FANDOM AND METAPHYSICS

By Staffer Marta Estrada

We know that J.R.R. Tolkien used a lot of mythology in his Ring books, but we’re now seeing it in modern times. Some of it may be intentional, some maybe not.

After paging through one of my New Age books one day, my brother said, “I told you the Sith is real!” 

When I asked what he meant, he pointed to the word seith. I told him it wasn’t the same thing, but when we looked deeper, we saw a similarity.

A few examples…

Seith is also spelled seidhr, and it comes from Norse Paganism. It is a special gift from the goddess Freyja. It is a trance procedure to contact other realms and receive messages from the gods, and it is still used today. Drums are used to help the seidhkona,  or "seith woman", achieve an altered state of consciousness, and in this altered state, she receives messages from spirits. 

Sidhe, (pronounced “she”) is a spirit race of ancient Ireland that lives in a land of perpetual youth. The sidhe can assume any physical form. Their nocturnal form is tall and slender, and they have blond hair that reaches the ground. 

The Bean Sidhe (banshee) is the “Woman of the Fairy” who appears in one of her three guises: maiden, matron, crone/hag. The most powerful is the crone/hag, or what other cultures call “Wise Woman”. There is a Celtic warning: “Always avoid old women for they have great power about them.” 

In reading further, we discovered that the maiden and matron (or mother) may actually be psychopomps who accompany departed souls to the afterlife. The hag, however, is a representation of the Celtic goddess Clotha and predicts death by crying or wailing outside a home. The movie Darby O'Gill and the Little People features a banshee. In Scotland and Ireland, many families are blessed (or cursed, depending on your point of view) by a bean sidhe who warns of approaching death and carries the spirit of the dead person away. 

We found "Anakim” (sounds a lot like Anakin, doesn’t it?) in the biblical books of Genesis and Joshua. They were a race of giants. 

Someone suggested “Darth Vader” sounds an awful lot like “Dark Father”. 

We knew JK Rowling used a lot of Latin words and phrases in the Harry Potter series, and as we looked into the relationship between fandom and metaphysics, we also found references to Geomancy (earth divination).

Geomancy is made up of 16 figures, each representing a state of the world or a state of mind. The symbols are interpreted based on both the query (question asked) and the method used to generate the figures. Geomancy figures can be produced by tossing stones, making random dots on paper or in the dirt, or other methods. There’s quite a bit of math involved in Geomancy—something that doesn’t interest me—so I recommend you do your own research if you’re interested in more information. 

Here are some of the Geomancy symbols, meanings, and correspondences to the Harry Potter series. Please note that I am only pointing out the high points and not giving a lesson in Geomancy.

Fortuna Major was used as a password for Gryffindor house. It means “greater fortune”. Interestingly, Fortuna Major is associated with the astrological fire sign Leo. Harry and other members of Gryffindor are Leos: Neville Longbottom and Ginny and Percy Weasley. 

Caput Draconus was another Gryffindor password. It means “head of the dragon” and is interpreted as “new beginnings”. It is associated with the astrological sign Sagittarius (another fire sign). Bill and Charlie Weasley are Sagittarians, as is Hagrid. 

Rubeus Hagrid is Latin for “red”. It’s associated with the sign Scorpio. 

Albus Dumbledore was Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Albus means “white” in Latin. It is associated with Gemini and in Geomancy can be considered weak.

Do a little digging, and I’m sure you’ll find many interesting references in your favorite movies and books.