The Once and Future King

The BBC show 'Merlin' is now back on the T.V. just a few weeks after the first series of Channel 4's 'Camelot' ended. It appears that the west needs it's Arthurian fix every now and again. The important question one must ask is Why? Maybe it rests deep within our psyche..a whispering remembrance that never quite goes away. Rememberence being the key. I am not the only one who recognises that Christianity for the west is a 'desert' religion imposed upon a 'forest' people. I am not anti-christian I hasten to add. We all find our own way to the light. One must also recognise that even the arthurian saga has been christianised. But even myths may shape shift to ensure survival.
And survive the myth has. King? Commander in Chief of the dark age celts? Welsh God with a name change? Whatever or whoever Arthur is to us one can be sure that his memory ( however interpreted) lives on.

The finger points...

I sat today and looked
Amazed at what I saw
I didn't see a fin
And I didn't see a paw
I glimpsed no stem nor leaf
But I may have spied a wing
And I wondered at the sight
Of the land where people sing
And I am left to ponder on a thought that's sure to linger
I must return again to where Spirit points the finger
B.C.

Is it Judgement Day for Ostriches?

This is my thought today following on from what I said in my previous blog.
There are riots happening around Briton. London was burning last night. People lost their homes, businesses and livliehoods. This can never be condoned! But simple condemnation is an easy comment to make also. We all have a part in society so here's the question. If I was telling my work colleagues weeks ago that this would happen why wasn't anyone else? There is such a BIG difference between what we want to happen and what is likely to happen. What is going on? WAKE UP PEOPLE! If you cannot feel even a little that there is true discontent within our western society it is very worrying.
   Let's take the British economy. Does an average house price that is 6 times the average salary really work?Obviously not.  Do massive cuts on income and living standards sit well with people who did not do anything wrong? (i.e. They are not investment bankers!). Are politicians really, REALLY IN TOUCH?  Now the people who riot,I feel care not of such things, but there is now a firework labelled 'Discontent' and anything can light it.
    London hosts the Olympics next year. It was quite a damning picture on T.V. today looking at the London Eye framed by black smoke from the burning remnants of riots in Ealing last night.
I repeat that I do not condone what has happened over the last 3 days but similar things are happening across the world.
One has a choice. Usually NIMBY works quite well for some but people's back yards may seem a lot smaller over the coming weeks unless someone gets a grip. I was led to an article by Camila Batmanghelijdh in the Independent and it is well worth a read.
As for this particular blog post I am not enjoying writing it. There is no spiritual slant that I can see. No fluffy bunny stuff. No 'Peace is all' rubbish.  
But I will say this.
'Leave my family alone. Leave my property alone. Leave me alone.'
I am trying to see the bigger picture but I am not responsible.
I just hope everyone can say the same.
May those that watch bring peace to Britons' shores this evening and beyond.
Yours sincerely,
B.C.

Where is the world now?

This is a question I have been asking myself recently. The moderates revolt in my homecountry, famine, political unrest, phone hacking and immoral invasion of privacy, financial hard times on a global scale and a general disollusion with the way of things. I sometimes contemplate the thoughts of an advanced alien race landing on earth and wondering about the imbalance of it all.
   What can be done? Well, I have no answer but can't help but think it lies with the individual. Let's all create what we can to benefit not just ourselves but others. If we grow, the world grows as a result. It's not a solution but it is a start. That ladder that we pull up, let's extend it back down. How rich we are is no way to guage our contribution to humanity. As hard as it is,to live with love can be the only way. But sometimes it must be tough love. We must all take responsibiity. The spiritual path often shows itself when cracks appear. Unfortunately, there are many who walk this earth with  no cracks having appeared just yet. There lies the problem. Let's not wait for the crack to be so large as it breaks everything asunder. The picture is big, not small and one must take time to look at it, contemplate it and see what one can add to it.
The future is in our hands, but maybe for not much longer, if we don't mold it for the greater good.
Let's avoid the 'bitter pill'.
B.C.

Heed the precarious whisper...

