Symbolic Living » Articles – Documentaries

Why Beauty Matters. The Philosophy and Pursuit of Beauty.

Symbolic Living — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:45:06 +0000

Why Beauty Matters by Philosopher and Writer, Roger Scruton.

This is a documentary you absolutely will not want to miss.

Beauty has been central to our civilization for over 2000 years. From it’s beginnings in ancient Greece, philosophy has reflected upon the place of beauty in art, poetry, music, architecture and everday life. Philosophers have argued that through the pursuit of beauty we shape the world as a home, we also come to understand our own nature as spiritual beings. But our world has turned it’s back on beauty and because of that we find ourselves surrounded by ugliness and alienation.

I want to persuade you that beauty matters, that it is not just a subjective thing, but a universal need of human beings. If we ignore this need we find ourselves in a spiritual desert. I want to show you the path out of that desert. It is a path that leads to home.

The great artists of the past were aware that life was full of chaos and suffering but they had a remedy for this, and the name of that remedy was beauty. The beautiful work of art brings consolation in sorrow, and affirmation in joy. It shows human life to be worthwhile… ~ Roger Scruton

Plato wrote that Beauty is a sign of another, and higher, order.

By the eye of the mind, you will be able to nourish true virtue and become the friend of God ~ Plato

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The Philosophy and the Matrix & The Roots and the Matrix

Symbolic Living — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:56:23 +0000

Go further down the rabbit hole to discover the philosophical concepts embedded in the science fiction trilogy of The Matrix. Science, art, mythology, politics and spiritual themes including Gnosis, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Tantra among others, merge in the larger picture as the foundation of the films deeper considerations and symbolism. The dichotomies of free will and determined fate, choice and cause and effect are explored.

In part two the discussion turns to exploring modern science fiction, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and man’s bond and evolution with machines.

Free your mind.

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Yoga Inc. McYoga

Symbolic Living — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 18:15:18 +0000

Can yoga be owned? Does the west package yoga into a fast served McYoga happy meal? Is Yoga in the west losing its purpose and soul?

This documentary views yoga from the western perspective and details the history of yoga arriving in the west.

Yoga has transformed from an ancient spiritual practice into a competitive, commercialized, multi-million dollar industry. And for a practice rooted in renunciation, yoga sure is making some people very rich. Can yoga survive this war between the sacred and the profane with its good karma intact?

Esak Garcia is a star on the burgeoning competitive yoga circuit, racking up cash prizes and edging ever closer to snagging an endorsement deal. But Esak’s ultimate goal is the Olympics, a dream instilled in him by his guru, Bikram Choudhury. Bikram’s supporters applaud his crusade to have yoga recognized as an Olympic sport. His detractors are horrified. It’s typical of the controversies that surround the ‘Bad Boy of Yoga’. Bikram has also copyrighted his popular yoga style. Those who teach ‘Bikram yoga’ without playing by his rules are hit with crippling copyright infringement fees. So a group of yoga studio owners take Bikram to court to pose an important legal question; can anyone ‘own’ yoga?

In today’s yoga world only the marketplace has real meaning, where everything is up for grabs, from yoga shoes to chakra panties. The new mantras are Standardize and Supersize. In the race to cash in yoga chains (‘McYoga’?) are popping up everywhere, putting the smaller studios out of business. No wonder purists are scratching their heads. Is nothing sacred?

Greed, lust, ego and the search for enlightenment all come together in this original, irreverent portrait of spiritualism and capitalism colliding head on. Source Link

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Ancient Secrets of Magic

Symbolic Living — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 22:27:31 +0000

This documentary explores the historical and modern movements of spirituality and magic from ancient Egyptians and Alchemists to the modern new age movement. Each era brought forth a new understanding of the world through questioning common perceptions, beginning the development of scientific discovery and challenging the status quo.

Subjects discuss range from ancient gods, astrology, mysticism, the elements, alchemy, the emerald tablet, hermetics, mystery schools, angels, enochian language, tarot, oracles, theosophy, thelema, to modern technology and the sciences. Controversial ideas in their time, Isaac Newton, Galileo, Aristotle, Plato, Alestair Crowley, Madame Blavatsky, John Dee, Carl Jung, The Beatles, are a few of those mentioned as part of the development, discovery and popularity of these subjects and pushed boundaries.

