Difference between revisions of "Paper 88 - Fetishes, Charms, and Magic"

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==88:1. BELIEF IN FETISHES==
 
==88:1. BELIEF IN FETISHES==
  
88:1.1 [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_52#52:1._PRIMITIVE_MAN Primitive man] always wanted to make anything extraordinary into a [[fetish]]; [[chance]] therefore gave [[origin]] to many. A man is sick, something happens, and he gets well. The same thing is true of the [[reputation]] of many [[medicines]] and the [[chance]] [[methods]] of treating [[disease]]. Objects [[connected]] with [[dreams]] were likely to be converted into [[fetishes]]. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanoes Volcanoes], but not [[mountains]], became fetishes; [[comets]], but not [[stars]]. Early man regarded shooting stars and [[meteors]] as indicating the arrival on [[earth]] of special [[visiting]] spirits.
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88:1.1 [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_52#52:1._PRIMITIVE_MAN Primitive man] always wanted to make anything extraordinary into a [[fetish]]; [[chance]] therefore gave [[origin]] to many. A man is sick, something happens, and he gets well. The same thing is true of the [[reputation]] of many [[medicines]] and the [[chance]] [[methods]] of treating [[disease]]. Objects [[connected]] with [[dreams]] were likely to be converted into [[fetishes]]. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcanoes Volcanoes], but not [[mountains]], became fetishes; [[comets]], but not [[stars]]. Early man regarded shooting stars and [[meteors]] as indicating the arrival on [[earth]] of special [[visiting]] spirits.
  
88:1.2 The first [[fetishes]] were peculiarly marked pebbles, and "[http://witcombe.sbc.edu/sacredplaces/stones.html sacred stones]" have ever since been sought by man; a string of beads was once a [[collection]] of sacred stones, a battery of [[charms]]. Many [[tribes]] had [[fetish]] stones, but few have [[survived]] as have the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaaba Kaaba] and the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_of_scone Stone of Scone]. [[Fire]] and [[water]] were also among the early [[fetishes]], and [[fire]] [[worship]], together with [[belief]] in holy water, still survives.
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88:1.2 The first [[fetishes]] were peculiarly marked pebbles, and "[https://witcombe.sbc.edu/sacredplaces/stones.html sacred stones]" have ever since been sought by man; a string of beads was once a [[collection]] of sacred stones, a battery of [[charms]]. Many [[tribes]] had [[fetish]] stones, but few have [[survived]] as have the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaaba Kaaba] and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stone_of_scone Stone of Scone]. [[Fire]] and [[water]] were also among the early [[fetishes]], and [[fire]] [[worship]], together with [[belief]] in holy water, still survives.
  
88:1.3 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trees Tree] fetishes were a later [[development]], but among some [[tribes]] the persistence of [[nature]] [[worship]] led to [[belief]] in [[charms]] indwelt by some sort of nature [[spirit]]. When [[plants]] and fruits became [[fetishes]], they were [[taboo]] as [[food]]. The apple was among the first to fall into this category; it was never eaten by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levant Levantine] peoples.
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88:1.3 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trees Tree] fetishes were a later [[development]], but among some [[tribes]] the persistence of [[nature]] [[worship]] led to [[belief]] in [[charms]] indwelt by some sort of nature [[spirit]]. When [[plants]] and fruits became [[fetishes]], they were [[taboo]] as [[food]]. The apple was among the first to fall into this category; it was never eaten by the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levant Levantine] peoples.
  
88:1.4 If an [[animal]] ate human flesh, it became a [[fetish]]. In this way the dog came to be the [[sacred]] animal of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsees Parsees]. If the fetish is an [[animal]] and the [[ghost]] is permanently resident therein, then fetishism may impinge on [[reincarnation]]. In many ways the [[savages]] [[envied]] the animals; they did not feel superior to them and were often named after their favorite beasts.
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88:1.4 If an [[animal]] ate human flesh, it became a [[fetish]]. In this way the dog came to be the [[sacred]] animal of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsees Parsees]. If the fetish is an [[animal]] and the [[ghost]] is permanently resident therein, then fetishism may impinge on [[reincarnation]]. In many ways the [[savages]] [[envied]] the animals; they did not feel superior to them and were often named after their favorite beasts.
  
88:1.5 When [[animals]] became [[fetishes]], there ensued the [[taboos]] on eating the [[flesh]] of the fetish animal. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apes Apes] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeys monkeys], because of resemblance to [[man]], early became [[fetish]] animals; later, snakes, birds, and swine were also similarly regarded. At one time the cow was a fetish, the milk being [[taboo]] while the excreta were highly esteemed. The serpent was revered in [[Palestine]], especially by the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenicia Phoenicians], who, along with the [[Jews]], considered it to be the mouthpiece of [[evil]] [[spirits]]. Even many [[moderns]] believe in the [[charm]] [[powers]] of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptiles reptiles]. From [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabia Arabia] on through [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India India] to the [http://www.brownielocks.com/snakedance.html snake dance] of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribe_Moki Moqui tribe] of red men the serpent has been [[revered]].
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88:1.5 When [[animals]] became [[fetishes]], there ensued the [[taboos]] on eating the [[flesh]] of the fetish animal. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apes Apes] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkeys monkeys], because of resemblance to [[man]], early became [[fetish]] animals; later, snakes, birds, and swine were also similarly regarded. At one time the cow was a fetish, the milk being [[taboo]] while the excreta were highly esteemed. The serpent was revered in [[Palestine]], especially by the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenicia Phoenicians], who, along with the [[Jews]], considered it to be the mouthpiece of [[evil]] [[spirits]]. Even many [[moderns]] believe in the [[charm]] [[powers]] of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reptiles reptiles]. From [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arabia Arabia] on through [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India India] to the [https://www.brownielocks.com/snakedance.html snake dance] of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribe_Moki Moqui tribe] of red men the serpent has been [[revered]].
  
88:1.6 Certain days of the week were [[fetishes]]. For ages [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday Friday] has been regarded as an unlucky day and the number [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteen thirteen] as an [[evil]] numeral. The lucky numbers [[three]] and [[seven]] came from later revelations; four was the lucky number of [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_52#52:1._PRIMITIVE_MAN primitive man] and was derived from the early recognition of the four points of the [[compass]]. It was held unlucky to count cattle or other [[possessions]]; the [[ancients]] always opposed the taking of a [[census]], "numbering the people."[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Book_of_Samuel#Chapter_.24]
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88:1.6 Certain days of the week were [[fetishes]]. For ages [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday Friday] has been regarded as an unlucky day and the number [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirteen thirteen] as an [[evil]] numeral. The lucky numbers [[three]] and [[seven]] came from later revelations; four was the lucky number of [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_52#52:1._PRIMITIVE_MAN primitive man] and was derived from the early recognition of the four points of the [[compass]]. It was held unlucky to count cattle or other [[possessions]]; the [[ancients]] always opposed the taking of a [[census]], "numbering the people."[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Second_Book_of_Samuel#Chapter_.24]
  
88:1.7 [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_52#52:1._PRIMITIVE_MAN Primitive man] did not make an undue [[fetish]] out of [[sex]]; the [[reproductive]] [[function]] received only a limited amount of [[attention]]. The savage was [[natural]] minded, not obscene or prurient.
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88:1.7 [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_52#52:1._PRIMITIVE_MAN Primitive man] did not make an undue [[fetish]] out of [[sex]]; the [[reproductive]] [[function]] received only a limited amount of [[attention]]. The savage was [[natural]] minded, not obscene or prurient.
  
