Monday, February 21, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Haxan: Witchcraft Throughout The Ages
"Häxan is a 1922 Swedish/Danish silent film written and directed by Benjamin Christensen. Based partly on Christensen's study of the Malleus Maleficarum, a 15th century German guide for inquisitors, Häxan is a study of how superstition and the misunderstanding of diseases and mental illness could lead to the hysteria of the witch-hunts. The film was made as a documentary but contains dramatized sequences that are comparable to horror films. With Christensen's meticulous recreation of medieval scenes and the lengthy production period, the film was the most expensive Scandinavian silent film ever made, costing nearly two million Swedish krona. Although it won acclaim in Denmark and Sweden, the film was banned in the United States and heavily censored in other countries for what were considered at that time graphic depictions of torture, nudity, and sexual perversion." -From Wikipedia
The Criterion Collection on Haxan
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The Long Life Practice of Mapang Yinchen
The Phurpa is triple sided Tibetan ritual dagger or stake. Tibetan meaning for Phurpa refers to a stake used for tethering or a peg used for securing a tent. While other objects of similar shape can be considered Phurpa, it is usually a knife with three distinct segments, one of which is a characterstic three - sided blade or point. The segments and the triple blade represent the three spirit worlds, while the Phurpa as a whole symbolizes the "worlds axis" bring all three worlds together. This Ritual Buddhist Dagger or dart symbolizes the slaying or destruction of foe or obstructions. This ritual object is usually made of various clay, woods, metals or human or monkey bones or a combination which is considered a powerful element for driving away evil spirits, however wood and bone are also used and often required for certain ritual events. The lower part of the blade is said to represent "Method" while the handle "Wisdom". These would have been two objects that were vital in the survival of people in these hash regions. The Phurpa is patterned after an ancient Vedic tool, a stake used to tether sacrifical animals. It is also regarded as a powerful weapon which subdues evil spirits and negative energies, transforming them into positive forces.
The Phurpa also Phurpa is a ritual dagger (not meant to actually hurt in any way a sentient living being, the blade is not sharp). It is used against evil spirits by the tantric practioner. The idea is not release the spirit out of its suffering and thereby buide it to a better rebirth. A spirit (more commonly the ghost in the west) is a non physical being which lingers in confusion between differnt realms. By plunging the dagger in it, it will be thrown out of its confussion and thus gets the chance to be reborn (probably a lower kind than human realm). Phurpa is used as a means of destroying voilence, hatred, and aggression by tying them to the blade of the Phurpa and then vanquishing them with its tip. Phurpa (Ritual Dagger) is used in the ritual slaying of negative emotions, such as anger. It is regarded as possessing magical powers, and is an essential artifact uses sacred mask dances. It is also regarded as a powerful weapon which subdues evil spirits and negative energies, transforming them into positive forces. It is therefore that the Phurpa is not a physical weapon, but a spiritual implement, and should be regarded as such. The Phurpas were traditionally for the use of hunting down the demons. Certain demons however, are immune to attack from any earthly weapon. Thuse when a meteor fell out of the
POWER OF PHURPA:
The Phurpa bears may abilities;
Phurpa - Ritual Dagger is used to drive away evil spirits or negativity.
Phurpa causes aggravated damage and double damage to spirits.
Phurpa is capable of moving under it's own power by flying about and is quite fast and capable of lifting a man off the ground (When attempting to resist the Phurpa by main strength, the Phurpa has strenght of four unless thime magic or some other cheat is used, you will not be able to outrun it).
The faces on either side of the pommel can animate and bite anyone gripping the handle (This causes completely negligible damage but requires a Sta roll against a different of eight to hang on to it).
Phurpa can unerringly track any being whose blood it has already tasted.
Anyone killed by a Phurpa, has his psychic linkges severed and is thrust into oblivion.
Victims of the Phurpa never return as ghosts.
Phurpa also has the strange effect of completely crasing the cause of death to any form of scrying except time magic. Prime, spirit and mind magic will yield nothing in term of sensory impressions and even Necromancy will draw a blank.
Any Euthanatos using this dagger should keep a close eye on his Jhor taint.
Since the blade of Phurpa is triangula in shape, wounds that are caused by it will not close by themselves, this causes the victim to lose his health conditions.
Lastly, Phurpa are immune to destrucion with entropy, matter or forces magic. Attempting to use any kind of magic or control the dagger will invite attack.
USE OF PHURPA:
The Phurpa - Ceremonial Dagger, is a central ritual tool for all shamanic rituals - so central, in fact, that its use is rearely specified but simply presumed. Phurpa in Buddhist ceremonies to exorcise demons or as a spiritual nail to pin down the distractions of gree, desire, envy. The sides of the Phurpa destroy the three poisons: attachment, aversion, delusion.
