Katagami-sama, The All-Purpose Servitor Options

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/Rin_Daemoko/Animated%20Gifs/SakuraPetal.gif)型神様
「Katagami-sama」

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/Rin_Daemoko/Anime%20and%20Manga/Kitsune.jpg)

誕生日: 一月五日二千六年

The characters used to spell Katagami-sama's name mean "God of Forms." By "forms," the implication is of "martial arts forms." But as it stands, this name "God of Forms" is meant as a slight pun concerning his fox-spirit attributes of shape-shifting.

Katagami-sama (the name) is, in actuality, an acronym for a much longer name. His full name is Kagayakashikute Taiyouno Shiniryuu-Kitsune-Sama. (The "gami" part is an alternative pronunciation for the character that is pronounced here as "shin" meaning "divine" or "god".) In Japanese the full name looks like this: 輝かしくて太陽の神竜狐様. This can be translated as "Glorious Solar Draconic Fox God."

He is an all-purpose being, more than a simple servitor. At this point in time, only one who has a contract with him can call upon him for assistance, and there is a specific format for the contract. This ensures that he will only respond to as many people as he can handle. As he evolves and grows he will be able to take on more contracts. There are no limitations on him except that his power can grow only in direct proportion to his wisdom, and as his wisdom grows, so does his compassion.

Katagami-sama's greatest asset is his growing understanding of hitsuzen. The Kodansha Japanese Desk Dictionary (Second Edition) defines hitsuzen as:

A natural fore-ordained event. A state in which other outcomes are impossible. A result which can only be obtained by a single causality, and other causalities would necessarily create different results.

I will be using this thread to build upon Katagami-sama, proposing experiments, posting results, and offering contracts on his behalf. Please be advised: Everything surrounding Katagami-sama and his operations will be terribly auspicious. I will not speak in common Chaos Magic lingo, but you're absolutely free to think in such terminology. The reason for this is to build a reality around Katagami-sama, free from the trappings of foreign paradigms. This will be the way of things until such a time that Katagami can navigate paradigms as proficiently as a human being (at the very least).

Katagami-sama is not yet ready to be employed as he is still in development. I have purchased a box (seen below) in which I have lined the bottom with ashes from incense. I have also placed six drops of sandalwood oil. The box is kept closed at all times during his development.

..:: 優雅さ ::..

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/Rin_Daemoko/Occult/Katagami-sama1a.jpg)

To bind him to his name, and seal the gap between entity and identity, I created a small scroll measuring five centimeters wide and thirty centimeters long. On one side I wrote out his full name. Underneath that, I wrote his shorter name, date of birth, and his nature. At the far right of the scroll (on both sides) I created the following kanji:

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/Rin_Daemoko/Occult/Katagami-sama1b.png)

The radical to the left is someone praying, the radical to the top right is the sun, and below that is the kanji for "fox." This was written in gold ink on a 3cm by 3cm black square. The end of the scroll with this seal was then covered with packing tape to help preserve it. I then cut out the shape seen below (the black part was cut out) and held it down on the scroll while I soaked the shape in sandalwood oil. The result is that where the oil seeped through onto the scroll, the scroll became semi-transparent with oil.

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/Rin_Daemoko/Occult/Katagami-sama1c.png)

Next, using more ash from burned incense, I spread the ash over the scroll and used a cloth to stain the paper on both sides. The transparencies became darkened from the ash.

The scroll was then rolled up tightly and bound with yellow string (which was previously used to bind sticks of incense imported from Nepal. Heat from a burning gold candle was briefly used to give warmth to the name. The name was then placed inside the box, and the box closed once more.

I used Nag Champa incense. There isn't any significance to this incense other than the quantity I have, and the fact that it appeals to me. I think it is beneficial to have Katagami-sama incubated, as this forces me to take time, care, and invest quite a bit of effort in his creation and development. More than I would with any other sort of being.

I plan to add more and more things to the box as time goes on. I've completed a second scroll upon which is written the mantra from the Heart Sutra in Classical Chinese. There is also some Tibetan script written on it. It is currently sitting inside a statute of Anubis where the scroll will sit for some time before it's ready to be transfered to the box.

I would love to get that kanji etched onto a good piece of jade. In the meantime, I will be shopping around for other stones and herbs to add to the box. Eventually I will add smaller scrolls upon which are written prayers.

