'Kirk Stevens- Organic Folk Legend, Incendiary Soul'. Feature: Stephanie Lynne Thorburn.

'Kirk Stevens- Organic Folk Legend, Incendiary Soul'.

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Feature:

Stephanie Lynne Thorburn.

Kirk Stevens in spirit- Folk hero, Pagan deity of fire!

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For Cliff Thorburn, 70 and Kirk Stevens, 60 in 2018.

- Prose and images crafted with love from: Stephanie Lynne Thorburn. x

Cliff Thorburn & Stephanie Lynne @ Snooker Legends, Herts.

Images & prose: Copyright 2018.

Group photo of Snooker Legends, base of text:  -

from http://www.snookerlegends.co.uk (Jason Francis). x

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I must write a joyous post to wish a fabulous happy birthday to snooker legend Kirk Stevens, aged 60 on Friday 17th August... 

As an energy healer, I perceive Kirk as surrounded by a huge degree of positive light- radiant and glowing.  An entirely organic snooker player, his flamboyant persona is immediately recognisable amidst an elite group of seminal founding fathers of the modern game.   Kirk most certainly reached a significant land mark with his maximum break at the Benson & Hedges Masters in 1984- pure artistry.  Since this time, he has retired from the game, returning in full glory to a delighted audience for the Snooker Legends 2011 season.  We should not under rate his performance over time as a committed professional player; he has after all achieved the title of Canadian Open Master on several occasions during his lifetime.

He is a honed professional.

Kirk's new flamboyant suit?  No, this is the aura emanating from an incendiary soul! x

(Image:  S. Thorburn).

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My instinct in conceiving of Kirk as a ray of sunlight within his own life and the lives of his dedicated fans is inevitably tarnished by the tirade of  skeptical media he has received over time.  Kirk's apparent problems with substance abuse surfaced during the early epoch of his career.  In many respects, it is almost inevitable that he would be well acquainted with the abyss of drugs & alcohol.  In Kirk's time, to qualify as a professional player required patience and the act of overcoming the requisite hustling culture he emerged triumphant from.  An inveterate survivor Kirk Stevens most certainly is.  However: assume nothing you read in print as the totality of a person's reality.

Opening the doors of perception...

In my forthcoming book on the Pagan legend of Thor- both Cliff Thorburn & Kirk Stevens play a definite role. 

During my adolescence, Cliff Thorburn was a neighbour, living but a few roads away from my own home.  He played golf at my local club and even frequented the same local cinema with his much loved children.  Yet he existed evidently in a world all of his own crafting! 

Currently, the Viking lifestyle is once again very much in vogue- a fact evidently preempted by Cliff Thorburn. As the pages of my book explain, Cliff's reverent respect for the Vikings is immense.  I am not alone as a Thorburn in my preoccupation with the legend of the Norse God of thunder...

  Cliff lived in a road comprising a Renaissance modern day Viking village, residing as a latter day feudal lord!  Whilst spending his days in the United Kingdom during the heyday of his career, his sole residence was not simply The Maples in Arkley.  Cliff and his dear friend Kirk possessed an organic escape from reality, living evidently happy & healthy lives.  Glory days were spent playing golf within a leafy haven that I too consider home. 

Let the magic commence! 

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Cliff Thorburn & Stephanie Lynne.  A Portrait.  May 2011.

Blood Brothers-

Cliff Thorburn- Thor. God of Thunder.

Kirk Stevens- Loki- God of Fire.

(Loki:  A Jungian archetypal entertainer; the 'trickster'.)

This year Cliff Thorburn enjoyed his 70th birthday.  Congratulations to Cliff & Kirk on your natal birthdays in 2018.  It is surprising that in all this time, not a soul has noticed the unerring correlation between Cliff and his spiritual twin self, Thor.

Thor, Norse God of Thunder is a Pagan God revered by all. Tall in stature, Thor is depicted with a red beard, riding in a chariot of fire.  Thor is arch defender of Asgard, keeping the dark forces forces of the underworld at bay with his hammer- he is loyal, brave, instilling order into the natural world. 

Thor- God of thunder, Earth's 'force majeure'...

Thor- Norse Pagan God of Thunder.

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- Thor's best friend?  Loki, the archetypal 'trickster'!

Cliff Thorburn, tall by nature, supports a fiery moustache.  Cliff is revered by all his colleagues; the tenacious 'grinder' is a strategic defender on the green baize.  A world champion in 1980, he certainly knows how to pot those black balls to secure the light of victory.  Cliff Thorburn's arch rival; 'the hurricane' Alex Higgins and the 'Whirlwind' White.    Thor's best friend?  Kirk Stevens- the consummate entertainer, he is definitely a veteran of the trick shot.

Loki is also God of fire.  This is highly illuminating, because clearly Kirk Stevens has walked through fire during his lifetime.  Nonetheless, he has lived to tell the tale....

Loki- God of fire. 

Archetypal entertainer; a trickster of high IQ.

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Crucially, it should be noted that Pagan Gods are depicted as mutable, human, mortal, imperfect, yet adorable.  Many Norse archetypes are highly epicurean in character- indulging in ale and hard living!  All Pagan deities pay the ultimate price, with each God ultimately facing their day of judgement- 'Ragnarok'. 

-My favourite Pagan God is well acquainted with Thor & Loki- Freya; she is God of sex, love, war and magic.  Say no more; clearly these folk heroes were ahead of their time, possessing a status much like modern day celebrities. 

