Magic Monday

[ecosophia]

It's coming up on midnight, so here we go with a new Magic Monday. The picture is of Carl von Reichenbach, a brilliant chemist -- he's the guy who figured out how to extract paraffin out of crude petroleum -- who ended up on the wrong side of the scientific establishment by running a long series of controlled, double-blinded experiments to research the life force and the capacity of human beings to perceive it. As usual, the response of the scientific establishment wasn't to try to replicate his work and see if he was right, but to pour on the ridicule and insist that he was wrong because he was wrong because he was wrong, so there. (There's been a long, long sequence of researchers into the same thing who got the same treatment; I may feature a number of them here.)

Ask me anything about occultism and I'll do my best to answer it. Any question received by midnight Monday Eastern time will get an answer, though I'm going to have somewhat limited email access tomorrow and it may be Tuesday or even Wednesday before I get to them all. If you're in a hurry, or suspect you may be the 143,916th person to ask a question, please check out the very rough version 1.0 of The Magic Monday FAQ here.

I've had several people ask about tipping me for answers here, and though I certainly don't require that I won't turn it down. You can use the button below to access my online tip jar. 

With that said, have at it! 

***This Magic Monday is now closed -- and yes,this means you. See you next week!***

Comments

Gods in myths

[(Anonymous)]

Might you (and readers who have experience with this) have a suggestion about how to read and understand/use myths as a first step toward having a relationship with gods when the myths emphasize very petty behaviors and less than appealing humanlike characteristics? I'm finding it hard to figure out where and who to approach - the Greek gods always appealed to me when I was young in spite of the sense of bemusement i felt then too that prevented me from taking the stories or beings seriously. But I figured I should start with the stories that drew me first.

Turns out I'm not so inspired to approach jealous, lustful, quick to anger, murderous, conniving, arrogant, self involved "personages" so I figure either I've not passed the flake filter, I've not made some sort of necessary conceptual leap, I'm looking at the wrong pantheon, or I need to find better sources for myths. Or something else altogether?

Any suggestions much appreciated!

Re: Gods in myths

[ecosophia]

People have been fretting about that since the Greeks hit their Age of Reason. There are various ways to make sense of it, the most traditional being to recognize the myths as symbolic in nature, not literally true. Still, if the myths really turn you off, you might want to consider a different pantheon.

Re: Gods in myths

[(Anonymous)]

OK, thanks. Looks like I'll need to keep reading just to make sure (that I've given it a fair shake and made room for symbolism), and then read other myths if needed.

Myth Taken

[(Anonymous)]

What is your purpose or purposes in establishing a relationship with powerful beings? Do you have a favor to ask of Zeus/Jupiter? Perhaps a blessing on the expansion of your small business endeavours? Then why not approach him as you would a powerful, rich, businessman who can give you advice, connections, or a capital investment? If you butter him up, admire his tactics, and strenuously fail to mention your profound disapproval of his propensity for adultery you might profit from the relationship.

If, however, you want a safe and successful pregnancy and you appeal to Hera for her aid, it might be best not to have too cozy a connection with the Archetype of the philandering husband. Respect and delicate sympathy might go a long ways with her; she does not often figure in the myths as anything but spiteful and vindictive, but that is the fate of many a stay-at-home mom who nevertheless has much to offer when she is appropriately asked.

Power is power is power; but in polytheism, power is not universal. Power is decentralized and distributed. That which resides in the province of one Divinity is probably absent from the others. Why would negotiating with the gods and goddesses be different from relating to powerful or helpful humans?

Seeking Wisdom from Athena/Minerva? Might need to cut back on beer and wine and other stimulants dedicated to Dionysus. Also a show of respect for her Big Daddy might not hurt.

Do you wish to praise Aphrodite for showering you with so much proof of her power in this world, and worship her for her influence over the minds and hearts of many? Or beg her to release you from an addiction to pornography by increasing your chances for real instead of virtual sexual pleasures? Well, that might be tricky if you have also appealed to Artemis for success in the Hunt or fleetness of foot in sports. She might tell you to make up your mind about which body part you want to promote to first place.

If you should choose Kwan Yin or Our Lady for her compassionate enfoldment of human error in her mild, motherly arms, then you too will have your work cut out for you in this world.

If you desire to relate to One God who embodies all Divine Qualities, then you might have to develop more mercy, forgiveness, patience with folly, and a disturbingly cool, cosmic sense of humor to get along well.

If you choose the One Goddess to counterbalance the Greek pantheon’s clear bias toward patriarchy, then you may have to act as her agent in the world, speak up for her values more often than you like, risking ridicule from your friends and sore alienation from your family in service to her. Divine Service is not without costs and consequences.

If you are not inclined to worship, praise, seek favors, nor desirous to emulate excellent Qualties, then why concern yourself at all? If you are simply curious about the world inhabited by the Divine Beings then perhaps you could try to relate to Hermes in a detached intellectual way, keeping in mind that he has trickery up his chlamys, likes playing practical jokes and is a lot smarter than you are.

Egyptian, Asian, Native American and many other cultures have their own pantheons as well. Perhaps a deep meditation, daydream-style imaginative visioning technique (scrying, guided meditation) or session of self-examination will reveal your soul purpose for seeking and more clearly point you towards the Being(s) best for you to court a closer connection. But take care to approach with the same alert caution you would use when walking around in a coal-fired electrical power plant while carrying a steel toasting fork in one hand.

