bish blog

Who is bish?

bish is a late-farties pagan druid subversive, living in a village in Gloucestershire, England with Miss and miss, four three six five three six chickens, two guinea pigs, a pond-full and a tank-full of fish, frogs, newts, snails and assorted squelchy things and a zillion birds in the trees, all in their season trying to eat me out of birdseed. And still no squirrels…

So… who is bish?

I am me; bish, Mark. Son, brother, father, husband, friend and colleague.

I am a seeker after some truths, a hider from others.My life is a small component in a chaotically, but not entirely random, journey through the ‘verse; a tiny particle in the experiential voyage of self discovery upon which the ‘verse set itself at the creation of the multiverse. Beyond that, my life is one of complexity, of the tearing dichotomy of self enjoyment and care for the world in which I live, of selfishness and altruism. Of trying to be ‘green’, whilst accepting that there is no ‘green’ lifestyle, and that we are all racing into the death of our civilisation in our drive to enjoy an attainable yet unsustainable quality of life.

I am a man in the throws of middle age, not yet beyond my best-before date, but finding the date stamped on the can is nearer than I thought. I am life support for the overworked, alibi finder for the needful, confidant for the burdened and lover of many people, many things.

I am bard. In quiet contemplation I am the listener of the wild, of the sun, sea and sky, of the woodland creatures and the woodland itself. I am a musician, for a given value of music, who vainly attempts to echo the music of the ‘verse, and in failing still finds peace and spirit in the task. I am an engineer, a rational man who understands the makeup of things seen and unseen, and yet retains an empathic connection with the science beyond science.

I am a small bleeding pocket of flesh, whose corruption will carry nourishment into the next life. I am a weaver of words, a singer of songs and a master of mirth. I am a clown. I am a grower of small green things, a tender of animals and a steward of the land. I am the shy shadow. I am not who I see in the mirror… I am me.

So bish is a Druid then…?

Ultimately, I am bish. Some aspects of my spirituality resemble aspects of a modern interpretation of what some people think Druidry might have been about, and thus the term is useful in explaining my path to others. Although some inconsistencies will arise, especially for folk with detailed knowledge of specific aspects of pre-Christian British spirituality, the main thrust of the explanation will not be disproportionately inaccurate. But I am bish. E&OE.

Favourite tag-lines:

• A Druid is for Life, not just for Solstice…
• I came, I saw, I concurred
• …and the only measure of your words and your deeds will be the love you leave behind when you’re done
• And if tomorrow the world were to break into 1000 pieces, yet still would I plant a tree today
• “We all need sustenance. The wolf, the puma, the eagle as much as the rabbit, the deer, the salmon. Even the trees and grass require nourishment that’s dependent on the lives of others. Nature was never benevolent or fair. But by the same token, we have to live together in this world and cruelty is neither gracious not defensible. So when you take from the bounty that others provide for you, bless their gift, treat it with respect, give it dignity. And always ask before you take, give thanks for what you receive.”From “The Onion Girl” by Charles de Lint.

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