Norse Animals of Lore: Domestic

Hoofed Stock

Animals:   Names                                           Lore                      

Boar :    Gullinbursti (Golden Bristled)     Freyr’s Boar 

Boar :     Hildisvini(Battle Pig)                   Freya’s Boar

Cow:     Audhumla                             Origin of Giants and Gods

Goat:      Herdrun                                    Supplies the mead at Valhalla

Goat:      Tanngnjostr (Teeth Grinder)    Thor's Goats

               Tanngrisnir (Teeth Gnasher)

                                                                     

Pig:        Saehrimnir                              Fed the Einherjar (Warriors)

Astrology: Mercury in Retrograde

Often times when people talk about miscommunication on a large scale, some of them will mention Mercury in retrograde.  Mercury is the planet of communication. 

 Example:

There has been an awful eruption among churchgoers in the local congregation. Some people are blaming other people, there is a breakdown in communication and things are getting fairly hot under the collar with the church elders. Mercury is retrograde in Gemini. The time of year is the second week of August. Can you explain how the elements and planets might be influencing this situation? 

    Mercury influences communication, and under Gemini, that communication will be far reaching.  Mercury in retrograde in Gemini would make communication among groups difficult, and more prone to misunderstandings between people.  The second week of August is ruled by Leo, a fixed fire Sign that is governed by the Sun.  Moreover, this period of August is in the sector of “fire of fire” when Leo’s influence is the strongest.  Since the Sun rules the ego, tempers among people at this time would flare up and remain inflamed.

Morphic Resonance (2)

How do I view Morphic Resonance?  Dr. Sheldrake explains that people with brain injures cannot tune into the morphic fields.  Because of their injuries, these people have lost that ability.  Along with skeptics, people with brain disorders are excluded from experiencing Morphic Resonance.  Since I have a brain injury, I have no direct experience with these fields.

            Therefore, I am forced to rely on the experiences of others.  What I am struck by is how strongly Morphic Resonance relies on people’s beliefs or lack their of.  Until other scientists can replicate Dr. Sheldrake’s results, Morphic Resonance remains a theory in the field of philosophy. 

            However, I did conduct a thought experiment to see how Morphic fields would work.  Because of my brain injury, I have no sense of time.  I see the flow of time as colors.  For me, Christmas was a day of scarlet red and emerald green.  My notes of the day before and after were of different colors.  Moreover, this particular combination of red and green colors has not appeared in January.  I think that since thousands of people were celebrating Christmas using those colors of red and green, I may have tapped into something.  Following Dr. Sheldrake’s reasoning, I could have experienced Morphic Resonance since thousands of people before me have used those particular colors to represent Christmas.

Is Morphic Resonance a good theory to rely on?  Dr. Sheldrake explains how rituals connect people to their deep past and ancestors through Morphic Resonance.  Since many rituals often remain unchanged for years at a time, when they are performed by people, the morphic fields around each ritual is strengthened.  Therefore, every person who performs a particular ritual will then tap into the Morphic Resonance around the ritual.  Therefore, people become connected to their deep past.  This is comforting to many people to know that they can be a part of a “Great Chain of Being”.

In addition, many laws of Western magick reflect the principles of Morphic Resonance.  The Law of Sympathy states that “Everything is connected to everything else.”  The Law of Similarity establishes a relationship between two similar objects (“This is that.”).  The Law of Contagion (“This was that, and still is.”) follows the idea of similar actions adding to the morphic fields.  Finally the Law of Association (“Commonality controls”) explains Morphic Resonance in magical terms. (3) In Dr. Sheldrake’s opinion, Wizards and other folks who are believers in magick enhance the morphic fields.

Morphic Resonance (1)

Although it is purported to be a science fact, Morphic Resonance is actually a philosophical system of beliefs.  First proposed by Rupert Sheldrake (PhD. Theoretical biologist), Morphic Resonance tries to expounds upon Carl Jung’s concepts of collective memory and collective unconsciousness.  Dr. Sheldrake regards memory to be “similar things influencing similar things.”  His theory builds upon this definition of memory.

            Dr. Sheldrake further defines Morphic Resonance as “the idea of mysterious telepathy-type interconnections between organisms and of collective memories within species.”  He claims that morphs (similar forms) “exchange information within a universal life force.”  (1)  Therefore, cell systems would inherit a collective memory from their ancestors.

            One example that Dr. Sheldrake offers for Morphic Resonance is crossword puzzles.  People who work on the crossword puzzle, published in the morning newspaper, at night solve it faster.  The people who solved the puzzle in the morning and throughout the day add to the morphic field (memory connection) around the puzzle.  Since this field is a part of the universal whole, it will change through the activity of each puzzle solver.  Hence, the evening puzzle solvers will have an easier time, since they tuned into the changing morphic fields later.

            Outside of Dr. Sheldrake, other scientists cannot replicate his results with copying his experiments. (In science, for something to be a fact, it has to be replicated by others under controlled conditions.) Dr. Sheldrake’s response to their criticisms is that that mainstream scientists are skeptics.  He explains that their disbelief dampens the morphic fields.  Their response is to him is consider Dr. Sheldrake a quack.

            Moreover, Dr. Sheldrake has countered the other scientists’ skepticism with his personal philosophy concerning Morphic Resonance.  He says, “Descartes believed the only kind of mind was the conscious mind. Then Freud reinvented the unconscious. Then Jung said it's not just a personal unconscious but a collective unconscious. Morphic resonance shows us that our very souls are connected with those of others and bound up with the world around us.” (2)

            In addition, Dr. Sheldrake lambastes current scientific reasoning.  He says that modern science is based on two things.  First, the “Laws of Nature”, which only reflect mathematical principles, are eternal.  Second, reality is based on atoms that form into different combinations.  These two ideas conjoin into the modern mechanistic view of the universe.  He counters this philosophy with his holistic view which manifests itself in Morphic Resonance.

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