keris and spirit

[Kiai Carita]

Originally Posted by David

....Personally i like the concept of the magnet as a metaphor for my mind and i always regularly reinforce the magnetic fields of all my keris. But i don't think it is "science" per se. I would never suggest that anyone else should do this, it is just part of my personal practice and something which works well with the software already input into my mind. But someone else may have an old hatpin from their favorite weird great aunt that has deep magickal significance to them that they might feel is the perfect material to embue and hold spirit. Maybe they want to melt it down and put it in their keris.

Salam keris everyone,

I am not very clever and often put both my feet in my mouth but I don't think that magnets (besi berani) have anything to do with keris spirits, unless you trust the wierd elaborations on the keris written by William Sanders available on www.cimande.com.

I have never heard magnets mentioned in Jawanese keris discussions. I have also never heard any Jawanese explain keris in the terms of Yin-Yang. The closest to Yin-Yang in Jawanese keris speak would be 'Ibu Bumi Bapa Angkasa' - mother earth father sky- which do appear in the mantras of mPu according to the late Bp. Bambang Harsrinuksma, but Yin Yang in the Chinese minde encompass more than the Ibu Bumi Bapa Angkasa do for the Jawanese .

In my opinion the spiritual stength of keris comes from:

1) The intention of the mPu and the metals he uses.
2) The mind of the owner.
3) The collective minds of the community where the keris resides, which can be very much influenced by the history of the keris.

And while I am here on my expensive but slow dial-up in the styx, special for Raden Usman in Africa (ngapain lu disane Raden? - what are you doing there Raden in Betawi dialect) .... you must all know the macapat called dandanggula -pot of sweetness? - (I translate gula to sweetness because of the negative feelings the modern world has now for sugar while in Jawa gula is meant to be lovely). Sing this in the night, with feeling. Appologies to forumites who hate poetry. I only have two keris and one tombak with no camera, and also my keris are pusaka I feel reluctant to photograph, please forgive me for never being able to producew photos. The other keris I have for a while always come from our own Mans(ur) Hidayat in Surabaya which I give away as gifts -BTW I think he is an honest and knowledgeable keris seller comparable to our sesepuh Pak Alan Maisey (Mr G'day Mate, nuwun sewu - thousand pardons)...

Macapat Dandanggula

Ana kidung rumeksa ing wengi
Teguh hayu luput hing lelara
Luput hing bilahi kabeh
Jim setan dhatan doyan
Paneluhan tan hana wani
Miwah panggawe ala
Gunane wong luput
Geni atemahan tirta
Maling adoh tan wani perak mring mami!
Guna tuju pan sirna!

Read four, pot of sweetness....

There is a song
Vibrating through the night
Strong and fair protecting from disease
Protecting from all misfortune
Evil spirits hate the taste
Black magic doesn't even dare
And those who would do ill
The arts of the lost ones
Fire killed by cold water
Pirates from far don't you dare cross my path tonight
All your knowledge'll come to nought!

Back to the subject, please tell me where magnets and yin-yang are important in Jawanese kerisology (not Caliofornian kerisology)

Warm salaams,
Bram.