The Birthday Pilgrimage to the Rollrights

Visiting the Rollright Stones has been on my to do list for a while, so what better day to do it than on your birthday was my thinking. I was not disappointed.

I first went to the King Stone, the weather worn appearance was beautiful plus it did look like it was sticking its finger upto the world, whilst in the field there were biggest coltsfoot leaves I'd ever seen, they were about 75cm across, if it ever starts to rain in summer they would make an adequate umbrella. 

From there we moved onto the stone circle itself, half of the stones are difficult to see so counting them is difficult, apparently if you count the same number of stones twice you can make a wish, I didn't attempt it but can see how such a belief occurred. I got chatting to a woman who saw me shuffling a set of tarot cards which I had bought with me to charge them up as I lost my favourite deck at Birmingham Pride. The omens of them working were good & I gave her my first reading of them after the confirmation they would work for me & from what she told me I was accurate which is good to know I haven't lost my knack.

It was then onto the Whispering Knights & to my delight I saw 2 bullfinches which were stunning, along with skylarks, meadow pipits & a rather lovely cinnabar moth. I did stop along the way to look at a dog rose too as the rose is my birth flower. The Knights were awesome too with many people leaving offerings of coins on them. Don't expect to get rich gathering them as no one left anything of higher value than two pence.  

It was well worth a visit &would love to go again in the future. I will update this post in the near future with photos & a bit more of the folklore of the place

The Atheist who was allowed to stay

Today I was delighted to hear about a guy who was allowed to stay in this country on the grounds that if he went back to his home country he would be put to death because of his new found faith in atheism. Although it is not my faith, I believe that everyone has the the right to their own faith & should not be afraid to follow it, should not be forced to follow a faith that is not right for them through peer pressure. I do not agree that your religion should be determined by law either whatever your religion. As long as you live a good life, don't harm anyone & show respect to others it doesn't matter. I changed my faith, I found one that was right for me & 18 years on I'm still following it a it i right for me, I don't expect it to be right for everyone however, so this is why I am proud of our legal system & us as a nation, that this young Atheist man has been allowed to stay.
Some people may wonder why I refer to Atheism as a faith, I do so as it is still a belief system even though it does not have belief in a god. No one has yet proven categorically there is a god of any description that is scientific, a more scientific mind will believe there is not one, they should not be judged on this as I believe that they should do the same in return, but to do that we all need to learn respect.

St Kenelm's Well

So today I went on a pilgrimage with a Pagan friend I made through my paid job to St Kenelm's Well, which is just outside of Clent in Worcestershire. The weather held out despite it being the greyest part of the day, which is probably just as well as neither of us were wearing waterproofs. We walked the slightly longer less scenic route of going by the road (not recommended if you are going at a weekend if you are walking) which was less muddy & passes Uffmoor Wood as featured in a previous article. On the way we say a white feral pigeon (what most would call a dove) acting more like a bird of prey in it's circling & swooping flight, it landed near us on the roof of a shed. The reason why I posted such a detail is that in the legend of St Kenelm when he was beheaded a dove flew out of his severed corpse ascending to heaven & a light shone on where his body was hidden, it was a strange coincidence but cool none of the less. When arriving at the church of St Kenelm it took my breath away it is a beautiful little church from the medieval period made of sandstone with bat like gargoyles adorning it. If you take the path to the right of the church you are going through the main entrance there are some steps leading down to the well, the steps are quite wide & muddy so do be careful. The well has a sandstone rill to a collection point. I collect some water from there in a jar & left an offering of some home grown pea seeds which will hopefully provide a snack for some wild creature hopefully. But we are not the only Pagans to visit the site as many have left offerings tied to the tree some of which are most definitely Pagan some may have been Christian too. The well area is in a bit of a sorry state as some of the decking in the area is rotting & it has become a little overgrown although it doesn't seem wrong for the setting, though the next time I'll go there I will take a set of secateurs with me to cut back a bramble that snags the unwary. It is a peaceful place & you can see why people visit it. After finishing at the well site we went back up to the church & walked to the lost settlement of Kenelmstowe which is now no more than earthworks of where buildings, roads & a stew pond were, some buildings are easier to spot than others. Again we walked back into the churchyard & had a look round there are some really old yew trees in there as well as a small cross which must be it's oldest gravemarker, it certainly looks the earliest & is one of the smallest in the church yard. there is also what looks like a stone bowl to leave offerings in as well. I do heartily recommend this as a place to visit whether Pagan, Christian or just someone who likes quiet reflective time. I will most definitely be returning again.

