[Author’s Note: This essay was included in the journal, S/HE: An International Journal of Goddess Studies (Vol 3 No 1, 2024). Footnotes numbers here differ from those of the original article.]
The Skirt Motif and the Principle of Causal Becoming
The skirt metaphor conveys that all come through Mago Halmi’s womb. If we listen carefully to these stories, the skirt (치마) is often described as “skirt wrap (치마폭)” and “skirt hem (치마자락).” Both chima-pok (skirt warp) and chima-jarak (skirt hem) indicate what is under and inside the skirt. The expression, “a pants crotch (bajigarangi 바지가랑이),” and “underpants (gojaeingi 고쟁이)” [1] are similar analogies for the womb. Occasionally, an apron and a dishcloth are used in place of the skirt. Considering the oral nature of folklore, which favors a euphemistic expression, I hold that Mago Halmi’s skirt indicates the cosmic womb.[2] Mago Halmi’s skirt, a medium to carry topographies, binds the Creatrix and HER women representatives. The skirt, primarily associated with women but worn by both women and men, stands as a symbol of the Mother Divine. As implied in the skirt, Mago, the Creatrix, is inclusive and embraces ALL. This is not to say that women are exclusively divine. Women are not superior to all else. Men are as divine as women as Seonins (仙人Magoist Luminaries, Magi).[3] In fact, ALL is sacred as the progeny of the Creatrix. Women as potential mothers are built to represent the sovereignty of the Creatrix. Women are called on to self-transcendence. The fact that women are built to represent the sovereignty of the Creatrix accompanies a moral mandate upon the chosen women (Mudang Leaders) to cultivate in themselves the quality of self-transcendence to the Cause. The validation of the female divine is a soteriological scheme originated from the Magoists of Old Korea (pre- and proto-Chinese Koreans/East Asians).
Note the recurring narrative pattern that Mago Halmi brings a mountain or a rock from another place in her skirt and drops or leaves it in the current place due to an interruption. In fact, only a small number of tales describe that Mago Halmi shapes a local topography without facing some conditions (Tales A S-8, B S-18, H S-83). In many stories, she runs into a condition, which makes her (re-)determine the course of her creation. [Table 1] shows how the 21-sample tales describe her formation of local topographies. Noticeable is this repetitive narrative pattern; “Mago Halmi was bringing A (a mountain or rocks) in her skirt from elsewhere for the construction of B. But she dropped A in the current place upon hearing that B was completed” (Tales C S-42, D S-53, E S-70). She is affected by the ever-changing reality. Sometimes rocks or lumps of soil leaked from her skirt or apron to form local topographies (Tales B S-11, F S-73, G S-79). Other times, Mago Halmi got so frustrated that she struck the soil with her fist to create islands or mountains (Tale B S-25, G S-81). Or she got startled and dropped the treasure that she was carrying in her skirt, which formed a goldmine island (Tale C S-44). Or the load in her skirt got too heavy for her to carry so that she left it there (Tale B S-27). Or she ran into another errand, so she left it there (Tale I S-87).
These stories are playful, creative, and peaceful in nature. There is no hierarchical or oppressive dynamic implied. Below the seemingly casual surface, however, there lies the message that Mago, the Creatrix, is susceptible to the process of her own action, which is affected by all others. Her creation is situational and determined through the unfolding process according to the principle of causal becoming.[4] All are caused by all else. All exist in the process of becoming. These stories convey that all are becoming their own shapes. Mago, the Creatrix, is no exception. The Creatrix is affected by ALL, her progeny. The landmasses that she brought are transitory, not permanent. Mago Halmi is in the process of becoming in and with ALL. None of these stories narrate that she created the topographies from nothing or by magic. The very motif of the skirt is there to indicate a series of actions that she takes: She puts a landmass in her skirt, she carries it, and she brings it to the current location. While she is doing the action, she is conditioned to cope with unfolding possibilities. As her skirt gets wet, she dries it. As the mountain that she is building crumbles down, she strikes it with her hand. Her emotions are involved too. She gets mad or frustrated, which prompts her to react and respond. The rocks that she carries in her skirt get too heavy. Lumps of soil get leaked. The seawater that she walks through gets into her skirt, and so on and so forth. These narrative props convey that Mago Halmi has shaped local topographies as a response to open possibilities. They are recycled and reshaped. Landmasses move from one place to another in the fullness of time. All are interconnected. I posit that the skirt motif narrative apparatus is employed to convey the process of becoming for ALL, which is the core message of the Magoist Cosmogony. The Magoist Cosmogony refers to a systematic account on the ever-happening reality of WE/HERE/NOW recounted in the Budoji (Epic of the Emblem Capital City). Mago Halmi cosmogonic folktales unravel the Magoist Cosmogony in the language of villagers. S/HE is HERE and NOW in ALL. Immanent in WE, the cosmic clan of the Creatrix, S/HE governs the Matriverse in tune with the Cosmic Music, the cosmogenic force of the Matriverse.
