Society of Trees - rooted in the past growing into the future

　
The place where I walk Belle, my border-collie dog, is a large green with many varied trees some of which already have leaves turning brown in preparation for the coming autumn. As I strolled under the great canopies of the larger oaks and horse-chestnuts it got me to thinking about the parallels between trees and our own human societies.
When you look at the huge spread of leaves and enormous span of branches of a mature oak we are reminded that what we see above ground is actually mirrored below the surface. If you stand under the tip of the outermost branch and leaf you are also standing over the farthest extent of the roots far below. The grandeur of the great oak with its mighty trunk and hundreds of branches and thousands of leaves can be likened if you will to the complexities of our society.

The government in this analogy can be seen as the trunk through which all necessary nutrition should easily flow, via branch and twig, to each single leaf. Each tiny leaf, though just a minor part of the greater whole, receives its just share. No individual leaf on the tree lives on subsistence or handouts. The distribution of sustenance across the whole tree structure is fair and equitable. The deep roots, the trunk and the myriad branches all do their work to bring life to other parts. There is order and life according to the laws of nature and the tree is strong and beautiful to behold. I often just stand in silent awe of these giants, admiring their symmetry and wonderful form.
Imagine if trees lived and behaved like our societies. We would surely see some awful sights in our woodlands. Trees blighted by social disease, trunks twisted and malformed, branches and stems broken and cut off, stunted and not able to sustain the life of the leaves and the fruit. We often have, in the wake of disaster, or social unrest, war and famine, the chance to rebuild and restore our homes, towns and societies. In these transitional times perhaps we should abandon sophisticated social theories and constructs and look again to nature to see how things really work and work well, then imitate nature and do the same to safeguard our precious future.

'There is evil in the world.'

‘There is evil in the world’

President Barack Obama – Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech – December 2009

In this, our new twenty-first century, when science and technology have increased and improved at an exponential rate even over the last one hundred years, there are still some profound gaps in our understanding of the way the universe works. Scientists can examine the tiniest of molecules, can trace the passage of invisible neutrinos through matter, can send unmanned rockets ships to the outer reaches of the solar system with pinpoint accuracy – and in time, we are told, when the mystery of the Higgs Boson particle is solved, we shall know the answer to the ultimate question as to how and when matter itself formed in the very first instant.

We can therefore be proud of the achievements of humankind. However, we are still so limited to the confines of our Earth’s time and space. H.G. Wells shone a light on the hopes of mankind to one day transcend our confinement. However, the danger is that by doing so we may become enfeebled, not empowered, as dreams would have us believe. We have the Hadron Collider, but cannot measure the soul or the spirit of man. We do not have the means to see as cats and owls see, do not hear as dogs and bats hear, and in a real sense we could argue that they live in a different world to us, a world that we are blind and deaf towards.

In rare moments some individuals catch glimpses of other worlds, parallel worlds perhaps, and of non-human inhabitants of our world. Some wise man once declared, ‘Demons exist whether we believe in them or not.’ Perhaps it would be wiser to say, ‘God, angels and demons exist whether we believe in them or not.’

In an odd scary way we want and desire the supernatural to exist. We want ghosts, hobgoblins, werewolves, vampires, and forest fairies, but what we absolutely do not want is to encounter the paranormal in its raw evil form, which may cause us harm. Despite circumstantial evidence and folklore, the above creatures probably do not exist. But God, angels, and demons, well, that is a different matter altogether.

If we had eyes to see and an articulate suite of new senses, we might observe the spirit comings and goings all around the planet. Homing in to the city, the town, to the main street of your community, you would be fully cognisant of angels resting, helping, and guarding all of the people and places that God in His wisdom holds dear. You would have a glimpse of another world intimately integrated with ours that is more holy than you could ever imagine. Of course, where there are angels there are their fallen brothers, demons we call them now, not wishing to bestow to any of them any fragment of their once angelic nature. They stick as close to us as we will allow. We are now their reason for existence; they mean to do us harm, and thereby hurt God.

