I am looking at rituals within the catholic church, and was thinking about Incense burning, the purification and sancification. The smoke symbolizes the prayers drifting up to heaven: The Psalmist prays “let my prayer come like Incense before you”.
Insence adds a sense of soleminity and mystery to the mass. The visual Imagery of the smoke and smell remind us of the transcedence of the mass which links heaven with earth.
In the photographs I have Improvised by using a Tin can and Incense, trying to create a ghostly spritual Image.
Pope Joan would have performed this rictual.
In 1140AD ‘The Law Book of Gratain’ forbade all women from distributing communion and touching sacred objects. It was deemed unclean, also the birth of a child comes as a double curse as it was believed that the menstural blood which comes with the birth was considered to such an extent of unclean that, as Solinus states “fruits dry and grass withers to touch.”
Another quote “For she carries the curse of Adam and also (punishment) you will give birth in pain” .
Pope Joan would have taken part in all these rituals, her ledgend says she gave birth in public to a boy in great pain! ouch
Psalm 6-8 music score by Cameron Dodds
