The band of shadow over the eyes that I’ve noted over Dana-Morrigan and the odd figure from Dreams—_____, for example, long ago—the significance of this band has been obscure. Often, hair or other features “produce” the shadow, or I’ve interpreted the features as doing so. It’s been a marker of Otherness—distinct beings. I’d thought it was a marker of deception, disguise, and that may be the case, but I find I can imagine a similar band on myself, and doing so produces an effect. For one, it seems to focus mind, sight, body, and Presence, clarifies the Dream or where you are projecting or looking/scrying. Doing so makes me more confident about what I’m doing or seeing in that regard. I wonder if this practice/technique is merely gestural (i.e., mudra-like) or if it’s more WtaW sigilic—or if there’s ultimately a difference. No, there’s never a real difference—the differences are imposed from within, or attempt to separate the corporeal from the Dream.
But the band is a mark of the Otherworldly, a sorcerous mark. The closest analogue that comes to mind is the oddly-colored eye trope in cinema-TV. It’s easy to interpret as dangerous, a threat, and it signals you’re having an encounter with someone else, other than a dream or incidental chimerae. _____ generally seemed like an asshole, but—he did have a triskel-ish dragon sigil—The band is like my usual mudra—it makes the Presence and the Dream more immediate. We shadow our sight, see with other eyes.
The shadowed eye gazes into shadow and sees what others ignore, but doing so marks the umbral sighted. The uninitiated doubt & fear its aspect, fear it shadows a dark soul or an empty shell—and sometimes that’s true.
She stroked my wings, wants me to feel them because the more I feel them, the realer they become.
The shadowed eye grows darker the more you do so, but those with this sight can see others and see beyond to their face. So can those who choose and know how to see beyond the shadow (with their imagination).
You already know many of these things but you must relax into knowledge and tap the lore already in your head Dream.—
She remakes me, kneading flesh and organs, tissue, and [more]—she slides inside and I help her—
Dunn: “the act of magical authority is simply expressing the desire aesthetically”
Dunn acknowledges the WtaW as “subrealms” that exist for every symbol, of indefinite scale and temporality—however, he focuses on them as part of this realm and treats them glancingly.
I like Dunn’s discussion of the Three Realms, but his notes about the Middle (what he calls it may be an aspect of Haisuith) mention a tree rising into what may be the “Higher World,” a realm of gods & “powers” (likely the roots lead down)—
That Elethis could be World Tree/Axis Mundi has occurred to me.
It seems the Annwyn, Abred, Gwynned “three worlds” is a literary forgery by some Brit from the 19th century.
Alfheimr Asgardr Vanaheimr
Muspellheimr Midgardr Niflheimr
Nair Jötnar Dvergar
Dunn’s notes point to “shamans” having three worlds:
Deadlands/Underworld Low Umbra
Middle (symbolic?) Middle/Haisuith/Shadow
Higher ?? High Umbra
Dunn advocates confident authority while journeying
He mentions the “Plane of Formation”—he seems to associate this as the swath of WtaW that comprise the Middle in his cosmology.
These are all broad cosmologies representing ways of classing this realm’s supernatural (“subtle”) geographies.
It is possible to leave into Haisuith
The band is a version of the “blind mystic” trope, but without having to be a blind person.
Dunn’s PoMo Magic is a far better book & makes me have a far more positive perspective about him.