St George's day

...and the day a very dear friend, himself a knight of sorts, celebrates his 40th. There is a poem that I would like to quote here, but I shall save it for him. Instead:

http://www.britannia.com/history/stgeorge.html

I love St George. Something in the region of two years ago on a very hot day in June, two friends of mine wed and from afternoon into evening we watched fireworks and mummers plays on the lawn of a country hotel.

It was all very Four Weddings and a Funeral, except that the guests were in masks (wedding theme you see) and the mummers wore masks too. Those who know of Olde Englande's traditions will recall that St George generally appears in said plays, either to start the trouble at the beginning, or to clear up the mess/sort the dragon/deal with the Turk/save the maiden at the end. This time he turned up wearing a Batman mask. Among the audience the theme tune started and the murmur rose to a roar; 'Dinnadinnadinnadinna dinnadinnadinnadinnaSAINTGEORGE!'

I have often ruminated on the mingling of cultural icons, Isis and Mary, St Peter and Eleggua, Kwan Yin and White Tara, Buddha and just about everybody. I used to think it was a deep seated need within the imagination, an unending evolution of spiritual truth, cosmic story and myth. Now I realise it's all down to drunk actors. The human psyche might be the embodiment of all the power of Logos, but it is also very silly indeed.

Here's to St George. Let's laugh and relax!