Sunday, June 28, 2015

symptoms of the fox possession

Nogitsune (wild foxes) will possess a person, but not high-class foxes -- and their victim will blurt out such things as:
" I am God of Inari" -- or "Let me eat azuki-meshi."
When possessed by a high-class fox, however, the victim will appear like a true sick person.  So the patient can be put under the care of a doctor.  The doctor, however, cannot tell whether his patient is possessed by some phantom, or mentally deranged.
"The Kitsune-tsuki patient will look sometimes mentally deranged; and other times will appear to be sane and sound.  The condition of the Kitsune-tsuki patient is different during the day.  At night, he will find it hard to go to sleep -- or sometimes will try to commit suicide in desperation.
"The patient has a strange habit.  He will not allow any person to come near him when taking his meals and he is particular about what he eats, and likes to keep company with persons inferior to himself in intellect.
"He will avert his eyes from other people when sitting opposite them.  He will invariably turn his face aside or drop his eyes, putting both his hands on his knees and shrugging his shoulders.

The cause of Kitsune-tsuki may be attributed to:

1.  Impediments in mood.
2.  Impediments in the Organs of perception.
3.  Impediments in the function of association.
4.  Impediments in consciousness.
5.  Infection of mental derangement.

Dr. Shinshi Kadowaki, "A New Study of Kitsune-tsuki Disease"

Medical department of Tokyo Imperial Univeristy

Sunday, June 21, 2015

the vestal androgyny of the ant maiden



"By far the most startling discovery in relation to this astonishing civilization is that of the suppression of sex.  In certain advanced forms of ant-life sex totally disappears in the majority of individuals; in nearly all the higher ant-societies sex life appears to exist only to the extent absolutely needed for the continuance of the species.... No indulgence of any natural appetite is possible except to the degree in which such induglence can directly or indirectly benefit the species; even the indespensable requirements of food and sleep being satisfied only to the exact extent necessary for the maintenance of healthy activity."

Supposing that such a discovery were made, and that the human race should decide to arrest the development of sex in the majority of its young -- so as to effect a transferrence of those forces, now demanded by sex-life to the development of higher activities -- might not the result be an eventual state of polymorphism, like that of the ants?  And in such event, might not the Coming Race be indeed represented in its higher types -- through feminine rather than masculine evolution -- by a majority of beings of neither sex?"

from "Kwaidan -- Insect Studies -- Ants, Section V"
by Lafcadio Hearn