“While Wagner's Twilight of the Gods concludes in the most terminal and apocalyptic destruction, the only fate left to the decadent Iron Age civilization, Parsifal concludes on a note of maximum beauty and optimism, the last hope for redemption. And it is not for less, because with Parsifal a New Golden Age will be established.”
― The Arkadian, Richard Wagner: The Prophet of the Iron Age
Image: Parsifal by Odilon Redon
― The Arkadian, Richard Wagner: The Prophet of the Iron Age
Image: Parsifal by Odilon Redon
“The Warrior energy also shows what we can call a transpersonal commitment. His loyalty is to something—a cause, a god, a people, a task, a nation—larger than individuals, though that transpersonal loyalty may be focused through some important person, like a king. In the Arthurian stories, Lancelot, though fiercely devoted to Arthur and to Guinevere, is ultimately committed to the ideal of chivalry and to the God who lies behind such things as noble quests, “might for right,” and the lifting up of the oppressed.”
― Robert L. Moore, King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine
Image: Petar Meseldžija
― Robert L. Moore, King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine
Image: Petar Meseldžija
“Even today, a religious festival can produce the rapture that Indians call anya manas, the ‘other mind’ that is quite different from normal, profane consciousness… emphasis on liturgy reminds us yet again that myth cannot be viewed in isolation from this context. Myth and cultic practice are equal partners, both help to convey a sense of the sacred, and usually do so together, but sometimes ritual takes first place… To understand the true meaning of the myth, you must not only perform the rites which give it emotional resonance, but you must also behave in the correct ethical manner.”
― Karen Armstrong, A Short History Of Myth
Image: Trizna by Andrey Shishkin
Notes: Trizna is a funeral feast within the Slavic religion, which is conducted for distinguished members of society before their cremation.
― Karen Armstrong, A Short History Of Myth
Image: Trizna by Andrey Shishkin
Notes: Trizna is a funeral feast within the Slavic religion, which is conducted for distinguished members of society before their cremation.
“Nature never "fails." Nature complies with its own laws. Nature is the law. When Man lacks understanding of Nature's laws and a Man-contrived structure buckles unexpectedly, it does not fail. It only demonstrates that Man did not understand Nature's laws and behaviors. Nothing failed. Man's knowledge or estimating was inadequate.”
―Buckminster Fuller, How Little I Know, Saturday Review (1966)
Image: Natura Sonora by Tomás Sanchez
―Buckminster Fuller, How Little I Know, Saturday Review (1966)
Image: Natura Sonora by Tomás Sanchez
"Eosturmonath has a name which is now translated ‘Paschal (Passover) month’, and which was once called after a goddess of theirs named Eostre, in whose honor feasts were celebrated in that month.”
― The Venerable Bede, The Reckoning of Time, 725
Notes: This quotation attributed to Saint Bede has been the subject of debate regarding its credibility as evidence for the existence of the pagan goddess Eostre. Some scholars have questioned the authenticity of Bede's account, arguing that he may have invented the Easter goddess. However, it should be noted that during the period the Christian Church was primarily focused on eradicating the Old Religion. It is therefore highly unlikely that a Christian monk would have fabricated a pagan goddess when his focus would have been on downplaying the Spring fertility goddess in favour of the resurrection of Christ. For more information on this subject check out Survive the Jive’s excellent short video (6 mins) on this subject.
Image: Spring by Franz Xaver Winterhalter
― The Venerable Bede, The Reckoning of Time, 725
Notes: This quotation attributed to Saint Bede has been the subject of debate regarding its credibility as evidence for the existence of the pagan goddess Eostre. Some scholars have questioned the authenticity of Bede's account, arguing that he may have invented the Easter goddess. However, it should be noted that during the period the Christian Church was primarily focused on eradicating the Old Religion. It is therefore highly unlikely that a Christian monk would have fabricated a pagan goddess when his focus would have been on downplaying the Spring fertility goddess in favour of the resurrection of Christ. For more information on this subject check out Survive the Jive’s excellent short video (6 mins) on this subject.
