Letter to MY Body - A Class Assignment Foundations_of_PsychologicalSense_PF501

Dear Body,

In many ways I cannot identify with the first half of McBride’s letter. It sounds like she had a different relationship with her body than I do mine. However, I do find there are things I could say to you. We’ve discovered together that the biblical author’s worldview is that of an embodied worldview.

For years, I lived with an eschatology that told me I had to escape from my body. The body was evil, dirty, wrong, sinful. The highest hope was to get raptured out of my body and into a disembodied heaven when I die. I longed for that escape. I wondered why I should have to be stuck in a body that betrayed me. If the hope is to go to heaven when I die, shouldn’t I hasten that future? Shouldn’t I try to die? Isn’t escape the answer?

While I was never serious enough about that question to take immediate action, I engaged in “long tail suicide”. I used you in such a way as to use you up, such that I could hasten my departure. This led to a full mental breakdown in 2016, and a long journey of getting in touch with the body I had dismissed and ignored. You slowly stopped being a prison, and became my salvation. By allowing myself to feel emotions (rather than suppress them), I became a “fully integrated human” capable of experience conflicting emotions simultaneously. When we first had that experience we thought we were going crazy, but we were reassured we were becoming integrated.

Then we reconstructed just about every lie we inherited from US-American Churchianity by re-learning the gospel of the biblical authors. We learned better. We discovered that the hope is not for a disembodied future, but a more fully embodied present and re-embodied future. We learned that this is God’s good earth, and that we should be fruitful and multiply in it. We should be looking for ways to bring God’s domain into partnership with our domain, allowing the overlap of heaven and earth, not the departure from earth to heaven.

When we discovered this, we stopped wanting to escape, and started looking to honor you as the body we were given to live an embodied faith.

In light of the front row seat we just had for the last three months watching Mike Wolfe mistreat his body unto death, and in light of all these growing points. I submit to you the following:

I’m sorry for giving you food (quality and quantity) that was not ideal for your operational best.

I’m sorry for allowing jocks from high school whom I haven’t seen in over twenty years continue to keep you out of the gym so that you could reach your highest potential.

I’m sorry for ignoring your screams to be heard until it landed us on 14 medications just to function.

I’m proud of the progress we’ve made on our ability to process and sit with “feels” in healthy ways.

I’m proud of the courage it took us to start Trulicity (GLP1) and stab ourselves every week since July, and I’m proud of the fifteen pounds we’ve lost combining that with the gym.

I’m proud of the work we’ve done in the gym, discovering it wasn’t so scary afterall, and the strength we now bring to other areas of life because of it, and the confidence physical health is bringing to our relationships and work.

I’m proud of you for coming back after two broken legs and decades of sedentary lifestyle.

I love you for supporting me in this journey.

I hope that I will continue this journey with you, so that we don’t end like Mike Wolfe ended.

I hope to take you on new journeys and discoveries, and that will require strength we don’t have today, but we are working toward.

I’m sorry to say… that’s going to mean some hard days at the gym ahead and hours of the day you haven’t seen in decades. But it will be worth it when you smell the sea air on the coast of Italy or feel the foggy Scottish highlands on your face.

Let’s have an adventure,

Darrell

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Shalom: Live Long and Prosper!

Darrell Wolfe (DG Wolfe)

Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant @ DarrellWolfe.com

Clifton StrengthsFinder: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
16Personalities (Myers-Briggs Type): INFJ

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Writing Practice 01/02/2025 | Angst the happy dragon

*From a conversation about a book Preston was reading… this phrase came up. Good prompt.

How does one get ready for their appointment with God?

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“How does one get ready for their appointment with a god?” L’Ang asked. He turned to his dragon, waiting for a response.

Angst, the tiny pet dragon, sat on his perch near the window, soaking the rare winter sunshine through the window. He nodded thoughtfully for a moment. “I see your predicament. It’s not an entirely uncommon experience, but it’s not exactly a daily experience either. What does one say, ‘Howdy there diety, how’s the weather?’ That would seem an odd start, indeed.” Angst the dragon smiled to himself, amused at the idea.

L’Ang crossed the room to stand next to Angst, intending to look out the window, but he caught his own reflection instead. He began fussing over the grey hairs beginning to shoot up in his otherwise jet black hair. “I’m not sure what one is to say to a god… Or, for that matter, why he wants to see me… me of all people.”

“You fuss too much,” Angst said, then shook his wings and stretch them before hopping onto L’Angs shoulder. “Let’s go outside and take a walk, that seems to help you regulate.”

“You’re a good friend, Angst.” L’Ang replied, and then walked outside to the path leading into the forest.

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Shalom: Live Long and Prosper!