The air is still, momentrily, on this longest of days but the words 'long' and 'short' are very subjective. There are many, now, who need to grasp this idea quickly. The world has been spinning happily for a very long time and this needs to be remembered. Go talk to 'Bran' if this is a concept too difficult to grasp. He may listen to you but don't be surprised if he pays you no heed. For he does remember and remember and remember. 
We are now talking about 'seconds to minight' in the grand scheme of things and our leaders are losing the way. Something will occur to redress this imbalance but it may not be pretty. It will affect everybody!
The Lords and Ladies of the Light and Dark are running out of patience and the 'quickening' has begun, for they are sick of the ostrich shaped bodies that men have decided to adopt.
Look to the future, not just for yourself, but for the whole of humankind. Do you think it looks good? Really? Honestly? Heads out of the sandly?
'Man cannot live by bread alone.'
Will the change be gradual or a 'bitter pill?'
I'm not telling as I don't deal in prophecy.  I leave that to others.
Yours with love,
B.C.

The 'Big Guy on the block' and the 'Little Woman'

Can't help but feel we overcomplicate things, us human beings. But every so often the mist clears and things are far more simpler in reality. The same goes for spiritual matters.
 As one of the Cymru who gets pulled and drawn into such matters, sometimes willingly and at other times as the result of a slap, I  recently decided to try, once again, to have a crack at the 'Preddieu Annwfn' ( 'Arthur's raid on the Otherworld) as it is one of the most fundamentally important texts that has been left to us with regard to pagan beliefs in Briton ( by 'pagan' in this context I mean pre-christian as opposed to 'country dweller'). Translations vary and there are a number of different opinions on specific unknown words. The truth is no-one can be definitive,but here lies the problem. People try to be!
So I thought I'd have a shot at it as there is a 'quickening' in the spiritual air and we need to get a move on! The views I express here are my own but they are a result of  many years of 'seeking.' I could write pages to clarify my viewpoint but I don't feel the need to. Her goes...
In simplicity, Taliesin (who is the author of the poem) seems to me to be describing the age old battle between Summer and Winter but also the battle between night and day. More importantly this is also a battle between the Moon and the Sun and ,hence, the female and the male as well as the Underworld and This world.
Moon worship pre-dates sun worship and the menstruation of women played a big part in this ( read Stan Gooch's ' Secrets of the ancient religion'). But through the ages we have now been left with the dominance of a  patriarchal 'one god' Sun worship. The bottom line being that we have, to a large extent, religious intolerence as opposed to spiritual tolerence.
Taliesin saw this coming! He ridicules the 'monks and priests' for their lack of universal knowledge as his home is the 'Summer Stars'. He is telling us that he is a 'Stellar Being' and looks down on both Sun and Moon. Both are necessary for the Earth to function as it does. This is not a competion! We both have a male/female side (just look at the Ying Yang symbol and REALLY work with it!) and the cycle cannot be broken.
The author of the  poem (if he is Taliesin) is lamenting the onslaught of the 'New Religion' as he, a prophet and seer, foresees the problems that will result.
There is a lesson to be learned. One must journey through the Underworld as it holds important knowledge for all of us. Don't go there if you are not willing to bring something of value back! It is a testing place as it should be. It is only with this seed of knowlege that one can ripen in the sun. Then one can aspire to the 'Stella World' where our 'True Will' is forged.
Seek and find, then rise above, for we are 'Stardust.'
B.C.

The Shining Ones

Well today was a bit of a shock to the system as I trundled back into work after a week off. Have been working on my 'Keys to the Kingdom' (see previous blog) so was not looking forward to stepping back into the mundane world and the 5.30 alarm call. But duty bound, up I got (after many a snooze) and faced the inevitable. As usual, the first hour of work saw me adding things to my prority list rather than ticking any off. The usual grey start to the day..........and THEN...they were there. 'The Shining Ones' ...and I realised the lucky part of my job and why I went into it in the first place. These remarkable 'wee things' are the FUTURE. Twenty years surrounded by them has filled me with a lot of joy. We need to guard this future and treat them well. This is everyone's responsibility as I am sure we all want the future to be bright.
Shine on 'wee things!'

