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Underground > Temple >

Magick Madonna

  
 
Ethan Hawke
20:39 / 02.08.01
Riding the subway home from work today, I noticed a poster for Madonna's upcoming HBO concert special. The layout of the poster startled me. A Cabbalistic Tree of Life is set off to one side, with a stylized "M" sigil superimposed on it. Madonna's head is on the other side, and she is giving the Sign of Harpocrates.

A quick google search reveals not the same poster, but a T Shirt with the sigil on it:

here

Madonna, new age airy fairy or hard core magus?
 
 
Laurelwen
03:36 / 03.08.01
Actually, Madonna is quite "into" Kabbalistic stuff. Her album Ray of Light was arranged around the Kabbalah, with the numbers of each track tied to the meaning of the track itself. I don't know if she is just a new age fairy or what, but I know that at one time, she was quite involved with it and placed a great deal of importance on such things. Heard that in an article or show once, but don't have any sources to back it up.
 
 
FinderWolf
12:11 / 03.08.01
She does look pretty sexy in that pic, I have to say......

.....and what do you all think about the significance of the NAME of the tour -- "Drowned World Tour">>?

A reference to The Flood? Or a metaphorical flood as a new age begins, sweeping out the old way of thinking and being?

What exactly is the Sign of Harpocrates? And what does it signify/where does it come from?
 
 
Ierne
12:27 / 03.08.01
What exactly is the Sign of Harpocrates? And what does it signify/where does it come from?

Thank fuck for Google, because I'm still wrecked from last night...here's another one.
 
 
FinderWolf
18:36 / 03.08.01
So what does making the Sign of Harpocrates.....do? What does it signify? Life and healing? (i.e. what did Madonna want to occur or effect by using that gesture on her poster?)
 
 
Ierne
18:48 / 03.08.01
call me cynical... but I suspect it's more a case of marketing hype than any genuine occult interest on her part.

She's going for the New Age/Occult dollar.
 
 
Ellis
19:10 / 03.08.01
quote:Originally posted by Ierne:

She's going for the New Age/Occult dollar.

Ah the skeptical cynical dollar, thats a very good market, we've done our research
.
 
 
Dee Vapr
19:17 / 03.08.01
quote:Originally posted by Ellis:


Ah the skeptical cynical dollar, thats a very good market, we've done our research
.

Aaah! The sarcastic dollar! We've taken people and divided them into the skeptical dollar, the sarcastic dollar and the occult dollar and we've... oh I can't be bothered
 
 
Jamieon
08:44 / 04.08.01
It's the sign of silence, representing the cessation of the chattering of ego. Certain Buddhist schools would describe it as a state of "no contradiction"; In Kabbala it's the conditions described by those sephiroth "above" the abyss of formation; in Morrisonspeak it's what's on the "other side" of the Choronzonic Abyss, etc., etc.

Or at least, that's what they told me down the pub......
 
 
Ierne
11:20 / 06.08.01
We've taken people and divided them into the skeptical dollar, the sarcastic dollar and the occult dollar and we've... oh I can't be bothered – Dee Vapr

You mean Madonna has...you see, that is what a "marketing genius" (such as she's considered to be) does.
 
 
The Return Of Rothkoid
11:37 / 06.08.01
Madonna and kabbalah: from here quoteecember 5, 1997

Hollywood stars of all faiths flock to Kabbalah center

TOM TUGEND

Jewish Telegraphic Agency


LOS ANGELES -- Next to one of the star-studded parties after the annual Academy Awards, the best place to run into Hollywood celebrities may be at the Kabbalah Learning Center in Los Angeles.

Kabbalah, the mystical Jewish tradition dating back centuries, is attracting a growing number of stars in search of spiritual fulfillment and insights into the relationship between God and humans.

One such seeker is pop singer Madonna, who has been studying with the center's senior teacher, Eitan Yardeni. Such is the Material Girl's faith in her instructor that during her pregnancy she sought his advice on the best day to deliver her child.

Yardeni suggested the day of Rosh Chodesh, or new moon, and that's the day Madonna gave birth to her daughter, Lourdes.

The Kabbalah Learning Center is headquartered in Tel Aviv and has branches in the United States, South America, Canada, Mexico and France.

