The Philosophy behind Cogs and Cantrips

The basic premise behind the philosophy of Cogs and Cantrips is simply to "make everyday deeper and more meaningful" . In short it's simply a way to make everything we take as mundane and often boring and cast it into a new and more meaningful light; albeit from a Steampunk'd perspective.

So how do we do that?  We do that through the systematic use of rituals in order to (re) establish traditions so that even daily routines are given a more meaningful context rather than just being rote duties, chores, or obligations.

Let me expound on this explanation with a comment on a really great book that helped to open my eyes. The name of that book was "The Power of Myth" by Robert Campbell (with Bill Moyer). It was done in a Question and answer format; almost as if Bill Moyer was interviewing Robert Campbell, and through out the dialogue Mr. Campbell was elaborating how interwoven mythology played an important part in daily life for our ancestors, and even showed how many popular movies such as "Star Wars" used these archetypes of mythology to tell its story.

One of the key things Mr. Campbell elaborated on was the use of ritual celebrate certain facets of life; from coming of age, to courtship and marriage, even to the moment we are interred in the ground. Mr. Campbell also noted that with our increased access to technology and information that some important rituals were falling by the way side. Most notably the rituals involved a boys coming of age into manhood (or even a girls coming of age into womanhood); recalling that these events were once highly celebrated events in the past but have largely been forgotten in modern times. He even noted that major holidays such as Christmas and Easter, which were often highly communal holidays, were now highly commercialized and devoid of any real context or meaning. To him this was a paradigm shift  that was largely due to the absence of a modern Mythology and Ritual, since Mythology, and by extent ritual, often served as a guide for daily life but that context was not fully impressed or articulated into the modern age.

That struck a deep chord with me, both on a spiritual level and on a practical everyday level. Sure, my ex and I had often talked about making our lives feel more sacred, to infuse it with more spirituality, and even took minor steps to ensure that we did but eventually those steps fell into disuse and went on  largely forgotten and ultimately ignored. Why? They were without context.

For an example of context, in the Victorian Age just having company over in the afternoon was a big affair. Usually it took place as afternoon tea, or High Tea, which was held somewhere between three and four in the afternoon just before supper. This ritual, if you will, consisted of a tea service, finger food  and sweets, and could have a few games to play in order to keep guests entertained. The entire point was to entertain your friends and to socialize. Therefore it was a communal event. Thus High Tea was a an important social ritual for the Victorian Hostess. In this sense the ritual of High Tea became a tradition and an important part of life. Ergo, Socialization was the context in which "High Tea" was  done.

So the point, on the spiritual side of things for me and by default Cogs and Cantrips, is to create new rituals and maybe create new traditions in order to give daily life more meaning, and support the context which they will be used because they are ultimately necessary.

We humans are indisputably socially oriented creatures. So much so that our very psyches depend on the healthy creation and maintenance of social connections even if they are just with a handful of people. Thus, our rituals became traditions which in turn, themselves, became the vehicle upon which social connections were formed and solidified, and ultimately became the basis in which life itself was more meaningful and enriched.

So in the end, the philosophy behind "Cogs and Cantrips" is to facilitate This enrichment of life and the enhance context in which it is done through not only the use of Steampunk but Paganism as well by creating rituals and traditions to enable a deeper sense of connection to the experience of life and those with whom we share it (or least provide a source of inspiration for the creation of these things).

Cogs and Cantrips II

I originally started this blog as means to delve into the world of Steampunk, and then mesh it with  a spiritual backdrop in order to create an eclectic path of my own. It was also started as healing tool for me since I had just started going through a devastating divorce.  However life has a funny way of distracting you if you let it, and I did. Now, however, I intend to renew my efforts and change course, albeit slightly, from the original plan.

So, what can you expect from this blog? A fresh personal perspective on the spiritual approach to Paganism, Witchcraft, and yes Steampunk. I make this initial admission: I am no guru and I hold no special degree's in any theology or Pagan tradition. This is simply me relating to you, the reader, how I do things and by doing so hopefully inspire you to sculpt your craft; from one person to another.

One of the fundamental themes of this blog is to emphasize that Life is a creative experience rather than a set of static, predetermined, events as guided by the hand of Fate, Karma, or Divinity or even a series of random occurrences that happen by chance. It's also the intent of this blog to make suggestions on how to make everyday life deeper and more meaningful.

The major difference between this blog and those that are centered around Paganism and Witchcraft will be the lack of spells and more practical approach to ritual. This will be for two reasons and they are:

1. There are already a plethora of sites and other printed dedicated to spell work.
2. Spells aren't, in my opinion, necessary to performing rituals.

Rituals are simply celebrations for particular aspects of life and nature (to include times of the year). So the absence of spells will not in any way diminish the intent by behind these rituals. However, nothing precludes you from designing your own spells and including them in the rituals that you perform.

Moving on.

So why Steampunk?  The answer to this question is simple and it's theater. One of the key principles to making anything meaningful is thinking, seeing, and doing or as I like to state: Think, Feel, Be. The Victorian Age is probably one of the most romanticized periods of history out side of the Medieval Age. It's fashion and culture are unmistakable and continues to make an indelible mark on culture and fashion today. The Victorian Age was also the beginning of Science Fiction with authors like Jules Verne, Orson Wells, and Mary Shelly penning "War of the Worlds", "20,000 Leagues under the Sea", and "Frankenstein". It was also an age where steam technology was highly present as a form of energy production from hydro electricity to heat.

Steampunk then is a fanciful if dystopic look at that age and asks simply "what if?" As a result a beautiful and very diverse subculture has spring up around that idea. So then Steampunk is Victorian Science Fiction where many things today are re-imagined into items that could have been plausibly been around or developed.

I like science fiction and I have an adoration for the Victorian Age for it's fashion as well as it's atmosphere of elegance and propriety. I also like things that resonate with me, as much as I like to play, and Steampunk did both. So, it seemed natural to just to blend the two into my everyday life and as result an homage to the subculture of Steampunk is the natural answer albeit with a slightly Pagan Twist (of which I'm sure has been done before too.) Which of course led to the creation  of this Blog: "Cogs and Cantrips (and everything else in between)"

So, there you have it. :) If you decide to stick around an walk with me through this journey the I welcome the company. My real hope is to just inspire and give a different perspective while also feeding my need to write. If I can do any of these things then I will have accomplished what I have set out to do...

Thank you.