Olde English Flapjack

Posted by kitperriman on November 4, 2022

Olde English Flapjack

Ingredients:

8oz butter

4oz sugar

4 big tablespoons of Lyle’s Golden Syrup

1lb porridge oats

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 250 / 130 / gas 1.

2. Grease a 8″x 8″x 2″ metal baking pan with a nub of the butter.

3. In a large pan stir the remaining butter, sugar, and syrup on a stovetop over a low heat.

4. Add the oats and salt. Stir well.

5. Press the mixture evenly into a greased baking pan.

6. Cook in low oven for 1 hour 30 minutes until the side are slightly brown

(the middle will seem uncooked).

7. Remove from the oven. Cut into 12 pieces. Leave inside the pan until cold.

Do not overcook! The best flapjack is moist, buttery, and chewy.

(Photo: Public Domain)

What Do You Believe?

Posted by kitperriman on November 3, 2022

For thousands of years people believed in magic. They were simple folk – often afraid and confused – unable to grasp the scientific world around them.

They struggled to:

* explain natural events

* understand why bad things happened

* barter with fate

* accept their place and rank in society

* influence things around them

* blame unseen forces when things went wrong

* believe in, and belong to, something bigger than themselves

* grapple with supernatural forces and events

* worship a greater power as part of a divine plan

* and find solace in a harsh, unfair world.

According to Sigmund Freud, each civilization passes through three distinct stages of development.

In the Magical Phase the primitive does not understand a natural phenomenon like rainfall, but he knows he needs water to survive. By creating a ritual – rain dancing for example – he believes he can influence the weather to obey his wishes.

As society progresses the community enters the Religious Phase. The rain-seeking ritual develops into an intricate rite of prayer, song, dance, and sacrifice, whereby the worshippers barter with the gods for their precious water.

But once the mechanics of rainfall are understood as a process of evaporation and cloud formation, that society progresses into the Scientific Phase. At this point, Freud argues, there should be no more need for religious or superstitious belief. “Religion is a system of wishful illusions together with a disavowal of reality” without which the masses “could not bear the troubles of life and the cruelties of reality.”

Was Freud correct though? Even in today’s super-scientific space age a huge portion of the globe still follows the religious beliefs of their ancestors, and paganism is on the rise.

It turns out science does not have all the answers. It might satisfy the mind but it cannot soothe the wounded soul!

Source:

Freud, Sigmund. The Future of an Illusion. New York: Norton, 1989.

(Drawing: Public Domain)

Fairy Dust

Posted by kitperriman on November 2, 2022

FAIRY DUST

A few wires –

a leap from reality –

and Peter Pan took flight

through fairy dust

in front of us

on an ordinary weekday night.

And glitter

shone in the eyes of the child

sat there all evening

stock still – grinning –

finger in mouth –

catching his breath and believing

every tick

of the crocodile’s tock-clock,

and each brave sword blow,

walking the plank –

taking the plunge –

without ever needing to slow.

And I ask

myself why the magic is

sham and corrupt,

in failing to

ward off those

pirates of old – our growing up?

(Kit Perriman)

(Degrassi Wiki Gif in Public Domain)

Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos)

Posted by kitperriman on November 1, 2022

Dia de los Muertos

The Latin American Day of the Dead is a two-day celebration taking place on November 1st and 2nd.
This tradition originated in Mexico.
Several ancient Aztec death rituals were combined with new Catholic beliefs brought to the New World by the Spanish Conquistadores.
Instead of mourning the souls of the departed, Dia de los Muertos commemorates their lives with the food, activities, drink, and clothing that were most enjoyed during their time on earth.
During these two special days the dead are invited back to celebrate with their remaining loved ones.
The souls of children rejoin their families on November 1st.
Adult spirits return on November 2nd.
Feliz dia de los Muertos!

(Photo: Eneas de Troya)

Sources:

National Geographic Society, “Dia de los Muertos,” https://www.nationalgeographic.org/media/dia-de-los-muertos/

History.com Editors, Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/day-of-the-dead

Visit to Mexico, 2011

Happy Halloween!

Posted by kitperriman on October 31, 2022

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

(GIF: Public Domain)

Return Of The Druid

Posted by kitperriman on October 28, 2022

Return of the Druid

In the days of old they called us
the Wise Women
and begged our aid
when the world beat against them.
The Druids crowned us
High Priestesses –
we raised storms to keep
the invaders at bay.
Dancers span spells
and wrought powerful potions,
bringing new life into being
and healing ill.
We brewed roots, bark, plants and
poisoned berries
and sang to claim the winds and wilds.

Then the clergy spoke and made
all the Cunning
into Heretics,
ostracized from the Divine.
We terrified them
and were ground down
under the boot of
the cruel Inquisition.
We became Witches
and the burnings began.
But we never honored Satan –
only nature.
Yet those put to question
still gave up
their friends to fire and gallows.

We now roam the land as Vagabonds
telling futures
and changing luck.
Skilled eyes that can pierce through the veil
will be Clairvoyants,
mastering the spirit world.
When doctors and science
fail to tame the feral –
they will label us mad and
damaged Hysterics.
Yet healers always find new ways
to combat superstition.
And when faith returns
I know Wise Women
will ride the moon once again.

(Kit Perriman)

(Pictures:
Wilhelm Kotabinski
John William Waterhouse
Evelyn Nesbit)

A Word From The Wise

Posted by kitperriman on October 27, 2022

“It’s easier to curse the darkness than to light a candle!”

