William Rathouse: Academic Writing Portfolio

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William Rathouse

Portfolio of Work in Archaeology, Anthropology and Heritage

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Introduction

I have produced this portfolio to provide a brief introduction to the oral, written and graphic work I have undertaken in my academic career. For further information please contact me by telephone or email as follows:

Phone: 07971366215 email: [email protected]

My postal address is : 4 Mill Street, Lampeter, Ceredigion, Wales SA48 7HX

Personal Profile

I aspire to lecture in archaeology, heritage or new religious movements or to work in maintaining and expanding cultural heritage provision. I also found great fulfilment supporting people suffering from poor mental health. My research interests include: prehistoric archaeology in Britain, particularly musical instruments, clothing and domestic layout; heritage management; education; contemporary Paganism; archaeology as a therapeutic activity and ethics.

My PhD examines interactions between the contemporary Pagan community and the archaeology and heritage profession resubmitted 14th December 2014. I focus on the issues involving access to, preservation of and interpretation of sites and treatment of human remains. I explain what is happening in these areas, why contestation occurs and how relations between these groups might be better managed in future.

My other abilities include: leadership qualities developed and proven in both military and civilian life, team player, team leader with strong organisational and time management skills, superb public speaking, communication and teaching skills, excellent interpersonal skills, caring and conscientious, talented oral storyteller and skilled craftsman in leather, wood and non-ferrous metals

Online profiles

Some complete articles are available on the following profile:

https://lamp.academia.edu/WilliamRathouse

Endorsements of experience and capabilities may be examined at:

https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=207352562

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Contents

Assessed works (PhD thesis and Undergraduate dissertation) 4

Conference papers 5

Publications 7

Consultative documents 10

Teaching, outreach and mentoring work 14

Non-academic writing 14

Other talks and presentations 14

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Assessed Work

PhD Thesis: Contested Heritage: Examining relations between contemporary Pagan groups and the archaeological and heritage professions in Britain

My thesis used the twin methodological approaches of ethnographic field research and literature analysis to examine the sometimes fraught interactions and relationships between the archaeologists and heritage managers who manage and interpret the material remains of Britain’s ancient past and contemporary Pagan groups to whom such remains are sacred. It analysed contestation of sites considered sacred by Pagans on grounds of physical exclusion, interpretive exclusion and protection from damage, real and perceived, from developers and archaeologists. It also examined contestation of human corporeal remains provided detailed analysis of the discourses involved and the underlying attitudes behind the issues. I concluded the Thesis with some thoughts on how heritage managers and archaeologists may better manage their interactions with the Pagan community in the future.

Since the completion of this research Pagan contestation of human remains seems to have become less vociferous. I believe the most significant factors behind this are the perceived importance of environmental activism against shale fracking and concerns about the 2015 general election. However I do believe that awareness of the arguments I have made, especially with regard to the absolutist aspect of reburial campaigns have been of some impact.

Undergraduate dissertation: A Critical Evaluation of the Reconstructions at Castell Henllys Iron Age Hillfort

In my dissertation I analysed the likely accuracy of the reconstructed buildings at Castell Henllys Iron Age Hillfort. I examined not only the physical construction of the buildings but also their decorative features, internal configuration and furnishing. I assessed each of these through the evidence from: Castell Henllys itself, other sites in Britain and from reconstructive experimental archaeology. I also looked at the sources for previous reconstructions both archaeological and ethnographic. The dissertation identifies features of the reconstructions which are unsupported by evidence or based on evidence unlikely to be appropriate to the site. Where evidence is available, it suggests more likely alternatives. My conclusion provided a comparison of Castell Henllys against similar sites in Wales and England.

At some point in the future I would like to revisit this subject and provide a broader analysis of reconstructed prehistoric sites in the UK and Ireland.

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Conference Papers

Perspectives of Landscape: Views from Archaeology and Neo-Paganism. 2008. 30th Theoretical Archaeology Group meeting, University of Southampton. Theoretical Archaeology Group, 15-17 Dec 2008. Available from: https://www.academia.edu/7261776/Perspectives_of_Landscape_views_from_archaeology_and_Neo-Paganism

I wrote this positioning paper at the beginning of my PhD. I explained that the project would focus on relations and attitudes between the New Age/ contemporary Pagan community and the Archaeological/ Heritage management community. The paper compared and contrasted contemporary Pagan and Archaeological ideas of landscape with regard to ancient sites sacred to Pagans.

