The World of
John Richard Hewitt

BREAKING
NEWS!

ARTWORDS
EXHIBITION
NOW RUNNING!

An exhibition on the theme of books and/or quotes that have made an impact on your life. I am exhbiting two pieces, inpsired by two very important books that meant a great deal to me; one as a child and the other has an adult.

You will have to visit the exhibition to find out which books they are!

Amanartis at the Atria, Level 1,above Upper Mall,Atria Watford Gallery,Watford WD17 2UB.

Life as
a poet

EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW!

What is it like to have poetry running through your veins 24/7? Does everything need to be written down? Is poetry the way we should always communicate? What would the world be like if we only spoke in haiku?

Are all poets eccentric? All this and more is discussed at length - or in haiku- in an exclusive interview with poet John Richard Hewitt as he launches his collected works: 'Beyond the Mountains.'

ART

First there was the writing, then the music and then the writing again and then the words ran out. The voice was clear, 'Learn to oil paint!', so I did. Well, self taught over a relatively short period but with the intensity of someone in quicksand grasping a branch. Apple, after apple, after apple - with a few pears; the next moment I'm painting five foot heads of Christ. And then the shadow work emerged.

A phone call can trigger much, and Pandora's box was flung open and there they were: my Demons. Terrifyingly intense but transformative as long as you have the courage to stand before them and suspend judgement.

Somewhere in the ether I have written a book about this, but under a different name. You will find it if it is meant to come your way.

Art was the way to take profound [add your emotion here] and place it onto a completely non-judgemental canvas. This doesn't always make for an easy sale though as not many are willing to live with the intensity; this is true of life as well as my art. Still, I am at least authentic.

Baphomet

One day He appeared, quite literally, on my left shoulder. At first it was a declaration and a rejection of the confinements and cruel teachings of that to which I had been subjected.

If this was evil then how does one explain the desert dwelling god?

Then, as my fire cooled I could see the integration of light and dark - I could see the upright alignment and the inverted manifestation; one was not more - or less- pure than the other.

Now he sits at my left hand to guard as well as to balance;
as a reminder when things go too ‘astral’;
to protect when one becomes sacrificially too nice.

MUSIC

The journey to flamenco is too long a tale and, in many ways, too dreadful to speak of. And yet here were the first stirrings of manifesting passion in the physical world through music. Those early days of living in my car and busking on a Devon street were interesting. Enough money for chips and a parking space as long as I didn't mind sleeping in a layby in a small car with my shirts hung up on the handles behind me. Still, it was my own place.

And from sitting and playing on that street I ended up meeting Ridley Scott and driving him in Costa Rica on the set of ‘1492 - the Conquest of Paradise’. Not bad for a Devon kid that would listen to an old short-wave radio and dream of visiting the lands listened to. Well, I lived in North America, Costa Rica and Jordan and visited many other places. Manifestation works, if you approach it with burning desire.

Somewhere my flamenco music is available; I’ll try and track it down for you. And the cover is original artwork by Francesca King. I wonder how she’s doing?

Poetry

Thank you John for this exclusive interview. Tell me, how did poetry come into your life?

Old mind, young body;
the spirits always listened.
Moonlight set my path.

I see, and do you think poetry is still relevant today?

Doom scrolling phone life;
can you not flick through pages?
A tree can say much.

Okay, er…are poets naturally eccentric?

I dance in the rain;
many don't hear the music.
Even fish whistle.

Should we all speak in haiku?

There are some moments;
when simple speak says much more.
One pine and one breeze.

Moving on, tell us about your new collection.

Beyond The Mountains;
many books in one volume.
In the end: one page.

And where do you see your writing going from here?

There is much to tell;
different names; other books.
They will come to you.

Okay, thank you for this exclusive interview. Do you have any advice for aspiring writers, poets or artists?

Be driven by Life;
be willing to lose it all.
Then you can be free.

Our thanks to John Richard Hewitt whose new collection, ‘Beyond The Mountains’ is now available on Amazon.

Travel

Yes, from the streets of Exeter and living in my car to the jungles of Costa Rica and then, after the film set, onto Sunset Boulevard. I made it, for that snippet of time. Extraordinary how one is driven by burning desire and the world obliges; and also the Spirits that keep an eye on you.

Then back to London and suddenly I’m in a suit selling pensions? That won’t do; that won’t do at all. Well I gave it a shot and those three weeks were enjoyable on the tube and dining at Café Rouge - a restaurant that featured when I lived in Birmingham.

Anyway, as I sat on Hampstead Heath overlooking my beloved London I asked for guidance. Next stop Wisconsin, spiritual awakenings and Mable - she was a good dog.

Then, between Memphis and Wyoming and Arizona came wonderful Lincoln, Nebraska and 'O Street'. Bagels and Joe - simple pleasures. That small apartment for me and my dog was great for my esoteric work; that’s another tale. Nepal was another wonderful snapshot on this journey of manifestation as was Paris. Of course, this is just the tip of a continually expanding iceberg.

Come and see us at downtown Watford - Atria Mall, WD17 2UB. Just look for the hands.

Or catch up with me in the Graveyard - seriously. Follow the sound of crows and the fox tracks. WD18 0EJ.