Although the documentary brings as many questions as answers, it does provide an overview of many subjects in this area of interest.

A few of the concepts discussed:

They expressed it very beautifully – As Above, So Below, it really means wherever you look, the patterns will be the same. At the microscopic level, at our level, and at the cosmic level.

The movements of the planets through the heavens used to be considered the footprints of the gods and goddesses, and when they would catch up with each other and have interactions or one would go retrograde and then go forward again, these things were all understood to affect the world.

In Egypt, divination developed into a sophisticated system of rituals and ceremonies, designed to contact the gods that ruled their world.

They codified an alphabet that would line up the sounds of speech, the number canon and the zodiacal signs planets and features in the heavens so that you could with this alphabet spell sacred words, count, figure and calculate, and you could also do astronomy.

Pythagoras identified numbers as the most fundamental elements of creation.

Many credit pythagoras and his school with the development of numerology, and the efficient Greek alphabet eventually adopted by much of western culture. Pythagoras also applied numbers to decode music, which Greeks regarded as the language of the gods. He invented the monochord which defined the numerical ratios of the musical scale. Pythagoras believed he solved the mysteries of the universe.

The tarot is a pictorial representation of occult teachings. It’s a method of going within and contacting archetypal levels within oneself, spiritual levels and entering meditative state in which intuition is heightened and maybe where you can see certain types of patterns occurring because you are in a certain state of mind.

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As Above, So Below. Astrological Roots of Theology

Symbolic Living — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 17:11:50 +0000

Macrocosm and Microcosm unite in this fascinating teaching lecture which discusses how Astrology is the origin of Biblical symbolism providing us with details of the process of life and the heavens.

Get to understand the meaning of the seasons and the movement of the sun and moon. Understand the four elements, earth, air, fire, water, and the astrological qualities cardinal, fixed, mutable, signs and planetary rulers. See where astrology relates to and develops into the many myths of heaven, earth and hell.

Enjoy these absolutely fascinating insights into the Symbolism of Astrology relating to Ancient Mythology, Science, Religion, Time and life. Origins and correlations between words are also discussed providing insights into the development of language and symbolic meaning of religious phrases.

We are pleased to share this with you, and assured you will learn very much on Astrological symbolism in these lectures.

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Jane Elliot – A Class Divided

Symbolic Living — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:13:01 +0000

Watch Jane Elliot’s class social experiment in discrimination.

Perceptions – from the bottom of the Pyramid, to the King of the Castle. Although this documentary is from years ago, we know the same issues in many contexts are still part of today’s world.

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More coming soon

The Mystery of the Sphinx

Symbolic Living — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 21:59:23 +0000

Egyptologists explore the mysteries of the alignment of the Egyptian Pyramids with the Constellation of Orion, and discuss the clues that the Sphinx was built in the 11th century B.C.E during the age of Leo. Investigators explore theories and ask questions to try to unravel the hidden meaning behind these ancient monuments.

Discover the mysteries of Egypt in this video series.

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Authentic Kabbalah Part 6

Symbolic Living — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 14:35:07 +0000

Be sure to read Kabbalah Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 and Part 5 first.

Authentic Kabbalah Part 6

10 sephirot

We see that the Light emanating from Atzmuto creates a Kli in four steps. That is why that final desire, named Bhina Dalet (Fourth Phase), is in fact the only Creature. All the phases that preceded it were only intermediate phases in its evolution. The final Creation consists of all phases simultaneously, but its essence is represented by Malchut.

The Light being spread out throughout 0-4 phases consists of 9 parts, called sephirot (plural from sephira), what literally can be translated as “shining”. Sephirot constitute a full spectrum of “faces” belonging to the Creator – in other words, sephirot represent a variety of ways that the Creator manifests Himself with relation to the Creature. Obviously, the Creator Himself is absolutely constant and invariable, however constantly transforming Kli makes the Creator appear differently, depending on the inner qualities of the Kli itself. This is why a pure and unvariable Light descending from the Atzmuto seems to consists of many parts.

