Delve into the intricate relationship between mysticism, religion, societal control, and progress in this thought-provoking podcast episode. Explore how mysticism, the pursuit of direct spiritual experience, weaves through diverse religious traditions, fostering inner transformation and unity with the divine. Uncover the “wounded healer” archetype, where personal suffering becomes a wellspring of wisdom, guiding others on their spiritual journeys.
Discover the common themes linking esoteric practices across religions, from hidden knowledge to sacred symbolism. Investigate how esoterica can be both a source of empowerment and a means of reinforcing authority. Journey through history to understand how religion has been harnessed to shape societies, offering moral frameworks, social cohesion, and educational platforms. Examine its dual role in promoting progress while sometimes stifling scientific exploration.
Navigate the intricate dance between religion’s capacity to inspire charitable acts and its potential to divide due to differing beliefs. Grasp the ways religion has molded cultures and traditions, fostering a sense of identity and belonging. Ultimately, this podcast illuminates how religion and mysticism, as forces of control and catalysts for advancement, coalesce in a complex tapestry that continues to shape human society in diverse and profound ways.
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Hi Bill,
This year (47m) I’ve embraced my mystical side. I enjoyed this episode and would like to give my opinion on the wisdom philosophies. I believe this traces back to zarastlrians. From ancient Persia it branches out east to Hinduism and Buddhism. And to the west in the Pythagorean, Plato, and Greek thought in general. Alexander the Great conquered all of these lands and established the library of Alexandria and this created a magnet for worlds knowledge being gathered in Egypt.
I started in my mystic practices in my teens when I started reading the Nag Hammadi library and Loved the idea of Sophia and the divine spark she brought to the world. Of course, I was seeing this in the Mormon paradigm and I saw Sophia as heavenly mother.
Fast forward many many years to now and I discover that my friends are Gnostic. They are druze. That 10 min conversation of realizing druze have a Gnostic framework (inherited by the Sufi Islam). They won’t talk to my much due to the secret esoteric nature.
So I dove into some books…. The book called “the rise and fall of Alexandria birthplace of the modern mind” by Justin pollard and Howard Reid was fundamental to my understanding of how Greek thought shaped the world.
As you know the early Christian’s was not United. The council of nicene in 325 basically established the definition of what is orthodox christianity. At this time the “Gnostic” variant of Christianity had to go underground. Literally and figuratively. Literally in the form of texts as in the nag hammadi and the pistis sophia.
Figuratively because the “secret knowledge” never left the Catholic Church. It’s found in the eastern branch of orthodox Catholics and i believe it’s a huge part of the reformation found in the Roman Catholic branch of the church. The separate break off Christian sects in the reformation have , in my opinion many, Gnostic ideals. They just went underground and stayed alive in secret, occult, Kabbalah/ cabbala groups.
The book mentioned above explained why did the Byzantine (medieval Roman Empire) choose what was orthodox and what was heresy. Well, the empire was dying. It was shrinking. Islam was on the rise. Rebellion was chipping away at the territories. So a religion of “faith” just “believe what we say” and you will be saved helps the empire in far more ways then a religion of “wisdom”. A person journey of knowledge and inner mediation and philosophy. That’s religion doesn’t control the masses….
Then due to Christian intolerance the empire with its orthodox bishops destroyed the library of Alexandria. Person knowledge was a dangerous concept compared to a collective belief of dogma and sacrifice this life for the next life.
So I’ll end with the resurgence in Gnosticism. In my opinion it’s is built on Plato’s world of form. Found in Plato’s book “timeaus”. I think this is the foundation of the Trinity. Sufi Islam is platonism and Islam. And now present day Carl Jung was a Gnostic. He read the nag hammadi codex. He looked at the wisdom traditions of the world.
I’ll close in that I find humor in the story of evil demiurge banishing Sophia from the church in 325 AD and then many years Later Sophia influences a founder of modern psychology in Carl Jung. As we know most religious people who leave the “church” seeks therapy. I smile knowing that Sophia and wisdom is helping people as they leave religion and find meaning in their life.