View From The Big Hills

  “To Alef, the letter that begins the alphabets of both Arabic and Hebrew- two Semitic languages, sisters for centuries. May we find the language that takes us to the only home there is - one another's hearts. Alef knows That a thread Of a story Stitches together A wound.”    - Ibtisam Barakat, Tasting the Sky: A Palestinian Childhood, Palestinian-American writer, poet, and educator

“Come out of your Celtic Twilight kids.” - Suffocate, Noel Brazil Much as I love the music and lyrics of Noel Brazil, particularly when sung by Christy Moore, I don't really want to come out of the Celtic Twilight.... at least not yet. There is something too compelling and fascinating about Irish superstitions - as long as you either take a magical view of them or don't take them too seriously. More often than not, superstitions are seen as quaint, misguided and limiting beliefs cobbled together by our rather unintelligent ancestors who simply didn't know any better. Most people think they are rather stupid and without relevance to our modern world, but I'm not so sure. I don't hold a linear view of evolution. N.B This blog follows on from my earlier posting on Irish superstitions gathered in the 1970s by my aunt. You can find the earlier post here:- http://viewfromthebighills.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/some-irish-superstitions.html I hope you ...

"Begin thy work, first having prayed the Gods To accomplish it." - The Golden Verses of the Pythagoreans I was delighted to be signposted to this beautiful and inspirational prayer a couple of years ago by an American colleague and ex-member of Charles Fielding’s Dallas Group. Despite having explored the Western Esoteric Tradition and much of Neo-Platonism through a 27-year period, this great piece had passed me by until a time when I needed an extra boost and some encouragement on the Path. I come back to it for meditation, prayer and general sustenance from time to time. I hope you enjoy it. “I pray to all the gods and goddesses to guide my mind in this work that I have undertaken—to kindle in me a shining light of truth and enlarge my understanding for the genuine science of being; to open the gates of my soul to receive the inspired guidance of Plato; and, in anchoring my thought in the full splendour of reality, to hold me back from too much concei...