After my series on Local Spirits I was sent a few other articles on the same thing, which I was really glad to see.
First off is a largely personal account about meeting and living with a local spirit, and more advice on how to get to know them.
There is an entire blog devoted to locally focused spirituality, which they’re terming Bioregional Animism, and I’m really enjoying the take on it as a whole, as well as some of the little instances and ideas. I look forward to reading more when I have time.
In a step beyond just local spirits, The Professor talks about Spirit Ecosystems, in the sense of the atmosphere and ecosystem and culture we develop in an area through our work. I really liked her cast of characters she sees in her area, and I have to agree with the attitude about creating a space with entities in it, rather than always banishing.
If you enjoy her writing there, she also talks about some work she did in a cemetery, with the spirits of the place, and the Lord of the Graveyard. (I admit a minor influence in what she did) The idea of caring for the unknown dead of an area is something that has always been close to me, and it’s nice to see someone else moved to help.
Speaking of the dead, if you know anything about Tibetan Buddhism, it probably is the awesome, surreal, and complex “Book of the Dead.” The text (more properly known as The Great Liberation Through Hearing in the Bardo) is a description of what happens when you die, what you experience, and how to navigate it to the best incarnation possible, if not enlightenment. It’s really dense and culturally coded, so most people will find this introduction to it through a comic far more accessible.
I guess that’s the type of thing that happens as Eastern and Western thought continue to mingle. It’s a shame hearing about young Tibetan’s who are getting into Western philosophy though.
The question of who and what are the gods is something that gets tossed around, and more often tossed aside, but how about an interesting discussion on what it means to have the potential for apotheosis?
Or how about the idea that perhaps God in a supreme creator sense, isn’t something that existed before and beyond the universe, but potentially could be a part of the universe none-the-less?
I guess the best answer to who/what god/s are is to ask the creator themself, here in an exclusive interview.
(And this, dear readers, is why Metatron is important)
Now for something completely awesome. Fuck Yeah Altars on tumblr. Just pictures of epic altars. I really love this. Sometimes altars are decorations, sometimes they’re more, but they’re great insight into the people’s practice and focus.
Speaking of awesome. We’ve uncovered another underground city, and this is the largest one found so far. Aside from just being amazing these cities open up some potentially interesting religious questions, and if you don’t know how, reread Genesis.
Wednesday Webshare: Shidak, Ecosystems, Gods, and Giants
