Diana Rajchel » technology

Pagans and technological resistance

di — Fri, 07 May 2010 15:30:27 +0000

While I write this article about SmartPhone programs with magical applications, I can already hear the rumbling of the chorus in the background. I know very few Pagans who take a middle ground on technology: when people talk to me about it, it’s all good, or it’s all bad. I allow one caveat for those who say, “All I can afford is dial-up.” That’s our middle ground.

I know I’ve mentioned this in the past, but I want to bring it up again:
Magic is technology. No, this isn’t the “look – electricity – magic!” argument. This goes into the mental attitude required to produce magic. It lives in our brain right next to the space that allows for abstraction, and thus math, and science. Magic just takes its pathways through the right brain hemisphere instead of the left. So while mathematicians evolved their way into physics: “If I use this stick at this angle, it will project this annoying squirrel ten feet into the air,” magicians evolved their way into imagination: “If I draw this picture of this buffalo on the wall and really get involved with the idea of killing it thoroughly, tomorrow’s hunt will succeed.” Both approaches have ultimately satisfying outcomes.

Those magicians were using what they had on hand to encourage bringing what they imagined to life. The tools have changed a lot – the Iron Age and the Industrial Revolution left no one untouched – but the absolute core activity remains the same. Magicians imagine. The props they use to assist their imagination were things that they – and scientists, and artists – imagined in the first place, and brought into being. ¹ Imagination continues to this day.

But even so, fear of change rears its head in lots of repetitive conversations online and off.

Among the anti-technological arguments I hear:
1)I can’t feel close to nature in the city
I’m writing a book to answer this one. The short answer is “You find what you seek.”

2)But I could never give up my books! This is a common response to digitization.
This also applies to animal hoarding, the neopagan equivalent of refusing to use birth control. Replace “stuff” with “children” and insert appropriate emotional connotations from there. Obviously, at some point the metaphor will fall off.

I am certainly not anti-materialist. Stuff is not bad. It’s just stuff. Stuff is bad when it gets in the way of you having the mobility you need to move, pay your rent, take care of yourself or take care of the people and creatures that rely on you. I include books in that. If I do not re-read or refer to a book ever again, my only reason for keeping it is because of a status message it relays to another person. This is unhealthy. Also, if I refer to a book so much I have to keep buying copies because it falls apart, a digital copy is a very good thing. For instance, I need yet another copy of John Lust’s The Herb Book: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to More Than 500 Herbs At this point, I’d advocate it as a catch-all gift. I will always need new copies, just like I always eventually run out of candles, incense and groceries.

What would be awesome for me is if that Herb Book came in a searchable digital copy. I refer to it all the time, and doing so electronically would be faster, save me a little shelf space, and be easily backed up. I might even check it from my Droid when working with herbs or when someone asks me an herbal health question. In fact, the books I actually use would be preferable digitized, with the obvious exception of the graphic heavy books.

3)But they call it the Old Ways!
That’s one interpretation in a plethora of traditions. Also, those who were living in the Old Ways probably loved running water, and I can bet central heat would be a huge hit. I know a lot of people have fantasies about how good past eras were. They definitely had good stuff, and there’s nothing stopping us from at least trying out their entertainments and positive aspects now. But time moves only forward, and I like to think that the reason is to encourage us to do so as well. Those looking to cop an attitude might see modern life as a hell pit. But I really do think that the people of the past would ultimately delight in the wonders and luxuries of our day. Despite historical fiction representing time traveling guests from the past otherwise, I think that most people are built to adjust to the new. Personally, I find knowing history an absolute necessity but wanting to live in the past a sign of pathology.

Personally, I’m not pretending I’m an 18th century wise woman when I cast. In fact, the only time I’ve felt so stupid I actually couldn’t perform magic was when I was wearing the silly robes. Wicca is a modern religion with values designed to adjust as humanity gathers more knowledge and understanding about itself.

And that includes values about using technology as a ritual tool. Someone had to come up with the Iron Age to give us the athame, and now the Digital Age has given us computers and phones. Just like the Old School witches, some mythical, some not, those of us who adapt the technology are simply using the tools we have onhand.

Pagan tech: Apps on my Droid

di — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:46:17 +0000

At some point I can already tell I’m going to rant that the so-called “medieval witches of yore” were technopagans. Brooms? Knives? Those were modern inventions in 1250, yo. So they were totally using the tech they had, just like I am when I use an LED candle or put up an energy radiating mandala on my desktop background. Today, I speak of the latest of such brooms and besoms: my phone, R2D2.

I have recently come into possession of a Droid phone. I’ve named it R2D2. I am sad that it makes my friends jealous, because I would prefer them to respond with, “Hey, that’s helpful! I can’t wait until these are affordable to all!” This, alas, is not the general reaction. Even when we use the GPS.¹

But for now, in answer to a discussion I had² about Droids on some forum somewhere, I’m going to point out a few apps that are useful to neopagan mystical types. Someone had bemoaned there being “no pagan apps.” While nothing comes up when I search for Wicca and Pagan, I’m not bothered by the fact that it’s not labeled as such. English-speaking Droid users and app commenters tend to be very by the book – either atheist, Muslim or Christian – and the sheer amount of vitriol that gets spewed on magical thinkers makes it a bad idea to express openly that you take some of the divination tools, etc. seriously. Especially when you download them off Droid marketplace.

