Smithsguild
The third monkey...
- Location
- Somewhere 'near' Atlanta Ga
Please excuse my ramblings as these are weighty subjects and I am far from knowledgeable about the subject.
First I would like to thank Mistborn who linked to "Exploring Egregores" it was eye opening as was the materials it lead to...
This is my spin using the provided inspiration;
I'm going to try and lay a framework that encompasses religion, true faith, magic/miracles, egregore/tulpa/ & thoughtforms and finally how such concepts relate to cosmic horrors IMHO.
It may appear I'm backing into it, but be patient and with a bit of luck I'll make the connections I'm trying to present. I'll start with a parable you probably have heard;
A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. In the case of the first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said "This being is like a thick snake". For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said, "elephant is a wall". Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear.
None were wrong, but each perceived parts instead of the whole. They were limited by personal experience and those experiences are conflicting, contradictory, and might easily engender argument.
Take a step back and now imagine the blind men are 'societies' with their own cultural biases that color their members perceptions. It becomes easier to see how a Japanese Buddhist would have a wildly differing perception of an unexplained 'Elephant' than an American Christian especially if one encounters the trunk versus the other encountering a tusk.
Now imagine each of these groups with shared perceptions, beliefs, and culture generate a shared psychic projection made of mental energy that responds and interacts with those that created it.
Some concepts are universal - Entropy, Hunger, Time, Thought, etc. and are too broad to easily quantify. Differing societies would generate differing thoughtforms / group mental projections that are representative of those concepts. Some take form as anthropomorphic personifications, some remain faceless abstractions...
Some may actually be 'Higher Entities' that are of such scale as to be confused with primal forces.
Certain minds are more open to interacting/influencing these force or allowing these force to act upon them.
In a religious framework these would be the god touched; the ones that can call for and receive assistance from their patron (or their patrons servants). Those that possess 'True Faith'.
In a non-religious framework these will be those that harness the powers of magic.
Whether they explain the ability as tapping natural forces, Mimicking 'Higher Entities' abilities, or honing their minds to allow the direction of the collective consciousness.
Lovecraftian Horrors IMHO are the the Thoughtforms/Tulpa/Psychic Projections of alien minds -or- are Creatures that have tapped into such powers for so long or with such precision as to be indistinguishable from the powers they harness.
The recurring theme of knowledge that breaks men's minds is that caused by men tapping these alien sources of power without understanding the racial/societal perceptions that gave them form and as the force react / interact they begin to get a glimmer of understanding. The more closely you mirror alien thought the easier tapping the power becomes; but the less human you seem.
Similar to how learning a foreign language at a casual level (tourist phrasebook) differs from being comfortable arguing high concepts in it.
----
I hope my points have been adequately covered, an understandable possible framework lain.
Of course there's a reason these are 'Great Mysteries'... It is near impossible to test any of these premises.
First I would like to thank Mistborn who linked to "Exploring Egregores" it was eye opening as was the materials it lead to...
This is my spin using the provided inspiration;
I'm going to try and lay a framework that encompasses religion, true faith, magic/miracles, egregore/tulpa/ & thoughtforms and finally how such concepts relate to cosmic horrors IMHO.
It may appear I'm backing into it, but be patient and with a bit of luck I'll make the connections I'm trying to present. I'll start with a parable you probably have heard;
A group of blind men heard that a strange animal, called an elephant, had been brought to the town, but none of them were aware of its shape and form. Out of curiosity, they said: "We must inspect and know it by touch, of which we are capable". So, they sought it out, and when they found it they groped about it. In the case of the first person, whose hand landed on the trunk, said "This being is like a thick snake". For another one whose hand reached its ear, it seemed like a kind of fan. As for another person, whose hand was upon its leg, said, the elephant is a pillar like a tree-trunk. The blind man who placed his hand upon its side said, "elephant is a wall". Another who felt its tail, described it as a rope. The last felt its tusk, stating the elephant is that which is hard, smooth and like a spear.
None were wrong, but each perceived parts instead of the whole. They were limited by personal experience and those experiences are conflicting, contradictory, and might easily engender argument.
Take a step back and now imagine the blind men are 'societies' with their own cultural biases that color their members perceptions. It becomes easier to see how a Japanese Buddhist would have a wildly differing perception of an unexplained 'Elephant' than an American Christian especially if one encounters the trunk versus the other encountering a tusk.
Now imagine each of these groups with shared perceptions, beliefs, and culture generate a shared psychic projection made of mental energy that responds and interacts with those that created it.
Some concepts are universal - Entropy, Hunger, Time, Thought, etc. and are too broad to easily quantify. Differing societies would generate differing thoughtforms / group mental projections that are representative of those concepts. Some take form as anthropomorphic personifications, some remain faceless abstractions...
Some may actually be 'Higher Entities' that are of such scale as to be confused with primal forces.
Certain minds are more open to interacting/influencing these force or allowing these force to act upon them.
In a religious framework these would be the god touched; the ones that can call for and receive assistance from their patron (or their patrons servants). Those that possess 'True Faith'.
In a non-religious framework these will be those that harness the powers of magic.
Whether they explain the ability as tapping natural forces, Mimicking 'Higher Entities' abilities, or honing their minds to allow the direction of the collective consciousness.
Lovecraftian Horrors IMHO are the the Thoughtforms/Tulpa/Psychic Projections of alien minds -or- are Creatures that have tapped into such powers for so long or with such precision as to be indistinguishable from the powers they harness.
The recurring theme of knowledge that breaks men's minds is that caused by men tapping these alien sources of power without understanding the racial/societal perceptions that gave them form and as the force react / interact they begin to get a glimmer of understanding. The more closely you mirror alien thought the easier tapping the power becomes; but the less human you seem.
Similar to how learning a foreign language at a casual level (tourist phrasebook) differs from being comfortable arguing high concepts in it.
----
I hope my points have been adequately covered, an understandable possible framework lain.
Of course there's a reason these are 'Great Mysteries'... It is near impossible to test any of these premises.
