Xeotam dialogues

From: David Cake <dave_at_q6y1ykx7dtkionN1qbyw4ax05o4pbnaDFSJgFQLUwFeAfZfat_QRyrNLPqDuZN6YSxPOohp>
Date: Wed, 25 Jan 2012 02:22:23 +0800

On 24/01/2012, at 2:49 PM, Jeff wrote:
> BTW, I strongly suggest reading the Xeotam Dialogues (http://jeff.moondesignpublications.com/2012/01/10/the-xeotam-dialogues/) and some of the other material about the West up at the main Moon Design site and on the Temple of the Reaching Moon blog. And we're always happy to answer questions!

        I still find the Xeotam dialogues very surprising. I always conceived of Western sorcerers using their personal magic to manipulate impersonal runic powers that effected the world, and had a very different understanding of mythic history. Instead, the Xeotam dialogues are very specific that Western sorcerers use their personal magic to manipulate anthopomorphised powers that they understand as gods, and actually the Westerners have a very similar understanding of many events of mythic history (differing on their interpretation and significance, sure).

        Western magic as described here sounds a lot like Neo-Platonist theurgy (which conceived of the pagan gods as subordinate lesser gods to the one true god), rather than like Kabbalah or Hermetic systems like planetary sorcery etc that conceive of the powers they manipulate only as impersonal, emanations of the one true god. Henotheism and orthodox sorcery seem a lot closer - a matter of making a misunderstanding of how to interact with the same entities.

        I'd also like to mention John Dee's angel magic here - his system, where you can conjure up angels with very specific attributes and powers from lists of hundreds, by virtue of calculating their name in the one true language in complex charts, also seems to resonate as a model for this more anthropomorphic version of sorcery.

        There is also the odd little revelation that the Westerns feel that any hero who descended to the Underworld and is reborn is a form of minor god, and usually capable of shapeshifting and more or less astral travel as 'standard' powers. This is a pretty interesting revelation to say the least. Would other Gloranthans regard this as true?

	Cheers 
		David
           

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