You'd think that the MindMatters crew wouldn't have to delve into this subject but, alas, the very fact that it's become an issue speaks volumes about how bass akwards Western civilization has become. And that certainly warrants examination...
New Show: MindMatters (RIP Truth Perspective)
- Thread starter Approaching Infinity
- Start date
Missed this earlier. Oops!
Glad you liked the shows and I agree that both those guys are great guests. We'll definitely have them both back at some point in the future.
Agreed! Butcher's really got a knack for writing great stories that draw you in and don't let go. And it's great that you're getting into him now and can just jump from one book to the next. Having to wait years for the next installment is never pleasant when one of the books ends on a serious cliffhanger.
Il Matto
Jedi
Pardon the delay in reacting to this show (that's what playing catch-up after a few months without the internet will do for you!)
I finally managed to listen to this interview this morning - absolutely loved it! John Carter really does seem to be on the same wavelength, as suggested in the introduction to the show on this thread.
A comment was made on the YouTube channel about John mentioning 'Distributism', which I believe he ascribed to G.K. Chesterton. The commenter mentioned that what he has likely thinking of was a principle of Catholic political thinking called 'subsidiarity' - which is the interesting idea that political / economic / labour decisions etc should be made at as local a level as possible. Something tells me that this idea is unlikely to catch on with the powers-that-be.. perhaps organisation along those lines at small community levels would be a way forward after all this mess has led to societal collapse..?
A really great and informative discussion - thank you guys! And as a bonus, I now know what Substack is - which I shall be diving into through the links you have provided.
Thankyou gentlemen, for your discussion and exploration of: the absurd question what is a woman, and how it came to be asked. It sure is a mind frack and I find it extremely offensive.
It’s really disturbing how many children are being brought up with the notion that the physical reality of sex polarity does not exist.
Also, I really don’t understand why some people think it is so wrong to simply be a woman? Why are people buying into the notion that it’s shameful to be an adult female?
It’s really disturbing how many children are being brought up with the notion that the physical reality of sex polarity does not exist.
Also, I really don’t understand why some people think it is so wrong to simply be a woman? Why are people buying into the notion that it’s shameful to be an adult female?
That was a very delightful and thoughtful conversation guys. Liked and commented to bribe the algorithm into taking it far and wide!
Il Matto
Jedi
I really enjoyed this show, thank you guys - very thoughtful conversation.
As a married man, you can imagine the existential spiral I fell into when it dawned on me that I had it all wrong.. It turns out that I didn't in fact marry a woman; it was an absurd assumption to think that I had not only encountered one of these mythical creatures, but had somehow built a meaningful life with one..!
I also decided to engage in Matt Walsh's little thought experiment and asked my wife: What is a woman? I'm disappointed to report that she didn't really see the point in my question, and when I pushed a little further she not only continued to dodge my question but also had the audacity to use adjectives like 'nurturing' and 'empathic'..! Naturally I berated her for not being 'woke' and 'stuck in the past'..
I'll let a little more time pass before I broach the idea that she should be considered 'common property'..
MindMatters had the opportunity to speak with the very erudite Arthur Versluis again. This time about the book mentioned in the show description below (and which seems to say it all!).
MindMatters: The Memes Will Set You Free: Apocalyptic Conversation and American Gnosis with Arthur Versluis
A lively and interesting discussion. Thank you.
At one point, Arthur mentions the rewrite of a book called Clara, which is Clara: Dialogue on Nature & Spirit. Arthur did not spend much time in discussing, however he did say that this is a new addition; I'm guessing new version as opposed to this 2002 version by Fiona Steinkamp? (did he not say there was problems with the light text in the older version?) On this link it mentions the new version without a link and have not been able to find it.
Regardless of the above, near the end you guys asked him for a list of important books, and understood his response; he did drop a few names. Are you able to highlight what you think was on his mind?
Look forward to the next time you interview Arthur and the subject of the book in the works.
