noonespecial

I'm sorry how is that realted to my post? I don't know if I am interpreting you correctly, but what I am saying is that I just dont see a reverend implementing this program will make much of an impact, the problem starts in every household, mainly with the lack of father figures and trickles out into the streets, the problem is much bigger! Of course the police do not make matters any better, I too was a victim of police brutality back in the late 90s, I know 'how they get down' - and how the DA and everyone else in the court system turns a shoulder. With that being said, it is a great first step and I commend him for his effort, releasing the victim mentality and taking full responsibilty is a great first step.

Before implementing spiritually oriented 12 step programs, the family structure needs to come together, for the family structure to come together (ie for fathers to stick around and remain alive and out of prison) there needs to be jobs readily available, but look...no manufacturing, no call centers, all moved to Asia - and all the small businesses are run by Koreans (nail salons) and Arabs (liquor stores), so really there is nothing available for a family on the bottom of the ladder regardless of race, hence, the black and poor families in America will remain fractured simply because there is NO job infrastructure, no stability. But thank God no one was killed during the riots, which is actually pretty impressive on both sides of the aisle.

He should move shop to Hollywood, they would eat that up in LA.

To keep it brief: 1. Yes, all of us are endowed with telepathic skill, I think we have all thought of a certain person and the next second the phone rings and it is them, or likewise we feel someone looking at us, turn around and sure enough someone is staring at our heads (or in the case of the ladies, the derriere). It is surely a remnant of evolution, because animals have these so-called abilities. 2. It doesnt matter if there is a figure standing in your room, or a trifold torch floating in the sky outside of the window after a ritual, or a UFO, or a voice as clear as day, dont believe or trust anything, unless youre looking to become the next Joseph Smith. Examine it, dismiss it - as you have seem to done. Nice. 3. Take your own advice and remain skeptical! This is actually one of the reason I prefer eastern teachers in many ways, a Golden Dawn or Thelema guy would say, 'why yes a blue man, blah, blah, blah, did you do the secret handshake, make an offering to Zeus, worship so and so God, do so and so godform, because surely you were in the sphere of Chesed, blah, blah, blah, while the Eastern teacher will say f@c that sh!t, keep it moving, ignore all of it - it's a trap

James said, "Rabbi, are there then twelve hebdomads and not seven as there are in the scriptures?" The Lord said, "James, he who spoke concerning this scripture had a limited understanding. I, however, shall reveal to you what has come forth from him who has no number. I shall give a sign concerning their number. As for what has come forth from him who has no measure, I shall give a sign concerning their measure" James said, "Rabbi, behold then, I have received their number. There are seventy-two measures!" The Lord said, "These are the seventy-two heavens, which are their subordinates. These are the powers of all their might; and they were established by them; and these are they who were distributed everywhere, existing under the authority of the twelve archons. The inferior power among them brought forth for itself angels and unnumbered hosts. Him-who-is, however, has been given [...] on account of [...] Him-who-is [...] they are unnumbered. If you want to give them a number now, you will not be able to do so until you cast away from your blind thought, this bond of flesh which encircles you. And then you will reach Him-who-is. And you will no longer be James; rather you are the One-who-is. And all those who are unnumbered will all have been named." 1st Apocylapse of James

I saw a b.

Reminds me of a quote from Rebbe Breslov, "There is nothing very mysterious about free will. You do what you want to do, and don't do what you don't want to do."

Yes, so the level of consciousness would be limited to the needs of the physical body, hunger pangs, reproductive urges, the need to defecate, etc - but there would be no self-conceptualization; which must be based on the multiplicity of diverse and oft-contradictory sensory experience. (Perhaps we throw around the word consciousness when we really mean self-concpetualization)? Then what seperates the human born into a sennsory deprivation from an amoeba, without external input I would say nothing, our grandiose human consciousness is not so grand outside of nature, so consciousness is a self-sustaining loop wherein we seem to be agents of nature's ability to self-reflect.

