“This land of such dear souls, this dear dear land,
Dear for her reputation through the world,
Is now leased out, I die pronouncing it,
Like to a tenement or pelting farm:
England, bound in with the triumphant sea
Whose rocky shore beats back the envious siege
Of watery Neptune, is now bound in with shame,
With inky blots and rotten parchment bonds:
That England, that was wont to conquer others,
Hath made a shameful conquest of itself."
― William Shakespare, Richard II, Act II Scene 1
Image: The Duke of York Discovering his Son Aumerle’s Treachery by William Hamilton
Notes: This eloquent patriotic soliloquy is spoken by John of Gaunt and reflects his lamentation over the state of England, which he views as being misgoverned and suffering from corruption and decay.
Dear for her reputation through the world,
Is now leased out, I die pronouncing it,
Like to a tenement or pelting farm:
England, bound in with the triumphant sea
Whose rocky shore beats back the envious siege
Of watery Neptune, is now bound in with shame,
With inky blots and rotten parchment bonds:
That England, that was wont to conquer others,
Hath made a shameful conquest of itself."
― William Shakespare, Richard II, Act II Scene 1
Image: The Duke of York Discovering his Son Aumerle’s Treachery by William Hamilton
Notes: This eloquent patriotic soliloquy is spoken by John of Gaunt and reflects his lamentation over the state of England, which he views as being misgoverned and suffering from corruption and decay.
“The Anglo-Saxon word 'treow' meant both 'tree', and 'trust' or 'truth'. The tree seemed to represent the very essence of spiritual reality in cosmology, and material trees manifested this deepest level of integrity. For this reason, trees were even thought to provide witness for the most serious of contracts between people. Sacred vows, such as marriages or pledges, were carried out in the presence of these spirits of nature - rather like a pre-Christian ceremony equivalent to swearing on a Bible. Not surprisingly, the Church authorities objected: one of their pronoscriptions admonished ‘no one shall go to trees, or wells, or stones…or anywhere else except to God's church, and there make vows or release himself from them.’”
―Brian Bates, The Real Middle Earth: Magic and Mystery in the Dark Ages
Image: The Hallowing Of Heirdom by David Taylor
―Brian Bates, The Real Middle Earth: Magic and Mystery in the Dark Ages
Image: The Hallowing Of Heirdom by David Taylor
“The Dark Ages knew of no mystery schools such as had flourished in Antiquity. The Pythagorean and Orphic brotherhoods, the Platonic Academy, the Hermetic and Mithraic cults all had disappeared from Europe along with the Roman Empire. Their vision of man as a microcosm, reflecting in miniature the whole universe and its source…were almost lost. The new official religion of Christianity could barely tolerate such ideas, even among its own intellectual elite. The Church's power rested on the divinity of one man only, Jesus Christ, and on one path to salvation for the rest: that of obedience.”
— Joscelyn Godwin, The Golden Thread: The Ageless Wisdom of the Western Mystery Traditions
Image: Destruction from The Course of Empire by Thomas Cole
— Joscelyn Godwin, The Golden Thread: The Ageless Wisdom of the Western Mystery Traditions
Image: Destruction from The Course of Empire by Thomas Cole
Forwarded from The Fyrgen • ᚫᛚᚢ:ᚢᛚᚫ
Now and then, the topic crops up of what constitutes 'natural'. Some Pagans even unwittingly echo the view of prominent Transhumanist Yuval Noah Harari when he said: "From a biological perspective, nothing is unnatural. Whatever is possible is by definition also natural. A truly unnatural behavior, one that goes against the laws of nature, simply cannot exist, so it would need no prohibition."
Most good-intentioned people—when they use the word 'natural' to describe the quality of a thing, act or idea—are really talking about the concept of Dharma (which may be known as Ǣw in the Old English tradition). Dharma is not merely a synonym for 'natural', but is a little more discerning:
"‘Dharma’ is a Sanskrit word which comes from the root ‘Dhri’ – “to support” or “uphold”. Dharma is often translated into English as ‘righteousness’, ‘law’, ‘religion’ or ‘truth’ and literally means “what is established or upheld”."
[source]
If we were to apply this principle to, say, the idea of technological 'progress', even if one wanted to make the argument that technology is natural merely because it exists, one certainly cannot insist that it is Dharmic merely because it exists. Many objects, tools and ideologies exist which are not Dharmic. And actually, one of the principle features of religion (as opposed to Materialism) is that it gives the practitioner a framework and context for discerning good from bad. 'Anything goes' is an attitude antithetical to Indo-European religion, and an action or tool must be considered beyond merely what it can do to one's enemy. Certain actions or tools are attached to customs which can be decidedly un-Dharmic (having the potential to upset righteousness in a far-reaching way).
