11.00 is as many of you will have realised is coffee time at the castle. Ten minutes to catch up on blogs of friends and strangers. It never ceases to amaze me how apparently England has succumbed to the commercialisation of "Halloween" How many understand its history? How many who shy away from the supernatural, embrace the celebration of a byegone age. The self same people who would reject a seance or an evening with the Ouija board, ['Yes Board' in French], openly invite the spirits of the dead into their homes. What a pity that a more meaningful celebration on November 5th. pales into insignificance in many peoples minds.

 

The winter season of the ancient Celts. The Celts divided the year into four quarters: Samhain (winter), Imbolc (spring), Bel), and Lughnasadh (autumn). The Celtic year began in November, with Samhain. The Celts were influenced principally by the lunar and stellar cycles which governed the agricultural year - beginning and ending in autumn when the crops have been harvested and the soil is prepared for the winter. Samhain Eve, in Erse, Oidhche Shamhna, is one of the principal festivals of the Celtic calendar, and is thought to fall on or around the 31st of October. It represents the final harvest.
Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. Villagers cast the bones of the slaughtered cattle upon the flames. [The word bonfire is thought to derive from these "bone fires."].  With the bonfire ablaze, the villagers extinguished all other fires. Each family then solemnly lit their hearth from the common flame, thus bonding the families of the village together.  Like most Celtic festivals, it was celebrated on a number of levels. Materially speaking it was the time of gathering food for the long winter months ahead, bringing people and their livestock in to their winter quarters. To be alone and missing at this dangerous time was to expose yourself and your spirit to the perils of imminent winter. In present times the importance of this part of the festival has diminished for most people. From the point of view of a tribal people for whom a bad season meant facing a long winter of famine in which many would not survive to the spring, it was paramount. Samhain is also a time for contemplation. Death was never very far away, yet to die was not the tragedy it is in modern times. Of signal importance to the Celts people was to die with honour and to live in the memory of the tribe and be honoured at the great feast.

This was the most magical time of the year; Samhain was the day which did not exist. During the night the great shield of Skathach was lowered, allowing the barriers between the worlds to fade and the forces of chaos to invade the realms of order, the material world conjoining with the world of the dead. At this time the spirits of the dead and those yet to be born walked amongst the living. The dead could return to the places where they had lived and food and entertainment were provided in their honour. In this way the tribes were at one with its past, present and future. 
On the level of cosmic event, the rising of Pleiades, the winter stars, heralds the supremacy of night over day, the dark half ruled by the realms of the moon.

In the three days preceding the Samhain month the Sun God, Lugh, maimed at Lughnassadh, dies by the hand of his Tanist (his other self), the Lord of Misrule. Lugh traverses the boundaries of the worlds on the first day of Samhain. His Tanist is a miser and though he shines brightly in the winter skies he gives no warmth. and does not temper the breath of the Crone, Cailleach Bheare, the north wind. In this may be discerned the ageless battle between the light and dark and the cyclic nature of life and the seasons. In parts of western Brittany Samhain is still heralded by the baking of kornigou. Kornigou are cakes baked in the shape of antlers to commemorate the god of winter shedding his "cuckold" horns as he returns to his kingdom in the Otherworld. When the Romans made contact with the Celts, they added their feast of the dead to Samhain. The Christians subverted the recognition of Samhain to honor the saints, as All Saint's Day on November 1st and named October 31 as All Hallow's Eve. This latter became a secular holiday by the name of Hallowe'en. Although using different nomenclatures, all of these festivals and feasts are celebrating the accessibility, veneration, awe, and respect of the dead.

 

 Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Then perhaps we should have another culture's view on the day !

