Round the Herne

 My reading of a children's story by Anna Wahlenberg (1910) from the lovely book  "Swedish Folk and Fairy Tales" (with delightful illustrations by the Swedish artist John Bauer). With Yuletide on the horizon, it's well worth tracking down a copy - would make for a lovely gift. Apologies for the unspeakable attempt at an accent for young Peder Lars, but I couldn't resist the lure of hamming it up. I might do some of the other stories at a later date, if I get the time.

 The theme for September's Suffolk Jungian Circle (virtual meets, 7.30pm on the last Wednesday of the month - let me know if you want the link) is Jung and Christianity. Having chosen the topic, we all rapidly realised that it was a vast topic that could fill multiple meetings - but this is by way of a taster. For the actual meeting different people will each tackle a sub-topic of their choice. This recording cuts off as, despite the best laid plans, someone knocked at the door and I cannot work out how to pause a video recording and splicing two videos into one is too much of a headache to bother with. The final topic that I didn't get to was to touch on a point by Blum, which could probably be a whole debate in itself, that the Christian doctrine of the soul and accompanying personal salvation fits nicely with Jung's individuation, Further, Blum argues that the modern world has gone to Hell in a handbasket by treating people as merely functions and therefore replaceable r...

 It was International Dog Day recently (who on earth actually decides these things?) and I was going to record a story, but work got in the way. So here is a belated account, my version of the final Labour of Herakles where he must acquire the giant dog Cerberus and bring him to the court of his mealy-mouthed cousin King Eurystheus. For the literary among you this is a katabasis tale (the journey into Hades) followed by an anabasis one (the return to the living). I'm sure you are glad to know that.

 This is my version of the Greek myth of Perdix and his uncle Daedalus the inventor. This story reminds me of the Irish myth of Dian Cecht and his son Miach whose skill (in medicine rather than engineering) threatens to outstrip the master. Whilst both stories can be read as straightforward warnings about the dangers of envy, the Irish tale has subtext about the dangers of immortality which the Greek story does not have. 

 A short-ish philosophical musing on the Ancient Greek understanding of time and how it relates to two deities, Kronos and Caerus. It would be interesting to hear people's views about the nature of time and particularly the issue about whether brief good times can outweigh long bad times in the qualitative Caerus-sense.

 My reading of H P Lovecraft's 1922 short story "Celephais" which warns the reader about the seductive danger of fantasy and daydreaming, luring people away from engaging in the world around them. Unusually for Lovecraft, there are no real squeamish horrors eating people's brains or turning their souls into earrings - however, the creeping madness is ever present.