Myth and the Magus

Wow, this book was good! I got hooked on it even before we were assigned to start reading.
The beginning didn't bother me as much as Professor Sexson warned us it was going to, but then again I can't resist a love story. I did start getting pissed off at Nicholas towards the end of his affair; what a cold-hearted guy!
I think the whole beginning story was completely necessary though; it sets you up for the rest of the book when things get completely out of control. Having the normal, albeit frustrating romantic problems to compare with puts the "labyrinth" in that much sharper relief, and also sort of gives you a sense that justice has been served; the key to the mind-trip that is this book isn't that you should root for the main character, but that he is human and therefore insanely flawed. He needs the masque to realize what he is missing out on in life, and that is exactly what happens at the end. I agree with Jerrod in that this book's ending fits it and the mythological overtones perfectly. In myth you can never be sure how the story ends; either it is left hanging or there are dozens of different recorded endings, each with its own character. Since this book doesn't "end" in a traditional sense, it leaves you open to ascribe whatever ending you'd like, which is precisely what myth is: uncertainty, one of the main themes in the Magus. In this book, you can't even be sure if you ARE sure, because that is sure sign that you are right back where you started. Surely.
One of the most apparent examples of this unsteadiness is Nicholas' relationship with Lily. Every time he thinks he is sure of her identity or feelings for him she takes him that much further down the rabbit hole. I think one of the messages of this book is never to be too sure of yourself or anything, or "pride goeth before a fall". Conchis is trying to teach Nicholas to open his mind, but every time he refuses to by trying to ground the situation back into reality, he just gets more frustrated by the added twists and turns of the masque.

Fear and Politics

"Whether they are philosophers, as proposed in the Republic, or men concerned with the Good, as he likes to pretend in the Laws, ultimate power is concentrated in the hands of the guardians. But Plato did no think of them as hypothetical figures: on the contrary, the guardians already existed, in the wealthy Peloponnese. They were the great sophists Socrates had mentioned in Protagoras, those who used their sophistry not to show off their glory but to hide it. They were the ephors, first example of a wholly godless power. But they didn't let people see that side of them either; on the contrary, not content with all the existing cults, they brought in a new one, to which they were deeply devoted. They built a temple to Fear, close to the communal dining hall. "They didn't honor her as a dark demon to be kept at bay, but because they believed that the State was held together mainly thanks to fear."" (Calasso, 264)

This observation of the politics of Sparta is interesting because it is so similar to the way things work today. Our political decisions are still primarily motivated by fear, whether they be individual or national. The Spartan "guardians" at least did their population the service of admitting that they were keeping everyone under control using fear tactics by building a huge temple to the emotion. Modern leaders are a little more sneaky; they don't broadcast their methods of psychological control to the populace, because that would probably result in an upheaval of the carefully built order, but if one looks hard these forces can still be seen at work.

Smudging Ceremony

Smudging is a Native American tradition which I have actually taken part in. It is a purifying ritual and thankfully, doesn't involve any blood and gore. A smudge stick is a bundle of dried "sacred herbs" that are burned to produce different spiritual results. To smudge a person, light the stick and then blow it out so it is still smoking. Wave the stick in a clockwise motion in front of the person , concentrating on their heart area. If you are smudging a space, walk clockwise around it with the smoking bundle of herbs.
There are many different kinds of herbs for different purposes:
Sage- used for purifying (drives away negative energy)
Cedar- purifying
Sweetgrass- brings positive energy (most effective when burned after you've smudged with sage)
Lavender- creates a peaceful and calm atmosphere
Mugwort- stimulates psychic awareness
Osha- brings good luck
Juniper- purifying

Myths are like onions..

 I have been reading The Magus nonstop lately, and as the story develops I can't help but notice a lot of parallels with Calasso. One of the ones that stood out to me was the concept of the layers of a story, particularly in mythology; the idea that whatever is happening to you has happened many times before, or that looking back on a story in different ways changes it so much that no one can be sure what the "real" version is, and therefore there exist many versions of the story, all equally mythological. Conchis talks about this during one of his late night chats with Nicholas.
"I was here and this house was here, you and I and this evening were here, and they had always been there, like reflections of my own coming. It was like a dream. I had been walking towards a closed , and by the sudden magic its impenetrable wood became glass, through which I saw myself coming from the other direction, the future." (Fowles, 108-109)
The symbol of the mirror is one that comes up time and again in mythology. I think this is because of all the repetition that happens in myths; whether it is of a situation, time, or story line. Each repetition creates a new layer of detail, enriching the story. So myths end up like onions, or croissants; much tastier because of the many layers!!

Thought-provoking creation story: The Egg

I found this story on Stumbleupon and it made me think of the creation stories that we have been studying in class; it really makes you think!

The Egg

By: Andy Weir

You were on your way home when you died.

It was a car accident. Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless. You left behind a wife and two children. It was a painless death. The EMTs tried their best to save you, but to no avail. Your body was so utterly shattered you were better off, trust me.

And that’s when you met me.

“What… what happened?” You asked. “Where am I?”

