Quote:
Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey
Yes Green, you have identified a major area of misunderstanding --- actually two major areas of misunderstanding.
Firstly there is the fact that not all keris were created equal.
Then there is the fact that not all creators of keris were equal.
The keris that was created with the intention that it would have some quality that might be able to accessed by its custodian was created by fire and physical force, but with the addition of ritual, and that ritual was not known to every person who could use the forge and its tools.
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To add to my previous post, I will elaborate my understanding of this based on what I have gathered and come to learn from my culture.
As previously mentioned, there is no intact Sundanese keris or keraton culture today, so there is no Empu role to draw on here.
However there is the belief that a person can be born with spiritual sensitivity to the unseen world. This is usually confirmed by a sensitive elder, who might be able to act as a medium for ancestors who come into them to share wisdom and warnings to those present, as well as for those ancestors to confer their blessings or confirmation of sensitivity to this person. It is not uncommon for these to be further supported by the elder/ancestor referring to some happening in the person's life that perhaps they had not told to others, such as a significant dream or inexplicable event.
This event is what marks the legitimacy of this person's sensitivity to their family or community. It is a very private and spontaneous affair.
This person can then choose to hone their sensitivities under an older, sensitive mentor through meditation, fasting, forced isolation in austere conditions and so on. But it is also believed that a non-sensitive person could obtain these aptitudes through rigorous practice and study under a teacher, albeit it with great difficulty and with great cost to their psyche.
In the context of this culture, I think this person could fit the bill as someone who could create a keris that is able to call on ancestors or to act as a conduit for the unseen. But I do not know precisely "how".