I’ve spent a lot of time attacking political ideology. I’ve likened it to religious dogma, which I’ve also critiqued extensively in this series. More than anything else, I believe that we need to adopt a shift in our way of thinking. Instead of conjuring ideological castles in the sky, we ought to focus on learning construction techniques, basically.
Jun 13, 2022·edited Jun 13, 2022Liked by Rurik Skywalker
I've felt this the first time I did a static line parachute jumps to earn my jump wings in the military. Walked out of a plane 2,500 feet in the air. Never hesitated nor flinched. I was filled with an amazing euphoria that must be felt to understand it. I'd get similar feelings in live fire exercises, and in martial arts training.
Regarding the esoteric although I am a baptized Orthodox Christian, my personal spirituality is very wide ranging ("God" is not "religion") I've studied esoterica for decades and I'm a first class very accurate tarot card reader. I've read the works of the major "religions" and then some. All have given me pause to reflect and think. However, four works in particular have been very inspiring for me and made much "practical sense", AKA can use the wisdom in my everyday life with no hinderance to my personal standards and life style.
These books are in particular order:
"The Secret Sayings of Jesus: A Modern Translation of the Gospel of Thomas" by Robert Grant and David Noel Freedman
"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu Translated by Thomas Cleary
"Tao Teh Ching" by Lao Tzu Translated by John C. Wu
"I Ching, The Book of Changes" Translated by Thomas Cleary
"The Quiet Mind, Sayings of White Eagle" (A fascinating blend of North American Indian lore and mysticism with Christianity.)
I've found much wisdom and spirituality in these works than can be used in a practical way in today's chaotic, nihilistic, collapsing society. I take what works and leave the rest behind. No heavy handed preaching nor forced asceticism. The problem with most dogma is it tries to force you into a construct. Liken it to telling a guy this shoe is perfect for him it will make his day and change his life. Except it's a 9D and they guy needs an 8E. He's told to force his foot into the shoe even though it's not wide enough. Problem is it will hurt him, it won't benefit him no matter how hard he tries to make it fit and work. He needs what fits what works for him. Not what he's told will work for him. It's time for Eurocentric nationalists everywhere to rethink everything they've been taught and to take what works and reject what doesn't work, or benefit our culture. Given the circumstances we find ourselves in today it's a question of our civilizations survival.
Jun 13, 2022·edited Jun 13, 2022Liked by Rurik Skywalker
Hi Rolo, for some reason this article brought to mind the Protestant work ethic. And while Max Weber's theory and connection to capitalism has largely been rebutted, I think an argument can be made for the 'promotion of excellence' in all things. Also called the doctrine of vocation or calling, the idea is that practice of doing a thing well can move us beyond mere labourers to that realm of 'masters'. More than 'mindfulness', the pursuit of excellence elevates our thought processes as we undertake work -- repetitive tasks or as an approach to life -- which can achieve the flow state you discuss.
Not sure I totally buy or even comprehend the entire conceit BUT I can absolutely vouch for flow state when deploying long practiced physical skills and three dimensional thinking as a professional cabinetmaker and boat builder of almost 40 years. And further, mastery of economically unrewarding skills for their own sake, e.g., applying a close to perfect high gloss finish by brush whilst having a fully equipped modern spray facility at hand, brings very unique spiritual rewards
A well written article. I don't disagree with the whole concept of spiritual attainment through practice.
The problem is that this whole discussion is happening too soon. If you're going to war you first have to know how to win the fight before figuring out where to host the victory parade.
Can a thief attain the same level of spirituality through picking pockets? Yes. He can. But should he? Ought he pick pockets or ought he not pick pockets? How do we answer this with orthopraxy w/ out first having a very objective (communicable) orthodoxy?
A monk digging ditches with a shovel can attain a high degree of spirituality but should he maybe, learn to use a tractor to dig ditches better?
I would argue what gave Europe better weapons to win the wars is precisely because their version of "orthopraxy" was guided by a very objective "orthodoxy". Why do you fight -- to win (orthodoxy). So all orthopraxy which did not fit that very rigid orthodoxy was judged heretical.
Nothing illustrates this concept in times of peace like heavy lifting. There is always a weight that will defeat us. Just short of that weight, the magic happens. The more closely we search for that limit, the more it recedes.
The special significance of lifting heavy is that success never depends on the fickleness of a competitor or judge.
200 pounds is always 200 pounds, and when our relationship with it changes, it is not the weight that has changed.
I really appreciate your writing Rolo and am glad that you approached metaphysics through its proper starting point: near-death experiences and mysticism.
Some critique. First, for one Ernst Junger that managed to reach the higher spiritual meaning of war, there were tens of thousands of men with shell-shock; these subsequently lived in alcoholism. Ernst Junger was a true warrior and war revealed him but how many people are there like him ?
Second, in the same vein, not everyone has the innate ability for mysticism. Learning the right techniques is not enough to make everyone reach higher states of conscience or develop new mind states. I often run into women into mindfulness yet the actual outcome of their exercises is pitiful and seems designed to impress their circle rather than to develop their conscience.
