#AND is the observation of religion a reference to the creation of Cult of the Watchers bc really…

[bioswear]

U/nairo8 translated the hexcodes of the remaining episodes of the anime and im losing my shit 👀👀👀

[tulesproject]

An Observational Study on Fictoreligions

by: Tule

This is an amateur study not affiliated to any persons or institutions.

The purpose of this sociological research is to document and understand what is the Fictoreligion Community, why beings (see dictionary) might identify with a fictoreligion, and what activities they perform related to their faiths. 

Although this research focuses on the community directly connected to that label, the chapters “Intersectionality with Systemhood” and “Intersectionality with Pop Culture Paganism” explore the existence of beings who relate with fictional religions or entities way before the term was coined.

Methods of study: observing the tags ‘fictoreligion’ and ‘neoreligion’ on Tumblr, as well as a public* fictoreligion Discord Server owned by the coiner of the term; interviewing the label's coiner. (see dictionary)

*as of April 8, 2024

DO NOT HARASS ANY INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS MENTIONED.

Introduction

“Fictoreligion” (FR) is a label coined by Kai on xry Tumblr page @/redacted-coiner on January 27, 2024, to describe real-world religions based on fictional media. 

Transcription from a part of xry coining post:

“Ficto-Religions, a term to refer to religons/neoreligons found in fictional sources and/or religions that are based off religious mediums! These are commonly non practiced religions within this world but does not mean they are never practiced. These religions should not be moderated , rather these shall only be something that someone should inner personally use (of course multiple people can use it but it should stick to one person to one person).

Note: These are NOT Fults/Cults. Do not use them as if they are!”[1]

Moreover, according to Kai xemself, xry rule that “FRs should not be moderated” means that FRs must not have groups with leaders, in order to “prevent unintended cult-like situations”.[1]

Term etiquette

Kai has stated that xe does not want xry term connected in any way to the creation of, compared to, or facilitating relationships that resemble cults or fults (see dictionary). Considering that the FR community is very supportive of this rule, breaking it would cause a negative reaction from other members and arise conflict.

A few statistics

As of April 6, 2024, Kai's coining post has received exactly a hundred notes (interactions) on Tumblr. Moreover, there is evidence of more than 60 FRs announced on either Tumblr or the Discord server, meaning that an average of 15 FRs per month have been created so far since the label's inception. Although only a few users other than Kai have coined FRs yet, they commonly have done so at the requests of other beings. The exact number of FR adepts is unknown. (Hey does anyone wanna do the research?)

The complexity of FRs 

Internet coining hobbyists exhibit a lot of creative freedom with their terms surrounding specific topics of interest, and this is also true for FR coiners. For example, Kai's “Writer's Faith” religion is both meta- (referring to the paradox of creating fiction creating reality) and self-centered (self as referring to the adept themselves, not Kai). Xe also coined “Parable's Blessings”, a FR based around Parable, the mascot xe created to represent the community. 

Sub-groups, or perhaps branches, have been created to multiple FRs, like Revive the Old Faith (a FR based on Cult of the Lamb) and the Genshin Belief (FR based on Genshin Impact).

Intersectionality with Systemhood

A considerable number of fictives heavily identify with their sources, including the faiths presented in them (but a fictive may also feel disconnected from source and still identify with its religions). A fictive from the Discord server mentioned worshiping their entity in source (thus carrying the worship into this world); another fictive, a Jedi whose source is Star Wars, mentioned that a pre-established Jedi faith exists in real life, but she doesn't identify with that community since her experience is different, reason being that she actually is from the Star Wars universe.

Systems are extremely diverse, both intra-system (inside the system, “alter-to-alter”) and extra-system (outside the system, “system-to-system”). A single system can feature devotees to multiple FRs, followers of pre-established religions and atheists, agnostics, etc. 

Proving one more example, according to another Discord member the following scenario is real (Tule is not using his words, it's just interpreting what he said):

In a system, there are fictives from source A and B, all connected to their respective sources. Almost all fictives from B follow one of its religions, except for “Jane” who follows a religion from A.

Intersectionality with Pop Culture Paganism (PCP)

When Kai was asked on xry coining post if FR was related to pop culture paganism, xe answered: “can be, matters on someone’s view of things. Being they may not attach it to paganism.”[1]

Some adepts of neopaganism or neopagan faiths, chaos magick, etc, also work with deities and spirits first seen in fiction (like Lovecraft's Cthulhu) for a variety of reasons, such as: believing that the author was inspired by the spirit, believing the spirit sprung into reality via the collective subconscious (an egregore; see dictionary), that the character manifests an abstract concept or collection of concepts, or that the character is or represents an aspect/mask of a real spirit. (Source: neopagan community and headmate lol)

The perspective of FR adherents

Some beings follow FRs for the comfort they provide.

The way a FR is practiced varies from adept to adept, but common activities include building digital or physical altars to worshiped entities and creating sigils.

Here's an interview Tule did with Kai:

Q: What sparked your desire to coin Fictoreligion? 

A: I made it due to the fact I have always struggled with religious traumas and I didn’t feel personally safe with anything that was pre-established. I made the term  being it was one of the few things I understood and gave me personally comfort. I have always viewed religious beliefs as something that gives you comfort, so the term was made for that. It gives me comfort.

Q: Did you already have a fictoreligion even before coining the term, or have seen other beings with experiences similar to what fictoreligion describes?

A: Sorta? It was never really put into words but I had seen a character as a religious figure but I never went into it until I coined the post. Now that it is I feel more comfortable doing religious things related to it.

Q: What is your favorite part/aspect of the fictoreligion(s) you have? 

A: Mainly the interpersonal freedom, I don’t feel trapped within the rules of other religions. With the ones I fallow I feel comforted by the those who I account as it’s deities. Such as in Lovingcrafian, I feel comforted in my relationships even more now due to how I perceive them.

Q: We all know that it's really validating to have words to describe our experiences. So, do you think that there might be a considerable number of beings who would benefit from finding the label? Perhaps reaching a thousand or more? 

A: While I don’t think it’ll be a lot, I want the term just to be a thing that gives people answers. I realistically know it won’t be used widely, but if it ever got there, it’d be something that’d give me peace. Being that’d also just mean that people are more accepting of more neoreligons in general.

Q: Tule has noticed a similarity between Parable and egregories; which are spirits created by us that grow self-awareness and can interact with others. That might be just a coincidence, but since you coined Parable's Blessings, do you personally believe that Parable has grown to be a real spirit too?

A: I don’t entirely believe in Parable’s Blessing myself, Parable is a mascot I made for fun and I realized that some may end up seeing her as a religious figure. A lot of stuff I make I may personally not believe in but know there is a possibility that others may. If Parable ends up becoming a religious figure for someone and become a spirt/egregirories I’d be happy. Being that means that Parable gave people comfort in some shape or form.

Conclusion 

The community surrounding the Fictoreligion label may be small, but the experiences its members share are much older and common than outsiders may expect when first stumbling upon it. Systems and neopagans (especially those interested in chaos magick, egregores etc), are demographics that might feel more familiarity with the label than the average population.

Dictionary

Alterhuman: a sentient being who physically possesses a human body but does not identify 100% with humanity may choose this label to describe themself.[2]

Being: in this context, it is synonymous with “individual”, as an alternative of “person” inclusive of alterhuman and nonhuman identities.

To coin: to create a label/word/term. 

Egregore: “a concept in Western esotericism of a non-physical entity or thoughtform that arises from the collective thoughts and emotions of a distinct group of individuals.” (Paraphrased from Wikipedia)

Fult: abbreviation of “faux-cult”. According to its coiner, “faux cults, also called fults, are groups that exhibit cult-like characteristics, resembling a cult in behavior or structure; however, are not considered a true cult due to being consensual.” The term was created by Tumblr user @/sheyoves on December 16, 2023.[3]

References

[1] https://www.tumblr.com/redacted-coiner/740639140473978880/ficto-religions?source=share 

Archive: https://archive.ph/KFeeF 

[2] https://phasmovore.tumblr.com/post/98482696958/this-will-probably-be-my-last-post-on-semantics 

Archive: https://archive.is/SGP7N 

[3] https://www.tumblr.com/transramcoa/736908543412797441/faux-cult?source=share 

Archive: https://archive.is/zwCkG 

Thank you for reading! Tags meant for reach

[phantom-of-the-ruckus]

Cult theory updates 1

thinking about the cult theory, I believe that I'll probably try to explain first the most controversial and confusing aspect. This is going to be hard but I'll give it my best shot. Still me not trying to justify but give a much cleared reason based on the others interactions.

This probably will go after the basis of what makes them a cult. I do believe I have an explanation to what Mortimer called Nick during tape #7 (I believe)

I decided this since, it is better to approach the elephant in the room rather than ignoring it until the end. That might explain much better my intent to reference a documentary that does give a lot of inside in some cult "Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey" which can explain a bit the logistic in what I believe was Nick's OG idea in the last tape

as

It appears he knew Riley was coming but was confused about the others as he says "Riley, What are the others are doing here?"

I noticed some subtitle error in a video called "Rosco's origins explained" it actually shows the scripted version of what was going on and I noticed a line (that was not said. I am not sure if it was recorded but unused.) It said something like "This was totally why I was here. Definitively nothing else to look into" I do believe this was something that Nick was going to say. It does goes along with the idea he originally had in plan

I also believe that perhaps Nick leaned into his dramatic tendencies and build upon his head a huge drama that could resemble a Shakespearean tragedy when in reality it was not a big deal

That does sound like something Nick would do since sometimes he can be way self-absorb in the worst times and make huge deals about petty little things.

I'm just showing this as a recent observation.

-----

Now to some actual updates.

While talking with a good friend of mine from AO3 (They sorta believe the puppets are in some sort patriarchy cult, and the puppets are like a twisted "Family") brought up the Riley and Owen's relationship and the whole "Riley is an atheist" but they said they believe that Riley has some conflicted feelings about the religion as, according to my friend Stitch, she believes Owen is "A False God"

That made me realize that this could lead into something considering that canonically Owen is some sort of Puppet God (Mortimer and Riley confirmed this in the game and tapes. Owen is considered their creator)

I also remember reading somewhere in one of the articles I was reading for my investigation, that one of the "steps" or things related to cults is the rejection of god.

Now as far as I remember on how cults work (based on my high school assignments on true crime and cults which involved a podcast, hearing about real life cults, and listening to what makes cults a cult, ect.) Cult leaders aren’t necessarily worshiped (this is my take), but they're consider the ones who hold the true answers and the true leader that would lead them.

This does seem to reflect a lot with Riley in a sort of way. She refuses to believe Owen is her god and creator, but canonically established that she believes Mortimer is their true "Father" (whether she refers to this as Father in the sense that "oh he's dad" or father as "Father of creation" is debatable) and that she considers Mortimer "As their true leader"

I do believe it has to do something with what my friend Kris (Dreamlandcreations said) about Owen creating Riley but not being the one that brought her to life (Andrew Allen did comment on that by saying things like this are what make writing games worth it)

What I found interesting is that Riley genuinely follows Mortimer and still respects him even thought she believes he has gone mad with power but it appears she sees the puppet Rebellion as something for the greater good of what the puppets want rather than their well-being.

Why?

She puts more emphasis and her desires for the puppets to grow and advance instead of poking some looser guy and wanting to bring a show back to life after many years.

And I just realized that Riley complaining with Mortimer going mad around power is more about him become careless with what is going on and thinking more about his wants other than why the puppets are uniting.

This goes along with them not really being concern about their well-being but rather accomplishing one goal. One mindset.

Riley does seem to confirm this as she refers to the rebellion as "The puppets needing a new leader on their path of Glory."

