Hemooset's Temple

Very silly memeness

2005-09-23T09:56:37Z

Based on the lj interests lists of those who share my more unusual interests, the interests suggestion meme thinks I might be interested in
1. music score: 17
2. cairo score: 13
3. digs score: 13
4. cenotaph score: 12
5. books score: 12
6. architecture score: 12
7. excavation score: 12
8. movies score: 11
9. reading score: 11
10. graeco-roman score: 11
11. writing score: 8
12. literature score: 8
13. philosophy score: 7
14. art score: 6
15. anubis score: 6
16. history score: 6
17. cats score: 6
18. photography score: 6
19. languages score: 6
20. anime score: 5

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Oddly accurate though!

On Ma'at, Asfet, and my own musings.

2005-08-20T19:14:47Z

There is something that has been niggling in the back of my mind for a long time now, and it is becoming increasingly likely that it is going to develop into a very important theory in my spiritual path, and I need to put it down in a written format so I can really start to play with the concepts entailed therein. I must hasten to assure everyone that this isn't a finished theory, merely something I am playing with and it will likely be greatly changed by the time I come to consider it ready to be used in any real way.

What I am finding in my readings is that the concept of ma'at is something that most books like to jump on, be they populist or heavily academic. I have no problem with this. However, I am increasingly alarmed by the number of books that find it necessary to express what they know about ma'at but say NOTHING on the subject of asfet. While ma'at, as the concept of fundamental balance and justice and so forth, is obviously something that people like to write about and one that is heartily embraced by true kemetics and those who snaffle different elements of other religions to create their own hybrid path, the opposite force of asfet is overlooked and as a result hardly anyone seems to say anything at all about this vital aspect of Ancient Egyptian theology.

Asfet is essentially the opposite of ma'at. In a fairly basic sense, asfet can be categorised as chaos, but the definition is in actuality a great deal more complex. Similarly, it is necessary to really understand what chaos meant to the Ancient Egyptian mindset, and not impose upon it the fundamental theories of modern chaos. That would confuse the issue. To understand the principles of Kemetic reconstructivism it is vital that the meanings of Kemetic theology in their original sense are comprehended. Ma'at and asfet are not just 'justice' and 'chaos' as we perceive them. There is a far more complex meaning behind them.

If one takes the really hardcore elements of Ancient Egyptian religion and society (although the two are not in any way exclusive - they are more or less the same principle) and strips away all the extraneous matter, what one is left with is a desire to achieve stasis and stability. The whole concept behind the burial rites was to achieve a state of stasis in the afterlife, or perpetual longevity without any change whatsoever. Indeed, so much of the Ancient Egyptian society was geared towards keeping their culture totally stable and static. As a result, a Ptolemaic scholar could read the works written in the Old Kingdom without any trouble whatsoever, and would comprehend the concepts inherent in such works as they remained valid in his own day and age. This is a true sign of how successful the stasis element of Ancient Egyptian life could be - although it is also the same thing that resulted in the breakdown of law and order during the First Intermediate period, but that is something to be discussed elsewhere. This desire for stasis and non-change within the accepted order resulted in the obliteration as far as possible of the records of Ahkenaten, Hatchepsut and so forth: they were outside the conventional order and therefore needed to be wiped from the culture. This is also the force that caused invading forces to adopt the Egyptian style of rulership rather than imposing their own methodologies on their nation.

This underlying desire for total stasis and non-change within the Ancient Egyptian life was reflected very strongly in their theology. For any state of balance to be achieved, the opposing sides are BOTH required in a perfectly opposed state. So, while ma'at is a good force that is essential, asfet is ALSO required. If one or other of these forces were to become so strong that the other was utterly dominated, then the balance would be upset. This would not result in chaos - although that could be a symptom of excessive asfet at work. What is vital to realise in this situation is that asfet is a necessary force; it is the notion of controlled chaos. That may sound like an oxymoron, but controlled chaos is exactly what is represented in the form of Seth. His dominance and force is often seen as being against the peaceful and righteous nature of fragile ma'at, personified in the wise and just leadership of Horus. However, you could not have one without the other. They are light and dark - for one to exist in potential automatically creates the existence of the other. Were the balance of ma'at and asfet to be utterly broken and irretrievably so, so that it could not be restored, true chaos would rule in the form of UNCONTROLLED mayhem. Asfet is controlled mayhem, the necessary brutality and violence and mayhem that, while it is disruptive, allows for the existence of ma'at. Uncontrolled chaos is another thing entirely and was the ultimate enemy in the Ancient Egyptian theological viewpoint.