Darrell Wolfe (DG Wolfe)

Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant @ DarrellWolfe.com

Clifton StrengthsFinder: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
16Personalities (Myers-Briggs Type): INFJ

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Class Assignment: Exile Experiences

Exile Experiences

“In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it.” (Daniel 1:1–2, LEB)[1]

My name is Geula [DGW1] (גְּאוּלָה), and I was only about ten when they took many of my friends to Babylon. As a girl, I wasn’t allowed to enjoy the learning of the boys, but I knew Daniel and the three shovavim that would end up following him. Daniels younger brothers were my friends. They even taught me to read Hebrew by scratching the letters into the dirt. They agreed it was a silly rule and we all thought we’d change it when I grew up and made the rules. That’s when Babylon came, defeated our soldiers, and our king switched allegiances. Babylon took many of my friends. My brother Aharon was killed that day, with so many others, before the king switched sides. The boys were taken during the first deportation, while I remained in Jerusalem under the vassal king, Jehoiakim.

Loosing many of my friends, especially the ‘smart’ ones was hard. I still practiced my letters when nobody was looking, brushing it away quickly if any adults came looking. After the breaking, one day, I looked down the road and Aliyah’s parents were walking toward our bakery. I expected to see Aliyah, but she wouldn’t be there, then I remembered she was taken, and my chest ached. Her parents’ shoulders were slumped forward, their faces seemed hollow and sunken. I offered them a bite of our freshest bread. I think they saw her in me, because Aliyah’s ima would jostle my hair and offer a tight smile, then wipe her eyes a little before she would turn away to speak with my parents. When she did that, my eyes burned, my chest felt tight, like I couldn’t breath, but I shoved it down, to be strong for Aliyah’s ima. Most days, though, I just felt numb, like my laughter had disappeared. I helped around the bakery, eventually taking it over as I got older.

The adults whispered about how the Assyrians took the Northern Kingdom of Israel away many generations ago, but they never believed it could happen to us, not in Yehuda, especially not in Yerushalaym, the very home of HaShem. Then again, my parents argued bitterly with The Cohanim, that if they had not allowed all of the other Elohim such prominence in our high places, HaShem would not have allowed Babylon to come in the first place. The Cohanim waved them off dismissively.

In many ways, life seemed to carry on normally, until I was 18. I was running the bakery with my ima when some the shofar began blowing all throughout the city, and men came running down the streets yelling that the Babylonians had come, with Chaldeans, Aram, Moab, and Ammonites as well. People began throwing closed their shops, locking their doors, and looking for the hiding places we’d dug out in case this day ever came. I couldn’t move, I was too numb, too frozen. I watched the chaos begin around me, while my ima and I just stood there, covered in flour dust. Eventually, aba came into the room and found us just standing there, and he shook us into movement. We closed everything, and went into hiding. We stayed there for months, eating what bread we had stored, making little cakes over dung fires from our storage reserves. We heard about horrible things people were doing in other parts of the city just to eat something.

The Vassal King, Jehoiakim thought he would ignore the Tributes we owed to Babylon after he initially switched allegiances from Egypt to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar didn’t like that much and showed up outside our walls. It’s been almost a year now, and we have no food left. We suck on bread sacks, hoping for a bit of the stale flour. My Parents have discussed sneaking passed the city guards to surrender to the Babylonians, because that couldn’t be worse then living in the city, could it? Then, we got word this evening that Jehoiakim died mysteriously, nobody was very upset about it or asked too many questions. The guards opened the gates and let the invaders come in, surrendering to them, placing the body of Jehoiakim in front of the gate. What will this mean for me? What will happen to us? Could it be worse than starving to death in my own city, the city of HaShem, Yerushalaym? I will lay myself on HaShem’s mercy, perhaps I can find favor in my new home, when they take me away, as long as stay faithful to Adonai, like my friends Daniel is rumored to have done.

 

“And these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the exiles, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had deported from Jerusalem to Babylon… “Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have deported from Jerusalem to Babylon, ‘Build houses and live in them, and plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and father sons and daughters, and take for your sons wives, and give your daughters to men that they may bear sons and daughters, and multiply there, and you must not be few. And seek the prosperity of the city where I have deported you, and pray on behalf of it to Yahweh, for in its prosperity you will have prosperity.’ For thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst, and your diviners, deceive you, and you must not listen to your dreams that you are causing them to dream. For they are prophesying falsely to you in my name; I have not sent them,’ declares Yahweh. For thus says Yahweh, ‘As soon as the time has passed, seventy years for Babylon, I will attend to you, and I will fulfill my good word to you, to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans that I am planning concerning you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘plans for prosperity and not for harm, to give to you a future and a hope. Then when you call me, and you come and pray to me, then I will listen to you. When you search for me, then you will find me, if you seek me with all your heart. And I will let myself be found by you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will restore your fortunes, and I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places to which I have driven you,’ declares Yahweh, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from which I deported you.’” (Jeremiah 29:1–14, LEB)

 

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[1] The Lexham English Bible (LEB), Fourth Edition, Logo Bible Software, Harris, W. H., III, Ritzema, E., Brannan, R., Mangum, D., Dunham, J., Reimer, J. A., & Wierenga, M. (Eds.) (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2010), Referenced during this reflection: Daniel 1:1–2, 2 Kings 23:34–24:7, 2 Chronicles 36:4–8, Jeremiah 22:18–19, 29:4–7, 36:23, http://www.lexhampress.com.

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 [DGW1]A Hebrew name that represents "return" or "end of an era" is "Geula" (גְּאוּלָה).