Image: Spring by Franz Xaver Winterhalter
“The Easter Hare is unintelligible to me, but probably the hare was the sacred animal of Ostara … Ostara, Eástre seems therefore to have been the divinity of the radiant dawn, of upspringing light, a spectacle that brings joy and blessing, whose meaning could be easily adapted by the resurrection-day of the Christian’s God.”
― Jacob Grimm, Teutonic Mythology (1835)
Notes: The presence of pagan elements in Christian celebrations is not unusual, as pagan elements were co-opted and incorporating practices. In many cases, this ‘borrowing’ was intentional, as Christian missionaries sought to make their religion more accessible to those they were trying to convert.
The author and leading scholar of Anglo Saxon religion Brian Bates explores this tactic in his best selling book, The Way of Wyrd. In order to construct this historical fiction novel he conducted intense research as the framework he built his story around.
Image: Madonna of The Rabbit by Tiziano Vecelli
― Jacob Grimm, Teutonic Mythology (1835)
Notes: The presence of pagan elements in Christian celebrations is not unusual, as pagan elements were co-opted and incorporating practices. In many cases, this ‘borrowing’ was intentional, as Christian missionaries sought to make their religion more accessible to those they were trying to convert.
The author and leading scholar of Anglo Saxon religion Brian Bates explores this tactic in his best selling book, The Way of Wyrd. In order to construct this historical fiction novel he conducted intense research as the framework he built his story around.
Image: Madonna of The Rabbit by Tiziano Vecelli
“[Readers] may be surprised to hear words of gentle reasonableness coming from the mouths of Indians stereotyped in the American myth as ruthless savages. They may learn something about their own relationship to the earth from a people who were truly conservationists. The Indians knew that life was equated with the earth and its resources, that America was a paradise, and they could not comprehend why the intruders from the East were determined to destroy all that was Indian as well as America itself.”
― Dee Brown, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Notes: No literary work of equivalent scope and impact to Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee exists that details the genocide of the Pre-Christian Pagan communities of Europe. The cultural and spiritual beliefs of the indigenous peoples of the Americas bear striking similarities to those of European societies, particularly in their recognition of the interdependence between life and the natural environment.
Image: Wisdom by Thomas Blackshear II
― Dee Brown, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Notes: No literary work of equivalent scope and impact to Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee exists that details the genocide of the Pre-Christian Pagan communities of Europe. The cultural and spiritual beliefs of the indigenous peoples of the Americas bear striking similarities to those of European societies, particularly in their recognition of the interdependence between life and the natural environment.
Image: Wisdom by Thomas Blackshear II
“Liberty is never unalienable; it must be redeemed regularly with the blood of patriots or it always vanishes. Of all the so-called natural human rights that have ever been invented, liberty is least likely to be cheap and is never free of cost.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers
Image: Starship troopers by Gordon C Davies
― Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers
Image: Starship troopers by Gordon C Davies
“There will be, in the next generation or so, a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude, and producing dictatorship without tears, so to speak, producing a kind of painless concentration camp for entire societies, so that people will in fact have their liberties taken away from them, but will rather enjoy it, because they will be distracted from any desire to rebel by propaganda or brainwashing, or brainwashing enhanced by pharmacological methods. And this seems to be the final revolution.”
― Aldous Huxley
Image: Brave New World by Emily Carroll
― Aldous Huxley
Image: Brave New World by Emily Carroll
“Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree. And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their idols with fire; and ye shall hew down the carved images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.”
—Deuteronomy, 12:2–3
Notes: Yahweh, identified by the Gnostics as the Lord Archon or Demiurge is a jealous god who demands that no other gods be honoured before him. This implies the existence of competing Pagan deities who pervade nature in all its forms. However, monotheism rejects these immanent powers and attempts to leave the earth void of divinity, subjecting its inhabitants to an off-planet landlord. By reclaiming our senses from the psychic assault of the archons and their earth bound proxies we can once again begin to remystify our world.
