If a speaking deer encountered by a hunter later to become a saint can be transformed into relics invoked against rabies (28), we have entered into the realm of the unpredictable and the unseen, as Nigel Pennick’s subtitle to his latest work, The Spiritual Power of Masks: Doorways to Realms Unseen, indicates.
For those who are anticipating a global perspective, note that the bulk of the book is singularly focused on European traditions, from ancient times to the present, with an emphasis on the European Middle Ages. If we are to acknowledge the many churches, chapels, abbeys, and sacred spaces that have spiritual energy, we could engage in endless pilgrimages to assuage the countless unpredictable powers that inhabit our unseen—or partially unseen—universe, or at least our earthly one. With this work, we are entering into the “undeterminate” world (34), as “the comprehensive list of terrifying” beings are proof of (37 - 38).
A thoroughly researched encyclopedic or archival work, The Spiritual Power of Masks surveys a panoply of masks and other shape-changing accoutrements transforming the human body, through the centuries, into disquieting archetypal beings with “shamanic ability” (79), mostly in Western Europe, and particularly in England and Germany.
Weaving through a myriad of pre-industrial vernacular celebrations and events, such as Plough Monday, Carnivals, mumming, Fastnacht, and Guy Fawkes, we journey through popular expressions tied to history, famous personalities—including contemporary artists such as James Ensor, Alfred Jarry, Pablo Picasso, and Peter Gabriel—and to performance locations and settings (music, ballet, theatre, puppetry).
As we encounter these transformative settings, some of which the author witnessed as a participant observer, we also discover unforeseen information on such topics as the support of guilds and fraternities (just as crafts and trades had “custodians of the closely guarded ‘mysteries’ of each craft,” page 23), the morphing of both language and meaning over time, the power of “churchmen who attempted to destroy indigenous non-Christian culture” (90), and the participation of disguised figures in riots and revolts, such as “the English Peasants Revolt of 1381” (129). Chapters 10 and 11 describe the spiritual attributes of animals, such as horses, bulls, bears, and other beasts.
It will amaze readers to realize how many of these historical and contemporary performances are still reenacted, many with little change, linking bygone popular (sometimes restricted) street theater to the palpable present, and current communities to the creative and animistic past.
The Spiritual Power of Masks is generously illustrated, offering us wonderful glimpses into the creative world of anonymous embodied spiritual pageantry. It is pertinent to anyone interested in popular theater, folklore, and metaphorical reenactments, past and present.
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[Review length: 438 words • Review posted on October 28, 2023]