| From: | Ereskanti@***.com Ereskanti@***.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Aztlan's Day (Re: Ghouls and HMHVV Changes) |
| Date: | Sun, 20 Jun 1999 11:42:57 EDT |
morrisjila@*******.com writes:
> OK thats what the day of the dead is today now what hapens in the
awakening,
> first of all all the Christian symbols disapear, and now spirits DO come
to
> see ther loved ones. More info will be posted when we finish the Neo
> Anarchists Gide to Aztlan because i can not determine what has hapened
whith
>
> the rite itself and what religious implications does it have.
Okay, to that end, I *can* help.
First of all, the day is likely to move. November 1st is a throwback to "All
Saints Day", and something that also parallels into the Santerria (Steve K,
if you are reading this, !HELP!) for them as well. The dressing up in
costume is something that is carried over in the US as "Halloween" (All
Hallows Evening). The costumes in one are not to honor the dead, but an
attempt at 'scaring' away the evil spirits (the Aztlan Sourcebook titles them
"titzimine") that would otherwise attempt to rid the bodies of their vital
energies.
The older central american societies (and several others, such as the
egyptian, phoenician (sp?), Gaul (think France/Spain here)) all had
entombments. Places that were treated as sacred, where the bodies were
interned so as to be in one central place, making it easier for the "Guardian
Spirits" to find them when the appropriate time of year came, as well as to
make it easier to watch/protect them from the servants of the evil ones (aka;
Grave Robbers) in a mundane sense.
In an Awakened Age of SR, this might have significant importance. Think of
the condemned categories of beings. Things that "remove" or "eat" the
flesh
would be Ghouls, those whose bodies (and spirits?) have been corrupted so as
to against their fellow man. Vampires are attracted to "Essence", and who is
to say with the right kind of ritual, perhaps the person (upon their death)
does not actually lose their essence. Their body becomes a vessel upon which
their katra/karma/spirit remains in waiting to be collected and travel to the
appropriate place. In truth, this is one method in which Cybermancy could be
developed. It is not created a temporary vessel of "willing" storage (the
spirit knows it is remaining here for a purpose, that being to await
ascendance to somewhere else), but it becomes an anchoring, a *trap* of sorts.
The big part of this potential kind of effect, can actually be measured in
game mechanics, but on a VASTLY more powerful scale than people may realize.
(This is gonna get detailed, and lengthy, I'm warning you now)
A cemetary or similar place of "storage" is always something identified, with
it's boundaries and demarcations established. It is always considered "Holy"
ground, and to traverse it's boundaries without paying proper respects (in
SR, this could be a simply conjuring rite, similar to attuning ones' self to
a Ward), then the spirits of the place will go restless, for fear of having
their temporary residence disturbed or damaged (and thus potentially ruining
their chance at paranatural progression). For all intents and purposes, the
game mechanics would be able to subdivide a "cemetary" as a Spiritual Domain
all it's own (especially considering things like the cliff tombs in China).
The domain has been specifically prepared, to act as a "containment field"
until a later time when an appropriate being were to arrive and lead those so
incarcerated, to their next stage/step in the great way of things.
Coffins (all varieties, including Urns for cremation purposes and mummy
wrappings) could be easily looked as specifically reinforced vessels that
help to fill the purpose as well, adding an extra layer of protection, in
case the Holy Ground itself becomes lost to unwitting (or undesired) activity.
Anyway, upon a given day (Day of the Dead), the leading priest that has been
placed in charge of a given site (possibly even collection of sites if they
are adjacent enough) performs the ritual. Remember, that large gatherings of
living people (parties, concerts, etc) have a charged, emotional, response
that is reflected upon the astral world in SR (aka; Background Count). The
people who attend these celebrations are happy, because they believe
(inherently know?) that their loved ones are about to move on to the next
stage in things.
The priest leads the ceremony, directing the energies, performing a kind of
massive Conjuring Ritual that helps to not *banish* per say, but to give the
spirits freedom from the site. Alternatively, the priest uses the collective
energies that are gathered to call forth the appropriate "Guardian Spirit(s)"
to come and fulfill their promise.
Now, in Aztlan as established so far in SR, this last alternative is where
things could go massively astray. A priest that uses the site and it's
energies as a "conjuring" of a being (or even the "Sacrificing" for
other
Ritual Magic purposes) could stand to gain immense power from a magical
perspective. Think of things from the older way of SR here. Use this power
to open a small, if directable, line or conduit to a particular being or
group of beings. It wouldn't be enough perhaps to create a permanent bridge
to be established between worlds/realms/metaplanes, but it might be enough to
get a few beings across (hopefully) to serve the Priests' own purpose/desire.
In some thought-to-be Druidic practices, this gathering is done individually
most of the time, but does occur in mass-scale depending. The energies of
the loved one(s) that die are transcended/altered to return their "unformed"
state, thus reinvigorating the surrounding environment, strengthening it for
the later generations to come.
The expansion of Christianity/Catholocism did alter/influence the rituals, of
that I have little doubt. The Day is one of them. I don't recall off the
top of my head what "day" or "days" it was originally thought to be
though.
Just some alternative thinking....
-K