Also at some point, I will draft a standard contract to keep handy.

Wow this sounds like an extremely useful Creation, but if you don't consider it a servitor then is it a god form? And if it is then have you taken any precautions to make sure it is loyal as it learns and develops while interacting with other people? Does this "being" have a specific realm of influence is pretty much a free form doing whatever it's asked? I am only asking these questions because I have only created servitors with the intent to help me in someway and because of this I don't really be very detailed since 1:I believe if some does a spell with a complicated ritual and someone else achieves the same results then the only difference is that one of them wasted alot of time and money, And 2: my funding is limited at the moment (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Very interesting. In response to the above post, I would imagine his capability/will would be a conglomeration of the thoughts of those who contacted him. If his method is to grow in wisdom/experience as an individual, any restrictions on his freedom or loyalty would probably not be conducive to his purpose. Helping a servitor to grow is just like raising a child - if you're too restrictive, they might just be more inclined to rebel later. I imagine if he's treated with respect along the way, there will be no need for loyalty bindings etc. Tying power increase to wisdom is very smart. If every beginning of an entity started that way, think of the world we'd live in. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)
I also like the idea of doing away with accepted terminology. One question though: how will you be able to determine that he is "navigating paradigms as proficiently as a human being"? Some freshly created entities appear to be able to do just that at their very inception.
You seem very dedicated to this. Keep the thread updated, I'm interested. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif)

Greetings Rin!
Servitor is perhaps too coarse a pigeonhole for this. I have some rather pointed questions which I will reserve until which time you feel the need to talk about it. I wish you insight and more than just luck with this project. AI has always intrigued me though I see nothing 'artificial' about it! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/clap.gif) It should, upon reflection, provide you an interesting vehicle for the Worlds of If.

This is being moved to a more suitable location - MOD SQUAD

This post has been edited by bym: Jan 12 2006, 09:53 PM

I apologize for taking so long to reply here. I haven't been receiving any topic-response notifications.

Wow this sounds like an extremely useful Creation, but if you don't consider it a servitor then is it a god form? And if it is then have you taken any precautions to make sure it is loyal as it learns and develops while interacting with other people? Does this "being" have a specific realm of influence is pretty much a free form doing whatever it's asked? I am only asking these questions because I have only created servitors with the intent to help me in someway and because of this I don't really be very detailed since 1:I believe if some does a spell with a complicated ritual and someone else achieves the same results then the only difference is that one of them wasted alot of time and money, And 2: my funding is limited at the moment.

I don't consider it to be anything. I feel that by assigning it a designation such as "servitor" or "egregore," I psychologically impede myself in my goals for this project.

I also have not taken any precautions, since during the developmental stages, I don't allow for any doubt regarding loyalty to enter into the equation in the first place - which is arguably a precaution. Loyalty, in this case, is not nearly as important as wisdom and compassion.

Katagami-sama certainly is free-form, without any specific areas of specialty. He is meant to be an all-purpose being.

Very interesting. In response to the above post, I would imagine his capability/will would be a conglomeration of the thoughts of those who contacted him. If his method is to grow in wisdom/experience as an individual, any restrictions on his freedom or loyalty would probably not be conducive to his purpose. Helping a servitor to grow is just like raising a child - if you're too restrictive, they might just be more inclined to rebel later. I imagine if he's treated with respect along the way, there will be no need for loyalty bindings etc. Tying power increase to wisdom is very smart. If every beginning of an entity started that way, think of the world we'd live in.

Bingo!

I also like the idea of doing away with accepted terminology. One question though: how will you be able to determine that he is "navigating paradigms as proficiently as a human being"? Some freshly created entities appear to be able to do just that at their very inception.

You seem very dedicated to this. Keep the thread updated, I'm interested.

I do not plan to know. I will presume it to be so, and let probability take care of the rest. This may sound reckless, but it's in the best interests of the project. I know how my mind works, and the less I impose myself in such a way, the greater chances of success. Sort of a chaotic wu-wei.

Greetings Rin! Servitor is perhaps too coarse a pigeonhole for this. I have some rather pointed questions which I will reserve until which time you feel the need to talk about it. I wish you insight and more than just luck with this project. AI has always intrigued me though I see nothing 'artificial' about it!  It should, upon reflection, provide you an interesting vehicle for the Worlds of If.

