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fortunatelyenchantingtaco · 2 months

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You ever read so wonderful you get inspired huh. Yeah read @/god-blues she’s brilliant

And here is my own little VERY self-indulgent snippet of the mythology of ffxvi mixed in with a pitch of real world mythology cause i can’t let the gods die in peace, kind of conntected to these ffxvi myths pieces one two three but not necessary to know. Some worldbuilding and some Barnabas/Clive pining. Odin loses an eye✨

Godhood was, in Barnabas's experience, largely uneventful. People seeped powers from them, creating a weird transactional relationship. The stronger humans pray and worship, the stronger you grip over reality becomes, but intervention was largely reserved for big catastrophes. None of the Eikons were keen on bringing back any calamities, especially after the last one, so the most unexpected thing recently was the sudden appearance of people near Barnabas's home. They seemed to be in need of shelter, and he promised them protection even if they were evidently unaware they happened to settle at Odin's side. This particular tribe seemed to be native, but also had black feathers all over their knees and elbows, reminding him of Garuda's flock. Hopefully, they won't be here long, Barnabas has grown rather fond of his solitude in the recent years. They’ll need time, maybe years to readjust and move, but that’s not an issue.

So it's not an exaggeration to say that he was ready to kill when he woke up after a long slumber to his right eye missing, and ravens staring at him, dipping in and out of his shadows together with Sleipnir - also rather distraught at the addition. He was always a bit of a jealous horse, ever since Barnabas met him thousands of years back, and never changed.

"Calm yourself," he said then, putting his head between Sleipnir’s ears, and turned his attention to the ravens. They're made from his own shadows, he realized. While Sleipnir steadily changed into a creature made of aether just as Barnabas ascended, those weren't normal animals. He could see through them, he realized then, as if his left eye was broken into pieces, and while it's all still under his control, Barnabas has no idea why it happened. When he squeezes one in his hand it dissipates and drips down in a splash of darkness, only to reappear on his shoulder.

It seems it's time to pay a visit to Ifrit.

The ravens, annoying bastards, are infuriatingly good at, well, looking for things, even if Ifrit was never hard to find. Ever since Phoenix ascended he relocated from living in the hearts of volcanoes to wherever Phoenix was nesting at the time. And Phoenix likes people. As far as Barnabas knows, Ifrit's yet to initiate another sea of smoke and fire, but it still seems unreasonable to be so close to mortals when magma seeps from your fingertips, especially now. Not that it's his business in any way.

While he's normally not one for stealth, not with the way he travels the land by his horse that's very much an identifying feature. But now ravens croon when he steps out of the shadows and it's getting old really quickly.

He finds both of them in a rather wealthy looking town, with the Phoenix's nest located right in the middle of it, flagged by high walls, and seemingly being the ultimate protection from harsh elements for the townsfolk. As far as possible from Shiva and Leviathan's dominions, true Eikons of Fire.

But the ravens tell him Ifrit isn't in the city, just near it, in the old ruins, his aether surprisingly hidden. Barnabas banishes both the annoying birds and Sleipnir at the entrance to the Fallen ruins. It's more a courtesy than anything else. Other Eikons may not treat Ifrit like the bringer of death and war, but Odin is old, almost as old as Bahamut, and he had heard the legends of the destruction brought by inferno, and it’s never wise to disrespect the hellfire.

So Fallen ruins is how Ifrit keeps his fire at check. Funny how it is, when he's far older than they are.

Phoenix is with him, Barnabas recognizes immediately, as he steps in to see two men arguing. Before he can even think about stepping into the shadows to conveniently listen in, Ifrit turns to him.

“My greetings to the Warden of Inferno and the Warden of Fire.” Phoenix smiles at him, unruffled for the interruption, but clearly irritated. Ifrit presses his lips together — has told everyone multiple times that the two of them are both Wardens of Fire, but Barnabas can’t bring himself to disrespect their first like that. Someday Phoenix is going to lose his favor, but the memory will stay. Nonetheless, it’s good to see Ifrit’s eyes still shine the way they always, bright blue, brighter than the sky. Barnabas feels oddly giddy that his shirt is just close enough to match. He guessed right, despite hasn’t seeing the man for a good couple of decades.

“Warden of Darkness,” Phoenix greets.

“Odin,” Ifrit says, much warmer, with a smile. “It’s good to see you, is there anything you need help with?” Always so helpful, always kind. Ramuh assured him they can change their appearance however they want, but for some reason Ifrit always stays the same, just shy of thirty, endearingly young.

“Mind you telling me why I woke up without an eye?” Barnabas raises a pointed eyebrow and points at the empty eye socket, which prompts both Phoenix and Ifrit to cock their head to the side, confused. A dog and a bird, yet oh so similar. “And the crows,” he complains, as one rises from Ifrit’s shadow to peck at his black armor. The heat emanating from the man immediately melts it back down, and Ifrit sighs.

“Well, if it wasn’t you who did it…” Ifrit thinks aloud with a distant look while Phoenix steps further, overly cautious, telegraphing his movements, and presses his healing fire to Barnabas’s face. It burns, damn it, it’s too bright and full of life, and it also doesn’t do anything to get him his eye back. Ifrit can do it himself, there is no need for Phoenix, he thinks acidly. “Nothing?”

“It’s not an injury, it’s old. I’m more inclined to think it was always there,” Phoenix hums. “I don’t know, but I’ll check in with the books if you want me to. Otherwise, I’ll leave you to it,” he then quickly storms off, heat behind him, and Ifrit huffs a chuckle.

“Don’t mind Joshua, he doesn’t like that I’m still here. Why don’t you sit and we figure this out?” That he’s still here? Is there trouble in the royal nest? Barnabas joins him on the walk further into the ruins, until they reach something that can be loosely called something between a bedroom and a living room. Ifrit shrugs awkwardly, despite the place being strikingly clean, and motions to the two chairs in the middle. There’s no hound of his In sight, and Barnabas wonders if it’s prowling with Shiva in a climate that actually suits it. “Is it that recent, Odin?”

“I told you ages ago to call me Barnabas,” he can’t help but grumble before settling down in an only wooden chair in the room, clearly for guests. Ifrit himself sits in the stone one, always careful not to set things on fire. It almost hurts to see a firestorm so containet, chained down in one man, so old but so kind.

“Alright, Barnabas, then you should really call me Clive,” never, “here are my thoughts: have you been keeping up with what your people think of you?” Barnabas blinks at him slowly, then shakes his head. Ifrit laughs, then gets up again to pour him wine, clicking his tongue when it starts boiling in the cup and quickly setting it down at the table between them. Barnabas watches him struggle, and can’t help but laugh. Truly a power that has set humanity free.

“Don’t bother, just tell me what you meant.”

“Well, the myths about you have changed recently, Barnabas,” how sweetly he says his name, “they say that Odin has given his eye in exchange for some kind of knowledge. And that now ravens are his eyes, his messengers,” the same birds chirp happily, as if agreeing, reshaping from the shadows, safely tucked away in a corner as to not melt in Clive’s presence.

“Are you saying their belief has started to affect me?” He can’t help but hiss and Ifrit nods, unbothered.

“You are theirs, Odin, it would make sense you get affected by their thoughts. But I may be wrong, this is the first time I see anything like this,” Barnabas looks and looks and doesn’t understand. “So you tell me I’ll die if they forget me?”

“No, of course not!” Ifrit quickly amends. “You might lose some of your power, but it was always coming from your mastery of the blade. All Eikons,” Clive flinches, “were human once, but all of them connect to aether in different way. Leviathan will weaken if the seas dry out, but most likely won’t die.”

“Bahamut has killed dragons and still alive, isn’t he theirs? Is that why he did it?” Ifrit flinches again at the mention of the draconian and Barnabas feels a weird sense of satisfaction.

“It’s different. They blessed him, he was their doom from the start,” he sighs. “But you’re right. Phoenix is connected to fire more than to people, and Bahamut takes his power from the dragons rather than light. But light is still there. Darkness won’t leave you, Barnabas, even if people do.”

“Don’t compare us. Light blinds and light binds.” Ifrit freezes, and Barnabas bites his lip. He never wanted to say that again out loud. Those are old, dangerous words. “Stories about those events have lived for a long time, but please forgive my reminder.”

“No, no, It’s alright. You’re right. But you are different, Barnabas.” Such kind words, as if Odin doesn’t know Ifrit could kill him if push comes to shove. Darkness and all elements once resided in this man, would it be so hard for him to take them back? “In any case,” a light smile returns to Clive’s face, “don’t the legend say that you’ve gotten knowledge for your eye? Is there something new you can see now? Some kind of new spell?”

That is indeed a good question, and Barnabas summons his ravens closer: they just blink at him, confused. How is it… Odin opens his eyes to see the world bathed in shadows, in darkness, and a fire burning against him. Burning bright and deadly, but also waning. Barnabas blinks again, now looking at Clive, in all his glory, waiting patiently for him.

Ifrit burns like a kaleidoscope of colors, lighting up everything around him in a warm glow, and Barnabas can’t resist the urge, the wild craving, so he raises his gloved hand until it reaches the heart of fire, placing it carefully on Ifrit’s cheek. The man, the god before him, smiles bashfully.

“Barnabas, your glove is burning now,” and the magic is gone, forcing him to take his hand away unless he wants to see his bones burn in hellfire. Not the worst fate, truly. The jagged rags that was his glove fall to the ground. “What do you see?”

“Your essence. It’s fading, is that why the Phoenix is furious with you? Why?” He can’t help his hiss, the sense of urgency. Why? Is that because Ifrit is being steadily forgotten? He doesn’t appear anymore, and only those living near volcanoes remember the god that was sleeping there. But even with his limited appearance, he can’t die. Is that even possible? Will someone who killed the creator of the world just disappear into oblivion? Nonsense. If humanity and fire will forget, Barnabas will remember. “Is there something I can do?”

“Of course you’d see that,” Ifrit complains, turning his eyes away. Magma falls from his hair, betraying his dismay. Heat always radiated from him, but never like that, never so potent. It’s waning, but it’s also bubbling to the surface, threatening to burst. “It’s nothing major, I’ve just spent too much time in cold. I’m a weak man, Barnabas, I’m tired of being alone.”

“And they die, Ifrit. Their deaths hurt more.”

“Death is inevitable; it doesn’t mean we need to live a lonely life,” he huffs, suddenly tired. “But both of you are right, I need to leave until something horrible happens.” He stays sitting, head turned to the empty hollow ruins, leaving a clear view of the levels below.

“You won’t be alone.” Barnabas then decides.

“What?” he squints at Barnabas, suddenly seeing something in face that makes him panic, “Odin, that’s impossible, you’ll die in that heat!”

“I won’t. Someone has to keep the fire going, right?” Ifrit, against all his expectations, starts to burn, both red in his cheeks and setting fire on everything around him. It catches on his stone chair, on the bedding in the room, on the ravens that were itching ever closer to Clive, licking at Barnabas’s boots. He can’t help but laugh at Ifrit’s embarrassment, and leans his chin on his hand. “Do you like the idea of being handled that much, Clive?” And damn if his burned beard wasn’t worth the sheepish look he got for that.

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ceo-draiochta · 1 year

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Hey there, this might be silly question, I have been trying to find a path/belief system that works for me. And I was wondering what is Gaelic polytheisms main worldviews? How are the Tautha de danann or other gods treated? Are they seen as representations of something? How important is praying to them? How does Gaelic polytheism interact with the divine?

Thank you!

Hello! Sorry just saw this now. Sorry for any wait. Thank you so much for your question, I will try and answer as best as I can. While a lot of this does apply to Scottish and Manx polytheism as well, I will be focusing on Irish polytheism as that is what I practice. Please note that everything I say is inherently going to be coloured by my experience and practice and that many people practice in ways completely different to this.

Uncertainty

Ok first things first, Gaelic polytheism is a modern attempt to reconstruct the religion that was replaced with Christianity in the Gaelic regions, this is a religion that for all intents and purposes died off, aspects of these belief systems are however present in the writings of christian monks collectively known as Irish Mythology. This of course means that many stories have inserted christian elements.

This basically means that there is no one right way to do things, and no exact step by steps like you'd find in other religions. Its more of a hot and cold thing. As such the answers to most of your questions cannot be exact "this is what all Gaelic polytheists do and don't", There is however answers that seem more likely and more accepted.

Worldviews

Important to note that there is no creation myth known. Generally beliefs include a certain level of animism, honouring spirits, honouring ancestors, immortality of/renewal of the soul, and the belief in the Otherworld (an t-alltar/an saol eile).

Worship

Honouring of spirits, ancestors and gods is a fairly combined procedure, the exact delineation between Aos Sí (fairies) and gods is blurred. There is also evidence to suggest that the gods Tuatha dé may have been viewed as divine ancestors so quite mixed up. (UPG alert) I would generally consider the Tuatha Dé the most powerful, the most prolific of the Aos Sí rather than something entirely different. (UPG end) Generally offerings are made to known/named gods and the Aos Sí collectively. Offerings to gods is usually something connected to their known attributes, such as a poem for one connected to poetry or alcohol etc. Aos Sí usually get some form of food, traditionally butter and milk. Historically worship would have been done at certain locations, usually a liminal space often involving water. This includes Holy wells, bogs but also megalithic structures and focal points in the landscape such as hills. However the modern pagan generally just has a little corner as an altar.

Death

It seems likely that after death it was believed that the soul crosses into the otherworld and into a place known as Tech Duinn, the home of the first milesean (basically ancestor to irish people) to step foot on the island. Transmigration of the soul (also known as reincarnation) is heavily implied to be a belief amongst pre christian irish people and so it is generally believed that the soul will transmigrate after an indetermined time in Tech Duinn.

Otherworld (an t-alltar/an saol eile)

The otherworld is a world either parallel or below ours (think parallel dimension ig?) where the othercrowd live, a lot of different attributes have been given to the Otherworld but generally time works differently and it is overall abundant. It can connects to ours at certain times of the year and at certain locations. There are those who believe you can visit there through out of body experiences though this is a more recent belief.

Treatment of the Gods and interaction

You will find many different attitudes to gods throughout pagan communities, some of which are uh bad ideas. Generally the attitude taken towards gods is respectful, like how you would talk to your landlord. Generally worship is done in a respectful manner.

Some people believe themselves to communicate with gods through dreams, meditation and various forms of divination. This can change how you interact, if they want to be more casual be more casual, if they like the respect be respectful. That being said communicating to gods like this is not a necessity of paganism only worship. You can just offer gifts and prayers and never speak to them ever if you want. I would say praying is reasonably important, at least try to do the 4 festivals at least. You really can set your own rules. One thing I will say is don't make empty promises, like don't say "I will definitely pray everyday for 2 months" and then don't. Just do what your able and be honest about it.

Representations

Generally they are more so seen as people with particular skills and abilities rather than embodiments of a particular element or force.

Sorry that was really long, I hope this was helpful to you in any way, even if you don't end up with gaelic polytheism good luck. One thing I will say is if you live in Ireland, maybe look up local legends and see if there are particular Sí or gods associated with your area, that's usually a good start. I would recommend Morgan Daimlers Irish Paganism for further reading.

If anyone else has other things to add to these questions please feel free to add on

#irish paganism #celtic paganism #gaelic paganism #irish polytheism #gaelic polytheism #celtic polytheism #mine #also dm me if you want to be able to find the book #I can go through this and get references for my claims if there is demand for it #paganism #gaelpol #dia

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imthepunchlord · 2 years

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Would you agree that the lore is one of the weakest parts of miraculous?

One of many things that's weak about the show. Most definitely.

Like, we're five seasons in and there's still no explanation on the origins of kwamis or the miraculous.

I know there was that comic released that offered the origins, but as that's a throw away comic that was never continued and what happened in it was not acknowledged in canon, well that offer on the origins can now be dismissed and not counted as canon. So we still don't officially know the origins of kwamis or the miraculous. And honestly, in my opinion, shows shouldn't have major plot details or events in comics. Not all fans are going to know that comic's existence, and if the show just goes off those big details/events in the comics, well, some fans will be lost. Spin off comics should just be little extra bit of icing for fans to enjoy, not a must read to get all the details.

We also don't have an explanation on why this Miracle Box in Paris is set up the way it is, why Ladybug and Cat exclusively seem to be the only ones to make the Wish, or what the relationship of these 3 groups are to each other, especially as their power and capability is all over the place. Feast also confirms the existence of other Miracle Boxes and you wonder what are those based on? What are in those? How many miraculous are there exactly and why were so many made? What were they made for?

What are the kwamis history? Their role in history? Did they influence animal stereotypes and myths? Who were they with before? We got a lot of the previous Ladybugs but hardly anything on the others. And even then, on those previous Ladybugs, we still don't have a lot of details on them. Like, I know recently in s5, they brought in the ghost of Jeanne d'Arc, did that even do a decent job of explaining who Jeanne d'Arc is?

Also what are kwami relations with magic and other magical beings? Do other magical beings look down on kwamis because they choose to work with people? Or are they worshiped or admired or respected? We got confirmation that dragons existed, were they really more animals or were they a real magical race? Plagg also confirmed djinns exist, so what else exists? Where are all these magical beings? Are they hiding in plain sight? Did they go to another plane of existence to get away from humans?

