Sunday, March 2, 2008

Influenza & a Book Meme.

Cat, over at Quaker Pagan Reflections, tagged me to participate in this book meme that's been going around. Speaking of what's going around, I'm currently knocked flat by a rather icky case of the flu. Yesterday was defined by splitting headaches, inflamed throat, feverish... er, fevers, and frequent vomiting (for those of you who really wanted or needed to know).

Now it seems the worst is over, though I'm still left feeling a bit faint and fragile. So here's that easy book meme to keep you entertained until I'm up to writing something substantive again:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

Technically, the nearest book to me is Ross Nichols' The Book of Druidry, which gives us:

Generally, the use of stones, although impressive, limits the mobility of Gorseddau or circle meetings; the modern stones idea was started by Iolo Morganwg and, whilst good to emphasize continuity between past and present and the true nature of that for which stone circles were made, it may now be rather backward-looking when we realize a circle as a structure mentally realized for the operation of psychic faculties.

Playing through the three chiefs on the eastern side are the triple forces of light, which in some stone circles have been marked by pointer stones outside. The centre stone to the due East represents the rays from the equinoxes, the times of balance; the stone to the North-east is the high force of light at the midsummer solstice, that to the South-east is the place of rebirth of the sun in midwinter.


But I haven't actually started reading that one yet (it's in my to-be-read pile currently), so how about the next-closest, Ronald Hutton's Witches, Druids and King Arthur, which I'm about half-way through:

This in itself, to Iamblichus, justified the heavy investment in ritual, material trappings and sacrifice characteristic of traditional paganism, and which acted as part of a process of correspondence and reunion. The cannier pagan was distinguished by knowledge of the precise nature of the material substances, numbers and incantations which should be used to contact and work with particular deities.

Even among canny pagans, however, to Iamblichus theurgists were definitely superior.


I'm not lucid enough to tag anyone, and besides I think almost everyone I read has already participated. See, this is why the kids don't ask me to play tag--I'm very bad with the concept of passing it on.

4 comments:

  1. First time visitor--and I find your thoughts akin to my own--

    We have asked--and are still asking it seems--many of the same questions.

    My childhood was steeped in Bible-belt Christianity--but, as the years passed, I was drawn, quite powerfully, to the same things as you.

    I still wonder about the nature of Christ.

    Now in my late twenties, I find myself a romantic atheist with an innate, definite interest in magic, paganism, and the Celtic spiritual traditions.

    I'm not sure how I found myself visiting this blog--but it seems a comfortable place to start sincerely investigating my yearnings and curiosities.

    Be well.

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  2. Hey, Ali,
    Feel better soon! I have a new theory about the flu--I suspect that it is actually making the rounds through blogging.

    Seriously--you're sick, Jason over at The Wild Hunt is sick, and I've been sick too, all week.

    This is no ordinary flu--it's the Internet flu. A new kind of virus... It's not just memes that are getting passed around.

    Recover soon. :)

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  3. The book nearest me provided an amusing 3 sentences, so I decided to post them here; Tag! Reader, you're It.

    Kabak humbly begged pardon for his remissness, promising in future to be unremitting in his duty. "Mind ye do," said the choleric cook, "and to make you remember your duty to your superiors more faithfully, take that" - and raising his round, plump, little leg to kick Kabak, he missed his aim and fell backwards against the barricade which concealed the lady, who, screaming with affright, rushed from her hiding-place, to the terror of Kabak and the unspeakable wonder and admiration of the sprawling cook, who scarcely able to move his mountain of flesh from the floor, sat silently devouring the charms of the lady, as she hung upon her dear Kabak, like a drooping lily propped by a hazel twig.
    "O, O!" cried the cook, then ruminating a short moment, "FRIEND Kabak," resumed he, mildly, "lend me thine arm."

    - Kabak an Eastern Tale by A. Crowquill
    From: The Library of Choice Literature of All Nations

    Ali, I hope you get to feeling better soon.

    In Gassho,
    Chiyo

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  4. Jack, Welcome to the blog! I hope you come back and share your thoughts here in the future. :) And I hope the thoughts that I share here can be helpful for you along your journey (let's not count the two most recent posts, which seem a bit frivolous of me, honestly ;).

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