It is not hard to guess that Pagan Gods have the ability to 'shape shift' in spiritual form.  Watching Cliff Thorburn & Kirk Stevens navigate between holes at our Southern Herts. Golf Club is quite an experience.  The Golf club is rather at the centre of the universe for the locals of the upmarket Viking Village.  Viking society was in fact split into three tiers- sovereign rules, warriors and farmers or laity. 

Image:  Viking residence in Cliff's former road,

 The 'Northcliffe'  was situated in a crescent of authentic Viking homes.

Hence, all the above are in evidence by Cliff's own 'Northcliffe'- Sean Bean, the late Bernie Winters and Cliff Thorburn are former residents of the Viking suburban farmlands.  Clearly Cliff & Kirk's secret karmic weapon during their heyday years in the late1980's was their affinity with mother nature. In fact, there always seems to be the presence of thunder whenever I broach near to Cliff's old home.  He and Kirk Stevens were almost entirely illusive. It might be noted that I received a parsimonious refusal when I attempted to join the family golf club as a teenager! 

- Writing to 'uncle Cliff' however was a well reciprocated exercise between the Thorburns. I was keen to trace our family tree.  Rarely did a day go by during my youth when I did not indulge in practicing snooker for many hours, at the exclusion of all other activities.

  It is fascinating Bill Wyman, a mutual friend of both Cliff & myself observed astutely that Cliff Thorburn appeared to reside, "in the same neck of the woods" as me.  Well, like Thor & Loki, Cliff & Kirk are incredibly adept travelers, expending their 'nine lives' navigating between the nine dimensions of Earth.  Cliff has lived back at home in Canada for many years.  In 2012, I finally had the opportunity of connecting with him at a launch meal for the Snooker Legends... We discussed much regarding our shared family genealogy- and our Viking Celtic ancestors.

*To learn more about the many lives of Cliff, Thor and Kirk, please look out for my forthcoming book on Thor's 'baptism of fire'.  The work is a dedicated homage to the legend of Thor, with an illustrated chapter devoted to Cliff's affinity with the modern day Viking lifestyle at the base of my work. 

See: Stephanie Lynne Thorburn: Kindle Titles.

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The Viking Spirit.

The very existence of the Thorburn family's existence in the present era is evidence of the remarkable endurance of the Viking spirit.  Paganism certainly did not die at the advent of  Christianity.  Thor's iconic hammer Mjolnir is eternally blessed with the awesome presence of divine spirit... 

Likewise Cliff Thorburn & Kirk Stevens' cues are the product of beautiful crafting.  Their signature snooker cues are evidently blessed with a touch of magic and a little of Thor's midas touch...  Success with money- on occasion, but primarily our snooker legends take pride in casting happiness into the hearts & minds of the public imagination. x

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Image collection:

Endnote: I have signed snooker ephemera from meeting w/ Kirk.  I've yet to capture Kirk on camera however, although I included two of my many pics w/ Cliff in this feature. Stephanie.

Image:  Suzanne and Bill Wyman with Stephanie Lynne Thorburn.

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Grosvenor House reception:  An incendiary Ashes tribute! 2009.

Thank you Linda Thorburn, photo.

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Bill Wyman is friend of Stephanie Lynne & Cliff Thorburn.

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Bill is a great sports enthusiast.  He loves cricket- on

the first occasion I met Bill at a Bunbury charity cricket match, the World Championship snooker

was in session.  I was entirely preoccupied with the fate of the Whirlwind! x

Stephanie Lynne in dialogue with 'The Whirlwind', Jimmy White,

2011.  x

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References & Resources.

(Weblinks accessed August 2018.)

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Snooker Legends 2011-

Kirk Stevens versus Jimmy White, The Crucible:

http://www.inside-snooker.com/snooker/2014/1/28/kirks-saturday-night-fever

Snooker Legends- Homepage.

All credit to Jason Francis, Founder of  Snooker Legends.

For forthcoming events & news see: -

http://www.snookerlegends.co.uk

Image:  Group photo- (left to right). Jimmy White, Kirk Stevens, John Virgo, Michaela Tabb,

Dennis Taylor, Cliff Thorburn.

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Cliff Thorburn- player's profile, World Snooker.

http://www.worldsnooker.com/players/cliff-thorburn/

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The Pagan Gods:

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Norse Pagan Legend of Thor: Precis by Daniel McCoy,

author of text 'The Viking Spirit'.

See:Thor- God of Thunder.

Norse legend of Loki- God of fire:

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Loki

The British Museum-

Viking World Conquest Map:

This map effectively belies the family genealogy of the Thorburns! 

The Vikings conquered many regions from Scandinavia to Scotland.

This map also charts the Vikings

probable migration to north America & Newfoundland, Canada.

See:Vikings World Conquest Map.

Viking Sagas- The Age of Conversion.

Key themes from this article regarding the Vikings, Paganism & Christianity are discussed in this BBC educational feature: Viking Sagas- Thor's Amulet.

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*Recommended organisation:

Crossroads Centre, Antigua.

Body, mind & spirit healing from dependencies.

See: The Crossroads Clinic.

Eric Clapton's excellent Crossroads Clinic favour a professional, holistic approach to whole person therapy.  I have supported this humanistic organisation via many of my published works.

Thank you to Crossroads for your positive feedback.  x

  Stephanie Lynne Thorburn is a best-selling author, artist & Reiki Master.

*Please watch this space for news on her Kindle publications: -

Stephanie Lynne Thorburn- Kindle Titles.

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Resume on Stephanie Lynne's C.V./ creative works: -

See Goldsmiths University post-graduate alumni: 

Goldlink- Stephanie Lynne Thorburn.

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Namaste. 

Stephanie Lynne's Authors.com,

August 2018. x