“A clue to this function may be found in the circumstance that such magicians rarely dwell at the heart of their village; rather, their dwellings are commonly at the spatial periphery of the community amid the surrounding rice fields, at the edge of the forest, or among a cluster of boulders. For the magician’s intelligence is not circumscribed within the society–its place is at the edge, mediating between the human community and the larger community of beings upon which the village depends for its nourishment and sustenance. This larger community includes, along with the humans, the multiple nonhuman entities that constitute the local landscape, from the myriad plants and animals that inhabit or move through the region, to the particular winds and weather patterns that inform the local geography, as well as the various land-forms-forests, rivers, caves, mountains-that lend their specific character to the surrounding Earth.
The traditional magician, I came to discern, commonly acts as an intermediary between the human collective and the larger ecological field, ensuring that there is an appropriate flow of nourishment, not just from the landscape to the human inhabitants but from the human community back to the local Earth. By their rituals, trances, ecstasies, and ‘journeys,” magicians ensure that the relation between human society and the larger society of beings is balanced and reciprocal, and that the village never takes more from the living land than it returns to it-not just materially, but with prayers, propitiations, and praise.”
- END -
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12 Comments
Maybe they are like frogs or turtles. They live on the border between land and water.
Whats this analagous to today in the west, besides new agey type neo shamans?
I think Nature writers and artists. Nothing against New agey Shamans, but being fringe they aren’t as accepted by mainstream society as naturalists and artists. Plus they are kind of self appointed. My impression is that the shamans were kind of controversial but seen by their culture as filling an actual role.
I would even say Steve Irwin was kind of in this Niche. Probably Thoreau kind of trail blazed it and then it kind of went from there.
This is really interesting. I have that book BTW. I got halfway through it and no further, because I kind of felt like he was writing more to secular materialists and I felt I didn’t need convincing, I felt like more of a believer than the author.
One thing, I think it is too with living off aways from people- Is that Shamans probably are very sensitive, and that crowds of people overload their senses.
Another aspect of this I sense , Is that first they are just rejects, wandering around then they come to serve a role.
You think about wizards and stuff in literature like Gandalf. He’s really old and mysterious. I always wonder what he did when he was younger. I don’t think those were happy times. I also think Shamans reach their peak in Old age. A lot of what would be other peoples prime of life is prologue for them.
Was Darwin a shaman? He definitely recontextualized our relationship with “nature”…
Although I will add that I think shamans/magicians/sages/whatever generally seem to be old simply because it takes a lot of time to accomplish that kind of being-ness.
Self-mastery in youth can lead to the ability to teach others self mastery in old age. Granted, “youth” and “old age” are rather relative here, and no offense meant towards any who might just not have that grey beard yet.
And who knows, if continued properly, perhaps this kind of thing might even carry on after old age. As a force in the world, if nothing else.
(pops taoist immortality pill)
This hit me like a lightning bolt…I’m going to Broccolize and check this one out again. Working on a “Bacteriopoetics” info dump thread:
http://www.brainsturbator.com/forums/viewthread/1212/
Also, a billion thanks for googleimageripper — that probably just changed my life. Never knew it existed until you name-dropped it recently.
http://www.subtletechnologies.com/2007/?page_id=153
Is that some weird quasi-living flesh pile being kept alive in an art installation? I need to investigate this but it looks like a signifigant window so I’m including it right off….I was also going to fill up a tumblr page for this “nature as interface” concept but I think I just broke the ENTIRE site by cursing the limitations of their customization interface.
That mega-synch magick is still going strong today clearly. I’ve received two packages with books in them from strangers this morning, and written two articles, we’re off to a good start.
Tumblr is a resilient community, apparently…back up and running…I’ll be exanding on this all day:
http://brainsturbator.tumblr.com/
Just got that classic photobook SHELTER, going to be brainstorming today about human ecosystem patterns and leverage points. This feels a lot like Calvinball, you know? Only with way more entertaining players. Ian, thanks for everything you’re throwing into the mix, too.
Jesus, Justin, that tumblr account is ridiculous. I have a hard enough time keeping up with Tim’s site, now I gotta keep track of you too? I need more hours in my day…
That is the exact reason I am staying off of twitter, for the time being.
However, in response to:
Not any more it’s not…
Justin,
Have you read Pichbecks 2012 book? He talks about bacteria a lot in there. Wars between anerobic bacteria and something else. I forget… but anyway he thinks There is this big ongoing spiritual battle between different factions of bacteria that manifest in our subconscious as alien abductions and things.
Ian,
I think shamans might have “old souls” no matter what their current chronological age is in their present incarnation.
http://www.breakingopenthehead.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-1670.html