“You died,” I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.

“There was a… a truck and it was skidding…”

“Yup,” I said.

“I… I died?”

“Yup. But don’t feel bad about it. Everyone dies,” I said.

You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. “What is this place?” You asked. “Is this the afterlife?”

“More or less,” I said.

“Are you god?” You asked.

“Yup,” I replied. “I’m God.”

“My kids… my wife,” you said.

“What about them?”

“Will they be all right?”

“That’s what I like to see,” I said. “You just died and your main concern is for your family. That’s good stuff right there.”

You looked at me with fascination. To you, I didn’t look like God. I just looked like some man. Or possibly a woman. Some vague authority figure, maybe. More of a grammar school teacher than the almighty.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “They’ll be fine. Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way. They didn’t have time to grow contempt for you. Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved. To be fair, your marriage was falling apart. If it’s any consolation, she’ll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.”

“Oh,” you said. “So what happens now? Do I go to heaven or hell or something?”

“Neither,” I said. “You’ll be reincarnated.”

“Ah,” you said. “So the Hindus were right,”

“All religions are right in their own way,” I said. “Walk with me.”

You followed along as we strode through the void. “Where are we going?”

“Nowhere in particular,” I said. “It’s just nice to walk while we talk.”

“So what’s the point, then?” You asked. “When I get reborn, I’ll just be a blank slate, right? A baby. So all my experiences and everything I did in this life won’t matter.”

“Not so!” I said. “You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don’t remember them right now.”

I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders. “Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It’s like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it’s hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you’ve gained all the experiences it had.

“You’ve been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven’t stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you’d start remembering everything. But there’s no point to doing that between each life.”

“How many times have I been reincarnated, then?”

“Oh lots. Lots and lots. An in to lots of different lives.” I said. “This time around, you’ll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD.”

“Wait, what?” You stammered. “You’re sending me back in time?”

“Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from.”

“Where you come from?” You said.

“Oh sure,” I explained “I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you’ll want to know what it’s like there, but honestly you wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh,” you said, a little let down. “But wait. If I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.”

“Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan you don’t even know it’s happening.”

“So what’s the point of it all?”

“Seriously?” I asked. “Seriously? You’re asking me for the meaning of life? Isn’t that a little stereotypical?”

“Well it’s a reasonable question,” you persisted.

I looked you in the eye. “The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.”

“You mean mankind? You want us to mature?”

“No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect.”

“Just me? What about everyone else?”

“There is no one else,” I said. “In this universe, there’s just you and me.”

You stared blankly at me. “But all the people on earth…”

“All you. Different incarnations of you.”

“Wait. I’m everyone!?”

“Now you’re getting it,” I said, with a congratulatory slap on the back.

“I’m every human being who ever lived?”

“Or who will ever live, yes.”

“I’m Abraham Lincoln?”

“And you’re John Wilkes Booth, too,” I added.

“I’m Hitler?” You said, appalled.

“And you’re the millions he killed.”

“I’m Jesus?”

“And you’re everyone who followed him.”

You fell silent.

“Every time you victimized someone,” I said, “you were victimizing yourself. Every act of kindness you’ve done, you’ve done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you.”

You thought for a long time.

“Why?” You asked me. “Why do all this?”

“Because someday, you will become like me. Because that’s what you are. You’re one of my kind. You’re my child.”

“Whoa,” you said, incredulous. “You mean I’m a god?”

“No. Not yet. You’re a fetus. You’re still growing. Once you’ve lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.”

“So the whole universe,” you said, “it’s just…”

“An egg.” I answered. “Now it’s time for you to move on to your next life.”

And I sent you on your way.

...And we all fall down

Today in class when we were talking about the theme of the fall in myths, it reminded me of this song by the Avett Brothers that addresses that very topic. (and it's a great song!)

enjoy!

Gods among men

"The change brought with it a new exhilaration and a new terror. All previous manifestations seemed tenative and cautious by comparison; they hadn't risked the boldest of adventures, which is precisely that of the gods' disguising themselves as human in a human world, having passed through the whole gamut of metamorphoses. Then this last disguise was more exciting than the others. More exciting and more dangerous. For it might well be that the gods' divinity may no longer be grasped in its fullness. On earth they would meet people who treated them with too much familiarity, maybe even provoked them." (54)

Calasso brings up an interesting point in this passage. The relationship between humans and their gods has been ever-changing throughout history, which in turn changes the way gods are portrayed in mythology. In my opinion, this stage of contact is the most interesting for the purpose of weaving tales about the gods, because if the gods appear in human form we humans can relate the best to them.
The second part of the quote refers to the "danger" of this change. It is dangerous for the gods, because if they lose their temper, or get embarrassed, or do any of a multitude of other things that modern society has come to think of God(s) as "above," they could lose some of their detachment to the world, and therefore some of their power (having personally invested themselves in it). This approach to religion obviously didn't work out, because now beliefs in god normally place him in a location distinctly separate from earth (Heaven) and not appearing to humans ever in their mortal lives. But it sure makes good stories!