Phurpa also Phurpa is used as a means of destroying voilence, hatred, and aggression by tying them to the blade of the Phurpa and then vanquishing them with its tip. Phurpa (Ritual Dagger) is used in the ritual slaying of negative emotions, such as anger. It is regarded as possessing magical powers, and is an essential artifact uses sacred mask dances. It is also regarded as a powerful weapon which subdues evil spirits and negative energies, transforming them into positive forces. It is therefore that the Phurpa is not a physical weapon, but a spiritual implement, and should be regarded as such. The Phurpas were traditionally for the use of hunting down the demons. Certain demons however, are immune to attack from any earthly weapon.
Phurpa also Phurba is used to pin down restless energy and create a stable "protected" and thus "hallowed ground." It is often used in tantric ceremonies to intiate a protective circle by establishing a boundary of Phurpa stakes nailed into the ground and connected by a thread or threads of a certain color. The Phurpa may be of various woods, clay, metals or human or monkey bones or a combination. But is is more than a ritual object; in Nepal during a healing it is the Jhankri (a man who chases evil spirits away) himself. During his trance, the Jhankri transforms his spiritual body into a Phurpa and takes flight through the spirit worlds in this form. It is considered be one of the ultimate weapons of intention and is never to be used casually.
The Phurpa as an implement is also directly related to Dorje Phurpa or Vajrakilla, a wrathful deity of Tibetan Buddhism who is often seen with his consort Dorje Phagmo or Vajra Varahi. He is embodied in the Phurpa as a means of destroying voilence, hatred, and aggression by tying them to the blade of the Phurpa and then vanquishing them with its tip. It is therefore that the Phurpa is not a physical weapon, but a spiritual implement, and should be regarded as such.
Skulls Smuggled for Monks' Chalices
June 21, 2007—No bones about it—this collection of skulls and femurs was part of an international smuggling operation, Indian officials announced Tuesday.
The skeleton stash was headed to Buddhist monasteries in Bhutan, a neighboring Himalayan kingdom.
"During interrogation [the gang] confessed that the hollow human thigh bones were in great demand in monasteries and were used as blow-horns, and the skulls as vessels to drink from at religious ceremonies," investigating officer Ravinder Nalwa told the Reuters news service Tuesday.
Police officers found the bones in Jaigaon, India, on the border with Bhutan.
In April police in Jaigaon had uncovered a human-bones factory and arrested six people. The factory's bones had come from cremation centers on the Ganges River in Varanasi, a Hindu holy city. They were being sold to students of traditional medicine.
Eastern India was once a flourishing center for the export of human skeletons. The government banned the trade in the late 1980s after human rights groups questioned bone-collection practices.
Today, as evidence surrounding the bones continues to surface, police suspect the region could be the center of an expansive underground industry.
—Cori Sue Morris
Original Article
Human Thighbone Kangling
With its wailing, eerie sound, the bone trumpet, or kangling, is intrinsic to the otherworldly atmosphere created by the Chöd ritual. Made of a human thigh bone (Tibetan: kang = leg, ling = flute), it is a musical instrument with very special—and very magical—qualities. At first glance, one might assume that the kangling was assimilated from Himalayan shamanism or the ancient Bön religion that pre-dated the entry of Buddhism into Tibet. In fact, the thigh bone trumpet was not used by either of these older traditions. The long bones of the human body form a natural club or other utensil, but just as in Western culture, ancient societies did not use human remains casually. In fact, the reverse was true, ancestral bones being considered either sacred objects of reverence, or strictly taboo. Besides, animal bones, sinews and horns were readily available for a variety of practical uses.
Indian Origins
In actuality, the kangling is part of an ensemble of sacred instruments that emerged from the tantric crucible of India some fifteen hundred years ago. There, both Shaviite and Buddhist yogins and yoginis lived as wandering ascetics, staying close to charnel grounds, wearing bone ornaments, and using a unique group of ritual implements, including the human skullcup. These same objects, worn by the deities described in tantric liturgies, also appeared in the great monasteries of the time, used for both their profound symbolic meaning, and as objects possessing inherent spiritual power. Buddhist tantric religion and lifestyle—the Vajrayana—began arriving in Tibet around 800 A.D, and the kangling appeared in these Himalayan regions some time over the next century. However, it is only with Machik that we see the emergence of the thigh bone as an important and widespread ritual instrument, essential for the brilliant new form of spiritual practice that would sweep across the fertile valleys and desolate mountain ranges of Tibet.