Examples of this at work do exist. Perhaps the most obvious example is the celestial serpent, Apophis. If the personification of the celestial ruler within his barque is the ultimate symbol of ma'at ruling wisely and safely, and that to which everyone should aspire, would Apophis not be ma'at's enemy, asfet? Initially this might seem to be the case, but actually, it is not so. In this particular situation, Seth takes the role of asfet. It must be remembered that Seth was placed in the barque as the deity who would wrestle Apophis into submission to protect the boat on its journey through the sky. He was given this position after his dual kingship of the Two Kingdoms was revoked, and his lands were handed to Horus. Seth was then made king of all lands outside Egypt, as he alone was strong enough to keep the wild outsiders subjugated, and at the same time he was elevated celestially to protect the barque of the sun. Far from being exiled as an evil creature, this is a position of supreme importance, as his violence and strength are the only thing that keep the destruction of the barque at bay. As the barque is the vessel in which ma'at is carried, so do the distinctly non-ma'at qualities of brute force and violence travel with it to protect it. This is the celestial representation of ma'at and asfet working together to keep the ultimate destruction of the core of Ancient Egyptian beliefs at bay: in unity and balance, they work to keep order.

It is becoming increasingly obvious to me that this unity and the supreme importance of celestial balance are the driving forces behind a huge number of Kemetic practices. The fact that the rituals are so stylised and remained unchanged for millennia is a clear indication that continuation and stasis were vitally important to the Ancient Egyptian mindset, which in turn was driven by the theology of the society as a whole.

It needs more work, but the more I absorb the work of Assmann, the more this makes sense to me.

The Deity Thieves

2005-08-20T14:40:01Z

Yet another Immramma Magazine article. On how deities are appropreated from one pantheon into another...not to be taken too seriously (or is it? You decide!)

The Deity Thieves

The following dramatisation is based on a real account from the archives of the Pantheon Police:

Officer: Hello, hello, hello! What’s all this here then?

Suspect: Ah! Oh! Evening officer! Just out for a stroll.

Officer: Really, sir. Taking the gods for a walk, are we? These your deities, are they, sir?

Suspect: Oh, yes, officer. Nice bunch don’t you think?

Officer: Yes, sir. Lovely. Do you have your licence for these divinities?

Suspect: Licence? What licence is that officer?

Officer: Everyone needs a licence and/or creed if they are associating with a pantheon of this size, sir. May I ask you how you acquired these gods?

Suspect: Legitimate means, officer! I’m a respectable dramatic form representing a civilised culture, I am!

Officer: So you’d have a receipt then?

Suspect: Receipt? Well, no. Not as such. Not as your actual bona fide bill of sale. It was more of a second hand trade, really.

Officer: I see. Well, perhaps you could tell me where you got these deities then? Just for our records, you understand?

Suspect: Greece.

Officer: Pardon, sir?

Suspect: Mount Olympus, Ancient Greece.

Officer: I thought so! We had reports that someone had broken in and purloined a whole pantheon and religious culture! Someone who looks just like you, and if I’m not mistaken that chap over there with the thunderbolt and rather disgruntled expression is the god Zeus. Going to give them a lick of paint and flog them to the highest bidder were you sir? Or are they for personal consumption? What’s your name, my lad?

Suspect: The Civilisation of Ancient Rome.

Officer: You’re nicked, chum.