| Topographies | The Divine | The course of Mago Halmi’s cosmogonic actions | |
| A S-4 | Rocks, Hantan River, Songdae Lake, Mt. Oseong, Mt. Geumhak | Magui Halmeom | As she was ascending to the sky with huge jackstones in her skirt, she dropped them near Mt. Geumhak. |
| A S-8 | Mago Altar, Peak Spirit on Mt. Taeback (Great Resplendence) | Mago Halmi | The peak of Mt. Taebaek was not high enough for her to ascend to heaven. She brought stones in her skirt to build the altar on Peak Spirit. |
| B S-11 | Cairn | Magui Halmeom | She was carrying stones in her apron. They leaked from her apron to form the cairn. |
| B S-18 | Burial Cairn | Mago Halmi | She carried stones in her skirt and stacked the Burial Cairn. |
| B S-23 | Mt. Halmi Stronghold | Mago Halmi | Mago Halabeoji (Grandfather) failed in his construction while laughing at her. Meanwhile, Mago Halmi completed the stronghold. |
| B S-25 | Islands including Seondang-yeo (仙壇礖 Magoist Altar Reef) | Manggu Halmae | She was building Mt. Seonjeop (Mago Entrance). As the mountain was falling, she, out of frustration, struck it with her fist. The soil was shattered into pieces and became many islands. |
| B S-27 | Gaek-san (Mt. Visitor) | Magui Halmeom | She scooped Mt. Dodeuram in her skirt to build Nam-san (Mt. South) in Seoul. The load was getting too heavy, she left it in the current place. |
| C S-29 | Mago-deulgorang (Mago Rock Cluster) | Mago Halmi | She brought stones in her skirt from the Island of Cats for the construction of the stronghold. She completed the stronghold and dumped the left-over rocks near the stronghold. |
| C S-42 | Three Milestones | Magu Halmeoni of Mt. Cheontae | She was bringing three rocks. She put one on her head, made the second her cane, the third in her skirt. Upon hearing that the construction of Jinju Stronghold was completed, she left here the second rock that she was using as a cane. |
| C S-44 | Jangjwa Island | Magu Halmae | While carrying gold and silver treasures in her skirt, she became startled by a woman who recognized her. She dropped the treasure in the sea, which became Jangjwa Island known for the goldmine. |
| D S-53 | Seated Rock | Magui Halmeom | She was carrying two rocks, one on her head and the second in her skirt for the construction of the Great Wall. After hearing that the construction of the Great Wall was completed, she dropped the rocks in the current place. |
| D S-56 | Bridge Reef | Mago Halmeom | She lived in Guman-ri (Ninety-thousand Township). She wanted to build a bridge for people because the sea was too rough and too deep for them to go to another area (Yeongil Bay). However, she couldn’t compete the construction of the bridge before the sunrise. Those rocks alleged to have been carried by her in her skirt wrap refer to Bridge Reef. |
| E S-63 | Wolchul-san (Mt. Moonrise) | Mago Halmi | Her skirt got wet while she was crossing the deep sea. She took it off to dry it on Mt. Moonrise. The whole mountain was covered by her skirt. |
| E S-64 | Gumu Island (Hole Island) | Magui Halmeom | While dragging an island from Jeju to this place, she reached the deep water. Her skirt got wet. She left the island in the current place. |
| E S-70 | Gakssi (Bride) Rock | Mago Halmeoni | She left them there upon hearing the construction of One Thousand Buddhas and One Thousand Pagodas was completed. |
| F S-73 | Gyeran Reef | Gaeyang Halmi | Water in Gyeran Reef was so deep that her skirt got wet. She got mad and brought lumps of soil and rocks in her skirt filled the sea area of Gyeran Reef. |
