Quotations relevant to the Path

Rituals, spells, prayer, meditation and magical acts.
Locked
Angolmois

Re: Quotations relevant to the Path

Post by Angolmois »

Boreas wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 3:05 pm
Nefastos wrote: Mon Mar 30, 2020 9:00 am The anguished cellar man in Notes from Underground, yes?
I can't really tell, I was just reading Dostoyevsky quotes from the Goodreads site and this really caught my eye.
Now that I checked it was actually from The Brothers Karamazov, and I think they are the words of Father Zosimos.
User avatar
Nefastos
Posts: 3029
Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 10:05 am
Location: Helsinki

Re: Quotations relevant to the Path

Post by Nefastos »

Boreas wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 5:46 pmthe words of Father Zosimos.

Ah yes, they are, but he - a hermit monk idolized by Dostoevsky in the novel - is actually criticizing such an idea. Zosimos tells that he once met a doctor who said thus "in bitter jest", and that text you quoted is Zosimos' quote from that doctor he once knew. The discussion continues right after that in the following way:

Brothers Karamazov, II:IV wrote:[A visitor:] “But what's to be done? What can one do in such a case? Must one despair?”

[Zosimos the hermit:] “No. It is enough that you are distressed at it. Do what you can, and it will be reckoned unto you. Much is done already in you since you can so deeply and sincerely know yourself.”
Faust: "Lo contempla. / Ei muove in tortuosa spire / e s'avvicina lento alla nostra volta. / Oh! se non erro, / orme di foco imprime al suol!"
Angolmois

Re: Quotations relevant to the Path

Post by Angolmois »

Good thing that got cleared up! In some level I recognize myself from the quote.
Angolmois

Re: Quotations relevant to the Path

Post by Angolmois »

Boreas wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 9:52 pmIn some level I recognize myself from the quote.
(That edit button really doesn't seem to work.)

A little elaboration on the thought: Not that I would say that "I hate men individually", but a prolonged presence of humans makes me very irritated and nervous, and lately I've become more and more hostile towards "hanging out" or socializing if there's no higher purpose. To take this back to thread it was I guess Nietzsche who said something like "if you love your neighbour you must also hate your friends". Makes me again think about two hands that must be joined.

EDIT: here's the exact quote: “The man of knowledge must be able not only to love his enemies but also to hate his friends.”
User avatar
Aquila
Posts: 355
Joined: Sat Jul 17, 2010 12:14 pm

Re: Quotations relevant to the Path

Post by Aquila »

Boreas wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 11:05 pm
Boreas wrote: Wed Apr 01, 2020 9:52 pmIn some level I recognize myself from the quote.
(That edit button really doesn't seem to work.)
I think the edit button is still available only for limited amount of time. Just to prevent cases where members of the forum have edited/erased their whole posting history which easily cause troubles in reading the forum.
Angolmois

Re: Quotations relevant to the Path

Post by Angolmois »

Aquila wrote: Thu Apr 02, 2020 12:51 pmI think the edit button is still available only for limited amount of time. Just to prevent cases where members of the forum have edited/erased their whole posting history which easily cause troubles in reading the forum.
Ok, thanks for the info.

A quote pertaining to Thursday came by.

"...the stone axe of Parashu-Rama and the stone hammer of Thor are really one and the same weapon, and this weapon is, moreover, the symbol of lightning. From this we see that the symbolism of 'thunder stones' is of Hyperborean origin, which is to say that it is linked to the most ancient of traditions of present humanity, to what is truly the primal tradition for the present Manvantara. There is reason to note, on the other hand, the very important role played by lightning in Tibetan symbolism; the vajra, which represents it, is one of hte principal insignia of the dignitaries of Lamaism. At the same time, the vajra symbolizes the masculine principle of universal manifestation, and thus lightning is associated with the idea of 'divine paternity', and association also to be found just as clearly in Western Antiquity inasmuch as the thunderbolt is the principal attribute of Zeus Pater or Ju-piter, the 'father of gods and men', who strikes down the titans and the giants with thunderbolts, just as Thor and Parashu-Rama destroyed their equivalents with weapons of stone."

- René Guénon, Symbols of Sacred Science
Angolmois

Re: Quotations relevant to the Path

Post by Angolmois »

"As concerns the name Budha, it is curious to note that it is in fact identical to the Scandinavian Odin, Woden or Wotan; it is thus not at all arbitrary that the Romans assimilated Odin to Mercury, and in some Germanic languages the day of Mercury is still called the day of Odin. What is perhaps even more remarkable is that this same name is found in the VOtan of the ancient traditions of Central America, who moreover has the attributes of Hermes, for he is Quetzalcoatl, the 'bird-serpent', and the union of these two symbolic animals (corresponding respectively to air and fire) is also figured by the wings and the serpents of the caduceus."

- René Guénon, Traditional Forms and Cosmic Cycles
obnoxion
Posts: 1806
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 7:59 pm

Re: Quotations relevant to the Path

Post by obnoxion »

"In spite of this heterogeneity of elements the most striking feature of Vajra-yana, which justifies the general name for it, is the use and function of the idea of Vajra. Vajra... is the void (sunyata), - and in Vajra-yana everything is Vajra - i.e. perfect void. In worshipping a god, the god is thought of as the Vajra-nature, his image is Vajra, - the worshipper is Vajra, the materials of worship are Vajra, the mantras are Vajra, - the processes are Varja and everything is Vajra."

***

"We have seen above how the sunyata-doctrine of the Mahayanic philosophers was adopted by the esoteric Buddhists; but the emphasis of Mahayana is not only on Sunyata; as a religion it is characterised by its stress on universal compassion. This Mahayana doctrine of compassion also was... adopted by these Tantric Buddhists toto. All the preachings, all the rites and ceremonies, all the mystic practices have the stamp of Karuna on them, i.e., everything is said to be undertaken only with the view to saving the world from all miseries."




- The quotes are from the good old book, "An Introduction to Tantric Buddhism" by Shashi Bhushan Dasgupta (Shambala, 1974).
One day of Brahma has 14 Indras; his life has 54 000 Indras. One day of Vishnu is the lifetime of Brahma. The lifetime of Vishnu is one day of Shiva.
Angolmois

Re: Quotations relevant to the Path

Post by Angolmois »

"Until now men have torn each other apart for the sake of certain dubious invisible beings that are careful not to call themselves spirits, but ‘ideals’. I think the hour has finally come for the war against these invisible enemies, and I would like to play a part in it. For years I have been aware that I was being trained in spiritual warfare, but until now I have never had this clear feeling that a great battle against these damned ghosts is at hand. I tell you, once you start clearing out all those false ideals, there’s no end to it. You’ve no idea what piles of humbug brazenly posing as truth you have inherited."

~ Gustav Meyrink, The Green Face
obnoxion
Posts: 1806
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 7:59 pm

Re: Quotations relevant to the Path

Post by obnoxion »

Quia tenebrae non obscurabuntur, et nox sicut dies inluminabitur

(But darkness is not dark, and night shall be light.)




- Extract from a latin ritual formula for black mass, with my clumsy translation. I wanted to share something appropriate after the "string saturday" (lankalauantai) last night, which is considered a time for gatherings of witches' sabbats. It is, for me, one of the more important nights of the year.

This extract is taken from a little booklet "Missa Niger - The Black Mass" (Octavia Press).
One day of Brahma has 14 Indras; his life has 54 000 Indras. One day of Vishnu is the lifetime of Brahma. The lifetime of Vishnu is one day of Shiva.
Locked