The paper examines ideas of ancient sacred landscapes such as Ley Lines, Earth energies, womb tombs etc. popular with Pagans and explores their cultural origins. It investigates how archaeological approaches to landscape such as palimpsest, functional and phenomenological may be compared to the way Pagans interact with and explore landscape. The paper concludes with an assessment of how Archaeological and Pagan ideas of landscape may affect and influence one another.

Dominant Discourses in British Heritage: Contested Narratives between Archaeologists and Contemporary Pagans. 2009. Interrogating Dominance and Consent, Gregynog. HE Academy & University of Wales 09 Feb 2009

Ancient sites like Stonehenge and Avebury are managed by organisations such as English Heritage and the National Trust which run them, primarily as a tourist attraction and provide an interpretation for their customers based solely on mainstream archaeological and historical theories. There are many within New-Age and contemporary Pagan communities who feel excluded by this devaluation of their interpretations of such sites. This paper examines dominance associated with social and ideological exclusion surrounding heritage sites.

The paper identifies the nature and briefly recounts a history of the contemporary Pagan community. It explains the perception by some Pagans of an oppressive mainstream society. It recounts the origins of Contemporary Paganism in the 19th and 20th centuries before turning to the rise of the free festival circuit and it’s suppression in the 1980s and 90s. The paper examines how Ancient sites are managed for tourists at sites like Stonehenge, Avebury and the Rollright stones with little consideration for the needs of pilgrims to whom they are sacred.

The paper concludes with an overview of how things are changing and suggests possible accommodations and compromises for the future covering issues including stewardship, ownership and multivocality in public presentation.

Archaeology, Heritage and Druids. 2010. The Druid Network conference, Bilberry Hill Centre, Lickey Hills, 20 Nov 2010

This talk was written to introduce my research into the relationship between archaeologists and Pagans to an audience of contemporary Druids. It focused particularly on challenges raised by HAD and CoBDO to curation and display of the bones of ancient British ancestors. I discussed the concept of ancestorhood and how it has

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evolved in Druidry. I then analysed and critiqued calls for reburial of ancient bones in museums. The talk was well received and attendees participated enthusiastically in the question and answer session at the end.

Contemporary Pagans and the Study of Dead. 2010. 32nd Theoretical Archaeology Group meeting, University of Bristol. Theoretical Archaeology Group, 17-19 Dec 2010. available from: https://www.academia.edu/7260739/Contesting_the_Ancestors

The English Heritage and National Trust consultation over human remains at the Alexander Keiller Museum at Avebury was initiated as a response to contemporary Pagan calls for reburial of human remains held there. This paper examines how the archaeology of ancient human remains aids contemporary Pagans to revive beliefs and emulate practices of the Pre-Christian past. It also explores how excavation and display for human remains provides an arena for the more counter-cultural elements of contemporary Paganism to contest the authority of the heritage establishment.

This paper is being published as Contemporary Pagans and the Study of the Ancestors in Williams, H. & Giles, M. Mortuary Archaeology and Popular Culture.

Objects or People: Does display of ancient human remains in museums change them from people to objects? 2011. ASA11: Vital powers and politics: human interactions with living things, University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Association of Social Anthropologists, 16-17 Sep 2011. Available from: https://www.academia.edu/3434010/Objects_or_People_are_ancient_human_remains_in_museums_being_objectified

This paper critically examines the assertion made by reburial activists associated with the group Honouring the Ancient Dead (HAD) that placing human remains on display in museums alongside pots, tools and weapons reduces them from people to objects. It begins by examining criteria for classifying things as people or objects and questioning which category people place human remains in. It then explores the idea that placing bones alongside the material culture that the people whose bones they are would have known in life dehumanises them

Excluded Narratives and Excluded Stakeholders at Stonehenge. 2011. 33rd Theoretical Archaeology Group meeting, University of Birmingham. Theoretical Archaeology Group, 14-16 Dec 2011 To be published in Weaver, R. & Davis, A. Archaeology and Inequality, University of Wales Press

This paper examines how the public narratives of Stonehenge which have been presented to visitors by English Heritage omit elements particularly relevant to those who consider it a sacred site. Whilst archaeologically orthodox interpretations about the construction of Stonehenge are paramount in the interpretation of the site with myth and legend getting a small footnote, alternative interpretations involving earth energies and other hypotheses, the religious significance of the place and recent social history of the site have been almost entirely excluded from this public description.