These are a handful of questions I've wondered about, and 5 seasons in, there's still no answers to them. So yeah, lore wise, ML sucks.

#ask Punchie #ml lore #ml salt #kwamis

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follower-of-odin · 1 year

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I've mentioned before how I find it difficult to reconcile animism with my status as a colonizer on the occupied Indigenous lands of Turtle Island. I'd say which nations, except that would basically reveal my location, but I do know which ones lived where I live now, before they were displaced where they live now.

There's another difficulty. Ultimately, animism is about relating to living beings on Earth, considering natural forces as, likewise, living beings. The Earth, itself, is also considered to be alive; furthermore, she is our Mother, the Mother of everything. Most any religion I know of that believes the Earth is a divine being in its own right, believes the Earth is a Mother. I happen to share that belief about Jorđ that others have.

Thing is, I don't know what it's like to have a mom.

Well, I do. Rather, I did. It's been many years.

My mother was a great woman. Her love was immense and unconditional. She was so nurturing and warm, if sometimes strict.

Then, she got cancer. After years, she eventually died 8 days after her last birthday. She couldn't eat her own cake. She cried. We shouldn't have gotten a damn cake. Damn it all. I was 7.

Had a step mom for a few years. Cold. Frigid. She tried, very early on, or made it look like she did. But she lied from the beginning, and she was unforgiving. She was even rough with things that belonged to my mom, with the intent of breaking them. She broke a spoon that was part of a matching set, that was given to my parents as a wedding present. I shed no tears when my dad announced he'd divorce her. I only felt bad that her youngest daughter, who really was a little angel, despite not receiving the attention and care she needed from her mother, would also be gone from us.

I mostly grew up with my dad and siblings. All of us were broken by grief, and my dad was a shell of a man. Still is. Short temper, but long-burning when lit. He genuinely does love us, but... our family is unhealthy, in large (though not sole) part because of him.

It's hard to understand Mother Earth when I don't understand the love of a human mother. I barely remember my mom. She is almost a myth to me. How can I believe my existence alone is ever enough for Mother Earth? So much environmental misanthropy, so little experience of maternal love... how would I ever really know if I'm allowed to pick berries, if I were to ask the bushes if I could do so? I feel bad sometimes for even being a heterotroph when I think too much about this, but, being human, a kind of animal, it's not like I have a choice. So much taking from Mother, and what do I give back?

On a totally different subject, while I already knew I had ancestors I absolutely wouldn't worship, I recently learned of some who, um... They really take the cake on that. Is that a phrase? I forget; it's late. Anyway, let's just say... I blame them for centuries'-worth of problems, and I wouldn't be the only one to do so.

So I continue relatively isolated from practice.

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percabeth4life · 2 years

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Tell us about Mom, why do you love her? (i love her too, but i wanna give u a rant excuse)

Okay this was sitting in my drafts for days now cause I forgot I’d started to answer it lmao.

I was recently reading some thesis and essays on her and her worship and her nature and she’s just- Gods the myths don’t showcase just how lovely she is. I’m just- she is the Woman, the protector of Women and Girls in all stages of life even tho most look at Artemis of Aphrodite- It is her that is-

Hera the Unmarried

Hera the Girl

Hera the Maiden

Hera the Betrothed Bride

Hera of Marriage

Hera the Grown Woman

Hera the Widow

I’m just- she’s the guardian of women. She was connected so very strongly to Womanhood because she was associated with ALL STAGES of a woman’s life. It’s something many these days associate with Aphrodite, but like- it was Hera who guards women in all aspects of life, even tho Artemis has the maidens and Aphrodite has their youth, along with some aspects of marriage- but Hera is marriage and women, and newly weds would make their first marriage sacrifices to Hera Teleia and Zeus Teleios (Married Hera and Married Zeus).

And in Cult Worship (not the myths, the Cult Worship, the actual way she was viewed and worshiped, not the story telling of the myths) she was worshiped most for womanhood, fertility (with people, animals, and plants alike), and childbearing, which I most commonly see given to Artemis (she does rule it, but Hera does too). Hera has a hand in childbearing as well! For the woman especially. Artemis I might say is more for the child, healing the mother and bringing the child forth, and Hera is the mother, she soothes the mother and helps her through it.

Prior to 6th century BCE she was worshiped more individually, but after it was mostly in association with Zeus, as the Divine Queen. And in that manner she is the Mother of All, she is the Queen. Much like how Zeus is the Father of All, the Divine King, the King Supreme, she is the Queen and Mother. She can be turned to in any stage of life, and you can know she’ll be there to help you. She stood for women, was not the cruel, jealous, and spiteful Goddess so many consider her to be, but a hand on yours, a hug, a comforting smile. She is the Queen, a Mother, and a Goddess of Women.

And she was even associated with military strength! And even wealth in some forms! In Argos she had a sanctuary and was worshiped for Motherhood, Military Strength, and Wealth. The Military Strength was as she is Queen, like Zeus she is prayed to in times of war (which those who read ATLOP may have noticed, she was part of Zeus’ prayer as they were commonly associated after 6th century BCE). And wealth comes from the cow herding, which brought in a fair bit of wealth and cows are her sacred animal.

It’s just... Hera is so lovely- such a wonderful queen- and so many just look at the surface of her myths without any understand of what they mean, what they say, what they show, without understanding they’re stories and not her.

She deserves all the love.

#hera #heradeity #hera deity #I love her okay #she's just- she's so wonderful-#helpol chat #hellenic chat

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samwisethewitch · 4 years

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What does it mean to be pagan? (Paganism 101 Ch. 1)

That’s right, y’all! With Baby Witch Bootcamp officially wrapped, it’s time to jump into our next long term series! I put out a poll on Patreon, and my patrons voted for Paganism 101 as our next series. While not all witches are pagan and not all pagans are witches, there is a lot of overlap between the two groups. Both witchcraft and paganism offer practitioners a sense of freedom, a deeper connection to the world around them, and a greater awareness of their personal power.

I identify both as a witch and as a pagan, and I get a lot of questions about paganism. In this series, we’ll go through the basics: what it means to be pagan, the difference between a neopagan and a reconstructionist, and the role of magic in different pagan traditions. We’ll also talk about some of the most popular modern pagan traditions and how to find the right tradition for you.

Let’s start off by answering the question, “What does pagan actually mean?”

Defining “Pagan”

It’s important to remember that “pagan” is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide range of different faiths. Someone who practices Wicca, for example, will have very different beliefs from someone who practices Hellenismos. These different faiths are linked by a shared history, rather than by shared beliefs or practices.

The word “pagan” comes from the Latin “paganus,” which literally means “area outside of a city” or, to phrase it slightly differently, “countryside.” This adjective was used to describe people and things that were rustic or rural and, over time, came to also have the connotation of being uneducated. Originally, the word had no religious association, and was even used to refer to non-combatants by the Roman military.

From this definition, we can gain some insight into what makes a religion or practice pagan. Pagans feel a kinship with the wild or rural places of the world, and are comfortable waking “off the beaten path.”

But how did “paganus” come to refer to a type of religion, anyway?

To understand the religious meaning of “paganus,” it’s necessary to understand a little bit about the religion of Ancient Rome. Rome (the city) was built inside a pomerium, a sacred boundary that formed a spiritual border around the city and its people. Paganus folks were those who lived outside the pomerium and, as such, may not have been strict adherents of the state religion �� they certainly wouldn’t have been able to travel into the city for every major festival. They may have gotten a bit more creative with their worship of the gods. However, as previously stated, the word paganus did not have an explicitly religious meaning in ancient times.

The use of paganus as a religious label began after the legalization of Christianity by the Roman Emperor Constantine in 313 C.E. Christianity would not be adopted as the official state religion until 380 C.E., but Constantine’s conversion and decriminalization of Christian worship paved the way for Rome’s transformation into a Christian state. It was around this time, as Christianity was quickly growing in urban areas, that early Roman Christians began using the word “paganus” to refer to those who still practiced polytheism. Rather than referring to those outside the city’s boundary or to untrained civilians, the label now referred to those outside the Church, those who were not “soldiers of Christ.”

As Christianity spread in popularity throughout the Mediterranean, Europe, and Northern Africa, the pagan label was applied to all non-Christians in those areas. The word “pagan” became a derogatory label, implying an inferior and backwards religion.

So, really, the thing that makes a religion pagan is a historical conflict with Christianity. Pagan religions are those that were suppressed or completely destroyed after Christianity became the dominant faith in the region.

This is why Norse Paganism and Kemetic (Egyptian) polytheism, which are very different, are both considered “pagan” while Shinto, a Japanese religion that shares a lot of common features with many pagan faiths, is not. Because Christianity never achieved total dominance in Japan, Shinto was never pushed aside to make room for Jesus.

In the 20th century, people who felt drawn to these old religions started to reclaim the pagan label. Like many other reclaimed slurs, “pagan” became a positive label for a community united by their shared history.

What do all pagans have in common?

This is a tough question to answer because, as stated above, paganism is a historical definition, not one shaped by belief or practice. However, there are some things most pagans have in common. Here are a few of them, although these concepts may take different forms in different traditions.

Paganism…

… is (usually) polytheistic. Most pagans do not subscribe to monotheism, the belief in a single, all-powerful divine being. Some pagans are polytheists, meaning they believe in multiple divine beings with varying levels of power. Hellenic pagans, Norse pagans, and Celtic pagans are typically polytheists. Still others are monists, meaning they believe in a single divine source that manifests itself as multiple gods. Wiccans and other neopagans are typically monists. Many pagans fall somewhere in-between strict polytheism and strict monism. We’ll talk more about polytheism in a future post, but for now just know that the idea of a single, supreme creator is not compatible with most forms of paganism.

… is based in reciprocity. This is a concept that may seem odd to those who grew up around Abrahamic religions: the idea of engaging the gods in a mutually beneficial partnership, rather than one-sided worship. When we connect with the gods, we receive spiritual, emotional, and physical blessings. The gods also benefit, as they are strengthened by our prayers and offerings. (I like to think they also enjoy the company. It has to be lonely, having your body of worshipers supplanted by an anarchist carpenter from Palestine.) The concept of reciprocity is why most pagans make physical offerings to their gods.

Reciprocity also extends to our relationships with other people. Most pagan religions have a code of ethics that includes values like hospitality, kindness, and/or fairness with others. Depending on the pagan, reciprocity may even extend to the dead! Many (but not all) pagans practice ancestor worship, the act of honoring and venerating the beloved dead.

Reciprocity may even extend to the world at large. Some (but not all) pagans are animists, which means they believe that every animal, plant, and stone contains its own spirit. Animist pagans strive to live in harmony with the spirits of the world around them, and may make offerings to these spirits as a sign of friendship.

… embraces the Divine Feminine. Paganism acknowledges and venerates both masculine and feminine expressions of divinity. Polytheist pagans worship both gods and goddesses, while monist pagans see the divine Source as encompassing all genders. In either case, the end result is the same: pagans acknowledge that, sometimes, God is a woman. (Cue the Ariana Grande song.)

Paganism also acknowledges gender expressions outside the masculine/feminine binary. Many pagan deities, like Loki (in Norse paganism), Atum (in Kemetic paganism), and Aphroditus (a masculine aspect of the Greek Aphordite) exist somewhere in the grey area between man and woman.

… is compatible with a mystic mindset. Remember how I said there’s a lot of overlap between witchcraft and paganism? Part of the reason for that is because paganism is highly compatible with magic and other mystical practices. Most pagans believe that humans have, or can attain, some level of divine power. It makes sense that this power would manifest as magic, or as other spiritual abilities. Many of the ancient cultures modern paganism draws inspiration from practiced magic in some form, so it follows that modern pagans would as well.

… draws inspiration from the ancient stories. As we discussed, “pagan” originally referred to the religious groups that were pushed out by Christian hegemony. As a result, every modern pagan is a little bit of a historian. Because paganism was pushed underground, it takes a little digging to find myths, rituals, and prayers that can be used or adapted for modern practice.

Many pagans worship historic deities that you’ve probably read about at some point. Visit any pagan pride event, and you’ll probably find worshipers of Zeus, Venus, Thor, and Isis, just to name a few. Studying and interpreting ancient mythology and archaeological evidence is a big part of modern paganism.

… is a religion with homework. If you’ve read this far, you may be beginning to realize that being pagan is a lot of work. It’s fun, spiritually fulfilling, and very rewarding work, but work all the same. Because very few modern pagans have access to temples, priests and priestesses, or an in-person community that shares their beliefs, they end up having to teach themselves, do their own research, and guide their own practice.

This is incredibly empowering, as it means you are your own religious authority. It does, however, mean that you will occasionally have to open a book or slog through a dense academic article about the most recent archaeological find related to your favorite deity. Thankfully, there’s a growing number of accessible, beginner-friendly books, blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels to help you in your research.

… embodies a deep respect for the natural world. While not all pagans are animists, most pagans do feel some sort of reverence for the forces of nature. Many pagan deities are associated with natural forces or use the natural world to communicate with their followers. Because of this, not only do pagans respect and love nature, but they’re constantly watching it for signs and messages. (Are you really friends with a pagan if they haven’t called you crying because they found a crow feather on the ground or saw a woodpecker in their backyard?)

Some pagan groups, especially neopagan religions like Wicca, have been classified as Earth-centered religions. Personally, I dislike this term. While it is true that many pagans feel a deep spiritual connection to the Earth and may even venerate local nature spirits, to say that these religions are “Earth-centered” feels like an oversimplification. Wiccans, for example, don’t actually worship nature — they worship the God and Goddess, who they see reflected in the natural world.

… is driven by individual spiritual practice. As mentioned above, very few pagans have access to an in-person community. Because of this, modern paganism largely consists of individual practices. Even pagans who do belong to a community still typically worship on their own sometimes. These personal practices may involve prayer, offerings to the gods, meditation, divination, astral travel, performing religious rituals, or countless other practices. Many pagans have personal altars in their homes, where they worship alone or with their family.

… is a celebration of daily life. One thing I love about paganism is how it makes every aspect of my life feel sacred. Many religions emphasize the spiritual aspects of life while deemphasizing, or even demonizing, the physical or mundane aspects. This can lead to practitioners feeling like they are spiritual beings trapped in a physical body, or like their physical needs and desires are something to escape.

Paganism allows practitioners to fully enjoy being physical and spiritual beings. Pagans reach for the heights of spiritual awareness, while also enjoying earthly delights — recognizing that neither is inherently more worthy than the other and that both are needed for a balanced life.

