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Showing posts with label occultism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label occultism. Show all posts
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
The Book of Thoth: the original and true Grail?
by
Egypt itself was a symbol of alchemy, the outcome of a transformative substance: the Egyptian soil, deposited by the Nile, allowing farmers to grow their crops and feed the nation. No wonder that the Nile was considered to be at the origin of all life; for the ancient Egyptians, it was.
We also know how our modern chemistry is derived from medieval alchemical practices. It seems that what was held as science were those aspects of alchemy that were clearly and without any doubt repeatable and demonstrable.
What is less known, is that at the very heart of ancient Egypt, at the centre of their knowledge, was “the Book of Thoth”, one of the first, if not the first, “alchemical manuals”.
This “body of knowledge”, for a book, such as the Corpus Hermeticum, was literally seen as a “body” of the god, whether Hermes or his Egyptian equivalent Thoth, consisted out of two parts.
Part one was a manual containing magic for the heavens, the earth, etc.
Part two was a manual to attain knowledge of immortality – and perhaps the latter may not have been radically different from the so-called Book of the Dead, which was all about attaining immortality. The Book was nothing more than a set of instructions, which is what magic is all about.
The heart of the cult of Thoth was Hermopolis. Hermopolis was located on the west bank of the Nile, about midway between Thebes and Memphis, across the Nile from Akhetaten, the new Egyptian capital founded by the rebel pharaoh Akhenaten.
The Ancient Egyptian name of the city, Khmun, means the “8-town”, after the group of eight deities (Ogdoad) who represented the world before creation. The name Khmun, of course, is close to Khem; or should we read “alchemy” as al-Khmun?
Thoth’s cult, like all others, championed its own creation myth. On the Island of Flame, four elements had come into being at the same time. Together with the unnamed creator, they were the Great Five – the Fifth Element.
The Pyramid Texts said that “the Waters spoke to Infinity, Nothingness, Nowhere, and Darkness” and creation began. The four became eight – male and female. Out of the union of the eight came the primeval egg and out of the egg came the light of the sun.
Already, with its emphasis on the four elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air) and its numerical sequence of multiplication, we are very close to the core of medieval alchemy.
In a Ptolemaic papyrus, we read how Thoth wrote the book with his own hand and in it was all the magic in the world.
"If you read the first page, you will enchant the sky, the earth, the abyss, the mountain, and the sea: you will understand the language of birds in the air, and you will know what the creeping things in the earth are saying, and you will see the fishes from the darkest depths of the sea.”
Such promises are clearly linked to shamanic powers and as the Egyptian civilisation developed out of a native shamanic culture, we should not at all be surprised. “If you read the other page, even though you are dead and in the world of ghosts, you could come back to the earth in the form you once had. And besides this, you will see the sun shining in the sky with the full moon and the stars, and you will behold the great shapes of the gods.” Amen.
A Book of Thoth has recently been found, written in demotic and dated to the later stage of Egypt’s existence. It contains a conversation between Thoth, Osiris and a student.
By its very presentation, it is clearly inspired by the Greek Ptolemaic civilisation that ruled Egypt from the 3rd century BC onwards, as such dialogues (or trialogues) were a Greek obsession. In it, Thoth imparts information on the netherworld, ethics, the sacred geography of Egypt, the secret language and the mysteries.
As several scholars continue to not accept that the ancient Egyptians had mystery schools (which would make them a noticeable exception on the ancient world map), the text has been labelled largely “Greek” in nature – even though it is written in the Egyptian language. Interestingly, in one instance, the name of Thoth is qualified by the triple adjective “wer”, meaning “great” and thus equating him with Hermes Trismegistus – thrice great.
The Book of Thoth was said to contain all the knowledge of the universe. As a consequence, it was a very prized possession. The priests of Thoth must have been in a very privileged position, as no doubt many considered them to have access to precious knowledge.
It is therefore not surprising that in ancient Egypt, there were many stories of people going in search of the book, trying to unlock its power and its knowledge.
