The Tarjuman al-Ashwaq, by Ibn al-Arabi (excerpt)

The Arab Caravan from the Italian School

'My heart has become capable of every form,
It is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for Christian monks,
And a temple for idols and the pilgrim's Ka‘ba,
And the tables of the Tora and the book of the Koran.
I follow the religion of Love: whatever way Love's camels take,
That is my religion and my faith.'

Trans: Reynold A. Nicholson (1911).

Sappho: Excerpts from Hymn to Aphrodite

Mengin 1877

 

 

Part I Chapter I

Shimmering throned immortal Aphrodite,

Daughter of Zeus, Enchantress, I implore thee,

Spare me, O queen, this agony and anguish,

Crush not my spirit.

Whenever before thou has hearkened to me,

To my voice calling to thee in the distance,

And heeding, thou hast come,

Leaving thy father's Golden dominions,

Come then, I pray, grant me surcease from sorrow,

Drive away care, I beseech thee, O Goddess,

Fulfil for me what I yearn to accomplish,

Be thou my ally.

 

Part I Chapter II

Peer of the gods, the happiest man I seem,

Sitting before thee, rapt at thy sight,

Hearing thy soft laughter and they voice most gentle,

Speaking so sweetly.

Then in my bosom my heart wildly flutters,

And when on thee I gaze never so little,

Bereft am I of all power of utterance,

My tongue is useless.

There rushes at once through my flesh tingling fire,

My eyes are deprived of all power of vision,

My ears hear nothing by sounds of winds roaring,

And all is blackness.

Down courses in streams the sweat of emotion,

A dread trembling o'erwhelms me,

Paler than I, than dried grass in autumn

And in my madness, dead I seem almost.

 

Part I Chapter III

A troop of horse, the serried ranks of marchers,

A noble fleet.

Some think these of all on earth, most beautiful.

For me, naught else regarding is my beloved.

To understand this is for all most simple,

For thus gazing much on mortal perfection,

And knowing already what life could give her,

Him chose fair Helen,

So must we learn, in a world made as this one,

Man can never attain his greatest desire,

But must pray; for what good fortune Fate holdeth,

Never unmindful.

TAM LIN 1692

 

1. The King forbade his maidens a'
That wore gold in their hair
To come and go by Carterhaugh,
For the young Tam Lin is there.

2.   And those that go by Carterhaugh
From them he takes a wad,
Either their rings or green mantles
Or else their maidenheads!

3.    So Janet has kilted her green mantle
Just a little above her knee,
And she has gone to Carterhaugh
Just as fast as she could flee.

4.    She had not pulled a double rose,
A rose but three or four,
When up and spoke this young Tam Lin,
Crying 'Lady, pull no more!'

5.   'How dare you pull those flowers!
How dare you break those wands!
How dare you come to Carterhaugh
Withouten my command?'

6.   She says, 'Carterhaugh it is my own
My Father gave it me,
And I will come and go by here
Withouten any leave of thee!'

7.    There were four and twenty ladies gay
All sitting down at chess,
In and come the fair Janet,
As pale as any glass.

8.    Up and spake her father dear,
He spake up meek and mild,
'Oh alas, Janet,' he cried,
'I fear you go with child!'

9.   'And if I go with child,
It is myself to blame!
There's not a lord in all your hall
Shall give my child his name!'

10.Janet has kilted her green mantle
Just a little above her knee,
And she has gone to Carterhaugh
For to pull the scathing tree.

11.'How dare you pull that herb
All among the leaves so green
For to kill the bonny babe
That we got us between!'

12.'You must tell to me Tam Lin,
Ah you must tell to me,
Were you once a mortal knight
Or mortal hall did see?'

13.'I was once a mortal knight
I was hunting here one day,
I did fall from off my horse,
The Fairy Queen stole me away.

14.'And pleasant is the Fairy Land
But a strange tale I'll tell,
For at the end of seven years
They pay a fine to Hell.
'At the end of seven years
They pay a fine to Hell,
And I so fair and full of flesh
I fear it is myself.'

15.'Tomorrow night is Halloween,
And the Fairy Folk do ride;
Those that would their true love win
At Miles Cross they must hide!

16.'First you let pass the black horse
Then you let pass the brown,
But run up to the milk white steed
And pull the rider down.

17.'First they'll change me in your arms
Into some esk or adder,
Hold me close and fear me not,
For I'm your child's father.

