Fiona Tinker's Blog, page 7
February 25, 2014
Book Review
Dionysos: Exciter to Frenzy, Vikki Bramshaw
(Avalonian Books, 2013.)
Dionysos is a God that most people generally have heard of and his name has survived through millennia; even if the specifics of his cult are not common knowledge. If pushed, people may be able to say something about his role as a God of the Vine. However, those who work with and worship Dionysos know his many faces and the depth of his concerns, which are much greater than the generalised understanding held by those who do not.
Bramshaw’s erudite and informative book comes from the latter perspective. It explores Dionysos in his many guises and how he is presented through history and myth. For those who have little knowledge of Dionysos – and even for those who know this God – her book is a goldmine of information. It is a complex, in-depth book and a joy to read.
The Cult of Dionysos is an ancient mystery religion and the cycles of birth, death and rebirth are explored through the myths of Dionysos the thrice-born. The concepts of sacrifice, dismemberment and rejuvenation are part of his Mysteries and Bramshaw explores the meanings of these rites and their links to other mythos. For his adherents, Dionysos is a God who walks all the realms. He is a God born of a human mother and an immortal father. The cyclic nature of the pattern of his worship is followed through a three- year cycle with each year being allocated to an aspect of the God: absence, presence and unity. Each year has its own observations and obligations, which are explored thoroughly; and the aspects accompanying each incarnation are placed in the context of the weather patterns of the countries surrounding the Aegean Sea and the year of his trieteric cycle of worship. The nature of the God is explained through each phase, with the duality of present / absent being central to understanding his interactions with his worshippers and cycle of the year.
One of the general misconceptions that may exist about Dionysos is that drunken orgies are part of his rites. Bramshaw deftly quashes this and explores the part that alcohol actually does play in his rites, some of which is very surprising and thought-provoking. In addition to wine, Dionysian worship also involved mead and a drink made from milk and honey, called melikratos. The time of fermentation is part of the acknowledgement of his mysteries and links back to the duality of this God: absence and presence. This facet of his worship is extremely interesting and certainly clears any misunderstandings about Dionysos as only a God of out-of-control drunkenness.
The role of the Maenads, the female devotees who are portrayed as wild women during their rites, is explored and explained. Again, the truth of their role is surprising and much deeper than the general reader may have initially understood. These women, who included matrons as well as maidens, communed with Dionysos by altering their consciousness with ecstatic rites – one aspect of the frenzy of worship. The purposes and the methods are beautifully described. However, Dionysos is a God of duality and the Maenads have their counterpart role: the Thyiads. This role seems to belong in the ‘absent’ – the quiet time, a time of personal sacrifice, awakening, renewal and nurturing. One can only speculate that the Thyiad is less well-known because it is not associated with actions that would raise either an eyebrow or a frisson of Victorian disapproval.
Bramshaw’s book is extensive and her sources reach back to writers such as Nonnus, Homer, Ovid and Euripides. This volume comprehensively documents Dionysos, his myths and symbolism through these early writings. The animals and vegetation sacred to him each have their story to tell and their symbolism to explain and explore. As with the parts of the book highlighted here, these sections too are thorough and thoughtful. The bull, goat, snake and big cats all have significant roles and meanings for adherents of Dionysos. The book concludes with tables giving a calendar of correspondences of Athenian months and the rites and rituals associated with Dionysos. All of it adds complexity and layers of meaning to a God who is much more than a mere ancient God of the Vine.
Although it may not necessarily be an easy read for those who have scant knowledge of Dionysos, this book is highly recommended. It is well-written, well-sourced and well-referenced. Bramshaw’s style gently leads her readers through a maze of complex relationships, interpretations and understandings of ancient practices and texts through the prism of one who honours Dionysos in the present day.
February 14, 2014
Paganism 101: An Introduction to Paganism by 101 Pagans
This new book is a composite project from Moon Books and is a really interesting read. Well, I found it so because I had no idea what others had written until I saw the pre-publication proofs! 101 of us each wrote a little section about what who we are, what we believe and what we do – http://www.moon-books.net/books/paganism-101
Available via Amazon and other book sellers.
February 8, 2014
The Tinkers’ Heart (2) – Some Background* and How it Looks Now
In 1928 the nearby road was resurfaced by workmen from the local council, who covered the Heart. Both Tinkers and local landowners objected to this action and Lady George Campbell insisted that the tar be removed from the site. Not only was the Heart restored, this episode showed the importance of the Heart to both a distinct Scottish cultural group and to the local gentry. By protecting this site, Lady Campbell showed her appreciation of the diverse cultures within the Scotland of her time and her appreciation of the people farmers relied on as seasonal agricultural workers. She understood that the land and its entire people are intertwined: the land shapes the people as much as people shape the land.
