COMPETITIONS Majestic Wine is proud to be the UK’s largest specialist wine retailer, with over 200 stores. Originally founded as ‘Majestic Vintners’ by Sheldon Graner in 1980, the first warehouse was opened in Harringay, North London. Their mission is to help you discover more wines, beers and spirits that you’ll love! We have 2 x £100 voucher to giveaway! To view our wide range visit www.majestic.co.uk Can you find all the British castles in our wordsearch grid? One of them cannot be found and will be your prize answer. Words can run in straight lines in any direction, cross them off as you find them – simply write the missing word you have remaining on the entry form or enter online. See page 151. Win 2 x £100 Majestic Wine voucher 1 7 2 : ( 5 0 ( ( : 5 7 1 $ ( 2 ( 8 3 , ( / 7 , 0 8 + 9 5 $ 7 6 % ( / $ ' & ( ' 6 $ . 8 5 ) 2 5 / + $ 0 * - 5 $ ( / + ( & ( < / . * / 7 3 2 1 < / 1 ( ( + & ) % 8 2 ( % 8 ' 1 < < 2 0 ( 1 5 / $ ( ' 2 $ 5 5 ) 5 $ 6 ( 5 $ 5 + & 3 6 : ( ( 1 ) / . AUCHEN BURGH CLARE CROFT DELGATIE DRUM ELCHO FLINT FRASER GYLEN HEVER HOLT KENDAL MAOL MUNCASTER PIEL SWEEN TOWER WINDSOR YORK www.majestic.co.uk Words to find: 49
I n many ways, my close friendships with women are what you’d expect from TV shows like Sex and the City or The Golden Girls: emotionally intimate and involved, fierce and sassy. What these shows get right about female friendship is that our bonds run deep and strong. But they also tend to idealise these relationships. We see friends whose lives are so tightly entwined that they materialise at each other’s doors whenever needed; a ride-or-die girl group who are at your side for life. Here, close girlfriends are filling the role we’d traditionally expect of a spouse. And with marriage in decline, it feels like more of us are turning to female friendship as the new allsustaining, aspirational relationship. Ever seen a group of girlfriends giggling over lunch and felt a pang of jealousy? This phenomenon is called friendship envy, and it’s pretty common among women. It can manifest as idealising others’ relationships or thinking that the ones you have aren’t good enough, because they don’t resemble those picture-perfect pals we see on TV. 50 • OCTOBER 2023 DATING & RELATIONSHIPS Are Best Girlfriends The New Aspirational Relationship? Or another stick to beat us with? Monica Karpinski is a writer and editor focused on women’s health, sex, and relationships. She is the founder of women’s health media platform The Femedic
“We feel friendship envy because so much of our confidence is gained from us knowing who we ‘belong’ to,” psychologist Lilly Sabir told Glamour last year. If we don’t have access to the sisterhood we think we’re supposed to as women, we can feel rejected and lonely. And just like that, having best female friends becomes another standard to hold ourselves to; another stick to beat ourselves with. These relationships are held out as a status symbol for what a good life looks like, in exactly the same way society has done for marriage. Just head to social app Instagram, where millions of posts using hashtags like #GirlSquad and #BFFgoals show glamorous groups of women having an enviably good time, to see what I mean. Turns out, this isn’t great for us or our friends. It puts too much pressure on our friendships, creating unrealistic expectations for how we hope they’ll fulfil us—and when they don’t, we feel less than. Is it really fair to expect your pals to be perpetually available when you need them? Plus, whether from a partner or best friend, as long as we seek validation from others more so than from within, we take away our own power to accept and love ourselves as we are. The pursuit of idealised friendship also distracts us from the real prize: enjoying relationships. It’s true that the bonds between women are special. We share a unique solidarity and understanding of what it’s like to live in a man’s world, and the ways we show up for each other can truly be beautiful. Only there’s no fixed way for these relationships to look. You might have a girl squad who meet for lunch once a week, or you might have a few close friends who aren’t part of the same group. Maybe you don’t see yourself in either of those scenarios, but love your friends all the same. All of this is fine—it’s the quality of your connections that counts. One 2015 study found that being satisfied with friendships was a better predictor of overall life satisfaction than the number of friends someone had. Here, a “quality” friend is someone who provides emotional and practical support, like helping you move house. Healthy friendships are about trust and being able to be vulnerable with each other, not checking a box to prove you’re living life the right way. There’s nothing quite like having friends who really understand you, so let’s enjoy our mates without overthinking it, shall we? Q OCTOBER 2023 • 51 THE BONDS BETWEEN WOMEN ARE SPECIAL. WE SHARE A UNIQUE SOLIDARITY
What’s most important is that she shares her reasons for straying. Infidelity is very hurtful but it’s also nuanced, and what she says may surprise you. As leading relationship therapist Esther Perel notes, cheating is sometimes a way for people to connect with another version of themselves. Of course, people also cheat because they’re unhappy: with themselves, with their partners, with their lives. As hard as it is, hear her out. If you want to stay together, you’ll need to be willing to work through these issues and ultimately, forgive her. You might see it as a chance to bring all your pent-up feelings and needs out into the open, so that you can figure out what needs fixing between you and start afresh. Only you can say whether you’re prepared to do that after what’s happened. And if you aren’t, that’s totally fine—it’s not always possible to fix things and you aren’t obliged to do so. Sometimes, the healthiest thing is to walk away. Q Got a question for ourresident sex and relationships expert? Email it confidentially to [email protected] Relationship Advice Q: I’m fairly sure that my long-term partner is cheating on me—I’ve seen some incriminating text messages and caught her out in a lie once about where she was. But I haven’t confronted her directly about it yet. I’m hurt and furious but not sure I want to break up. What should I do, how should I approach this? A: Firstly, I’m sorry that you’re going through this. Learning that your partner has betrayed your trust is very painful, but it’s good to hear that you’re wanting to reflect on how you feel before making any rash decisions. I would actually suggest speaking to her to help you decide what you want to do. If the relationship is to be saved, she needs to be open with you about what she’s done and why she’s done it—and you need to be willing to listen and forgive. Having the discussion can help you gauge whether that’s possible. When you confront her, lay out the facts of what you know and share how this has made you feel. Then, give her the space to explain herself. As best you can, try not to get too accusatory or defensive, as this might cause her to shut down or even lie. Monica Karpinski 52 • OCTOBER 2023 DATING & RELATIONSHIPS
COMPETITIONS ACROSS 1 Acquire (6) 6 Old Welsh kingdom (7) 8 This (3,4) 11 An unspecified person (6) DOWN 2 Howl (3) 3 Beer-like beverage (3) 4 Nakedness (6) 5 Once ruled by Idi Amin (6) 7 Tennis court essential (3) 9 Attempt (3) 10 Star warrior --- Solo (3) 6 11 Complete the crossword and the letters in the blue squares can be sorted to reveal a word that describes an item you’d need for an accompanying beverage. Write this word on the entry form. See page 151. 2 C O M P L E T E T H E C R O S S W O R D F O R Y O U R C H A N C E T O W I N ! Need something glorious delivered to your door to brighten up your day? This delicious afternoon tea for 4 people with Moët & Chandon Champagne could be all yours for that perfect treat! Whether this is a birthday treat, a surprise, a special occasion, a corporate gift for many or you are simply stuck at home for any other reason, and need something glorious coming through your door to brighten up your day! WIN AFTERNOON TEA for 4 with 2 bottles of Champagne Afternoon Tea WIN! Please visit www.afternoonteabox.com to view our selection and order. 9
THE LASTING IMPACT ON YOUNG CANCER SURVIVORS Beyond by Ellie Philpotts HEALTH 55
