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 it 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.

To subscribe to the Hedge Wytch please see the website

http://sothisstar.co.uk/

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.

“Riders on the Storm” The Doors

 Luis Ricardo Falero 1880

Riders on the storm.

Riders on the storm.

Into this house were born.

Into this world were thrown.

Like a dog without a bone,

An actor out on loan.

Riders on the storm.

Theres a killer on the road,

His brain is squirmin like a toad.

Take a long holiday,

Let your children play.

If ya give this man a ride,

Sweet family will die.

Killer on the road, yeah.

Girl ya gotta love your man.

Girl ya gotta love your man.

Take him by the hand,

Make him understand.

The world on you depends,

Our life will never end.

Gotta love your man, yeah.

Wow!

Riders on the storm.

Riders on the storm.

Into this house were born.

Into this world were thrown.

Like a dog without a bone,

An actor out alone.

Riders on the storm.

Riders on the storm.

Riders on the storm.

Riders on the storm.

Riders on the storm.

Riders on the storm.

"Ghost Riders in the Sky" by Stan Jones ©1948

The Wildhunt by P.N. Arbo 1872

An old cowboy went riding out one dark and windy day,

Upon a ridge he rested as he went along his way.

When all at once a mighty herd of red eyed cows he saw,

A-plowing through the ragged sky and up the cloudy draw.

Their brands were still on fire and their hooves were made of steel.

Their horns were black and shiny and their hot breath he could feel.

A bolt of fear went through him as they thundered through the sky.

For he saw the Riders coming hard and he heard their mournful cry.

Yippie yi Ohhhhh.

Yippie yi yaaaaay.

Ghost Riders in the sky.

Their faces gaunt, their eyes were blurred, their shirts all soaked with sweat.

He's riding hard to catch that herd but he ain't caught 'em yet.

'Cause they've got to ride forever, on that range up in the sky.

On horses snorting fire, as they ride on hear their cry.

Yippie yi Ohhhhh.

Yippie yi yaaaaay.

Ghost Riders in the sky.

As the riders loped on by him, he heard one call his name;

“If you want to save your soul from Hell, a-riding on our range.

Then cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride.

Trying to catch the Devil's herd, across these endless skies.”

Yippie yi Ohhhhh.

Yippie yi yaaaaay.

Ghost Riders in the sky.

Ghost Riders in the sky.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mynzbmrtp9I

A Little Humour for Halloween

This is a true story and it took place only a couple of years ago.

It was a weekend and I was at home preparing my house for our Hallowtide gathering. One of my fellow members of the Hearth of the Turning Wheel was staying the weekend with me and helping to sort out our ritual equipment.

We had amongst this equipment the Hearth totems and one of these is a “haremask,” which is the facial skin of a hare complete with fur and ears. This "mask" was tied to a rabbit skin by leather thronging and looked rather like a glove puppet.

While we were chatting we heard a knock at the door and I, expecting other Hearth members; swung back the front door while remaining hidden behind it, extended my arm with the hare puppet on it and shouted; “Happy Halloween!”

There was complete silence. I stepped out from behind the door expecting to see our other Hearth members but no. Instead I found a Jehovah’s Witness, as white as a sheet.