Re: [xmca] Levy-Bruhl, concrete psychology and "primitivism"

[Steve Gabosch <stevegabosch@me.com>]

Oh dear, looking at too many posts and getting mixed up where I saw  
what.  Martin already posted the slide I just asked him for.  Here it  
is.
- Steve

On Feb 21, 2012, at 9:54 AM, Martin Packer wrote:

Steve mentioned the presentation I gave at ISCAR, on a study conducted  
by a student here in Colombia (Silvia Tibaduisa) of the babalawo. I  
discussed an excerpt from a divination session; here it is:

Let me ask a little question. You live in a aparte-studio... in an  
apartment, with other people. What person wears your clothing?

Yes. Sometimes my cousin or my sister uses them

Orula says not to lend your clothes any more, because that is stealing  
your luck. That the person who wears someone’s clothes steals their  
astral, steals their luck. If not, make an observation yourself, of  
how your cousin lives and how you live. She's all happy, all content,  
and you’re not. That is how someone’s luck, stability, leaves them.  
Because [when] one lends their astral, although one washes it 100  
times, it takes holds of the astral of the other person as well, and  
if it’s a negative astral, it also includes one. We, the religious,  
don’t loan our clothing, we don’t bathe with the same towel or the  
same soap. We don’t lend underwear, socks, shoes, anything. Because  
these are one's personal things and that takes hold of your astral.  
Nor wear the clothes of another person.

The English reads a little oddly because I prefer literalish  
translations. There are a number of interesting characteristics to  
this exchange, but I want to focus on the reasoning involved. I would  
suggest that it is perfectly recognizable to us. Substitute a more  
familiar premise: not "when someone wears your clothes they steal your  
astral" but "when someone uses your toothbrush they give you bacteria"  
and the rest follows logically, doesn't it?

Martin

__________________________________________
_____
xmca mailing list
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca

__________________________________________
_____
xmca mailing list
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> > http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca
>
> __________________________________________
> _____
> xmca mailing list
> xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
> http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca

__________________________________________
_____
xmca mailing list
xmca@weber.ucsd.edu
http://dss.ucsd.edu/mailman/listinfo/xmca