August 2 - 1 Samuel 15 23

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.

This is a smoky and low key song, primarily John and his guitar with strange itinerant percussion moving through slowly. In terms of content it's a meditation on witchcraft, or upon what is treated as witchcraft. The lead character is a healer of - as far as we know - no actual ability. The extent of the good he does is probably in that he allowed sick people to be seen by someone. Nonetheless that is something, and as Terry Pratchett said, some people will get better from anything.

So the question behind this song is that if what he is doing is witchcraft, if it is the practice of magic, is it sinful? Is it worthy of persecution? The early church held so, and attempted to root out people as heretics and witches, most of whom were doing not much good but not much harm. Some of whom were doing significant good. And it wasn't as if what the church was offering at that time was superior, just an approved form of being sick.

Planting grapes in the netherworld (apart from being an oblique reference to Odin Sphere) resonates with me as the idea of trying to do good where you are, even if it's nowhere good. Even if your crystals do nothing and the church hates you for using them, maybe seeing someone in pain may help them with it, or at least give them consolation.

Or maybe not. I'm tired.