#alexandrian

[poppi-fields]

UPRIGHT: oppression, addiction, obsession, dependency, excess, powerlessness, limitations REVERSED: independence, freedom, revelation, release, reclaiming power, reclaiming control

[flippityflaps]

"A gambler, a convict, a wayward son, a lonely Grisha, a suli-turned-assassin, and a Barrel boy turned into something worse."

"Two of the best physicists the world has ever seen, a uniquely talented illusionist, a telepath like no other, an empath capable of captivating thousands of people, and a misclassified naturalist."

[macmorrighan]

What's Wrong With Robert Graves?

Why are Witches and Pagans so hard on Robert Graves and practically denounce everything he's ever written? It's certainly become verboten in some circle amongst the Craft to cite his book, The Greek Myths (despite its storied use amongst contemporary Classicist), nor the classic academic treatise, The Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology for no other reason than he wrote the Introduction! Nevertheless, as a Witch, I must contend with the view that amongst my own kind--due to guilt by association--every book attached to Robert Graves is now viewed as highly suspect and dubious, which is (if you'll pardon the pun) gravely unfortunate.

As a matter of fact, in the criticisms of Graves, I wonder how many of us have overlooked the subtitle of The White Goddess (UK: Faber & Faber/U.S.: Creative Age Press, 1948), which quite clearly calls it a work of "poetic myth." The term, "mythopoetic" is an adjective defined as: Relating to the making of a myth or myths, i.e. Relating to or denoting a movement for men that uses activities such as storytelling and poetry reading as a means of self-understanding.

What's wrong with that? Contribution to one's myths are a wonderful thing. Unless one feel otherwise. I would argue that the strengths of Graves's The White Goddess have been overshadowed by pedantic critics that insist its misinformative. But, from my perspective, it teaches one how to look at folk-lore, archaeology and mythology from a different perspective that I (and others) have personally found invaluable.

Sure, one might belittle the Archetype of the Lunar Triple-Goddess of the Maiden-Mother-Crone as an invention; but rather, it has contributed greatly towards Pagan myth-making and it should be celebrated for that, rather than shunned. Although this should not be cited, as it has been publicly misappropriated, usually as an excuse to denounce the Wica/ "Wicca" as an utterly modern religion with no roots in the past.

We should not, therefore, be quick to pass judgement onto the late English poet and Classicist, Robert Graves (1895-1985 C.E.), as the alleged provocateur who contrived the modern lunar archetype of the Triple-Goddess as Maiden, Mother and Crone since this archetype may be interpreted as a mere reaction to human longevity. Throughout the Greco-Roman world there were numerous Triple Moon-Goddesses, virtually none of whom can be described as older in appearance than the median age of women, which was an average of twenty-five years (Carrieri, Maria Patrizia and Diego Serraino. "Longevity of Popes and Artists Between the 13th and 19th Century." International Journal of Epidemiology, 34:6 (December 2005): pp. 1435-1436.). As a matter of fact, ancient Triple Moon-Goddesses chiefly depict three women of a similar age, which should come as no great surprise since the difference in age between an unmarried female, a bride or mother (if she survived childbirth), and a woman nearing the end of her typical life-expectancy was quite narrow. This is how these ancient goddesses would have been conceived in the popular imagination of antiquity. In fact, Graves seems to have been well aware of this detail when writing his historical novel, The Golden Fleece (Cassell, 1944), in which he describes the fashion in which the Old Religion is practiced on the Spanish island of Majorca:

Maiden, Nymph and Mother are the eternal royal Trinity on the island, and the Goddess, who is worshipped there in each of these aspects, as New Moon, Full Moon, and Old Moon, is the sovereign deity.

As a result, Graves has merely brought to light what was self-evident, thus demonstrating how a contemporary culture would have viewed this archetypal goddess in his own day (and in ours). Remember that between the decades of the 1930s and 1950s, which spanned the years of WWII, one was considered elderly if they had reached the age of forty (Philip Heselton: pers. comm.), which is scarcely how one might define a crone in our own day.