---

Another observation, is Mortimer despising Nick.

Maybe Mortimer despises Nick so much is that whatever he is doing that involves Mortimer is always about how Nick can get off or get a reward whether Riley who is canonically considered "Mortimer's favorite" does things for being in service.

Mortimer does say Nick would rat out his own creator if it means he'll get something, which does goes with my observation.

This probably adds up to the cult theory as cult members are predetermined to follow a role and to serve for the greatest of the cult. Something that could be the reason why Nick is considered the black sheep of the clan and why Riley's first natural response is to get suspicious of Nick.

In comparison to Mortimer's "Favorite" and his "Hated" members of the Handee clan (I'm calling it that) is, like I said before, Riley does things to be on service and somewhat to keep the order as Mortimer would want it. Nick only seeks to benefit himself, and it appears Riley does notice this and is very much annoyed that he's not doing things for a greater good.

That's why she would become suspicious of whatever Nick has done.

And maybe she'll have some suspicion about Daisy as well since Riley has done everything in her power to keep things as Mortimer ordered them to be.

So, what if Riley's intentions into helping Daisy was because she felt guilty that Daisy would face a consequence that wasn't even fair because she could not control her danger mode, and decided to help Daisy control her danger mode as a way to kill to birds in one shot.

She's not very sure as its a concept she doesn't understand (empathy)

To help Daisy avoid slipping into danger mode again (and perhaps clear her guilt over blaming her over)

To make sure the problem is avoided next time and keeps things the way Mortimer wanted so they can focus again on their plans and Mortimer not to get mad again.

I do believe Riley's mentality in doing things is as a way to not only benefit herself, but the others, and to make something that Mortimer will approve.

Kinda fits into her role of second in command (which was something both games imply, and Owen confirms in a tape)

---

Those were some of my observations and progress I have so far.

I'm still trying to figure out to what extent the parallels to actual religion go which I do think there are a couple of ones. I don't think they go far into religion, but it appears the game plays with the idea of "Being created similarity and resemblance" which is a belief in Christianity (and I believe other religions too. Not sure, but if you know feel free to comment) that we're reflections of our creator uniquely.

I was also talking with my discord sister @dolly-royal in the possibility of Mortimer and Owen having some sort of inverse situation of Jesus and God (mostly on Jesus prayer in Gethsemane, which is about Jesus asking God if he could avoid the unavoidable: his death. In the end, Jesus does end up accepting his fate)

@dolly-royal asked me if the possibility that Owen's conscience being transferred into different hosts could be a way of reincarnation, and we did agree that this could also be revolving in the puppets trying to find a way into Owen accepting them since It does seem it is something they need.

Maybe this is what Mortimer referred in "No one can succeed if their god doesn't want them alive" in the game. Not sure.

Other things that I need to get into, is once again the story of the book and the implication that a greater evil was in the book based on the tape where the book dealer seems possessed. This is more related to the lore, but I do think everything is connected.

I do intend to check the first game again for some clues or things I can pick up. I just realized that during the tapes' timeline, Anthony was most likely around as there's a picture in the first game of Riley experimenting on trying to bring Rosco back to life. That is a cool detail.

I still need to look back at the tributary meaning, which I do believe I saw through the wrong POV considering Riley is more based on facts. Maybe I can break it down to what Riley meant during her conversation with Daisy.

The tapes revolving Mortimer to pinpoint his descent into paranoia, and perhaps things I never noticed before.

And finally I intend into learning more on one of the most important relationships in both games: Mortimer and Riley.

I do believe we all got the wrong idea after watching and hearing the tapes on what their relationship truly is after I gave it some thought and rewatched some of the tapes.

I've noticed that:

Mortimer and Riley have some unspoken level of trust with each other

It appears that both work extremely close to each other to the point of a personal level. I mean it in the sense like both could randomly enter each other's offices and be all like "Oh, hi, sir/ma'am (I do believe Mortimer was unfazed about Riley coming to his office uninvited, but "questioned" why she brought the others)

They do seem to know each other better than anyone else, and have a better understanding of what goes through each other's mind. It's like a non-romantic bond within the two that does seem to reflect in the first game.

There could be implications that a small (a very tiny) side of them genuinely care about the other. Like I noticed Mortimer sigh in a peculiar way and chose to at least pretend that he gave it a thought before telling Riley he was denying her request instead of just telling her "I said no." It almost felt as if he was unable to do that and decided to ease the hit. Still that doesn't change the back that he is willing to do horrible things against her.

This is more of an idea. I do believe Riley is aware that Mortimer genuinely does seem to have a like of her (in the no-romantic sense) as she does seem to return the feeling towards him (I don't think necessarily she sees him as a dad, but rather a figure she looks into to grow. Like some sort of mentor) I do think that is the reason why Riley never thought about the idea of treason + Mortimer being quite soft and almost humorous about Rosco. It is almost like him telling her in a matter she would only understand: "You know very much that I genuinely find you competent and likable, to the point that I am not joking when I say you're my favorite. That's the main reason why I spare you a severe punishment, but remember that I won't always be this nice to you."

I do believe this is a key relationship in understanding how Mortimer's mind and decisions work

Anyways, this is my long ramble. Feel free to ask questions or add anything to this.

[askmalal]

ARCHIVE M: Transmission 2

No: 3721, "An Obelisk"

SECURITY STATUS: Restricted

CLASSIFICATION: Artifact, Xenos, Religious

RECOVERY: [REDACTED]

ACQUIRED BY: [REDACTED]

ACQUISITION CONDITIONS: Planetary Survey

PROVENANCE: REDACTED

PRIMARY INVESTIGATOR OBSERVATIONS:

Subject is a moderately sized monolith, one in a roughly Obelisk shape, asymmetrical sides with flat bottom for display, approximately 3/4 ton in weight. Inscriptions in primitive Xeno-Cuneiformic text with notable similarities to Sumerian. A basic translation has been provided (ref: Attachment 3721-1.)

Essentially, Subject preports to display a series of rituals intended to cause ascension to godhood.

Material is essentially a blue-grey obsidian, or something that very closely approximates it. Though Subject's shape is asymmetrical, this seems to have been deliberate, and the inscription, though done with hammer and chisel, was done quite competently. Essentially, this is not sloppy work, and no simple primitivistic totem.

Subject has a mild magnetic field, though this did not prevent successful analysis; rather, our approximate judgements are based upon the limited samples of the material thus far gathered elsewhere.

None of the Legionaries in contact with Subject experienced any signs of exposure to extranormal forces. Subject was unusually cold to the touch based upon material and location of recovery, but this was within manageable levels.

Observers Notes #001 - [REDACTED]

Worth noting that, while there are ruins located in other areas of the planet, none are within any less than 55km from Subject. Reason uncertain. No signs of environmental disturbance or pollution. Flora, Fauna, and Water samples all within accepted norms with no signs of alteration.

OBSERVED DEVIANCE:

When in the presence of a fully indoctrinated member of [REDACTED], Subject's temperature drops by anywhere between ten to fifteen degrees on average. While handling is still possible by Legionaries, non-augmented individuals find Subject difficult to handle, even with protective gloves, for more than a few seconds. One individual, an armorer attached to II Company, informed investigating Legionaries that it felt as if he was plunging his hands "into water so cold that it is painful. Almost as if you expect you will suffer frostbite."

Observations by Epistolary [REDACTED], V Legion, detect passive psychic energy. [REDACTED] suggests that Subject was used as a sort of menhir or ceremonial focus, posits that this might account for the presence of energy readings. On orders of Primarch, a Psyker attached to the Imperial Army Regiments accompanying this Crusade Fleet was asked to examine Subject and provide her own thoughts.

Sanctioned Psyker [REDACTED] examined Subject on four separate occasions. Reports distinct discomfort around object. Summarized Notes are attached (ref: Attachment 3721-2.)

ADDENDUM 1

On instructions of the Primarch, I was asked to go over the translated words "with a fine toothed comb", in [REDACTED] words, apparently owing to my knowledge of Xeno-Theology.

The language is not unusual in subject matter, but I've got to tell you that the idea of making oneself a deity is often seen as some sort of sin by the majority of religions that I have encountered. With the possible exception of one particularly cult-like M19-M22 Terran religion briefly ascendant in North America, the idea of deifying oneself was generally seen as an objectively bad thing, even blasphemous, by most cultures. Indeed, those civilizations with a tendency to deify certain important heads of state viewed, or indeed view, the idea of an individual deifying herself as being too ridiculous to be countenanced. One becomes, essentially, a 'god' by creation, birth, or circumstance. One does not make onesself a god.

Having been asked to reference an example of Xenos faith that speaks extensively of this kind of thing, I can find a few relevant chapters in recovered Aeldari texts. I have attached these as [REDACTED]. In particular, please see the section regarding the Fall of the Aeldari, and the opinion of the so-called "Harlequin Cult," that such actions helped to exacerbate the "death" of their native deities and in fact hastened the decline of their civilization, though virtually none would countenance the view that the entity called [REDACTED] was created in this manner.

-Legionary Archivist [REDACTED]

ADDENDUM 2

New evidence taken during the compliance action at [REDACTED] seems to suggest that a significant portion of the [REDACTED] population believe the process described by Subject will actually work.

[REDACTED] considerably higher casualty rate than expected. This may in fact indicate [REDACTED]. See (ref: [REDACTED])

-Legionary Archivst [REDACTED] and Legionary Epistolary [REDACTED.]

[ADDENDUM 3][ENCRYPTED]

Upon completion of fifth year of [REDACTED] campaign against Xeno Species [REDACTED], I have been asked to evaluate Subject 3721, which has been archived for three decades at the time of this addendum.

This was occasioned by [REDACTED.]

While my report has been forwarded to the Primarch, I wish to express my strong opposition, as a matter of record, to the potential course of action. - Legionary Epistolary [REDACTED]

Addendum 3-a: That is a strong accusation. -[REDACTED]

Addendum 3-b: I'm not accusing anyone of anything. I am drawing conclusions based upon the available information. Why would this thing have any use in [REDACTED]. I deeply respect her, and will respect instructions. However, I would be remiss if my objections were not lodged, and my own Primarch would be deeply displeased with me. - Legionary Epistolary [REDACTED]

Addendum 3-c: I admit it's far fetched, but it isn't as if we're being asked to [REDACTED], [REDACTED] simply wants an assessment. Maybe there's some sort of counter-action possible here? A sort of nullifying effect? - [REDACTED]

Addendum 3-d: Enough. Ease your minds, both of you. The Epistolary is of course correct to express reservation regarding anything approaching the alleged properties of the Subject, or its inscription, or... I've asked him to examine because I trust his judgement. Do what you need to do, Epistolary-Centurion. And I don't see your comments as disrespectful, nor do I feel 'accused', [REDACTED]. [FURTHER CONTENT REDACTED]

ADDENDUM 4:

Upon death of [REDACTED] in action, Primarch has instructed that further research be halted until another authority on the subject can be questioned.

-[REDACTED]

ADDENDUM 5:

[REDACTED]

ATTACHMENT: 3721-1

ONTHEBECOMINGANDASCENSION.holo

ATTACHMENT: 3721-2

Sanctioned Psyker [REDACTED], [REDACTED] Expeditionary Fleet

Re: "Examination of and Prolonged Exposure to Subject 3721.

EXAMINATIONANDPROLONGED.holo

ATTACHMENT: [REDACTED]

...END OF FILE TRANSFER...

FURTHER NOTES APPENDED.

BEGINS:

We've got strong evidence that recently re-activated Dreadnought, Subject "Lir" was involved in recovery of Archive M. Will appraise you on future developments

-K.

