Wookey Hole is currently witchless
A Job Centre is advertising a "witch" vacancy with tourist site Wookey Hole, in Somerset, for £50,000 a year.
The witch, who has to live in the site's caves, is expected to teach witchcraft and magic.
Wookey Hole staff say the role is straightforward: live in the cave, be a witch and do the things witches do.
The advert for the post, placed in the local press as well as job centres, says applicants must be able to cackle and cannot be allergic to cats.
The job has come up after the previous witch retired from the role.
"We are witchless as the moment so need to get the role filled as soon as possible," said Daniel Medley from the tourist destination.
Read the rest of this article at: BBC News.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Monday, July 6, 2009
The Ancestry
I was listening to the Midsummer edition of The Celtic Myth Podshow and was taken aback by a track called "Midsummer" by Jillian LaDage. It transported me away to another time and place and I instantly loved it. I was so taken by it that I immediately downloaded it on iTunes, in the hope the other tracks were just as brilliant, before I realised I could preview the song as the website of Tarith Cote.
Even so, I wasn't disappointed. The album is described as "a journey that leads from the medieval sands of Turkey and the Byzantine Empire to the moors and legends of the ancient Celts". Its certainly a mixture of sounds, and haunting ones at that, but remains cohesive throughout combining sumptious music with storytelling songs in a sensual voice.
I wish I could elucidate on how this album made me feel. Its very much how I responded to Sa Dingding's "Alive" album, and like that album, I have been playing these tracks non-stop since I downloaded them. Please go and try the samples of Jillian LaDage's album at the Tarith Cote website and let yourself be whisked off to lands of wonder.
Rating: 4.5/5
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Justice in the eyes of the Unforgiving
I thought some more about what I wrote earlier this week, and I realised I may be at odds with the ancients in that I do not believe in the death penalty, but I am a believe in a life for life. In other words, if its proved beyond all doubt that you murdered someone, you should spend your life paying for it. I have always thought death an easy option, in comparison to serving a life sentence in gaol, and rarely is a life sentence really for life these days. Now, if someone killed one my own then they would probably want to spend the rest of their life in gaol, as opposed to any kind of life I might allow them were they at my disposal.
Recently, I watched a film, called "Ten Canoes", an ancient aboriginal story. During the course of the movie, a man is killed in retaliation for a slight, but its a case of mistaken identity; the wrong person is murdered. The murderer takes himself off, with a second, to the tribe of the victim in order to face his punishment. Both he, and his second, stand before the other tribe and face a barrage of spears. The murderer receives a wound just at the last, survives, and is carried away by his kin, including his second, who remains unharmed throughout. The tribe of the victim consider the debt for their dead brother paid. Unkown to them, the murderer later dies from his wounds. A natural kind of justice perhaps?
I felt that even if the murderer had survived, he had faced his punishment honourably and so the debt was paid. Much like the Sons of Tuireann, who completed the tasks set them, despite expectations they would perish.
From a personal point of view, I am never sure that our current justice system is adequate or imposes the kind of justice I would want. Then, I think of some of the people who might want to extract justice in the ways mentioned above and, perhaps, that would be worse, resulting in an ever escalating level of violence as we see in gang wars. Revenge killings are still reported in the news with regularity, too, however, this is not the type of personal justice I am advocating.
For me, each situation is different with individual requirements for compensation. Even I don't always seek compensation from those that slight me; some just aren't worth my time, and others lead to escalating wrongdoing.
What kind of justice would I want in a situation of manslaughter or murder? What if, as in the "Ten Canoes" situation, it was mistaken identity? I do know that I won't get the compensation I want; as my beliefs are at odds with our current justice system. I do know that I couldn't forgive the perpetrator, as so many others have done, and as is becoming somewhat expected by our society. Society might even consider me a godless heathen for thinking this way ...
Recently, I watched a film, called "Ten Canoes", an ancient aboriginal story. During the course of the movie, a man is killed in retaliation for a slight, but its a case of mistaken identity; the wrong person is murdered. The murderer takes himself off, with a second, to the tribe of the victim in order to face his punishment. Both he, and his second, stand before the other tribe and face a barrage of spears. The murderer receives a wound just at the last, survives, and is carried away by his kin, including his second, who remains unharmed throughout. The tribe of the victim consider the debt for their dead brother paid. Unkown to them, the murderer later dies from his wounds. A natural kind of justice perhaps?
I felt that even if the murderer had survived, he had faced his punishment honourably and so the debt was paid. Much like the Sons of Tuireann, who completed the tasks set them, despite expectations they would perish.
From a personal point of view, I am never sure that our current justice system is adequate or imposes the kind of justice I would want. Then, I think of some of the people who might want to extract justice in the ways mentioned above and, perhaps, that would be worse, resulting in an ever escalating level of violence as we see in gang wars. Revenge killings are still reported in the news with regularity, too, however, this is not the type of personal justice I am advocating.
For me, each situation is different with individual requirements for compensation. Even I don't always seek compensation from those that slight me; some just aren't worth my time, and others lead to escalating wrongdoing.
What kind of justice would I want in a situation of manslaughter or murder? What if, as in the "Ten Canoes" situation, it was mistaken identity? I do know that I won't get the compensation I want; as my beliefs are at odds with our current justice system. I do know that I couldn't forgive the perpetrator, as so many others have done, and as is becoming somewhat expected by our society. Society might even consider me a godless heathen for thinking this way ...
