I haven't had much time for the esoteric lately. Just a lot of yard work. But I'm outdoors, sprucing my otherwise urban environment up. There's a little divinity in that too. At least I feel like there is. But I tell you- I'm old and I'm sore.
Thank you! When I left the dead bird site I really wanted the fediverse experience to be about mysticism, and art, and history, ecology, and science...
Instead we're all in the fight of our lives to keep from being trapped in a hateful and dangerous right wing theocracy.
So, that didn't work out. But I do try and post as much meaningful things as I run across.
“The Ethiopians say that the Egyptians are one of their colonies which was brought into Egypt by Osiris. They add that from them, as from their authors and ancestors, the Egyptians get most of their laws. It is from them that the Egyptians have learned to honor kings as gods; sculpture and writing were invented by the Ethiopians. The Ethiopians site evidence that they are more ancient than the Egyptians, but it is useless to report that here"
Diodorus of Sicily, 1st Century BC
I don't know if this is true but -
My spirit guide who goes by the name of #Hathor, amongst others, says she comes from this region. There are stone carvings there inspired by her that are over 25,000 years old. Praise the Eyes of Ra!
@Malleus I thought I was the only one feeling this way! I noticed fae hadn't posted anything lately and saw that neither the Pagan+ account of the reported main account had seen any activity for a while.
@gallowswitch I'm pretty picky, but I gotta say it was very very good. I cooked the hell out of it -well done- and the crust was slightly chewy. Mild taste too. Definite plus.
When I do divination work with the goddess I feel like a mystic.
When I seal a soul into a crystal under her guidance I feel like a magician. But they are both Alchemy.
We can agree to disagree on politics. We're all pagans here. But I don't like racism of any stripe- against "white kids" included. You weakened your (reactionary) argument with that. It smacks of Fox News.
@Malleus There is no such thing as racism against white people. Racism is a matter of systemic oppression, and white people are never the systemic victims. Whiteness itself was invented as a way of creating an underclass. If you find it distasteful when someone dismisses “white kids”, think about why systemically they would feel that way, and ask yourself why it bothers you.
I sure hope all my witchy friends have wonderful Walpurgisnacht! I'll certainly have sip this evening in your honor.
I took the day off tomorrow for May Day so why not start celebrating early?
@SpiritBearDreaming I finished The Wizard of Earthsea. Thanks for the recommendation. The writing was awesome even if the themes were familiar. I realize she was a groundbreaking in the fantasy genre. I'm looking forward to trying some of her sci-fi. :aDipsy:
How does The Absolute, or the One, fit into the Alchemical schema? I woke up at 4 am asking myself this question. Here is the goddess' answer from my meditation:
Alchemy can be said to mean transformation. The Absolute, or in Kemetic terms, Kheper the new rising sun, is the opposite principle. It is the self-created and unchanging. But it is also more. It is a “push” towards transformation.
Where does this push come from? And how is it and the static aspect of Kheper symbolized in the alchemical process?
For a transformation to be conceived there must be an unchanging base for it to stand upon otherwise it can't be distinguished as a change. It would then be flux within flux and therefore invisible and unknowable.
The Absolute then is the necessary background condition of transformation. The symbol for this necessary condition in Alchemy is the retort or crucible.
The container is the Condition under which the transformation takes place. It is the unchanging venue where the dynamic action unfolds.
The retort is often stylized as a globe, skull or other “roundness” (like the Kheper beetle) to emphasize the static unchanging property.
As I mentioned, it is not just the enclosing necessary Condition that represents The Absolute, but Kheper's push, the impulse that precedes transformation.
The impulse is symbolized by a geometric line or angle. The dung beetle pushes his dung ball solar disc in a given direction. These lines of force combined are emblematic of abstract structure. The structure is, of course, the shape of the alchemical vessel.
So we have the shape and the containment properties of the vessel taken together as symbolizing Kheper or The Absolute.
To join the two aspects into one is the symbolic paradox of “squaring the circle”.
In my own practice the precisely angular crystal is incorporated into the cylindrical resonating chamber of my divining apparatus.