The Psalmist asks, ‘What is man, that God is so mindful of him?’ Man is created a little lower than the angels, but we carry within our genes, in our molecular structure, the wonderful gift of love. Love is the greatest gift of all, but it came at a price, such a high price. In bestowing love and free will, we were given the awesome ability to choose to love or not to love. Sadly, the absence of love can be evil in its most brutal forms. The Bible tells us that we should treat strangers with respect, with love even, for we may be entertaining angels in our midst. However, the good book also says to be watchful and beware, to be discerning, because we just might be inviting a demon into our lives.

‘Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out and the flame of his fire shall not burn’

Bible: Job – chapter 18 v 5.

Author Fred Hurr: After reading Edward Thomas

Author Fred Hurr: After reading Edward Thomas: 　 　 In the dark I am awoken out of sleep And the muse calls me come be awake For I have words to give so do not weep But with all your...

After reading Edward Thomas

　
　
In the dark I am awoken out of sleep
And the muse calls me come be awake
For I have words to give so do not weep
But with all your mind come freely take
Take up book of paper and bedside pen
Tell my stories of gods and angels and of men.
The flesh is weak but the spirit is strong
So listen hard and record it well
For in these words true tale and song
Of time ago when heavenly angels fell
Into the blackest holes of Satan’s realm
In chaos sought power from heaven’s helm.
Do not stop to think of what to write
Don’t let your spirit bend and wane
But rather catch all quickly this dark night
For I swear I may not come again
And you’ll be left alone to sleep
And I will turn away to another’s keep

OCTOBER WALK

Pausing to wonder at the angry wildness

Of the dark flowing waters, channelled

By the thick timbers and iron gears of the lock.

Seeing the fallen leaves swirling in the black rush

Rising and falling madly like frightened fish

Caught in a mechanical trap unable to get free.

Walking along the path and seeing across the river

A great flourish of rich, majestic hues and colours,

Golden yellows, dark greens, mauves and purples,

Not declaring a new thing but stating again

The beautiful testament of decay and dying,

The promise of renewal and of re-birth.

Stopping to look at the sombre blueberries

Subdued by autumn, wintered by the cold winds.

And the blackberries, once full bloodied,

Shrivelled against the dull thorned leaves of

Stripped hedges below the ash and alder, beech

And birch and towering oaks of the silent woods.

Suddenly, standing still, sharing a passing second,

Held by something eternal perhaps; observing the light

Cascading through the brilliant leaves, a yellow brightness,

Luminous, burning without warmth, the odd dynamics

Of the winter sun creating a moment filled with peace

That bows my soul and defies all my understanding.

Are you running in the right direction?

The eclectic mind thinks about everything all the time even during the oddest moments making surreal connections. The common route I use to take Belle (my dog) for a walk at one point encounters a really nice curve in road. I mean it’s a curve that is beautiful. In my first year studying philosophy at Essex Uni we were shown by the lecturer a series of slides depicting a simple ‘S’ curve. We were asked to choose which of the various options all ‘S’ shapes of the same size and thickness we thought was the most beautiful, aesthetically. Some of the shapes were bulbous and others tending to be flatter but there was one slide that showed an ‘S’ that was neither full nor bulbous nor mean and flat. It was simply perfect to my mind. The odd thing was that all the other 200 or so students in the hall all thought the same. Why? Who knows? Do we have an innate sense of beauty and appropriateness? Any way back to Belle and out daily walk along the curve...we were walking in a clockwise direction around the wonderful bend in the road when I suddenly thought "do runners in races ever run clockwise?" I racked my brain for evidence and the result was, after much deliberation, that I think every race I have seen is run anti-clockwise! But why? Would running in the other direction disorientate the athletes? Would it mean their times would be slower? Is it something to with gravity?
Answers on a postcard please! or on this blog!

