But I thought you were at least 90% gnostic Tim, ergo ….

I don’t really see myself that way. Gnosticism is a fun language, but just because I speak it occasionally doesn’t mean I am it. I speak English, but I’m not English.

The big philosophic-spiritual struggle for me now is reconciling the Judao-christian milieu with the perenial tradition.

There shouldn’t be any challenge. It’s all exactly the same thing.

I’ve been a fairly active student of comparative religions for over 20 years now, and at one time could consider myself a biblical scholar.

Stop studying it and start living it. The Bible is a performance text, a script meant to be acted out.

subjectivity doesn’t alway synch (nor exclude, for that matter) with the catagorical level of reality. I’m sure you understand that, and struggle with it too.

I don’t think I know what you mean.

but there are some who say this is misguided.

Don’t listen to what these people say: find out for yourself. You have the tools!

Sorry but Jesus really never went to India, I’m almost certain.

Make him go to India then!

Somehow Christianity is unique and a fresh flavor amid the ulimate teachings of the world. It stands alone just on its revolutionary message of Love.

What about Sufism, Bhakti Yoga, etc?

Tell k about the lock metaphor that you live by Tim, then k will get it.

Huh? No, k doesn’t want to hear it. No point.

The big philosophic-spiritual struggle for me now is reconciling the Judao-christian milieu with the perenial tradition. I’ve been a fairly active student of comparative religions for over 20 years now, and at one time could consider myself a biblical scholar. I’ve been over the board with this, originally being a universalist, then a hard-core (albeit non-standard) Christian. Now it’s back to square one, but on a different level.

Personal revelation is great, if it affects our expansive thinking on a relational level with the cosmos. But there are still unique systems in place, and subjectivity doesn’t alway synch (nor exclude, for that matter) with the catagorical level of reality. I’m sure you understand that, and struggle with it too.

Take the Kabbalah and the Tarot. I dont think it was until the 19th c. that Eliphas Levi struck the connection between the two, and it may make a nice fit, but there are some who say this is misguided.

As I said, the hebrew originators were a pretty insular bunch (dead sea scrolls fair proof of their conservative adherence). The evidence of 1st cent. gnostic literature notwithstanding, traditional christianity falls more in line with it’s jewish roots, than orphic, mithraic, hermetic, or other greco-roman occult traditions. Sorry but Jesus really never went to India, I’m almost certain.

Somehow Christianity is unique and a fresh flavor amid the ulimate teachings of the world. It stands alone just on its revolutionary message of Love. It may be that god opened a door for everyone, which the elite cult-masters couldn’t do with all their knocking.

This is what I’m exploring anyway …. Selah!

- Joanne Harris, ‘The Evil Seed’.

I usually find it unsettling when gnostic applications are made to hebrew scripture.

Oh, this isn’t gnostic interpretation. This actually happened in my kitchen…

tim - ever hear Ministry’s version of Lay Lady Lay? It’s wonderful IMHO

This one: really beautiful, Tim. Thanks for this.

and as soon as everyone stopped having an equal share, that’s when /money/ was invented…

Know ye o human that each name you apply to me changes the face I show you. The power of naming given unto Adam in the Garden of Eden. It was up to him to decide how his life would go. He sent to you a prophet named Booger from the desert to teach you to build Lincoln Log homes. Know ye o human that each name you apply to me changes the face I show you. Name me well or not at all. Learn my true name (Rumplestiltsken) and attain power over all that is. And ye shall become as Gods.

So this section? Here? Right here. This. This is delightful. I read the rest of this post in sober minded skim mode, then burst out laughing at when I got here. The prophet Booger and the true name of Rumplestiltsken will be popping into my head the coming week any time I need a giggle. Which says what (I think) you intended to say perfectly.

Ever since I was little, I’ve had the off and on hobby of taking stories, poems, newspaper articles and anything else that catches my eye, and replacing certain words, phrases, names and such with entirely new content. It began as just kind of a humorous distraction–I thought it was funny. Today I do more with the technique than just switching names, and it’s become more of a “magical” (for want of a better word) approach for me. The most magical, powerful, life shifting aspect about it is to rearrange things in such a way that I’m able to look at something from an angle I’d never thought of before. And the quickest way to do that is still just to make me laugh.

It’s not so much that a sense of humor makes something easier to understand because it sugar coats emotionally challenging ideas, as it is humor can sometimes have the necessary energy to just talk directly to someone, without fear of being misunderstood. Even if no one “gets it,” everyone still knows how to laugh.

The pre-babylonian captivity tribes of Israel where a pretty insular bunch, as their hellenistic jewish descendants were.

I like the purely psycho-social interpretations of the 3 temptations, which also mirrors the 3 temptations of Jesus. It gets down to breaking healthy relationships.

T 1 = Lust of the Flesh: hunger, materialism, and real food; “saw it was good to eat,” “turn these stones into bread.”

T 2 = Lust of the Eyes: visual appeal, the world at soul’s expense; “saw it was pleasing to the eye” “all the kingdoms of the world.”

T 3 = Pride of Life: flirtin with disaster but you’re a god; “good to make one wise(but god is a liar, so make your own rules)”, “cast thyself down”

This hammers at the basic weaknesses of humanity, and the cunning con game the adversary uses, despite something blatently obvious we still overlook (or stumble over).

I love how the devil and J get into scripture quote battles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuit