Papers by John Billingsley
Northern Earth, 2022
A discovery that may interconnect Middle Eastern serpent cults in libya and Gaza; please read in ... more A discovery that may interconnect Middle Eastern serpent cults in libya and Gaza; please read in conjunction with my article 'Slonta'.
Northern Earth 156 p17-21, 2019
One of the tragedies of Libya's recent history is the loss of access to its remarkable archaeolog... more One of the tragedies of Libya's recent history is the loss of access to its remarkable archaeological sites. Here the author summarises a little-known site that predates Islam and Roman culture in the country, and indicates a snake cult.
The author visited Slonta in 2010, the year before the Civil war began. Slonta as a pre-Islamic sacred site was of course vulnerable to iconoclasm, and its current status is unknown.
(Please also consider my related piece 'A Middle Eastern Serpent Goddess?')
Northern Earth 153, 2018
Stoodley Pike is a peace memorial erected after the Napoleonic Wars by freemasonic subscription. ... more Stoodley Pike is a peace memorial erected after the Napoleonic Wars by freemasonic subscription. It is located on the site of a probable prehistoric cairn, on a prominent headland overlooking the Upper Calder Valley of West Yorkshire, between Hebden Bridge and Todmorden. In its various historical guises it has attracted folklore, legends, perceptions and fortean notoriety. The author seeks out a metanarractive that links the various themes.
Instances and Contexts of the Head Motif in Britain
Physical Evidence for Ritual Acts, Sorcery and Witchcraft in Christian Britain, 2016
The human head has proved to be an enduring symbol, employed over several millennia in a variety ... more The human head has proved to be an enduring symbol, employed over several millennia in a variety of contexts suggestive of a more or less consistent association of meanings. Repeated appearances as skull or sculptured artefact through prehistory indicate a ritualised application of the head as symbol, as does a frequent recurrence at locations which may be seen as boundaries or thresholds, whether of a physical or metaphysical nature. Prehistoric artwork from a wide variety of cultures also implies a perception of the human head over and above a design element, extending to a degree of purposive application. Further appearances in the historical record to the present day, as skull or artefact, in narrative or artwork, tend to echo earlier manifestations.
This digital asset is a preservation copy authorized by the editors to the Valdosta State Univers... more This digital asset is a preservation copy authorized by the editors to the Valdosta State University Archives & Special Collections to be part of their of the New Age Movements, Occultism, and Spiritualism Research Library. Introduction / Brian Hoggard -- Evidence of unseen forces : apotropaic objects on the threshold of materiality / Brian Hoggard -- Same mental idea, different manifestation? Hidden charms in Finland and the British Isles / Sonja Hukantaival -- Luck and dread : how household curiosities became ritual projectors / Jeremy Harte -- Cunning-folk and the protection of property : the view from Westcountry / Jason Semmens -- 'By midnight, by moonlight' : ritual protection marks in caves beneath the Mendip Hills, Somerset / Linda Wilson -- The head that works for you : apotropaic vs show / John Billingsley -- Ritual recycling and the concealed shoe / Ceri Houlbrook -- Cultural anxieties and ritual protection in high-status early modern houses / James Wright -- Abou...
