The Shivas Irons Society

Comment by Gerald W. Stratford on 'Jo's GITK Challenge - Part One: Shivas Irons'

Gerald W. Stratford — Mon, 03 May 2010 22:20:42 GMT

Jo,
What fun to experience this for the first time after getting to know so many who have been influenced by Shivas. It is too bad that you found Charlie Rose's interview with Michael wherein Michael was actually far more "forthcoming" than he had been before. If I could suggest anything, I would ask you to suspend disbelief and forget Michael's comment. You should really read the book believing in the experiences and not with an eye for literary devices or the usual deconstruction of fictive writing.
Just as the first impression of Carlos Castenada books about Don Juan is more entertaining if you don't know that he made it all up out of whole cloth.
Enjoy.
Gerry

Comment by Mark Swoboda on 'Jo's GITK Challenge - Part One: Shivas Irons'

Mark Swoboda — Tue, 04 May 2010 02:17:13 GMT

Jo, As someone who has always loved books but came late to the game of golf and its literature I can understand some of your trepidation towards GITK. I cannot imagine the intimidation of knowing the author and so many GITK devotees! I wish you luck in your endeavor. I came to appreciate GITK and developed an interest in the Society only after reading another book "In Search of Burningbush"" which I found to be delightful and it inspired me to reread GITK and search out the Society online. GITK dare I say is a strange and difficult book. I'm very interested in your non-golfer perspective. It certainly is an illuminating work and justly deserves a high place in the literature of golf yet many golfers I know have either never heard of it or have been put off by it. So I think it is a rather narrow (albeit select) audience that appreciates it. I'm going to attempt to reread it along with you and I hope we both, along with the others who will be posting can learn from each other. I am sure there is much I can learn from this process! I should add by way of background note that to my knowledge I have never met a Society member so my knowledge of the group that was built out of a devotion to this work is purely cursory, what I have picked up throug the web site mainly. I have some formal training in theology but am probably best describes as agnostic at this point in my life, I somewhat tongue in cheekly will sometimes refer to myself as a "Zen Druid". I do hava alove for the spiritual qualities in golf and of course that leads me to GITK. Ok here we go! Blog on Jo, I will be following. -Mark

Comment by Colin L Macqueen on 'Jo's GITK Challenge - Part One: Shivas Irons'

Colin L Macqueen — Tue, 04 May 2010 08:51:42 GMT

Jo,
Right from the start everything is enigmatic. The original meeting with Shivas is in 1956. In 1956 The Kingdom of Fife, Scotland was not resonating with spiritual vibes! The linksland area in this neck of the woods was and still is enchanting but New Age it was not. It was wonderful that Michael Murphy had the writing gifts to be able to create the initial connections with Shivas in this context.
Michael does not return to the scene until 1971 and mentions the "Summer of Love" happening in 1967. Now let me tell you, Jo, Flower Power and "Love is all you Need" didn't turn up in Dundee, across the water frae Fife, until 1968 - and that was only because Ian McGregor and my good self had the courage and temerity to wear flowers in our hair (a la San Francisco) and parade thru Broughty Ferry a few miles south of Carnoustie. This took great courage and derision was heaped upon us! We were weeded out, or not as was actually the case!

Michaels chat with Liston proceeds and is lubricated with whisky and this simply leads to more enigmatic statements regarding Shivas's way with the ladies, silver tongued devil that he seems to be. There is also, I think, an illusion to Ben Hogan in so far as Shivas's practice regime is reminiscent of the "wee ice mon's" approach to this discipline; again just acoss the water at Panmure Golf Club prior to his victory ay Carnoustie. I think there is stuff being hinted at here that only M.M. only can really elucidate. At any rate the tone is set and even the origin of Shivas's moniker is shrouded in a veil of Scotttish mist and , probably, malt whisky vapours!!

Read on Jo and don't pay to much attention to the rantings of a woebegone Scotsman from the banks of the River Tay.