The layout of the road was changed in the 1970s and the main road was realigned, leaving the Heart in a field instead of at the junction of the roads. The RCHAMS record of the site clearly documents that it was the road that was moved to the east, whilst the Tinkers’ Heart remained in its original position: http://tinyurl.com/ovzkk9z .
How long the Heart has been in Argyll is not known for certain but stories of Caird men (Tinkers from the area) who fought and did not return from the Battle of Culloden of 1745, were remembered by their kinsfolk, in way of the ancient practice of laying a quartz stone for each one lost, culminating in the heart shape and its significance both to the area and the culture. The same understanding of the Tinkers’ Heart as a place of memory to honour those who travelled away to war and never came back is still extant in tales told of those who went to war in the 20th c and never came home again.
The Heart is more protected now than when the photo posted earlier of Jess at the site was taken. The new fencing goes some way to preventing the Heart being trampled on by cattle. If Jess is successful in her campaign to have this monument listed, other protective measures can be put in place. The Tinkers’ Heart is not a huge site in physical terms, but in terms of love, of memory and of sacred significance, it is a site of enormous proportions and cultural, historical and religious significance.
“We only ask for our thumb print on the earth; our Tinkers’ Heart. We owe it to the sacrifices made by our ancestors.” ~ Jess Smith.
*The background information in this blog post has been taken from the petition Jess is working on.
February 7, 2014
The Tinkers’ Heart
This is author and storyteller Jess Smith in a place of her ancestors, a small, lonely spot in Argyll. A place where three roads met and where a heart made from white quartz was lovingly created over time. This is the Tinkers’ Heart: a space sacred to Scotland’s Travelling people.
It is a place of love, of loss and of memory. It is a place where marriages were made, where children were named and where those Tinker men who lost their lives in wars were remembered. It is a place of both of the ancestors and the descendants.
The nature of Travellers meant they walked the earth lightly and their sacred spaces have always been hidden in plain view. The land. This is something we Pagans have in common with our Travelling Kin – we know the land shapes us as people and we honour the sacredness of the land.
This is one more reason the Tinkers’ Heart is special. It is a physical monument , laid out in chuckie stones, a place that is a focus for the memory of the parts Tinkers played in the history of Scotland.
Jess is trying to have this sacred place listed as a monument. Mike Russell MSP is helping her through the labyrinth of officialese. She has a petition under way and when it is up and running, I will post the link for those who would sign support for her wish to secure this important place as a monument.
In the meantime, please remember this little bit of Scotland and the many people who passed that way in their Summer Walking days.
Jess Smith: http://www.jesssmith.co.uk/
The Speech They Tried to Shout Down
Pete Wishart (Perth and North Perthshire) (SNP):
It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine (Sir Robert Smith), and may I congratulate the hon. Member for Glasgow North East (Mr Bain) on ensuring we have this important, but all too short, debate today? May I also say to hon. Members that I will not be taking any interventions?
This is an extremely interesting - and revealing - speech from Pete Wishart MP.
February 2, 2014
Pooka Pages
Pooka Pages magazine for Pagan Kids is the brainchild of Lora Gaddis, an artist and writer from California. She’s been writing and illustrating the magazine for over a decade now. Pooka is a naughty, adventurous little cat who has many stories to tell.
The magazine is published just before each of the eight festivals on the wheel of the year and has stories, crafts, colouring pictures and simple cookery ideas to delight and amuse small children.
Why not have a look at Lora’s work? Link – http://www.pookapages.com/magazinepage.htm
January 18, 2014
Book Review: Shamanism for Teenagers, Robert Levy
Shamanism for Teenagers, Young Adults and the Young at Heart: Shamanic Practice Made Easy for the Newest Generations Robert Levy (Soul Books, 2014.)
The concept of Shamanism being made easy will no doubt raise an eyebrow or two, not least amongst those cultures for whom Shamanism is a sacred concept and the Shaman a revered elder with the life experience and learning needed for the role. The idea that a Halflin* would fit the traditional criteria was an interesting proposition from the author; one that – at first glance – seemed to be steeped in the cult of youth fed to us by western media.
This preconception of an ancient cultural practice being somewhat misappropriated did not disperse on reading the introduction. It is stereotypically USA American in its sales pitch – noisy and hyperbolic. The author initially tries too hard to ‘get down there with the kids.’ However, I am not from that culture and certainly several decades too old to be the intended audience; so it may well be that this is a successful way to approach American youth.
