Fiona Tinker's Blog, page 8
October 11, 2013
Book Review The Earth, The Gods, and The Soul, Brendan Myers
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
Book Review The Earth, The Gods, and The Soul, Brendan Myers
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
September 17, 2013
Pooka Pages Magazine
This lovely little magazine is written for children and it has some lovely ideas on things to do with small children to help them explore the magic of the natural world around them.
Have a look, it’s free to download, just click on the Pooka Pages link above. Hope you enjoy it.
September 15, 2013
Greetings, Endings and Beginnings
I’ve had a busy summer and just as I thought the wedding season was over and it would quieten down, I found myself working through the complete family announcements section of the newspapers. Not in the sense that I am a slow reader and it took me that long to read them; but as a Pagan Celebrant officiating at three major life events. Two were planned in advance, one was not.
Grace’s Naming Day was an event much looked forward to by her parents and family. Grace was born at the start of summer. She fought incredible odds against her surviving the first weeks after her early birth. Grace also contracted meningitis. She was a very poorly little girl indeed and her young parents endured a nightmare that most of us wouldn’t want to imagine.
Fast forward a few months and not only did Grace survive, but she is positively thriving. Anyone seeing her would never equate her with the little scrap in an incubator, wired up to so many machines. She is in a much, much better place than her mum and dad were given as a possible prognosis in the deepest part of her illness. Grace is a tribute to the special care baby unit in the hospital where she was born – she is also a tribute to the determination and strength of the life force we all have. She’s a very special little girl indeed, one who is doing all the things other babies of her age do, such as smiling and gurgling as if she’s auditioning for the opening sequence of Telly Tubbies. She laughs at the world, as if to say, ‘Who was sick? I’m here now!”
Her Naming Day was more than her naming; it was a celebration of the gift of life. Grace is the wonder of the beginning, the reminder that life will fight just to be. May she grow into her name.
I’ve performed a fair few legal Pagan religious marriages over the summer, and those are always fun to do; from the initial meeting the couple, to writing the ceremony, to the day itself. Handfastening is a part of the marriage ceremony and the symbolic tying the knot is a powerful visual reminder of the intent and the vows made. However, handfastening by itself is no longer a legal marriage and if the ceremony is to be a Legal Pagan Religious one, the notification has to be given at the local registrar office, as per all marriages. There is a form of words that must be said by the bride, groom and celebrant in front of witnesses to ensure that a marriage handfastening is legal, and all parties must sign the marriage schedule to confirm a legal marriage has taken place. However, a handfastening ceremony without the legal marriage declaration is a beautiful way to pledge vows to each other and some couples choose to have just this ceremony as a betrothal and promise, and then arrange a legal wedding ceremony later.
A young man from Germany, Ron, got in contact. He was coming to Scotland with his girlfriend for a holiday. He planned to propose to her whilst they were here and wanted to arrange a surprise handfastening at the time he proposed. Much to-ing and fro-ing by email and we organised the wording of the ceremony. Ron decided on Clava Cairns for his proposal. It didn’t take me long to figure out that Ron was a romantic – his girlfriend, Maria, had admired a ring when they were on Skye. He went back and bought it for her without her knowing. He wanted a piper. No problem, I knew just the person. Everything was organised. Bear in mind Maria knew nothing and this had the potential to go completely awry. The plan was for the piper and me go to Clava and set up. Ron and Maria would be there ‘looking around’ and would wander over to see what was happening, I’d begin the ceremony – then invite her to take part. That was the point Ron would propose to her. What could go wrong?
We arrived at Clava at the same time Ron and Maria did. The piper and I were in ceremonial clothes, so we stuck out. I did a good job of ignoring Ron and Maria but the piper not so much! We got set up. Ron and Maria moved towards our grove. A small black cat appeared from nowhere and sat in my circle. The piper played his cue and Ron and Maria wandered over – followed by a bus load of American tourists who’d chosen that moment to explore the cairns. They hadn’t a clue what was going on but they looked impressed and the wee black cat sitting beside the broomstick got its photo taken a fair few times.
I explained what was going to happen and announced that all handfastenings need a bride and groom; and then I invited Maria to join us. Ron proposed and the American tourists looked like they were going to explode with delight. She didn’t run away, she didn’t scream – she said yes. Ladies and gentlemen, we had a handfastening!
It was truly lovely – they both glowed. I wish them happiness in the world. So does the little black cat who took such an interest in the proceedings.The cat was so at home that Ron thought we’d brought it with us.
The tourist guide told me afterwards that as they were driving down, she’d explained that Clava Cairns was a sacred place and you never knew what was going on. She was rather pleased to find the handfastening ceremony – this was day one of the Americans’ tour and they had another nine days to go. Hope they found some other unusual sights too. I’d love to be a fly on the wall when they are back in the US talking about what they’d seen.
These two ceremonies were arranged in advance and celebrate the joys of life. The circle of life is two-thirds through the wheel or two-thirds down the newspaper announcement columns.
