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Insertcoolname
Tufted Titmouse
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26 Feb 2020, 7:34 pm

Hello.
Is anyone on here interested/knowledgeable about gnosticism, ancient theology, comparative theology. Ancient texts...
Kabbalah, tora, etc...

Its an interest of mine...just like to understand what others think.

I get bored and like to talk about those things haha . Feel free to message or comment . Thank yall



techstepgenr8tion
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27 Feb 2020, 4:02 am

I'm at least conversant.

I spent maybe three or four years on a reading binge when it came to Hermeticism and modern Hermetic thought. I listened to most of the available Manly P Hall lectures on Youtube, read both Secret Teachings and Lectures on Ancient Philosophy, and I joined a couple orders where I was studying Hermetic Qabalah through the tarot - which is clearly a 19th century and forward merger, you can perhaps claim that the Sefir Yetzirah gives you the ability to subsume the major tarot trump if you tie each of them to one of the 22 main Hebrew letters and so Eliphas Levi implying in Transcendental Magic that the two should be merged lead to the Oswald Wirth Deck, then the Golden Dawn decks like the Rider-Waite, Thoth, etc..

I suppose if we were to strike up a conversation I'd be curious to hear what angles catch your interest, which authors, which specific schools of thought within these historical systems, etc.. Aside from taking a serious study of magic (to see what was actually there) another avenue of interest was just seeing how much of what we have around us - ie. seven day week, names for the days of the week, and all kinds of smaller but similarly odd and out of place just from a mainstream Christian or atheist perspective have an explanation once you've learned a bit more about the 'b side' history of western civilizations and the various Renaissance kabbalistic authors, the alchemists who weren't simply confused about turning lead into gold but really merging something like the Hindu yogas with an early proto-chemistry, and from that point you get to find out about the Rosicrucian publicity stunt, the foundations of Freemasonry, Memphis Misraim, Martinez de Pasqually and the Elus Cohen, Louise-Claude de Saint-Martin and the Voix Cardiaque, and all sorts of mystic/philosophic orders with different grading systems and priorities whether magic, mysticism, or chivalry.

PSA to other readers:

Something I'm very quick to point out to as many people as I can - even if you're a strict reductive materialist there are a lot of angles to this stuff that just shouldn't be laughed at. For example the people studying the tarot (not fortune-telling), working with and refining modern magic, at a minimum this is a hot-house for emergence and memetic creations. Thinking of one of my favorite musicians, Goldie, and how he sort of merges with the same thing in a different venue - ie. he lived and lives break-dancing, graffiti, urban art, and cultural generation - that's a lot of what this stuff is, ie. free-style or 'punk' generation of new forms of meaning and that meaning is often conveyed both through art and story, and that art and those stories - if they strike the right archetypal keys - have the power to shape and transform culture. For me love of Hermetic mysticism and love of classic drum n' bass actually dovetail incredibly well because in a way they're powered by the same ethos.

(end PSA)

In a way some of the above I think is incredibly important now because we may need to mine it for ways to come up with pro-social solutions to current problems. For example Freemasonry was a great example of how a bunch of nerds and eggheads were able to wield power and cultural change, ie. actually beat back the powers of monarchy, populism, and religious tyranny and when you think about it - that's pretty close to saying they scored a degree of victory against the raw forces of Darwinian evolution and the more red in tooth and nail western economies become (thank you globalist neoliberalism) we may again need an ability for people who don't want life to be a blood-drinking competition or perpetual survival of the fittest (if fitness means we're trying to transform humanity back into limbic hammers) to be able to force some breadth and diversity back into our culture other than 'the economic death race accepts all races, creeds, genders, and preferences - may the fastest live'.


