Round the Herne

  My reading of the second and third chapters of Kenneth Grahame's "The Golden Age" (1895). Here the narrator's reflections turn to useless uncles and an encounter with soldiers - presumably in late Victorian livery. The joy of doing not very much beyond daydreaming and mucking around. The observant may notice I have had a trim and am a bit less beardy, feel I should do a bit of promotion for him given his willingness to fit in with my weird schedule - Charlie Paternoster in darkest Ipswich (highly entertaining patter alongside the scissors and trimmers). Reminds me of a younger version of my friend James.

 As previously mentioned, I gave the Annual Faith Lecture at the university campus in Ipswich, talking about animism and paganism and their involvement with environmentalism. The talk lasted an hour and the questions after were about half as much again. I made a recording of the talk, as near as I could remember it. Hopefully it might prove of interest to at least some subscribers to this blog.

  Lecture - Tuesday 17th May, 6pm in Lecture Theatre #1 at the Waterfront Building, Ipswich Modern forms of Paganism have undergone a revival in the last century, drawing on the polytheist and animist religions of the ancient world for their inspiration and world view (though often blended with ideas from a variety of other sources). Many, perhaps the majority, of modern pagans feel a reverence for the natural world and a wish to restore the damage done by increasing industrialisation and population growth. This talk examines some of the major influences on the development of Paganism, the relationship with the environmental movements, and how an animist worldview shapes an understanding of the Land, the living beings we share it with, the realm of spirits, and our respective duties towards them. Biography Robin Herne is the Route Leader for Sociology and Criminology at West Suffolk College, having previously been the Lead for Religious Studies and Ethics there. He regularly contri...

 The Ipswich Pagan Council is hosting an afternoon seminar/discussion to introduce interested newcomers to the different varieties of paganism that can be found in Suffolk. This will take place on Saturday 4th December, 12.30pm at the EEFA Centre on St Helen's Street, Ipswich. It is free to attend, refreshments will be provided (if you want to bring some lunch with you, feel free). We will look at the different traditions, theology, festivals, and moral codes found within various types of paganism. For further details see  Facebook Event for Intro to Paganism

This talk was given at the IPC October Moot, looking at some vaguely connected ideas around the magical nature of language. Due to the need to edit out some "colourful comments" emanating from the audience I've used a free editing service which includes the watermark - I'm far too much of a cheapskate to pay for the upgrade and get the watermark removed.

Recording of a discussion on ways in which Jung's idea of the Shadow archetype can be applied within paganism.This was our first Ipswich Pagan Council moot reconvened in the real world after months of lock down. A small attendance, but hopefully things will begin to revive.

With lock-down still in place the meeting of the Ipswich Pagan Council cannot take place this evening (at least not in the flesh). So below is a recorded moot talk on the mythology of the Greek deity Pan. We are looking at setting up a Zoom chat tonight, but still working on the technical details,

I know a couple of stories about Robin Ddu, a cunning man from North Wales who may either be a wizard or a con man (depending on your point of view). Apologies for the erratic pronunciation of Welsh words - still working that. I'll record other tales in due course but this one recounts how he uses a skull to recover the jewels of the landed gentry. This character has definite echoes to the 18th century Ipswich cunning man, Old Winter, about whom I have written on a number of occasions and the TV characters of the Crowman (from Worzel Gummidge) and Catweazle, both rural magicians brought to life by the late Geoffrey Bayldon back in the 1970s. Speaking of which, I contributed a short chapter to Tis Magic (an anthology about the Catweazle show). My copy arrived in this morning's post -  http://www.hiddentigerbooks.co.uk/tis_magic_catweazle.htm

Pooka's Pageant will be Saturday 16th November, 10am till 4pm at Oddfellows Hall in Ipswich. The Pageant is a celebration of mythology and mysticism through storytelling, poetry, music, and other performing arts. PROGRAMME 2019 10.00 Welcome & toast to the Pooka 10.15 The Dagda’s Harp – a talk by Robin Herne 11.00 Fable-ous Fruit – stories by Malcolm Busby 12.00 Poetry share 12.15 Lunch 1.15 Fifth Season – music with Carys 2.00 Poetry share 2.15 Music & Mayhem – music, poems & stories with Sheila & David 3.00 Break 3.15 By Land, Sea & Sky – stories with Robin Herne 4.00 Thanks & farewell toast Tickets are £5, with profits going to various animal charities. Please spread the word if you know anyone who would like to attend.

