Despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, I have not been able to answer... the great question that has never been answered: what does a woman want? ~ Sigmund Freud
Well, shoes for one... The acquisition of a single new pair of fabulous shoes can change the course of a day. This can seem fairly ridiculous until you swap the shoes for something that has strong personal meaning for you. Whatever you subconsciously assign with the power to affect your mood and therefore your actions, is profoundly sacred.
We all have a personal mythology that makes certain beasts, objects and archetypes special to us. When we are young they can be favorite animals, colours or symbols (Rainbows and Unicorns baby!) Certain items and particular ways of doing things continue to be inexplicably more special and therefore more "powerful" for us.
Collectors fill their houses with statuettes on a theme because it makes them happy. Is a sports fanatic so different from a pot-bellied pig fancier? Athletes have intricate rituals that the believe help them play better. Artist's have elaborate routines to get them into the creative zone. So how does this practice go from perceived as being a cute game, to vaguely superstitious crutch to problem obsession? I've created a chart...Cute
- Having to have the right game piece (shoe, top hat, race car, etc.)
- Drawing endless lightning bolts or swirly vines.
- Eating the M&Ms in a certain order.
- Walking around particular cracks on the sidewalk.
- Playing a special song before a date.
- Wearing underwear with a slightly more powerful blend of cotton.
Superstitious
- Wearing the special underwear for a first date.
- Playing a special song before a job interview.
- Locking the doors and windows in a particular order.
- Playing the same loto numbers every week
Obsessive
- Eating the green M&Ms to ward off alien attack.
- Wearing the special underwear everyday for its magical protective powers.
- Playing the magic song 24 hours a day.
- Checking the locks, rechecking the locks, rechecking the locks...
In our modern world, we can giggle at these above and assume that practices such as the avoidance of inauspicious days and believing in illnesses caused by transgressions against taboos can be signs of mental illness. Perhaps they are merely a revival of the most ancient mystery religions which urged practitioners to "know thyself". The Ancient Roman's themselves employed two distinct types of professional omen readers. Augurs interpreted the flights of birds, while haruspices employed animal sacrifice to obtain the entrails necessary for divination -- and these people had running water and toilets for goodness sake!
A subtle personal mythology perceived with a grain of salt can be a comforting way to navigating the daily stressors and pitfalls of modern life... (or to inspire a new decorating theme) Believers say that the resistance a modern mind puts up to these ideas is merely interference from the rational egoic mind; and that these blocks must be pulled down to enhance the ability to truly channel higher wisdom in relation to future events. Divination then becomes a means of gaining self-knowledge and a deeper understanding of the hidden causes behind appearances. And a very creative way to influence your future.
What are you obsessing about today?
No comments:
Post a Comment