Paganistan: Notes from the Secret Commonwealth
In Which One Midwest Man-in-Black Confers, Converses & Otherwise Hob-Nobs with his Fellow Hob-Men (& -Women) Concerning the Sundry Ways of the Famed but Ill-Starred Tribe of Witches.
Ocher and Earth
Ocher and earth: that's what I want.
Like the ancestors, ocher and earth.
When the time comes, dig me a hole
and lay me in it. Lay me on my side,
limbs folded, like a baby in the womb.
By my head, set the little earthenware goddess
that stands in the garden in summer.
(In winter, check the big cupboard in the pantry.)
Sprinkle me with ocher, head to foot.
(Be heavy-handed.)
Lay over me leafy branches
—evergreen, if you have to—
before you shovel the dirt back in.
Then pour out the dark drink and burn the herbs,
and dance me a round-dance, for rebirth's sake.
That's what I want, like the mothers and fathers:
ocher—red ocher—and earth.
For GR:
Brother and Son
Comments
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Sunday, 12 August 2018I remember seeing a show on PBS abut the Red Paint People in New England and the Maritime Provence's. Apparently the same culture can be found in Scandinavia where it's called the Red Ocher People. There are of course the Cro-Magnon burials that also contain red ocher. I think I've read that the oldest artistic artifact found so far is a lump of ocher with a cross hatch marking on it from Africa. Hope your friends and family can get their hands on a supply.
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Monday, 13 August 2018
Iron oxide is one of the most common minerals on the planet, found practically everywhere. No wonder we've been using it forever.
Some years back I was privileged to see the Lady of Willendorf. 35,000 years old, and you can still see the ocher in her hair.
"Mammoth Woman's Finest Red Ocher: Lasts 35,000 Years, or Your Clamshells Back!" -
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Nice.