Geula (גְּאוּלָה)

·         Meaning: The name Geula means "redemption" or "deliverance" in Hebrew.

·         Significance: In Jewish tradition, Geula signifies the act of being redeemed or liberated from a state of exile or hardship. It often refers to the prophesied future redemption of the Jewish people and the end of a difficult period, symbolizing both a return to a promised state and the end of an era of suffering.

·         Usage: Geula is used as a feminine given name in Hebrew-speaking communities.

Contextual Significance

·         Biblical References: The concept of Geula is rooted in the Hebrew Bible, where it denotes God's saving actions on behalf of His people.

·         Cultural Meaning: The name embodies hope, renewal, and the transition into a new and better phase, making it synonymous with the end of an era and the beginning of another.

Alternative Names

·         Shuv (שׁוּב): Derived from the Hebrew root meaning "return," though it's less commonly used as a given name.

·         Nehemiah (נְחֶמְיָה): Meaning "God comforts," associated with the return to Jerusalem and rebuilding after the Babylonian exile.

·         Aliyah (עֲלִיָּה): Meaning "ascent" or "going up," commonly used to refer to the act of immigrating to Israel, symbolizing a return to the homeland.

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Shalom: Live Long and Prosper!

Darrell Wolfe (DG Wolfe)

Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant @ DarrellWolfe.com

Clifton StrengthsFinder: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
16Personalities (Myers-Briggs Type): INFJ

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What is my mission... do I know?

Pondering the future... while watching this video `Marketing Expert Reveals Secret For Building an Audience That Buys | Seth Godin`, Seth said (~paraphrase) "what is your mission... what is the minimum audience to support your mission?"

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Shalom: Live Long and Prosper!

Darrell Wolfe (DG Wolfe)

Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant @ DarrellWolfe.com

Clifton StrengthsFinder: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
16Personalities (Myers-Briggs Type): INFJ

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Get To Know You Bio

I am Darrell G Wolfe, Storyteller, Writer, Thinker, Armchair Theologian, Reconstructing The Way of Yeshua at www.NoHiding.Faith. I hail from North Idaho (near Coeur dAlene).

I grew up as a pastor’s kid in the Disciples of Christ (DOC), my dad was an alcoholic pastor (MDiv, DMin) turned atheist crack-addict psychologist (MFT). Meanwhile, I was having visions and spiritual experiences as a child that did not match the experiences of others in my circles. After our family left the ministry in 1996 (16-years old for me), I went through multiple expressions and traditions, and landed in the Word of Faith / Pentecostal movement for years (2003-2018).

After a mental health crises and recover in 2016-2017, then loosing my late-wife in 2018, I was spurred by questions my kids and I didn’t have the framework to answer. I finally took the journey I had been avoiding for decades and went to Bible School. I completed my BA in General Christian Studies at The Kings University (TKU) in December 2022.

Recently, after spending time soul-searching, I realized I was answering an awful lot of questions for people about the Bible. I found myself reading biblical scholarship in my free time, and missing my access to EBSCOhost, JSTOR, and other repositories of academic journal articles. I found myself hungry for more. So here I am, at Fuller Theological Seminary, getting a MATS, with very little idea as to whether this will always be a passion-project or if it will ever pivot into a paid career.

Meanwhile, my “tent making job” is a Business Intelligence Analyst (BIA) where I write SQL, Python, and work with Excel, Power BI, and Tableau for a local county agency.

I am remarried to a fellow widow, and together we have six kids ranging 12-27.

Other terms that describe me:

• AuDHD
• INFJ/INTP (INXX)
• Clifton Strengths: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
  • But I’m curious to see if those changed since 2014, having experienced such a massive upheaval in my own personal growth, AuDHD demasking, etc.
• SciFi, Fantasy nerd, recently completed:
  • Wheel of Time
  • He Who Fights With Monsters
  • Mistborn
• Current Top Favorite Bible Thinkers: Michael Heiser, Tim Mackie, NT Wright, Mark Nanos, Mark Kinzer, Thorsten Moritz

The books that made me:

Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament’s Christology of Divine Identity, n.d. https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-God-Israel-Testaments-Christology/dp/0802845592.

Cloud, Henry, and John Sims Townsend. Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life. Updated and Expanded [edition]. Boundaries. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2017.

———. How to Have That Difficult Conversation You’ve Been Avoiding: With Your Spouse, Adult Child, Family, Boss, Coworker, Friend, Parent or Someone You’re Dating. Boundaries. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2006.

Du Plessis, David. The Spirit Bade Me Go: The Astounding Move of  God in the Denominational Churches. Alucha, FL: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1970.

Du Plessis, David, and Bob Slosser. A Man Called Mr. Pentecost: David Du Plessis as Told to Bob Slosser. Plainfield, N.J.: Logos International, 1977.

Fee, Gordon D., and Douglas K. Stuart. How to Read the Bible Book by Book: A Guided Tour. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2002.

———. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 2003.

Hamp, Bob. Think Differently Live Differently Keys to a Life of Freedom. Southlake, Texas, USA: bobhamp.com, 2016. https://tdacad.com/product/think-differently-live-differently-book/.