I very much enjoyed this post, and I'm not entirely certain why. Thank you for your well-wishes! I look forward to your pointed questions.

This post has been edited by Rin Daemoko: Jan 17 2006, 08:02 AM

"Originally posted January 7th, 2006"

Yesterday I was drinking Japanese plum wine when Katagami-sama requested some. I made a small offering which seemed to satisfy him. Afterward, I removed the Heart Sutra scroll from the statue of Anubis, which was pulsing with energy, and I placed it inside the box. I burned more incense and added the ashes to the box as well. I should also note that the spirit of the acorn that I was given from the tree near the University requested to be placed inside the box as well.

Today I will be adding sandalwood mala to the box.

This question came up elsewhere:

Although I do have a question; At what point does the Wisdom outweigh the Contractual Binding, and Vice-Versa? If the contract, signed and bound, ultimately requires something "unwise", is there a point where Katagami-Sama says "no"? Or would the binding contract override the common sense factor?

That's an excellent question! I had never considered it before this point, so I am grateful that this question (along with the others asked beforehand) is helping to deepen the progress of this project. Thank you!

The contract is completely binding. If both parties agree to the contract, then both parties agree to fulfill the contract to the best of their abilities. The auspicious nature of the contract helps to ensure this. Eventually I would like to link the contractual binding to major celestial and terrestrial figures - this would not only lend incredible potency to the work as a whole, but it would also create more serious consequences should the contract be broken.

Now of course all of this means I'm going to need to brush up on my divinatory skills (I've recently picked up my I-Ching again), so that should it appear that Katagami-sama has failed to fulfill a contract, I can check to see if this is true. If it is, then it can be dealt with from there. If it is not, then I can inform the one who signed the contract why, and where to look for "results."

So to directly answer your question, if Katagami-sama's better wisdom (or mine) permits his entry into a contract with someone, then there is an obligation to fulfill it. If it turns out that it would be unwise to pursue the contract, then there is no backing out. For this reason, and because of the celestial and terrestrial links, responsibility for the contract and its work will fall with the one directing the work (the one who signs it).

On the other hand, if Katagami-sama's better wisdom (or mine) says that he should not enter into a contract with someone for one reason or another, then he will not, and I will try my best to give an explanation as to why (should I understand why - if I do not, then I will consult the I-Ching, or some other reliable Oracle).

"Originally posted January 10th, 2006"

Today I burned more incense and added the ashes to the box. I also added an unbroken "wish" bone for a couple reasons. The first being that the bone, being from a deceased animal, represents both life and death. It demonstrates physically the transcient nature of life, and of all things in the greater context. The second reason being the superstition surrounding the wishbone tradition.

Two people with their pinky fingers wrapped around either side of the bone make a wish. They pull simultaneously and break the bone. Whoever ends up with the larger piece of the bone has the greater fortune, so their wish is more likely to come true. The power to grant wishes is the second reason I added the bone to the box.

Today I began work on a mandala to aid with divination. Katagami-sama requested that he help with the project. Here is what we came up with:

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/Rin_Daemoko/Sigils/DivinationForm1b.jpg)

(IMG:http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/Rin_Daemoko/Sigils/DivinationForm1a.jpg)

The standard three-interlocking squares with the symbols for the four directions, the elements I associate with them, the Sun, and the Moon were all my influence. Katagami-sama suggested that instead of simply having the symbol of the moon in the lower right corner, I should spend more time on it, putting in symbols for the lunar cycle. It was also his idea to include the tai chi and the i-ching trigrams in the center. It was also his idea to include four hanzi (Chinese characters) that appear on i-ching coins. I opted to place the Tibetan syllables for the mantra "om mani padme hum" around it, and Katagami-sama suggested that I place Tara's mantra in there as well.

This piece will be used for performing readings using the i-ching or tarot (I still have a deck that I haven't used in years). Since Katagami-sama's influence helped in the creation of this piece, it is partially dedicated to him. It is also dedicated to the enlightened masters who help in the art of divination itself. I plan to have it laminated as soon as I can get to a place that does lamination.

Also: You can click on each image to see a little playing around in Photoshop I did with each.