… is only one of many paths to Truth. Most pagan groups do not claim to be the only valid religious path, and in fact several openly acknowledge the validity of other religions. This is why you rarely see pagans trying to convert other people to paganism — it’s openly acknowledged that paganism isn’t for everyone, and that those who are truly meant to practice the old ways will find them.

~~~

Hopefully, this post has given us a good working definition of “paganism.” From here, we’ll explore some of these individual concepts in more depth and discuss specific religions within the pagan umbrella. Until then, blessed be.

Resources:

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

A Witches’ Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar

The Way of Fire and Ice by Ryan Smith

Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler

Temple of the Cosmos by Jeremy Naydler

A Practical Guide to Irish Spirituality by Lora O’Brien

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sirtravisjacksonoftexas · 3 years

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What if Dragons Were Real: Part Two

Recently, I wrote an article titled “What if Dragons Were Real?”. In it, I tried to show not only how dragons (specifically both the limbless and flying, fire breathing varieties) could have arisen naturally, but also how their existence would impact human history. Although I covered many topics and several kinds of dragon, I did not make room to discuss both the Asian dragon, and our own flesh and blood Komodo Dragon, preferring to mention them in a later article.

Now, that article has come.

Let us further indulge in speculation and alternate history, as well as modern zoology, as we continue to answer the question: what if dragons were real?

1. DRAGONS OF THE FAR EAST

Before we can speculate on how Asian dragons could have arisen, we need to better understand what Asian dragons are.

One of the best ways to do so is to contrast them with the more familiar dragons of the West.

Dragons in both Europe and Christian Russia were viewed as formidable critters. They were potent dangers to both livelihoods and lives. Sometimes they were depicted as being pacified with young maidens, the villagers rather having one of their own eaten rather than the entire village being both incinerated and eaten. These dragons were arch rivals of both knights and saints, creatures who turned their slayers into timeless heroes. Indeed, they were sometimes used symbolically to refer to the Devil.

In the Orient, however, dragons were not simply giant, flying monsters. Despite also being formidable when roused, dragons were seen as good, not evil.

Indeed…some were worshipped as gods.

It isn’t hard to see why; Asian dragons were not only very wise, they were capable of impressive magical feats, such as shape shifting and invisibility. They could, depending on the type of dragon, control weather, streams, or serve as protectors of the god’s homes. Daoism taught that dragons were good spirits, though their image was warped a little with influence from Hindu mythology. Chinese dragons, the most famous of Asian dragons, came in a variety of species. However, all Chinese dragons, no matter the species, were thought to undergo the same growth stages:

1. Female dragon lays a richly colored egg.

2. 1000 years later: baby hatches, looks like a snake.

3. 500 years later: head slowly becomes like that of a fish.

4. 1000 years later: Dragon grows long tail, beard, fish scales, four limbs, claws, ears, and a long face.

4. 500 years later: dragon grows horns

5. Yet another 1000 years later: wings.

And you thought puberty was hard.

Its odd for most westerners to think of Chinese dragons as having wings, due to being more familiar with the adolescent, wingless form. Yet Chinese dragons were indeed thought to eventually attain wings, though they could fly without them, thanks to either magic pearls or a swelling on their foreheads, which is sometimes labeled “bladder-like”.

Repeat: bladder-like.

Now, if you had read my previous article, you’ll recall that I mentioned how in the documentary “Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real”, hydrogen bladders were invoked as a possible explanation for how dragons could fly, despite not having wings big enough for their enormous bodies. It is an amazing idea, and yet…the ancient Chinese had come up with a quite similar one ages ago. We only need hydrogen and we’re all set. Course, to be fair, a single hydrogen bladder, unless it was of truly ginormous size (perhaps much larger than the rest of the dragon), would not enable a wingless dragon to even float, let alone fly. Nevertheless, people were coming up with a similar answer to dragon flight long before dragon documentaries were made.

Japanese dragons are quite similar to Chinese dragons, with some also considered divine. However, some could be pure monsters who were nevertheless formidable enough to challenge a god. Yamato-no-Orochi, the 8-headed Dragon of Koshi, was one such dragon, a being so formidable that Susa-no-wo (aka Susano-Wo), the Japanese Storm god, resorted to use trickery instead of brute force in order to kill it.

Others could even be slain by mortals, yet still had intelligence and formidable capabilities. Indeed, Japanese dragons were a bit more snake-like than those of China, and one, the winged hai riyo, had feathers.

The differences among Asian dragons are at times startling, yet collectively they have many things in common, such as vast god-like powers, wingless flight, for the most part a good temperament, and generally having a very serpentine shape. Taken together, we can see just how different Asian or Oriental dragons are compared to those of Europe. Indeed, some have gone to far as to state that Chinese dragons in particular should not even be called dragons at all.

And yet…Asian dragons have more in common with European dragons than you might think.

1. Serpentine shape? Both most Asian dragons, and some European dragons (especially the worm variety) have serpentine aspects. Indeed, the European Worm dragon is basically a giant snake with bad breath.

2. Treasure? While stories of dragons hoarding buried treasure are well noted in Greek myth, Norse mythology and Beowulf, the ancient Chinese believed in the fu-ts’ ang lung, a type of dragon that kept great treasures in the Earth. Also, male Chinese dragons were known to each keep a pearl.

3. Gods? Remember all those stories about maidens being offered to dragons in western folklore, such as in the story of St. George and the Dragon? Notice the word again; offering. Sounds a lot like people are making human sacrifices…to gods. Indeed, Veles, a Slavic god, was said to be able to appear in the form of a dragon.

Nevertheless, their differences are so great that we need to go down a different route than we did in my previous article on dragons. Its one thing to figure out how wyverns and worms came about.

Its another to figure out how Asian dragons could have arisen.

How would they have evolved?

Could they have evolved?

And what would real Asian dragons look like?

Read on…

2. HERE BE FOSSILS

In a previous article on the Serpent of Eden, I mentioned a prehistoric snake named Najash rionegrina. If you went back in time, say 95 million years ago, and went on a nature hike, chances are you might run into this ancient serpent. At first, you might think that it was a typical run of the mill snake.

That is, until you spotted its legs.

Unlike any snake today, Najash rionegrina had legs and even hips! It was not unique; there were several prehistoric snakes that sported legs as well. Over time, however, these legs and hips vanished, courtesy of evolution. Nevertheless, the question has to be asked; why did they have legs in the first place?

Answer: because snakes evolved from lizards.

Over time, the ancestors of snakes lost their forelimbs, their bodies changing from generation to generation until…the first snake hatched.

But what if the ancestors of snakes took two avenues?

What if some continued to evolve a serpentine shape…yet retained their forelimbs?

Perhaps such a creature could have evolved into an Asian dragon.

We could also invoke another species of group of lizards that evolve serpentine shapes separately from those that evolved into snakes, courtesy of convergent evolution. Perhaps these could have retained their limbs, and thus given rise to Asian dragons.

However…there is a problem.

Hair.

Repeat: HAIR!

Asian dragons have hair!

They MUSTACHES and BEARDS, for crying out loud!

Surely, reptiles could never evolve into Asian dragons, because…once again…HAIR!

And no reptile has hair…right?

Wrong!

Geckos have super tiny toe hairs, which they use to stick to hard surfaces. Without these tiny hairs, they’d have no ability to climb or hang from horizontal surfaces. If Geckos could evolve hairs, why couldn’t dragons?

We could also postulate that dragons evolved from Stem-mammals, aka protomammals, aka mammal-like reptiles, aka paramammals, aka synapsids (didn’t think to add that last one in the previous dragon article when I first posted it on Tumblr. Its on there now), creatures that had both reptilian and mammalian traits.

Such creatures are not only thought by scientists to be the ancestors of mammals, but one of them, Thrinaxodon, seems to have had whiskers. Perhaps we could imagine a protomammal (that name sounds the coolest so I’m going with it) Asian dragon, perhaps even one that survived to the modern era, a living fossil.

However, its one thing to postulate an ancestor, another to postulate that such animals could evolve into bonafide Asian dragons.

But would they have been able to?

In my previous article on dragons, I noted that fire breathing dragons could have achieved flight by having both wings and hydrogen bladders. The former would most likely evolve by means of having their arms or forelimbs turn over many generations into wings, the same process that gave both birds and bats their wings. Its not totally impossible that a mutation could arise that would allow for the existence of a regular 6-limbed dragon, but a 4 limbed wyvern variety would be more biologically sound. Thus, if Asian dragons were real, and had wings…then they would have had to have evolved them from forelimbs or arms ages ago. If they had the growth stages noted in Chinese folklore (more on them later), then we would have to postulate that the arms of any individual dragon would have to turn into wings as they aged (more on this later too), but let’s focus for now on a hypothetical species of, for all intents and purposes, wyvern Asian dragon. Such a creature could only fly if it had both wings and hydrogen bladders. Course, we could also imagine an Asian dragon that glided like a modern “flying dragon” lizard (as depicted in “Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real”), or an Asian dragon that makes its lower body concave and glides like a modern flying snake, or even perhaps one that uses a combination of skin flaps, body alteration and hydrogen bladders. However, for true flight, we would have to surmise a wing and hydrogen bladder combo in order for an Asian dragon to take flight (keep in mind, Chinese dragons attain wings only in their adult form).

However, there is one potential problem.

What would happen if such a dragon tried to fly…with its wings being located at the far front of its body, instead of closer to its middle?

Keep in mind, the length from its wings to the tip of its tail is FAR greater than the length from its wings to the tip of its snout. Indeed, not only is it far greater than the wing to tail length that is usually seen in depictions of European dragons, but their legs are also further back on their bodies than those of European dragons as well. Flying European dragons also have less serpentine, less wiggly midsections.

I’m no expert in aerodynamics, but it seems to be that such excess length and weight behind the wings, along with a less stable, more wiggly midsection, could potentially cause issues with flight. Having hydrogen bladders almost throughout the length of the animal could help like it would with a European dragon, but…it would be far better if the animal simply had two pairs of wings instead of one, with a second pair on its lower body.

But of course, that’s just silly. After all, there has never been a four-winged vertebrate, right?

Wrong!

Microraptor, a tiny dinosaur that lived in the early cretaceous, was highly bird like, sporting both feathers and wings. Indeed, if they had survived to the modern era, you might mistake them at first glance for a bird (I know, I know, scientists now distinguish between avian dinosaurs (i.e. birds) from non-avian dinosaurs (regular dinosaurs), but I’m old fashioned; I’m calling the former birds). Though not a true flier, Microraptor was a natural glider. Compared to most dinosaurs, it was highly unusual.

Even more so when you count its wings.

Um, all four of them.

Its hind legs actually evolved into a second pair of wings. Microraptor could still use its wings to climb trees and the like, but they were also used for gliding.

Oh, and by the way: Microraptor was not alone.

Indeed, there was an entire group of four winged dinosaurs called microraptorines.

True, these dinosaurs didn’t fly, but its not hard to imagine these animals evolving true flight if their kind had lived longer, or of they had not gone extinct.

If this trait evolved once…couldn’t it evolve again?

Couldn’t convergent evolution produce another species, indeed another group of animals, that likewise bore four wings? Couldn’t they have lived longer, perhaps eventually evolving true flight?

Both are very possible.

But what about the unusual growth stages?

To my knowledge, the only kind of Asian dragon that had a series of strange, long growth stages is the Chinese dragon, so we could forgo such growth stages and simply imagine a dragon that didn’t experience having them.

But what if they did?

Could such growth stages be realistic?

Well, some animals do experience unusual growth stages before they develop into adults, indeed far more so than we see in many species (including ours). Most frogs start out as tadpoles, which lose their tails and gain limbs (as well as different skin colorations) with age. Butterflies start out life as caterpillars. Giant Panda newborns look FAR different from that of an adult, being pink and having little hair. Baby crown of thorns starfish look about a similar to an adult crown of thorns starfish as you do to a blue whale. The growth stages of a jellyfish can likewise involve a lot of serious shape shifting. Given this, we can’t conclude that a real Asian dragon wouldn’t likewise undergo the unusual series of growth stages as indicated in Chinese folklore. We…might have to tweak things so that such creatures would hatch with wings (instead of being limbless like a snake) that would eventually grow powerful enough for flight, but then again, tadpoles don’t have limbs, yet as they grow into a frog, they do develop them.

Now, some may counter, saying that in one of its growth stages, a dragon gains both the head and the scales of a fish. Surely, a reptile can’t grow a fish’s head and scales, right?

Well, that’s what I was getting to.

You see, at first, the Chinese dragon (and other Asian dragons that share its physical characteristics) seems, at first glance, to be an impossible hybrid, on par with Pegasus and centaurs. Indeed, it is a combination of 8 animals and 1 supernatural being:

1. “Horns” (actually Deer antlers, but I guess “horns” sounded better).

2. Snake’s neck.

3. Feet: partially tiger’s feet.

4. Head of a camel.

5. Eagle talons instead of true claws.

6. Carp’s scales

7. Cow ears (unlike those of other cows, the ears of a dragon don’t work; it actually needs its horns to hear).

8. Clam belly

9. Demon eyes.

Well, it seems like we should ditch the idea of a real Asian dragon, right? I mean, being a hybrid of 8 animals and a demon? Surely no such creature could exist, right?

Ladies and gentlemen, its time to think 4rth dimensionally.

Although hybrids like that mentioned above do not occur in nature, there are animals in the wild that, at first glance, look like a hybrid monster of world myth. Consider the Duck billed platypus; it has both the feet and bill of a duck (hence the name), a beaver’s tail and an otter’s body. It looks like a hybrid of the three…and yet isn’t. This false hybrid nature is further reinforced by the fact that it lays eggs, but even then, it’s not a mammal-bird hybrid.

The Okapi of Africa looks like a strange antelope whose legs were replaced by a mad scientist with those of a zebra, yet its neither antelope or Zebra. Indeed, its closest relative is the Giraffe.

Given all of this, we could imagine a reptile evolving that could likewise be a false hybrid. Instead of having a camel’s head, it would have a head somewhat similar in shape to that of a camel. Instead of having deer antlers, it could sport horns or horns that bear some semblance to antlers (as I pointed out in my previous article on dragons, horned serpents exist). Instead of having fish scales, its scales could be simply fish like. Instead of having eagle talons, it might instead have claws that somewhat resemble eagle talons. We might forgo some hybrid aspects (tiger-like feet, demon eyes (more on them later), etc.), but a dragon that looks like a hybrid of several animals…and yet is not…is not entirely impossible.

But what about demon eyes?

When it gets dark, some animal’s eyes glow. This is a reflection of light caused by a part of the eye called a tapetum lucidum. This reflective surface is found in many a critter. Humans, sadly, don’t have one, and thus we miss out on all that glowing eye fun. However, the glowing effect is not merely for show; an eye with a tapetum lucidum can see more efficiently in darkness.

Could you imagine a dragon having such eyes? A multi-ton, serpentine dragon having a glowing stare? Sounds like something out of the Twilight Zone.

Couldn’t this lead to people describing a dragon’s eyes as…demonic? Quite possibly.

But what about long life? Surely, no living creature can live for thousands of years, right?

Once again…WRONG!

Large sponges are thought by scientists to have a lifespan stretching up to over 23 centuries.

Over 2300…years.

Likewise, though Red Sea Urchins can generally reach a century, some could potentially reach more than twice that age…without having the nasty effects of old age.

Then there are immortal jellyfish, creatures that have the ability to reverse the aging process, to the point where they become a polyp (just a step above larvae). After this is done, they can start the normal aging process again, eventually returning to adulthood. It’s not impossible that such a creature could potentially live forever.

Given this, we cannot state that nature couldn’t have done the same trick in reptiles.

But what about intelligence?

As stated in my previous article on dragons, its not impossible for reptiles or even dinosaurs to have evolved human level intelligence.

Thus, we seem to have everything covered.

That is…save for magic.

How could an animal make itself invisible, or both shrink to a tiny form and grow so large that they reach the top of the sky? How could they control and manipulate the weather??? Surely, these are capabilities that no animal could ever hope to evolve…right?

Actually…yes, this is true.

However, this doesn’t mean that they wouldn’t develop these abilities by other means…

3. THE DRAGON IN THE HAT TRICK

In my previous article titled “What if Fairies Were Real”, I did my best to keep it as scientific as possible in determining how such creatures could have both arisen and gained their paranormal powers. Trying to do so without invoking magic was an amazing intellectual exercise, and it led to a very interesting conclusion when it comes to fairy magic.

You see, if fairies were real, and we didn’t invoke the supernatural to explain their miraculous powers, then the only way they could have such powers without calling upon the supernatural…was if their “magic” was actually super science.

Let’s imagine, for sake of argument, that I told a tribe in the Amazon, one not familiar with modern science, about J Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb.

Let’s say that I told them that he created a weapon that could not only engulf miles and miles of jungle in flame in a split second, that not only could it cause an ungodly windstorm, that not only would it make a giant mushroom-shaped cloud…but that it would also poison air, soil and water. Imagine if I told them that this weapon could vaporize people, leaving behind a permanent imprint of their shadows. Let’s say that I told them that his weapon brought down a mighty tribe in the far East, and that he went on to say “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”

What would this tribe think J Robert Oppenheimer was?

They might think he was a god, some other kind of supernatural being, or a freakishly powerful sorcerer.

Indeed, if such a tribe had somehow bore witness to Oppenheimer testing this bomb (with safety goggles of course, so that they wouldn’t go blind), saw it go off…they might start worshipping him.

