Ah yes, in the opera he is perplexed and a bit disturbed that anyone would have the power to call him up. It’s part of that renaissance magician idea that spirits have to be “captured” and “bound” to do the will of a human.
Purcell is thought to have modeled that scene on The Tempest by Shakespeare, which again has that same framework.
It occurs to me that you could trace the early beginnings of industrial consciousness (“the men of science”) though looking at the ways they thought of spirits. Bacon’s idea about harnessing and learning nature around like an animal, for example…
Something that only occurred to me because of your earlier comment is that the move from reciprocal agreements with gods and spirits to that of binding contractural ones seems to be concurrent with the birth of wage labor (probably both arising from the same shift).
Contracts limit the relationship to mere material terms. Wages similarly limit the relationship: all the owner must do is pay a wage and the obligation is done.
Reciprocal relationships are “messier” and more ongoing and they expand..
The newer contractural relationships with labor and spirits follow the logic of the reason why it is said that you pay a prostitute not for the sex, but so that she will go away after: no reciprocal relationship allowed.
An ongoing reciprocal agreement “to all who did receive him (Jesus), who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” “worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” “pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” “thy kingdom come” “fear not little flock for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom” “the kingdom of God is rightwiseness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit he has given us” yes, the inward fire of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, life, the Presence in the here and now and for eternity, love going back and forth with the Father, and being a kind friend to all is the reciprocal mutual reward. Henotheism rocks!
My first exposure to your Substack came inadvertently, about a year and a half ago, from a post on JMG's blog. It hinted at some past ideological disagreement between the two of you and seated itself in a tone of surprised agreement with your then-latest essay--this was at the publication of "Here Be Monsters," I think.
Your mutual professional history is no business of mine. But it put a little bit of a smile on my face to see you'll be endorsing the book. Funny thing, I've owned "A World Full of Gods" for close to 10 years now and just a couple days ago pulled it off my shelf to finally read it.
Ah yes, in the opera he is perplexed and a bit disturbed that anyone would have the power to call him up. It’s part of that renaissance magician idea that spirits have to be “captured” and “bound” to do the will of a human.
Purcell is thought to have modeled that scene on The Tempest by Shakespeare, which again has that same framework.
It occurs to me that you could trace the early beginnings of industrial consciousness (“the men of science”) though looking at the ways they thought of spirits. Bacon’s idea about harnessing and learning nature around like an animal, for example…
Something that only occurred to me because of your earlier comment is that the move from reciprocal agreements with gods and spirits to that of binding contractural ones seems to be concurrent with the birth of wage labor (probably both arising from the same shift).
Contracts limit the relationship to mere material terms. Wages similarly limit the relationship: all the owner must do is pay a wage and the obligation is done.
Reciprocal relationships are “messier” and more ongoing and they expand..
The newer contractural relationships with labor and spirits follow the logic of the reason why it is said that you pay a prostitute not for the sex, but so that she will go away after: no reciprocal relationship allowed.
An ongoing reciprocal agreement “to all who did receive him (Jesus), who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” “worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him” “pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you” “thy kingdom come” “fear not little flock for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom” “the kingdom of God is rightwiseness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit he has given us” yes, the inward fire of the Holy Spirit - love, joy, peace, life, the Presence in the here and now and for eternity, love going back and forth with the Father, and being a kind friend to all is the reciprocal mutual reward. Henotheism rocks!
My first exposure to your Substack came inadvertently, about a year and a half ago, from a post on JMG's blog. It hinted at some past ideological disagreement between the two of you and seated itself in a tone of surprised agreement with your then-latest essay--this was at the publication of "Here Be Monsters," I think.
Your mutual professional history is no business of mine. But it put a little bit of a smile on my face to see you'll be endorsing the book. Funny thing, I've owned "A World Full of Gods" for close to 10 years now and just a couple days ago pulled it off my shelf to finally read it.