Thus the Creator placed a goal before us : to ascend through all the sephirot toward Him, gradually revealing His actual quality of bestowal, and finally, to bond with Him by acquiring His quality. This goal is included in Bhina Shoresh, in which the Creator wants to entirely fullfil the Creature.

To sum it up, 9 sephirot constitute a sort of link between the Creature (Malchut) and the Creator. Those sephirot are as follows : Keter, Hochma, Bina, Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, and Yesod. At this point it’s not worth to delve into the details, but just keep in mind, that Bhina Gimel (Zeir Anpin) consists of the following parts : Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, and Yesod.

As we already cleared up, Ohr and Kli are inseparably united. Hence, although sephirot in fact refer to the Light, their names are used to indicate parts that the Kli consists of. So, in Phase 4 the finished Creation looks like this :

Tzimtzum Alef

Foreword

The following lesson constitutes a slight description of what happens next after the Malchut in phase 4 has been brought forth. This lesson might seem difficult, as it brings up many new terms that you need to learn by heart, but after you become familiar with this terminology you’ll be able to understand it better.

The scheme of perfect reception

The Creator has brought forth the Creation so that upon receiving the Light it may experience infinite pleasure, not in a selfish (egoistic) way, but rather in a perfect and an absolute way (altruistic). If the Light enters the Kli and fills it up completely, then the Kli can no longer receive because the desire is saturated by the Light, and in the absence of desire the pleasure passes away as well. Hence, it is only possible to receive endlessly when you do not receive for your own sake, meaning, you enjoy for the sake of the giver. Then Ohr entering the Kli does not neutralize the desire to receive. We do know already, that we cannot endlessly fulfill our desires in the corporeal World, as the pleasure that fills up our desires neutralizes the desires, and thus the pleasure itself (as Ohr and Kli are inseparably united and cannot exist without each other). Through experience we all know that when we are hungry and begin to eat, after a certain time we no longer feel the hunger, even if the most delicious dishes are made available. In our World there is nothing we can do to make it work differently, this is why Kabbalah doesn’t speak of preferable behavior in our World at all. The model of correct reception applies exclusively to the spiritual Kli, and only on this level it can be put into effect.

Hence, the main problem that Malchut had to face is that as soon as pleasure enters the desire and starts to satisfy it, this desire slowly fades away. And if the pleasure is stronger than the desire this can even lead to repulsion. So, how can pleasure be converted into something perfect? If man feels pleasure not within himself, but within others while pleasing them, then pleasure is infinite because it depends solely on the amount of pleasure he can still give and to whom he is giving it. The more people I give it to the more pleasure do I feel myself. Again, do not identify this dependency with our World, it has nothing to do with it – such a model cannot be applied to relationships between people in our world. This condition produces an eternal existence on the level of spirituality, the perfection, which is one of the attributes of the Creator. This is exactly the state the Creator wants us to come to. The ideal scheme includes the Creator constantly pouring the Light (altruistic bestowal) on the created being, whereas the created being consents to receive the Light only if by doing so it pleases the Creator (altruistic reception). This system is referred to as Returned Light or Reflected Light (Ohr Hozer), as opposed to the Straight Light (Ohr Yashar) emanating from the Creator.

The Creator has especially made the Kli in such a way that under the influence of His manifestation (Ohr Yashar) it will feel ashamed of only receiving. The Kli, using its freedom of choice, will reach a level where pleasure is not experienced in egoistic way, so as to please the Creator. In this case the Kli equals the Creator, meaning, Malchut ascends to the level of Keter and acquires His attributes. I realize, that such a description doesn’t convey you any idea of this state, but at this point just keep in mind that entrance into the spiritual worlds by acquiring just one degree of similarity with the Creator already means eternity, absolute pleasure and attainment.