Comment by Jerry Hitzhusen on 'Jo's GITK Challenge - Part One: Shivas Irons'

Jerry Hitzhusen — Tue, 04 May 2010 19:00:57 GMT

Having played golf all over Scotland and drank too many drams of Scotch Whiskey as did Michael Murphy, I believe he borrowed part of Shivas Irons name from Shivas Regal, the famous Scotch Whiskey. Now I can fully understand this and it could have come from playing golf in the cold and rainy weather in Scotland, thus "shivering irons"
becomes Shivas Irons. More later after a few drams of Shivas Regal!
Jerry Hitzhusen

Comment by Gerald Stratford on 'Jo's GITK Challenge - Part One: Shivas Irons'

Gerald Stratford — Tue, 04 May 2010 20:47:49 GMT

A oftimes suggested and certainly pleasant thought, Jerry, however I tend to doubt the connection. The Whiskey's name is actually spelled Chivas Regal and although based on s Speyside malt produced in Strathisla it is a blended whiskey and not a single malt.

I might suggest the more likely derivation (if we are to consider that the name is invented and the man did not actually live (bite my tongue)) : Shiva which is a Sanskrit word for Auspicious one denotes an aspect of the three forms system of Hinduism (Trimurti). Together with Brahma (the creator) and Vishnu (the sustainer), Shiva (the transformer) is central to the Kurma Purana. Some versions of Hinduism reject the trinity-like concept and instead hold one or the other of these aspects as the supreme being, and thus Saivism holds Shiva to be supreme, and for some he is the one in whom all things will dissolve when the created universe collapses.
Let us remember where Michael was going when he stopped off in the Kingdom.

Comment by Jo on 'Jo's GITK Challenge - Part One: Shivas Irons'

Jo — Tue, 04 May 2010 21:01:11 GMT

I think its a fine idea to pass a bottle of Chivas Regal around as we read! ;) With that and all of your cheering me on, I know I'll make it to the end.

As for where the name came from, Michael includes (in the 25th anniversary edition of the book at least) a footnote dedicated to his name at the end of the first chapter. He mentions Chivas Regal in fact! But he says that to his vast disappointment he could find no connection to Shiva. He does break down the names and details his research into the name Shivas Irons.

Michael goes on to quote Thomas Carlyle who said "...what mystic influence does it not send inwards, even to the centre; especially in those plastic first-times, when the whole soul is yet infantine, soft, and the invisible seedgrain will grow to be an all overshadowing tree!"

Michael then added...
"A name can shape a life, and if his soul took birth to do the work I found him doin, how well his parents sensed it and named him for the task."

Love it!

Comment by Gerald Stratford on 'Jo's GITK Challenge - Part One: Shivas Irons'

Gerald Stratford — Wed, 05 May 2010 22:01:34 GMT

I believe that the footnotes came later (at least there are none in my Penguin Arkana editions), but note that the one you have quoted implies that he is wondering about what inspired Shivas' parents to name him thus. Which perpetuates the integrity of the story on its face. Namely (to pun) that Shivas is a real character that Michael met in Scotland. His discounting of discovered connections to Shiva is fine in that context, however it certainly does not eliminate the influence if the character is in fact invented by Murphy.
This is the dichotomy that I suggested you set aside by just accepting the story as it is presented. Once you have read it through then you might consider the possibility of invention and maybe (like many of us) decide to have it both ways as we do with even older Testaments.

Comment by Colin L Macqueen on 'Jo's GITK Challenge - Part One: Shivas Irons'

Colin L Macqueen — Thu, 06 May 2010 02:00:53 GMT

Jo,
As Gerald intimated on Tuesday Shivas in Sanskrit means "auspicious". This I did not know. You have made an auspicious beginning in your blog and that bodes well. Gerald also counsels you to read the book "believing in the experiences and not with an eye for literary devices" and "accept(ing) the story as it is presented". This is great advice in my opinion and I would add, 'umbly, that you do not try to read it too quickly. I don't think it matters if you miss a "deadline" or two as you may find that it is nice to allow things to sink in, to ferment in your grey matter. It also may give us ardent followers a chance to keep up with you!
Gerald also mentions rejection of a "trinity-like concept" with regards to the three Hindu deities Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. I wonder if M.M., subconciously, had The Great Triumvirate Vardon, Taylor and Braid swirling through his mind. Poetic licence or just a flight of fancy in this Scotsman's whisky addled mind!

Comment by Chamomile on 'Jo's GITK Challenge - Part One: Shivas Irons'

Chamomile — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 22:54:46 GMT

I found myself noddnig my noggin all the way through.

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