In my last article, I introduced a particular philosophical perspective that I referred to as the mad logician. This perspective is far more than just a way of thinking; at its deepest level, it is a technique. It is a practice that not only fosters the blossoming of perception and awareness, but also serves as a powerful means for the absorption and containment of energy. This is a central tenet of inner alchemy, the way of being and action that I follow.Recently, a thoughtful reader p...
dogma
After watching a handful of debate shows and listening to various podcasts where people passionately argue their positions on controversial issues, I found myself wondering what it would be like to join one of these discussions myself. The idea was tempting at first. The thought of sitting across from a well-known host, or perhaps a panel of experts, and engaging in a spirited exchange of ideas had a certain appeal. But as I thought more about it, I realized that stepping into that arena wou...
In presenting the way of inner alchemy, I must always be very careful to follow a very specific line of action that is guided by definitive energetic currents. Metaphorically speaking, we could say that it’s like being a sailor or navigator: I must follow the flow of the ocean and the wind created by it, always ensuring that I stay on course, which pertains to freedom, good will, and honesty.
The currents are all around us now; they flow, churn, and turn, creating a wind that howls and...
In my last article, I discussed the idea that you should use whatever occult or mental discipline most inspires you. I equated this discipline to a kind of propellant and a rocket, that could be used to get you off the material space.
But as I mentioned in the article, once that discipline has taken you far enough, I said that you should strive to go beyond it, to be able to get off the rocket as it were, because if you did not, you might be stuck within the limitations of that discipline its...
There are many different ways. There are many traditions and methodologies to proceed by, to try to find the underlying truth of things, to try to find the underlying power, that is the birthright of every single one of us.
No matter what methodology you are using, as long as it feels right to you and is working for you, then use it.
You can think of these methodologies as sort of like a kind of propellant, in that they can help to get you off the ground, like a rocket needs propellant to get...
Depending on a person’s belief system, each individual may have a different answer to this question.
And even within the bounds of certain belief structures, there are individual ideas about what life after death if any might be like.
Here in the west many of us might believe in a heavenly realm, or a fiery hell. Many people are atheists as well, and such individuals tend to believe that once we experience biological death, we are no more, like biological machines, we just turn off and then t...