There is something uncanny, even eerie about the British countryside in the heat: the heaviness, the stillness, the vitality all burned away...
Callum James
@callum-james.bsky.social
Callum James: poet, writer and bookseller. 'The South Downs. Paths of the Dead' (Broken Sleep Books) Queer. Story. Landscape. Magic.
Absolutely delighted with my Right to Reside in Hookland and the Fragments book.
This church door, made of boat timbers, in Warblington in Hampshire has opened for both Elizabeth I and Henry VIII
A sun scorched trip to Camlet Moat in Trent Park the other day. A magical, haunted, storied place.
An encounter with the 1,700 year old yew tree at Warblington churchyard in Hampshire
I am beginning to realise when someone says "I had an inappropriate dream about so-and-so" what they mean is "I had an appropriate dream about so-and-so"
The shore at night has been a complete blessing in the heatwave. Not just for us. There is a whole Temporary Autonomous Zone vibe going on. Pics: Feet. Metal dectector finds. Neighbours
This was some of the artwork I sent in support of an application for a resisdency at Prospect Cottage in 2027/8 🤞
Enjoyed playing with the "make your own" landscape boxes at the British Landacape exhibition at Pallant House Gallery
"I painted these pictures with no hope and wild laughter, you are the jokers, the laughter is on you. Tears fall behind the headlines. 'Discover yourself' they said at school, I found a terrible subject." -- Derek Jarman, 1991.
Appearing around the city a lot, this could either be a random graffiti tag or it could be a bindrune meaning "safe travels" which is nice, as I see it most beside roads!
A swallow's wing. Sent by a friend from the Natural History Museum. My favorite bird. A sign of the presence of Hermes.
Been spending a lot of time on the shoreline and late at night in the sea in this heatwave. Looking forward to swimming under the full moon!
Reading "Smiling in Slow Motion" by Derek Jarman on the beach the other night. Got so into it the sun set around me.
Been working on an incense blend this evening involving Storax, Opoponax and some Clary Sage oil, it is intense to say the least!!
All is reversed. Maturity looks back to childhood for the key. In youth is magic and divinity. The heaviest matters take flight and rise like feathers in a strong wind. The centre of the brightest blaze is black and tight. The work of ancient hands are hidden in the night.
I really enjoyed my trip to the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic last weekend. So full of the intriguing material culture of magic and folklore. These objects feel like the external manifestation of things deep in the human psyche and soul.
Two brilliant signboards at the Museum of Witchcraft and Magic in Boscastle, not actually on display anymore but from back in the day!
Jupiter and Venus over Boscastle in Cornwall last night
Met this vast Beech tree today in a forest on the South Downs. It has four trunks, each the size of a large individual in its own right.
"I am grateful in ways I cannot describe for this life and the people I share it with" -- Gordon White. Magician and Shamanic Healer. It has been shocking to hear of Gordon's death, like the ground isn't so firm beneath our feet today. May he Rest in Power.
A hand drawn poster for the Stonehenge Free Festival. It would annually attract about 30,000 people from 1974-1984. It was finally supressed, violently, in 1985 at "The Battle of the Beanfield"
"Oceanic" is a word which carries in its vowels the power that it speaks of.
