Round the Herne

Sad news about some friends' dog dying last night, which has brought back memories of various dogs I have lost over the years as well. Sacred animals are a common site in Hindu temples around the world – not only the obligatory cow, but also monkeys, rats, crows and so forth. Nepalese Hindus have an annual five-day festival called Tihar. It is part of their lunar calendar, so the exact date varies from year to year. In 2015 it was the second week of November. The second day of this festivity is called Kukur Tihat and is dedicated to the reverencing of dogs. Canines are regarded as messengers of the god of the dead, Yamaraj. As well as their mythical function, dogs are generally thanked on this holy day for their service to humanity – as guard dogs, helpers for the blind and disabled, rescue dogs, helpers to the police, companions for people of all ages, and so forth. Naturally dogs attend the actual ceremony itself, and are garlanded with flowers and anointed with oils a...

This is the version of the Great Royal Myth of Egypt recorded for my Religious Studies students (one of their essay questions is about it). I've used the Egyptian transliterations of the divine names rather than the Greek. The classes are three hours long, but I wish we had more time to discuss what the myths mean and how they can be interpreted. Setekh gets a bad reputation in this story, but he is a fascinating presence and there is a great deal more to him than some pantomime villain.

Fame and fortune (well, no fortune) being interviewed by Robert Lummis for his Universal Energies show on the Felixstowe internet TV channel. It was an interesting experience, and totally unscripted. Clearly I am in dire need of a make-over to stop looking like a hobbit, but that aside hopefully you'll find the topics discussed of interest.

On Monday the East Anglian Daily Times featured an article which I wrote in early December, discussing both Pooka's Pageant performing arts festival and some of the ethics of storytelling. This latter is an issue that is of growing interest to me, alongside the general philosophy underpinning the art of storytelling. I expect I'll revisit the topic again in the future. Page 1 of the EADT article is here and Page 2 here. I'm not sure how legible these scanned copies are, so the text and a very short story is below. Storytelling article for EADT November 7 th saw the sixth annual Pooka’s Pageant in Ipswich, a gathering of storytellers, poets, and singers who celebrate mythology and folklore through the performing arts. Both experienced and new performers strutted their stuff, drawing on the myths of medieval Wales, Ancient Egypt, Japan, Iceland, and English fairy tales. The audience was appreciative, and some money was raised for animal charities in the proce...

I have just heard that another Moon Books anthology, to which I contributed a chapter, has just been published and is now available as both a physical book and an eBook. It is edited by the lovely Nimue Brown, and features a wide variety of contemporary pagan authors. The back of Pagan Planet reads as follows: " What does it mean to live as a Pagan in this uncertain world of climate change, economic hardship and worldwide social injustice? What does it mean to hold nature as sacred when ravaging the land is commonplace? How do we live our Paganism in our families and homes, our communities and countries? Pagans are stepping up in all kinds of ways. This is a Moon Books community project, sharing the energy and inspiration of people who are making a difference at whatever level makes sense to them. This is a book of grass-roots energy, of walking your talk and the tales of people who are, by a vast array of means, engaged with being the change they wish to see in the...

Life is going remarkably well for me, the silence on this site owing more to lack of time born of general business than lack of things to talk about. To celebrate the midwinter solstice, a poetic offering of a sort - a pastiche of a well-known American children's poem. How the Grouch Stole Mithras should not be taken too seriously (clearly), but might put a smile or two on a few faces. This poem first appeared in my book Bard Song.

Part of my new job involves promotional work, getting the degree programme known locally. the college media liaison team contacted the local newspaper (East Anglian Daily Times) who were keen for an article. That lead to requests for a whole series of articles - on wolf lore in East Anglia ( Page One & Page Two ), witch trials in Suffolk ( Page One & Page Two ), a shortly-to-appear one on storytelling. There's another article in the Bury Free Press about the course, but I look like some bizarre kind of bobblehead in the accompanying photo - so I've decided that I'd sooner not share that one! I now have a regular column tackling ethical and philosophical dilemmas sent in by readers. The first moral issue is tackled here . Today, I also had an interview on BBC Radio Suffolk with Lesley Dolphin on her afternoon show. If you fancy listening, it starts just after the 3pm mark: Radio .