After work earlier today, right before Rosh Hashanah, as I was driving home, nearing my house outside of town, a deer lept out of the woods along the road and almost into the street, right into my car's path. Only, it stopped and turned back just moments in time to avoid being struck.
The deer that I didn't hit seemed to look sideways through the windshield at me as it was turning. Right into my eyes. See me, it seemed to say. Our souls connected for that brief instant. Then, the deer sped away back into the woods.
Such was my magical encounter with the deer of Rosh Hashanah. What does a deer have to do with Rosh Hashanah?
Dave at Balashon writes on the etymology of shofar:
"Shofar... Judaism: A trumpet made of a ram's horn, blown by the ancient Hebrews during religious ceremonies and as a signal in battle, now sounded in synagogue during Rosh Hashanah and at the end of Yom Kippur. Etymology: Hebrew shofar, ram's horn; akin to Akkadian sapparu, sappar, fallow deer... from Sumerian segbar, fallow deer." (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition.)
Akkadian and Sumerian are two long-extinct languages once spoken, in the millennia before the Common Era, in what is now called Iraq and historically known as Mesopotamia or Babylonia. Akkadian belonged to the Semitic family. Until recently, Sumerian was considered one of those rare tongues, like Basque, for which linguists were unable to find relatives at all. Since the 1970s, however, an impressive body of evidence has accumulated, linking it to the Dravidian languages of southern India, such as Tamil. We are told, then, that our shofar derives its name from the Sumerian word for a fallow deer. This may not seem like much of a problem to you, but having looked into it, I can assure you that it is.
Interesting "coincidence," I think.
I understand the problem. You see, if the etymology of shofar is linked through Sumerian to the Dravidian language, and thereby to the Dravidian religion, then this is indeed a problem for traditional Judaic thinkers. Why? Because the Dravidian religion of the Indus Valley is the source of the Old Religion called Witchcraft. This would make the shofar (a major instrument through which the Jewish people were brought into being) a tool whose origin is sourced in the Old Religion of Witchcraft.
So, while the result of Dave's investigation into the etymology of the word shofar may not seem like much of a problem to you, I assure you, it is. LOL.
Saturday, September 20, 2008, 08:30 PM CST [tools]
Shown is a ritual item I have acquired in honor of Mabon.
The raised pentagram and leaf design stands out against a burnished black background, the golden highlights on both leaf and star standing out above the whole. Measuring 9" in diameter and 1/2" in thickness, this raised pentacle altar paten is exquisitely designed.
Finer than gold is my newest ritual treasure - a hand forged Celtic torc of woven steel. I've named my torc Myfanwy.
Myfanwy is a Welsh name meaning 'fine, rare one'. Composed of the prefix my (denoting affection) and the word manwy (meaning 'fine, rare'), the name can be pronounced either muh-van-oy or muh-van-wee.
The Celtic torc is a sign ornament worn by distinguished women of honor, those of noble lineage, gods and goddesses of brave distinction, and elite warriors of magnificent deeds. It is a sign of Divine Nobility. ת
The Celtic goddess Andred, a patron of Boudicca (Queen of the Iceni tribe), wears the Torc of Nobility (nishmata l'nishmata).
My totally awesome newest ritual treasure. This is a hand forged Salt Spoon based on a traditional Romano- Viking/Saxon style instrument used over one thousand years ago. The piece itself measures about 3 1/2" long and is made out of 1/4 " square mild steel with a reverse twist for the handle.
My handmade casting cloth looks like the one shown above. Of very soft brown suede, the seams are hand sewn, the symbols and lines drawn with very dark dragon's blood ink, and the diagonals made using the straight edge of a broomstick.
The Unified Power Of The Divine Feminine Lifeforce
To craft my casting cloth, an 18" by 36" rectangle of material was folded into an 18" by 18" square. Eighteen is the gematria (numerology) of חי (chai, a word symbolic of the Divine Lifeforce). Thirty-six is the gematria of בכוח (be'koach, meaning "with energy, power, strength, ability, resource, authority"). Thus, the three measurements of 18 and the one measurment of 36 symbolize the unified three-fold (Maiden, Mother and Crone) Power of the Divine Feminine Lifeforce.
From Within The Land
The "square" turned inside out and completed of seams measured 16.75" by 17.5" for a total area of 293.125 square inches. The value of 293 is the gematria of בארץ (ba'aretz, meaning "within the Land").
Responds
The value of 125 is the gematria of ענה (anah, meaning "to answer, reply, respond").
To Answer With Purpose Upon My Casting Cloth
The square of the cloth symbolizes the Middle World (see also my recent shabbat entry Endless Legion From The Elementary Sea, where I dreamt I was sitting in the middle of the stairs). The Middle in Hebrew is ha'emtza (האמצע).
The inner square (Midhe) symbolizes Focus, and the powers of concentration, memory, recognition, and sensitivity to meaning.
The two superimposed X's (Cath) in the northern position symbolize friction or resistance (left pillar).
The western spiral curl (Fis) symbolizes enlightenment or expansion (right pillar).
The eastern grid (Blath) symbolizes harvest (ingathering).
The southern base to base triangles (Seis) symbolize balance (synthesis, the creation of purposeful meaning).