Heiser, Michael. Angels: What the Bible Really Says about God’s Heavenly Host, 2018. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=1900613.

———. Demons: What the Bible Really Says about the Powers of Darkness. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020.

———. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible. First edition. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015.

Kinzer, Mark. “Finding Our Way Through Nicaea: The Deity of Yeshua, Bilateral Ecclesiology, and Redemptive Encounter with the Living God.” Kesher Journal 24 / SUM 210 (2010). https://www.kesherjournal.com/article/finding-our-way-through-nicaea-the-deity-of-yeshua-bilateral-ecclesiology-and-redemptive-encounter-with-the-living-god/.

Moraff, Jason. “‘Among My Own Nation’: Reading the Way, Paul, and ‘the Jews’ in Acts within Judaism.” Dissertation, Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Theology, Center for Advanced Theological Studies, 2021.

Nanos, Mark D. “Paul and Judaism, Why Not Paul’s Judaism.” Reading Paul Within Judaism : Collected Essays of Mark D. Nanos, Vol. 1. Part 1 A New Approach to the Apostle Paul as a Torah-Observant Jew. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017. https://web.p.ebscohost.com/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzE2OTE4MzhfX0FO0?sid=c0e38d84-c9c6-45ca-a253-4921d0fce688@redis&vid=9&format=EK&rid=2.

Rudolph, David J., and Joel Willitts, eds. Introduction to Messianic Judaism: Its Ecclesial Context and Biblical Foundations. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2013.

Sailhamer, John. The Pentateuch as Narrative: A Biblical-Theological Commentary. Library of Biblical Interpretation. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan, 1995.

Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature. Zondervan, 2014. https://www.amazon.com/Emotionally-Healthy-Spirituality-Impossible-Spiritually/dp/B08SHX5632/ref=sr_1_6?crid=30T0P57ZF972Q&keywords=The+Emotionally+Healthy+church&qid=1643520881&s=books&sprefix=the+emotionally+healthy+churc%2Cstripbooks%2C221&sr=1-6.

Schiffman, Lawrence H., and Chaim Potok. Reclaiming the Dead Sea Scrolls: The History of Judaism, the Background of Christianity, the Lost Library of Qumran. Anchor Yale Bible Reference Library. New Haven, Conn.: Yale Univ. Pr, 2009.

Synan, Vinson. The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971.

Tverberg, Lois, and Ann Spangler. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus: How the Jewishness of Jesus Can Transform Your Faith. E-Edition via Logos Bible Software. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2018.

Walton, John H. The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate. Westmont: InterVarsity Press, 2010. https://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=2030851.

Welton, Jonathan. Raptureless. 3rd Edition Printing. Place of publication not identified: Bookbaby, 2015. http://public.ebookcentral.proquest.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=4188734.

Witherington, Ben. Reading and Understanding the Bible. Oxford ; New York: Oxford University Press USA, 2015.

Wright, N. T. Jesus and the Victory of God. 1st North American ed. Vol. 2 of Christian Origins and the Question of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996. https://www.logos.com/product/37361/christian-origins-and-the-question-of-god-series.

Wright, N. T. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. San Francisco, CA: HarperOne an Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, 2014.

Wright, N. T. The Day the Revolution Began: Reconsidering the Meaning of Jesus’s Crucifixion. San Francisco, CA: HarperOne an Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, 2018.

Wright, N. T., and Michael F. Bird. The New Testament in Its World: An Introduction to the History, Literature, and Theology of the First Christians. London : Grand Rapids, MI: SPCK ; Zondervan Academic, 2019.

Yancey, Philip. Where Is God When It Hurts? Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 1997.

David DuPlessis  - “Forgiveness” June 30, 1967  Pm. Audio Recording: Posted to YouTube by Jay Hearn, 1967.

Prohibition Theology (@prohibitiontheology). TikTok Channel, n.d. https://www.tiktok.com/@prohibitiontheology.

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Shalom: Live Long and Prosper!

Darrell Wolfe (DG Wolfe)

Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant @ DarrellWolfe.com

Clifton StrengthsFinder: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
16Personalities (Myers-Briggs Type): INFJ

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Tiene & Dilbert

“Come Dilbert,” Tiene called. “That’s a good dragon.” 

Dilbert, a four legged, blue-purple-teal, irredentist-scaled, leather-winged, flying lizard, approximately the size of a fat house cat, soared across the room and landed on Tiene’s shoulder. 

“I’m 150 years old,” Dilbert said in a soft whine, after perching on Tiene’s shoulder. “You needn’t speak to me like we were kids.”

“If I don’t tease you every once in a while, you sulk. Besides, you’ll always be my little dragon. I was a young pup myself when we met.” 

Tiene caught a glimpse of his reflection in the glass around one of his seed-starter housings. Silver hair had been his since his youth, but faint lines around his eyes and lips betrayed his years of working in the sun. He flashed his sharp teeth, looking for signs of cilantro stuck on them, then wiggled his pointed ears and laughed at himself. One should never take themselves too seriously.