In closing, I think my point here can be conveyed concisely within the following question: Would you build a sacred temple out of plastic? If not, why not?
Most good-intentioned people—when they use the word 'natural' to describe the quality of a thing, act or idea—are really talking about the concept of Dharma (which may be known as Ǣw in the Old English tradition). Dharma is not merely a synonym for 'natural', but is a little more discerning:
"‘Dharma’ is a Sanskrit word which comes from the root ‘Dhri’ – “to support” or “uphold”. Dharma is often translated into English as ‘righteousness’, ‘law’, ‘religion’ or ‘truth’ and literally means “what is established or upheld”."
[source]
If we were to apply this principle to, say, the idea of technological 'progress', even if one wanted to make the argument that technology is natural merely because it exists, one certainly cannot insist that it is Dharmic merely because it exists. Many objects, tools and ideologies exist which are not Dharmic. And actually, one of the principle features of religion (as opposed to Materialism) is that it gives the practitioner a framework and context for discerning good from bad. 'Anything goes' is an attitude antithetical to Indo-European religion, and an action or tool must be considered beyond merely what it can do to one's enemy. Certain actions or tools are attached to customs which can be decidedly un-Dharmic (having the potential to upset righteousness in a far-reaching way).
In closing, I think my point here can be conveyed concisely within the following question: Would you build a sacred temple out of plastic? If not, why not?
“Max Weber spoke of the ‘disenchantment of the world’ and ‘life in an iron cage.’ Are we really doomed to this cage, or have we locked ourselves in it? This is, first and foremost, an intuition: life is much more than this. In spite of everything, in spite of all our attempts to ‘rationalize’ it, to make it comprehensible and predictable, life nonetheless remains a mystery. In its “great return”, myth can tell us about what this mystery is. Perhaps we can expect a great wave of “re-mythologization”, the creation of new mythologies after the general banalization that has now reached an unprecedented extent. The future, however, is unpredictable. Even today, man does not live fully in a rational universe, one part of him forever belongs to the great realms of the mythical.”
— Boris Nad, (Re-)Writing Myth: An Interview with Boris Nad
Image: Issa and giant’s head by Nicholas Roerich
— Boris Nad, (Re-)Writing Myth: An Interview with Boris Nad
Image: Issa and giant’s head by Nicholas Roerich
“The power of the story is what turns believers into dangerous fanatics, This is a most dangerous situation, for the narrative spell of salvation history can drive the entire human race toward deviant and inhumane behavior. Human beings can act contrary to their own humanity if they be following a noscript about what it means to be human that is erroneous, delusional, and loaded with false expectations. I submit that this is precisely the danger that Gnostics saw in the salvation narrative of the early Christians.
Perpetrators often cite passages of Scripture to justify actions such as suicide bombing or the invasion of Iraq, but they are compelled above all else by the dramatic force of the story they are living out. Today, various factions of society are competing to see who can act out the end-game narrative in the most violent, dramatic way.”
― John Lamb Lash, Not in His Image: Gnostic Vision, Sacred Ecology, and the Future of Belief
Image: Four Horsemen of Apocalypse by Viktor Vasnetsov
Perpetrators often cite passages of Scripture to justify actions such as suicide bombing or the invasion of Iraq, but they are compelled above all else by the dramatic force of the story they are living out. Today, various factions of society are competing to see who can act out the end-game narrative in the most violent, dramatic way.”
― John Lamb Lash, Not in His Image: Gnostic Vision, Sacred Ecology, and the Future of Belief
Image: Four Horsemen of Apocalypse by Viktor Vasnetsov
“Despite two centuries of fruitless searching, archaeologists have come to admit that the magnificent Kingdom of Solomon has no more reality than Arthur’s Camelot. At the supposed time of Solomon, Jerusalem was only a large village, while Samaria hosted a palace. The myth of Solomon probably started as a fantasy mirror image of Josiah’s political project, designed to strengthen the claims of prophet-priests that a new David (Josiah) would restore the empire of Solomon. The game of mirrors thus created between mythical past and prophetic future is a masterpiece of political propaganda.”
