tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055598777203654547.post5328624077836495764..comments2024-03-01T06:20:29.087+00:00Comments on qualia and other wildlife: the winged messenger flying backwardsrosellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00971482422276765335noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055598777203654547.post-58894028692364054842013-11-07T14:43:20.926+00:002013-11-07T14:43:20.926+00:00Naomi, I'm a pedant too - so I smiled! And - d...Naomi, I'm a pedant too - so I smiled! And - don't get me started on demonisation of the feminine - my first novel looked (a bit) at that, and how it was that in C11th/12th/13th Europe the feminine had a significant place, but by the C14th we were being burnt as witches. I have a LOT to say about all this - in some ways the whole of my work looks at how we demonise matter, the feeling nature, intuition, land and the feminine in our age, and how what we need is to transcend duality by recognising the place and importance of both streams - let's say yin and yang - in ourselves and the collective. Hohum. More anon, no doubt - and more and more! - Am working erratically on a book about all this... :-). Thanks for the conversation, Naomi. Rxrosellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00971482422276765335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055598777203654547.post-21612182350195473122013-11-07T13:38:15.789+00:002013-11-07T13:38:15.789+00:00Ah! You know, even as I worte that comment I was t...Ah! You know, even as I worte that comment I was thinking to myself 'she probably knows this and there are probably many more layers of meaning to these symbols than I'm aware of but nevermind - pedant ahoy!' and so it is :-D<br />It does seem that duality or the balancing of multiple opposing forces is a fundamental part of life and of imagary both historical and modern.<br />"Ousted and somewhat demonised in the monotheistic cultural mindset" - oh indeed, that wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. Gotta love those black and white thinking monotheists. I often wonder what sort of culture we would have and what state the world would be in now if we had managed to keep the place of the feminine in our culture. It makes me so mad when I read of the often quite literal and deadly demonisation of women by the early church. And they weren't the only religious group doing so. I'd love to get back to the sort of Earth Mother/Great mother values of pre and early history :-)<br />All the best and thanks for not taking my pedantry personally and sharing more of your thoughts about it:-D<br />NaNaomi Watthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10299001040984372390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055598777203654547.post-40381509539945458562013-11-06T19:56:58.393+00:002013-11-06T19:56:58.393+00:00Naomi, thanks for adding to this - your comments, ...Naomi, thanks for adding to this - your comments, assenting or dissenting, are very much appreciated and enjoyed! <br /><br />And you are quite right in what you say about the Rod of Asclepius and the American co-opting of the dual serpent rod. I did think before posting what I did, and I knew someone would pick me up on it! - as classically what you're saying is correct; but symbolically, in the more 'hidden', arcane or esoteric healing arts (which - importantly - include the feminine principle, which is probably the one demoted and devalued to trickery and mischief, as you've suggested), I suspect the dual serpent is quite important. <br /><br />Once again, though, I have a hunch that this double-serpent, representing perhaps the marriage of masculine and feminine of the individuated person, or of matter and spirit, or electricity and magnetism if you like, and associated (like the dragon and the original serpent in the Garden) with wisdom, was ousted and somewhat demonised in the monotheistic cultural mindset. <br /><br />I can't immediately give you a source or evidence for that; it's more a convergence in my mind of a great deal of studying and thinking about this and related subjects over the last 40 years :-). <br /><br />VERY busy here - but good things, including many new ideas for next year's programme, and dealing with publicity and stuff surrounding the new Dartmoor novel.<br /><br />Hope you too are well... Warmest, Rrosellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00971482422276765335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5055598777203654547.post-91214975785653030662013-11-06T18:03:04.708+00:002013-11-06T18:03:04.708+00:00Hey Roselle,
Another fascinating post! Many thanks...Hey Roselle,<br />Another fascinating post! Many thanks once again :-) I've been wondering why I've been seemingly inexplicably irritable this week :-0<br />Re the caduceus I had always understood the medical symbol to be the Rod of Asclepius, a staff with a single serpent held by Asclepius, a greek deity of healing and the medicinal arts. I think the confusion is very common and it is used officially in America that way but apparently the two snaked caduceus had associations with eloquence, trickery, negotiation and only tangentially with healing through it's association with alchemy and wisdom. It became a bit of a pet peeve of mine at college so apologies in advance for being an irritating pedant!<br />I hope all's well with you, not rushed off your feet too much :-)<br />NaomiNaomi Watthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10299001040984372390noreply@blogger.com