TRANSMISSION ENDS

ENCRYPTED...

....

....

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

"Let He Who Is Without Sin Throw the First Stone"

-Yeshua Ben Josef, Terran Prophet (M1)

[tomasorban]

The Dogon’s Extraordinary Knowledge of the Cosmos and the Cult of Nommo

France, 1920: Marcel Griaule is a young man who is very well-established in his studies, especially in mathematics. He has recently served as a volunteer in the French Air Force and aspires to attend the prestigious Lycée Louis le Grande.

Although his future already seems marked, fate has other plans for him - a new road that begins to take shape when he decides to attend a conference that same year. The speakers are Marcel Mauss, anthropologist, sociologist, and historian of religions, and Marcel Cohen, linguist.

Griaule is struck by their words and decides to devote himself entirely to the study of anthropology. Between 1928 and 1933 he took part in two ethnographic expeditions, and in this period (1930) he came into contact with a mysterious African tribe: the Dogon.

The opportunity was given to him during a period of study in Mali alongside his pupil Germaine Dieterlen, who was also a pupil of Mauss and deeply interested in the study of ancient myths. From that moment, the mystery of the Nommo is born. It is an element of an ancient heritage of which we cannot expand without having first spoken of the Dogon people.

One People, Many Mysteries

The Dogon are a tribe that lives in a desert land of Mali, near the border with Burkina Faso. It is a place that welcomed them after their escape to avoid the expansionist pressures of the medieval empires…we are around the year 1000, during the fierce battles on the banks of the Niger river.

Many researchers have already discussed the range of mysteries that surround these people, but what interests us particularly for the development of the hypotheses contained in this article is their complex cosmogony, based on faith in a creative god, Amma, and in a creation produced by the movements of the “Egg of the World”.

A Dogon schematic of the “egg of the world” . 

On the basis of these beliefs, the “Nommo”, the eight pro-genitors of the Dogon, brought to Earth a basket containing the clay necessary to build the grain stores of their villages. This image, which at first sight appears quite simple and devoid of particular significance, hides in reality a very profound knowledge of the universe and of the celestial bodies.

The granary represents the universe, its scales symbolize both the males and females that generated the Dogon and the various stars and constellations: in this sense we will find the Pleiades in the north, Orion in the south, and a comet in the west. So, everything started with a “basket”, or container, that carried life.

Dogon Astronomical Knowledge

But the thing that most struck the two scholars was the finding that, despite the Dogon having come into contact with our civilization in fairly recent times (about the beginning of the century), they possessed incredible scientific and astronomical knowledge. Some of this knowledge was certainly the result of a cultural heritage that is millennia old, but one element in particular has decidedly current characteristics - the detailed knowledge of the star Sirius.

The Dogon were in fact aware of the fact that Sirius is a binary system (i.e. a system consisting of two stars, Sirius A and Sirius B); they were aware of the fact that Sirius B revolves around Sirius A with an elliptical orbit and over a period corresponding to 50 years; and the most disconcerting discovery was that the Dogon knew the exact position of Sirius A within the ellipse.

Sirius A and Sirius B as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope. The white dwarf can be seen to the lower left. (NASA, ESA, H. Bond/STScI, M. Barstow/University of Leicester/ CC BY 3.0 )

Many may wonder what is so disconcerting about all this? The amazement arises from the fact that it was only in 1862 when the American astronomer Alvan Clark deduced the existence of Sirius B using a telescope, among the most advanced for that era, and it was not before 1970 that there was confirmation of the existence of this star, not to mention a photograph of it.

Yet the Dogon knew of it hundreds of years before, and not only that, they called Sirius B with the name of “Po Tolo”; this name is certainly the most apt and shocking way to describe this system, the term Tolo, in fact, means star, while Po refers to a typical cereal that has the characteristic of being extremely heavy despite its small size; an expression, therefore, very close to reality since Sirius B is a white dwarf and, as such, has a very high density.

A Dogon diagram said to represent Sirius B’s elliptical orbit around Sirius A. ( CC BY SA 3.0 )

All this information is practically inaccessible without adequate astronomical equipment, and it is useless to specify that the Dogon had never come into possession of any such instrument, they even ignored its existence.

But the mystery does not end here, the Dogon, in fact, used to represent the planet Saturn as surrounded by a sort of halo, thus demonstrating that they knew of its rings; moreover, they knew that the planet Jupiter had around “four companions”, which correspond exactly to its four main moons.

As if this were not enough, they depicted the Earth as a sphere and knew that this sphere revolves around its axis, and together with other spheres (the planets), around the sun; last, but not least, it is surprising that the Dogon, or in any case the elders of the village, described our galaxy as an immense spiral shape. We know very well that this concept began to be disclosed by Western astronomers only at the beginning of this century.

For the Dogon, Sirius B was the first star created by God and it represents the fulcrum of the Universe. All matter developed from it, including souls, following a complex spiral motion - the same that is symbolized in the intertwined baskets.

Saturn is surrounded by rings, Jupiter has four main moons, and four calendars are used: one for the Sun, one for the Moon, one for Sirius, and one for Venus. Needless to say, that the Dogon believe a truth attested from ancient times - the fact that the planets orbit around the Sun.

The Dogon know what, logically, they should not know; their knowledge is not the result of ancient legacies acquired by observing the sky and the stars with the naked eye, as happened in other civilizations, they simply “know”; this is the most disturbing part of the Dogon mystery.

Dogon hats which resemble flying saucers.

The Nommo Cult

An old Dogon legend tells of when the God of the universe, Amma, sent the Nommo to earth. This was a half-man, half-amphibian creature which landed in the land of the Fox, a territory northeast of Bandiagara, in the Mopti region; the Nommo was red, but when it touched the ground it became white.

Mali, Dogon container This container shows the "Ark of the world", in which Nommo, the mythical progenitor of humanity, is supposed to have come down from the sky. ( CC BY-SA 3.0 )

The name Nommo derives from a Dogon word that translates as “to do well”; much more often, however, this is remembered as “The Master of Water” (perhaps a reference to the fact that the Nommo could not survive out of water), the Admonitor, or the Destroyer.

We do not know exactly how this figure can be placed in the various events that characterized the growth of the Dogon culture, but it is not so difficult to identify other very similar creatures in different cultures - not only geographically distant but also with respect to various historical moments.

The same type of creature is present in a history of Mesopotamia written during the III Century BC from the priest Beroso; his name was Oannes, his body was similar to that of a fish, he lived only in water, and had feet similar to those of man. Are these images referring to the same event?

In any case, this ancient, almost primordial figure occupies a prominent place in all African cultures; not infrequently, for example, in the most internal areas of Africa. People belonging to monotheistic religions turn to the priests of the various villages because in situations of extreme difficulty they invoke the assistance of the Nommo.

Finally, let us not forget the God fish Dagon of the Philistines, and the same symbol of the fish which the first Christians used to represent their deity. Whoever or whatever it was, the Nommo still continues to lengthen its shadow on African territory, perhaps as a messenger waiting to be able to reveal ancient truths to those who have the courage and the predisposition of mind to listen to it.

[wisdomrays]

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS: How Many Prophets Were There? Were They All From Arabia?

Prophets were raised and sent to their people in different lands and at different times. One hadith puts the number of Prophets at 124,000; another mentions 224,000. Both versions, however, should be evaluated critically according to the science of hadith. The exact number is not important; rather, we should realize that no people has ever been deprived of its own Prophet: There never was a people without a Warner having lived among them (35:24) and: We never punish until We have sent a Messenger (17:15).

To punish a people before warning them that what they are doing is wrong is contrary to His Glory and Grace. The warning precedes responsibility, which may be followed by reward or punishment: Anyone who has done an atom's weight of good shall see it. And anyone who has done an atom's weight of evil shall see it (99:7–8). If a Prophet has not been sent, people cannot know what is right and wrong and so cannot be punished. However, since every individual will be called to account for his or her good and evil deeds, we may infer that a Prophet has been sent to every people: We sent among every people a messenger with (the command): "Serve God and avoid evil" (16:36).

The Prophets were not raised only in Arabia. In fact, we do not even know all of the Prophets who were raised there, let alone elsewhere. We know only 28 of them by name (from Adam to Muhammad), and the Prophethood of three of them is uncertain. We do not know exactly from where they emerged. Supposedly, Adam's tomb and the place of his reunion with Eve is Jidda, but this information is uncertain. We know that Abraham spent some time in Anatolia, Syria, and Babylon. Lot was associated with Sodom and Gomorrah, around the Dead Sea; Shu'ayb with Madyan; Moses with Egypt; and Yahya and Zakariyya with the Mediterranean countries—they may have crossed to Anatolia, since Christians link Mary (Mayam ibn 'Isa) and Jesus with Ephesus. But these associations remain suppositions at best.

We know the names of some Prophets sent to the Israelites, but not the names of any others or where they appeared. Moreover, because their teachings have been distorted and lost over time, we cannot say anything about who they were and where they were sent.

Take the case of Christianity. Following the Council of Nicea (325 CE), the original doctrine of God's Oneness was dropped in favor of the human-made doctrine of the Trinity. For the Catholic Church, Jesus became the "son" of God, while his mother Mary became the "mother" of God. Some believed, rather vaguely, that God was immanent or present in things. Thus, Christianity came to resemble the idolatrous beliefs and practices of ancient Greece, and its followers began to associate other things and people with God, a major sin in Islam.

Throughout history, deviations and corruption of the Truth started and increased in this way. If the Qur'an had not informed us of the Prophethood of Jesus and of the purity and greatness of Mary, we would have difficulty in distinguishing the cults of and rites of Jupiter (Zeus) and Jesus, Venus (Aphrodite) and Mary.

This same process may have happened to other religions. As such, we cannot say definitely that their founders or teachers were Prophets or that they taught in a specific location. We only can speculate that Confucius, Buddha, or even Socrates were Prophets. We cannot give a definite answer because we do not have enough information about them and their original teachings. However, we know that the teachings of Confucius and Buddha influenced great numbers of their contemporaries and continue to do so.

Some say that Socrates was a philosopher influenced by Judaism, but they offer no proof. Words attributed to him by Plato imply that Socrates was "inspired" from a very early age to "instruct" people in true understanding and belief. But it is not clear if these words are attributed correctly or exactly what his people understood them to mean. Only this much is reliable: Socrates taught in an environment and manner that supports the use of reason.

Professor Mahmud Mustafa's observations of two primitive African tribes confirm what has been said above. He remarks that the Maw-Maws believe in God and call him Mucay. This God is one and only, acts alone, does not beget or is begotten, and has no associate or partner. He is not seen or sensed, but known only through His works. He dwells in the heavens, from where he ordains everything. That is why the Maw-Maws raise their hands when praying. Another tribe, the Neyam-Neyam, expresses similar themes. There is one God who decrees and ordains everything, and what he says is absolute. He makes everything in the forest move according to His will, and sends thunderbolts against those with whom he is angry.

These ideas are compatible with what is said by the Qur'an. The Maw-Maws's belief is very close to what we find in the Qur'an's Surat al-Ikhlas. How could these primitive tribes, so far removed from civilization and the known Prophets, have so pure and sound a concept of God? This reminds us of the Qur'anic verse: For every people there is a messenger. When their messenger comes, the matter is judged between them with justice, and they are not wronged (10:47).

Professor Adil of Kirkuk, Iraq, was working as a mathematician at Riyadh University when I met him in 1968. He told me that he had met many Native American Indians while earning his Ph.D. in the United States. He had been struck by how many of them believe in One God who does not eat or sleep or find himself constrained by time. He rules and governs all of creation, which is under His sovereignty and dependent on His will. They also referred to some of God's attributes: the lack of a partner, for such would surely give rise to conflict.

