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"how can you say that you don't tap into the cultural beliefs, history, and 'soul' of a people when you watch Willy Wonka? A set of cutural beliefs, hisotry, and 'soul' informed the creation of Willy Wonka as much as it did the Lwa. Both entities are completely FICTIONAL. "
Hello alex supertramp. I would contend that, by this definition, both you and I are also completely fictional.
Or maybe I'm misreading you... still, just because the creation of an entity was shaped by a culture doesn't make it the same as something that grew out of a culture.
My theory, if you like, of the difference between 'modern mythological' figures (who I do work with) and 'Gods' (Who I also work with) is that the Gods were forces that existed before we named them, and who, through their interaction with us became more human-like, and pop culture icons and beings (if you want) that have been made and then imbued with power by humans.
Difference:
Gods = before us, but shaped through their interactions with us.
Buffy = made by us, perhaps growing, perhaps tapping into a bigger force as an archetype, perhaps developing a life of her own, but still subject to humans.
In summary:
Gods may have changed through their relationship with us, like we change through our relationship with other beings (human or otherwise) but we did not make them. They are no more fictional than you or I. Modern Myth characters like Buffy were made entirely by us, as humans, and can be used to tap into specific energies, but the relationship to those forces just don't feel as organic as through a deity.
I do contend that modern myth characters may be an easier place to start when delving into magical practice because they're smaller and easier to handle (and to ignore if you get bored/distracted... they don't get cross if you ignore them) but ultimately, relationships with Deities tend to have that much more depth, and thus can give you that much more... if you want that kind of thing.
Oh, and alex, the reason I believe Gypsy keeps asking what experience you've had on this is that when you have a theory, and someone disagrees with it based on their experience, it doesn't help your argument if you just repeat said theory without explaining how you justify it experientially. If you have a different exp, I'd love to hear it. In fact, I used to put forward my own, but as times gone by and my experience has grown I've personally found it to be different to my initial theories, and how I interpreted my initial experiences... anyway.
Oh yeah, we're fictional because we've been shaped by our cultures, we're stories written through our lives. 'Fictional' doesn't mean 'unreal', nor does it make everything 'fictional' the same. |
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