(Traditional Wisdom)

(Photo: Kit Perriman)

Kit’s Crit: The Witch (Movie)

Posted by kitperriman on October 26, 2022

The Witch (2015)

Robert Eggers debut film The Witch is a masterpiece. Precisely because it is not the typical action-packed Hollywood horror movie it is far more realistic and terrifying. Eggers has created “A New England folktale” that is seen through a seventeenth-century lens. We experience the slow-fuse tension in the same way as the Puritan characters.

The plot is fairly straight-forward. A family is banished from their village because of differing religious beliefs. They find a remote spot next to a forest and build their home. A few years later a baby boy joins the other four children, but he disappears beside the woods while his sister Thomasin is looking after him. This triggers a series of events that suggest Satan is at hand in various guises – a mysterious wood witch, a curious hare, a sinister black goat, and perhaps one of the two daughters. Things go from bad to worse until the family are split apart by suspicion and quarrels. One by one the members die until only one virgin is left to fulfil her destiny and join the local coven of witches. Satan emerges as the victor because he has wrestled these Christian souls away from God.

Several things make this movie stand out from others in its genre. Firstly, the historical accuracy. Eggers and his crew have gone to great lengths to recreate the costumes and sets of the early Colonial period. Then there is the superb attention to detail, especially in adhering to traditional religious beliefs and occult superstitions. Thirdly, the wonderful cinematography recreates the beauty and wildness of the remote countryside. Another strength is the convincing cast, particularly the child actors involved. Further, I enjoyed the accents and dialog that made the period more authentic. And finally, there is the originality of the tale. The Witch takes us back to a time when people believed Satan was a real presence stalking the earth in search of vulnerable souls. The magic we see is evil, harrowing, and deadly; it seduces and corrupts the innocent. And sadly, the dark side wins.

Unlike many other supernatural films, The Witch does not show a group of beautiful women dabbling in magic for their own gains. Eggers makes the horror lie in the fact that no matter how Christian or good one might be, the Devil will always find a way to claim those he wants.

Highly recommended.

(Photo: University of Illinois)

Queen’s It’s A Kind Of Magic

Posted by kitperriman on October 25, 2022

It’s A Kind Of Magic

(Roger Taylor)

It’s a kind of magic.
It’s a kind of magic.
A kind of magic – no way.
One dream, one soul, one prize,
one goal, one golden glance of what should be.
It’s a kind of magic.
One shaft of light that shows the way.
No mortal man can win this day.
It’s a kind of magic.
The bell that rings inside your mind
is challenging the doors of time.
It’s a kind of magic.
The waiting seems eternity,
The day will dawn, of sanity.
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh.
Is this a kind of magic ?
It’s a kind of magic.
There can be only one.
This rage that lasts a thousand years
will soon be done.
This flame that burns inside of me,
I’m hearing secret harmonies.
It’s a kind of magic.
The bell that rings inside your mind
is challenging the doors of time.
It’s a kind of magic.
It’s a kind of magic.
This rage that lasts a thousand years
will soon be, will soon be, will soon be done.
This is (this is) a kind (a kind) of magic (yeah).
There can be only one – one – one – one.
This rage that lasts a thousand years
will soon be done – done.
Magic – it’s a kind of magic.
It’s a kind of magic.
Magic – magic – magic – (magic)
Ha ha ha haa – it’s magic.
Ha, haa.
Yeah, yeah.
Wooh.
It’s a kind of magic!

See Freddie’s performance:

(Video: YouTube)

(GIF: Public Domain)

Season of the Dead

Posted by kitperriman on October 24, 2022

Samhain, Halloween, All Hallows Eve, or Souls Night

Call it what you will, but the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest on October 31st.

Samhain means Summer’s End. Wise Women used to celebrate on the nearest full moon before November, after the harvest was gathered, halfway between Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. This date represented the end of summer and the start of the spiritual New Year. Samhain came from the Celtic Fire Festival when the Druids remembered their dead. Bonfires were built to cleanse and protect, and sacrifices were offered to the gods. It was a night of divination, mummers, feasting, guising, and young lads following the Hobby Horse about the village.

The Church of Rome turned this feast into All Hallows’ Eve, the start of All Saints’ Day to honor the Christian saints and martyrs. Soul Cakes got eaten instead of meat. Candles were lit for the dear departed and there were vigils, feasts, and the ringing of church bells everywhere.

Youngsters, in particular, enjoyed celebrating Halloween, short for Hallowed or Holy Evening. They remembered the frailty of life with skeletons, ghouls, cobwebs, tombstones, and demons, hoping to chase evil and death away by honoring the darkness. Some carved turnips into Jack o’ Lanterns for those lost souls who’ve been denied both Heaven and Hell, while others partook in pranks to imitate mischievous spirits, costume feasts, processions, and mummers’ plays.

When the Puritans colonized America they introduced the concept of Halloween in the United States. Private costume parties were held to celebrate and protect the harvest. Over time, pumpkins replaced turnips; Irish immigrants introduced “trick-or-treating”; and candy, costume, and greeting card companies began actively promoting this festival as a national holiday to increase their sales. Halloween has now become one of the most popular celebrations on both sides of the Atlantic.

It’s a powerful time – so be careful and guard your own soul!

(GIF: Public Domain)