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Discordia

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flufeemunk effluvia

03:32 / 04.09.04

Shicka Shicka FNORD.

Where do you all stand on it?

04:24 / 04.09.04

By the apple tree with Eris holding her beautiful skirt and marvelling at the colours.

ONLY NICE THINGS

13:43 / 04.09.04

I find it a bit tedious, really. Discordianism is the Rag Week of occultism - full of students being whacky.

Am I being unfair?

--

14:58 / 04.09.04

Is wackiness a bad thing? I think the best thing you can say about Discordianism is that it realizes that the world is a bizarre place and therefore encourages one to act in a like manner. I don't think all trains of occult thought need to be ultra-serious. And at the very least it makes for humorous reading.

Eris' name was evoked in the reading of a manifesto I wrote that was read at the start of my punk band's first live performance. Naturally the set lapsed into total chaos (though this may of been due to the fact we didn't really know how to play our instruments) and throughout the rest of the night many other bands playing that same gig experienced random technical problems: Instruments not working right, wires to hook guitars to amps vanishing, and at one point one of the speakers began to spark and almost exploded.

flufeemunk effluvia

20:50 / 04.09.04

Faith is hard to take seriously, and thats why Discordianism works for me.

Plus, athiesm and agnosticism are, like, way too hip.

Skeleton Camera

22:43 / 04.09.04

Hello Mr. Zebra. Can I have your sweater?

And I'm still following my fishie.

02:01 / 05.09.04

How is Eris usually visually represented? It seems that unlike other gods & goddesses, she doesn't have defining visual characteristics.

Skeleton Camera

02:22 / 05.09.04

I don't think she has a specific visual representation. Being the principle of chaos and all, there are most likely all sorts of representations...

Which, I suppose, could launch into a larger thread re: the depiction of various entities, which gets into the cross-cultural discussion, which gets into the personal-versus-systematic discussion....talk about chaos!

--

02:55 / 05.09.04

Yeah, I've looked through lots of Greek Mythology books but there ain't much visual representations... Though there is this kid's book I know of that depicts her riding in a chariot with her brother... Her hair's all messy and she has a slight scowl on her face. Considering the source material I wouldn't put too much weight on this depiction, but then again I think everyone sees gods and godesses slightly different, so a universal representation is a silly thing to seek out, especially when one considers that Eris does, after all, represent chaos and therefore shouldn't really have a fixed form.

flufeemunk effluvia

03:29 / 05.09.04

From The Principia Discordia

WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT ERIS (not much) The Romans left a likeness of Her for posterity -- She was shown as a grotesque woman with a pale and ghastly look, Her garment is ripped and torn, and as concealing a dagger in Her Bosom. Actually, most women look pale and ghastly when concealing a chilly dagger in their bosoms. Her geneology is from the Greeks and is utterly confused. Either She was the twin of Aries and the daughter of Zeus and Hera; or She was the daughter of Nyx, goddess of night (who was either the daughter or wife of Chaos, or both), and Nyx’s brother, Erebus, and whose brothers and sisters include Death, Doom, Mockery, Misery and Friendship. And that she begat Forgetfullness, Quarrels, Lies, and a bunch of gods and goddesses like that. One day Mal-2 consulted his Pineal Gland* and asked Eris if She really created all of those terrible things. She told him that She had always liked the Old Greeks, but that they cannot be trusted with historic matters. "They were," She added, "victims of indigestion, you know." Suffice it to say that Eris is not hateful or malicious. But She is mischievous, and does get a little bitchy at times.

11:59 / 05.09.04

I rather fond of this image from the Discordian coloring book.

I dont think it's official or anything, but whaddya expect from an irreligion?

12:49 / 05.09.04

Discordians exist only so there is someone to look down on the Subgenius. I suspect the Subgenius exist for much the same reason.

12:58 / 05.09.04

Ooh, she's wearing the Mad Hatter's hat! And there are RABBITS coming out! Glee!

15:39 / 05.09.04

She's so beautiful in that picture. Thanks for remiding me to keep in touch with her.

--

17:09 / 05.09.04

Thank god the caption said that was a hotdog she was eating. I thought it was a dildo at first (well, with Discordia you never know).

18:51 / 05.09.04

I enlarged the picture, printed it out and coloured it in with crayons whilst high

I'll see if I can scan it at my mums tommorow for your delectation.

19:55 / 05.09.04

Discordianism, and Subgenius for that matter, are like that guy down the pub who endlessly quotes tired old Monty Python sketches at you, which everyone else has heard a thousand times.

Eris started the Trojan War, y’know. That aspect of Discord seems to get completely overlooked in favour of schoolboy pranks and derivative surrealism. What’s going on there?

I think what bothers me the most is the sickening lack of imagination displayed by most self-professed “discordians”. None of it is particularly funny or original, but likes to think it is. 30 year old jokes and permutations on the same dull theme repeated endlessly. It’s just another comfort zone and I don’t really understand what any of it has to do with discord. I really don’t get it.

