Archaic consciousness, or traditional Christianity as magic

It should be kept in mind that flesh and blood communities rarely resemble their quirky counterparts on social media. Oftentimes you’ll find amongst “trad” Catholic and Orthodox individuals on various platforms a level of neuroticism, argumentativeness, and mood swings typically varying from sneering triumphalism to utter despondency.

I’m exaggerating a little and being a bit uncharitable by focusing on the negative aspects but it’s a  noticeable trend. It likely has much to do with the personality types of people who are drawn to a more intense involvement with online movements. There is also in depth discussion of theological minutiae that show a good deal of erudition on some prominent members parts but can also lead to Scripture and the Church Fathers being used as clubs in sophistic battle royale’s. It’s important to remember that these men who were theologians weren’t simply academics but were steeped in a philosophical tradition that was much more a way of life than an abstract system of doctrine. These men were ascetics and mystics who experienced doctrines in an intimate and visceral way that went beyond intellectual debate.

Living a philosophy deserves further treatment but I point out these features to illustrate how different that experience has been with the traditional Latin Catholic community I’ve been involved in. Many different things draw people to the latin mass but I’ve noticed a few statements that when put together lead to some interesting conclusions.

Spending time with members within the traditional Latin rites a common theme that arose could be ,for lack of a better word, the “power” inherent in the traditional rites. One parishioner spoke of the importance of giving your child a Saint’s name to have access to special graces in a relationship with that Saint. The church I go to is also located in a fairly sketchy part of town and one member said it was all for the best because having the latin mass there allows it to exert a positive spiritual influence on the surrounding area that is vulnerable to malignant influence. Even the pastor has pointed out that the traditional baptismal rite includes an exorcism and that individuals in the ensuing decades since Vatican 2 have been deprived of spiritual defense from it. In fact in a discussion with the Bishop the priest told him to his face that the latin form and the ordinary form are not equivalent as the ordinary form does not ask the same things of God, leading to an awkward moment to say the least.

This is a far cry from mere aestheticism or search for purer doctrine. It’s a very alien mindset to the modern world. The idea of being awash in invisible in hidden forces would seem absurd even to many Catholics today and that theurgic acts are a medium for rapprochement with these forces is completely opaque. The recovery of an archaic consciousness is an important thing.

One thought on “Archaic consciousness, or traditional Christianity as magic

  1. Certainly not an exaggeration, those who are drawn to appearing a certain way and even desire their problems to end try to seek it out in ways that have the possibility of legitimacy, but typically they end the for the same reasons they sought them out in the first place, somewhat tragic in a sense.

    However, renunciation is a fulcrum for change and living a life according to principle or the opposite. As you said, no theological debate is going to help someone with that, understanding the mindset of those who wrote can help change the way one sees the world indeed.

    Ever since learning on my own the changes of Vatican II and seeing the world a different way, I do have a strange feeling about my own baptism and what that means for those like myself. Not an easy topic to bring up to the local priest at times, nor do I have a specific answer of what a resolution to it would look like, something to work on.

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