Madam Neoteric

Something I said, Tue Nov 21, 2006:

Iraq and Afghanistan, as cultural and historical entities are, I think, going to become extinct under the auspices of American foreign policy. Possibly Iran, too, if we don’t change course.

In the case of Iraq, we’re supposedly “liberating” the country we are destroying. It’s now come down to killing the people we supposedly went in there to free.

Our “leaders” are such murderous maniacs that they may succeed in destroying not only those two countries but our own as well. Reminds me of another war that ended in a quagmire. Funny thing is, it’s many of the same players, like chess pieces, only they’re in different positions now… and quite a bit older and wealthier.

The costs are on the U.S. These wars have torn the country apart, turned us into red states and blue states, patriots and unAmericans, liberals and neocons. It’s left people disillusioned and skeptical of the government, and lacking confidence that we’ll ever get any of it straightened out.

The use of Fear as a tactic to bring the domestic population of the United States under control has left a long and terrible trail of bloodshed and suffering. That’s the cost here at home of being manipulated by Fear. And yes, there were all those who got killed, too… and are still getting killed… and the families they left behind. Not just the Americans. Not just soldiers or terrorists either.

So entranced by the beauty of their vision of historical “legacy” were the members of this Administration, and so enamored of the agenda in which they were engaged, that they apparently paid little attention to the consequences of what they were doing. They are all about “Shock and Awe”, the photo ops, the grand parades, the flags flying, “flowers and candy,” the little lapel pins, “we’ll be greeted as liberators,” the Presidential Medals of Freedom, “Mission Accomplished”…

I guess the stacks of corpses down at the Baghdad morgue, and those flag-draped coffins flown home under cover of darkness, aren’t something they even think much about. Those who dwell in dusty desert homes are, apparently, not entitled to such emotions as Fear, nor the desire to defend themselves against an aggressive foreign occupier. Such feelings and concerns are the prerogatives only of the “rich men dwelling at peace within their habitations,” in Churchill’s rhetoric. Oh, and don’t these guys love the WW2 imagery, too. All pomp… and circumstance be damned.

For these guys, there is only one kind of peace – a certain kind of peace, in which the rich men must be free from fear. The kind of freedom in which the wealthy are free to exploit those who are less fortunate. The kind of liberty in which those who disagree are subject to surveillance and wiretaps and No-Fly lists and they’d damned sure better show their papers when they’re asked.

I just found that comment again tonight. It’s more true than I even knew then.

“Words were originally magic and to this day words have retained much of their ancient magical power.” — Sigmund Freud

Certain sounds that we are using may be associated with ancient spiritual powers as they resonate with the millions of voices who have spoken, sung, or chanted through the millennia… even if our language is not the same, even if our words are not the same, the words and sounds can only point toward the essence of sacred experience.

Like a great tree… I think of the Tree of Life… words have both root and branch meanings. They are interwoven. Indeed, they form a network like a multi-dimensional web through time, like a great fabric of reality. Words are a series of sounds whose waves of vibration exert a particular, predictable resonance or synchronization effect on nearby waves in the fabric. In the magical incantations of the Egyptians not only the name but every spoken word had its supernatural effect. Nothing could come into being before its name had been uttered.

The exact rhythm and intonation of an ancient druidic incantation was never committed to paper because it was necessary to verbalize it orally in order to teach it to succeeding generations of druids. In biblical times, “mighty in words” means not only that Moses (an Egyptian) knew the words of power but also that he was able to utter them with the correct intonation, which is a supremely important detail essential to spoken spells.

To one who understands the sense of speech
The world unveils
Its image form.

To one who listens to the soul of speech
The world unfolds
Its true being.

To one who lives in the spirit depths of speech
The world gives freely
Wisdom’s strength.

To one who lovingly can dwell on speech
Speech will accord
Its inner might.

So I will turn my heart and mind
Toward the soul
And spirit of words.

In love for them
I will then feel myself
Complete and whole.

Rudolf Steiner, The Genius of Language (.pdf), 1919

[From a comment I made on one of R.W. Dean's poems.]