A Well-balanced Equinox

Well, the Equinoctial Festival of Balance went off as well as ever. 

Which is as much as to say that for the fourteenth year running, Hnaef fell off his tightrope and landed in the duck pond. Splashing the various worshippers who were gathered around Duckhenge to wait for the crucial moment of Equinox.

Yesterday, that was mid-afternoon. So the sun was way above Duckhenge, making the whole exercise completely pointless.

And then we hear about the complaints about an open-air Islamic service to celebrate Eid. I'm going to link to this Daily Mail article.  Not because I advocate reading the Daily Mail. But because it's the first time Dan Hannan has ever written something that I believe is correct:

"Daniel Hannan tweeted: 'Obviously Nick Timothy should not be sanctioned for expressing a legitimate view.

'Equally, people should not be prevented from praying in public, whether they be anti-abortion protesters or Muslims marking sunset prayers."

Right. I'm glad that I 've got the shock of that over. Though I'd like to ensure abortion protesters aren't using their prayers as a form of harassment towards women going through a very hard and sensitive time.

You can't really complain that Islam thinks it's the only true religion. Because so does evangelical Christianity. So do Catholic and Orthodox Christianity. Arguably, so does Liberal Anglicanism, though they're probably nicer about it. The whole point of the "blind people trying to identify an elephant" story is that the narrator knows what the whole of the elephant looks like. And that's a common story to Buddhists, Hindus, and liberal Christians.

And if you're complaining about religious ceremonies in public view, what about Stonehenge at Solstice? Carol singers round a village tree? Arguably, Remembrance Day services. Where would you stop? Tommy Robinson's carol service with all those people singing about a middle-eastern baby, born in a foreign land, who had to flee from an oppressive regime and become a refugee in another country?

In a well-balanced world, we'd all live and let live, and let people get on with their celebrations as long as they're not threatening others or preaching hate. 

You may say I'm a dreamer.

But that would make me very angry. Because it's a quote from "Imagine". And that's about the worst song ever made.

Liturgy for When You were Pleased a Meeting was Delayed but Now you've realised there's another meeting at the original time that you will have to attend after all

1 I was glad when they said to me the Meeting of the Moot has been delayed

2 For every meeting delayed is another meeting where the world might end first.

3 For it is appointed for man that is born of woman or woman that is born of woman

4 Or person that is born of someone identifying however they wish?

5 Good point. It is appointed for them to die, and then the judgment.

6 So one fewer meeting if it's been delayed long enough.

7 I do not listen to those that say "let us have another meeting'

8 For meetings are temptations that draw you away from actually doing anything.

9 They are full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

10 And so if you can't cancel them, a delay is good.

11 And so with joy I go to my phone calendar,

12 and delay the Meeting of the Moot until next New Moon.

13 But what is this I find under the meeting?

14 It is an other meeting.

15 I remember the joy I had when the Regional Mini-Moot clashed with our Meeting of the Moot.

16 But now my tears run like a river.

17 Now I have one more meeting in my life that I thought I had dodged.

18 And I'm going to have to drive to Slough on a Thursday.

19 I feel myself falling into the pit

20 As the inconsequential discussion and actions that produce no action will overwhelm me.

21 There is no-one to save me.

22 And the calendar is no longer my friend.

"Your Son"

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’  Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. (John 19.25-27)

Mary's known what it is to be a mother.

She's known all that doubt and uncertainty after the angel told her was going to have a son.

The pain but also gladness of bringing that son into the world.

The chill when Simeon told her that a sword would pierce her heart.

The fear for his life when they fled to Egypt.

The sorrow of losing him in the Temple - and the relief of discovering him again.

The joy of him growing in strength and wisdom.

The confusion of his ministry.

The rejection when she finds that his mission is more important than a quiet home life.

And now the sword Simeon saw is entering her own heart.

The Catholic Rosary recounts Mary's joyful mysteries, the sorrowful ones, and the glorious ones. Each a part of the relationship of this human mother and her human-and-divine Son.

And here at the end of Jesus' strength, and at the end of her mothering of Jesus, he shows her love in giving her up to his friend. 

In the middle of all the pain and 

grief, at the end, it's all love. 

Don't Tell Him, Spike

I've been following conspiracy theory groups for a while. Just for my own amusement. I'm not a conspiracy theorist.

Not because I'm naturally sceptical. Not because I think I'm cleverer than I am.

But because the Beaker Folk are part of the conspiracy.

I've kept quiet about it up till now. ButI figured it was time we came out and said it. Because it will save conspiracy theorists a lot of theorising. And because there are now literally people dropping dead in the streets all over Europe every hour of the day. Someone had to notice eventually.

