The Eighth Sermon to the Dead

Mea Culpa. I ask your forgiveness, dear readers.  I have been guilty of spreading a misunderstanding. I'm very fond of saying that the word 'repent' comes from the Latin prefix re- meaning again, and peneso, meaning to think, and that it means that we are called to think again.  I've expounded on this theme at some length in various places. I'm quite wrong. 'Repent' comes from the latin Re- meaning again, and poenitere , meaning "be penitent" or "be sorry".  It is directly related to 'penal', meaning punishment.  So, not a call to examine your life, beyond the call that you've really messed up, and you need to get yourself right with God.  You've broken the rules, and you need to accept your punishment with a glad heart for the correction.  Mea Culpa, my fault. And yet, I'm not wrong. When I saw this, I was of course mightily embarrassed. And I was highly curious, because I'm a Johannite, and as such...

One of the difficulties I have when talking about gnosis is trying to translate the experiences I have into some form of Communication.  English is wonderful at getting across certain concepts, but sometimes you just need to use another language. Dépaysement French – The feeling that comes from not being in one’s home country. This word, to me, explains my base state of existence.  As a gnostic, I am not in my home country.  I am lost, confused, I don't understand the customs, the familiar things I use as touchstones are all strange here.  I'm never quite comfortable.  Enjoyable as things may be, they're never quite right.  I have this feeling of dépaysement, of not being in my home country. Saudade Portuguese – One of the most beautiful of all words, translatable or not, this word “refers to the feeling of longing for something or someone that you love and which is lost.” The liturgy of the Ecclesia Gnostica Mysteriorum contains the line "Whe...

In our last post, we spoke of the Pleroma, and how it contains everything and nothing.  Now, let us speak of creatura, the whole of creation, distinct from the Pleroma, and what exactly it means to be distinct. What is changeable, however, is creatura. Therefore is it the one thing which is fixed and certain; because it hath qualities: it is even quality itself. The question ariseth: How did creatura originate? Created beings came to pass, not creatura; since created being is the very quality of the pleroma, as much as non-creation which is the eternal death. In all times and places is creation, in all times and places is death. The pleroma hath all, distinctiveness and non-distinctiveness. Distinctiveness is creatura. It is distinct. Distinctiveness is its essence, and therefore it distinguisheth. Therefore man discriminateth because his nature is distinctiveness. Wherefore also he distinguisheth qualities of the pleroma which are not. He distinguisheth them out of his own n...

I've been wanting to write something, but have been lacking for inspiration.  I want to publish something every Thursday. Thus, I go back to what got me started in the first place.  These will be my meditations on the Seven sermons to the Dead .  To me, these writings are the most accessible gnostic writings out there.  Of course, they're also the most complete, and are translated from a fairly modern language.  First Sermon, Paragraphs 1-7: The dead came back from Jerusalem, where they found not what they sought. They prayed me let them in and besought my word, and thus I began my teaching. Harken: I begin with nothingness. Nothingness is the same as fullness. In infinity full is no better than empty. Nothingness is both empty and full. As well might ye say anything else of nothingness, as for instance, white is it, or black, or again, it is not, or it is. A thing that is infinite and eternal hath no qualities, since it hath all qualities. This noth...

Too Long, O Lord, has my heart been frozen Too Long Have I seen solid ground as a virtue. Do not kindle a flame in my heart Rather, blow away the frost In a cataclysm of burning water Bring my heart to life from an age of ice Even if that life be made of furs and a flint spear, seeking elusive mammoths Too long, O Lord, have I stagnated A miasma of forgotten dreams and wasted effort Bring springtime to the swampland of my life Let every living thing come forth, two by two slimy skin, brilliant plumage, glowing petals. Let the bayou disgorge it's contents not ashamed of the floatsam and jetsam of life lived lovingly Too long, O Lord, have I stood on the shore watching the waves erode where I stand My footprints and sand castles, designed with such loving care, erode under your constant motion Give me courage and a board that I may ride The waves of a lifetime, frozen only in my heart And when the hurricane comes, let me meet you in the maelstrom that comes f...