The Keys to the Kingdom

After a mostly successful creative type of day, albeit with a little frustration along the way, I'm chilling with a glass of wine. I have managed to ignore a mountain of work on my week off and have touched base with all that is magical in my life. These are the Keys to my Kingdom. We all have them but I can't help reflect on the fact that they often get lost or misplaced. Usually as a result of the mundane world taking a hold. But I am also refreshed to know that one can always find them again. I believe in astrology, numerology and Lexigrams too. These are also Keys that I have found along the way that give one an inkling of what it is one choses to do in this life before crossing the sea/river of forgetfulness.
   And as for the Kingdom,  that is one's own personal Sovereignty. One must guard it well as there are many usurpers who would take it away. They are usually those who only care for themselves. With Sovereinty comes responsibility. If one flouts this the Wasteland is never far behind. There are many examples of this through history and in the world today. It is becoming more important than ever that people find the Keys to their Kingdom. To quote, I think the Templars, 'Work on thyself and serve the world.'
Best wishes,
B.C.

Take a look in the mirror

While having a whiskey nightcap with my missus last evening we got into an interesting discussion on past lives and the romantic way in which they are often portrayed. For eample, if I had a pound for every 'former temple priestess' out there I would be shopping at Harrods. Anyways, this subject came up once when I was on a hedgewitch course in Glastonbury a few years back and I put forward the point that if we live through lives to further our soul's development then I must come to the fact that in earlier lives I probably did bad things. Maybe even very bad things. Did I steal? Kill? Murder?  Probably is the answer if one is honest.
So let's be frank and not put 21st century values on times gone by as they really often are inappropriate. As for my fellow hedgewitchy compadres they found this very hard to take. I don't think I was flavour of the month that day. But truth is not a flavour, especially with regards to spiritual and magical matters. It requires courage.
One of the many adages that was left to us in Celtic literature is 'to live life courageously.'
So maybe we all need to take a look in the mirror.

10% inspiration and 90% persperation

I am not much of a sweater but I could change the title of this blog to 90% frustraion. That's how I feel today after working hard on the mundane part of the creative process. I'm just about winning but I now feel quite drained. But that is the crux. The imagination is the future but to bring it into the present is not always easy. It's the hard yards so to speak. So if anybody else out there is feeling as I do, please don't give up as the future is in our hands and we must make it ourselves. Don't wait around for anyone else to do it because we all have one, if not all three of the drops from Cerridwen's Cauldron. She watches us with hope. Always.

 Writing a book? Recording a song? Painting a picture? Starting a business? Creating a dance?
Do the workout and get sweaty! The world is our oyster so get in quick .Before I eat them all.
Yours with love,
B.C.

Music is your only friend...

Sang a few songs with my friends and fellow bandmembers tonite. Problem was I wasn 't really feeling in the mood. Can't put my finger on why and it is annoying as I really do agree with Mr. Morrison's words (see post title). Trust me when I say that singing is very good for the soul and we can ALL do it. I constantly meet people who say they can't sing but please don't believe that. Most people come to that conclusion based on trying to sing along with records. This often results in one singing in the wrong key, that's all. Y'know, sopranos, baritones, basses etc. Trust me. Find a friend with a guitar and a capo and they may surprise you and you may well surprise yourself. Trust me please. I'll leave you with the rest of the line.......
Music is your only friend
Dance on fire as it intends
Music is your only friend
Until the end...

The red dragon

I'm reading prolifically at the moment and coming to the conclusion that this web world is possibly the domain of the false prophets. Me included. But if that is the case i have just as much right as anyone else to put my viewpoints forward. Hence i do so in this blog. And my message to many is WAKE UP! For I am an individualist and we all find our own path to the light. Gurus? Gurus? Gurus? IF YOU NEED A GURU BEWARE! It smacks of a short cut. If you need a teacher or guide that is different. As the name suggests they teach or guide.THEY DO NOT INDOCTRINATE! And if on your spiritual path you ever feel that this is happening use your FREE WILL and remove yourself from the situation. There are many who seek POWER OVER others and i tell you now that this is unacceptable. BE WARY OF THE DRAGON false ones for he is a tad displeased and I'm having trouble placating him.

