Katagami-sama

[Tenzin Chodron]

型神様
「Katagami-sama」



誕生日: 一月五日二千六年

The characters used to spell Katagami-sama's name mean "God of Forms." By "forms," the implication is of "martial arts forms." But as it stands, this name "God of Forms" is meant as a slight pun concerning his fox-spirit attributes of shape-shifting.

Katagami-sama (the name) is, in actuality, an acronym for a much longer name. His full name is Kagayakashikute Taiyouno Shiniryuu-Kitsune-Sama. (The "gami" part is an alternative pronunciation for the character that is pronounced here as "shin" meaning "divine" or "god".) In Japanese the full name looks like this: 輝かしくて太陽の神竜狐様. This can be translated as "Glorious Solar Draconic Fox God."

He is an all-purpose being, more than a simple servitor. At this point in time, only one who has a contract with him can call upon him for assistance, and there is a specific format for the contract. This ensures that he will only respond to as many people as he can handle. As he evolves and grows he will be able to take on more contracts. There are no limitations on him except that his power can grow only in direct proportion to his wisdom, and as his wisdom grows, so does his compassion.

Katagami-sama's greatest asset is his growing understanding of hitsuzen. The Kodansha Japanese Desk Dictionary (Second Edition) defines hitsuzen as:

Quote:

A natural fore-ordained event. A state in which other outcomes are impossible. A result which can only be obtained by a single causality, and other causalities would necessarily create different results.

I will be using this thread to build upon Katagami-sama, proposing experiments, posting results, and offering contracts on his behalf. Please be advised: Everything surrounding Katagami-sama and his operations will be terribly auspicious. I will not speak in common Chaos Magic lingo, but you're absolutely free to think in such terminology. The reason for this is to build a reality around Katagami-sama, free from the trappings of foreign paradigms. This will be the way of things until such a time that Katagami can navigate paradigms as proficiently as a human being (at the very least).

Katagami-sama is not yet ready to be employed as he is still in development. I have purchased a box (seen below) in which I have lined the bottom with ashes from incense. I have also placed six drops of sandalwood oil. The box is kept closed at all times during his development.

御元気で  

[Cerulean Crayon]

Hitsuzen sounds oddly familiar, and I think I've seen that picture, as well...Another crazed fan of xXxHolic? Well, this looks interesting, but what is it, per se?  

[Tenzin Chodron]

Cerulean Crayon

Hitsuzen sounds oddly familiar, and I think I've seen that picture, as well...Another crazed fan of xXxHolic? Well, this looks interesting, but what is it, per se?

Yes, I admit my adoration of xxxHolic. This is a servitor, a spirit created by a human being for a specific purpose (usually). Servitors are usually temporary, programmed to dissolve once their task is complete. Longer-lasting ones can later evolve into an egregore (a thinking spirit), and can go even further as a godform.  

[Tenzin Chodron]

To bind him to his name, and seal the gap between entity and identity, I created a small scroll measuring five centimeters wide and thirty centimeters long. On one side I wrote out his full name. Underneath that, I wrote his shorter name, date of birth, and his nature. At the far right of the scroll (on both sides) I created the following kanji:

The radical to the left is someone praying, the radical to the top right is the sun, and below that is the kanji for "fox." This was written in gold ink on a 3cm by 3cm black square. The end of the scroll with this seal was then covered with packing tape to help preserve it. I then cut out the shape seen below (the black part was cut out) and held it down on the scroll while I soaked the shape in sandalwood oil. The result is that where the oil seeped through onto the scroll, the scroll became semi-transparent with oil.

Next, using more ash from burned incense, I spread the ash over the scroll and used a cloth to stain the paper on both sides. The transparencies became darkened from the ash.

The scroll was then rolled up tightly and bound with yellow string (which was previously used to bind sticks of incense imported from Nepal. Heat from a burning gold candle was briefly used to give warmth to the name. The name was then placed inside the box, and the box closed once more.  

[Tenzin Chodron]

I used Nag Champa incense. There isn't any significance to this incense other than the quantity I have, and the fact that it appeals to me. I think it is beneficial to have Katagami-sama incubated, as this forces me to take time, care, and invest quite a bit of effort in his creation and development. More than I would with any other sort of being.

I plan to add more and more things to the box as time goes on. I've completed a second scroll upon which is written the mantra from the Heart Sutra in Classical Chinese. There is also some Tibetan script written on it. It is currently sitting inside a statute of Anubis where the scroll will sit for some time before it's ready to be transfered to the box.

I would love to get that kanji etched onto a good piece of jade. In the meantime, I will be shopping around for other stones and herbs to add to the box. Eventually I will add smaller scrolls upon which are written prayers.

Also at some point, I will draft a standard contract to keep handy.  

[Tenzin Chodron]

Yesterday I was drinking Japanese plum wine when Katagami-sama requested some. I made a small offering which seemed to satisfy him. Afterward, I removed the Heart Sutra scroll from the statue of Anubis, which was pulsing with energy, and I placed it inside the box. I burned more incense and added the ashes to the box as well. I should also note that the spirit of the acorn that I was given from the tree near the University requested to be placed inside the box as well.

