( Thank you Leonard Cohen.) There's a crack in everything that's how the light gets in, through empty gestures of times exhaust that vent bitterness on tonque, scars trace the nights laughter sailing on ripped tides at dusk, allow resurfacing days shadow to ignite fizzing and nudging, in the process of awakening, through depths of minds endeavor moods of restless toil, voyages of troubled sleep deep in mood innate, among the magic of the moon in the dark shines bright, waiting for dawns page to turn golden tickets of imagination, in the ever present of eternity to purify and illuminate, because there's a crack in everything that's how the light gets in.
Not taking place here in Wales, for the time being because the NHS in Wales is devolved. Since 1999, the Welsh Government has been involved in running its NHS, so for the time being will the junior doctors contract already in place, so Junior Doctors will be working as normal today. We are guess most fortunate to have the NHS in our hands for now. We still have public service being run not for private greed. Catching up at last, after all the Welsh have generally been poorer and sicker than the English for at least the past 300 years.
Nevetheless across the border Jeremy Hunt has vetoed a deal that would have ended the junior doctor's dispute, that was supported by the NHS's own negotiators. At the same time N.H.S trusts cannot balance books because of poor funding. A political decision to create room for private enterprise in healthcare. Cuts elsewhere such as in councils, has also piled on the pressure. Despite taking place in England, we must stand together until their is fairness for doctors, safety for patients and safeguards for the future of the NHS everywhere. After all the approach taken by the Government in England is still an attack on us all.
The government is trying to crush the doctors and the NHS, ( an essential service that the Welsh people helped create, modelled on miner's mutual aid schemes, ) whilst undermining the BMA and allow it to fall into the hands of the private sector, we can't let this happen. We must all support the junior doctors, to stop Jeremy Hunt from forcing doctors into accepting a contract that puts more live at risk. Dangerous to patients because tired doctors don't perform at their best, and mistakes will be made.
Another Pig headed Tory ideological attack on hard working honest people. Remember doctors save lives, Tory's take them away.We must continue to support the junior doctors and all those who seek to defend the NHS, porters, cleaning staff etc etc standing shoulder to shoulder with them all in solidarity.
The 9th of February marks St Teilo's Day. (also Teilio, Theleau, Eliud; ) The waters of his well - now dried up - are near Maenchlochog, in West Wales, Pembrokeshire's rural heartland, where a church dedicated to him dating back to the 12th Century can be found. It was said to cure whooping cough. Pilgrims came from far and wide to drink it's spring water, which was said to cure paralysis and other ailments. There was only one drawback; they had to be slurped from Teilo's skull. This strange practice continued into the 20th century using one of the saints three skulls! Teilo was born at Penally in Dyfed , around AD 500 and was cousin of David the patron Saint of Wales. His original name was apparently Eliuid . He went on to become Bishop at Llandaf Cathedral in Cardiff, and died back in Dyfed at Llandeilo Fawr. The three churches, that were former centers of the Teilo cult, are still standing. He was a very popular saint,- and by medieval times, there were over thirty churches and villages dedicated to him across Wales and Brittany, including the church at Plogonnec, Finistere, and the chapel of Our lady in Kerdevot. In Brittany he is known as the Saint of horses, and of fruit trees, whilst in France, Teilo, St Samson and his followers are said to have planted three miles of fruit trees and even today the fruit groves they planted are known as the groves of Teilo and Samson. During his time in Brittany , he is said to have saved people from a winged dragon which he tamed and which he kept tied to a rock in the sea. In another a local Lord offered him all the land he could encircle between sunset and sunrise , Teilo chose to ride a stag to cover as much ground in the time available. Teilo performed numerous miracles in his lifetime (he
raised one man from the dead, healed another one from the
palsy and so on) which continued after his repose from his
relics and holy wells associated with him. In the Middle
Ages Teilo was loved and venerated as one of the greatest
saints and Church figures in the country’s history.
His veneration from Wales extended to Cornwall, Devon,
Brittany and neighboring regions.