This evident knowledge is underscored by the fact that Graves wrote The White Goddess in response to a conversation with his friend, the English historian Alan Hodge (1915-1979 C.E.), regarding the psychological process of poetic inspiration. Graves then acquainted himself with the works from noted scholars of his day that were especially en vogue, albeit some of which have not aged particularly well in retrospect: The Mabinogion (Bernard Quaritch, 1877), quoted at length, by Lady Charlotte Guest (1812-1895 C.E.); The Golden Bough (Macmillan & Co., 1890), which was meticulously researched by Sir James Frazer (1854-1941 C.E.) [and for more research consult this phenomenal essay]; Celtic Researches (Privately Printed, 1804), an imperfect and somewhat speculative treatise by Edward Davies (1756-1831 C.E.); the ideas of his friend, the anthropologist W. H. R. Rivers (1864-1922 C.E.), who was a proponent of the "mother-right" or matriarchal theory; The Witch-Cult in Western-Europe (Oxford University Press, 1921) by Margaret Alice Murray (1863-1963 C.E.), which Grevel Lindrop—Emeritus Professor of Romantic and Early Victorian Studies—described as "scholarship blended with myth-making" (Lindop, Grevel. "The White Goddess: Sources, Contexts, Meanings." Graves and the Goddess: Essays on Robert Graves’s The White Goddess. Eds. Ian Firla and Grevel Lindop. Selinsgrove: Susquehanna University Press, 2003: p. 31), whilst English historian Steven Runciman (1903-2000 C.E.)—who wrote the Foreword to The Witch-Cult when it was reissued in 1971 by Oxford University Press—stated that Murray "has always had solid evidence to back her claims" (Murray, Margaret A. The Witch-Cult in Western Europe. 1921. FWD. Sir Steven Runciman. Reprint, New York: Barnes & Noble, 1996: p. 5), which is not to detract from Murray’s more unfortunate suggestions (e.g., that blue bonnets were worn by the High Priest of the Coven as a headdress); and the masterful trove, The Secret Languages of Ireland (Cambridge University Press, 1937), edited by noted Irish archaeologist, Dr. R. A. Stewart Macalister (1870-1950 C.E.), which was reissued due to its importance amongst the field of Celtic Studies.

It is untenable to imagine that religions do not naturally flux in response to such obvious changes as human life-expectancy, social and political changes. Even the early Christians likely would have affixed in their minds a younger image of the Abrahamic god than that which has swept the popular imagination in our current century. The same is also true of the modern image of the Ancient Greek god, Zeus, who is often portrayed in film and on television far older than he actually would have been perceived by the Ancient Greeks themselves. Even the Virgin Mary of the Christians was probably thirteen or fourteen years of age when she gave birth to the Christ, which was the age when Hebrew maidens became marriageable ('The Blessed Virgin Mary.' The Catholic Encyclopedia. New Advent. Web. 13 March, 2023). This may explain why observant Catholics who witness visions or apparitions of the Virgin Mary often describe her resembling a very young maiden.

Therefore, it is my position, that Robert Graves may be forgiven for his axiomatic contribution to the theology of contemporary Witchcraft, and therefore updating the public imagery and understanding of this Archetypal goddess. Yet again, this should not be interpreted, as it has, that Graves directly inspired our concept of the Triple-Moon Goddess through a book that is now lauded as "disingenuous"; and thereby misappropriated as supposed "evidence" that the Wica/ "Wicca" is a fabricated religion by Gerald Gardner that amounts to us virtually LARPing or Cos Playing the fantasies of Margaret Murray under the auspices of "religion."

