Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The Broom Closet: In or Out?
So, in or out?
I actually had almost talked myself out of writing anything on this subject. "It's been done to death," I told myself. "It's been hashed out endlessly, over and over again," I told myself. "What would be the point of one more article on the subject?" I asked myself.
And then I reminded myself that I'm a guy with a few things to say, and enough chutzpah to think other people actually care.
In a slightly more serious vein, I also read "Yes, Wiccan" on Witchvox, which reminded me that this is hardly a topic that has a final consensus or an easy answer.
In or out? It's not as easy as we'd like it to be, and it's not as simple as we'd like it to be. We've all heard of the Witch's Pyramid ("to know, to will, to dare, to keep silent", a statement I've seen in sources as far back as the works of Eliaphus Levi), and the Gardnerian Book of Shadows enjoins secrecy in the "Ardains". Secrecry is engrained into the world of the pagan and the occult[1] practitioner.
Hell, we sometimes even make a virtue of secrecy. Peter Paddon - host of the late and lamented podcast The Crooked Path - pointed out that witches are creatures of the shadows, something that I believe is true of any occultist. We're boundary creatures, living on the (literal or metaphorical) edge of the community. Some of the work we do just doesn't work very well with a light shining directly on it.
(Yeah, really. Don't believe me? Do the Symbolic Great Rite at your next Pagan Pride Day then, or work the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram in your cubicle. I'll be interested to hear the results.)
On the other hand, we're all human. Humans are community creatures - we're primates, and most primates live in bands. Being on the edge of the community is uncomfortably like being ostracised, except for when it actually is being ostracised. We're cut off, and we don't like it. And so - and this is especially true for those of us who are more interested in the mystical and religious aspect of paganism than in the occult aspect of paganism - we fight back. We demand to be recognized, resent being marginalized, and resent ourselves when we allow ourselves to be marginalized.
We want rights. We want dignity. We want to be able to practice our religion with the same freedom that anyone else in our country has. We want to be able to wear hubcap-sized pagan bling without being laughed at[2]. But we don't want to be trivialized. We don't want to have to have daily discussions about the health and future destination of our souls, and we don't want to risk our jobs and our families.
So, where does that leave us?
The same place it always does. In the awkward position of having to make our own decisions, for our own reasons, and then having to live with the consequences. And in the position of needing to respect the decisions of others, and of allowing them to live with the consequences. You plays your cards and you takes your chances, as the saying goes.
And me? Well, I'm sitting comfortably in the closet with the door wide open.
[1]Occult. from the latin occultus (ptp. of occulere to hide from view, cover up). See dictionary.com for details.
[2]This really ain't gonna happen. Any flavor of hubcap-sized bling is a laughing matter, and I for one feel no guilt about joining in the mockery.
I actually had almost talked myself out of writing anything on this subject. "It's been done to death," I told myself. "It's been hashed out endlessly, over and over again," I told myself. "What would be the point of one more article on the subject?" I asked myself.
And then I reminded myself that I'm a guy with a few things to say, and enough chutzpah to think other people actually care.
In a slightly more serious vein, I also read "Yes, Wiccan" on Witchvox, which reminded me that this is hardly a topic that has a final consensus or an easy answer.
In or out? It's not as easy as we'd like it to be, and it's not as simple as we'd like it to be. We've all heard of the Witch's Pyramid ("to know, to will, to dare, to keep silent", a statement I've seen in sources as far back as the works of Eliaphus Levi), and the Gardnerian Book of Shadows enjoins secrecy in the "Ardains". Secrecry is engrained into the world of the pagan and the occult[1] practitioner.
Hell, we sometimes even make a virtue of secrecy. Peter Paddon - host of the late and lamented podcast The Crooked Path - pointed out that witches are creatures of the shadows, something that I believe is true of any occultist. We're boundary creatures, living on the (literal or metaphorical) edge of the community. Some of the work we do just doesn't work very well with a light shining directly on it.
