The image of politicians is off pigs around the trough; birds feathering their own nests or perhaps (even more unkindly) of ostriches sticking their head in the sand.

Putting aside the misuse of animals in these less than flattering occasions, politics is about a lot more than just MP’s or MSP’s making money for themselves. In Scotland there has been a long tradition of the spiritual and the temporal mixing. The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is perhaps the best example of that today. But historically it is also true. St. Columba, perhaps the best known of the Celtic Saints, was born into the ruling family of Northern Ireland and Western Scotland in the sixth century. Indeed most of the monastic traditions in Celtic Christianity were headed by monks or nuns who could talk to kings and princes as equals. Even before that it is reasonable to assume that the same tradition applied to the all-powerful druids.

This close link is important because spirituality is not something that we can take out a box and play with every now and then. It is, or should be, an intrinsic and basic part of our day to day life. Can a spiritual person work for an armaments factory? Should we spend money on clothes made in a sweat shop in the developing world? As people seeking to lead a more spiritual life, we need to accept that what we do can affect not only others but our own spiritual worth as well.

So that’s fine and dandy but what does it mean on a day to day basis? Are the trams coming to Edinburgh or affordable housing to Glasgow good or bad for me spiritually? Are compromises acceptable? Ah well I never said it was easy!

One way we can try and become more spiritual is to link our actions more to the changing seasons. The arrival of August heralds the beginning of the harvest season. You may think that you are immune to these seasonal fluctuations. Indeed you may think that climate change – what we used to call global warming; means that talk of seasons has become redundant. That, I am pleased to say, is not the case. The changing seasons are far more pervasive than just changes in the weather. For our ancestors the monthly turning of the moon and the annual wanderings of the sun were all markers in the fluctuating magical energies of the land.

We celebrate the beginning of August with the festival of Lammas. This was when the great cattle and horse markets were held and heralded the whole beginning of harvesting. Traditionally associated with the Celtic God Lugh, the master skillsperson, Lammas is clearly about more than simply what’s growing in the fields. It is, in truth, the completion of the Celtic year. It is about celebrating the rewards of a year of hard work.

Each moon month reflects the attributes of a particular tree and until the 12th of August it is the month of the hazel. This is a time for creativity and work around the house and it is followed by the moon month of the vine which lasts until 11th September. This is the party month: work hard and play hard. Enjoy the ebbing of the summer and generally chill out.

From the 12th September we are in the month of the Ivy or Apple Tree. Think of the ivy reaching in all directions and realise how determined but badly focused it is. This, then, is the time to begin to think about the new year and what you want to achieve. A lot of evening classes begin around now so why not consider taking up a new career or therapy? Or perhaps get involved with a pressure group? The autumn equinox is on the 23rd of September this year and it is traditionally the end of the harvest and the beginning of autumn.

Finally from the 12th October we enter the month of the Elder tree. This month straddles the great fire festival of Samhain which marks the Celtic New Year. This month is all about recognising and appreciating the magical worlds that surround us.

For me the harvesting season is the time of year I love the best, the warm balmy nights make it so easy to be lured out into the countryside and as darkness falls, it is too easy to feel the presence of the magical worlds all around. Yet in this place politics still raises its head. The recent court decision on land access means that once again landlords will be seeking to bar us from large tracts of our heritage. One stone circle a week disappears in the UK. The current inability of Holyrood to develop a coherent strategy for wind farms means the danger of more and more unnecessary and unwanted turbines and of course the conflict with Westminster over the ship-to-ship oil transfers means the risk of pollution of our costal waters remains a possibility.

As spiritual beings it is too easy to not get involved. Yet the land is the very essence of who we are and our spiritual beliefs. In Ireland the government turned down an application to mine for gold at Crough Patrick purely on the grounds that it was a sacred mountain. It is a shame that the same enthusiasm cannot be mustered by the authorities there to protect the land around Tara as motorways seek to tear through the landscape.

So where are our spiritual politicians? Where are the legislators that will save our sacred sites? Sufficient to say you only get the politicians you vote for. So what does that say about us?

	1. 06-09-2007 21:38
	We just missed copy date on this one... Donald will be writing a regular column for The Witch Hiker's Guide which will appear in each issue of The Witch Hiker's Guide.   However, we'd like Donald to supply us with a picture for his Bio, but he seems unwilling...? Come on Donald, gies a pic! Registered Report

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