Concepts Lost in Conversation

[Labrys]

Sometimes in online chats and message boards on the subject of witchcraft, certain concepts seem to be too easily fueled into hyperbole.

For instance my work on the Labyrinth is often subject to such silliness.  First, when there was the discussion of whether (a) leylines were real and (b) if such lines crossed on my property, comments of shallow idiocy abounded:

"Well, heck....throw caution to the winds, and RIDE that Dragon!"
  There was absolutely no concept of any respect for possible forces that should not be taken lightly.

And then, when the labyrinth was built and the presumed spirits of the dead seemed to abound, I got told things like "Oh, you necromancer, you.....surely you could have your heart's desires NOW!"

The idea that I could speak to and command the dead is repellent in the extreme; the actual relationship, if anything, is reversed.  I am at THEIR command, I am their servant and priestess.

But, my problem seems to be that I get inarticulate when trying to explain this to the hyperbolic sorts.  And it is not just teen too-much-The-Craft watchers; people I would expect a more mature attitude from seem to fall into this mode of thought.  And magic seems a world of rollicking Lara Croft Tomb Raider adventure in their descriptive prose!

Now and then, even very thoughtful sorts intimate that they don't know why I am so uptight at the idea of being called a necromancer.  And that makes me question my own attitude; could it be that by keeping a respectful distance I am in some way, in fact, failing my duty TO the dead?  I sometimes feel stale and stagnant....and I don't know how to tell if that is peace and accustomedness to the job, or real stagnation and failure.

How does one know on such little explored ground?

[Jennie]

To me, "necromancer" has a connotation of desecrating the bodies of the dead to use in magic, usually "dark" magic, or of compelling the service of the dead. I can well understand why you would wish to distance yourself from such associations. From what you have described of your work, I would put you much closer to the role of psychopomp, one who helps guide the dead through the perilous transition from this life to other realms of existence, and who can walk between those words while still living.

I don't know if that resonates with you or not, but if it does,  it might help to have a word for it when these conversations come up.

[Labrys]

Yes, psychopomp is very much how I see myself.  I don't think the "cool, ride that dragon" crowd know the meaning of the word.

As the lol cats say, some days the world and its seeming lack of smart give me "a sad."

[Lark]

I would agree with Jennie that your role is not that of the Necromancer but rather that of the psychopomp.

Necromancy traditionally was simply a form of divination conducted by using spirits in a wholly benign way.  It later came to include the concept of being able to raise the dead and re-animate them.  And now it seems to be viewed as a form of "dark" or "black" magic.

Psychopomp in the original Greek meant one who guided the souls of the newly dead to the afterlife. The word itself means "guider of souls". They did not judge the dead but provided them with safe passage.  It seems that this word more accurately describes the work you are doing with the dead.

I did something similar while I was in Vietnam long before I became a Pagan.  There were times in the OR that I could feel the spirit of the soldier hovering close but no longer in the body on the table.  Sometimes I would help it return to the body.  But if the body was so badly damaged that a return would only be more painful in the end, I helped the spirit to let go and move on.  It is not something I often talk about because it makes people very uncomfortable to hear about it.  It wasn't something that I took on with intent but rather something that simply began happening and a need I felt I needed to respond to.

Of course if you really want to twist the minds of those who don't understand your work, tell them you engage in "enagisma" which was the Greek practice of sacrifice to the Gods of the dead and to heroes.  It would appear to me that what you are doing clearly fits into this category of sacrifical work.

[Labrys]

Oh, my Lark! Even I did not know THAT word, lol.  But hey, let's not confuse the "Craftees" further, ok?

But yes, I can well understand your need to reach out in aid in Viet Nam.  And the sense at the Labyrinth is very similar; often there is a sensation of surprise and disbelief perceptible there.  Violent and sudden death in war must be so shocking and difficult, don't you think?

I feel inadequate to my perceived task most of the time, to be honest.  But less so than in the first few years; but oh, I hunger for an end to the wars.  Each new name is like a wound on the world.