CODA: It's not as though Graves concealed his speculations and inventive outlooks, which means that we are projecting our misplaced resentment and insecurities onto Graves. As a matter of fact, personal responsibility is one of the hallmarks of the Craft. Indeed, one of the empowering things about the Craft is that is demands personal responsibility and introspection as a code of ethics, rather than a series of divinely ordained proclamations. So, if one feels that Graves had duped or cheated them, then they clearly hadn't read Graves carefully since he was fairly open about this fact. Therefore, any enmity expressed towards Graves and his legacy is best explained the personal projections and insecurities of those witches and pagans who accepted The White Goddess more seriously than the author did.

Graves quite clearly states that he copied his information on Ogham from Roderick O'Flaherty (rather then inventing it himself), and then on the succeeding page he states that he contacted Dr. Macalister who was then the greatest living scholar on Ogham who told Graves not to accept O'Flaherty's ideas "seriously." Graves then writes, "I pass this caution on in all fairness, for my argument depends on O'Flaherty's alphabet, and Dr. Macalister is a very broad back for anyone to shelter behind who thinks that I am writing nonsense"; and how his [Graves's] argument "began with an assumption." Therefore, the fault is our own to shoulder; not his--and we must take responsibility for our own role in this.

Honestly, I see nothing objectionable with people regurgitating Graves anymore than someone doing the same with Ovid and Hesiod. There are many variants of a given myth, which are simply an elaboration onto that which came before--indeed, the Craft follows this pattern. But the strength of The White Goddess is its ability to inspire others in looking at the world, myths and folklore with new eyes filled with wonderment, to enquire philosophical thought, and to make meaningful additions to old myths for a new era. It very much encourages philosophical thinking! The kind that I think any Sagittarius would deeply appreciate.

Of course, one might have a problem with any of this only if they believe that embroidering upon myths is wrong and makes us look foolish to the uninitiated. I do not. If the Craft is a rebirth, then it's core myths "damn well" (to quote an interjection of Doreen Valiente) should have evolved, which should be expected! That is why the MMC Archetype is a benefit to the craft, rather than a deterrent. Anyone who feels shame because the craft isn't a mirror image of an ancient religion--because that is the litmus test being used by historians with which to judge us--clearly don't understand how thriving religions work! Graves just pointed out what should have been axiomatic to us all in terms of the Lunar Triple-Goddess. This isn't to say that there are no examples in antiquity that mirrors the Craft! There are actually a great many historic shards if one knows where to look. But accepting them means accepting that what you thought was true about ancient paganism is much more blurry than you or some scholars have realized. The Old Religion, however, has adapted to meet new social and political stresses on society and the marginalized.

References:

The White Goddess, by Robert Graves

The Pagan Heart of the West, by Randy P. Conner

Lindop, Grevel. "The White Goddess: Sources, Contexts, Meanings." Graves and the Goddess: Essays on Robert Graves’s The White Goddess. Eds. Ian Firla and Grevel Lindop

Carrieri, Maria Patrizia and Diego Serraino. "Longevity of Popes and Artists Between the 13th and 19th Century." International Journal of Epidemiology, 34:6 (December 2005): pp. 1435-1436.

The Witch-Cult in Western Europe, by Margaret A. Murray

"The Blessed Virgin Mary." The Catholic Encyclopedia. New Advent. Web. 13 March, 2023.

[nyxsgrove]

What are Degrees in Paganism?

In my post about initiations, I mentioned about how in certain groups or covens, there are levels or degrees. And to be completely honest, I don’t really know what that means. So, I plan on changing that. lol   So, with degrees, just like pretty much anything else with these types of paths, traditions and practices change from group to group/person to person. Degrees are mostly known in the…

[wellspringofallagony]

On hiring hobbits:

(Source)

[matheus-gurgel]

[dearest-stardust]

you were my lighthouse.

[my-river-styx]

Typical Australian council workers

[remma-demma]

Thinking about people not liking what happened at the end of dawntrail like… hmm.

Did you not remember the stuff with the Yok Huy. Nobody is gone if you remember them. The phrase that’s been with us for nearly the entire game, “For those we have lost….” Emet Selch entrusting us not only with the legacy of humanity in general but specifically with the memories of the Ancients and Elpis.