That’s the power of technology. If its advanced enough, it can appear to a more technologically primitive people like magic. Indeed, there are people in Africa that think that cameras can take a person’s soul (a belief based on the images that appear on photos). Some Tibetans likewise don’t like the idea of being photographed, preferring to keep their souls in their own bodies. Cameras are nothing more than tools used to take photographs, no sorcery involved, yet to some cultures in the world that are not familiar with the science…they are magic.

Thus, if fairies existed, and had the unusual abilities attributed to them in folklore…then the only (non-supernatural) way they could pull off said abilities is through advanced technology.

Could it not be the same for the Asian dragon?

At first, it seems impossible: after all, they’d just have four sets of wings, right? No hands, let alone opposable thumbs, and thus no way to make technology, right?

Um…not so fast.

Remember, we went through several scenarios for how Asian dragons could evolve, not all of which involve them being true fliers. They could have either had skin flaps like a flying dragon, or made their lower bodies concave in order to glide like a flying snake. Indeed, they could have done both, perhaps also with hydrogen bladders. This would free their upper limbs from becoming full fledged wings. Combined with an opposable thumb and advanced intelligence (augmented by a several millennia lifespan), Asian dragons would have the ability to make technology, even highly advanced technology. In another scenario, where dragons went through growth stages similar to those mentioned in Chinese mythology, but with the arms and legs eventually becoming wings, they would have arms for several thousand years. If they had opposable thumbs during that time, then they would be able to both make and use tools for many centuries before their arms turned into wings.

Thus, dragons could potentially make advanced technology.

But would their technology surpass our own?

As I mentioned in my fairy article, technological advancement wasn’t at the same level for every species of ancient human. For example, Homo sapiens had a faster rate of technological advancement than both homo erectus and homo egaster. Indeed, when one considers the speed of human technological development, one can see that it has significantly increased in pace. Just think: The last known surviving veteran of the American civil war (Albert Henry Woolson, 1850-1956), saw the arrival of telephones, radio, television and nuclear weapons. This is a guy who fought during a time when most warships were still made of wood and people were using telegraphs. He had lived during the same time period as the Old West, the age of Jesse James and the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

And what happened 13 years after Woolson died?

We landed on the moon.

Given all of this, we could therefore imagine a species of Asian dragon that had an even higher rate of technological advancement than even humans have had. This could have partially occurred either due to having a more advanced brain, or perhaps due to experiencing an ever-increasing rate of technological progress earlier than humans did (Imagine what would have happened if Neanderthals had undergone a similar growing rate of technological advancement long before we did? Imagine how history would have been if Neanderthals tested the first airplane…while we were starting to build pyramids?). We could also imagine Asian dragons, as a species, predating our species, perhaps considerably so, and thus having more time to technologically advance. A head start in the technological race could have given Asian dragons the means to develop super science long before humans invented the wheel.

However, there is something else that could potentially fuel this technological advancement.

Long life.

As I mentioned previously, Chinese dragons are said to take 3000 years just to grow from a newly hatched snake into a full-fledged adult dragon. Let’s imagine that all Asian dragons had took this long to grow into adulthood. Let’s imagine that they could live even longer than this (remember, it takes them 3000 years to reach adulthood. It’s not their entire lifespan).

How would this affect both science and technology?

Consider some of the brightest minds in human history: Isaac Newton, Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Socrates, Copernicus, Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, etc. There are many titans of learning that have lived throughout human history, altering our world in a variety of ways with their inventions and discoveries.

But what do they all have in common?

Among other things, they didn’t live for thousands of years.

Instead, they only lived for decades. Not millennia, not centuries.

Decades.

But what if such great geniuses could live for thousands of years? What if they aged slowly, keeping the Grim Reaper away for countless ages?

What could they have discovered?

What could they have invented?

Imagine if Isaac Newton was still alive, conversing with modern physicists. What else could he have discovered besides the Law of Gravity? What amazing experience he could bring to scientific experiments! What if Nikola Tesla was still alive today? If he was, would we have warp drive, transporter technology and androids indistinguishable from Katy Perry (come on scientists, make it happen!) by now?

Now imagine what they could do, what they could discover…if they lived for thousands and thousands of years?

This, along with perhaps a more advanced brain (or beginning to speed up their technological advancement long before humans did the same), could lead to Asian dragons developing a far superior technology than humans, so much so that they could pull off feats that humans would mistake as magical. Perhaps they could even develop highly advanced technology while we were still in the cave. Perhaps they could use holographic technology to fool people into thinking that they were shrinking or growing, or have tech that could bend light, making them invisible, or even technology that would be capable of controlling weather. Perhaps they could develop technology that could enable them to truly fly without wings (which might lead some humans to embellish tales about them, to the point where they were said to have wings). Perhaps they could have technology so impressive that they could alter their genetic codes, enabling them to grow wings, without having to lose their arms and paws (and thus their opposable thumbs) in the process. If they had this level of technological sophistication at any point in human history…most people would consider them magical. Only recently would some propose a more science-based answer to their impressive paranormal feats.

And how would people in the ancient or prehistoric world think when encountering these “magical” dragons? How would they view such colossal creatures that seemed to have unearthly, occult powers?

Most would probably view them as gods.

And how were some Asian dragons viewed?

As gods…

Indeed, this would be even MORE likely than it would be with the existence of real fire breathing dragons, and the chances of people worshipping the latter as gods would have been HIGH. Also, a dragon cult involving Asian dragons would be FAR more long lasting than one for fire breathing dragons would be; as mentioned in the previous article, fire breathing dragons would most likely have wings instead of arms, and thus would not have technology. Humans would eventually overtake their physical prowess by means of technological advancement. However, as noted above, Asian dragons wouldn’t have this problem. Human technological advancement wouldn’t be able to overcome far superior dragon technology (we’re talking potentially space age, Star Trek level technology), let alone superior tech whose progress was growing faster and faster. You may have had some humans question these dragon “gods” and perhaps have some that tried to rebel against them, but without divine intervention (no pun intended), Asian dragons would always squash them like bugs, using superior size, strength…and technology.

We could, however, also imagine dragons foregoing wanting people to worship them and simply just invade human held lands, which they would be able to win with ease. Human empires in real history didn’t want those they conquered to worship them as gods; they wanted tribute. Even empires that venerated their emperors or kings as gods didn’t want their entire population to be viewed as divine. They did, however, assert their authority, often brutally. We could perhaps see humanity doomed to a near endless perpetual yoke, serving their dragon emperors, void of hope. Such hope might be rekindled, however, if dragon nations and culture began to change, to the point where dragons began giving some human lands back (just as has occurred in our history, with the decline of European empires in the 20th century). Indeed, dragons might even want humans assimilated into their culture, just as Americans tried to assimilate Native American tribes into their culture.

We could, however, also consider the possibility of dragons exterminating humans. No doubt countless people groups would be wiped out during dragon imperial campaigns, but an actual genocide of all humanity would also be possible.

Either way…dragons would be the dominant life form on the planet.

Its interesting to try and figure out what life would be like if dragons were real, but one needs to remember that, in a sense, we actually DO live in a world where “dragons” exist. Indeed, you can see such dragons now and again on documentaries, and possibly even at your nearest Zoo…

3. THE KING OF KOMODO

Komodo dragons are…frightening. I mean, I-just-messed-in-my-pants level of frightening. Its easy to understand why, considering that they are lizards…that average 155 pounds and 6 and a half to over 9 feet long. Indeed, they can reach up to 300 pounds and ten feet in length. Combined with both being able to hit 11 mph and having a venomous bite (yes, you read that correctly; Komodo dragons actually have venom glands in their mouths!), these creatures can be the stuff of nightmares.

At one time, they were also the stuff of myth and legend.

Tales of titanic lizards stalking the forests of Komodo piqued the interest of some in the industrialized world. Most would have thought that such tales were…just that, tales. Indeed, they might have considered these lizards as fictional as ogres, unicorns and centaurs.

And yet…in 1912…the skeptics had to eat crow.

The monster was revealed to be real.

But why is it called a dragon?

Because the original tales told of a monster that somewhat resembled a dragon.

Its easy to see why; like the European dragons of lore, Komodo dragons are huge, reptilian and have forked tongues. True, they don’t have wings or fiery breath, but then again, in world myth and legend, dragons come in many forms, some of which are lizard like. Indeed, some depictions of St George fighting his dragon in art make the dragon look like an oversized lizard. Also, most dragons in myth and legend are not depicted as breathing fire. Indeed, some have lethal bad breath instead. Now, Komodo dragons don’t have lethal breath, but being a carnivore and having no desire to buy toothpaste and a toothbrush at their local pharmacy…I’m guessing that their breathe is pretty ripe. However, considering that they have a poisonous bite, one could see how this, combined with their bad breath, could eventually lead to the creation of a mythic dragon with lethal bad breath. Over time, embellishment could potentially lead to even fire breathing. One could imagine even a flying firebreather, or perhaps even a winged reptilian god, being developed due to spreading rumors of Komodo dragons combined with embellishment.

But were Komodo Dragons the originators of both European and Asian dragons?

Um…not likely, considering the distance between Komodo Island and places like Asia and Europe.

However, it is, for all intents and purposes, a true dragon, the only one we have.

However, there was once another, a creature that made a Komodo Dragon…look like a Komodo Gecko.

4. THE GIANT RIPPER

In ice age Australia, there once lived a dragon. A giant monitor with attitude, this dragon ruled the Outback with an iron claw. The first Australian Aborigines lived in fear of this terror, a creature that proved hard to kill, a monster impervious to boomerangs and shaman curses.

I’m talking, of course, about Megalania. This animal was quite similar to a Komodo Dragon…but at 26-30 feet long and weighing over 2 tons, it was much larger, capable of taking down rhino-sized prey. If it still lived in Australia today, it would be a terror to both humans and livestock. Indeed, if it had survived to the modern era, explorers might very well have labeled it the “Australian Dragon”.

And what dragon would be complete…without legend?

Curiously enough, though Megalania is long extinct, the creature lived on in Australian Aboriginal folklore, where it is called “Mugoon-galli”. It was said that the Mugoon-galli used its tail to bring about sandstorms.

Does this latter power make you think of Asian dragons? Specifically Chinese dragons?

It should, considering that Chinese dragons likewise could bring rain by flicking their tails.

Now, this doesn’t mean that Megalania was the source of the Chinese dragon. It does, however, reveal an even more dragonesque aspect of Megalania, a power that bridges prehistory with legend.

For all intents and purposes, Australia was once home to “dragons”. The Land Down Under is now their graveyard, a land whose dragons have faded into dust and fossils.

Or have they?

Its curious to know that, for over a hundred years, even into modern times, a colossal lizard has been sighted in Australia…

Perhaps, there is still a dragon lurking on the Earth today, abiding in a deep cave, waiting for humans to foolishly wander into its lair…

Sources:

“Dragons: A Natural History” by Dr. Karl Shuker, 86-93

“Dragonslayers: From Beowulf to St. George” by Joseph A. McCullough, 6-72, 77-78

“Quest for the Unknown: Man and Beast”, by Reader’s Digest, 108-10, 112-13

“Chambers: Myths and Mysteries” by Kate Sleight (Editor), 46-48

“The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology” by Arthur Cotterell and Rachel Storm, 456, 468-69, 474-75

“Dragons” By Kris Hirschmann, 36-40

“Mysteries of the Unknown: Mysterious Creatures” by Time-Life books, 20-21

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dragons/Kg3D0LtNnN8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Chi%27ih+muh+dragon&pg=PA38&printsec=frontcover

“Forest of the Vampire” by Charles Philips and Michael Kerrigan (consultant Dr. Elizabeth Warner), 124-25, 130

“Supernatural Beings from Slovenian Myth and Folktales” By Monika Kropej, 34

https://sirtravisjacksonoftexas.tumblr.com/post/648294161269866496/what-if-dragons-were-real

https://sirtravisjacksonoftexas.tumblr.com/post/644038696642985984/was-satan-the-serpent-in-the-garden-um-yes-and

https://sirtravisjacksonoftexas.tumblr.com/post/645391302162268160/a-journey-into-the-strange-world-of-useless

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-02788-3

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/85126/15-examples-most-dramatic-metamorphoses-youth-adult

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/evolution/four-winged-dinosaur.html

https://www.livescience.com/47307-how-geckos-stick-and-unstick-feet.html#:~:text=Geckos%20can%20stick%20to%20surfaces,tiny%20microscopic%20hairs%20called%20setae.&text=Scientists%20already%20knew%20that%20the,der%20Waals%20force%20kicks%20in.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-28295571

https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24218-dinosaur-in-a-wind-tunnel-tests-feathered-flight/

“The World Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures” by Dougal Dixon, 244

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avian%20dinosaur#:~:text=%3A%20a%20bird%20when%20considered%20as,flit%20around%20our%20backyards%20today.%E2%80%94

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/okapi

https://www.livescience.com/27572-platypus.html

https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=96414364

https://www.britannica.com/science/tapetum-lucidum

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2090150-this-deep-sea-creature-could-be-the-worlds-oldest-living-animal/

https://today.oregonstate.edu/archives/2003/nov/red-sea-urchins-discovered-be-one-earths-oldest-animals

https://www.amnh.org/explore/news-blogs/on-exhibit-posts/the-immortal-jellyfish

https://teara.govt.nz/en/diagram/5355/jellyfish-life-cycle

“The Cultural Dimension of International Business” by Gary P. Ferraro, 2002.

“Tibet Travel Adventure Guide”, by Michael Buckley, 1999, 24

https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2019/09/minnesotan-albert-henry-woolson-was-the-last-surviving-civil-war-veteran/

https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/telegraph

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/shootout-at-the-ok-corral

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/james-jesse/

https://www.gresham.ac.uk/series/the-rise-and-fall-of-european-empires-from-the-16th-to-the-20th-century/

https://www.history.com/news/how-boarding-schools-tried-to-kill-the-indian-through-assimilation

https://www.livescience.com/51086-komodo-dragon-bite-facts.html

https://www.livescience.com/27402-komodo-dragons.html#:~:text=Komodo%20dragons%20are%20the%20largest,the%20Indonesian%20island%20of%20Komodo.

http://www1.lasalle.edu/~zelenenkic1/dragonscale_species.html#:~:text=Western%20Dragons%20have%20bat%20like,the%20tip%20of%20their%20wings.

“The Beasts That Hide From Man: The Search for the Last Undiscovered Animals” by Karl P. Shuker, 204-07

“Smithsonian Institution: Animal” by David Burnie and Don E. Wilson (Editors-In-Chief), 420-21

“Prehistoric Life” by DK Publishing, 332, 431

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Adventures_in_Cryptozoology_Volume_1/cJYREAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=cryptozoology+megalania&pg=PT26&printsec=frontcover

https://folklorethursday.com/myths/harbingers-of-heaven-dragons-of-earth-and-sea/

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michelles-garden-of-evil · 3 years

Video

youtube

A recent YouTube video on Haitian Vodou (”Voodoo”) from a channel I follow, detailing the history of the religion and debunking some common myths. Over the past year, I’ve been doing some research from various books and online sources about the religions collectively known in pop culture as “voodoo” with the intention of writing a series of blog posts investigating what Strange Paradise got right about Vodou, what it got wrong, and what things the show just flat-out made up and hoped that 1969 audiences wouldn’t notice. There will be a lot to cover (and probably a lot that I won’t be able to cover), but it’s a topic I want to explore in depth.

For now, however, I want to share some notes on some interesting points in the video that are relevant to this blog:

Although both are derived from the same sources (cultural influences from along Africa’s Atlantic coast--the regions where enslaved Africans were taken--and Catholicism) and involve similar beliefs and practices, Haitian Vodou and New Orleans Voodoo are two distinct religions. Nowadays, “Voodoo” is the correct term only for the variety that developed in New Orleans.[1]

Contrary to the popular stereotype, voodoo dolls are uncommon and not central to the religion. (I hope that the channel explores this topic more in future videos, especially if they do one on New Orleans Voodoo.)

Most Haitian Vodou practitioners believe in one supreme god (BonDyè in Haitian Creole, derived from the French Bon Dieu). The lwa play a role similar to Catholic saints and are frequently syncretized with them: for instance, Damballah (the Serpent) with St. Patrick.[2]

Possession is central to Vodou rituals, but is NOT considered a bad thing. During the ceremony, the priest or priestess enters a trance and invites a lwa to possess or “mount” them (as in ride their body like a horse, a commonly used metaphor) for the duration of the ceremony.[3]

Animal offerings are also central to many of its ceremonies, but frequently misunderstood. Dr. Kyrah Malika Daniels, the professor and scholar of African diaspora religions interviewed in the video, compares the use of animal offerings in Vodou to the serving of food at weddings and holiday gatherings in other cultures. During the ceremony, the participants consume the flesh of the animal after it has been presented to the lwa as an offering and blessed.

Although it's unclear whether the Serpent in Desmond Hall Arc I is meant to be the same being as the Serpent God from the Maljardin arc, the "serpent servant" thing is not accurate to the worship of Damballah or any other serpent lwa. Followers of Vodou believe in a reciprocal relationship between themselves and the spirits--where the lwa grant them protection in return for offerings--instead of a fundamentally one-sided relationship of master and servant. (This is understandable for enslaved people and their descendants seeking solace in their religion.)

