Introduction to Western Esotericism

[Viktor]

I just found this interesting video series talking about

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For me esotericism and mysticism is as interesting as the occult, however not many great resources can be found about the topic,
and just like with the occult there is a lot to learn.

The only RL group I know of that deals with this kind of stuff seriously is rosicrucianism.
I'm not an expert in this area but it's very interesting so if you guys have some insights or resources to share please do.

 

[stalkinghyena]

I enjoy Dr. Sledge's Esoterica channel. I recently completed his 14 part Introduction to Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah and found it to be pretty engrossing. I have a new respect for Judaism and its intense obscurities as well as a deeper appreciation for the puzzle of Kabbalah. His discussions of Western alchemy are also useful to me.

I like Sledge's little dry insertions of ironic humor and that he is a metal head. It should be noted that he defines himself as an "historical materialist", meaning that his presentations of esoteric studies are based on hard evidence of text, even if it contradicts the narratives of tradition, though he does discuss these as well. That said, his videos can be a bit deflationary if one is seeking to engage in mythic inspiration, but that is the sacrifice of academic studies. But Sledge will tell you that he is just presenting the facts of what academics actually know and are coming to know, and it is not given to dismiss anyone's beliefs. I think he is fair, though I have caught him saying some things of minor note that I question, but that is a good thing because it spurs me to further seeking.

Angela Pucha's Symposium is also a good channel, as is the Modern Hermeticist.

 

[Viktor]

Absolutely agree, he's well educated, what is also awesome is that at the end of each video he's sharing books for further research,
I'm downloading all those books like crazy into my PDF collection to read later lol.

For instance I have the Greek magical papyri which is pretty difficult to grasp or to read from cover to cover, but his explanation of spells and the use of academic words for which you can search for definition made the book so much clearer to me, awesome.

 

[8Lou1]

monday evening im visiting an other sufi group in my town. its a dutch group with a spiritual leader from india, who left the hindu/islam paradigm and is more neutral. at least thats what they write. i for myself am wondering how to present myself, but i will take your queste with me. who knows we find some new paths and ways.

Post automatically merged: Oct 5, 2023

btw, to make some workings clear: we go to meet as friends. in arabic the word is sahaba for friends and our street slang here is sahbi, were the 'h' is spoken like a soft 'g' a non existing sound in english. in the same manner one can realize that we there for dont go as jesus folk or mohammed folk or any other leader, we come together to find greater understanding of what those leaders ment. friend in dutch is the same as in english: vriend, so we also go to a meeting of hearts. at least thats how i was thought from within my group.

 

[stalkinghyena]

who knows we find some new paths and ways.