1763 - an amusingly hyperbolic denunciation of Methodism I have always considered Methodism, taken in the most favourable Light, as the most destructive and dangerous System, to Government and Society, that ever was established:

“Housing shortage – Jews to blame," letter sticker, German Reich, 1938 zwangsraeume.berlin/en/context

"‘Demonic’ Wind in the Willows jumper banned from Westminster Abbey: Woman told to remove or cover up garment featuring 1908 illustration of Pan lest it offend worshippers" www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Way back in '004 @petermanseau.bsky.social & I published a book called Killing the Buddha, for chapter of which we stayed w/ a military coven at a Pagan gathering. It was great. Paganism then was fastest growing affiliation. Good work, Pagans! Bonus points for freaking out Close-Shave Pete.

ICYMI "In order to be saved you must be born again", said the pagan god. I've produced a new translation of Corpus Hermeticum XIII, a text which discusses a transcendent experience of rebirth in an ancient Graeco-Egyptian context. Any comments are welcome.... www.academia.edu/127827312/Co...

Bond is, in fact, the sovereignty goddess of Britain, existing simultaneously as youthful and crone, wooed by successive unsuitable temporary partners until the true sovereign (Judy Dench) reveals herself

It is genuinely hard for most people to grasp how poor the past was.

iirc Robert van Gulik noted that in Chinese culture- and sex manuals- kissing was considered a sexual act, only to be done in private. This led europeans to conclude the Chinese never kissed, and the Chinese to conclude all European women were prostitutes.

Today in 1965, the first British law against racial discrimination was enacted. I've written about what the parliamentary debates tell us about how little we've come in the intervening 60 years. "The First Race Relations Act" pagesfromahistoriansnotebook.substack.com/p/the-first-...

In 1666, Pope Alexander VII affirmed that it is a mortal sin to kiss someone "for reason of the carnal and sensual pleasure which arises from the kiss". (Reference: Denzinger, 1140)

My 1st trip to London was in Dec.'79, I was 19: coming from Rome, the presence of people from many countries and 'races' was something that really struck me & my friends Funny fact: one night we decided to go to a disco, following advice of a guide booklet which turned out to be out of date! 1 ->

Today in 1965, the first British law against racial discrimination was enacted. I've written about what the parliamentary debates tell us about how little we've come in the intervening 60 years. "The First Race Relations Act" pagesfromahistoriansnotebook.substack.com/p/the-first-...

THE DAY THE BRITISH STATE ABOLISHED HELL Anglicanism is what you get when the English encounter the Catholic doctrines of sin and damnation and think "they can't be talking about us". /1

THE DAY THE BRITISH STATE ABOLISHED HELL Anglicanism is what you get when the English encounter the Catholic doctrines of sin and damnation and think "they can't be talking about us". /1

ICE won't allow communion to be given in detention centers because demons quail and shiver at the divine presence in the Host.

Roman snake bracelet with a medallion of the goddess Selene, circa 1st century AD.

Éliphas Lévi's esoteric interpretation of the image of the Virgin Mary known as the Miraculous Medal. "its figures are so perfectly kabalistic that it is truly a marvellous double Pantacle. /1

A movie you've seen more than 7 times with a gif

Note: while not unprecedented, it’s actually pretty rare for a sitting Catholic bishop to participate in a demonstration. It’s just not generally what Catholic bishops do. Thus: Getting the hierarchy involved in this protest outside an ICE facility is no small thing.

Did medieval nuns care for their appearance? Rings, brooches, combs, manicure sets all found on the site of Barking Abbey.

One interesting thing about this prayer is the way in which it blurs together several goddesses of the pantheon, including Selene, Artemis, Persephone and the Fates. This is typical of the mystical strand in Greek and Graeco-Egyptian religion. 1/2

For Sámhain, I have posted a translation of the Prayer to Selene which appears in the Greek Magical Papyri at PGM IV.2785-2890. This is a text designed to invoke the moon goddess with some of her darker aspects. Link in next post.

A blessed Samhain to all who celebrate. 🕯🙏

ICYMI I wasn’t quite happy with the existing translations of the Mithras Liturgy, so I made my own. I also made a audio recording of it, in case anyone wants to try meditating with it. See further here... let me know what you think! robindouglas.org/2025/10/29/t...