(Yeah, really. Don't believe me? Do the Symbolic Great Rite at your next Pagan Pride Day then, or work the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram in your cubicle. I'll be interested to hear the results.)
On the other hand, we're all human. Humans are community creatures - we're primates, and most primates live in bands. Being on the edge of the community is uncomfortably like being ostracised, except for when it actually is being ostracised. We're cut off, and we don't like it. And so - and this is especially true for those of us who are more interested in the mystical and religious aspect of paganism than in the occult aspect of paganism - we fight back. We demand to be recognized, resent being marginalized, and resent ourselves when we allow ourselves to be marginalized.
We want rights. We want dignity. We want to be able to practice our religion with the same freedom that anyone else in our country has. We want to be able to wear hubcap-sized pagan bling without being laughed at[2]. But we don't want to be trivialized. We don't want to have to have daily discussions about the health and future destination of our souls, and we don't want to risk our jobs and our families.
So, where does that leave us?
The same place it always does. In the awkward position of having to make our own decisions, for our own reasons, and then having to live with the consequences. And in the position of needing to respect the decisions of others, and of allowing them to live with the consequences. You plays your cards and you takes your chances, as the saying goes.
And me? Well, I'm sitting comfortably in the closet with the door wide open.
[1]Occult. from the latin occultus (ptp. of occulere to hide from view, cover up). See dictionary.com for details.
[2]This really ain't gonna happen. Any flavor of hubcap-sized bling is a laughing matter, and I for one feel no guilt about joining in the mockery.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tools: Extensions of the Body
I originally heard about this on Scientific American's 60-Second Science podcast: Tool-use induces morphological updating of the body schema.
You have to register to read the full article, but the abstract is as follows:
Not being a biologist (or having read much more than the abstract at this point), I'm a little reluctant to push this too far. But it's interesting.
You have to register to read the full article, but the abstract is as follows:
To control bodily movements the human brain relies on a somatosensory representation referred to as the body schema. The almost century-old hypothesis that tool-use induces plastic changes resulting in the tool being incorporated in the body schema is nowadays widely accepted. Whether this somatosensory representation is truly modified remains unknown, however, as tool-use has never been shown to affect arm motor behaviour. Here we report that using a mechanical grabber that physically extends the arm does alter the kinematics of subsequent free-hand grasping movements. Remarkably, tool-use after-effects generalise to pointing movements, despite the absence of specific tool-training. Furthermore, this effect is driven by an increase of the represented length of the arm: after tool-use, subjects localised touches delivered on the elbow and middle fingertip of their arm as if they were farther apart. These findings indicate that tool-use alters the body schema, and also show that what is modified is the somatosensory representation of intrinsic properties of the body morphology.Essentially, your brain appears to assimilate tools that you are using into your body schema, treating them as extensions of your limbs. Even after the tool is put down, it takes a few minutes for it to leave the body schema.
Not being a biologist (or having read much more than the abstract at this point), I'm a little reluctant to push this too far. But it's interesting.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The Name is the Thing. The Symbol is the Thing Symbolized.
Let's try a little experiment. What is the first thing you think of when you see this?
Or this?
How about this?
And this?
And, finally, this?
Now, ask yourself this: why did you have those reactions? They're just pictures, after all. What made you react the way you did?
Relax, there's no right or wrong answer here. I can probably guess how you reacted to a few of them, but it really doesn't matter. What is important is that you reacted. Webster's Unabridged Dictionary tells us that a symbol is
They can also be manipulated to bring about results. Priests and politicians, the successful ones at least, understand this. Advertisers are masters of this. The proper symbols, properly applied, can change the course of rivers, move mountains, take men to the stars, or leave nations in ruins.
As practitioners of the magical arts[1], we need to be able to work with them as well. In order to do this successfully, there are a few steps to take.