Religious Backlashes

Religious extremism hasn't half been busy recently, mainly to fatally or the stuff that hit the news has been. I have not seen the video in question that has caused such controversy, but most people who I know who have seen it have all agreed that the video is poor, that it is some racist Islamaphobic idiot trying to cause more upset. Unfortunately religious extremists of 'Islam' have risen to the bait & started killing people who had nothing to do with the idiot's video (I have put Islam in inverted commas as it is written nowhere in the Koran that you should go around murdering people). I can't think of anyone who thinks that the guy who created the video was right & nobody I know thinks that the fall out from the video was justified either. People in Libya agree too forcing the militias out who carried out the attacks on the American Embassy, the people of Libya Muslim or otherwise condoned what had happened. Muslims are not the only ones who have to put up with the extremism of people of their faith, though the way the news is reported by some right wing news papers you thought it would be, but others do it too. There are people been killed for being witches by Christians in the world which apart from a few notable cases go unreported. There have been those who have burnt copies of the Koran too. But there are extremists in most faiths so don't think I'm anti any particular one it is just that these examples are the ones that stick in people's minds more. So if you want to know how most people feel about these religious conflicts going on ignore the papers, many times you'll see faiths helping each other in the community rather than being at war with each other if you just take your mind away from the extreme few. Think about the innocent Muslims who are being tarred with the same brush as the deranged few etc, & you will come through a better person than those who believe the media hype.

Paralympic Closing Ceremony Part 2- What was amazing about it

So it was not all bad the closing ceremony, in fact most of it was amazing. It has got people talking. There were apparently Iluminati symbols in there which got the conspiracy theorist's tongues wagging, all you have to do is put an eye or a clock somewhere & people are all oooh did you see that? OK possibly not the best starting point of reference for the post but it did get the ball rolling. I must admit I loved the steam punk aspect of it, a mock Victoriana which quite often has London as it's base in many a steam punk novel, with the fact they gave a nod to it was very clever indeed. The second part of it that I was impressed with was the overtly Pagan nature of the festival, the fact that they used part of a rite from BDO multi path Pagan ritual was inspired, it fitted the theme well & not many people I know didn't pick up on it. So has Paganism had it's first major public airing & will people respect that? After all we can now say, our beliefs are akin to that, people now have a reference point as to vague notion of what we do, just without the spectacle of the steam punk & excessive amounts of Coldplay. But combined it provided an impressive watching experience even if you do have to mute it & play your favourite music over the top of it. Well done London 2012 what a fantastic Jubilympic year it has been.

Christians Fighting for Equality

This is a bit of a sensitive subject & I know I have to tread carefully, but there are 4 Christians fighting against dismissal from their workplace because of their faith, one at least was sacked due to the fact as a sex therapist he wouldn't have been willing to advise a same sex couple on how to improve their sex lives, but  taking this one into account, wouldn't we be offering a hierarchy of discrimination if you let somebody because of his faith not do his job properly, because he doesn't agree with something that the people coming to see him have no control over? Before going into this profession he should have thought about what it would entail & either going along with it or choose another career path. He wouldn't have been allowed not to to treat couples of a different ethnicity different or disabled different so why should he be allowed to do it with LGBT people. The similar point has to be made about the registrar who refused to do civil partnerships. If it was all just Christian bashing for the sake of it & not tied up with other equal rights issues then I would have sympathy for him, but this is not the case in his case, the 2 other cases I feel are examples of this. The other 2 cases are a flight attendant & a nurse who refused to remove their crucifixes. that is direct discrimination without other equality issues, it would be the same as asking a Muslim woman not to wear a hijab or a Sikh not to have a turban if they worked in a certain place, which would have been deemed unacceptable by society, it should not be one rule for one faith & a different one for another.