Third you cannot put near-death experiences on the same level as mysticism. In a near-death experience, the person usually meets parents or ancestors, angels, and formless creatures. They are given some explanation and they have to make the choice of dying or of returning to terrestrial life. Thus the person that undergo such an experience are those who came close to death but did not die outright, were given the choice, and came back. A very small subset of people with a deep interaction with the supernatural. They are at the origin of ancestor worship and the belief in angels. Mysticism has a wide variety of effects including the flow state, mind-to-mind communication, sight beyond walls, dowsing, etc. However interaction with supernatural beings is mostly absent. This leaves the men with creating their own interpretation rather being given one, which has resulted in the variety of religions humanity experienced in the past.
Fourth point, spiritual orthopraxy reveals actual powers of the human mind, powers that I believe our tribal ancestors used extensively but have been left undeveloped since the agricultural revolution. The increased size of human communities increased the need for interaction which resulted in the development of speech. It also increased specialisation in manual work and the necessity of acquiring skill. The time allotted to spiritual training diminished until most people with limited innate abilities could not gain much out of it. The priests and monks are those that could afford the leisure to develop spiritually. The trend continues. Today social networks destroy whatever inner life was left in most youngsters reducing them to mere corporeal nodes in a human mesh. A true tragedy for the common man.
I must admit, that some exceptions intruded when I was reading your general points.
1. Weber's "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" directly attribute behavior to spiritual belief.
2. The tenets of Islam do enjoin the Jihadi warrior to embrace fighting to the death.
3, The role of celebrity (rather than pure spirituality) in conferring status described in Veblen's "The Theory of the Leisure Class", only recognizes spirituality as only one possible characteristic of the high-status "drone" caste.
What does seem to be a common thread in this article is that spirituality raises industrial or productive activity to a higher plane, and once this is realized, 2 things may happen. a) Spirituality takes on meaning above and independent of the activity that engendered it. b) Ideology comes about when someone tries to articulate, or worse, assert, what that spirituality means in words.
In short, what's toxic about ideology is that it presumes to intrude verbally on spiritual matters , brushing aside the warning, "The Tao that can be spoken is not the true Tao."
Unfortunately, the pack tendency to make cult leaders over those who make outlandish claims overrides this wisdom that we should know in our more thoughtful moments.
"Point being: the only true religion of the wise man is the cult of the best practice." My question is to what purpose is this "best practice" to be applied? To kill well? To live well? To live morally? To live for others? To accumulate wealth? To lie best? Technique is important but the motivation and end are also crucial? Best practice in and for itself does not amount to much good.
Spiritualism refers to 19th century practice of seance experiments, most of which were fraudulent. It's a more limited case than a philosophy of spirit (metaphysics)
I've felt this the first time I did a static line parachute jumps to earn my jump wings in the military. Walked out of a plane 2,500 feet in the air. Never hesitated nor flinched. I was filled with an amazing euphoria that must be felt to understand it. I'd get similar feelings in live fire exercises, and in martial arts training.
Regarding the esoteric although I am a baptized Orthodox Christian, my personal spirituality is very wide ranging ("God" is not "religion") I've studied esoterica for decades and I'm a first class very accurate tarot card reader. I've read the works of the major "religions" and then some. All have given me pause to reflect and think. However, four works in particular have been very inspiring for me and made much "practical sense", AKA can use the wisdom in my everyday life with no hinderance to my personal standards and life style.
These books are in particular order:
"The Secret Sayings of Jesus: A Modern Translation of the Gospel of Thomas" by Robert Grant and David Noel Freedman
"The Art of War" by Sun Tzu Translated by Thomas Cleary
"Tao Teh Ching" by Lao Tzu Translated by John C. Wu
"I Ching, The Book of Changes" Translated by Thomas Cleary
"The Quiet Mind, Sayings of White Eagle" (A fascinating blend of North American Indian lore and mysticism with Christianity.)
I've found much wisdom and spirituality in these works than can be used in a practical way in today's chaotic, nihilistic, collapsing society. I take what works and leave the rest behind. No heavy handed preaching nor forced asceticism. The problem with most dogma is it tries to force you into a construct. Liken it to telling a guy this shoe is perfect for him it will make his day and change his life. Except it's a 9D and they guy needs an 8E. He's told to force his foot into the shoe even though it's not wide enough. Problem is it will hurt him, it won't benefit him no matter how hard he tries to make it fit and work. He needs what fits what works for him. Not what he's told will work for him. It's time for Eurocentric nationalists everywhere to rethink everything they've been taught and to take what works and reject what doesn't work, or benefit our culture. Given the circumstances we find ourselves in today it's a question of our civilizations survival.
Great write up, and I appreciate the author reference (Ernst Junger).
Hi Rolo, for some reason this article brought to mind the Protestant work ethic. And while Max Weber's theory and connection to capitalism has largely been rebutted, I think an argument can be made for the 'promotion of excellence' in all things. Also called the doctrine of vocation or calling, the idea is that practice of doing a thing well can move us beyond mere labourers to that realm of 'masters'. More than 'mindfulness', the pursuit of excellence elevates our thought processes as we undertake work -- repetitive tasks or as an approach to life -- which can achieve the flow state you discuss.
