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 Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:25 pm
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Probably the most difficult and personal element of finding and choosing a path is the pantheon, what Gods or Goddesses you will invoke, evoke, and generally pay tribute to. The well documented ones can range from Norse mythology to Lovecraft, and quite honestly none of them appealed to me very much. Although I have been reading and continue to read a great deal about the practice of magic in various forms, I didn't relish the thought of reading up on any of the popular pantheons with the intention of worshipping them.
Instead, I came to realize that there is another patheon that I'm already very well versed in that can easily be applied to most magical traditions; superheroes. Before thinking on it any further, consider the theory put forward that certain correspondences or rituals are more effective because of how widely they're used and believed in. With that in mind, superheroes must have a massive potential for useage as deities and correspondences as it's been pointed out that Superman is more ubiquitous than Christ.
Superheroes are a contemporary pantheon whose exploits have been chronicled more exhaustively and allowing for easier access than anything else on record. All you have to do is take a trip to your local comic book store.
As with any magical tradition or pantheon, anyone who chooses to adopt the path of Super Magic! should take the utmost care in selecting characters for invocation and evocation, especially where supervillains are concerned. For instance, Poison Ivy is excellent for using as an Earth correspondence, but her uncompromising nature and amoral methods should be mitigated by a strong Air correspondence unless the magician is confident that they can cope with it.
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:26 pm
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:29 pm
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:36 pm
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:51 pm
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Suggested reading:
Superman
It's a Bird by Steven T. Seagle
All Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
Superman: For Tomorrow by Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee
Batman
Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli
The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller with Lynne Varley and Klaus Jensen
Batman A Go Go by Mike Allred
Catwoman
Selina's Big Score by Darwyn Cooke
Catwoman: Crooked Little Town
Catwoman: Relentless
Spider Jerusalem
Transmetropolitan (Back on the Streets, Lust for Life, Year of the b*****d, The New Scum, Lonely City, Gouge Away, Spider's Thrash, Dirge, The Cure, One More Time, Tales of Human Waste) by Warren Ellis, Darrick Robertson, and Rodney Ramos
Zatanna
Seven Soldiers of Victory: Zatanna 1-4 by Grant Morrison and Ryan Sook
The Books of Magic by Neil Gaiman
Wonder Woman
The Hiketeia by Greg Rucka
JLA: League of One by Christopher Moeller
Promethea
Promethea by Alan Moore, JH Williams III, and Mick Grey
Jack Hawksmoor
The Authority by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:52 pm
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:53 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2006 6:53 pm
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Posted: Sun Apr 30, 2006 9:00 pm
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Posted: Mon May 01, 2006 8:15 pm
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Hokaru Moneru batman has no powers, he has money.
He also has a drive and force of will that any spellcaster should be envious of and striving to achieve. Lots of people lose their parents, lots of people have personal tragedies. How many people turn that neurosis into an all-consuming, world-changing power?
Sure, Batman has money. He also has training (you aren't born knowing how to fight), high intelligence (all those inventions don't just fall out of the sky), drive, and a host of other abilities highly prized by spellcasters, particularly Ceremonial Magicians and the like. He's had the determination and will to train in martial arts, the creativity and innovation to create new and better crime-fighting weaponry and defense, the insight into psychodrama to create a symbol of fear rather than just go out fighting crime as himself or as a guy in a regular outfit. The people of Gotham have a primitive bat-signal sigil with which they summon him, for crying out loud.
Furthermore, he sacrifices his ordinary rich-guy life to become something more and greater, and to do what his Will dictates. He's also mastered the art of keeping silent, also prized among CMs, by maintaining a whole second identity. How different is this, really, from a magician separating their day-to-day self from their spiritual self? From concealing your spiritual practices when the need strikes? From sacrificing a part of yourself to become something different? These are all prized qualities in many different spellcrafting traditions. We could all only hope to be as badass as Batman.
If I were a more archetype-digging gal, I'd also point out the usefulness of the symbology of the Batman/Joker conflict, which is epic and terrible in its scale, and its similarities to many many many hero/antihero conflicts in mythology. But I'm not an archetype-diggin' gal.
I wouldn't go so far as to say for me personally comicbooks are modern myths, but to dismiss them outright when they draw so heavily upon said myths is, I feel, rather a mistake; this kind of thread is a great presence and, IMO, totally warrants further discussion.
I'll also note again that many of my comicbook favorites embody qualities that would make fine spellcasters (hell, some already are).
Quote: And most of their super powers came into being through radio active radiation. Go ahead and go bake yourself under those waves if you want.
You don't read an awful lot of comicbooks, do you? |
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Posted: Tue May 02, 2006 7:57 am
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Sivirs Hokaru Moneru batman has no powers, he has money. He also has a drive and force of will that any spellcaster should be envious of and striving to achieve. Lots of people lose their parents, lots of people have personal tragedies. How many people turn that neurosis into an all-consuming, world-changing power?
That is not a magic power. That is willpower.