Image: Saint Boniface by Michael Godfrey
—Deuteronomy, 12:2–3
Notes: Yahweh, identified by the Gnostics as the Lord Archon or Demiurge is a jealous god who demands that no other gods be honoured before him. This implies the existence of competing Pagan deities who pervade nature in all its forms. However, monotheism rejects these immanent powers and attempts to leave the earth void of divinity, subjecting its inhabitants to an off-planet landlord. By reclaiming our senses from the psychic assault of the archons and their earth bound proxies we can once again begin to remystify our world.
Image: Saint Boniface by Michael Godfrey
“The Druid name for the life force is nwyfre (pronounced “NOO-iv-ruh”). Nearly every other language on Earth has a word for it, too. The only languages that don’t are the ones spoken in the industrial nations of the modern West.
The banishing of the life force from the worldview of industrial society is no accident. The founders of modern materialist science fought hard to keep their newborn ideology free of any trace of the life force, and you can still reduce most scientists to spluttering indignation by mentioning it. Anything that strays too close to vitalism, as modern philosophers call the idea of a life force, comes in for unrelenting criticism.”
― John Michael Greer, The Druidry Handbook: Spiritual Practice Rooted in the Living Earth
Image: The Oath of the Druids by Daren Bader
The banishing of the life force from the worldview of industrial society is no accident. The founders of modern materialist science fought hard to keep their newborn ideology free of any trace of the life force, and you can still reduce most scientists to spluttering indignation by mentioning it. Anything that strays too close to vitalism, as modern philosophers call the idea of a life force, comes in for unrelenting criticism.”
― John Michael Greer, The Druidry Handbook: Spiritual Practice Rooted in the Living Earth
Image: The Oath of the Druids by Daren Bader
"To do evil a human being must first of all believe that what he's doing is good... Ideology that is what gives devildoing its long-sought justification and gives the evildoer the necessary steadfastness and determination. That is the social theory which helps to make his acts seem good instead of bad in his own and others' eyes, so that he won’t hear reproaches and curses but will receive praise and honors."
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Image: Dante and Virgile (detail) by William Bouguereau
― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Image: Dante and Virgile (detail) by William Bouguereau
“If doubt is near neighbour to the heart, that may turn sour on the soul. There is both scorning and adorning when a man's undaunted mind turns pied like the magpie's hue. Yet he may still enjoy bliss, for both have a share in him, Heaven and Hell. Inconstancy's companion holds entirely to the black colour and will, indeed, take on darkness's hue, while he who is constant in his thoughts will hold to the white.
This flying image is far too fleet for fools. They can't think it through, for it knows how to dart from side to side before them, just like a startled hare.”
—Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzival, Book 1, Prologue
Image: Portrait of Wolfram from the Codex Manesse, c. 1300
This flying image is far too fleet for fools. They can't think it through, for it knows how to dart from side to side before them, just like a startled hare.”
—Wolfram von Eschenbach, Parzival, Book 1, Prologue
Image: Portrait of Wolfram from the Codex Manesse, c. 1300
The Mystery of the Grail: Exploring the Esoteric Meaning of Wolfram von Eschenbach's Name
Wolfram von Eschenbach was a medieval 12th century German poet known for his epic poem "Parzival," which I considered to be the definitive rendition of the Grail Saga amongst its many versions and retellings. Although little is known of his life beyond what he reveals in his works, the author's name itself struck me as worthy of investigation.
The German name "Wolfram" translates to "wolf raven," which can be seen as a combination of two powerful animal symbols, each associated with distinct qualities. The wolf is often associated with instinct, intuition, and the primal, while the raven is associated with wisdom, magic, and prophecy. Both creatures are heavily associated with Odin who has two ravens and two wolves as his companions. "Eschenbach," translates to "ash stream," which may be interpreted as a reference to the world tree Yggdrasil, which was said to be an ash tree that supports the nine realms.
A numerological analysis of the name "Wolfram von Eschenbach" in which each letter of the alphabet is assigned a number, the sum total adding up to 63, which reduces to 9 (6+3) in numerology. This number is considered sacred in many traditions and associated with spiritual insight and the attainment of wisdom. In many mythologies throughout the world nine is the number of the Goddess. In Germanic Paganism, the number nine holds a particular significance and is recurrent throughout the mythology. One of its prominent associations is with Odin, who hung on the world tree Yggdrasil for nine nights to gain knowledge of the runes.
