London is an ancient Roman city built on even older Celtic homesteads. We English area mix of many ethnic groups that have invaded our land – but we are Keltos (Celts) – known as Gails or Gauls in what is today France. This is why some of us can still speak the old language of “Gaelic” or Gallic”. We win in the end by absorbing all these foreigners and turning them into Celts. Every invader has lost their distinctiveness over time and became “us”. Just as I am a Hakka-Celt – my Chinese family Celtic Hakka! We are explorers who like finding old and unusual things. Well, today we discovered the remarkable Courtyard of St Vedast-Alias-Foster (this French Saint was born c, 453 CE – but the church was built in the 12th century by Flemish migrants – possibly on the site of older Celtic churches) – the address being: 4 Foster Lane, London EC2V 6HH. It was rebuilt and redesigned by Sir Christopher Wren around 1670 – having suffered damage during the 1666 Great Fire of London. What is the Courtyard today used to be part of the church’s graveyard. The church was built is in the style of English Baroque architecture.
This Courtyard has been open to the public – by act of Parliament – everyday since its opening. Ordinary people, regardless of class, are permitted to enter for “free” (paying of any kind is forbidden by law) so that they may sit quietly and commune with whatever spiritual entity they feel drawn to – or known – if that be the case. Then an individual communes peacefully with “nature” o r what the Chinese people refr to as the “Dao” (道). Today, my Buddhist family made friends with three-mice and a robin – all of who came out to play in our presence – and eat bread-crumbs. We are vegetarian and do not kill or cause to kill. If the Christian god exists – then he also exists for the nouse and the robin. London is full of these wonderful and unusual places that clear the mind and lift the hear!
This extraordinary object is from a “Zigurrat” – an ancient pyramid used for religious purposes in Mesopotamia – which once existed in what is today modern day Iraq (between 4000-500 BCE). The cuneiform writing states the name “Shalmaneser” – an Assyrian king who ruled between 859-824 BCE. Obviously, this artefact was stolen and indeed I found the following Extract regarding how this object ended-up in the Church:
‘How one earth did it come to be in a small courtyard in central London?! Well, it was given as a gift to Canon Mortlock, the rector of the church who directed the rebuild following the blitz. It was given to him by archaeologist and second husband of Agatha Christie, Sir Max Mallowan. He found it during a dig during his time as the Director of the British School of Archaeology in Iraq from 1947-1961.’
It is interesting to note that a number of “Pagan” (or “non-Christian”) artefacts are on permanent display in the Courtyard. Why is this? Is it because of the non-Papal “Catholicism” which emphasises church-expansion into non-Christian areas? It is an odd development considering the usual intolerance to other faiths the Christian church usually manifests.
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 