regarded (rightly or wrongly) as dangerous, shameful, wicked, obscene, too painful to contemplate etc.  I have made recordings about this before, but I thought I would expand ideas for the purposes of the January online discussion.