Following the long overdue renovation of facilities this paper asks why these narratives continue to be excluded when a broader recognition of stakeholdership is being applied in the British heritage industry. It reveals that other faith groups with shorter histories and fewer adherents than contemporary Paganism receive recognition in British society and asks whether omitting Pagan and Pagan-friendly narratives is ethical or sustainable in 21st century Britain.

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The Mabinogi of the Pagans. 2012. Celtic Myth Conference, University of Wales Trinity Saint David. 27 Oct 2012. Available from: https://www.academia.edu/7261896/The_Mabinogi_of_the_Pagans

This brief presentation describes the importance of the stories collectively known as The Mabinogion in the development, practice and ideas of contemporary British Paganism. It explains the origins of Druidry and Witchcraft in the UK and how the Mabinogion has provided deities and parables as well as inspiring mysticism and ritual.

Anti-Secularism in Contemporary Paganism. 2013. 12th EASR Annual conference: Religion, Migration, Mutation. Liverpool Hope University. European Association for the Study of Religion 03-06 Sep 2013

Therapeutic Archaeology in Mental Health: Rationale and Practice. 2015. Under development for TAG 2015 University of Bradford 14 – 16 Dec 2015

In 2012 the Defence Archaeology Group (DAG) initiated Operation Nightingale, placing soldiers returning from combat operations in the Middle East with PTSD on archaeological digs as a therapeutic activity on Salisbury Plain and at Caerwent in Wales. The same year Jenny MacMillan of Herefordshire Mind, in collaboration with Ian Bapty of Herefordshire Archaeology Unit and historian Katherine Lack organised a therapeutic archaeological dig for Mind service users excavating remains of the Anglo-Saxon village of Studmarsh . Inspired by these, Fiona Aldred, chief executive of Mind Aberystwyth, and I offered to take service users from Mind Aberystwyth on a field project at Talsarn, Ceredigion. Take up was not high but one person diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, anxiety and depression provided some useful feedback. Due to her condition she was prone to outbursts of challenging behaviour and had a history of self-harming. The event was a success with the young woman expressing great enthusiasm to engage in further fieldwork. The experience seemed to have a positive effect on her behaviour and she reported that she felt happier and more confident afterwards.

This paper argues that research ought to be undertaken into the efficacy of volunteering on archaeological digs for people with mental health problems and what adjustments and how best to organise and manage such projects in practice.

Publications

Contemporary Druidry: A Native Tradition?

Forthcoming. (Co-Authored with Suzanne Owen) Contracted for publication by Bloomsbury Academic

Authors description: This book discusses expressions of contemporary Druidry, often describing itself as the native spirituality of the British Isles, neglected in academic studies of paganism and new religious movements.

Contemporary Druidry has evolved considerably since its modern beginnings in the 17th and 18th centuries and, of course, those identified as Druids in ancient

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Britain. In September 2010, The Druid Network, one of many Druid organisations, was registered as a religious charity by the Charity Commission, causing much misunderstanding and reaction among Druids and non-Druids, some of whom insist that Druidry is not a religion. Druidry has also been in the media as several prominent Druids, drawing their inspiration from indigenous American and Australian campaigns, have called for the reburial of ancient human remains unearthed during archaeological excavations from sites such as Stonehenge. Likewise, several Druid orders have been representing themselves as the native or indigenous tradition of Britain, which challenges existing definitions of ‘indigenous religion’ as a kinship-based religion of first peoples. For these reasons, it is timely for an academic study of contemporary Druidry.

The methodological approach we have used in researching this work will be a mixture of discourse analysis of print and on-line texts written by contemporary Druids, interviews and participant observation with a selection of Druid groups in different locations (Scotland, Northern Ireland and England). Short, open-ended questionnaires will also be used to obtain views from individuals and members of different Druid groups.

The themes addressed in this book are defining contemporary Druidry, its current developments and expressions, and whether it can be considered an indigenous religion. It will also discuss challenges lodged by Druids concerning heritage sites such as Stonehenge and the treatment of ancient human burial remains.