56 • OCTOBER 2023 ecently, the way the public and medics view the long-term effects of illness has shifted. COVID-19 was largely responsible, with Long Covid causing a cocktail of late effects demanding attention. Soon after people adapted to the concept of the novel virus itself, they were forced into some semblance of understanding the whole-body impact long after its initial peak. But for young cancer survivors, long-term effects are nothing new. After all, they present themselves in numerous ways throughout the years. I was made to realise this at 15, diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. It's one of the commonest cancers in young people but it's not much consolation when you’re the only person you know with it. It comes with loneliness, and this sense of otherness doesn’t necessarily end, even in the survivorship club. At the time, the diagnosis meant an immediate enrolment onto chemotherapy and steroids. I stayed there for six months while juggling GCSEs and planning for milestones like prom, and broader experiences like pondering where I might take my future. Fortunately, I reached remission, and have kept sight of this in the 12 years since. Sadly, the privilege of survival isn’t afforded to everyone, despite improvements making diagnostic tools work sooner, and treatments kinder to growing bodies. My current lifestyle was once a distant dream—graduating university, becoming a journalist, enjoying my twenties. But I’m still conscious of the divide between how society expects you to feel post-treatment, and what the actual reality is. Diagnosis in the young adult bracket I share with 2,000 others each year in the UK poses unique challenges. Cancer is a largely adult group of diseases, and at this age, you’re already balancing on the tentative tightrope between childhood and adulthood before another force jolts it. This didn’t knock me off my feet entirely—but it did alter my sense of identity. The force came from within me, so there was no one else to aim clichéd teenage blame towards. Instead, you have to summon some acceptance, alongside your multitude of medicines. Not the easiest when you’re too young to have experienced the lessons that usually teach this. When treatment’s unwelcome effects arrive, straightaway or decades on, you also B E Y O N D S U R V I V A L Ellie Philpotts
OCTOBER 2023 • 57 have to accept that they had to happen ultimately so you could survive. But it can be frustrating that young survivors are expected to shoulder this burden. We’re not ungrateful for overcoming cancer, and often use our experiences to help others—but this is just another way it continues to manifest in our lives. Some survivors feel that even long into "recovery", it’s easy for cancer to make a comeback. That can be an actual relapse, or figurative, with worries creeping up. Last year, I developed symptoms reminiscent of lymphoma, and my mind taunted me with the idea of a reoccurrence. Fortunately, it was glandular fever— ironically a common teenage condition sometimes mistaken for lymphoma. While a tough summer ensued, I was relieved it wasn’t worse. Cancer makes you healthconscious—awareness of what’s normal for you isn’t negative, but it can come with anxieties that complicate things further. Survivor's guilt is one—and, like much of the experience, is multi-faceted. You appreciate your second shot at life, but wonder what made your body respond when so many others’ didn’t. Then come relationships, friendships, fertility and moving on—each with common stressors that adopt new meanings alongside serious illness. as a young woman in her twenties and a survivor of lymphoma for over five years, my fellow cancer survivors and I have encountered shared experiences. While each person's perspective on illness, ranging from diagnosis to treatment and emotional dimensions, may differ, we concur that the reach of cancer's effects extends well beyond its physical manifestations—from the initial symptoms to the visible side effects of treatment. The reality of psychological trauma persists long after treatment concludes. Yet, society, including some medical professionals, often assumes that a complete restoration is the norm. We’ve also tried to mould our past into a platform to benefit others. Our experiences inspired our decisions around work and education. Without being pushed into medical settings, I doubt I would have specialised in health journalism, nor avidly volunteered with charities. Jessica cites how her illness led her towards helping young people with their mental health, while Helen’s Psychosocial Community Work degree brings an academic angle to teenage cancer. R E A D E R ’ S D I G E S T I JUGGLED CHEMOTHERAPY, STEROIDS, GCSES AND PLANNING FOR PROM
B E Y O N D S U R V I V A L Being diagnosed with lymphoma at the cusp of becoming a teenager was confusing and alienating. In hindsight, I’m grateful my treatment was relatively low-intensity, my inpatient hospital stays short and my absences from school limited. However, at the time, life going forward seemed a scary, exhausting prospect. I nostalgically longed for my life before cancer, rather than considering whatever waited for me in a life after cancer. Though extremely thankful when I entered remission, I assumed my life would continue to be marred by worries about my physical and psychological health, low self-esteem and uncertainty. Jessica Beedle, 26, West Midlands A lymphoma diagnosis led to low self-esteem for a young Jessica
OCTOBER 2023 • 59 R E A D E R ’ S D I G E S T As I emerged into adolescence, a time when I should have been pushing boundaries and becoming increasingly independent, I felt terrified about moving forward, assuming my newfound freedom would be snatched from me through another relapse. Luckily, 13 years on, I’ve remained in remission. I’ve lived in many places, in the UK and abroad during university, and settled into a job in the NHS supporting children in schools with their mental health. I’ve turned the trauma of my early experiences into motivation to support young people displaying early signs of mental ill-health, in the hope this will provide more children with the tools to manage their own wellbeing as they grow into adulthood. My own experiences spurred me to pursue this career. The treatment I received for my physical health during my cancer journey had luckily been timely and effective, whereas support for my mental health, both during my treatment and after, was fragmented. I think the paediatric oncology community and society generally still have progress to make when supporting children who have experienced health-related trauma, especially in terms of mental health provision. However, there have been incredible third-sector organisations, such as the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust, who provided me with the opportunity to connect with other young people with cancer through sailing trips. These boosted my selfconfidence after treatment, and I now volunteer for them to provide this therapeutic experience to other children in my position. Sailing trips with fellow young cancer patients gave Jess a boost
B E Y O N D S U R V I V A L At 20, my world was turned upside-down. After months of feeling unwell, I was shocked to be diagnosed with cancer in March, 2016. The doctors at the time couldn’t tell me anything more specific until other tests were done. I remember the room spinning and feeling numb. It wasn’t until I arrived at hospital in London that I realised the seriousness of my illness. Helen Haar, 27, London After a few days and those dreaded scans, I received a diagnosis of primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma, a rare subtype of nonHodgkin's lymphoma. My treatment started straightaway as the cancer was aggressive. The Teenage Cancer Trust walls became my source of stability every fortnight while I was having seven hours’ worth of chemotherapy. After this, a PET scan showed cancer remaining. Consolidation radiotherapy followed, putting me in remission in December, 2016. That’s when the bubble burst. I was now expected to continue with my life, get back on track and forget what I’d just been through. It was the subject no-one wanted to, or could, bring up. The hospital became my safe space, and I relied a lot on my team. When that was pulled from me, I panicked.