DISCLAIMER: I am not a scholar in religious studies, nor am I an expert on Vodou or a Vodou practitioner myself. Everything that I know about Vodou and other African-diaspora religions comes from informal research done in my spare time. While I acknowledge that I may have made some mistakes, I have tried to represent the information on these religions as fairly, accurately, and respectfully as possible based on what I have encountered so far in my research.

Notes

[1] Conjure, also known as Hoodoo and Rootwork, is another African-derived magical practice that evolved in the Southeastern United States. Although Conjure is not mentioned in the video, I thought I would mention it here in a side note because SP tends to incorrectly use the terms “Conjure” and “Voodoo” interchangeably when referring to the religion practiced on Maljardin and the surrounding islands. Here is a fascinating article on Conjure and its impact on American history.

[2] As I noted in my review of Episode 23 of Strange Paradise, Damballah is also sometimes syncretized with Mesoamerican feathered serpent gods like Quetzalcoatl in the present day (albeit typically by followers of traditions other than Vodou). Although described as a voodoo priestess, the character Raxl, who comes from an unnamed indigenous tribe related to the Aztecs, refers to the Serpent God she worships as the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl.

[3] Milo Rigaud’s Secrets of Voodoo describes these ceremonies in more detail, including the behavior of different lwa when riding their “horses.” Although I highly doubt that there’s a direct link, I think of "mounting" as akin to the ancient Greek practice of communicating with the gods through oracles, rather than the Christian concept of demonic possession.

#links #videos #strange paradise #historical context #cultural context #vodou #sp and religion #sp and 'voodoo'#sp vs real life #great serpent #religion for breakfast

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asifindmypath · 5 years

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Pop Culture Paganism: A Mental Exploration

My own personal thought experiment regarding a mental exploration of Pop Culture Paganism and Witchcraft. Don’t like it, you don’t need to read it. Flamers will be ignored. Constructive discussion and rebuttal is encouraged.

It’s worth noting that I’m a fairly recent “convert” to a pagan setting. I consider myself an eclectic polytheistic pagan witch. I worship a number of gods from different pantheons, and have a generally mixed Eclectic spirituality. I’m still learning and experimenting and discovering my craft and my path. I am not an expert by any means, and the following are my personal opinions. The only reason this post is not Private like most of my entries on this blog is because I feel this discussion may be validating for some who are put down for their faith.

Now without further ado, if you’re interested, check under the Cut. ;)

I’ve been doing a lot of research recently. It started by my looking up if it’s offensive to the gods to watch/enjoy/associate them with pop culture. Is Hades offended by my love of the Disney version of him? Would Bast or Serket be offended by my using images of them as they appear in video games like Smite?

I’ve come to answer myself with; it depends. It’s going to require experimentation, meditation and asking each specific god their preference, but in general, I think the answer is mostly no. If you have the proper intent, I think the gods appreciate it all the same.

I found an interesting Reddit Thread in which their was a discussion about Pop Culture Paganism. I didn’t realize that was even a thing, but reading the discussion was fascinating, and validating. While some are offended by the mere thought of not strictly following the old ways as closely as we can, others argue that myths of the old gods began as stories.

It’s doubtful that if these gods existed as real people or divine beings before humans, that these stories we know of them are one hundred percent accurate. Humans are fallible, we embellish, we exaggerate, and even when trying to be as accurate as possible, we still insert personal bias into everything. We can’t help it, it’s in our nature. So any story, true or not, is going to, at it’s core, be subject to the bias both of the original first-hand account, by every subsequent retelling, and by the person hearing it.

Therefore, why is it offensive to the gods to follow a new retelling of them? a modern version of a god, like, Loki and Thor, for instance, should be just as valid. It’s doubtful that the comic writers and film producers over at Marvel have consciously been contacted by Loki and Thor to tell them how to depict them, but does that mean that the gods weren’t influencing their own stories? Could Loki not have inserted the ideas, placed sources of inspiration into the lives of the writers? Of course he could have.

Another point that was brought up was that new gods spring up all the time. There is a new goddess being worshiped in India by the Dalit community. There are authors who have unwittingly created new gods or religions with their writings. There are sects of people who worship the Valar from Tolkien’s universe, the Jedi Way is a recognized religion now, Lovecraftian monsters are widely accepted as actual ancient beings and have permeated so many areas of culture. Some Celtic deities are traced back to seeming works of fiction.

Some people use pop culture figures as associations for their gods; more tangible, relate-able and realistic than their ancient stories. I recently made a strong association between Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock and Thoth. I’ve also used a Tolkien Mantra of sorts to honor Anubis; Patience being a struggle for me, and one of His attributes, I will occasionally find myself thinking of Treebeard’s signature philosophy, “do not be hasty.”

Some do actually worship fictional characters, even those not intended to be deified. Some use archetypal characters for worship and find pop culture associations for them, but some literally worship Batman or Sailor Moon. Some use fictional characters in spirit work, or create spells around them. The concept of the energy, the love and adoration, the living and breathing history and collective thought poured into and about these characters, this whole process makes absolute sense to me. I’m not sure if I’ll go quite so deep into it, though perhaps. Vi has already mentioned potentially worshiping Clavicus Vile. I’d be okay with that.

Given that many works of fiction draw from real life mythology, legends or properties, a lot of fictional deities and characters have some real-life counterpart. One can find strong correlations to the Gems in Stephen Universe having similar properties to their real-life crystal and stone counterparts. Many fictional deities are amalgamations of real gods. Hell, many “primary” sources of old gods are works of fiction in and of themselves, such as the works of Homer. While there may be truth the stories, they are embellished and theatrical to make it interesting to read, and are at best an artist’s interpretation of events.

I saw another post today that was so validating. Can’t find it right now, or I would link it. Basically it said that a god becomes a god when someone believes they are one. It could be a single person. They are a god. The older the god, the more energy put towards it, the more followers they have, the stronger they become. So in my mind, old gods like the Egyptian, Roman, Norse, Celtic, ect. gods, those of ancient civilizations, most of these will be far more powerful than a new god with a small following. Millions of people did and still do worship Anubis. There are probably only a select few who worship Dipper Pines (though given GF’s cult following, I’m sure I’d be surprised at that number-). Therefore Anubis has more influence and power as an established god, able to reach out even to those unaware of him at the time, and sometimes bring people to the fold this way. Versus Dipper, if deified, would have a harder time calling to a random new child to join the cult of the Mystery Twins.

My concept, which I originally considered a sort of excuse or explanation of my odd and unusual spiritual beliefs, is that energy is a force, it’s neither created, nor is it destroyed. If magic is just channeling one’s will into existence, expending your energy and maybe using other energy aids (a burning candle, a charged crystal, stored energy in plant matter, ect) to yield a desired effect, then why can’t the same concept be put towards anything? If we can will the spirits to read our futures, if we can will two people to fall in love, or will the universe to cause someone bad luck or harm, why can we not will a new being into existence?

In the same way that offerings, prayers and even uttering the name can strengthen older, established gods; in the same way, why can I not make offerings, prayers and epitaphs to Smaug, or Winnie the Pooh, or any fictional character?

Personally, the concept of pop culture magic is also fascinating to me, and that makes even more logical sense to me. If we take a character like Ash Ketchum. A character of indomitable spirit, fierce determination, immortality, and innocence; a character beloved by millions, who’s journeys have inspired generations of children, even shaped the lives of some - there is magic there. There is so much collective thought, energy, love, adoration there. So many know his name, his image, his stories. There are myths and legends about him, theories about other adventures, other possibilities. Artwork is made, statues created, there are buildings dedicated to his world, his friends and family, the animals and creatures of his world.

Even if you don’t see the correlations to a god from an outside perspective, that amount of power centered around some pixels on a television screen is real. It’s there, it exists. No witch or magic user should be able to deny that. Using that stored energy in a spell would be simple when looking at it from this perspective. In the way we can take an animal, look over all its aspects, and channel it into our spells. In the same way we can invoke Mother Bear for strength, maternal protection and love, we could invoke a character like The Doctor for wisdom, compassion and a drive to do what’s right.

The other angle here, is that anyone who subscribes to the Many Worlds Theory can’t really deny the possibility of most of this. This theory proposes there are an infinite number of universes full of infinite possibilities. There is a world where the Roman Empire never collapsed and we’re all living under the new Caesar. There is a world where modern day man is still living alongside dinosaurs. There is a world where ours does not exist. There is a world exactly the same as this one, except that you ate cereal for breakfast today instead of scrambled eggs. There’s a world where dogs are the dominant species and keep humans as pets. There is a world where the Avengers are fighting against Thanos. One where Luke Skywalker is teaching younglings in the Jedi Temple. One where Ash and Pikachu are traveling to another new region in the Pokemon world. One where we live in a giant computer simulation. Infinite. Possibilities.

I’m not here to convince anyone, I may or may not even practice any of this, it’s just some interesting thought exercise. I like thinking about things like this sometimes. I also think that in a world where we are beginning to pave our own Paths; we’re inventing identities for ourselves, discovering new genders, sexualities, magics, gods, everything; that we should be kind to each other as we discover these new avenues. To each their own, and live and let live <3

Blessed be, everyone, and may you all find whatever Path you wind up on fulfilling and full of joy.

#pop culture paganism #pop culture pagan #pop culture magic #pop culture witch #theology #pc paganism #thought exercise #an exploration #my journey #beliefs #spirituality #pop culture witchcraft #pc witch #pc witchcraft #pc pagan

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zenosanalytic · 5 years

Text

Gods, Grief, and Knowing: On Cats and Lost Objects

Gah! I started writing this probably a month ago at this point but Events have been getting in the way so I’m only getting back to it now.

Recently I rewatched Nekogami Yaoyorozu, which is one of my favorite anime series despite being a)tonally generic and b)only a single season long(I wish this weren’t the case X|), and I just kinda wanted to talk about it a bit.

Obvsl I can’t speak to its accuracy in portraying Shinto beliefs and how people relate to them emotionally(obvsl there’s a strong element of nationalist chauvinism irl which is absent in this series), but its presentation of a polytheist/animist mindset is one I find really chill and appealing and, through its very personal and “earthy” treatment of the deities involved and their involvement in human lives, a good explanation of why deities in polytheist mythologies are Like That.

By which I mean: one persistent and ancient question about polytheistic traditions is “Why do the Gods do Shit Things(in the stories, and real life if you believe they’re responsible for natural events)”? Plato(and, presumably, Socrates) answered that question by basically saying that the Gods DONT do shit things, that they are perfect beings in every respect(in form, mind, morality, and intention), and the myths are just fake stories humans made up to entertain themselves. Nekogami provides a different, and I think more accurate, answer.

Mayu, the central character, is far from perfect. Her mother seals most of her divine power and kicks her out of Takamagahara for her excessive gambling and trouble-making. She gets sent to Earth to live among humans in the hopes that, by learning how tough their lives are, she’d come to understand why it’s important for deities to take their responsibilities seriously. While she does help her “worshiper”(Yuzu is really more of a roommate or even a land lord, but she does, technically, have a small shrine to Mayu in her house) and her community out of a real sympathy and generosity of spirit, it’s hard to say she ever really “learns the lesson” of taking her godhood seriously. Mayu spends most of her time goofing off, gambling, and sleeping, and her easy-going ways frequently either create or exacerbate the situations being responded to in each episode. But the series doesn’t get angry at her for that, and honestly it doesn’t even seem all that particularly interested in it. What it IS interested in is her impact on others, how she ties others together and keeps her community running smoothly just by being a part of it how, by her mere presence, Mayu brings that community and a sense of belonging into Yuzu’s tragic, lonely life, and how Mayu, and the wider community of gods attaching Yuzu to her town and the wider world, help her to mourn, accept her grief healthfully, and keep living past her loses.

And THAT is what struck me as the series’ answer to that question. The tone of the series is always mild and jokey and the stakes never seem all that big --a mismailed pot, a surprise visitor, a festival to organize, a shrine to clean-- but really they’re the highest stakes imaginable. They’re life and death. Because that’s what the everyday slice-of-life IS: Life and Death. And THAT, in turn, is the answer to “Why are the Gods Like That?” Because it’s relatable. Because you can connect to it. Because the world is filled with big-hearted, amazingly capable people who, for obscure and arcane reasons that aren’t any less real for being nebulous and hard to grasp, can’t seem to Get Their Shit Together. Or who Can’t Seem to Catch a Break. And Humans, on some level, I think need that. When the world is Relatable, when it can be made to fit within some form of understanding(and the human brain is evolved foremost to understand societies, other people, and their situations), that makes it more bearable. A tree falling one way instead of the other and crushing a friend is horrifying and incomprehensible, but your friend not respecting the tree properly before trying to cut it, angering it and causing it to fall on them, fits into a well-worn mental template. When the Gods are just People, despite all their power and mysterious command of the World, they can be Friends. You can laugh at their foibles, share their desires, celebrate their triumphs and commiserate their defeats. When they can lose, and misunderstand, and make mistakes, you can share your failures with them, and laugh about them with them, and that makes it so much more bearable. You bring them into society, with all the mutual responsibilities, understandings, and cares that requires. And when you explain the World by filling it with Gods who make everything happen, that makes the Incomprehensible not just Comprehensible, but intimately, sympathetically, Personal.

And I guess I’m saying that’s a vision of faith I can understand and sympathize with, even while rationally knowing that gods came from the mortal mind, and not the other way round.

#Nekogami Yaoyorozu #Polytheism #Animism #Community #Religion #zA's Pompous Philosophizing #The Dreaded Animes #zA Reviews #analytic posts

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twitchesandstitches · 6 years

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Disney Growth AU

One of my holdovers from my old blog was what I called the Disney Growth AU, and I’m bringing it back! Mostly for the odd snippet or story post here or that, and partly as a component in some of my other AUs, since those mentions might not make a whole lot of sense without this AU’s particulars.

And also since it would fill a bit silly reposting older stories or edits of them without giving everyone the background of this AU, and anything i happen to think of. No sense posting stories and just throwing you into it blind, even if you’re familiar with it. It would just feel strange!

The Disney Growth AU is a combination of all the various disney properties (or at least the ones that fit into the Disney animated canon, with the various cartoons as having a more nebulous connection but are present), centering largely around the Disney heroines and major lady characters of their respective franchises and sub-series, with a focus on magically induced transformations and a particular emphasis on hyper curves (gigantic boobs, hips and butt, with variance for individual body types and personality-appropriate looks, and with more monster-y/human divergent form styles) and giantess.

In that later case, the princesses and other heroines are absolutely massive, with none of the usual limits i typically have in my usual AUs or giantess scenarios for the sake of tiny/giant interaction; they are a mile high at minimum when not deliberately suppressing their powers, and when they’re fully powered up, the giant Disney girls can be as big as entire planets, if not solar systems… and even larger than that, with their proportions scaling up to match.

Of note, this AU is broadly split into two continuities of a kind; one where this AU is its own thing and its relation to other fic ideas isn’t important, and one where it is a sub-set of Crossthicc as an important aspect of the multiverse, and the distinction has to do with which aspect I’m playing up.

Both versions heavily emphasize magic, and the basic premise is the same: the heroines, or princesses (whether they are actually royalty or not, such as in the case of Mulan or Moana; the title is a catch-all for ‘important heroine’ as a consequence of their actions) are living embodiments of raw magic, both conduits for the stuff of the soul and transformation, and generating it in the same way that stars create elements and light. This causes them to transform over time, growing bigger and curvier, and eventually take on more individual, inhuman alterations to reflect their raw power and coolness.

Their villains are, of course, around and up to No Good, and in between slice of life shenanigans, pranks, and attempts to simply live their lives while also being benign giant goddesses, they might thwart the plans of their equally gigantic villainesses and foes, who have transformed to become Big and Thicc too, and seek to impose absolute dominance over all existence.

In the former case where its a standalone AU, the setting is more mundane… as much as they CAN be, in the context. They live on a single version of Earth, with a different history to justify how a Powhatan diplomat, ancient Chinese war icon, Germanic fairy tale, and outright mythical figures can all exist at the same time. Effectively, they have been given a Kingdom Hearts style lighter and softer treatment, with ancient countries still existing in the modern day and altering history in subtle ways for this all to make some kind of internal sense. (For instance, modern America may not exist; instead you have the original countries of the First Nations expanded and industrialized and existing as a broad union similar to modern America,) Something similar applies to outright fictional countries or landmasses, with the world altered so that their likely geographic locations makes some kind of sense. Agrabah, for example, is a bit of a tricky case.