Publishers’ description: The popular view of Druidry is that it is a peculiar, anachronistic pastime, of little relevance to society today. However, far removed from ancient or even Victorian representations, contemporary Druidry is positioning itself as an 'indigenous religion' that responds to today's world. Contemporary Druidry has evolved considerably since its modern beginnings in 18th century England and in September 2010 The Druid Network was registered as a religious charity by the Charity Commission in the UK. Druid orders have long been representing themselves as the native or indigenous tradition of Britain, challenging existing definitions of 'indigenous religion' as a kinship-based religion of first peoples. In the first book of its kind, Suzanne Owen and William Rathouse explore the problems with defining and categorising Druidry, offer a study of current Druid movements and activities, and discuss differing concepts of emplacement and indigeneity. Their fascinating research is based upon a mixture of discourse analysis of print and on-line texts written by contemporary Druids, interviews and participant observation, making this book the definitive guide to contemporary British Druidry.

Contemporary Pagans and the study of the Ancestors, Forthcoming. in Williams, H. & Giles, M. (2015) Mortuary Archaeology and Popular Culture. Contracted for publication by Oxford University Press

Drawn from the TAG 2010 paper entitled ‘Contemporary Pagans and the Study of the Dead’, (see p.5) this paper forms a chapter in an edited volume examining how public interactions with mortuary archaeology have played out over the last few years.

My chapter examines how calls for prehistoric human remains found in the UK and held in museum collections have been subjects of claims made by contemporary Pagans. Pagan campaigners have come to regard prehistoric Britons excavated by archaeologists as spiritual Ancestors. Inspired by the reburial campaigns by indigenous communities overseas, they have been contesting the display of prehistoric human remains in the UK for about twelve years, culminating in a joint English Heritage and National Trust consultation process over the future display of the human remains within the Alexander Keiller Museum at Avebury (Thackray and Payne 2009). This paper examines how contemporary Pagan subcultures are influenced and inspired by the findings of mortuary archaeology and how it provides an arena for some to challenge what they perceive as subjugation and discrimination by the establishment.

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Forthcoming. Challenging, Trust and Insiderhood: Researching Contemporary Pagans and Heritage, in Blain, J. & Wallis, R. (Eds) Archaeology and Ancestors: Perspectives on the Past in the Present

A soldier once cynically observed that no operational plan survives first contact with the enemy. Likewise it seems rare for a research plan not to require some adjustment when field research with human participants begins

My chapter in this edited volume examining research into, and knowledge of people considered Ancestors is a personal account of planning and implementing qualitative social research among British Contemporary Pagans. It explains the planning process, how the research plan was implemented in the field, how the experience of conducting ethnographic fieldwork brought about changes in research targets and methods. It explores issues arising from conducting research in a politically charged situation.

My research project examined contemporary Pagan interactions with the archaeological and heritage profession. The principle protagonists in this affair were several individuals and groups within the UK contemporary Pagan community contesting the authority of the archaeological profession along with osteoarchaeologists, heritage and museum managers. It is a highly political issue involving strongly held beliefs. A research methodology therefore had to be formulated with ethical considerations to the fore. The methodology needed to be flexible enough to cope with ongoing developments in the field and new information.

Challenges arose from antagonism brought about by real and perceived victimisation feeding a narrative of oppression and thus, to some extent a siege mentality among some contemporary Pagans. Other challenges arose from hostility within the archaeological profession. These in turn led to necessary adjustments to approaches in field research.

This chapter will then be of interest to qualitative social researchers investigating contemporary Pagan groups as well as other counter-cultural or subcultural groups.

Forthcoming. Excluded Narratives and Excluded Stakeholders at Stonehenge, in Weaver, R. & Davis, A. Archaeology and Inequality, University of Wales Press

This chapter is an updated and expanded version of the TAG 2011 conference paper outlined on p.5. It includes an assessment of the new visitors centre at Stonehenge opened in December 2013

2004. Craig Ruperra Hillfort in the Iron Age, Friends of Ruperra Newsletter No.23

Friends of Ruperra is a trust founded to protect and promote Ruoerra Castle. This paper was written for their newsletter to provide members with an impression of what the hillfort may have been like in the Iron Age (Ca 750 BC to AD 80). It also described the society of late Iron Age Britain.

Under development Iron Age Jewellery of ‘Celtic’ Britain

The products described as ‘Celtic Jewellery’ in many shops are rooted in early mediaeval designs such as knotwork and key patterns. These come from a time when the descendants of the Keltoi or Celtae described by classical writers had long been assimilated by other cultural groups such as Imperial Rome or Christendom.

