England Road Ways. Two on the loose . Dan with down travels anywhere.: July 2011

LONDON
Westminster Abbey
A Window on History, a Royal Wedding, Immigration, and
William and Kate Marry
Photos, Side Issues

Westminster Abbey Boy's Choir. Assimilation, immigration, colonialism in the positive.
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1. On location.

London: A City of vast history, remaining its own distinct entity, divided into several London Boroughs, rather than participating in an overall county system. Counties and boroughs. Those apparently in the know say that parts of London may happen to be in a particular county geographically, it may be in another London borough economically. See http://www.englishforums.com/English/WhichCountyDoesLondonBelong/zjmjr/post.htm. And a basic source, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/County_of_London

2. An Event. The Wedding.

London is, of course, the site of Royals. Here is our update on London: a look at old Mithraism showing there, the Telly and the Wedding, Immigration seen in Westminster Abbey, and Hats. We sat with coffee, in bed, snapping pix. Credits. Photos by This Commoner at the Telly, fair use of tiny snaps. Wavy lines by Telly people going up and down the screen probably to discourage home photos. Undaunted, see here,

The Balcony Kiss.
Topics at the wedding:

Integration and immigration at the Boys' Choir,
Mithraism
The Telly and Changing mores (Elton John);
Institutional religion's compromises with Mithraism early on, leading to non-christian beliefs.
Hats. These also attend the Wedding: Royal, Wedding, Commoner, Clergy and Queen Victoria.

Then the rest of the wedding. Telly view of wedding.

I. Events After Westminster

Best first. Nice cuppa, a little toast, a few pillows and enjoy. This, in case you could not tell, is a Commoner's home.

William and Kate, balcony kiss, Buckingham Palace after.

Snap, snap. Have to get between the sliding black line always going up, like a barrier at a wooden duck shoot at a carnival.

William, after.

William. One ringy-dingy. This an update, upon hearing that Rupert hacked his phone.

Hats on the balcony. Whose hat to the left? Camilla? Okay. She's entitled.

William and Kate, Balcony Family

And, before the momentous topics, see the couple on to live their lives, like the rest of us, but different.

William and Kate, leaving for happily ever after.

II. Real Life Observations at Westminster

Common global issue: immigration, multinationalism, cultural identity, religious hold-overs that hold us all back.

Immigration. Assimilation, forced, encouraged, none. Ethnic identity. Gains, losses for whom, what.

Regular photos at section III. As to multiethnicity, England did it, at least for the course of the musical section of the wedding. Chorister choice. Depends on voice and talent, as it should

The Boys' Choir.

Some 30 boys are in the Boys Choir at Westminster Abbey, see http://www.westminster-abbey.org/music/choir/ ; they attend the Choir School there, see http://www.westminster-abbey.org/choir-school. There is also the adult male choir. Ladies need not apply.

Choir, Westminster Abbey

Can any country with a colonial past, or one that thinks itself superior to others, ever foster opportunity for others, while retaining the best of our heritage, and letting others do the same with theirs.

Multi-racial Boys' Choir, Westminster Abbey, Wedding of William and Kate

Not assimilated.

Women can and do teach and do other staff positions at the School, see sites and photos above. Typical selectivity under the guise of "history." So, it is indeed historical (hysterical?) that certain parts of anatomy are determinative -- more important to whether someone has opportunity to serve, than talent and smarts.

Multi-ethnic Westminster Boys' Choir,

Yet the prevalence of ruffles suggests ambivalence. History crossed gender lines, but no on admits it.

Westminster Abbey, Boy in Choir, Wedding of William and Kate

Ruffles.

See FN 2; and an overview of Mithraism. Was that among the first major religious system that excluded women from participation, that primary religion of Rome, old as 2800 BCE. It appears that that element, among others of the old Roman State Religion, its militance, administrative skill, turf interest, was simply absorbed in order to get more converts for salesman Paul, regardless of its consistency with theology of the new Founder, whom Paul never knew.

Our traditions are more Paulian influenced Mithra, to woo Rome; than Christian, so it would appear.

So there it probably is. It appears that discrimination against women was not Jesus' idea, but was Paul compromising on theology with the Mithraists. Anything to get a convert, even misrepresenting a founder and twisting into a new doctrine.