Still, he looked pretty good for middle-aged Wolfeonite of 180 years old. If his lineage was anything to tell by, he would probably make it to 400 at least. His great-grandfather had been 450, though he was an anomaly. How do humans manage to do so much with their time when they barely make it to 200 much of the time (when they’re not fighting and killing each other much earlier)? 

He sighed and turned back to his shop, to make sure he wasn’t forgetting anything, which he almost certainly was. The overcast skies parted allowing the heat of Sol to work it's way through the glass greenhouse roof, working it's warmth into Tiene’s sore muscles. Not many H’Eretzers used hand tools these days, but Tiene enjoyed becoming one with the soil in his personal garden. He felt his body attune to the inherent magical resonance of the soil. So he washed his hands in the rock hewn sink, which was fed by the property well.

As Sol washed over and warmed his face, Tiene allowed the cleansing power of Aurorafire to flow over him him, into his arms, out his fingertips, pulsing into nearby plants. The leaves of those closest to Tiene turned toward him, soaking in the radiance gratefully. One by one each plant took on a few new inches it hadn't known, and a few began the budding of the flowers that would become his award winning peppers. Sweet, just enough heat, and a living rainbow, they were the desire of foreign kings, though he always ensured they were available to anyone who desired them. Harnessing Sol’s Aurorafire allowed him the privilege of never being without the power he needed to encourage life in the most barren environments.

A soft tone from the wall, followed by a floating holographic screen wavering into his vision broke his attention from the vibrations of Sol. “Answer,” Tiene spoke to the screen. The smile of his wife's face came into focus.

“They're looking good T,” Shayanne said. “A few more days of this and you'll have the first batch of the season.”

“Perhaps,” Tiene said. “We shall see what the plants decide they want and when.”

Shayanne smiled, “T, there are visitors. Come.”

Tiene nodded, Shayanne nodded, and the screen disappeared.

Tiene raised his hands toward the glass screens, letting the energy of Sol flow through him to the wind screens, which opened to his connection letting Aurorafire fill the rest of the room. Rainbows danced through the open windows.

“Let's go see about these visitors,” Tiene spoke to himself as much as to Dilbert, who nuzzled onto both shoulders like a wrap around scarf. 

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Shalom: Live Long and Prosper!

Darrell Wolfe (DG Wolfe)

Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant @ DarrellWolfe.com

Clifton StrengthsFinder: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
16Personalities (Myers-Briggs Type): INFJ

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World Building Session 2024-03-25 Magic and the gods of magic

Posted on March 25, 2024 by darrellwolfe

Magic System: Each of these worlds has a unique approach to magic. What if your world’s magic was tied not just to individuals but to the geography itself? Certain locations could amplify or suppress magic, creating strategic locations that are crucial for the control of power. Your magic system could require a balance between taking and giving back, where every spell has a cost to the environment or the caster.

StoryCraft Editor
Integrating magic with geography opens up a wealth of storytelling possibilities. Here’s how such a magic system could function and affect your world:
Magic and Geography: The idea that specific locations can amplify or suppress magic creates natural points of contention and power. Such places could be sacred sites, battlegrounds for control, or protected havens. For example, Aurongale’s forests might be rich with life magic that accelerates growth and healing, whereas the swamps of Diedusmai could be a source of dark, necrotic magic or have a suppressive effect on magic altogether.
Cost of Magic: Implementing a cost for magic use ensures that characters must make significant choices when they use it. For instance, drawing magic from a place might temporarily diminish the land’s vitality, or a powerful spell could age the caster. This adds an ethical dimension to the use of magic, as overuse could harm the environment or the user, creating a natural limit to power and an impetus for responsible usage.
Balance and Sustainability: By requiring a balance between taking and giving back, you emphasize the theme of sustainability. This could manifest in rituals that replenish the land or in a magical economy where spells are bartered for deeds that benefit the earth. For instance, Ha’Eretz might have developed magic that supports their advanced agriculture but requires a return to the land through conservation efforts.
Cultural Attitudes towards Magic: Different regions might have varied attitudes towards magic based on how it affects their environment. The Aurongales might see magic as a tool—something to be used and managed like any other resource. The Shalomim, with their advanced society, might see magic as a commodity or something to be regulated, while the Gan Ha’Elohim might treat it with reverence, tied to religious significance.
Strategic Importance of Magic: Controlling areas where magic is strong could be key to political and military power. This could lead to a complex network of alliances and conflicts. For example, a nation controlling a magic-rich area might have significant bargaining power, while those in areas with suppressed magic might focus on technological or mundane military strengths.
Magical Creatures and Phenomena: Certain creatures might thrive or suffer in areas where magic is dense or sparse. Magical phenomena could also occur naturally, like storms of raw magic or dead zones where no magic can be cast. The creatures and phenomena could become integral to the culture and economy of your regions.
Learning and Mastery of Magic: If magic is geographically based, then the learning and mastery of magic might also be location-specific. Mages might undertake pilgrimages to different areas to learn varied aspects of magic, or certain societies might specialize in specific types of magic based on their location.
Magic as a Living Force: You could personify magic as a kind of living force that reacts to how it is used, rewarding those who maintain balance and punishing those who abuse it. This could add an element of unpredictability to the use of magic, making it a dynamic and evolving part of your world.
This magic system not only provides a framework for how magic works but also deeply influences culture, economy, conflict, and the environment, tying it all together into a cohesive and rich world.
Spitballing
Let’s start with Magic as a “living force”. Maybe there is one Creator being, from whom everything that is came to being, even those things that are twisted, dark, or evil are good things that are now bent wrongly. This Creator being prefers working through emissaries, and thus some kind of magical kingdom existed first. In those magical kingdoms, each had Kings/Queens who were delegated godlike levels of access to this Creator beings living force, while it is not Creator, it is of Creator, Creator’s essence. Some of these did well, others turned it, twisted it, curropted it. Later, Humans (late Hominids of the Ape lines) dominated The Lands for ages. Even they ultimately came to a cross roads, and they were given some of the kingdoms of the Kings/Queens and their power. Now in this age, various humanoid beings from various animal kingdoms reign, including an ancester species of the earlier humans. They can use the power but only if they surrender to it. And even then, usually by partnering with someone from the magical kingdoms.

