I met for an 8.30 breakfast this morning at Wetherspoons with a friend of mine, David. There were about a dozen people there. Two couples, the rest single people reading the paper and staring at their mobile phones.  We discussed matters of importance to us as Christians. I mentioned that maybe due to my age I need to hear new ideas or requests in more than one way for it to truly sink in. I think there is talking AT someone versus talking WITH  someone and I think the latter is more digestible.
We spoke about the second coming of Jesus and we agreed that before this could happen, indeed if it happens in the form that we imagine, there must be an outworking of good and evil. Evil includes stupidity.

I read in the Daily Mail about a 66 year old male blood donor who was denied admission to the clinic because he refused to answer the question “are you pregnant?”. I noticed that Costa coffee is ‘celebrating’ diversity by including in their marketing material a picture ‘celebrating’  inclusivity which shows a woman whose breasts have been amputated. I also hear that over 1500 corporations have signed up to this LGBT agenda. The BBC say there are over 100 different sexes. This is madness. The minds of everyone including youngsters are being deliberately confused.

David and I agreed that everyone has different qualities and we should not try to be someone else but rather tune into what these spirit god otherwise known as the Holy Spirit is trying to direct us to do. I wondered how we could distinguish the Spirit of God within us from the spirit of our own needs and desires. We agreed that if we kept in a close relationship with God then our actions would be guided accordingly. Everything should be evaluated  by what we read in the Bible but in conglomerate. In other words we don’t just take one verse of the Bible on its own.

I think the main blessing of being a Christian or should I say as well associated with a particular faith is that you keep sane., maintain distance from influences that can harm you, that you do not interfere with the lives of others unless there is a good reason for it. In other words it’s about boundaries but also faith.

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven”

Its not what we do in terms of ‘product’ but how our relationship to God affects our actions and our relationships with others.

To Glastonbury for the 50th time

I visited the Somerset Rural Life museum where there was an exhibition of fabrics. At the entry desk, they have one of the most efficient databases that I know of. I showed my season ticket. Francoise said she had lost hers but in the time it took her to say that, her name had already flashed up on the system as an associate person and she was allowed in without a ticket which by the way she found.

The museum is compact but very lovingly put together reminding us about the old styles of life particularly on the land. The image below is an never ending changing panorama on situations pertaining since photography started. As it was holiday, there were families playing in the outer yard and special entertainment had been laid on for the children

Chalice Well

I have been to Chalice Well Glastonbury about 50 times over the years as I told this to the lady on the gate. She said there is no medal she can give me – at which we both laughed. I said that no matter how many times I come, it is always different probably because the people are different and I am different and the world is different. I said that you could not revisit consciousness because it has changed.

The well dressed for Lammas with an especially baked loaf of bread.

This may seem a strange image to include (below) but it does remind me of my conversation this morning with David above about redundancy and priorities. As we develop, some part of us die or should die as they become redundant and from the midst of this comes a new shoot. Could be a new Talent,  disposition, emotional quality, spiritual view. The new shoot is apparently growing out of dead material but it is probably feeding from it. And it’s the cycle of life. Nothing is wasted.

I love the communal area at the bottom. I normally have a coffee and cake but since I had it had a full breakfast with David that would have overdone it and it was only 11 o’clock. One of the caretakers of the Gardens is the chap with legs a stride talking to someone. Part of his duties are to feed the fire – even though it was not cold. Fire is an atavistic symbol of togetherness and is much appreciated by all those who attend. People sit round it instinctively.

Apart from the stories attached to the images above I did have a number of interesting conversations. One was about the suitability of shoes or boots which I most certainly did not come along to this celebration to discuss. it started when a young lady took off her boots resulting in other people  talking to her about them. I joined in the conversation as one does and I wondered there was such a thing as an ideal boot because on the one hand you want to support your ankle and on the other hand you don’t want to shoot or boot that is too light to become unstable. The owner of the boot thought that the ankle was designed to be flexible and move up and down side to side and backward and forward so she was not particularly interested in ankle support. I said that if you go for a walk in Marshes you can come off second best if you’re not careful unless you have proper support.

