Stuart Bruce – a photo chronology

Twenty years old and two years into my residence in or about the Church. I was beginning my biblical studies with some 'New Age' metaphysics thrown in and all the solutions I would ever need seemed to be only a few questions away.

The first of many legal bits and pieces I've gained. I was twenty three years old and appointed a celebrant of marriage in a small country church. To quote the Thurmians: "O those poor people".

This was the I.D. given by my church to me at all of twenty four years of age, and in my final year as a country pastor. I suppose I could say that I had a purpose but as my experience increased, so did my sense of uncertainty. To this day I have yet to find a doctrine so sure that I could feel licensed to negate another person's individuality. That uniqueness that is truly 'You' is a face that God wears in this world.

Twenty Five and seeking an different context. This was taken at the initial gathering of 'pagans' at Mount Franklin in Victoria. Oddly it has continued all these years on or about the last weekend in October, whereas I, a co-founder have never been back.

This beautiful altar was erected outside Guildford in Victoria for people to practice 'earth mysteries'. I suppose these festivals could be viewed as witchcraft or evil (if your mind was bent that way) and the altar was eventually destroyed by self-righteous locals who identified themselves as Churchian. As an aside the altar was not repaired but rather replaced with a solid stone block of sufficient mass to defy even the indignation of the mob.

The early 90's saw me exploring strange systems, stuff from the Welsh, Cornish and even French Creole. In many ways it was a circling about a core mystery whilst in each direction I faced I thought I'd found something new.

I'd spent a little more than a decade working in a maximum security prison. Curiously others from my original church group had as well, also in the 1990's. Perhaps an old pattern was working it's way out. Whatever the cause the 1990's ended with me starting anew - a new partner, state and environment.

Oops! Where did all those years go? Some were spent in dark places, others training in obscure orders. At by the time this photo was taken I was 54 years old and reawakening my Christian Mystery roots. That's me in the middle of the back row. Doesn't time fly.