Tzimtzum Alef and Masach

So, let’s step back to the finished Creature, Malchut, in the Bhina Dalet. We already cleared up that when the Light fills up the Kli with pleasure, the Kli gradually receives from the Light its attribute to give as well as sensation of the giver itself – the Creator. Malchut then begins to feel that its attribute is completely opposite to the attribute of the Light. It becomes aware of its own egoistic nature when compared to the giver, which causes such a feeling of shame that it decides (using his freedom of choice) to stop receiving Light and remains empty. This is in fact the first time when the Creature uses its freedom of choice, so this decision plays exceptionally important role in what happens next. The rejection of the Light from Malchut is called Tzimtzum Alef (hebr. The First Restriction). This is what Malchut decided to do in order to acquire equality with the Creator, which in fact is a state of equilibrium, as neither the Creator gives, nor the Creature does receive pleasure.

It’s been previously said that nothing can disappear in spirituality, therefore although the further development of Malchut consists of many stages, Tzimtzum Alef, as a rule, is present in all worlds that we’re about to study, including our world. It means no more and no less, that Ohr cannot enter the egoistic Kli, as it used to do in previous phases. This is why when the spiritual Kli appears within a human being for the first time, it remains empty, as it doesn’t match the quality of Light. Although the spiritual Kli grows up under the influence of Ohr Makif (surrounding Light), it cannot receive the Light untill it acquires a certain degree of similarity to the Light. Similarity to the Light is defined by strength of Masach (hebr. “the screen”), which is also known as sixth sense, as degree of its strength defines how much we’re capable to perceive. In other words, Masach constitutes our altruistic intention of the desire to receive. Depending on how strong this intention is, we can receive more and more Light, thus gradually filling up all the parts that Kli consists of, and thus receiving the information about the Creator coming along with the Light. The scheme of reception with Masach can be depicted as follows :

Hence, in order to cross Machsom and enter the spiritual world, one is supposed to develop Masach. Further spiritual development consists in increasing strength of Masach, thus ascending the spiritual worlds and thus revealing the Creator more and more clearly.

In order to understand the mechanism of reception with Masach we’re supposed to distinguish between several kinds of Light that appear as soon as a certain portion of Light is being rejected by Kli. Take a look at the following picture :

Ohr Yashar is the straight Light emanating from the Creator, and in fact, this is the only Light that exists. Other kinds of Light represent subjective sensation that appears within Kli as it begins to use Masach.
As we already know, when the guest faces the host and the table full of delicacies he first refuses everything. This sort of pleasure is called Ohr Hozer – it appears along with Tzimtzum Alef, when the Kli refuses reception whatsoever.
Then the guest decides to eat a bit in order to please the host, even though he would like to eat it all in one go. This means that one must use his selfish desires, but in an altruistic way. As the guest starts to consider things, he understands that he cannot accept the whole dinner for the sake of the host, because his altruistic intention (Masach) is not strong enough. Therefore he only may accept a small portion of pleasure that could be received in altruistic way. This sort of pleasure is called Ohr Pnimi – it represents degree of similarity to the Creator.
Let’s say, after having performed a restriction, Malchut can accept with altruism only a small portion of the Light, let’s say 20%, but it pushes away the remaining 80%. The part that has been pushed away is called Ohr Makif – it represents degree of dissimilarity to the Creator. In other words, Ohr Makif is the Light that cannot be accepted because of egoism being present in certain parts of the Kli.

Aviut and Kashiut

These terms refer to dependency between egoistic force and altruistic one. We already know that along with development of Kli (throughout phases 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) egoism grows up, so that in Malchut it reaches the higher degree. Hence, in the phase 4 the Kli consists of 5 layers of egoism. The level of egoism is represented by the term Aviut.

The term Kashiut refers to strength of Masach, meaning the force of resistance to receiving light. It is similar to a solid body that does not allow anything to enter it. Likewise, Masach prevents the Upper Light from entering Malchut. It stops and reflects all the light that was destined to fill Malchut. Kashiut corresponds with levels of Aviut, so that the bigger egoism is included in Kli, the strongest force of resistance is required. Hence, the more egoistic desire we deal with, the stronger Masach we’re supposed to develop.

