Hi community!

[drake_eld]

I've just discovered the technopaganism community and would like to say hello. This journal (the one I'm posting from) is my place for researching the subject of the old religions, and how they're affected by new discoveries in modern science. I've been spoken to with some disdain by pagans when they tell me that things like plastic, polymers,

Comments

[drake_eld]

Thanks for the suggestion! I was looking at your post as I was looking at that community and you're right, they do also seem to share some of my views. :) I hope to see more of these two communities in the future.

[fmephisto]

Why should things "of the earth" be more or less magickal than those otherwise?

[drake_eld]

I may have been vague. Objects foreign to the planet may also have their own sort of magical energy. The point I was trying to make was that synthetic materials aren't devoid of magic by any means.

[tehexile]

whats so special about this planet anyway? there are countless more in the universe, arguably one or two more able to support life.

[drake_eld]

Actually since life is such a loose term, I think that -all- planets in the universe, and perhaps stars as well, and other floating rocks, support life. Even if it's at a microbial level, or even if it's just self-replicating strands of proteins, like virii. They found microbes on Mars, they've found life in lava vents, some of the hottest observable places on our planet. -Complex- life? That's another matter. But we've only been to two planets so we're only 2 for 2, I could be wrong on my idea.

[tyrsalvia]

Tell us a little about your research? Have you published anything? Are you researching this for personal gratification, or some academic project?

[drake_eld]

Sadly no, I haven't published anything. I'm not a professional, nor am I a recognized religious figure. I'm just a guy with an imagination who has always spent his life dreaming; ask me in ten years' time and I may be a bit more than just an amateur researcher. Who knows? That depends on the kind of research I'm able to do and the kind of people I get to meet.

[lord_caramac]

All kinds of things have magical energy in them. Industrial products tend to have quite peculiar energies, no matter what kind of material they were made from.

Metals like iron are man-made, too. There is no iron in nature, only ore, a mixture of iron salts. You won't find brass or bronze in nature, those ancient alloys are man-made.

Of course, some natural materials, like wood, bone, leather, ivory, hair, they have been parts of living organisms rather recently, which makes them special. Other materials, like stone, have been created by extremely slow processes, so that makes those special, too.

What makes man-made materials special is that they have little connection to the non-human world. You might use them for magickal purposes, of course, because the World of Humans has lots of spirits and energies itself. If you want to keep some kind of connection to the non-human world, however, you will need to use other materials.

[drake_eld]

You know, that gives me a good idea. Maybe it would be reasonable to say that plastics and other polymers would make good wards against unwanted spirits and energies? Someone on the unnaturalpagans journal suggested that it makes a good insulator and I guess that's what he was suggesting.

I do remember reading a number of old legends that describe the faeriefolk (or the tuatha) and their hatred for black iron, as it was a man-made substance. How would they feel about plastic? It would be hard to ask one that today.

[lord_caramac]

Well, if I was a faerie, I wouldn't like plastic very much. Oh, I've been called a faerie, but not of THAT sort. ^_^

One day, I found a fake gemstone, made of clear plastic. A friend of mine had a lot of bad luck back then, so when I was down by the river Rhine with that girl, I discovered the plastic "gem" in my pocket, asked her to give it a silly name, think of that silly name as the unlucky energy. Then we sank that piece of plastic in the river, jumped around and shouted, "I sank it!" until we were literally ROFL. Well, I didn't get her into my bed as planned, but we had lots of fun, and her luck returned.

[telarus]

I'd just like to comment that 3 posts here from obvious discordians makes me very happy.

Gulik is our Vector, we shall not want!

[lord_caramac]

I think it should be at least 5.

[tlttlotd]

0x04 reporting in... do we have a 0x05 anywhere?

[drake_eld]

I confess I don't know the first thing about discordians. I don't know the first thing about a -lot- of traditions. But I'd like a chance to pick one's brain someday.