How does one reconcile the alleged primitiveness of such peoples with such loftiness in their concept of God? It seems that true Messengers conveyed these truths to them, some soundness of which can still be found in their present-day beliefs.

Some people wonder why there were no female Prophets. The overwhelming consensus of Sunni scholars of the Law and Tradition is that no woman has been sent as Prophet. Except for a questionable and even unreliable tradition that Mary and Pharaoh's wife were sincere believers, there is no Qur'anic authority or hadith that a woman was sent to her people as a Prophet.

God the All-Mighty created all entities in pairs. Humanity was created to be the steward of creation, and thus is fitted to it. The pairs of male and female are characterized by complex relation of mutual attraction and repulsion. Women incline toward softness, weakness, and compassion; men incline toward strength, force, and competitive toughness. When they come together, such characteristics allow them to establish a harmonious family unit.

Today, the issue of gender has reached the point where some people refuse to recognize the very real differences between men and women and claim that they are alike and equal in all respects. Implementing these views has resulted in the "modern" lifestyle of women working outside the home, trying to "become men," and thus losing their own identity. Family life has eroded, for children are sent to daycare centers or boarding schools as parents are too busy, as "individuals," to take proper care of them. This violence against nature and culture has destroyed the home as a place of balance between authority and love, as a focus of security and peace.

God the Wise ordained some principles and laws in the universe, and created human beings therein with an excellent and lofty nature. Men are physically stronger and more capable than women, and plainly constituted to strive and compete without needing to withdraw from the struggle. It is different with women, because of their menstrual period, their necessary confinement before and after childbirth, and their consequent inability to observe all the prayers and fasts. Nor can women be available continually for public duties. How could a mother with a baby in her lap lead and administer armies, make life and death decisions, and sustain and prosecute a difficult strategy against an enemy?

A Prophet must lead humanity in every aspect of its social and religious life without a break. That is why Prophethood is impossible for women. If men could have children, they could not be Prophets either. Prophet Muhammad points to this fact when he describes women as "those who cannot fulfil the religious obligations totally and cannot realize some of them."

A Prophet is an exemplar, a model for conducting every aspect of human life, so that people cannot claim that they were asked to do things that they could not do. Exclusively female matters are communicated to other women by the women in the Prophet's household.

[yourreddancer]

The dangers of creating a state religion are  outweighed by the tragic dangers of turning the state into a religion. Putting aside the sheer blasphemy of striving to merge the state and Christianity into a political religion, it is difficult to express the historical realities of such a move to the uneducated and indifferent. The religion of Germany in the 1930s and early 40s was a paganisation of Christianity merged with the political religion of Fascism. The Soviet Union was an attempt to replace Christianity with a political religion called Communism. In such a construct there becomes a category of “political heresy.”>>>

We are observing the creation of just such a merger of political religion with a perverted form of Christianity in the United States – nominal Christianity, to be sure, but one that uses the brand name. Over the past two decades, we have referred to this as “Christianism.” This creation of a new religion of the state include such radical mythologies as the idea that the Declaration of Independence and the American Constitution are Divine Scripture, inspired by God directly. How deeply this twisted perversion has arisen among, particularly Evangelicals and the American Right Wing and Republican Party, is evidenced by the production of a new “American Bible” which includes the Declaration of Independence, the rather limited American Bill of Rights and the Constitution itself into the Canon of “God Inspired Holy Scripture.”

 In fact these latter are three documents which were  products of late enlightenment secular philosophy, inspired by such philosophers as John Locke, Voltaire, Immanuel Kant and Johann Adam Weishaupt, founder of the Illuminati Movement, who was quoted a number of times by Thomas Jefferson, who greatly admired him.>>>

We have seen the political “heresy hunting” and punishment of political heretics that is taking place in the Trump political cult already. Elizabeth Cheney is just one example of those punished for heresy against the Trump Cult which now totally dominates the Republican Party in the United States. The merger of the Evangelical Church and the Republican Party is producing a very dangerous religio/political religious cult – a “Cult of the State.” Blasphemous because it uses the name of Jesus Christ in a completely pagan manner and strives to give Him the same position that Jupiter held in the Roman Empire. The “canonization” of Donald Trump is precisely what the Romans did with their emperors.>>>

We should remember that, at the height of the more fanatical era in the history of Christianity and amongst the most fanatical and hyper religious, heresy hunting was almost a sport and was horrific and very deadly. Superstitions of the most barbaric type began to supersede the gospel of Jesus Christ. There was a Christian version of what we now see among the most radical Islamists. During that era, religion and the state were almost merged. We can see the same thing developing again now, and political heresy becomes merged with the idea of religious heresy. Like the ancient Romans, the idea that failure to observe the proper rituals and reverence for the State deities was tantamount to treason. That is the very reason why the Romans began to persecute Christians, because of their failure to honour the State deities such as Jupiter.>>>

This may be taking place in only a modified form in the United States, among certain religious sects and political cults, but it is taking place and the insurrection against the American capital and government is simply a symptom of this. This is the real “culture war” that our emotionally unstable preachers and priests should be concerned about.

Bishop Lazar Puhalo..

[sparkmender]

You mind expanding on those different cybertronian religions, you mentioned? - Hexbolt (voidwingsprime)

“Mm? I can certainly try. There’s a few more out there, I’m sure...

Myself, I came from the hotspot here in the Pious Pools and worked in the temple crèche as a younger mech. The community was very small and moderately religious, often considered somewhat secluded, since we were several days travel from Tetrahex, the closest metropolitan area— ach, I digress.

I am considered to be... Mm, the term has drifted some, but in NeoCybex it would be ‘of the Guided’ or ‘the Guided’ in reference to the scriptures and studies of the Guiding Hand, Primus and his four first Creations, and reverence of Vector Sigma as the Forge of light and creation. Sometimes the Guided are divided further, so you would have the followers of Primus, the followers of Epistemus, and so forth. The conclave ‘Clavis Aurea’ that was based in Upper Tetrahex was an offshoot that was stricter and observed some form of worship towards the Unmaker as well, becoming something of a doomsday cult...

Spectralists are the followers of Dai Atlas. I admit I don’t know much of their practices and ideals, but as I understand it it is a very pacifistic lifestyle with focus on meditation and understanding. Spectralists tend to believe that Cybertron is, physically, the body of Primus.

Primalists deify the Thirteen Primes, having them as a sort of, ahh, secondary circle of gods. I find this interesting, as the Guided view the Guiding Hand more as teachers than as a pantheon. I hear this is more common with Camiens and Eukarites?

Primitivism is the belief that Primus is the one true creator and he speaks to us through his chosen Primes, and as such, their word is law. Functionism is closely tied to Primitivism as this sort of... “proof of Primus’ plan, we are all cogs in the machine” viewpoint. Iaconic Primitivism in particular enforces a strict caste system.

Oh— yes, and there’s the Heralds, the ones who worship solely Unicron and chaos and all such interesting things. I’m fairly certain this is a reactionary movement more than a ‘religion,’ so to speak.”

[holidays-events]

Happy 🐣Quarantine 😷 Easter  🐇

🥀 🌷 💓🥚 🐣 🐥 🐰 🌹 🍫 💖🥕 🐇 💝  😷 🌸

Beyond Ishtar: The Tradition of Eggs at Easter

Don’t believe every meme you encounter. Scientific American Krystal D’Costa

Eggs occupy a special status during Easter observances. They're symbols of rebirth and renewal—life bursts forth from this otherwise plain, inanimate object that gives no hint as to what it contains. In this regard it is a handy symbol for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, but it is is a symbol that has held this meaning long before Christianity adopted it.

 There is a meme that some people have rallied around and shared as a "truth" of Easter. It proclaims:

Easter was originally the celebration of Ishtar, the Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility and sex. Her symbols (like the egg and bunny) were and still are fertility and sex symbols (or did you actually think eggs and bunnies had anything to do with the resurrection?) After Constantine decided to Christianize the Empire, Easter was changed to represent Jesus. But at its roots, Easter (which is how you pronounce Ishtar) is all about celebrating fertility and sex. 

Clearly, we all know that memes are the ultimate source of information—particularly when they makes a biting point about something or some group that is not particularly favorably viewed. But it is well known that under the Roman Empire, Christianity did indeed adopt the pagan rituals of conquered peoples in an effort to help convert them. It worked pretty well as a strategy as it allowed the conquered peoples to continue a semblance of their observances as they remembered, and with time the population would be replaced with those who only knew the new traditions. This is not a secret. However, there are a few things wrong with the Ishtar meme that a simple Google search will turn up:

Ishtar was the goddess of love and war and sex, as well as protection, fate, childbirth, marriage, and storms—there's some fertility in there, but as with Aphrodite, there is also an element of power. Her cult practiced sacred prostitution, where women waited at a temple and had sex with a stranger in exchange for a divine blessing (and money to feed hungry children or pay a debt).

Ishtar's symbols were the lion, the morning star, and eight or sixteen pointed stars—again, symbols of power.

The word Easter does not appear to be derived from Ishtar, but from the German Eostre, the goddess of the dawn—a bringer of light. English and German are in the minority of languages that use a form of the word Easter to mark the holiday. Elsewhere, the observance is framed in Latin pascha, which in turn is derived from the Hebrew pesach, meaning of or associated with Passover. Ishtar and Easter appear to be homophones: they may be pronounced similarly, but have different meanings.

Our helpful meme places the egg in Ishtar's domain, but Ishtar doesn't seem to be connected to eggs in any explicit way. However, there are plenty of other older traditions that involve the egg as a symbol of rebirth and feature it prominently in creation mythologies:

Ancient Egyptians believed in a primeval egg from which the sun god hatched. Alternatively, the sun was sometimes discussed as an egg itself, laid daily by the celestial goose, Seb, the god of the earth. The Phoenix is said to have emerged from this egg. The egg is also discussed in terms of a world egg, molded by Khnum from a lump of clay on his potter's wheel (1).

Hinduism makes a connection between the content of the egg and the structure of the universe: for example, the shell represents the heavens, the white the air, and the yolk the earth. The Chandogya Upanishads describes the act of creation in terms of the breaking of an egg:

The Sun is Brahma—this is the teaching. A further explanation thereof (is as follows). In the beginning this world was merely non-being. It was existent. It developed. It turned into an egg. It lay for the period of a year. It was split asunder. One of the two egg-shell parts became silver, one gold. That which was of silver is this earth. That which was of gold is the sky … Now what was born therefrom is yonder sun (1).

In the Zoroastrian religion, the creation myth tells of an ongoing struggle between the principles of good and evil. During a lengthy truce of several thousand years, evil hurls himself into an abyss and good lays an egg, which represents the universe with the earth suspended from the vault of the sky at the midway point between where good and evil reside. Evil pierces the egg and returns to earth, and the two forces continue their battle (2).

In Findland, Luonnotar, the Daughter of Nature floats on the waters of the sea, minding her own business when an eagle arrives, builds a nest on her knee, and lays several eggs. After a few days, the eggs begin to burn and Luonnotar jerks her knee away, causing the eggs to fall and break. The pieces form the world as we know it: the upper halves form the skies, the lower the earth, the yolks become the sun, and the whites become the moon (3).

In China, there are several legends that hold a cosmic egg at their center, including the idea that the first being or certain people were born of eggs. For example, the Palangs trace their ancestry to a Naga princess who laid three eggs, and the Chin will not kill the king crow because it laid the original Chin egg from which they emerged (3).