There are a lot of decent features already built into the phone: you can add some programs from your computer directly, and there’s already an mp3 player, camera (video and still) and speakerphone built in. It also has GPS and bluetooth capability; the bluetooth you have to order³ The other thing that makes this phone interesting is how Amiga -like it is in its upgrades. Yes, you can install all sorts of updates with programs on your computer until the OS changes, but the Droid has something so far beyond it that the camera itself – formerly a mechanical only invention – can be upgraded by a remote update. It’s fascinating.

So, having figured out how to make maximum use of my Droid before I started downloading new toys, I’ve found the following apps downloaded most useful when you’re a mystical type:

Ambient Fireplace
All this does is show a fire roaring away. While it seemingly has only novelty value, I’ve found that just having the visual set out in the middle of a table helps people get relaxed and chatty.

Backgrounds
This surfs flickr for select background images. I’ve gotten very into art and its effect on consciousness in the past few years, and I do believe that images you look at repeatedly have a profound psychological impact, much more than typically considered. So if you see someone looking sad or violent you begin to associate a default mood/position of sad or violent. If you choose images that you look at that are positive/zen, you gradually create a zen outlook. Since I have to handle my droid a lot when I go out, I’d rather program my brain frequently with happy/zen things. The energy is the image, the image is the energy. It’s an intriguing experience.

FlipSilent and Mute
If you’re at a ritual but you need the phone to use as a flashlight (there’s an app for that) you still don’t want the sound to go off. You can turn out down manually, but that manual bar makes a persistent and awkward beeping sound. So these apps are very useful when you still need to access your phone but don’t want the priestess at the ritual to smack you around with her staff.

LightningBug
This is my current favorite “mystic friendly” application and possibly the one the most people find confusing. Essentially it’s a white noise generator that allows you to pick a scene (that barely shows up on your screen) and add layers of noise: crickets, rain, bells, lightning. From within the program you can set an alarm – it’s meant to work as a sleep aid, but I’ve found it great for meditation. My only complaint is that I have to go through default ring tones on the Droid for the end meditation alarm; I’d really like to add a gentle chime like you get on a Zen Alarm.

Magic 8-Ball
Surprisingly accurate and you can add custom responses. Also, unlike real 8 balls that have crossed my path the fluid never leaks and the dice never breaks. You still have to shake it, though.

Moon Phase
Gives a simple graphic of the moon and a count down to the next new or full moon. I would like to see some improvements, like what sign the moon is in and more specific moon rise moon set times, but it’s useful in a scheduling pinch.

MoonCast
A sort of horoscope for your moon sign. Sadly, the free is only a demo.

MySleepDiary
Intended to sort out health issues affecting sleep. It’s very usable – walks you through a few basic queries daily, has you record the time you went to bed and the time you got up, and after you’ve gathered enough data it generates a little chart that may point out patterns to you. This combined with a dream journal/general journal can be very handy.

SimplyDraw
Great for drawing and releasing sigils.

SunMoon
Slightly more informative than MoonPhase. This gives sunrise and moonrise times, but does not predict exact dates and times of full moon, void of course, etc.

TarotReader
I’m probably going to use this is someone really bugs me for a reading at a gathering where I don’t want to be bothered. It’s a very pretty deck used, though I’m not sure what it is. It only does one and three card readings, but the interpretations if you use them are pretty accessible.

VoiceRecorder
Useful for self-guided meditations and trancework, or when you need to catch details you might not process all at once.

I still fish around in the Marketplace once a week or so; I may update every time I find a particularly interesting application. Right now I’d really like a comprehensible astrology app, because the ones I’m finding are either too fluffy or literally in mathematical code.

On e-books | By Umbra Fisk | Grist | Ask Umbra | 10 Dec 2008

di — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:43:19 +0000

Dear Umbra,
I have noticed that digital book readers have started to enter the market and wonder if they are more ecologically sound than conventional books. I am interested in buying one but suspect that they are full of metals that damage the environment in their production. Also, they would use up energy when in use, but I have heard that this is minimal. On the other hand, paper books take a lot of production and transport to reach the reader. Which would be the more eco option?Jonathan A.Glasgow, Scotland

answer Dearest Jonathan,It hurts to say it, but e-books are looking like a good option, even perhaps the better option. Ouch. Usually for these which-is-better questions we have to gather a few tidbits of Life Cycle Analysis, paste them together with our assumptions, and call it good. But Life Cycle Analysts are excited about e-books and e-newspapers, for some reason, and there is a shocking amount of data analysis out there. Enough to make my head feel all fuzzy inside. There are caveats as usual, but I am forced to report the general conclusion that e-books produce less CO2 emissions and use less water than conventional newspapers and books.

On e-books | By Umbra Fisk | Grist | Ask Umbra | 10 Dec 2008

So, our books are moving to electronics at last. There is technology that lets you hold the book in your hand but still has it on an electronic page. It’s not just the Amazon kindle. I want to try it; I can use the bookshelf space for so many other things!

Blogged with the Flock Browser

More From dianarajchel

Share on Facebook