 

 While the money-making and party-throwing opportunities of Halloween thrive across Asia, the festival also shines a spotlight on the region's profound relationship with the afterlife. From traditional markets to modern entertainment districts, major cities across Asia are looking to cash-in on "All Hallows' Eve." In Hong Kong, markets bulged with lanterns, masks, fake pumpkins and costumes that were quickly snapped up, while online game developers, cinemas and department stores splashed special offers and products in Seoul. Children in the Philippines trick-or-treated at the Manila home of former president Joseph Estrada, while in Beijing, Bangkok and Hanoi, the night of dressing up in disguise is simply seen as an expatriate party. Apart from the money to be made and the fun to be had, Halloween's celebration of the afterlife appeals to Asians' deeper relationship with the supernatural, said Hong Kong-based cultural commentator Nury Vittachi. "Ghosts are very big in Asian culture and there is a deeper understanding and interest in their place in society," "You can have a relationship with them, you can make friends with them. In the West, ghosts are nearly always bad things, but here they are on your side."

The Chinese Yue Lan, or Hungry Ghosts, festival falls just a few weeks before Halloween. Families mark the day with picnics at the graves of loved-ones, even setting them a place at the meal to ensure their happiness. Other rituals include burning gifts the ghosts may want. Modern offerings range from paper versions of iPods, designer suits and airline tickets to a representation of a domestic servant. Graves are swept and presents are even burned for ghosts who do not have relatives to look after them, for fear they may become angry. This trepidation about an avenging afterlife was perhaps most acutely seen in Thailand, where many locals said the souls of those killed in the 2004 tsunami haunted the coastline, driving away Asian tourists. However, this strong link to the afterlife can also cause tensions between traditional values and the growing popularity of Halloween. Lai Chi Tim, a professor in Chinese religions at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said many Chinese are left bemused by the festival. "In Chinese religious traditions, it is not understandable why the ghosts have to become part of Halloween," he said. "The underworld is not a source of amusement. Chinese people believe that when you pass away, spirits are still living in this world." The bemusement can lead to suspicion. Vittachi recalled a story of students at Beijing University giving out invitations to a Halloween party, dressed in skeleton costumes. As they were trying to drum up business, they were questioned by police, who ordered them to stop, adding: "You cannot practice your religion here."

 Finally a Testament.. .  

"Contrary to what those who choose to persecute or lie about us wish to believe, Wicca is a very peaceful, harmonious and balanced way of thinking and life which promotes oneness with the divine and all which exists. Wicca is a deep appreciation and awe in watching the sunrise or sunset, the forest in the light of a glowing moon, a meadow enchanted by the first light of day. It is the morning dew on the petals of a beautiful flower, the gentle caress of a warm summer breeze upon your skin, or the warmth of the summer sun on your face. Wicca is the fall of colourful autumn leaves, and the softness of winter snow. It is light, and shadow and all that lies in between. It is the song of the birds and other creatures of the wild. It is being in the presence of Mother Earths nature and being humbled in reverence. When we are in the temple of the Lord and Lady, we are not prone to the arrogance of human technology as they touch our souls. To be a Witch is to be a healer, a teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all things. If this path is yours, may you walk it with honour, light and integrity.

Wicca is a belief system and way of life based upon the reconstruction of pre-Christian traditions originating in Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. While much of the information of how our ancestors lived, worshiped and believed has been lost due to the efforts of the medieval church to wipe our existence from history, we try to reconstruct those beliefs to the best of our ability with the information that is available. Thanks to archaeological discoveries, we now have basis to believe that the origins of our belief system can be traced even further back to the Paleolithic peoples who worshipped a Hunter God and a Fertility Goddess. With the discovery of these cave paintings, estimated to be around 30,000 years old, depicting a man with the head of a stag, and a pregnant woman standing in a circle with eleven other people, it can reasonably be assumed that Witchcraft is one of the oldest belief systems known in the world today. These archetypes are clearly recognized by Wiccan as our view of the Goddess and God aspect of the supreme creative force and predate Christianity by roughly 28,000 years making it a mere toddler in the spectrum of time as we know it.

