The ground pulsates with rythmic energy. Shrill cries announce it's advancing. Frightened children peek from within the folds of their mothers' skirts.
It is here... The Masquerade has arrived. Heralded with a colorful flurry of raffia costuming and a foreboding mask, the dancing form weaves it's way through the crowd. A dervish in motion... every swirl a freakish invocation.
In traditional African culture, the arrival of the Masked Dancer carries a message. A tradition so potent that some masks are only revealed under very special circumstances.
The identity of the masked figure is a carefully guarded secret. But there is another piece of information which is also held in reverent awe. It is the identity of the Mask Crafter.
Crafting the Mask...
The skill involved in carving a mask goes far beyond simply putting a knife to wood. Craftsman are often born into the tradition and initiates are selected based on their intuitive and spiritual gifts. The process of weaving meaning into paint and wood is intricate and painstaking work. Work which involves an understanding of tribal tradition, culture and history. And the manipulation of thought forms to communicate a message. This is because, Masquerading is essentially a form of Spell Casting.
Casting the Spell...
Spell Casting has been a part of human culture for thousands of years. One definition in Wikepedia indicates that it is the "manipulation of the world through powers harnessed through the mind." If this is an accurate reflection of the term, perhaps the world's most proficient Spell Casters reside outside the tropical rain forests. Perhaps we are more likely to find them comfortably ensconced within the ivory towers of Madison Avenue.
Think about the degree to which our world is manipulated through the direction of human focus and thought. We are 'Sold' just about everything. This includes consumer goods, ideas, issues and even wars. The manipulation of human thought has reached dizzying levels of craftsmanship in the political sphere as well. I am intrigued to hear political Spin Meisters state that the current election will NOT be about issues...Well, what in the world will we be voting for then? Personalities?
Setting the Stage...
Ancient cultures placed great importance on ritual. Each movement of a traditional Masquerade was intended to capture the imagination. The effectiveness of the message remained highly dependent on the atmosphere which in most cases was a mixture of suspended animation, dread, and excitement. To the uninitiated, the show may have appeared random and disordered. But to the tribe, the message rang through loud and clear.
Crafting the Message...
The historical objective of Masquerading and Spell Casting framed the CONTEXT in which the message was received in order to achieve a specific result. For instance, in many cultures, Masquerades were often used to generate offerings. The threat of a curse often forced people to give when the Masquerade appeared.
While ancient cultures employed the power of auto suggestion to relay messages from the spiritual world, today the Masquerade speaks through the forum of modern telecommunication and media. The New Age Masquerade dances around the issues by crafting skillful advertising that dulls and disorients the mind. Through the media, Talking Heads on television purport to tell you HOW to think and thereby influence how you behave.
Spell Bound...
Enormous amounts of our best creative energy is invested to direct mass thought movements according to the dictates of the skillful advertising gurus, the new Mask Creators. The general public is rarely aware of WHO is acually behind the creation of the spell. We don't even question the reason why we have forgotten how to think. We simply follow along, putting our minds on auto pilot as we proceed to max out yet another credit card or pull the voting lever.
So, have we really evolved? Or are we simply playing out the same old patterns using new methods of technology.
Masked dancers courtesy of cdorians photostream on flickr
Copyright 2008 Audu Real Estate All Rights Reserved
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Lola Audu, is the Designated Broker & Owner of Audu Real Estate. Our company specializes in helping people buy and sell homes in the greater Grand Rapids, West Michigan area. You can contact us via e-mail @ info@auduhomes.com or by phone at 616-791-0511. Thanks for visiting our blog. Here are links to some of our most popular posts for you to enjoy!
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This post is part of a series I'm writing which is exploring the nature of Tribes within our modern world. It's been interesting to reflect on the ways in which our natural propensity to aggregate with tribal affiliations affects so many areas of our lives in modern society.
Lola, I LOVE this! You have beautifully woven the old into the new. It is a part of our modern culture and you are calling it out for what it is -- the selling of ideas. In the old and the new, conformity is achieved through the instilling of the fear of ding or being different.
But we don't always play along. Many do, but many refuse. They in turn, find others who reject the notion of being told how to think. That group makes for an very interesting tribe in itself.
Elaine, Thanks! Sometimes a backward looks puts the present into fresh perspective. This series has been a fascinating journey of exploration. I grew up in a tribal society and always assumed that those influences were a mute point in the west. It's been intriguing to observe how very much the 'same' human beings are. Our methods may be different, but the underlying principles are surprisingly similar.
Lola- I remember the junkanoo dancers of my youth. It is a long story that I would love to tell. I'll just say I don't think the ritual part had survived by the time I saw it and the dancers have long ceased to perform. They went from village to village and the music and drumming could be heard for miles. It was the signal for me to go into hiding. They were terrifying, larger than life effigies. Later I lost my fear of them enough to follow the band unwittingly for miles, drawn along like the pied piper and the rats of Hamelin Town. What memories you revived!
Eloise...you understand. :) If one has seen or experienced the Masquerade Ceremony, it is unforgettable, particularly if you are a scared young child. When I was writing this post, I began to think of the extent to which FEAR plays a part in driving us to do or buy things. FEAR of being rejected, FEAR of being alone, FEAR of being ill, FEAR of loosing something of value, etc. When you look at the persuasive factor in advertising or getting us to buy into anything, we are sometimes not that far removed from the scary tactics of the Masquerade. Thanks for stopping by to read and comment.
Lola - first of all, love the photo. Wha a beautiful way to introduce your topic and to so cleverly blend the old and the new, technology and ancient modes of communication, adn the not-so-subtle impact of today's marketing. Human nature has not changed, we have just found other innovative ways to exploit it and to take advantage of human sensibilities. I love this article.
Jeff
Jeff, your visit and comment are much appreciated. Writing this post was a revelation to me as well. I'm glad it made you think about our modern interactions in a different way.
We lose so much of the traditions as we merge into another counties way of life. I do enjoy learning about other cultures and traditions and how they started and the reasons behind the activities. Thanks for your post.
You've just described why I don't want masks in my house. You never know what spirit is attached to these types of things. And my house needs the blessing of God, and God alone.
Lola,
Thanks for the post. I really love the way you approach this subject and the use of both the demonstrative imagery by way of the photograph and the suggestive in the written word. Bravo!
I enjoyed redaing and learning from your post.Looking forward to reading more posts.
Hi Terry, Thanks for stopping by. One of the things that makes America such a fascinating country is that it is a melting pot; a nation derived from the contributions of so many different people from around the world. It's been interesting to explore the nature of tribes. Even though we come from many different places, there seems to be something instinctual within the human psyche which draws us go regroup ourselves in one fashion or another. One begins to see that there really is nothing New under the sun...
Lisa...precisely my point with this post. Although, many of us would NEVER put a mask in our home, we may be allowing ourselves to be manipulated and influenced by forces which seek to CONTROL HOW we think and see the world. While the ancient world used the art of manipulation, our modern world tends to have a more 'scientific approach.' The end effect however is the same. This post is intended to open up a dialog about what may be happening to us without our being consciously aware of it.
William...Thank you.
Gita...Appreciate your stopping by.
What an incredibly gorgeous photo you chose to with this blog Lola. I love the color and the movement!!