The past few days have been somewhat of a whirlwind. Late on Thursday afternoon, I had an MRI with dye, and on Saturday, I was traveling to a conference. It takes 24-48 hours for the dye to clear one's system, so I was still having a few of the milder dye symptoms while traveling there … Continue reading Small Serendipities in Turbulent Times
Tag: modern practice
Reflecting on a 15-Year College Reunion
I attended my 15-year college reunion. This post describes the travel shrine I set up and some cool things I saw in the library and art gallery. There are also reflections about pagan/polytheistic religious community.
Disruptions and mental hygiene
One of the most important things about cultivating a devotional practice is coming to know oneself, and specifically one's mental processes and how they help or harm the ability to come into a focused state when engaging in prayer, meditation, spiritual-practice-related reading, and so on. With the disruptions over the past few months, the thing … Continue reading Disruptions and mental hygiene
Dried Roses, Now Soot
On Friday, the English translation of poet Tuệ Sỹ's Dreaming the Mountain came in. As per usual, I opened up to a random page. In those moments, just after arriving home and greeting the cats, I read: I live in a sky of boundless spaceA Zen landscape of nothingnessNo things, no people, no busyness,Just flowers … Continue reading Dried Roses, Now Soot
Welcoming Cats
In my last update, I disclosed that I have adopted two cats. Their names are Ever and Koiya (although my mom will probably call Koiya "Chloe" — that's OK). The names are both shortened versions of their shelter names. It took me a while to think of what to call the amber-eyed one because she … Continue reading Welcoming Cats
Scaffolding Platonic Theurgic Practice: A Primer
When embarking on an undertaking of getting to know Platonism and its commentary tradition, and especially when one is determined to deeply engage in it as one’s primary spiritual path, it can seem like a lot. “Writing is a sea / its reeds are a shore,” as Thoth says in the Conversations in the House of Life scribal initiation text. It takes courage, conviction, and good sense to penetrate into those waters and learn how to swim in them.
We Must Unmake to Make Again
At my shrine a few days ago, I asked Apollon what to do because I was feeling angry, frustrated, and without direction. I had been listening to Thenmozhi Soundararajan's The Trauma of Caste (I finished it; go read the review here, and do read/listen to the book if you can; I also made a few … Continue reading We Must Unmake to Make Again
Prayers and Spiritual Practices: What I Currently Do
This post describes my current spiritual practice and the cyclical routines I’m cultivating in my life. I had the idea of sharing this a few weeks ago, but several conversations recently (and also reading someone else's post about their current practice) prompted me to sit down and write this up. As I mention in The … Continue reading Prayers and Spiritual Practices: What I Currently Do
Print version of THE SOUL’S INNER STATUES
The print version of The Soul’s Inner Statues is now available for purchase. As a reminder, the ebook is freely available online: PDF, mobi, epub, and HTML. The HTML page uses the gitbook package because it allows for customization of contrast and fonts for reading accessibility — it's all in the top menu options. The … Continue reading Print version of THE SOUL’S INNER STATUES
KALLISTI 