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Victory by Emily Dickinson

Victory comes late -

And is held low to freezing lips -

Too rapt with frost

To take it -

How sweet it would have tasted-

Just a Drop-

Was God so economical?

His Table’s spread too high for Us -

Unless We dine on tip-toe -

Crumbs - fit such little mouths -

Cherries - suit robins -

The Eagle’s Golden Breakfast strangles - Them -

God keep His Oath to Sparrows -

Who of little Love - know how to starve -

‘Victory’ has been following me*. I checked my emails recently and saw one from the Say No to Hooters in Sheffield Facebook group called ‘Victory’. The email went as follows:

Ask Developments have decided against Hooters coming to Leopold Square! This is a great victory to EVERYONE who has shown their support here, written letters, signed the petition and told ASK we don’t want Hooters in our town.

Leon Guyett says:’After the careful consideration of our aspirations for Leopold Square, we have taken the decision to cease negotiations with Wings Over England and our continuing our discussions with other parties who have expressed interest in the square.

Notwithstanding that we do not agree with the negative publicity and misconceptions surrounding the Hooters brand. Indeed, we consider that a well-run sports themed restaurant serviced off of West Street would fit in well and add a different dimension to those operators already present.’

So this is one victory won, but we shouldn’t be complacent. Hooters are coming to the UK and we need to continue to voice our opinions about the impropriety of this restaurant.

Once again, Thank you for your amazing support.

Kirsty

Which is fantastic

Then, yesterday, my eye was caught (as it so frequently is) by the new poster outside the Church. Now normally they have an uplifting message, or a bible extract, or something which at least makes sense in the context…but the new one just says ‘In the beginning God’. And the ‘o’ is the world.

Am I missing something, or is the poster? Because as far as I can tell, there are some words missing. ‘In the beginning was God’ might just about make sense. ‘In the beginning God made a sandwich’, while unexpected, makes sense. But ‘In the beginning God’ doesn’t make sense to me.

Anyway, this is relevant. At the bottom of the poster (I was scrutinising it for any other words which made it make sense), there was an address - for VICTORY Posters. Yes, that word again. There’s something a little disturbing about the Church’s posters coming from a company called ‘Victory’…as if they have some kind of evil master plan which the posters will achieve for them.

(You know what’s better than that? I’ve just discovered that Victory Posters has a website. And I have found the ultimately scary Church Poster:…SEE HERE)

So that’s my ramble for the day. I am clearly being followed by victory. Hopefully one of these days, it’ll catch up and I’ll have some of my own.

And on that note - adieu.

*For those of you who do not yet realise, I am a bit of a drama queen sometimes…the word has actually only appeared twice in the last few days. But it is quite an unusual word

[Edit: Saw this the day after I first posted this blog - it's getting kind of creepy now.]

at an open mic night in Brighton. I’m quite pleased with it…

It is based upon this picture…from post secret =]

Yesterday (Inspired by a postsecret postcard)

Yesterday I tried to find god

I started deep within myself because

it’s as good a place as any to begin.

So I settled down

and looked within.

In a time of loneliness and sorrow

when my very being seemed to be hollow,

I hoped a god on side would help me through

when I was feeling low and blue.

So I tried my best to understand

how within me there resides a man

who is everything and everyone,

but I must confess that it did not take long

for my mind to wander way off track:

I was lost and there was no way back

from my thoughts of emptiness and love.

There was no voice to captivate from up above

Crying “you’ve found me now it’s your turn to hide”.

There was no answer, no shining light to guide,

No bingo! There was no grand revelation.

But determined to discover my salvation

I decided to look

in a so called holy book

hoping therein would lie the answer that I sought.

Some time later I emerged, distraught

to find misogyny had found a base

in the most vulnerable, hopeful place

within so many searching for an explanation,

longing for a perfect destination

to the journey that our lives begin.

Yet finding gods that reprimand our ‘sin’

and seek confirmation of our ‘true’ belief,

although for some it may provide relief,

seems like a faith that I can do without.

So when I look on with a sceptic’s doubt,

and see ‘gods’, husks of our imagination,

that seem to have a hold upon the nation

I cannot help but disagree

that god can tell me what to do and who to be.

And while I watch the faithful wistfully

and wish I could find consolation in the guarantee

of a life after death, that’s rich and rare,

if I’m honest I can’t say I really care,

when to find this hope I must give up my reason

and my logic and all I truly believe in.

As I value values more than what I’m taught

my beliefs held out against the god I’d sought

and revealed a passion unbeknownst to me

So yesterday I searched for god,

but my failure set me free.

And on that note - adieu.

…is the origin of ‘Good Friday’ (see, I said I’d be referring to ye olde Who Cooked The Last Supper =] )

See, in the days of the Mother Goddess, when matriarchy was in place and men were suppressed (which, I will not hesitate to point out, was wrong just as the suppression of women nowadays is wrong), the day which is now regarded by the vast majority (apparently) as ‘Good Friday’ was regarded as Blood Day. It was a celebration (or memorial? not 100% sure) of the sacrifice of either the Mother Goddess’ lover or her daughter/son, and involved baking cakes for the Mother Goddess as an offering.

So there’s loads more I need to find out about this, among other religious festivals taken from ‘paganism’, but this one has stayed with me particularly. I’ve started, as a result, questioning people when they say ‘on Good Friday’ - but I’m learning [the hard way], that correcting them and saying ‘actually, it’s blood day’ isn’t always wise.

While it has sparked some interesting debates (and the belief that as it’s recognised in most calendars is MUST BE GOOD FRIDAY!!!! has resounded), it has also offended (more so than I’d anticipated, in my naivety) some good, albeit rather religious, friends. I put it like this not because I disagree with their religion (although, in all honesty, I disagree with its very foundations and so my respect for the religion today is…not exactly substantial), but because the friends in question are often more fundamentalist in their views, rather than the self-professed ‘pick n mix Christians’ I usually end up befriending. Perhaps, then, my insistence on recognising the origins of this festival (of sorts) has been foolish, as it provoked a reaction that should have been seen as inevitable. But it has surprised me, that there are so many that just accept what the majority say, and that there are so many that will not argue their point, but rather insist that you are wrong because their religion says so. That is no argument. Give me proof.

Also rather interesting and Easter related:

Not all Easter traditions are Christian in nature. Many are pagan “imports” and, even then, many pagan and Christian traditions have been secularized over time. The Easter Bunny, for example, derives from the worship of the Anglo-Saxon goddess of fertility Eastre (hence the name Easter) whose natural symbol was the rabbit. Use of the Easter Bunny was brought to America by German immigrants - non-German Christians ignored the rabbit until some time after the Civil War when the celebration of Easter became more widespread.

Easter Eggs also predate Christian Easter celebrations. Pagan groups long exchanged eggs at some point near the beginning of Spring as symbol of fertility and the hope that the coming summer crops would be good. These eggs were also often painted with bright colors to represent the colors of spring, from the blooming flowers and the bright sun (remember that in the northern regions there is much less sunlight during the winter). Different cultures today color their eggs in different ways. For example, in Greece it is common to exchange eggs which have been colored crimson to represent the blood of Christ. Slavic countries tend to decorate their eggs with gold and silver and in parts of Germany and Austria, people exchange green eggs on Holy Thursday.

Found here=]

Myeah anyway, intrigued as ever to hear any views on the blood day/good friday debate and also feedback on the coherence of this blog…I fear I am losing the ability both to speak and to type of late!

And on that note - Adieu.