what doesn't kill us

Here is something I forgot about until recently. I can walk on hot coals.
That's a fairly random way to start a blog post, don't you think? But we'll get round to that.

Well, I'm worn out this month after the excitement of Battle of the Nations in Prague, followed closely by IMCF in Montemor-o-Velho.

I was really impressed with the quality of the women's fighting at both BotN and IMCF, and I must admit to having a small twinge of regret at not just giving into the selfish part of me and going over to fight. (You will recall my decision to stay behind this year and build up a women's buhurt team to compete with at Red Lion, thus creating a seasoned team for World Champs 2017). But it was only a small twinge.

I can appreciate how much it must have taken for Team Quebec to best the Polish 2015 Champs.  Well done, ladies!

The highlight for me was actually (as lame as it may seem) the men's polearm final at IMCF. It seems that Pawel Kurzak and Jose Martinez Amoedo came back for a rematch. Just without the shiner. Last year, that was the most inspiring and breathtaking fight, for me, and this year was the same.

And of course, I was incredibly pleased when my friend Laurent Bemtgen took bronze. I happen to know that polearm is his favourite weapon, and I also happen to know how hard that dude can shield punch.

I love watching such a high level of skill and sportsmanship. Well done to you all. You inspire and fascinate me, and I have been motivated by you to improve my polearm skills for next year.





Another aspect of combat which I really enjoyed was the female duels and profights. I hope I don't fangirl too hard here, but Galina Kokhvakko really is amazing. The BotN final was incredible. I think the Gods tipped more than the usual amount of "good things dust" onto her head when she was made. I hope to fight her one day and see just how much "good things dust" the Gods gave me.

Training for me has been sporadic of late. This weekend, I found myself cleaning stables twice a day and keeping my horse company half the time. She injured her leg and the vet said to keep her inside for a couple of weeks. She's going crazy, and I'm not really mad about all the horse shit and the wet shavings. My horses usually live out, and this is the first time I've actually used the stables since we moved in four years ago.

Some good and bad news: it looks like flights have come down a little, so it won't cost an arm and a leg AND two teeth to get to Luxembourg and the Red Lion Challenge. I hope someone there will have a shield or surcoat for swaps. Yes, we are still heading in that direction, preparing for profight and buhurt, although I'm sad to say that because of a tremendous lack of support from pretty much everyone, we won't all be able to afford to go. We couldn't raise the funds by ourselves, so it looks like only two or three of us will make it.

But you know what we always say: fuck 'em all. We're fighters. We'll make it happen. The Rogues may be overlooked and underfunded, but we are still going strong, and we'll only get better and stronger with time.

What doesn't kill us... should run.

pagan freedom day

Today in South Africa, we celebrate Freedom Day, which commemorates the first democratic elections for our nation. As Pagans, we celebrate Pagan Freedom Day because the day also commemorates the official start of religious freedom in South Africa.

I'm sure that those of you who are Pagan across the world will appreciate the significance of this step in a country's liberties. Pagans have traditionally, at least in Western societies, been shunned, oppressed and vilified by the predominantly Christian ideologies which insinuate their way into governments.

I self-identify as a South African witch. Since South Africa is a virtual melting pot of religious and philosophical influences, with an underlying foundation of traditional southern African occult practices, we are able to draw on a number of aspects from our heritages. Far from being able to define my personal spiritual system, I am still exploring my relationship with the various Gods and Goddesses that I discover and call upon for assistance in my everyday life.

Josh's personal coat of arms, with a silver Valknott on a sanguine background

My personal coat of arms, with the God/Goddess symbol on a purple background, silver and gold representing both male and female aspects

As a fighter, I identify strongly with the warrior Gods and Goddesses from various traditions. Although it is commonly frowned upon to mix pantheons, I feel that in my path, it has come quite naturally to call on Sekhmet and Odin and Thor in one breath, before a tournament fight.

These practices, as well as some of the native African practices, feature everywhere in my life, and have come about as a natural evloution of my exploration of my own heritages. Without the religious freedom to do this, it would have been very difficult. Since 1994, there have been a multitude of Pagan belief systems emerging from the proverbial broom closet in South Africa, each one influencing seekers of enlightenment, and offering access in their own way to knowledge that would otherwise have been hidden. We have had a number of prominent Pagan leaders come into the public arena to advocate for the rights of Pagans, and to offer their own wisdoms to those who wish to find an alternative to their (mostly) Christian upbringing. We even have second and third generation Pagans, who have not converted, but been brought up in Pagan homes. There is also a growing support system for Pagan families, and we hold gatherings across the country where Pagans of all ages, races and traditions can come together to be with like-minded people, which would never have been a good idea before 1994.

It has also become (somewhat) more socially acceptable to self-identify as a Pagan (if not as a witch) in our country, and I find more and more that there are people openly wearing their pentacles and ankhs and other Pagan symbols, not as a shock-value adornment (as teenagers often do to piss off their parents), but as a genuine representation of their belief system, which is good.

People are still a little taken aback, however, when they visit our place, and find that we have no security at all. Our house lacks the usual South African trademarks of vigilance and fear: burglar bars on every window, security gates on every door, electric fencing, remote-operated gates, alarm system, CCTV, motion sensors, etc. Instead, we use hotfoot powder, chicken feet and runes for warding and protection. And while the rest of our community is getting robbed (this month alone we've had a number of "home invasions" in our area, with vehicles and tech being stolen from various houses), despite all of their security measures, we have been left alone. At this point, I touch wood and thank my Gods for their blessing. I believe that it is, in a very real sense, all about the relationship that we develop with our respective deities.

My medicine bag

A bag of home-made hotfoot powder

Bindrune on the wall next to an open window

Chicken feet from my Australorp rooster, Mick Jagger.
That's a whole other story!

It may, of course, have something to do with our training sessions, which have been witnessed and recorded by curious passers-by, but I prefer to believe that our protective measures have also played a part, and while we are always prepared to defend ourselves from incursion, I am also grateful that my Gods have not yet seen fit to test us in that respect.

Back to the fighting, though, we use spells for just victory and protection on all of our weapons and armour, as well as our property. That doesn't mean that we expect the Gods will grant us victory for every fight. We still accept that the result is largely determined the the amount of dedication and training we put into our sport. However, I have not yet been seriously injured in my five years of fighting, and have won my fair share of bouts over the years. Before fighting and during my bouts, I have a strong sense of the presence of my Gods and Goddesses, lending me strength and courage, and I take confidence from that awareness.

You may be able to make out the Hagall rune on the blade.
The polearm is called "Hail".

This is the base of the first staff I made.
I called it "Rethor" (the actual letters used in this name are different),
which in old Icelandic means phallus. 

I think that it comes back round to having the freedom to worship as we see fit, the freedom to live what we believe, and to be able to celebrate according to our own belief systems. As a South African witch, this right is as sacred to me as the right to vote, or the right to publish this post on a public forum, without fear of reprisal. So today, I celebrate Pagan Freedom Day (being sick as I am) with a sacrifice of wine and food to my Gods and Goddesses, and a prayer of thanks to the Ancestors who watch over this land and keep us safe.

Whatever you are doing today, I hope that your Gods and Goddesses also watch over you, and that you are also able, as I am, to worship them in the manner that your belief system suggests.

Merry Pagan Freedom Day and good fighting to all!