Conscience and the Holy Spirit

When I was a 'card carrying' atheist I too believed in the innate moral law and in the value of the human conscience but I have found out that the conscience is easily sullied by bad choices. When the conscience is overridden by external pressures or even indeed by the weight of internal desires it is ultimately seared and becomes scarred and then does not fully function as well as it should to protect from negative impulses and poor decisions. Since I chose Christianity as my faith I found that God working through the HS adds an extra dimension of positive quality that really helps in the times when our human conscience is not enough and becomes confounded. And with the christian creed or belief system which is founded in love, grace and mercy then the foundational moral structure is there also in times of trouble. But that's a belief choice and I understand, having been an aggressive outspoken non-believer, and respect other peoples viewpoints like your own.

Face Book Fan Page

‎498 fans on my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/AuthorFredHurrLightoftheWicked - who will become my 500th fan? - some very important bits of inspiration have come through for book 2 'Light of the Holy' - what seemed to be a relatively minor incident in book 1 'Light of the Wicked' has now become pivotal - great stuff! Am excited.

Dracula

Bram Stoker the Irish author who created Dracula, in his novel about vampires, often stayed in Whitby, a charming Victorian seaside on the east coast of England and a favourite summer haunt of the middle-classes. He went there many times between 1880 and 1890 for his vacation. I am glad to record that my novel ‘Light of the Wicked’ continues the literary tradition of setting the supernatural drama in a quiet British seaside location. It was common in the 19^th Century for fiction writers of the time to explore the supernatural as did Stoker. Writers like H. Rider Haggard, H.G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling and Robert Louis Stevenson; the list is not endless but you get my drift. I have of late (no pun intended) been reading (by candlelight only) before settling down to sleep the ghost stories of M. R. James, late medieval scholar and antiquarian. Whilst not spine chilling they are of a genre in themselves, well written, spooky and thought provoking. I recommend them absolutely, especially to the faint-hearted who will get the most enjoyment out of a late night read! Last night the full moon’s rays shone right into my bedroom adding a rather spectral light. Wonderful!
PS. His books are on sale on Amazon for 1p - no kidding! my book is not quite that cheap but hey buy it anyway http://www.fredhurr.org/

The Box

The merits of mass communication through TV and the Internet is, at times like this, debatable. Uncensored scenes shown across the world on both forms of media teach and instruct on would be criminals what the possibilities are for organised riot, vandalism, theft and premeditated lawlessness.
In this year alone across the world we have all have witnessed what mob rule can do whether for good or ill, the fundamentals are the same. That police forces in the western world who don’t use deadly force to contain riots are at risk and become vulnerable to serious injury and harm and even death.
Years ago I read in a USA paper that even poor people have TV sets in their meagre homes and what they see is what the rich have and what they do not. Visions of plenty beamed into squalid rooms every hour of the day and night cause unrest in the soul and fear and resentment in society. The social effect is deep frustration and the collective question becomes "how can I get what they have". The scenes we see on our screens this morning is the same social malaise continuing on our streets of so-called peaceful Britain. Censorship is not the answer. Use of deadly force against rioting citizens is not the answer. The answer to these awful problems must be found. If it is not found then the destructive civil unrest will continue.

Supernatural Questions

Have you ever stopped to think about the supernatural? The dictionary defines the word as ‘things that cannot be explained according to natural law. For example a miraculous event or something ascribed to occult beings. Ever since I was a young man, I have experienced the supernatural, the abnormal and the supernormal. My earliest experiences were mainly limited to ghostly goings-on, in particular connected to places, castles, medieval houses, ancient monuments like Stonehenge. As I have grown older I have begun to see a pattern emerge, almost like it’s moving from the general to particular that could be summed up by saying the earliest incidents were mystical but rough at the edges. Now? Well, its more refined, more personal, moving from the external to the internal.