Full Choir, with costumes. Westminster Abbey

Faith restored: Music of a different kind, to a different drummer. Welcome.

Elton John, Westminster Abbey, with civil partner, David Furnish. William and Kate Wedding

New York will permit them to marry now. Either way. Their choice.

Now: Hats. The Mitre.

Clergy in costume, William and Kate's wedding. Mitre and ribbons.

What do the ribbons on the clergy signify? Curls? Long hair? What is the history of the mitre, the hat with two pointies.

These were Church of England clergy, but the two-horned mitre has a long history in the Roman Catholic church from which the protestants Sprang for various reasons. See its pagan origins at http://www.onlinechurch.com.au/pagan-origins-of-catholicism-the-fish-hat-mitre-2 That site tracks the two-horned mitre to the priests of Dagon, fish god of the Philistines. See also http://www.tofm.org/papacy/pope_mitre.htm. Of interest also are the vestiges of gnosticism, dualism that had been declared "heretic" because texts were interpreted other than the Roman orthodox wanted, see about horns of Mithra at http://www.gnosis.org/library/grs-mead/grsm_mythra.htm FN 1

Bride's hat: veil. Everyman's history is at http://www.veilubridal.com/history-bridal-veil.htm The sites are commercial, so need to find a more historical view.

Bishop's hat: Mitre from top view, all red inside. Now, that is weird and rather suggestive.

Why?

Clergy or regular rank do not wear hats and seldom get haircuts. William and Kate's wedding. William got a haircut.

Other hats attract other kinds of attention.

William and Kate's Wedding. Generational difference in Hats. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth; and Fergie's daughter what?

Boaters will slide by, allowing attention to focus on the main event. The danger of a snaky hat is that people will look at the hat and be more interested in it, than in who you are. Which of Fergie's are you?

Cinderella Moment. The shoe fit, he asked, she said yes, and off they go.

The Coach. To the Palace. William and Kate wedding

William about to step into the carriage. Prince's hat, military. Is that the Welsh Guard?

More royal hats. And, in the Commoner's area, is that Queen Victoria? It looks like a Queen Victoria crown.

Queen Victoria at William and Kate's Wedding

III. Westminster Abbey, The Rest of the Wedding

William and Kate. Surely we should not be on first name bases with royalty. But it is more convenient than titles, when one has one and the other does not, yet. Duke and Duchess of Cambridge after, but before that, Prince William and Commoner Kate?

Most self-explanatory --

Gothic Arches, Westminster Abbey

Westminster Abbey, red carpet, trees

Kate and William, Westminster Abbey

Wedding guests, Westminster Abbey

Interior, Westminster Abbey, Gothic

Kate and William, at Attention

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Westminster Abbey

Kate and father, Michael Middleton, Westminster Abbey

Choristers, Westminster Abbey (men only need apply)

Recessional, Westminster Abbey, William and Kate

William entering carriage, Westminster Abbey

Telly view. Excellent.
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FN 1 Mitre and the Two-Horned Hat

Why do traditional churches keep women out, but wear their clothes. Keep the part of history that bolsters your own status, but forget the rest. Progress only on fronts that benefit. Pass on the ruffles, for a religion founded by an anti-authoritarian itinerant pauper. Wealth. Hoard it. Show it. Maybe we need that?

Do we? We do know that the status of women in the Christian church, the traditional ones, is Outside.

Check your theological history.

This reflects, perhaps, Paul's need to placate the Mithra-ists of Rome, Mithraism as the State Religion before Christianization; and that took centuries. In about 300-400 CE Christianity was adopted (Constantine as emperor 306-337 CE) and a tenet of Mithraism was no participation by women, and much secrecy. The bull (see the double horned hat here?) also featured. See http://mithra2004.tripod.com/Cult%20of%20Mithra.htm. Click around for history, see also http://www.cais-soas.com/CAIS/Religions/iranian/Mithraism/mithraism_and_christianity.htm

See also Horns of Mithra, or other meaning, at Church of Saint Mary in Gdansk, Poland

Black Madonna, Horns of Mithra? Cathedral of St. Mary, Gdansk, Poland