Fiona Tinker's Blog

The final issue of Pooka Pages Magazine, Imbolg, has been posted and is ready for you to enjoy.Pooka, the Team and I all hope you have lots of fun with this special issue. www.pookapages.com

The Samhain issue of Pooka Pages Magazine for Pagan Kids is now posted – free to download and enjoy. Arts, crafts, stories with a spooky twist! Happy Hallowe’en! http://pookapages.com

Thi herr oan thi back o ma napper stuid on its end. A coudnae believe ma ain een, bit thaur it wis richt in front o mi: a shooglin, hirplin, lowpin, birlin bodach that skitit fae wan fit tae thi ither, nivir stappin ir pechin.

Wull, it widnae pech, wid it? Whit wi it bein gey deid an that. Nae breith. Nae lungs ithir, fer that maiter. An whit wis it daein onywise?

“Ahem,” I cried. “Whit ye daein?”

Twa eldritch een cut intae mi. Bittys o thi bogle came tae a stap at different bits o time, gein it a ferr dirlin ootline.

“Ye kin see mi?” it askit.

“Aye, ah kin,” ah aunswert.

“An yer no feart?”

“Naw!” ah laucht. “Whit’s tae be feart o in a bogle that lueks lich it’s goat a live electric wire shuved up its erse?”

Thi bochan wis mortal-affrontit wi ma repone, weel, as aboot as mortal is a ghaist coud be.

“It’s nae funny,” it said, greetin. “Thaur a wis, aw happy in ma ain life, lovin aw ma American fillums, ma mahoosive American fridge, ma American beers an aw that. Than – bang! Hert stappit. Gemme ower. Deid.”

“Ah weel,” ah replied. “Hauppins tae us aw in thi end. Bit how come yer jitterin like a hytit jeely?”

If a ghaist cuid git a big riddy, this yin did. A richt beamer it hid.

“Mumm-chh…bbnn,” it said.

“Whit?” I cried. “Spier a bitty looder, wid ye? Ah cannae hear ye.”

Thi twa een sliced me agin. Bit this time they waur desperate, nae tryin tae be aw scary an that.

“Ach,” it moaned, “ it’s aw tae dae wi ma love o American fillums. See, when ah wis alive, ah ayewis went oan aboot hoo aw things American were better an aw that. Wis a bit o a blawbag, kin see tha noo.” 

It soucht. “An ken whit happened then?”

“Aye,” ah telt him. “Bang! Deid – gemme ower. Bit nae heavenly choir?”

“Naw, jist a muckle o deid American actors, whaud been feedin aff mi energy fae adorin them fer decades like, came fer mi. Wantin tae thank mi fer keepin thaim alive an that. Fer talkin aboot them sae much an sae aften. Said they wid hae faded awa by noo if nae fer me an ma obsession. Ah didnae ken ma energy an adoration wis gaun tae keep thaim stuck atween ane warld an thi next, I swerr.”

This wis affy interestin, so ah askit, “Did ye nae ken ye waur daein that? Did ye no feel it?”

“Naw,” it replied, soondin miserable. “Ah jist thocht a goat a bit tired an ratty an that. Didnae ken whit ah wis really daein. Mair fuil mi, eh?”

An wi that, it stertit tae shoogle an went back tae its jiggin.

“Stoap it!” Ah gowlt.

“Ah cannae!” it skirlt.

“How no?” Ah skirlt back.

“Caus am cursit! Aw they daft deid American actors walcomed mi tae thi ither side an gied me a name –  named mi intae ma efterlife – an ah hiv tae be thi thing they cried mi!”

I sterred at it. It hid tae be whitevvir it wis yon lang deid Americans cried it?

Noo, I ken thaur’s a fair bitty incomprehension atween American English and English English, let alane wi Scots as anither leid aw thi gither. Ah thoat a wiz fine wi aw three tungs bit even ah coudnae wirk oot whit wurds hid goat muddled up, why an whaur.

Onywise, ah jist carrit oan watchin as yon puir bodach jiggit, jampit and joukit. It really wisnae oanything tae be afeart o, it wis jist a desperate soul in its ain jiggin hell, tae tell thi truth.

“Help mi!” it screicht, as thi mirk o its boady twistit an birlt.