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This book will investigate the jewellery of the Iron Age Britons who inhabited the British Isles before the arrival of the Roman legions and of Christian missionaries. Having introduced the subject t will begin with an examination of the raw materials employed in jewellery manufacture and how they were procured. Production techniques will be examined in the next chapter followed by chapters examining brooches and dress pins; finger and toe rings; bangles and torcs; necklaces and pendants; belts and shoes; concluding with a chapter looking at jewellery techniques applied to weapons and luxury goods. The final chapter will explore symbology and significance of Celtic jewellery using sources including mythology and archaeological evidence for sacrificial deposition.

The book will be pitched for a public readership but is also likely to appeal to academic readers who may find works like Garrow & Gosden’s (2012) Technologies of Enchantment harder to engage with. It will certainly be of interest to readers in Wales, Scotland, Cornwall, Ireland, the Isle of Man and many parts of England interested in their ‘Celtic’ roots It will also be appreciated by readers from Canada, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and around the world whose ancestors came from the ‘Celtic’ Lands. Contemporary Pagan readers, especially those engaging with Celtic and Druidic spiritualities will also be interested in this book as well as Iron Age and Roman re-enactors.

Consultative documents

Largely the brainchild of Professor Huw Bowen, Swansea University ran a competition in the summer of 2013 called ‘The Heritage Apprentice. The object of the exercise was to design a model for development of the site of a former copper works as a heritage attraction incorporating commercial elements to make the enterprise economically sustainable in the long-term. The winners were selected by a team including local council members and business leaders.

The following paragraphs are drawn from the report produced by Jared Bowers, Jahyun Jang, Lucy Street and William Rathouse entitled: Hafod Morfa Copperworks: Embracing the past while developing for the future.

Vision Plan Our vision for Hafod Morfa Copperworks is to transform the site and its surrounding areas into a community-led heritage project that fuses ecomuseum philosophy with the commercial-minded activities of popular open air museums (e.g. Black Country, Beamish). The site would be transformed into a multi-purpose zone with free and paid-for activities for visitors, educational and interpretation programmes, significant community activities (both on and off-site) and various heritage management structures. This approach provides an intersection for managing the site’s heritage while also promoting economic development through tourism. It would embrace all of the unique historical elements which make up the site’s identity and represent its past, present and future. Ecomuseology started (more information listed below) as a challenge to more traditional approaches to museum work and heritage management and presents a unique and very practical theoretical framework for Hafod Morfa. Instead of trying to present heritage through the medium of a traditional museum, ecomuseology embraces the notion of territory and the populations which inhabit it. In this approach, the site would not be bound to a specific building(s) but instead would celebrate all of the elements that make up a specific sense of place.

Within our proposed Hafod Morfa Copperworks project, local communities would be at the heart of all heritage management and development activities. It is only through their participation and inclusion that the project can truly be sustainable. In addition, the governance structure of the project would embrace democratic public participation while promoting a sense of joint ownership and management – a double input system. Collaboration with a network of partners would also be a fundamental operating strategy for Hafod Morfa – both of these elements are discussed further below (sections 1.2-1.3). Working with stakeholders

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from the public and private sectors, academia, voluntary organizations (e.g. NGO’s) and of course the host communities themselves allows for a range of input and voices to be heard in the project.

Proposals for furnace mock-up As part of this project I suggested a way in which visitors, especially children might be able to have a hands on experience of working life at Hafod Morfa. I was particularly keen that young visitors should have a hands on experience of some of the processes involved in producing copper at the site. The following paragraphs are drawn from a second report and explain how this idea might be realised.

In the illustration above is a cut-away model of a furnace in Swansea Museum. Overleaf I present a cutaway diagram of how a life size mock up might work in practice.

We suggest that visitors to this attraction will buy their tickets at the Gatehouse Hub. The entrance will be at the lower level and will lead into a display explaining the process of copper smelting from the acquisition of the ore and the coal via the chemistry of smelting to the casting of copper ingots. Visitors will then follow a ramp to the upper level where the mock-up furnace is located. The mock-up of the furnace is made the more realistic by employing heaters, sound recordings and, if possible, smells appropriate to the copper smelting process.