18.'Then they'll turn me in your arms
Into a lion wild.
Hold me tight and fear me not
As you would hold your child.

19.'Then they'll turn me in your arms
Into a red-hot bar of iron,
Hold me close and fear me not,
For I will do no harm.

20.'Then they'll turn me in your arms
Into some burning lead,
Throw me into well-water
And throw me in with speed.

21.'Last they'll turn me in your arms
Into a naked knight
Wrap me up in your green mantle,
And hide me close from sight.'

22.So well she did what he did say
She did her true love win,
She wrapped him up in her mantle,
As blythe as any bird in Spring.

23.Up and spake the Fairy Queen,
And angry cried she,
'If I'd have known of this Tam Lin,
That some lady'd borrowed thee,

24.'If I had known of this Tam Lin,
That some lady borrowed thee,
I'd have plucked out thine eyes of flesh
And put in eyes from a tree!

25.'If I'd have known of this Tam Lin,
Before we came from home,
I'd have plucked out thine heart of flesh
And put in a heart of stone!'

 

 

R. J. Stewart version based upon the 1692 text of ‘The Secret Commonwealth of Elves Fauns and Faeries’ by Robert Kirk.

 

Illustration by Paul Mason from the Fairy Ring Tarot by Anna Franklin.

 

AN UNSEASONAL SEASON?

Nearing the end of March 2013 and looking back over what locally has been without doubt an unusually harsh Spring Equinox. I am reminded that we as a so called civilised culture can still be surprised by the natural tides, which from our cosseted and privileged position may at times appear so unnatural.

The year divided as it is into the two light and darker seasonal halves, has obviously its peaks at the respective Solstices. Although the Equinoxes represent that liminal time, that moment of balance before the scales tip one way or the other, we should if possible avoid that trap so often seen within a civilised society, alienated as it is from those seasonal tides, that a switch of season should conform, indeed obey the artificial human created calendar.

Rather like the way that with the stroke of midnight a new day is designated to have begun, society today takes for granted that Spring will begin anew on a fixed and unchanging date of the year. This is similar in principle; that with the touch of an electrical switch, light appears from a bulb to illuminate our lives. It is part of that all too familiar instantaneous regulation of modern life. It is however, purely a matter of convenience; a recognition that to conform to certain social requirements, such as employment, travel and communication, the ‘official’ start of a day and the fixture of a season has become necessary.

However, the conscious and necessary conformity of such a modern way of living has for many brought about a sub-conscious and erroneous acceptance, that the artificial regulation of ‘time’ is the natural state of being. This manifests in a failure to comprehend the gradual awakening and fading of tides, of light and energy, best illustrated by the simple act of taking time to watch a dawn or a sunset.

Here where I live, not far from the city of Derby in the English Midlands, we have had severe and ‘unseasonal’ snow. However, only a few miles north of here in the Peak District snow in April is not uncommon and an occasional flurry has been recorded as late as July in some parts. Other parts of England and Scotland will also have their own unique weather manifestations, which do not necessarily conform to the idealised expectations of a civilised modern society.

It is a mistake for us enjoying our comfortable lives, to assume that Nature will deign to conform to our expectations of what is and is not natural. Perhaps the presentation of an unseasonal weather pattern is needed sometimes, to shake us from our complacency and our human arrogance. Thus teaching us that Nature rules and that it is we who should at times adapt to Her.

The Ashbourne Shrovetide Football of Derbyshire

Preamble

Every year, usually in February, a custom once common throughout England takes place in the Derbyshire country town of Ashbourne. For two days, Shrove Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, the town all but grounds to a halt, while shops and houses bar their windows with wooden planks, as often it is only the hotels, restaurants and pubs that remain open for business.

Shrovetide Football is not like what we call football today and is known as soccer in the USA. Nor is it like American Football but it does have some similarity to rugby football, as there is a scrum, known locally as the hug.

However, the historical tradition, the numberless players that form each team, the lack of protective clothing, the distinct limit to the rules and the acceptance of male and female players, sets this annual game apart.

Historical background

There is a great deal of speculation on the origins of Shrovetide Football, academics and folklorist all have an opinion but there is little hard evidence to support the many conflicting theories over the customs origin and meaning.

It is speculated that Shrovetide Football may have a history stretching back to pre-Norman times. There are suggestions that the ball may have once been an animal head or possibly a human head. Does this hint at some sacrificial element in pre-history or was the head as some claim, that of an executed criminal? We do not know and I doubt if we ever will, Shrovetide is an enigma.

