SCEPTICAL MAGICK // CRYSTALS

   Crystals are something I've put off talking about for quite some time, mainly because when you engage with the topic of crystals, you tend to be shuffled into one of two camps. Camp one is the lady who accosts you in the New Age shops, draped in shawls and trying to convince you that this lump of orange calcite will somehow cleanse your kidneys. The second camp thinks that crystals are pretty rocks, and that's the end of it, and any claim of crystals having a bearing on your wellbeing is complete crock of shit.

  I sit in a weird little camp in the middle, and very aware that both of these sides can respond strongly to anyone who seems to not align with their particular view of things, but I do also think exploring a middle ground is a useful exercise, and so here we go.

A MASTERS IN LITERATURE | THE VIEW FROM HALF WAY THROUGH

  Since September I've been enrolled in the University of York, undertaking an MA in Romantic Literature (the time period, not the genre) and given that I'm nudging half way through, and almost at the end of the taught portion, I thought I might do a quick overview of how I'm finding it and what it's involved so far, for anyone who might be considering a masters in literature, or just curious about postgraduate education.