“Whit did they cry ye?” I bawlt at it.

“Thon ‘B’ wird!” it moaned in despair.  “It’s needin sayin an unsayin – pleeeeaaaassse!”

B wird?  B wird?

Whit widae gat twistit? Whit coudae gat twistit?

Bodach? Bogle? Bampot? Boodie? Whit wid American actors mibbe nae ken taae say richt? Apairt fae hoo tae say ‘Jekyll’? B wirds… nae J wirds…come oan, ween!

Then a muckle daud o inspiration skelpit me alang ma lug. O coorse!

“Yer a bogey-maun!” ah screikit. “A bogey-maun – nae a bluidy boogie-man!”

Thaur wis a skelloch o puir joy an then a bolt o licht shot up tae heivven.

“Yer a pure pal, so ye ur!” wis thi last thing ah heard is thi miscawed dauncin bogle coud at lang an last go tae its everlasting rest.

Ah didnae see whaur thi bogey-maun went tae or whit happened efter that. Bit, me bein it’s pal or no, ah jist hope it wisnae plannin oan bein thi bogey-maun unner ma ain bed – or a boogie-maun oan thi rug o ma flair!

Fiona Tinker

October 2021

Copyright Fiona Tinker 2021. All rights reserved.

You can find a whole heap of Kalina’s lovely readings of various children’s stories on her Youtube channel Aunt Kalina Reads but here’s Kalina reading my A Letter from Scotland and Lora Craig Gaddis’s Elsie and Pooka story from the Lughnasadh 2021 edition of Pooka Pages Magazine for Pagan Kids.

The wonderful Christopher Lee reads The Raven in the last link. This is because I added an additional block and can’t figure out how to get rid of it!

Apologies for the tardiness but the new edition of Pooka Pages for Pagan Kids is now published and ready for free download.

We hope you and the young pagans in your life enjoy it. www.pookapages.com

This lovely review by Em Mulholland of my book appeared in issue 49 of Indie Shaman: Lughnasadh 2021. Thank you, Em.

 August 9, 2021Indie Shaman  0 Commentschildren’s fiction, Fiona Tinker, Folk Tales, Moon Books, Pagan Portals, stories for children

Stories for the Songs of the Year is a beautiful book which can be enjoyed by adults and children alike. I found myself quickly drawn into the magical world of the Celtic Gods and Goddesses and the accompanying tales of Meg, the (constantly hungry, bannock-mad) tom cat with half a tail and Attila the Bun, his lofty, clever, rabbit companion.

I really liked how the book began with a clear and concise foreword on the topic of Pagan parenting, where Tinker makes various suggestions about how to start helping children of various ages understand an assortment of concepts that are central to Pagan beliefs. The foreword also contains a handy summary of the key dates for festivals and celebrations along the Wheel of the Year. There is also a very useful Resources section at the back of the book that includes websites, podcasts, organisations and a list of other books divided according to age.

Turning to the stories themselves, I found myself captivated by Tinker’s beautiful and easily comprehensible storytelling style. I liked the way that some of the chapters opened by describing the salient themes of each celebration on the Wheel before she began to tell a story using the adventures of Meg and Attila the Bun to bring each point on the Wheel to life. One of my favourite parts was the story of The Old Woman of Winter – The Cailleach – washing her enormous shawl in the Coire Bhreacain (the Corry Vreckan) whirlpool and the effect on the Scottish weather because of this.

I am very much looking forward to curling up with this book at my son’s bedtimes when he is a little older; softly reading out the enchanting stories as he drifts off into dream-filled sleep.

Book Details: Fiona Tinker. Pagan Portals – Stories for the Songs of the Year. Moon Books (30 Oct. 2020). ISBN: 978-1789044706

Review Details: Stories for the Songs of the Year was reviewed by Em Mulholland, sub-editor of Indie Shaman magazine and this review was published in Issue 49.

Buy on Amazon: We receive a small commission if you buy via the link below which helps with the costs of running this website. The link shows you the price for the print edition but will also give you options for the Kindle edition where available. (Please note – the link below will not show if you use an ad-blocker. Please disable your ad-blocker for this website if you would like to view).

