CyberDruid
11-01-2010, 05:27 PM
(u)A Touchstone where inquiring minds can explore their personal reality through discussion.(r)
"Wat?" you might be asking. And I say: "How about a thread where we can talk about our personal philosophy, the history of our system of thought, and examine the fabric of our universe." Or more simply: "Why do you think the way you think?"
The only way I know to do this is to retell my own history as it pertains to how I arrived at my current world outlook. I feel that trying to remember and define why I think the way I do helps unfold it from the crenelated gray matter in my skull where I can examine it(ch). Just do whatever comes naturally for you, me? I tend to ramble.:rolleyes:
Judging from the posts I've read we have some thinkers on GN. So I thought it would be interesting to get a jam going where anyone could hop in and lay down a few riffs. Ya dig? I've been fascinated by Philosophy and Science and Metaphysics basically my whole life. The study of language and its origins evolved into the study of human thought and finally to what some might call intuition or direct knowledge or (gasp) the soul(▲).
Disclaimer: I'm not here to advance a particular agenda (other than friendly discussion), argue politics, defame religion, extol science, denigrate faith, or pimp belief. I just like to talk about topics that pretty much bump into all of those sooner or later...however, I don't feel the need to stray into the usual(poop) slinging fest.
So let me start by saying I was wrong. For many years I have considered myself as a Gnostic (http://www.iep.utm.edu/gnostic/) but I'm actually more in line with the thoughts of Origen of Alexandria (http://www.iep.utm.edu/origen-of-alexandria/). Who'd a thunk it? I still have my Dionysian (http://www.iep.utm.edu/pseudodi/) leanings, but the more I mellow with age the further back in time my Philosophical roots seem to draw their nutrient. Maybe the poop is better down there :D And Maybe when I am old and decrepit I will revert to Paganism (http://www.iep.utm.edu/lyotard/#SH4a):eek:
Here are the heresies of Origen that got him hauled before the Home-Synod way back in 500-something AD.
It is said by many scholars that Origen was likewise condemned and anathematized at the Fifth Oecumenical or General Council of the Christian Church, held in 553, likewise convoked in obedience to a Rescript of the Emperor Justinian. This second anathematization and condemnation at this Fifth General Council of the Christian Church, probably did actually take place. Certain it is that Origen's name in connexion with his alleged heretical teachings is mentioned also in the Reports of the Acts of that Fifth General Council; but he was in fact first formally condemned for these certain specified so-called heresies in 538 or thereabouts at the Home-Synod, as before stated.
The first anathema was pronounced against Origen's doctrine running to the following effect:
1. The pre-existence of the soul before its present earth-life; and its ultimate restoration to its original spiritual nature and condition.
The second anathema was directed against the following:
2. The derivation of all rational entities from high spiritual beings, which latter at first were incorporeal and non-material, but are now existing in the universe in descending degrees of substantiality and which are differentiated into various orders called Thrones, Principalities, Powers, and in other grades or orders called by other names.
The third anathema was directed against this doctrine of Origen:
3. That the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, and the other heavenly bodies, are the visible encasements of spirits now more or less degenerated from their former high condition and state.
The fourth anathema was directed against the following:
4. That man now has a material or physical body as a retributive or punitive result of wrong-doing, following upon the soul's sinking into matter.
The fifth anathema was directed against the following:
5. That even as these spiritual beings formerly fell into matter, so may and will they ultimately rise again to their former spiritual status.
The tenth anathema was directed against this doctrine of Origen:
10. The body of Christ in the resurrection was globular or spherical; and so will our bodies likewise finally be.
The eleventh anathema was directed against this:
11. The Judgment to come is the vanishing of the material body; and there will be no material resurrection.
The twelfth anathema was directed against this doctrine:
12. All inferior orders of entities in the vast hierarchy of Being are united to the divine Logos (whether such beings be of Heaven or Earth) as closely as is the Divine Mind; and the Kingdom of Christ shall have an end when all things are resolved back into the Divinity.
The thirteenth anathema was directed against this:
13. That the soul of Christ pre-existed like the souls of all men; and that Christ is similar in type to all men in power and substance.
The fourteenth anathema was directed against the following:
14. All intelligent beings wheresoever they be, ultimately will merge into the Divine Unity, and material existence will then vanish.
