How Do Things Work?

Everyone has some internal theory developed over their life as to how they think "things" work. Many people here see Kabbalah, Pythagoreanism, Tarot, and Eastern mysticism, as constituting "how things work". Now, of course, each of these traditions represents the world in different ways, and so, to come towards some sort of clarity about the issues they deal with, you have to 'reassemble' parts within each system that seem to operate in the same way within each system.

The 'perennial philosophy', and schools of thought like theosophy, modern occultism, Satanism, etc, are all attempts at integrating common elements within many different systems, and, since human beings are the ones carrying out this discourse, place an emphasis on whatever value system - and way of identifying - they happen to subscribe to. You can get a sense of this emphasis by the name itself: theosophy has a Greco origin, particularly with a strong orphic philosophy feel; Satanism is interested in placing its thinking within Judeo-Christian doctrines; Satan means 'adversary' in Hebrew; and so, advertises its antinomianism in its name.

These 'ways of knowing' are what some scholars (Burton & Grandy) have called the "third strand" in western intellectual systems of thinking; the other two being Judeochristian religion (largely in the form of Roman Catholicism) passed down as the official mainstream orientation; and the other being the humanist, scientific orientation that demonstrates greater psychological flexibility in thought, and more importantly, tolerance in social relations with others.

Each of these strands probably correspond to a socialization history which emphasized different sorts of affects; the judeochristian orientation seems overly fearful; the occult orientation seems overly angry; whereas the humanistic-scientific orientation, at its best, expresses a deeply regulated personality: a mind with a calm, friendly and loving nature, because of these emotions, develops the means to tolerate the lifeworlds of other humans who value the world in a different way from them.

In addition to this, something more needs to be said about humanism. These emotions do not 'come' from the humanist, but were the fortunate effect of being born into a loving social network. The historical line one is born into is more or less a 'luck of the draw'. It seems you act, not for yourself, but for the species - or if you identify with a larger object, for the universe itself.

I take this tangent because people are too willing to ignore how they are able to do things. This is ignorance - and so, can only be corrected by recognizing what you've been taking for granted. What up until now has been playing no role within the web-of-meanings that makes up your brain-mind.

In any case, the occultist, in being angry, is only to say that his early identity states were biased by environmental affordances of other people who expressed a certain bravado - a certain arrogant confidence in themselves. Genetically, there's an element that inclines the mind in this direction. The idea of 'reward dependence' is a common construst used by personality theorists who use data from genetics to figure out different phenotypes in human personality. Sociopaths, for instance, have high 'novelty seeking' urges and very low reward dependence needs. Neurologically, this translates into a low dopamine production in the mesolimbic system (hence the need for self-stimulation, or a desperate need for 'something different') whereas lower 'reward dependence' translates into an underactive noradrenaline system, which uses affective states (or signs) to regulate humans in social relationships.

"How" this state of affairs comes about is always related to trauma - primarily interpersonal. Whether it happened ten generations ago or happened to you 'personally', the genetic potential of a body is always related to the 'environment of evolutionary adaptedness', which means, in effect, to the things that have really happened, and to which your biology gives expression in reality.

The Judeochristian tradition, conversely, seems overly infatuated with the Judeochristian tradition. They - not all of them (those with a scientific-humanistic outlook, but also a personal history with either Christianity or Judaism, wish to maintain ties with their religion, while consciously knowing that they are adapting the latter to their knowledge derived from the former) - are stuck in this wishful fantasy that a man named Jesus, or Moses (or if we widen our scope, Mohhomad) "came to earth" from a some 'divine realm', and, not being humans like everyone else, were able by superhuman effort to change the entire course of history.

As a student of anthropology and paleontology, I know humans are at least 200,000, perhaps even 300,000 years old. This means mainstream Abrahamic religions are preoccupied with an epoch in human history that is a mere 3% of our species wonderful existence. This is an abnormal infatuation - and even more so, it is profoundly uninterested in real physics, or how physics, as studied in the form of biology, affective neuroscience, and psychology, allows us to construct a coherent metaphysics that gives us a truer picture of what is real, and therefore, of how reality really works.

Ignorance is bliss may be relativistically true; but its profoundly solipsistic: other people can see you and the ignorance you prefer, and realize how much of a self-defense mechanism it is: the animal wants to stay ignorant because the animal still doesn't realize its profound potential for self-control.

My issue with todays thinking is basically epistemological: what we emphasize and why we emphasize something is completely lost in the act of ontological inquiry. Psychodynamics, history, trauma - all this logical stuff which helps us to think in logical ways, is not made contact with. Intuitionally, I believe people here are spiritually developed enough to realize the truth of this premise: that "utopia" and todays world are separated by unresolved psychological trauma. It's only from the perspective of a traumatized mind, for instance, that a loving world can be conceived as a "not real world" i.e. 'utopia'.