88:1.8 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saliva Saliva] was a potent [[fetish]]; devils could be driven out by spitting on a [[person]]. For an elder or superior to spit on one was the highest compliment. Parts of the [[human]] [[body]] were looked upon as [[potential]] [[fetishes]], particularly the hair and nails. The long-growing fingernails of the chiefs were highly prized, and the trimmings thereof were a powerful fetish. [[Belief]] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull skull] fetishes accounts for much of later-day [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_hunting head-hunting]. The [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbilical_cord umbilical cord] was a highly prized fetish; even today it is so regarded in Africa. [[Mankind]]'s first toy was a preserved umbilical cord. Set with pearls, as was often done, it was man's first [http://www.theumbilicalcord.com/en/tienda/online/classic necklace].
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88:1.8 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saliva Saliva] was a potent [[fetish]]; devils could be driven out by spitting on a [[person]]. For an elder or superior to spit on one was the highest compliment. Parts of the [[human]] [[body]] were looked upon as [[potential]] [[fetishes]], particularly the hair and nails. The long-growing fingernails of the chiefs were highly prized, and the trimmings thereof were a powerful fetish. [[Belief]] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skull skull] fetishes accounts for much of later-day [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_hunting head-hunting]. The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umbilical_cord umbilical cord] was a highly prized fetish; even today it is so regarded in Africa. [[Mankind]]'s first toy was a preserved umbilical cord. Set with pearls, as was often done, it was man's first [https://www.theumbilicalcord.com/en/tienda/online/classic necklace].
  
88:1.9 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunchback_of_notre_dame Hunchbacked] and crippled children were regarded as [[fetishes]]; [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lunacy lunatics] were believed to be moon-struck. [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_52#52:1._PRIMITIVE_MAN Primitive man] could not distinguish between [[genius]] and insanity; idiots were either beaten to [[death]] or [[revered]] as [[fetish]] [[personalities]]. Hysteria increasingly confirmed the popular [[belief]] in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft witchcraft]; epileptics often were [[priests]] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_man medicine men]. Drunkenness was looked upon as a form of [[spirit]] [[possession]]; when a savage went on a spree, he put a leaf in his hair for the [[purpose]] of disavowing [[responsibility]] for his [[acts]]. [[Poisons]] and [[intoxicants]] became [[fetishes]]; they were deemed to be [[possessed]].
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88:1.9 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunchback_of_notre_dame Hunchbacked] and crippled children were regarded as [[fetishes]]; [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lunacy lunatics] were believed to be moon-struck. [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_52#52:1._PRIMITIVE_MAN Primitive man] could not distinguish between [[genius]] and insanity; idiots were either beaten to [[death]] or [[revered]] as [[fetish]] [[personalities]]. Hysteria increasingly confirmed the popular [[belief]] in [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft witchcraft]; epileptics often were [[priests]] and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_man medicine men]. Drunkenness was looked upon as a form of [[spirit]] [[possession]]; when a savage went on a spree, he put a leaf in his hair for the [[purpose]] of disavowing [[responsibility]] for his [[acts]]. [[Poisons]] and [[intoxicants]] became [[fetishes]]; they were deemed to be [[possessed]].
  
 
88:1.10 Many people looked upon [[geniuses]] as fetish [[personalities]] [[possessed]] by a [[wise]] spirit. And these talented [[humans]] soon learned to resort to fraud and trickery for the advancement of their [[selfish interests]]. A fetish man was thought to be more than human; he was [[divine]], even [[infallible]]. Thus did chiefs, [[kings]], [[priests]], [[prophets]], and church rulers [[eventually]] wield great power and exercise unbounded [[authority]].
 
88:1.10 Many people looked upon [[geniuses]] as fetish [[personalities]] [[possessed]] by a [[wise]] spirit. And these talented [[humans]] soon learned to resort to fraud and trickery for the advancement of their [[selfish interests]]. A fetish man was thought to be more than human; he was [[divine]], even [[infallible]]. Thus did chiefs, [[kings]], [[priests]], [[prophets]], and church rulers [[eventually]] wield great power and exercise unbounded [[authority]].
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88:2.2 [[Belief]] in [[relics]] is an outgrowth of the [[ancient]] [[fetish]] [[cult]]. The relics of [[modern]] [[religions]] [[represent]] an attempt to [[rationalize]] the fetish of the savage and thus elevate it to a place of [[dignity]] and respectability in the [[modern]] religious [[systems]]. It is heathenish to believe in [[fetishes]] and [[magic]] but supposedly all right to accept [[relics]] and [[miracles]].
 
88:2.2 [[Belief]] in [[relics]] is an outgrowth of the [[ancient]] [[fetish]] [[cult]]. The relics of [[modern]] [[religions]] [[represent]] an attempt to [[rationalize]] the fetish of the savage and thus elevate it to a place of [[dignity]] and respectability in the [[modern]] religious [[systems]]. It is heathenish to believe in [[fetishes]] and [[magic]] but supposedly all right to accept [[relics]] and [[miracles]].
  
88:2.3 The [[hearth]]—fireplace—became more or less of a [[fetish]], a [[sacred]] spot. The [[shrines]] and [[temples]] were at first fetish places because the dead were buried there. The fetish [[hut]] of the [[Hebrews]] was elevated by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses Moses] to that place where it harbored a superfetish, the then existent [[concept]] of the [[law]] of [[God]]. But the Israelites never gave up the peculiar Canaanite [[belief]] in the stone [[altar]]: "And this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall be God's house."[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Genesis#Chapter_.28] They truly believed that the [[spirit]] of their [[God]] dwelt in such stone [[altars]], which were in reality [[fetishes]].
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88:2.3 The [[hearth]]—fireplace—became more or less of a [[fetish]], a [[sacred]] spot. The [[shrines]] and [[temples]] were at first fetish places because the dead were buried there. The fetish [[hut]] of the [[Hebrews]] was elevated by [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses Moses] to that place where it harbored a superfetish, the then existent [[concept]] of the [[law]] of [[God]]. But the Israelites never gave up the peculiar Canaanite [[belief]] in the stone [[altar]]: "And this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall be God's house."[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Genesis#Chapter_.28] They truly believed that the [[spirit]] of their [[God]] dwelt in such stone [[altars]], which were in reality [[fetishes]].
  
 
88:2.4 The earliest images were made to preserve the [[appearance]] and [[memory]] of the illustrious dead; they were really [[monuments]]. [[Idols]] were a refinement of [[fetishism]]. The [[primitives]] believed that a [[ceremony]] of [[consecration]] caused the spirit to enter the image; likewise, when certain objects were [[blessed]], they became [[charms]].
 
88:2.4 The earliest images were made to preserve the [[appearance]] and [[memory]] of the illustrious dead; they were really [[monuments]]. [[Idols]] were a refinement of [[fetishism]]. The [[primitives]] believed that a [[ceremony]] of [[consecration]] caused the spirit to enter the image; likewise, when certain objects were [[blessed]], they became [[charms]].
  