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Insertcoolname
Tufted Titmouse
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27 Feb 2020, 6:36 am

I am currently reading theBhagavad gita.
I read a bit of those other works u mentioned
I find it interesting the use of many gnostic themes and symbology in modern pop . I wonder why tho...lol

As far tarot cards. I didnt really think much of them,
Till i got a deck and tried to use statistical probabilities to determine # of random draws....lets just say something didnt like me testing it.
I usually leave them alone although i am more familiar with egyptian and celtic decks.



techstepgenr8tion
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27 Feb 2020, 8:01 am

Insertcoolname wrote:
As far tarot cards. I didnt really think much of them,
Till i got a deck and tried to use statistical probabilities to determine # of random draws....lets just say something didnt like me testing it.
I usually leave them alone although i am more familiar with egyptian and celtic decks.

I was kind of hoping not to get sidetracked on divination - IMHO it's not particularly reliable. What I think is much more interesting is the use of arcanum as structural containers for abstract knowledge and being able to use that to spin up new ideas or novel insights about the world.


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27 Feb 2020, 8:07 am

I have a superficial interest in gnostic gospels, as well as other comparative religion topics. I find the wide range of beliefs mind expanding. But I don't know enough to have a decent conversation such as above.


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Insertcoolname
Tufted Titmouse
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27 Feb 2020, 8:26 am

‘What I think is much more interesting is the use of arcanum as structural containers for abstract knowledge and being able to use that to spin up new ideas or novel insights about the world.’

I agree with you entirely. I dont think in words so using the cards artwork and other sources such as the alechemical hermeticum really helps one grasp some of the larger concepts of gnosticism and others.

Lately I have been growing my awareness and understanding of the rebis in alchemy.



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27 Feb 2020, 2:47 pm

37) His disciples said to him, "When will you be visible to us,
and when shall we behold you?"
He said, "When you strip naked without being ashamed, and
take your garments and put them under your feet like little
children and tread upon them, then you will see the child of the
Living, and you will not be afraid."

God Yes; the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas that Describes
the Mysticism of Jesus as Human Just like the rest of us is among
my Favorite of Gnostic Sacred and Holy Texts for those of us who have walked
'Beaches Naked this way' tend to come to See God More Free within as Essence
of Spirit as Truly the Flesh and Blood Form that is Us that and who Holds that Spirit;
Yes, becomes
a Naked Temple
of God Free of the
CuLTuRaL Clothes that
Basically Separate Us from
the Inherent Nature of Nature
that is God at Essence With no name
at all as Essence Comes as Spirit to Be Us...
Pretty much what we 'see' the totality of what
We BE beyond what we even actually 'See' as our
Subconscious Mind that is the Greater Soul of Us
is Truly
Our 'Wizard
of OZ' that is Real
behind the Curtain
of what we 'think' we See
now so much more in about
95 Percent or so of our Totality of Living Existence
We are Sentient to now. Yes, Yes, Yes these Scientific
Terms Mixed in with the Poetry of the Metaphors were
not available then to research on Google for those with
Enough Attention Span to Search Deeper than Just the Common
Surface of the Human Ocean as Whole as it is 'the Flow' that We come
to Experience in whatever Meditative activity we take in a sweet spot
of More Complexity of Human Potential 'tween Boredom/Apathy and Anxiety/Fear
that takes us Higher to lighting up the rest of Our Human Christmas Tree of colors
more than
just Stuck
in Neo-Cortex;
the Illusion alone
of Time, Distance, and
Space and even Matter that
so many folks Name Home as
Home is actually beyond all Names i am and sure; hehe You too
as truly Mostly it is more about 'me' than 'You' as We Navigate the Reality 'we' 'see'..:)

Anyway, as one might easily imagine; i just finished a Weekly Blog Post that i name
a MacroVerse; Commonly of the size this week at 33,688 Words as i continue to focus
in Flow of Song in Write and Steps of Public Dance to further increase Flow and all of my Human Potential more...

