subtitle: A history of modern pagan witchcraft

Ronald Hutton is a historian based at the University of Bristol (UK) who has spent a large part of his career studying pagan practices from the ancient druids up to the present day. This book details the rise of neoPaganism in Britain, from whence it was exported to the US.

The thing about neoPaganism is that, while it claims to represent traditions handed down from Neolithic times that were suppressed by the rise of Christianity, its documented roots are fairly modern. Not that this invalidates it as a religion; it just means it's relatively new. Hutton traces the origins of what is now considered revived ancient wisdom to a set of interconnected streams, including folklore and Freemasonry.

What's truly remarkable about this book is its determined neutrality. Hutton takes no sides, content to summarise and present evidence for his well-thought-out arguments. This is what academia is supposed to be like and rarely is. It helps that Hutton's a good writer, too.

I found the section on how neoPaganism became combined with radical feminism when it reached the US in the 1970s especially interesting. Although the factual basis for assertions that there was a primordial Goddess-based, matriarchal culture had been more or less debunked at least ten years before, archaeologists like Merlin Stone and Marija Gimbutas took it as unalienable fact. Theorists like radical feminist Mary Daly adopted it wholesale, and the echoes inspired writers from Starhawk through Marion Zimmer Bradley to Jean Auel.

In the end, it all seems to confirm that neoPaganism has its own creation myth, which is perfectly appropriate as far as I can see.

...can be summed up thus:

The First Lady of France, Carla Bruni, is an ex-model and singer who's had confirmed affairs with Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, and Donald Trump, among others...

...while Cindy McCain and MIchelle Obama are having to come up with original recipes.

Something is seriously wrong with this picture.

Surely in 2008, the wives of (potential) presidents have better things to do than come up with recipes, or cook on TV? (Like they don't have staff in the White House for that, anyway.) If they're supposed to be showing how much they have in common with the average US woman, they're already out of luck by the simple fact of being married to someone who's actually made a credible bid for presidential candidacy.

Laura Bush may make a mean carrot-ginger soup, but that hasn't in any way impeded her husband's bid for Worst US President Ever. What difference can a First Lady's menu make?

El Salvador saved thousands from Nazi concentration camps

How classical music is helping Venezuelan kids out of poverty

The latest from the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS)


Move over, solar, this is England!

The official Jewish tartan

Thanks to catvincent for bringing this to my attention.

At last, a chance to catch my breath a little...

I got back from Chicago on Tues 10 June, and since then things have been pretty hectic. Our internet connection was down until Sat 14th; I became adept at carrying my new laptop around the centre of Bristol looking for free or at least cheap WiFi access. (Cafe Gusto at the top of Park Street has reception good enough that you don't even have to sit in the cafe to use it, but can sit in the grassy area across the street next to the Law School building.)

Weds 11th I spent working on a presentation I was going to give on my time in Peru. It took an amazingly short time compared to the ones I used to do for my research; incredible what not having to mess with huge graphics will do for you. I got it all done and onto a CD, then tried to send it to the guy whose laptop I'd be using. This, of course, necessitated a trip to Cafe Gusto. Good thing I seem to have got the sugar craving under control at last, or I'd be in trouble.

On Thurs 12th I started doing my final two case studies for my healing certification; they are good friends who live in Bradford-on-Avon. I'd never been there before, so this was a good opportunity to combine a little travel with my training. I then got home and did more healing in my regular Thursday healing circle. I went to bed pretty early, thus missing the drama that was the Great Maggot Disaster of 2008 until awakened around 0030 by what sounded like hammering and furniture moving. I came down to investigate and was regaled with a tale of woe that I was unable to fully appreciate at the time. I allowed as teeming maggots were an emergency that precluded preserving the right to sleep, and went back to bed.

Fri 13th I went to the gym and then to do my volunteering with the abuse survivors' charity that I've been working for since February or so. I was really tired, so much so that I was misplacing things and not noticing glaring errors - basically my brain was slowed down to subnormal speed. This didn't make me happy, but underscored the fact that I was probably still jetlagged and hadn't had enough time to recover from it.

Sat 14th I went to aikido and then took a nap before rising and doing my usual Saturday night ceremony. The broadband reappeared, and there was much rejoicing.

Sun was a quiet day, with some work in the garden pulling up ivy that is breaking up the stonework outside. We're having some folks come in to fix it at the end of the month, and it would be nice if they didn't have to hack their way to the wall with a machete.

Mon 16th I had Spanish in the morning - we still have 2 weeks to go in the term, because of all the bank holidays and the instructor's having to stay home with a sick kid for one session. I enjoy the class but I really don't like having all the interruptions; I don't think I'll sign up for a Monday class again. Then in the evening I had my herbal medicine course, which I also enjoy greatly but wish that it took place on a different day - Monday night is my aikido training class, which I've had to miss for the last 6 weeks. Why does everything I want to do have to happen at the same time?

Tues 17th I gave a talk on ayahuasca and my time in Peru for the Bristol Open Circle Moot, a pagan group that several friends belong to. I had wanted to give a talk at the Annual General Meeting of my healing organisation, but it fell through. The talk went very well; we had about a dozen people, who seemed quite interested. Two people from my Thursday healing circle came, which was nice of them; I'd only told them about the talk the previous Thursday. I want to give the talk again to a larger audience at some point, so that more of the folks who expressed interest can attend. This means finding and booking a venue and scouting out a projector that will talk to my Mac, which has so far daunted me pretty thoroughly. I wonder if I can rent one?

Weds 18th I did another day in Bradford-on-Avon. Things got a little complicated, with people's schedules in constant flux. I learned that buying my train ticket in advance was actually costing me money, in the form of online booking fees. This is so stupid as to be risible, but there you are. I decided that henceforth I'll buy my tickets on the day. I got back from that and went to aikido, which is right at the train station; I won't be able to go this Saturday because my herbal medicine class is having a practical, and I didn't want to miss a whole week if I didn't have to.

