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  • Called to the sword?

    Hey guys, super new to the forum. Quick question for anyone interested in answering...

    Does anyone feel called to the sword?

    Let me start to pick this apart myself because it's what I do..

    Yes I have considered that it could just be an infatuation with something that is "cool". I have considered this closely for years and for a long time I wrote it off as an infatuation. I recently considered it more closely and have decided to give myself a little more credit. Since deciding this, I feel like I've made more progress. I've thought about what it could mean and I've had many a philosophical discussion about it with friends. I feel called to the sword and I want to know why. I want to know if others feel the same deep down resonance. I've never been in a real fight. I've never experienced combat. Why would a sword offer me comfort in a time of anxiety?

    Some answers that I've come up with on my own are...
    -Past life experience
    -Current life's "purpose"???
    -Connection to a deity that I've yet to chat with
    -Archetypal energy that I was born with or close to

    So I just want to know what others think.
    Thanks for reading!

  • #2
    Re: Called to the sword?

    Psychological content deserves a spot. Do you want a physical sword in your hand, or are you referring to what swords represent, to you? Same with a fight, or with combat.
    Last edited by Rhythm; 10 Feb 2020, 14:43.

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    • #3
      Re: Called to the sword?

      I agree with Rhythm on this. If you never have held a sword or been in combat there might be some psychological content behind it. Swords typically represent air in the Tarot. This is a representation of intellect. Could you feel that there is something involving learning about your past life or maybe involving this life that you haven't uncovered? Maybe you haven't found the right deity yet and they are trying to reach out to you. It could be one that is associated with combat. Just keep digging deeper.
      Anubisa

      Dedicated and devoted to Lord Anubis and Lady Bast. A follower of the path of Egyptian Wicca.

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      • #4
        Re: Called to the sword?

        Well let me preface this with this will probably piss off some people. Ok that said lets jump into this.

        First regarding the tarot, take that with a heavy grain of salt. When it comes to what type of person you are that is determined by personality traits. It's like using the Myers-Briggs testing I am an ISTJ / ESTJ (it comes out about 50 / 50 as to which I come out as). That means for the ISTJ I fall under the pentacles - queen card and ESTJ I fall under the Swords - King card. Both major Arcana cards and suits. Swords being Air and pentacles being Earth.

        However, swords in reality are fire and earth. A sword is born of earth and created in fire. It's brought to life in fire and breathes via fire and friction. So using tarot that makes a true sword a union of pentacles and staves / rods. Nothing truly to do with the element of air. Yet the characters and traits contained in the tarot for physical swords and sword usages would actually be a combination of the staves & sword cards. Both the negative and positive traits.

        Getting back to the physical sword itself things to consider. When unused the sword is cold and stiff. It's like the elements from which it is born and created. It might even feel weighty and stiff in your hand when you pick it up. Doesn't truly matter the style of it either. It can be a foil, rapier, long sword, broad sword, samurai sword, etc. They are all cold and lifeless and have no breathe in them until awakened. They don't even feel like an extension to your arm at that point. Depending upon creation they might not even have an identity or persona within them.

        Yet once they are taken up and you begin to move them the pommel heats up within your hand. The blade cutting the air gains a slight friction against it. Working with it it becomes an extension of your self and your arm. Your own energy extends to the length of the blade and you feel the reach of its presence and boundary. Vibrations and sensations upon the blade transition through your arm and the weight of the blade becomes balanced with your own balance and movements. Depending upon the type and style of blade, pommel / hilt how you move and hold it changes how it feels and what you feel.

        That doesn't touch upon the notion of the blade being forged and what goes into that process. It's both internal and external regarding the changes that take place, some visible some not. Similar changes also take place within the person who wields the blade and "dances" with it. The dance is an art form because it is not just for combat and war but its also anticipation and response. It's about what if and how to, if this then what, being prepared for things that might never happen. Its about feeding the blade blood so it never turns against you in some belief systems.

        It's about training to be the best but also knowing that destruction has to be complimented with creation via artistic skill. If you look at many fighter's they were also poets, painters, writers of some sort. Even if bad ones to off set the nature of destructive side of their skill sets.

        Also consider that the Sword in ceremonial magic is a fire element. It falls in align with its creation and used for control and domination & banishing. So it calls for strength and iron will. But there in is also its weakness for it betrays its user with a false sense of character and personal strength and power. For like the blade has to be forged so to does it wielder have to be forged. With proper forging you get a good blade but with improper forging then you get a weak blade that is brittle and breaks same with its wielder.
        I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

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        • #5
          Re: Called to the sword?

          Originally posted by Azoth View Post

          Does anyone feel called to the sword?
          I do. Though I can at times be short-tempered I'm not given to looking for trouble. However, whether it's just a romantic streak or something else, I do feel the warrior spirit. In fact, my DNA test shows I have the alleles for the "warrior gene". I believe that in a past life or past lives I was Kshatriya, the warrior class in Indian/Hindu society. I have a 17" seax I'm proud of; I'd like a battle sword or maybe a katana.
          śivāya vishnu rūpaya śivaḥ rūpaya vishnave
          śivasya hridayam viṣṇur viṣṇoscha hridayam śivaḥ

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          • #6
            Re: Called to the sword?