The Sun God, Ra with an egg-shaped disk over his head. Public domain. These are some of the stories that build the foundation for the tradition of eggs at Easter. Contrary to the assertion of our meme, eggs and bunnies actually do have something to do with the idea of resurrection: in these early stories, the creator often emerged from the egg itself in some form:  The cosmic egg, according to the Vedic writings, has a spirit living within it which will be born, die, and be born yet again. Certain versions of the complicated Hindu mythology describe Prajapati as forming the egg and then appearing out of it himself. Brahma does likewise, and we find parallels in the ancient legends of Thoth and Ra. Egyptian pictures of Osiris, the resurrected corn god, show him returning to life once again rising up from the shell of a broken egg. The ancient legend of the Phoenix is similar. This beautiful mythical bird was said to live for hundreds of years. When its full span of life was completed it died in flames, rising again in a new form from the egg it had laid (4).

The Phoenix was adopted as a Christian symbol in the first century AD. It appears on funeral stones in early Christian art, churches, religious paintings, and stonework. The egg from which it rose has become our Easter egg. As with many symbols, the Easter egg has continued to shift. When the Lenten fast was adopted in the third and fourth centuries, observant Christians abstained from dairy products, including milk, cheese, butter, and eggs. In England, on the Saturday before Lent, it was common practice for children to go from door to door to beg for eggs—a last treat before the fast began.

Even the act of coloring eggs is tied to the idea of rebirth and resurrection. While egg decorating kits offer a vibrant means of decorating eggs today, the link between life and eggs was traditionally made by using a red coloring. Among Christians, red symbolizes the blood of Jesus. Among Macedonians, it has been a tradition to bring a red egg to Church and eat it when the priest proclaims "Christ is risen" at the Easter vigil and the Lenten fast is officially broken (5). 

I love the Easter traditions at Church. The lighting of the Easter candle reminds me of my childhood Diwali celebrations and the lighting of Christmas lights as they all represent means of driving away darkness. Ishtar may well have some connection to the rites of Spring, and admittedly Easter itself is an observance of Spring, but in an age when so much wrong has been done in the name of religion, and religion is a focal point for criticism and debate, it's worth remembering that the overlap of time and history has given us richer traditions than any of us can truly be aware of—and that memes shouldn't be taken at face value. 

References Newall, Venetia. (1967) "Easter Eggs," The Journal of American Folklore Vol 80 (315): 3-32. RE Hume, ed. (1931) The Thirteen Upanishads. London: 214-215

Notes:   Newall: 4    Hume: 214   Newall: 7   Newall: 14   Newall: 22

Krystal D'Costa is an anthropologist working in digital media in New York City. You can follow AiP on Facebook.

 The views expressed are those of the author(s) and are not necessarily those of Scientific American.

https://getpocket.com/explore/item/beyond-ishtar-the-tradition-of-eggs-at-easter?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[ravageknight-eternal]

Reptilians/Saurians - Ancient earthly civilization of intelligent dinosaurs. Master manipulators of biology and genetics, dwell mostly underground or in jungle/desert environments. Utilize biotechnological advances made from living organisms, strictly hierarchal and warlike, but honorable, and intelligent.

Architects/Ancients - Mysterious constructors of immense megaliths on Earth, across the System, and across the galaxy. Structures seem to activate for various purposes, and are extremely advanced, almost magical. No one has ever observed an actual Architect..

Elders(?)- Another very old civilization. Considered the progenitors of mankind. Very obviously related to us, and often adopt lofty personas and behaviors to lord over their creations and their worlds. Excessive, gluttonous. Prone to destroying the life they create out of spite when they are surpassed. Essentially vampirish and elvish, but from space.

Formics/Colony/Brood - Galactic locust-horde, wandering across the stars, hungrily consuming all matter to make more of themselves. Live in gigantic swarms of moving converted planets, vessels, asteroids, comets, etc. Despite their seemingly mindless conversion, the Brood demonstrates complex and intelligent behavior that showcases a deep hive-minded structure coupled with intensive, adaptive individual personalities that manifest as exceptional beings within the colonies. These individuals seem separate from the basic drone-worker rank and file with personal behaviors, ornate armor, and more. The amassing of their species on Earth and bizarre defensive structures pointed skyward seem to indicate they’re running from something with a bigger appetite than themselves..

Greys - Small, seemingly cybernetic brings that are known for abductions. Common on Earth, and considered a basic phenomena in the daily lives of people on Earth, even prior to Contact. Small Greys, Tall Greys. While rarer, it is known that an organized, or supposedly militaristic, faction does exist, with uniforms, weapons, and all. Their exact purpose on Earth seems to be hidden from those they take, as it is known and common for Greys to often mislead those they abduct. The immense hatred of Greys by nearly all extraterrestrial factions on Earth seems to speak to some vast, horrid crime or agenda. Huh.

Overlords - Despite the name, Overlords are generally diminutive beings, smaller than the average Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Despite their almost laughable size, Overlords are the ultimate psychic and psionic brings. Their manipulative minds can shatter even the powerful psychological technology of the Greys with utter ease. They are considered nightmarish thought-beings, creatures that harvest the minds and consciousness of intelligent species for nefarious, unthinkable processes that remain unseen in the depths of their labyrinthine configurations. It is known that beyond them is a colossal apparatus at work across the cosmos, hungrily draining the terrors, thoughts, and minds of every thinking world in their path..

Automatons/Machinations/Constructs - The churning clanking and clattering of these living devices is an unsettling roar across the most desolate regions of the Earth. No one actually knows how, or when, or why these mechanisms have manifested on Earth. Their complex, orbiting, flowing metal-light bodies crackle with lightning and plasma. They bear weapons that can effectively, completely erase one from existence, particle by particle. Their structures gnaw at spacetime; clockwork fortresses that summon colossal automaton lords. As of now, everyone leaves these guys alone.

Aurora/Essences - Living energy beings, and worshipped by crystal-clutching clergies and cults. Although they’ve got a quirky following, the Auroras are essentially harmless wanderers, living and thinking particle winds that have seen billions and billions of worlds across immense eons.

Nordics/Arayans - Bone-pale, beautiful, immortal blonde haired people from beyond the stars. And genocidal annihilators who gifted Nazi Germany horrific weaponry against the Allies. When they finally learned of the defeat of their Earthly Champions, the Nordics decided they would finish the job Adolf couldn’t. Their lyrical, lovely voices are simply a poetic distraction from their omnicidal campaign they’ve carried out across the Orion Arm. Currently, they occupy much of Russia, working with the secretive Fourth Reich to eliminate all unclean from the Urals to Siberia. Extremely wanted war criminals by the Federation.

Atlanteans/Lemurians - Magical, prehistoric precursor humanity who dwells on sunken continents in the Indian and Atlantic oceans. Their technology manipulates the fundamental physical structure of water and ice, remaining unseen (and undisturbed) for millennia on the Earth.

Imperials/Royals - A collection of alien races from around the Milky Way currently in a severe civil war after the split between their Empire (the Void Emperor) and a ruthless royal family (The Line of Cygnus). Most species are non-human, and non-humanoid as well, via their origination outside of the Creator Sphere. The Royal Occupation of Earth has actively manipulated numerous earthly nations to support their battle against the Empire, promising technological magic and “enlightenment” for genetic material, resources, et all. Meanwhile, the Empire occupies a portion of at least every major body in the Solar System, almost laughably massive, but hasn’t attacked yet. Bureaucratic talks with the Federation continue.

Federation - Another collection of interstellar aliens. A well-to-do and extremely altruistic, but commanding, organization that does its best to manage galactic affairs. While their actions may be slow via lengthy paperwork and diplomatic organizing, the Federation is no laughing matter when it comes to business. Many galactic forces of serious ability defer to the Federation, and countless alien factions on Earth have come to at least attempt to respect the might of the Federation. Humanity generally likes these guys.

Holy Terror - A fanatical religious nightmare that slips through the Galaxy aboard gigantic, gothic Cathedral-Ships. Damp, gnarled interiors illuminated by black fire burning candles. Hallowed tremors echo, the music of terrible choirs. The religion of these horrid beings is poorly understand, but one thing is known: they will convert your civilization, or erase it. Conversion is a horrific process of mutilation, parasitic infestation, and outright consumption by undying powers housed deep in the bowels of those grotesque vessels. Erasure is equally brutal, with terrifying abominations unleashed to completely eradicate all life. The Fleet at Earth is said to be commanded by their God itself, and by the foul, obsidian flames that orbit that behemoth ship: it seems the stories are true..

Blue Sphere Alliance - “Spiritual” aliens who care about consciousness and freedom of their fellow Blue Sphere inhabitants. Funny enough, the Blue Sphere is a reference to a singular location in the Milky Way Galaxy almost entirely inhabited by multiple, intelligent, humanoid aliens. We, and almost all alien factions on Earth, represent natives to the Sphere. The Alliance desperately wishes to rejoin the Creator, the fabled maker of intelligent and humanoid beings in the Galaxy. On Earth, the Alliance is well-liked because of its physical efforts to ensure order and freedom continue to exist. Thanks to their intervention, things like cancer and malaria are memories of the past. Sadly though, war remains. Still working on that one.

Daemons/Demons/Archons - The Nine Archons. The ultimate evil currently present on the planet. Vast, unified hatred that commands a limitless army of demonic horrors who hunger for every soul and mind on Earth. The Dragon Army. Shivering, painful creatures who serve a terrible immensity older than time itself. Their ziggurats loom up out of the Mesopotamian desert, black as night, with gigantic triangular warships. Countess worshippers praise on those endless steps. Human and Alien alike fear what dwells in those leviathan tombs..

[valerianka-97]

Twisted, tangled, wicked, sick.

... That is how I felt when I actually finished that article. Heaven help me...

The 12th of July is the beginning of a new era for gothic rock trio from Massachusetts - PVRIS.

Last Friday the band introduced to the world their debut single "Death Of Me" from an upcoming third album. They also released a thrilling music video for the song.

New sound, same energy.

Death Of Me was supposed to be a new rock hit but surprisingly turned out to be the dance hit instead. Many fans were confused, some were in panic that the band switched to another genre, others were slightly shocked. But everyone agreed that the song with the video alongside are something out of this world.

Evolution of sound isn't surprising, the frontwoman Lynn Gunn is known to collaborate with pop and dance artists such as Seven Lions, TBMA and some others, so the electronics that fully replased live instruments is something we could see coming.

Anyways, the band is staying true to themselves, judging by the themes and overall vibe of their new song.

Death Of Me definitely has strong old-PVRIS vibes: the lyrics are still dark and sinister and the video is moody and ominous.

In the song Lynn tells us the story of obsessive love. Obsessive, passionate and dangerous love. Or dedication. It's still a mystery whether she's referring to her love relationship or to something else. Gunn likes to hide things in plane sight, so her love life would've been too easy to refer. The song kinda reminds me of Florence & The machine's Pure Feeling, in which Florence Welch speaks about her dedication to fans and vice versa. The metaphor fits just right to that theory.

Let's speak straightforward here, fans are the best promotion machine of any artist. We can suffocate or let them breath, we can literally be the death of them, because fans are the ones who put an artist on a pedestal and fans can kick them back down. It also reminds me of something else. Something more important and global. But I will leave that thoughts for later in the article.

The music video here is another story but also is an adding to that theory. I'll talk about it more below.

First, let's take a closer look at all the mysteries in the vid.

The biblical theme is the one we notice first of all, it's very simple, and there is a reason of that obviousness. While fans are building logical connections with the first visual metaphor of the seduction of Eve by the devil in a snake's appearance with the song lyrics and then enjoying passionate sequences and the cult initiation, the most interesting metaphors are carefully hidden. The devil is in the details, guys.

