Tuesday 21 February 2017

Which way

Daily Draw: Fairy Tarot Cards, The Chariot

What to get moving with? In yesterday's head space I remembered my half completed Coursera, 'Magic in the Middle Ages'. Picking it up again I found a reference to a recent(ish) book on Witchcraft in Early Modern Europe and America. Thinking of doing a study and integrating that with the blog somehow...

I am reminded by this card that at the start of the day my rational brain was telling me the history of witchcraft was a frivolous direction of travel. At its end I was able to apply some of what I had learned about fear, and blame, orthodoxy and heresy, power and domination to the modern work context.

Perhaps my doctoral studies and history are complementary rather than opposing interests. Still I will need to maintain some balance between the one that I really want to pursue and the one that I have to pursue. 

People said things like 'we had to make our own amusements in those days' as if this signified some kind of moral worth, and perhaps it did, but the last thing you wanted a witch to do was get bored and start making her own amusements, because witches sometimes had famously erratic ideas about what was amusing.

Terry Pratchett, 1948-2015









10 comments:

  1. Maybe we all cold use a bit of "Erratic" can and embrace the more wilder parts of ourselves for a while

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    1. Yes a few erratic days won't do any harm and could do the power of good...

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  2. Oh how I miss the humorous (but clear) look at society that Prachett offered through his books!

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    1. Which was your favourite?

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    2. I loved the Tiffany series and any about the Watch, Death or the Granny Weatherwax and her cronies. :D I also loved the "Good Omens" book he did with Neil Gaiman.

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    3. Going on my reading list - thanks for the recommendations.

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  3. Rushes off to find a dirty bit of paper and s stubby pencil

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    1. Ha! Tomorrow's post may be a little late as I'm off to see a few work wizards at 8...

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  4. I too drew The Chariot today. Time to get out and about. I love that Terry Pratchett quote.

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