Yesterday I went to the gym and then to a double session of healing: the usual Thursday circle, then the once-a-month probationer support meeting run by one of my mentors. She couldn't make it to my talk, but was very helpful in suggesting a venue for a bigger one. We shall see what happens. This meant I didn't get home until about 2230 - and didn't get to bed until about 0045.

I'm tired this morning. Looking at all of this makes me understand why.

subtitle: A Citizen's Guide to Botched Putsches, Failed Coups, Inane Invasions, and Ridiculous Revolutions

From the back cover:

When winners write history, they sometimes "forget" to include their own embarrassing misjudgments. Fortunately, this take-no-prisoners edition of history isn't going to let the winners (or the losers) forget the mistakes of the past. Be prepared to laugh out loud—and gasp in horror—at the most painfully idiotic strategies, alliances, and decisions the world has ever known. These stupid wars have been launched by democracies as well as monarchies and dictatorships, in recent decades just as often as in less "enlightened" times. The ridiculous and reckless conflicts chronicled in Stupid Wars include the misdirected Fourth Crusade, the half-baked invasion of Russia by the U.S., the U.K.'s baffling Falklands War, Hitler's ill-fated Beer Hall Putsch, several incredibly foolish South American conflicts, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, and many more. Whether you're a future dictator, war-mongering politician, royal mistress, or history lover, these blow-by-stupid-blow accounts will teach you the valuable lessons you need to stay off the list, including:

* Don't declare war on all your neighbors at the same time.
* Working radios, accurate maps, and weather-appropriate uniforms are big plusses.
* Large amounts of bird poop and very small islands are probably not worth dying for.
* Never invade Russia.
* Seriously. It's a really bad idea.

What I noticed about this book was the strange predominance of Paraguay in the wars mentioned (limited as they were to the Americas and Europe). Very few people have even heard of the place, yet it was involved in two of the 16 conflicts mentioned in this book. I suppose that its isolation and relative lack of recognition on the world stage might have bred belligerence far in excess of what one might expect.

Here's my great-aunt's obituary - she was one hell of a lady.

The service was excellent; several relatives got up and spoke about what she meant to them. My father was one of the speakers, as he and my stepmother visited with her quite regularly. I sat there with tears streaming down my face, a surprise to me, but probably good because I hadn't been able to cry before. What kept going through my head was, "It's over. It's over. It's over." I don't think this referred only to the situation at hand, though. I felt like a great weight had lifted. I feel clearer and more focused than I have in months, long before any of the family stuff happened. Maybe it's just provided a kind of catalyst.

Perhaps it's my aunt's last gift to me.

The funeral being on Sunday, this will give me a couple of days to browse used book stores, etc.

Since 21 May, I count one dead great aunt and one dead great cat (yesterday - see the obit). And fragiletender's sister-in-law had a miscarriage.

And it looks like my iPod is on the way out as well (cheers to catvincent for loaning me his for the trip). My computer is slowly grinding to a halt as well.

So listen up out there. No dying for a while, OK?

Joni Minstrel's Gossype Guide to Ren Faire Romance

Thanks to utforsker for bringing this to my attention!

Because they haven't seen The 6 Most Badass Stunts Ever Pulled in the Name of Science!

from mad_scientist

Party like it's 1985 (video; could be non-worksafe if your colleagues are really uptight)

Thanks to technoshaman for bringing this to my attention.

Every time I go back to the States, this strikes me more and more...

...probably applicable to most other martial arts as well:

From the Aikido Journal no. 109, Fall/Winter 1996

The author is spot-on, as far as I can tell. Wonder if I'll have the guts to point my senseis at this.

OK, so I go to Chicago on Thurs 5 June and get back on Tues the 10th. I was originally planning to go for a week, just to hack a toe off the carbon footprint, but I ended up cashing in my airmiles for the ticket so I was limited in which days were available. And really, four or so days in Chicago is about all I can actually stand, so that worked out well.

Then it looked like our poor old cat Constantine was going down for the last time. He was giving off all kinds of frail dying vibes (he's entitled, being 18 plus), and he'd been incontinent most of the previous two days. We all said goodbye to him and left him to go to sleep, not really expecting him to be there in the morning. But - he is Indestructicat, and we've thought he was on the way out before. He's rallied today and looks a lot better. Perhaps that was life number 3 or 4, and he's still got several more to go. Still, it wasn't the preferred way to spend a rockin' Saturday night.

Have been in a bit of a daze for the last day or so, trying to decide whether to go to Wales or cancel. This afternoon, I figured that the worst that could happen if I cancelled was that I lose the money I paid for the holiday; if I didn't and found out that the funeral would be while I was away, I'd be really hosed. I cancelled and told the lady who was going to give me a lift. This was around noon.

Then I went to do my usual Friday volunteering. When I got back, I checked my email. My father had found out when the funeral will be: 8 June. Which figures. I have time to find a flight, etc. I could have gone to Wales, but it felt like the wrong thing to do. Maybe that's why I found myself unable to buy anything for the trip but the hiking boots.

So now instead of five days in Pembrokeshire, I can anticipate a week or so of Chicago and environs. I do not consider this a fair trade, but I will still try to walk, though - there's a forest preserve a mile or two from my dad's house.

and death.

My great-aunt, whose 100th birthday party I attended back in Nov 2006, died Wednesday morning. I'm waiting to hear when the funeral will be. I don't know if I'll be able to go walking in Wales or not. I hope I find out soon, as I'd hate to cancel unnecessarily but don't want to be away when I need to book a plane ticket.