It has been attacked by mainstream rabbis who charge that the center teaches a superficial, pop version of the Kabbalah without demanding any grounding in talmudic studies. A number of disenchanted former members have accused the center of using high-pressure tactics to extract their money.

Despite the criticism, the center continues to attract celebrities, both Jewish and non-Jewish. Reputed disciples include singers Barbra Streisand and Courtney Love; actors Elizabeth Taylor, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd and Sandra Bernhard; and designers Donna Karan and Isaac Mizrahi.

During Yom Kippur services at the center, television star Roseanne reserved an entire row for herself and her entourage.

But most of the spotlight has fallen on Madonna, who hosted a high-powered reception for potential recruits in September. She told her guests that although she was raised as a Catholic, nothing has affected her as much as her Kabbalah lessons, which have enabled her to take responsibility for her life.

But at this point, Madonna has not signaled any intention to formally convert to Judaism, according to her publicist and a spokeswoman for the Kabbalah Learning Center.
 
 
GRIM
12:05 / 06.08.01
Less glamourously Madonna experimented with subliminal "backwards" messages on "Justify my love", which repeats "I love Satan" clearly and distinctly several times, if played backwards.

Perhaps not a Kabbalist then...
 
 
Seth
13:12 / 06.08.01
I think she’s into pick’n’mix. She seems to consciously reinvent herself with each album – Erotica was all about breaking taboos and shocking people, so backwards Satan lovin’ seems to fit quite well.

I have no idea how closely she holds to any beliefs. It certainly worked as a makeover, though.
 
 
Ierne
13:18 / 06.08.01
very funny, GRIM Are you sure it's "Satan" and not "Satin"?

I suspect the Mistress of Malkuth will move on to other things by the time her next album comes out as expressionless suggests.
 
 
Wyrd
19:46 / 06.08.01
quote:Originally posted by todd:
Madonna, new age airy fairy or hard core magus?

Interestingly, a long post I wrote about this got deleted when I mis-clicked on this page. I hate having to rewrite stuff like this.

I don't think Madonna is a hard-core Magus, but that doesn't mean we can dismiss the image as having no magical significance. I'd agree with others that Madge is all about fame and popularity and what she does best is re-invent herself in ways to keep her audience. Though, I'd consider that rather healthy compared to acts that stick to a tried-and-tired formula and keep cranking out the same stuff.

The Downed World tour comes from a song of the same name, which is also known as "Substitute For Love", which comes from the "Ray of Light" CD. You can see the lyrics here: http://www.madonnaland.com/lyrics/rol.shtml#drownedworld I believe the song is about the effect Madonna's daughter Loudres had on her life. It's interesting that she choose that song (the first track from RoL), which is from her previous CD, to name her tour.

I was quite struck by the image used for that tour, because it does not seem an accident, it seems very well designed in a calculating fashion.

The first thing I saw was the rune Algiz, usually used for protection, connection to a Mannaz rune, which usually denotes humanity/relationships. If you look hard you can also see an inverted Teiwaz (justice, the God Tyr) which gives it an interesting spin.

The placing of the sigil/runes with the sephiroth and the central word "Madonna" seem very deliberate. I'm not a Kabbalah expert by the way, so I'll only have a very shallow reading of this - I'm sure someone with more knowledge would glean more from it.

The first thing I noticed is a drawing down of forces through Kether (the crown) down through the central axis and joined by lines from Binah (understanding) and Chokma (wisdom) into Tiphareth (beauty). The placing of the "o"in Madonna at the conjunction of the three tines placed over Tiphareth seems hardly coincidental, and marries the three elements in the design closely. This then progresses down through Yesod (foundation) and into Malkuth (kingdom) where it is joined by lines sweeping down from Geburah (severity) and Chesed (Mercy). They also pass superficially through Hod (glory) and Netzach (victory), but not in any serious way. Every one of the sephiroth has some element of the sigil-like design touching it. Though, as I said, I think there's only lip service being done to Hod and Netzach.

There seems to be two focal points, first Tiphareth, and then a serious focus on pulling that into Yesod and Malkuth.

It's a fascinating design to examine in depth.

Of course, it could all be coincidental!
 
  
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