At one point, Arthur mentions the rewrite of a book called Clara, which is Clara: Dialogue on Nature & Spirit. Arthur did not spend much time in discussing, however he did say that this is a new addition; I'm guessing new version as opposed to this 2002 version by Fiona Steinkamp? (did he not say there was problems with the light text in the older version?) On this link it mentions the new version without a link and have not been able to find it.
Regardless of the above, near the end you guys asked him for a list of important books, and understood his response; he did drop a few names. Are you able to highlight what you think was on his mind?
Look forward to the next time you interview Arthur and the subject of the book in the works.
Clara is one they at they're doing a new translation of and it's listed on that site under the Coming Soon section, so it's not out yet.
If you go to the Heiros Institute website they're currently taking donations for the translation of John Pordage's work. Not sure if that means that Clara will be worked on after the Pordage translations, or if they already have someone working on Clara since it's only the one book and not a whole slew of them. Don't know.
Well, he said that he picked what he thought were the high points that would give a very good and broad overview of Christian Theosophy and Mysticism. Another thing he said was that he really wanted people to just know that these people existed and lived very interesting lives. The idea being to expand people's awareness and worldview.
He seems to understand that a spiritual journey is very individual and that no list of books would be definitive for everyone. Similar to how Caesar said that there are no three pieces of advice that serve all events. So he shared what he thought would give people a good foundation of Christian Mystical thought and expand awareness of mysticism and reality more broadly. Or something like that.
Hope this answers your questions.
Last edited:
Forgot to add this in earlier so I'm just putting it in as a separate post.
At first I thought all the talk about light was a metaphor or allusion. But it seems there really is a light that one engages with in the mind somehow that can assist in personal transformation. So I'm curious to know what and how one is supposed to go about engaging this light and how it helps transformation in a Work sense. Assuming that mystical transmutation is similar to or complimentary of Work transformation.
It's all very curious and makes the mind wonder about many things. Like, when people have said, "the light of truth". Perhaps they weren't being exclusively or entirely poetic. Maybe there is a literal light of truth. Don't know, but am definitely interested in learning more.
I'm looking forward to his upcoming book as well since Conversations was an introduction and framework for mystical traditions. Whereas I believe this new one is going to include the practical what to do and how to do it of bringing the light to oneself and others.
At first I thought all the talk about light was a metaphor or allusion. But it seems there really is a light that one engages with in the mind somehow that can assist in personal transformation. So I'm curious to know what and how one is supposed to go about engaging this light and how it helps transformation in a Work sense. Assuming that mystical transmutation is similar to or complimentary of Work transformation.
It's all very curious and makes the mind wonder about many things. Like, when people have said, "the light of truth". Perhaps they weren't being exclusively or entirely poetic. Maybe there is a literal light of truth. Don't know, but am definitely interested in learning more.
Il Matto
Jedi
Completely agree - there was much to take away and mull over in the 'ol noggin..
I certainly feel inspired to now go and firstly, read Arthur Versluis' books, but also to take an honest look at the likes of Jacob Boehme and Christian Theosophy generally.
I know that Gurdjieff wasn't mentioned at all, but throughout the discussion about Platonic mysticism, personal transmutation and such, I was frequently reminded of Joseph Azize's book and his thesis that Gurdjieff was fundamentally a mystic..
It seems to me that Arthur himself should be included in this category, so thank you to the MindMatters team for making that a reality!
I'm reading Wisdom's Children right now, which is an introduction to Christian theosophy. It's a great history and summary of the main figures and their core ideas.
Wisdom's Children: A Christian Esoteric Tradition (SUNY series in Western Esoteric Traditions): Versluis, Arthur: 9780791443309: Amazon.com: Books
Wisdom's Children: A Christian Esoteric Tradition (SUNY series in Western Esoteric Traditions) [Versluis, Arthur] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Wisdom's Children: A Christian Esoteric Tradition (SUNY series in Western Esoteric Traditions)
smile.amazon.com
Il Matto
Jedi
Thank you very much, that seems like a great place to start
Just to add, and with the limited discussion with Arthur on this book as it was not really the topic, here is a short description related to the book and the original translator, Fiona Steinkamp: