In 1964, the Afghan King Zahir Shah was hunting in the marshlands by the Oxus river, close to the Soviet border. One of the local villagers showed him a carved stone. This turned out to be a fortuitous move. You see, the King was a passionate antiquities expert. He immediately recognised its significance and...
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It sounds like a Buffy prop, doesn’t it? But no, it’s real, just like the Warren Cup. However it’s considerably younger. It was made in the mid-800s in Germany (which may explain its craftsmanship and longevity?) No one knows precisely why it was made but we can make an educated guess as to for...
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Saint Columba was perhaps my most interesting discovery on Iona. Like most early saints he has long fascinated me, doubly so because he actually existed. A lot of them didn’t. Unless you’re new here you’ll know that verifiable physical existence is certainly no barrier to usefulness in magic. (This is a chaos blog,...
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Here is how a small guidebook I bought on the ferry to the Isle of Mull opens: A traveller was asked by an old Highland gardener where she had been. When she told him he said “Ay! Iona is a very thin place”. What did he mean, she asked? “There’s no’ much between Iona...
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Not for nothing is my darling Bruno in the header image for this website. He’s one of my all-time heroes. The combination of a passionate, brilliant spiritual seeker and a boisterous, obstinate Italian is intoxicating and unrivalled. Only a certain kind of person has to flee in the night when he finds out the...
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Did you know that there is an actual black grail? A physical object from antiquity that the was banned from entering a terrified America as late as 1953? (It was turned away from New York for being too controversial. Joke’s on whoever made that call.) Did you know that it was only publicly displayed...
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It amuses me how strong the tendency is among corners of the magical world to throw the baby out with the bath water. Almost as if, should you find one idea in a book or a blog post you disagree with then the whole lot has to go. You could -and I do- make...
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Told you I was feeling contrary. But the first two articles strike me as an excellent example of why magical target selection takes guts. Or, to borrow Jason’s terminology: “Emergency Magic”. Giving to Japan is like lighting a candle to pay your rent this month. Giving strategically to MSF is enchanting for wealth. Check...
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At the risk of becoming the Jamie Oliver of food magic -especially when I’m obviously aiming to be the Nigella of everything- there is another sacred cow here that might be worth hamburgering. This isn’t like pulling the wings off insects -something done just for a few more destructo-points but because it’s always good...
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Oh look. A nautical themed post. Don’t all gasp at once. When I was very young a cruise ship I was on sailed through a cyclone. At meal times, I remember watching the waitstaff, plates in both hands, wait on one side of the dining room and then race to the other side as...
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