Witchcraft in ancient history was known as "The Craft of the Wise" because most who followed the path were in tune with the forces of nature, had a knowledge of Herbs and medicines, gave council and were valuable parts of the village and community as Shamanic healers and leaders. They understood that mankind is not superior to nature, the earth and its creatures but instead we are simply one of the many parts, both seen and unseen that combine to make the whole. As Chief Seattle said; "We do not own the earth, we are part of it." These wise people understood that what we take or use, we must return in kind to maintain balance and equilibrium. Clearly, modern man with all his applied learning and technology has forgotten this. Subsequently, we currently face ecological disaster and eventual extinction because of our hunger for power and a few pieces of gold.

For the past several hundred years, the image of the Witch has been mistakenly associated with evil, heathenism, and unrighteousness. In my humble opinion, these misconceptions have their origin in a couple of different places. To begin, the medieval church of the 15th through 18th centuries created these myths to convert the followers of the old nature based religions to the churches way of thinking. By making the Witch into a diabolical character and turning the old religious deities into devils and demons, the missionaries were able to attach fear to these beliefs which aided in the conversion process. Secondly, as medical science began to surface, the men who were engaged in these initial studies had a very poor understanding of female physiology, especially in the area of a women's monthly cycles. The unknowns in this area played very well with the early churches agenda lending credence to the Witch Hunters claims and authority. The fledgling medical professions also stood to benefit greatly from this because it took the power of the women healers away giving it to the male physicians transferring the respect and power to them.

Unfortunately these misinformed fears and superstitions have carried forward through the centuries and remain to this day. This is why many who follow these nature oriented beliefs have adopted the name of Wicca over its true name of Witchcraft to escape the persecution, harassment and misinformation associated with the name of Witchcraft and Witch not to mention the bad publicity the press and Hollywood has given us simply to generate a profit. We do not sacrifice animals or humans because that would violate our basic tenant of "Harm None." Anyone who does and claims to be a Wiccan or a Witch is lying. Pagans see the divine not in one god but in all of nature and in simple, personalised rituals, they worship its mysteries.

Being a pagan in 21st century Britain is nothing to do with black cats and magic. Not all pagans are practising wiccans, and those who want to put a hex on an enemy always bear in mind the Law Of Return -anything you put out you get back threefold. In many ways the pagan path is a natural progression for anyone who cares about ecological issues and is disaffected with conventional religions. It's gentle, keeps you in tune with the rhythms of the landscape, and encourages individual responsibility."

                                                  Blessed be

                   SAMUEL BAMFORD  1788-1872

 

LANCASHIRE DISTRESS AND RELIEF ORGANISATION.
MANCHESTER.

(From our own Correspondent.)

  While speaking of Hulme, I must mention the institute for men, supported by the Township Relief Committee. An old mill with three floors has been lent for the purpose, where about 400 men are congregated to read and write from nine to six o'clock five days a week, under proper teachers. Two meals a day are provided for them on the foundation floor, while on the two others, supplied with tables and educational requisites, they polish their wits, and chat and smoke in leisure hours. The windows are festooned with coloured calico, the whole building is warmed and lighted, musical instruments are lent by gentlemen, lectures are delivered every evening, and one evening no even a week is given to music, songs, recitations, and drollery. These men are all in the receipt of relief. I mingled freely with them, and found the best spirit to pervade them. Their docility and respect is very touching. The old hard, insolent manner seems to be quite softened down. Their teachers are looked upon with great affection. I spoke with them as to the effect the affliction might have in opening their eyes to the possibility of finding delight in something besides a large tale of work and high wages, in giving them a taste for the refined pleasures of intellectual life, and my remarks met with much concurrence. There are other schools of this kind, but I mention this as the best I saw.

    I have now noticed all that is being done in the cause of the distressed operatives of Manchester with means drawn from the public purse and set forth in subscription lists. In addition, private and hidden streams are flowing from the masters of silent mills to their suffering workpeople. Some correspondents have doubted whether instances of this sort of benevolence are numerous. I only know that it would be on easy matter for me to fill up the page with the recital of them, but this is impossible. There are plenty of cases in which, though the mill is stopped, the hands are receiving £20, £30, £40, and £50 a week, in kind or cash, and many where the whole mill staff is kept off the rates or the fund. The efforts put forth at the Chorlton and Sterling mills afford noble examples of this fact, and must on some other occasion receive more notice. The Reading-class in the latter is pictured on another page. These private acts do not reveal themselves; they spring from men who are doing only what they feel to be right, and who object on this ground to be held in the public eye. Several milliners have said to me, "You may come and see what I am doing, but only on condition that you mention no names." The fact that the workpeople are contented and grateful possesses a significance as yet imperfectly appreciated. That the operative class can rise at the cry of injustice is shown clearly enough by the late riot at Blackburn.
 

