the other random crap thread

[Buster's Uncle]

Necromancy rituals.  Literally bad juju.

[Unorthodox]

Not necessarily.  I mean...TECHNICALLY speaking any attempted communing with the dead is a necromancy ritual, thus one COULD make the argument attempting to pray to a Saint (do you capitalize that?) or even just talking to a loved one that has passed comprises "necromancy rituals".  And if raising the dead is necromancy, many of the world religions have a firm foundation.  A lot of real world necromancy is similarly beautiful. 

Now, attempting to CONTROL the dead, that's another discussion, and can feel very wrong, yes. 

Voodoo possession falls somewhere on the fence between the two. 

[Buster's Uncle]

That's great - I still wouldn't go anywhere near it...

[Unorthodox]

Voodoo?

[Buster's Uncle]

ANY of it.

[Unorthodox]

Meh.  Mostly just gets a bad rap due to Hollywood and or bible proclamations. 

Now, in my strive to be as authentic as possible during the whole headhunter phase, I did get some really for real authentic rituals and music set up once upon a time.  (I think before you at WPC even)  I can't be bothered to look up the proper names again, but I had two sets of rituals.  For lack of proper terms, one was "normal" (Pleasantly ASKING friendly loa to do things) , and one "angry" (DEMANDING more difficult loa do things). 

The latter, I wouldn't go so far as to call it bad ju ju, but it was very uncomfortable and never used outside the initial test.  I can't say we ever had anything "happen" (keeping in mind I do believe in a lot of things and believe I've had things happen in other situations), but we'd get unpleasant feelings till I removed it from the house. 

Thus began my quest to hollywoodise sections of that theme. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Meh indeed - it's not my behind and my wife and kids gonna get caught up in any bad karma mistakes...

[Unorthodox]

“There is no light without shadow and no wholeness without imperfection. To round itself out, life calls not for perfection but for completeness; and for this the “thorn in the flesh” is needed, the suffering of defects without which there is no progress and no ascent.” - Carl Jung. 

[Buster's Uncle]

My understanding of magic is that there's always a price...

[Unorthodox]

  You going to go quoting the three fold rule on me? 

One of the more interesting aspects of Voodoo is that you DO pay the loa, it's part of the summoning.  Different ones want different forms of payment. 

The idea behind much necromancy is that the main price has already been paid in the death.  Saints, thus, are able to intervene on your behalf, for instance.  Or so the theory would go. 

Day of the Dead is a great example of beautiful necromancy.  Sitting, eating with, and remembering the dead as they visit with you.  Nothing to be afraid of or avoid. 

There's the mummy parade...I'm forgetting where...south America somewhere.  That's another great example. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Eh - the Wiccans I used to run with wouldn't come within a mile of anything more than the funeral reverence.  -And this wasn't a careful, prudent, bunch...

[Unorthodox]

Reverence takes many forms.  I honestly feel I'm being respectful in making my monsters.  I honestly would like something similar done with my remains.  The boss feels otherwise.  Thus, I'll have a boring burial when I die, not my preferred: meat eaten by a cannibal, bones given to a haunted house.  I only can hope anyone that truly cares carves a jack out of something to send instead of flowers. 

[Buster's Uncle]

Have you ever read Stranger in a Strange Land?

[Unorthodox]

Scifi = wait for movie usually. 

[Buster's Uncle]

This one was published in the 60s - I think maybe there won't be a movie.