After writing that post about growing up and claiming power, I recalled the opening to James Frazer’s classic Golden Bough (named after Turner’s painting of the same name). He is explaining a mytho-historical drama played out in the countryside by the Italian town of Aricia:

In this sacred grove there grew a certain tree round which at any time of the day, and probably far into the night, a grim figure might be seen to prowl. In his hand he carried a drawn sword, and he kept peering warily about him as if at every instant he expected to be set upon by an enemy. He was a priest and a murderer; and the man for whom he looked was sooner or later to murder him and hold the priesthood in his stead. Such was the rule of the sanctuary. A candidate for the priesthood could only succeed to office by slaying the priest, and having slain him, he retained office till he was himself slain by a stronger or a craftier.

The post which he held by this precarious tenure carried with it the title of king; but surely no crowned head ever lay uneasier, or was visited by more evil dreams, than his. For year in, year out, in summer and winter, in fair weather and in foul, he had to keep his lonely watch, and whenever he snatched a troubled slumber it was at the peril of his life. The least relaxation of his vigilance, the smallest abatement of his strength of limb or skill of fence, put him in jeopardy; grey hairs might seal his death-warrant.

And in turn, reading that I recalled a dream of mine from July of last year. In this medieval setting, a companion and I went about the grisly task of murdering the king. But instead of being saddled with that same office as a result, we fled instead from an order of priests who were hunting for us. At the time, I thought the priests were searching for us to punish or kill us. But in retrospect, re-reading my account of the dream, I am eerily certain that it was the priests who actually organized and inspired us to commit this act. Perhaps the reason they were looking for us was actually to enthrone us…

Regardless, Frazer’s fascination with this ancient melodrama I think reveals fundamental underlying principles of how power works. You desire power and in so doing seek to replace the one who is in power. Once you are successful, of course, you must guard against he would seek to do to you what you did to your predecessor. (See also Don Juan’s teachings on Power as being the third natural enemy to the man of knowledge)