88:2.5 [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses Moses], in the addition of the second commandment to the [http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_66#66:7._LIFE_IN_DALAMATIA ancient Dalamatian moral code], made an [[effort]] to control fetish [[worship]] among the [[Hebrews]]. He carefully directed that they should make no sort of image that might become consecrated as a [[fetish]]. He made it plain, "You shall not make a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters of the earth."[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Exodus#Chapter_.20] While this commandment did much to retard [[art]] among the Jews, it did lessen [[fetish]] [[worship]]. But [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses Moses] was too [[wise]] to attempt suddenly to displace the olden fetishes, and he therefore consented to the putting of certain [[relics]] alongside the [[law]] in the combined [[war]] [[altar]] and religious shrine which was [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_of_the_covenant the ark].
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88:2.5 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses Moses], in the addition of the second commandment to the [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_66#66:7._LIFE_IN_DALAMATIA ancient Dalamatian moral code], made an [[effort]] to control fetish [[worship]] among the [[Hebrews]]. He carefully directed that they should make no sort of image that might become consecrated as a [[fetish]]. He made it plain, "You shall not make a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters of the earth."[https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Book_of_Exodus#Chapter_.20] While this commandment did much to retard [[art]] among the Jews, it did lessen [[fetish]] [[worship]]. But [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses Moses] was too [[wise]] to attempt suddenly to displace the olden fetishes, and he therefore consented to the putting of certain [[relics]] alongside the [[law]] in the combined [[war]] [[altar]] and religious shrine which was [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_of_the_covenant the ark].
  
 
88:2.6 [[Words]] [[eventually]] became [[fetishes]], more especially those which were regarded as [[God]]'s words; in this way the [[sacred]] [[books]] of many [[religions]] have become [[fetishistic]] prisons incarcerating the [[spiritual]] [[imagination]] of man. Moses' very [[effort]] against fetishes became a supreme [[fetish]]; his commandment was later used to stultify [[art]] and to retard the enjoyment and [[adoration]] of the [[beautiful]].
 
88:2.6 [[Words]] [[eventually]] became [[fetishes]], more especially those which were regarded as [[God]]'s words; in this way the [[sacred]] [[books]] of many [[religions]] have become [[fetishistic]] prisons incarcerating the [[spiritual]] [[imagination]] of man. Moses' very [[effort]] against fetishes became a supreme [[fetish]]; his commandment was later used to stultify [[art]] and to retard the enjoyment and [[adoration]] of the [[beautiful]].
  
88:2.7 In olden times the [[fetish]] [[word]] of [[authority]] was a [[fear]]-[[inspiring]] [[doctrine]], the most terrible of all [[tyrants]] which [[enslave]] men. A doctrinal fetish will lead [[mortal]] man to betray himself into the clutches of [[bigotry]], [[fanaticism]], [[superstition]], intolerance, and the most atrocious of barbarous cruelties. [[Modern]] respect for [[wisdom]] and [[truth]] is but the recent [[escape]] from the fetish-making tendency up to the higher levels of [[thinking]] and [[reasoning]]. Concerning the accumulated [[fetish]] [[writings]] which various religionists hold as [[sacred]] [[books]], it is not only believed that what is in the book is true, but also that every [[truth]] is contained in the [[book]]. If one of these sacred books happens to speak of the [[earth]] as being [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland flat], then, for long [[generations]], otherwise sane men and women will refuse to accept positive [[evidence]] that the [[planet]] is [[Sphere|round]].
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88:2.7 In olden times the [[fetish]] [[word]] of [[authority]] was a [[fear]]-[[inspiring]] [[doctrine]], the most terrible of all [[tyrants]] which [[enslave]] men. A doctrinal fetish will lead [[mortal]] man to betray himself into the clutches of [[bigotry]], [[fanaticism]], [[superstition]], intolerance, and the most atrocious of barbarous cruelties. [[Modern]] respect for [[wisdom]] and [[truth]] is but the recent [[escape]] from the fetish-making tendency up to the higher levels of [[thinking]] and [[reasoning]]. Concerning the accumulated [[fetish]] [[writings]] which various religionists hold as [[sacred]] [[books]], it is not only believed that what is in the book is true, but also that every [[truth]] is contained in the [[book]]. If one of these sacred books happens to speak of the [[earth]] as being [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland flat], then, for long [[generations]], otherwise sane men and women will refuse to accept positive [[evidence]] that the [[planet]] is [[Sphere|round]].
  
 
88:2.8 The [[practice]] of opening one of these [[sacred]] [[books]] to let the eye [[chance]] upon a passage, the following of which may determine important life [[decisions]] or projects, is nothing more nor less than arrant fetishism. To take an [[oath]] on a "holy book" or to swear by some object of supreme [[veneration]] is a form of refined fetishism.
 
88:2.8 The [[practice]] of opening one of these [[sacred]] [[books]] to let the eye [[chance]] upon a passage, the following of which may determine important life [[decisions]] or projects, is nothing more nor less than arrant fetishism. To take an [[oath]] on a "holy book" or to swear by some object of supreme [[veneration]] is a form of refined fetishism.
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==88:3. TOTEMISM==
 
==88:3. TOTEMISM==
  
88:3.1 Fetishism ran through all the primitive cults from the earliest belief in sacred stones, through idolatry, cannibalism, and nature worship, to totemism.
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88:3.1 Fetishism ran through all the [[primitive]] [[cults]] from the earliest [[belief]] in sacred stones, through [[idolatry]], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism cannibalism], and [[nature]] [[worship]], to [[totemism]].
  
88:3.2 Totemism is a combination of social and religious observances. Originally it was thought that respect for the totem animal of supposed biologic origin insured the food supply. Totems were at one and the same time symbols of the group and their god. Such a god was the clan personified. Totemism was one phase of the attempted socialization of otherwise personal religion. The totem eventually evolved into the flag, or national symbol, of the various modern peoples.
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88:3.2 [[Totemism]] is a combination of [[social]] and [[religious]] observances. Originally it was thought that [[respect]] for the [[totem]] [[animal]] of supposed [[biologic]] [[origin]] insured the [[food]] supply. [[Totems]] were at one and the same time [[symbols]] of the [[group]] and their [[god]]. Such a god was the [[clan]] [[personified]]. Totemism was one [[phase]] of the attempted [[socialization]] of otherwise [[personal]] [[religion]]. The [[totem]] [[eventually]] evolved into the flag, or [[national]] [[symbol]], of the various [[modern]] peoples.
  
88:3.3 A fetish bag, a medicine bag, was a pouch containing a reputable assortment of ghost-impregnated articles, and the medicine man of old never allowed his bag, the symbol of his power, to touch the ground. Civilized peoples in the twentieth century see to it that their flags, emblems of national consciousness, likewise never touch the ground.
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88:3.3 A [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_bag fetish bag, a medicine bag], was a pouch containing a reputable assortment of [[ghost]]-impregnated articles, and the medicine man of old never allowed his bag, the [[symbol]] of his power, to [[touch]] the [[ground]]. Civilized peoples in the twentieth century see to it that their flags, emblems of [[national]] [[consciousness]], likewise never [[touch]] the [[ground]].
  
