On initiation and initiatory traditions
[this is the most useful, insightful, and brilliant thing I've found so far among my new friends on the pagan and occult community on Tumblr. I want to remember it forever. I place it here both to share and also for safe keeping.]
[A reader asked a friend of mine:]
Serious pondering about those who claim you CANNOT learn x thing without being initiated by another person into a certain tradition:
Who taught the original initiator?
[My friend replied:]
Preface: This is not directed AT you, or AT anyone, so much as it is some food for thought. In other words: This is not a hostile statement.
In the most straightforward wording possible: It’s not the non-initiate, non-seeker’s place to tell a closed system how to run it’s business. Because that’s rude. It’s the seeker’s job to decide whether or not the closed system is what they’re looking for. It’s their job to decide whether or not they want to seek at all. If the system doesn’t fit them, it’s probably a good idea to look elsewhere.
People assume the assume answer to the “who taught…" question is: The gods/spirits taught the first initiator, and therefore it happens routinely and is a good thing.
The answer for the folks I know is: The gods/spirits taught the first Initiator, and it ruined hir life.
It seems to be the experience of most cultures that spirit-initiation sucks. Really, really, really badly. It’s the whole “I was having a rather wonderful day when, suddenly, monstrous creatures (insert some of the most horrific stuff you’ve ever heard) and re-assembled me.. And then I had magicalness. Unfortunately, they didn’t understand that they put me back together a bit differently, and so now I have crippling anxiety attacks, and unless I ritually give offerings to these spirits routinely, I also have a full on psychotic break."…. thing.
Having your skull cracked open and wires moved around generally results in either physical or mental illness - aka “spirit sickness" that the anthropologists talk about.
Whole religions developed as a way to minimize the damage, provide aftercare, and help keep the “permanently screwed" away from the regular society so it didn’t become infectious. Most of the systems I’m familiar with (and a couple I’m a part of) exist entirely to give safe, sane, not-life-ruining access to the spirit information to people who have proven they won’t use that information to do damage, rather than good.
If people want to be spirit initiated? I’m going to really give them a funny look. If people tout it as a good option when there’s perfectly good human lead initiation going on over there that’s had generations of proven, not-fucking-you-up results? Bless ‘em, but I’m gonna assume they’re already a tad touched.
[A reader asked a friend of mine:]
Serious pondering about those who claim you CANNOT learn x thing without being initiated by another person into a certain tradition:
Who taught the original initiator?
[My friend replied:]
Preface: This is not directed AT you, or AT anyone, so much as it is some food for thought. In other words: This is not a hostile statement.
In the most straightforward wording possible: It’s not the non-initiate, non-seeker’s place to tell a closed system how to run it’s business. Because that’s rude. It’s the seeker’s job to decide whether or not the closed system is what they’re looking for. It’s their job to decide whether or not they want to seek at all. If the system doesn’t fit them, it’s probably a good idea to look elsewhere.
People assume the assume answer to the “who taught…" question is: The gods/spirits taught the first initiator, and therefore it happens routinely and is a good thing.
The answer for the folks I know is: The gods/spirits taught the first Initiator, and it ruined hir life.
It seems to be the experience of most cultures that spirit-initiation sucks. Really, really, really badly. It’s the whole “I was having a rather wonderful day when, suddenly, monstrous creatures (insert some of the most horrific stuff you’ve ever heard) and re-assembled me.. And then I had magicalness. Unfortunately, they didn’t understand that they put me back together a bit differently, and so now I have crippling anxiety attacks, and unless I ritually give offerings to these spirits routinely, I also have a full on psychotic break."…. thing.
Having your skull cracked open and wires moved around generally results in either physical or mental illness - aka “spirit sickness" that the anthropologists talk about.
Whole religions developed as a way to minimize the damage, provide aftercare, and help keep the “permanently screwed" away from the regular society so it didn’t become infectious. Most of the systems I’m familiar with (and a couple I’m a part of) exist entirely to give safe, sane, not-life-ruining access to the spirit information to people who have proven they won’t use that information to do damage, rather than good.
If people want to be spirit initiated? I’m going to really give them a funny look. If people tout it as a good option when there’s perfectly good human lead initiation going on over there that’s had generations of proven, not-fucking-you-up results? Bless ‘em, but I’m gonna assume they’re already a tad touched.