ANIMAL RESCUE

Yes, that’s me rescuing a seagull. Of course there were also snakes, cows, badgers, deer and even a bit of iguana and spider handling as well as hundreds of birds and a few bats. Along with the epaulettes came the many certificates; from horse handling to reptile handling - and others.

It was my dream job at the time; and yet I was always told it was too hard to get into so don’t bother. I was also told I couldn’t play the guitar ; open air concerts and recordings thus once again proved that no one can dictate your life.

Burning desire with ethereal help will get you to where you want to be.

One of my favourite rescues was a swan who had swallowed a fishing hook. Long story short I captured him and took him to the vet who created a makeshift gas mask for the anaesthetic and then carefully removed the hook from deep in the neck and stitched him up again. He slept soundly in my van while I did the rest of my duties for the day.

Then, at sunset, I returned him to the river and his mate came over. They met in the middle and touched beaks and formed that perfect heart shape as the peach sky enveloped their love.

I went home to a shisha, a glass of Jack and Scrubs - it had been a long day.

Although nowadays, it's a pipe or an occasional cohiba.

Pipe Smoking

Pipe smoking came into my life, along with cigars, rather unexpectedly. Along with the supreme relaxation it gave me, there was the camaraderie. My ‘pipe buddies’ and I would meet and smoke and talk of art and poetry; some of them spoke of the war - doesn't matter which one. Army John is no longer with us in body. He was always immaculately dressed and loved to spend money on good cigars and a good hat.

I felt honoured that a man such as he called me friend. Then there was/is dear Mišo. A poet and filmmaker who loved his granddaughter Bella more than anything. Somewhere I still have a portrait of him that I painted many years ago.

I have a YouTube channel which has enabled me to meet new 'pipe budies' and the pipe community is a friendly bunch that smoke and occasionally ramble but all with a community spirit.

I do miss John and Miso though; I can still smell the cigar smoke.

LANGUAGES

My fascination for language began very early on. Those innocent days of teaching soft toys classical greek declensions and wandering around isolated parks conjugation verbs.

I would listen to a shortwave radio as a child and pick up all the wondrous and magickal sounds that came from this ethereal machine. I would dream of learning these languages and visiting those places.

Dream + burning desire + focused intent + help from the Spirits = result; and I travelled and studied and marvelled how a young child's fantasy materialises in the clay of this world as adult reality.

Reading poetry in the original is a wonderful experience. You feel that are have truly entered the poet’s world and learning a different script does wonderful things to your mind.

The Occult

From jungles to deserts and witchcraft on windswept moors, part of this journey has been one of ritual and mysticism. The craft has allowed me to make the journey that much easier though I never openly talk of my practices. Let us just say that magick has been such a significant part of my life from a very early age.

I was introduced to the Left Hand Path during childhood. It was a path that never left me, even after journeying through the realms of Catholicism, Buddhism, Islam and more.

My worldly travels exposed me to many teachers and to many teachings. Now, after throwing the books away, I express my own authentic experience.

While it is true that I used to read the Tarot for a living, that service - for now - has been put on hold. As one journeys through the magickal realms one learns much and lets go of many things; including techniques and props and identity.

My minimalist ritual practice that has resulted from the distillation within the alembic of my life, is a far more concentrated and potent form of magick.

This has been written down in a book under a pseudonym; if you are meant to read this book then it will find you.

Editorial

We often feel we need to define ourselves in a very specific way. It may be our profession that defines us or our faith or our heritage. Yet we can move beyond a rigid definition of who we are while still maintaining those aspects of ourselves that we cherish. There is perhaps a fear that if we go beyond definitions we will lose ourselves, or lose who we think we are.

As we move beyond our own self-imposed limits we will actually unveil more of ourselves whilst still carrying those parts with us that make us who we are. And yet we are far more than just the sum of our parts. And here is the question: ‘did we create ourselves’?

We can say our parents created us, but then who created them? And so on and so on. This is not about religion, because religion then becomes another identity. This is about a moment of reflection as we look to the Source of who we are. We often don’t reflect that much these days, as our phones reflect back to us as we eternally scroll looking for the next idea. And yet within ourselves is all the ideas we could ever need for that is how we connect to the constantly creating source of All Things.

Perhaps we need to schedule reflective time, like we schedule meetings and dinners and parties etc.

If we can stop for a moment and truly reflect without the technology that we are so used to, then perhaps we can access that well of Magick that can truly transform our lives.

The Magick is there for us to use. We did not create this force any more than we created ourselves but we can access it and direct its flow to create wonderful worlds for ourselves. This is beyond faux positivity and affirmations, this is about moulding the clay of Magick to enchant the world to deliver us the life that we wish.

There are many approaches to sorcery, magick and manifestation and not every approach will suit everyone. However it is an exploration that is worth the effort as it takes one from the humblest of beginnings to a life only dreamt of.

It takes work though; work and effort and focus and one must be willing to drop old habits and lifestyle to live in the new world that is offered through your enchantment. It is not a quick fix, it is a deep and rich journey to the farthest corners of our psyches as we explore universes long forgotten and worlds that we were told one should not visit.

Thar be dragons!

Dragons indeed: noble Spirits that can guide and help if you are willing to learn their lessons.

JRH 22nd October 2024