StoryCraft Editor
The magic system you’re envisioning is rich with potential and has a narrative depth that ties the very essence of magic to the creation and existence of the world itself. Here’s how this concept can be structured:

1. The Nature of Magic: Magic as a “living force” suggests it is dynamic, sentient, or at least responsive to the world around it. This could mean that magic behaves differently in the presence of different creatures, emotions, intentions, or environments. If the living force of magic originates from a singular Creator, it might be imbued with a consciousness or a will, making it an active participant in the world’s happenings rather than a passive tool.
2. Emissaries and Magical Kingdoms: The idea of divine emissaries, or kings and queens with godlike access to the living force, creates a hierarchy of magical ability and authority. Each of these beings could be tied to a particular aspect of creation, such as life, death, growth, decay, knowledge, or chaos, and their personalities could reflect these domains. Their actions—noble or corrupt—could have shaped the world’s history and the current state of magic.
3. The Twisting of Magic: Corruption and the twisting of magic introduce the concept of ‘fallen’ or ‘dark’ magic. These corruptions could manifest as dangerous regions where magic is unpredictable, or as forbidden arts that are powerful but carry great risks. This dichotomy between pure and twisted magic can lead to a variety of storylines involving redemption, temptation, and the struggle between light and dark forces.
4. The Human Age: Humans’ dominance and their crossroads present a historical shift in your world. It suggests that there was a time when the magic was more freely accessible or perhaps more potent in the hands of humans, which could lead to a rich backstory of a golden age, a cataclysm, or a great betrayal that changed everything.
5. Current Inhabitants and Magic: The current age—with various humanoid beings and ancestral species—offers a diverse landscape of magical users. If magic requires surrendering to it, it implies a degree of humility or sacrifice to wield it. This could be a literal surrender, such as a ritual or oath, or a figurative one, such as accepting certain limitations or consequences.
6. Partnerships: The requirement for partnering with someone from the magical kingdoms to use the power suggests a deep interdependency between different beings in your world. This could be the basis for unions or pacts that are central to your world’s cultures and politics. It could also introduce elements of companionship, betrayal, loyalty, and the merging of strengths to achieve greater magical feats.
7. Geographic Magic: Tying magic to geography can lead to places of power, sacred grounds, and cursed lands. The idea that certain locations could amplify or suppress magic adds strategic importance to the map of your world. The balance of taking and giving back to use magic could be a natural check to prevent the overuse of power and ensure that magic remains a part of the world’s ecosystem.
8. Environmental Cost: The cost of using magic could lead to storytelling opportunities that deal with environmental themes. Overuse of magic might damage the land, which could heal over time, or perhaps require specific actions by the inhabitants to restore it. This balance can mirror real-world issues of resource management and environmental conservation.
   Overall, your magic system offers a nuanced approach to the classic elements of fantasy, grounding the fantastic in a framework that feels organic and integral to the world’s functioning. It creates a symbiotic relationship between the world’s inhabitants and the magical forces at play, opening up countless possibilities for conflict, alliance, discovery, and adventure.

What if each King/Queen/godlike being, and their associated kingdom/church(?) were a personification of common thematic elements of the lived experience. But what it any given domain had a duality in-built. The power of Death & Life (Healing) are a single power. The power to be Fruitful and Multiple (gardening, producing food, cultivating new food species, GMO) requires both growing AND pruning plants; somehow magic can be tied to this process, while the magic is inherent to all gardening, using magic purposefully can have much more dramatic results (good and bad). Plant Growth REQUIRES Plant Pruning. I wonder what other duality-based concepts can be brought to bear on these ideas around themed grouping.