The Higgs Boson & Creation

Bad luck Prof Stephen Hawking you are $100 out of pocket, but well done to those at CERN for finding what they set out too. Though it does pose the question what next? Create a mini universe by seeing how it reacts with other particles? OK that is simplifying way too much but the possibilities are endless in understanding how the universe was created rather than saying God did it. Although I am a man of faith I do not ignore science, as those who do often end up looking stupid & end up with the answer of 'because it is & that is how god made it' which is not a an answer in the slightest as there is no evidence to back it up & to say you don't need evidence is close minded & arrogant. Always question things even if it does take you out of your comfort zone. Stories of creation were told in their ways as people just didn't know & were trying to make sense of it all with little knowledge or equipment to work it out. Though scientist may have gone some way to understand how the universe happened it doesn't answer the why, that is when you if you so wish add in your deity, but do at least put some effort into explaining why if you are going to speak publicly about it, rather that 'it just is'. We know the world was not created in 7 days by a beardy bloke on a throne in the sky, it wasn't some cosmic lotus or ash tree either, these are analogies & treat them as such. What the people at CERN did was amazing & does not detract from the magic/miracle of the universe & just by trying to explain how it happens can only add to the beauty & awe of it. On another plus side we didn't get sucked into a black hole like the media said we would.

Solstice Morning

Last night the celebrations commenced with going to see Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra, which was really enjoyable even if the small of my back hurt afterwards, but a small price to pay for the most anticipated birthday present of this year, this however meant a trip to London (oh the hardship of having to stay in a hotel & not have to cook) which meant Solstice morning arrival in a strange place I didn't see the sunrise as it was cloudy & slightly moist out, but still made the effort which for me is not easy as I am not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination. If only I could have remembered where City Henge was erected & knew how to get there I may have travelled out to it. Perhaps I should have bought some bourbon biscuits & created a henge of my own in the dryness of my hotel room, though I doubt it would have the same effect as being outside. I don't seem to have been the only one in the square who was also observing it as there was a couple on the doorstep to their own flat as well as I what I am assuming there was a Witch in her back yard doing the same as there was a basement flat with Kitchen Witches in her window, her/him light was on but she/he was not out in the square & a cat came out from the corresponding yard (OK it may be that I have jumped to a conclusion on that one but it was nice to think there was a few of us out there). But across the country many people have braved varying weather to welcome the sun in & who can blame them. However you guys celebrated it I hope you had a good one. All the best Pagan Chaplain

Why do people put so much stock in weather forecasting?

The wet weather did eventually make me grumble as my May Day plans of going to the Greenman Festival in Clun got cancelled due to the sustained rain turning the events field marshy & the level of the river Clun was dangerously high which is seems almost strange as it never really seems a deep river but hey ho nature is unpredictable at best. So why do we do weather forecasts? We only complain when they get it wrong, its sunny when it is supposed to rain, its howling a gale when there is meant to be a gentle breeze etc. Many people take what they say as truth rather than pattern reading & prediction & then they scoff at fortune telling saying it is all a load of hooey ignoring the fact that is what weather forecasting is. The term forecast is used in fortune telling too & they they use the word predicted a lot. So why is weather forecasting taken with less of a pinch of salt? There are computers that work it out yes, but computers can only deal with probabilities of data, fortune tellers on the other hand tend read a person's body language when they go to see them & can pretty much tell what is going on before the person has sat down, like it or not fortune tellers use psychology to help them predict patterns in a person's life, though I dare say many fortune tellers don't even realise they are doing it & think they have a mystical talent beyond all measure, people who are good at fortune telling are observant & will have noted in their brain certain patterns of behaviour which will also indicate how the person would normally act, the oracle that a fortune teller uses is a focus & as a prompt for things missed though sometimes the oracle will show up something entirely different but the reactions would be fairly similar. So if reading patterns & observing data & then making a prediction on what is seen is not for you take no notice to the weather forecast & pack for every eventuality of weather. I tend to do that anyway mainly because I forget to empty my bag & then wonder where either my waterproofs or sunscreen are when I'm panicking in a mad rush to leave the house on time, or is that just being forgetfully organised?

