"As Reason is a rebell unto Faith, so Passion unto Reason: As the propositions of Faith seeme absurd unto Reason, so the Theorems of Reason unto passion, and both unto Faith."
~ Thomas Browne

Flat Earth and related conspiracy cults (to use the lowest definition of that word) are a pseudo-spiritual reactionary splinter that remains comfortably lodged within the reigning scientistic-materialistic paradigm. Despite their staunch opposition to scientific institutions and academia, all their presuppositions are based on heaps of "evidence" woven into a dogmatic narrative that cannot tolerate questioning—exactly the modus operandi of the scientistic monolith. Despite this they act as if their belief is not just a contrarian view on the shape of the material world, but a spiritually superior Weltanshauung. Yet it remains unseen how such a fixation on a literal flat Earth can positively affect the spirit. Given the likelihood that these such alternative belief systems were intentionally seeded or at minimum fueled by certain institutions, and also taking it for granted that the purpose of a system is what it does, here we see a redirection of a spiritual impulse being nipped in the bud and even used to poison the well that originally watered it.

There are countless more instances of cases of people reaching out with a spiritual impulse and finding psuedo-spiritualized materialism in theories and worldviews that are far more reasonable but just as modern. Frequencies and their harmonics in electromagnetic fields gain magical qualities, timelines and time travel offer dramatic escapes from or saviors of our time, or suddenly quantum mechanics has all the answers to explain consciousness, reality itself, and God. These ideas really explain nothing meaningful about reality nor, again, do they actually offer any alternative to the paradigm they supposedly supplant. They invariably fixate on specific material phenomena and by sheer empty pretense sacralize physical forces. There is nothing spiritually significant in a mere belief, which is the ultimate attachment to hyper-rationalistic scientism that these theories never escape from—the final nail in the coffin of sola fide.

Even if Luther is right and works are only evidence of faith, lack of action then suggests a lack of faith. What does believing in the power of crystals and toroidal energy fields substantially change? If one still lives a modern life that is simply decorated with minerals and copper coils, it is all for naught. Only something properly supernatural and theological can truly be an alternative. Therefore beware all "magical" scientific theories and any beliefs that don't follow through to action. If some theory claims to have answers but asks nothing of you but a fleeting change in opinion, it is surely empty; if it promises radical change in your life and demands everything from you, it's a sign that it holds something powerful. On the other hand it cannot be understated how simple and subtle differences make the difference between a daemonic trap and a divine path. Saying "the universe" instead of "Creation" or "God" is the difference between a materialist cosmos and a theological one—a quick but significant change that meaningfully reorients one's entire perspective. Whereas a big change in belief can change nothing on its own, a small difference in vocabulary can reveal the subtle and the divine manifest in the world.

Mithras, God of the Morning, our trumpets waken the Wall! 'Rome is above the Nations, but Thou art over all!'
Now as the names are answered, and the guards are marched away,
Mithras, also a soldier, give us strength for the day!

Mithras, God of the Noontide, the heather swims in the heat,
Our helmets scorch our foreheads; our sandals burn our feet.
Now in the ungirt hour; now ere we blink and drowse, Mithras, also a soldier, keep us true to our vows!

Mithras, God of the Sunset, low on the Western main, Thou descending immortal, immortal to rise again!
Now when the watch is ended, now when the wine is drawn, Mithras, also a soldier, keep us pure till the dawn!

Mithras, God of the Midnight, here where the great bull dies,
Look on Thy children in darkness. Oh take our sacrifice!
Many roads Thou hast fashioned: all of them lead to the Light,
Mithras, also a soldier, teach us to die aright!

—Rudyard Kipling, "A Song to Mithras"

“Every creature seeks to become like God. If there were no search for God, the heavens themselves would not be revolving. If God were not in everything, nature would not function nor would desire be in anything.”

— Meister Eckhart

"The word "prehistory" is difficult to define as it is imbued with a spirit that has the formative power of history. Just as King Midas turned everything to gold, every era, when viewed through the lens of history, takes on a historical glow. The same was true of the myths: every tree, every spring, every constellation was filled with mythical life."
~ Ernst Jünger

To Know 'Collapse'

"Everything can collapse. Houses, bodies, and enemies collapse when their rhythm becomes deranged. In large-scale strategy, when the enemy starts to collapse, you must pursue him without letting the chance go. If you fail to take advantage of your enemies' collapse, they may recover. In single combat, the enemy sometimes loses timing and collapses. If you let this opportunity pass, he may recover and not be so negligent thereafter. Fix your eye on the enemy's collapse, and chase him, attacking so that you do not let him recover. You must do this. The chasing attack is with a strong spirit. You must utterly cut the enemy down so that he does not recover his position. You must understand how to utterly cut down the enemy."