It seems to me that the Essence of a Loving 'Jesus'; A 'Real Man' at least not requiring any 'Narcissistic Trump'
Leaning Demand for Affirmation and Worship would be more like this and not such a dude with 'little man syndrome';

Obviously, in the more literal Versions that are described as 'Jesus' these days we see more of 'Trump' and
less of a real Evolving Flesh and Blood Spirit of Heart that becomes a Mind and Body Balancing Soul Naked and
Complete 'Hand-in-Hand' with 'the All' as some folks enjoy Reducing to a 3 Letter Word that is hard to escape
as Language is how We Mutually and Consensually Communicate Common Meanings but yes; this
is a 'fault' of Group Think; it doesn't seek and find more Colors of Existence to Peruse and Enjoy
More as Mysticism is basically Uncovering what has not yet been seen; the reward is in the
Seek and Find itself; nah, not a place where you worry what other folks think of you
or how they may worship you; in fact, in deed, a place where one will stand
Naked and Free in Front of the World with no shame; i do much, much
more than Just the Talk; but for General Audiences the Art of it i
keep pretty Much to Public Mall Standards of Public Advertisements
where there the Human Body is prostituted mostly in Female way to sell;
nah; i
don't
treat
my
Living
Breathing
'Statue of David' that way; hehe;
i am not on sale; my Wife at least
says i produced a rather incredible Art to iLLusTraTE this Verse so much further and
appropriate enough that i shared it on Facebook and only lost one so-called Facebook Friend;
it really wouldn't be unusual except for the fact i am gonna be 60 Years-Old in June no doubt this
is just
one more
thing likely
no one else has
done and that's
the thing a major
Key to 'Nirvana' is NO FEAR;
WHATEVER IT TAKES TO MAKE that First step to
Heaven within; the rest of it is Basically an Art of Love that Harms Others and the Rest of Nature Least
so far away from Competition, So Far Away from Greed and Hoarding, so far away from every Con-Social Emotion but Love; Practically, what it will take, most Human Beings in Individual way to achieve to save life on this Planet and Us too.


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27 Feb 2020, 2:54 pm

Insertcoolname wrote:
... Is anyone on here interested/knowledgeable about Gnosticism, ancient theology, comparative theology. Ancient texts, Kabbalah, Torah, etc...
Only as an academic exercise in understanding what other people believe.


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Insertcoolname
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28 Feb 2020, 4:38 am

@Fnord
Of course.
I Seek to understand the other humans lol especially when it is being crammed down my throat by popular culture/music.

I usually have a few interests I fixate on till there is nothing left to know.

It just seems like this particular ‘interest’ is taking me a lot longer to finish than other topics. material for some of these things is difficult to come by.

Thanks for the responses and any more would be lovely. :)


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AprilR
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28 Feb 2020, 3:53 pm

I used to be super interested in those things and also a Wiccan. (idk if it is included in gnosticism though) I still do tarot readings from time to time



ouinon2
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28 Feb 2020, 5:51 pm

Insertcoolname wrote:
... Is anyone on here interested [ in ] /knowledgeable about gnosticism, ancient theology, comparative theology ... ? .... Its an interest of mine...just like to understand what others think..... I get bored and like to talk about those things haha ....

I'm interested, have been on and off for years now. Why are you? :)

I'm interested in them because I'm trying to understand myself and life/this experience of a conscious me/an apparent I/this nested avatar, the very peculiar natures of "reality" etc, and pain/suffering, and have discovered that modern neuroscience and gnostic ideas ( in both the approved and unapproved gospels etc ), and Philip K Dick, ;) and some aspects of ancient Greek thought, seem to be describing/analysing the same thing, which is both reassuring/comforting and helpful in clarifying/refining/developing my own understanding. :) That understanding, when I'm fortunate enough to be reminded of it, almost invariably makes this experience of consciousness much more bearable, occasionally even wonderful. :)



techstepgenr8tion
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28 Feb 2020, 5:57 pm

ouinon2 wrote:
I'm interested in them because I'm trying to understand myself and life/this experience of a conscious me/an apparent I/this nested avatar, the very peculiar natures of "reality" etc, and pain/suffering, and have discovered that modern neuroscience and gnostic ideas ( in both the approved and unapproved gospels etc ), and Philip K Dick, ;) and some aspects of ancient Greek thought, seem to be describing/analysing the same thing, which is both reassuring/comforting and helpful in clarifying/refining/developing my own understanding. :) That understanding, when I'm fortunate enough to be reminded of it, almost invariably makes this experience of consciousness much more bearable, occasionally even wonderful. :)

