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Identity, Merlin, and Magic

To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.mythology,alt.pagan.magick,alt.pagan,alt.magick,alt.religion.wicca,alt.legend.king-arthur
From: mordred  
Subject: Identity, Merlin, and Magic (was Merlin's little piggy ...)
Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2002 23:41:15 GMT

50020424 VIom

dalton@nfld.com (David Dalton):
>> http://www.nfld.com/~dalton/dtales.html
>> ...The page also compares me to numerous past religious figures, and 
>> the one I find the most in common with is Taliesin (Gwion Bach, a 
>> sixth century Welsh poet).

lovely. you've heard of Math and the Mabinogi, I presume?

>> However I now say that I no longer think I am similar to Mohammed,
>> the Baha'u'llah or Nanak.   

do you think the stories about cultural heroes might be exagerrated,
or sufficiently blown out of proportion that at some point it becomes
more difficult (due to obvious behavioural alteration) to compare
oneself to them without outlandish (and possibly delusional) consequences?

>> ...I no longer think
>> I am similar to anyone who personally claimed to be a living deity.
>> I do say I am similar to Jesus and Krishna though but I claim that
>> they didn't personally claim to be living deities.   I also now
>> say that I no longer think I am similar to anyone who personally
>> claimed to be relaying the word of God.  I now feel greatest
>> kinship with pagan figures such as Taliesin, Amergin and Finn.

do you think there is a qualitative difference between claiming these
kinds of reflections or similarities oneself (say, for the purpose
of inspiration and expansion of one's personality, personal growth)
and having others ascribe their qualities to us, whether when we are
alive or after the fact? what experiential differences might there be?
 
dalton@nfld.com (David Dalton):
> I also do not claim to have any powers of prophecy or divination.

'powers' sounds so superheroic. many of the comic book superheros are
mutants or aliens. I prefer the more terrestrial to the otherworlders.

> In fact, my believing in base chakra area muscle click divination
> got me in mental illness trouble on several occasions in 1996
> and 1997 and with my eyebrow matchmaking theory in 1997 and 1998
> and early 1999.  I have resolved to never again believe such
> base chakra area muscle click divination.  

I've never heard of this. is this like muscle-testing that is used
amongst New Age health and chiropractic specialists? if not, how
is it done?

> I think one parallel of such divination is Myrdwin talking to his 
> little piggy in the forest where I think the little piggy is the 
> base chakra, linked to the underworld as pigs are in celtic mythology.

consider the entwined dragons in Myrddin's prophecy before Vortigern 
in the case of the Castle Built in the Swamp incident (hints of the
Caduceus!). one might see parallels between these serpents and the 
contending forces in what might be called 'kundalini chakras'. the 
fact that Myrddin is at times described as a child of a dragon, 
demon, incubus, etc., and a nun, may also be relevant to mysticism
and to magic.

the methods of identity experiment and expansion are rarely explored
in any but the most obtuse ways in magical exposition and even in
many Magical Diaries. the internet makes such explorations possible
(through the mechanism of pseudonymous expression in a variety of 
forums) and may make more public what was at one time the luxury only 
of the privileged classes (thespians, authors) or the survival tool 
of the dispossessed (Jews, various oppressed migrants, witches, mages, 
remnants of pre-Christian culture, etc.).
 
mordred

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