There were once various Shrovetide traditions throughout England, although many have now ceased to continue. There were many Shrovetide football games, often of a very similar nature to the one that still takes place in Ashbourne. These customs often shared certain common features as Shrovetide traditions appeared to be of a cathartic nature, releasing pent up energy post winter in preparation for the forty days of Lent, leading up to Easter. There would be drinking, feasting and violence.

This rowdy and undisciplined nature of many of the Shrovetide traditions, in particular the customs relating to football, led to their demise. Several legal prohibitions from Medieval times to the Victorian age, document the gradual eradication of these customs. The last Shrovetide Football match to take place in Derby was in the early nineteenth century. It was finally suppressed by force, as crowds refused to obey the formal statutes and continued to gather in the town centre.

The Town of Ashbourne

Ashbourne is known as the Gateway to the Peak, situated as it is on the south eastern edge of the Peak District. Nearby are the famous Dove Dale and Thorpe Cloud, while the town itself is surrounded by beautiful walking country. Alton Towers Amusement Park is within easy reach.

As a town if has failed to become a victim of modern tourism, as there are few “attractions” within the town itself. It stubbornly remains a traditional Derbyshire market town, happy to cater to the passing visitor travelling to or from the Peak District. The town is able to provide accommodation and refreshments to holiday makers, without having lost its character and become just another “holiday stop.” The disadvantage of this; is that visitors can be left with nothing to do if they stay in the town and unlike Matlock Bath and Bakewell, Asbourne still all but shuts down on Bank Holidays and Sundays.

The Match Today

The match is played between two teams: the Up'ards and the Down'ards. Each team may feature hundreds of people from the local area and further afield. Which team you play for is determined by your place of birth; whether it is north or south of the river Henmore, which flows through the town.

The object of the game is to get the leather-bound, cork-filled ball to your goalpost and score. The goal posts however, are three miles apart and consist of old mill wheels set into the sides of bridges at Sturston Mill (for the Up’ards) and Clifton Mill (for the Down’ards).

Unlike football (European or American) or Rugby, you do not score by getting the ball to the opposing teams’ goal. Here the object is to get the ball back to your own teams’ goal. This is the tradition old way of playing football and there is no such thing as a goalkeeper in this kind of game.

The game starts at 2pm post the traditional lunch at the Green Man, the ball is thrown to the waiting crowd gathered in the Shaw Croft car park. This is not a “kick off” as such, the start is called the “turn up” as the ball is “turned” or thrown and being chosen to “turn the ball” is deemed an honour.

The ball is rarely kicked; it generally makes a slow progress in a scrum of players, known locally as a hug. This gives the impression that there are no rules and although it is true that there are few, they are important. Play must avoid private property, religious houses and cemeteries. Although the game can be rough and injury is common, deliberate injury and murder, is no longer tolerated by the town council.

To score or goal the ball, it must be tapped three times against the mill wheel set into the bridge. For this to happen, play is paused when the hug is approaching the goal and straws are drawn to decide who, from one of the local families, will have the honour of trying for a goal. Sometimes however, someone does make a break from the hug to reach the goal before this can take place.

Once the ball is goaled it then becomes the property of the player who scored, as a new ball is used for each new game. If there is a goal before 5pm a new game is started from the Shaw Croft, otherwise play continues until a goal is made or the end time of 10pm is reached.

It is something quite special just to get near the ball and the closest I have ever been was within only two feet or so. Like many others, I was winded in the crush and forced to retire. A friend of mine actually got hold of the ball in his first ever match, beginners’ luck is ever there was but in doing so he near re-fractured his clavicle. He had a painful drive home that day. On my last visit to the match, I assisted in giving first aid to a young man who had passed out in the crush.

The danger of injury as a recognised risk adds a certain excitement to the game and although I am unaware of any evidence to support the notion that this game was once played with either an animal or a human head. While standing on a wall on the edge of the Shaw Croft Car Park watching some five hundred or more local men and women wrestle for the ball. I found myself struck by the terrifying primeval nature of this event that truly sets it apart and makes it such spectacle. I found myself believing, that it once could have been a head.

For further details of the Ashbourne Shrovetide Football please see this website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/derby/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8494000/8494339.stm

This article first appeared in The Hedge Wytch as: Chattering Magpie (Griffith D.B.) 2011 A Grand Day Out – The Ashbourne Shrovetide Football of Derbyshire. The Hedge Wytch. Issue 53 February/Imbolc 2011 pp24-27.