The storyline of the video is built on hidden metaphors. Some of them may or may not be intentional, maybe I just built logical connections where there is none but you surely will find my observations interesting.

The seduction and the forbidden fruit are not the only symbols from the Bible. We can see the new members of cult going through initiation. But have you noticed that all of them are of different races? There are black people, asians and white people. It got to me when I wondered about the symbolism of the pyramid formed by the cultists with our trio in the heart of it - which is also may be symbolic and may represent the three ascendants of Noah (or is it too complicated? It may be unintentional). Here we've got the Tower of Babel metaphor.

Next on - the red aquarium. I've already said in a comment section for the video on YouTube that aquarium represents the falling of Adam and Eve from heaven. It's a small piece but key one, keep that in mind.

Now, remember the line in the song "I'm falling, fading, and seeing angels". This line is not just the reference to Demon Limbs. Everyone has noticed that the band made a colorful music video. And the colors in it were not chosen randomly. The band and everyone in the sequence dressed in white instead of classical culty black wearing. Knowing of the falling from heaven metaphor in the video and connecting it to the line from the song we've got our "angels" Lynn talks about. And that's not all of it.

The Tower of Babel in the Bible is known to represent a kind of an act of rebellion against God. The whole cult sequense symbolizes that at some point. The initiation almost completely recreates the holy communion. This, overall, may represent the creation of the alternative religion as a counterweight to the original one and creating their own kind of heaven on Earth, which for some may look more like hell. But that's, my friends, is parallax. Another reference to song lyrics.

And my favorite metaphor, which is also pretty simple but hidden in plain sight. The whole song with its dark, seductive, even erotic, at some poin, vibes is a hint, not to count pretty obvious visualisations in the video.

Lust. The most pleasant one of all deadly sins. Tangled bodies moving rhythmically to the heartbeat and everyone's in rapture. Passionate, isn't it? I mentioned hell lately on purpose. "One man's hell is another's God, it's all about perspective, a parallax". Lynn Gunn surely knows how to play with words and the visuals.

The storyline starts at the actual end of the music video. Why not the snake sequence? You may ask. In fact, it all begun with a snake and an apple, right?

Like I've said, the colors chosen for the video are not accidental. Red color symbolizes not only passion but also hell. And it is known that Eve was in heaven at the moment of seduction. Which led me to conclusion where the story actually begins. And the pyramid sequence is an actual end (which is to be continued).

The ones, who were fallen and forbidden to come back to heaven gardens for they've sinned, united and built their own garden on Earth and they rule it like God rules heavens.

They've sinned at God's perspective, yet they see it as holy communion from theirs.

Now let's come back to my theory of the song's meaning. Why I think it may be about the fans and something more global.

The first time I've watched and listened to the music video, it kinda reminded me of Britney Spears. Let me explain this absurd. Britney's fame became hell for her in mid-2000's. We all remember that.

That's one piece.

In 2011 Spears released a music video for the song Till The World Ends.

The sequences in that video at some point are repeated in Death Of Me: it caught my attention the second I've seen tangled bodies in a rhytmic movement. In Britney's video the storyline's mostly situated underground, where everyone is dying of the hell of a heat, and the colors in both videos are similar, also the dance-y vibe in the darkness of the underground kinda the same. That's the piece no2.

And the dance with a snake was Britney's most iconic performance back in 200(5?). That's the 3rd one.

Not only the music video led me here. Lynn's "You're a cold-blooded killer only after dark but I don't mind" also reminded me of Britney's song Criminal.

Yes, that all may be just coincidence, because "why the fck Britney Spears? Nothin' in common".

And that's when the song lyrics come up and make sense of all of it. Again, the line about hell in perspective, the line about a noose around Lynn's neck or a poison, the line about danger. I've thought about Britney Spears because she is the best example of what the pressure of huge responsibility for fanbase and fame in general can do to people. Break them, suffocate and be the death of them.

We know that coincidences are not accidental, not with PVRIS. Lynn's metaphors have always been much deeper than it has seemed, so I guess that's a good and well argumented theory.

And don't you think that it's finished. There's more.

Death Of Me also wasn't chosen to be the debut single by accident. From all written above, the song is a perfect metaphor itself for the band's prevous album. All We Know Of Heaven, All We Need Of Hell. Which makes it a great bridge between what we already know and what is soon to be released. My guess is we're about to find out more about heaven and get something else from hell.

I've done pretty heavy work in analyzing everything, and trust me, it was hell. But I enjoyed every hour of it. Twisted, huh?

P. S. While writing a draft to the article I couldn't decide whose name to place in a metaphor with the snake, so at first I wrote "devil's seduction of Eve/Lynn" and accidentally found this strange reference. EVELYNN. Two names, Eve and Lynn, in one Evelynn. And Lynn as Eve in the video. And Evelynn short names are both Eve and Lynn.. Damn, I confused it even more.

Update:

My brain almost exploded yesterday while writing all this. The article is so loaded with information, so I desided not to mention some symbols. Today, as I had a good night of sleep (after very brutal insomnia issues) I realized that the analysis can't be completed without those little details.

The names puzzle above is one of them but I mannaged to put it somehow anyway.

There are several more things to say about symbolism though. One of the them is obvious and everyone noticed it from the start but not everyone is aware of the meaning of that metaphor.

Not all of us know how to read tarot cards, me included. The representation of a tarot card "Three of Swords" - the knives Lynn, Brian and Alex pierced an apple with.

The card's meaning is a heartbreak, sorrow, grief, pain caused by someone's words or actions. It also has a meaning of emotional release and a reminder that the dark clouds building above your head will disappear and take the pain away with it.

The scene of stabbing the apple by the trio most likely symbolizes their expression of that pain and releasing it the moment the apple is pierced.

There is also a colorful symbol which is not that easy to acknowledge but is also put right in front of our sight. I had this thought since the first time I watched the video but didn't bring much attention to it. I came back to it after looking in to flowers handbook.

The flowers on the table in the music video are white lenagolds. Why lenagolds? Why not roses or lilies?

The christian legends say that lenagolds turned up on Earth with the walking of messiah. The Mother's tears that fallen when Jesus carried his cross turned into lenagolds.

Basic meaning of lenagolds is love and devotion. The definition of white lenagolds is sincerity and purity of feelings, loyalty, gratitude and luck.

Note that the flowers laying on the cult's joint table, which also may symbolize the band's devotion and love for the fanbase.

There is another hidden symbol I noticed but didn't manage to solve. Maybe some of you have thoughts on that?

When the cultists stand in two rows facing one another, at first I thought they carried flowers, this scene was really glimpse, so I played it in slow motion. They carried busts.

Not sure what that means, because I can't see whose busts there are, what I'm sure of is that this scene is related to a short shot of a woman's head with bloody tear streaking. Maybe that also reffers to that legend with lenagolds?

Anyways, thank you for reading! I hope you made it down here and I didn't waste your time

If you liked it, please reblog. Would be much appreciated!

[translationandbetrayals]

Re-writing of the myth of Noah in Mamoru Oshii's cinema, pt. 3 of 3

III. The girl, the angel’s egg and the soldier Well, having laid the foundations where our characters and their stories are located, we can finally interpret the meaning of the work, or at least shyly approach it. So far, we have the motivations of our protagonist defined. Returning to the final section of the work, we will focus on the image of the imposing orb covered with statues that appears at the beginning and at the end of the work, since its relevance determines both the meaning of the girl’s death and the function of the soldier character. The first thing that jumps out is his evident similarity with Jesus Christ (the cross on his back, his bandages on his hands, reference to the stigmata), so approaching the work from the figure of Jesus is not so far-fetched. For this case, we will make the distinction between the mythical Christ and the carpenter Jesus of Nazareth: The Son of God and the son of a man and a woman. The fact that our protagonist suffers in a similar way the passage of time in his memory like the girl, states that this is a humanized version of Jesus of Nazareth, as human as she is.

After the egg, symbol of the girl’s religion, was destroyed, she fell into such a state of despair, that she was impelled to see where she was running, falling into a deep well where she drowned. Let us recall for a moment the image of baptism (for example, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River) and analyze its symbolism, described by Saint John Chrysostom: “‘It represents death and burial, life and resurrection… When we sink our heads in water, as in a grave, the old man is completely immersed and buried. When we get out of the water, the new man suddenly appears.’ The ambivalence of this text is only apparent: death affects only the natural man, while the new birth is of the spiritual man, in this particularization of the general symbolism of the waters.” (Cirlot 91-92)

The presence of the character of the soldier like Jesus of Nazareth and the existence of the statues covering the surface of the Orb, allows us to visualize this entity as a representation of God. And from this the death of the girl would be interpreted as a baptism in which she detaches herself from her body to purify herself and be immortalized with God as a holy statue.

For his part, the soldier knew the story of the angel, of how God had abandoned his creations; He knew that the egg religion would be an ad infinitum cycle of meaningless veneration, for even if the angel hatched from his great egg, it would never return. By destroying the only support of the girl with the divine figure, it causes his death, his baptism and his resurrection with God.

I would like to return to the words of Ruh, who, for his part, interprets the destruction of the egg as the destruction of a false idol at the hands of Christianity (56). Tenshi no Tamago’s message, as he observes, lies in the death of Oshii’s faith in the power of faith itself (Ibid. 57), in how faith can condemn a life to nonsense, to the cult of images lacking substance, as in the case of the fishermen, or to a state of eternal waiting that will only lead to forgetfulness of one’s identity, as in the case of the girl.

As we have explained, Tenshi no Tamago reflects in a quite critical way some novel facets of religion and faith from a new version of the Biblical myth of Noah. Its construction of a world abandoned by God and of a society that is built from a phantasmagorical religion allows a metaphysical exploration with many possibilities of interpretation, since the stories of its protagonists, both with their own existential dilemmas (the girl with her faith absolute to a meaningless religion; the man condemned to forget his own life) contain a huge number of symbols whose value will depend on each viewer. In this case, I just wanted to show Mamoru Oshii’s great respect for Christian myths, and how he can tell us such a wonderful story from elements that are (sometimes) so trivialized by contemporary Western art.

Bibliography

-        Biblia textual. Sociedad bíblica latinoamericana. 1999.

-        Chevalier, Jean; Gheerbrant, Alain. Diccionario de símbolos. Barcelona: Herder, 1986.

-        Cirlot, Juan Eduardo. Diccionario de símbolos. Madrid: Siruela, 1997.

-        Ruh, Brian. “Angel’s Egg (1985)”. Stray Dog of anime: the films of Mamoru Oshii. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, pp. 45-60.

Luis Alarcón

[thewitcheswonderemporium]

DEITY OF THE DAY

VENUS- ROMAN GODDESS OF LOVE AND BEAUTY

Venus was the Roman goddess whose functions encompassed love, beauty, sex, fertility, prosperity and victory. In Roman mythology, she was the mother of the Roman people through her son, Aeneas, who survived the fall of Troy and fled to Italy. Julius Caesar claimed her as his ancestor. Venus was central to many religious festivals, and was venerated in Roman religion under numerous cult titles.

The Romans adapted the myths and iconography of her Greek counterpart Aphrodite for Roman art and Latin literature. In the later classical tradition of the West, Venus becomes one of the most widely referenced deities of Greco-Roman mythology as the embodiment of love and sexuality.. Later, under Greek influence, she was equated with Aphrodite and assumed many of her aspects. Venus is the daughter of Jupiter, and some of her lovers include Mars and Vulcan, modeled on the affairs of Aphrodite.