 Considerable doubt is expressed lest relief, coming to the poor from so many independent sources, should be abused. The thorough-going, regular pauper is in clover; there can be no question about that, He looks with pleasure as rank upon rank from the industrious population fall to his level. Little chance is there, however, of families obtaining more than 2s. a head, so well are the cases investigated. The guardians set their faces very resolutely against one device which is employed to increase receipts—I mean the breaking up of families; the boys and girls going into lodgings so that they may claim separate relief. But in Manchester this is not found to be the great difficulty. The people, as a rule, had rather starve than ask relief, and they are in more danger of starving than of living riotously upon the proceeds of imposition. House-to-house visitation sets the sceptic right on this point in very quick time. I have made my observations on these families in all their stages, even to those where death was within a few steps waiting to close the hard but unsuccessful struggle for life. Such a morning's work entails an empty pocket so surely as it is undertaken, for one cannot withstand the intense pleading of silent want. Halfpence will drop out into little famished hands, and shillings into the arms of mothers who weep over the sufferings of the children from whose cheeks the roses have fled long since. Yet I never once was asked for charity, and the district visitor must use the query cleverly if he will probe the wound. I will take two or three cases from my notebook, by the help of which the touching scenes portrayed by the artist will be better realised. One house I went into contained a family of seven. They had been accustomed to earn 27s. 6d., and now obtained from all sources less than 2s, a head, and they had 1s.6d. to pay for rent. They were occupying two rooms only, the bedding had all disappeared, and they lay on the bare bedstead at night, huddled together, without removing their ragged clothes. Again: a man and wife, with eight children. The husband's parochial relief, 7s. 6d.; from the relief fund, 3s. 6d. and one cwt. of coal. Out of this 11s. a week 1s. 6d. should be paid for rent, and the remainder is left to support a family which has been accustomed to 45s. Again: a family of seven. The husband is sickly, two boys earn 5s., no parish relief, the relief fund affords 5s. They have been accustomed to 37s. weekly. The rent is 2s. 1d. The boys are hearty. "What is there," as the poor mother said, "on which they can exercise their appetites?" Again: a family of eleven; parish. relief, 8s. 6d.; from committee, 6s.; rent, 3s. They have been out of employ forty-one weeks, and have never received more than 16s. a week. I asked how they had managed to exist, and was told that the 65s. per week which they did earn formerly helped them to occupy a nice house, to stock it with new furniture, to lay up a little in the bank, and to buy a share in some co-operative concern. First the deposits were drawn front bank, then some of the superfluous furniture was sold, then the share so proudly held was relinquished, and after that the course had been one of rather rapid descent. Before this family came upon the ratepayers they had expended property of their own to maintain the policy of the country with regard to the American States amounting to £30. I might extend the catalogue, but there is no need for it. We may as well stop with this last instance, which affords so true a picture of the operative classes, and the losses they have personally sustained before they have allowed themselves to fall upon public charity. If we take the pressure of this great calamity upon the population of Manchester alone, and estimate its value in money, we may easily calculate that the rate which has been borne has not been simply one of 3s. 8d. in the pound, but one more nearly approaching 15s., and this at a time when the huge capital invested in the cotton manufacture has been lying idle. It may be that some millowners are not doing their duty and that cases of imposition occur, but we do not forbear to feed the fowls because the sparrows pick a few kernels of the handfuls we cast to them.