88:3.4 The insignia of priestly and kingly office were eventually regarded as fetishes, and the fetish of the state supreme has passed through many stages of development, from clans to tribes, from suzerainty to sovereignty, from totems to flags. Fetish kings have ruled by " divine right, " and many other forms of government have obtained. Men have also made a fetish of democracy, the exaltation and adoration of the common man's ideas when collectively called " public opinion. " One man's opinion, when taken by itself, is not regarded as worth much, but when many men are collectively functioning as a democracy, this same mediocre judgment is held to be the arbiter of justice and the standard of righteousness.
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88:3.4 The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insignia insignia] of [[priest]]ly and [[king]]ly office were [[eventually]] regarded as [[fetishes]], and the fetish of the [[state]] supreme has passed through many [[stages]] of [[development]], from [[clans]] to [[tribes]], from suzerainty to [[sovereignty]], from [[totems]] to flags. Fetish kings have ruled by "divine right," and many other forms of [[government]] have obtained. Men have also made a [[fetish]] of [[democracy]], the exaltation and [[adoration]] of the common man's [[ideas]] when collectively called "[[public]] [[opinion]]." One man's [[opinion]], when taken by itself, is not regarded as worth much, but when many men are collectively [[functioning]] as a [[democracy]], this same mediocre [[judgment]] is held to be the [[arbiter]] of [[justice]] and the [[standard]] of [[righteousness]].
  
 
==88:4. MAGIC==
 
==88:4. MAGIC==
  
88:4.1 Civilized man attacks the problems of a real environment through his science; savage man attempted to solve the real problems of an illusory ghost environment by magic. Magic was the technique of manipulating the conjectured spirit environment whose machinations endlessly explained the inexplicable; it was the art of obtaining voluntary spirit co-operation and of coercing involuntary spirit aid through the use of fetishes or other and more powerful spirits.
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88:4.1 [[Civilized]] [[man]] [[attacks]] the [[problems]] of a real [[environment]] through his [[science]]; [[savage]] man attempted to solve the real [[problems]] of an [[illusory]] [[ghost]] environment by [[magic]]. Magic was the [[technique]] of [[manipulating]] the conjectured [[spirit]] environment whose machinations endlessly explained the inexplicable; it was the art of obtaining [[voluntary]] spirit [[co-operation]] and of coercing involuntary [[spirit]] aid through the use of [[fetishes]] or other and more powerful spirits.
  
88:4.2 The object of magic, sorcery, and necromancy was twofold:
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88:4.2 The object of [[magic]], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorcery sorcery], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necromancy necromancy] was twofold:
  
*1. To secure insight into the future.
+
*1. To secure [[insight]] into the [[future]].
*2. Favorably to influence environment.
+
*2. Favorably to [[influence]] [[environment]].
  
88:4.3 The objects of science are identical with those of magic. Mankind is progressing from magic to science, not by meditation and reason, but rather through long experience, gradually and painfully. Man is gradually backing into the truth, beginning in error, progressing in error, and finally attaining the threshold of truth. Only with the arrival of the scientific method has he faced forward. But primitive man had to experiment or perish.
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88:4.3 The objects of [[science]] are identical with those of [[magic]]. [[Mankind]] is [[progressing]] from [[magic]] to [[science]], not by [[meditation]] and [[reason]], but rather through long [[experience]], [[gradually]] and [[painfully]]. Man is gradually backing into the [[truth]], beginning in [[error]], progressing in [[error]], and finally attaining the [[threshold]] of [[truth]]. Only with the arrival of the [[scientific method]] has he faced forward. But [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_52#52:1._PRIMITIVE_MAN primitive man] had to [[experiment]] or [[perish]].
  
88:4.4 The fascination of early superstition was the mother of the later scientific curiosity. There was progressive dynamic emotion—fear plus curiosity—in these primitive superstitions; there was progressive driving power in the olden magic. These superstitions represented the emergence of the human desire to know and to control planetary environment.
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88:4.4 The [[fascination]] of early [[superstition]] was the [[mother]] of the later [[scientific]] [[curiosity]]. There was [[progressive]] [[dynamic]] [[emotion]]—[[fear]] plus [[curiosity]]—in these primitive [[superstitions]]; there was progressive driving [[power]] in the olden [[magic]]. These superstitions [[represented]] the [[emergence]] of the human [[desire]] to know and to [[control]] [[planetary]] [[environment]].
  
88:4.5 Magic gained such a strong hold upon the savage because he could not grasp the concept of natural death. The later idea of original sin helped much to weaken the grip of magic on the race in that it accounted for natural death. It was at one time not at all uncommon for ten innocent persons to be put to death because of supposed responsibility for one natural death. This is one reason why ancient peoples did not increase faster, and it is still true of some African tribes. The accused individual usually confessed guilt, even when facing death.
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88:4.5 [[Magic]] gained such a strong hold upon the [[savage]] because he could not grasp the [[concept]] of [[natural]] [[death]]. The later [[idea]] of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_sin original sin] helped much to weaken the grip of [[magic]] on the [[race]] in that it accounted for [[natural]] [[death]]. It was at one time not at all uncommon for ten [[innocent]] persons to be put to [[death]] because of supposed [[responsibility]] for one natural death. This is one [[reason]] why [[ancient]] peoples did not increase faster, and it is still true of some African [[tribes]]. The accused [[individual]] usually [[confessed]] [[guilt]], even when facing death.
  
88:4.6 Magic is natural to a savage. He believes that an enemy can actually be killed by practicing sorcery on his shingled hair or fingernail trimmings. The fatality of snake bites was attributed to the magic of the sorcerer. The difficulty in combating magic arises from the fact that fear can kill. Primitive peoples so feared magic that it did actually kill, and such results were sufficient to substantiate this erroneous belief. In case of failure there was always some plausible explanation; the cure for defective magic was more magic.
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88:4.6 [[Magic]] is natural to a [[savage]]. He believes that an enemy can actually be killed by practicing [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorcery sorcery] on his shingled hair or fingernail trimmings. The fatality of snake bites was [[attributed]] to the [[magic]] of the sorcerer. The [[difficulty]] in combating [[magic]] arises from the [[fact]] that [[fear]] can kill. [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_52#52:1._PRIMITIVE_MAN Primitive peoples] so feared [[magic]] that it did actually kill, and such results were sufficient to substantiate this erroneous [[belief]]. In case of failure there was always some plausible [[explanation]]; the [[cure]] for [[defective]] magic was more [[magic]].
  
 
==88:5. MAGICAL CHARMS==
 
==88:5. MAGICAL CHARMS==
  
88:5.1 Since anything connected with the body could become a fetish, the earliest magic had to do with hair and nails. Secrecy attendant upon body elimination grew up out of fear that an enemy might get possession of something derived from the body and employ it in detrimental magic; all excreta of the body were therefore carefully buried. Public spitting was refrained from because of the fear that saliva would be used in deleterious magic; spittle was always covered. Even food remnants, clothing, and ornaments could become instruments of magic. The savage never left any remnants of his meal on the table. And all this was done through fear that one's enemies might use these things in magical rites, not from any appreciation of the hygienic value of such practices.
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88:5.1 Since anything [[connected]] with the [[body]] could become a [[fetish]], the earliest [[magic]] had to do with hair and nails. [[Secrecy]] attendant upon body elimination grew up out of [[fear]] that an enemy might get [[possession]] of something derived from the body and employ it in detrimental [[magic]]; all excreta of the body were therefore carefully [[buried]]. [[Public]] spitting was refrained from because of the [[fear]] that saliva would be used in deleterious [[magic]]; spittle was always covered. Even [[food]] remnants, clothing, and ornaments could become instruments of [[magic]]. The [[savage]] never left any remnants of his meal on the table. And all this was done through [[fear]] that one's enemies might use these [[things]] in magical [[rites]], not from any [[appreciation]] of the hygienic [[value]] of such [[practices]].
  