In around 554 Teilo and his followers returned from Brittany to
Llandeilo Fawr. After the death of St. David, Teilo became revered as
one of the most holy men in Wales. He was joined at Llandeilo by many
disciples including Cynfwr, Teulyddog and Llywel. He died at the abbey
of Llandeilo Fawr on February 9th, probably around the year 560. A considerable number of churches dedicated to St.
Teilo in Wales most can be found in the counties of
Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Glamorgan. Churches and
toponyms that bear his name are also scattered in
Cornwall, Devon and Brittany. The modern Anglican Diocese
of St. Davids alone has 12 churches dedicated to St.
Teilo, and the Diocese of Llandaff has at least six
churches which have him as their patron. No fewer than six
churches in Devon and Cornwall are connected with him.
Quite a few schools are named after him as well.
Today Llandeilo is a little town in Carmarthenshire. Here
Teilo founded his main monastery, served as abbot and
bishop, lived as a hermit. The town church is dedicated to
its founder to this day. It is early medieval by origin
but was entirely rebuilt in 1850. After repose of Teilo
the Llandeilo Fawr Abbey continued to develop and with
time became the major church of all the neighboring
districts. It is known that around the ninth century a
beautiful and ornate Gospel, called “St.
Teilo’s Gospel”, was kept in Llandeilo. It had
been created a century before, most probably in Mercia in
England. It was considered that this Gospel “had
belonged to St. Teilo himself”. Afterwards it was
transferred to the English town of Lichfield where it is
displayed to this day as a great relic. From 1290 on, on
the orders of King Edward I of England (1239-1307), an
annual fair in honor of St. Teilo was held near the church
in Llandeilo. This fair stopped only in the twentieth
century. Fragments of two Celtic crosses (date to c.900)
were also discovered and now are kept in Llandeilo church.
There is a holy well of St. Teilo near the eastern end of
the church.
The saint is depicted on stained glass
windows of a number of churches of Wales, for example, at
the Holy Trinity Church in Abergavenny. A
thirteenth-century church in the village of
Llantilio-Crossenny in Monmouthshire, not far from
Abergavenny, is dedicated to St. Teilo. The church has a
very high spire and due to its large size it is often
nicknamed a “baby cathedral”. The church is in
the early English and Decorated Gothic styles. It is
cruciform and its interior has many interesting features.
In this spot a battle between a king of Gwent and pagan
Saxons may have taken place in the sixth century.
According to legend, St. Teilo took a cross, stood on the
hillock on which the church was to be built and began to
pray. And under the effect of his prayer the Saxons
scattered. The church in the village of Llandeloy in
Pembrokeshire is dedicated to our saint. This fine
twelfth-century church was rebuilt early in the twentieth
century but now is redundant. There is a holy well hidden
among the vegetation near this church. A
thirteenth-century church with three chantry chapels in
the small hamlet of Llantilio Pertholey in Monmouthshire
again has a dedication to St. Teilo who is depicted there
in stained glass. Another twelfth-century St.
Teilo’s Church in the spot known as Llandeilo
Tal-y-Bont near Swansea was closed in the 1970s, then
dismantled and has now been rebuilt at St. Fagans National
History Open-Air Museum in the city of Cardiff (located in
the grounds of the castle, this museum comprises over
forty reconstructed historic buildings). Remarkably,
during its dismantlement well-preserved ancient murals
were discovered on the church walls under the
wall-plaster. The village of Bishopston, called in Welsh
Llandeilo Ferwallt, situated in the Gower Peninsula, has a
church dedicated to St. Teilo. The parish church in the
village of Merthyr Mawr near the town of Bridgend is
dedicated to St. Teilo. It was built in 1850s on the site
of a very ancient church. A modern Roman Catholic church
in the town of Tenby in Pembrokeshire is dedicated to the
Holy Cross and St. Teilo.
St. Teilo is most famous today for what is supposed to have happened
after his death. According to an account in the early 12th century by
Geoffrey of Llandaff, there was a dispute over the body of St Teilo.