The above extract is merely one of a countless number of cases held on file by the Pantheon Police, a fine body of men and women who keep an eye on the behaviour of gods and worshipers across the ages. This is, of course, one of the best known examples of deity pilfering: the Ancient Romans, on seeing that the Ancient Greeks had a very well developed set of gods quite blatantly adopted them and changed the names – and a legend here and there – to suit themselves. Or so the story goes. Zeus became Jupiter, Hera changed to Juno, Aphrodite to Venus, and so forth. It is possible to argue back and forth as to whether the deities are actually identical or not. Some might argue that they are, and only the names have been changed to protect the innocent, so to speak. Others could claim that they are merely very similar, and appear to be so because they were created from some universal truths, and the cultures merely had the same ideas and gave them different names. I don’t intend to argue back and forth which of these notions is correct and which is not: the popular conception seems to be that the Romans stole their gods from the Greeks. While this is not a crime per se, it does make me sit up and wonder: what did the Greeks think of all that? How did they feel about someone else taking their deities and changing them to suit their own needs?

I used to be fairly laid back about religions. Coming from a strong shamanic perspective, my opinion was more or less that, so long as nobody gets hurt along the way, I’m happy for people to worship whoever they want in whatever manner they see fit. In shamanic practice, that is one of the fundamental precepts – every shaman is a solitary practitioner in one way or another, be it just the preferred beat they use on their drum, or in every single facet of their methodology. However, as I have developed my spiritual work over the years, I have been drawn more and more into the realms of dealing with conventional pantheons rather than shamanic spirits – if I can be forgiven for terming any pantheon of deities as “conventional!” As I have studied these pantheons it has become increasingly obvious to me that the Romans are not the only spiritual pickpockets out there. Across history, from the earliest recorded documentation, right up to the present day, there are examples of one culture attempting to appropriate the gods of another for their own benefit. There are different reasons for this, depending on the situation. Here are a few more examples.

One of the earliest civilisations to provide us with written records of deity appropriation is Ancient Egypt. The Egyptians seem to have been notorious god pilferers. As their empire expanded, they came across tribes in all directions who had their own gods. Unlike many later cultures who would attempt to stamp out alternative religions, the Egyptians were happy to absorb local gods. Many of these divinities stayed simply local, and the existing national gods were raised over them. The nature of Egyptian religion meant that this could happen very easily, since most major religious festivals were carried on by the priesthood behind closed doors. The common people would never get to see what went on inside the temples. Likewise, the household deities were worshipped individually and often locally. Some of the oldest of the household deities, such as Taweret, Bes, and Renenutet were worshipped universally across Egypt throughout all the dynasties. Indeed, it is possible that deities like Taweret, the heavily pregnant woman/hippo deity who watches over pregnancy, and Bes, who is likewise associated with childbirth, were adopted by the Egyptians from previous cultures. The similarities between the fat-bellied Taweret and the similarly proportioned Earth Mother statues found across Europe and North Africa as far back as the time of Neandertal occupation has not gone unnoticed.

However, while local divinities are absorbed by cultures clear across the globe in much the same way, the Egyptians took deity acquisition to new heights. There are many examples of them borrowing from other cultures and slowly absorbing the divinities into their own pantheons. One excellent example is that of Astarte. The story goes that Yamm, god of the sea, threatened the gods of Egypt with watery destruction of their lands and imprisonment if they did not pay him tribute for some slur against him. What the slight was, and how he managed to have enough power to threaten the massed deities of Egypt remains unrecorded. It is fair to assume that Yamm was an imposing god, however, as the Egyptian gods – not exactly a spiritual pushover – took him very seriously indeed. Refusing gifts presented to him by Renenutet, goddess of the harvest, Yamm apparently became wrathful. The Egyptians, now in fear of their very lives, sent to foreign lands to seek the help of Astarte. Astarte, we are told:

“… agreed to help the gods … (and) was welcomed into the Ennead by the grateful gods, amid pomp worthy of the greatest figures in the pantheon.”
Daily Life of the Egyptian Gods, Dimitri Meeks & Christine Favard-Meeks, Pimlico Books, 1997

Why Astarte chose to assist is not recorded. She attempted to vanquish Yamm by marrying him, but Yamm grew greedy again and demanded a huge dowry. Apparently, the tale ends with Seth vanquishing Yamm in a great battle. Eventually, after his defeat by Horus, Seth is given Astarte (who is now identified as a war deity) as consolation. He also receives Anat, another foreign acquisition, at the same time. Anat is often considered to be another manifestation of Nepthys, and shows how the Egyptians, like so many other cultures, were happy to absorb deities into their own pantheon where necessary.