In the name of Light returning, I also summon URIEL, Dark Lord of Earth, who bringest all at last unto the Nether Shore, Companion of all who offer up their lives in the defense of others, guard this Chamber and witness the acts here taken. Come, mighty URIEL, and grace me with thy presence. The past couple weeks, I've been meditating on St. Uriel.  He gets sort of a bad reputation.  In the above invocation, he's known as the Dark Lord of Earth, and sort of acts as the Ferryman. However, in my meditations, I've come to a slightly different understanding.  He's the Lord of Earth.  All growing, living things come from the earth.  They all pass away, true.  But they all start here, as well.  His color is green for a reason:  He's the Lord of Growing things, as well.   So by being the Companion of the dying, he's also the shepherd of the living. For the two are intimately intertwined, of course.  They are the flip sides of each othe...

I've gone through some changes since my last post. I've lost my job.  I'm having trouble finding a new one.  In this economy that's to be expected.  So, I'm also looking at alternatives:  Project work, industry switches, etc. Today, I had to go out and visit my old place of work.  I never liked it much.  And I went to visit the restaurant where I went to lunch, which I'll miss a lot more. It's odd.  Never liked the job, never liked the people I worked with.  But it was part of my life for 2 years, and I think I got used to it.  So, I'm sad to be leaving.  I don't think I should be sad, and I can only tell I'm sad by the strange, bad habits that are starting to come up.  It's nice to be aware enough to at least realize I'm slipping into bad habits, even if I'm having trouble stopping them. I'm not terribly sad, though.  I'm looking forward to the new adventures that are coming.  However, it's hard not to stand and ...

Dirty Sexy Ministry writes: Life is running wounded, because unless we stay alone in a stall, we'll tangle with the barbs of circumstance, love, and humans. Godly life is remembering, even wounded, we can run and live and love. A lot of this post resonated with me, including: I long-ago quit worrying (most of the time) about who God moves in and out of my life. I have also quit worrying (most of the time) about who God moves in and out of my life.  I've known a lot of people, some casually, some deeply.  Some I still talk to.  Others have gone their own way.  But I keep leaving the stall, running, living, loving. Peace be with you.  There is peace in wild things, in movement, as well as in rest.

I'm reading a book called The Time Paradox , by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd. One of the many questions they ask in this book is "What is your first memory?" My first memory is of the house on the west side. It's hazy. I was probably four years old. The house itself is green-ish, with a front porch, on a city block. There's a dog, a white dog with black ears that I'd creatively named 'Snoopy'. A year later, that house would be gone, and my dog would be dead. I think I learned fairly early on that the things and people we love in this life are impermanent. That's why I've always had an interest in Religion and Magic, which claim in their own ways to touch something which is imperishable. It's also why I place more value on a good dinner with friends than a nice house in the rich area of town. All things are transitory, and I like to acknowledge that up front rather than hide behind the illusion of permanence. That house will pass j...

Today is the third anniversary of my Ordination. I was looking at my random thoughts on the idea, here. I'm still astounded that this has happened to me. Some days, I don't know what I'm doing. The past few days have been trying to grind me down. Last Night, I was privileged to celebrate a sacrament for someone. That experience reminded me why I do this. It gave me strength. A few days ago, I was able to help someone who had some emotional trouble over the phone. That experience reminded me why I do this. Sunday, I celebrated Easter Liturgy. That too, reminds me of why I do this. I thank you all for the chance to serve you, in whatever capacity. Priest, friend, confidante, obstacle, foil, nemesis.

Someone today asked me these questions: Just why is Gnosis important? How is it useful? And why bother at all? It was a good set of questions? This is my answer. Gnosis is salvation. This knowledge of God, this acquaintance with the Divine is what saves us from a world of systems, archons, and basic bullsh!t . By knowing at a deep, experiential level, that we are all part of the divine and that we're all trapped here together, helps us in our day to day life (we know other folks can't help their failings, and cut them some slack. We also cut ourselves some). We can be healthier, happier, less stressed, less cruel. It saves us from ourselves. It saves us from the anti-life, anti-humanity, anti-virtue culture that we are surrounded with. As within, so without. When we must do something unpleasant, we try to do it in the way that is least hurtful. When we must do something good, we do so with the maximum amount of joy. We see in those the world considers least, the refle...

My girlfriend has a food blog. As part of her expanding into the weird, wide world of internet food writing, she's encountered a lot of people. What I've been most surprised at is the number of people who are afraid of things relating to cooking. "I'm afraid of cardamon (or cumin, or saffron). I don't know how to use it, I've never used it." "I'm afraid of making my grandfather's recipe. What if I screw it up? What if I don't like it?" What's with the fear? It is food. Granted, some food can be dangerous to people with allergies, but most people realize that. These are relatively healthy people, dealing with ingredients that are uncommon in the U.S., but common just about everywhere else. And the fearing to make the grandfather's recipe boggles the mind. Why wouldn't you make it, and reconnect with your roots? Sorry, A break in the 'Luck' series to question it a bit. Are there simple things you fear to do...