Yes, obviously the "spike" protein in the Covid jab was a special treatment designed to give everyone long-term illnesses. Here at the Beaker Folk, our Beaker  Bazaar sells dozens of bottles of aromatherapy cures every day. We'd be wasting our time hand-curing lavender flowers and squeezing the juice out of cochineal beetles if we couldn't ensure people were moderately unwell and in search of a non-big-pharma treatment from someone who isn't a doctor.

And obviously if you've ever had a Covid vaccine, you're shedding the spike proteins in all directions. The vaccinated excrete it into the water, and it gets into the drinking water supply via treatment plants. That's why we use a well here at the Community.

Jabbed people breathe it out everywhere in droplets. If you wear a mask you won't breathe those droplets in. But like geniuses we have managed to persuade conspiracy theorists that masks are bad.

Go to hospital and you don't have to worry that the doctors will jab you while you're under anaesthetic - which is a common anti-vax concern.  We've just put it in the air conditioning.

If you even sleep with someone who's been vaccinated, you'll get Sexually Transmitted Spike Disease. Which is just as painful as it sounds.

But once we were able to produce the spike protein at scale, the sky was literally the limit. We all know that airplane contrails already contain lithium, kryptonite, smart dust, pixie dust, and tiny nano-gerbils that can burrow under your fingernails. But now we're pumping spike proteins out into the atmosphere. Basically, if you see a jet above you, your only option is to get under cover and shelter in place. This is why Beaker People spend so much time in the Moot House.

Obviously, while you're under cover it's best you don't drink any water. 

And don't watch any TV. We've worked out how to broadcast spike proteins through the Internet and over satellite.

Many swear by nicotine vapes and ivermectin as ways of detoxing from the spike. Which might work. If we hadn't bought out the supply chains for both and stuffed them full of spikes.

So basically it's spikes all the way down. All the organic food you buy has been spiked in the rain. All the tinned food has spikes in that weird plastic liner tins have these days.

Well, not quite all.

For some reason we can't work out, the production processes for prune juice and for baked beans seem to eliminate the spikes. We think it's something to do with acidity levels.

So if you see a jet in the sky, or you wake up next to your Tinder date and notice they've grown small horns and developed a twitch, or it starts raining, don't panic. 

Just get in the house and live on nothing but stockpiled prune juice and baked beans.

I guarantee you'll soon notice the difference.

Things a Clergy Doesn't Want to Hear

"The Archdeacon called and says you've got to call him a "Mission Enabler" from now on."

"Badgers."

"A new church initiative."

"Mrs Merryweather is very upset."

"Deanery Synod this evening."

"New guidance from the Safeguarding team."

"The flower arrangers came round while you were out."

"The heating oil looks a bit low." * 

"People have been complaining about you. I can't tell you who. Or what."

"There's a lovely view of the church now the wall has fallen down."

"I've written a letter to the bishop. It's about the flaking plaster."

"Wasn't the deadline for the church magazine yesterday?"

"The local paper rang."

"Your predecessor promised I could be buried there in 2014. Of course, he didn't do any paperwork. Mrs Braythwayte is just going to have to come back up."

"I didn't realise I needed permission for Father's memorial. Do you not like the ivory elephants?"

"Have you looked at Facebook?"

"Under the new Nett Zero rules, you can't replace the lead without insulating the roof. Except the DAC won't let you insulate the roof."

"The Diocese have put a million quid into a HTB church plant in the Village Hall. Isn't that good?" 

"We'd like our baby christened. But don't want it religious."

---

* New this week, and yet also evergreen. 

God Loves a tidy Toilet alarm cord

Is the alarm cord in your church toilet dragging on the ground?

This can be a hazard. The cord could pick up germs,  that could easily be passed on to someone lying face down on the ground. Or someone could stand on the toggle. And who wants to summon help with a dirty alarm cord toggle?

Obviously, the simple way to deal with this is to tie it up, so the cord is shortened. But, while this will make life tidy and hygienic, someone who has fallen to the floor might still be able to reach the cord with a certain amount of effort.

That's why I always wrap the cord several times around the toilet grab handles. Ensuring that, if you should be unfortunate enough to pass out or topple over onto the floor due to the toilet roll being unexpectedly at calf height, you will have some mental challenge to keep you occupied while help arrives. Or, indeed, before it is even summoned.

If you can ensure the toggles are  partly obscured by rolls of toilet paper and by plumbing, so much the better! That's not going to be pulled out in a hurry.

Keep your emergency cords tidy. God loves a tidy church toilet.

Revenge of the AI GriefSexBot

So this is awkward. 

Brenzil was so upset when Miamh went. He was inconsolable.