Taking the Long View
American Journal of Sports Medicine, 2005
American Journal of Kidney Diseases, 2011
Oil markets began the New Year confronting a host of supply issues, not least a pending EU ban on... more Oil markets began the New Year confronting a host of supply issues, not least a pending EU ban on Iranian oil imports and retaliatory threats from Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which flows roughly one-third of world oil exports. Oil prices jumped $4-5/bbl on the reports, but eased on mounting euro zone debt issues. Brent was last trading near $112/bbl and WTI at $100.50/bbl. • Clear signs of economic weakness tipped global oil demand into a declining year-on-year trend at the end of 2011, down 0.3 mb/d in 4Q11, its first such drop since the tail-end of the credit crunch. The significantly lower starting point has accordingly trimmed global oil demand growth to 1.1 mb/d for 2012 (from 1.3 mb/d previously). • Non-OPEC supply fell by 140 kb/d to 53.2mb/d in December, as rising North Sea output only partially offset a seasonal decline in biofuels and lacklustre supply from the FSU. Middle East unrest and other unplanned outages limited annual growth in 2011 to only 45 kb/d. A rebound to 340 kb/d growth is expected for 1Q12, and 1.0 mb/d for 2012 overall, as non-OPEC output averages 53.7 mb/d. • December OPEC crude output rose by 240 kb/d to 30.89 mb/d, the highest in more than three years, on a rapid recovery in supplies from Libya, and lesser increases from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. OPEC in December raised its output target to 30 mb/d for 2012, close to OMR projections for the 'call on OPEC crude and stock change'. • OECD industry oil inventories rose by 4.1 mb to 2 647 mb, or 57.5 days of forward cover, in November, led by North American and European gasoline. Stock levels nonetheless remained below the fiveyear average for a fifth consecutive month. December preliminary data show a seasonal 23.6 mb draw in OECD industry stocks. • Global refinery crude runs are revised down by 250 kb/d and 170 kb/d for 4Q11 and 1Q12, to 74.8 mb/d and 74.9 mb/d, respectively. Weak economic growth and mild weather led to global demand contraction in 4Q11. A weakening economic outlook and recent refinery shutdowns in Europe curb early-2012 activity levels.
ENVIRONMENTAL & ARCHITECTURAL PHENOMENOLOGY, winter/spring 2017
winter/spring 2017 issue of ENVIRONMENTAL & ARCHITECTURAL PHENOMENOLOGY, edited and published by ... more winter/spring 2017 issue of ENVIRONMENTAL & ARCHITECTURAL PHENOMENOLOGY, edited and published by David Seamon
The Ley Hunter 92, 1981
A glimpse into archaeo-astronomical alignments and legends in western Japan
Beyond, 1990
In the 1990s, a new magazine of forteana and related subjects, 'Beyond', was launched, ran for th... more In the 1990s, a new magazine of forteana and related subjects, 'Beyond', was launched, ran for three issues, and ceased… John Billingsley, editor of 'Northern Earth', looked back on his experience of earth mysteries and neo-antiquarian studies, reflecting on the role of belief and the quest to balance numinous experience and empirical knowledge.
Yorkshire Archaeological Journal, 2008
A suggestion that an early carved stone corbel head re-incorporated in Kildwick Church might be c... more A suggestion that an early carved stone corbel head re-incorporated in Kildwick Church might be considered in terms of the mythological references on Anglo-Danish stonework from the same site, on which the 8-legged steed of Odin, Sleipnir, is depicted; could the head be representation of one-eyed Odin?
A traditional folk song with a simple but haunting melody was adopted in Japan for use at street ... more A traditional folk song with a simple but haunting melody was adopted in Japan for use at street crossings, to denote when it was safe to cross. The words of the song, however, imply a rather more hazardous journey, replete with cultural meaning
In this article, Northern Earth editor John Billingsley raised the question of whether the earth ... more In this article, Northern Earth editor John Billingsley raised the question of whether the earth mysteries tag, to the wider public, actually discredits alternative research and exploration in its associated and interrelated areas of interest (archaeology, folklore, perception, phenomenology, etc.), and asked if it was time for a fond farewell.
A consideration of Richard Long and the effect of art installationf on the nature and perception ... more A consideration of Richard Long and the effect of art installationf on the nature and perception and phenomenology of place
Alignments of ancient sites in Okyama Prefecture, Japan. Sites include stone circles, stone group... more Alignments of ancient sites in Okyama Prefecture, Japan. Sites include stone circles, stone groupings, cairns, Shinto shrines and hilltop castles
The winter 2016 issue of Environmental and Architectural Phenomenology is now available. This iss... more The winter 2016 issue of Environmental and Architectural Phenomenology is now available. This issue begins 27 years of publication and marks the first digital-only edition. Because of this shift to on-line EAPs only, we are reducing the number of issues from three to two—winter and fall.
This issue includes the regular EAP features of “comments from readers,” “items of interest” and “citations received.” The issue also includes:
A tribute to phenomenological psychologist Bernd Jager, who passed away in March, 2015. In memoriam, we reprint passages from two of his most noteworthy writings, “Theorizing, Journeying, Dwelling” (1975) and “Theorizing the Elaboration of Place” (1983).