The fifteenth and last anathema was directed against this:
15. That the future life of all spiritual beings will be similar to their original existence; and hence the end of all things will be similar to the original state or condition of all things. (14)
SOURCE (http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/et/et-1.htm)
Seems like the truth to me...what do you think? But first...
How did I become a Druid with a metaphysical bent?
Raised Presbyterian in a 99.9% White Middle Class Suburb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Park,_Illinois) I dropped out of the Church when I was 6 or 7. Religion was not a big deal in my upbringing, and I remember no discussions about it at home...our "Christian" way was pretty much ingrained and unspoken. The house was full of books, my Brother being ten years older had books on History and Philosophy that got handed me early on. My Mother was fascinated by antiquity and amassed quite a collection of old books and I eventually read anything of interest. All this reading seemed to open more and more areas to explore. And it gave me a fascination with the written word and how it evolved from generation to generation. This first insight that language is a living thing has stayed with me till this day and I still find great pleasure in words and their ever-changing context.
A typical suburbanite I was firmly immersed in the material world. I found it hard to accept ideas like God and Heaven and Spirit because they were invisible to me. Despite growing up in the 60's there was no cultural revolution in my Village, no reefers being smoked, no LSD being dropped...all that came much later, after I had finished my Education (http://www.weinberg.northwestern.edu/) and moved into my own place. So I can say with certainty that the foundation for my current system of thought was not from messing about with drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol merely took me on many interesting tangents later in life, all of which I deciphered using my core perceptions.
And what were my core perceptions? What does that even mean? Let me use an analogy that came to me during one of my first LSD experiences back in the early 80's. I came to the realization I was like a Hamster in a Habitrail. Having never been outside my "petri dish" of Frank Lloyd Wright homes and neatly manicured yards and Dads that work and Moms that stay at home I had no idea how artificial that environment was. Getting dislocated by the effect of the Psychedelic I was able to look at my environment like an Alien from another Planet might look at it and question the unspoken, invisible tenets of that reality. Like a hamster finally lifted out of it's cage I was able to look down at the structure and realize the effect it was having on spiritual/intellectual growth by limiting what I might be able to experience. So to answer the question, my core perception is the grid I use to filter reality...allowing what fits to enter my thoughts and letting the rest pass by without taking it in. I had never been hungry, never wanted for anything essential to my survival, never experienced any real hardship, no real loss. I had all the keen senses of a fatted calf. Meaning not much.
Yet despite all that, when I think back on my interests and activities there was always a yearning to understand...what exactly remained as yet undefined. At first I turned the pages of thousands of books hoping to feed that hunger for real knowledge. Like a seedling sprouting up through the concrete there was some part of my mind that needed answers the way a leaf needs light. But eventually I guess my appetite for paper and ink subsided. I felt the need to find those answers in the mundane...in the every day world...not in some fanciful text, or wordy pontification.
Even as a child, hardly concerned with more than how much gum I could chew at once, or how far I could spit, I became aware of something other than the material world. The world of mind, of thought, of idea. Perhaps it was all the books, but well before I ever altered my consciousness my consciousness began to alter me. It was as if there was a wise and patient intelligence residing in my mind feeding me little morsels of truth as I grew the teeth with which to chew them.
The mind is an amazing thing. How can we know some of the things we know? Some call it intuition or instinct. It seems almost hardwired into me. All those random tidbits of experience, all those dollops of wisdom decanted from the pages of books would occasionally crystallize and provide me with one of those WTFBBQ moments where I suddenly understood something I didn't even know I was not understanding before :D
And that's what talking about this stuff continues to do for me today. Hearing other people's stories triggers those WTFBBQ moments too, so please, blow my mind:cool:
I'll ramble on about my later studies of Ancient Religion, the Secret Doctrine, my experiments with Magick and Tarot, the Revelations of the Kaballah, my irrevocable Initiation into an all female Goddess cult and my eventual return to Tradition at some later time if anyone cares to hear those stories. But this is quite enough for an introduction and example of what this thread is about.
