Category: Religion
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Frith: The Norse Art of Peaceful Families and Communities
Frith is a northern European concept that’s almost exclusively discussed in the realm of Asatru. It’s such an important value that it’s time to bring it out of the pagan fringe and back into mainstream European culture. In Old Norse, frith (friðr) means “peace,” specifically the security, peace, and happiness found in one’s family and…
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Faith in God: How To Get It When It Doesn’t Come Naturally
The problem of faith in God is largely a modern one. In almost every society in the past people had a religion by default. And though it may seem constricting to our modern sensibilities, there’s great freedom in not having a choice. Like a child given the entire menu rather than only two choices, the…
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Aleister Crowley on the Aeon of the Horus as the Era of Childishness
Aleister Crowley taught that in 1904 the world entered the Aeon of Horus, also called the Aeon of the Child or the New Aeon. Most Thelemites, and even Crowley himself at times, view the current two-thousand year period as a time of liberation, freedom, and self-actualization—almost synonymous with the Age of Aquarius. But some of…
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Secular Buddhism vs. Traditional Buddhism: 6 Key Differences
Buddhist beliefs can’t be lumped into one single category or belief system. Though they share a common source, different Buddhist sects such as Tibetan Buddhism, Pure Land Buddhism, Theravada Buddhism, and Zen Buddhism have many dissimilarities as well. The starkest contrast, however, is between Traditional Buddhism and the modern movement that’s been termed “secular Buddhism.”…
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What Is True Will in Aleister Crowley’s Thelema?
“Do what thou wilt” is Aleister Crowley’s most famous phrase, but also his most misunderstood. I meet people in the occult community all the time who think it means “do whatever you want” and envision Crowley’s philosophy as one of self-indulgence. Nothing could be further from the truth. True Will means finding your True Self, and doing…
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Neotantra vs. Tantra: 6 Key Differences
When New Agers talk about Tantra, more often than not they’re actually referring to Neotantra, a modern movement focusing on sacred sexuality but having little to do with the ancient and medieval Tantrik traditions. According to Christopher D. Wallis in Tantra Illuminated, a book that deals with nondual Ṥaiva Tantra, “no Indian tradition has been more…
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The Timeless Wisdom of the Brahmin Diet
“Whatever you do, make it an offering to me–the food you eat,the sacrifices you make, the help you give, even your suffering.”~Bhagavad Gita, 9:27 There’s a diet that has been promoted by sages of India for thousands of years as being the most conducive diet for both health and spiritual growth. The brahmin diet, also…
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Aleister Crowley on Seven Practices of Yoga
Aleister Crowley has two books that provide details on yoga, and specifically, breathing techniques. Eight Lectures on Yoga details the basics of Raja Yoga, and Magick: Liber ABA (Book IV) provides detailed instructions for different practices of yogic breathing and meditation. The exercises in this series are derived from Liber RV vel Spiritus, a guide for the Zelator in the magical…