88:5.2 Magical charms were concocted from a great variety of things: human flesh, tiger claws, crocodile teeth, poison plant seeds, snake venom, and human hair. The bones of the dead were very magical. Even the dust from footprints could be used in magic. The ancients were great believers in love charms. Blood and other forms of bodily secretions were able to insure the magic influence of love.
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88:5.2 Magical [[charms]] were concocted from a great variety of [[things]]: human flesh, tiger claws, crocodile teeth, [[poison]] [[plant]] seeds, snake venom, and human hair. The bones of the dead were very [[magical]]. Even the dust from footprints could be used in [[magic]]. The [[ancients]] were great believers in [[love]] [[charms]]. Blood and other forms of bodily secretions were able to insure the magic [[influence]] of [[love]].
  
88:5.3 Images were supposed to be effective in magic. Effigies were made, and when treated ill or well, the same effects were believed to rest upon the real person. When making purchases, superstitious persons would chew a bit of hard wood in order to soften the heart of the seller.
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88:5.3 Images were supposed to be [[effective]] in [[magic]]. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effigies Effigies] were made, and when treated ill or well, the same [[effects]] were believed to rest upon the real [[person]]. When making purchases, [[superstitious]] persons would chew a bit of hard wood in order to soften the [[heart]] of the seller.
  
88:5.4 The milk of a black cow was highly magical; so also were black cats. The staff or wand was magical, along with drums, bells, and knots. All ancient objects were magical charms. The practices of a new or higher civilization were looked upon with disfavor because of their supposedly evil magical nature. Writing, printing, and pictures were long so regarded.
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88:5.4 The milk of a black cow was highly magical; so also were [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_cats black cats]. The staff or wand was magical, along with drums, bells, and knots. All [[ancient]] objects were magical [[charms]]. The [[practices]] of a new or higher [[civilization]] were looked upon with disfavor because of their supposedly [[evil]] magical [[nature]]. [[Writing]], [[printing]], and pictures were long so regarded.
  
88:5.5 Primitive man believed that names must be treated with respect, especially names of the gods. The name was regarded as an entity, an influence distinct from the physical personality; it was esteemed equally with the soul and the shadow. Names were pawned for loans; a man could not use his name until it had been redeemed by payment of the loan. Nowadays one signs his name to a note. An individual's name soon became important in magic. The savage had two names; the important one was regarded as too sacred to use on ordinary occasions, hence the second or everyday name—a nickname. He never told his real name to strangers. Any experience of an unusual nature caused him to change his name; sometimes it was in an effort to cure disease or to stop bad luck. The savage could get a new name by buying it from the tribal chief; men still invest in titles and degrees. But among the most primitive tribes, such as the African Bushmen, individual names do not exist.
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88:5.5 [https://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_52#52:1._PRIMITIVE_MAN Primitive man] believed that [[names]] must be treated with [[respect]], especially names of the [[gods]]. The [[name]] was regarded as an [[entity]], an [[influence]] distinct from the [[physical]] [[personality]]; it was esteemed equally with the [[soul]] and the [[shadow]]. [[Names]] were pawned for loans; a man could not use his name until it had been redeemed by payment of the loan. Nowadays one signs his name to a note. An [[individual]]'s name soon became important in [[magic]]. The savage had two names; the important one was regarded as too [[sacred]] to use on ordinary occasions, hence the second or everyday name—a nickname. He never told his real name to strangers. Any [[experience]] of an unusual nature caused him to [[change]] his name; sometimes it was in an [[effort]] to cure [[disease]] or to stop bad [[luck]]. The [[savage]] could get a new name by buying it from the tribal chief; men still invest in titles and [[degrees]]. But among the most [[primitive]] [[tribes]], such as the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushmen African Bushmen], [[individual]] [[names]] do not exist.
  
 
==88:6. THE PRACTICE OF MAGIC==
 
==88:6. THE PRACTICE OF MAGIC==
  
88:6.1 Magic was practiced through the use of wands, " medicine " ritual, and incantations, and it was customary for the practitioner to work unclothed. Women outnumbered the men among primitive magicians. In magic, " medicine " means mystery, not treatment. The savage never doctored himself; he never used medicines except on the advice of the specialists in magic. And the voodoo doctors of the twentieth century are typical of the magicians of old.
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88:6.1 [[Magic]] was [[practiced]] through the use of [[wands]], "[[medicine]]" [[ritual]], and incantations, and it was [[customary]] for the practitioner to [[work]] [[unclothed]]. [[Women]] outnumbered the [[men]] among [[primitive]] magicians. In [[magic]], "medicine" means [[mystery]], not treatment. The savage never doctored himself; he never used medicines except on the [[advice]] of the specialists in magic. And the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voodoo voodoo] doctors of the twentieth century are typical of the magicians of old.
  
88:6.2 There was both a public and a private phase to magic. That performed by the medicine man, shaman, or priest was supposed to be for the good of the whole tribe. Witches, sorcerers, and wizards dispensed private magic, personal and selfish magic which was employed as a coercive method of bringing evil on one's enemies. The concept of dual spiritism, good and bad spirits, gave rise to the later beliefs in white and black magic. And as religion evolved, magic was the term applied to spirit operations outside one's own cult, and it also referred to older ghost beliefs.
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88:6.2 There was both a [[public]] and a [[private]] phase to [[magic]]. That [[performed]] by the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_man medicine man], [[shaman]], or [[priest]] was supposed to be for the [[good]] of the whole [[tribe]]. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witchcraft Witches], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_(paranormal) sorcerers], and [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard_(fantasy) wizards] dispensed [[private]] magic, [[personal]] and selfish magic which was employed as a coercive [[method]] of bringing [[evil]] on one's enemies. The concept of [[dual]] spiritism, good and bad spirits, gave rise to the later [[beliefs]] in white and black [[magic]]. And as [[religion]] evolved, magic was the term applied to [[spirit]] operations outside one's own [[cult]], and it also referred to older [[ghost]] [[beliefs]].
  
88:6.3 Word combinations, the ritual of chants and incantations, were highly magical. Some early incantations finally evolved into prayers. Presently, imitative magic was practiced; prayers were acted out; magical dances were nothing but dramatic prayers. Prayer gradually displaced magic as the associate of sacrifice.
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88:6.3 [[Word]] combinations, the [[ritual]] of [[chants]] and [[incantations]], were highly magical. Some early incantations finally evolved into [[prayers]]. Presently, imitative magic was practiced; prayers were acted out; magical [[dances]] were nothing but [[dramatic]] [[prayers]]. Prayer gradually displaced [[magic]] as the associate of [[sacrifice]].
  