Most often, the protagonists of these tales were princes – a setting very similar to the medieval Grail legends, in which the protagonist is Perceval, a cousin to the king. Indeed, one could argue that there are several parallels between the legends of Perceval and his quest for the Grail and the Egyptian princes’ quest for the Book of Thoth.
Inside was another coffer, of copper, containing a series of further boxes, until finally a golden one, containing the Book of Thoth. The boxes were guarded by serpents and scorpions and thus presented a veritable challenge for anyone going in search of it.
Furthermore, we note how the sequence of metals (iron, copper, gold) mimic key imagery that is found in medieval alchemical literature.
The rest of the story can best be described as an Egyptian – and thus original – version of Perceval’s Grail quest. The prince left in search of the book, battling his way towards his goal. Using magical spells and rituals, he kept on defeating the serpent, to finally find the book.
In fact, dare we say that this Egyptian rendition clarifies some of the unspoken attraction of the Grail? In Parzival, the Grail is considered to be the panacea of all things, but Wolfram von Eschenbach, its authors, is scarce on details as to what the possession of the Grail allowed. In ancient Egyptian sources, what the Book of Thoth accomplished was carefully written down.
After reading the first saying, prince Naneferkaptah was able to speak the language of the animals, the birds and the fish. After the second saying, the gods of the sun, moon and stars appeared to him in their true form. Naneferkaptah was clearly on his way to becoming all-knowing.
And if we were to project this onto a shamanic setting, we would argue that each of these steps is still reflected in the shaman’s path to mastery of this world and the beyond. Like the tribal shamans, the prince had a prize to pay for this knowledge. Unfortunately, this Grail quest ended in failure.
After a series of tests, the prince drowned himself in the Nile and was buried, together with his precious book.
Thus, it showed that knowledge of “everything” was not only a difficult quest, once found, it was for many impossible to continue living with the power and knowledge, opting for suicide – but at the same time informing the reader that if he or she so wanted to, he could himself go in search of the body of prince Naneferkaptah, where he would find the Book of Thoth, and could partake of its knowledge. Should we see certain parallels with the tomb of Christian Rosenkreutz?
One of these was Setne Khamwas, son of Ramses II, who also wanted to find the Book of Thoth. (It is assumed this Setne character was often used to feature in allegorical stories, for if all factual, he was the original Indiana Jones!)
He discovered the tomb of the prince, but was stopped by the spirit of the prince when he tried to remove the book. They decided to settle the contest with a game of chess. Setne lost three matches and was almost totally buried in sand, but due to magical spells and amulets given to him by his father, he was able to release himself and eventually leave with the Book.
Setne kept the book in his possession and organised readings from it, even though his father Ramses II did not approve. Then, one day, Setne was blinded by the sight of an astonishingly beautiful woman. He murdered his children and gave away his possession to be able to spend just one single night with her.
But when that night came, he saw her disappear as if she was a phantom. Setne was dazed and confused and when Ramses found him in this state, he convinced his son to return the book. It was clear that Setne was not ready to partake in the knowledge – and the events that could befall him.
When Setne agreed, he immediately realised that the entire incident about this beautiful woman and the murder of his children had been a dream, but still decided to return the book to the tomb of Naneferkaptah, resealing the tomb – where once again it would remain in wait for those who felt drawn to this knowledge.
The actual story finishes as such – taking it up when Setne reaches the site where he needs to bury the book into the tomb of Naneferkaptah:
“A house had been built on the spot, at the edge of Waset, and Setne bought the house to pull it down. When the house was demolished by Pharaoh's soldiers, Setne had the men dig beneath it. Soon they came to a rock-cut tomb, deep in the earth.
Inside the tomb lay the bodies of Ahura and Merab. The old man suddenly transformed, and he turned into the ka of Naneferkaptah and faded from sight. Setna then took the bodies back, and buried them with great ceremony in Naneferkaptah’s tomb.