This Saturday evening, 21st September, I am hosting a storytelling event in Ipswich at the Oddfellows Hall as a fundraiser for Age Concern. Tickets are £5 (you can pay on the door) for an evening of myths and legends centred on old women, be they sweet grandmothers or flesh-eating hags that are mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Stories may not be suitable for young children, so parental discretion advised. The programme of international stories for the evening is as below, running from 7.30pm to roughly 10pm (car parking is available a few minutes walk away) - The Cauldron of Ceridwen The Witch of the Woods INTERVAL Frau Holde’s House The Old Woman of Winter Anansi and Enum Refreshments will be provided, but feel free to bring a bottle and chuck a few coins in the charity tin and get use of the glasses and suchlike in the hall. Spread the word to anyone you think would enjoy attending! As an update, we raised just over £25 for Age Concern. Not a huge turn out, but ...

This Saturday, 25th, from 12 noon till 4pm the Ipswich Pagan Council will be hosting an Open Day at EEFA Office, 47 St Helen's Street, Ipswich, IP4 2JL (limited parking available at the rear of the building).  This is entirely free and open to any well behaved adults (child friendly activities included if you wish to bring your sprogs) who are either pagan themselves or just interested in knowing more about what we do and believe. You don't have to stay for the whole day, just drop in for what interests you. The running order for the day is as follows - 12.00 – Welcome 12.15 – History of Pagan Suffolk, with Robin Herne 1.00 – Storytelling & Poetry (various) 1.45 – The Pagan Kitchen  (various) 2.15 – Music  (various) 2.45 – Ancestors and Deities, with Craig Cordiner 3.30 – Plenary 4.00 – Ritual to Honour the Guardian Spirit of Ipswich The ritual at the end is optional, and will be explained in more depth earlier in the day. If you want to come along, let us know ...

On December 1st Pooka's Pageant (a celebration of mythology and folk lore through the performing arts) will be held at Oddfellows Hall in Ipswich. The programme is shown below, with more details here . Tickets are £5 on the door (£3 in advance) with any profits being split between Husky Rescue and the Hare Preservation Trust. This year we also have three trade stalls - Robert Lummis jewellery, incense and crafts; Whispering Eofor's jewellery (see more details here ); and Michele Bo Boyd's felt ornaments. Please feel free to circulate details to any people you think would enjoy attending. The Pageant s family-friendly with refreshments available on the day (feel free to bring your own sandwiches if staying all day!) PROGRAMME 1 0.00am ~ Welcome and a toast to the Pooka 10.15am ~  'Weaving Wyrd Words',  poetry & song with Sheila Haskins 11.00am ~  'Wolf Song ',  music with Carys Singer 11.45am ~  'Flower Power ',  plant imagery in po...

On Saturday 6th October at 7.30pm I am hosting an event based around the seven deadly sins, held at Oddfellows Hall in Ipswich.  It will be a  combination of mythological stories from around the world and narrative poems inspired by ancient myth bringing the Seven Deadly Sins to life. The stories are intended for an adult audience (parental discretion advised if you wish to bring children). Tickets are £5, with any profits going towards The Dogs Trust and the UK Wolf Trust (advanced booking required). King of Cups will be selling alcoholic and soft refreshments during the intermissions. Given the size of the hall numbers have to be limited, so this is a ticketed event rather. To reserve tickets please contact robinherne@hotmail.com

This Saturday, 18th November, will be the annual celebration of mythology through storytelling, song, and poetry. Doors at Oddfellows Hall open at 10am (close at 4pm), and tickets are £4 with any profits going to animal charities. A link to the programme can be found here with performances from Fiona Dowson, Shaun Ibbs, and Robert Lummis, plus music from Carys and two story sessions with me (one about underwater deities and the other about the spectral doings of dark and deadly entities). Hope to see plenty of people there.