The final third was the unexpected ceremony, the funeral of a friend’s father. He was a lovely, jolly man, gone too soon. He was Pagan, though private about his beliefs. His family are Pagan. It is an emotional thing to write a personal ceremony in honour of the dead, to send their soul on its journey and to comfort the living who remain. It is harder still when you knew the person. Roy was just such a force of nature – a sunshine nature. His immediate family were understandably devastated. A great number of friends mourned his passing.
His daughter did him proud. His funeral service was written and agreed on after the usual discussions. It was a service full of funny anecdotes, personal reminiscences, laughter, tears and – most importantly – love. Roy had the send-off he would have wanted, accompanied by his favourite music.
And the circle closes with the death of this lovely man.I close my newspaper.
And I am reminded that this is what it is all about. None of us ever really die. We may be reincarnated. We may go elsewhere. But one thing is certain, the life force is strong in us all and even in death, we live on in the genes, the hearts and the memories of our descendents.
August 25, 2013
Book Review: Lost Eagle: The Untold Story of HRH Grand Duchess Tatiana of Russia 1897 – 1926
This new novel, by Steven Ingman-Greer, takes us back to the last years of Imperial Russia as told through the voice of the second daughter of the ill-fated Romanov family, the Grand Duchess Tatiana. The narrative structure takes the form of Tatiana’s diary, with occasional entries by other characters at points in the text where it is necessary to keep the plot moving but the main narrator is unable to write.
The first part of the book explores Tatiana’s childhood as she grows up in the Imperial Household. Her liveliness and vitality are beautifully penned: she is brought back as a living, breathing girl through the skill of the author. Her love of music is infectious, to the point where it should not alarm readers if they hear faint strains of Rachmaninov playing in their heads whilst reading. Sadly, It is her love of music that causes a major problem for her later in the novel.
Tatiana’s relationships within her family are explored and her complex emotions and thoughts are confessed to her diary. Her closeness to her sister, Olga, and to her father, Tsar Nicholas II, develop against her growing awareness of who her family are; the political uncertainties of Russia in the first decade of the 20th C and the tensions caused by the First World War. Needless to say, Rasputin is an influence in her life, given his closeness to the Imperial family and their dependence on him to cure her small brother, the heir to the dynasty, when he bleeds due to his haemophilia. However, the Rasputin portrayed in this novel is not the lascivious, slobbering puppet-master we are familiar with via popular media, but an intelligent, thoughtful and spiritual guide from whom Tatiana and Olga learn much about Russia and about themselves.
The events of the first section of the book take place as anyone familiar with the historical story would expect. And we would expect the tale to end in 1918 – because that is what the official histories say: the Romanov’s were executed. Over the years, there have been many stories that not all of the Royal Family were executed and that Anastasia, the youngest daughter, escaped. Ingman-Greer explores this and gives his readers much to think about in his version of events. Anastasia did indeed escape – but not for long.
Part II of the novel picks up where the official histories end and explores the premise that it was Tatiana – not Anastasia – who survived. The author has drawn on a variety of documents to construct this section of his narrative. He tells an intriguing story that could be checked by anyone inclined to do so, as his sources are cited. If you would like to know what Ingman-Greer says happened – read the book. It is an extremely good read, but it would be unfair to discuss the labyrinth of plotting and political shenanigans in this part of the plot. To do so really would spoil the story for those who have not read it yet. But the Tatiana who survived eight years after her family were murdered is one whom the reader will warm to and feel sympathetic towards as she tries to negotiate her way back into life from a position of being officially dead. This Tatiana is one who carried the wisdom, strength and teachings of Rasputin into her new life.
Ingman-Greer’s novel is beautifully constructed, thought-provoking and a highly recommended ‘must read’ for fans of historical fiction.
Fiona Tinker, August 2013.
Lost Eagle: The Untold Story of HRH Grand Duchess Tatiana of Russia 1897 – 1926, Steven Ingman-Greer (Top Hat Books, 2013.)
July 26, 2013
Book Review 2: A Dangerous Place – Robin Herne
A Dangerous Place – Robin Herne
(Moon Books: 2013)
Robin Herne’s latest book is a collection of ten stories set in Ipswich, a town in the south-east of England. It is the dark side of his hometown that Herne explores in these tales. Tales set in the same place but not in the same time. The sequence of ten stories run from pre-history to now, each tale is complete in itself but each weaves with the others to give the sense of A Dangerous Place.
The book is structured with notes after each story, giving information on the socio-historical and fictional aspects of the tales. These notes were very useful in forming a context and sketching a light history of the town of Ipswich. Those who wish it can follow the references in the story notes to see what else can be learned. All will enjoy these stories.
Pagan themes and references run through the stories but they are not didactic. Several are, however, central to his characterisations and plots and Herne’s lightness of touch entices the reader to explore further. The final story has an amusing, mischievous take on some current Pagan debates as a sub-text in the tale. The entire collection of stories can be read merely for entertainment – but they could also be read as a starting point for moot discussions given some of the themes and ideas they contain.
Herne’s characters are succinct and believable: several of them continued to parade on the mental stage long after the book was closed. Those who retain the echoes of a childhood fascination / fear of scarecrows will not be disappointed…
Thoroughly recommended.