Photography D.B. Griffith 2010.

Text copyright D.B.Griffith 2011.

Reproduction without prior permission of the author prohibited.

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THE REDISCOVERY OF SHAKESPEARE

The Three Weird Sisters from the 1948 film ‘MacBeth’ directed by Orson Welles

It is arguable that William Shakespeare holds that unassailable position of being regarded as the greatest English language dramatist of all time. Other greats such as Wilde, Shaw, Pinter, Potter and numerous others are regarded as being ‘a lesser genius’ although still very much a genius.

From the perspective of the Craft, Paganism and the Occult there are two books that deal with the folklore and supernatural themes found within the works of the Bard that may be of interest to contemporary practitioners and folklorists.

One is ‘Shakespeare and the Supernatural: A Brief Study of Folklore, Superstition, and Witchcraft in Macbeth, Midsummer Night's Dream and the Tempest’ by Margaret Lucy and William Jaggard. Another is ‘Folk-Lore of Shakespeare’ by T. F. Thiselton Dyer. Both works are now quite old as the latter work is a Victorian one for example. Both are however still available, as budget price reprints via Amazon and other sources.

Robert Cochrane was of the opinion that Shakespeare was ‘of the Craft’ as the wealth of folklore and symbolism contained in his work, betrayed in Cochrane’s opinion, inside knowledge. This is of course un-provable but that possibility, together with the contents of the plays, opens up a vista for speculative study.

Recently Michael Howard produced an excellent article for Pagan Dawn (issue 182 Imbolc – Spring Equinox 2012 pp42-44) simply entitled ‘Witchcraft in Shakespeare.’ In his article Howard has reminded us that the Bard depicts Witchcraft or makes reference to sorcery, in several plays and not only the famous Scottish play. He further reminds us that these references reflect the common held belief and perceptions of Elizabethan culture. In that respect Shakespeare is doing what all playwrights do, holding up a mirror and reflecting the trends and beliefs current within society at the time of writing. Shakespeare provides us with a window into the psychology of his own times.

Shakespeare however, does more than simply chronicle the Elizabethan and later Stuart perspective on Witchcraft and sorcery as his plays also contain other references of interest. These include folklore, country medicine and ghosts, together with the exploration of several other supernatural themes. Hence my mention of the two books above.

In late 2012 I had the great delight of attending a performance of the ‘Scottish Play’ in Derby, presented magnificently by the Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company. Chris Scott in the lead role built upon his previous outstanding performances which have included Hamlet; to give an exceptionally sensitive interpretation of the usurper King of Scotland, which was a true pleasure to experience.

The play as per the norm opened with the Three Weird Sisters upon the heath. The opening words however were not those of the Bard. Rather we had an interpolation in the form of a paraphrased closing of the quarters taken from the Alexandrian Book of Shadows and provided in this instance, by the director’s assistant Miss Elke-Loiuse Crump. The supernatural theme and the question of the role of Fate were therefore, emphasised from the beginning in this interpretation of the story and the choice of words, in that now well known mock ‘old world English’ fitted perfectly with the traditional cauldron scene that followed.

The three unusually young women that played The Weird Sisters all wore similar apparel and obviously used similar mannerisms, this together with the Shakespearian dialogue emphasised their own ‘continuity’ throughout the play. This ‘triplicity’ was itself later emphasised with the appearance of Hecate, played by three women of more mature years in a clever juxtaposition to the perceived youth of The Weird Sisters. The Three Hecate like The Sisters appeared in near identical costume with leafy crowns, no Wiccanesque Maiden, Mother, Crone but a traditional neo-Classical interpretation of The Queen.

Does Shakespeare still have relevance today? Without a doubt and seeing a live performance is very much to experience a putting of flesh upon the bones. The plays of Shakespeare like his Sonnets and the stories of our ancestors, were never meant to be read but were instead, meant to be seen, performed and heard.

Supporting theatre companies such as the Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company is one way of seeing the words of the Bard and the themes he is expressing take on a new life and speak to us through the voices of our ancestors.

As stated the ‘Scottish Play’ is just one example of the work of the Bard that explores the themes of Fate, the supernatural and folk-tradition. One famous Shakespearian example of what may be an archaic hunting custom is found in "As You Like It" Act IV Scene 2:

"What shall he have that kill'd the deer?