The Basic Kangling
The kangling is a simple length of femoral bone, from the knee joint to about half way up the thigh. Thus, the size of the trumpet varies according to the stature of the former owner, being approximately 12 inches in overall length and 3” inches in diameter along the shaft. A hollow path is created by removal of the marrow, and holes are made in the two sides of the knee protuberances (epicondyles). These are also hollowed out to create two bells, creating a kind of double-headed trumpet. The blowing end is usually scalloped or beveled inward slightly to form a conical mouth piece. This makes an effective horn, capable of surprisingly loud and piercing sounds. In order to keep the interior dry and free of microorganisms, beeswax is poured through the kangling, and a hot metal rod used to clear a central path. This creates a moisture barrier, as well as making the sound more resonant and clear. Fresh bones were readily available in old Tibet where, as still occurs today, the corpse was dismembered and feed to the vultures during traditional sky burials. Now, as then, such rites are often presided over by chöpas, using rituals that transform this final offering of the body into a sacred act.
Sources of the Kangling
Various texts and oral traditions describe the best source of kangling, which is the vehicle of our offerings. Accordingly, the most perfect specimen would be from a Brahmin child, male or female, free from worldly stains or faults. At the other end of the spectrum, it should not be from someone who died of tuberculosis, plague or other contagion, or some accident or misfortune1. The right leg of someone who died in their youth, with clear mind, is considered a Daka kangling—possessing enlightened male energy. The left leg from a similar individual (male or female) is a Dakini kangling, possessing enlightened feminine energy. Other traditions say that a female bone should be from the left side, and a male bone from the right leg. Further, a Daka kangling can be defined as coming from someone killed by a knife or other weapon, while a Dakini kangling is from a woman who was a tantric consort. According to the Mindroling manual of sacred instruments, the left leg of a young male who died by a knife has subtle qualities, while the right femur of a woman in her prime who died similarly is of also of fine quality. Another ideal bone comes from a monk or nun with unbroken vows. One can also understand that a kangling made from a great saint or enlightened sage would have very unique powers and generate realization in the user, for reasons described further on. Such important relics would naturally be passed down to appropriate heirs or lineage holders.
If one uses the bone of a parent or relative, this accumulates significant merit or positive karma for the deceased in their future lives, though such a specimen would be hard to come by in the modern context. Other traditions describes a kangling from a young mother who has died in childbirth, but whose child lived as being extremely auspicious; The energy of the such a bone would be suffused with thoughts of deep, one-pointed love and sacrifice for the child. Others maintain that, regardless of all the above considerations, whether for anatomical or spiritual reasons, a female bone produces a clearer sound. Without all these special characteristics, in general the femur should at least come from a person age 16-60, originating in a “pure” cemetery. Of course, today it is quite rare to know the origin or history of the kangling and its former owner.
Varities of Kangling
Some traditions mention kanglings made of tiger bone, and others vulture bone, as being highly auspicious, but elsewhere this is frowned upon. An all-metal, copper or brass form of the trumpet, also simply called a kangling, are used in a variety of tantric rituals, such as those of the wrathful Yidams and Protectors, to invoke or announce the fierce and powerful presence of the Deity. Like the Chöd kangling, their use is confined to musical punctuation and accent, rather than accompaniment. Their sound, however, is higher-pitched and far more intense and piercing. But this kind of copper trumpet is never used in Chöd. There are also “hybrid” thigh bones whose large end is covered with ornate metalwork, of silver or “white metal” (an aluminum alloy). Again, these are part of wrathful practices for dispelling or removing obstacles. Such hybrids are not appropriate to Chöd, all the more so because the metal head often hides damaged or absent knee epicondyles. Lastly, there is a tradition of using kanglings made of wood (which might be a more easily available choice today). Traditionally, it also quite acceptable to make a “horn” of one’s hand, as blowing through the curled fingers and imitating the sound of the kangling does indeed carry the signature of our life force, as described below.
Unusual Traditions
MaChik particularly cautions against using a trumpet made from animal horn of any kind—the kind used by shamans and wandering folk healers—as having many negative side-effects for the user. However, the Mindroling manual mentions that the tradition of using antelope or deer horns in the Chöd ritual has been widespread among certain schools and teachers. Further, it is said to engender compassion in hunters and fishermen, and increase the number and longevity of the wildlife, fish and fauna in the area. In recent times, ina kangling made of resin (i.e. plastic) have appeared in Asia and the West. Original Article Can Be Found Here
Monday, February 14, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Morbid Curiosities
"St John is a mangled corpse; I alone know why, and such is my knowledge that I am about to blow out my brains for fear I shall be mangled in the same way. Down unlit and illimitable corridors of eldrith phantasy sweeps the black, shapeless Nemesis that drives me to self-annihilation.