Levy settles down and begins to explain his premise: ‘Shamanism is a personal journey you want to take in order to help you live a better life by knowing yourself better.’ This allusion to some of the guidance carved on the Delphic Oracle was encouraging. Levy explains what Shamanism means to him in simple terms, pointing out that what is seen in fantasy films is an artistic construct. His discourse on what Shamans do is ample for a teenager who has only just begun their journey and forms a good base to build on by further reading / learning. He also makes the point that his book will not turn a teenager into a Shaman, but it will turn a teenager into one who has begun a journey as a Shamanic Practitioner. In addition, Levy is clear that the title Shaman is one conferred, not claimed, but there are some disingenuous statements which have, in all probability, been inserted in to the text to prevent claims of encouraging teenagers to experiment in ways that are harmful or illegal.
The body of the text consists of a series of gentle exercises which are designed to encourage an exploration of the Spirit world. The series of exercises increase in complexity, both in the journey and the reflection needed afterwards if any serious learning is to be gained from it. The context of Levy’s Shamanic exercises seems rooted in First Nation American People’s practice, which means that the animals Levy uses as illustration are from that continent too. This might cause a little difficulty for non-American teens unacquainted with either a specific animal or the folklore associated with it. That aside, these exercises are a very good way of pointing out a path to someone just stepping out.
However, nothing much seems to be made of psychic self-defence when journeying, but protection from psychic vampires on this plane is. This seems strange: surely those who bring themselves to the attention of spirit do need to know how to deal with the attention from things they do not want to meet?
Overall, in many ways, this book is a useful starting point for teenagers wishing to explore Shamanic practice. However, it is a book for teenagers. Older and experienced Pagans will either like it or loathe it.
*Halflin – Scots. Half-grown
January 12, 2014
Book Review: The Shaman Within – Barbara Meiklejohn-Free
The Shaman Within: Reclaiming our Rites of Passage, Barbara Meiklejohn-Free
(Moon Books, 2013)
This extraordinary book is one that defies categorisation, which may have been the author’s intention. It’s not that Meiklejohn-Free wishes to confuse, merely that she wishes her readers to think and to find a personal categorisation for themselves within their own circumstances and stage on a Pagan path. By doing this, the messages within her book will find their individual targets and therefore be of personal use to those seeking wisdom from her path and learning from her experiences.
Meiklejohn-Free’s book is, indeed, multi-faceted.
The biographical aspects of her book take us on a painful journey through the early years of her life as she grows up in her adopted family and experiences the problems and tribulations of being a soul connected to the land whilst being a child expected to conform to the society she lives in. The importance of who we are, who our ancestors are and how we link with them is a recurring theme throughout the book and it links to one of the central concerns: talking and listening with the heart, not the head. There is much in this aspect of the book that many will identify within their own stories and their own paths.
In addition, this book is a very honest and personal journal of experiential Paganism. Meiklejohn-Free documents the learning on her path; from the guidance and love she found in the indigenous Elders of her own culture to the Lakota First Nation Elders who welcomed her and taught her. Her journeying – the exploration of the soul, the sacred connections we have to past lives, ancestors and the other realms – is beautifully penned and vibrate with life. The vignettes exploring her connections with the River Ness and the Cailleach are vibrant. Meiklejohn-Free’s account of meeting the Cailleach at her crannog is a powerful reminder of the enduring strength of the Ancient Ones of Scotland and it lays the foundations for further experiences and connections within the Ancients and Totems of the Lakota Nation.
A book that is a mix of biography and journal, as discussed above, would be a worthwhile addition to any collection about experiential Paganism, but Meiklejohn-Free does not end here. She wishes to share her journeying and learning; and her book continues by encouraging readers to explore his / her own soul, heart and lives. In a sense, it is also a self-help book as life’s journey, from birth to death, is accompanied by questioning and exercises, enabling the reader to explore the particular aspect of life under discussion in relation to his / her own life. Each of the life stages is related to a point in the wheel of the year and a ritual for completing the learning in each section is suggested. These sections are thoroughly explained, easy to follow, and will appeal to many readers.
Meiklejohn-Free has woven many strands into a medicine blanket. Although we do not – and can not – walk identical paths, Meiklejohn-Free’s blanket is woven with love and respect for those who taught her much and she offers the shelter of her medicine blanket to those who would learn from her life experiences.