OCTOBER 2023 • 61 R E A D E R ’ S D I G E S T ForHelen,recovery from cancer doesn't end with remission, but has more long-reaching impacts Now 27, I look back with mixed emotions. I’m still angry and ask, "Why me?". However, my perspective on life and the world has matured. I wear my label as a cancer survivor with pride. It’s made my passion to help others stronger. I don’t want to forget my story and I didn’t want to go back to my "old life". Sharing my story is what drives me—if it makes the slightest difference, it was worth it. The comment "You’re too young to be ill" isn’t a compliment. It invalidates the experience and shows a remaining stigma around being a young person with a chronic illness. Ultimately, how much time has passed since treatment might matter when oncologists are deciding if we’re medically cured. It might also matter to us individually as well as to those around us—but it doesn't mean we can’t still carry the long-term impact of cancer survivorship with us. So, whether 12 months or years have elapsed, and whether your hair has reached shoulder-length or you never lost it at all, you shouldn’t be presumed to feel fully recovered. But as the years go by, with more cancer charities reaching those in need, and treatments and later care developing, I'm confident that society will do more to aid these lingering emotions. Although teenage cancer is uncommon, its research output, medical knowledge of late effects and emotional care shouldn’t be too.
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INSPIRE 67 North Pennines One of the most unspoilt areas in England, it’s not hard to see why the North Pennines is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and the inspiration for some 40 poems by the great English poet, W H Auden. Boasting a landscape of open heather moors, tumbling dales and meandering rivers, the North Pennines are home to flora and fauna rarely, if ever, found elsewhere in Britain. Millions of years of geological processes in the area have created a unique and impressive environment, recognised in 2003 as Britain’s first European Geopark. Amid the hills and moors is one of England’s biggest waterfalls, High Force. Its powerful name is a souvenir left by Viking invaders centuries ago, coming from the Old Norse word “foss” for waterfall. Meanwhile, a breathtaking trail through the valleys, forests and fells charts the North East’s religious history. Beginning at the site of a battle victory for Oswald of Northumbria that led to the Christianisation of the region and ending at the imposing Durham Cathedral, the Way of Light tells the story of the dawn of Christianity, illustrated by abbeys, seminaries and chapels. Alongside these natural and religious wonders, the North Pennines have a rich industrial history due to the prevalence of lead mining since medieval times. This history is best explored at Killhope Lead Mining Museum and Ashes Quarry. At night, the North Pennines are just as beautiful. Away from the hustle, bustle and light pollution of big cities, the North Pennines have some of the darkest skies in the country. Wrap up warm and set up camp on a clear night, and you’ll be rewarded with the sight of thousands of stars blinking down at you. Maybe you’ll be inspired to write a poem or two of your own. È My Britain: 67 BY Alice Gawthrop
i have lived in the North Pennines for 16 years. I’m originally from York—I came to the area to work at a stables in the summer holidays and never left. I heard of a job at Eggleston Hall Gardens, knowing nothing about plants, went for it and have been here for 13 years now. The North Pennines are a beautiful place to live. Everywhere you go has a beautiful backdrop, especially when you come from flat York! The people are down-to-earth, friendly and tough. The winters are long and hard work, but when the snowdrops first pop up you know spring is around the corner. Eggleston Hall Gardens is like a little garden of Eden nestled among the hills. This time of year the walls are laden with apples, pears and plums. There are really unusual plants around every corner, too. The old chapel area is carpeted with snowdrops in spring. Summer is beautiful with the garden’s big walls creating a warm microclimate. In autumn, everything is blazed with vibrant colour. It really is a special place to work. I love propagation, creating new plants and watching things flourish. I enjoy talking to the customers, sharing advice and various growing tips for plants. My favourite place in the North Pennines has to be the gardens. It is a sheltered little paradise, but you can always see the wild beautiful hills just beyond. Liz Bousfield is a horticulturist at Eggleston Hall Gardens, a plantsman’s paradise in the North Pennines egglestonhallgardens.co.uk M Y B R I T A I N : N O R T H P E N N I N E S 68 • OCTOBER 2023 gardens photos courtesy of amanda hodgson
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i am a co-director of Allenheads Contemporary Arts, along with my partner Alan Smith. We are both from Swansea in South Wales and after spending a few years studying, living and working in Massachusetts and New York City in the US during the 1980s, we returned home looking for a new adventure. In 1993 we chanced upon the Victorian Old School House overlooking the North Pennines fells and village of Allenheads. It was the perfect place, we thought, to live our next chapter. We were excited to continue our work in the contemporary arts in a totally new environment. Thirty years later and we are still here, with two adult children, a dog and a vast network of artists who have worked in residence over the years, inspired by this extraordinary place, its people and its heritage. We love the open, expansive landscape, the extreme weather, the wildlife and the dark skies. From our observatory we can wonder at the spectacular views of the Milky Way, nearby planets and even other galaxies. It's quite awe-inspiring and humbling at the same time. We are not interested in the notion of a romantic, rural idyll, but rather see our home as a vibrant intersection between rural and urban, local and global. It all happens here in the microcosm of the North Pennines. Nothing is isolated or remote. This tiny village, the highest in England, at the centre point of the British Isles, is a crossroads of influences, always in flux with a constant flow of residents, artists and visitors, which makes this unique place so fascinating. There are many magnificent sights around Allenheads and the North Pennines; the powerful waterfalls, expansive heather moorlands and the vastness of the cosmos on a clear night, to name just a few. For me, however, I am grateful that every day, I can soak up the magnificent, panoramic view from my front garden. It’s a great way to start the day. Helen Ratcliffe is a co-director at Allenheads Contemporary Arts, an artist-led organisation that delivers innovative contemporary arts projects and offers unique accommodation options in the Old School House and the Observatory glamping cabin—perfect for aspiring star-gazers! acart.org.uk M Y B R I T A I N : N O R T H P E N N I N E S 70 • OCTOBER 2023