There were three claimants to the remains: the church at Penally (where
he was born), Llandeilo (where he founded his church and died), and
Llandaff (who claimed him as their bishop). During the night, the body
is said to have multiplied into three, one for each church, thus
settling the argument. A miracle, or perhaps just a dodgy excuse for a triple set of
relics.In the early Middle Ages, it was financially advantageous to have
relics or shrine in a catherdral. in order to attract pilgrims. The ancient shrine of St. Teilo, along with his skull, survive at Llandaff Cathedral to this day
and attract pilgrims, including Orthodox. His tomb with
the main relics stands to the right of the high altar and
his head relic is kept in the chapel which bears his name
and is housed in a specially constructed reliquary. The
skull is mounted on a silver base. For many centuries it
was a custom to take an oath on the saint’s shrine.
It was recorded that the shrine of St. Teilo at the
cathedral was opened in 1850 and also earlier in 1736 by
an architect. When the latter opened his shrine, it turned
out that the saint’s remains (wrapped in leather)
along with his episcopal crozier, cross, chalice and other
items were practically intact. A statue of this saint
today can be found in the west front of the cathedral.
Some parts of Llandaff Cathedral are from the twelfth
century; though this church was heavily damaged during the
Second World War, it was subsequently restored in all its
glory. St. Teilo together with Sts. Peter and Paul, Dyfrig
(whose shrine still rests within the cathedral) and
Euddogwy is a joint patron-saint of this Anglican
cathedral. He is also a patron-saint of the Welsh capital
city of Cardiff, which is very close to Llandaff and has a
Catholic parish church of St. Teilo and Our Lady of
Lourdes. Down the centuries the saint's multiple relics went missing piece by piece, and what is claimed to be one of Teilo's skulls recently reappeared in Hong Kong of all places. After protracted negotiations on February 8th 1994 there was a special service at Llandaff, at which the skull was installed in its own niche in the cathedral's St Teilo chapel. The reinstated relic is now considered far too precious to be used as a cup.The most succinct and restrained expression of the head cult survival theory in relation to the well and skull of St Teilo is that of Janet and Colin Bord.'A most important aspect of Celtic religion was the head cult. There is strong evidence showing a close association of this cult with sacred springs and pools, some of it having survived even to the present day, albeit in fragmentary form and lacking the power of the original Celtic stimulus. The Celts were head-hunters… To the Celts the head was the most important part of the body, symbolizing the divine power, and they venerated the head as the source of all the attributes they most admired… The Celtic traditions became so deep-seated that many of them were perpetuated down the centuries, surviving almost to the present day, and this is certainly true of the head cult and its water associations. The Roman historian Livy (59 B.C. – 17 A.D.) described how Celtic warriors decorated skulls with gold and used them as cups for offerings to the gods, a custom continued in the use of skulls to drink the water at certain holy wells until recent times. The most famous of these was St. Teilo’s Well at Llandyfan, wwhich beecame a place of pigrimage, where the water was renowned for its ability to cure whooping cough and other ills, but only if drunk out of the remains of St. Teilo’s skull. Penlog Teilo is the longest surviving skull used for healing purposes, though there were others. Water was drunk from a human skull at Ffynnon Llandyfan . Gruffydd ap Dafydd killed at Dolgellu was used in the same way, to cure whooping cough and other ailments. Francis Jones, suggests that water was drunk from human skulls in order to acquire the desirable qualities of the skulls original owner.Drinking from skulls at holy wells seems to have been widespread in Wales. Incidentally there are other ways of preventing whooping cough without getting out of your skull. Pass the patient under a donkey nine times, or else persuade them to take a ride on the nearest bear. This particular brand of preventative medicine often kept a bear-keeper in sticky buns and honey. Or whatever bears eat. Further Reading :- Bord, Janet & Colin, Sacred Waters. Paladim, 1986.
