Sunday 16 February 2014

Post No. 522 - Speculations



 Occasionally I get a back log of topics and ideas I want to write about: I sometimes jumble a group of those together into what I call a “Speculations Post”. here is one such “Speculations Post”. Enjoy J

Some of these thoughts might be worked up into full length posts at some stage, or included in posts, but here we go for now.

I was listening to Omnia’s song “The Morrigan” recently, and the thought occurred to me “How would one be a follower of The Morrigan in modern times? Violent death rates have declined since the Middle Ages (to around 1 in 100, if I remember correctly, from around 15 in 100 in pre-agriculture days). Omnia introduced the song on a German tour with the flip remark about the Morrigan, in her crow form, following “the American [war] planes”. It got a laugh from the audience, but … more seriously, how would one be a follower of the Morrigan today?

And now, perhaps controversially in light of the previous comment, but deliberately so to hopefully stimulate deeper thought, the despicable man who killed his son at Tyabb (see here) can never, ever claim to love his son in any way, shape or form. This is an act of possession at best, and revenge at worst, and I’ve had personal experience of the way that some men consider becoming violent an acceptable expression of what they claim – in their delusions - to be love. Also, on this topic see here.

I think I’ve mentioned that I’m working on a Tarot deck based on the Valkyrie: in that their roles are more about developing those who are potentially worthy into being fully worthy of being chosen (especially women), rather than just passively choosing from what’s available. It is hard for me to see the Morrigan having a similar adaptation – and do not make the mistake of thinking She is simply a Celtic version of the death card in Tarot, which is about change, because that misses the bloodthirstiness of the Morrigan, which is perhaps a bit akin to the bloodthirstiness of Sekhmet [2], the right Eye of Ra (Heru, known generally by the Greek name Horus, is the left Eye of Ra) who had to be gotten drunk to stop her killing. There is a woman I knew some years ago who was a follower of Sekhmet, and she found that Sekhmet helped her with anger (i.e., she felt more powerful and thus was less inclined to overt displays of anger): could the Morrigan play a similar role for other women? While I’m on that, I recall hearing an interesting radio programme about the lead singer of a group called “Bikini Kill”, Kathleen Hanna, and that woman’s performing career was, in her words, “about female aggression”. I look forward to the day when the full range of female characteristics is acknowledged, rather than the ‘sugar’n’spice’ rubbish. I also recall posting a link about some mediaeval re-enactors who found they had to do blood sacrifices before re-enacting battles to prevent injury … the link is out there somewhere, but that’s more attuned to The Morrigan than the modern Tarot death card.

On all that, I wonder if anyone has ever thought of comparing the state of being of animals who have been caught in a trap, and may apparently gnaw off a limb to escape, with the state of being of people who are trapped in the modern rat race, or just trapped in bloody cities? What is the modern equivalent of “gnawing off a limb”? Cutting? Anger? Desperation? Depression? Violence? Remember that applies to all genders.

Next, I’ve read comments criticising Edward Snowden for not staying in the USA take the fall out for his whistleblowing as others did before Snowden, but the abuses of prisoners wasn’t as bad then as it has been post-‘9/11’. On Snowden, you may care to view this article: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/feb/13/snowden-files-luke-harding-review

As a final whinge, I am currently mourning the fact that the prevalence of games seems to have made using the Internet to look up magickal topics almost impossible. When I have done so in recent times, the first umpteen links always seem to be about the topic in the context of games. Humph. At this rate, we’ll have to go back to books. Oh wait, we’ll have to go back to books :) (as if I’d actually totally left books … )

[1] BPLF = Balanced Positive (spiritual) Light Forces. See here and here for more on this.

[2] Please see here and my post "The Death of Wikipedia" for the reasons I now recommend caution when using Wikipedia. I'm also exploring use of h2g2, although that doesn't appear to be as extensive (h2g2 is intended - rather engagingly - to be the Earth edition of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy")


Love, light, hugs and blessings


Gnwmythr 
(pronounced "new-MYTH-ear"; ... aka Bellatrix Lux? Morinehtar? Would-be drýicgan ... )

My "blogiography" (list of all posts - currently not up to date) is here.  

