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Where Does Writing Come From?
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Where Does Writing Come From? Inspiration What Inspires Us To Is The Topic Of The Seventh Virtual Symposium Where Does Writing Come From? by PD Stupid question? Not really. Much as we'd like to say writing comes from our brains (the science of meat) or from our minds (the science of consciousness), the origin of writing is steeped in magic. The first letters were almost certainly used as divination symbols. (Think of runes, for example.) Over time, the realization that simple symbols could hold complex patterns of meaning morphed into alphabets and words, and finally, written language. Even during the early years of writing, the ability to write was considered in some degree to be a magical ability. Six hundred years before the year zero, fierce tribal cultures from the middle east invaded Greece and other parts of southern Europe, slaughtering everyone except the scribes. Scribes were valuable because they could write and they could count, abilities few people had at that time. They were valuable to conquering kings because they could keep accurate record of riches and debts, and could record agreements and spoils of war. Thousands of years before the year zero, Egyptian scribes had the ear of Egyptian kings, and also kept and practiced magical funerary rituals to usher kings and other wealthy citizens into the afterlife. In our time, the word 'inspiration' comes from a root word meaning 'to breathe in', or, more specifically, to breathe in a god or gods or divine knowledge or divine fire. Hence the word 'scribe', indicating a person who simply writes stuff down, as in, takes dictation from something wholly other. Today we think of inspiration in almost the opposite way. We see or hear something that gives us the idea that we might invent or compose some creative piece. In our modern understanding, we see this task as involving our imaginations with a small 'i'. We 'make stuff up' because some external stimulus gives us the desire to do so. But just as inspiration has an older, more mystical meaning, imagination also has ancient magical origins. According to Jungian psychologists and others, primary imagination presents itself as something whole and other, as not-us, as a deep and present mystery. One example of primary imagination is dreams. We do not sit down and 'make them up'. They come to us in the night with their own logic and form, whether we want them or not, whether we approve of them or not. But we also have inward faculties that, since the dawn of the Age of Reason, we have largely discarded or dumped into the psychology bin to be treated or explained away. Insight, literally 'inner sight', involve looking within, not at the self (although this is how many understand insight) but at the emptiness that gives rise to the forms and agendas of primary imagination. If we practice we can see these forms, we can 'inspire' them by taking in divine breath and creating inner light and fire--illumination. We can also listen inwardly, and take down what we hear. In the 19th century, certain Victorian ladies, taken with the Spiritualist teachings of the time, would practice this inward listening through 'automatic writing'. They would drop into a light trance, and with their non-dominant hand, write entire books, supposedly channeled by spiritual entities. I've often wondered about this. Victorian ladies weren't expected to do much at all except squeeze themselves into torturous corsetry and embroider linens and such. They weren't believed to be as intelligent as men. Certainly no one believed they could write books or have complex thoughts. Were they channeling their discarded selves? Here's the wrinkle though: Once you admit the possibility that an intact self can be rejected by culture and inhabit some nether region, mind or brain, as a whole entity, you have to admit the possibility that other whole entities are out there too, just waiting for someone to write so they can speak to the living, the corporeal. So these are my thoughts on inspiration. Life isn't just stranger than we know. Life is stranger than we can know. Put that in your laptop and write about it. Become a member now and get a free tote bag. |
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Good info! I enjoyed reading it!!!   WITHOUT PASSION LIFE IS NOTHING
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In today's world, writing is a necessary skill. Good writing is not common. And great writing is still magic. Fantastic post, PD! Thank you. Visit my blog It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World of NaughtyInSO, leave a comment, become a watcher. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LIVE AND LET LIVE Be happy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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That was an interesting perspective PD. I have heard about the ladies doing the "channeled" writing before but had never thought about it as being anything but a trick. I'm ambidextrous so it seemed something easy enough to do. Discarded selves or some other entity?  Vive La Difference
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A great read.  I love a bit of history and etymology!  
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Beautiful post! Authentic and on-topic! Thank you! "To Be Consumed" Blog : I want to be your drug of painful withdrawals.