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The furnace will be operated by the visitor shovelling 'coal' from the coal hopper (1) through the stoke hole (2) onto the hearth area (3). Attention will be drawn by recorded instructions to the ash pit (4) but this is not expected to form an important part of the experience. Orange lights (12) illuminate the coal on the hearth giving the appearance of a fierce fire. Once the visitor moves on to the next part of the furnace, this part goes dark and the 'coal' is lifted back to the coal hopper via a similar system (not illustrated) to that which operates for the ore. The next phase of the smelting experience is the addition of the ore. This is released from the ore hopper (6) and falls into the ore inlet (7) where a conveyor belt (8) and pulley cup system (9) return it to the hopper for the next visitor. The next activity is puddling off the slag. The smelting area (10) is envisaged to be filled with a pale viscous white liquid (non-toxic) representing the molten copper onto which a computer linked projector and sensor (11) projects images of dark slag floating on orange molten copper. The visitor uses a puddling rake to skim off the slag. The computerised system locates the movement of the puddling rake and moves the image of the slag. The climax of the copper smelting process is to tap and cast the copper itself which will be done using a perspex covered tap in the foreground (not shown). If possible a copper ingot will be available to view next to that tapping and casting area. Finally the visitors attention is drawn to the flue and the way in which water was sprayed to remove some of the pollution.

I also produced drawings to illustrate how the site might look after renovation and development. One of those drawings may be seen on the front cover while another is shown below with the photograph it was drawn from:

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Teaching, Outreach and Mentoring Work

In March 1992, having previously assisted with recruit training on an informal basis my TA squadron sent me on a basic instructional techniques course. This is (or was) the teaching qualification used across the armed forces (regular and territorial) at the time. Having successfully completed it I continued to undertake first and weapon handling instructional training. I was a valued instructor until leaving the Territorial Army in 1996.

Between 1997 and 2005 I was a member of the Silures Iron Age society which provided costumed historical displays at schools, heritage sites and special events. With this group I began to help people learn about the past. From 2004 to 2005 I operated independently from the group trading as ‘Ancient Whispers’ providing talks and costumed displays for schools (including Sketty Primary School in Swansea), heritage sites (including Flag Fen) and special events (including the Stonehenge Riverside Dig). I wound up the business to concentrate on formal studies in archaeology and anthropology. Whilst at university I trained and helped equip groups of students to provide costumed historical displays at Castell Henllys and Llynon Mill.

After completing my BA I began my PhD and was able to undertake teaching work at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. This included modules on British archaeology, fieldwork and research methods and the Druids. The work on these modules included marking coursework as well as both campus based lectures and field classes. I also took employment with the university’s student support services involving supporting students with special educational needs. This led to a job with Mind Aberystwyth as a support officer. One of the tasks in this job was to tutor a student with a learning disability through his BA and his MA. I also organised and facilitated a project for people with mental health problems to volunteer on an archaeological dig as a therapeutic activity and have also volunteered on Operation Nightingale, a project providing armed forces veterans with archaeological fieldwork experiences as a therapeutic and post-military career familiarisation activity.

Non-Academic Writing

I am in the early stages of planning a book aimed at a contemporary Pagan readership about how to go about honouring one’s Ancestors. I also have an idea for a novel about two families in Central and Eastern Europe during the first half of the twentieth century.

Other talks and presentations

I have provided numerous talks (in and out of period costume) for schools, heritage sites, social groups and Pagan groups. These have included:

Ancient Brooches – Their design, use and manufacture.

Ancient Clothing – Styles of dress and adornment before the Middle Ages. I have also run workshops on making period costumes.

Animism and Neo-Animism – How the new monist animism differs from animism in traditional societies.

British Prehistory – I explain how people lived in the British Isles from the end of the last Ice-Age to the arrival of the Romans.

Iron Age Britain – A more detailed examination of life and society in Britain between 800BC and AD70

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Paganisms Ancient and Modern – In this talk I contrast and compare beliefs and practices in British Pagan religions of the ancient past with those of contemporary Pagans.

Pagan Ethics – This talk examines the sources and systems of ethics of major contemporary Pagan traditions.

Research planning – In this talk I explain how I used a planning format developed in the armed forces to produce a detailed plan for qualitative social research.

I have also performed as an oral storyteller mainly using material from Welsh, Irish, Greek and Roman sources and have spoken on Mental Health at schools and other events.