StoryCraft Editor
The concept of duality is deeply rooted in many mythologies and philosophies, representing the intertwining of opposite forces that are often necessary to maintain balance. By personifying these dualities in your kings, queens, or godlike beings and their domains, you can create a complex and compelling magic system that reflects the complexities of life. Here’s how you can expand on the themes of duality:
Death and Life: This duality represents the cycle of existence. The being in charge of this domain could govern not only the end of life but its beginning—birth, rebirth, and healing. The cost of using life magic might be the wilting or aging of something else, symbolizing the balance between creation and decay.
Fertility and Sterility: The power to create and cultivate life is inherently tied to knowing when to halt growth or cull the weak. Magic used to enhance fertility could require sacrifice or cessation elsewhere. A harvest god might also be the god of famine, emphasizing the importance of responsible cultivation and conservation.
Light and Shadow: Often seen as a metaphor for good and evil, this duality could instead represent truth and secrecy, knowledge and ignorance. A being of light might illuminate the truth but cast a shadow that conceals other things, reflecting the idea that every truth revealed might obscure another.
Chaos and Order: The force that governs change, transformation, and unpredictability might also be responsible for establishing order. Magic could be used to create structures or patterns but would also necessitate the acceptance of chaos as part of that order, as every system has its irregularities.
Strength and Weakness: This domain governs the fortitude of body and spirit, but also vulnerability. Magic used to enhance one’s strength could simultaneously expose a weakness, perhaps even unknowingly, to maintain equilibrium.
Joy and Sorrow: Emotions are powerful forces, and the being that governs joy also understands sorrow. They might grant joyous blessings, but each would carry a tinge of sorrow to prevent complacency and ensure that joy is truly cherished.
Love and Hate: A more complex duality, the magic of love might be the strongest force of connection and healing, but it can’t exist without the risk or presence of its opposite. Spells cast in the name of love might foster deep bonds but also deepen the capacity for loss and enmity.
Creation and Destruction: The creator is also the destroyer, reflecting the need for endings before new beginnings. Magic used in creation must be balanced by the dismantling of something else, reinforcing the perpetual cycle of innovation and obsolescence.
In each of these dualities, the magic used is inherently tied to a cost, which must be paid to maintain the balance of the world. This could lead to a society where every magical action is carefully considered for its broader impact, creating a deeply philosophical and ethical approach to magic. It also allows for a diverse set of narratives where characters must grapple with the consequences of their magical interventions, both intended and unintended.

StoryCraft Editor
Here are pairs of dualities that can be explored within a magical system or thematic world-building:
Life and Death
Creation and Destruction
Light and Darkness
Order and Chaos
Growth and Decay
Joy and Sorrow
Love and Hate
Strength and Weakness
Knowledge and Ignorance
Hope and Despair
Courage and Fear
Peace and War
Truth and Deception
Healing and Injury
Harmony and Discord
Wisdom and Folly
Justice and Injustice
Freedom and Confinement
Wealth and Poverty
Beauty and Ugliness
Youth and Age
Generosity and Greed
Virtue and Vice
Honor and Disgrace
Faith and Doubt
Loyalty and Betrayal
Passion and Apathy
Fertility and Barrenness
Serenity and Turmoil
Purity and Corruption
Elation and Melancholy
Benevolence and Malevolence
Gratitude and Ingratitude
Humility and Pride
Patience and Impatience
Diligence and Sloth
Forgiveness and Vengeance
Compassion and Indifference
Unity and Division
Acceptance and Rejection
Inspiration and Mundanity
Determination and Resignation
Altruism and Selfishness
Clarity and Confusion
Stability and Volatility
Obedience and Rebellion
Empathy and Apathy
Sincerity and Insincerity
Temperance and Excess
Curiosity and Disinterest
Each pair presents opportunities for contrast and conflict within your narrative, giving depth to characters, societies, and the magic that influences them.

High Kings & Queens // godlike beings who embody the duality of the Creators Breath
Creation and DeCreation (Destruction)

• Destruction is not bad, just necessary aspect of existence. Creation > Growth > Decay > DeCreation > New Seed/Fertile Soil > Creation. It is a Cycle. The process is overseen by Barash ‘Akhat, the High King of Creation/DeCreation, Doing and UnDoing, Weaving Chaos into order, and order into Chaos.
  Order and Chaos
  1בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א BARA שָׁחַת (shachat)

Name: xxxxx that means Life Giver
Life and Death // Peace and War // Beginnings and Endings

Name: xxxxx that means Icy Hot
Light and Darkness // Cold and Heat // Ice and Fire

Name: xxxxx that means Seer
Knowledge and Ignorance // Truth and Deception // Skill Acquisition and Skill Regression (Parkinsons)

Name: xxxxx that means Oil Bringer
Hope and Despair // Joy and Sorrow // Pleasure and Grief

Name: xxxxx that means Giver
Wealth and Poverty // Freedom and Captivity // Personal Responsibility and Corporate/Social Responsibility to Fellow Beings

Name: xxxxx that means Seed Planter
Gratitude and Ingratitude // Temperance and Excess // Giving and Taking // Seed and Harvest