The question remains, though, as to why? Presumably the Egyptian pantheon could have unleashed Seth, noted for his ability to calm raging waters, against Yamm at any point, ensuring their victory. Why did Astarte have to appear at all in the myth? Like so many of the Egyptian foreign acquisitions, it is presumed that there was a colonial expansion into Egypt from Asia Minor around the time that the myth was first created. Bringing their own gods with them, the colonists would have been welcomed by the Egyptians, who were largely pragmatic about other races entering their lands. So long as they did not make war, and brought with them wealth and labour, the Egyptians were happy to have them. The Egyptian empire relied heavily on manpower and excessive amounts of wealth, and anyone who could provide both would find a home in Egypt. The story of Yamm suggests that there was a period of very bad weather around the same time, and if the arrival of the colonists at the same time as the abatement of the storms was considered to be significant, then the elevation of the foreign deity to the Ennead is not that surprising. The Egyptians were very happy to deify those who did great deeds for the empire of the Pharaoh. The deification of Imotehp, architect of the Great Step Pyramid at Saqqara in the Third Dynasty, is perhaps the best example of this. Imotehp became a god of medicine and was worshipped throughout the remainder of the Egyptian empire, until the arrival of the Romans some three millennia later.

There are other examples of deities absorbed in this manner by the Egyptians. Khay-tau of Byblos appears in the Pyramid texts, Baalat is mentioned in the Coffin texts, and Kothar, who is supposedly the architect of Baal’s palace in the Ugaritic religion, was worshipped as the architect of chapels and, perhaps peculiarly, as the god responsible for putting the condemned to death. Execution was a rare punishment compared to many later – and modern – cultures. The Egyptians preferred mutilation rather than death wherever possible, so the guilty party could continue to work usefully. It is not surprising, therefore, that this highly unsavoury task was given to a foreign deity so that the native Egyptian gods would not have to sully their hands with such an onerous responsibility.

Jumping forwards in time a significant distance, we can see that these deity absorbing Egyptians – the Borg of the ancient world if ever there was a candidate – have been exposed in their own turn to modern gangs of god stealers. Possibly the most influential of all the Egyptian deities outside of the Egyptian empire, Isis, has experienced this more than any of the others in the Ennead. The Roman Cult of Isis spread across the whole of the Roman Empire. Like the Greek gods, the Romans were happy to absorb the Egyptian and bend them to their will. Isis, the supreme Egyptian sorceress and eventual female deity supreme in her pantheon, was extremely popular with the Romans, and she has remained so up to the present day. However, any serious student of Egyptian religion might not even recognise the Isis worshipped by some of her purported followers today.

Dion Fortune, member of the Golden Dawn and Theosophical Society, and later founder of the Fraternity of the Inner Light, was a lady whose work shows a strong tendency towards Isis worship. In her work she relates that Isis of Nature is adored as Hathor, with the horns and sun disk on her brow rather than the throne with which she is traditionally portrayed. She is also called the great Deep, from whence life arose. On the earth she is called ever-fecund, while in heaven she is named as ever-virgin. 1
The misinterpretations of Egyptian religion and myths that are involved in this manifestation of the modern Isis are fairly obvious. Firstly, there are several cases of Isis and Hathor being confused, as well as Hathor and Sekhmet being confused, in modern Egyptian goddess worship (although I have not come across any confusion between Isis and Sekhmet, which I would have thought would have been a natural progression). This may stem from the myth wherein Isis, having angered her son Horus, finds herself decapitated by her enraged offspring. Horus flees and takes rest under a tree, where Seth plucks out his eyes and buries them. Hathor restores Horus’ sight for him, and Thoth replaced Isis’ head with that of a cow until she can either locate her own or grow a new one. For a short period, Isis and Hathor both have the head of a cow. However, this is only a single myth, and Isis is almost always depicted with head different to that of the cow. Indeed, the adoption of the sun disk and horns that Dion Fortune mentions did not occur until much later in the Egyptian ruling dynasties, and even then the throne remains the most common depiction of the headgear of Isis. While it is tempting to relate Isis to Hathor on the basis of her headgear and the myth, the fact that Hathor and Isis remained separate deities throughout the existence of the Egyptian empire would suggest a highly spurious interpretation in use here, manufactured for the benefit of the writer.