Then at Pharaoh's command they heaped sand over the low stone shrine where the entrance to the tomb was hidden; and before long a sandstorm turned it into a great mound, and then levelled it out so that never again could anyone find a trace of the tomb where Naneferkaptah lay with Ahura and Merab and the Book of Thoth, waiting for the Day of Awakening when Osiris shall return to rule over the earth.”
The story also has remarkable parallels to both Christianity and its Apocalypse, underlining that there is seldom anything new under the sun.
In the case of Perceval, there are repeated references that he feels himself more than worthy to be a member of the Grail Brotherhood, as there are few better knights than he. But on his first test, Perceval fails.
The same fate befalls Setne, though in both instances, it is not fatal, as is the case of Naneferkaptah. In all cases, it are human shortcomings that will end the seeker’s quest – though Perceval will have another opportunity, when he has realised his earlier mistakes; he is given a second chance, and then succeeds.
Both Wolfram’s account and the Egyptian stories also show that though many feel called to belong to the Grail and have this knowledge, in truth – says Wolfram – the Grail itself calls by name those whom it feels will serve. This is underlined in the Egyptian accounts, which are clearly Grail quests performed by princes who were not ready, and thus failed…
The story of the Fisher King, another key ingredient of the Grail stories, is that of the ruler of the land, who is maimed by an evil opponent. This results in his inability to reproduce, whereby Perceval is looked upon not only as the initiate that will heal the king, but also will become his successor.
Why this king is nicknamed “Fisher King” has been the centre of great speculation. To some, it is merely a reference to Jesus, a fisherman, whereby the fish was a symbol of the early Christian church. To others, it is nothing more than the fact that Perceval first meets the king when he is fishing and only later does he realise that the fisherman is actually the king.
This is a piecemeal approach, rather than taking the story as a whole. When we do the latter, it is clear that this story resembles the myth of the death and resurrection of Osiris, the most famous of all maimed divine rulers. I
n that Egyptian account – which had a close relationship with the Book of Thoth, for the story of Osiris’ resurrection was interpreted as the “evidence” that part two of the book of Thoth “worked” – we have the ruler of Egypt, the god Osiris, invited to a banquet – a ceremonial meal, not unlike the meal that is held inside the Grail Castle.
During the meal, Osiris is murdered by his evil brother Seth – from which derives the name Satan. Osiris’ body is scattered across Egypt, but through love (of his wife Isis) and magic (the core of the Book of Thoth), he is reassembled again. However, the fish of the Nile have eaten his penis. Isis thus has to fashion a wooden phallus, to produce – to even more magic – offspring.
The search for a successor, Perceval and Horus, who will guarantee the succession of divine – enlightened – rule over the country is also there.
With so many parallels, it becomes clear that the image of the Fisher King also has its origins in ancient Egypt. And the question which deity and divine king has a specific affinity with fish would have solved the problem of the origin of the name of Fisher King.
Weston, without referencing Osiris, commented on the Grail account: “I hold that we have solid grounds for the belief that the story postulates a close connection between the vitality of a certain king, and the prosperity of his kingdom; the forces of the ruler being weakened or destroyed, by wound, sickness, old age, or death, the land becomes Waste, and the task of the hero is that of restoration.”
It is clear that when we look at Perceval, we are merely creating new characters in a story that was known and formed the backbone of the Egyptian religion. In short, the origins of the Grail can be traced back to Egypt… The Grail is Egyptian.
source philipcoppens
Thursday, June 30, 2011
ANIMAL SECRET SOCIETIES OF AFRICA
Animal societies predate the colonial period and were gathered to fight the encroachment of European colonialism.
By Kilindi Iyi
The leopard and lion societies of Africa (as well as other animal societies) are steeped in mystery and are jealously guarded by the secret society systems. The secret societies are the custodians of the martial sciences. They hold the power within the culture to protect the greater society and to train the young boy in the art of responsibility.