Stories for the Songs of the Year

We have a signed copy of Stories for the Songs of the Year to give away courtesy of author, Fiona Tinker and publisher, Moon Books.

To enter this lucky draw, use our contact box and title your message ‘Stories’. (Please make sure you use the contact box, not the comments section of any page!) Deadline for entries 9 a.m. 1st September 2021 (UK GMT). Winners chosen by random draw and notified by email. No purchase necessary for competition entry.

Entries are also accepted via email and on our Facebook page and Facebook discussion group.  Full competition terms and conditions here.

https://shamanismbooks.co.uk/

The Lughnasadh issue of the Pooka Pages for pagan kids has been posted.

This one is slightly different from the others as the creator, founder and editor of the magazine, Lora Craig-Gaddis, has been unwell recently. She works her socks off to bring this free magazine to children eight times a year and she was really worried about disappointing the little ones. We convinced her to worry about herself and concentrate on getting better. Meantime, this edition has a guest editor – me!

Unfortunately, there’s not been the time to post the previous Imbolg edition. I’m sure Lora will do that as soon as she is better and able to do it.

The magazine is FREE to print out or read online. We hope you and your family enjoy it!

Click on the link for the magazine: hthttp://www.pookapages.com/

Kalina Fernander Grimm, a lovely lady from Georgia, USA contacted me quite a few months ago, asking if she could record my children’s stories from www.pookapages.com as part of her ‘Aunt Kalina’ kids’ story channel on Youtube. And what an amazing storyteller she is too – I love hearing her versions of my tales and the way she brings the characters to life is marvellous.

If you want something new and exciting, give Aunt Kalina’s Youtube children’s story channel a listen. You’ll be glad you did!

http:// tinyurl.com/Aunt-Kalina

Rites to a Good Life: Everyday Rituals of Healing and Transformation  –  Frederick Marx 

(Warrior Films, 2020.)

Frederick Marx, the author of Rites to a Good Life: Everyday Rituals of Healing and Transformation, asked if I would be interested in reviewing his new book about the importance of rites of passage for men and boys in the modern – primarily USA – world. Being neither a man nor an American, I naturally said yes – and I am so glad I did.

This is a tremendously important book which examines what some may perceive as a crisis in masculinity in the developed world. It discusses the necessity of mentoring our young through the storms of adolescence to maturity and acceptance of their roles in the world through rites of passage at various life stages, each one adding to the stature and standing of the initiate until manhood is reached. Marx’s book discusses matters from the cultural context of the USA and contrasts this with world-wide rites of passage traditions from allegedly less developed communities; highlighting the benefits mentorship of teenagers confers on the cohesion of societies as a whole.

The book focuses on male experience and this is an absolute joy to read, given how easily young men can be overlooked. It acknowledges the Rites of Passage conferred by members of religious groups, for example. However, the book is not about religion and the quiet strength at the heart of the book is illustrated by these quotations:

In villages and cultures (…) it was common to be taught why you were here, what your purpose was, and how best you could contribute to the community.

Boys raised on farms or learning crafts were apprenticed by their fathers and other men. While they were taught practical and professional skills, they were also taught what it is to be a man, what civilised behaviour is – the rights and responsibilities of adulthood.

The author lays out his own path and shares the wisdom of those who mentored him. The book is not an easy read in the sense that it can be dashed off in one sitting. Indeed, to do so would mean that much of the wisdom in this work would be lost. It is a book to read slowly, to savour and to think about before accompanying the author on the next stage of the journey.

Rites of Passage is truly a remarkable book. The ideas and questions it contains are urgent ones for today when so many young men can appear lost and directionless at times. However, Marx does not just stir this pot and run, leaving the reader wondering, “What next?” Resources are provided in the appendix to enable readers to follow through on the ideas by listing established men’s groups / websites for further information and sources of help. We surely owe it to our male children to be the adults they need to help them become whole and healthy men.

This book is not for the faint-hearted but it is indeed a book for those whose hearts are stout.

Rites to a Good Life: Everyday Rituals of Healing and Transformation  –  Frederick Marx 

(Warrior Films, 2020.)

http://tinyurl.com/Rites-of-Passage-Amazon-UK

http://tinyurl.com/Rites-of-Passage-Amazon-US