Nostalgia

Much have I struggled, I thought I would be able to conquer... And both Fate and Nature repressed my zeal and my strength. Even to have come forth is something, since I see that being able to conquer is placed in the hands of Fate. However, there was in me whatever I was able to do, which no future century will deny to be mine, that which a victor could have for his own: not to have feared to die, not to have yielded to any equal in firmness of Nature, and to have preferred a courageous death to a non-combatant life.

Faced as we are with this destiny, there is only one world-outlook that is worthy of us, that which has already been mentioned as the Choice of Achilles -- better a short life, full of deeds and glory, than a long life without content. Already the danger is so great, for every individual, every class, every nation, that to cherish any illusion whatever is deplorable. The march of time cannot be halted; there is no question of prudent retreat or clever renunciation. Only dreamers believe there is a way out. Optimism is cowardice. We are born into this time and must bravely follow the path to the destined end. There is no other way. Our duty is to hold on to the lost position, without hope, without rescue, like that Roman soldier whose bones were found in front of a door in Pompeii, who died at his post during the eruption of Vesuvius because someone forgot to relieve him. That is greatness. That is what it means to be a thoroughbred. The honorable end is the one that can not be tak...

   As soon as Gallus was invested with the honours of the purple, Julian was permitted to breathe the air of freedom, of literature, and of Paganism... In the age of Julian every circumstance contributed to prolong and fortify [his faith] - the magnificent temples of Greece and Asia; the works of those artists who had expressed, in painting or in sculpture, the divine conceptions of the poet; the pomp of festivals and sacrifices, the successful arts of divination; the popular traditions of oracles and prodigies; and the ancient practice of two thousand years... But the devout philosopher, who sincerely embraced, and warmly encouraged, the superstition of the people, reserved for himself the privilege of a liberal interpretation, and silently withdrew from the foot of the altars into the sanctuary of the temple. The extravagance of the Grecian mythology proclaimed, with a clear and audible voice, that the pious inquirer, instead of being scandalised or satisfied with the lit...

   That public virtue which amoung the ancients was denominated patriotism, is derived from a strong sense of our own interest in the preservation and prosperity of the free government of which we are members. Such a sentiment, which had rendered the legions of the republic almost invincible, could make but a very feeble impression on the mercenary servants of a despotic prince; and it became necessary to supply that defect by other motives, of a different, but not less forcible nature; honour and religion. The peasant, or mechanic, imbibed the useful prejudice that he was advanced to the more dignified profession of arms, in which his rank and reputation would depend on his own valour; and that, although the prowess of a private soldier must often escape the notice of fame, his own behaviour might sometimes confer glory or disgrace on the company, the legion, or even the army, to whose honours he was associated. On his first entrance into the service, an oath was admini...

   "At the distance of five miles from Antioch, the Macedonian kings of Syria had consecrated to Apollo one of the most elegant places of devotion in the Pagan world. A magnificent temple rose in honour of the god of light; and his colossal figure almost filled the capacious sanctuary, which was enriched with gold and gems, and adorned by the skill of the Grecian artists. The deity was represented in a bending attitude, with a golden cup in his hand, pouring out a libation on the earth; as if he supplicated the venerable mother to give to his arms the cold and beauteous Daphne: for the spot was ennobled by fiction; and the fancy of the Syrian poets had transported the amorous tale from the banks of the Peneus to those of the Orontes. The ancient rites of Greece were imitated by the royal colony of Antioch. A stream of prophecy, which rivalled the truth and reputation of the Delphic oracle, flowed from the Castalian fountain of Daphne. In the adjacent fields a stadium was bu...