Re: Myth Taken

[(Anonymous)]

Can you tell something about Apollo?

Re: Myth Taken

[(Anonymous)]

Wow, that's enlightening and well put. I hadn't conceived of such a relationship in such direct negotiatory terms. (I know, duh) and was more amorphous and fuzzy: "a little helpful nudge toward a more purpose-full life and a stronger sense of how and what I can give in this life would be nice, since I haven't figured it out on my own." Putting feelers out, so to speak ("am I one of yours?")...

Re: Myth Taken

[deborah_bender]

Very well said, Anonymous.

In my mid-twenties, I chose the One Goddess, and for the next twenty-five years or so, my calling and my life were exactly as you describe.

My upbringing gave me a strong inclination toward monotheism, rather in the way that people who were brought up Christian import the world view and values of Christianity into their initial explorations of other religions.

My Goddess monotheism has gradually relaxed as I get more familiar with other ways of conceiving of and interacting with various beings. I'm sticking to the commitments I have made, of course, but believe I have some leeway in how I carry them out.

Re: Gods in myths

[(Anonymous)]

Many contemporary polytheists write about their engagement with their pantheon's myths. Here's an example, interpreting the myth of Marsyas in the light of dedication to art: https://krasskova.wordpress.com/2017/03/26/apollo-and-marsyas-the-nature-of-art/

You definitely will want to read Sallustius, an ancient author who explains the several levels on which myths can be understood. Find out the meanings and etymologies behind the divine names; untranslated words hide many clues that would have been obvious to the ancients.

I'd advise learning discursive meditation from our good host's books and working through each myth bit by bit once you understand the technique. For example, I started out thinking about the domains and rulerships of each deity, then how they related to one another within a whole system (what are the relationships that join Love, Craft, and War? What links the horse to the sea, and wisdom with the olive tree? Why is the god of the underworld the god of wealth? and so on and so forth).

As soon as you can bring yourself to do so, build a shrine and start to pray and make offerings. There really is no substitute for living religion, and the only way to know the gods is to come into relationship with them. I'd say that the practice of prayer and offering is primary and myth auxilary, rather than the other way around.

It may be helpful to remember that the myths we know are only certain versions of a few myths; there's no telling how many other myths and how many other versions were lost. Most of the myths we still have were interpreted by poets and playwrights for their own purposes and audiences--it might be comparable to learning Christianity from a combination of "Good Omens," "The Life of Brian," and a couple trade reprints of the "Lucifer" comic book. They are also those which were allowed to survive by later monotheistic copyists, who very likely had other priorities than maintaining the dignity and divinity of the gods they were trying to replace. In other words, the lore as we possess it today is not Holy Writ, but keys to the Mysteries of the gods--Sister Crow

Re: Gods in myths

[violetcabra]

Hear hear! Thank you Sister Crow for giving such a great response!

I think that people really miss the mark trying to compress the Gods into something that can be understood by a human brain. the Gods are incomprehensible in their fullness, and so saying "this is the God of that," to my mind always rings false. All the Gods are immeasurably wiser, better and mightier than a human. They have personalities, and myths can help illustrate that personality in ways that can be understood, but then again, if one looks at any of the major Gods of Ancient Greece, the list of titles is so immense that we see the immense capacity of a God. And I couldn't agree more that living religion -- which is to say a living *relationship -- is much more important than myth.

to my mind, myth is a good way of signal testing; if I'm praying to a specific God and hearing specific words and tone in my heart, it's god to understand the myth so that I can better make sure there I'm correctly understanding Who exactly is on the other end. To my sensibility, I'd much rather know someone who's amazing than know things about someone who is amazing.

Re: Gods in myths

[(Anonymous)]

I find much the same with the Norse pantheon. I have an attraction to them, maybe because they are a part of my (long-ago) family's culture, but my sense of the Norse religion is that of an all-encompassing feeling of foreboding and doom and that has really put me off. There's none of the lightness that shows up here and there in other mythologies.

Re: Gods in myths

[lunarapprentice]

Hi Anonymus,

I’ve come to regard the Greek myths as the Kubuki theater of the Gods. They are not egotistical, petty, spiteful, controlling, blood-thirsty, or what-have you. Rather, they are playing roles through which they might instruct and help us. They really are beneficent, and really do care about us. The traits they embody reflect human traits, and are presented to us as a mirror. And I can recall myself in a devotional moment when I confessed to Hera, "...and I don't a believe a word Homer said about you...".

For example, in the Orphic Hymns, Mars [Ares] is clearly referred to in his multiple aspects. The opening line describing as "Magnanimous, unconquerable, boisterous Mars", which I take as his core nature, but the hymn goes on to describe a blood-lusting monster, then abruptly switches with an appeal for him to yield to Venus and Bacchus, and the hymn concludes almost with a benediction of peace. I interpret these verses as mirroring the dark side of the male psyche, and point in the direction one must proceed to transcend it.

Speaking of Homer, I would add a caveat: He seemed to have his own agenda, and so didn’t shy from depicting the Gods and Goddesses in a particularly unflattering light (A digression: FWIW, I suspect Homer was a would-be Western Confucius, but he had to be overly subtle and indirect to avoid getting his own throat cut, and the barbaric elites who listened rapturously to him didn’t pick up his intended message…).

Anyway, my 2 cents. I hope it helps.

Re: Gods in myths

[violetcabra]

This is brilliant, Lunarapprentice -- thank you!