It was in August 2005, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, that TV viewers around the world first started to question whether America was truly a great nation anymore.Days after the winds had subsided, footage showed the homeless, the destitute and disabled gathered around the partly-flooded New Orleans Superdome begging for water while armed National Guardsman ignored them in their hunt for looters.

How can this be?

Many asked how it can be that the richest nation the world has ever seen, which put man on the moon, which has a standing military of 2.3 million troops and reservists, which created the microchip revolution, and has for half a century dominated global commerce; how could this country not bring bottled water to its weak and vulnerable in their time of need?These shocking pictures brought a human face to the statistics that have long baffled Europeans: that 56 million Americans, 18% of the population, have no access to affordable medical care; that life expectancy, education and poverty in large swathes of the inner cities and rural south are worse than in parts of central America or the Balkans, yet alone long-embargoed Cuba.

The invisible nation within

It is almost as if within the USA, there is an underdeveloped country, held within invisible borders, in areas where the comfortably off do not go. This forgotten nation of tens of millions of people, many black or Hispanic, some recent immigrants but most not, live in a shadow that no light from Hollywood illuminates. Their cheap labour underpins the economy's competitiveness, yet they are largely excluded from the growing wealth it has produced. Yet now these are the people who have taken down the Masters of the Universe, put out the lights in Manhattan investment banks, and helped put Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on his knees in the corridors of Congress begging for help from Democrat leader Nancy Pelosi to get his $700 billion bank rescue package passed. Because, in the past five years, these so-called Ninjas (No income, no jobs, no assets) were offered the chance to buy a home and live the American Dream, no money down. And hardly believing it was possible, they took it.

A trillion dollars ? I'll take it!

According to a paper by Carmen Reinhart of the University of Maryland and Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard, a trillion dollars in mortgage loans was offered to the lowest-rated subprime borrowers in the last few years. But the trillion-dollar dream was about to become a nightmare. The average earnings of the poorest fifth of Americans were $19,178 (£10,700) in 2007, just 40% of the US average, and the majority subsist on welfare alone. Such crazy loans were only possible because the companies offering them were acting on commission, passing on the mortgage agreements to others who on a wave of easy credit failed to check the quality of the loans they were funding. As we all know, these loans have gone "toxic", but because they were knitted by Wall Street wizards into intractably complex mortgage-backed and asset-backed securities it is very hard to put a value on them, even as they are unravelling within the vaults of banks around the world.

A seismic blow to the global financial system

This seismic blow to the global financial industry has led to a wave of bank failures, nationalisations, state-funded rescues and even currency crises from Germany to Iceland, and from South Korea right to the doors of the Capitol Building in Washington itself. However, the reverberations go deeper still, because the financial position of the United States itself is not so very much better than the very subprime borrowers who were at the root of the crisis.

Big economy, but bigger debts

Certainly, the US has world-beating companies, vast manufacturing industries and a giant services sector, which produced a national income (GDP) of $14 trillion last year. Yet it owes almost five times that in government promises to its own citizens in terms of education, healthcare and retirement-linked benefits. That is $67 trillion, a figure that has ballooned from $29 trillion in 2000. "No goose was ever so golden as the US economy, but that doesn't mean it's immortal," wrote Jim Grant, publisher of Grant's Interest Rate Monitor.

Even the debt clock can't keep up

While the economy has grown around 5% a year over the last seven years, government spending promises have grown 13% a year. Indeed, the National Debt Clock in New York, which since 1989 has recorded the amount owed by the state, in October ran out of digits to keep track of it. Government debt is quite separate from the debts of American individuals and companies. They have been splurging on Asian-made goods, but the packed container ships traversing the Pacific to the US have been returning empty. Money has been pouring year after year into the coffers of China, Japan and other Asian nations, as well as the oil exporters of the Middle East. In 2007, the US ran up a balance of payments deficit of £739 billion, 5% of its GDP. It's been doing so for year after year.