The same is true of the suggestion that Isis is the great Deep, which spawned all life. In the Egyptian creation myths that are concerned with Isis and her Ennead – and it is worth remembering that there are many Egyptian creation myths, not just one – it is Atum, or possibly Ra, or possibly both (depending on which version you believe!) who rises from the deeps to create the cosmos. Ra spawns Shu and Tefnut, who then give birth to Geb and Nut. It is Geb and Nut who are the parents of Isis and her siblings. This is not a myth that is in any way garbled or confused with regards to the lineage. The story is told frequently on Ancient Egyptian records. At no time is Isis directly linked to the actual creation of the cosmos or the spawning of all life in this Egyptian myth. Dion Fortune’s comment is something she again adopted for her own purposes.

Possibly one of the most peculiar developments is the insistence that has grown in modern times that Isis is actually ‘ever-virgin’ and linked to the Virgin Mary. There are similarities, it has to be said, between Isis and the Holy Virgin: they both bear a child who is to be ‘King’ and at the same time are pursued by forces determined to prevent the child (be he Horus the Child or Christ) from growing to maturity – Seth and Herod, respectively. However, there is a very important distinction between the two. While Mary is quite specifically a virgin, the myth of Isis states that she reconstructed her husband, Osiris, specifically so she could copulate with him. Indeed, there are images in scrolls, on tablets, and covering Egyptian buildings of Isis and Osiris locked in the sexual act. It is true that one version of the Isis and Osiris story states that she was unable to find his penis, and mated with him without it. Nevertheless, there is also a tale that states that his penis was the only part of him that she could locate, and the animated member impregnated her all on its own! In no way can Isis ever be named a virgin in this sense of the word.

So why does Dion Fortune – and a great many other modern Goddess worshippers besides – claim Isis in this fashion? Indeed, why do they do so with Diana, Morrigan, Ishtar, or any of the other leading female deities that crop up in Goddess worship in the modern era? They all appear to be named as different manifestations of the same deity. Perhaps there is something in this. Maybe there is only one deity, the Ultimate Godhead that manifests to the people of the world in the manner that best befits the human culture that the divine wishes to speak with at the time. Perhaps Hathor, Venus, Aphrodite and every other goddess of love are in fact the same deity. Maybe Isis is in fact Hathor, who is Sekhmet, Bastet, and every other Egyptian goddess at the same time. The notion that every deity is simply and extension of the first, original, divine creature is not too hard to swallow for me, though some pantheists will find it a very bitter pill. However, I do not really condone the taking of a fully formed deity such as Isis and changing her to suit the populist needs. I have read all sorts of interpretations of Isis. I will not shame the book here, but this particular text can be found on the shelves of Waterstones, Otakars, and your local specialist occult bookstore alike. It claims to be a text for those who want to follow the true path of Egyptian wisdom, not the modern equivalents. Despite this, it recommends the worship of Isis because she is a popular deity these days, and it is always good to worship a popular deity as you will have many others who worship with you and you can be part of the acceptable crowd. It also states that Imbolc is a very important festival for Isis.

This is where I see the real depth of the crime committed by the deity thieves. Imbolc is not an Egyptian festival. The Egyptian festival that lies on Imbolc is actually the Feast of Nut. The feast of Isis occurs on January 7th, as we count the days. To appropriate any deity and use them in this manner is really beyond the pale. If all the female divinities are manifestations of the Ultimate Godhead, then perhaps this doesn’t matter so much. If this is the case, though, any deity would do for this festival – and I am sure it makes better sense to worship Brigid on this day than Isis! The clumsy mish-mash of cultures this book has suggested is a prime example of clutching at spiritual straws. This is where the real deity thieves are doing their worst. They see a powerful deity, they want the benefits such a deity can bring, and so they purloin it, twist it until it fits the description of themselves, and then claim that this divine creature is their own deity, and always has been. There are plenty of gods out there to go round. There’s no need to take one and twist them into something they are not. Why make Isis a virgin when virginal deities already exist in abundance? Why fix what is not broken?

Take heed, deity thieves. You may fool yourselves, and you may fool others, but at the end of the day you won’t fool the Pantheon Police or the deity you purport to follow. One day there might be a knock on your door…

“Open up in there! We know you’re in there! Throw down any regalia you may have and come out with your hands up!”