Just because people are gone doesn’t mean they aren’t still with us.

But the people of Neo-Alexandria are kept from that. They can’t remember anyone they’ve lost because their memories were stolen and locked away in an eternal purgatory, unable to move on or be reincarnated. The quest where you go to the graves in Heritage Found was a big moment where I was like. Huh. This fucking sucks actually.

The endless are just computer simulations, and they exist because Sphene can’t bear to let them go. Can’t even let her living citizens mourn or carry on legacies.

And that’s not even mentioning the fact that she needs the souls of innocent *living* people to power this all.

I think it’s a really good metaphor for the digital age, becoming disconnected from our irl communities, uploading your entire life on social media. Profiles of loved ones who have passed on. AI chat bots providing temporary comfort but no real human connection. All of that technology requiring enough energy to slowly but surely contribute to the destruction of our planet.

It all seems pretty clear to me as an allegory but like, I guess some people just didn’t make that connection? Or maybe they just don’t think about all the AI stuff in the same way I do.

[thosewildcharms]

Any personal headcanons on Rick and Michonne as a couple? Like their favorite things about the other, what they argue about, love languages ect. lol they’ve set up camp in my brain and I just want more of them 🙇🏻‍♀️

this is so funny because i've been thinking about their love languages ever since danai did that interview with YNB after 1x04! yvette said rick's is words of affirmation and michonne's is acts of services, and I definitely agree but I also think they display pretty much all of them, and quite a bit? rick is obviously into giving gifts and loves quality time (family fun day, begging her to spend just a few more days on the road in 7x12) and to say they both love physical touch is an understatement. this gorgeous gifset highlights it all beautifully.

anyway, some headcanons~

I really don't think they argue about much? they are very in sync most of the time. historically their big arguments are about how to handle major threats (negan, the crm, rick's PTSD) and since nothing bad is ever happening to them ever again because I said so there's no need to fight about those things anymore

michonne's favorite things about rick are how affectionate he is with his family, his strength, his accent, and his hair

rick's favorite thing about michonne is everything

i actually think they talk about books a lot. they're both nerdy as hell in different ways and love that about each other

michonne likes to cook and is very experimental while rick likes to bake (mostly secret family pie recipes) and they love feeding each other and their kids

michonne absentmindedly sings and does little dances when she's doing things around the house and rick stops whatever he's doing to lean against the wall and watch her and smile

that scene we saw in 9x01 where they cuddle up in bed and unpack their day was a ritual they started way back at the prison, even though back then it was obviously platonic (we do actually see them talking when everyone else is asleep several times throughout twd). they would linger and chat before heading to their respective cells at night. in the six years michonne spent without rick, she continued the tradition herself, talking to him out loud alone in their bedroom

rick DEFINITELY teases michonne about being oblivious to his feelings for her before The Couch

michonne hits back by teasing him about Whatever the Fuck He Was Doing With Jessie 💀

you didn't ask for grimes family headcanons but:

after they got home, michonne has a moment like that scene at the end of kill bill vol 2 and has a near silent hysterical laugh-cry of relief by herself in the bathroom before calmly walking back out to join her family. only rick notices

rick on the other hand is afraid to let any of them out of his sight. he spends the first six months he's back home being a total insomniac watching the three of them sleep because he's afraid if he closes his eyes he'll wake up alone back at the CRM

antony azor who plays rj is apparently very shy and reserved but opened up unexpectedly with andrew lincoln and so obviously this is also exactly what happened with rick and rj. father and son bonded INSTANTLY

his first night back, judith asks rick to finish reading the wizard of oz to her because he never got a chance to. it takes a good five minutes for him to compose himself but she does finally get the full story from her dad

rick and michonne do have an actual wedding ceremony, but it's just for them, judith and rj.

