In my neighborhood, Hebe, cupbearer to the Olympian gods, is now decked out in Christmas trimmings. Though she would probably prefer to be wearing vine leaves, she may be relaxed because she will remember that Christmas decorations – especially anything involving a tree – were borrowed from the followers of the old gods. Even the…

Nobody knows for sure when Jesus was born, but it is rather unlikely that it was on December 25th. The famous early bishop, Clement of Alexandria, who died in 215, wrote that many Christians in his day believed that Jesus was born in April. December 25 was only recognized as the birthday of Jesus by…

The pool of Bethesda is famous. Its name has been borrowed by countless hospitals and medical centers, and by a town in Maryland that is a bedroom community for WashingtonDC. One of the distinctions of Bethesda, MD is that it has one of the longest subway escalators in the world. To come off the bright…

I once dreamed I met C.S.Lewis and J.R.R.Tolkien in the New York Public Library. Tolkien told me, “You must study Scandinavian mythology.” Years later, when I was writing my Dreamer’s Book of the Dead, Lewis appeared in a kind of visitation. I asked him, “Where’s Tolkien.” Lewis said, “Tolkien won’t talk to you because you…

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