“What a long strange trip it’s been”
If you were to visit my home, you’d find lots of books on photography and design, but by far, the largest collection in my bookcases (and overflowing out of them) are books on History, Religion and Spirituality. When we moved to Oxford, I decided to finally go back and earn a degree in this area and started with a 2-year English Local History course through Oxford University Cont. Ed on where there was flexibility in the topics that I could chose for each paper and I always took up the options related to religious history. From the Anglo-Saxon minsters to the English Reformation to the Oxford Movement, I loved it all. To complete the degree, I took four more years (whilst working full time as a teacher) to study through Open University for a BA Humanities degree with a specialism in Religious Studies. This included studying the history of religions, the major religions of the world, and for my main elective I chose classical mythology. Years later, the collections of books keep growing and I realise that this has been a guiding interest throughout my life.
These days, a favourite is Robin Wall Kimmerer’s “Braiding Sweetgrass“. I now have a stack of books on Indigenous religions and Animism to work my way through, (Harvey, Abram, etc..), but have also been reaching out more to local groups to meet like-minded people. If you think we should be friends, say hi.
Posts I’ve tagged as “Spirituality”:
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Medieval Wall Paintings, South Leigh
Whilst studying English Local History through the Department of Continuing Education at Oxford University, I had the delight of visiting St James the Greater, South Leigh to see their medieval wall paintings. They were absolutely stunning.
St James the Great Church in South Leigh, Oxfordshire, is a Norman parish church known for its exceptional medieval wall paintings which were discovered in 1869. The most significant piece is the Doom painting above the chancel arch depicting the Day of Judgement with the jaws of hell depicted as a gaping monster. Additional paintings include the Seven Deadly Sins and St Clement of Rome, making this church one of England’s most important repositories of pre-Reformation religious art. These paintings, which survived centuries hidden beneath whitewash, were restored during the Victorian period, and some controversy surrounds the enlargement of certain scenes during the restoration process.
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May Morning (Beltane), Oxford
The May Morning celebration in Oxford is one of the highlights of living here. For over 600 years, both “town and gown” have gathered on High Street to hear the chorus of Magdalen College sing in the official start of the “light half of the year” at 6am in the morning. May Day, or “Beltane” by its old Celtic name, is the counterbalance to the “dark half of the year” which starts on All Hallow’s Eve, “Samhain”, October 31st.
It’s quite traditional for students to stay out all night “gathering the May”, many clubs and restaurants are open all night and most other open to get some business from the thousands and thousands of people that gather to celebrate and welcome Springtime. Pubs are full and spilling into the streets and people are toasting the day, especially this year which is unbelievably warm. Morris dancer groups are everywhere, and no matter where you might look, there are people singing, dancing and having an amazing time.
Some photos from this morning (can’t believe that now I have to teach all day!)…
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Bath
Had a wonderful day in Bath. I think it’s probably the most beautiful town in England, but either way it is certainly my favourite. The Roman Spa is amazing to visit, it’s hard to believe that the structure and decorations are nearly 2000 years old, it’s dedicated to the goddess Sulis, Romanised as Sulis-Minerva. The town is full of shops, great restaurants and beautiful architecture, including quite a lot of Regency period buildings (think Jane Austin, who also lived here).
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