While we in Britain moan about current weather conditions, spare a thought for the people of Gaza. Still in the grip of a crippling illegal blockade. Deprived of food and medical supplies.basic items like lightbulbs, baby formula, mattresses, blankets, shampoo, conditioner and building supplies. Today Israel does not allow except 12 basic items to enter Gaza , out of 9,000 commodities.From soap to coffee , from computers to spare parts. Despite an agreement between the Palestinian Government, Israel and the United Nations that allows a small amount of building supplies for reconstruction the blockade persists and the Egyptian border is closed, Gaza exists as an open air prison with no access to the outside world.Many homes still damaged and unrepaired since the 30 day war waged by Israel in the Summer of 2014,
Meanwhile unemployment has reached 75% according to the World Bank. There is currently a massive gas shortage and people are struggling to say warm. Now heavy winds and floods have made things worse. The cold increasing this peoples suffering. Paralysing the daily life in the Gaza strip, keeping most of the population in doors, with schools and universities being forced closed.
With further bad weather imminent, what little hope they have we might presume will be washed away. But the Palestinian;s resilience is a strong one and despite these people being poor and their conditions being hard. These proud people still manage to stick together and find ways to survive whilst retaining their dignity and respect.
As fellow humans in acts of solidarity we should do all we can to end this immoral sieqe of Gaza. It is our duty to restore their life.
Gazans struggling to stay warm this Winter.
Gaza's enduring spirit lives These are not chess pieces these are people, bitterly cold and hungry struggling to stay warm in an open air prison their thoughts cling to freedom as distant lights offer consolation hues of hope and warmth to gently protect and sustain wrap them with dignity. Gaza still breathes with keys of memory still releases it's tale does not stoop, or stay crushed Gaza's enduring spirit lives on and on hands raised out to sky cast out suffering, betrayal let us remember, let us not forget Allow their tragedy to be broken. .
' Ey Regib ' is an anthem of Kurdistan written by Yonis Reuf, who was also called 'Didar.' He was born in February 1917 in the city of Koye located in Erbil Governote. After finishing school in Kirkjuk, he moved to Baghdad and studied law. ' Ey Regib ' was written in 1938. At the time he was in jail in the Kurdistan province as a political prisoner after campaigning for Independence. He would die in 1948 at the young age of 31. 'Ey Regib' means literally ' hey guard,' but the title is more translated as 'hey enemy'. The poem was originally written in the Kurdish dialect of Sorani, and was later translated into the Kurmanci dialect for those Kurds living in border Kurdistan. It was the song of the short-lived republic of Mahabad in Iran in 1946 and is still sung across all of Kurdistan principalities. It has also become the song of the Parya Karkaren Kurdistan , the Kurdistan Workers Party ( PKK) in its struggle against the Turkish State. In Turkey and all across the borders the Kurdistan people have had their rights denied. Ey Regib tells the story of their struggle and how a nation has thrived throughout history despite much oppression. Their language and culture, their right to self determination has suffered under continual state denial and prosecution.The song written at a time when people were trting to deny the existence of Kurds at all in Turkey. They were killing Kurds in genocides, but the song was saying, 'I'm the never ending Kurd. You can try to kill me, but we will get up again.' The Kurds of Rojava and Kobane canton are currently building a new world in the shell of the old. Planting seeds of imagination. Showing us another world is possible.The Kurdish people have the right to be themselves, to speak and write and to work and sing their own songs. Victory to the Kurdistans. EY Reqib
Hey Enemy, the Kurdish nation is alive with its language Can not be defeated by the weapons of anytime Let no one say Kurds are dead Kurds are living Kurds are living, their flay will never fall We, the youth are the red colour of the revolution Watch our blood that we shed on this way Let no one say Kurds are dead Kurds are living, our flag will never fall We are the childrem of the Medya and Keyhusrew Both our faith and religion are our homeland Both our faith and religion are Kurd and Kurdistan Let no one say the Kuds are dead Kurds are living, their flag will never fail. The Kurdish youth have risen like lions To adorn the crown of life with blood Let no one sayKurds are dead Kurds are living Kurds are living, their glag will never fail The Kurdish youth are ever present and Forever will be ready to sacrifice their lives Sacrifice each life they have, each life they have Lawi Kurdi hazir u amadeye, Giyan fidan e, giyan fida her giyan fida Giyan fidan e, giyan fida her giyan fida
Happy Birthday William Seward Burroughs, El Hombre Invisible, a figure who looms large through the last half of the 20th Century counterculture. Seeping into literature, painting, film and music. Whose image greets me every morning I wander into my own living room, as my dreams awake.
