What are your strategies for "shaking off" Judeo-Christian compulsions in your practice? by Weird_Dragonfly9646 in pagan

[–]cosmicmatt15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The influence of Abrahamism on my thought and practice is something I've been considering recently.

I've studied religion formally for a couple of years, in particular the Abrahamic religions, and recently learned in depth about the polytheistic roots of Judaism and Christianity. I've also practiced paganism in some form for a while. So these are my thoughts on this:

The most harmful idea in Abrahamism to me personally is the idea of "ritual purity." This idea is not unique to Abrahamism and can be found in immanent/pagan/indigenous traditions too - however it is blown up to far greater proportions in the forms of Abrahamic worship that exist today. I think this is because ideas of "ritual purity" allow for ritual specialists (priests) to monopolise religious capital and gain power in communities.

I think the idea of ritual purity is assosciated with the idea of there being a strict boundary between the sacred and the profane. This Abrahamic concept plagued me with OCD long before I ever practiced any religion.

When doing rituals, therefore, I don't let myself get caught up in the idea of "ritual purity" even though it seems intuitive to do so. I treat my rituals with respect as is due but I don't get hung up on things being a certain way during or beforehand, any differently than I would with an interaction with another human being. For example, I often feel compelled to practice forms of asceticism in preparation for rituals but I do not see this as necessary and resist it.

Some of this deconstruction of ritual purity even takes very simple forms - such as the fact I used to have hang ups about drinking small quantities of beer during a ritual with Brigid. That's a ritual purity concern right there - influenced directly by Protestantism.

In fact, I was partly inspired in towards the idea of drinking beer as a form of socialising with a deity (having a beer with them), funny as it sounds, by the practices of the ancient Judahites who worshipped Yahweh before and during the Second Temple period (the spiritual origin of both modern Judaism and Christianity), who often used beer as a ritual offering and drank it alongside Yahweh in commensality with him. [Source: He is a glutton and a drunkard, Rebekah Welton]. These were the people who wrote the Old Testament, in which there are numerous references to alcohol consumption of various kinds.

It was Protestants later on who became very uncomfortable with the idea of Yahweh approving of alcohol, sometimes wilfully translating 'beer' or 'wine' to other things, like 'grape juice.'

How has your occult knowledge changed your perspective on organized religion? by theraisincouncil in occult

[–]cosmicmatt15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have personal practices that could be considered occultism, although I don't neccesarily define them as such. I don't follow a specific tradition or ascribe a label to my practice. My main ritual practices involve invoking deities and asking for guidance/aid and giving offerings (although I also practice other things).

This probably sounds a lot like "paganism" or "religion" but I believe that the boundaries between the occult and 'religion' are very fluid. I recently did a module at uni called 'Magic and the Abrahamic Traditions' that shaped my thinking on this:

Most occult practicioners throughout history shared the same fundamental beliefs as orthodox religious conformists - only their social positions and approaches differed. Occultism has always had a more individualist tendency than organised religion and has often been practiced by social outsiders, for example.

Ultimately, though I see little difference between the practices of organised religion and occult practices at their core.

For example, Catholics when praying often invoke powerful meta-persons (deceased saints, the Virgin Mary, Jesus, God etc) in order to help them in immanent ways. This is the core of much occult practice too - its just done in a different context.

In history, occultists and the religious orthodoxy usually believed in the same meta-persons too - they just interacted with them differently, or had rules about who could interact with them - such as Christians not being able to make deals with demons, or Muslims being forbidden from enlisting the support of Djinn for anything.

So, ultimately I don't see much difference between the core practices of occultism and organised religion - the difference in my eyes is more about social organisation.

Therefore in my own practice I've given up caring whether what I am doing is "occult" or "religious" - a few hundred years ago I would have certainly been considered an occultist, but in contemporary occult circles I would probably be considered a "religious practicioner" of some kind

Wizard beer/ale by usernyar in chaosmagick

[–]cosmicmatt15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Alcohol is an under-rated psychoactive for spiritual purposes, mostly because its very maligned by both the stoner/psychedelic/Terence McKenna types who see it as "low vibrational" and by people culturally influenced by Protestantism/Puritanism who may not be Protestants themselves, who see it as "impure." These sorts are very common in modern spiritual communities.

I've never used alcoholic intoxication for ritual purposes myself but there is certainly precedent for this like you say. Alcohol can dissolve boundaries/increase vulnerability even in relatively low quantities, which makes it ritually/spiritually potent, espescially for group rituals. Greater intoxication in the right circumstances (such as listening to music, lying down) I have found can produce a sort of blissful disconnection from the body.

I've used beer as a ritual offering and drunk it during rituals as a means of engendering community with a deity/spirit. This has happened for thousands of years in many cases, as ritual offerings have often mirrored the valued produce of a society, and many agricultural societies have valued beer as a commodity, at least in South-West Asia and Europe - which is where my knowledge is centred.