First, be aware of the symbols in your world and what they do to you. No matter where you live or what you do, you come into frequent contact with symbols throught out your day. Start paying attention to them. Ask yourself what effect they have on you. What thoughts and feelings do they provoke? What actions do they encourage you to take? How do they provoke those feelings? Why do you respond that way?
Second, and this can (and probably will) run concurrently with the first, what do those symbols do to others? Do some people watching. If you're comfortable with doing so, ask questions. Do they react the same way you do?
Third, and this will be extremely difficult, do your best to consciously control your response to symbols. Make yourself acknowledge that your thought or action is driven by a reaction to a symbol, and then determine if you still want to take that action. You may still chose to do so - there's probably nothing wrong with that - but do it consciously. You want to be able to manipulate the symbol, not be manipulated by it.
Fourth, make and/or hijack symbols for your own purposes. At this point in the "exercise", you should have a pretty good handle on what symbols are and how they work. So roll your own. Design a sigil as a focus point for your next spell, and incorporate elements from existing symbols that create the thoughts and emotions you need. Don't be shy about using (or at least incorporating) existing symbols that meet your needs.
[1]There really needs to be a less cumbersome inclusive phrase to use here. "Practitioners of the magical arts" is bulky, but we're not all witches. Or wizards. Or shamans. Or magi. Or energy workers. Or anything else. I'm open to suggestions, if anyone has any.
Or this?
How about this?
And this?
And, finally, this?
Now, ask yourself this: why did you have those reactions? They're just pictures, after all. What made you react the way you did?
Relax, there's no right or wrong answer here. I can probably guess how you reacted to a few of them, but it really doesn't matter. What is important is that you reacted. Webster's Unabridged Dictionary tells us that a symbol is
A visible sign or representation of an idea; anything which suggests an idea or quality, or another thing, as by resemblance or by convention; an emblem; a representation; a type; a figure; as, the lion is the symbol of courage; the lamb is the symbol of meekness or patience.All symbols have power. They are designed to associate a most likely abstract (and often quite complex) concept with an image of some sort. They make ideas into things, things that can be grasped easily and associated with powerful emotions. Things - when charged with emotion - take on a life of their own, becoming something greater than the simple cloth or ink or stone that transmit them.
They can also be manipulated to bring about results. Priests and politicians, the successful ones at least, understand this. Advertisers are masters of this. The proper symbols, properly applied, can change the course of rivers, move mountains, take men to the stars, or leave nations in ruins.
As practitioners of the magical arts[1], we need to be able to work with them as well. In order to do this successfully, there are a few steps to take.
First, be aware of the symbols in your world and what they do to you. No matter where you live or what you do, you come into frequent contact with symbols throught out your day. Start paying attention to them. Ask yourself what effect they have on you. What thoughts and feelings do they provoke? What actions do they encourage you to take? How do they provoke those feelings? Why do you respond that way?
Second, and this can (and probably will) run concurrently with the first, what do those symbols do to others? Do some people watching. If you're comfortable with doing so, ask questions. Do they react the same way you do?
Third, and this will be extremely difficult, do your best to consciously control your response to symbols. Make yourself acknowledge that your thought or action is driven by a reaction to a symbol, and then determine if you still want to take that action. You may still chose to do so - there's probably nothing wrong with that - but do it consciously. You want to be able to manipulate the symbol, not be manipulated by it.
Fourth, make and/or hijack symbols for your own purposes. At this point in the "exercise", you should have a pretty good handle on what symbols are and how they work. So roll your own. Design a sigil as a focus point for your next spell, and incorporate elements from existing symbols that create the thoughts and emotions you need. Don't be shy about using (or at least incorporating) existing symbols that meet your needs.
[1]There really needs to be a less cumbersome inclusive phrase to use here. "Practitioners of the magical arts" is bulky, but we're not all witches. Or wizards. Or shamans. Or magi. Or energy workers. Or anything else. I'm open to suggestions, if anyone has any.
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