Fiona Tinker
The Scottish Pagan Federation
Book Review 1: Diary of a Heretic! – Mark Townsend
Diary of a Heretic! The Pagan Adventures of a Christian Priest – Mark Townsend
(Moon Books: 2013)
Townsend documents a year in his life as he moves away from his role as a Church of England priest and begins a journey into a wider spirituality through an exploration of Paganism / Druidry. He may have become disillusioned by the institution that ordained him but he is never disillusioned by the figure of Jesus, who seems to give Townsend his centre as he explores his own spiritual path. His theological understanding of the differences in the ministry of Jesus and the ministry of the Church as an institution is subtly drawn and it is worth taking the time to pause and think about what he has written in this regard.
Many of the matters he wrestles with have echoes in earlier Scottish fiction: Hogg’s The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (1824) and Robertson’s The Testament of Gideon Mack (2006) both of which explore the effects of institutional religion on their protagonists. However, Diary of a Heretic! is not a reworking of themes from Scottish literature transposed to England, but the very real – and very honest – experiences of a man as he undergoes a year of personal spiritual transition and growth.
Fiona Tinker,
The Scottish Pagan Federation
April 15, 2013
John Mac’s Good News – The Scottish Pagan Federation, 13th April 2013.
John Macintyre, the District Manager and former Presiding Officer of the Scottish Pagan Federation made an important announcement at the SPF’s Annual Conference in Edinburgh on April 13th, 2013:
Six weeks ago the Scottish Pagan Federation was accepted into membership of the Scottish Interfaith Council. It’s taken 14 years of campaigning to get there but it’s quite a useful turning point. Paganism is now recognised and accepted at every level within civic Scotland. To those of you who are members of Scottish PF, thank you; your support means everything in this sort of struggle. To those who are not, remember that Scottish PF can only achieve things when it represents a credible mass of the Scottish Pagan Community. If you’re not a member yet, please think about it.
This is a stunning and welcome piece of news – both congratulations and thanks to John Macintyre for his amazing hard work and determination on behalf of the SPF.
Scotland – a fine place to be Pagan.
April 5, 2013
I’ll be giving a talk about Seumas O’Sullivan at the Scot...
I’ll be giving a talk about Seumas O’Sullivan at the Scottish Pagan Federation’s Annual Conference in Edinburgh, on Saturday 13th April. O’Sullivan really is a fascinating man. He was part of the Irish Literary Revival, a Theosophist, a dreamer – and a man very much in touch with the Land, Sea and Sky. He did more than use the myths of Ireland to further political ends – the myths spoke to him and through him. He lived their essence and the Gods spoke through his pen. O’Sullivan truly was a Bard to to the Gods.
If you’d like to find out more, come along, listen and join in. Look forward to seeing some of you there.
http://www.scottishpf.org/conf.html
February 17, 2013
Book Reviews
When you write a book – especially if it is your first time writing a book – you can’t be too sure about how it will be received. I’d imagine that’s a common feeling among authors, be it a first book or a fiftieth. But, as a first-time author, you are pretty clueless about the after-writing process. It was a bit of a shock to learn that it’s not a case of write the book and see what happens afterwards. The publisher markets it and sets you up with various interviews. He also wants reviews. Reviews are the things that get books talked about, get them known.
This after-writing process was a wander into the unknown. I’ve had fun doing various interviews, even if it they were a bit nerve-wracking for someone who’s a bit on the quiet side. I’ve been thrilled to read wonderful reviews from people who enjoyed my book and who took the time and trouble to leave reviews on various sites. Thank you, I really do appreciate it.
The review below was left on Amazon a week or so ago. I don’t know who left it but I’d like to thank you too for doing so. It’s a lovely review and I am deeply honoured that you felt this way after reading it.
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Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you have felt that the Gods and Goddesses of this land are standing close by but just out of sight then this book is for you.
If you love the poetry of WB Yeats, Fiona MacLeod and Seumas O’Sullivan then this book is for you.
If you have never experienced the magic of the poetry written by WB Yeats, Fiona MacLeod or Seumas O’Sullivan then this book is certainly for you.
Fiona Tinker uses her vast knowledge and indisputable intelligence to take the reader on an enlightening journey, opening up the realms of her chosen poets in a way never before experienced. Fiona’s style is deliberately easy to read. Her skills as a teacher allow her to share her passion in a way that is accessible to all readers.
I feel as though, until now, I have been reading poetry with my eyes closed. Fiona Tinker has not only opened my eyes but my heart and soul too. For years I have struggled in connecting with the Gods and Goddesses of this land. I have tried the elaborate circle casting, performed protracted rituals and read the plethora of pagan DIY manuals. Fiona Tinkers book has shown me the way to make strong, meaningful connections. This book feels as though it comes from somewhere deep in time and place. There is a great strength to this book. It has had a profound effect on me. Sadly I don’t share Fiona Tinker’s craft as a word smith to allow me to give you a true sense of that impact. All I can say is “Thank you Fiona x” and “READ THIS BOOK!”.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Pagan-Portals-Pathworking-exploring-understanding/dp/1780992858/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361092652&sr=8-1 accessed 17.2.13