May heaven forgive the folly and morbidity which led us both to so monstrous a fate! Wearied with the commonplaces of a prosaic world; where even the joys of romance and adventure soon grow stale, St John and I had followed enthusiastically every aesthetic and intellectual movement which promised respite from our devastating ennui. The enigmas of the symbolists and the ecstasies of the pre-Raphaelites all were ours in their time, but each new mood was drained too soon, of its diverting novelty and appeal.
Only the somber philosophy of the decadents could help us, and this we found potent only by increasing gradually the depth and diabolism of our penetrations. Baudelaire and Huysmans were soon exhausted of thrills, till finally there remained for us only the more direct stimuli of unnatural personal experiences and adventures. It was this frightful emotional need which led us eventually to that detestable course which even in my present fear I mention with shame and timidity - that hideous extremity of human outrage, the abhorred practice of grave-robbing.
I cannot reveal the details of our shocking expeditions, or catalogue even partly the worst of the trophies adorning the nameless museum we prepared in the great stone house where we jointly dwelt, alone and servantless. Our museum was a blasphemous, unthinkable place, where with the satanic taste of neurotic virtuosi we had assembled an universe of terror and decay to excite our jaded sensibilities. It was a secret room, far, far, underground; where huge winged daemons carven of basalt and onyx vomited from wide grinning mouths weird green and orange light, and hidden pneumatic pipes ruffled into kaleidoscopic dances of death the lines of red charnel things hand in hand woven in voluminous black hangings. Through these pipes came at will the odors our moods most craved; sometimes the scent of pale funeral lilies; sometimes the narcotic incense of imagined Eastern shrines of the kingly dead, and sometimes - how I shudder to recall it! - the frightful, soul-upheaving stenches of the uncovered-grave.
Around the walls of this repellent chamber were cases of antique mummies alternating with comely, lifelike bodies perfectly stuffed and cured by the taxidermist's art, and with headstones snatched from the oldest churchyards of the world. Niches here and there contained skulls of all shapes, and heads preserved in various stages of dissolution. There one might find the rotting, bald pates of famous noblemen, and the fresh and radiantly golden heads of new-buried children.
Statues and paintings there were, all of fiendish subjects and some executed by St John and myself. A locked portfolio, bound in tanned human skin, held certain unknown and unnameable drawings which it was rumored Goya had perpetrated but dared not acknowledge. There were nauseous musical instruments, stringed, brass, and wood-wind, on which St John and I sometimes produced dissonances of exquisite morbidity and cacodaemoniacal ghastliness; whilst in a multitude of inlaid ebony cabinets reposed the most incredible and unimaginable variety of tomb-loot ever assembled by human madness and perversity. It is of this loot in particular that I must not speak - thank God I had the courage to destroy it long before I thought of destroying myself!
The predatory excursions on which we collected our unmentionable treasures were always artistically memorable events. We were no vulgar ghouls, but worked only under certain conditions of mood, landscape, environment, weather, season, and moonlight. These pastimes were to us the most exquisite form of aesthetic expression, and we gave their details a fastidious technical care. An inappropriate hour, a jarring lighting effect, or a clumsy manipulation of the damp sod, would almost totally destroy for us that ecstatic titillation which followed the exhumation of some ominous, grinning secret of the earth. Our quest for novel scenes and piquant conditions was feverish and insatiate - St John was always the leader, and he it was who led the way at last to that mocking, accursed spot which brought us our hideous and inevitable doom." - H.P. Lovecraft
The Mutter Museum
"The Mütter Museum is best known for the Hyrtl Skull Collection and other anatomical specimens including a wax model of a woman with a horn growing out of her forehead along with several wax molds of untreated conditions of the head; the tallest skeleton currently on display in North America; a nine-foot-long human colon that contained over 40 pounds of fecal matter which originally came from a sideshow act called the human Balloon; and the body of the Soap Lady,[1] whose corpse turned itself into a soapy substance called adipocere better known as grave wax. Many wax models from the early 19th century are on display as are numerous preserved organs and body parts. The museum also hosts a collection of teratological specimens (preserved human fetal specimens) all of which were donated to science; a malignant tumor removed from President Grover Cleveland's hard palate; the conjoined liver from the famous Siamese twins Chang and Eng Bunker; a piece of tissue removed from the thorax of Abraham Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth; and a section of the brain of Charles J. Guiteau who assassinated U.S. President James A. Garfield."- From Wikipedia
The Mutter Museum was established in 1849 by Dr. Thomas Dent Mutter (pictured above) as a teaching tool for students of medicine before the modern marvels of X-rays and antibiotics.
Soap Woman (Pictured Below)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)