Everything needs to be reassessed; all of western culture will need to be analyzed in light of traumatology, for the simple reason that so much thinking has been motivated by a psyche that failed to take seriously the impact of social interactions on functioning. It's preoccupation with idealization felt too good - its relation to reality became so desensitized, that the myth felt truer than the underlying, ever existing reality. Even now, some people scheme desperately because they can't imagine or conceive a mode of existing that doesn't feel like the one they presently live. The notion that, perhaps, an "individual soul" that survives death was a drummed up construction of civilization, a 'wish' that was needed to make sense of the trauma and mayhem - the INJUSTICE. Can such a spiritual being - a being that is aware of its existence, tolerate the truth: that you constitute a single soul - a single self? That what you give is what you get? That there is literally no point pretending that you are some special soul that 'descended' into reality to 'edify' everyone else?

Pretentiousness has plagued human beings for too long. Socrates was a man who seemed to be aware of the pretentiousness of the world around him.

a reply to: Astrocyte

That was a fail Astro. I am all of those things, Catholic, occultist and humanist, I used Tarot as tool for meditation, I value kabbalah teachings, and I have to say this is in parts exactly what's wrong with psychology
it doesn't take in account the volatility of human nature.

You answered your own question with the first line of your post. You could have stopped there.

Physically, we are all the same the world over. That's how "things" work on that level. When we start using our brains and cognitive thinking, that's where the waters get muddy. That's where "things" get separated and we start to think that different cultures around the world are inherently different. They're not. What we all believe that is the baseline for all that we do, are simply cultural variations on the same theme.

It's all very simple really, because at the end of your days you realize that love you make here is the love you take with you. And the love that the people in your life will remember you for. everything else you did and believed in, will pale in comparison. So while you're here, make as much as you can out of love.

It's not a disease, you won't die from it.

It's not pretentious, you won't be looked down upon because of it.

It's not religious, you won't be shunned in a foreign land.

It is not it's own unique language, you won't need an interpreter.

It is not scientific or philosophical, you won't get confused by it.

It won't care if you find it through Christianity, Buddhism, Taoism, Tarot, Atheism or by chance. As long as you find it.

It is the simplest thing in the world you can do, yet it is more effective than the most complicated subjects, theories and analogies known to man.

Don't overthink "things" to the point where you can't see that forest through the tree's, yet don't be so naive to think that it will solve all of your problems. It simply makes life worth living.

Don't be that person that, when it finds you, you don't know how to behave.............................

Just accept it and you will find out how "things" work.

It all seems to stem from belief, what you believe is what you get. Many times that belief is reinforced by experience or observation, depending on how much you believe in something. Religious belief gets reinforced by miracles or a specific result or experience of some spiritual nature. Scientific belief gets reinforced by results from testing, study and observation.
Everyone has their own opinion about truth and fact on how things work.
Seeing is believing or faith is believing.

a reply to: Astrocyte

The age old question in a nutshell: "Why? "..and answer: "Because".The why's, how's, when's, what-if's vary by topic, subject, question and instance.... and are just as varied as the waves on the oceans.

No two alike, all different depending on a multitude of variable and how-come's and but's..

If you get life figured out... let us all know!!!

Catholicism, Tarot, Kabbalah, Freemasonry, The Bible, Occult (Exo & Eso), And Philosophy (As Above, So Below)...
Taught Me What No One Can Dare To Say...

I Am Much Like A Mangy Mut Who Thirsts And Hungers For The True Master's Belssing(s). Yet... There Is None For Me. Save Only The Scraps That Fall From His Table Unto The Floor For Me To Devour. And Guess What!?! I Am Full For Life With Those Scraps. I May At Times Feed Others As Well.
I Am A Dog! Metaphorically....

I Don't Need A Degree In Matters Of The Heart.
I Love All And None At The Same Time.

The Seven Crafts At The Beginning Of This Post Are The Scraps That Fell From The Master's Table.
I Eat From Them....

a reply to: Astrocyte

As a student of anthropology and paleontology, I know humans are at least 200,000, perhaps even 300,000 years old.

It doesn't sound like you really know - no matter what you are a student of - 'perhaps' you don't know.
No one knows how long humans have walked the earth - it is just a guess - just a story arising presently.

Every apparent thing is arising presently - even the story that you are a person living in time and space - but is it true?

Amazingly everything is simply just happening - just being what it is. No mind has to figure it out for it all to work - and no work is involved - it simply IS.

If a square a square, and a circle a circle, and if two plus two really does equal 4, well...my little brain cannot comprehend any further then what the monotheistic God knows.