In this case, all the princesses are modern women, but have existed in many incarnations throughout history as great peacekeepers, champions of justice, mighty warriors, and paragons of virtue to teach others. In relatively recent times, their actions ensured a massive burst of magic that permanently brought raw, wild and Good magic back to the world, imbuing them all with it and making them living generators of it, awakening new power and making them into new goddesses, with great stature to match. Apart from now being potentially planet-sized and warping local space via their raw power just to fit into the world - packing mountain mass into a very small area - their lives are still mundane, and much of their time is spent adjusting to their new power and finding things to do with it.

Something similar would apply with the villains, most obviously Maleficent and a cadre of other villainesses following her; while not as powerful as the heroines, they are nonetheless massive and powerful goddesses… just not on the same level as the heroines, but they have the benefit of a massive horde of spooky monsters and less imposing foes that are mighty in their collective dangerous-ness.

Periodically, Marvel characters may make appearances (especially the more cosmic ones, such as Thor); assume this is a meeting of the multiverse kind of deal, with the other Earth perhaps being merged into the Disney one and the superheroes making do, with the new supervillains coming into conflict with the villains. Alternatively; emphasizing the Awesome of the heroine and supporting characters to serve roughly the same purpose as having legit superheroes here. For instance, consider Maui as being a Thor analogue by emphasizing his myth-appropriate raw strength and heroic deeds. Guy pulls up oceans during fishing trips!

(That said, the Marvel Growth AU from my old blog is now its entirely own thing, combined with some ideas I have for a DC one as well, as well as BNHA/My Hero Academia, as a cohesive general superhero setting. The tone of Disney Growth AU is more mundane slice of life that just so happens to take place for giant hero ladies dealing with their newfound powers, and just a hint of epic fantasy.)

Generally speaking, i will probably tag fics and thoughts specifically meant for this AU as JUST ‘disney growth AU’, for the sake of simplicity, without additional specifications.

The other version of this AU is explicitly intended to work with Crossthicc, and relies on the multiverse aspect and incorporates more obvious elements from the different versions of the characters in question. In this version, the princesses are explicitly goddesses; not just powerful heroines made mighty, but actual goddesses, and have been for some time.

They are, in-universe, widely worshiped across the multiverse under many different names and culturally relevant touchstones, but when one person pays homage to a raven-haired personification of Good Governance, and another gives their love to a goddess of orphans and adoption, it is still Snow White they worship. Consequently, they are enormously powerful and have a lot of potential domains under their influence, and mostly dwell upon a vast plane of magic that dwells beyond the material realm. This huge coterminous plane is effectively an elemental plane of magic, perhaps the metaphysical engine that keeps the World Tree of the mortal universes going, supporting that delicate soap bubble that is so easy to pop… and constantly on guard from the dreadful things trying to do just that.

It is possible that even this realm is but a reflection of their true divine power, a somewhat accessible an diminished echo of their full nature, but it's so mighty that they cannot properly exist in the mundane plane without wrecking it, instead manifesting as avatars. Depends on the need of the scenario, honestly.

The MILF fleet of crossthicc comes across these goddesses during their travels, earning their favor and interest, and a few of them send mortal avatars to stay with the fleet and experience the mortal universe, far weaker than their true selves but still shockingly powerful, and members of the God Squad that is a club of benign deities that for whatever reason are endorsing the MILF fleet.

Their home planea is much more mythic in tone, with an explicitly magitech vibe; imagine epic D&D style fantasy in an infinite universe of soaring mountains and mighty landscapes, with magically empowered technology serving the role of more mundane technological advances, and magic being absolutely universal. Take your grandest high fantasy ideas, ramp them up a 100 times, and mash them into the tropes of nobility and honor being actual forces of nature, and you have the basic approach! Here, mighty heroes fight grand monsters… and usually it's the goddesses doing this, the mightiest beings in all the cosmos, and fighting manifestations of entropy and cosmic non-existence. Their villains here are embodiments of forces like that, perhaps linked to the mysterious monsters the mortal plane is plagued with.

In this realm, mighty brave warriors ride on fearsome dragons to confront demon kings, mountains get up and walk to wrestle with one another, and the geography of the plane can shift at a moment’s notice when the currents of magic are strong enough. IT is in fact a source of magic, and does not conform to mundane notions of space-time. The plane is infinite, continuing forever, with ever more wild landscapes dissolving into chaotic potential and randomized impossibility as you get from civilization: mountains made of teeth, seas turning into boiling oil and crystalize laughter… and it gets weirder from there.

The goddess-heroines are so powerful that they stabilize this realm with their mere existence, growing more powerful and drinking deeply of the magic they generate and are empowered by, growing stronger still, and in doing so, they also reinforce the mortal realms, which is given life by this plane in some fashion. But the universes of mortals have been badly wounded, and the same applies to the princess’ realms too, and horrors pour out from them, and they must constantly quell those in hope of helping to bring peace, in some fashion, to all realms.

It is also important to note that given the different scale, they are far larger than in my usual giant lady fare; since space is more of a polite suggestion, this causes few problems, and they aren’t just planet sized. They are often universe-sized, if not even bigger, though they can adjust local space to fit them if they please, and even if they don’t, their presence causes no damage if they don’t wish it; their steps could reduce worlds to powder, but not a single living thing will be bothered by them stepping down.

(It is also possible that this realm is a primordial birthplace of souls, or an afterlife; people who perish come here, and after they work through their remaining problems, they pass on to another afterlife and perhaps later reincarnation. IT is the fate of evil beings to be reduced to food for the princesses, becoming monsters to be slain that reflect their evil hearts… or both. Some few mortal villains retain their willpower and become meances the princesses strive to defeat, and these are the villains of Disney canon that otherwise don’t fit the motif for the villainesses. Something similar might apply for the heroes and prince-types, but in terms of heroic spirits or great priests/followers of the goddesses in life. They came to love their goddesses so much, they remain by their sides forevermore. The goddesses themselves, or their bodies, may also constitute an afterlife as well.)

One more note; while this applies to the more mundane AU too, it's more prevalent here: the princesses here aren’t just based on their Disney interpretation but have elements from their other fictional interpretations too. Those who are public domain fairy tail characters, such as Snow White, have attributes from those stories as well as their many different stories incorporated in some fashion. Those who are historical figures will have attributes from real life applied more freely; for instance, in both AUs, Pocahontas is more like her real life analogue (apart from being the same age she is in the movie), down to that not being her actual name. There may also be liberal Fables (the comic series) invoked here, because i just plain like that series.

However, this AU is still intended to be mostly epic fantasy and high adventure, and should have a more or less light tone; thus, exceptionally dark or grim elements (such as those rooted in what may be the Grimm storyteller’s potential issues with women) will be ignored outright, reinterpreted, or applied in-universe as faulty propaganda.

There may also be a lot of mythological elements brought in. For example, the Seven Dwarves of Snow White are her adoptive fathers, in a sense, and are mostly Norse mythology style dwarves (and possibly svartalfar/dark elves, depending on whim), with their disney names, Doc and Sleepy and such, as pet names Snow had for them. For instance, Brok and Sindri are definitely there; Grumpy and Doc, respectively.

Effectively, in whichever AU, all the Disney cartoons are canon, with the ones more akin to Disney’s fairy tale vibes being more closely tied. More gray areas will be subject to weirdness; for instance, the series of Kim Possible might either be as more or less mundane figures in the magical plane of the goddesses, or as characters from a universe of superheroes who happen to have a connection to an appropriate goddess.

#/#//#///#////#/////#Disney Growth AU #AUs #queued #i might also work RWBY in there somehow but idk how yet

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letterdrill08-blog · 6 years

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madewithonerib · 4 years

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The Creation [Genesis 1:1-2:3] | BIBLE.org

First lesson of an eight Lesson Overview of Genesis. In the Creation to the Cross [Bob Deffinbaugh]

Introduction

In a recent on-line article, Timothy George writes these words:

In her book Mystery on the Desert, Maria Reiche describes a series of strange lines made by the Nazea in the plains of Peru, some of them covering many square miles.

For years people assumed that these lines were the remnants of ancient irrigation ditches.

Then, in 1939, Dr. Paul Kosok of Long Island University discovered that their true meaning could only be seen from high in the air.

When viewed from an airplane, these seemingly random lines form enormous drawings of birds, insects, & animals.

In a similar way, people often think of the BIBLE as a series of individual, unconnected stories.

But if we survey the SCRIPTURES as a whole, we discover that they form one great story of redemption—from the opening scenes of Genesis to the final chapter of Revelation.

Weaving through all the diverse strands of the BIBLE is a divine storyline, the overarching story of what GOD has been up to in the rescue & restoration of fallen human beings, from the first nanosecond of creation through the final cry of victory at the end of time.

These two paragraphs sum up what we are attempting to accomplish in this new series that we have entitled,

“From Creation to the Cross.”

Others have done some very fine work in this same venture.

We find these words in the introduction of J.Sidlow Baxter’s fine work, Explore the Book:

Study Method: Interpretive

The method which we adopt in this present series is that which we may call interpretive.

We shall study the books of the BIBLE interpretatively; that is, we shall seek to get hold of the controlling thought, the outstanding meaning & message of each book, &

then see it in relation to the other books of SCRIPTURE.

W. Graham Scroggie says virtually the same thing in his introduction:

It is not enough that we be familiar with great texts, or great chapters; we should know the BIBLE as a whole; for here is a Divine progressive revelation, in which every part is organically related to every other part; and, consequently, only by knowing the whole BIBLE can we worthily appreciate its greatness & experience its power.

Scroggie goes on to contrast synthetic BIBLE study [the kind we are attempting here, & which he facilitates in his book] with analytical BIBLE study:

By synthetic BIBLE study is meant, that method whereby the various parts are viewed together, are seen in their relation to one another, & are regarded as constituting a whole.

It is, as we have said, the opposite of the analytic method.

In analysis details are separately regarded, but in synthesis these details melt into the picture of the whole… .

The analytic is the microscopic method; the synthetic is the telescopic method.

Analysis concentrates on the infinitesimal, but synthesis concentrates on the infinite.

While our study seeks to be synthetic, & to achieve the results sought by Baxter & Scroggie, we will employ a slightly different method.

These authors study the BIBLE by dealing with each book in the order in which it is found in our BIBLEs.

The books of the BIBLE are not arranged in chronological order; if we would study it chronologically, we must deal with each book of the BIBLE as it fits into a chronological scheme.

Excellent study BIBLEs such as The Narrated BIBLE have sought to facilitate a chronological study by arranging the SCRIPTURES in their chronological order.

Also unlike Baxter & Scroggie, we will not attempt to study every book of the BIBLE.

I am strongly committed to a thorough & systematic exposition of the WORD of GOD.

This has been the thrust of most of my teaching for the past 30 years.

[My study in the GOSPEL of Luke, for example, was 77 lessons long!]

In this series, however, in order to get the big picture, we dare not go into as much detail.

You will note by the title to this series that we have restricted our study to the time from creation to the cross.

It is my intention to follow up with a second series that will deal with the period from the cross to the consummation of history [Acts through Revelation].

This later series will not, as I currently envision it, be as chronologically oriented, which is why I have chosen to end the first series with the GOSPEL writers’ accounts of the death, burial, & resurrection of our LORD.

Let me point out one final distinction of this series.

One must have certain criteria for determining what to include & what to exclude in a selective series.

We will endeavor to focus our attention on what might be called the “turning points” in the “unfolding drama of redemption”

– those great watershed events by which GOD moved from one phase of HIS eternal plan to the next.

This may not always be evident, but it is one of my guiding principles.

Goal of this Study:

With these things having been said, let me attempt to sum up the goal of this study:

We purpose to gain an overall understanding of the “unfolding drama of redemption” by focusing on the major turning points in the history of redemption, beginning with creation & culminating at the cross of CHRIST.

Resources

A friend once told me the story of a fellow who was hiking in the mountains & came to the realization that he was lost.

Fortunately, this man had a cell phone with him.

He was able to call for help, & they were able to pinpoint his position & tell him how he could arrive at his destination.

This series is intended to help you navigate your way through the books of the BIBLE.

Our primary text is the WORD of GOD itself.

It is our hope that this series will encourage & equip you to read through the BIBLE in a little more than a year.

Even though our teaching will not cover every book or chapter of the BIBLE, your reading of the BIBLE will be greatly enhanced by a sense of knowing where you are in the “unfolding drama of redemption.”

There are a number of excellent resources available that we would encourage you to use.

Ligonier Ministries has an excellent tape series [both audio & video] by R.C. Sproul entitled, “From Dust to Glory.”

There are also a number of expositional BIBLE studies available on the Internet.

Ray Stedman & other teachers at Peninsula BIBLE Church have some excellent studies on-line that can be found at www.pbc.org.

The Biblical Studies Foundation Website is an excellent source of BIBLE studies & helps, which can be found at www.bible.org.

One very excellent book, which we highly recommend to you for your preparation, is Explore the Book, by J.Sidlow Baxter [see footnote 2].

This book contains six volumes in one, & it has a wealth of information, including a very insightful overview of each book.

We encourage you to buy this excellent reference book.

It is one of my “must have” books, which I have kept near at hand for many years.

Thanks to the generosity of Irving Jensen’s family, our Church has been granted permission to reprint 250 copies of Irving Jensen’s classic little book, Enjoy Your BIBLE.

It is now out of print, but we are hoping that it will be soon be available on the Biblical Studies Foundation Website, along with some of Jensen’s other works [www.bible.org].

It is an excellent book that gives you an orientation to the BIBLE as a whole.

Your Preparation & Participation is Essential

We do not want this series to be one in which you approach this study unprepared, attend or listen to a sermon, & then go your way.

We hope that you will use the preparatory study materials we have provided & the reference & resource materials we have recommended to facilitate your own study of the BIBLE.

We hope that you will take the opportunity to discuss the biblical texts both before & after the teaching.

We believe this will be of great benefit for family BIBLE study & personal devotions.

These Written Messages

In our Church, we have changed our curriculum & our schedule to facilitate this new series.

I, along with others, teach the children & the adults for 45 minutes, & then we have our worship time, centered around the LORD's Table.

After a break, classes then assemble to further discuss the content of the study.

Much of this teaching involves material that I have not attempted to cover in my instruction.

These printed messages are an attempt to capture the essence of my teaching & the follow-up teaching.

Introduction to Lesson One: The Creation GENESIS 1:1—2:3

A couple of days ago, a friend forwarded this e-mail request to me:

“Can you cite a biblical scripture that says that, to be a Christian, you have to believe the BIBLE is the inerrant word of GOD?

I accept JESUS as my personal Savior, but I can’t accept things like the Genesis creation myth.

Maybe if I had a quote from JESUS telling me to believe every word of the BIBLE [or even just Genesis], then I could bring myself to accept the events of Genesis.”

I sent this fellow an answer to his question & have already received an encouraging response.

As I thought about this man’s question I realized that, once again, GOD had providentially orchestrated the events in my life to prepare me for this lesson.

Is the biblical account of creation true?

It most definitely is!

Is the account of creation in the BIBLE important to us as Christians? It most certainly is!

I would challenge you to sharpen your own thinking on this matter by attempting to formulate & articulate an answer to this fellow’s question.

I think it would be a profitable exercise.

As we approach this text, we will work very hard to avoid being sidetracked by questions that were not the primary concern of the author.

Much of current study in Genesis 1 & 2 seems to be dominated by the debate between creationists & evolutionists.

One of the great dangers here is that Christians tend to view this text primarily in terms of what it says to others, rather than in terms of what it says to them.

Let us remind ourselves that Moses is the author of the Pentateuch [the first five books of the BIBLE], & that this is the first written revelation regarding the origins of the world, of mankind, & of the nation Israel.

Much of my emphasis will fall on what the creation account was intended to teach its first readers.

After considering the meaning of this account for the ancient Israelites, we will seek to discover its meaning for us.

TWO CREATION ACCOUNTS

The reader can see that there are really two creation accounts, not exactly represented by the chapter divisions.

The first creation account is found in our text, Genesis 1:1—2:3. The second is found in Genesis 2:4-25.

● The first account begins at the first day of creation & ends with the seventh day.

● The second account commences in about the middle of the creation week.

While the first account describes how GOD turned chaos into creation [days 1-4, verses 1-20], making it possible to create life [days 5-6, verses 21-31], the second account takes up at the point of GOD creating life.

The first account describes creation by a formula, which is repeated through the account.

The second account takes a more problem-solving approach; something is missing or needed that GOD supplies.

As I have studied this text, I have become convinced that Genesis 2:4-25 is written as a preface to the account of the fall of man, & so in our next lesson we shall study the 2nd creation account in relation to the fall.

A BIRD’S EYE VIEW OF CREATION GENERAL OBSERVATIONS

My intention is to gain an overview of the creation account by making a number of observations.

[1] The focus of Genesis 1:1—2:3 is not on the “ultimate beginning” of all things, but rather on the beginning of the world as we know it, & especially on man’s beginning – the origins of the human race.