Please post up your ramblings on the subject(toast)
(wh)Please accept the unwritten "Code of Conduct" and refrain from attacking ideas(nutkick); choose instead to deconstruct them in a(nutlick) friendly manner.(ww)
"Wat?" you might be asking. And I say: "How about a thread where we can talk about our personal philosophy, the history of our system of thought, and examine the fabric of our universe." Or more simply: "Why do you think the way you think?"
The only way I know to do this is to retell my own history as it pertains to how I arrived at my current world outlook. I feel that trying to remember and define why I think the way I do helps unfold it from the crenelated gray matter in my skull where I can examine it(ch). Just do whatever comes naturally for you, me? I tend to ramble.:rolleyes:
Judging from the posts I've read we have some thinkers on GN. So I thought it would be interesting to get a jam going where anyone could hop in and lay down a few riffs. Ya dig? I've been fascinated by Philosophy and Science and Metaphysics basically my whole life. The study of language and its origins evolved into the study of human thought and finally to what some might call intuition or direct knowledge or (gasp) the soul(▲).
Disclaimer: I'm not here to advance a particular agenda (other than friendly discussion), argue politics, defame religion, extol science, denigrate faith, or pimp belief. I just like to talk about topics that pretty much bump into all of those sooner or later...however, I don't feel the need to stray into the usual(poop) slinging fest.
So let me start by saying I was wrong. For many years I have considered myself as a Gnostic (http://www.iep.utm.edu/gnostic/) but I'm actually more in line with the thoughts of Origen of Alexandria (http://www.iep.utm.edu/origen-of-alexandria/). Who'd a thunk it? I still have my Dionysian (http://www.iep.utm.edu/pseudodi/) leanings, but the more I mellow with age the further back in time my Philosophical roots seem to draw their nutrient. Maybe the poop is better down there :D And Maybe when I am old and decrepit I will revert to Paganism (http://www.iep.utm.edu/lyotard/#SH4a):eek:
Here are the heresies of Origen that got him hauled before the Home-Synod way back in 500-something AD.
It is said by many scholars that Origen was likewise condemned and anathematized at the Fifth Oecumenical or General Council of the Christian Church, held in 553, likewise convoked in obedience to a Rescript of the Emperor Justinian. This second anathematization and condemnation at this Fifth General Council of the Christian Church, probably did actually take place. Certain it is that Origen's name in connexion with his alleged heretical teachings is mentioned also in the Reports of the Acts of that Fifth General Council; but he was in fact first formally condemned for these certain specified so-called heresies in 538 or thereabouts at the Home-Synod, as before stated.
The first anathema was pronounced against Origen's doctrine running to the following effect:
1. The pre-existence of the soul before its present earth-life; and its ultimate restoration to its original spiritual nature and condition.
The second anathema was directed against the following:
2. The derivation of all rational entities from high spiritual beings, which latter at first were incorporeal and non-material, but are now existing in the universe in descending degrees of substantiality and which are differentiated into various orders called Thrones, Principalities, Powers, and in other grades or orders called by other names.
The third anathema was directed against this doctrine of Origen:
3. That the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, and the other heavenly bodies, are the visible encasements of spirits now more or less degenerated from their former high condition and state.
The fourth anathema was directed against the following:
4. That man now has a material or physical body as a retributive or punitive result of wrong-doing, following upon the soul's sinking into matter.
The fifth anathema was directed against the following:
5. That even as these spiritual beings formerly fell into matter, so may and will they ultimately rise again to their former spiritual status.
The tenth anathema was directed against this doctrine of Origen:
10. The body of Christ in the resurrection was globular or spherical; and so will our bodies likewise finally be.
The eleventh anathema was directed against this:
11. The Judgment to come is the vanishing of the material body; and there will be no material resurrection.
The twelfth anathema was directed against this doctrine:
12. All inferior orders of entities in the vast hierarchy of Being are united to the divine Logos (whether such beings be of Heaven or Earth) as closely as is the Divine Mind; and the Kingdom of Christ shall have an end when all things are resolved back into the Divinity.
The thirteenth anathema was directed against this:
13. That the soul of Christ pre-existed like the souls of all men; and that Christ is similar in type to all men in power and substance.
The fourteenth anathema was directed against the following:
14. All intelligent beings wheresoever they be, ultimately will merge into the Divine Unity, and material existence will then vanish.