Human leopards are those men who through initiations are brought into the realm of animal powers. The sacred stories, dances, ritual exercises and spiritual medicines blend together to bring the human into the realm of animal consciousness.
These animal societies predate the colonial period butt were gathered to fight the encroachment of European colonialism. This was a time of persecution and unfounded accusations by various European governors of cannibalism and murder. It is not uncommon for freedom fighters throughout the world to be smeared by governmental powers, and so it was with the animal societies.
Becoming The Animal
These men of power actually became the animal. They lived in the body of a leopard, lion or baboon. They abided by a strict code of secrecy and under penalty of death, would not reveal the secrets of the brotherhood which involved secret signs and passwords, ritual symbology and special languages.. One could speak to another leopard brother and convey messages and still have another meaning to the ears of those who were not a part of the secret society.
This language that was inside the greater society-yet seperate-involved animal calls, ritual urination and a host of other physical standards which served to bind the group.
Sacred clothing was sometimes used along with traditional weapons, such as claws and special knives. These items would be used to eliminate certain people who were opposed to the society as a whole. The human leopard would be so animal –like that it was very hard to distinguish its work from that of an actual leopard. When someone of the leopard society was sent on a mission, they would leave tracks and wounds appearing to be the result of leopard claws and teeth. Animal attributes were used in every day life to help bind the greater society to its subunits.
Sacred Space
In the bush, sacred space was designed for ritual communalism and meetings for the society’s business. Training consisted of dances passed down from generation to generation, which came from the first ancestors of the clans. Conversations and communions of the actual leopards and herbal preparations.
The animal societies of Africa played a great role in its history. The power of these societies is most often overlooked but their power is immense, existing to this very day. These societies continue to secure the traditions of the animal clan ancestors.
The lion societies are identified with solar and kingly power. The mane of the male lion is symbolic of the sun’s corona, an outgrowth of its inner fire. The lion is revered for its way of life because lions live in a society.. Lions live in large family groups in which the female is the principle hunter and the male is the ever-present guardian of the group. All members are responsible for the protection of the young.
The lion skin can only be worn by the most powerful warriors who have proven themselves in battle. Lions and leopards represented as fully zoomorphic and anthropomorphic deities such as Mahes, Apedmak and Sekmet, who were all warriors.
Societies Evolve
Reverence to the ancient warrior gods by the priesthood eventually developed into the lion societies of East and West Africa. The knowledge of the animal systems came from the deities themselves through the spiritual systems. Warriors of extraordinary martial skill empowered by the deity would perform miraculous feats of strength and endurance.
Dramas of an initiatory nature were performed only in the proper season to harmonize with the universal forces. The main emphasis is not on developing techniques, but the principles upon which those techniques are founded. Also developed was a fighting conscious within the nature of man through divine principles. Man’s nature is departmentalized into constituent parts:Ara (physical body); Ojiji (shadow); lye (mental body,mind)); Oka (heart, heart soul); and Emi (spirit, spiritual body, spiritual soul).
These aspects of the nature of man blend together and merge with the animal souls to develop the lion and leopard fighting systems.. Warriors at a very young age were blessed and sanctified to the clan animal. The warrior was taught the sacred dances , music and songs to evoke the sate of consciousness of the great elder (the first lion or leopard from which the group identifies).
Animal Systems
The body’s organs are the divine receptors for the animal souls. The Emi. Activated by the will, enabled the warrior to transform or shapeshift into the clan animal. These principles are part of the ancient and contemporary African animal fighting societies. The Ta-merrian Institute seeks the preservation of these societies for their divine knowledge.
Animal systems practiced at the Ta-merrian Institute that reflect many of the principles held sacred in the warrior societies are;
Lion.
.Snake
.Phoenix
. Ape
.Crocodile
.Panther
.Bull
The Lion-its regal appearance and ferocious style is the solar fighting system. The lion’s mane unites the symbols of sun fire (solar head and heart) and of air through the strong respiratory chest of the lion that fires the fighting emotions.