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we moved from Newcastle upon Tyne to the North Pennines when I was 15 years old. It was very much a culture shock, moving from the hustle and bustle of city life to a world of quiet, with our nearest neighbour 500 yards away. Our first winter we had ten-foot snowdrifts—not going anywhere was a total shock to the system! Forty years down the line, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. We live in one of the most beautiful parts of the world with scenery that changes every day. There is a strong community spirit here to look out for people and help them when they're in need. The people here are very hard-working. I took over the Hemmel Cafe and Crafty Farm Shop two years ago. We are a little family of eight staff. We all live out in Allenheads, a small village steeped in lead mining history, so we travel in every day. No two days are the same, but we get a lot of cyclists on the C2C, as well as walkers, motorbikes, and in winter we even get skiers from all over the country who use Allenheads Ski Slopes. All our food is homemade fresh every day, and we have built up a reputation for the best cheesecakes! Sami Nash runs the Hemmel Cafe and Crafty Farm Shop, a cosy cafe serving fresh, homemade food nansbakery.co/the-hemmel-cafe M Y B R I T A I N : N O R T H P E N N I N E S 72 • OCTOBER 2023
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“age is just a number,” goes the saying. But older influencers are proving that you can have fun, spread positivity and inspire people, whatever your age. In this new series of interviews, we will talk to senior internet personalities still living life to the full, while fighting ageism. Kentucky-born Helen Vanwinkle— better known as “Baddiewinkle” online—is a colourful, fun and upbeat fashionista who's not afraid to speak her mind. She’s also in her midnineties. She became famous in 2016 for her uplifting message and her memorable motto—“Stealing your man since 1928”! Currently working on a range of colourful canes with her great-granddaughter Kennedy, Baddiewinkle is a hero to millions. Can you tell us a little about your life before becoming an influencer? I worked for 28 years at a factory. I enjoyed my work. I retired at 62 and the big boss came and gave me a big kiss on the lips! He was a great kisser. We had lunch and had a great time at my retirement party. How did you become a social media influencer at age 85? My greatgranddaughter, Kennedy, convinced me to take a picture for the internet. She would come home from high school and say, "Guess how many followers you have?" It just evolved from there and went viral. What are your reflections on how fashion and styles have come and gone over the years? What were some of your favourite looks from the decades? They’ve kind of gone back. The short dresses and things like that—the fashion is not really that different from this day and age to my day and age…it’s about the same. Under 74 • OCTOBER 2023 The first in our new series of interviews with older social media influencers, Ian Chaddock talks to fun-loving US icon "Baddiewinkle", who has over 3 million Instagram followers online Gran The dfluence: INSPIRE
75 © KENNEDY DECHET How was working on campaigns for brands like Smirnoff and Sally Beauty and meeting celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Fergie? I spent time with Miley and she’s a great girl. With Fergie, I really loved it. We had a really good time. They’re both great girls. The ad campaigns I’ve worked on have done well and I love to do them. Everybody has been so nice. Do you see yourself as an example to other older people to live their life loudly, proudly and unapologetically? Yes. Older people are kind of overlooked. I think I started a trend that an older person could have as much fun as a 20-yearold and look as good as a 20-year-old! I think that older people should try and follow my example. What’s the funniest thing you’ve experienced at a live event? Oh gosh! They’re always funny. Before an awards show I ate a cookie…with marijuana in it. I didn’t know anything about marijuana at the time. I’d never had any. I swear I could hardly walk! It was so funny. What do you think of the beauty industry? Does it contributes to ageism? It does. I think that more older people are using make up, which is good, where they didn’t in the past. I think I had a lot to do with that as well. Older people now are getting on the internet more, doing more and having more fun, I think. Do you think the internet and social media have improved our lives? Yes, I think it’s improved our lives a lot. The internet is the thing, or I think it is anyway. Oh my gosh, I have seen so much in my lifetime. Everything has improved, from the time I remember until now. And everything just keeps improving every year. Do you have a message for our older readers, especially those who might have a fear of new technology and changes? Yes, I do. If you want to get on the internet and you don’t know how, get somebody to show you how. It’s very easy anyway, so the older people can pick it up right away, if they get someone who knows about it to show them how. Q
Young people would have repercussion predictors If you make a move in anger, revenge or envy, you need to know the consequences of your actions. I think AI would help young people so much—if they could just have a level of repercussion prediction, they might Willcox 76 Toyah Willcox is a singer, actor and TV presenter with a career spanning 40 years and eight top 40 singles. Toyah and Robert Fripp tour the UK together in October think twice rather than taint their entire life with a bad action. Within social media, a repercussion predictor would be really useful. Work-life balance would be a law The majority of us forget to put life balance first. We are very lucky in the UK that we have two days off a week. I often work in America and I’m so shocked at how hard Americans are expected to work. Life isn’t all about work, email, bureaucracy and accounting. In my working world, I would insist that were two days a week where there is no communication with work. 3D printers used forrecycling I read a lot of sci-fi and I’ve just read this in a book called Planetfall by Emma Newman. It’s about colonising The World If I Ruled 76 • OCTOBER 2023 Toyah
on a planet that took 73 years to reach. Every house has a 3D printer which directly recycles patterns that you get off the internet for your pots and pans, cutlery and clothes. It’s recycling within the home for plastics, metals and paper, which stops the contamination of recycling moving from country to country. 3D printers are very expensive at the moment but I think it’s the way for stopping the mass destruction caused by waste. Good food would be distributed in an honest and humane way There is no shame in food distribution and food banks. If you need food, your body needs food. It’s as simple as that. Good food lasts five days and on the shelves in many shops, it’s only allowed one day. I would like to know that I could gift the overflow of vegetables that I’m growing in my garden to a food bank or an honesty table outside my house knowing that people who need it would take it. It’s just asking people not to behave greedily, and to take what they need. I’ve seen this in a very small Alaskan township where you have, outside a supermarket, a bank of refrigerators for people to donate to. Other people can just go and take what they need. It works. No child will go without a bed I was so shocked when I learned the amount of children who don’t have a bed. I think it should be law that every INSPIRE child born has a designated sleeping area. There’s a fantastic charity in Leeds called Zarach, run by a charismatic young woman, that simply collects beds and delivers them to families. We need more of these people in the world! If you want to eat meat you have to raise and respectfully take the life of the animal I am very passionate that animals have souls, and most religions say that they don’t. Animals experience empathy, joy and pain. We do not have a right to kill them en masse. I have never met an animal that does not have empathy. As you get older I think it’s a lot better for you to have a predominantly vegetarian diet. There will be a National Concert Day I used to live in Menton in France and they had a concert day. Every school would take their orchestra out into the square to play. It was a very beautiful spectacle. I’ve seen it in Israel as well, with live musicians and dancing in the square. A National Concert Day would be where everyone who can play an instrument could go outside their house and play. It’s as simple as that. Q AS TOLD TO IAN CHADDOCK Toyah Willcox tours the UK in October (toyahwillcox.com). Her Toyah Live At Drury Lane album is out now OCTOBER 2023 • 77
