The name of course is Black Mass. But it his me this morning that in some respects my unconscious was telling me an important truth. Is not the height of a traditional Catholic Mass the offering and consuming of the Eucharist? Is this not where Jesus is symbolically cannibalized? It is where the spirit of God becomes material, and is ingested by the faithful for their purification and improvement. Jesus died willingly–this is pointed out in the Mass–and was innocent. But he is often compared to a lamb, and lambs at that time were sacrificed and eaten.
Logically, a black mass would include the consuming of a victim which did not give its life willingly.
And both could be said to have aspects of feasts to them. Food is a vitally important part of lives. As I have said, arguably the digestive “drive” is more important than the sexual one, although of course both can be and often are combined.
What soothes the wild beast within us is one question. How do we tame it?
But the second question, and the reason there are two masses, is “how can I use the animal within me to feel more alive?”
Neither mass is quite satisfactory from an individual pursuing optimal mental, emotional, and physical health. We do not want to be animals or pretend to be angels. We do need food, after all, and killing is a necessary element of that even for vegetarians. The only alternative is the logical one of the Jains who fast themselves to death.
I am meandering a bit, but perhaps there is something useful here, for you, or for a future me.