--

20:09 / 05.09.04

When someone says something along the lines of "None of it is particularily funny or original" (without adding words along the lines of "in my opinion") it appears to be that a universal truth is being stated. When in fact it's an opinion. Just because you don't find something funny or original doesn't mean that someone else wouldn't. I'm not saying I find discordianism to be the most hilarious thing ever... IMO the X-Entertainment website is one of the funniest things ever.

Eris started the Trojan War. A lot of lives were lost. Wars are chaotic. Still, some great art and works of literature came out of it so it wasn't a total loss.

20:35 / 05.09.04

it appears to be that a universal truth is being stated. When in fact it's an opinion.

Yes. It’s my opinion. That would be why I typed it on a message board. Do I really have to preface every sentence with IMHO for you?

Eris started the Trojan War. A lot of lives were lost. Wars are chaotic. Still, some great art and works of literature came out of it so it wasn't a total loss.

You’re extraordinary.

20:37 / 05.09.04

But Eris didn't start the Trojan war. It was the result of the stupidity and vanity of the other gods and goddesses. A perfect example of what happens when people don't have a sense of humour and have to take everything so seriously.

00:50 / 06.09.04

Gypsy, you seem to love getting your jollies from pissing on other people's parades. Surely there must be some better way of feeling good about yourself?

flufeemunk effluvia

03:09 / 06.09.04

But Eris didn't start the Trojan war. It was the result of the stupidity and vanity of the other gods and goddesses. A perfect example of what happens when people don't have a sense of humour and have to take everything so seriously.

OK, FINE THE ORIGINAL SNUB CAUSED IT.

Gypsy Lantern, you bring shame and dishonor to my family.

I challenge you to a duel!

04:34 / 06.09.04

Kinda non-sequitory post.

Six years after first learning about Discordianism, after actually buying the Principia Discordia, surprised that I could have easily stapled the book myself--imagined it bound in rare goat scroat all these years--I found that Discordianism was started one suburb away from my hometown, in a bowling alley that my Baptist Church no doubt had visited at one time or another.

In conclusion, it is good to have one's scripture of the day fit easily into someone else's pocket.

--

04:40 / 06.09.04

I don't know, I say if it works for you go for it. Just because Discordianism's been around for 30 years doesn't mean it's bad... I mean, it's no worse then following a religion or magical system that's been around for hundreds of years. As for it being unoriginal, we can't all be hyperoriginal 24/7. I mean, I'm not a discordian so I can't comment too much but I've read the literature and I think it makes a good read, Gruad the Grayface has become a cult figure in my parts and I know a lot of discordians who seem to get by okay so I say more power to them. Whatever turns you on. I think something good can be extracted from any belief system, even the most strict, destructive ones. I mean, I'm not a big fan of christianity but I love to look at old churches and look at all those religious paintings and shit.

06:44 / 06.09.04

Gypsy, you seem to love getting your jollies from pissing on other people's parades.

Well, I don't read Gypsy's posts like that. I've noticed GL be rude, but never needlessly belligerent. I'd say more it's more becoming sick of cliches masquerading as originality - as everyone admits, the the bloody discordian thing has been around for thirty years minimum. Bit tired, no? If you spend any time on the occult scene, you encounter a certain narrow range of cliched ideas re-presented ad nauesum. I think GL more than makes up for it with the amount of quality, inspired stuff he posts.

BTW, if anyone has anyone NEW to say about Eris, I'd be happy to hear it.

ONLY NICE THINGS

07:26 / 06.09.04

I think the timocratic structure of divinity in early Greek myth might be quite a good thing to apply to the tale of Eris, the apple and the Trojan War. More generally, I feel Discordians could profit enormously from learning Ancient Greek.

Syph: the Trojan War did not create art and literature in the way, say, that the first world war was responsible for the poetry of Rupert Brooke and Siegfried Sassoon. If it happened at all in a form recongisable from the myths, then it happened several centuries before Homer, if *he* happened at all in a form recognisable from the myths. I believe that Gypsy Lantern was trying to express that Eris is being limited by the cute, joy-buzzer, Monty Python deity designed by and for bong-hitting Californians. Discordianism in those terms might be compared to the tendency of New Age bookshops to fill their shelves with books about Angels as fluffy lovelies carrying baskets of flowers and teddy bears.

08:00 / 06.09.04

Gypsy, you seem to love getting your jollies from pissing on other people's parades.

No, I just often express an opinion that is contrary to the consensus opinion. Apologies if contrary opinions are off limits in a thread about discord. My mistake.

I challenge you to a duel!

Whenever you like.

I'd say more it's more becoming sick of cliches masquerading as originality... If you spend any time on the occult scene, you encounter a certain narrow range of cliched ideas re-presented ad nauesum.

That's exactly why I decided to contribute to this thread. I personally find discordianism horribly cliched and tedious, with very little in the way of new ideas being brought to it. Whilst simultaenously pitching itself as being really creative, exciting and imaginative. I thought my perspective on this was a fairly honest and reasonable answer to a thread that started with the question "where do you stand on it?". It would appear I've accidentally said the wrong thing on a backslapping parade and critical perspectives are unwelcome. Normal service will be resumed shortly, I'm sure.

