After a hiatus of three years since my last post, I have decided to revive this blog. I now have the time needed to continue with my writing and have spent a considerable amount of time in researching various aspects of pre-Christian Indo-European religion and revising my study of Latin, primarily through some online courses through the University of Cambridge as well as a considerable amount of self-study.
The first time I encountered Latin was via an online course with the National Extension College. The course was extremely in depth, probably too in depth as little of it stuck with me. Over three years ago, I began studying Latin again from scratch, but this time at a much slower pace. I have now reached a level which is broadly comparable to A Level standard, being able to translate both ways, from Latin to English and English to Latin.
My recent studies of Latin have demonstrated to me how intricately linked the language is to Modern English. A grasp of Latin helps to improve one's understanding of English, whether this be vocabulary, etymology of English words or grammar. Latin is an incredibly logical language and studying it helps to keep one's brain active, which is very important in old age (I will shortly turn 65) and provides an excellent basis for studying other foreign languages.
One of the drivers for returning to my Latin studies was to enable me to read original Latin texts about the Germans, Celts and other ancient Indo-European peoples, without having to rely upon the translations of others! This is something which I hope to utilise in future posts on this blog.
In addition to studying Latin, I have also completed an online course, Comparative Indo-European Linguistics, through Leiden University in the Netherlands, an excellent course which I recommend to all my readers.
For mind, body and spirit purposes, I have spent the last four months engaging in Rune Yoga, using the 18 rune Futhorkh of Guido von List. For the very first time, I have been getting to grips (if you excuse the pun) with hand mudras as well as the asanas and mantras. My practice of hand mudras has proved a little problematic as my essential tremor in my left hand has gradually worsened through the years.
Please start to check this blog on a regular basis as I hope to be updating it several times a week.
