Loki Listens

**

We stood in the forest, as the rain fell in sheets. Odin grabbed me firmly by the arm. “They still do not live by the basics! Why do you continue to teach further?”

“All Father, I cannot make the people listen. I can only give them the light to see the way. I am but a torch in the darkness. I cannot be more.”

“You can be more, and you are more! You have sacrificed yourself on Yggdrasil! Pluck an eye, and give it to my Ravens, and we are one. But I understand. There is a reason the people do not listen. You are trying to break at that core. I see. Let us hope you can. Let us hope together that Fenrir does not have to be raised.”

Odin turned and walked away fro me, in the pouring rain.

**

So, today we are going to take ideology a little further. We are going to talk about the nature of ideology itself. You see, much like the shamanic ideas I talked about in the Developmental Theology series, ideology varies from person to person. It is individual. You decide what is real and what is not. You decide what can happen and what cannot. This makes things very interesting.

Having read that, you may wonder why I would even try to teach a class on ideology, if it is something that each person decides on their own. Well, that reason would be to help you fully develop an ideology that is still individual, but is in a healthy agreement with what we need as a functional world. I don’t think there are many people that could look at our world as a whole, and call it functional, or healthy. We have to change things. And we have to do it fast.

How can we change the world? By changing ourselves. If we become more healthy and responsible people, the world gains. So, to do that, we must first try to understand the mind. The hardest thing man has ever faced. And the way we are going to do that is by learning about ideas, and how to develop them into a working ideology.

We’ve talked about examining our thoughts and actions. We’ve seen that even Saint Augustine believed that if rational thought contradicted scripture, it was normal and reasonable. It is important to pay attention to our thoughts and actions and examine the why. It is also important to not be tied down by books or teachings.

Now we have talked about the importance of the individual, even on the global level.

Remember, each man must find his own path.

Jack.
I Listen.
I Travel sometimes.

Basic Ideology 101
Lesson #3
Odin Appears and Individuality is Examined.

Bear with me.  This is a little heavy, but consider and think upon the ramification.

“It not infrequently happens that something about the earth, about the sky, about other elements of this world, about the motion and rotation or even the magnitude and distances of the stars, about definite eclipses of the sun and moon, about the passage of years and seasons, about the nature of animals, of fruits, of stones, and of other such things, may be known with the greatest certainty by reasoning or by experience, even by one who is not a Christian. It is too disgraceful and ruinous, though, and greatly to be avoided, that he [the non-Christian] should hear a Christian speaking so idiotically on these matters, and as if in accord with Christian writings, that he might say that he could scarcely keep from laughing when he saw how totally in error they are. In view of this and in keeping it in mind constantly while dealing with the book of Genesis, I have, insofar as I was able, explained in detail and set forth for consideration the meanings of obscure passages, taking care not to affirm rashly some one meaning to the prejudice of another and perhaps better explanation.”

– Saint Augustine of Hippo: The Literal Interpretation of Genesis 1:19–20, Chapt. 19 [AD 408]

Saint Augustine’s ideas on the nature of truth and science are essential to modern understanding and have influenced many great teachers and philosophers of all ilks.

-Jack
I Listen.
I do that Travel thing sometimes, too.

Basic Ideology 101
Lesson #2
Saint Augustine and the Reconciliation of Science and Scripture

Tags: augustine, catholic, catholicism, Christian, genesis, ideology, knowledge, orthodox, philosophy, quotes, religion, saint augustine, saints, science, scripture, Theology

Welcome class. In Basic Ideology 101, we are going to learn about some basic concepts and ways of thinking. We will study ideas, and I will encourage you to spend as much time as you can on introspection for this course.

Class begins!

Reexamining the Self

The patterns in which we think are so important. There are answers in patterns. If you change what you think can you change your life? It’s almost impossible to say really. I could drone on about the power of positive thought and other such cliches, but I won’t. The fact is that we don’t know, and we can’t know, until we try. Take a long, close look at your thought patterns. Could there be a problem or a trend there that you are missing?

Patterns are important in many other ways too. Look beyond just your thoughts. Can you see patterns in your life? The lives of those around you? Are these patterns healthy or damaging?

Jack.
I Listen.
I Travel.

