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funsway Inner circle old things in new ways - new things in old ways 9982 Posts |
Something I wrote a couple of years ago.
A Circle of Adroit Enchantment A philosophy. Every person is pulled by two opposing forces: recognition of their spiritual nature and the demands of their human frailties. It has always been so. Shaman filled a need to assist people in finding a balance between these two. They would take a person or group through a process of focus and introspection to lead the Seeker to a new balance of perceptions and a self-chosen course of action “from their own mouth.” They would use stories and small magic effects to develop trust and diminish fears. In such a divination process they might employ symbols and objects as allegory to the internal decision making process. In modern times this role has been split into areas of alleged expertise such as psychologist, priest, financial analyst, teacher and tax accountant. Each of these use a form of Q&A to perform a divination process to help the Seeker find a greater balance. Unfortunately, the motivation of the “seer” is often clouded by personal agendas that focus more on “I’ll tell you what to do” rather than “let’s strip these problems down to truths, change some perspectives and jointly forge a new plan and basis for confident and incisive choices.” This has led to the individual forgetting or denying essential responsibility for their actions and master of their future potential. The modern tendency is to attempt to take credit for what works and find someone else to blame if it does not. This will lead to spiraling de-evolution of our culture. In short, we have forgotten what got us to this point of being in charge of our own future. On the human side we are not meant to act alone. Everything we desire or need requires the involvement of other people. The greatest obstacle to “having things our way” is that every other person is also trying to have things their way. We are all in competition for scarce resources of materials, time and energy. One approach is to steal from others. Another is to cooperate with others for mutual benefit. We can attempt to use power to force others to meet our needs or use persuasion to influence their decisions. We can also align ourselves with others of apparent common needs and desires and pretend we are cooperating while still playing some manipulative game. All of this requires communication of some sort. Before language and its *** children written word, dogma and prejudice, people communicated in ways we do not fully understand. We can affirm that early man had ways of communicating that we do not have, or have forgotten. One might view these abilities as innate skills, tribal memory, instinct or even DNA based empathy. Regardless, each person with whom we communicate might have a more heightened degree of adroitness than we do. They might “remember better.” This can be a barrier to establishing trust and essential presence. It can also be a lynch-pin in a communication process of mutual benefit. Comes a magician. All of the modern derivatives of the Shaman role are based on “believing” rather then “knowing.” Our internal process of decision making are based on degrees of certainty and convictions usually plunked there by someone else. The concept of certitude and transition learning is being destroyed by vicarious experience and non-interpersonal communication. The accelerating shift from a work-based modality to an entertainment modality is a denial of personal responsibility. People are now in greater need for Shaman than ever before but have been trained to trust the charlatan over the seer. What little they do allow as an influence of changing perceptions is in a theater setting. They observe other people acting out skits in which problems and fears similar to their own are challenged and conquered. Every person desires a greater say over their future options. By observing how “no risk” actors handle situations they can extract either inspiration or courage to face their own problems. Unfortunately, they also learn how to play the “blame game.” This is easier than actually changing one’s values or perceptions. The result is that most people have numerous persona and avatars and convoluted webs of lies and deceptions that destroy both communication and self-actualization. So, enters a person who will play act challenging the impossible or non-possible or not-possible. They perform skits with physical objects or limitations of mind to fictionally and allegorically challenge perceptions and fears of the observer to provide hope that one can be “more than they are.” When the demonstrations become too intense and fear might outweigh excitement and hope, the performer provides a wink or a reminder that it is all just a skit. But there is a profound difference between what the magician (conjuror or mentalist) pretends at and what an actor in a sitcom pretends at. The latter plays at “what to do” or even “how to do.” The magician plays at “why to do” or “why not to do.” The magician also “tells the truth” – may be the only person in a spectator’s life that does. He tells the seeker exactly what he is going to do and then always does what he says. This is the basis of integrity that the seeker lacks. It doesn’t matter that the demonstration is physically impossible, or that it demonstrates a mental ability considered to be “other than normal.” That is the “effect” of challenge the impossible and coming away unscathed. More important is the “affect” of demonstrating that a lonely person can overcome personal fears, practice, focus and offer hope that any person can challenge their own fears and gain a greater say over their future options. The performing magician is closer to an ancient Shaman than any other mentor available to the seeker. This “mantel of expectations” of the observer places a responsibility on the magician that most mangle, abuse or deny. The tragedy is that the conjuror or mentalist DOES have the ability to overcome the impossible, but fritters it away on egoic !@#$%^&*()_+ or other form of hubris. They fight with their peers over terms like “magician” or “psychic.” They attack anyone who holds a view other than their own. They pretend that their audience is stupid, gullible, soulless and “less able” than they. What a waste! So what? You may accept some of this philosophy or none. This does not matter. If you have been taken to the core of your own beliefs and values and certainty and gained some clarity it is enough. In designing a mentalism effect or routine you must be absolutely clear on what you are attempting to accomplish, what are the expectations of the seekers before you, and acceptance of the knowledge that you are in a unique position to change a person’s life. There is ancient intellectual challenge. You meet a stranger on a mountain path. He has knowledge of value to you since he comes from where you must go. You likewise have knowledge that could be of value to him. You have a brief opportunity to establish the trust and respect to support truthful communication. A single chance! What do you do? Tell a story? Sing an emotional song? Ask banal questions? Do a magic trick? Beat him up? Prove your superiority in some manner? Bribe him? Yeah, I know the answer. You will say, “I have 3000 friends on YouTube.” No, you have chosen to be a Shaman. Now prove it!
"the more one pretends at magic, the more awe and wonder will be found in real life." Arnold Furst
eBooks at https://www.lybrary.com/ken-muller-m-579928.html questions at ken@eversway.com |
Pop Haydn Inner circle Los Angeles 3691 Posts |
"You meet a stranger on a mountain path. He has knowledge of value to you since he comes from where you must go. You likewise have knowledge that could be of value to him. You have a brief opportunity to establish the trust and respect to support truthful communication. A single chance! What do you do?"
He may be the Buddha. Kill him. |
tommy Eternal Order Devil's Island 16544 Posts |
This, of course, assumes that the stranger is truly alive and not on the road to hell.
If there is a single truth about Magic, it is that nothing on earth so efficiently evades it.
Tommy |
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