memories

The exclusive Plymouth Brethren

/ Yvonne Aburrow / Leave a comment

This blog post was originally written in 2006 and posted on my old blog Nemeton. Some friends had asked why I tended to make statements about the awfulness of Christianity.

Don’t be fooled by the cranky exterior of the Exclusive Brethren. They’re the religious equivalent of Vogons.

I know because I was brought up in them till the age of 9. For those who don’t know me, no, this does not make me sad and repressed. (Aleister Crowley was brought up in the Exclusive Brethren also – it’s why he was so vehemently anti-Christian and outrageously hedonistic).

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Reflections

/ Yvonne Aburrow / 4 Comments

Changing Paths challenge day 30 — reflections.

The most amazing autobiography I have ever read was Memories, Dreams, Reflections by Carl Gustav Jung.

It discusses how he arrived at his psychoanalytical theory — but the bits I found most fascinating were about his childhood and his occult experiences.

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Memories

/ Yvonne Aburrow / Leave a comment

Changing Paths challenge day 29—memories.

One of my earliest memories is looking up at the constellation of Orion. I’ve always loved it.

This amazing photo of Orion is from NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day. In the early days of the internet I used to visit this site every day. I should get back into the habit!

The significance of this memory is that looking up at the stars makes you realize the sheer size of the universe, and how magnificent it is in its own right — and much larger than most fundamentalists could possibly imagine. This reminds me of the awesome quote from Douglas Adams: “You may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s but that’s just peanuts to space.”

Changing Paths is published by 1000Volt Press and is available from all the usual online stores. Ask your local bookseller or library to stock it!

The goal of the book is to help you decide your own path by guiding you through the perils and pitfalls of the terrain, and asking questions to help you deepen your understanding of the reasons for your desire to change paths.