Her cult began in Ardea and Lavinium, Latium. On August 18, 293 BC, her oldest temple was built. August 18 was then a festival called the Vinalia Rustica. The oldest temple known of Venus dates back to 293 BCE, and was inaugurated on August 18. Later, on this date the Vinalia Rustica was observed. A second festival, that of the Veneralia, was celebrated on April 1 in honor of Venus Verticordia, who later became the protector against vice. Her temple was built in 114 BCE.

After the Roman defeat near Lake Trasum in 215 BCE, a temple was built on the Capitol for Venus Erycina. This temple was officially opened on April 23, and a festival, the Vinalia Priora, was instituted to celebrate the occasion. Her importance rose, and that of her cult, through the influence of several Roman political leaders. The dictator Sulla made her his patroness, and both Julius Caesar and the emperor Augustus named her the ancestor of their (Julian) family: the 'gens Julia' was Aeneas, son of Venus and the mortal Anchises.

Julius Caesar introduced the cult of Venus Genetrix, the goddess of motherhood and marriage, and built a temple for her in 46 BCE. He introduced Venus Genetrix as a goddess of motherhood and domesticity. She was also honored in the temple of Mars Ultor. The last great temple of Venus was built by the emperor Hadrianus near the Colosseum in 135 CE. Venus was often referred to with epithet Venus Erycina ("of the heather").

Venus embodies sex, beauty, enticement, seduction and persuasive female charm among the community of immortal gods; in Latin orthography, her name is indistinguishable from the Latin noun venus ("sexual love" and "sexual desire"), from which it derives. Venus has been described as perhaps "the most original creation of the Roman pantheon" and "an ill-defined and assimilative" native goddess, combined "with a strange and exotic Aphrodite".

To read more visit https://www.facebook.com/TheMusingsofaMysticWitch/

[salixj]

Every individual feels the tension between what we “want” to do, and what we “should” do. In Jewish thought, this constant state of flux is a cornerstone of practice and belief often referred to as “Obligation”.

When I first came to Israel 9 years ago, it was an idea that I only knew in the abstract way we all experience it; I had never grappled with it in any real, practical sense. Today, it is the cornerstone of my deepening Jewish observant (though not “religious”) identity.

The light of this latent value, buried deep in a Jewish soul I had no awareness of at the time, found its first flicker in the stairwell of a random Tel Aviv hotel as the first Shabbat I ever celebrated came in on a regular April evening in 2011.

I couldn’t tell you what changed as I walked up to the roof, the song of my Birthright group all around me, to experience Shabbat for the first time. But I do know that this past Shabbat, eyes closed yet tearing up as I sang the Shabbat liturgy in a Jerusalem synagogue, I returned to that stairwell in my mind’s eye. I do so nearly every Friday night that I make it to Synagogue to live my Jewish birthright of welcoming Shabbat, as my family has done for millennia.

That I am blessed enough to even have this experience is a kind of miracle in and of itself. The son of a Jewish mother and Catholic father, I grew up in a loving, tolerant home where secular rational humanism in the Judeo-Christian tradition, taught by example, was the only religion I ever knew. And for 25 years of my life, it had never occurred to me that you could you could need anything more in a value system.

My parents taught me it’s wrong to steal; they taught me it’s wrong to lie; they taught me to always strive to treat others as I would want to be treated. They did right by me in the morality department, and I’m forever grateful to them for it.

And yet, experiencing Shabbat for the first time pierced me so deeply that it found Jewish bedrock beneath a lifetime of secular and enlightenment training and conviction. When I felt the joy and the beauty of welcoming Shabbat for the first time, I knew there was something resonating in me.

But at the same time, I couldn’t have told you what it was — even less why it was, or what it meant. Nor was it a transcendental experience where the clouds opened up and everything changed in an instant. I didn’t have a religious awakening, much less a revelation. I still haven’t. Looking back on it today, the best way I can describe it is as an inchoate sense of fulfillment and meaning that I never expected to find.

I went back to America after two weeks in Israel. But I was never the same. The next Friday was the first one I ever celebrated Shabbat in my own home. Less than two years later, I would be doing the same thing from my new home in Jerusalem.

A look behind the curtain at the cult of self

I’ve given a lot of thought to what I felt in that stairwell seven years ago.

I’ve given a lot of thought to what value could be so powerful that it resonated through a lifetime of Jewish ignorance, yet so amorphous that I couldn’t understand what it was even as it was kindling the light of generations inside of me.

My answer is Obligation.

Everywhere you look in modern culture and society, the individual is center and supreme. And in a certain sense, the individual has never been more free. Every day, the abundance of the modern world calls us more and more to the banner of the cult of self.

Popular culture packages this idea in many forms. You should always accomplish evermore for yourself; you must consume more for yourself. This is the immutable law of the modern world — never take on any responsibility except for one laid upon you by your own impulses for self-gratification.

This lie, like a drug, is as intoxicating as it is destructive. Taken to its logical conclusion, it only produces a uniquely toxic blend of mania, nihilism, and misery. I know this because, in my time competing for Israel as a Skeleton athlete, I learned the uniquely empowering liberation of practicing purposeful, targeted, self-abnegation.

If I had to sum up everything I learned in a decade of preparing myself to compete in international athletics, it would be this: In every moment, the soul should absolutely have the freedom to choose, but it does not follow that the soul should choose absolute freedom in every moment.

That the above statement is provocative in 2019 goes without saying. Freedom is the supreme virtue of our time. But where freedom has no self-imposed constraints, where our desires become our only moral compass, freedom actually cannibalizes itself and loses all meaning. The concept requires negative space — times when we voluntarily choose to NOT follow our every impulsive desire — to bring meaning and joy into our lives. Where no constraint exists, freedom cannot contrast against it, and so itself cannot exist.

Paradoxically, the freedom of the cult of self actually turns us into slaves of our impulses.

Letting go of the big lie

Experiencing this truth of the human soul viscerally via my secular athletic life, combined with my deepening relationship and understanding of Shabbat, caused a revolution in my thinking.

Despite my secular upbringing, I couldn’t keep believing the big lie of modern consumer culture. Eventually, I stopped being afraid to admit that the lived truth of my emotional, mental, and physical life would by definition have to be true for my spiritual life.

I stopped believing external Obligation was, by definition, oppressive and evil. I stopped believing that the only virtue there is to aspire to in this life is for everything to be about me, in all places, and at all times.

Against a meaningful and just objective standard, there is value in doing something that is hard; there is value in doing something that challenges the will; there is value in doing something that we do not necessarily “want to do” in the moment. And the reason is because, just like muscle and bone, the mind and the soul must flex against resistance or languish into atrophy.

It is this concept of choosing to act not on impulse but rather against a virtuous objective standard, and its central role in Jewish spirituality and faith, that served as the stepping off point for me to experience Jewishness not just as an identity but as an exercise of my soul.

Shabbat, the weekly Obligation of the Jewish people to remember God’s act of Creation, kindled the lived spiritual practice of this idea inside of me.

Every Friday night, I am mindful that it is Shabbat. I do not work on my day job or various side projects; I stay off of social media and news sites; I say the blessings over candles and wine whenever possible; I go to Synagogue for Kabalat Shabbat whenever I am home in Israel, and sometimes when I am visiting my family in New Jersey.

To this day, Shabbat remains the most visceral expression of Obligation that I experience. It is my weekly rebellion against the selfishness and nihilism of the modern world.

Yearning to lead a life well lived

If you are expecting to now read that I now keep all the Halacha, pray three times a day, and never watch a movie on Shabbat, I am afraid I will have to disappoint you. To be fair, I had already admitted I am not what anyone would mistake for an observant Jew, in the common understanding of that term.

My working definition of free will remains 100% in the secular Enlightenment tradition. One of the parts of Jewish observance, tradition, and faith I struggle with the most is the idea of external punishment for transgressing Obligation that does not cause harm to others. I believe that failing to follow an Obligation is harmful to myself — a punishment by definition — and that there is no place (or need) for human hands to dole it out.

My journey into Jewish Obligation has already been a long and fulfilling one, and it is without a doubt far from complete. In reality, my lived Jewish Obligation is, as of today, cherry-picked and I readily admit it. I am not perfect. Some will call me a hypocrite, and that’s fine. But this is an honest assessment of where I am at this point in my life.

Like all of us and in spite of my best intentions, I do not always live up to the standard I would like to see myself living up to. But I am trying. Most importantly, I have reversed my blind and fundamental attachment to the decadent thinking that infects our modern life and sadly causes so much needless pain. I am now open and aware of the benefits of accepting Obligation into my spiritual life, and see the impossible wisdom of that great Jewish theological belief that a life lived entirely free of the uplifting power of Obligation cannot be a life well lived.

And even in just that change — and the yearning to be better that it brings — the awakening of my Jewish soul has already enriched my life more than I could have ever imagined.

ABOUT THE AUTHORBradley Chalupski is the winner of Israel's first medal in an international IBSF Skeleton competition, represented Israel in two IBSF Skeleton World Championships, and is the first Israeli athlete to compete in an IBSF Skeleton World Cup circuit event. In college, he interned for then Senator Joe Biden and later went on to intern in the policy department of NJ Governor Jon Corzine while earning his J.D. from the Seton Hall School of Law. He made Aliyah in 2012 and has lived in Jerusalem ever since. [Brad is my (Salixj’s)  son-in-law]

[yourstrangerneighber]

Worldbuilding June #8 & #9

8. How is your world run? Who’s in power?

The universe itself is not run by anyone. The gods shaped it, but it follows its own course, nudged occasionally by the gods.

In Gramor, the Most Eminent and High Council Close and Communicative with the Exalted and Eternal One is in charge. It is a council made up by a series of priests chosen by the previous High Council. The members are called the Close Communicative, while the head of the Council is the Closest Communicative. In short, they are in charge of running Gramor, shaping policy, and establishing the rules of the faith. With the various lords and nobles of the land, they determine military and economic policy. However, the last say is theirs.

In Yuanjing, power is wielded by the Supreme General, Combater of the Hordes, Envoy of Jing. They are the head of a statistochratic monarchy; in short, they are a shogun. The title passes from the current leader to the strongest of their children. However, succession is decided by besting the current leader in combat. Anyone may challenge the Supreme General, but their strongest child must fight their progenitor before anyone else has a chance.

The League is a bit more complicated. Each city-state employs their own government and has their own head of state. However, they also convene thrice a year for the Sovereign Council of Opposition in the Council of the Sovereign (a building). For half a year, the building also hosts Sovereign Parliament; the SCO convenes once in the beginning, once in the middle, and once in the end. Each member sends two delegates to the Parliament, while the heads of state meet in the SCO. They discuss matters of state, and every two years the title of Right Sovereign Opposer (essentially, the head of state of the entire league) passes to a different city-state’s leader.

9. What are the religions and cosmology of your world?

The main religion of Aleyun centers around the cult of the Exalted One and the Sparkspawn. Gramor above all prides itself on its religious tradition; often, the temple is the first building built in any given town, even before the town hall. Those who observe the cult of the Sparkspawn always pay some kind of respect to the Exalted One, even if it is not their principal cult; after all, the Sparkspawn were shaped from the essence of the Exalted. Overall, most everyone practices some kind of cult to the Exalted One and their spawn.

Of course, there are exceptions. Those who reject the gods are viewed unfavorably, but are not bothered about this fact (most of the time). It is well understood that the gods are indeed real, so these persons’ objections lie upon the principle of the supreme freedom of the individual. These ‘atheists’ are aware of the gods’ existence, but merely reject the control the deities’ control over their own life.

