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Táltos

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“The wise man adapts to the world. Only the foolish man expects the world to adapt to him.” - András Kovács-Magyar

Hungarian chronicles of the 13th century still make reference to "magicians" as táltos (shaman) persons. The name "Táltos" is of unknown origin, but most probably correlating to "tát", which is to "open wide"; i.e. they "opened themselves to the world." The táltos tradition survived until the World War II in rural areas, where certain people were still considered as táltos by the local community, though they practiced weather-magic only.

According to Roman Catholic priest Armold Ipolyi , in his book "Magyar mitológia" (Hungarian Mythology) from 1854, a táltos was in direct contact with God during  the prenatal period. Once born, the táltos had a special mission in life to cure both body and soul of other members of society. The táltos also had a mission to communicate with the entire Hungarian nation in a time of danger, to warn against invading armies or an impending cultural collapse. In the Chronicle of the Hungarians byJohannes de Thurocz, Attila of the Huns asked several táltos to foresee the outcome of the Battle of Chalons, where they predicted that the war would be lost. They based their predictions on the intestines of animals, but how the actual prediction is done is not known.

The táltos could be either male or female, and should be born with more bones than the usual, like six fingers (altogether 11 or 12 fingers) or already-grown-in teeth. A táltos could also be born with the caul. The táltos was able to go into a deep meditation called "révülés", and in such a state could cure sickness of any kind.

The táltos has a personalized mission in life from God.

In a psychoanalytical way, Vimos Diószegi describes the táltos as specialists who are able to get controlled ecstasy (rejtezés) The position of the táltos is reached by heredity or vocation; the process includes typical stages: after initial resistance to vocation and the various symptoms of the "shamanic disease", the chosen by the gods finally accepts his role. The táltos gets shamanic knowledges at a young age, through shamanic journeys in days-long dreams, in which the main initiation goal is climbing the égig érő fa ("sky-high tree"), also called életfa ("tree of life"), világfa ("world tree") or tetejetlen fa ("tree without a top"). Ethnological accounts define the táltos, and generically the shaman, as that whose social functions are to heal, prophesy, and save the cultural traditions connecting the past and the present, the individual and the community, men and nature and the gods. In the words of Hoppál shamanism is depicted as a "bridge and symbol, because it interconnects the traditions of the past with the present, and anchors the future of traditions"

Táltos congregations hold weekly ritual gatherings; in addition, they organize collective pilgrimages and healing occasions. The participants celebrate together different rituals (rituals of initiation, rituals of passage, sweat lodges and fire-walk ceremonies, fertility, healing and purifying rites, either for the environment, the participants, the collectivity or the nation), perform shamanic drumming, and techniques of meditation and self-development. While the ceremonies are usually led by the táltos, the community actively takes part. The most well-known contemporary táltos are Zoltán Sólyomfi, István Somogyi, Fehérholló Öskü, and András Kovács-Magyar.

András Kovács-Magyar is a very popular shaman, and his religious enterprise is flourishing. The Ancient Hungarian Táltos Church or Arch-Hungarian Táltos Church(Ősmagyar Táltos Egyház) was founded by András Kovács-Magyar, who later also founded the Noetic Táltos School (Szellemi Táltos Iskola).

According to Kovács- Magyar:

“Many people share good advice, ones that they do not observe. Authenticity always gives success. The world has become shallow. Slowly the point is lost which is the value. I wish to reveal these things when I use the ancient spiritual healing methods of past eras. Every man is a special character, embodies a special character. What we cannot tell each other, keeps distance, raises walls. Be pleased when someone sees a capable person because growth is the sign of life. The man, who is now here, now there, is unable to take root anywhere. Everything changes continually because the world is continually changing. The incurable problems cannot be solved by external help but rather by inner transformation. We were born to enrich ourselves. We cannot get anywhere if we point to others. Remember: not everything can be measured in earthly units. We need to recognize that everything changes permanently and continually in the world. The only thing which is constant is: change.”

Resource Study:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarian_neopaganism

http://en.matrixdrops.com/news/andrew-kovacs-magyar-the-truth-of-life