Myths of the Science Age (or: Why I Won't go to the Renaissance Festival)

Rabbi Yitzhak Luria said there are 600,000 faces of the Torah. One for each soul in Israel. In other words: everyone who reads the Torah finds a different (valid) meaning. This kind of thinking is hard to swallow in our culture. An investigation into the historical accuracy of the Pentateuch, for example, is totally out of place here. If there are as many valid interpretations of Torah as there are people, then they are all (T)rue.

Capital (T)ruth really hasn't been with us for long. It gained popularity in the West during the Renaissance and Either-Or logic became the preferred tool of the philosophy schools in Europe. Suddenly, Truth was everywhere, devouring cultural myths and shitting out replicants of itself. The clones came out screaming. "True or False. Yes or No."

Literal truth is considered only one of many interpretations of Torah. A common argument against the validity of the Gospels in the New Testament is that they were most likely not written by the apostles they are attributed to. But looking back through Jewish tradition, you find many examples where writers use famous cultural figures as pseudonyms. The widow of Moses de Leon (who had been handing out portions of the book he claimed had been written by Shimon bar Yochai for years) told everyone to stop asking for the rest of the Sephir ha Zohar, because it didn't exist. He'd been handing out tracts as he wrote them. The Sephir ha Zohar's continued popularity shows us that the historical accuracy of the work was not an issue. Can you imagine?

Myths attempt to explain ineffable ideas that can't be spoken of in Either/Or terms. We need myths to give meaning to our lives outside the production-consumption cycle (another great idea from the Renaissance, by the by), but we've sold them for a scientific certainty that doesn't even exist. "Just a myth" is now a term denoting falseness.

But what the hell does this have to do with the Batman?

It's 1939, and the science age is in full swing. Nietzsche long ago alerted us to God's death, and the Truth monster is bloated, lolling on its side and thanking no one in particular for the end of all myths. It can't eat another bite. It's spent the last five centuries hunting down and devouring anything that didn't make sense, goddammit! and now it just wants to take a nap. As the monster's snores bubble from it's bloody mouth, a kid in a drugstore picks up a copy of Detective Comics #27 and sticks it under his jacket while the clerk is restocking dictionaries.

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Holy Bat Binding!

Instructions:


1. Choose a 'criminal' worthy of The Batman's attention.

2. Breathe deeply (google 'four-fold breath').

3. Picture The Batman in your imagination. Focus your attention on who he is. How he
came to be.

4. Tell him in plain language why you feel he should do something about the 'criminal'.

5. In a deliberate manner, paying close attention to all of your actions, place the below
image in an envelope. Address it to the 'criminal'. Mail it. (If you like, add graveyard
dirt).

6. Forget all about it and do something else.

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Invocation of the Batman

Once you feel you've mastered the Banishing Ritual of the Bat Signal (or the BRBS [wink]), it'll be time to jump into invocation. In Prime Chaos, Phil Hine says, "Invocation basically involves calling upon an entity and thereby identifying oneself with it, to the level that one apparently merges with it." In other words, the title of this document could be "How to Get Possessed by the Batman".

We use invocation for many reasons. In theory, while invoking an entity, the operator will gain the powers and insights of that entity's sphere of influence. Feats outside of your normal abilities can be achieved, and unusual states of awareness can be accessed. Full integration with an entity will also give the operator a temporary status shift, meaning they will be treated as though they were the entity. This will come into play with later workings when we begin evoking the Rogue's Gallery. If you invoke the Batman, the Riddler will be more likely to take orders from you.

If possession sounds scary to you, then let us look outside of the realm of The Exorcism and voudoun mamba dances for examples of invocation. Method acting is one. An actor takes on the role of a character so deeply that his ego is overridden by the character's. One that just about everybody has experienced themselves is playing pretend as a child. If you can't remember, go watch some kids playing (but only if you aren't a creep).

+++Enflame Thyself with Prayer+++

Our first goal is to absorb as much information about the Batman as possible.Spend a few days devoting any spare thought to him. Who he is and how he came to be. Watch Batman movies and TV shows. Listen to Batman soundtracks. Read the comics, of course. Wear your favorite Batman shirt like it was a WWJD tee. Eat, shit, sleep Batman.

At the height of you self-induced Bat frenzy, write your invocation.

According to Hine, there are three steps to a devotional invocation.

1. Deeds of the entity are told in the third person.
2. Qualities of the entity are described in the second person.
3. Powers of the entity are spoken of in the first person.

This invocation can take any form. Liturgical prayer seems to be the most common, but poetry, songs, prose, or artistic acts can also be used.

(It seems to me that the most effective invocatory prayers are the ones we write ourselves, so I won't be posting an example until someone else already has. So get to it and share what you come up with.)

+++Ritual+++


Surround the ritual space in fetish items pertaining to the Batman. Toys, comics, etc. You want to be reminded of the Batman wherever you may be looking. I own the Batman Arkham Asylum game and I will turn it on and aim the camera at an angle that places a living, breathing Batman on my tv screen. You can also play music you associate with him, or burn incense that holds an association.

There may be a timing issue when it comes to certain ritual implements. In the above example, I leave the game running with the tv off. I turn it on as I reach the second part of the invocation, because it is at this point that I am speaking in second person to the Batman. I then turn the tv off again when I get to the third part. It wouldn't make sense to speak of him in the first person if he is "standing" in front of me.

1. Begin (as always) with the four-fold breath. Completely relax yourself into the magical state.

2. Perform the BRBS.

3. Begin reciting or performing the first part of the invocation. Be as emotionally involved as possible. Pretend you are a street corner preacher, telling anyone who will listen about the greatness of the Batman. "HE who is the Batman! HE who killed the god of evil!" Etc.