Notes:
1 For further details on Dion Fortune’s interpretations of Isis, it is best to read her two novels, “The Sea Priestess” and “Moon Magic.” The details above were quoted in The Shaman and the Magician by Nevill Drury, Routledge & Kegan Paul Books, 1982.

Shaman Or Witch?

2005-08-20T14:32:38Z

Another article from Immramma Magazine. This one was produced end of last year but didn't appear until very early this year, if I recall my publication dates correctly!

“Shamans have probably attracted more diverse and conflicting opinions than any other kind of spiritual specialist. The shaman seems to be all things to all people.”
“The Shaman” – Piers Vitebsky, Duncan Baird Publishers, 1995.

In my experience, Piers Vitebsky has struck right at the core of why shamanism can be so hard to analyse. It can be extremely difficult to quantify the concepts that the word shamanism embodies. The term means a great many things, and it is unlikely that any two shamanic practitioners will totally agree on the definitions. There are many shamanic communities around the world, and their practices may not necessarily appear to have a great deal in common. However, the fundamental precepts of generic shamanism can be described. Practices such as the ecstatic trance, the non-hierarchical and individualistic approach to spirituality, the holistic viewpoint and so forth – these ideas and more tend to infuse most shamanic cultures.

The same problem can be found in witchcraft. There are numerous methods of practicing witchcraft, again spread all over the world. Old tradition witches are not the same as Wiccans, and even within the confines of the term Wicca there are several different schools and methods of practice. All of these, however, may differ once again from the modern hedge witch.

On initial examination, the term shaman and the term witch seem to have a lot in common. In times when both were in more common usage, there were very few large urban communities. Most people lived in small rural settlements and cultivated the land, or either raised or followed the beasts that provided them with sustenance. Certainly, cities existed several thousand years before the birth of Christ, but the bulk of the world’s population was rural in location and outlook. Such communities tended not to have much in the way of learning in them. Both time and resources precluded any intensive education of the people. Often the role of holding a lot of the history, lore, and more specialised knowledge fell to one individual, or in some cases to a small group of individuals. Such was the nature of these communities, that travel was unlikely unless they were intrinsically nomadic, so these people would often serve the area, perhaps encompassing a number of small settlements. They were probably looked on as generic wise people, healers, keeper of tribal or local history and lore, and the repository of any arcane knowledge that could be gleaned in the area. Such people were frequently called witches, but there is no doubt that shamans also filled an identical role, and in traditional shamanic communities, they still do.

This is not to suggest that a witch or shaman lived an indolent life of study, or were especially exalted. Mostly, they served the community in a totally mundane manner, living out ordinary lives. It just so happens that they had specialist abilities, and would employ them when called upon to do so. Such a situation is generally the norm for shamanic communities, even today.

Both the shaman and the witch had the healing of the sick to consider, as well as the divination of events, and general spiritual welfare of their neighbours. In this sense, there is very little difference between the witch and the shaman.

Indeed, the myth and folk tales across Europe from the Dark Ages, through the Mediaeval period, and right up until the Renaissance, suggest that the practice of witchery had an intensely shamanic element. Witches were purported to fly through the air, could change their shape into animals of all kinds, or had power over them, and even had familiar animals of their own – all of which have direct correlation to the spirit flight, shape shifting, and the totem and power animals that are ubiquitous to shamanism. Even the tales of spiritual healing seem to correspond very closely to one another.

One of the fundamental concepts of witchcraft, in fact, may hearken back to the golden age of shamanism before the fall of mankind as it is defined in many shamanic communities.1 The worship of matriarchal female divinity rather than a patriarchal divinity is an essential concept in witchcraft, and this possibly corresponds to the theory in shamanism that the move from matriarchal to patriarchal social order was a key element in the fall of mankind.

However, there are differences in witchcraft when compared to the shamanic methodologies. Witch soul journeys, for example, were often undertaken by inhabiting the body of a small animal or insect, and using that creature to travel beyond the human form. Shamanic journeys are usually far more complex, and involve the travel, often in human form, to realms that are not of this world. Nevertheless, this could merely be a difference of application rather than a variance in fundamental beliefs, and it is the belief that identifies true shamanism, rather than the practical application of those beliefs.

