This was a very beautiful piece written in honor of Proclus' death day by barefootwisdom. I think readers of my blog will be interested in taking a look at it. Today, we remember Proclus, who died in Athens on this date, in 485 CE. It’s quite possible, by mistranslating a few words here, a few … Continue reading Recommended read — “Message in a Bottle” from barefootwisdom
Tag: platonism
I made a few more quotation images from Platonic passages
Two passages in particular had been on my mind recently like the prose version of music earworms, so I made images of them using a tool called Canva. And … then I made more. Canva is the cave wall, and I am the dancing flame that makes the images. The first one is a passage … Continue reading I made a few more quotation images from Platonic passages
The Perils of Reading Platonists, Like, Nonstop
Over the past few years, I have been reading, and I have been reading quickly — with only one illness-imposed break last February when I had Influenza B and had such a rough time that I was wondering if I should check myself into the hospital because I couldn't breathe. (A coworker got the same … Continue reading The Perils of Reading Platonists, Like, Nonstop
Some Brief Words on Platonic Forms
Weeks ago, while attending a science lecture that was probably related to astronomy, the presenter said something about the Platonic Forms that I knew was wrong. I sat on my hands (metaphorically) and stared at Zoom, my mind racing like an unruly animal that refused to come back onto its leash, and shrugged it off … Continue reading Some Brief Words on Platonic Forms
Some Theological Notes on Plato’s LAWS 716d-718c
I want to share a brief passage from Book 4 with you all because I think there are some important things one can take away from it, hopefully in helpful ways. 716d-718c is a lengthy section describing how one aims at — and hits — the target of proper relation towards the Gods, spirits, and … Continue reading Some Theological Notes on Plato’s LAWS 716d-718c
Some Lighthearted Fun
You may recall some months ago when I used Canva to render some Platonic quotations. Yesterday, I was on the IRS website looking at rules related to hobby income and losses, and I present to you a Platonism-related meme that contains some ineffable truths — this sentence just popped into my head, and it made … Continue reading Some Lighthearted Fun
Reclaiming the Self Unadorned; or, Fleeing Pandora’s Division
Inspired by Porphyry’s letter to his wife Marcella, stories of Pythagorean women, Plato’s Gorgias and Alcibiades, Olympiodorus' comment on gender equality in his Gorgias commentary at 18.9, the myth of Pandora, things that happen in meditation that are not wholly communicable, and thoughts I have while doing dishes on why I haven’t worn makeup since … Continue reading Reclaiming the Self Unadorned; or, Fleeing Pandora’s Division
Every Goddess Is Good
“Prayer to All of the Gods I” was designed to incorporate deities whom I judged to be important to acknowledge overtly in prayer. The choices of Gods grew out of previous decisions that I made while writing Acts of Speech (availability info here), specifically for the poems addressing public speech, good conduct, and civility. There is … Continue reading Every Goddess Is Good
Praying to a God, Religious Identity, and Boundaries
Today, I finished reading Olympiodorus’ Gorgias commentary. One of the most striking things about the footnotes and the conversation in general is his attempt to sanitize Hellenic theology and Platonism in a way that is palatable to students on whom he relies for his livelihood in a culture that was now hostile to pagan teachers. While … Continue reading Praying to a God, Religious Identity, and Boundaries