I’m really starting to suspect that most of the tech bros haven’t actually read Tolkien, as they certainly don’t understand it. The gentle hobbits save the “hard men” of Gondor, largely through compassion and selflessness. Not the other way around. The Christian parable is barely hidden!

ICYMI I wasn’t quite happy with the existing translations of the Mithras Liturgy, so I made my own. I also made a audio recording of it, in case anyone wants to try meditating with it. See further here... let me know what you think! robindouglas.org/2025/10/29/t...

"Let's not forget, when we remember the service and the sacrifice with this poppy, that the people who bled and died for our democracy and our freedom, weren't just my grandfather who looked like me & worshipped the same God, but people across Empire & Commonwealth, who were Muslim, Sikh & Hindu'

A sharp analysis of the dark times in which we live. The enemy is now fully showing its face. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Vicar elections In the Cotswold parish of Painswick, the local vicar used to be elected by the parishioners. Did this happen elsewhere?

"the first British monarch to pray with a pope since the Reformation in the 16th Century" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... ok then medievalists, when *was* the last time that a British monarch prayed with the pope?

B A S E D

A piece of esoteric history.... One of the main players in the 19th century esoteric revival was the British group known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. But who *were* the Golden Dawn? Who in Victorian Britain chose to spend their evenings dressing up and invoking ancient gods?

The Positivist Calendar developed by Auguste Comte. The months are named after figures who include Aristotle and Shakespeare. There are feast days for Orpheus, Solon, Michelangelo and Walter Scott.

🚨 New on my Substack 🚨 COUNTING PAGANS - Tales from the Census of England and Wales How many Pagans are there in the country? Where do they live? How are they broken down by age and sex? Is the community in decline? Link in next post

Like the Pope, the King of England is "the representative of God on earth" ("Dei vicarius in terra", according to Henry de Bracton in the 13th century). www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

A happy Día de la Lealtad to all my Peronist followers.

🚨 New on my Substack 🚨 COUNTING PAGANS - Tales from the Census of England and Wales How many Pagans are there in the country? Where do they live? How are they broken down by age and sex? Is the community in decline? Link in next post

Unbeatable Times picture/caption combo on Oxford PPE student who led chants of " put the Zios in the ground” at London rally.

NEW BOOK on Post-Nazi Germany How Protestant theologians, intellectuals, and activists reconstructed West German national identity and secular democracy by relying upon an older language of religious concepts stemming from Protestant theology and political thought 👇

I will never cease to be amazed that there are "philosophers of religion" who know ten million variations of the ontological argument but have never heard of Medugorje.

Today is the anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima, which took place on 13 October 1917. Very few people have attempted to write about Fatima from a relatively dispassionate standpoint, so I tried to do so. /1

Blasphemy is in the news today after Hamit Coskun's conviction for burning the Qur'an was quashed. I've written an article on what people get wrong about the old blasphemy law and why things have changed less than you might think: pagesfromahistoriansnotebook.substack.com/p/the-old-an...

From Wiltshire Police's investigation into Sir Edward Heath and the (probably false) claims that he was an abuser.... The following statement about the allegedly asexual bachelor stands out. Who was it referring to?

Blasphemy is in the news today after Hamit Coskun's conviction for burning the Qur'an was quashed. I've written an article on what people get wrong about the old blasphemy law and why things have changed less than you might think: pagesfromahistoriansnotebook.substack.com/p/the-old-an...

God bless The Church Times for their ongoing insistence on responding moderately but forcefully to the Reverend Canon Nigel Biggar’s nonsense. www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/202...

Occasional reminder that the "distracted boyfriend" meme has its origins in a pre-WW1 Punch cartoon about Anglo-German relations...

Rudolf Heß lived long enough to hear Frankie Goes to Hollywood on SFB Radio

...wondering why Martin Luther would be writing in English, and only at the third reading of the post I got aware of the 'King'...😱🤓

It's not widely known that Martin Luther King, while a student, wrote papers entitled "The Influence of the Mystery Religions on Christianity" and "A Study of Mithraism". Links in next post.