Sivirs Sure, Batman has money. He also has training (you aren't born knowing how to fight), high intelligence (all those inventions don't just fall out of the sky), drive, and a host of other abilities highly prized by spellcasters, particularly Ceremonial Magicians and the like. He's had the determination and will to train in martial arts, the creativity and innovation to create new and better crime-fighting weaponry and defense, the insight into psychodrama to create a symbol of fear rather than just go out fighting crime as himself or as a guy in a regular outfit. The people of Gotham have a primitive bat-signal sigil with which they summon him, for crying out loud.
Some people are born knowing instinctivly how to fight. The reason he got all that training was because of money. Those inventions were taken from his company, Again, determination is not a superpower. If it were, all firemen would be this kind of superhero. (they are one in their own way however, saving lives every day) But if we are going by that, then everyone in the world is a kind of super-hero. Everyone has a drive that make them achieve their goals, so they are all super-heros.
Sivirs Furthermore, he sacrifices his ordinary rich-guy life to become something more and greater, and to do what his Will dictates. He's also mastered the art of keeping silent, also prized among CMs, by maintaining a whole second identity. How different is this, really, from a magician separating their day-to-day self from their spiritual self? From concealing your spiritual practices when the need strikes? From sacrificing a part of yourself to become something different? These are all prized qualities in many different spellcrafting traditions. We could all only hope to be as badass as Batman.
Many people around the world do this. Everything you are saying is because of training. Batman is bad-a**, but not because he has magic or superpowers. His real super-power is money. Almost everything you have said could not have happened without money. Without money, no batmobile, not bat-signal, no suit, no utility belt, no alter-ego, no batamarangs.
Sivirs Quote: And most of their super powers came into being through radio active radiation. Go ahead and go bake yourself under those waves if you want. You don't read an awful lot of comicbooks, do you?
no, i stopped when i was 11.
Although i do still watch the movies and the cartoons. But the majority of people did get them through radio-active radiation. Green lantern, hulk, the comet, spider-man, fantastic-four (radioactive space cloud) (superman loses his), the fly, the torch, the shield, the avenger, (same thing with villains)ex: the red skull (or is it just skull?) |
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Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 8:18 pm
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Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 7:40 pm
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Gideon Starorzewski Probably the most difficult and personal element of finding and choosing a path is the pantheon, what Gods or Goddesses you will invoke, evoke, and generally pay tribute to. The well documented ones can range from Norse mythology to Lovecraft, and quite honestly none of them appealed to me very much. Although I have been reading and continue to read a great deal about the practice of magic in various forms, I didn't relish the thought of reading up on any of the popular pantheons with the intention of worshipping them.
Instead, I came to realize that there is another patheon that I'm already very well versed in that can easily be applied to most magical traditions; superheroes. Before thinking on it any further, consider the theory put forward that certain correspondences or rituals are more effective because of how widely they're used and believed in. With that in mind, superheroes must have a massive potential for useage as deities and correspondences as it's been pointed out that Superman is more ubiquitous than Christ.
Superheroes are a contemporary pantheon whose exploits have been chronicled more exhaustively and allowing for easier access than anything else on record. All you have to do is take a trip to your local comic book store.
As with any magical tradition or pantheon, anyone who chooses to adopt the path of Super Magic! should take the utmost care in selecting characters for invocation and evocation, especially where supervillains are concerned. For instance, Poison Ivy is excellent for using as an Earth correspondence, but her uncompromising nature and amoral methods should be mitigated by a strong Air correspondence unless the magician is confident that they can cope with it.
I have to admit, I have often considered a similiar method; I subscribe to the theory that states that all concepts of divinity that we should chose to name are all just seperating and portioning off different aspects of the same, omnipotent force.
I suppose I'll get into that theory at a later point on this guild...but enough of that.
My stopping point is...well...honestly I can't really pray to Superman and still take myself serriously in the morning. Pulling off of pop-culture makes WONDERFUL theoretical sense to me; these are the idea and images that speak to our psyche, much like the mythology of those long forgotten days spoke to our ancestors.
However, I can get over feeling like an absolute idiot over it. |
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 3:46 am
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Hokaru Moneru That is not a magic power. That is willpower.
Will is a massive part of Ceremonial magic.
Hokaru Moneru Some people are born knowing instinctivly how to fight.
No they aren't. No martial artist worth their salt, and I know several, will agree with that statement.
Hokaru Moneru The reason he got all that training was because of money.
No. The reason he got all that training was to focus his rage. The money just facilitated it.
Hokaru Moneru Those inventions were taken from his company
Actually, most of his inventions came from third parties. He bought most of them elsewhere to limit the paper trail.
Hokaru Moneru Again, determination is not a superpower.
I would state that, in the combination given, Batman's archetypes are super.
Hokaru Moneru If it were, all firemen would be this kind of superhero.
Definitely not.
Hokaru Moneru Everyone has a drive that make them achieve their goals, so they are all super-heros.
No they don't. Most people lack drive. What sets batman aside from normal people is he is driven to become more than a man, to become a symbol.
Hokaru Moneru Many people around the world do this. Everything you are saying is because of training.
No. It's because of training, discipline, drive, will and focus. All of which are things any decent Ceremonial Magician should strive for. There are rituals in CM that take six months to perform.
A ring, not radiation. |
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Posted: Tue Jul 04, 2006 1:26 pm
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Reply
