Saturday, September 24, 2011

Episode #022 - Life and Living

In this episode we talk about late Llewellyn author Scott Cunningham in A Corner in the Occult. Many Pagans and or Wiccans often find Scott’s books on their journey as Pagans. Many find his books on magick and religion uplifting and at times pertinent to their growing views on life and existence.

We also look into the idea of human flourishing and happiness and how to create it in one’s life. Are you happy? Are you flourishing? How would you define and list your values and virtues? Would you say that they are serving you and your life beneficially? Learn about virtue and Eudaimonia and how your life lives up to the teachings of Aristotle and other philosophers. See how some of the new virtue systems found in modern Paganism stand in comparison to a tried and true system which comes from Plato as we find an elementary way to update it for modern use.

Later in the show, I read listener email and we look at the history of the five elements in The Essence of Magick. Find out where the five elements of western occultism come from and how they came to be used in ritual magick. And to close we discuss suicide, assisted suicide and how they exist in relation to Paganism. Have you ever had someone in your life kill themselves? Have you ever known someone who died of a terminal, debilitating, and/or painful illness? How do the issues associated with suicide and assisted suicide relate to Paganism?


Promos: Druidcast,

3 comments:

  1. I am curious as to how some of the aspects of Western esotericism which appear to be soundly based in Jewish Kabbalah origins end up being embraced by some pagans in their own rituals. Of course many of the various symbols can be said to pre-date Kabbalah but still there's the Hebrew lettering, names and entities apparently stuck in there as you mentioned in your podcast.

    I think I even heard you mention the Hebrew name of Jesus as being used in come cases, but I'm also aware there are Christian mystics basically doing something along this line with some groups specifically requiring Trinitarian beliefs as a requirement for membership.

    Is it consistent to utilize such profiles if the subject in question is not regarded as "true"?

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  2. Hi Lloyd!

    The Kabbalah mostly find its association with Paganism via the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, which incorporates multiple systems into their ritual and practice, though I only know of several Pagans who incorporate the Kabbalah into their life or have an interest in it. Oraia from Media Astra Ac Terra likes the Kabbalah.

    The Pentagrammaton seems to be at least one way (via the Kabbalah) that the five elements have been associated with the pentagram. (see other post above) At least as far as I have been able to find in a book. Oddly enough if we use Aether - in reference to spirit - the elements as they are commonly found on the pentagram are also arranged alphabetically counterclockwise (Aether, Air, Earth, Fire, Water).

    If the individual felt that such profiles were in some way in conflict with themselves, I imagine they would use another profile. For example, the Archangels of the Elementals that were devised by Paracelsus. Also is the name truly the thing named or no? But you are right in that certain profiles may or may not jive with everyone. I just found the Pentagrammaton connection to the pentagram to be amusing to say the least ;-)

    Thanks Lloyd I hope my answers were sufficient.

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  3. I'd go with "whatever works" if I were inclined to actually delve into possibly annoying things I don't really understand (which I don't). Whatever someone might choose to do, I just hope they would be quite polite about it for their own sake.

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