His leather skin and horns to wear.

Then sing him home:

(The rest shall bear this burden).

Take thou no scorn to wear the horn,

It was a crest ere thou wast born.

Thy father's father wore it,

And thy father bore it;

The horn, the horn, the lusty horn,

Is not a thing to laugh to scorn."

What is the origin and meaning of this custom? That we may never know for certain but the significance of the symbolism will speak to us via our subconscious. There finding a deep resonance within and calling to us on a primeval level, to recognise the Hunted as one with the Hunter, a manifestation of one facet of the Divine Masculine as the Antlered God and a philosophical concept of great complexity that many, including myself, will struggle continually to fully understand. That is the nature of the Mysteries.

The title of this piece, ‘The Rediscovery of Shakespeare’ is in truth an anomaly. Shakespeare does not need to be rediscovered as he was never truly lost.

“This above all; to thine own self be true,

And it must follow, as the night the day,

Thou canst not then be false to any man.”

Speech of Polonius from “Hamlet” Act 1, scene 3.

The Derby Shakespeare Theatre Company

More details on this highly talented theatrical company can be found here:

http://www.derbyshakespeare.org.uk/

ARMISTICE 2012

Recently across the web, the dreaded Facebook and even in the more important real world, there has been much discussion over the meaning of Remembrance Sunday and the wearing of poppies, red and white. One possible reason for this focus has been the falling of Armistice Day (the eleventh day of the eleventh month) on Remembrance Sunday (the nearest Sunday to Armistice Day).

The First World War is quite possibly the greatest waste of human life on record, a description I use with qualification. Although more people died in the Second World War (including large numbers of civilians), the First World War had confused origins and reasons.

It is likely that the majority who fought in the First World War had no real idea of what they actually fought for. Whereas in the Second World War the Allies at least recognised the evil of Hitler, whilst many of those that fought for the Axis genuinely believed that they were defending Europe from outside invaders. Such is the confusion of war and there are always two sides to every argument.

The unfinished business that was left over following the so called ‘Great War’ and the inequalities of the Armistice that followed were even at the time, regarded as a danger to peace in the future. Both ultimately formed an important cause behind the ‘march to war’ in the thirties and some historians have described the wars as round one and round two, of a European civil war that accidentally went global. Without the First World War there could never have been a Second.

In two years time it will be the centenary of the start of the ‘Great War’ and I wonder how we will observe that anniversary. The next time Armistice Day will fall once again on Remembrance Sunday will be the 11th of November 2018, precisely marking the centenary of the ending of the 'Great War' itself. How will that be commemorated?

The responsibility for unjustifiable conflicts, fought on the basis of lies and greed, belongs with the political elites. We should remember the dead of both sides. We should remember that the average solder in both World Wars and in conflicts before (we always forget those wars) and since, including current wars that have certainly not ended, is just doing his or her job.

The eleventh of November is as many will know, All Hallows Eve under the Julian (the pre-Gregorian) calendar. So for many Pagans and Craft folk, this is a time for honouring the ancestors. This beggars the question, what exactly are we remembering so long after these two earth shaking historical periods? Events that highlighted both the best and the worst of human nature; bravery, self-sacrifice and community spirit countered by untold atrocities, war-crimes (committed by both sides) and mass murder, that even today is almost beyond our understanding.

When we honour our ancestors, when we remember them, are we remembering only those of our blood or are we perhaps more wide-ranging in our perspectives? Do we remember our spiritual and our cultural ancestors, together with those of our clans? Do we remember both the hero and the criminal created by war? Perhaps some only wish to remember the winner or the ‘good guy;’ because to spare a thought for the murderer and the criminal, would remind us too much of our own darkness. It would remind us of our own failings and our own weaknesses

Yet standing as we are and facing the dark half of the year; should we not face our own human darkness, our frailties and our strengths that make us what we are? When we remember and honour our ancestors of blood and clan, we should remember and honour for good or ill, that part of us that is of them.

© Chattering Magpie 2012

Hallowtide

“We stand between the quick and the dead.

We honour our ancestors, known and unknown.”

Griffith 2011

“Lo, there do I see my Father.

Lo, there do I see my Mother.

And my Sisters and my Brothers.

Lo, there do I see the line of my people back to the beginning.

They do bid me to take my place among them.”

Crichton M. (1976) Eaters of the dead. Knopf.