88:6.4 Gesture, being older than speech, was the more holy and magical, and mimicry was believed to have strong magical power. The red men often staged a buffalo dance in which one of their number would play the part of a buffalo and, in being caught, would insure the success of the impending hunt. The sex festivities of May Day were simply imitative magic, a suggestive appeal to the sex passions of the plant world. The doll was first employed as a magic talisman by the barren wife.
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88:6.4 [[Gesture]], being older than [[speech]], was the more [[holy]] and [[magical]], and mimicry was believed to have strong magical [[power]]. The red men often staged a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Dance buffalo dance] in which one of their number would play the part of a buffalo and, in being caught, would insure the success of the impending [[hunt]]. The [[sex]] festivities of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Day May Day] were simply imitative magic, a suggestive appeal to the [[sex]] [[passions]] of the [[plant]] world. The [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doll doll] was first employed as a [[magic]] talisman by the barren [[wife]].
  
88:6.5 Magic was the branch off the evolutionary religious tree which eventually bore the fruit of a scientific age. Belief in astrology led to the development of astronomy; belief in a philosopher's stone led to the mastery of metals, while belief in magic numbers founded the science of mathematics.
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88:6.5 [[Magic]] was the branch off the evolutionary religious tree which [[eventually]] bore the fruit of a [[scientific]] age. [[Belief]] in [[astrology]] led to the [[development]] of [[astronomy]]; [[belief]] in a [[philosopher's stone]] led to the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallurgy mastery of metals], while [[belief]] in [[magic]] [[numbers]] founded the [[science]] of [[mathematics]].
  
88:6.6 But a world so filled with charms did much to destroy all personal ambition and initiative. The fruits of extra labor or of diligence were looked upon as magical. If a man had more grain in his field than his neighbor, he might be haled before the chief and charged with enticing this extra grain from the indolent neighbor's field. Indeed, in the days of barbarism it was dangerous to know very much; there was always the chance of being executed as a black artist.
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88:6.6 But a world so filled with [[charms]] did much to destroy all [[personal]] [[ambition]] and [[initiative]]. The fruits of extra labor or of [[diligence]] were looked upon as magical. If a man had more grain in his field than his [[neighbor]], he might be haled before the chief and charged with enticing this extra grain from the [[indolent]] neighbor's field. Indeed, in the days of [[barbarism]] it was [[dangerous]] to know very much; there was always the [[chance]] of being executed as a black artist.
  
88:6.7 Gradually science is removing the gambling element from life. But if modern methods of education should fail, there would be an almost immediate reversion to the primitive beliefs in magic. These superstitions still linger in the minds of many so-called civilized people. Language contains many fossils which testify that the race has long been steeped in magical superstition, such words as spellbound, ill-starred, possessions, inspiration, spirit away, ingenuity, entrancing, thunderstruck, and astonished. And intelligent human beings still believe in good luck, evil eye, and astrology.
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88:6.7 [[Gradually]] [[science]] is removing the [[gambling]] element from life. But if [[modern]] [[methods]] of [[education]] should fail, there would be an almost [[immediate]] reversion to the [[primitive]] [[beliefs]] in [[magic]]. These [[superstitions]] still linger in the [[minds]] of many so-called civilized people. [[Language]] contains many [[fossils]] which testify that the [[race]] has long been steeped in magical [[superstition]], such words as spellbound, ill-starred, [[possessions]], [[inspiration]], spirit away, ingenuity, entrancing, thunderstruck, and astonished. And [[intelligent]] [[human beings]] still believe in good [[luck]], [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_eye evil eye], and [[astrology]].
  
88:6.8 Ancient magic was the cocoon of modern science, indispensable in its time but now no longer useful. And so the phantasms of ignorant superstition agitated the primitive minds of men until the concepts of science could be born. Today, Urantia is in the twilight zone of this intellectual evolution. One half the world is grasping eagerly for the light of truth and the facts of scientific discovery, while the other half languishes in the arms of ancient superstition and but thinly disguised magic.
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88:6.8 [[Ancient]] [[magic]] was the cocoon of [[modern]] [[science]], indispensable in its time but now no longer useful. And so the phantasms of [[ignorant]] [[superstition]] agitated the [[primitive]] [[minds]] of men until the [[concepts]] of [[science]] could be born. Today, [[Urantia]] is in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twilight twilight] zone of this [[intellectual]] [[evolution]]. One half the world is grasping eagerly for the [[light]] of [[truth]] and the [[facts]] of [[scientific]] [[discovery]], while the other half languishes in the arms of [[ancient]] [[superstition]] and but thinly disguised [[magic]].
  
 
88:6.9 Presented by a [[Brilliant Evening Star]] of [[Nebadon]].
 
88:6.9 Presented by a [[Brilliant Evening Star]] of [[Nebadon]].
  
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[[Category: PART III: The History of Urantia]]
 
[[Category: PART III: The History of Urantia]]

Latest revision as of 01:39, 13 December 2020

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PAPER 88: FETISHES, CHARMS, AND MAGIC

88:0.1 The concept of a spirit's entering into an inanimate object, an animal, or a human being, is a very ancient and honorable belief, having prevailed since the beginning of the evolution of religion. This doctrine of spirit possession is nothing more nor less than fetishism. The savage does not necessarily worship the fetish; he very logically worships and reverences the spirit resident therein.

88:0.2 At first, the spirit of a fetish was believed to be the ghost of a dead man; later on, the higher spirits were supposed to reside in fetishes. And so the fetish cult eventually incorporated all of the primitive ideas of ghosts, souls, spirits, and demon possession.

88:1. BELIEF IN FETISHES

88:1.1 Primitive man always wanted to make anything extraordinary into a fetish; chance therefore gave origin to many. A man is sick, something happens, and he gets well. The same thing is true of the reputation of many medicines and the chance methods of treating disease. Objects connected with dreams were likely to be converted into fetishes. Volcanoes, but not mountains, became fetishes; comets, but not stars. Early man regarded shooting stars and meteors as indicating the arrival on earth of special visiting spirits.

88:1.2 The first fetishes were peculiarly marked pebbles, and "sacred stones" have ever since been sought by man; a string of beads was once a collection of sacred stones, a battery of charms. Many tribes had fetish stones, but few have survived as have the Kaaba and the Stone of Scone. Fire and water were also among the early fetishes, and fire worship, together with belief in holy water, still survives.

88:1.3 Tree fetishes were a later development, but among some tribes the persistence of nature worship led to belief in charms indwelt by some sort of nature spirit. When plants and fruits became fetishes, they were taboo as food. The apple was among the first to fall into this category; it was never eaten by the Levantine peoples.

88:1.4 If an animal ate human flesh, it became a fetish. In this way the dog came to be the sacred animal of the Parsees. If the fetish is an animal and the ghost is permanently resident therein, then fetishism may impinge on reincarnation. In many ways the savages envied the animals; they did not feel superior to them and were often named after their favorite beasts.