Enter our iconic 100-word-story competition with prizes of up to £1,000 to be won óòò x L [ ɱ _ g L [ ~ 'SQTIXMXMSR Our 100-word-story competition is your chance to show the world your story-telling talents There are three categories—one for adults and two for schools: one for children aged 12– 18 and one for children under 12. Your stories should be original, unpublished and exactly 100 words—not a single word shorter or longer! Entries are now open. The editorial team will pick a shortlist of three in each category and post them online on February 1, 2024. You can vote for your favourite, and the one with the most votes will scoop the top prize. Voting will close on February 29, 2024 and winners will be published in our May 2024 issue. Visit readersdigest.co.uk/100-word-story-competition to enter. 78 • OCTOBER 2023
WHAT SHE WOULD RATHER TELL A STRANGER by Rachel O’Cleary, Tipperary My mother’s bare foot rests in my lap, softer than expected, toenails thick. My knuckles complain as I squeeze the clippers. “Call me Lily,” she says, and I think, what else? I paint her toenails “Big Apple Red” while she talks about her estranged daughter, gone to the city years ago. “That girl was always an odd one,” she says. “I’ll bet she leaves me here to rot.” I stare at the deep furrows between her eyebrows. See myself: hard-pedalling, smoke unspooling, highway breeze through messy hair, whisky-burnt, split by childbirth, circling home. I hold my breath, and wait. PREVIOUS ADULT 100-WORD-STORY COMPETITION WINNER illustrations by Daniel Mitchell
NO PRIVILEGE by Ameerah Kola-Olukotun, 17 “But I’ve got no privilege,” she protests. I stare at her shoes, bought by grandparents leeching off colonial fortunes. Her hair lies flat and presentable; my curls violate policy in any style. Her canvas-coloured skin will never raise questions. Mine is a brown cage that closes every door. But I hold my tongue. The others explain, but her whiteness turns to cotton and lodges itself in her ears. Her parents just worked harder. She’s just studious. “Blame me if you want.” She doesn’t see the landmines lurking in our paths. And if she did, she’d think she had them, too. IM-PEN-DING DOOM by Evelyn Walters, 11 My cap was pulled off today. I was indignant and embarrassed, more than I can say! Yet again I was gripped tightly around the middle and forced to do the mum’s tedious receipts. My murky blood seeps from my single vein onto the paper. I know I am dying. I can feel my impending death oozing out with my last reserves of liquid. I see, ironically, pens are listed on this stationery receipt. Imagine their hopeful faces! Vitally, I would warn them, “Life as a pen, though long, is full of monotonous and painful tasks. Just don’t run out of…………… 1 0 0 - W O R D - S TO R Y C O M P E T I T I O N 80 • OCTOBER 2023 PREVIOUS 12-18 100-WORD-STORY COMPETITION WINNER PREVIOUS UNDER 12 100-WORD-STORY COMPETITION WINNER
Rules: Please ensure that submissions are original, not previously published and exactly 100 words long (not including title). Don’t forget to include your full name, address, email and phone number when filling in the form. We may use entries in all print and electronic media. Terms and conditions: There are three categories—one for adults and two categories for schools: one for children aged 12–18 and one for children under 12. In the adults category, the winner will receive £1,000 and one runner-up will receive £250. In the 12–18s category, the winner will receive a £200 book voucher or a Kindle Paperwhite and a £100 book voucher for their school, and the runner-up will receive a £100 books voucher. In the under-12 category, the winner will receive £100 of book vouchers or a Kindle Paperwhite and £100 of book vouchers for their school, and the runner-up will receive a £50 books voucher. Please submit your stories by 5pm on January 5, 2024 either online at readersdigest. co.uk/100-word-story-competition or via post addressed to: Reader’s Digest 100 Word Story Competition Warners Group Publications West Street Bourne PE10 9PH The editorial team will pick a shortlist of entries, and the three best stories in each category will be posted online at readersdigest.co.uk on February 1, 2024. You can vote for your favourite, and the one with the most votes will win the top prize. Voting will close on February 29, 2024 and the winning entries will be published in our May 2024 issue, and posted online on April 16, 2024. The entry forms and full terms and conditions are on our website. óòò x L [ ɱ _ g L [ ~ 'SQTIXMXMSR R E A D E R ’ S D I G E S T OCTOBER 2023 • 81 RULES
INSPIRE 82
OF S O U N D KATHERINE HOLLAND 83 H O W S I M P L Y S H U T T I N G U P F O R T H R E E M O N T H S A N D WA L K I N G W E L L O V E R 6 0 0 M I L E S T R A N S F O R M E D M Y L I F E BY D G Marshall FROM TORONTO LIFE S I L E N C E
T H E S O U N D O F S I L E N C E 84 • OCTOBER 2023 My mouth may have served me terribly as a student, but it set me up perfectly for a career in radio. In 2003, I launched a talk show on an AM station in the Toronto area. I would ask people about their religious beliefs and the role faith played in their lives. In my 16 years hosting the show, I interviewed rabbis, nuns, witches, Wiccans and Satanist high priests, and had celebrities, politicians, religious leaders and spiritual gurus share the “why” behind their beliefs. I think the show succeeded because it engaged people who don’t usually listen to religious radio—people like me. After growing up in a churchgoing household and eventually becoming a pastor, I slowly began to reject organised religion. Still, I was fascinated by others’ beliefs. Consumed by the need to understand the unknown, I travelled the world in search of answers. I prayed among ancient petroglyphs in Australia, slept at Stonehenge in England and wept at the Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. I thought I’d find some divine truth if I visited all the sacred sites and interviewed every spiritual leader. But the only truth I discovered was this: I was a selfish, egotistical, judgemental jerk. It hit me when I was close to turning 50 and almost every significant relationship in my life was in tatters. My wife of 28 years wanted a divorce. My kids weren’t my biggest fans, and when I asked my daughter what I was doing wrong, she told me she didn’t have enough time to explain it all. I knew this much: the hunt for transcendence made me unbearable. I prioritised my radio-show guests, with whom I might spend an hour, over the people who meant the most to me. I was constantly tearing into AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, my mouth has been getting me into trouble. Growing up, I would say anything to get a laugh, no matter how crude or cutting. I used the gift of the gab to get what I wanted from my parents(money, a later curfew) and to get out of what I didn’t want (chores, groundings). I was asked to leave four differentschools, mostly because I talked too much, and every one of my report cardssaid some variation of the same thing: I’d do much better if I would justshut up.