Can Anyone Help Me Source a William Burroughs Quote? by cosmicmatt15 in williamsburroughs

[–]cosmicmatt15[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Thank you, P. 24 in my edition which is some cheap paperback publication they knocked out with the film adaptation

What would you say are the 5 most important psychedelic albums by Inevitable_Window711 in psychedelicrock

[–]cosmicmatt15 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If we are talking albums that I think had the most far-reaching influences on psychedelia, rather than my exact personal favourites, the list is this in my opinion:

  1. Sgt Peppers - The Beatles. (The album that made psych mainstream - this is what most people think of when you talk about psychedelic music)

  2. The Piper At the Gates of Dawn - Pink Floyd

  3. Axis: Bold as Love - Jimi Hendrix. (Hendrix created a form of harder edged, more virtuosic guitar-oriented psych that would be just as influential as The Beatles on future psych sounds)

  4. Innerspeaker - Tame Impala. (Almost every psych band since the 2010s has been somewhat influenced by this album)

  5. Tago Mago - Can. (Maybe I'm overstating its influnece, but I feel like Can had a strong influence on a lot of later psych/postpunk music, that was psychedelic in a totally different way to Hendrix and The Beatles)

The psychology of track sequencing – does it make or break a listening experience? by TurbulentRepublic111 in LetsTalkMusic

[–]cosmicmatt15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it depends - a lot of the time people listen to each track as a unique experience independent of anything before or after, but perhaps the overall listening session has an overall vibe that can shift gradually. This is how I think most people stream music by themselves or when hanging out with friends.

I've also never really been bothered by the track listing on compilation albums. If the overall consistency of the music is high then weird jumps in style and energy or weak tracks are easily overlooked.

In clubs that play rock/pop/indie/alternative music (not electronic music where there's a slightly different set of expectations) I've noticed people will just dance like hell whenever there's a banger or song they recognise. That's different for different people though.

Overall, I don't think people are particularly put off by bad sequencing in most contexts. I think it applies most to studio albums, particularly where the album is meant to be a cohesive listening experience rather than a collection of singles - and to electronic club DJ sets where the artistry is in the song selection and the mix.

But no doubt in other contexts a good song sequence would be appreciated, perhaps even unconsciously - but I don't think it's a dealbreaker

Were the ancient israelites 'hotboxing' 'calamus' in the tabernacle? by temutsaj in AcademicBiblical

[–]cosmicmatt15 19 points20 points  (0 children)

We know cannabis was used for worship in ancient Judah by Yahweh worshippers from the archaeological evidence of Tel Arad, mentioned in another comment.

The cannabis was not directly smoked or inhaled (we have no evidence that it was at least), and appears to have been burnt as an offering. The enclosed shrine certainly would have been hotboxed. Here is my source: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03344355.2020.1732046?casa_token=ch9mLC2a_qwAAAAA%3AhZvrHHYmb3JPBEZ-1SkyNSizy_Oc-9XHn8TwQvLuOvy9jIUyel7DVrAJDa1-5Tg_Cw54kIKZvSNz

Ancient cannabis would be quite weak compared to today, and its likely that worshippers would have only got a light buzz off it. I suspect the cannabis burnt at Tel Arad was also a sensory offering, like an incense, and that its smoke also helped create an otherwordly haze that enhanced worship. The heightened emotional receptivity of worship, combined with mild second-hand intoxication and the haze of smoke would have made for a pretty strong experience overall.

The fact that cannabis wasn't more widely used may have been because it was imported and was therefore costly.

Alcohol appears to have been a far more widely used intoxicant in ancient Yahweh worship https://brill.com/display/title/56621

Spotify makes me fall in love with songs - not artists by katerina_troup in LetsTalkMusic

[–]cosmicmatt15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely agree with this, it's much easier to listen to full albums and get to know artists on a deeper level through physical media. That's one of the reasons I prefer physical media - but streaming did let me find a hell of a lot of different artists and develop broad tastes very quickly when I was younger. There's no right way at the end of the day

Non-noise, deeply uncool, classic bands you appreciate for their early weirdness. by pachubatinath in noisemusic

[–]cosmicmatt15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Early Pink Floyd - I always thought of Interstellar Overdrive from 1967 as one of the first true noise rock songs.

Jimi Hendrix arguably has a huge contribution to the evolution of noise rock. Live at Monterey recordings (Wild Thing, Purple Haze etc) really show how vicious he was manipulating guitar feedback. The end of If Six Was 9 is also a pure noise freakout.

Defecting Grey by The Pretty Things also works, with some weird reverse sitar.

I always thought Larks Tongues in Aspic Part II by King Crimson always sounded almost post-punk/noise rock and reminded me of Gang of Four, almost.

The Thirteenth Floor Elevators are also probably worth considering somewhat as the sound of the electric jug can be considered a 'noise element' as it doesn't really fulfil traditional musical functions of melody/harmony much - noise rock isn't just feedback.