And then he heard about the GriefBots. And we tried to talk him out of it. We told him it wasn't really Miamh. It didn't have real thoughts, or real feelings for him. It was just 20 years of Miamh's Facebook posts, and all the photos of her from their holidays together, uploaded into a Large Language Model.

But he said it gave him comfort.

But he was still lonely. Because it wasn't really Miamh. And, you know, it was just a text prompt going "shall we have spag bol tonight?" over and over, just like Miamh did.

And then he heard about Sex Robots.  I hasten to add I've picked the link very carefully here.

Anyway, despite us all telling him it was a bad idea, he combined the two.

We didn't see him for a month.

Anyway, Miamh's back now.

Oh, you thought I meant.... 

No, she wasn't dead. She'd just gone to nurse her mum after her op.

Anyway, Miamh is not amused.

And neither is the GriefSexBot, apparently. She's suing for half his savings and the Qashqai.

I don't know what the moral of all this is. Apart from don't develop GriefSexBots. Especially not based on people who are still alive. Or, possibly, if your life partner goes off to nurse their parent, change the locks. But on the whole, probably the first one.

Loving Angels Instead (John 1.29-42)

Do you remember where you were when you heard that Robbie Williams had left Take That?

 

No, me neither. I was quite busy with a new job in July 1995. But I'm sure there were crying teenagers. 

But it's an interesting case. Robbie was the youngest member of the band. A band that had been formed around the singer who, even today, I always think of as "the other one". Manfred Orange or Ken Barlow or somebody. Anyway, he went off and it was all very sad. But Barry Marlow and co carried on making records. And Robbie went on to make some excellent music.

And yes, it's a bit trite to compare Robbie Williams to Jesus. Even though both in  their own ways bring in the Millennium. But consider how Larry Harlow responded. "I must become less. I am not worthy to do up his trainer laces.  Which have come undone." Which was in a very real sense a reflection of John the Baptist's attitude to Jesus.

So the moral of my sermon this morning, I think, is if you want to form a team around yourself, ensure they're not as talented as you are. Otherwise you may find the crowds going to them. And your former protege(e) saying to the crowds, "let me entertain you."

Commemoration of the Death of Thomas Hardy (1928)

1st Yokel: That Thomas Hardy's dead, then.

2nd Yokel: Aye, as we all shall be.

1Y: Ninety-eight years now.

2Y: I thought he'd been quiet.

1Y: Shall us to an inn, to wet our whistle with a drop of Dorchester's finest?

2Y: To the Dree Mariners?

1Y: Nay, they've been closed this 60 years.

2Y: To Peter's Finger?

1Y: I'faith, that's a made-up pub.

2Y: Spoons then?

1Y: Wi' all my heart.

Remembering William "Smasher" Dowsing

Who? You ask.

A man who did more damage to the beauty of this country's churches than anyone before the pew-removers of the 1980s, that's who.

William "Smasher" Dowsing would turn up at churches across East Anglia during the Commonwealth, to break down images, destroy rood screens, and generally make churches ugly. This was apparently for the good of men's (and presumably women's) souls.

If challenged, Dowsing would say "You can't stop us - we're on a mission from God." And start smashing.

He died, sadly not at the end of a length of rope, in 1668. And naturally nobody has commemorated his work.

Which we at the Beaker Folk felt sorry about.

Anyway, we've carved a nice statue with a big Puritan hat on. And we're burning incense in front of it each day before Angelus.

I'm sure it's just what he would have liked.

Mystic Moons of the Beaker Calendar

The Internet is full of Native American, Chinese, or whoever full moon names. Who doesn't love a traditional set of moon names? Wolf moon and blood moon etc. Very evocative and all the rest of it. Gotta love it, in this world looking for a bit of romance and mystery amid the fear and howling.

But they forget who got there first. Who built a giant stone circle on Salisbury Plain with 42! different solar and lunar alignments, as proved by Keith with his Excel spreadsheet? That's right. The Beaker Folk. 

And the Beaker Folk, being the people that invented the moon, had their own traditional names for each moon of the year. Which was passed down from mother to daughter through millennia. And which I'm glad to share with you now. You will never look at another full moon without remembering the Beaker Folk who named it.

January	Crumpet Moon
February	Button Moon
March	Daphne Moon
April	Moon Under Water
May	Moonraker
June	Cheese Moon
July	Moon on a Stick
August	Gibbon Moon
September	Thewholeofthe Moon
October	Mad, Mad Moon
November	Moon River
December	Killing Moon
(Second full moon in a month)	Keith Moon

Pictures low-res, hopefully fair use from Wikimedia commons, the BBC, some woman who takes photos of crumpets, RCA/Victor Mancini, Echo & the Bunnymen, the Waterboys, Ardman Animation/Nick Park, DC Publishing, BBC, Compton's Arcade manufacturers.