[tyetknot]

I thought you were joking when you said that the Farrar's books were outdated but holy shittt, even for 1970s wicca/witchcraft those guys were like full gender heterosexual white magic ye harm none thing, I was also seeing their interview were christian kids interview them, and boy it is hard to watch, but on to my question kskk, do you know if they changed later down?,like Janet seems to be okay sometimes,I can't find anything of them on their "controversial views" except their later polyamorous relationship (wich come to think of it I would love to hear their gender rationale on that), and also, how do you personally (if you do so) reconcile this type of author?, like there is no doubt that they are important in craft history, but now they kinda do more harm than good.

Hi Anon! I'm sorry if you've been waiting for a bit, you know how Tumblr is.

So one thing it's important to remember is: back in the 1970s and 80s a religion where women run the show was very progressive. Feminism got bolted onto Wicca pretty quickly once it hit the American West Coast and Starhawk wrote The Spiral Dance. Things like worshipping a goddess who didn't need a man around to tell her what to do were really unusual for the time. All this hippie-dippy shit like being naked in your rituals and such was far out, man, not like those totally square and boring Christians.

The problem is that, like many older people who were once cool and progressive, they just kind of stopped where they were in the 70s and 80s and didn't really......well, progress past that point. This leads to things like statements like that one in A Witches' Bible where they think that actually gay people are perfectly OK in ritual (this was a bit of a controversial point at the time) as long as they act like their biological gender, which is hilarious to us in 2024 because they obviously conflate being gay with being trans in some bizarre fashion. This was progressive for the time. It comes across as incredibly ignorant today. And of course, if their ideas did change, well, the book is already out there, people are reading it, and you can't go back in time and change something that's already been published. You can add notes or amendments to further editions, but I don't believe they ever did that, and Stewart Farrar died in the early aughts.

I find the polyamory thing to be pretty cringe, NGL, because I am a judgmental and suspicious piece of shit and think that an awful lot of the time polyamory is a tool used to make younger women sexually available to older men - good Lord, the age difference between Stewart and Janet - and that's very distasteful.

In my opinion the Farrars are probably the stodgiest and most conservatively-written books you'll find from that time period, and they're a good example of what coven-based Alexandrian Wicca looked like at that time, but there were a lot of more relaxed writers out there at the time and LOTS more a few years later. My primary complaint with A Witches' Bible is rather specifically that asinine Oak King / Holly King thing which they made up entirely and then ineptly shoehorned into the Wheel of the Year, where it just doesn't fucking work, and then everyone else just kind of went with it. No! It sucks and is bad, don't do it!

Do I think they do more harm than good? No, I don't. I think that anyone fairly new to Wicca shouldn't read this book first thing out the gate because it sets a lot of very unrealistic expectations, and because it's pretty old - Eight Sabbats for Witches was published in 1981, which makes it a few years older than me, and The Witches' Way in 1984, which makes it a year younger than me, and TBH there's much newer and fresher material being published every year. I would much sooner recommend someone like Thorn Mooney to new person interested in traditional Wicca.

[jeezlouiseoncheese]

An archivist you say? Not the archivist??? WE’RE GETTING MULTIPLE?!??? :D

[thranduil-aran-edhil]

BALDUR'S GATE 3: DESCENT INTO AVERNUS

AKA Baldur's Gate 3: Fury Road :D

(BG3 and Descent Into Avernus spoilers ahead!)

The relationship between the D&D module Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus and BG3 is a very interesting one. The module acts as a sort of prequel to the video game and we see the consequences of one version of a Descent Into Avernus campaign in the video game.

The premisse of the module is: the city of Elturel has fallen to the Avernus, (actually it's been pulled into it by Zariel) and it's up to the players to save the city and find out why and how that happened.

By the time the Tadfools arrive at the Emerald Grove, Elturel has already returned to the Material Plane. We don't know who did it, Zevlor only tells us "a group of adventurers" did it. But reading the module and comparing it to BG3 we can deduce a few interesting things about how they did it.

