Discovering Templštejn
A prior trip to discover Templštejn ended with the realization that I had somehow taken a wrong direction – at least for a car – yet the end of that journey was a beautiful gorge in the Jihlava valley – well worth seeing. As we left Řeznovice, I determined to try a different route – one that took us into the village of Jamolice. Jamolice was where the original Templar commanderie was set up in Moravia according to the history books and the small village still proudly carries the memory of that in its coat of arms. Jamolice is a small village that essentially hugs the sides of the road passing through it. Once inside the village, we saw a sign pointing ahead to Templštejn but we drove
Read More »The Mysterious Řeznovice Church of St. Peter and St. Paul
This weekend, I was able to visit several sites around Brno. The first was the church of St. Peter and St. Paul in Řeznovice that I had noticed passing by on a recce trip to the Templstejn area in the Jihlava valley south of Brno. I stopped at the church because it simply doesn’t look like a Czech church. Pulling up to the church this time, I was again struck by how different the church is to the average church in the region. Excitedly, I rushed up to the door only to be disappointed by the fact it was locked. Oh well, at least I could look around the outside of it I thought when a woman’s head popped around the back of the church and said “Je to otevrene”
Read More »Living Under the Castle
Right now, I am renting a nice apartment just outside of the city center literally on the side of the hill that is topped by Spilberk Castle. The Castle is set atop its own grounds and I often walk alone or with my daughter’s dog around the castle in meditation. Despite trying to research this geological and topographical feature, I have found little beyond the standard blurb about the Castle. The castle was founded around the mid-13th century on a low (290 m), but relatively steep rocky hill, towering just above the historic city center (about 220 m). His master builder, Czech King Přemysl Otakar II, was generously conceived not only as a solid support of the ruling power, but also as a dignified seat of the rulers of Moravia. The
Read More »Reading the Land
The weather is beautiful – OK, it’s freezing but it’s beautiful. I’m chomping at the bit to go out and do some exploring – as Sue (Vincent) always says – I want to go out and play! However, my 12-year old daughter is engaged in learning new methods to solve Rubix cubes and isn’t at all thrilled about the idea of tromping around the Czech countryside looking for energies, wells and stones…. I seem to remember feeling much the same back in the day when I was that age a few centuries ago and my Dad was trying to get me to go find the ‘old roman road’ or similar. My Dad was an explorer of the land. He knew the Wolds and broader area like the back of his
Read More »Rainbows and Rosa Coeli
What to do on Boxing Day? Take a trip to Dolní Kounice to see the Convent ruins of Rosa Coeli and feel the energies there? Yes! It wouldn’t be open I knew but we could still take a peek so off we went to the Jihlava valley south of Brno to visit the Rosa Ceoli Convent. It was a beautiful but very cold day when we arrived. The Convent was closed and won’t be open it seems until April which was not unexpected but a tad disappointing. The Convent ruins are remarkably intact and you can pretty much walk around the outside of it – which is what we did – detecting some energies in one direction that will be investigated further another day. The convent stands under
Read More »Chasing Moravian Dragons
In following the activities of Sue Vincent and Stuart France across the landscapes of the UK – start with The Initiate which is a great read and will give you an idea of what they are up to – I was also pointed by Sue to the author Paul Broadhurst and just completed his book on the Green Man. Having read that book, I now also get a bit more of what Sue and Stu are onto in the UK and having just come back from a weekend of magic with them and others in Whitby, it got me to thinking…… what about here? Here being Brno in the Czech Republic. Well, the first thing that struck me is that Brno is symbolized in part by a dragon. The dragon
Read More »Let Go!
The last time I visited Whitby Abbey I was a boy. I recall little of it. Just that I was bored. Of course, I have been to Whitby many times since, often with my father who had business there. He would leave me for an hour or so to wander and once I recall taking my oil paints to paint the harbor. I was last there just a few years ago with my parents, ex-partner and daughter. I do like Whitby! I must say that the abbey ruins are fairly impressive but I felt no atmosphere or energies. It seemed a dead ruin to me. A stark reminder of other times. As we pondered aspects of the Abbey in the context of the spiritual prompts of the weekend, my sense
Read More »Where is my Party?
Having spent a week in the Uk and just sort of in general, I’d like to know why I should vote for anyone? I don’t hear any sensible reasons from anyone in politics anymore. Where is the party I can vote for? It doesn’t exist. I think what I would look for in a political party would be something along the following lines; Let people be what they want to be and express what they are without letting any group or individual force their views on others, Provide an adequate safety net for all in the areas of basic living – food, housing, health, education etc. Stay out of people’s lives as much as possible – small Government, Pay as much attention to financial crime and cheating by the wealthy
Read More »‘Socialism’ is to Blame for Populism?
The rise of populism has had me concerned for quite some time but recently, I developed a theory about why populism is working right now. My theory may upset some people as it probably isn’t at all PC but therein lies the problem. Working class people are interested in their issues – wages, union representation, security of employment, healthcare, pensions and so on…. and rightly so. Traditionally, they ave been represented by left of center parties like Labour and the Democrats and have voted for those parties in return. But, in recent years, something as happened to those left of center parties. Rather than being about bettering the quality of life of working class folk and helping the genuinely dispossessed, these parties have become more and more obsessed with ideology.
Read More »I Have Cried Enough Tears For You…
I have cried enough tears for you And yet still I wish you well And hope to see you escape your hell It must be hard to live consumed by self Always defensively aggressive Seeing enemies in your friends Holding people to a standard You didn’t set yourself I have cried enough tears for you And yet I still have hope That you might finally see You are your own worst enemy And you are sowing your own misery Rejecting those that love you And chasing those that never will As anger seethes within I have cried enough tears for you The loss of what may have been That aches so deep inside But I’m so tired of this ride I’m tired of what I see inside of you
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