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Great post here KZ.. See you never know what your going to learn on this site.. Well done hugssssssss V Become a blog watcher sweet_vm
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Your in communion with the divine mystery ...  Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale Her infinite variety. Other women cloy The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry Where most she satisfies. For vilest things Become themselves in her, that the holy priests Bless her when she is riggish. ~~ from Antony & Cleopatra
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What's interesting to me is that ancient man had been inspired to try to capture his/her thoughts or pictures in their heads in the form of some kind of art. That art eventually became writing. Witness Chinese writing and its pictograms. Great post PD! Kk The observant make the best lovers, I may not do right, but I do write, I have bliss, joy, and happiness in my life, Kitkat Come check out my blog KItkat1415 check out this post by me Adventures In Body Grooming #39 April Topic Link: What Lies Beneath If April Showers Oh Bloody Hell What Kind Of Weather Turns Me On Bloggers Symposium 40
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You said it a little too quickly ... scribes knew to count. In fact writing was created for accountancy ... book-keeping. It then proved useful for security - reports ...- long before anyone thought of it as a vessel for litterature. Civilisations, state, created writing ... religion furnished the shapes, animals to be sacrified for letters of our alphabet, crackling on the burned shell of a turtle while divinating in China ... Writers stole for their inspiration a political tool conceived by clergymen ... life's stranger than we know
 [post 3567855] My standard members mailbox xoxox Ma messagerie pour standards
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Did I rephrase ? I didn't mean to, sorry if it looked like it. I thought I ... eeerr ... well, wrote, inspired by your post. Just the topic, isn't it ? What inspire us to comment ? In the Sexy Times, it's easy, the cunning editor delivers questions. I've had fun not answering them, yet comment. Otherwise, we can applause when we find something good. Sort of sign the golden book ... I very seldom do that : my comments are more often a reaction to the post, a part of what's written or shown, bringing water to the mill ... When I try to be seductive I'm very careful on the form. I've spent days to think of a comment ... What else ? I try never to offend though I may defend myself. Trolling disgusts me. In fact the only times I was aggressive, on A2F or FB, were in front of trolls. Since none are to be seen in the joyful community of the symposium, no reasons for me not to be zen. A kiss from France, PD
[post 3567855] My standard members mailbox xoxox Ma messagerie pour standards
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PD: Hadn't known about the origins of writing -- to capture divination symbols. Had I been forced to make a guess, I would have hazarded that it came out of the need to communicate information about the hunt -- a forerunner of the pictographs you mention in the comments when talking about Chinese characters. Regarding writing and magic: While not a historical take, the sadly late author Terry Pratchett had a few thoughts on this in "The Truth," his novel about movable type coming to his fantasy planet the Discworld. While not a central point, one character does wonder what would happen when the same lead type is used to set both spellbooks and cookbooks... Personally, I think there's a Jerry Lewis/Martha Stewart movie in the premise, but absent Pratchett to write it, it should probably go unwritten. And then there's the Victiorian automatic writing... the Victorian era really was a wonderful time for spiritualism. Has anyone ever done a survey of automatic writing and tried to determine these books' literary merit? I can't help but to think that the spirit world has the same percentage of wannabees as the material world... And... "Life is stranger than we can know" would make for a fun symposium topic, wouldn't it? I'd suggest it for next month, but I suspect if I do anything which prevents "food" from being annointed, I'll be roasted at the stake. Delighted you were inspired to join us for this symposium... but then, it's only fair, given that you and your gentleman caller were the ones who suggested the topic in the first place! Stop in, read, and offer comments at my "swinging as seen in the media" blog, "Confessions of a Lifestyle Man" humorlife, which is also the home of the monthly virtual symposium. New post: The Virtual Symposium Returns Lets Pick A Topic
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PD: Hadn't known about the origins of writing -- to capture divination symbols. Had I been forced to make a guess, I would have hazarded that it came out of the need to communicate information about the hunt -- a forerunner of the pictographs you mention in the comments when talking about Chinese characters. Regarding writing and magic: While not a historical take, the sadly late author Terry Pratchett had a few thoughts on this in "The Truth," his novel about movable type coming to his fantasy planet the Discworld. While not a central point, one character does wonder what would happen when the same lead type is used to set both spellbooks and cookbooks... Personally, I think there's a Jerry Lewis/Martha Stewart movie in the premise, but absent Pratchett to write it, it should probably go unwritten. And then there's the Victiorian automatic writing... the Victorian era really was a wonderful time for spiritualism. Has anyone ever done a survey of automatic writing and tried to determine these books' literary merit? I can't help but to think that the spirit world has the same percentage of wannabees as the material world... And... "Life is stranger than we can know" would make for a fun symposium topic, wouldn't it? I'd suggest it for next month, but I suspect if I do anything which prevents "food" from being annointed, I'll be roasted at the stake. Delighted you were inspired to join us for this symposium... but then, it's only fair, given that you and your gentleman caller were the ones who suggested the topic in the first place! Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Pam here. I was wondering the same thing! Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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strange but amazing and when you add origins there is even more to gleen from the living of this strange life... thanks for your input I love it when i learn. Lets Create together. http://LesbianPersonals.com/blog/jadesmith69 we can fantasize forever. J
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5/3/2015 2:27 pm |
I never knew that before. That was quite interesting. Thank you for sharing, Kzoopair
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strange but amazing and when you add origins there is even more to gleen from the living of this strange life... thanks for your input I love it when i learn. Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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Now I know where writing comes from, thanks! Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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I never knew that before. That was quite interesting. Thank you for sharing, Kzoopair Become a member now and get a free tote bag.
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