Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Blog 12 Midsummer New Year of Johns Eve 2012
Recovering.
June 13, 2012. The international news services (The Guardian/ BBC- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-18417952 )  announces the use in Syria of military attack helicopters and more on the way from Russia. Syria is being attacked with Western support by so-called ‘activists’ in an attempt to foment an international war.

While the West is engaged in a propaganda war against the Syrian government, its support of the ‘activists’ is no less obvious. The opposing view of events in Syria are best expressed (from this writer’s perspective) by Voltaire Network http://www.voltairenet.org/Russian-Warning-Shots . Thierry Meyssan at said link writes: “Over the past sixteen months of the destabilization of /Syria, NATO and the GCC have created a situation without exit that might well degenerate into global war.” Which says Hillary Clinton http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/jun/13/syria-helicopters-russia-hillary-clinton-video : will “escalete the conflict quite dramatically.”
While Hitler invaded Russia ostensibly to guarantee Germany the space for extended ‘lebensraum’, Russia occupied the Baltic countries in the belief (it did not turn out to be true) that Marx was correct that the Revolution of Revolutions would begin in Germany and the ‘developed world’ beyond.

Might the Mother of all Revolutions be in the offing now?

In June of 1941, the Baltic countries, barely recovered from the effects of WW1 (ended only twenty years before)  and their folkloric based cultures under attack from cultural globalizers (today’s Pop culture was not anticipated then by the cultural elites in the West or East) had turned the founding generation of my parents into patrons of ballet and opera. In short, the Latvians found themselves hit by a bullet in midflight through a circus hoop tossed into the air by the Maestro http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zsFpFEfYt0  of a Circus company.
June, 2012, the Baltic countries are still walking on their heads rather than feet.

Today (June 13th) the Lithuanian President Grībauskaite http://www.apollo.lv/portal/news/articles/277764 is in Latvia selling nuclear power. Or, given the above information, was she?

Being a long-time opponent to nuclear power, I heartily disagree with pro-nukers, especially, since the Balts are not assured a future existence —with or without nuclear power. As I mentioned in my previous blog (11), a Norwegian DJ has already offered to the Burtnieki township to organize Johns Day festivities. As far as I know, his offer was gently declined. But the threat to Latvian culture remains and is of a terminal  nature.

For my part, I am selling a “back to the forests movement”. The Midsummer Latvian Johns Festival—what with John a twin of the English Robin Hood—happily coincides with days when Nature is at its best. Incidentally, on Jun 23rd, 14:00, Ojārs Ozoliņš of Valmiera, a knowledgeable man in local culture, and myself will discuss our separate versions of the Johns Day tradition. Guests at the Temple of Black John will be members of the Burtnieku nature protection club, and all who wish to join. If you come, bring along your ‘groziņš’.

However, to continue with the main theme of this series of blogs: Johns Day as Midsummer’s New Year 2012. Not many Latvians are familiar that in former times John’s Day or Midsummer was celebrated all over Europe and beyond—even if under some other name. If in the 19th and the 20th centuries the Latvians (still repressed by the Christian church) knew next to nothing about the origins of Jāņi (Johns), today the internet brings them information from all parts of Earth. Like it or not, Latvians cannot remain ‘know nothings’ any longer about this ancient Holy Day of their ancestors. The cornucopia of traditions cannot be repressed, but must be imaginatively utilized to our cultural advantage.

My critics will say: ‘So what! It was all superstition anyhow.’ To which I respond that with the ecology of our planet screwed up beyond fixing, but no one yet recognizing that the economy, too, is screwed beyond recoverability, the alternative—a simultaneous collapse of civilization and nature, leaves only one option: a return to Nature,and a planned economy taking responsibility for the regrowth of forests and animal life for at least five hundred years. Assuming that the period will not be one continuous war, it may be followed by reconstituted sobered-up nations —among which Latvia will not be missing.

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