Since, in BG3, Zariel is 1. Still alive 2. Still the archduchess of Avernus we can be certain the Heroes of Elturel didn't defeat her nor did they redeem her, both things you can do in the module. So they either:

a) Made a deal with her to let the city go or b) Pulled one Hell of a plan to find and destroy the Infernal Contract binding the city, sever the chains that kept the city in Avernus and then lift it back up to the Material Plane.

If option 1 is true, the only thing Zariel would accept in exchange for letting Elturel go is her Sword. And if given the Sword as part of a deal, Zariel will simply destroy it and her only chance of redemption along with it. Her best friend, Lulu the hollyphant will probably go mad and die.

Then the only way to recover Karlach's heart is to defeat Zariel. Very epic ending to her story, and would be an amazing boss battle too.

HOWEVER. If option 2 is true, if the Heroes of Elturel went out of their way to bypass Zariel almost entirely, if they got the contract and destroyed it, if they got some powerful being to destroy the chains and if they freed the Companion and the planetar inside it lifted the city back to the Material Plane, all under Zariel's nose... Then the Sword still exists, then Lulu is still alive, if very very sad, by the end of BG3.

And that means Karlach can get her heart back by redeeming Zariel. And by having a sick ass MAD MAX STYLE adventure in Avernus!! With the Tadfools!! After the Netherbrain battle!!

[gratiae-mirabilia]

pls reblog + explain your answer in the tags!

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

curiosity: prosthetic (wip)

Riven exhaled, shaking out Mathye's pant legs. A shower of crystal trickled out from the fabric in a glittering spill, weak remnants of spell magic flashing from the tiny shards.

"…At least we know the limit of this shielding now." She commented. Caution had made Mathye decide to reinforce his right leg with spell-shielding prior to their match with the Brute Bomber. Which had turned out to be a wise move, as the bomb-king feral-soul user had attacked the medic rather viciously at one point during the match. Mathye's shielding had held up, but Bomber had gotten a blow in during a spellcast.

"Bloody hells." Genolt breathed. He was carefully examining the prone healer's prosthetic leg, can of high-octane energy drink forgotten. "It looks a bit clunky design-wise but…" He looked to Mathye for permission.

"Go on, I'm already spread out like a damn buffet already." Mathye gestured, then grunted as Sebastian smacked him lightly. Oblivion's craftersmith nodded, then gently started to touch certain points on the leg.

"Full range of motion at the knee, the ankle--fuckin' hell, even the toes! Wriggle 'em?"

"Can you feel anything?" Shale asked, curious.

"There's enough nerve connections that I've got some sensation, but not a lot. Mostly feels like the limb's asleep." Mathye replied.

"Cinnabar's gonna lose her shit proper when she sees this." Genolt named one of the medics for Oblivion. "And this is military-grade work for your people?"

"Our city-state, yes. It's different for the others." Augustine answered. Mathye grunted a thank-you as the paladin slid some more pillows under his back. "U'ldah would probably be the expert in--you call it robotics? We call it mammetry. And Gridania has living-wood limbs."

"Living-wood limbs?" Shale repeated, her eyes widening. "As in the wood…"

"Is cultivated to respond just how a person's limb would in terms of movement and manipulation." Mathye replied. "They're carved by a master carpenter in the Carpenter's Guild, and grafted onto the stump of the original limb."

[iron-sparrow]

10. What were their first impressions of the Alexandrians?

Man. Man.

Yein does not like being around Alexandrians. Being from a long line of exorcists and psychopomps who worship their own version of Nald'thal, an entire civilization that uses souls as currency greatly distresses Yein.

On top of that, Yein can't ignore the suffocating white noise of the countless souls tucked away in the Cloud servers, writhing and thrashing and wailing.

They don't judge the Alexandrians on an individual level, but Yein can't ignore their society's complete disregard for the natural cycle of life and death. Souls are more than just a sum of their memories. They also believe that the Alexandrian society will eventually reach a collective ennui and decay. Without the inevitability of death, how can one possibly thrive and grow in life?

Dawntrail-Inspired WoL/OC Questions