A Himalaya of cash

These trade creditors have in turn lent back this Himalaya of cash, $5.2 trillion since 2000. Much of it has gone to the US government in exchange for Treasury bills. The rest has been invested in other dollar-denominated investments. This infusion helped fill the budget gap, and for years stopped the dollar from undergoing the necessary weakening to restore the American competitive trading position. This is also the money that funded the easy credit that inflated the US housing bubble, and this is the borrowing which the US economy, even with all the bailouts planned by the government, will struggle to service and repay. Whether you are a disabled single mother living in a trailer park in Mississippi, or the world's greatest economy, the basic strategy for getting rid of debt is the same. You spend less, you earn more, and use the difference to work off the borrowing over an extended period.

For US consumers and employees this is already tough, and it's going to get tougher. They have seen the value of their homes plummet and not all of them can afford their mortgages. They are already spending less, driving less and have cut back on fresh borrowing. Many more will lose their jobs. Their taxes are unlikely to fall, because the government has its own debts to look after. For the same reason, future promises in Medicare, Medicaid and retirement benefits may be broken. That's also going to be true of the occupational pension plans whose ultimate value depends on the stock market. Even if all goes smoothly, it is going to take many years to get over this binge. While Americans tighten their belts, China and other Asian countries will continue to grow, albeit at a slower rate. When western consumers falter in consumption, the burgeoning middle classes in these emerging nations will step in, buoyed by their own prudent savings. This eclipsing of American power will mean curtailed foreign policy ambitions too. "What we are witnessing today is how empires end," lamented right-wing commentator Pat Buchanan. "The Last Superpower is unable to defend its borders, protect its currency, win its wars or balance its budget. Medicare and Social Security are headed for the cliff with unfunded liabilities in the tens of trillions of dollars," he wrote last month.

The most important economy, for now...

The US economy is still going to be the most important in the world, for years to come if not decades. But it will have to become leaner, less dependent on borrowing both at home and abroad, and more austere. Whether that's just a recession or a 1930s-style slump, no-one yet knows. But we now know one thing for certain. The myth of American invulnerability has been well and truly broken. The homeless of New Orleans already knew that. Now, after this financial maelstrom, the rest of the world does too.

By Nick Louth, exclusive to MSN October 09 2008

 

So there you have it - we the british taxpayers some of whom are lucky enough to have small bank accounts are bailing out the american economy - The time has come, now that we see that the 'american dream' is in fact a nightmare, that we should accept that we are Europeans and stop the churchillian fantasy of becoming another plastic state of the union.

  

Gone are the days when you were told life isn't what your eyes behold the new world has new demands money and status is what everyone asks it dont matter what the books say and no matter what the elders tell without money life is not life, but hell bank balance is the new id status assures a high society cash is what people long to see account holders is what all throng to be who cares to earn respect and who needs a clean soul when money has the power to buy them all with money you can tell the world what it is and what its not money is the power money is god there is just one thing that suits the eye for which people will kill, people will die for money they worship Thor for money countries go to war for money they kill their brothers for money they hurt their mothers for money they will laugh for money they will slaughter for money they will cry for money they will sell their daughter this new world can't be changed no matter what money is, money was and money shall remain to be god all that you can do is just hold on and watch as the show goes on Khizr Atiq

Planning has always been part of my psyche whether as a child saving for Christmas or for the annual summer holiday's spending money. I can remember two off the cuff decisions I made, both of which ended in disaster! Maybe there were more and I just do not remember but once I had made the decision to fly to Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, it needed a plan!  

I could have booked all the elements of the trip on the internet I suppose but decided to go to the experts.

I explained at the travel agency that I had never flown before and that I wanted a flight from the nearest airport and a hotel on the island for 3 days in September. Now I should have realised she was less than competent when she found a flight to the island from Birmingham which happens to be 50 miles west of here, I politely asked about departures from East Midlands, a mere 10 miles journey! I mentioned a couple of hotel chains with whom I had stayed in the past but they did not have any vacancies. After several phone calls and references to her colleague she had a flight and a hotel booked. I asked how far it was from Jersey airport to St Helier and following another call I was reassured that it was only a 15 minute taxi ride. After further enquiries I also had travel insurance. I never did understand why she gave me a brochure for coaching holidays in Europe. 