The Snake-Consisting of a vertebral column coated with skin, it is a column so supple that it can take almost any position of the risen body of the cobra.
The Phoenix-The solar bird is reborn from its own ashes; symbolic of rebirth. It is sometimes identified with various types of animals in ancient times, mostly the cranes.
The Ape-A large monkey with elongated muzzle. Ferocious fighter noted for its mane. Its cries at dawn and dusk have given it an important symbolic role.
The Crocodile-Low threshing movements, the terror in water transmuting the elements of water and air, adjusting different levels of evolution.
The Panther-Symbolic of strength and power. Many tribes in Africa still wear the ritual panther skin to bring strength to the wearer.
The Bull- The animal type for generating force to completely dominate an opponent.
The human leopards and the lions who walk like man reveal the ancient powers of man. Those powers can still be called upon by the African warriors of today to oppose injustice.They can also be called upon to preserve more complete way of like and the principles modern man has forsaken. Inclusion of ancient principles into today’s society may recapture an elusive manhood and bring us back to a former greatness which is needed, sadly missed and hopefully can be recaptured.
The Martial Arts Of Africa
Shrouded in mystery for centuries, the most ancient arts in the world are finally surfacing.
The martial arts of Africa presented to the world one of the earliest forms of systematic combat. The use of weapons such as the spear, mace, sword, and the bow and arrow all have their origins in Africa. The unarmed forms of combat exemplified the movements of certain animals held sacred by the ancient Africans. They found early in their history that these animal principles could be isolated within the consciousness of man and manifested into an unconquerable fighting force.
Of course, this was thousands of years before there was civilization in those areas commonly thought to be the “birthplace” of martial arts. It was the ancient Africans who first gave to the world military science. The martial beginnings started with mankind’s desire to preserve and organize combative principles in system that could be readily taught to subsequent generations.
On the African continent, the oldest remains, tools, and weapons of man are found. The oldest martial arts records in existence are in the form of hieroglyphics in what is today called Egypt. The ancient Egyptian priesthood taught systems of combat based upon history, legend, amd myths about the goods and goddesses. As ;aid down by the religion, every great temple maintenance an armed force to protect its interests..
The weapons of the pre-dynastic Egyptian soldier were:
.a stout cudgel made of wood
.a mace or club
.a spear made of wood with a slice of flint fastened to one end
.a bow and arrows
.a flint knife or dagger
.a battle ax formed by tying a slab of stone or flint to the short, stout wooden handle
.a curved stick.
These weapons were pre-dynastic (prior to the year c.4100 BCE, when King Narmer of upper Egypt, through warfare, united upper and lower Egypt, making the two countries one. Under the Middle Kingdom, the soldier defended himself with a shield of wood or wickerwork covered with hide and sometimes strengthened with a metal rim. The standard under which he fought had for its head the figure of the hawk of “the god Horus”.
The ancestors tell us that there were nine powers that enlivened man’s soul. They were as follows; Ka, Ba, Ab, Khat, Khaibit, Ku, Sahu, Sekhem, and Ren.
The Ka was defined as the double or energy body.
The Ba is the heart-soul; the receiver of feelings.
Ab is the mental, seat of highest intelligence.
Khat is the physical body, vehicle of expression on the physical plane.
Khaibit is the shadow, the essential essence of reflection.
Ku is the spiritual body, where rest man’s morality.
Sahu is the spiritual body, where the Ku soul lives.
Sekhem is the power, the spiritual personification of the physical forces.
Finally Ren, “the name”, is the attribute that brings all things into manifestation.
These nine powers stem from an inseperable unity where, if one element were missing, the other half would cease to exist. In the ancient African arts, the name of the warrior was of special importance. Most warriors were named after the deities or elemental powers. This would cause the warrior to take upon the attributes of that particular deity through sympathetic magic.
