(11-07-2009 01:41 PM)Jon Peacemaker Wrote: [ -> ]By belief I assume in part that you refer to which deity to accept patronage from, to which the answer is none. I was born and raised an Anglican, baptised in to the faith of my Father. One Black Mass, however, shucked any belief I may have had in regards to the Christian God. There is something about the release of the sexual repression of a nun, which gives you an insight into the failings of that particular faith.
I have met a number of beings powerful enough to call themselves gods, angels and demons and I admit that all of them have left me somewhat disappointed. All bare flaws that I can readily see within the human condition. That is not to say that i do not respect them, in many ways they seek the very same thing tha I look for in life, power. While the means and ways that these gain this power the result is the same, dominance of certain parts of humanity.
My personal belief is a mix of neoplatonism, Kabbalah and sufi mysticism and the deistic beliefs of the Enlightenment. Other than the divine spark that dwells within all humanity, if there is a true god, one without the imperfections I have seen in those who claim godhood, then this god is so abstract to be meaningles within the understanding of mere mortals and immortals. He is so unmovable, so intransient, that he bares no regard for me and I for him.
In many ways I sympathise with the views of the Knights of Purity, this land in which you now well should be under the sole dominance of humanity. We are the ones who have proven our right to be the lords and masters of all we survey. Their view is too limited, just because we are the masters of this realm, does not mean that others such as yourself should not dwell within our sphere, as long as they know their place. If your Aesir master sort to broaden their influence I would stand side by side with the Knights, if they would have me, in the defence of this realm. The time of unhuman domination is over, we should now make our own destiny.
The shame is though that these Knights limit themeselves further, they see only science. They regard magic as a corrupting force, which it is, but no more so than the science they readily accept. Their imaginings have removed them from the essence of the race they seek to protect. They are not humans, they are more than that. I believe that the guilt they feel over this has fueled their zealotry. They not only deny those like your and I, they deny their own existence. Which I believe to be fool hardy in the extreme.
I live my life by the Golden Rule, while I seek power, I am a predator to the prey of the majority of humanity, as any good predator i protect my prey from outsiders. My old friend had a good line to say on the subject 'Do what thou wilt, and that shall be the whole of the law.'
Richard
I think Lord Richard Harlington you raise a very good point about the abstract nature of gods, and most importantly there imperfect nature, you see, essentially the belief of the Northern Tradition and many believe, as far as scriptures see it and themselves, they were once human, as an example, the all father himself is the son of Buri, and grandson of Bori, he admits, and it is known he isnt the first, so essentially that point is null and void over who to believe or not to believe, essentially its Ancestral Worship, these aren't the only human cultures which believe in such, in the east, Such as China, Toaism has hundreds of gods depending upon the province, many of these were even lended over to Buddhism and became sentinels of law and faith within there belief system, so essentially I wouldn't call What I personally believe, a typical faith of the modern age, much like Buddhism, or Toaism, its more rather a way of life, a culture, and respecting the deeds of ones ancestors.
Which is where we of my kind come in Lord Harlington, our forefathers, long ago when the gods were young, gave Alliegance to the ancestral human gods, to help mankind learn, to teach and to respect them as who they are, and were. This occoured quite a long time ago, and as a part of this ceremony, the lords of my realm gave alliegance, and thus Alfheim became a gift, of lordship of sorts to Lord Freyj, as a toothing gift when he was young.
Also what you must find quite interesting, is these beings themselves appear as human, and in all of my visions, or meetings with as such the Aesir Lords, they all are human in nature.
So essentially, I wouldn't look at them trying to gain supremecy, as Midgard is the land of humans, and thats how it will stay, its interesting of note infact that these gods we speak of, will actually return, to die, not essentially for themselves, but for humanity, so everything may continue on to live, now essentially, I absolutely agree with what you and the Knights of Purity say, this IS the land of man, I would not want humans dominating my realm, and it should stay the land of man, and this is also the age of man, however, to go about this in such a way as to ignore magic, much like how you have said Lord Harlington i see as a pity.
I'm not sure if you'd agree with me Lord Harlington, but essentially, i think we feel fairly similar in this matter, and you're intellectual, respectfull approach at looking further into the reasoning behind the Knights of Purity is actually quite insightfull and further more encouraging. I'm supposing in my quite extensive life i've looked at them upon face value, good and evil, and utterly ignored that they may actually think they are doing good, as misguided, deluded, and absolutely paranoid as it is, if they were to be guardians, or defenders of Midgard from outside forces, this is fine, but there nature is that like the Texan "Vigulantee's" who patrol the border of Mexico, killing any and all immagrants they see cross into the state, however, they are an understatement in comparison to the fanatical nature of the knights of purity, to coin a human term, they are "on Steroids" in comparison.
Its interesting in what oyu've said about meeting powerfull beings, and being left dissapointed, and how the bare flaws can readily be seen in the human condition, or as i would say mind. Because essentially, these beings are usually architypes of human nature, of ancestrally human, and have become personifications of a certain virtue, or aspiring act of man kind, essentially, my father, many centuries ago said something quite important to me, and this was, "Mankind can choose there fate, but Gods cannot" whether or not you believe in this, i found these words rather profound.
I myself do actually wonder which was the first to spawn the universe, or multiverses, realms or what ever, because essentially, i'm fully aware it was not the All father, nay yes perhaps Midgard was made by him, but there was things before, and yes he is grand in nature, but he is not the first. However this often perplexes many of my kind as being close to divinity in nature, you often wonder who was the first "Elf".
A rather thoughtfull quote you left on the subject Lord Harlington, I'd have liked to have met Alister Crowely, did you converse with him much? There are many great men of matyrism and good fortune that I would have adored to have conversed with, however unfortunately the short flame of human life can sometimes be seen as the blink of an eyelid to those who have lived for quite a long time.