Round the Herne

On June 8 th this year West Suffolk College’s Religious Studies & Ethics department held a free conference on the role of animals in religion and ethics, which a number of pagans attended and spoke at. It’s an intriguing area and practically every religion has drawn on animal imagery to convey lessons and philosophical concepts. For example, take the regal lion. In the New Testament, Revelations 5:5 predicts a future descendant of the tribe of Judah: " And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof ”. Many Christians regard this as a reference to Jesus, though he is more usually depicted as a lamb – partly because they are very gentle creatures, but also because they were a common sacrificial animal at that time, and the crucifixion was seen as the final sacrifice. In Judaism the Meshach, or messiah, is seen as a far more forceful character who...

Went to a book swap last night and picked up a copy of a 2013 anthology to which I had quite forgotten I had contributed a chapter. There are some excellent essays in here on all manner of subjects by people such as Morgan Daimler, Emma Restall Orr, Lucya Starza, and Brendan Myers - so it's well worth a read. If you fancy a copy, you can order it in via any bookshop or (if you can't get to any bookshops) on-line retailers. My own contribution is a rather basic reflection on the development of polytheist psychology.

There's a chap who lives a few streets away from me and whom I sometimes bump into whilst walking the hounds. He is always very pleasant and seems well informed on many issues. He's also a devout Christian (not sure which denomination), and often talks about religious matters. Recently he spoke to me about the destruction of antiquities by Daesh in what is now Islamic State territory. He sympathised about how horrified I must be by their historical loss, but then suddenly said that - as some of the temples were associated with "Baal worship" - maybe their loss was a good thing as it would save people from being tempted into devoting themselves to Baal. It was an awkward moment where I wondered whether to laugh, cry, or rage. By the time I'd made up my mind, he'd already gone on his way. I don't even know where to really begin with this sentiment - it is horrifying when members of one religion crow about the destruction of the sites sacred to another, ...

A short poem written for a ritual at Lughnasadh. It's not great and doesn't quite say what I want it to about the historical relationship between women, farming, and warfare, but it sufficed. It's written in treochair metre. Tears have flowed Cauldron deep, bitter draught – Drowning not saving, Life owed. So much blood Has seeped from her veins, scythe-slashed; Poppies red in fields of mud. Women weep As wars wage; fields lay fallow, Old ways fade, but do not sleep. Like seeds stored, Customs keep, awaiting spring. Mothers the homesteads’ true hoard. Grain sacks filled, Backs bent to feed their kinfolk. Fresh hope grows where blood was spilled. Corn stalks glow Golden yield, goddess-given, Precious wealth for us to stow.

I was asked to contribute to the PF disability team's virtual moot over the Lughnasadh weekend. The theme was transitions, so I recorded this waffle about declaring one's sexuality - it's a bit rambling, and I'm not sure it really says what was vaguely circling round my three remaining brain cells, but here it is anyway....