The following procedures occurred in a succession of initiations over a period of years. The warrior’s head and body were washed with certain herbal medicines to give strength and protection from physical as well as spiritual assaults. Next, each extremity was empowered and was sanctified to a particular animal force.
The practitioner was then taught the sacred dances, music and songs to physchologically attune the body to the specific state of consciousness that corresponded to a particular animal nature or being possessed by the animal nature.
The organs of the body were considered divine receptors for the animal doubles or the Kha’s . Each organ held a an animal soul or the cutoff point in the evolution dormant within the physical body. The human soul, activated by will, enabled the warrior to transform or “shape” himself into any animal form he wished.
These secrets, known only to the initiated, sstemmed from the custodians of knowledge, or the nine powers of the soul. Part of the divine worship consisted of fasting, prayer, meditation, offering, sacrifice, aabstinnnence, sacred languagee, and the following seven liberal arts:
.grammar
.rhetoric
.logic
.arithmetic
.geometry
.astronomy
.music
Certain formulae were memorized, such as the transformation into the Crocodile god Sebak, which is as follows;
“The Osiris Ani, whose word is truth, saith; ‘I am the Crocodile-god Sebak, who dwelleth amid his terrors. I am the Crocodile-god, and I seize my prey like a ravening beast. I am the great Fish which is Kamu. I am the Lord to whom bowings and prostrations are made in Sekhem (Letopolis). And the OsirisAni is the Lord to whom the bowings and prsstarations are made in Sekhem.”
This is just one of the prayers of transformation which, when approached in the proper manner, would bring about the desired results in combat. The ancient Africans laid down the fundamental basis for self-mastery, with the warrior arts as one of the vehicles.
The masters stated that man is the guardian of the earth, a warrior of the earth, and that it is from the earth that he draws his strength. It is on earth that man dies and is reborn as a divine warrior drawing understanding from the gods, for it was they who had to receive the blood of the warrior to let him do battle upon earth.
Man may then be accepted into the African mysteries of warfare, to hold the keys to the elemental and universal forces, and to acquire the attributes and lineage of all who came before him ion a hierarchical structure extending to the beginning of time.
It is this culmination of power from the ancestral warrior that lives in each initiated warrior. This is the force of the African martial arts on a spiritual level. With each punch or kick, the complete structure lends its support to each individual motion through will, intent, and purpose.
Any ancient martial art form leads us to weaponry. The p[eople with the best-eqipped army could utilize their weapons in combat and, therefore had the most proficient artmy. Practitioners of this art are taught the use of different types of weapons, including the classical weapons; the bow and arrow, the spear, sword, mace. and ax. We also utilize stick-fighting along with throwing weapons such as the boomerang and certain knives.
In this day and age, we use the weapons primarily to help build strength and awareness. This also teaches the student to be able to transfer strength not only to the end of the extremities, but beyond them. This makes the empty-hand art that much more effective because one learns to channel force passed the confines of the body.
Ta-merrian is expressed metaphysically on three levels. The first is the celestial battle of the sun as it descends into the netherworld. The sun battles the demons and fiends as they try to halt its progress into the land of darkness. The next level is man’s battle after death, where he encounters the demons of hell in order to pass into the next life which is eternal. The third level is man’s day-to-day battle for existence on the earth.
The ancients saw a correlation between man, nature, and the universe as being one, only on different levels. The system is, on its highest level, seeing the balance between the negative and the positive forces.
Ta-Merrian comprises armed and unarmed techniques, utilizing the movements of the seven sacred animals/ These particular animals manifest certain principles in nature lying dormant in man, and through the imitation of a particular animal. We seek to understand the essence within ourselves.
These animals are: 1) the lion, 2) the snake. 3) the phoenix, 4) the ape, 5) the crocodile, 6) the panther and 7) the bull.
Through imitating the movements of these animals, we seek to awaken their attributes within ourselves. Additionally these seven animals help the practitioner of Ta-Merrian understand his/her relationship to the earth and all things.