Financial Hypocrisy

Back in Jerusalem Jesus said to the Scribes and Pharisees ‘You hypocrites, you pronounce on the law of the Elders and tell the people that they must obey to the letter but you do not do it yourselves." The news that the USA is in deep crisis and that it must borrow $billions more is an example in our modern times of government’s hypocrisy. Greece owes millions and the EU says don’t worry about it we’ll give you more millions and wipe out your debts so you don’t have to pay. Tell me what happens when you default on a loan or a debt to the government, the tax man for instance? Does the beneficent government call you up and say ‘hey we have an open cheque just for you how do you want to get back on your feet. And the money you owe us...well don’t lose sleep over that it’s forgotten about your slate is wiped clean.’ Is that what really happens to the unfortunates that have, through no fault of their own, got into dire straits? Do I hear the bailiff knocking on the front door? Does the bailiff ever knock on the White House door or at No. 10 Downing Street? Hypocrisy is alive and thriving in the 21^st Century.

A Good Day - Bad Day

Is there such a thing as a bad day? Well I guess there is really but most of the time the bad day is already in us before we get out of bed on the wrong side.
Take today. I had a good day. Every oyster has to have a little grit to make the pearl so even good days
must have a little grit in the form of another person. As I said I had a good day. I was like a steam train on an outing to the seaside, happy and full of purpose and determined to smile and laugh all day long. But my steam train got stopped just for awhile at a junction to let another train pass on its way. The other train? A sad old grumpy train determined to travel on its track and make every one else miserable. I waved it good bye and got my way once again...anyway enough of the parable.
I started the day in the doctor’s waiting room and all the news I got was good. Then onto the best place in town for a great low-carb’ breakfast (I have shed over 7 kilos in a month) and let me say that Steve’s Ye Olde Cafe in Newland Street is the best place in Town, Witham, Essex that is. And you know what makes good food even better? It’s the people that cook it and the people who serve. Waitress Helen says "Good manners don’t cost anything and they get you far in life". She delivered my bacon and eggs with a smile. I could taste the smile. Had lunch at home with my wife...another blessed moment. Then for supper a visit to the Food Company to buy amazing Gorgonzola, Lamb Koftas, Portobello Mushrooms washed down with Swedish Strawberry and Lime Cider - fantastic. Tonight I just know I shall fall asleep with a smile on my face. Goodnight what a great day...oh that grumpy sad train...forgotten already.

True story of the Supernatural kind

 

One summer Sunday evening my wife and were standing on the garden patio at our house in Deganwy just being quiet enjoying the moment of calm and contentedness. Times had been hard during the past few months but on this evening we both agreed that we had had a stress free enjoyable weekend together. "What would make this evening even more perfect if you could have any wish, what would be it be?" I asked sipping my glass of red wine. Linda, looking up at the cloudless night sky filled with bright starry lights replied "I would like to see my own shooting star, because every time you say ‘did you see that!’ I turn a second too late and miss it. So I would like a shooting start please.""Consider it done. I stepped forward confidently and looking up to the heavens cried out ‘God I want the most beautiful, the most spectacular shooting star to go from (I pointed specifically to the places in the sky) here to here. And I want it in the next 30 seconds!"I started to count slowly from 1, 2, 3...and as I said 15 the brightest, most wonderful, shooting star shot across the dark heavens between the points I had indicated. It not only looked fantastic but it also sounded like a rocket traversing the sky. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. Our jaws dropped as we experienced this amazing answer to prayer. How good is that! How great is our God at giving good gifts!

Science and the Supernatural

Just the other day whilst driving, I listened to Brian Cox and companion scientist on the Radio 4 programme ‘Infinite Monkey Cage’ making fun of the supernatural. Cheap shots, cheap jokes abounded, but in truth all they managed to reveal was that far from being open-minded, they were in fact extremely narrow minded. Because the supernatural cannot be investigated by empirical or scientific methods their own deeply held belief, is that nothing in the so-called realm of the supernatural or paranormal can therefore exist, not even possibly. That same day I was listening to a CD where one of the world’s greatest scientists, Max Planck was quoted. He said this "All matter originates and exists only by virtue of a force... We must assume behind this force the existence of a conscious and intelligent Mind. This Mind is the matrix of all matter." Our two young scientists should listen and take notes from their betters! What do you think?