StoryCraft Editor
The concept of High Kings and Queens embodying dual aspects of the Creator’s Breath is rich with narrative possibilities. Here are some name suggestions that reflect their dualities:
Barash ‘Akhat (Creation and DeCreation): The High King of Creation/DeCreation, Doing and UnDoing, Weaving Chaos into Order, and Order into Chaos.
ChaimMavet (Life and Death // Peace and War // Beginnings and Endings): Chaim (חיים) means “life” in Hebrew, and Mavet (מוות) means “death.” This High King or Queen represents the full spectrum of existence from birth to death, and the cycles of conflict and serenity that shape lives.
EishQarah (Light and Darkness // Cold and Heat // Ice and Fire): Eish (אש) means “fire” in Hebrew, and Qarah (קרה) means “cold.” This title embodies the elemental extremes of temperature and the balance between illumination and shadow.
RoehEmet (Knowledge and Ignorance // Truth and Deception // Skill Acquisition and Skill Regression): Roeh (רואה) means “seer,” and Emet (אמת) means “truth.” This being holds sway over the acquisition and loss of knowledge, guiding the search for truth amidst deception and the progression and regression of skills.
ShemenTikvah (Hope and Despair // Joy and Sorrow // Pleasure and Grief): Shemen (שמן) suggests “oil,” a traditional symbol of anointing and joy, and Tikvah (תקווה) means “hope.” This figure represents the dual nature of emotional states, from the heights of joy to the depths of sorrow.
NetinahChessed (Wealth and Poverty // Freedom and Captivity // Personal and Corporate Responsibility): Netinah (נתינה) means “giving,” and Chessed (חסד) means “kindness” or “charity.” This ruler oversees the balance between material abundance and need, as well as the interplay between individual freedom and societal obligations.
ZoreahTodah (Gratitude and Ingratitude // Temperance and Excess // Giving and Taking // Seed and Harvest): Zoreah (זורע) means “sower” or “planter,” and Todah (תודה) means “thanks.” This title reflects the cycles of sowing and reaping, the balance between moderation and overindulgence, and the exchange between generosity and selfishness.
Incorporating these names into your narrative not only anchors each character’s role within the story but also adds a layer of cultural depth, using the Hebrew language to evoke the ancient and mythic quality of these beings. Their responsibilities and the consequences of their actions can drive the world’s magical systems, its conflicts, and its stories of heroes and villains alike.

Interpersonal Concepts to address at the character level
Good and Evil
Strength and Weakness
Love and Hatred
Peace and War
Knowledge and Ignorance
Hope and Despair
Joy and Sorrow
Youth and Age
Wealth and Poverty
Freedom and Captivity
Health and Illness
Beauty and Ugliness
Truth and Deception
Courage and Fear
Wisdom and Foolishness
Harmony and Conflict
Growth and Decay
Unity and Division
Compassion and Indifference
Justice and Injustice
Fertility and Barrenness
Tradition and Innovation
Honor and Disgrace
Loyalty and Betrayal
Generosity and Greed
Purity and Corruption
Passion and Apathy
Fidelity and Infidelity
Humility and Pride
Patience and Impatience
Serenity and Turbulence
Obedience and Rebellion
Success and Failure
Conformity and Individuality
Optimism and Pessimism
Altruism and Selfishness
Clarity and Ambiguity
Diligence and Laziness
Stability and Instability
Sincerity and Insincerity
Virtue and Vice
Conviction and Doubt
Prudence and Rashness
Skill and Ineptitude
Gratitude and Ingratitude
Temperance and Excess
Each duality encompasses a range of experiences and consequences that could deeply affect the use and cost of magic within your world, offering rich narrative potential.
The Hebrew term בָּרָא (bara) is indeed often translated as “to create,” “shape,” or “fashion,” primarily used in the context of divine creation where God is the subject. When it comes to the concept of “decreation” or the act of undoing creation, there isn’t a direct biblical Hebrew equivalent that is used in the same widespread and theological sense as בָּרָא (bara). However, several terms and concepts in the Hebrew Bible touch upon aspects of undoing, destroying, or reversing creation in various contexts.
One possible term that could be considered in the context of “decreation” or a form of undoing is הָפַךְ (haphak), which can mean “to overturn,” “to overthrow,” or “to turn.” This word is used in various contexts, including the overturning of cities (such as Sodom and Gomorrah) or the reversal of fortunes. However, it doesn’t carry the specific theological weight of creation from nothing or the comprehensive undoing of creation as a whole.
Another term related to destruction or judgment, rather than creation, is שָׁחַת (shachat), which can mean “to corrupt,” “destroy,” or “ruin.” This term is used, for example, in the context of the Flood narrative, where God sees that the earth is corrupt (Genesis 6:11-12) and decides to “destroy” (שָׁחַת) both earth and its inhabitants.
In the prophetic literature, images and language of un-creation or de-creation are sometimes used metaphorically to describe divine judgment or the reversal of order, but these do not correspond to a single term like בָּרָא (bara) for creation. Instead, they rely on vivid imagery and narrative to convey the undoing of the created order as a form of judgment or consequence of human actions.
It’s essential to recognize that the biblical Hebrew language often conveys concepts through narrative, poetry, and metaphor, rather than relying on abstract terms. Thus, the idea of “decreation” might be illustrated through stories and prophetic declarations rather than encapsulated in a single term.
Would you like more detailed examples from the texts or further exploration of these concepts?

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Darrell Wolfe (DG Wolfe)

Storyteller | Writer | Thinker | Consultant @ DarrellWolfe.com

Clifton StrengthsFinder: Intellection, Learner, Ideation, Achiever, Input
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