The name "Wolfram" may alternatively have been derived from the Old High German word "wolfrâm," meaning "wolf-judgment," or alternatively from the Germanic word "wolfa," meaning "to weave." The latter is associated with the Norns of Norse mythology, who are said to weave the web of Wyrd that governs the lives and fates of humans and the gods. The name "Eschenbach," in turn, is also speculated to be derived from the Middle High German word "esche," meaning “spear.” The spear is associated with Odin, who carries the spear Gungnir and was pierced through the side with a spear while hanging on the world tree. This also connects with the translation of ‘eschen’ as ash due to spears being traditionally made from ash trees.
Combining these various interpretations reveal the rich esoteric and occult nature of Wolfram von Eschenbach's name, the name itself is clearly rich with Odinic qualities. It could be said as well that Eschenbach like Odin also only speaks in poetry. This analysis certainly explains the more pagan qualities of Eschenbach’s "Parzival" compared to other, more Christianised versions of the Grail Saga.
Wolfram von Eschenbach was a medieval 12th century German poet known for his epic poem "Parzival," which I considered to be the definitive rendition of the Grail Saga amongst its many versions and retellings. Although little is known of his life beyond what he reveals in his works, the author's name itself struck me as worthy of investigation.
The German name "Wolfram" translates to "wolf raven," which can be seen as a combination of two powerful animal symbols, each associated with distinct qualities. The wolf is often associated with instinct, intuition, and the primal, while the raven is associated with wisdom, magic, and prophecy. Both creatures are heavily associated with Odin who has two ravens and two wolves as his companions. "Eschenbach," translates to "ash stream," which may be interpreted as a reference to the world tree Yggdrasil, which was said to be an ash tree that supports the nine realms.
A numerological analysis of the name "Wolfram von Eschenbach" in which each letter of the alphabet is assigned a number, the sum total adding up to 63, which reduces to 9 (6+3) in numerology. This number is considered sacred in many traditions and associated with spiritual insight and the attainment of wisdom. In many mythologies throughout the world nine is the number of the Goddess. In Germanic Paganism, the number nine holds a particular significance and is recurrent throughout the mythology. One of its prominent associations is with Odin, who hung on the world tree Yggdrasil for nine nights to gain knowledge of the runes.
The name "Wolfram" may alternatively have been derived from the Old High German word "wolfrâm," meaning "wolf-judgment," or alternatively from the Germanic word "wolfa," meaning "to weave." The latter is associated with the Norns of Norse mythology, who are said to weave the web of Wyrd that governs the lives and fates of humans and the gods. The name "Eschenbach," in turn, is also speculated to be derived from the Middle High German word "esche," meaning “spear.” The spear is associated with Odin, who carries the spear Gungnir and was pierced through the side with a spear while hanging on the world tree. This also connects with the translation of ‘eschen’ as ash due to spears being traditionally made from ash trees.
Combining these various interpretations reveal the rich esoteric and occult nature of Wolfram von Eschenbach's name, the name itself is clearly rich with Odinic qualities. It could be said as well that Eschenbach like Odin also only speaks in poetry. This analysis certainly explains the more pagan qualities of Eschenbach’s "Parzival" compared to other, more Christianised versions of the Grail Saga.
Notes on Dragons, Alchemy and Usury
Within alchemy, the dragon is a potent symbol that represents primal, chaotic, or raw energies that can be transformed into higher states of consciousness. The alchemical hero, such as St. George, represents the transformative process that leads to the transmutation of these energies (base metals) into higher spiritual purification (gold).
The dragon also symbolizes the unconscious or repressed aspects of the psyche that must be confronted and integrated to achieve spiritual wholeness or individuation. This confrontation is often viewed as a necessary step in the alchemical process.
In some esoteric traditions, the dragon is associated with Kundalini, a powerful serpentine spiritual energy that is said to reside at the base of the spine and can be awakened through various spiritual practices. The Kundalini is often depicted as a coiled serpent or dragon that represents the latent potential of spiritual energy within each individual. When awakened, the Kundalini is said to rise up through the chakras or energy centres, leading to spiritual renewal and transformation.