Therefore, it is perfectly legitimate to say that witchcraft, or rather witchcraft as it was traditionally practiced according to folklore, was very heavily shamanic. The same is not necessarily true of modern witchcraft. While those who practice solitary witchery or traditional paths may maintain the older shamanic ways, more modern witchcraft based religions have varied somewhat from the shamanic path.

The most well known of these is probably, Wicca. This is not to suggest that there is nothing of shamanism in Wicca. Far from it, Wicca encompasses some of the most core precepts of shamanic practice. Dance, chant, and drumming are all used in Wicca. Indeed, these traditional shamanic techniques have become fundamental to many pagan religions in the modern day, and even crop up in non-pagan religions, such as the Evangelical and Revivalist Christian churches, where the achievement of ecstatic trance in order to experience God is a long-standing practical technique. In Wicca – and the other pagan religions – fasting, meditation, dream quests, and even sweat lodges are becoming increasingly popular. The revival of shamanic practice, which stems initially from the Native American freedom movement, and more recently from the upsurge of ancient shamanic practice in Eastern Europe following the fall of the Soviet regimes, has made such practices popular in countries that previously had little or no history of such techniques. Such is the influence of shamanism, that there are even different movements developing within the global Wiccan community. Shamanic Wicca, Shamanic Craft, and Wiccan Shamanism are all terms that are being used with increasing regularity.

So, in both old and new witchcraft it is possible to see shamanism as being very important. Witchcraft is an intensely shamanic religion, which holds ecstasy in considerable regard. However, modern craft, such as Wicca, is not totally shamanic. Wicca in particular has a fundamental flaw that means it cannot become a shamanic religion – the very term religion itself. Wicca is a religion, and it holds a creed and doctrine and a very rigid hierarchy that intrinsically prevents it from becoming shamanic. Shamanism is, by its very nature, a personal relationship with the spiritual, used for the benefit of all. Wicca precludes this by being hierarchical, and preaching a specific set of beliefs, which would not be possible for a true shamanic practice.

In conclusion, therefore, it is possible to state that witchcraft is, generally speaking, shamanic. Certainly, traditional witches practiced intensely shamanic techniques, even if they did not necessarily follow a shamanic path. Their function was also shamanic. Modern witches have taken this a stage further, and practice even more techniques of a shamanic nature than their forebears, but the modern Wiccan ideology is less shamanic than before, mirroring a more conventional hierarchy than the freeform holistic structure that typifies shamanic communities throughout history, including those in the present day. The modern view of shamanic practice is perhaps best summed up by returning once again to Vitebsky:

“Shamanism is opposed to institutionalised religion … every person can become their own shaman. They think of shamanism not so much as a religion, but as a view of reality and an effective technique.”
“The Shaman” – Piers Vitebsky, Duncan Baird Publishers, 1995.

Notes:
1 The shamanic notion of the fall of mankind is not to be confused with such terms from other religions. In shamanic communities, the term refers to the time when human beings started to abuse the natural world around them and turn away from spirituality in favour of a more materialistic life. When this happened, mankind lost the universally enjoyed power of spiritual community with the environment. This power became the province of a select few – the shamans.

Shamanic Drumming

2005-08-20T14:28:48Z

This article was originally published in Immramma Magazine earlier this year, and is an article I procuded from them under a psueodynm I use for my published work.

Following the Beaten Path – Drumming in Shamanic Practice

“In virtually every region where shamanism is found, the drum is the shamanic instrument par excellence.”
“The Shaman” – Piers Vitebsky, Duncan Baird Publishers, 1995.

The stereotypical shaman or medicine man of popular media is often a grossly over-generalised figure, endowed with feathered headdress, rattle, drum, chant, and peculiar dance. While most shamans incorporate some – or all – of these elements in their work, the fact that they are portrayed so tends to stem from a comprehension of what a shaman uses, but not always from why these methods are employed.

The use of the drum, for example, in the shamanic experience is spread clean across the face of the globe. Drums are possibly the single most popular tools for shamanic practitioners, and the effects of rhythmic drumming have long since found their way into cultures that have only developed recently. Popular music is riddled with drum-oriented styles, many of which are geared towards either trance or dance based audiences.