The others feel the ill-proportioned outfit rough against them: iron, wool, and leather. True, some are flattered by a cap feather, yet how alone and unloved they all are; but he, as if it were a woman he bears it - this banner in her ceremonial clothes - just behind him her heavy silk blows, and often draping over his hands she lies. He sees just a smile when he shuts his eyes - he will not ever give her over. And when they come in blazing armor and grasp and struggle and try to capture his banner, from its staff he must hack it, as if he were tearing her very maidenhead, to hide it under his jacket. And for the others this is courage and glory. - Rilke

I remembered you wrong I remembered you strong I have severed all links, all attachments To study your gestures You shephard, you merchant You cold-hearted deserter Death is not a trivial matter Death is no trivial matter La muerte no es un asunto trivial And jealousy appeared Among a crowd of well-wishers And carried these mournful lanterns All gossip, all slander My sweet black childhood A secret son of europe In stern ordeals Our great refusal to fear La muerte no es un asunto trivial Mi dulce y negra niñez Un hijo secreto de europa Todo lo que hemos hecho Todo... He perdonado Todo... He perdonado Einmal vor Unermässlichem stehen ( Stand before the immeasurable ) Einmal vor Unaussprechlichem stehen ( Stand before the unspeakable ) Einmal vor Unbestechlichem stehen ( Stand before the incorruptible ) Einmal vor Unverdächtigem stehen ( Stand before the one who is not suspect ) I remembered you strong (Einmal vor Unvergesslichem stehen) ...

I added lots of new posts and I'll be blogging again now that I'm settling in. Use the labels tab on the left to see all my posts sorted by subject, regardless of date. I want this to be a source for good spiritual writing but also a reflection and expression of my soul. I'll start recording my own thoughts more as I feel more comfortable with that. You've meant something to me at one point if I've shared this with you and I hope you get something from it.

Lucifer walk with me  Lucifer inflame this heart  Lucifer embrace this soul  For I am fallen just like you I gave in  To life's bitter promises  Yes I gave in  But not again Lucifer embrace my soul  I've lost everything - all I love  Lucifer we share the dark  We are brothers you and I I gave in  To life's bitter promises  Yes I gave in  But not again Lucifer share this wine  Bitter and black like my love  Lucifer share my wine  One last toast before I go I gave in  To life's bitter promises  Yes I gave in  But not again

   This is intuitive work; modern peoples' difficulty in learning how to do this is a direct consequence of the loss of Pagan Mysteries; a direct consequence of the demonizing of the divine feminine, Dame Wisdom herself, a programmed mistrust of the feeling, intuitive aspect of our natures. Dominant religions are oriented around a basic mistrust of the human heart and feelings - the heart is corrupt with sin, even according to the Bible. At this point, we must make a stand, and part ways with the human-hating religions that turn people against themselves, all to better force them into reliance on dogma, and into reliance on religious leaders and institutions.   A person, at some point, has to stop fighting to make every aspect of their experience "conform" with some notion of how things "have to be," and let the great web of Fate be what it is, because nothing can change how Fate is, or how things "are" on the deepest levels. Luckily, it's no...

   Easing deeper into the woods, I notice that some trees are joined together as pairs. One of the partners is usually larger than the other, and most have grown from a fallen tree trunk or stump, of which only a rotted hulk remains. Surprisingly, many of the pairs are mixed. The first of these I find is a fluted hemlock standing with a smooth-trunked spruce. The two lean slightly apart, but near the ground they merge, so that each has shaped itself into the other. The most remarkable thing is their roots, an intertwined mass of living tree flesh that grows over a decayed log like a tangle of fingers clutching the dark earth below. In some pairs, the root masses rise five or six feet above the ground before coalescing into mated trunks.    These coupled trees reach into the same soil and share its nurturing, share the same rains, brace themselves against the same shuddering gusts, feel the same summer warmth and winter cold, flourish in the same moments of ...

   My fears about the boat subside as the night passes. Wind, sea, and rain become a voice of pure wildness, expression of the enormous, powerful thing that was born far out over the ocean, grew and intensified, and now sprawls up against the coast. Someday a storm like this might catch me on the water and carry me away, but I love it all the same. What better way to vanish than into the dark flailing breath of a north Pacific storm?    I float toward sleep, drawn away from the fears in my mind by the comforting tempest outside. The great storm contains me. - Richard Nelson, "The Island Within"

"No disease is so full of variations, so changeable in symptoms, so made up out of ideas opposed to, nay, rather, at war with one another, as is the disease called Superstition. We must therefore fly from it, but in a safe way and to our own good - not like those who, running away from the attack of highwaymen, or wild beasts, or a fire, have entangled themselves in mazes leading to pitfalls and precipices. For thus some people, when running away from Superstition, fall headlong into atheism, both rugged and obstinate, and leap over that which lies between the two, namely, true Religion." - Plutarch     The so-called Pagans of the ancient world believed in a highest God above all creation, with the gods and lesser spiritual powers being manifestations of various aspects of His/Its Being, and the various cults as paths of spiritual power, moral development, and methods of both raising and grounding the true human being with the ultimate reality.