The fifteenth and last anathema was directed against this:
15. That the future life of all spiritual beings will be similar to their original existence; and hence the end of all things will be similar to the original state or condition of all things. (14)
SOURCE (http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/et/et-1.htm)
Seems like the truth to me...what do you think? But first...
How did I become a Druid with a metaphysical bent?
Raised Presbyterian in a 99.9% White Middle Class Suburb (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_Park,_Illinois) I dropped out of the Church when I was 6 or 7. Religion was not a big deal in my upbringing, and I remember no discussions about it at home...our "Christian" way was pretty much ingrained and unspoken. The house was full of books, my Brother being ten years older had books on History and Philosophy that got handed me early on. My Mother was fascinated by antiquity and amassed quite a collection of old books and I eventually read anything of interest. All this reading seemed to open more and more areas to explore. And it gave me a fascination with the written word and how it evolved from generation to generation. This first insight that language is a living thing has stayed with me till this day and I still find great pleasure in words and their ever-changing context.
A typical suburbanite I was firmly immersed in the material world. I found it hard to accept ideas like God and Heaven and Spirit because they were invisible to me. Despite growing up in the 60's there was no cultural revolution in my Village, no reefers being smoked, no LSD being dropped...all that came much later, after I had finished my Education (http://www.weinberg.northwestern.edu/) and moved into my own place. So I can say with certainty that the foundation for my current system of thought was not from messing about with drugs and alcohol. Drugs and alcohol merely took me on many interesting tangents later in life, all of which I deciphered using my core perceptions.
And what were my core perceptions? What does that even mean? Let me use an analogy that came to me during one of my first LSD experiences back in the early 80's. I came to the realization I was like a Hamster in a Habitrail. Having never been outside my "petri dish" of Frank Lloyd Wright homes and neatly manicured yards and Dads that work and Moms that stay at home I had no idea how artificial that environment was. Getting dislocated by the effect of the Psychedelic I was able to look at my environment like an Alien from another Planet might look at it and question the unspoken, invisible tenets of that reality. Like a hamster finally lifted out of it's cage I was able to look down at the structure and realize the effect it was having on spiritual/intellectual growth by limiting what I might be able to experience. So to answer the question, my core perception is the grid I use to filter reality...allowing what fits to enter my thoughts and letting the rest pass by without taking it in. I had never been hungry, never wanted for anything essential to my survival, never experienced any real hardship, no real loss. I had all the keen senses of a fatted calf. Meaning not much.
Yet despite all that, when I think back on my interests and activities there was always a yearning to understand...what exactly remained as yet undefined. At first I turned the pages of thousands of books hoping to feed that hunger for real knowledge. Like a seedling sprouting up through the concrete there was some part of my mind that needed answers the way a leaf needs light. But eventually I guess my appetite for paper and ink subsided. I felt the need to find those answers in the mundane...in the every day world...not in some fanciful text, or wordy pontification.
Even as a child, hardly concerned with more than how much gum I could chew at once, or how far I could spit, I became aware of something other than the material world. The world of mind, of thought, of idea. Perhaps it was all the books, but well before I ever altered my consciousness my consciousness began to alter me. It was as if there was a wise and patient intelligence residing in my mind feeding me little morsels of truth as I grew the teeth with which to chew them.
The mind is an amazing thing. How can we know some of the things we know? Some call it intuition or instinct. It seems almost hardwired into me. All those random tidbits of experience, all those dollops of wisdom decanted from the pages of books would occasionally crystallize and provide me with one of those WTFBBQ moments where I suddenly understood something I didn't even know I was not understanding before :D
And that's what talking about this stuff continues to do for me today. Hearing other people's stories triggers those WTFBBQ moments too, so please, blow my mind:cool:
I'll ramble on about my later studies of Ancient Religion, the Secret Doctrine, my experiments with Magick and Tarot, the Revelations of the Kaballah, my irrevocable Initiation into an all female Goddess cult and my eventual return to Tradition at some later time if anyone cares to hear those stories. But this is quite enough for an introduction and example of what this thread is about.
Please post up your ramblings on the subject(toast)
(wh)Please accept the unwritten "Code of Conduct" and refrain from attacking ideas(nutkick); choose instead to deconstruct them in a(nutlick) friendly manner.(ww)