At midday we celebrated Lammas round the well. The word Lammas comes from an Old English phrase that translates to “loaf mass.” In early Christianity, the first loaves of the season were blessed by the church during mass. In some traditions, this day honors the Celtic god, Lugh. The local baker who baked the loaf (see dressing the well image) called it ‘an honour’ to do so. Lammas is about showing gratitude for the sacred land, We were asked to hold in our heart all the things that we hold in gratitude, the reason being to send beautiful loving light into this world.

I cannot recall exactly what the quote of Wellesley Tudor Pole the founder of Chalice Well said “When the soul lies down in that grass the world is too full”. That is a strange thing to say but a meditation state would enable us to see the world in all its glory not just the physical aspects. There was then a 10 minute meditation during which we all attempted to bring light into the world.

Just after the event a lady came along a path with her young child. I was very struck by the purity and vocal range of the child’s voice and told mother without any hesitation that this child would use the voice in her later life for possibly singing or public performance of some sort. But mother seemed to understand what I was saying and I said this quality would become more obvious as she the child became older

Halfway down the slope there is a bathing area for the feet which is slightly below a tap where people can fill bottles with chalice well water. I took my shoes and socks off and had a walk round. Others found it very cold, by say it is not cold it is refreshing.

In due course we left and did our traditional walk around the town. We always walk along the top Road and turn left down the unique High Street where there is a concentration of esoteric shops not equaled anywhere else. I popped into an immaculate second-hand shop, cycle outlet whatever you want to call it and I saw this lovely signed below, so clever.

I always go to Burns the Bread for my picnic lunch. It always consists of the same things, sausage roll which is full of actual press sausage, a rhubarb Muffin or whatever is in season, and a latte. We always eat it in the same place sitting on the steps as you see below. However, there was price for us. This is evidently the first day of a new service called Grandma’s kitchen. From the notice we can see that you not only get fed and watered but you can share memories of the old days. I glanced inside the room and saw some very comfortable furniture just like it would have been in say the 1950s and people were sitting around having a jolly time. What a lovely place to go especially if you’re a bit lonely. I see that ‘Dave’ was also cooking some onion soup. Well done people.

The local council make a great effort to keep their streets beautiful as the tourist trade is quite considerable and a good impression needs to be given there were about 16 examples of these lovely bunches of flowers placed on the street

It’s being Tuesday, there is market day (above) Fair there was someone selling fresh herbs and someone else selling wood. (see below)

Glastonbury is very much a goddess, divine feminine, Mary Magdalene place and this week there was a goddess conference going on. In the adjacent room to the meeting room there were a number of stalls. I am not going to go theological on this one but if you wanted you could buy a witch’s diary for the special price of ten pounds.

We met a German beekeeper from Yorkshire on a stall. He operated 75 hives and sold the honey which he also used to make sweets as well as honey itself. Wax was used to make candles and Francoise bought one. We had a very interesting conversation at which we discussed the dangers of having beehives next to Fields where Glyphosate is sprayed. NB These are not cakes but wax fashioned into candles, ornaments etc.

At this point we wondered what to do next. I had proposed that we go and seal the film Openheimer which was playing in Wells. However the fact was that we had done a fair amount that day and the thought of sitting through a film of three hours duration we felt that was actually a bit much so we decided that we would go and see it elsewhere, Bath, perhaps somewhere else while we were taking a brief holiday.

We returned via Shepton Mallet hoping to go to our favorite Polish shop to buy some flour but alas it was closed. It is normally open seven days a week and I suspect staff shortages.

In the High Street we went to one of those stores that sells absolutely everything you need for some wood glue. It was less than £2 and I automatically to my shame took out my credit card. The manager grumbled saying ‘we both have to pay for this’. I was actually glad to give him cash. He said it’s very difficult these days because the local banks have closed and you have to go to Wells or Bath, some way away, to conduct business.

We spoke about Nigel Farage standing up to the system but he didn’t have any good things to say about him obviously having absorbed the essence of the mainstream Media. I love the fact that Farage has asked for a meeting with the head of NatWest Bank to explain himself. Coutts bank offered to give Nigel back his account but it is too late. It’s like stealing something and taking it back to the shop where you bought it or did not buy it.

We then did our usual ritual wandering around Aldi but found nothing of interest. On the way back we popped into the Farringdon farm shop to get some unpasteurized  unhomonogised milk. I bought a treacle tart, the first I have bought for decades, and also a tub of local ice cream which I enjoyed on the way, then the tart with a cup of coffee when we arrived home.