The search for Avalon

I have been doing a bit of Grail research recently as it's a sort of pet interest of mine. I obviously enjoy walking the minefield. Despite the number of views on the subject I am wary of being too definitive (and I would likewise caution others to shy away from singledmindedness on this matter) and I come down on the side of The Grail  taking different forms for different people. I have my own personal views but they are just that. Anyways......when one works with the grail one inevitably courts Avalon. Now I often get intrigued by the amount of literature that claims to know the geographical location of the Apple Isle and I've been into it again tonight. And I'm no closer to a conclusion which I'm pleased about. Anybody have any views???
But as always, this research has led me closer to what I was originally seeking. Or has it?

The Awen is simmering

Creativity?
I need it in my life! We all do. However, in modern western society, do we get enough time for it? To invest in it I mean. When you read the spiritual view on such matters there always seems to me to be a bit of 'copping out'. For example, find ways to be creative in your current job etc. Well that's all well and good but what if your job does not pay that well but is a necessity nonetheless. What if it drains you? Wouldn't it be nice if we all had a little time for a sabbatical? And as for the title of this piece I have been lucky today that the Awen has permeated on a day when I have not been busy with other things. Thank you Big C and Big G's. Oh and the TT as well.
Diolch yn fawr!

Rambling musings on survival

Ooo one can feel sorry for oneself sometimes.  As sometimes one questons the meaning of ones life. The daily grind just to survive. Running on the wheel that never stops. Climbing up a never ending ladder with no stop off points or final destination. How does one break the chains of bondage. Well........one can buy a lottery ticket, or two. Or one can find a kindrd spirit to share the burden. For many people life is like this. Just today I voted in local elections and in a referendum, the first since 1974or so. X marked the spot but to be quite honest it might have been better just to flip a coin. Sadly I feel that the people who would make the best politicians do not aspire to power. In this mutualy contradictory situation we end up with people who, sadly, do not make the best politicians. At least in terms of those who rise to the highest positions. Or is it just that you can't please all the people all of the time?   Once in awhile would be nice. Mmm....why am I writing this? I suppose because I'm a bit disilussioned by it all.  Integrity, honesty and parity. Where did it go? Was it even ever there?
Seek truth brothers and sisters!
You can't find what you've never looked for.
 Cheers.

Where has the awen gone

How does one escape the mundane.?This is the question on my lips tonight as I contemplate my return to work after a well needed break, albeit not long enough to totally recharge my spiritual batteries. A conundrum plagues me. My wife is away for a week and a half and I miss her. There lies my answer I feel. But that is just the half of it.......I need a shot of Awen so I'm putting this out there. Come on the big C and the big G's! Where are you?

The Tylwyth Teg....The faer folk

Mmmmm.....been thinking on the faer folk again after bit of internet browsing and feel compelled to mention the difference between 'faeries' and 'fairies', as one of them is a child like Tinkerbell creature (a good way for victorians to fullfill certain  disgusting fantasies) and the other is a dweller of the Otherworld. In Celtic faerylore there is no mention of winged beings (apart from dragons) and a few trips into the aforementioned Otherworld will quickly re-inforce this. Fairies are for kids (the winged ones) but please just remember those victorians!

Leave the birds alone!

Just a quick note to address a comment which was one of many I've heard in the past few years relating to a particular bird. The one that sparked me to write this happened on T.V.  and on the radio. Basically some people are annoyed that a particular bird is eating another bird i.e. small songbirds. They actually want the bigger bird culled. Sadly they are missing the reason as to why the bigger bird is so prolific. ROAD KILL YOU SILLY BASTARDS!  The only time I see this bigger bird feeding is in the middle of the road (usually a poor badger). So get the facts straight I say and think about man's influence on the situation. Also, a further point. Should we cull sharks for eating smaller fish, or lions for eating smaller prey. Absolutely ludicrous! Sorry, the rant is over but some people make no effort to see the bigger picture.
                                              Yours in exasperation,
                                                          b.c.