Review: Shaman Within - Barbara Meiklejohn-Free
(Moon Books, 2013)
This extraordinary book is one that defies categorisation, which may have been the author’s intention. It’s not that Meiklejohn-Free wishes to confuse, merely that she wishes her readers to think and to find a personal categorisation for themselves within their own circumstances and stage on a Pagan path. By doing this, the messages within her book will find their individual targets and therefore be of personal use to those seeking wisdom from her path and learning from her experiences.
Meiklejohn-Free’s book is, indeed, multi-faceted.
The biographical aspects of her book take us on a painful journey through the early years of her life as she grows up in her adopted family and experiences the problems and tribulations of being a soul connected to the land whilst being a child expected to conform to the society she lives in. The importance of who we are, who our ancestors are and how we link with them is a recurring theme throughout the book and it links to one of the central concerns: talking and listening with the heart, not the head. There is much in this aspect of the book that many will identify within their own stories and their own paths.
In addition, this book is a very honest and personal journal of experiential Paganism. Meiklejohn-Free documents the learning on her path; from the guidance and love she found in the indigenous Elders of her own culture to the Lakota First Nation Elders who welcomed her and taught her. Her journeying – the exploration of the soul, the sacred connections we have to past lives, ancestors and the other realms - is beautifully penned and vibrate with life. The vignettes exploring her connections with the River Ness and the Cailleach are vibrant. Meiklejohn-Free’s account of meeting the Cailleach at her crannog is a powerful reminder of the enduring strength of the Ancient Ones of Scotland and it lays the foundations for further experiences and connections within the Ancients and Totems of the Lakota Nation.
A book that is a mix of biography and journal, as discussed above, would be a worthwhile addition to any collection about experiential Paganism, but Meiklejohn-Free does not end here. She wishes to share her journeying and learning; and her book continues by encouraging readers to explore his / her own soul, heart and lives. In a sense, it is also a self-help book as life’s journey, from birth to death, is accompanied by questioning and exercises, enabling the reader to explore the particular aspect of life under discussion in relation to his / her own life. Each of the life stages is related to a point in the wheel of the year and a ritual for completing the learning in each section is suggested. These sections are thoroughly explained, easy to follow, and will appeal to many readers.
Meiklejohn-Free has woven many strands into a medicine blanket. Although we do not - and can not - walk identical paths, Meiklejohn-Free’s blanket is woven with love and respect for those who taught her much and she offers the shelter of her medicine blanket to those who would learn from her life experiences.
Fiona Tinker
October 11, 2013
The Earth, The Gods, and The Soul: A History of Pagan Philosophy, from the Iron Age to the 21st Century, Brendan Myers
(Moon Books, 2013.)
This new publication from Dr. Myers is a comprehensive, erudite introduction to various schools of philosophical thought, which explores philosophical thinking from non-Abrahamic religions points of view. This book is not a light read, nor, given its focus, could it be if it were to do any justice to its subject matter. For those not overly familiar with the intricacies of philosophy, Myers provides a helpful link to his publication Clear and Present Thinking: A Handbook in Logic and Rationality which can be downloaded free from his website: http://tinyurl.com/mrqvvsj
The whole premise of the book can be summed up thus: “Ideas don’t need institutions. Ideas only need people.” (p.9) and Myers explores millennia of people and their ideas in the context of Pagan thinking. As he points out, there is much more to the word Pagan than just someone who lived in the countryside and that many of the ideas we take for granted in the west actually originated in civic societies where ancient Pagan Gods were worshipped. His book travels from the ideas of the distant past through the Renaissance and the Enlightenment to the present day. It is a thought-provoking, informative and intellectually-stimulating read. It encourages the reader to compare their own world view with the luminaries of both past and present; to question not only their own ideas but to compare them with those explored in the book and, most importantly of all; it encourages the reader to think deeply about Paganism both in general and Paganism in the personal and particular. There are some interesting surprises in the book, including writing from St. Francis of Assisi, which is stunningly, evocatively beautiful. I won’t spoil why this Christian saint is included in a book of Pagan philosophy – it really is a pleasant task for readers to ponder his inclusion for themselves.
However, one small criticism of the book is its lack of an index. Although the index for this book will be available for download in due course from Myers’s website, its physical lack was quite an irritant when wishing to cross-reference or check on something. This kind of book really does need an index. That criticism aside, The Earth, The Gods and The Soul truly is an excellent place to start for the serious student of Pagan thought and philosophy who wishes to understand something of the ideas that have shaped Pagan thinking. Highly recommended.
Fiona Tinker