Monday, June 8, 2009
Unforgiving
I have to acknowledge that I am an unforgiving person. I have always been so, even growing up within the Catholic faith, forgiveness was a tenet I never understood. Turning the other cheek was something I thought you ought to do when drawing back your fist, or other weapon before striking your enemy down with full force.
I have always felt that when someone wrongs me, I am entitled to compensation of a sort, even if its just an apology, but I'd prefer they suffer as I had. Perhaps this is why the laws of the ancients always appealed: they always extracted a price for wrongdoing. For instance, the price extracted by Lugh from the Sons of Tuireann for the slaughter of Cian. Although Lugh thought the tasks he set might kill them, the Sons of Tuireann return triumphant, and the debt is satisfied. To me that (almost) makes sense.
It has always been a strange thing to me that the male of the species is able to engage in violent, physical combat and, even if one comes out clearly the winner, both can consider the matter which was the catalyst for the fight closed and move on as though they have always been the bset of fiends. I acknowledge this is not always the case, but I have seen it occur often enough, and it occurs regularly in the myths. For my own part, I can consider a matter closed, but it will remain on record in my memory banks.
Don't get me wrong: I don't demand compensation for every slight or from every opponent. I am quite happy to debate matters, and will even take an opposing side in order to gain a deeper understanding of another's point of view, or just to play devil's advocate. I rarely take offence during an argument and rarely do I take such things personally; in fact, others have commented on my inability to take personal offence. Provided no personal insults are slung, I see no reason to seek satisfaction.
What I cannot do is forgive anyone, or anything that attacks me, my family or my friends, nor will I forget, which may separate me from the ancients. Just because someone pays the price for their actions against me, it does not necessarily follow I will forget the matter. A trust will have been broken and no compensation can restore trust.
I realised over the weekend, that I have no qualms about being the unforgiving sort. I used to feel (the Catholic) guilt over not being able to forgive, or turn the other cheek, but not anymore. Its how I feel; how I am. I am not inclined to change either.
I have always felt that when someone wrongs me, I am entitled to compensation of a sort, even if its just an apology, but I'd prefer they suffer as I had. Perhaps this is why the laws of the ancients always appealed: they always extracted a price for wrongdoing. For instance, the price extracted by Lugh from the Sons of Tuireann for the slaughter of Cian. Although Lugh thought the tasks he set might kill them, the Sons of Tuireann return triumphant, and the debt is satisfied. To me that (almost) makes sense.
It has always been a strange thing to me that the male of the species is able to engage in violent, physical combat and, even if one comes out clearly the winner, both can consider the matter which was the catalyst for the fight closed and move on as though they have always been the bset of fiends. I acknowledge this is not always the case, but I have seen it occur often enough, and it occurs regularly in the myths. For my own part, I can consider a matter closed, but it will remain on record in my memory banks.
Don't get me wrong: I don't demand compensation for every slight or from every opponent. I am quite happy to debate matters, and will even take an opposing side in order to gain a deeper understanding of another's point of view, or just to play devil's advocate. I rarely take offence during an argument and rarely do I take such things personally; in fact, others have commented on my inability to take personal offence. Provided no personal insults are slung, I see no reason to seek satisfaction.
What I cannot do is forgive anyone, or anything that attacks me, my family or my friends, nor will I forget, which may separate me from the ancients. Just because someone pays the price for their actions against me, it does not necessarily follow I will forget the matter. A trust will have been broken and no compensation can restore trust.
I realised over the weekend, that I have no qualms about being the unforgiving sort. I used to feel (the Catholic) guilt over not being able to forgive, or turn the other cheek, but not anymore. Its how I feel; how I am. I am not inclined to change either.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Worst Day of My Life ...
I am posting this here, even though its off topic, because I had nowhere else to put it.
Yesterday was probably the worst day of my life (not accounting for anything in the future). I won't go into details, suffice to say: I was made acutely aware of just how insignificant and unimportant my life is in the most hurtful way possible. I am pretty sure an immeasurable number of days (maybe even years) will pass before ... well ... before I feel other than depressed, upset and angry; in that order.
To the universe: thanks for nowt.
Yesterday was probably the worst day of my life (not accounting for anything in the future). I won't go into details, suffice to say: I was made acutely aware of just how insignificant and unimportant my life is in the most hurtful way possible. I am pretty sure an immeasurable number of days (maybe even years) will pass before ... well ... before I feel other than depressed, upset and angry; in that order.
To the universe: thanks for nowt.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
A Warning?
You do hark.
Hark to me?
You still hark;
What do you see?
You do squawk.
Squawk at me?
You still squawk;
Talk to me?
Owl now hoots.
Hoots for me?
Owl still hoots;
Hoots at thee?
Raven, raven, owl;
Talk to me?
Raven, raven owl;
Message for me?
© Ancestral Celt 2009
Hark to me?
You still hark;
What do you see?
You do squawk.
Squawk at me?
You still squawk;
Talk to me?
Owl now hoots.
Hoots for me?
Owl still hoots;
Hoots at thee?
Raven, raven, owl;
Talk to me?
Raven, raven owl;
Message for me?
© Ancestral Celt 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
Twittering Pagan Poetry Pages
I am not sure how many of you out there Twitter; I don't. However, the Pagan Poetry Pages are now on twitter, so if you are minded to do so, you can follow them through the micro-blogging site.
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