The Baura Wrist Knife of Africa
Decorative, Yet Deadly
By Kilindi Iyi
Watching the young boys play, surrounded by their elders, one notices a mysterious array of body adornments. The unsuspecting would never see the deadly weapon shrouded within the ornate beauty of this wrist bracelet known as a baura. Passed down through the ages, this bracelet is an efficient combat companion of the African warrior.
“Baura play”is a highly developed martial art form that can be found throughout the African continent. Still worn and practiced in many countries, the baura is often displayed as jewelry.
The baura is a thin iron disc. The inside is covered with leather to protect the wrist; the outside is stone-ground to razor sharpness. When used in combat, the bracelet is pushed onto the lower part of the hand to apply strikes. Some baura also have one or more projections designed to tear into the opponent.
Traditionally, baura matches are held in Africa during the dry season, following the annual harvest. In the contest, two opponents try to strike one another with the wrist knife. Any blow is legal, but the most common target is the head. The combatants close the distance between each other by using deceptive, rhythmic hand movements. Once at close range, fighters use trapping, grappling, low-line kicking, leg-immobilization, and throwing maneuvers.
Music accompanies traditional baura play. The basic instrument is the drum, upon which the traditional fighting rhythms are played. Accompanying the music are individual songs played for each fighter, telling of his history and the names of his ancestors. The baura is also part of the curriculum for young boys, preparing them for war and personal combat.
Although baura matches are certainly dangerous, deaths are rare due to the highly developed training and skill of the contestants.
The baura, also known as the Shensi by the Maguzawa people of Nigeria, is referred to by many other names throughout the African continent. Parts of West Africa refer to it as a kwaraya. In Egypt, the Nubians call it an auau, and it is called zuar by the Nubaa tribes of Sudan. In some areas, the baura is used in conjunction with a small shield held by the left hand for parrying and striking.
When a young boy begins to show promise as a dedicated baura student, he is tutored by “his uncles” (older men). Practice involves training with pseudo knives of plaited grass around their wrists. When the young boys reach puberty, a more formalized training process begins which is part of their initiation to manhood.
The initiates are taken away from the village and taught by the “fighting deities.” Performing meticulous fighting patterns, followed by a series of tests by the combat masters, the young boys are given the first level of the fighting secrets of their family. Their juniors, who focus on copying the most popular fighter’s style, look upon the combat masters as heroes.
Baura are primarily used to cut an opponent at close range. Following tradition, the rear hand plays the defensive role, while the knife hand is used during stick fighting to cut, trap, block and/or disarm the opponent’s stick. When wielding a bow, the baura acts as a sight and acts as a protector against the recoiling bowstring.
A Baura technique consists of circular and linear figure-eight strikes. The hand is held high, waving in circular patterns to confuse and break the opponent’s rhythm. Timing and elusiveness are developed to a high level since one cut can stop a match. At close range, the fighter’s sensitivity, guts, and skill are severely tested.
Kicks are often combined with baura techniques and are generally directed to the lower half of the leg. They are used to unbalance the opponent so he can be thrown to the ground. The opponent rarely uses high kicks because of the opportunity they present for leg cuts.
In competition, when one fighter admits defeat, has blood flowing too profusely, or obviously cannot continue, the match is stopped. A draw is often declared when two opponents are evenly matched. Referees are ex-fighters with a great deal f experience on matters of baura play.
In the event of an overly heated match, the master fighters will separate the two combatants immediately and the fighter with the highest number of match wins is declared the champion. This increases his prestige and station in life, and also insures that he will marry into a good family. Praise songs will be sung about his deeds, and he will be compared to a bull, leopard, or lion. Young boys will also imitate his personal fighting style.
…………….
The baura can be worn as a bracelet –like accessory for men and women, or, should the occasion arise when trouble is near, it can be pushed to the lower part of the hand where it is ready for practical action. It is a welcome challenge to any martial artists with an interest in classical weaponry.
SOURCE TAMERRIAN