There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones, that were the offspring of his thought, and they were with him before aught else was made. And he spoke to them, propounding to them themes of music; and they sang before him, and he was glad. But for a long while they sang only each alone, or but few together, while the rest hearkened; for each comprehended only that part of me mind of Ilúvatar from which he came, and in the understanding of their brethren they grew but slowly. Yet ever as they listened they came to deeper understanding, and increased in unison and harmony. And it came to pass that Ilúvatar called together all the Ainur and declared to them a mighty theme, unfolding to them things greater and more wonderful than he had yet revealed; and the glory of its beginning and the splendour of its end amazed the Ainur, so that they bowed before Ilúvatar and were silent. Then Ilúvatar said to them: 'Of the theme that ...

Yea, there is That which is the End-of-understanding, the "That" which thou must understand with the flower of the mind. For should’st thou turn thy mind inwards on It, and understand It as understanding “something,” thou shalt not understand It. For that there is a power of the mind’s prime that shineth forth in all directions, flashing with intellectual rays. Yet, in good sooth, thou should’st not strive with vehemence to understand that End-of-understanding, nor even with the wide-extended flame of wide-extended-mind that measures all things—except that End-of-under-standing only. Indeed, there is no need of strain in understanding this; but thou should’st have the vision of thy soul in purity, turned from aught else, so as to make thy mind empty of all things else, attentive to that End, in order that thou mayest learn that End-of-understanding; for It subsists beyond the mind.  - Chaldean Oracles The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao The name ...

   "I stood there quietly contemplating the clock tower, the low balcony and the tiny square. No one else was there, and it seemed as though time had stopped. Then a cat appeared and walked slowly and deliberately towards the balcony; it then stopped and lay down beneath it. A few moments later, I heard the sound of footsteps, and a man emerged from one of the narrow streets and came into the square; his presence there seemed to increase the stasis of the scene and he stood out  alone against his surroundings, seemingly isolated from them. As I stood there, I remembered another sight in the ancient city of Patan, near Kathmandu in Nepal, where there is also a square. The pagodas and palaces which enclose it have curved roofs which stand out against the blue sky and the snows of the Himalayas in the distance. The square is decorated with golden statues, and the buildings are covered with wood carvings representing scenes of love. When I was there, the courtyards an...

The Tree, the Serpent, and the Titans - from  The Hermetic Tradition by Julius Evola    One of the symbols that we encounter in diverse traditions remote in both time and space is that of the tree. Metaphysically, the tree expresses the universal force that spreads out in manifestation the same way that the plant energy spreads out from its invisible roots to the trunk, branches, leaves, and fruit. Consistently associated with the tree are on the one hand, ideas of immortality and supernatural consciousness, and on the other, symbols of mortal, destructive forces and frightening natures such as dragons, serpents, or demons. There also exists a whole cycle of mythological references to dramatic events in which the tree plays a central part and in whose allegory profound meanings are hidden. The biblical myth of the fall of Adam, among others, is well known. Let us highlight some of its variants, but not without first pointing out the universality of the symbolic...

View Part One here.    But the religious view is not the only one. As we have already shown above, this point of view is associated with a humanized and secularized variation on the "sacerdotal" (as opposed to "royal") tradition and is in no way superior to the other - the heroic - which has been affirmed in both Eastern and Western traditions and whose spirit is reflected in great measure by hermetism. One exegesis gives us, in fact, the "rod of Hermes" [footnote: In Athenagoras we find also an interference in the heroic cycle of Hercules; the one in which Rhea is bound by the "rope of Hercules"] as a symbol of the union of a son (Zeus) with his mother (Rhea, symbol of the universal force), whom he has won after killing the father and usurping his kingdom: this is the symbol of "philosophic incest" that we shall encounter in all of the hermetic literature. Hermes himself is, of course, the messenger of the gods, but he is also t...