            Originally posted by Thorbjorn View Post
            I do. Though I can at times be short-tempered I'm not given to looking for trouble. However, whether it's just a romantic streak or something else, I do feel the warrior spirit. In fact, my DNA test shows I have the alleles for the "warrior gene". I believe that in a past life or past lives I was Kshatriya, the warrior class in Indian/Hindu society. I have a 17" seax I'm proud of; I'd like a battle sword or maybe a katana.
            Join the club. I get angry sometimes and take it out to proved that I'm right but in reality, I'm mostly not.

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            • #7
              Re: Called to the sword?

              I didn't think of that monsno and I watched Forged in Fire. Anyway, I agree with a lot of what you have to say. I'm not called to the sword unfortunately and I do feel that the sword is part of the fire element. I've always thought of it that way. Thanks for your thoughts.
              Anubisa

              Dedicated and devoted to Lord Anubis and Lady Bast. A follower of the path of Egyptian Wicca.

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              • #8
                Re: Called to the sword?

                Dude, get a real, qualified martial arts teacher and you will see whether that "call" is genuine after several months of training.
                I spent about 3 years training with bokken before purchasing my first katana and now I have more than 12 years of training in Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu. Even though I love it and I grew very proficient with it, I still don't feel anything spiritual about it.
                However, I recently purchased my first gun - an 1858 Remington reproduction made by Pietta and I felt it immediately. At the second session at the range I started hitting targets at 75 yards with ease and I suspect I probably carried an original Remington in my past life, probably with a blue coat, Garryowen in glory.

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                • #9
                  Re: Called to the sword?

                  Originally posted by Muramasa View Post
                  .. I still don't feel anything spiritual about it. ..
                  This made me think about running to be honest. I used to run and honestly tried to be a marathon runner for a while. It was often a pain and tedious to be honest. Nothing spiritual about it and quite often more like rote learning and repetition of action than anything. Yet there were times it came close to being almost spiritual when you hit that runner's high and crossed into the "zone". That point where muscle memory and mind sort of faded away and something else came into play and your body and mind operated on a higher plain.

                  I've heard of people doing it with fencing foils where they've claimed their sense was at the tip of the foil. Everything else was a blur about them. I've achieved it just a few times where I've used a Samurai sword in ritual and have seen what looks like light streaming as the blade has passed through the air. Ironically I can relate to your shooting as I done that on the weapons range with an M-14. That same rush and high.
                  I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

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                  • #10
                    Re: Called to the sword?

                    I feel more judged by sword than connected, because every time I take it in my arms and I do it almost daily, I can feel my teacher watching my every mistake and imperfection in my movement and words "pregnant yak" come into my mind. 12 years and now I'm more aware of my imperfections than ever before.
                    I miss that time when I was a cocky 6th kuy believing that I will become next Musashi in couple of years.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Called to the sword?

                      Originally posted by Muramasa View Post
                      I feel more judged by sword than connected, because every time I take it in my arms and I do it almost daily, I can feel my teacher watching my every mistake and imperfection in my movement and words "pregnant yak" come into my mind. 12 years and now I'm more aware of my imperfections than ever before.
                      I miss that time when I was a cocky 6th kuy believing that I will become next Musashi in couple of years.
                      I don't know if the OP will understand this or not but I've never really felt judged by long blades but short blades have given me grief. The worse cuts and injuries I've ever gotten have come from knives and short blades. Have a scar across my knuckle on my left small finger where I about crippled myself with a knife. Another on the inside of my right fore arm from a short blade. Old scars to remind myself I suppose of being foolish.

                      I knew I would never be a master swordsman but enjoyed the feel of them.
                      I'm Only Responsible For What I Say Not For What Or How You Understand!

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                      • #12
                        Re: Called to the sword?

                        Thorbjorn, I feel the warrior spirit part. That's kind of what I was getting at. I have spent a long time considering past lives. I've drawn connections between recurring dreams and these spiritual feelings. With the infinite possibilities that the belief in reincarnation brings, I've convinced myself that this ole soul of mine, has seen a lot of war. I think/ believe that my oldest incarnation (historical chronology) that I can feel was a warrior in the three kingdoms war. I also believe that some part of me has lived as a viking, piloted a WW 2 fighter plane, and will see the human space age (in historical chronology).


                        Now the Viking part is the only part that I have any physical relationship with. My family tree on my mother's side was traced as far back as the Viking era Sweden.


                        Like I said in the original post, a lot of the things I've felt this way about are very susceptible to infatuation but not all of them are what I've considered "cool" but it's the same feeling.


                        I'm only a 6 to 9 month old pagan. I don't know how to further confirm/affirm or even disprove my beliefs. I essentially just have these beliefs based on what I've felt in the past.


                        The sword (generally a double edged, never really had a thing for katanas or other curved blades) naturally feels like an extension of myself when I pick it up and swing it around. I don't feel judged, I feel a bond.


                        I really appreciate all the responses y'all. Please keep'em coming.


                        ~Azoth

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                        • #13
                          Re: Called to the sword?

                          Are you going to learn to use it correctly?

                          There is a whole WMA (Western Martial Arts) community devoted to this.
                          Every moment of a life is a horrible tragedy, a slapstick comedy, dark nihilism, golden illumination, or nothing at all; depending on how we write the story we tell ourselves.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Called to the sword?

                            If you are obsessing over owning a sword without effort to learn how to use it properly, you are not much better than a weeb.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Called to the sword?

                              Swords are constructed as tools for us to hold and apprehend as such, as you put it OP, feeling like an extension. Have you ever considered joining the armed forces? Not much left in the way of swords there, but plenty of warrior spirit.

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