Drumming has been part of shamanic practice for as long as records exist. Even the cave paintings made by the oldest of ‘modern’ human ancestors show the dancing figures, some of who have drums. Percussion is an easy enough musical form to develop, as knocking two objects together is not a complex act. The development of the traditional dual-skinned drum came later, but the principle remains the same. However, because the drum has been around for so long, its importance to shamanic cultures has become immense. In many cultures the drum and the shaman are inexorably linked: a shaman drums. Without a drum, they cannot be a shaman. Indeed, in some cultures the drumming is the catalyst that allows the shaman to perform their amazing acts:

“In Tibet, Bon shamans … were believed to use their drums to propel themselves through the air.”
“The Elements of Shamanism” - Nevill Drury, Element Books Ltd., 1989.

The use of the drum as a vehicle is a common factor, found in many widespread cultures. For many, the drum becomes the vehicle that transports the shaman between worlds in both the metaphorical and literal sense – while the shaman drums, the soul enters the spiritual representation of the drum and can use it to fly or ride through the spiritual realms.

Consequently, shamanic drums are frequently associated with horses. The European and Asian shamans in particular decorate their drums with horse symbols, and even dress as horses while performing a travel rite. Co-incidentally, the skins of the drums are not made of horsehide, often as a mark of reverence for this animal, which has long been a fundamental part of survival for those living on the east-Asian steppe. The drumbeat of the shamans is often thought to mimic the sound of a horse in full gallop:

“…it is the monotonous rhythm of the drum that the shaman rides into the Upper and Lower worlds.”
“The Elements of Shamanism” - Nevill Drury, Element Books Ltd., 1989.

Shamanic drums are decorated with more than horses, however. Certain cultures – such as those in South America – had no contact with the horse until the arrival of invading Europeans. As such, the drums are decorated with the symbols that are meaningful to the culture in question – and designs that are relevant to the purpose of the drum. Different shamanic groups drum for different reasons, and as such the drum needs to be relevant to the tribe, task, and to the individual concerned. Siberian shamans tend to draw designs connected to the trance and ecstatic journeys – others may have different symbols.

The drum is usually made by the shaman who is to play it – or, in rare cases, is inherited from the previous shaman (where the position is hereditary). The wood for the drum may well be located while in a trance, and can be seen as a gift from the cosmic tree itself. The tree used varies from region to region: Siberian shamans have a great respect for the larch, while the Celtic tradition reveres the oak, for example. Similarly, the drum can represent the Lower, Middle, and Upper worlds. Different parts of the drum may be decorated to represent different parts of the Universe, and striking these designs directly connects the shaman to these zones. Alternatively, the drum may be used for a purpose other than traveling. Symbols for divination and healing are common – the drum really is a multi-purpose tool for the shamanic practitioner.

However, the actual appearance of the drum aside, the act of drumming is in itself a key element in the achievement of the ecstatic state. Drumming sessions can go on for hours – or even days – and in that time the shamans concerned can phase in and out of trances on a regular basis.

It does not take a particularly complex drumbeat to enable this. Indeed, the simpler the rhythm, the easier it is to maintain while in a trance. Experimental evidence shows that a beat of about two hundred cycles per minute is enough for most people to enter an altered state of perception with only a small time period of exposure. The interesting side note about shamanic drumming is that, often many people can be present at drumming sessions, but only those required to be in a trance seem to succumb.

Another point worth noting:

“…Wolfgang G Jilek found that rhythmic shamanic drumming produced a drumbeat frequency in the high theta wave EEG frequency (4 - 7 cycles/second) – the brainwave range associated with dreams, hypnotic images, and trance.”
“The Elements of Shamanism” - Nevill Drury, Element Books Ltd., 1989.

As such, it can be seen that the drum, a relatively primitive instrument in its own way, is a vital part of any trance experience. The potential for perceptive alteration inherent in even the simplest drumbeat is so powerful that no shaman should ever be without one.

Welcome to the journal...

2005-08-20T13:19:17Z

Welcome to my little corner of the world.

Tread softly, for you tread on my dreams...

Or on my toes. Ow.