Question, if someone was born into a small black room with no outside contact with other people, animals or any type of sensory input what type of consciousness would they have (assuming there was no need to be fed)? Would they even have any concpet of self? Yet surely they would be aware of being aware.

edit *post meditation rant*

A BOTA guy, who woulda thought. lol

I think the best thing to do is just stick with one system (set of tools) and let the reality behind those tools (qabalah, tarot, etc) unfold on it's own - overanalyzing causes paralysis, there is more value in working. I like Joseph Lisewski's term, subjective synthesis, in simple terms it's a control group that allows your subcoscious to interface with the inner worlds on a consistent basis, which is what any occult system REALLY is (edit: and yes, some systems are more accurate than others). I remember a coupe of years back I was arguing internally over which Tree of Life to use, that Hebraic or the Hermetic, that same week during ritual I had a stunning vision, I was in the tree diagram surrounded by these huge spheres as traditionally arranged, they were colored and marked according to the Hermetic system, than the path assignements began switching, finally all the spheres turned white, and then clear (like bubbles blown in the sun) and all the Paths were marked by a 0, all was foolish, all is 0. That really drove the point home for me, I'm unsure if it will make sense to anyone else. Do I still use the assignments, yes, but that was not the point of the vision, I am more than aware one drop of LSD and all that stuff gets thrown out the window all the angelic hierarchies and memory theatre and mental games descend into the simplicity of the glorious spiraling inifinty, sink or swim into the abyss

hmmmm, I sure know that I dont like being treated special or like a god or having my ass kisseed....just some common decency and respect as a fellow human is all I ask for. its like i tell my kids, 'dont be an asshole' - so soemwhere between 'dont kiss ass' and 'dont be an asshole' lol edit - The more I think about you reply, the more I realize what a really good point it is, for what i thought i knew, is really something else, ie. someone who expects to be fawned over and applies the golden in rule in daily life and does not receive the same treatement from others will either be a martyr or miserable. So it really involves there an unquantifiable experential knowing that is more akin to stoic equilibrium than just 'do unto others' Excellent.

It sounds cliche, but the golden rule is it. Treat others how you want to be treated. That's really what I know... On the other hand, waxing poetic about cosmology and metaphysics is icing on the cake, it's entertainment to me...it's turtles all the way down as far as I know.

Thats wo-fi

No one knows anything is the conclusion I have more or less reached after 35 years of sojourning here

UFA wrote; "what if these sources were not hinting at energetic influences, but rather living consciousnesses?" Likewise, what if what science calls gravity, the weak and strong nuclear forces, magnetism, light, etc are all actively conscious in varying grades, they are beings beyond our measuring instruments, but beings none the less. While I do not think it is necessary to apply modern scientific terminology to the occult, neither am I seeing a disconnect if someone chooses to use words like vibrations and energies, unless that is what you are saying?

Things that came to mind while reading this thread - “Its like a finger pointing away to the moon. Dont concentrate on the finger or you will miss all that heavenly glory.” - Bruce Lee "A symbol is the manifester of the thing signified, and if the thing signified has already an existence,and if, by experience, we know that the symbol has expressed that thing many times, then we are sure that there is areal relation between them." - Swami Vivenkananda

I agree and disagree. Have a blessed day UFA

Word.

Sometimes this stuff just falls in your lap I'm tellin ya: "This time you have really had the Gift of God; it is a great blessing and, for the first time, I understand how rare this favour is. Indeed, I believe that, in its unfathomable depth of simplicity, the arcanum cannot be found by the force of reason alone, however subtle and well trained it may be. At last you possess the Treasure of Treasures. Let us give thanks to the Divine Light which made you a participant in it. Moreover, you have richly degrved it on account of your unshakable belief in Truth, the constancy of your effort, your perseverence in sacrifice and also, let us not forget your good works.... You know that the finest phrases, the most eloquent protestations, are not worth as much as the moving simplicity of this single utterance: you are good, and it is for this great virtue that God has crowned you with the diadem of true royalty." - Fulcanelli Thanks for brining Fulcanelli to the convo Fr, this is precisely what I was attempting to convey. Alas, this thread brings to mind one of my favorite quotes, Jesus, in The Dialogue of the Saviour is asked by his disciples, "Where is the place we shall go?" He replies, "The place which you can reach, stand there!" Peace.

Really good so far.

There is no fuss friend.

The goal is simple, the means by which one chooses to ahcieve that goal are as complex as one chooses. Complexity in technique infers that only a book smart individual can achieve the unio mystica, the Pharisee. In theory one's passion, or will desire to know the Good can achieve the same results, this is the wisdom of the beggar. The greatest pitfall in the Work may be to fall into a state of spiritual elitism.