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Many people around the world believe in
dragons, but what proof do they have of their existence or do they just have faith that
they existed? I have my own theory, although its probably not unique. It
should be obvious that I spend a great deal of time reading and comparing
mythologies and religions from around the world. For you to understand my
theory, I have to explain that I believe there is a shred of truth in
almost all myths and religions. It is only a matter of finding what
appears to be the truth in each one – I generally go by what themes,
creatures, or archetypes come up most often. I combine those with the
less-than-scientific method of intuition and information stemming from my
many years of training in the shamanic path and other magickal arts. I
fully admit that my theory lacks any real scientific basis, is entirely
biased, and even a bit far-fetched. Nonetheless, I believe I will be able
to expound upon it in the future as I work towards my degrees in
psychology, religious studies, sociology, and mythology. I believe the
combination of these four fields will allow me to prove or disprove some
or all of this theory. I also would like to point out that the
explanation in the following paragraph is an extraordinarily brief and
simplified version. I am currently working on research that will broaden
it significantly although the future version and the one presented here
will look nothing alike, the concept, however, is similar.
I’ll begin by taking the portion of the Bible that deals
with the creation of man. In it, there is the statement that God created
man in his image. I believe this is true but not in the physical sense (I
don’t believe in God in the Christian sense either). I believe God
created man with the intent that he too would be able to create in the
same manner – something no other creature could do. As God created light
by shear will, I believe that mankind can create things by shear will as
well. The problem is that the belief of one is not enough; it takes the
belief of many. The more people that believe in something, the more real
it becomes. Dragons very well could have been real a thousand years ago
because everyone (or at least most people) believed in them. This
holds true for unicorns, fairies, and the rest of the mythological
creatures.
When people stopped believing in them, they did not
necessarily ‘vanish.’ They are just no longer visible in the same way as
the monitor you are looking at. We did, after all, endow them with
magickal abilities, free will and a survival instinct. Someone once
pointed out to me, that records of the ‘fae folk’ (dragons, unicorns, etc)
ceased around the dark ages (especially in Europe which was more or less
the last place to record them). The explanation for this was that humans
were continually invading the territories and destroying their habitats.
The fae drew deeper into the woods and wilds but soon there just wasn’t
enough room for all – and humans began to exploit such creatures en mass.
The magickal creatures gathered and performed one final feat of magick,
one that removed them from the physical world (sometimes called the
Between or Ween, or the Void). Since they had been living in relative
seclusion and tried to avoid humans as much as possible, most people never
encountered them. When the Christians ‘converted’ people, it was easy
enough for them to dismiss the creatures or accept that they were evil
(especially if the fae didn’t cooperate with human demands).
Christians commonly demonized the beliefs of other faiths and sending the
pagan gods to hell in the form of terrible demons was rather popular.
Accepting this last great magickal feat requires the
element of faith, at least for most people. Many modern-day pagans work
with dragons and other fae creatures regularly, myself included as I have
written many rituals including them. Since the dawn of man there have
been shamans and mystics endowed with ‘special powers.’ There are also
those individuals who are born with rare psychic talents. The
shamans, mystics and psychics are most capable (as history tells us) of
‘communicating’ with these creatures although with enough practice nearly
anyone can communicate with them.
If humans are endowed with the ability to create by will
alone, we are now faced with a virtual Pandora’s box. If we created
dragons, what else have we created? Thankfully, I’m not sure enough
people in this day and age believe in any one thing simultaneously to
actually create something physically. However, it opens a whole panacea
of questions about past and/or possible ‘creations’ such as the deities,
the Devil, the ghosts of our dead relatives, even characters like Lestat
(the vampire from the Anne Rice novels) and the Klingons (a la Star
Trek). In our ignorance, we may well have set in motion the forces
necessary to create all of those things. How does this creation take
place? I have a whole theory to explain that but I’ll reserve that
explanation for a later date, as it will probably be a book unto itself.
Belief in dragons, in summation, is an
individual choice. However I never advocate blind faith.
Merely because it "feels right" does not make it right. We need to
challenge our views on a regular basis, otherwise we cannot claim to
believe in anything or anyone. An unchallenged view is a glass house
waiting for the rock to be thrown. If a challenge causes you to give
up a belief entirely, be glad that you discovered the ‘truth’ (which I
don’t believe to be a permanent state) even if it is painful and
unpopular. Too many people cling blindly to their convictions,
especially within religion. Whether your belief is in Christianity,
Paganism or just in dragons, I encourage everyone to learn all they can
about its nature and history. Only by facing challenges and
obstacles can we find enlightenment.
NOTE: As I continue
in my academic career, I may completely revise this or dismiss it
altogether. At the very least I will be updating it periodically as
I get the time to research missing details. For those who feel
compelled to argue this and/or provide their own ideas via email, I would
politely request that you do not. I have very little time to check
my email to begin with and even less to debate these matters. As I stated on the main page, I am attempting the overhaul
this site and in the process challenge my convictions and myself. I
include material such as this as a base from which to work, not as a
pillar of hard-and-fast beliefs. In other words, this material like
everything else in WhiteRose’s Garden, is placed here for me. If you have
stumbled to my library of scattered notes and thoughts, keep this in
mind.
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