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Driving The Snakes Out

Legend has it that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Whether or not he did, he certainly had a huge impact on Irish history and culture.

♣ St. Patrick’s Day ♣

St. Patrick’s Day is a lot of things to a lot of people. I’ve got my green bagel, my corned beef & cabbage and my green attire. I might even go have a Shamrock Shake.

For some people, they see it as an excuse to get hammered on green beer, Guinness® and whatnot. I even knew a fellow who would give up alcohol for Lent and then gripe about his inability to consume green beer for St. Patrick’s Day. I told him, give up something else next year (like cheating on your wife, idiot), but year after year he’d continue to give up alcohol for Lent and year upon year he’d bitch about not being able to drink green beer for St. Patrick’s Day. Some people are freaking hopeless.

🐍 Snakes 🐍

Scientifically, it’s unlikely that there were ever any actual snakes in Ireland to cast out. The myth is that the slithery critters were harassing him while he was on a spiritual retreat. Henceforth, he became a terror to the serpents of Ireland. There’s something in there that conflates snakes with the original villainous serpent in the Garden of Evil.

While there probably weren’t any actual reptiles to chase out, Patrick had more than his fair share of pagans to attend to. The indigenous Celts of the island participated in the Druid culture. As religions go, the Druids were probably no worse or better than anybody else in late antiquity but they had the dubious state of being the “Establishment”. Christianity was the new kid on the block. It was fresh and espoused a lifestyle and point of view that was contrary to the age-old practices of the Druids.

While pagan reconstructionists have whitewashed the Druids as scholars, lawyers, herbalists, naturalists and whatever else, there was still the matter of dipping the heads of defeated enemies in lime and using them as thrown insults as well as the practice of keeping the skulls of defeated chieftains as drinking chalices are documented facts that show these guys weren’t quite the enlightened New Age scholarly types folks would like you to envision.

Again, clearly not significantly worse than any of their contemporaries but I put it to you that their primary crime lay in being “the Establishment” at the time of St. Patrick. We’ve always done it this way. How often have we heard that from people dead set on keeping their power base whether they’re doing what they’re doing for the greater good or not?

We’re certainly seeing that in the most egregious activities of our own “Establishment” types today. The “Deep State” apparatus really only have their own interests at heart but they continue to try to portray themselves as preserving something that actually defies definition. We’re seeing the cracks in their armor. More and more egregious examples of blatant misdoing are coming to light. The snakes are slithering.

This time, it’s not the non-existent reptiles of Ireland or even their symbolic representatives, the Druids. This time, it’s our own snakes in the grass. Self-absorbed villains who are only concerned with their own enrichment; people who think they’re above the law. There’s a standard for us and a standard for them. You can see it in their actions and their words. All the things they thought would never come to light such as texts, conversations, policy plans. They incriminate themselves boldly and expect never to get caught. It’s time to pay the piper, snakes. Your time has come and gone.

Unfortunately, today’s champions will become tomorrow’s crusty old obstacles to progress. What we need is a guardian of goodness. We cannot count on that being part of government. It’s the role of the artist to keep the civil servant and corporate citizen honest. The artist can shine the light on iniquities in a way that no one else can. That’s not to say that artists can’t be corrupted. Just look at Hollywood. One has a hard time calling them artists, though. They just rehash the same old plotlines and tow the “Establishment” line. Real artists are independent and can show evil for what it is. The more spotlights we can shine on societal suppression, the better chance we have of thawing the icebergs that are cramming the bright horizon we all know is out there waiting for us.

Blarney

Being Irish, I always had this love of words. ~Kenneth Branagh

It’s a trait commonly applied to the Irish and people the world over of Irish ancestry, that we have a way with words. Blanket statements risk being too general, but it’s certainly true that more than a few of us are born with the gift of gab. Certainly, I’ve had a lifelong fascination with words, languages and literature. My own son has discovered a love of the creative use of language and has expressed an interest in screenwriting. I hope he will find his voice and contribute to the world in positive ways.

I wish you a very happy St. Patrick’s Day and hope you find your crock of gold at the end of the rainbow.