Category: Uncategorized
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The Folklore of Herbs – Chapter 9
A further post in my series republishing The Folklore of Herbs (1946), a book by Katherine Oldmeadow, who was a significant figure in the British pagan revival. CHAPTER IX. THE FOLKLORE OF HERBS. There is a tradition that Adam named the animals and Eve the flowers. An old bishop, who had no doubts about the truth of…
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Spiritualism and two classical scholars
Asking Virgil’s ghost for advice Over the years, a number of scholars of classics have had an interest in the paranormal. Perhaps the best-known is E. R. Dodds (1893-1979), who is the only person in history to have served simultaneously as Regius Professor of Greek at Oxford and President of the Society for Psychical Research.…
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The Antichrist – A Biblical puzzle
The Antichrist is a character in the Bible who is destined to conduct a reign of terror at the end of time. He is Christ’s eschatological counterpart and enemy. Where does the idea of the Antichrist come from? Last month, I wrote about the tradition of apocalyptic literature more generally. The Antichrist fits comfortably into…
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When did Britain stop being Christian?
Originally posted on my Substack on 29 November 2024. It is sometimes assumed that Christianity in the West decisively gave way to secularism in the 1960s. The eminent historian of religion Francis Young has recently given a talk at Ely Cathedral in which he put forward what might be described as a revisionist take on this idea.…
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The Folklore of Herbs – Chapter 8
A further post in my series republishing The Folklore of Herbs (1946), a book by Katherine Oldmeadow, who was a significant figure in the British pagan revival. CHAPTER VIII.HERBS IN THE BIBLE. “And one went out into the field to gather herbs” – 2 Kings, V. 39. A whole book, and a very interesting one, could be…
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The pope who saw demons in the Vatican
A piece of Catholic folklore This article examines the history of a piece of Catholic folklore – the story that Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903) saw a vision of demons one morning in the Vatican. It is said that Leo was inspired by his vision to write a prayer to St Michael, the vanquisher of demons,…
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The end of the world
The strange genre of apocalyptic literature This piece is about a hair-raising form of writing which claims to give insights into the mysteries of the end times and the heavenly realms. We are talking here about apocalyptic literature. For some modern Christians, both laypeople and scholars, apocalypticism is an embarrassment. If you hear that someone…
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The Folklore of Herbs – Chapter 7
A further post in my series republishing The Folklore of Herbs (1946), a book by Katherine Oldmeadow, who was a significant figure in the British pagan revival. CHAPTER VII. POISONOUS HERBS. Although we are told that there is healing in every herb that grows, it is dangerous to experiment with them. As medicines they should be administered…
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The day the British state abolished Hell
The British state doesn’t just look after the material interests of its citizens. It looks after their spiritual destiny as well. With not one but two state churches – the Church of England and the Church of Scotland – the United Kingdom is more than usually solicitous of its citizens’ religious welfare. Today, all this…
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The Folklore of Herbs – Chapter 6
A further post in my series republishing The Folklore of Herbs (1946), a book by Katherine Oldmeadow, who was a significant figure in the British pagan revival. CHAPTER VI. HEALING HERBS. Growing in field, hedgerow and garden there are healing herbs that for thousands of years have soothed and comforted the aches and pains of man and…
Dr Robin Douglas 