COURTESY OF D.G. MARSHALL OCTOBER 2023 • 85 R E A D E R ’ S D I G E S T anyone whom I perceived as less enlightened than I was. Profanity and sarcasm were my default modes of communication. I drank too much and listened too little. I was miserable, as was everyone caught in my caustic orbit. My school report cards had been right—I’d do a lot better if I would just shut up. If my mouth was the root cause of my problems, maybe it was time to stop talking altogether. Years earlier, I’d watched a movie called The Way, starring Martin Sheen. It followed the main character’s journey along the Camino de Santiago, a series of 1,200-year-old trails that converge on the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in northwestern Spain, where the remains of Saint James the Apostle are said to be buried. So in 2016 I decided to take a threemonth sabbatical from the radio show and walk the over 600-mile route without saying a single word. My plan was to finish the trek on my 50th birthday as a changed man. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE START of the Camino in early October 2016, I was already worried that my quest was doomed. I was terrified that I’d accidentally speak, that my bad knees would prevent me from finishing the route, that even if I made it the whole way, I’d return home still a schmuck. Nonetheless, hungover from the night before, I walked out of the charming French town of Saint-JeanD G Marshall in a moment of quiet contemplation
COURTESY OF D.G. MARSHALL T H E S O U N D O F S I L E N C E 86 • OCTOBER 2023 Pied-de-Port and began my twomonth journey. The first stretch of trail was a steep incline into the Pyrenees, and my body hated every step. I quickly realised that my hiking boots were too narrow for my feet. My 13-kilogram backpack felt heavier with every stride. My knees started to creak, and sweat permeated my clothing. One hour in, I wanted to give up. I don’t know whether it was my ego or the goal of becoming a better person that propelled me forward. Either way, I kept walking. Around the seven-and-a-half mile mark, I trudged into the first albergue, one of hundreds of hostels along the Camino. The rustic abode, equipped with bunk beds and a rudimentary kitchen, was crawling with hikers speaking a potpourri of languages. It was there that I began to understand that the physical challenge, excruciating as it was, would be far easier than the vow of silence. When the hostel staff or fellow travellers spoke to me, I pointed to my mouth, mimed the act of talking with my hand and then slid my index finger across my neck. I could usually get what I wanted using improvised hand signals (to ask for milk in my coffee, for instance, I pretended to milk a cow). If that didn’t get the point across, I’d show people a note on my iPhone: “Please forgive me for not talking. I’m travelling for three months in a vow of silence. You can still talk to me :).” And people did. Along the Camino, I was joined by pilgrims from Switzerland, Holland, Israel and Ireland. Some walked with me in silence; others shared their life stories. A gay man from Ireland told me about the rejection he’d experienced from his family. A woman shared her struggle to go on after the death of her child. I yearned to ask questions, to offer advice or condolences. But all I could do was awkwardly type out a few questions on my phone. Yet I couldn’t keep my judgemental side entirely in check. One morning, about a month into my trip, I woke up around 5.30am, grabbed my pack and walked downstairs to the hostel foyer. There, I spotted a skinny, scruffy guy Marshall takes a break during his silent pilgrimage on Spain’s Camino
OCTOBER 2023 • 87 R E A D E R ’ S D I G E S T in his late fifties with his hair in a ponytail, staggering around and slurring his words. Drunk before dawn? What’s your problem, dude? I didn’t want him accompanying me on the trail, so I just skipped breakfast and left. Later that day, I checked out one of the many historic and architecturally stunning churches that dot the Camino. When I returned to the path, I heard a voice say, “Buen Camino,” a common greeting among pilgrims. It was the guy I had tried to avoid. I smiled politely and hurried off, thinking I could outpace him. But almost two miles later, he was somehow still close behind me. Finally, he yelled out to me, and though I feared I’d spend the rest of my day listening to the ramblings of a drunkard, I let him catch up. The man introduced himself as Nico and explained that he had Lou Gehrig’s disease. It had ravaged his nervous system to the point where he stumbled and slurred. He’d decided to tackle the Camino while his body would still let him. I felt awful. Before the Camino, I had absurdly high standards for how a person should be, despite my own shortcomings. In my head, people were boring and predictable, and almost everyone fell into one of the many categories I’d devised: religious wack-jobs, arrogant show-offs, incense-burning virtue signallers, hopeless drunks and so on. Unless they had something to offer me—good looks, wealth, wisdom, a willingness to laugh at my jokes—I treated them as if they didn’t exist. Before I knew anything about Nico, I had pigeonholed him. I nearly deprived myself of a genuine human connection. Instead, we spent three days walking together. He told me about his life as a professional kickboxer, representing Germany internationally. I helped him fasten his belt and do up his jacket. We developed a profound bond—the very thing my life was lacking. By the time we parted, it was obvious: by opening my ears and my heart, I could actually like people. And by closing my mouth, they could actually like me. MOST DAYS FOLLOWED a familiar rhythm. I’d rise before dawn, pack my bag, put on my jacket, lace up my boots and walk for six to 12 hours. Every day was painful. One of my big toenails was black, and my little toes were calloused. My shoulders and back ached from the weight of my pack. Because of the orientation of the BY OPENING MY HEART, I COULD ACTUALLY LIKE PEOPLE. AND BY CLOSING MY MOUTH, THEY COULD LIKE ME
T H E S O U N D O F S I L E N C E 88 • OCTOBER 2023 trail, the sun baked the left side of my face, which would leave me with longterm skin damage. Still, there were moments of bliss. I was surrounded by endless golden fields, mountainous air and soulshattering sunrises. I snaked through deserted country villages and rested in the pews of majestic cathedrals. One morning, a little over halfway through my trip, I spotted the Spanish city of León in the distance. For most pilgrims, León serves as a brief dose of civilisation, a place to sleep in a proper bed, to wine and dine, to visit a museum or gallery. For me, it was a reckoning: the city of 125,000 shared a name with my mother, Leone. She and my father adopted me when I was an infant. They were a loving couple who ran a funeral home together and raised me and my sister in the flat above the business. They were kind, patient people of integrity who always gave back to their community. Despite their love and affection, I could never shake the fear of rejection. I’d do anything for other people’s approval. As a kid, I once accepted a dare to give a bag of multicoloured rocks to a developmentally challenged child and tell him they were pieces of chewing gum. It was just one of many times throughout my life that I’d done something for a laugh at someone else’s expense. I put my parents through hell. Aged 15, I dropped out of school entirely. But I refused to get a job and even stole the funeral hearse for joyrides before I had my driver’s licence. When my parents tried to discipline me, I would rage at them and run away from home. Just after I turned 17, I left home for good to work at a ranch in California. Despite receiving numerous letters from my mother, I never called or wrote back. Four years later, she died of pancreatic cancer. I didn’t get to say goodbye. By the time I was old enough to grasp how much pain I’d caused my mother, it was too late to apologise. That truth ate at me every day. I hated myself because of what I’d done, and that disdain emanated from me like a toxic cloud, infecting every relationship that followed. Outside León, I continued along the trail past a cemetery, where I noticed an elderly lady carrying flowers to a gravestone. As I approached, her face broke into a warm smile. I was stunned. She looked exactly like my mother. “Buen Camino,” she said, before she continued on her way. I almost chased her down—to do what, I don’t know. Even if I did speak, what would I say? “You look just like my dead mother. Can I give you a hug?”. I knew it couldn’t be her, but the sight of her made me realise how much I missed my mum, how much I wished I could tell her I was sorry.