Miyamoto Musashi (1645). The Book of Five Rings.

“The ground of being has three aspects: its essence is empty, its nature is radiant clarity, and its compassionate energy (thugs rje) is unceasing.”

“Compassion is not contrived or fabricated but radiates naturally, as rays from the sun.”

—Longchenpa, from The Precious Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena and The Treasury of the Way of Abiding.

“From within the state of rigpa, the compassionate energy of spontaneous presence accomplishes benefit for beings without effort.”

—Garab Dorje, the first known Patriarch of the mundane lineage of Dzogchen, from the Three Statements that Strike the Vital Point.

“When you rest in the state of awareness, the energy of compassion is spontaneously present, benefiting beings without bias.”

—Dudjom Lingpa, from Buddhahood Without Meditation.

“Being has come into existence by the outflow from the One; and all things are preserved by the care (epimeleia) of Being.”

“The Soul administers the All with care, not by deliberate choice, but because of what it is.”

—Plotinus, Ennead V.9.8 and Ennead IV.8.1.

“When a man is found worthy of the divine light, he becomes wholly love, wholly compassion, wholly goodness.”

—St. Symeon the New Theologian, from the Hymns of Divine Love

“The divine and deifying grace of the Spirit is called love, peace, joy … for it is the uncreated energy of God.”

—St. Gregory Palamas, Triads, I.iii.23

“What is a merciful heart? It is a heart burning for the sake of the entire creation, for men, for birds, for animals, for demons, and for every created thing.”

—St. Isaac the Syrian, from Philokalia

The wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know whence it comes or whither it goes; so it is with every one who is born of the Spirit.
— John 3:8

Into this happy night
In secret, seen of none.
Nor saw I aught,
Without other light or guide.
Save that which in my heart did burn.
— St. John of the Cross

"Dear Unknown Friend,

The words of the Master cited above have served me the key for opening the door to comprehension of the first Major Arcanum of the Tarot, 'The Magician,' which is, in turn, the key to all the other Major Arcana. [...] For the Major Arcana of the Tarot are authentic symbols, i.e. they are 'magic, menial, psychic and moral operations' awakening new notions, ideas, sentiments and aspirations, which means to say that they require an activity more profound than that of study and intellectual explanation. [...] It is a work to be accomplished in solitude, and is all the more suitable for recluses."

— Meditations on the Tarot

"The Major Arcana of the Tarot are authentic symbols. They conceal and reveal their sense at one and the same time according to the depth of meditation. That which they reveal are not secrets, i.e. things hidden by human will, but are arcana, which is something quite different. An arcanum is that which it is necessary to 'know' in order to be fruitful in a given domain of spiritual life. It is that which must be actively present in our consciousness—or even in our subconscious—in order to render us capable of making discoveries, engendering new ideas, conceiving of new artistic subjects. In a word, it makes us fertile in our creative pursuits, in whatever domain of spiritual life. An arcanum is a 'ferment' or an 'enzyme' whose presence stimulates the spiritual and the psychic life of man. And it is symbols which are the bearers of these 'ferments' or 'enzymes' and which communicate them—if the mentality and morality of the recipient is ready, i.e. if he is 'poor in spirit' and does not, suffer from the most serious spiritual malady: self-complacency.

Just as the arcanum is superior to the secret, so is the mystery superior to the arcanum. The mystery is more than a stimulating 'ferment.' It is a spiritual event comparable to physical birth or death. It is a change of the entire spiritual and psychic motivation, or a complete change of the plane of consciousness. The seven sacraments of the Church are the prismatic colours of the white light of one sole Mystery or Sacrament, known as that of the Second Birth, which the Master pointed out to Nicodemus in the nocturnal initiation conversation which He had with him. It is this which Christian Hermeticism understands by the Great Initiation.

It goes without saying that nobody initiates anyone else, it we understand by 'initiation' the Mystery of the Second Birth or the Great Sacrament. This Initiation is operative from above and has the value and the duration of eternity. The Initiator is above, and here below one meets only the fellow pupils; and they recognise each other by the fact that they 'love one another' (John 8:34-35)."

— Mediations on the Tarot

Peter Mark Adams conducts a thorough dissection of the symbolism of the deck, finding Platonic, Mithraic, and other esoteric symbolism. He also connects the contents of the deck to the conduct of the Venetian families who essentially invented modern banking and mercantilism.

"The supreme nobility of a Roman emperor does not consist in being a master of slaves, but in being a lord of free men, who loves freedom even in those who serve him."

— Julius Evola, Revolt Against the Modern World (1934)