About 10 days before the due departure date, in October, I was informed all the paperwork was at the agency, which coincidentally is close by my local supermarket. After shopping I called in for the detailed confirmation. Whilst going through all the details it was mentioned that I had not booked a transfer at the other end. I again mentioned that this was my first experience of air travel and that her colleague had not filled me with any confidence as to her efficiency. Apparently she had left after only a month in post - maybe I was the last straw!!

Four days before my departure I looked at the weather forecast for Jersey and as I think I mentioned in the earlier blog the forecast was for rain. On the Saturday afternoon I packed the suitcase, and umbrella, and in the evening watched Leeds beat St Helens in the Rugby League Grand Final. Sunday morning was cold and the skies were heavy with grey rainclouds. I arrived at the airport where I was informed the departure time had been delayed by an hour, or so. Sitting in the great barn of the airport reception hall for over an hour does not play too well on your nerves - believe me! I began reading a book I had by chance included in my shoulder bag. At 11.30 I queued for my ticket and left the suitcase to the vagaries of the baggage handling staff, dispelling the grim tales relayed to me by more experienced flyers! The security check came next - both I and my belongings passed through the electronic gubbins without any alarm!  I continued to read my book - an Inspector Morse story by Colin Dexter, sitting close to Gate 10. At 12.30 we were shepherded though the departure gate, where for about the 3rd time my passport and ticket were checked, and onto a shuttle bus that took us to the 737 'ice ice baby' I found my allocated seat was next to a window. Soon we were trundling along the bumpy runway and were airborne, flying through grey clouds, until at 20,000 feet we emerged into sunlight. The total journey time is only 55 minutes, [OK but remember this was my first time], so we were soon descending to land on Jersey. The booked taxi whisked me away to the hotel, through heavy rain. Room 104 was, shall we say adequate, lone travellers will understand the true meaning of 'adequate.' I had booked an evening meal for 7; I was feeling quite peckish by that time and stopped in the bar for a glass of malt. The meal I chose reinforced the fact that no one outside Yorkshire can cook roast beef, Yorkshire puddings and roast potatoes! 

Monday I walked into St Helier, 15 minutes if you are under 30 and 20 minutes if you are my age!! I did some window shopping until my aged umbrella fell apart! I spent a couple of hours in the museum which was interesting and had a pleasant meal in the museum resteraunt. The hotel cook could learn a thing or two there! Tuesday I finished the book waiting for the rain to stop. The evening meal was a little better than Sunday's.

Wednesday morning and it was an early breakfast, taxi to the airport and a 50 minute flight back to the midlands. This time I could see the patchwork pattern of the field's below as we passed over southern England at about 25000 feet. We landed at 13.30 and I was in my kitchen 30 minutes later enjoying a coffee.

Final comment: I will fly again - maybe a little farther - maybe next year? Who knows? 

 

 

 

Before time was, there was The One;
The One was all, and all was The One.

And the vast expanse known as the universe was The One,
all wise, all pervading, all powerful, eternally changing.
And space moved. The One moulded energy into twin forms,
equal but opposite, fashioning the Goddess and God
from The One and of The One.

The Goddess and God stretched and gave thanks to The One,
but darkness surrounded them.
They were alone, solitary save for The One.
So they formed energy into gases and gases into suns
and planets and moons; they sprinkled the universe with whirling
globes and so all was given shape by the hands of the Goddess and God.

Light arose and the sky was illuminated by a billion suns.
The Goddess and God, satisfied by their works,
rejoiced and loved, and were one.
From their union sprang the seeds of all life,
and the human race so that we might achieve incarnation upon the Earth.

The Goddess chose the Moon as her symbol,
and the God the Sun as his, to remind the inhabitants of Earth of their creators.

All are born, live, die and are reborn beneath the Moon and Sun;
All things come to pass there under, and all occurs
with the blessings of The One, the Goddess and God,
as has been the way of existence since before time was.

******

The Standing Stones Book of Shadows

 Scott Cunningham