Burroughs who was born 5 February, 1914 was a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author who wrote in the paranoid fiction genre, and his influence is considered to have affected a range of popular culture as well as literature, a reputation he owes to his lifelong subversion of the moral, political and economic systems of modern American society, articulated in often darkly humorous sardonicism.
He is best known for his third novel "Naked Lunch" (1959), a highly controversial work that underwent a court case under the US sodomy laws. In spite of courting controversy his whole career, he was not without his supporters. American novelist and poet Jack Kerouac, for example, called Burroughs the "greatest satirical writer since Jonathan Swift."
While American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, film-maker, actor, and political activist Norman Mailer declared him "the only American writer who may be conceivably possessed by genius.” He was also a close personal friend of American poet Allen Ginsberg and American singer-songwriter, poet, and visual artist Patti Smith.
An iconlclast who himself became an icon, explorer of the outer boundaries of culture and identity.
Though he died on 2 August, 1997 at the age of 83 from complications of a heart attack he had suffered the previous day. Happy birthday Uncle Bill. Everything is Permuted ( a cut-up)
Nothing is True.
Everything is Permuted.
The word writes and re-writes itself.
It is no coincidence that the means of magic is found in the words we use.
Language is a virus.
let them intermingle.
Everything is permuted.
Mutating and metamorphosing.
A soundless hum.
Forged prisms of uniqueness.
Traversing life.
Mosaics of Juxtaposition.
Tools of precognition or subversion.
Everything is permitted..
' Take the air. '
There are no accidents.
Although it's very difficult to get it right.
Get with it or just say silent.
Allies wait with heavy commitments.
Eveything is permuted. ( Happy birthday; William S. Burroughs)
"You were not there for the beginning. You will not be there for the end. Your knowledge of what is going on can only be superficial and relative. " - William Burroughs
Material ( with William S. Burrough) - seven souls
Today marks German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer's birthday known for his stand against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party for his courage to resist. Today I honour the memory of Bonhoeffer. I think that it is crucial that we do and also remember that we also have the privilege and responsibility to follow his example. This was a man who actively resisted the Nazi regime from the time of Hitler's ascent to power in 1933 until the bitter end. A well known pacifist who had a change of heart when it came to Hitler and joined with others to seek his assasination. The attempt sadly failed and they were arrested and most were summarily executed. Bonhoeffer was probably one the most courageous voices in the Christian church in the 1930's. He felt it was his integral duty not to remain silent appalled by most of the collusion of his church its silence about the demonization and oppression of Jews in Germany. Like a prophet from the bible. he took a lonely stand, and was not much appreciated during his time. But we see who is right now. In the darkest hours of the twentieth century, he gave his life to the point of martyrdom. We must continue to take a stand. lend our voices , spirit and solidarity to all those currently today facing injustices. He continues to hold much relevance.
A campaign to unite the world's population , in the fight against cancer, World Cancer Day is a global event that takes place every year on February 4 . A disease that will kill more than eight million people worldwide this year . The world needs to unite against this disease that knows no borders and represents one of humanity's most pressing concerns. This years theme, " Not beyond us," demonstrates a proactive and positive approach towards the disease, highlighting that solutions do exist across the continum of cancer, and that they are within our reach. Moreover , understanding and responding to the full impact of cancer on emotional , mental and physical wellbeing will maximise the quality of life for patients, their families and care-givers. Every citizen should have access to free treatment options and care. Awareness so important, for the survivors and those who are not so fortunate, we should not be afraid to talk about it. For many affected by the disease it is a solemn one of reflection, but for others it's a time to become aware of this disease's impact and what is being done to help effect change for millions it impacts. A diagnosis of cancer does not mean that you have to live a painful and miserable life. Their is hope and positivity to. I for one am glad that my partner is still doin ok, so give great thanks to the |N.H.S and all it's fantastic staff, for the great support that we have received and continuing solidarity with the junior doctors. Best wishes.