Ok, so there are four principles to having good luck manifest in your life. The first one is Maximizing your Luck Opportunities. What does this entail? Well, there are three basic parts to this: Build a strong "network of luck" Have a relaxed attitude toward life Enjoy new experiences So, what does this mean? Well, to build a strong 'network of luck', you have to go out, meet people, and be interested in them just for the sake of meeting people. Extroverts tend to be lucky. They meet a lot of people, they talk a lot, and when they meet people and talk to people who can help them, they manage to make the connections they need. The Relaxed attitude toward life means you're a) open to spur of the moment or new things, and b) not too wound up when things go wrong. You don't hold grudges, you're not neurotic about what people think about you or what the future holds. You roll with it. Go with the flow. You have a goal, but the route is open. Enjoying ne...

When most people think of luck, they think of either superstition, like a lucky rabbit's foot, or chance, like winning the lottery. When they think of influencing their luck, they think of rituals or superstitions. However, at least one psychologist in Britian took some time and studied the phenomenom, of why some people are lucky and why some are not. What he found was surprising. He found Four psychological principles (and several sub principles) that lucky people have in common: Maximize Your Chance Opportunities Listen to your Intuition (lucky hunches) Expect Good Fortune Turn your bad luck into Good I really want to explore these a little more, and see how I end up putting them to use in my own life. I feel I've generally had good luck, and I generally expect good fortune, so I've got some of this down. I'm going to work through the book and the exercises in it, and see what if my luck improves. What does this have to do with gnosticism or magic? Well, I fin...

"There has been much research proving that most viruses, fungi, and bacteria cannot live in the presence of many essential oils, particularly oils high in phenols, caracrol, thymol, and terpenes. Just a .2 percent concentration of lemon oil and vinegar can kill Staph - even the antibiotic-resitent varieties. Eucalyptus, lavender, tea tree, grapefruits seed extract, lemon and oregano essential oils kill MSRA and E. coli on contact. Thieves Oil has been proven to kill 99.96 of unhealthy microbes. Obviously, the medical, pharmaceutical and chemical industries and Donald Rumsfeld don't want people to have this information. The oils should be stored in glass vials/bottle and stored in a cool, dark place. Don't leave bottles open: the lighter, volatile molecules evaporate quickly, leaving the heavier molecules in the bottle. The evaporation changes the chemistry of the oil, making it less beneficial. I have been using Thieves Oil for almost eight years now. The formula that wo...

I come to you, oh Blogosphere, with a question: When supporting medical care for chronic conditions with energy work, magic, etc., what sort of guided imagery do you use? I'm looking at starting some guided imagery to help someone with a chronic condition, and am wondering what sorts of imagery are effective, both for the practitioner (to get in the right headspace) and to tell to the recipient. Anyone have any resources/books/advice?

I've had a hard time locating these, so I'm putting them here for easy location later. Hopefully, they can be of some help to people later. Mercury: כוכב חמה [ko-chav khamah] Venus: נוגה [no-ga] Earth: כדור הארץ [kadur ha'aretz] Mars: מאדים [ma'adim] Jupiter: צדק [tzedek] Saturn: שבתאי [shab-tai] Source: http://muqata.blogspot.com/2009/11/name-that-planet-in-hebrew.html I'm adding: Sun: ש מ ש [Shem-esh] Moon: לבנה [Le-van-ah]

Be thirsty heart, seek forever without a rest. Let this soundless longing hidden deep inside you be the source of every word you say. -Rumi

Shine until the two become one.

I've been coming across prayers. I have some friends who are having bad times, going through disturbances and tribulations. I post this for you, and for myself. For I see myself in the first section of this prayer. Edit: Apparently, I missed the end of the prayer. Also, I put in a bit of history about it. Sir Francis Drake Prayer Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves, When our dreams have come true Because we have dreamed too little, When we arrived safely Because we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, when With the abundance of things we possess We have lost our thirst For the waters of life; Having fallen in love with life, We have ceased to dream of eternity And in our efforts to build a new earth, We have allowed our vision Of the new Heaven to dim. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, To venture on wider seas Where storms will show your mastery; Where losing sight of land, We shall find the stars. We ask You to push back The hor...