Spiritual Worlds

Let’s step back to the term “world” (hebr. olam) that we used before. The genuine meaning of this term is inverse to understanding that we may have. The spiritual worlds constitute gradual concealment of the Creator. We already know that worlds don’t exist as an external reality, but they rather reflect properties that the Kli possesses (Aviut and Kashiut). The birth of spiritual Worlds is actually the realization of the five Sefirot: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Zeir Anpin, and Malchut, which were in Malchut itself. The spreading of the worlds from Above to Below matches the progressive increase of the Aviut of the four desires or phases from 0 to 4. It’s written :

The worlds are like a sphere surrounding Malchut. As an analogy, you can picture a man surrounded by spheres and using his organs of sensation to perceive only the sphere that is closest to him: the World of Assiya. By sharpening his organs of sensation and by modifying his qualities, man begins gradually to perceive the next sphere, and so on. All the worlds are a sort of filter placed in the Light’s path, a special Screen that blocks the Surrounding Light: Ohr Makif. As soon as man senses the presence of these worlds, he removes the screen-filters. This draws him closer to the Creator.

The Worlds appear as soon as a certain portion of the Light gets through Masach and enters the Kli. Depending on which parts of the Kli are being filled with the Light, the Kli senses the Creator in different ways. Hence, there are 5 Worlds corresponding with each part that Malchut consists of :

Adam Kadmon
Atzilut
Beria
Yetzira
Assiya

For instance, Adam Kadmon appears when KETER is being filled up with the Light. Likewise, Atzilut is associated with HOCHMA, Beria appears along with fulfillment of BINA, Yetzira corresponds with ZEIR ANPIN, and Assiya with MALCHUT.

Each World consists of 5 Partzufim (portions) that constitute gradual stages of fulfillment that a Sefira comes through. Similarly, each Partzufim consists of 5 sefirot. Hence, the entire spiritual path from MALCHUT to KETER consists of 125 steps (5 worlds x 5 partzufim x 5 sferot)

In the beginning, a man is located inside the worlds and he perceives their power and the constraints imposed upon him. How can one overcome these constraints? By performing an inner correction, corresponding for instance to the attributes of the World of Assiya. This means being an altruist on level zero.
After having been overcome, the World of Assiya penetrates man and can be sensed by him. In order to sense the World of Yetzira, it is necessary to acquire attributes similar to those of this world and to allow this world to penetrate us. At this stage we become level one altruists. The goal is to let all the worlds in, and to become similar to these worlds according to the following degrees of Aviut: 2, 3, 4.

Afterword

By knowing how many steps are included in spiritual development you can actually understand what part of Kabbalah this course does touch upon. Adam Kadmon, what constitutes 1/5 part of spiritual path between Malchut and Bina. Obviously, what we actually learn in these lessons is but a brief overview of main concepts. The actual kabbalistic texts contains much more detailed explanaition.

Terminology

As always, becoming familiar with the terms included in this lesson is a crucial requirement.

Tzimtzum
Masach
Ohr Yashar
Ohr Hozer
Ohr Makif
Ohr Pnimi
Aviut
Kashiut
Olam
Partzuf
Adam Kadmon
Atzilut
Beria
Yetzira
Assiya

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Time Travel

Symbolic Living — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 11:46:45 +0000

Here are a few Documentaries exploring Time Travel with scientific/philosophical points of view below from the History Channel and Michio Kaku.

Also enjoy H.G Wells’ Time Machine - A Victorian Englishman travels to the far future and finds that humanity has divided into two hostile species. - in futuristic technicolor

Documentaries on Time Travel

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H.G Wells’ Time Machine - in futuristic technicolor

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Ancient Machines of the Gods

Symbolic Living — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:02:37 +0000

Temples that could roar with thunder. Statues that could speak. Chariots that levitated in the air. Sculptures that cried tears of blood.

These are some fascinating examples of ancient machines that were dedicated to adding life and spectacle to artistic representations in the temples, which were designed to entertain and symbolize the spiritual world.

This documentary explores inventions of the Greek and Roman period, as well as Egyptian antiquities.

The technology of these machines were used to enhance the experience and worship of the gods through creating magical, theatrical illusions. Heron of Alexandria played an important role as one of the great inventors of the time.

See how these elaborate ancient devices, used only in the temples (house of the gods) at the time, amazed worshipers, made them feel connected to the gods, and maintained a sense of awe.