COURTESY OF D.G. MARSHALL OCTOBER 2023 • 89 R E A D E R ’ S D I G E S T I broke down in tears as pilgrims and cyclists passed me by. A few days later, I came upon a monument called the Iron Cross. Compared to the elaborate ruins and ornate churches along the route, it was a remarkably ordinary structure: a metal cross atop a tall wooden post. At its base were tens of thousands of stones left by pilgrims. It’s a Camino tradition to leave a rock, symbolising the unloading of a burden. Knowing this, I’d brought one from home. I held it in my hand, thinking of the regret I’d carried with me since my mother’s death. Nothing will ever excuse the way I treated her. But holding on to my regret wasn’t helping me or the people around me. I knew I had to let it go. Sobbing, I threw the stone on the pile and continued walking. ON NOVEMBER 30, 2016, I woke up at 3.30am, buzzing with excitement. I was only a couple of miles from the end of my journey. Just as I had planned, it was my 50th birthday. My final destination was Cape Finisterre, on the west coast of Spain; its name means “the end of the earth”. With less than an hour left in my 62-day hike, I wandered off the path to climb to a high point in the predawn darkness. Sitting alone, I watched the sun inch above the horizon, casting the clouds in shades of pink and orange as fishing vessels began to leave the harbour. It was the most awe-inspiring sunrise I’d ever seen. Climbing down from my perch, I soon arrived at a worn three feet-tall stone marker denoting the end of the (Left) Marshall at the end of the route; (Right) At the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
T H E S O U N D O F S I L E N C E 90 • OCTOBER 2023 trail. An unfamiliar feeling swelled up inside me: pride. I had done it. My back was spasming with pain, and my whole body throbbed, but I was elated. I’d overcome my fears, completed the journey and kept my vow of silence. I felt good about myself for the first time in a long time. To cap off my trip, I’d arranged to spend a few weeks in a monastery on the Canary Islands, just off the western coast of Africa, silently writing and reflecting. The Camino was everything I’d hoped it would be. I had seen the good in humanity. I had shed my shell of negativity. And I had begun to make peace with the deep-seated pain that was preventing me from being the person I wanted to be. What would the monastery reveal? This: one night, I awoke and suddenly realised that I needed to repair the most important relationship in my life. My marriage. I met my wife when we were both 20. She got pregnant, so we got married. We weren’t madly in love, at least not then, but we were bringing life into the world, so it felt like the right thing to do. We had a son, then a daughter a few years later, and we poured ourselves into our kids’ lives, ferrying them to school and sports. As they got older, my wife and I retreated into our jobs. She worked at a youth camp, managing the barn, and I had my radio show. By the time our kids were adults, we were sleeping in different rooms. Our love had gone cold. When she turned 50 in early 2016, she went on a solo trip to Australia and did some reflection of her own. Two weeks after she left, she sent me an email: she wanted out of our marriage. I was gutted, but I wasn’t surprised. Yet before I left for the Camino, I had convinced her to stay. Lying in the monastery bed, I shuddered at the thought of ever letting her slip away again. Despite our ups and downs, she was the person I needed most in the world. She tolerated me with saintly patience, and I loved her intensely for it. My worst mistake was that I’d neglected to show it. After returning home that December, I spoke for the first time in 90 days. On Christmas Eve, in a croaky, uneven voice, I apologised for everything and asked my wife to remarry me. She said yes. I WISH I COULD TELL YOU that was my happily-ever-after moment. That, after all my soul-searching, I restored all my relationships and never acted I SPOKE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 90 DAYS. IN A CROAKY, UNEVEN VOICE, I APOLOGISED TO MY WIFE FOR EVERYTHING
OCTOBER 2023 • 91 R E A D E R ’ S D I G E S T like a jerk again. But life isn’t a Hallmark movie. Months after my return, my wife explained that she’d felt ambushed by my sudden proposal. She hadn’t wanted to bring me down from my Camino high, so she’d said yes. Not long after that conversation, she left. It felt like the end. But after a couple years of separation, we started going on dates again, and then we signed up for couples’ therapy. We concluded that investing in a future together was worth a shot. Giving up after 36 years of shared history seemed too easy. It took two years for me to realise that there was no squaring the new me with my old life. Returning to the radio show, I felt myself reverting to the irritable, judgemental person I once was. The more I talked, the more I yearned for the serenity of unplugging from everything, which the Camino had given me. Eventually I decided that if I was truly dedicated to becoming a better person, I needed a radical, permanent change. I quit the radio show, got rid of my phone, abandoned my social media accounts and moved back in with my wife on a 40-hectare farm northwest of Toronto. Silence is now a part of my daily life. I am perfectly happy sitting on our front porch, literally watching the corn grow. Four horses, seven dogs, 30 chickens and an ass named Grace keep me company. When I get a craving for social interaction, I ride my horse to the local watering hole. It still takes all my effort to keep my inner jerk at bay, and I fail often. But I’ve found a way to keep the lessons of the Camino close at hand through SOS Retreats Canada. A couple of times a year, I welcome groups of people to the farm for a weekend during which they walk a roughly 30-mile trail in silence. In the evenings, we relax and verbally debrief around the fire. I’m not offering to help anyone find themselves, repair their marriage or cope with grief. All I’m offering is a place to slow down, shut up and listen. Because I know that it’s in the silence that the important stuff gets louder. Q © 2022, D.G. MARSHALL. FROM “SOUND OF SILENCE,” TORONTO LIFE (SEPTEMBER 22, 2022), TORONTOLIFE.COM Tidy Truths? Household tasks are easier and quicker when they are done by somebody else JAMES THORPE Housework can’t kill you, but why take a chance? PHYLLIS DILLER
1 The global mushroom market is expected to reach US$90 billion (that’s just over £70 billion) by 2028 (that’s up from US$63 billion— nearly £50 billion—in 2022). 2 This mushrooming popularity is not surprising; low-carb and rich in antioxidants as well as vitamins B and D, the fungi are a source of protein and an affordable meat alternative. Grilled portobello mushrooms make a tasty “burger,” and now you can even buy mushroom versions of steak, chicken breast and bacon. Climate scientists in Germany found that if we replaced just 20 per cent of the meat we consume with microbial protein, by 2050 we could more than halve the rate of deforestation and reduce carbon emissions related to cattle farming. 3 Still, not everyone is a mycophile (the technical term for a mushroom enthusiast). Many haters (mycophobes) cite texture as the turnoff, but mushrooms may also trigger disgust A Fascinating Fungus BY Courtney Shea 13 THINGS 92 • OCTOBER 2023 illustration by Serge Bloch
