Paper 4: Mediation in Relgio-Magical Thought

[us4-he2-gal2]

Hey e n e n u r i a n s:






Today I am posting one of the last papers I did this year. Again I should mention my papers have a limited scope as they are first year papers. So not only am I new to paper writing (in some ways) but there are limitations on how many pages they can be etc.

This paper is one of the ones that I drew heavily from my reading at enenuru for - the subject is the similarity between the the notions of mediation between divine and mundane realm in Mesopotamian temple religion, and its similarity with the notion of divine mediation found in the incantation texts which deal with purifiers. Like temples, these ritual items were thought to connect and mediate between this realm and that of heaven and the nether world.

I wrote this one for professor Frayne who is a very nice elderly scholar. He has been generous with me throughout the year and while I've learned something from his enthusiasm for astral lore, I've tried to share my enthusiasm for Mesopotamian magic. Since the professor will probably not have time to join the board, this paper was a nice way of summing some of the key subject materials here. I am indebted Anne Oiseth, a sometime member here, for her insights on the E-ninnu temple.



Class:
NMC101 (Introduction to the Ancient Near East)

Paper Subject:
The commonality of principals in Mesopotamian Relgio-magical thought.

Problems:
The paper is not an exhaustive and polished examination - a 200 page dissertation and a years research may be more fitting for the scope of the subject.

Mark:
92%




DOWNLOAD:



www.enenuru.net/pdfs/MediationENENURUversion(proofed).pdf


(I've decided a .pdf version would be most practical).

[sheshki]

Hey Ush,
i just read your paper. Well done, very interesting, and i only had to look up 5 words
Is this a board intern paper or can i spread it?

[enkur]

Greetings us4-he2-gal2,

In your essay you've touched the essence of sorcery in general - namely 3 vital points of sorcery - the site of power, the spell (the spell-caster), and the tools. By ritualistic considerations I would place the tools between the site of power and the spell-caster as a mediator but here I will treat these 3 points in the order you have given them in your paper. Let me first give some definition of sorcery - it's the most primitive and most powerful form of magic based on the animistic feeling that everything is animated and thus could be manipulated.

1.)The site of power, whereon a temple could be built up later, is appointed by its particular landscape where certain odd phenomena like meteorite falls, frequent lightning falls, cross-points between underground waters, springs, magnetic anomalies, a very particular flora and fauna etc. occur. One may feel strangely when stay in such a place, to have visions, or dreams, to get ill, or to recover from illness. The sorcerers see the earth as a living being, so the sites of power constitute its acupuncture points where the earth energy interact with the cosmic energy, and where the ancient sorcerers thrust their needles in the form of megalith devices like menhirs, dolmens, stone circles, or wooden poles and pegs to enhance, or soften the energy there. The ancient sorcerers have distinguished different kinds of sites of power, however that ancient lore is lost nowadays. Later temples were built up on such sacred places, and still later when the political priesthood replaced the magical priesthood artificial cult centres appeared without other energy therein except that of the mass believer. Yet the early Christianity and Islam used to build up their churches and mosques on the places of former pagan sanctuaries and temples, and thus re-chanelling their energy for their purposes.

2.) Any ritual act affects the site of power and could call forth a feedback from it. The purpose of any ritual is to concentrate the personal energy of the sorcerer until an emotional climax is reached wherein the spell/incantation is pronounced, the song sung, or the will launched. Human voice when trained could resound with tremendous vibrations. A magical incantation should synchronize the sorcerer's energy with the site's energy thus arousing both to another climax wherein some strange things may happen. Thus the spell-caster and the deity of the place become one via divine possession. In brief, the magical incantation is designated to bring forth divine possession, wherein the deity acts via the priest, or the priest is a conductor of the sacred site's energy, or the sorcerer has become one with the source of power in his region.

3.) Tools like purificators - holy waters, oils, incences, thuribles, lamps, candles, sacred plant whips, needles, burins, etc.; tools like enhancers - gongs, bells, drums etc. musical instruments ; tools like allies - plants of power and their spirits, tools like magical weapons - wands, sceptres, daggers, swords, cups, pentacles, amulets etc.; tools like imagery - idols, statuettes, icons etc. - all serve the purpose to attune the sorcerer's energy with the site's energy, they are the sacred mediator between them. As far as the primitive sorcery is concerned the simpler and smaller in number are the tools the more poweful they are. All the tools are animated, they have a soul of their own, so the sorcerer, or the priest should use them with the due respect. It could be said within the Sumerian magical paradigm that the tools are MEs, and the MEs are tools.

I will soon write an email to you with some further comments