Today I will be adding sandalwood mala to the box.  

[Tenzin Chodron]

A friend writes:

Quote:

At what point does the Wisdom outweigh the Contractual Binding, and Vice-Versa? If the contract, signed and bound, ultimately requires something "unwise", is there a point where Katagami-Sama says "no"? Or would the binding contract override the common sense factor?

That's an excellent question! I had never considered it before this point, so I am grateful that this question (along with the others asked beforehand) is helping to deepen the progress of this project. Thank you!

The contract is completely binding. If both parties agree to the contract, then both parties agree to fulfill the contract to the best of their abilities. The auspicious nature of the contract helps to ensure this. Eventually I would like to link the contractual binding to major celestial and terrestrial figures - this would not only lend incredible potency to the work as a whole, but it would also create more serious consequences should the contract be broken.

Now of course all of this means I'm going to need to brush up on my divinatory skills (I've recently picked up my I-Ching again), so that should it appear that Katagami-sama has failed to fulfill a contract, I can check to see if this is true. If it is, then it can be dealt with from there. If it is not, then I can inform the one who signed the contract why, and where to look for "results."

So to directly answer your question, if Katagami-sama's better wisdom (or mine) permits his entry into a contract with someone, then there is an obligation to fulfill it. If it turns out that it would be unwise to pursue the contract, then there is no backing out. For this reason, and because of the celestial and terrestrial links, responsibility for the contract and its work will fall with the one directing the work (the one who signs it).

On the other hand, if Katagami-sama's better wisdom (or mine) says that he should not enter into a contract with someone for one reason or another, then he will not, and I will try my best to give an explanation as to why (should I understand why - if I do not, then I will consult the I-Ching, or some other reliable Oracle).  

[TheDisreputableDog]

Not being versed in Chaos Magic which you mentioned in the first post, I have some questions about the techniques you're using for Katagami-sama's development. Is the concept to borrow power from any source while he's incubating until he has power of his own? Because I was under the impression that Chaos Magic was more about the "practical" i.e. magical aspects rather than the spiritual aspects of a particular pantheon or pantheons--is that why Katagami-sama is drawing his power from several sacred traditions?

My apologies if I've misunderstood something. 3nodding I'm just curious.  

[Tenzin Chodron]

TheDisreputableDog

Not being versed in Chaos Magic which you mentioned in the first post, I have some questions about the techniques you're using for Katagami-sama's development. Is the concept to borrow power from any source while he's incubating until he has power of his own? Because I was under the impression that Chaos Magic was more about the "practical" i.e. magical aspects rather than the spiritual aspects of a particular pantheon or pantheons--is that why Katagami-sama is drawing his power from several sacred traditions?

It is presumed that Katagami-sama has his own power from the beginning, much like a human being. If he requires more, then he can seek out feasible sources and work with them. As he grows, so does his wisdom, and his power.

Chaos magic asserts that if it works, use it. This is very practical advise. Things that can work include belief or faith. A chaote, for a working, could convince him or herself that they are Catholic. The key is that if it's a useful belief for a specific magical, psychological, or spiritual working, then it's fair game.  

[Tenzin Chodron]

今日
「today」

Today I burned more incense and added the ashes to the box. I also added an unbroken "wish" bone for a couple reasons. The first being that the bone, being from a deceased animal, represents both life and death. It demonstrates physically the transcient nature of life, and of all things in the greater context. The second reason being the superstition surrounding
om mani padme hum om mani pedmthe wishbone tradition.

Two people with their pinky fingers wrapped around either side of the bone make a wish. They pull simultaneously and break the bone. Whoever ends up with the larger piece of the bone has the greater fortune, so their wish is more likely to come true. The power to grant wishes is the second reason I added the bone to the box.  

[Gideon Starorzewski]

I recognize the ideas in this that are parallel to Chaos Magic, I'll be watching this with a great deal of interest.  

[Tenzin Chodron]

Today I began work on a mandala to aid with divination. Katagami-sama requested that he help with the project. Here is what we came up with:

The standard three-interlocking squares with the symbols for the four directions, the elements I associate with them, the Sun, and the Moon were all my influence. Katagami-sama suggested that instead of simply having the symbol of the moon in the lower right corner, I should spend more time on it, putting in symbols for the lunar cycle. It was also his idea to include the tai chi and the i-ching trigrams in the center. It was also his idea to include four hanzi (Chinese characters) that appear on i-ching coins. I opted to place the Tibetan syllables for the mantra "om mani padme hum" around it, and Katagami-sama suggested that I place Tara's mantra in there as well.

This piece will be used for performing readings using the i-ching or tarot (I still have a deck that I haven't used in years). Since Katagami-sama's influence helped in the creation of this piece, it is partially dedicated to him. It is also dedicated to the enlightened masters who help in the art of divination itself. I plan to have it laminated as soon as I can get to a place that does lamination.  

[Tenzin Chodron]

As seen in Photoshop:

 

[Ultima the High Seraph]

yo, b***h! where's our update?



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