4. Visualize the Batman standing before you. Call out "BATMAN" repeatedly. Each time you say it, he becomes more solid. Once you are sure that he is standing in front of you, begin reciting or performing the second. part of the invocation. "YOU who are the perfect man. YOU who are the Batman." Etc.

5. Step into the space occupied by your visualization. Feel the image wrap around you. Match your posture to the image. BECOME the Batman. This technique is referred to as "Assuming the God-Form" by western esoteric practitioners. Recite the third part of the invocation. "I am the Batman. I am the world's greatest detective." Etc.

At this point, you should pay attention to any changes in your perception. Do you feel any different from your usual mode of consciousness? Spend some time in this state. Go out and interact with people, taking note of any differences from the way you are treated normally. Make sure to banish again by the end of the day, casting off the God-Form, and returning to normal consciousness.

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Banishing Ritual of the Bat Signal

This is a ritual adapted from the famous Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (or LBRP to the cool kids).

In case you're not the researching type: everybody uses it, and it appears to have been invented by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The presuppositions are 1. Fire=South, Water=West, Air=East, and Earth=North. And 2. I've made good judgements as to the elemental attributes of the god names and the Bat Family.

Criticism is appreciated.

Looking at it on paper makes me realize how complicated it appears. But after just a few weeks of experimentation, I can already get through it in under 3 minutes. And it's really easy, since the images described are already burned into my brain. The Bat signal. The Gotham skyline..

==Invocation of Gotham City==

1. Standing in a relaxed position, face the East, or most prominent window in the room. This window will be considered 'East'.
2. Begin the four-fold breath.
3. Visualize Gotham City rising from the front surface of your body. Make this visualization as detailed or as vague as you like.
4. Visualize an unlit bat signal on your solar plexus.
5. Say, "I shall become a bat."
6. Visualize a white light above your head. As you breathe in, the light draws a line down through your head, into the signal. When it hits the signal, it lights, projecting the bat symbol to the East. Let the light fade away.

==Drawing the Circle==

(In this section, you will be creating a protective circle around yourself. Make it as large as you wish. If you are working in a room that is of limited size, you can even make the circle's radius an arm's length, swiveling on your heels to face the cardinal points and fire the signal. Take the time to plan out where the circle will be drawn to prevent yourself from stumbling over yourself in the middle of the ritual.)
1. Step toward the east edge of the circle. visualize the Bat symbol in the air before you.
2. Repeat the visualization of the white light riding down your center and igniting the signal. Fire it toward the East, 'charging' the symbol in front of you, and call out, "DARK KNIGHT". The symbol flares to life.
3. Touch the center of the Bat symbol with your right index finger. Moving clockwise, draw a line following the edge of the circle to the next station in the South. The line you draw glows white as you do it.
4. Facing South, repeat steps 1 and 2, this time calling out, "ZUR EN ARRH"
5. Moving clockwise, draw a line to the next station in the West.
6. Facing West, repeat steps 1 and 2, this time calling out, "CAPED CRUSADER"
7. Moving clockwise, draw a line to the next station in the North.
8. Facing North, repeat steps 1 and 2, this time calling out, "BRUCE WAYNE"
9. Moving clockwise, draw a line to the first station in the East. You should now have a glowing white circle with flaring Bat symbols at each of the cardinal points.
10. While facing East, step backward to the center of your circle.
11. Visualize the white edge of the circle growing into a sphere around you.

==Evocation of the Bat Family==

(Remain facing East for the duration of the ritual)
1. If you have lost the visualization of yourself as Gotham by this time (as I usually do), take a moment to reinstate it.
2. In the East, visualize Barbara Gordon in any of her aspects (Batgirl, Oracle). Call out, "BARBARA GORDON". She turns her back to you, guarding the East.
3. In the West, visualize Dick Grayson in any of his aspects (Batman, Nightwing, Robin). Call out, "DICK GRAYSON". He turns his back to you, guarding the West.
4. In the South, visualize Jim Gordon. Call out, "JIM GORDON". He turns his back to you, guarding the South.
5. In the North, visualize Alfred Pennyworth. Call out, "ALFRED PENNYWORTH". He turns his back to you, guarding the North.
6. Hold all the images you've accumulated until they are settled in.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_ritual_of_the_pentagram

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Optional Paradigms

::::Thoughtform Universe::::

The Batman is a thoughtform created in 1939. In the 73 years since, millions have contributed to the thoughtform, deepening its archetypal resonance. Now we have an autonomous entity that exists and calls itself Batman. Or one that appears to believe that it is Batman. Or maybe something else, entirely. Either way, it reacts as though it were real and seems to have an existence that can be experienced.

::::Higher Reality Download::::

The Batman Has always existed and was channeled through Bill Finger and crew as they rushed out a character to make their boss happy. They probably never thought of their creation as a cultural icon, and they just happened to be the perfect channels for The Batman to manifest through.

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Tenets of the Sons of the Batman

1. "There are no dualities. Only symmetries." (G. Morrison)

        Good and evil are linguistic artifacts of Aristotlean dualism that describe two extremes on the same scale. The most blatant illustration of this tenet can be found in the relationship between the Batman and the Joker, but it permeates the entire Bat myth. Other examples include the demon Two-face, Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Batman/Robin. Further reading will reveal many more to the dedicated follower.

2. "As above, so below." (Hermetic axiom)

        The universe is a complex, information-rich 4-dimensional fractal pattern. The Smallest contains the whole. Common thematic refrain: "Gotham City IS Batman." The members of the angelic Bat Family as well as the qlippothic Rogue's Gallery can be read as personified aspects of the Batman mirrored back at him. Each entity, then, is a reflection of the entirety of Gotham City.

3. "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted." (Hassan i Sabbah II)

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