― Laurent Guyénot, From Yahweh to Zion: Jealous God, Chosen People, Promised Land…Clash of Civilisation
Image: The Queen of Sheba visits King Solomon by Lucas de Heere
― Laurent Guyénot, From Yahweh to Zion: Jealous God, Chosen People, Promised Land…Clash of Civilisation
Image: The Queen of Sheba visits King Solomon by Lucas de Heere
“Blessed is he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.”
― Psalm 137:9
Notes: The assertion is frequently made that the moral framework observed in European cultures owes its existence to the Judeo-Christian heritage. This heritage is often considered a moral "gift" from ‘the righteous’ that has shaped the ethical beliefs. It is noteworthy to recognize that the Abrahamic religions have deep-rooted connections to the concept of child sacrifice, with Abraham's unwavering obedience when tested by a divine command to sacrifice his son serving as a pivotal element in the foundation of Judaism. In a similar vein, Christianity finds its core doctrine in the notion of child sacrifice, as exemplified by the sacrificial act of a divine-human hybrid, who offered himself for the purpose of absolving humanity's sins.
Image: The Sacrifice of Isaac by Pedro Orrente
― Psalm 137:9
Notes: The assertion is frequently made that the moral framework observed in European cultures owes its existence to the Judeo-Christian heritage. This heritage is often considered a moral "gift" from ‘the righteous’ that has shaped the ethical beliefs. It is noteworthy to recognize that the Abrahamic religions have deep-rooted connections to the concept of child sacrifice, with Abraham's unwavering obedience when tested by a divine command to sacrifice his son serving as a pivotal element in the foundation of Judaism. In a similar vein, Christianity finds its core doctrine in the notion of child sacrifice, as exemplified by the sacrificial act of a divine-human hybrid, who offered himself for the purpose of absolving humanity's sins.
Image: The Sacrifice of Isaac by Pedro Orrente
“The myth relates a sacred history, that is, a primordial event that took place at the beginning of time, ab initio. But to relate a sacred history is equivalent to revealing a mystery. For the persons of the myth are not human beings; they are gods or culture heroes, and for this reason their gesta constitute mysteries; man could not know their acts if they were not revealed to him. The myth, then, is the history of what took place in illo tempore, the recital of what the gods or the semidivine beings did at the beginning of time. To tell a myth is to proclaim what happened ab origine. Once told, that is, revealed, the myth becomes apodictic (capable of demonstration) truth; it establishes a truth that is absolute.”
― Mircea Eliade, The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion
Image: Oedipus and the Sphinx (extract) by François-Émile Ehrmann
― Mircea Eliade, The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion
Image: Oedipus and the Sphinx (extract) by François-Émile Ehrmann
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Living Mythology: Orpheus and Eurydice
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Music Credit: Apparat - Goodbye (Eric Inside Mix)
Living Mythology: Orpheus and Eurydice
Thank you all for following the channel and for the ongoing support and encouragement.
Music Credit: Apparat - Goodbye (Eric Inside Mix)
Audio
The Missing Debate Over Gnosticism
The following audio recording features John Lamb Lash delivering a recitation of a 1500-word article, which was commissioned by Watkins Body Mind Spirit online magazine. The subject matter of this article delves into the sorely overlooked debate regarding the topic Gnosticism.
Within this presentation John expertly obliterates the conventional perspective of Gnosticism, characterised by its world-renouncing anti-cosmic dualism. It is this incisive critique that illuminates precisely why ‘the authorities’ have sought to suppress and prohibit debate on this topic since the days of the Early Church Fathers.
The following audio recording features John Lamb Lash delivering a recitation of a 1500-word article, which was commissioned by Watkins Body Mind Spirit online magazine. The subject matter of this article delves into the sorely overlooked debate regarding the topic Gnosticism.
Within this presentation John expertly obliterates the conventional perspective of Gnosticism, characterised by its world-renouncing anti-cosmic dualism. It is this incisive critique that illuminates precisely why ‘the authorities’ have sought to suppress and prohibit debate on this topic since the days of the Early Church Fathers.
“A myth does not need to have happened in the way in which it is described, and it may never have actually happened in that way, yet it could have happened, and it has happened or has been happening to a certain degree.”
— Boris Nad, The Reawakening of Myth
Image: Orpheus by Hugues Jean François Paul
— Boris Nad, The Reawakening of Myth
Image: Orpheus by Hugues Jean François Paul
“The rapid spread of the teachings of Rabbi Isaac Luria and his Lurianic Kabbalah resulted in a grafting of the then current theories of the Kabbalist onto the traditional Jewish view of the role and personality of the Messiah. This new philosophic paradigm, in the estimation of many scholars, provided a spiritual justification for proactive Zionism and the events that directly brought about the modern formation of Israel.”