88:1.5 When animals became fetishes, there ensued the taboos on eating the flesh of the fetish animal. Apes and monkeys, because of resemblance to man, early became fetish animals; later, snakes, birds, and swine were also similarly regarded. At one time the cow was a fetish, the milk being taboo while the excreta were highly esteemed. The serpent was revered in Palestine, especially by the Phoenicians, who, along with the Jews, considered it to be the mouthpiece of evil spirits. Even many moderns believe in the charm powers of reptiles. From Arabia on through India to the snake dance of the Moqui tribe of red men the serpent has been revered.

88:1.6 Certain days of the week were fetishes. For ages Friday has been regarded as an unlucky day and the number thirteen as an evil numeral. The lucky numbers three and seven came from later revelations; four was the lucky number of primitive man and was derived from the early recognition of the four points of the compass. It was held unlucky to count cattle or other possessions; the ancients always opposed the taking of a census, "numbering the people."[1]

88:1.7 Primitive man did not make an undue fetish out of sex; the reproductive function received only a limited amount of attention. The savage was natural minded, not obscene or prurient.

88:1.8 Saliva was a potent fetish; devils could be driven out by spitting on a person. For an elder or superior to spit on one was the highest compliment. Parts of the human body were looked upon as potential fetishes, particularly the hair and nails. The long-growing fingernails of the chiefs were highly prized, and the trimmings thereof were a powerful fetish. Belief in skull fetishes accounts for much of later-day head-hunting. The umbilical cord was a highly prized fetish; even today it is so regarded in Africa. Mankind's first toy was a preserved umbilical cord. Set with pearls, as was often done, it was man's first necklace.

88:1.9 Hunchbacked and crippled children were regarded as fetishes; lunatics were believed to be moon-struck. Primitive man could not distinguish between genius and insanity; idiots were either beaten to death or revered as fetish personalities. Hysteria increasingly confirmed the popular belief in witchcraft; epileptics often were priests and medicine men. Drunkenness was looked upon as a form of spirit possession; when a savage went on a spree, he put a leaf in his hair for the purpose of disavowing responsibility for his acts. Poisons and intoxicants became fetishes; they were deemed to be possessed.

88:1.10 Many people looked upon geniuses as fetish personalities possessed by a wise spirit. And these talented humans soon learned to resort to fraud and trickery for the advancement of their selfish interests. A fetish man was thought to be more than human; he was divine, even infallible. Thus did chiefs, kings, priests, prophets, and church rulers eventually wield great power and exercise unbounded authority.

88:2. EVOLUTION OF THE FETISH

88:2.1 It was a supposed preference of ghosts to indwell some object which had belonged to them when alive in the flesh. This belief explains the efficacy of many modern relics. The ancients always revered the bones of their leaders, and the skeletal remains of saints and heroes are still regarded with superstitious awe by many. Even today, pilgrimages are made to the tombs of great men.

88:2.2 Belief in relics is an outgrowth of the ancient fetish cult. The relics of modern religions represent an attempt to rationalize the fetish of the savage and thus elevate it to a place of dignity and respectability in the modern religious systems. It is heathenish to believe in fetishes and magic but supposedly all right to accept relics and miracles.

88:2.3 The hearth—fireplace—became more or less of a fetish, a sacred spot. The shrines and temples were at first fetish places because the dead were buried there. The fetish hut of the Hebrews was elevated by Moses to that place where it harbored a superfetish, the then existent concept of the law of God. But the Israelites never gave up the peculiar Canaanite belief in the stone altar: "And this stone which I have set up as a pillar shall be God's house."[2] They truly believed that the spirit of their God dwelt in such stone altars, which were in reality fetishes.

88:2.4 The earliest images were made to preserve the appearance and memory of the illustrious dead; they were really monuments. Idols were a refinement of fetishism. The primitives believed that a ceremony of consecration caused the spirit to enter the image; likewise, when certain objects were blessed, they became charms.

88:2.5 Moses, in the addition of the second commandment to the ancient Dalamatian moral code, made an effort to control fetish worship among the Hebrews. He carefully directed that they should make no sort of image that might become consecrated as a fetish. He made it plain, "You shall not make a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or on the earth beneath, or in the waters of the earth."[3] While this commandment did much to retard art among the Jews, it did lessen fetish worship. But Moses was too wise to attempt suddenly to displace the olden fetishes, and he therefore consented to the putting of certain relics alongside the law in the combined war altar and religious shrine which was the ark.

88:2.6 Words eventually became fetishes, more especially those which were regarded as God's words; in this way the sacred books of many religions have become fetishistic prisons incarcerating the spiritual imagination of man. Moses' very effort against fetishes became a supreme fetish; his commandment was later used to stultify art and to retard the enjoyment and adoration of the beautiful.

88:2.7 In olden times the fetish word of authority was a fear-inspiring doctrine, the most terrible of all tyrants which enslave men. A doctrinal fetish will lead mortal man to betray himself into the clutches of bigotry, fanaticism, superstition, intolerance, and the most atrocious of barbarous cruelties. Modern respect for wisdom and truth is but the recent escape from the fetish-making tendency up to the higher levels of thinking and reasoning. Concerning the accumulated fetish writings which various religionists hold as sacred books, it is not only believed that what is in the book is true, but also that every truth is contained in the book. If one of these sacred books happens to speak of the earth as being flat, then, for long generations, otherwise sane men and women will refuse to accept positive evidence that the planet is round.

88:2.8 The practice of opening one of these sacred books to let the eye chance upon a passage, the following of which may determine important life decisions or projects, is nothing more nor less than arrant fetishism. To take an oath on a "holy book" or to swear by some object of supreme veneration is a form of refined fetishism.

88:2.9 But it does represent real evolutionary progress to advance from the fetish fear of a savage chief's fingernail trimmings to the adoration of a superb collection of letters, laws, legends, allegories, myths, poems, and chronicles which, after all, reflect the winnowed moral wisdom of many centuries, at least up to the time and event of their being assembled as a "sacred book."

88:2.10 To become fetishes, words had to be considered inspired, and the invocation of supposed divinely inspired writings led directly to the establishment of the authority of the church, while the evolution of civil forms led to the fruition of the authority of the state.

88:3. TOTEMISM

88:3.1 Fetishism ran through all the primitive cults from the earliest belief in sacred stones, through idolatry, cannibalism, and nature worship, to totemism.

88:3.2 Totemism is a combination of social and religious observances. Originally it was thought that respect for the totem animal of supposed biologic origin insured the food supply. Totems were at one and the same time symbols of the group and their god. Such a god was the clan personified. Totemism was one phase of the attempted socialization of otherwise personal religion. The totem eventually evolved into the flag, or national symbol, of the various modern peoples.

88:3.3 A fetish bag, a medicine bag, was a pouch containing a reputable assortment of ghost-impregnated articles, and the medicine man of old never allowed his bag, the symbol of his power, to touch the ground. Civilized peoples in the twentieth century see to it that their flags, emblems of national consciousness, likewise never touch the ground.

88:3.4 The insignia of priestly and kingly office were eventually regarded as fetishes, and the fetish of the state supreme has passed through many stages of development, from clans to tribes, from suzerainty to sovereignty, from totems to flags. Fetish kings have ruled by "divine right," and many other forms of government have obtained. Men have also made a fetish of democracy, the exaltation and adoration of the common man's ideas when collectively called "public opinion." One man's opinion, when taken by itself, is not regarded as worth much, but when many men are collectively functioning as a democracy, this same mediocre judgment is held to be the arbiter of justice and the standard of righteousness.

