The Surreal in Ritual

There is a certain poignant aspect to surreal works which, in spite of improbable and often absurd elements, strikes a visceral chord. A well-crafted piece of surrealism evokes primal responses, effecting moods which lie just below conscious, explanatory existence. Films from the likes of David Lynch, Luis Buñuel, and Wojciech Has, stories by Franz Kafka or Lewis Carroll, all are rife for critical analysis, but their real power is based in their ability to manipulate emotional states through a portal of fantastic improbability. 

Magic ritual too relies upon this sort of critical bypass. One key to achieving a state of suspended disbelief is to culminate an atmosphere of fantasy, conducive to raw emotion and imagination. This is a feature found in nearly every culture's system of ritual, and is as prominent in monotheism as it is animism. While the surrealist facets of contemporary, monolithic religions are often more visually subtle (or appear primarily as a matter of doctrine), such elements are on striking display in most polytheistic or animistic systems. There is not necessarily any "right" way to incorporate surrealistic expressions into ritual; each culture employs its own distinct ritual trappings in a way that is meaningful and useful to its adherents. I myself find the aesthetics of the Navajo particularly appealing, for the emotive value discussed above. I could dissect the garb and posture, breaking them down into digestible pieces for analysis, but that wouldn't get us any closer to understanding why this aesthetic appeals to me. The value lies in something below the level of critical thought, to some primal whisper which speaks in a tongue I do not understand, but carries with it an implied power derived from some vague memory; a hazy reflection of what has passed and what is yet to be. 

1. All photos by Edward S. Curtis, circa 1903. 

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Being One's Own, with Bombast

Alterius non sit qui suus esse potest.

"Let no man be another's who can be his own."

"Ye are of the serpent kind and hence I must expect only poison from you. With what scorn have you placarded me as the Luther of Physicians, with the explanation that I am an arch-heretic. I am Theophrastus and greater than those to whom you liken me. I am Theophrastus and am moreover Monarch of Physicians, and can prove that which you cannot prove. I will let Luther answer for his own affairs and I will take care of mine and will surpass everyone who attacks me,--the Arcana will help me to that. Who are enemies of Luther? The same crowd hates me also, and what you, for your part, wish for him so you wish for me, that is, to the fire.  

. . .

I may well rejoice that rascals are my enemies -- for the truth has no enemies but liars.

...I need lay on no armor against you--no corselet, for you are not so learned nor experienced that you can disprove my least letter. Could I protect my bald head from the flies as easily as I can my monarchy, and were Milan as safe from its enemies as I from you, neither Swiss nor foot-soldiers could gain entrance."^[1]  

[2]

"All forms are subject to annihilation; they are only illusions, and as such they will cease to exist when the cause that produced them ceases to act. The body of a king or a sage is as useless as that of an animal after the life whose product it was has ceased to act. A form can only maintain its existence as long as the action of life upon the substance of the form continues." ^[3]

1. Stillman, John Maxson. Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim called Paracelsus: his personality and influence as physician, chemist and reformer. The Open court Publishing Company: Chicago. 1920.

2. Lévi, Éliphas; Waite, Arthur Edward. The mysteries of magic: a digest of the writings of Eliphas Lévi.
George Redway: London. 1886.

3. Hartmann, Franz. The life of Philippus Theophrastus Bombast of Hohenheim, known by the name of Paracelsus, and the substance of his teachings. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner, & Co.: London. 1896.

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