Rowan Williams' Last Easter Sermon

Dr Rowan Williams in his last Easter Sermon is urging schools to not play down the importance of religious education in our schools & while I somewhat agree on certain levels for cultural recognition of others who don't share your faith, to learn about your own isn't that what the churches, covens, groves, mosques, gurdwaras etc are for? I remember my religious education & school & seeing as though my school was a white Christian majority school, R.E. as it was called in my day was pretty much Christian studies, with one day a term where would vaguely read a couple of pages out of a text book on another faith & just do the vaguest of nods to them. It wasn't until working with Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists & Jews did I get any real understanding of what their day to day lives were like. OK if I hadn't found Paganism first I would have probably studied Buddhism further on my quest to find my spiritual path. At school I didn't find out any more about my faith (which was vaguely Church of England at the time), than what I did through my rather uninspiring stint at Sunday school. If we are to teach religions in schools because of the increasing number of us Pagans it would be good to see a nod to us as Atheists already are being recognised. But should we have them as anything other than cultural studies? There is the argument that you shouldn't teach religion in schools, but in that case i feel that there may end up being a bit more of cultural ignorance being created if it doesn't. He is also worried that people don't recognise what Easter is & to many people the meaning has been lost, but those are the ones who are lost from or never been a part of Christianity. Those who are Christian who have lost the meaning of Easter that is disappointing, for those who aren't, if you have the time off spend time with you family & get stuffed.... full of chocolate eggs, which is a tradition that the Christians seem to have nicked from us Pagans. Must be going there is a birthday cake in the oven for a member of my family.

The End of Abstinence in Sight

Tomorrow sees the end of Lent, no more sitting at my moot drinking Pepsi getting more & more hyperactive as the night draws on. No more feeling like a social leper when turning down a night of going to the pub, yes I will be free, FREE I TELL YOU! In all fairness I have developed more of an appreciation of the alcohol I drink & dare say I wont drink it as much as I did before Lent, as with the frequency at which I drunk it I feel I lost my appreciation of it, though not the taste for it. I found giving up alcohol for Lent easier than I thought I would & don't feel the need to get absolutely hammered tomorrow, causing boredom to everyone except me (I am a very boring drunk as I tend to lecture people on random not very interesting subjects). Though would being away from alcohol this long make me a light weight? I will let you know if I end up face down on the bathroom floor hugging the toilet on Monday. Lent has been a very interesting experience & I feel that I kind of get what Christians get out of it, though I'm in no great rush to do it again. I do seem to have faired better than a fair few people, including Christian clerics which kind of makes me feel a little smug. If you haven't tried it before, it is well worth doing when stick to it. All the best, the still sober Pagan chaplain.

Gay Marriage

OK so this is me getting a little on the political side, what is the big deal about same sex marriage? Its 2 people who really love each other making a commitment to each other that is more than just a mere legal document like a civil partnership is. Although I admit a civil partnership is a step in the right direction it is not marriage, it is a piece of paper saying don't you dare take what my partner & myself have worked for after one of our deaths you money grabbing person there was somebody more deserving of my legacy seeing as though they helped build it thank you very much & things of that ilk. It is not marriage its a poor substitute, OK it could be worse but it could be a whole lot better, why should the sanctuary of marriage just be for heterosexuals, LGBT people love just as strong & there love is just as sacred, so let them declare it properly. On the reverse side I also support the notion that heterosexuals should have civil partnerships if they don't want to get married but want legal provision for their partner, equality for all. OK it is a bit weird a Pagan jumping into the fray on this one as gay Pagans have handfastings & they are considered as equal to that of heterosexual ones. Perhaps on this one the world could take a leaf out of the Pagan book & follow its example, or is that just too radical? I am quite looking forward to jumping the broomstick with partner (who would then be husband) in the future, I hope other people get the chance to do that what ever their life path. And no it is not a flying broomstick (if only such thing existed).

Gay marriage isn't going to to destroy religion, bigotry & hatred might, treating people as second class citizens might. People thought the world would end when mixed race marriages started to appear again but it didn't, the world still carried on, no one was hurt except the people who were being discriminated against. The government are trying to create an even playing field, for once the coalition government is doing something I agree with, don't ruin their last redeeming feature. Gay marriage doesn't threaten the institution of marriage as much as those who don't take their vows seriously, who get married only for it to not last any more than a few days, weeks, months or a couple of years. Marriage is a life commitment & LGBT people are capable of that. Give them that chance & they will show you.