Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? 3 and a Half

While looking at old notes about the next danger I want to write about, I came across this quote by Salustius (4th century BC, writer, friend of emperor Julian) quoted in The Jesus Mysteries (excellent book by the way; Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy, 1999):

"To wish to teach all men the truth of the gods causes the foolish to despise and the good to be slothful, whereas to conceal the truths by myths prevents the former from despising philosophy and compels the latter to study it."

.

..

Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? 3

Danger 2: The nature of these teachings is almost always shrouded in secrecy, hence “mysteries.” This theoretical foundation is usually backed up with lived experience that introduces the subject’s five senses to a challenge, to a glimpse of the world beyond so to speak. Today, just as it is –purportedly- easy to lose 20 pounds by strapping weird vibrating gadgets to our fatty regions, we are given the gracious chance to become “enlightened” in a heartbeat. Gone are the harrowing days of fasting in a cave, or undergoing rituals that are so harsh on the body and mind that one tries to hallucinate their way out of the ordeal, or at least they’re gone for the most part. Now I am definitely not one to promote asceticism in any form, but I believe there is a purpose for this gateway to the acquisition of esoteric knowledge: One must actually deserve it. Through these initiation rites, candidates are forced to see the limitations of their five senses and are put under the pressure of a near-death-experience to “die before one’s dead.” So while the first lesson one learns is the fact that one has to deserve this knowledge, the second concerns humility...

(tbc)
.
..

Blogumdaki Twitter

Garip bir şekilde tanımadığım birinin twit leri blogumdaki twitter update widget'inda görünüyor. Neden, nasıl hiçbir fikrim yok, zaten twitleri gözüken arkadaşın da neden olduğuna dair bir haberi yok... sanal böceklenme...

Furuğ'dan (yeryüzü ayetleri, çev. Makbule Aras. Can: 2009)

Genç yaşta hayatını kaybeden İranli kadın şair Furuğ'nun kitabında, uzun zamandır aşk hakkında duyduğum en güzel dizelere rastladım. İşte buyrun:

hayattan ne istiyorum biliyorsun,
ben sen olayım, sen, tepeden tırnağa sen
bin defa gelmek mümkün olsa dünyaya
her defasında sen, her defasında sen

(SEVMEKTEN, s. 28)


.

..

...