Not sure I totally buy or even comprehend the entire conceit BUT I can absolutely vouch for flow state when deploying long practiced physical skills and three dimensional thinking as a professional cabinetmaker and boat builder of almost 40 years. And further, mastery of economically unrewarding skills for their own sake, e.g., applying a close to perfect high gloss finish by brush whilst having a fully equipped modern spray facility at hand, brings very unique spiritual rewards
A well written article. I don't disagree with the whole concept of spiritual attainment through practice.
The problem is that this whole discussion is happening too soon. If you're going to war you first have to know how to win the fight before figuring out where to host the victory parade.
Can a thief attain the same level of spirituality through picking pockets? Yes. He can. But should he? Ought he pick pockets or ought he not pick pockets? How do we answer this with orthopraxy w/ out first having a very objective (communicable) orthodoxy?
A monk digging ditches with a shovel can attain a high degree of spirituality but should he maybe, learn to use a tractor to dig ditches better?
I would argue what gave Europe better weapons to win the wars is precisely because their version of "orthopraxy" was guided by a very objective "orthodoxy". Why do you fight -- to win (orthodoxy). So all orthopraxy which did not fit that very rigid orthodoxy was judged heretical.
Nothing illustrates this concept in times of peace like heavy lifting. There is always a weight that will defeat us. Just short of that weight, the magic happens. The more closely we search for that limit, the more it recedes.
The special significance of lifting heavy is that success never depends on the fickleness of a competitor or judge.
200 pounds is always 200 pounds, and when our relationship with it changes, it is not the weight that has changed.
I really appreciate your writing Rolo and am glad that you approached metaphysics through its proper starting point: near-death experiences and mysticism.
Some critique. First, for one Ernst Junger that managed to reach the higher spiritual meaning of war, there were tens of thousands of men with shell-shock; these subsequently lived in alcoholism. Ernst Junger was a true warrior and war revealed him but how many people are there like him ?
Second, in the same vein, not everyone has the innate ability for mysticism. Learning the right techniques is not enough to make everyone reach higher states of conscience or develop new mind states. I often run into women into mindfulness yet the actual outcome of their exercises is pitiful and seems designed to impress their circle rather than to develop their conscience.
Third you cannot put near-death experiences on the same level as mysticism. In a near-death experience, the person usually meets parents or ancestors, angels, and formless creatures. They are given some explanation and they have to make the choice of dying or of returning to terrestrial life. Thus the person that undergo such an experience are those who came close to death but did not die outright, were given the choice, and came back. A very small subset of people with a deep interaction with the supernatural. They are at the origin of ancestor worship and the belief in angels. Mysticism has a wide variety of effects including the flow state, mind-to-mind communication, sight beyond walls, dowsing, etc. However interaction with supernatural beings is mostly absent. This leaves the men with creating their own interpretation rather being given one, which has resulted in the variety of religions humanity experienced in the past.
Fourth point, spiritual orthopraxy reveals actual powers of the human mind, powers that I believe our tribal ancestors used extensively but have been left undeveloped since the agricultural revolution. The increased size of human communities increased the need for interaction which resulted in the development of speech. It also increased specialisation in manual work and the necessity of acquiring skill. The time allotted to spiritual training diminished until most people with limited innate abilities could not gain much out of it. The priests and monks are those that could afford the leisure to develop spiritually. The trend continues. Today social networks destroy whatever inner life was left in most youngsters reducing them to mere corporeal nodes in a human mesh. A true tragedy for the common man.
Rollo, did the conquistadors have guns, steel, and horses because they were Catholic and the Aztecs weren't? Etcetera.
I must admit, that some exceptions intruded when I was reading your general points.
1. Weber's "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism" directly attribute behavior to spiritual belief.
2. The tenets of Islam do enjoin the Jihadi warrior to embrace fighting to the death.
3, The role of celebrity (rather than pure spirituality) in conferring status described in Veblen's "The Theory of the Leisure Class", only recognizes spirituality as only one possible characteristic of the high-status "drone" caste.
What does seem to be a common thread in this article is that spirituality raises industrial or productive activity to a higher plane, and once this is realized, 2 things may happen. a) Spirituality takes on meaning above and independent of the activity that engendered it. b) Ideology comes about when someone tries to articulate, or worse, assert, what that spirituality means in words.
In short, what's toxic about ideology is that it presumes to intrude verbally on spiritual matters , brushing aside the warning, "The Tao that can be spoken is not the true Tao."
Unfortunately, the pack tendency to make cult leaders over those who make outlandish claims overrides this wisdom that we should know in our more thoughtful moments.
"Point being: the only true religion of the wise man is the cult of the best practice." My question is to what purpose is this "best practice" to be applied? To kill well? To live well? To live morally? To live for others? To accumulate wealth? To lie best? Technique is important but the motivation and end are also crucial? Best practice in and for itself does not amount to much good.
Spiritualism refers to 19th century practice of seance experiments, most of which were fraudulent. It's a more limited case than a philosophy of spirit (metaphysics)