Scholars attempt to explain this in a variety of ways, but the end result is that Genesis doesn’t really start at the absolute beginning.

For one thing, there is no absolute beginning for GOD, Who is eternal.

For another, we know that certain beings were already in existence at the time GOD created the heavens & the earth.

At the beginning of Genesis 3, Satan appears, & at the end, we find angels [3:24], yet Genesis 1 & 2 do not mention the creation of Satan, or of angels.

I believe Genesis is the account of man’s beginnings, of Israel’s beginnings, & the beginning of GOD’s redemptive program for man.

It would seem, then, that before the events of Genesis 1 & 2, the creation & the fall of Satan had already occurred, yet they are only alluded to later on in SCRIPTURE [Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-15].

GOD does not wish for us to be overly intrigued with Satan’s origins or his fall [see Romans 16:19].

● Romans 16:19-20 | ¹⁹ Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good & innocent about what is evil.

²⁰ The GOD of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST be with you." [Avoid Divisions]

● Jeremiah 4:22 | ²² “For MY people are fools; they have not known ME. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.

● Matthew 10:16 | ¹⁶ Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves; therefore be as shrewd as snakes & as innocent as doves.

● 1 Corinthians 14:20 | ²⁰ Fellow believers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.

● 1 Thessalonians 1:8 | ⁸ For not only did the message of the LORD ring out from you to Macedonia & Achaia, but your faith in GOD has gone out to every place, so that we have no need to say anything more.

[2] The creation account does not describe the creation of the world in terms of being made out of nothing, but in terms of beauty & order being created out of a chaotic mess.

Many scholars stress the fact that the Hebrew word that is used in Genesis 1:1 is one that means to create ex nihilo, that is to create something out of nothing.

Now I don’t doubt that the original creation was brought into existence out of nothing, because that is what the writer to the Hebrews tells us:

Hebrews 11:1-3 | ¹ Now faith is the assurance of what we hope for & the certainty of what we do not see. ² This is why the ancients were commended. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was formed at GOD’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Having said this, we must also take into account Peter’s words:

For they deliberately suppress this fact, that by the WORD of GOD the Heavens existed long ago & an earth was formed out of water & by means of water [2 Peter 3:5, emphasis mine].

Genesis 1 begins with something already in existence, which is formless, dark, watery, & chaotic.

To say this is nothing seems to defy the language of the text.

I believe this is a chaotic mess that was the result of the earlier fall of Satan [Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-15].

The original creation was created out of nothing, but the creation of the world as we know it, & of life as we know it, came out of chaos.

The best illustration I can think of is found a little too close to home – my garage.

It is literally filled with automobile engines, transmissions, & parts [let’s not talk about my attic – I once had a car filed away up there].

I have to confess that I have the essence of several cars tucked away in my garage.

But wait, there’s more! In addition to automobile parts, there is an abundant supply of plumbing & electrical parts.

And then there are the tools – lots of tools.

In my garage [I have a shed also], you would find many mechanical tools [an engine hoist & stand, jacks, jack stands, compressor, welding equipment – both gas & electric, etc.], & also my table saw & woodworking tools.

The other day my granddaughter, Taylor, said it as nicely as I’ve ever heard.

After having carefully negotiated her way through the chaos in the garage without getting greasy she said, “Grandpa, I think your garage needs a little tidying up.”

It does.

And so, the best illustration I can think of to compare with the “watery mess” that we read of in Genesis 1:2 is my garage, at night, with the lights out.

And I must tell you that it would probably take more than six days to turn that chaos into cosmos [order].

Now someone might protest that if GOD created our world out of something that already existed [the leftovers of a previous creation that had fallen], this would have made creation a lesser miracle than one that creates something out of nothing.

In the first place, there was an original creation, brought into existence out of nothing.

But a creation out of a chaotic mess is not easy task, either.

Think about it for a moment.

Suppose that you wanted to prepare a gourmet dinner.

You may choose between a refrigerator full of leftovers to work with, or the freedom to purchase whatever foods & spices you want.

Which would you choose?

Would you rather make a dress out of new material that you have selected especially for this dress, or from some old & tattered clothing left behind by someone in the closet?

Creating order out of chaos is not as easy as it sounds.

[3] The creation account of Genesis 1 & 2 is the description of a process that took place over a period of time.

Now don’t get nervous.

I did not say that creation took place over a period of millions of years [though there are surely those who believe this]; I said that creation took place through a process that occurred over a period of time – six days, according to Moses.

I fear that Christians are so defensive about the subject of evolution [which speaks in terms of a process over millions of years] that they fail to recognize what the BIBLE says.

GOD did transform chaos into cosmos by means of a process that lasted six days.

I suspect that many of us have a picture of creation in our minds that is not quite accurate.

We may tend to think of the act of creation more as magic than as the divine work of a skilled Creator.

GOD did not wrinkle HIS nose or wave a wand to create an instant world. GOD worked in a progressive, sequential way to turn chaos to beauty & order.

Could GOD have instantly created a beautiful world in a moment? Of course HE could.

Then why didn’t HE do so? Why did GOD employ a process that took a week to accomplish? The first answer is that GOD, unlike man, is eternal, & HE is not in any hurry.

HE has “all the time in the world.”

More accurately, HE is not bound by time at all.

The second answer is that I believe GOD took great pleasure in the work of creation.

I know that in our Church there are many wonderful cooks, both women & men. I have never been to the home of any excellent cook who served a T.V. dinner.

Now I have nothing against T.V. dinners, but they are not & will never be a gourmet meal, no matter what the television commercials tell us.

A gourmet cook not only cooks slowly because the flavor is better, but because they enjoy the process of cooking.

If I could take a little poetic license, I believe that if you & I were observers at the creation we would see a master craftsman at work, with a smile of satisfaction on HIS face.

I think this is part of what we are to conclude from the repeated expression, “GOD saw that it was good.”

[4] The process of creation involved separation & joining.

Repeatedly the term “separate” occurs in Genesis 1 [see verses 3, 6-7, 14, 17].

The waters in the Heavens above are separated from the waters beneath [verses 6-7], & then GOD separated day from night [verses 1-15].

GOD also caused things to assemble or join together.

The waters on earth were gathered to one place [verse 9].

This is the way my garage would have to be “tidied up.”

First, I would have to gather like things together, & then put them in a separate place of their own.

I would have to put my table saw out of the way, rather than to use it as a workbench when doing automotive repairs.

Order comes when we gather like things together & when we separate them from things that are unlike.

[5] The creation account describes a work of GOD that comes about at the command of GOD.

Creation results from the mere speaking of a WORD by GOD.

The formula here, with slight variations is, “GOD said… & it was so” [see verses 6-7, 9, 11, 14-15].

By faith we understand that the worlds were set in order at GOD’s command, so that the visible has its origin in the invisible [Hebrews 11:3, emphasis mine].

For they deliberately suppress this fact, that by the WORD of GOD Heavens existed long ago & an earth was formed out of water & by means of water [2 Peter 3:5]

GOD is so powerful HE need only speak a word, even to create a universe.

Notice this understated comment in v.16:

HE made the stars also.

In verses 14-16, we see the process by which GOD created the universe.

GOD created the luminaries, the most prominent of which are the sun & the moon.

After summarizing the creation of a mind-bending, seemingly infinite universe, Moses speaks of the creation of the stars as almost an afterthought.

It is as though he said, “GOD created the entire expanse of the universe, along with the sun & moon; and, oh, by the way, HE also created the stars.”

What an amazing GOD HE is!

[6] The creation account suggests to us that just as GOD was intimately involved in creating the world & mankind, HE remains infinitely involved with them.

I will admit that this is somewhat inferential, but I believe it is one that we are expected to see.

Because GOD created the world through a process, HE was much more involved with it.

The SPIRIT of GOD hovered over the face of the waters, even before the first day of creation [verse 2].

GOD did not create the world from a distance & then leave it to itself.

GOD created man in HIS own image & then created a garden where HE communed with the couple HE created [Genesis 3:8].

GOD is not distant from HIS creation but remains very much involved with it.

HE is both the Creator & the Sustainer of the world [see Colossians 1:15-17].

● Colossians 1:15-17 | The Supremacy of CHRIST

¹⁵ The Son is the image of the invisible GOD, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For in HIM all things were created, things in heaven & on earth, visible & invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities.

All things were created through HIM & for HIM. ¹⁷ HE is before all things, & in HIM all things hold together.

● John 1:1 | ¹ In the beginning was the WORD, & the WORD was with GOD, & the WORD was GOD.

● John 1:18 | ¹⁸ No one has ever seen GOD, but the ONE & only SON, who is HIMSELF GOD & is at the FATHER’s side, has made HIM known.

[7] The creation account informs us that GOD designed man to have a relationship with HIM.

Closely related to the last observation is the inference that GOD created man to live in relationship with HIM.

We must be very careful, however, as to how we view this.

GOD did not create man to meet HIS own unmet needs.

GOD is totally sufficient within HIMSELF.

The BIBLE does not say, “And GOD said, ‘It is not good for us to be alone; we will create man to fill our need.’”

GOD created man for HIS own glory, but the glory of GOD is also for our good & our pleasure.

If we see man’s origins as being rooted in GOD’s need for us, then we are on a long & very slippery slope indeed.

GOD does not exist to serve us & to satisfy our needs; GOD created man to worship HIM, & to glorify HIM in the world, as those created in HIS image.

Having said this, we should see that in HIS grace, GOD created us to enjoy & to worship HIM.

Man was no more intended to live alone spiritually than Adam was intended to live out his life alone, without a mate.

[8] The Genesis account describes the creation of man as the crowning event of the creation process.

Man is not only the last living thing to be created; his creation is presented as the climactic conclusion of the entire process.

GOD not only creates man last, HE creates him in a very special way–HE breathes into his nostrils the breath of life [2:7].

The woman, too, was created in a very unique way, distinct from all other living creatures [3:18-25].

Man alone was uniquely created in GOD’s image & was given the command to rule over the creation [Genesis 1:26-28].

Far more space is devoted to the creation of man than of any other creature.

The fact that man is created last should teach us at least two lessons.

The first is that GOD has bestowed upon man a great & marvelous privilege, to be created in HIS image, the crown of HIS creative work.

No wonder the psalmist writes,

3 When I look up at the heavens, which YOUR fingers made, & see the moon & the stars, which YOU set in place,

4 I think, “Of what importance is the human race, that YOU should notice them? Of what importance is mankind, that you should pay attention to them,

5 & make them almost like the heavenly beings?” YOU grant mankind honor & majesty;

6 YOU allow them to rule over YOUR creation; YOU have placed everything under their authority,

7 including all the sheep & cattle, as well as the wild animals,

8 the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea & everything that moves through the channels of the seas.

9 O LORD, our sovereign Master, how magnificent is YOUR reputation throughout the earth! [Psalm 8:3-9]

There is a second, more humbling, lesson to be learned.

The fact that man was created last of all should humble us.

If man was created last, then he was not there at the beginning.

Man had no part in the creation of the world.

Creation was GOD’s work, without any help from man.

I believe that this is the point GOD is driving home with Job in Job 38 & 39.

Job never ceased to trust GOD, but he did begin to question GOD, as though HE had some explaining to do regarding his suffering.

GOD’s answer was very forceful.

It can be roughly paraphrased in this way:

“Now let’s see, Job, as I hear what you are saying, you are questioning the way I am working in your life.

That reminds me, where were you when I created the earth? Were you standing by, giving advice –

“Why don’t you hang the sun just a little lower, & make it a little bigger…”? Creation shows that I am the Creator, & you are the creature.

Creation shows MY love, MY wisdom, MY power … so just why is it that you are now so bold to question ME?”

I might as well go ahead & paraphrase Job’s response:

“Well, shut my mouth!” The world in which we live reveals HIS glory, HIS wisdom, HIS power.

Let us never forget that.

Being reminded of our role in creation [or rather the lack of it] should humble us before GOD.

[9] The creation account provides a pattern for man to imitate in the keeping of the Sabbath.

In Genesis 2:1-3, we read that on the seventh day GOD rested & made it holy by doing so.

Later on in the Pentateuch, keeping the Sabbath will become a sign of the Mosaic Covenant, which must be observed, under penalty of death.

[10] The creation account reveals GOD’s sovereignty over all creation.

GOD named the things that HE created.

Later on, GOD gave Adam the task of naming the living creatures & his wife.

The word “called” [see 1:5, 8, 10, 19] is the same word that is used for Adam’s naming of the creatures [2:19-20], & his wife [2:23; 3:20].

It was [and still is] generally understood that the one who is named is subordinate to the one giving the names.

By naming what HE created, GOD declared HIS sovereignty.

By having Adam name some of the creation, GOD declared Adam’s authority [not sovereignty] over nature.

GOD delegated to man the responsibility of ruling over HIS creation.

[11] The creation account reveals the fact that GOD built morality into HIS creation.

GOD’s creation was good because HE made it, & because HE pronounced it good.

On the one hand, the declaration “good” may indicate GOD’s pleasure & satisfaction in creating the cosmos.

On the other hand, I believe “good” is a moral assessment as well.

Atheistic materialism does not see anything moral about material things; rather, it sees morality as external & imposed upon material things by men [particularly religion].

It looks to me as though the creation account declares the material world GOD made to be morally good.

[12] There is a 2nd moral element suggested in this account.

When GOD created the living creatures, HE blessed them & commanded them to be fruitful & to multiply, filling the earth [1:22, 28].

GOD, the Giver of life, commanded the living creatures to reproduce, & thus to value & promote life.

I wonder, therefore, if the creation account should not make those who perform, or who undergo, abortions very uneasy.

GOD, the life-giver, commands that we extend life, not extinguish it.

Incidentally, it is quite evident that both man & beast lived on plants initially [1:29-30].

It was not until after the flood that meat eating was allowed [Genesis 9:3].

GOD also created life as male & female.

This is the way that reproduction was to occur.

If man was commanded to be fruitful & to multiply, & if GOD gave Adam a woman to be his wife, how is it that our society is willing to accept “same sex” marriages?

I believe that at creation & before the fall, what was natural was moral & good.

No wonder Paul calls homosexuality unnatural [Romans 1:26-27].

When men depart from the way it was “in the beginning,” they depart from what is natural & good [see Mark 10:2-9].

FROM OBSERVATIONS TO APPLICATIONS

Before we move on, let me suggest some implications & applications that flow from the observations above.

[1] We suggested that the “beginning” of Genesis 1 is not the ultimate beginning.

Let’s think about the implications of this for a moment.

Man would like to think that everything revolves around him, just as man once thought that the sun revolved about the earth.

The point is that there is a much bigger picture, & mankind is but a small part of it, not the whole of it.

Man was created by GOD, & for GOD’s glory.

Man was not created before the angels.

Man has a place of honor & responsibility in GOD’s creation, but man is still a creature.

[2] We noted that GOD brought cosmos [order] out of chaos at the creation.

What a wonderful truth that is.

GOD is able to take confusion & chaos & make something beautiful & useful of it.

GOD is not a GOD of disorder, but of order [see 1 Corinthians 14:33, 40].

Thus, when a Christian acts in a disorderly way, or when the Church is chaotic, that is not the result of GOD’s work, but of our sin.

Let me ask you as kindly as I can, my friend, “Is your life in chaos?” If it is, then there is really only one solution: GOD.

Only GOD can make a new creation of your life, turning your chaos into order.

HE does this through HIS SON, JESUS CHRIST.

It is HE who came to the earth, adding perfect humanity to HIS undiminished deity, to live a perfect life, to expose man’s sin, & to provide the payment for our sins by dying on the cross of Calvary.

You can become a new creation by trusting in HIM:

17 So then, if anyone is in CHRIST, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come! 18 And all these things are from GOD who reconciled us to HIMSELF through CHRIST, & who has given us the ministry of reconciliation.

19 In other words, in CHRIST GOD was reconciling the world to HIMSELF, not counting people’s trespasses against them, & HE has given us the message of reconciliation.

20 Therefore we are ambassadors for CHRIST, as though GOD were making HIS plea through us.

We plead with you on CHRIST’s behalf,

“Be reconciled to GOD!” 21 GOD made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in HIM we would become the righteousness of GOD [2 Corinthians 5:17-21].

[3] We pointed out that GOD created this world through a process, which took place over time [six days].

GOD works by means of processes, & HE does not do HIS work instantly.

Think about Abraham for a moment.

GOD promised Abraham that he would be a father of a multitude, through a son HE would give to him & to Sarah.

But this son was not born for 25 years.

Think about the salvation of men.

How many years passed between GOD’s promise of a Savior to Adam & Eve [Genesis 3:15] & the coming of our LORD?

GOD had a plan & a process, & HE took HIS time bringing it to pass.

Nicodemus came to our LORD in John 3, but it does not seem that he came to faith until some time later.

It certainly took our LORD's disciples some time to understand what the GOSPEL was all about.

They did not really grasp the GOSPEL until after our LORD's death & resurrection.

How many times I have asked someone,

“Tell me how you became a Christian.” Almost without exception, the response is something like this: “Well, its kind of a long story… .”

GOD also takes HIS time in accomplishing the process of sanctification.

I think of Jacob & am amazed by the fact that it took this man almost his entire lifetime to forsake his scheming & simply trust GOD.

And yet Christians today want to be instantly spiritual & mature.

GOD even employs a time-consuming process in dealing with the wicked.

Judgment is a process that often involves warnings, then attention-getting action, & then final judgment.

We keep asking GOD, “How long?” because we don’t want to wait, but here, too, GOD works through a process which takes time

[4] We saw that the creation came into being by the WORD of GOD.