for their association with mould. A 2015 Washington Post exploration on the science of disgust listed mushrooms among those foods that can trigger a response that may not be entirely rational. 4 You don’t have to like eating them to reap mushrooms’ benefits. Reishi and tremella mushrooms are trendy wellness ingredients, found in everything from adaptogen supplements (which are supposed to help your body adjust to stress) to skincare products (tremella is said to be more hydrating than hyaluronic acid). And chaga, lion’s mane, Cordyceps and reishi have been used for centuries in anti-inflammatory and immuneboosting remedies. 5 Beneath the earth’s surface, mushrooms branch into networks of rootlike mycelium, helping to break down plant and animal waste, which adds vital nutrients back into the soil. This network even shares information (such as warning trees about insect infestation), communicating via electrical pulses in intricate patterns. Some mycologists (mushroom experts) refer to this as “the natural internet” or the “wood wide web.” 6 If “mycelium” sounds familiar, you may be among the millions of fans who tuned into The Last of Us, HBO’s recent hit series about an infectious species of Cordyceps that causes mycelium to take over the human brain and turn the host into a zombie-like mushroom monster. The premise was based on the real-life parasitic “zombieant” fungus; its spores attack an insect and take over its behaviour. But our higher body temperature means we are not susceptible to that infection. Phew! 7 More than 50 years after they first dominated the funky fashion and design aesthetic of the 1970s, mushrooms are once again popping up on everything from wallpaper to pillows. Pinterest even named them a key design trend for 2023. And brands like Hermés and Stella McCartney have turned to “mushroom leather” (made from a mixture of mycelium and other plant fibres) as an ecofriendly, vegan alternative to leather. One of her bags, launched at Paris Fashion Week in 2021, retails for around £2,800. 8 The largest mushroom on earth is a single Armillaria ostoyae (honey mushroom) that occupies 2,384 acres (965 hectares) in the US state of Oregon. Meanwhile, the Tibetan yartsa gunbu (caterpillar mushroom) is among the most expensive, selling for roughly £23,600 a kilogram. Its INSPIRE OCTOBER 2023 • 93
purported aphrodisiac properties have earned it the nickname “the Viagra of the Himalayas.” 9 Foraging for mushrooms is a popular outdoor activity. During autumn, puffball mushrooms emerge in forest clearings and pastures, and in the spring, morels can be found near ash and elm trees. But beware: many poisonous mushrooms can look like familiar varieties, and some wild mushrooms are dangerous to eat raw. Deaths are rare, but you could easily end up with an upset stomach at the very least. Always forage with an expert. 10 Poisonous mushrooms are sometimes called toadstools. This is slang for a colourful yet poisonous fungi with a stem and an umbrella-shaped cap. One example is Amanita phalloides, known as death-cap mushrooms, with their silver-green caps. They’re responsible for more than 90 per cent of mushroom-related poisonings and deaths worldwide. 11 Recent years have brought renewed interest and investment in magic mushrooms as a promising treatment for depression, addiction and other mental-health disorders. In 2022, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health was awarded Canada’s first federally funded grant to study psilocybin as a potential treatment for depression. The US government also recently funded a study on psilocybin as a tool to help people quit smoking. Earlier this year, Australia became the first country to approve psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression, and a psychedelic drug trial firm opened last year in the UK. 12 Meanwhile, microdosing— taking super-small doses of psilocybin—is a popular productivity-boosting hack in California’s Silicon Valley and elsewhere. The scientific community is still divided on the effectiveness of this for enhancing mood, creativity and focus. But microdosing was recently given (unofficial) royal assent: in an interview about his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry described psychedelic mushrooms as a “fundamental” part of his mental health practice. 13 Mushrooms may find their way to outer space as soon as 2025. Researchers are exploring mycotecture—the use of mushrooms as architecture—for future bases on the moon and Mars. The stucco-like building material is grown by feeding mycelium an algae, which causes it to expand and fill a mould. It’s then sterilised, ensuring no unwanted organisms come along on its journey to another world. Q A F A S C I N A T I N G F U N G U S 94 • OCTOBER 2023
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TRAVEL & ADVENTURE 96 THE ART OFEMA WORDS & PHOTOGRAPHY BY Helen Foster
In most Japanese shrines and temples you’ll find a display of wooden plaques called ema that people write prayers upon. Every temple puts their own stamp on these and admiring the designs, and the sentiments behind them, can make a fascinating addition to your Japan trip. You might even find one to grant your own wishes and prayers...
T H E A R T O F E M A Wander up the hill from the gently clacking bamboo that lines the pathway of the Arashiyama bamboo grove in Kyoto, and you come to a shrine with a small wooden torii gate. ` It’s not showy, you could even walk past it without noticing if you were in a hurry, which is kind of ironic as this is the Mikami shrine: a shrine to appearance. Specifically, the protection of beautiful hair. To the right of the altar, tied to rows of nails by bits of red string, is a sea of prayer plaques. Look closely and you’ll realise they’re shaped like a comb and contain a drawing of a woman with a flowing black mane; on the back of them you’ll find prayers from those hoping to maintain their own lustrous locks and hairdressing businesses hoping for success tending to the hair of others. Relief from balding might not sound like the traditional thing you ask the heavens for, “but people will write all sorts of wishes and aspirations on an ema. Pleas for help with changing something in their life, such as giving up an addiction or healing from an illness, are also common,” says Professor Ian Reader, Emeritus professor of Japanese Studies at Manchester University. He refers to them as “letters to the gods” in his research. In Japanese, the word for ema is written using two Japanese characters—one for picture/drawing and one for horse—and it’s believed that this goes back to a time when all ema contained pictures of horses. Horses were seen as animals that carried deities; donating a horse to a shrine was therefore seen as a good way to get your prayers heard by the powers above. However, as it wasn’t achievable for everyone in society to hand out horses (or, perhaps because it wasn’t feasible for the shrines to keep them), the idea of using a wooden plaque adorned with the picture of a horse to convey messages developed instead. Today, you still find horse-themed ema at shrines like Kanda Myojin in Tokyo’s Akihabara, which offers cute cartoon-style designs of their onsite horse Akari, but, you’ll also find plenty of other images from animals representing the lunar year, religious symbols and even manga cartoons. Ema also vary in shape. In fact, the only thing a modern ema may have in common with the traditional design of old is being flat and made of wood. DONATING A HORSE TO A SHRINE WAS SEEN AS A GOOD WAY TO GET YOUR PRAYERS HEARD 98 • OCTOBER 2023