The dragon is also a prominent symbol within the Anglo-Saxon folk tradition that embodies the dark side of wealth, usury, corruption, and the life-cycle of civilisations. Dragons are often associated with greed and the destructive forces that accompany the accumulation of wealth. They are also seen as a manifestation of corruption and decay, symbolising the decline of civilisations through greed. By confronting and defeating the dragon, the hero represents the triumph of virtue over vice, and the restoration of order and balance.
It's clear that the dragon is a complex and multifaceted symbol that can speak to us on many levels. By slaying the dragon, the hero embodies the principle of renewal and regeneration, allowing for the possibility of new growth and the continuation of the life-cycle at the level of the individual and the folk.
Within alchemy, the dragon is a potent symbol that represents primal, chaotic, or raw energies that can be transformed into higher states of consciousness. The alchemical hero, such as St. George, represents the transformative process that leads to the transmutation of these energies (base metals) into higher spiritual purification (gold).
The dragon also symbolizes the unconscious or repressed aspects of the psyche that must be confronted and integrated to achieve spiritual wholeness or individuation. This confrontation is often viewed as a necessary step in the alchemical process.
In some esoteric traditions, the dragon is associated with Kundalini, a powerful serpentine spiritual energy that is said to reside at the base of the spine and can be awakened through various spiritual practices. The Kundalini is often depicted as a coiled serpent or dragon that represents the latent potential of spiritual energy within each individual. When awakened, the Kundalini is said to rise up through the chakras or energy centres, leading to spiritual renewal and transformation.
The dragon is also a prominent symbol within the Anglo-Saxon folk tradition that embodies the dark side of wealth, usury, corruption, and the life-cycle of civilisations. Dragons are often associated with greed and the destructive forces that accompany the accumulation of wealth. They are also seen as a manifestation of corruption and decay, symbolising the decline of civilisations through greed. By confronting and defeating the dragon, the hero represents the triumph of virtue over vice, and the restoration of order and balance.
It's clear that the dragon is a complex and multifaceted symbol that can speak to us on many levels. By slaying the dragon, the hero embodies the principle of renewal and regeneration, allowing for the possibility of new growth and the continuation of the life-cycle at the level of the individual and the folk.
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"The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country.'
― Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928)
Notes: Marc Bernays Randolph, the first CEO and founder of Netflix, is the great-nephew of Edward Bernays, a prominent figure in the field of public relations and the nephew of the founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. Bernays, who is often acknowledged as the "father of public relations," emphasised the potent nature of ideas, referring to them as weapons that could surpass the effectiveness of bullets.
Video: Greg Reese
― Edward Bernays, Propaganda (1928)
Notes: Marc Bernays Randolph, the first CEO and founder of Netflix, is the great-nephew of Edward Bernays, a prominent figure in the field of public relations and the nephew of the founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud. Bernays, who is often acknowledged as the "father of public relations," emphasised the potent nature of ideas, referring to them as weapons that could surpass the effectiveness of bullets.
Video: Greg Reese
“Man evolved in cooperating groups united by common cultural and genetic ties, and it is only in such a setting that the individual can feel truly free, and truly protected. Men cannot live happily alone and without values or any sense of identity: such a situation leads to nihilism, drug abuse, criminality, and worse. With the spread of purely egotistic goals at the expense of the altruistic regard for family and nation, the individual begins to talk of his rights rather than his duties, for he no longer feels any sense of destiny, of belonging to and being a part of a greater and more enduring entity. He no longer rejoices in the secure belief that he shares in a heritage which it is part of his common duty to protect he no longer feels that he has anything in common with those around him. In short, he feels lonely and oppressed."
― Alain de Benoist, Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft: A sociological view of the decay of modern society
Image: Brand by Kenneth Blom
― Alain de Benoist, Gemeinschaft and Gesellschaft: A sociological view of the decay of modern society
Image: Brand by Kenneth Blom