" Lets be honest. The activities of our economic and social system are killing the planet. Even if we confine ourselves merely to humans, these activities are causing unprecedented privation, as hundreds of millions of people and today more than yesterday with probably more tomorrow - go their entire lives with never enough to eat. Yet curiously none of this seems to stir us into significant action. And when someone does too stridently point out these obvious injustices, the response by the mass of the people seems so often to be a figurative if not physical blow to the gut, leading inevitably to a destruction of our common future. " - Derek Jensen, The Culture of Make Believe I strongly believe that capitalism has a lot to answer for. Its daily contribution to human death and human misery has simply become unbearable, am not sure how our wonderful planet can survive whilst we sustain it. The political and economic and general social structure of world society must now be re-configured to ensure the preservation of all human beings, not just the privileged few, with their vested corporate interests.Interests that want to preserve the old economy that refuses to work for ordinary people nor the planet. Power hungry interests that are currently tightening their grips. The ranks of this powerful elite no longer restricted to those who are actual members of Government or the bureaucracies that buoy them up. This elite now embraces the top executives of the ever growing multinational corporations that are tightening their grip on the governments in both developed and developing world. Surely the human race should be sufficiently intelligent enough by now, and be able to take control of its own destiny, and refuse to be defined, by the warped logic that controls us now.Directly responsible for creating the huge gulfs that exist now between the rich and poor. We should not sit back and accept this inequality, thankfully a growing number raising their voices, saying no, a growing populist movement, seeking fairness over privilege, a disparate anti-austerity social and political forces angered and increasingly made desperate by the crisis that I have talked about that is currently pulverising our society. That challenges the forces that try to chain us down.
I am not a conspirationist, by the way just someone who truly worries for the world, I wonder if we don't change things soon whether there will be a planet worth living in for the generations to come. There must be a way of taking back control from the hands of a few greedy individuals. Every day I walk on this planet I hope that we find a way to implement some change. To make this world a better place for those that come after us, a world beyond the shackles of corporate greed. The refugee crisis that we are currently witnessing is also one of the most dramatic expressions of the crisis of a social system that is no longer capable of coping with the most basic needs of the vast majority of humanity. The despicable treatment metered out to them is also the product of an equally profoundly inhumane social system. The world migrant crisis is a symptom of the inevitably uneven and combined development of the capitalist system . It condemns billions of people to grinding misery while lavishing an untold minority with untold wealth. An inequality that fuels migration to better parts of the world. The crisis is a product of a consciously created poverty, the dispossession, , oppression and exploitation of the greater part of humanity by the few, which simultaneously creates mass human poverty and enclosed havens of wealth. Combined with imperialist backed war s wars In Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya that have made millions homeless and pushed people into grinding poverty.Thus helping create hells on earth.
The response from country's largely responsible for their misery in the first place is not to end the bombing and looting in the respective refugees country's of origin.Instead they set the wheels in motion to make their flight from hunger and war even more difficult. There's got to be a better way. When we all stand together young people and old, saying loudly and clearly that enough is enough, that the world belongs to all of us, not just those on top. We will truly transform the world for the better.
( Imbolc marks the start of Celtic Spring, the arrival of longer, warmer days, and the early signs of spring, so I offer you this poem.)
The earth again prepares for spring,
Awakens after the coldness and dark of winter,
Life begins to grow in the wombs of the earth,
Bulbs planted begin to gently explode,
St Bridget's day, the gift of name,
Given to my mischievious daughter,
Fertility today returns unbound,
To stir our spirits, kiss our lips,
Deliver to us a poetic muse,
As the sun glistens in the sky,
We embrace the wheels of change,
We still cling on, still keep faith,
blessed Imbolc, blessed be.