BI101 Lesson #1
Reexamining the Self

Tags: ideology, introspection, patterns, philosophy, progress, self-examination, thoughts, trends

And so it ends. 52 Lessons in this series. Once a week, makes a year’s worth of reading and study. This lesson is a finisher, and also a teaser for the next series, Basic Ideology.

We are going to talk just a very little about the idea of “Gnosis.” Gnosis is the state of enlightenment that some believe can be achieved through knowledge. At one time, there were many Gnostic sects for many religions, but in present day, very few still exist. We are not going to concern ourselves with where they are and what they do. Instead, we will focus on the idea alone.

The idea of Gnosis, or enlightenment though knowledge, is similar to other things we have talked about, such as Zen and Existentialism. I often find that these three philosophies are more closely tied that most would like to admit.

Gnosis encourages learning and compassion. And as such it also encompasses the “Live in the Now” ideas of Zen and Existentialism.

So, let’s add this brief part of the ideas to our shamanic thoughts. Knowledge is power. That has always been true. Living in the Now gets rid of things that stop human advancement, such as anxieties. If you live in this present moment, and realize that was has past is just a story book, and what is to come is merely science fiction, it becomes easier to make this, and every, moment count.

There are hundreds of ways to say this, and it has been said over and over for centuries, but really understanding the idea is what matters. Understand that the you that is reading this is only you for that moment. After this moment has passed, it is not you anymore. You are already on the next moment, gleaning more information further down the page.

Convert your idea of time into still frames, or seconds, or motions. You can break it down to the most basic thought, and then when you run through all of those thoughts it becomes the flipbook that we call memory. And just like a real flipbook or film reel, sometimes pages, or slides become lost or damaged.

I’m starting to ramble a bit, so let’s pull this together. It’s hard for me not to ramble, knowing this is the end of a class that I’ve taught for more than a year now.

So, if we can gain knowledge, and remain fully aware of our past and future, without letting it hinder our abilities here in the Now, we might reach that state of Gnosis or enlightenment. Sounds pretty difficult, right? Well, you’re the one that wanted to be a shaman. :p

-Jack
I Listen.
Developmental Theology 089
Lesson #52 – End of Class

Tags: Buddhism, Christian, enlightenment, existentialism, gnosis, gnostic, greek, ideology, knowledge, memory, motion, philosophy, plato, shaman, shamanism, Theology, zen

I do a bit of an intro for my good friend Tofu over at his blog.  

Tags: guestblog, link, tofu916

Tags: cast, movie, podcast, viddler, video

Is there a mighty, larger plan above all this life of toil and turn?  Is there a bigger plan in your head?  Do you ask the questions that never seem to get answers?

Looking for answers is often just a waste of time.  Sometimes the answers just come to you.  Instead of looking for answers, trying living for results.  If you can be here, now, it’ll all work out.

But what do I know?

-Jack
I Listen.
I Travel..

Tags: answers, ideas, ideology, motivation, philosophy, results, synchronicity

As this course comes to a close, there are many things I have left to teach, but after these 52 lessons you should have a sound and stable starting point for building your own personal theology.

Let’s break away these walls and join each other.  I am no more teacher than I am student.  Richard Bach once wrote, “We teach best what we need to learn the most.”  Nothing could be more true.  So, here I am, on the cusp of something extraordinary, and I want all of you to join me.

Some secrets may change hands.  Life may transform as we evolve both physically and spiritually.  The adoption of technology to the shaman’s path is of utmost imprtance.  The shaman can no longer be just about nature.  The shaman has to grow with the culture, and the culture is growing rapidly.  Never has the shaman had the chance he does now.  The chance to be everywhere at once, literally.

As saplings we all start, but soon we grow into trees that devour our surroundings.  Be the oak tree.  Give something back for what you are taking.  Do not be the weeping willow, who takes all of the water it can, but offers nothing in return.

It’s time that we began to think globally.  There is more out there than your own backyard.  Jump for it.  Strive for it.  Become other worldly with me.   We cannot forgive those you have never reached for something greater.  The fate of mankind is in each of your hands.  Can you make it better?

-Jack
I Listen.
I Travel.

Tags: change, evolution, ideology, philosophy, religion, richard bach, shaman, shamanism, spirituality, technology, Theology, transformation, trees, walls