The Scots – A Genetic Journey by Alistair Moffat and James F. Wilson

Book Review

This book traces the genetic origins of the Scots. The science around genetic research has leapt ahead in recent years and there is probably a lot more to come as the costs of identifying genes comes down and computer analysis improves. Anyone can send off a saliva sample these days and have it analysed.

The book starts right at the very beginning, before there were any humans in Scotland. And then traces the waves of immigration mainly from Europe and Scandinavia into Scotland. The book is written with both scientific underpinning and fascinating historical details about the changing nature of Scottish society over the millennia.

Lots of the history is very interesting, particularly the history up to the middle ages which I knew very little about. But I would have liked a bit more about the English/Scottish conflicts – these were passed over in just a few lines. And the impact that Scots have had on the world. In Andrew Marr’s wonderful history of Britain, he points out how big an impact Scotland, or more particularly Edinburgh, had on the world during the 1800 and 1900 hundreds with such people as Adam Smith, Michael Faraday and James Maxwell. Edinburgh was not constrained by the educational and backward looking conservatism of Oxford and Cambridge during these times.

Being almost half Scottish (both directly and via New Zealand) I found this book interesting. But the simple summary of this book is that modern humans came from a small tribe in Africa approximately 100,000 years ago, moved out of Africa about 70,000 years ago into the Middle East and then Europe and finally into Scotland.

So, there you are. If you want a short, concise summary of the history of humans on this planet, we are all one tribe and we came out of Africa. I’m going back to my roots….

Spirit of Fire: The Life and Vision of Teilhard de Chardin by Ursula King

 

Book Review

 

Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? What is for lunch? And why do biros keep disappearing?

These questions (or at least the first 3...) have haunted people down through the millennia. This book is about Teilhard de Chardin (1881 – 1955) who was a pioneer in integrating spirituality and evolution. He was a Catholic Priest, part of the Jesuits and was born in France.

In essence, he saw humans as part of, and embedded in, the ongoing evolutionary process of our planet.

Whilst I find fascinating ideas and belief systems, I am just as interested in the person expressing those ideas. In the western world, we sometimes separate people and ideas as if they are different entities. But I think a more helpful way is to see the ideas and person as an integrated whole, one without the other is meaningless.

And this is why I like this book so much as I got a real feeling for who he was as a person. Teilhard de Chardin fought in the First World War as a stretcher bearer - gaining recognition for his courage and bravery. He was a prominent scientist with geology being one of his key passions. He read widely and travelled around the world. And, most of all, despite all of the suffering he went through in the First World War and the fact that his ideas and activities were suppressed by a suspicious Catholic Church, he still believed profoundly in what he would describe as the love of God and I would frame as the love of the spirit of the Universe.

People I read - Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme, amongst others, have taken up the batten of his ideas and have further developed the ideas of evolutionary spirituality; creating something that is deeply relevant for today.....or at least a spirituality in which I feel very much at home. And as the world creates different peoples and religions, this evolutionary spirituality is for me, a helpful framework to accept people of all faiths and none, as equals.

Possibly his most famous quote is "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience". And here is another quote from him that I like: "Love alone is capable of uniting living beings in such a way as to complete and fulfill them, for it alone takes them and joins them by what is deepest in themselves".

I cannot add anything more than that.

Wild: An Elemental Journey by Jay Griffiths

Book Review

This book is awesome! 75 million stars out of 5!

Jay Griffiths goes on a journey meeting people from indigenous cultures including: people from the Amazon, the Eskimos and those living in West Papau New Guinea.

Her constant theme throughout the book is the call of the wild and the passion aroused by the wilderness. A passion that does not wait on convention or ask for a place to sit. But a firey passion that leaps up and scorches its way through politeness and civility to find the truth. A passion that burns its way to the core of the soul and reveals its depths; with both joys and sorrows.

She talks about the injustices done to indigenous cultures. By the mining corporations, missionaries and the greed of western un-civilisation. She talks about her battles with depression and her searches with shamans to release her from her prison. All written with searing honesty, colourful writing and compassionate understanding. She says "if you are really lost, it is only love that can find you".

Just one thought to gain an eagle eyed view of the territory covered by Jay. Her passion highlights the inhuman way that defenceless indigenous cultures have been treated by western 'progress'. That is invaluable. And yet western civilisation has its part to play in our great Earth drama. If we humans can learn from, and respect each other, across cultural divides, then there are riches to be had.

The last chapter was the best. About comedy, passion and the joker in the pack. Finally, here are my favourite lines from the book:

If you want to play it safe, you should never have come up here, for this is the freedom of rebels and outcasts, the mad and manic and misunderstood, the misfits and artists, anarchists and poets, the metaphysically alone, the suicidal comics and all those who sat at the back of the classroom, tipped back their chairs and blew smoke rings to lasso the teacher who tried to tame them.

So, if you want to play it safe, don't read this book.

Monday 26th December

Did lots today but the 2 highlights were:

Barcelona FC Football Ground (The Nou Camp)

Here is aged ancestor of the female persuasion waiting to come on as a substitute. She says "I would rather be a forward".

And this is me in the post match interview area..."well, you know, it was a game to two halves and at the end of the day, it was a matter of getting the ball into the net..."

The club's history is fascinating. In the 1930's, FC Barcelona was committed to social, political and cultural reform, initiated by the Republican Catalan government.

And Barca (Barcelona FC) now has a motto that it is "more than a club". An example is that the club signed a collaboration agreement with UNICEF (United National International Children's Emergency Fund) in 2006.