88:4. MAGIC

88:4.1 Civilized man attacks the problems of a real environment through his science; savage man attempted to solve the real problems of an illusory ghost environment by magic. Magic was the technique of manipulating the conjectured spirit environment whose machinations endlessly explained the inexplicable; it was the art of obtaining voluntary spirit co-operation and of coercing involuntary spirit aid through the use of fetishes or other and more powerful spirits.

88:4.2 The object of magic, sorcery, and necromancy was twofold:

88:4.3 The objects of science are identical with those of magic. Mankind is progressing from magic to science, not by meditation and reason, but rather through long experience, gradually and painfully. Man is gradually backing into the truth, beginning in error, progressing in error, and finally attaining the threshold of truth. Only with the arrival of the scientific method has he faced forward. But primitive man had to experiment or perish.

88:4.4 The fascination of early superstition was the mother of the later scientific curiosity. There was progressive dynamic emotionfear plus curiosity—in these primitive superstitions; there was progressive driving power in the olden magic. These superstitions represented the emergence of the human desire to know and to control planetary environment.

88:4.5 Magic gained such a strong hold upon the savage because he could not grasp the concept of natural death. The later idea of original sin helped much to weaken the grip of magic on the race in that it accounted for natural death. It was at one time not at all uncommon for ten innocent persons to be put to death because of supposed responsibility for one natural death. This is one reason why ancient peoples did not increase faster, and it is still true of some African tribes. The accused individual usually confessed guilt, even when facing death.

88:4.6 Magic is natural to a savage. He believes that an enemy can actually be killed by practicing sorcery on his shingled hair or fingernail trimmings. The fatality of snake bites was attributed to the magic of the sorcerer. The difficulty in combating magic arises from the fact that fear can kill. Primitive peoples so feared magic that it did actually kill, and such results were sufficient to substantiate this erroneous belief. In case of failure there was always some plausible explanation; the cure for defective magic was more magic.

88:5. MAGICAL CHARMS

88:5.1 Since anything connected with the body could become a fetish, the earliest magic had to do with hair and nails. Secrecy attendant upon body elimination grew up out of fear that an enemy might get possession of something derived from the body and employ it in detrimental magic; all excreta of the body were therefore carefully buried. Public spitting was refrained from because of the fear that saliva would be used in deleterious magic; spittle was always covered. Even food remnants, clothing, and ornaments could become instruments of magic. The savage never left any remnants of his meal on the table. And all this was done through fear that one's enemies might use these things in magical rites, not from any appreciation of the hygienic value of such practices.

88:5.2 Magical charms were concocted from a great variety of things: human flesh, tiger claws, crocodile teeth, poison plant seeds, snake venom, and human hair. The bones of the dead were very magical. Even the dust from footprints could be used in magic. The ancients were great believers in love charms. Blood and other forms of bodily secretions were able to insure the magic influence of love.

88:5.3 Images were supposed to be effective in magic. Effigies were made, and when treated ill or well, the same effects were believed to rest upon the real person. When making purchases, superstitious persons would chew a bit of hard wood in order to soften the heart of the seller.

88:5.4 The milk of a black cow was highly magical; so also were black cats. The staff or wand was magical, along with drums, bells, and knots. All ancient objects were magical charms. The practices of a new or higher civilization were looked upon with disfavor because of their supposedly evil magical nature. Writing, printing, and pictures were long so regarded.

88:5.5 Primitive man believed that names must be treated with respect, especially names of the gods. The name was regarded as an entity, an influence distinct from the physical personality; it was esteemed equally with the soul and the shadow. Names were pawned for loans; a man could not use his name until it had been redeemed by payment of the loan. Nowadays one signs his name to a note. An individual's name soon became important in magic. The savage had two names; the important one was regarded as too sacred to use on ordinary occasions, hence the second or everyday name—a nickname. He never told his real name to strangers. Any experience of an unusual nature caused him to change his name; sometimes it was in an effort to cure disease or to stop bad luck. The savage could get a new name by buying it from the tribal chief; men still invest in titles and degrees. But among the most primitive tribes, such as the African Bushmen, individual names do not exist.

88:6. THE PRACTICE OF MAGIC

88:6.1 Magic was practiced through the use of wands, "medicine" ritual, and incantations, and it was customary for the practitioner to work unclothed. Women outnumbered the men among primitive magicians. In magic, "medicine" means mystery, not treatment. The savage never doctored himself; he never used medicines except on the advice of the specialists in magic. And the voodoo doctors of the twentieth century are typical of the magicians of old.

88:6.2 There was both a public and a private phase to magic. That performed by the medicine man, shaman, or priest was supposed to be for the good of the whole tribe. Witches, sorcerers, and wizards dispensed private magic, personal and selfish magic which was employed as a coercive method of bringing evil on one's enemies. The concept of dual spiritism, good and bad spirits, gave rise to the later beliefs in white and black magic. And as religion evolved, magic was the term applied to spirit operations outside one's own cult, and it also referred to older ghost beliefs.

88:6.3 Word combinations, the ritual of chants and incantations, were highly magical. Some early incantations finally evolved into prayers. Presently, imitative magic was practiced; prayers were acted out; magical dances were nothing but dramatic prayers. Prayer gradually displaced magic as the associate of sacrifice.

88:6.4 Gesture, being older than speech, was the more holy and magical, and mimicry was believed to have strong magical power. The red men often staged a buffalo dance in which one of their number would play the part of a buffalo and, in being caught, would insure the success of the impending hunt. The sex festivities of May Day were simply imitative magic, a suggestive appeal to the sex passions of the plant world. The doll was first employed as a magic talisman by the barren wife.

88:6.5 Magic was the branch off the evolutionary religious tree which eventually bore the fruit of a scientific age. Belief in astrology led to the development of astronomy; belief in a philosopher's stone led to the mastery of metals, while belief in magic numbers founded the science of mathematics.

88:6.6 But a world so filled with charms did much to destroy all personal ambition and initiative. The fruits of extra labor or of diligence were looked upon as magical. If a man had more grain in his field than his neighbor, he might be haled before the chief and charged with enticing this extra grain from the indolent neighbor's field. Indeed, in the days of barbarism it was dangerous to know very much; there was always the chance of being executed as a black artist.

88:6.7 Gradually science is removing the gambling element from life. But if modern methods of education should fail, there would be an almost immediate reversion to the primitive beliefs in magic. These superstitions still linger in the minds of many so-called civilized people. Language contains many fossils which testify that the race has long been steeped in magical superstition, such words as spellbound, ill-starred, possessions, inspiration, spirit away, ingenuity, entrancing, thunderstruck, and astonished. And intelligent human beings still believe in good luck, evil eye, and astrology.

88:6.8 Ancient magic was the cocoon of modern science, indispensable in its time but now no longer useful. And so the phantasms of ignorant superstition agitated the primitive minds of men until the concepts of science could be born. Today, Urantia is in the twilight zone of this intellectual evolution. One half the world is grasping eagerly for the light of truth and the facts of scientific discovery, while the other half languishes in the arms of ancient superstition and but thinly disguised magic.

88:6.9 Presented by a Brilliant Evening Star of Nebadon.

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