Have you ever read 'Soul of the Marionette' by John Gray? It's a page turner, maybe 140 pages or so and I got through it at an airport in maybe three or four hours on Kindle. I ask because he hits on a lot of the topics above.


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ouinon2
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28 Feb 2020, 6:00 pm

techstepgenr8tion wrote:
Have you ever read 'Soul of the Marionette' by John Gray? ... he hits on a lot of the topics above.

No, I've not, nor heard of. Thank you for the recommendation. :)



Raised By Wolves
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29 Feb 2020, 3:56 pm

I've been interested/obsessed in/with comparative religion for a long time. I had an early background in Buddhism but left that and got interested in sufism/Islam which I mined pretty thoroughly for a few years and have pursued pretty determined lines of exploration into Judaism/Kabbalah and orthodox Christianity since then with lots of other stuff thrown in. I don't know a great deal about gnosticism as such but have had some contact with Thelema and the OTO which I chose not to pursue. My interest is very hands on though so I don't go a great deal for intellectual discussion as I'm more about practical experience. Not to say I don't enjoy theological speculation and understanding but I'm really about getting in there and immersing myself to whatever extent I can in the nitty gritty of whatever tradition it is that I'm exploring.

As it goes none have them have ever matched up to what I really want so I've evolved my own path which is called Lovinity and is based on a highly devotional approach to the union of Love, Lover and Beloved as mystic archetypes capable of bringing about deep spiritual healing. If anyone is interested here's a link.

https://www.lovinity.co.uk



techstepgenr8tion
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01 Mar 2020, 4:38 pm

Raised By Wolves wrote:
I don't know a great deal about gnosticism as such but have had some contact with Thelema and the OTO which I chose not to pursue.

I have a relatively large OTO body near me so it was a stop on my journey after I'd been in AMORC and BOTA for a bit. My take on OTO - you have to really like the local culture at that lodge and fit in well to want to pursue it, ie. OTO's on the expensive side and take the step to first degree the grand lodge rules imply that if you then leave the order and don't continue paying dues then to come back you're in poor standing and need to rectify it. Clearly that's a lot of leverage and I had to ask myself 'Are these the people I could spend myself living the rest of my life in close contact with?' - the answer was no so I left. The Gnostic Mass was nice though and it would be better if they had some specific body for just that rather than constantly hinting that you should be joining MMM.

Raised By Wolves wrote:
My interest is very hands on though so I don't go a great deal for intellectual discussion as I'm more about practical experience. Not to say I don't enjoy theological speculation and understanding but I'm really about getting in there and immersing myself to whatever extent I can in the nitty gritty of whatever tradition it is that I'm exploring.

Of the maybe three or four year reading tare I went on with this stuff I feel like I've cooked/boiled it down and I feel like baking this into the fabric of who I am on the lowest and most granular levels is probably a lot more important than chasing big magical workings. I do have some curiosity about the Olympic spirits, have the Arbatel, and built most of what I need for Rufus Opus's Seven Spheres working but I'm still holding off on that - I often sense that with workings like that if I have unfinished business or development that I need to work through before I jump in that it'll sort of fall flat.

Anymore though I'd agree that the metaphysical speculations are boring. I do like it when people like Josephine McCarthy open up and talk about the energetic wiring frameworks and things you can try, she had a really neat lecture from 2016 that got taken down but it seems like - to me - the energy work is primary and without that very little happens aside from perhaps fantasy and psychological shadow work, which aren't unimportant things but there's probably better ways to handle them.


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