pagan and christian creeds-第16章
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is welcomed by the inmates as the bringer of good fortune。 Elisee Reclus assures us that the Dinka man on the Nile calls to certain snakes by name and shares with them the milk of his cows。
＇1＇ Published originally in Le Magazine International； January 1896。
＇2＇ See The Naturalist in La Plata； ch。 ii。
＇3＇ 〃It is certain that the primitive Indo…European reared droves of tame or half…tame horses for generations； if not centuries； before it ever occurred to him to ride or drive them〃 （F。 B。 Jevons； Introd。 to Hist。 Religion； p。 119）。
And so with Nature。 The communal sense； or subconscious perception； which made primitive men feel their unity with other members of their tribe； and their obvious kinship with the animals around them； brought them also so close to general Nature that they looked upon the trees； the vegetation； the rain； the warmth of the sun； as part of their bodies； part of themselves。 Conscious differentiation had not yet set in。 To cause rain or thunder you had to make rain… or thunder…like noises； to encourage Vegetation and the crops to leap out of the ground； you had to leap and dance。 〃In Swabia and among the Transylvanian Saxons it is a common custom （says Dr。 Frazer） for a man who has some hemp to leap high in the field in the belief that this will make the hemp grow tall。〃＇1＇ Native May…pole dances and Jacks in the Green have hardly yet died outeven in this most civilized England。 The bower of green boughs； the music of pipes； the leaping and the twirling； were all an encouragement to the arrival of Spring； and an expression of Sympathetic Magic。 When you felt full of life and energy and virility in yourself you naturally leapt and danced； so why should you not sympathetically do this for the energizing of the crops？ In every country of the world the vernal season and the resurrection of the Sun has been greeted with dances and the sound of music。 But if you wanted success in hunting or in warfare then you danced before…hand mimic dances suggesting the successful hunt or battle。 It was no more than our children do to…day； and it all was； and is； part of a natural…magic tendency in human thought。
＇1＇ See The Golden Bough； i； 139 seq。 Also Art and Ritual； p。 31。
Let me pause here for a moment。 It is difficult for us with our academical and somewhat school…boardy minds to enter into all this； and to understand the sense of （unconscious or sub…conscious） identification with the world around which characterized the primitive manor to look upon Nature with his eyes。 A Tree； a Snake； a Bull； an Ear of Corn。 WE know so well from our botany and natural history books what these things are。 Why should our minds dwell on them any longer or harbor a doubt as to our perfect comprehension of them？
And yet （one cannot help asking the question）： Has any one of us really ever SEEN a Tree？ I certainly do not think that I haveexcept most superficially。 That very penetrating observer and naturalist； Henry D。 Thoreau； tells us that he would often make an appointment to visit a certain tree； miles awaybut what or whom he saw when he got there； he does not say。 Walt Whitman； also a keen observer； speaks of a tulip…tree near which he sometimes sat〃the Apollo of the woodstall and graceful； yet robust and sinewy； inimitable in hang of foliage and throwing…out of limb； as if the beauteous； vital； leafy creature could walk； if it only would〃； and mentions that in a dream…trance he actually once saw his 〃favorite trees step out and promenade up； down and around VERY CURIOUSLY。〃＇1＇ Once the present writer seemed to have a partial vision of a tree。 It was a beech； standing somewhat isolated； and still leafless in quite early Spring。 Suddenly I was aware of its skyward…reaching arms and up…turned finger…tips； as if some vivid life （or electricity） was streaming through them far into the spaces of heaven； and of its roots plunged in the earth and drawing the same energies from below。 The day was quite still and there was no movement in the branches； but in that moment the tree was no longer a separate or separable organism； but a vast being ramifying far into space； sharing and uniting the life of Earth and Sky； and full of a most amazing activity。
＇1＇ Specimen Days； 1882…3 Edition； p。 iii。
The reader of this will probably have had some similar experiences。 Perhaps he will have seen a full…foliaged Lombardy poplar swaying in half a gale in Junethe wind and the sun streaming over every little twig and leaf； the tree throwing out its branches in a kind of ecstasy and bathing them in the passionately boisterous caresses of its two visitants； or he will have heard the deep glad murmur of some huge sycamore with ripening seed clusters when after weeks of drought the steady warm rain brings relief to its thirst； and he will have known that these creatures are but likenesses of himself； intimately and deeply…related to him in their love and hunger longing； and； like himself too； unfathomed and unfathomable。
It would be absurd to credit early man with conscious speculations like these； belonging more properly to the twentieth century； yet it is incontrovertible； I think； that in SOME ways the primitive peoples； with their swift subconscious intuitions and their minds unclouded by mere book knowledge； perceived truths to which we moderns are blind。 Like the animals they arrived at their perceptions without （individual） brain effort； they knew things without thinking。 When they did THINK of course they went wrong。 Their budding science easily went astray。 Religion with them had as yet taken no definite shape； science was equally protoplasmic； and all they had was a queer jumble of the two in the form of Magic。 When at a later time Science gradually defined its outlook and its observations； and Religion； from being a vague subconscious feeling； took clear shape in the form of gods and creeds； then mankind gradually emerged into the stage of evolution IN WHICH WE NOW ARE。 OUR scientific laws and doctrines are of course only temporary formulae； and so also are the gods and the creeds of our own and other religions； but these things； with their set and angular outlines； have served in the past and will serve in the future as stepping…stones towards another kind of knowledge of which at present we only dream； and will lead us on to a renewed power of perception which again will not be the laborious product of thought but a direct and instantaneous intuition like that of the animals and the angels。
To return to our Tree。 Though primitive man did not speculate in modern style on these things； I yet have no reasonable doubt that he felt （and FEELS； in those cases where we can still trace the workings of his mind） his essential relationship to the creatures of the forest more intimately； if less analytically； than we do to…day。 If the animals with all their wonderful gifts are （as we readily admit） a veritable part of Natureso that they live and move and have their being more or less submerged in the spirit of the great world around themthen Man； when he first began to differentiate himself from them； must for a long time have remained in this SUBconscious unity； becoming only distinctly CONSCIOUS of it when he was already beginning to lose it。 That early dawn of distinct consciousness corresponded to the period of belief in Magic。 In that first mystic illumination almost every object was invested with a halo of mystery or terror or adoration。 Things were either tabu； in which case they were dangerous； and often not to be touched or even looked uponor they were overflowing with magic grace and influence； in which case they were holy； and any rite which released their influence was also holy。 William Blake； that modern prophetic child； beheld a Tree full of angels； the Central Australian native believes bushes to be the abode of spirits which leap into the bodies of passing women and are the cause of the conception of children； Moses saw in the desert a bush （perhaps the mimosa） like a flame of fire； with Jehovah dwelling in the midst of it； and he put off his shoes for he felt that the place was holy； Osiris was at times regarded as a Tree…spirit＇1＇； and in inscriptions is referred to as 〃the solitary one in the acacia〃 whic