| F S-75 | Lifted Rock | Strong Girl | A strong girl from Gama-so (Gama Lake) Valley brought it in her skirt. |
| G S-79 | Mt. Halla, Oreum (Mountains) | Seolmundae Halmang | She made Mt. Halla by bringing soil in her skirt. All other small mountains were formed as lumps of soil leaked from the holes of her skirt. |
| G S-81 | Cater in Darangshi Oreum (Mt. Darangshi) | Seolmundae Halmang | She put an excessive amount of soil in creating Mt. Darangshi. As she struck it with her hand, it created a crater on it. |
| H S-83 | Ninety-nine peaks, Halmi-bong (Peak Halmi) | Woman Warrior | She carried each peak in her skirt for all 99 peaks. |
| I S-87 | Cheongneodeol Cairn | Mago Halmi | While carrying stones in her skirt, she ran into another errand. So, she left them there. |
[Table 1: 21 Sample Mago Halmi folktales tell how she shapes local topographies]
[1] The motif of underpants (gojaeingi 고쟁이) is not used in the skirt-motif cosmogonic folktales. But it is used interchangeably with the skirt in other tales when her skirt gets wet in deep water where she walks around.
[2] It is a common practice to use an analogy in folklore. I have detected the subtle and indirect language of folklore when it concerns female reproductive biology.
[3] The topic of Seon is partially discussed in this essay with regards to the epithets of the Divine/Agent uttered in 93 folktales (see No. 7 in [Table 3]). Previously I have discussed on the notion of Seon as follows:
Seon or Xian is almost exclusively known as a Chinese Daoist notion in the West, referring to an enlightened person of the Way. Nonetheless, evidence suggests that Daoism is a Chinese patriarchal offshoot of Magoism. Even in Daoism, the notion of Xian (Seon) points to “Magu” for its origin, an inference to be partly delineated later. In any case, the provenance of Seon/Xian is fully accounted for in the Magoist Cosmogony. The Seon (神仙 Sinseon or Shenxian) refers to the residents of the Mago Clan, human descendants of the Mago Triad, in the primordial home of Mago Stronghold. They are those who have the knowing of the life of bliss unimpeded by death. Summarily, the Seon is etiologically Magoist.
See Helen Hye-Sook Hwang, “Mago, the Creatrix from East Asia, and the Mytho-History of Magoism” in Reader: Toward Magoist Cetaceanism (Lytle Creek, CA: Mago Books, 2023), 27. It is inferred that “Seons” originally refer to the primordial human ancestors in Mago Stronghold: “Humans are elevated as Seons (Magoist Ancestors). They lead a life of eternity, uninterrupted by physical death. All live on earth milk.” Ibid, 40-41.
[4] “The principle of causal becoming” is my coinage prompted by my interpretation of the skirt motif as a modal prop. It overlaps with the concept of process theology, which posits “becoming” for the reality that the God creates. The paternal identity of the process theology’s God, although often unconsciously assumed, is contrasted with the maternal identity of Mago, the Creatrix, from whom ALL are derived. It appears that Process Thought will make a lot more sense if it redefines God in distinction from traditional Christian theology. Process Theology remains transitory, insofar as its divine does not embrace the Creatrix. For general discussion on Process Theology, see Donald Wayne Viney, “Process Theism,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (January 28, 2014). https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/process-theism/.
(To be continued)