—Robert Sepehr, 1666: Redemption Through Sin
Note: Lurianic Kabbalah seeks to manifest the 'restored world' (olam ha-tikkun) through ‘repairing the world’ (tikkun olam), involving the liberation of 'divine sparks' via performing the 613 mitzvot. The ultimate aim of such ‘repair’ is to separate the 'sacred' from the created world, leading to the annihilation of the material universe. This world renouncing anti-cosmic view is frequently erroneously attributed to Gnosticism.
Image: The Portals to Illumination by Paulus Ricius
—Robert Sepehr, 1666: Redemption Through Sin
Note: Lurianic Kabbalah seeks to manifest the 'restored world' (olam ha-tikkun) through ‘repairing the world’ (tikkun olam), involving the liberation of 'divine sparks' via performing the 613 mitzvot. The ultimate aim of such ‘repair’ is to separate the 'sacred' from the created world, leading to the annihilation of the material universe. This world renouncing anti-cosmic view is frequently erroneously attributed to Gnosticism.
Image: The Portals to Illumination by Paulus Ricius
“Now, go, and you shall smite Amalek, and you shall utterly destroy all that is his, and you shall not have pity on him: and you shall slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.”
― Shmuel 1 (1 Samuel) 15:3, The Hebrew Bible
Notes: The above passage was recently invoked by Benjamin Netanyahu as a justification of Israel’s military action in Gaza. [Source] This instruction is one of the 613 mitzvahs (commandments) “you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (Deut. 25:19).
Throughout history various groups have been historically designated as ‘Amalek’ due to the belief that the ‘spirit of Amalek’ is born into each generation which is why a second mitzvah exists to; “Never forget what the Amalekites did to you.” (Deut. 25:17)
Rabbi Pinhass Halevi of Barcelona in his Sefer Hahinukh (13th century) said that “every Jewish male has the obligation to kill them and to destroy them from the world if they have the power to do so, in every place at every time, if perhaps he finds one of their descendants” (Source: Prof. Avi Sagi, Yahadut Bein Dat L’mussar, Elliot Horowitz, p. 449).
In 1898, Rabbi Yosef Hayyim Sonnenfeld refused to go out to greet Kaiser Wilhelm II when he visited Palestine. He said that he has a tradition from the Gaon of Vilna that the Germans are the descendants of Amalek (Horowitz, p. 428). This is an incredible story since it took place decades before the Holocaust.
Somnefeld is referring to Elijah ben Solomon Zalman aka ‘The Gaon of Villa’ who was one of the most influential figures in rabbinic study since the Middle Ages. In his writings even back in the 17th century identified Germamia as 'Amalek' and therefore marked for complete eradication as part of a divine commandment.
― Shmuel 1 (1 Samuel) 15:3, The Hebrew Bible
Notes: The above passage was recently invoked by Benjamin Netanyahu as a justification of Israel’s military action in Gaza. [Source] This instruction is one of the 613 mitzvahs (commandments) “you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven” (Deut. 25:19).
Throughout history various groups have been historically designated as ‘Amalek’ due to the belief that the ‘spirit of Amalek’ is born into each generation which is why a second mitzvah exists to; “Never forget what the Amalekites did to you.” (Deut. 25:17)
Rabbi Pinhass Halevi of Barcelona in his Sefer Hahinukh (13th century) said that “every Jewish male has the obligation to kill them and to destroy them from the world if they have the power to do so, in every place at every time, if perhaps he finds one of their descendants” (Source: Prof. Avi Sagi, Yahadut Bein Dat L’mussar, Elliot Horowitz, p. 449).
In 1898, Rabbi Yosef Hayyim Sonnenfeld refused to go out to greet Kaiser Wilhelm II when he visited Palestine. He said that he has a tradition from the Gaon of Vilna that the Germans are the descendants of Amalek (Horowitz, p. 428). This is an incredible story since it took place decades before the Holocaust.
Somnefeld is referring to Elijah ben Solomon Zalman aka ‘The Gaon of Villa’ who was one of the most influential figures in rabbinic study since the Middle Ages. In his writings even back in the 17th century identified Germamia as 'Amalek' and therefore marked for complete eradication as part of a divine commandment.