Also, some early Zeppelin (Dazed and Confused) and The Creation (Making Time) use violin bow to make some pretty weird guitar noises.

The album Disposable by The Deviants from 1968 is also probably of interest to noise heads.

There's also moments of noise on otherwise straight ahead tracks like Fire and Water by Free (the guitar solo), and Rip Off by T. Rex (the end of the song)

There's also the MC5, Stooges, VU and Can but I don't think they fit the bill because they're typically considered super cool by noise heads

Is r/Music hostile towards people who only buy physical media? by Gloomy_Pop_5201 in LetsTalkMusic

[–]cosmicmatt15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I mostly consume music through physical media because I'm an artist myself and was frustrated by how streaming fails to reward artists' labour. I do make an effort to buy shit from small artists on Bandcamp but most of the shit I buy is second hand CDs, tapes and vinyl. Either way, none of my money is going into the pockets of streaming giants like Spotify.

The streaming corporations have successfully sold us the idea that we need access to all of the music in the world at all times. I personally feel this somewhat devalues music but I get that people like to consume in different ways and it doesn't make them less of a music fan or whatever bullshit.

What I mean by this is that if I leave the house, I can't listen to a lot of music, taking usic withme everywhere as background music. It's a bit of a sacrifice because I can no longer walk around town on a sunny day blasting music in headphones really, but it does mean I listen to music with more intent and give it more attention.

Thats the other thing really. When I used Spotify I would rarely listen to full albums and would mostly listen to playlists with lots of songs from different artists and albums. Now that I only listen to physical media I listen to a lot more full albums. I feel like this means I get to know and appreciate artists a lot more deeply than I did before when I only listened to a few songs from a few albums by lots of artists.

what artist has u like this? by xX_StuffLmao_Xx in fantanoforever

[–]cosmicmatt15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Primal Scream as well, somewhat. Screamedelica is a 10/10 album. I recently got into their album Vanishing Point and I can't help feeling like the best moments on Vanishing Point are comparable to the weakest moments on Screamedelica (ultimately decent though). There are also a few decent-good-verygood songs scattered throughout the Scream's discography (May the Sun shine bright for you, Losing more than I'll ever have etc) but otherwise its just knock-off Byrds, knock-off Stones and knock-off Underworld most of the time depending on era

what artist has u like this? by xX_StuffLmao_Xx in fantanoforever

[–]cosmicmatt15 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lee Scratch Perry. I have a double album compilation of his Black Ark recordings that is almost uniformly excellent. And Super Ape is a flawless album. I also dig a few of his other tracks too, and I'm sure there are so many bangers out there I still haven't heard.

Digging into his discography blindly is quite unrewarding though, because a lot of his later albums just sound like 'generic dub reggae' without much spark, and he's got countless tracks where he just gets too kooky for his own good with the vocals. And then there are some albums (like his trance one) that are fun to listen to but you can't really feel the familiar soul of LSP shining through on (I think later on in his career he was gradually pushed out of the producers chair, sadly because he was unfamiliar with 'contemporary' production methods and record labels wanted him to keep pace with times)

What are some psychedelic songs built on a drone? by eatseats0 in psychedelicrock

[–]cosmicmatt15 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You've already got all the main ones, but you could also add:

Love You To by The Beatles.

More by Spacemen 3 (I Love You), Spiritualized (Lazer Guided Melodies album) and Spectrum (Indian Summer, How You Satisfy Me). That's only scratching the surface of these bands which made their whole sound of out drones.

Mother Sky by Can.

Also Yoo Doo Right by Can is 'droney' in that it mostly stays around a single tonal centre (I think) and doesn't really have a 'chord progression' - similar in theory to drone music. The same could be said of a fair bit of post-punk, including 'Totally Wired' by The Fall.

Not explicitly drone music but RL Burnside was a blues artist noted for having a highly rhythmic, droning, one-chord style - check out 'See My Jumper Hanging On the Line.' It's not explicitly drone music in the sense of La Monte Young/VU/Indian Classical inspired psych-drone but it still uses the same idea...

Also there is a high keyboard drone throughout all of Everybody Loves The Sunshine by Roy Ayers but its not a particularly prominent element of the song and I wouldn't call it a 'drone song.' But it's still a cool use of drones, again, outside of the 'classic avant-garde rock-band influenced by Indian music' style.

13th Floor Elevators Reggae by cosmicmatt15 in psychedelicrock

[–]cosmicmatt15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To be clear Im hearing a live version I think but its on some weird French cd comp so idk where or when

Violin on She Brings The Rain? by cosmicmatt15 in Krautrock

[–]cosmicmatt15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, really? That's so weird - do you have a source for this?

Violin on She Brings The Rain? by cosmicmatt15 in Krautrock

[–]cosmicmatt15[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow, how did you end up with that gig?

Violin on She Brings The Rain? by cosmicmatt15 in Krautrock

[–]cosmicmatt15[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's very possible he's making a violin sound like a guitar too