GOD merely spoke a word & whatever HE commanded happened.

We now have the written WORD of GOD in our hands.

I wonder how quick we are to respond to HIS commands.

I wonder how much confidence we have in HIS Word.

7 The wicked need to abandon their lifestyle & sinful people their plans. They should return to the LORD, & he will show mercy to them, & to their GOD, for he will freely forgive them. 8 “Indeed, my plans are not like your plans, & my deeds are not like your deeds, 9 for just as the sky is higher than the earth, so my deeds are superior to your deeds & my plans superior to your plans. 10 The rain & snow fall from the sky & do not return, but instead water the earth & make it produce & yield crops, & provide seed for the planter & food for those who must eat. 11 In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire & is fulfilled as I intend” [Isaiah 55:7-11].

1 This is what the LORD says: “The heavens are my throne & the earth is my footstool. Where then is the house you will build for me? Where is the place where I will rest? 2 My hand made them; that is how they came to be,” says the LORD. I show special favor to the humble & contrite, who respect what I have to say [Isaiah 66:1-2].

[5] We saw that the process of creation was one that involved both separation & joining together.

My friend, Joe Baird, pointed out to me that in chapter 2, GOD joined Adam & Eve together in marriage.

JESUS later said that whatever GOD had joined together, man should not separate [Matthew 19:4-6].

Moses indicates that when a man & woman marry, they are to leave their parents [separate] & to be joined together [Genesis 2:24-25].

In the creation of a people, GOD worked to join together or unify the sons of Jacob [Israel], because their unity was essential.

At the same time, GOD was separating them from the world.

This HE did by taking them to Egypt, where the Egyptians would not intermarry with them.

The Law of Moses [especially the laws regarding clean & unclean] separated GOD’s people from the pagan world.

Today, GOD joins believers together in the body of CHRIST.

Former distinctions are set aside [Ephesians 2:11-22].

We are no longer to maintain distinctions where GOD has removed them [Acts 10-11; Galatians 2:11-21].

[6] We have observed that GOD created a world with which HE is intimately involved.

GOD is no distant “watcher,” who is either disinterested or powerless to intervene in the affairs of this world.

Indeed, the SCRIPTURES speak of GOD as constantly superintending & caring for HIS creation, supplying rain & harvests & food for all HIS creatures.

[7] We have seen that GOD desires for man to live in relationship with HIM.

Can you image going on daily walks with GOD in the Garden of Eden? That’s what Adam & Eve seemed to do [see Genesis 3:8-10].

GOD provided the Garden, not only as a place of residence & of service, but as a place of communion with HIM.

Later on, GOD will provide other places where men may encounter Him: [1] the land of Israel [see Genesis 28:16-17]; [2] the tabernacle; and, [3] the temple.

Last of all, it is the person of our LORD JESUS CHRIST who is the mediator between GOD & man, between heaven & earth [see John 1:49-51; 4:19-24; 1 Timothy 2:5].

Man will never become who he was meant to be until he is rightly related to GOD, & has daily fellowship with HIM.

[8] Finally, man was made in the image of GOD & commissioned by GOD to rule over all creation.

Surely this has environmental implications.

We are to care for the earth & not to abuse or pollute it.

It is GOD’s creation, & we have been placed on earth as HIS stewards to care for it.

The earth [nature] is not god, as some seem to think, but it is GOD’s creation.

We dare not worship it, but we should take good care of it.

WHAT THE CREATION ACCOUNT SHOULD HAVE TAUGHT THE ANCIENT ISRAELITES We look back, not only on creation, but also on the experiences of Israel during & after the exodus.

Moses wrote the law before his death, so it had to be written before the second generation of Israelites had entered the Promised Land.

I believe that the Pentateuch was initially written for the benefit of the second generation of Israelites who were about to enter & possess the land of Canaan.

They needed to know who they were, where they came from, & what their destiny was.

Most of all, they needed to know the GOD of Israel personally.

The five books of the Pentateuch supply, in written form, Israel’s legacy, as well as her destiny.

Let’s pause for a moment, then, to see how the creation event shaped the thinking & the conduct of some of the saints of old.

The first incident that relates to the creation account is the flood.

GOD had created the world & all that was in it, & yet very quickly after the fall it became corrupt & GOD destroyed it.

As the Creator, GOD owned all creation & could do with it as HE pleased.

As the one who transformed a formless watery mass into a beautiful cosmos, GOD was certainly able to “turn on the water” & bring about a worldwide flood.

The flood testifies to the fact that GOD was the creator, who was both able & free to deal with HIS creation as HE pleased.

The second informative incident is found in Genesis 14, where Abraham [Abram at this early point – see Genesis 17:5] encounters that very fascinating fellow Melchizedek, the king of Salem.

Five kings in the area around Sodom & Gomorrah rebelled against Chedorlaomer & those with him.

When Chedorlaomer & his allies attacked these five kings, they prevailed over them, taking much plunder & many people, among whom was Abram’s nephew Lot.

Abram took his armed men & went in hot pursuit, defeating Chedorlaomer & his allies & retrieving Lot & all the other people & possessions.

When Abram returned, the king of Sodom & his allies were overjoyed to get their families back.

It would seem that the kings of Sodom & Gomorrah had planned a “welcome home” celebration, the ancient counterpart of a ticker tape parade.

But before these kings could greet Abram, another king greeted him on the way – Melchizedek, the king of Salem.

He brought bread & wine because he was a priest of GOD, & he blessed Abram with these words,

“Blessed be Abram by the Most High GOD, Creator of heaven & earth. 20 Worthy of praise is the Most High GOD, who delivered your enemies into your hand”[Genesis 14:19b-20a, emphasis mine].

Shortly after this, the king of Sodom greets Abram & offers to give him all the spoils he had won in battle withholding only his own people who had been kidnapped from Sodom.

Abram’s response is most interesting:

22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand to the LORD, the Most High GOD, Creator of heaven & earth, & vow 23 that I will take nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal.

That way you can never say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich.’ 24 I will take nothing except compensation for what the young men have eaten.

As for the share of the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, & Mamre—let them take their share” [Genesis 14:22-24, emphasis mine].

What a difference we see between Melchizedek, king of Salem, & the king of Sodom.

Melchizedek reminds Abram of Whom it is he serves, the “Creator of heaven & earth.” In effect, the king of Sodom tells Abram that he’s the greatest & offers to give him all the spoils of war.

Abram declines the king of Sodom’s offer, using the same words that Melchizedek had just spoken to him.

He will honor GOD, “Creator of heaven & earth,” for it is HE who gave Abram the victory.

Abram will not take credit for GOD’s work, & Abram will not be enriched by a pagan king.

GOD had promised to bless Abram, & Abram doesn’t believe that it will be through the gifts of a heathen king, the king of Sodom.

If Abram’s GOD is the Creator, then GOD will give him victory in battle & material blessings as well.

It was not just Abram who understood that his GOD was the Creator of heaven & earth.

Rahab, the harlot of Jericho, understood this as well.

Listen to her words, spoken to the Israelite spies:

8 Now before the spies went to sleep, Rahab went up to the roof.

9 She said to the men, “I know the LORD is handing this land over to you.

We are absolutely terrified of you, & all who live in the land are cringing before you.

10 For we heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you left Egypt & how you annihilated the two Amorite kings, Sihon & Og, on the other side of the Jordan.

11 When we heard the news we lost our strength & no one could even breathe for fear of you.

For the LORD your GOD is GOD in heaven above & on earth below! 12 So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the LORD’s name.

Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family.

Give me a solemn pledge 13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, & all who belong to them, & rescue us from death” [Joshua 2:8-13, emphasis mine].

Rahab knew that the GOD of Israel was GOD alone, & that her gods were no-gods.

She understood that as the Creator GOD was LORD over heaven & earth.

Her faith in GOD included her firm belief that GOD had created the heavens & the earth.

The exodus of Israel from Egypt provided an excellent opportunity to dramatically demonstrate that GOD was the Creator of heaven & earth.

When GOD commanded Moses to return to Egypt & to demand that Pharaoh let HIS people go, Moses protested in various ways.

Finally, Moses sought to convince GOD that he was not qualified to go before Pharaoh because he was not a good speaker:

10 Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my LORD, I am not an eloquent man, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant; but I am slow of mouth & slow of tongue.” 11 And the LORD said to him, “ Who gave a mouth to man, or who makes a person mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 So now, go, & I will be with your mouth, & will teach you what you must say” [Exodus 4:10-12, emphasis mine].

Moses sought to excuse himself from his GOD-given duty by claiming to be unskilled in speaking.

GOD reminded Moses that HE had created his mouth.

In a similar way, in Psalm 139, David spoke of GOD as his Creator in the womb:

13 Certainly you made my mind & heart; you wove me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I will give you thanks, because your deeds are awesome & amazing. YOU knew me thoroughly; 15 my bones were not hidden from you, when I was made in secret & sewed together in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw me when I was an unborn fetus. All the days ordained for me were recorded in your scroll before one of them came into existence [Psalm 139:13-16].

The exodus of the Israelites from Egypt & their imminent possession of Canaan brought the fact that GOD created the heavens & the earth into the spotlight.

When Moses demanded that Pharaoh release the Israelites, it must have sounded almost comical to Pharaoh.

The Israelites were a relatively insignificant people; they were enslaved in Egypt, the most powerful nation on the face of the earth at the time.

Moses was a mere nomadic shepherd.

How dare he demand anything? And who was his GOD, for whom he spoke so boldly? Pharaoh made his contempt for Israel’s GOD very clear:

1 And afterward Moses & Aaron went to Pharaoh & said, “Thus says the LORD, the GOD of Israel, ‘Release my people so that they may hold a pilgrim feast to me in the desert.’” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD that I should obey him by releasing Israel? I do not know the LORD, & I will not release Israel” [Exodus 5:1-2].

The plagues were GOD’s answer to Pharaoh’s question.

The plagues had to do with nature [the Nile turned to blood, the frogs, the gnats, the flies, the death of the Egyptians’ livestock, boils, the storm, the locusts, the darkness, & the death of their firstborn sons].

The Egyptian magicians were able to replicate the first plagues, but soon they had to admit that they were way over their heads, & that the plagues were the “finger of GOD” [Exodus 8:19].

GOD demonstrated HIS control over nature by means of the plagues.

And the Egyptian gods were mocked by the plagues, for they were thought to have control over certain aspects of nature, & some of the creatures involved in the plagues were symbols of their gods.18

Who is the GOD of Israel, that Pharaoh should obey HIS commands? He is the Creator of heaven & earth; HE is the one who speaks & the forces of nature obey.

The parting of the Red Sea is the icing on the cake.

Who but GOD could have parted the sea, so that the Israelites could pass through on dry ground, only to have the sea come rushing down upon the Egyptian army?

This was a very important series of miracles because it was verification of the Creation account in Genesis 1 & 2.

The first generation of Israelites to leave Egypt saw GOD’s hand in the plagues.

They saw the sea parted & the Egyptians drowned.

They saw GOD provide food, water, & clothing19 for this great multitude & their cattle, enabling them to survive in the wilderness.

The Israelites needed to learn to trust GOD to provide for their needs.

HE would provide the rain for their crops, & HE would give them prosperity, if they obeyed HIS commands & trusted in HIM [see Deuteronomy 28:1-14].

The Canaanites were a very corrupt & idolatrous people.

They had their own nature gods, & the Israelites would be tempted to worship them.

It was vital for the Israelites to know & to believe that GOD created the heavens & the earth, & that because of this, HE could be trusted to provide for their every need.

GOD AS CREATOR IN THE BIBLE There are many, many texts of SCRIPTURE that refer to GOD as the Creator.

Let me list some of the significant texts I found:

I have summarized the lessons emphasized in these texts by means of the following categories.

This is far from complete, but it does demonstrate how important the truth that GOD created the heavens & the earth is in the entire BIBLE:

[1] The GOD of the BIBLE, the GOD of Israel, is the Creator who made the heavens & the earth.

● Abraham confessed this: Genesis 14:19, 22; 24:2-4 ● Rahab confessed it as well: Joshua 2:9-13 ● Jonah confessed it also: Jonah 1:9 ● Romans 1:18-25

[2] GOD is the center of all creation.

As such, HE alone is to be worshipped as the Creator.

Because the GOD of Israel is the Creator, & HE has created everything that has been created, there can be no other gods

[for if there were, GOD would have created them, & GOD says there is no other GOD beside HIM – Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 45:14, 21].

Idols, then, are merely the creation of man’s hands.

How tragic; GOD creates man, but heathen men think they can create their own gods.

● 1 Chronicles 16:26 ● Psalm 96:5 ● Isaiah 40:12-31 ● Jeremiah 23:6-16; 51:14-17 ● Acts 14:14-18; 17:24 ● Romans 1:18-25 ● 1 Corinthians 8:4-6

[3] GOD, the Creator of heaven & earth, owns what HE has created [Deuteronomy 10:14], & is therefore free to do with HIS creation as HE pleases, which includes showing mercy or executing judgment [election].

The heavens & earth belong to GOD [Psalm 89:11-12]. HE owns mankind & all living creatures – & thus the flood [Genesis 6-9]. HE owns the land, Israel does not nor does anyone else [Leviticus 25:23; contrast Ezekiel 29:3, 9]. HE is the Potter, & we are the clay [Isaiah 29:15-16; 64:8]. As the Potter, HE can do as HE wishes with the clay – specifically, show mercy or condemn [Jeremiah 18:1-12; Romans 9:18-26].

[4] Because GOD has revealed HIS infinite wisdom & power in HIS creation [Proverbs 3:19-20; Proverbs 8:22-31], & man is a mere creature, man should not question the wisdom of GOD in what HE is doing.

● Job 38-39 ● Isaiah 45:9-13

[5] Creation displays the attributes of GOD – He is powerful, all wise, eternal, glorious & majestic.

Men should therefore fear & worship GOD.

● Psalm 8; 19:1-6 ● Psalm 33:6-8 ● Psalm 102:23-28 ● Psalm 134:3 ● Psalm 135:5-7 ● Psalm 136:1-9 ● Isaiah 51:12-16 ● Romans 1:19-20 ● Revelation 4:11; 14:7

[6] As the Creator, GOD is in full & complete control over HIS creation.

HE sends & withholds the rains [Deuteronomy 11:11-17; 28:12, 24; 1 Kings 17-18; James 5:17-18].

● Psalm 96:5, 10 ● Zechariah 12:1 ● Colossians 1:15-17

[7] As the Creator, GOD employs nature to do HIS will, which includes delivering HIS people from their enemies.

● In battle – 2 Samuel 22:6-18 ● At the exodus – Exodus 6-15 ● Hezekiah’s prayer to GOD for protection from Sennacherib [2 Kings 19:14-19] ● Psalm 121; 124:8; 146:1-7 ● Isaiah 37:14-20 ● Acts 4:24

[8] As the Creator, GOD has revealed HIS infinite power, which serves as assurance that HE will fulfill HIS future promises [some of which are described as a “new creation”].

● Isaiah 42:5-9 ● Isaiah 44:24-28 ● Isaiah 45:8-19 ● Isaiah 48:12-16

[9] GOD’s method of Creation was intended as a pattern for man’s actions.

Just as GOD rested on the seventh day, after creating the world, so man should rest on the Sabbath [Exodus 20:8-11; 31:15-17].

Observing the Sabbath is one of the ways Israel could identify with GOD as their Creator.

CONCLUSION

We have only begun to scratch the surface, but I believe we have shown that throughout the BIBLE it is demonstrated that GOD created the heavens & the earth.

The Creator of this earth is GOD, & HE alone is GOD.

Those who reject nature’s testimony are guilty before GOD [Romans 1:18-27].

If GOD is the Creator, then HIS claims must be true.

The NT makes a very amazing claim—that JESUS CHRIST was GOD, & that HE existed in eternity past, & was the Creator of this world:

1 In the beginning was the Word, & the WORD was with GOD, & the WORD was GOD.

2 The WORD was with GOD in the beginning.

3 All things were created by him, & apart from him not one thing was created that has been created.

4 In him was life, & the life was the light of mankind.

5 And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it [John 1:1-5].

15 He is the image of the invisible GOD, the firstborn over all creation, 16 for all things in heaven & on earth were created by him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him & for him.

17 He himself is before all things & all things are held together in him [Colossians 1:15-17].

This is a remarkable claim, which JESUS demonstrated to be true in HIS earthly life & ministry, especially by HIS miracles.

In John’s GOSPEL, the very first miracle that JESUS performed is recorded in chapter 2.

Attending a wedding with his family & disciples, JESUS created wine from ceremonial cleansing water.

JESUS did not even touch the water; HE simply spoke a command to the servants [which HIS mother strongly urged them to obey], & the transformation took place as they obeyed.

In Mark 4:35-41, we see the stilling of the storm, once again by HIS command.

[Notice that in stilling the storm, our LORD seems to fulfill the words of Psalm 89:9.

] In John 11, JESUS raised Lazarus from the dead, proving HE was the Giver of life.

It is JESUS alone who can bring those who are dead in their trespasses & sins to life [Ephesians 2:1-10].

It is HE alone who can make of us a new creation [2 Corinthians 5:17].

It is HE alone who can take this sin-torn world & replace it with an eternal kingdom, where sin & death are no more.

It is in HIM that you must place your trust for the forgiveness of sins & the assurance of eternal life.

There will come a day when this heaven & this earth will pass away, & GOD will create a new heaven & a new earth.

If you think that the first creation was great, you haven’t seen anything yet.

The new creation is far superior [Revelation 21:1ff.].

Are you ready for that day?

For those who have trusted in JESUS CHRIST, not only as their Creator, but also as their Savior, the fact that HE is the Creator answers many questions & solves many problems.

It should encourage us to be patient when we fear that GOD is not acting quickly enough.

After all, HE is eternal & is not in a hurry, & HE works through time-consuming processes.

When we face obstacles or opposition that cause us to fear, we need to remember that our LORD is both the Creator & the Sustainer of HIS universe.

He can employ any & every part of HIS creation to come to our aid.22 When we are suffering in one form or another & we begin to doubt GOD’s wisdom, let us remember that our GOD is the all-wise Creator of heaven & earth.

And when we wish to challenge GOD for HIS sovereign work of election, let us remember that HE is the Potter, & we are the clay; HE is the Creator, & we are the work of HIS hands.

GOD can do as HE wills with that which HE has made [see Romans 9:19-22].

Is it any wonder that the creation account of Genesis is under attack? The implications of the fact that GOD is the Creator of the heavens & the earth are astounding.

For the Christian, they are a source of comfort & joy.

For the unbeliever, they are terrifying.

What a wonderful truth it is that GOD is the Creator.

And to think that we have been invited to enter into intimate fellowship with HIM through HIS Son.

https://bible.org/passage https://bible.org/book/Genesis http://www.bible.org/docs/nt/books/luk/deffin/toc.htm madewithonerib.tumblr.com/post/639906721930854400 GOD-as-Creator-in-the-BIBLE-there-are-many-many https://madewithonerib.tumblr.com/post/639951858255953920/ RE: Dust-to-Glory-Creation-RC-Sproul-lecture-1

#create ex nihilo #something out of nothing

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