Another cold day in London which can make me a little lethargic with getting on with things. Its not so bad indoors. I have a comfortable flat and can watch the intermittent snow falls through a warm window, but the cold does tend to keep me indoors and to turn down invitations for work that would otherwise necessitate me going outdoors.
Two journalists turned up yesterday, for example, who were trying to persuade me to leave the warmth to be photographed in an open cemetery in North Finchley: photographs they said would help to illustrate an interview I’d just given on ghostly phenomena in the North London area. I declined, despite the offer of a lift there and back by car. It wasn’t that comparative comfort that I objected to; it was perhaps standing in a freezing cemetery for perhaps 45 minutes while they decided on a suitable photograph to illustrate my interview. I said if they really required a cemetery location photograph, I had plenty on file, although wasn’t prepared to leave the warm flat while snowflakes were splashing against the window. In the end, they condescended, and settled for me drinking a cup of coffee by the fire. More news on that when the article is released.
As a refreshing change, a friend, Gavin ‘The Fox’ from Wales, has just released an article about the Highgate Cemetery affair of the 1970s on his Website “Rebel without a Soul”. It was a stirring piece of writing and I believe covered aspects of the occult – and the many groups involved therein – that have been overlooked by the general populace. It was especially interesting (at least to myself) because it covered aspects of my Old Bailey trial for ‘witchcraft’ that occurred in 1974. In fact, that whole thing (the Trial and matters of an occult nature surrounding it) was a farce, and Gavin made essential points about the way the establishment (i.e. the Courts, Police and the ‘Powers the Be’) is capable of reacting to any belief systems that are seen to go beyond the norm. In my own case, I was branded as an ‘evil High Priest of witchcraft’ who had subjugated the ‘accepted norms’ of respectability by acting in a manner that was contradictory to the accepted norms of Christianity . . . at least, so the Trial Judge stated. Needless to say, the late Judge Argyle was a dedicated Christian gentleman who saw ‘evil’ at every corner if it threatened to challenge his own particular brand of established Christianity.
As an amusing aside to this, he took particular exception to me opting to swear on the bible before I gave evidence and suggested that I might prefer to affirm. I declined his invitation saying that I too believed in an ultimate God (by that I meant an Infinite Principle), and that I wished to swear on Oath before I gave my evidence.
But I digress. I feel Gavin’s article is a real ‘eye opener’ for some who believe there is really any truth in the fact people must be ‘Satanists’ or ‘black magicians’ just because they might happen to be psychic investigators who might hold different opinions about an afterlife and question this in the ‘here and now’, as opposed to relying on the privilege of being seated on some ‘privileged cloud’ in Heaven! In other words, surely life is for living and understanding in the present, for any Knowledge can only be developed in the NOW, otherwise its potential only exists as some projected dream of the future. That is the real secret of Mystical progression; the Knowledge that nothing can exist in the future other than as an extension of this moment.. Any other belief (and let us remember, it is a universal one), really only amounts to a fanciful dream that anything can have substance outside this moment.
Of course, life evolves in the present. It always has done and will continue to do so. But the measurement of this movement (called time) is – and always has been – a man-made conception.
But time goes on in the material world: indeed, all humanity seems trapped by it.
Speaking of the material world, I, (well the BPOS actually) have just had a really good financial proposition from Japan. Its early days yet, but they want to buy the Japanese rights to the two picture comics, The Adventures of Bishop Bonkers, the BPOS published and distributed in America and the UK. The comics were originally created by Cecil Lamont Dwiggins but he is quite happy to release the Rights providing this is restricted to the Japanese market. Well, it would have to be really as the picture captions all have to be translated into Japanese and hardly anybody else would be able to read them! But they seem to be deadly serious and the company’s design Director Yoshi, has already been in touch with me. She seems anxious to print the comics in a larger size as she apparently feels this would allow more room for the Japanese text. Anyway, she wants to send me over the cover for approval and, obviously, they would not be altering the original drawings, although I imagine these could be easily enlarged a little to match the text.
Anyway, that’s how things stand at this moment in time, and I will ask her later if I can reproduce the new Japanese cover here as I am aware of the wide interest the original comics have created. I am in them as well, in case anybody has forgotten! And, of course, old Bonky!
Still very cold in London. I feel the need for a hot whisky and herbs coming on!
More later
David.