On Saturday 7th October, 11am to 4pm, the seventh annual Suffolk Eisteddfod will be held in the long room at PJ McGinty's pub in Ipswich, adjacent to the central bus station. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, an eisteddfod is a contest for poets and storytellers to flex their skills. Our contest is divided into two rounds, one for the poets (who must compose an original work on the theme of A LIFE CHANGING EVENT) and a longer round for the storytellers (who must regale an original - or their personal spin on a traditional - tale on the theme of THE WILD WOOD). Alongside performers, there is plenty of room for audiences to cheer their favourite (and help them to win, because judges take audience reaction into account), all whilst enjoying a Guinness or two from the bar. The pub provide bar meals as well, so you can enjoy a snack between the rounds. The two winners get awarded the title of Chief Skald of Suffolk - a skald being rather like the Anglo-Saxon version of a Celt...

On the evening of Thursday 17th August, my two elderly dogs and I were walking on Broom Hill, Ipswich (the side close to Valley Road & Westwood Avenue). Two large off-leash rottweilers appeared out of nowhere and attacked both my dogs and me, as I fought to kick the damned things off. The owners were way behind and were clearly not rushing even though they must have heard these monsters baying, my dogs screaming in pain, and me bellowing at the things to fuck off. By some miracle the little Jack Russell was bruised but not otherwise wounded. My husky was badly bitten on his head, stomach, flank and rear, and had to be taken to the vet for stitches - costing £370. The damage to his belly was seconds away from disembowelling him. My leg and hand were bitten (blood everywhere by the time we got home) and I was given a tetanus booster and antibiotics. The irresponsible buggers made no effort to apologise or ask if either I or my dogs were harmed. What makes this matter worse, for m...

On Saturday past the Pagan Council held a Tree Walk around the Ipswich Arboretum in which I shared myth, poetry, folklore, and pagan magical traditions connected to the species of tree that we saw. There was a nice turn out on the day, the weather held well, and it raised just over £20 for the Woodland Trust (every little helps). Afterwards we had tea and cake in the cafe in Christchurch Park. It was a lovely, relaxing afternoon and we may well run something similar next year, going on a different route with other trees and their folklore. This story is a short version of one of the most famous Irish tragic sagas, Deirdre of the Sorrows. I include it here because of the appearance of the trees at the end of the tale. There are several versions of the saga, each with slight variations (not all include the trees, for example). One day I might do a fuller version of this story, fleshing out some of the characters that just get glossed over in this recording.

This Saturday at Oddfellows Hall, High Street, Ipswich, the Ipswich Pagan Council will be holding a free event to build bridges with other pagan communities around East Anglia, help people new to paganism find their feet (pssst... they're on the end of your legs), and answer questions on paganism from those who are just curious. This is a free event which runs as follows - 10.00       Doors open 10.15       Pagan Suffolk, with Robin Herne 11.00       Tales of the Native American nations, with Robert Lummis 12.00       Music and poetry over lunch 1.00         The Feast of Lupercalia, with Robin Herne 2.00         Paganism & Politics, a panel discussion 3.00         Greek mythology storytelling 3.30         Ethics of Healing, a panel discussion 4.00         Thanks & Farewell Refreshments will be provided throu...

Should have posted here earlier, but work has been manic.... On Saturday 17th June, 7.30pm at the Ipswich Oddfellows hall on the High Street I will be telling myths and legends involving wolves as a means of fundraising for the UK Wolf Trust (which looks after a number of wolves in their sanctuary and does a lot of educational and environmental work as well). Turn up, bring alcohol if you want it (I will provide tea/coffee) and make a donation to the charity tin. Stories are drawn from various cultures and sources - Roman, Irish, Greek, and assorted others.

Two days ago the sad news was announced that British character actor Geoffrey Bayldon had died at the grand age of 93. Younger readers may not recognise the name, he having been retired for a while, but those old enough to remember Worzel Gummidge and Catweazle certainly will know him as the both the Crowman whose magic brought scarecrows to life, as well as the ancient time travelling wizard who landed in 1970s Britain to discover the perverse magic of electrickery and telling bones. He also appeared in a long old list of TV shows and films. His magical characters inspired me with the visual image of Doctor Winter, a real life Cunning Man who lived in the 1700s and early 1800s in Ipswich. When writing fiction I find it helps if I can put a face to my characters, so often draw on both celebrities, people I know, and random strangers I see whose faces interest me. I wanted to restore Winter to life as the sleuth in a short story called 'A Doctor Calls' (part of the crime anth...