Why is it that in our age of post-enlightenment charm, plus almost one hundred years of fashionable intellectual atheism (minus a couple of shortlived “Occult Explosions”) that modern man still chinks a glass before drinking or says a little prayer despite an absolute abhorrence of the church?
The role of ritual healing and folk magic in modern European life has diminished at breakneck speed since the escalation of scientific thought after the Enlightenment.
Western Man’s disavowment of the rotting, organised religions of our modern times has left our soul searching and eternal questions left answered by just-as-suppressive technological gods or aggressive atheism that has a need to smash and ridicule all that oppose it, just as all the ideological forefathers of its enemies did.
Roots In The Heart | Teaser
Film makers Thanassis Tatavlalis and Jimmy Trash are currently investigating the remnants of these traditions throughout Europe. They take a participatory role these local traditions of healing, fortune telling and other magic (many of which were absorbed by the Orthodox religion) that have their roots in folk and pagan oral tradition and have been kept pure through local customs without being distorted or banned by the church or ridiculed and dispersed by modern urbanists.
The shooting has already taken them through Greece, Poland and Belarus, and soon they will be travelling through Albania, Macedonia, Bulgaria. As you can see from the Teaser, their experiences have been rare encounters with wonderful cultures that have been neglected and almost lost. They have also been recording interviews with ethnologists in each country to narrate the adventures and musicians who play the ancient music of their culture.
To raise money for the travel and accomodation for the crew in the Balkan part of our project, the two filmmakers are asking the public to help and donate for the continuation on this incredible odyssey through Europe’s living memory. Later in the year they have also planned travels through Germany, Italy, Finland and Iceland.
At the charity film screening event at Wilde Renate you can get a glimpse on the first part of the documentary. A must see for everyone interested in ancient, pagan and pre-christian folk rites in Europe!
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Film Screening: Roots In The Heart: European Folk Magic
Wednesday, 26 June 2013 | 20:00 CET
Salon zur Wilden Renate | Alt-Stralau 70 | 10245 Berlin/Friedrichshain
facebook.com/Roots-in-the-Heart | renate.cc
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