January 2021
I suppose it would be accurate to say that life and existence have been, at least personally, uneventful. Richard and I continue with our self-isolation as Britain and London continue with the Covid-19 lockdown. For Christmas, we cancelled ourselves out of any family dinner remnant – the Gowlett offspring all being in Bristol at Chloe and Matt’s new house. By phone, I talked to Ajit in Banaras and to Ralph & Francis in Ireland. On Boxing Day, it was phone conversations with Marcia and with Gin. Also spoke with Chloe before the year was out, and for New Year’s Eve itself, we just went happily to bed at 22:45 while Britain was still a part of the European Union.
On New Year’s Day, we had a Zoom with Nancy and Coral. Four days into the year, we received flowers from Chloe. Phone conversations throughout the month have been with Jimmy, Darby, Gin, Elisabeth, Gillie and Eamonn. We had a Skype video from Calgary with Norman. For January’s moot on the 13th, Ellen Evert Hopman spoke about OBOD and Celtic Spirituality. On the 23rd, Andras Corban Arthen gave a Cherry Hill Seminary talk on “Earth Religions in Global Perspective.” And on the 28th, again through Zoom, we enjoyed “Doctor Opera,” Alex Aldrun, arranged by the Sloane Club. There has also been a Soteria talk by Michael Walker on “Richard II, Shakspeare's Underestimated Play.” And on the weekend of the 16th & 17th, for the Conference on Current Pagan Studies, Diana Paxson was the keynote speaker on the Saturday; I was for the Sunday.
The political events have included the insurrection and violent penetration of the Capitol in Washington, the Congress approval of Biden and Harris, the two Democrat Senators being elected in Georgia, and the Inauguration which I enjoyed. While I cannot say that I am absolutely thrilled about President Biden, I found the inaugural ceremony moving (and adored Lady Gaga as well as Kamala’s high heels), I do like much if not most of what he has already done. Also, for me after the last four years, there is the pure satisfaction of now having and seeing an actual presidential President.
Richard’s naturalisation process drags on. Both Marion and Meg have agreed to be his referees. Michael Kerber has declined on publishing my “Matter Matters” with Weiser. Not sure yet where to go next on that. And on the 14th, Richard and I received the first of our Pfizer vaccinations at the Lords Cricket Ground. We have not informed the London family on this, but they do not read my updates, so they will still not know. Their anti-vaxxer stance is not ours.
My readings have been Alan Hollinghurst’s The Folding Star, Jane Ellen Wayne’s The Life and Loves of Barbara Stanwyck, Chester Himes’ Cotton Comes to Harlem and, currently, the Royal Academy of Arts’ Picasso and Paper catalogue. Hollinghurst was an interesting visit to Belgium, Stanwyck was interesting but not particularly likeable, Himes was different and intriguing, and Picasso is superlatively amazing.
And this is all! A recent thought has concerned in wondering about the persistent condemnation of humanity’s patriarchal past. We were previously less sophisticated than supposedly we are now and certainly were much closer to our purely animal role-differentiated origins as they were connected to biological nature. The emergence from patriarchal domination (which is obviously not to be achieved overnight) is to be celebrated rather than decried for its having been. The label and accusation are used now as a weapon rather than a tool for understanding and sympathetically encouraging human evolution.
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