The Times of India
Netanyahu cites 'Amalek' Theory to justify Gaza Killings - Times of India
Middle East News: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced criticism for justifying the killing of Gaza residents during the Israel-Hamas conflict using the
“Most intellectuals, pseudo and otherwise, deal with the conspiratorial theory of history simply by ignoring it. They never attempt to refute the evidence. It can't be refuted. If and when the silent treatment doesn't work, these "objective" scholars and mass media opinion molders resort to personal attacks, ridicule and satire. The personal attacks tend to divert attention from the facts which an author or speaker is trying to expose. The idea is to force the person exposing the conspiracy to stop the exposure and spend his time and effort defending himself.”
― Frederick Gary Allen, None Dare Call It Conspiracy
Image: Meeting of thirty-five heads of expression by Honore Daumier
― Frederick Gary Allen, None Dare Call It Conspiracy
Image: Meeting of thirty-five heads of expression by Honore Daumier
Forwarded from The Fyrgen • ᚫᛚᚢ:ᚢᛚᚫ
All 3 of the first Abrahamic religions are based on, and profit from, the Salvationist Lie.
Whether it be the promise of saving mankind from 'Pagan darkness', or from 'Original Sin', or perhaps even from the falsities of the other Abrahamic religions, the Salvationist Lie permeates them all. The Christians say you must accept Yeshua. The Muslims say you must accept Mohammed. The Jews say you must accept their coming Moshiach and Noahide.
In our original and natural state, we did not need 'saving' from anything. Religious and ideological imports have nothing to offer the man who does not require salvation, so a threat must be created.
This is how conquest has always worked, and in modern times we're told we must accept the new *Abrahamic religion of 'Progress' (Neo-Liberalism, Climate Change, Communism, the Digital Society) or else we're doomed. Same old tricks, again and again.
We never needed any of it. We just need to be ourselves, in our most natural and uncorrupted state of being.
*I call 'Progressivism' the 4th Abrahamic religion because it could not have arisen without the Salvationist foundations set by the first 3.
Whether it be the promise of saving mankind from 'Pagan darkness', or from 'Original Sin', or perhaps even from the falsities of the other Abrahamic religions, the Salvationist Lie permeates them all. The Christians say you must accept Yeshua. The Muslims say you must accept Mohammed. The Jews say you must accept their coming Moshiach and Noahide.
In our original and natural state, we did not need 'saving' from anything. Religious and ideological imports have nothing to offer the man who does not require salvation, so a threat must be created.
This is how conquest has always worked, and in modern times we're told we must accept the new *Abrahamic religion of 'Progress' (Neo-Liberalism, Climate Change, Communism, the Digital Society) or else we're doomed. Same old tricks, again and again.
We never needed any of it. We just need to be ourselves, in our most natural and uncorrupted state of being.
*I call 'Progressivism' the 4th Abrahamic religion because it could not have arisen without the Salvationist foundations set by the first 3.
"With no significant political forces opposing the conversion of our world into a universal marketplace, the conflict of our time is the struggle to retain one’s humanity in an increasingly artificial world. That is the only battle that retains any genuine significance from a traditional perspective."
― Julius Evola, Metaphysics of War: Battle, Victory & Death in the World of Tradition
Image: The Dreamer by Caspar David Friedrich
― Julius Evola, Metaphysics of War: Battle, Victory & Death in the World of Tradition
Image: The Dreamer by Caspar David Friedrich
“Kennedy decided to monitor the Dimona nuclear plant. He insisted on doing so, in order to determine whether or not it produces nuclear weapons. The Israelis refused, but he insisted. This crisis was resolved with the resignation of Ben Gurion. He resigned so he would not have to agree to the monitoring of the Dimona plant, and he gave the green light for the killing of Kennedy. Kennedy was killed because he insisted on the monitoring of the Dimona plant.”
― Muammar Gaddafi, 2008
Notes: On September 23, 2009, Gaddafi had the courage to demand an investigation into the Kennedy assignation in front of the United Nations General Assembly. Two years later, he was brutally murdered and his country was ravaged by civil war.
Image: The Assassination of President Kennedy (extract) by Gage Mace
― Muammar Gaddafi, 2008
Notes: On September 23, 2009, Gaddafi had the courage to demand an investigation into the Kennedy assignation in front of the United Nations General Assembly. Two years later, he was brutally murdered and his country was ravaged by civil war.
Image: The Assassination of President Kennedy (extract) by Gage Mace