There are those who are more sinister, however. Some practice the cult of the Fallen, and some an even darker cult: that of Rhahun’yunek, the primal chaos underlying creation. The former is a gateway of sorts to the latter, as those who worship the Fallen come to understand that their god’s power is ultimately derived from Rhahun’yunek. This cult is derived in bringing in as much entropy as possible into the world. Crime scenes left behind by these dark cultists look as if disaster fell upon whatever room they ransacked: pots are broken, chairs and tables flipped over, drawers thrown open, and their contents strewn about. They leave a great black scribble of the wall with charcoal to denote their passing through the area. These cultists are reviled, and people are loath to mention them. They are usually referred only to as ‘the Twisted’.  

Some gods are perceived as ‘belonging’ to one place more than others. For example, as you’ll read a few lines below, Zhenlin is very closely related to Yuanjing. Although his cult is not prohibited in Gramor, those who worship him in Gramor and have not been involved in some kind of war (that is to say, including those who grieve over some lost family member) are seen unfavorably.

Of course, there are exceptions. Those who reject the gods are viewed unfavorably, but are not bothered about this fact (most of the time). It is well understood that the gods are indeed real, so these persons’ objections lie upon the principle of the supreme freedom of the individual. These ‘atheists’ are aware of the gods’ existence, but merely reject the control the deities’ control over their own life.

There are those who are more sinister, however. Some practice the cult of the Fallen, and some an even darker cult: that of Rhahun’yunek, the primal chaos underlying creation. The former is a gateway of sorts to the latter, as those who worship the Fallen come to understand that their god’s power is ultimately derived from Rhahun’yunek. This cult is derived in bringing in as much entropy as possible into the world. Crime scenes left behind by these dark cultists look as if disaster fell upon whatever room they ransacked: pots are broken, chairs and tables flipped over, drawers thrown open, and their contents strewn about. They leave a great black scribble of the wall with charcoal to denote their passing through the area. These cultists are reviled, and people are loath to mention them. They are usually referred only to as ‘the Twisted’.  

‘Cult’ and ‘cultists’ do not have a negative connotation within Aleyun. Rather, the polytheistic nature of its religion needs the word to describe the wealth of religious practices within the world. When one says they are a ‘cultist of X’, it means that is the principal deity they worship. However, this does not mean they are prevented from worshipping others. Often, this choice is brought about by either occupational reasons (e.g. scientists worshipping Gariu, the god of stars and science) or familial ones (e.g. the children of a scientist worshipping Gariu).

Although the Heroes of the Divine are not gods themselves, they are still revered throughout society. They are on par to what we would call ‘demigods’, despite the fact they lack divine parentage. Instead, their strength was divinely bestowed.

Below is a sneak peek to some of the Sparkspawn. Pardon the brevity, but my players read this and I don’t want to reveal Too much:

Zhenlin is the god of the earth (as in the physical dirt, not the planet), war, and loss. He is the patron god of Yuanjing, represented with two crossed spears: one clean, one bloodied. His story is steeped in bloodlust and tragedy, a grim reminder of reality that Yuanjing never lets its armed forces forget.

Jinea is the goddess of birth and death, bringing people in and out of the world in a pegasus-drawn carriage. She figures prominently in Aleyunian birth and funeral rites. “Forced their way on [to the cart]” is a popular euphemism for suicide in Aleyun.

Magiani is the god of wind, wealth, and trade. Because of this, it is one of the League’s favorite. He is a favorite of the League, particularly Pientori.

[hereticaloracles]

Asteroid Files: Tezcatlipoca

Helios on Tezcatlipoca– Heretics, this life is tough, and we often struggle to know where we belong and our place in the world. More often than not, this leads to some pretty dissatisfying realizations about our lives. So what do we do about it? Well, for that answer, lets look at this week’s asteroid profile!

The Astronomy– 1980 Tezcatlipoca is an eccentric, stony asteroid and near-Earth object of the Amor group, approximately 6 kilometers in diameter. Tezcatlipoca orbits the Sun in the inner main-belt at a distance of 1.1–2.3 AU once every 2 years and 3 months (816 days). Its orbit has an eccentricity of 0.36 and an inclination of 27° with respect to the ecliptic. This near-Earth object has an Earth minimum orbit intersection distance of 0.2455 AU (36,700,000 km), which corresponds to 95.6 lunar distances. The S-type asteroid is classified as an Sw-type by the ExploreNEOs project, and as an SU and Sl-type on the Tholen and SMASS taxonomic scheme, respectively

The Myth– Tezcatlipoca was a central deity in Aztec religion; One of the four sons of Ometeotl, he is associated with a wide range of concepts, including the night sky, the night winds, hurricanes, the north, the earth, obsidian, enmity, discord, rulership, divination, temptation, jaguars, sorcery, beauty, war, and strife. His name in the Nahuatl language is often translated as “Smoking Mirror” and alludes to his connection to obsidian, the material from which mirrors were made in Mesoamerica which were used for shamanic rituals and prophecy. There are few surviving representations of Tezcatlipoca into the present day. Due to the lack of surviving images, some have chosen to describe Tezcatlipoca as the ‘invisible god’. When depicted he was usually drawn with a black and a yellow stripe painted across his face. He is often shown with his right foot replaced with an obsidian mirror, bone, or a snake—an allusion to the creation myth in which he loses his foot battling with the Earth Monster. Sometimes the mirror was shown on his chest, and sometimes smoke would emanate from the mirror. Tezcatlipoca’s nagual, his animal counterpart, was the jaguar and his jaguar aspect was the deity Tepeyollotl (“Mountainheart”).

Tezcatlipoca was often described as a rival of another important god of the Aztecs, Quetzalcoatl. In one version of the Aztec creation account the myth of the Five Suns, the first creation, “The Sun of the Earth” was ruled by Tezcatlipoca but destroyed by Quetzalcoatl when he struck down Tezcatlipoca who then transformed into a jaguar. Quetzalcoatl became the ruler of the subsequent creation “Sun of Water”, and Tezcatlipoca destroyed the third creation “The Sun of Wind” by striking down Quetzalcoatl. In later myths, the four gods who created the world, Tezcatlipoca, Quetzalcoatl, Huitzilopochtli and Xipe Totec were referred to respectively as the Black, the White, the Blue and the Red Tezcatlipoca. The four Tezcatlipocas were the sons of Ometecuhtli and Omecihuatl, lady, and lord of the duality, and were the creators of all the other gods, as well as the world and all humanity.

The rivalry between Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca is also recounted in the legends of Tollan where Tezcatlipoca deceives Quetzalcoatl who was the ruler of the legendary city and forces him into exile- but it is interesting to note that Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca both collaborated in the creation of the different creations and that both of them were seen as instrumental in the creation of life. Specialists in Mesoamerican Studies, write that, “More than anything Tezcatlipoca appears to be the embodiment of change through conflict.” His cult was associated with royalty and was the subject of the most lengthy and reverent prayers in the rites of kingship, as well as being mentioned frequently in coronation speeches.

In one of the Aztec accounts of creation, Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca joined forces to create the world. Before their act, there was only the sea and the crocodilian earth monster called Cipactli.To attract her, Tezcatlipoca used his foot as bait, and Cipactli ate it. The two gods then captured her and distorted her to make the land from her body. After that, they created the people, and people had to offer sacrifices to comfort Cipactli for her sufferings. Because of this, Tezcatlipoca is depicted with a missing foot.

Another story of creation goes that Tezcatlipoca turned himself into the sun, but Quetzalcoatl was furious possibly because they were enemies, he is a night god or due to his missing foot, so he knocked Tezcatlipoca out of the sky with a stone club. Angered, Tezcatlipoca turned into a jaguar and destroyed the world. Quetzalcoatl replaced him and started the second age of the world and it became populated again. Tezcatlipoca overthrew Quetzalcoatl, forcing him to send a great wind that devastated the world, and the people who survived were turned into monkeys. Tlaloc, the god of rain, then became the sun. But he had his wife taken away by Tezcatlipoca. Angered in turn, he would not make it rain for several years until, in a fit of rage, he made it rain fire with the few people who survived the assault turning into the birds.Chalchihuitlicue the Water Goddess then became the sun. But she was crushed by Tezcatlipoca’s words who accused her of just pretending to be kind. She cried for many years and the world was destroyed by the resulting floods. Those people who survived the deluge were turned into fish.

As discussed above, Aztec folklore is rife with parallels, much of the time depicted in deities such as Tezcatlipoca. For Aztec nobility, this “patron deity” is fundamental in the social and natural phenomena justified by religion during this time. Extreme reverence and respect, characterized by ceremonial proceedings in which priests were “to pay homage” to Tezcatlipoca, or where “citizens waited expectantly” for ceremonial proceedings to start under the low hum of “shell trumpets,” were commonplace, especially for this deity. Utter respect from the highest position of Aztec nobility, the king, shown through the figurative and literal nakedness of his presence in front of Tezcatlipoca. The king would stand “naked, emphasizing his utter unworthiness,” speaking as nothing but a vessel for the god’s will. The new king would claim his spiritual nakedness symbolically through words and physical vulnerability, praising Tezcatlipoca with lines such as:

“O master, O our lord, O lord of the near, of the nigh, O night, O wind…Poor am I. In what manner shall I act for thy city? In what manner shall I act for the governed, for the vassals (macehualtin)? For I am blind, I am deaf, I am an imbecile, and in excrement, in filth hath my lifetime been… Perhaps thou mistaketh me for another; perhaps thou seekest another in my stead”.

For kings, lords, priests, and citizens alike, the cyclical nature they observed every day and every year was portrayed not through science or philosophical debate, but utter reverence and respect for the spiritual beings they believed were the cause of these events. It was gods like Tezcatlipoca that solidified this notion, representing both the silent wind, and thunderous war.

Why He Matters– Dear god, there was a ton of information on this one, and I absolutely love it. Tezcatlipoca is a fascinating figure in myth, and there is a lot to unpack here. Tezcatlipoca in the chart is a very Martian influence but mixed with a bit of Uranus. Tezcatlipoca comes across as rage, but a very specific kind- The rage that comes from depression. This also plays into the other aspect of this asteroid god- He is an outsider, one who wants to tear down the system and rebuild it in his own image. Tezcatlipoca wants to change the world- actually, in his view he wants to save it. You see, Tezcatlipoca is dissatisfied with the way the world is, and loathes his feeling of powerlessness. To him, the world is unjust and will not be just until he is sitting at the top of it. In this, he represents both the patriarchy and your place in it, wherever that may be.

In media, you can see plenty of examples of Tezcatlipoca, like Elliot Alderson in Mr. Robot. In the show, Elliot loathes his position in society, and directs his anger at a large multinational company, and ends up committing multiple acts of terrorism in the name of creating a better world. Now while I don’t encourage terrorism (per se) our world keeps getting more and more polarized, and we are seeing a reactive grassroots push from people who see their own personal power slipping away while their world changes drastically around them. This is on both ends of the political spectrum, and both are becoming more and more violent. Tezcatlipoca is representative of both Antifa and neo-nazis. Tezcatlipoca is literally the rage against the machine, and the machine is different to different people.

Additionally, Tezcatlipoca is potently shamanic and encourages us to dive deep into the recesses and pits of our very souls. Tezcatlipoca is a literal mirror that shines a dark light on the worst parts of our personalities and forces us to confront our most terrifying demons, but he also gives us the courage to face them and win over them once and for all.

To find out where he shows up in your chart, go to astro.com, put in your birth details and in the extended options, all the way at the bottom of the next page, there will be a menu of additional objects. Under that is a blank space where you can enter the number 1980, for Tezcatlipoca. Once you have it entered, generate the chart! Where does Tezcatlipoca affect your life? Let us know in the comments below!

Asteroid Files: Tezcatlipoca was originally published on Heretical Oracles