I believe that Gypsy Lantern was trying to exspress that Eris is being limited by the cute, joy-buzzer, Monty Python deity designed by and for bong-hitting Californians. Discordianism in those terms might be compared to the tendency of New Age bookshops to fill their shelves with books about Angels as fluffy lovelies carrying baskets of flowers and teddy bears.

Spot on.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

08:12 / 06.09.04

Is wackiness a bad thing?

No, if we mean eccentricity, joy, freeing ourselves from our preconceptions in order to discover new approaches and come up with new ideas, and the power of FUN. But a lot of the Dischordianism I've seen (on teh Web, natch--I have to cop to not knowing many Dischordians IRL) reminds me of the forced and hackneyed cheer of Red Nose Day. Whoops, look at meeee, I'm so wacky, look at my rainbow clown wig everybody, I'm so chaotic and subversive look at me look at me OH PLEASE WON'T SOMEONE LOOK AT MEEEEEE?!

Just sayin'.

11:01 / 06.09.04

Y'know, I'm aware that I'm being a bit unfair on people who may have just been exposed to discordianism, and to whom all of that stuff might somehow still be fresh and exciting. But it just all seems so unbelievably hackneyed and overplayed to me that I find it difficult to get my head around threads like this that seem to only exist in order to big it up. What am I to do? Avoid contributing my thoughts on the subject so as not to disrupt things in the playpen? Shut my mouth and keep my opinions to myself as this thread gets filled with self-congratulatory sentences containing the word "fnord"? To my mind, that's not what makes barbelith the best place on the internet for intelligent discussion of occultism and spirituality.

I'm certainly not down on fun, creativity, imagination, laughter, madness, weirdness and crazy shit in magic. But I am down on comfort zones, cliches, tired quotes, derivative humour, and unoriginality in magic. My specific problem is that I'm not convinced a lot of self-professed discordians actually work with Eris in any real sense, beyond running around with lamp shades on their heads shouting out 30 year old quotes at eachother, and trying with visible desperation to convince spectators that they're wild and crazy and revolutionary. If someone has a vibrant genuine relationship with the Goddess Eris that is life changing and all pervading, in the way that such relationships tend to be, then I'd love to hear about their experiences and this could be a great thread. But for the most part, when people talk about discordianism they often seem to be talking about something as empty and superficial as new age dolphin pendants and the barefoot doctor. Where's the magic? Where's the creativity? Where's the life?

If I have to piss on someone's parade to turn this thread into something that actually goes somewhere and does something interesting, then I will. Despite how unpopular that might make me.

See how you like them apples.

Regrettable Juvenilia

11:14 / 06.09.04

Off topic, but Gypsy Lantern has almost single-handedly got me reading the Magic forum again in the past few months (although Illmatic and a few others have helped), so he must be doing something right. What drove me away was when the intelligent, vibrant discussion got drowned out by people going "woah! fnord!" - that's what pissed on my parade...

Less searchable M0rd4nt

11:36 / 06.09.04

What he said.

11:51 / 06.09.04

What she said about what he said....

If someone has a vibrant genuine relationship with the Goddess Eris that is life changing and all pervading, in the way that such relationships tend to be, then I'd love to hear about their experiences

I agree with the above, I'd like to hear from people who work with Eris rather than talk about Eris.

12:21 / 06.09.04

OK then, me too. I love the ideas and the energy of the whole thing, but 'Fnord' does PISS ME OFF aswell. Shouldn't this be changed as and when it suits to whatever you want? Fnord really seems to be getting tired. I love the freedom and the chaos and the laughs like others here, but i'd love to be able to read about magickal experiences, rituals, invocations etc with Eris, instead of not finding much more than a few paragraphs about the snub, the bowlers, hodge podge and whatever.

Maybe this is just a logical example of what happens when things get too 'logical' in the world, you get things appearing that are equally 'illogical'. No offense to Discordians though, i do love the spirit of it and still consider myself a Legionnaire Disciple every now and then. Eris could possibly have a Dark Goddess thing going on that could be really effective for banishing/getting rid of unwanted habits/problems etc, a type of Geburic/Mars/Fire Goddess aspect, i'll see if i can get anything from that in the way of invocation or banishing.

ping pong.

12:28 / 06.09.04

The Aneristic Principle is that of APPARENT ORDER; the Eristic Principle is that of APPARENT DISORDER.

I got this from House Bub, which i think is a funny and fairly informative site on a few of the Discordian principles, but i'd love it a lot more if the Aneristic Principle was put into effect more and the site included some sections for Magickal workings.

13:19 / 06.09.04

You can never beat that fateful day when you obtain a copy of "Principia Discordia", I got my first way back in 90. I have not alot of time for Subgenius, I gave that stuff away - Schwa is entertaining though. Ah where is them streets that are spray painted with Bob graffiti? I've forgot alot of that Bob stuff. It's a tad expensive - we should be making our own shit up!

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