The Symbolism of The Decapitating Feminine

Symbols and allegories.
Kavi
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Re: The Symbolism of The Decapitating Feminine

Post by Kavi »

Nefastos wrote: Sat Jul 25, 2020 10:06 am
Smaragd wrote: Fri Jul 24, 2020 9:36 pmI've observed two ways one can go from there: run away from the head, abandon it and eventually, whether in this or some coming incarnations, slip to insanity in the mysteries of Dionysus.

It is no wonder that nowadays, when our culture has at least one & half century been what it is (prostrated worship of the head-ego), that people "aufer corpus, caput ne tangito" (run with the body & leave the head). And this is extremely easy, on the surface, because such a way was the primitive way, that our body still remembers. So we are trying to turn and run, instead of taking responsibility & putting the focus where it should in the process of balancing, i.e. in the heart that would unite the head with the peripheral body. (This is one reason why I have stressed the not very orthodox reading of buddhi as the center of emotion, instead of intellect, which would be more to the line of the old Sanskrit doctrine.)


It's very strange and interesting as I have read some of the Persian poetry in such way as you are interpreting Sanskrit doctrine - that heart is the grounding element of body and head.
In some of the poetry I am referring to the intellectuals who trust in their head and claim to be wise and sanest people but have grown without heart so their mind goes around and around like needle of compass but love knows that while abandoning the heart they are really the lost ones as needle of compass could show the path when heart is on correct place and well grounded.

I have also read that actually emotions play a one of the key roles in decision making and this idea is very opposite to ones that claim that only by separating emotions from logic one could make rational decisions.

About decapitation... Kali beheading... Shiva? I tried year ago do a bit of a research about this topic but I would have needed books to read and instead I found myself reading different interpretations of it but I couldn't make my mind based on that. There is also certain cultural barrier and richness of mythology that muddies the water for me at least, I assume.
obnoxion
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Re: The Symbolism of The Decapitating Feminine

Post by obnoxion »

It was a delightful surprise that this sparked such lively discussion!
Kavi wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 12:21 pm About decapitation... Kali beheading... Shiva?
I am quite sure that in the tantric iconocraphy the decapitated head is always asura's, never Shiva's. In hindu tantric iconocraphy, Shiva lays in the corpse-position, and Goddess stands on Shiva, with her foot pressed against Shiva's heart. In the Buddhist tantric imagery, the god and the goddess are usually in sexual congress, and they often stand on demonic beings (mostly demonized hindu deities) Whether it be the asura or the demonic beings, they are blissfully relieved to be subdued.
One day of Brahma has 14 Indras; his life has 54 000 Indras. One day of Vishnu is the lifetime of Brahma. The lifetime of Vishnu is one day of Shiva.
Kavi
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Re: The Symbolism of The Decapitating Feminine

Post by Kavi »

obnoxion wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 1:21 pm It was a delightful surprise that this sparked such lively discussion!
Kavi wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 12:21 pm About decapitation... Kali beheading... Shiva?
I am quite sure that in the tantric iconocraphy the decapitated head is always asura's, never Shiva's. In hindu tantric iconocraphy, Shiva lays in the corpse-position, and Goddess stands on Shiva, with her foot pressed against Shiva's heart. In the Buddhist tantric imagery, the god and the goddess are usually in sexual congress, and they often stand on demonic beings (mostly demonized hindu deities) Whether it be the asura or the demonic beings, they are blissfully relieved to be subdued.
This explains a lot!
obnoxion
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Re: The Symbolism of The Decapitating Feminine

Post by obnoxion »

Do you think this passage from the Bible could be interpreted in light of this decapitation symbolism? (If memory serves me right, the Finnish rock musician and theologist Kari Peitsamo made some such interpretations a few years ago on the papers. I think it wasn't so much about decapitation, than on a notion of essential headlessness of men...)

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God

1. Corinthians 11:3.
One day of Brahma has 14 Indras; his life has 54 000 Indras. One day of Vishnu is the lifetime of Brahma. The lifetime of Vishnu is one day of Shiva.
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Smaragd
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Re: The Symbolism of The Decapitating Feminine

Post by Smaragd »

obnoxion wrote: Thu Jul 30, 2020 9:52 pm Do you think this passage from the Bible could be interpreted in light of this decapitation symbolism? (If memory serves me right, the Finnish rock musician and theologist Kari Peitsamo made some such interpretations a few years ago on the papers. I think it wasn't so much about decapitation, than on a notion of essential headlessness of men...)

But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God

1. Corinthians 11:3.
Interesting suggestion, and here seems to be a way for me to see this symbolism in clearer way. I tried to reorder these thoughts for them to make sense to me, and first I see the decapitated man who has Christ as his head. This means the head is in the vastness of the Kingdom of Heaven which is reached by the narrow gate. Reaching the vastness of heaven is about the ability to answer the challenges in the most alive ie. loving manner, but for this to happen a counter power (ethics) must be used, thus the narrow gate is a tool from which to reach the heaven, but also to give birth to the most central action. Narrowness of the gate is about ethics as a power directing principle. The gate itself is the feminine in its form and birth giving function, and could be compared to the act of decapitation because both the decaptitation and the gate are symbols of transcendence. Together the demanding narrowness and the power of the gate are the masculine (directing ie. active) and the feminine (chaotic, free, vast, passive) principles working together. The decapitation symbolism seems to emphasize the transcendent action itself and the principles seen separate to make them clear, while the narrow gate symbolizes what is to come after when the principles have been brought together, if such a thing can be lasting.

The woman I’d interpret to be the chaotic powers of endless ”freedom”, and anima who centers herself to the man to serve his incompleteness in this stage (in the Psychology and Alchemy reading group we’ve lately been following dreams where the dreamers anima creates situations where the unconscious and the conscious side could be united or balanced, which is symbolized by a mandala). The idea is that the head is the center point here in the decapitation symbolism, as needs for such things focuses on the attributes of the head. The feminine darkness symbolises the unconscious completing the consciousness (the head as the man), which is again the idea of prakriti working for purusha. Working seems to mean the union is somewhat momentary. Again, I wonder how lasting unions these can be. The greatness of the unconscious is similarly great as is the vastness of the Kingdom of Heaven and are thus extremely hard to maintain. Even the Mahatmas supporting Theosophic currents during Blavatskys life time granted that adepts are only adepts the moments they practice their adept capabilities.
"Would to God that all the Lord's people were Prophets”, Numbers 11:29 as echoed by William Blake
Angolmois

Re: The Symbolism of The Decapitating Feminine

Post by Angolmois »

It's been very interesting to follow this conversation of yours. As I saw a dream of Orpheus last night with very (homo-)sexual themes, it made me think of the myth of Mainads tearing Orpheus' head from his body and throwing it to the river, where it still cried out for Eurydike. Immediately it made me think of this topic and how the myth and my dream could be interpreted. In my dream Orpheus was a dark figure in the backyard of a hospital where he oversaw very wild, dionysian, homosexual baccanals; I was just like, "a dark Orpheus! what is this?"
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