I started this blog to cover karmic regression-rescue (see here and here), and it grew ...  See here for my group mind project, here and here for my "pagans for peace" project (and join me at 9 PM on Sunday, wherever you are, to meditate for peace), and here for my bindrune kit-bag. I also strongly recommend learning how to flame, ground and shield, do alternate nostril breathing, work with colour - and see also here, and be flexible.

I am a Walker upon the Path of Balanced Positivity, seeking Spiritual Maturity. 
  • One size does NOT fit all. 
  • Don't be mediocre - seek to excel.  
  • Gnwmythr's Stropping Strap: Occam's Razor only works if  the simplest solution is actually recognised as being the simplest, rather than the one that best fits one's bigotries being labelled 'simplest'.
  • May the world of commerce and business be recognised to be a servant, not a master, of the lives of people.
  • Ban the dream interpretation industry! 
  • A home is for living in, not feeling, becoming or being rich or a “better” class than others.
  • Housework is for ensuring a home is comfortable to live in, not competing to outdo or belittle others.
  • Being accustomed to interacting via certain rules makes those rules neither right nor universal. 
  • Like fire to the physical, emotions to the soul make a good servant, and a bad master. 
  • Expertise at intimacy and emotional happiness is generally not the same thing as spiritual growth.
  • "Following the crowd" is not "going with the flow".
  • Armageddon is alive and well and happening right now: it is a battle between the indolence of "I only ..." and/or "I just ..." and/or "Everyone knows ... " and/or "they can ..." and what Bruce Schneier [2] calls "security theatre" on one side, and perspicacity and the understanding that the means shape the end on the other. Indolence vs. perspicacity, and expediency vs. honour.
  • The means shape the end.  
  • As words can kill, the right to freedom of speech comes with a DUTY to be as well-informed, objective and balanced as you can be.
  • My favourite action movie of all time is "Gandhi", although I've recently come across "Invictus" and might put that one in to that category. However, I loathe the stereotypical action movie - and, for similar reasons, I loathe many dramas, which are often emotionally violent, more so in some cases than many war films. 
  • All of the above - and this blog - could be wrong, or subject to context, perspective, or state of spiritual evolution ... 
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger [people]. JOHN F. KENNEDY (who was quoting 19th century Episcopal Bishop Phillips Brooks)
Jesus loves you.  Odin wants you to grow up. (Facebook meme, according to John Beckett)
We make our decisions. And then our decisions turn around and make us. F.W. BOREHAM
Females, get over 'cute'. Get competent. Get trained. Get capable. Get over 'cute'. And those of you who are called Patty and Debby and Suzy, get over that. Because we use those names to infantalise females – we keep females in their 'little girl' state by the names we use for them. Get over it. If you want to be taken seriously, get serious. JANE ELLIOTT 

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good [people] to do nothing. (based on writing by) EDMUND BURKE

"The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them." EINSTEIN

We didn't inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we only borrowed it from our children ANTOINE DE SAINT-EXUPÉRY

Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

Those whom we cannot stand are usually those who we cannot understand P.K.SHAW

Few men are willing to brave the disapproval of their fellows, the censure of their colleagues, and the wrath of their society. Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one essential, vital quality for those who seek to change a world which yields most painfully to change." SENATOR ROBERT F. KENNEDY (US Attorney General 1966 Speech) 
Too much and too long, we seem to have surrendered community excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our gross national product ... if we should judge America by that -- counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. ... Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile." ROBERT F. KENNEDY 1968
Tags: abuse of power, death, society, speculation, The Morrigan, Valkyrie, values, violence,

First published: Sunnudagr, 16th February, 2014

Last edited (excluding fixing typo's and other minor matters): Sunday, 16th February
, 2014