A “book note” that reproduces a portion of an interview with phenomenological philosopher Edward Casey, published in the recent volume, Exploring the Work of Edward Casey, edited by Azucena Cruz-Pierre and Donald A. Landes.
A book review of archaeologist Christopher Tilley’s Interpreting Landscapes, by Northern Earth Editor John Billingsley.
A commentary that philosopher Dylan Trigg presented at the special session on “Twenty-Five years of EAP,” held at the annual meeting of the International Association for Environmental Philosophy (IAEP) in October.
Independent researcher Stephen Wood’s “Moving: Remaking a Lifeworld,” in which he offers a first-person phenomenology of moving to a new house, including the lived significance of embodied emplacement.
Anthropologist Jenny Quillien’s “Wordless Walkabouts on a Chinese Campus,” which discusses the “sense of place” Quillien experienced while spending three weeks in the South Chinese city of Guangzhou.
Artist Victoria King’s “The Imprint of Place,” which considers how King’s sense of artistic creativity has shifted over time, partly because of maturing personal experience and partly because of changes in her lived geography and a deepening understanding of place.
Architect Gary Coates’ “Reinventing the Screened Porch: Bioclimatic Design in the American Midwest,” which presents an experiential analysis of a porch Coates designed for his Kansas home.
This article is intended as a reflection upon the influence of urbanised and planned landscapes u... more This article is intended as a reflection upon the influence of urbanised and planned landscapes upon human perceptions and the social and political attitudes that may derive from shifting psychogeographic viewsheds.
Northern Earth 136, Winter 2013-14, pp.11-15
Many large free-standing stones around Britain bear the name ‘pennystone’, often allied with a le... more Many large free-standing stones around Britain bear the name ‘pennystone’, often allied with a legendary figure such as Robin Hood or the Devil. Often explained by early folklorists as plague stones, i.e. trading venues in times of pestilence, this is less likely than a folkloric association with a traditional game known as Pennystone.
Conference Presentations by John Billingsley
Papers by speakers at the Hidden Charms conference on apotropaic traditions, held at Norwich Cast... more Papers by speakers at the Hidden Charms conference on apotropaic traditions, held at Norwich Castle, April 2, 2016. Authors: Brian Hoggard, Sonja Hukantaival, Jeremy Harte, Jason Semmens, Linda Wilson, John Billingsley, Ceri Houlbrook, James Wright.
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Papers by John Billingsley
The author visited Slonta in 2010, the year before the Civil war began. Slonta as a pre-Islamic sacred site was of course vulnerable to iconoclasm, and its current status is unknown.
(Please also consider my related piece 'A Middle Eastern Serpent Goddess?')
This issue includes the regular EAP features of “comments from readers,” “items of interest” and “citations received.” The issue also includes:
A tribute to phenomenological psychologist Bernd Jager, who passed away in March, 2015. In memoriam, we reprint passages from two of his most noteworthy writings, “Theorizing, Journeying, Dwelling” (1975) and “Theorizing the Elaboration of Place” (1983).
A “book note” that reproduces a portion of an interview with phenomenological philosopher Edward Casey, published in the recent volume, Exploring the Work of Edward Casey, edited by Azucena Cruz-Pierre and Donald A. Landes.
A book review of archaeologist Christopher Tilley’s Interpreting Landscapes, by Northern Earth Editor John Billingsley.
A commentary that philosopher Dylan Trigg presented at the special session on “Twenty-Five years of EAP,” held at the annual meeting of the International Association for Environmental Philosophy (IAEP) in October.
Independent researcher Stephen Wood’s “Moving: Remaking a Lifeworld,” in which he offers a first-person phenomenology of moving to a new house, including the lived significance of embodied emplacement.
Anthropologist Jenny Quillien’s “Wordless Walkabouts on a Chinese Campus,” which discusses the “sense of place” Quillien experienced while spending three weeks in the South Chinese city of Guangzhou.
Artist Victoria King’s “The Imprint of Place,” which considers how King’s sense of artistic creativity has shifted over time, partly because of maturing personal experience and partly because of changes in her lived geography and a deepening understanding of place.
Architect Gary Coates’ “Reinventing the Screened Porch: Bioclimatic Design in the American Midwest,” which presents an experiential analysis of a porch Coates designed for his Kansas home.
Conference Presentations by John Billingsley