For me, there is something spiritual that goes on with football. The singing, the group identity, the collaboration, the striving to be better at something, the minutes silences at the start of some games...and more. OK, there are differences too. But there is a lot in common.

Matthew Fox wrote about this in his book 'The Hidden Spirituality of Men'. That men have been hunters for thousands of years and football is an expression of the hunting instinct. A group of 11 men (similar in size to hunting groups) with a common 'goal'. The hunting instinct is still strong and it needs its natural expression in society so that people (men particularly) can become fully themselves (I would say this is a spiritual quality).

End of rant.



Flameco Dancing

In the evening we went to see some Flameco dancing...

The main idea seemed to be to stomp your feet, have a strained expression on your face and sing like a cat that is being electrocuted.

I do those things all of the time. All I have to do is put my arms above my head and I reakon that I am a fully fledged flameco dancer/singer...

Actually, I did enjoy the passion of the performance and I wondered whether there was Arab influence through the Moors in the music/singing.


Final Note
I am very impressed with Barcelona. A world class football team. Gaudi architecture - particularly the Sagrada Familia. Picasso settled there. Salvador Dalí. The city hosted an Olympics even though it is not a capital city. And more. It seems to me there is breadth and depth to the Catalan culture. I would love to know more about its roots and history and why it has achieved so much in such diverse areas.

Tomorrow is the journey home and so the end of this blog.

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year.

Sunday 25th December

Dear Comrades in Alms,

We speak to you from the mediterranean shores of Eastern Spain where we are plotting a world revolution.

The plotting started with a cathedral visit to see what the locals do on this day...

And then continued with a walk down some medieval streets...

We considered the overthrow of various govenments and pseudo democracies over a tasty Catalonian style lunch...(whilst semi-successfully negotiating 'coelicus' for Mum's food)...

And then the final pieces of world transformation were put together during a walk by the sea...

Our conclusions for world revolution and peace?...

* more ice cream in the evening
* fairer re-distribution of wealth
* why can't some people (not us of course) stop being annoying?
* more football on BBC 1
* one extra day in the weekend between Saturday and Sunday
* everyone to be eco-friendly and peaceful immediately. No exceptions from anyone.

My highlight was when we passed by a five star hotel and aged ancestor of the female persuasion said (and this is absolutely true):

"Why don't we go into the hotel and throw around the furniture and see what happens?..."

Excellent! World revolution is yet possible with this Rock and Roll Granny.

Meanwhile, the revolution is being put on hold temporarily whilst we go back to the apartment and digest our food and drink and have a nap.

Happy Christmas One and All.

Saturday 24th December

Today I have been looking for some cultural symbol of Catalonia. Something to express the outlook and ideology of the local people.

At last I found the 'Catalan Caganer' which is normally added to the nativity scene (although not near the Virgin Mary I am told).

Why? Well there are lots of reasons given. One of them is about giving fertility to the soil. Another is to remind us of our emodied mortal state amongst the nativity myths.

Click here for more information and more reasons why the Catalan Caganer is part of the Catalan nativity scene.

I did try to buy this as a souvenir but no luck as yet.

Today we went to Montserrat - about an hour bus ride from Barcelona.

Went to the Basilica...blah blah...

Stood by an arch built in 1025...blah blah...

Aged ancestor of the female persuasion stood on a spot that was supposed to give you energy supernaturally...blah blah...

Saw great views...blah blah...

But, I ask myself, what about the symbolic meaning of this place? How can we interpret what we see into creative and meaningful ideas to find our place in today's world?

Well, I went to an art gallery at Montserrat and saw paintings by an artist who was inspired by the place and the rock formations.

Ummmm....no comment.

After getting near home I sat down ... wondering what they had put in the local food.

Happy Christmas everyone.

Friday 23rd December

So, I have landed in Barcelona along with aged ancestor of the female persuasion.

I've already made a friend...

...even though it did cost me 0.20 of the local scooby doo currency...

I have taken to walking at a tilt of 20 degrees...

....this is because when I was in Australia I took to standing on my head to correct for the fact that I was upside down compared to England. So, as I am now in Barcelona which is, I guess, about 20 degrees 'tilt' from England, I need to walk around at a 20 degrees tilt to make good the difference.

Not a lot of other English people seem to be doing this - I can't think why....

The highlight was the Sagrada Familia - a cathedral built by Gaudi. Awesome is an understatement. It is the first piece of architecture that really took my breath away.

Photos don't do the size and grandeur justice but here is aged ancestor of the female persuasion giving a bit of perspective...

The el-brilliant bit was Gaudi's incorporation of nature into his architecture. Here is one of the notices about it:

And here is the ceiling with organic shapes on the roof and tree trunk columns supporting the ceiling:

It was wonderful to see this architecture of the Christian Church embrace nature symbolism so effortlessly. Whilst the origional cathedrals of the middle ages resonated with trees in the forest (the columns and arches), after the middle ages the western church left nature behind with its condemnation of paganism and its patriarchal stance.

This refreshing architecture of Gaudi's brings nature's symbolism into a western Christian setting. So important for our time when our collective challenges are such things as globalisation, environmental destruction (eg climate change), global economics and more. We need to integrate symbolism that transcends cultural and religious divides - which nature does - so that we can, as a whole human race, face the issues of our time.

I could rant for ages on this but perhaps this is enough for now. We got up at 3:30am this morning so sleep beckons.