An attempt to harmonize actions with words
So, how shall I put that Martial railroad spike to good use?
I've been reciting Psalm 48 (in its entirety) and verses 5 through 13 of Psalm 104 as I sand out all the pitting and corrosion (over and over again, almost like a mantra -- very crude, very "brute force," from a technical perspective, but it does bring the literal meaning of the word "enchanted" to life). The latter passage could, perhaps, be adapted into the choreography of a little preliminary banishing ritual. The idea popped into my head, quite unbidden, when I was doing my meditation late last night:
5. Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
(held point downwards, indicating the central point underfoot)
6. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
(held point upwards, to the zenith, inwardly striving to sense the firmament's dome overhead)
7. At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
(held point outwards, imagining force radiating outwards to the horizon)
8. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
(a short pause, inwardly tracing a line from the zenith and the central point underfoot)
9. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
(turn in place, tracing out a circle with an indefinite radius, where the firmament's dome curves down to meet the ground)
10. He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
11. They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
12. By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
13. He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
(a longer pause, a rest, considering the idea of Chaos-turned-Cosmos)
This is just a draft, a rough sketch, based wholly on the Near Eastern story of the primordial chaoskampf. There's not a single divine or angelic name, a bit of Kabbalistic symbolism, a geometric figure, or even a Hebrew letter anywhere (yet). It does bother me that it doesn't really "plug into anything," but I suppose we can't all be Westcott or Mathers, and there's plenty of time for working more in.
You know what? To hell with it. It's either a work-in-progress, or it's the ceremonial equivalent of the cheap and craptastic FP-45 Liberator pistol -- a rough-and-ready means of eventually getting something better (assuming, however, it doesn't somehow miss its target at point-blank range, or blow up in your hand).
A further thought (added at 12:49 am on 9-Jul-2012):
In retrospect, I really don't like the tone of this entry, particularly the conclusion. It is, surely, irreverent and improper to treat this sort of thing as "tech." Trying not to be timid and perfectionism-paralyzed is not an excuse to be callous, even if this is an intrinsically assertive and Martial project.
On second thought... (added at 1:51 pm on 9-Jul-2012):
The fact that this ritual sketch "popping into my head" during meditation probably shouldn't be taken as a plus, or as a minus. After all, lots of noise and distractions pop into my head as well, and the proper response to them is to lightly brush them aside and just keep rolling along (rather than giving them their own LiveJournal entries).
I've been reciting Psalm 48 (in its entirety) and verses 5 through 13 of Psalm 104 as I sand out all the pitting and corrosion (over and over again, almost like a mantra -- very crude, very "brute force," from a technical perspective, but it does bring the literal meaning of the word "enchanted" to life). The latter passage could, perhaps, be adapted into the choreography of a little preliminary banishing ritual. The idea popped into my head, quite unbidden, when I was doing my meditation late last night:
5. Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
(held point downwards, indicating the central point underfoot)
6. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: the waters stood above the mountains.
(held point upwards, to the zenith, inwardly striving to sense the firmament's dome overhead)
7. At thy rebuke they fled; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
(held point outwards, imagining force radiating outwards to the horizon)
8. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
(a short pause, inwardly tracing a line from the zenith and the central point underfoot)
9. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; that they turn not again to cover the earth.
(turn in place, tracing out a circle with an indefinite radius, where the firmament's dome curves down to meet the ground)
10. He sendeth the springs into the valleys, which run among the hills.
11. They give drink to every beast of the field: the wild asses quench their thirst.
12. By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, which sing among the branches.
13. He watereth the hills from his chambers: the earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
(a longer pause, a rest, considering the idea of Chaos-turned-Cosmos)
This is just a draft, a rough sketch, based wholly on the Near Eastern story of the primordial chaoskampf. There's not a single divine or angelic name, a bit of Kabbalistic symbolism, a geometric figure, or even a Hebrew letter anywhere (yet). It does bother me that it doesn't really "plug into anything," but I suppose we can't all be Westcott or Mathers, and there's plenty of time for working more in.
You know what? To hell with it. It's either a work-in-progress, or it's the ceremonial equivalent of the cheap and craptastic FP-45 Liberator pistol -- a rough-and-ready means of eventually getting something better (assuming, however, it doesn't somehow miss its target at point-blank range, or blow up in your hand).
A further thought (added at 12:49 am on 9-Jul-2012):
In retrospect, I really don't like the tone of this entry, particularly the conclusion. It is, surely, irreverent and improper to treat this sort of thing as "tech." Trying not to be timid and perfectionism-paralyzed is not an excuse to be callous, even if this is an intrinsically assertive and Martial project.
On second thought... (added at 1:51 pm on 9-Jul-2012):
The fact that this ritual sketch "popping into my head" during meditation probably shouldn't be taken as a plus, or as a minus. After all, lots of noise and distractions pop into my head as well, and the proper response to them is to lightly brush them aside and just keep rolling along (rather than giving them their own LiveJournal entries).