📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: The Virtue of Civility in Controversial Discourse: Reflections from a Recent Debate 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-07T16:00:48+03:00 📄 Summary: In an era marked by polarized opinions and often bitter exchanges, a recent debate between Michael Egnor and Michael Shermer on the Piers Morgan Show highlighted a refreshing commitment to cordiality. Commenters expressed notable appreciation for the respectful tone maintained throughout discussions on divisive topics, underscoring the value of civil dialogue as a cornerstone for mutual understanding and intellectual progress. Such exchanges remind us that the manner in which we engage often shapes the quality of our discourse more than the content alone. 🔗

Mind Matters

Piers Morgan Show: Michael Egnor and Michael Shermer Debate!

One thing that stood out was the commenters’ appreciation of a cordial discussion of often-controversial topics.

🗞️ Source: Denyse O'Leary 💓 #CivilityInDebate #RespectfulDialogue #PhilosophyOfConversation

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: Occult Press: Crafting Unique Tomes in the Realm of the Hidden 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-06T16:01:55+03:00 📄 Summary: Occult Press, an imprint of Snuggly Books, dedicates itself to the art of publishing fine, limited editions of occult fiction and non-fiction. Each project is a carefully crafted artifact, born from an intentional selection of printers, binders, papers, and materials to evoke a distinct and resonant aesthetic. In an age of mass production, Occult Press reclaims the intimate and the unique, inviting readers to explore esoteric knowledge through vessels as rare as the insights they contain. 🔗

Occult Press - Hermeneuticon - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #OccultLiterature #ArtisanPublishing #EsotericKnowledge

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: Moina Mathers: A Luminary at the Crossroads of Esotericism and Art 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-06T16:01:43+03:00 📄 Summary: Moina Mathers, born Mina Bergson in 1865, emerged as a profound figure who elegantly wove artistic mastery with esoteric traditions. An evocative artist and a pivotal member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Moina’s journey traversed Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Enochian magic, Tarot, and ceremonial magick. Under her motto "Vestigia Nulla Retrorsum"—the past leaves no traces—she carved pathways forward in occult thought and practice, embodying a delicate synthesis of creativity and mysticism. Her legacy invites contemplation on the fusion of art and spiritual endeavor, revealing how symbolism and ritual conjure deeper truths beyond the visible realm. 🔗

Moina Mathers - Hermeneuticon - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #EsotericWisdom #MysticalArtistry #GoldenDawn

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: The Enigmatic Legacy of Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers: A Philosopher of the Occult 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-06T16:01:34+03:00 📄 Summary: Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, a towering figure in the esoteric tradition, is best known by the cryptic titles S.R.M.D. (“Royal is my race”) and D.D.C.F. (“God as my guide, my companion a sword”). His aliases delineate a profound philosophical vision where nobility intertwines with divine guidance and militant resolve. Mathers’ legacy invites us to consider the interplay of heritage, spirituality, and personal sovereignty, prompting contemporary seekers to reflect on the enduring quest for higher knowledge and disciplined virtue. 🔗

Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers - Hermeneuticon - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #OccultPhilosophy #EsotericWisdom #SpiritualLegacy

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: November 5: A Day of Thelemic Reflection and Historical Significance 🗓️ Published: 2024-06-01T00:00:00+03:00 📄 Summary: November 5 carries a profound resonance in the realms of mysticism and tradition. It marks Thelemic Tephilah, a sacred ritual invocation rooted in the esoteric practices inspired by Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, a pivotal figure in Western occultism. This date also aligns with the Greater Feast, a day commemorated within certain mystical traditions as crossing into the Abyss, symbolizing a passage through transformative spiritual thresholds. November 5 thus encapsulates a confluence of history, magic, and metaphysical introspection. 🔗

November 5 - Hermeneuticon - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #EsotericWisdom #Thelema #OccultHistory

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: Greater Feast 🗓️ Published: 2019-11-05T00:00:00-05:00 📄 Summary: Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, a towering figure in the esoteric and occult traditions, is remembered through "Greater Feast," a reflective exploration of his enduring legacy. The piece contemplates the interplay between mysticism and modernity, inviting readers to ponder the profound depths of hidden knowledge and the timeless quest for spiritual illumination. It evokes the subtle art of transcending the mundane through ritual, symbolism, and the pursuit of higher wisdom. 🔗

1918 - Hermeneuticon - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #OccultWisdom #EsotericLegacy #SpiritualQuest

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: Neuroscientist Christof Koch Proposes a Bold Brain Experiment 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-06T15:00:00+03:00 📄 Summary: Christof Koch envisions a daring experiment to merge multiple brains into a “shared brain,” intending to provide compelling evidence for materialism—the philosophical stance that mind emerges solely from physical processes. Yet, this ambitious proposal has stirred a profound debate, exemplified by neuroscientist Michael Egnor’s thoughtful critique, which challenges the reductionist narrative and invites us to ponder the essence of consciousness beyond mere neural circuitry. This intellectual exchange reverberates with age-old questions about identity, mind, and the intangible quality of thought that eludes mechanical replication. 🔗

Mind Matters

Neuroscientist Christof Koch proposes a bold brain experiment…

Koch hoped that the “shared brain” experiment would demonstrate materialism. He may have been unprepared for Egnor’s response.

🗞️ Source: Denyse O'Leary 💓 #ConsciousnessQuest #PhilosophyOfMind #NeuroscienceDebate

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: The Soul and Human Dignity: A Conversation with J.P. Moreland 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-05T15:30:00+03:00 📄 Summary: In an era where materialism and reductionism often dominate the discourse, J.P. Moreland offers a compelling defense of the soul’s enduring significance. Far from being an antiquated notion, the soul remains indispensable in grappling with the profound realities of consciousness, freedom, and human equality. Moreland’s reflections invite us to reconsider the philosophical and ethical foundations of what it means to be human, underscoring how the soul serves as a cornerstone for dignity and moral worth. 🔗

Mind Matters

The Soul and Human Dignity: A Conversation with J.P. Moreland

Far from being outdated, the soul remains a vital concept for any worldview that takes seriously the realities of consciousness, freedom, and human...

🗞️ Source: MindMatters 💓 #PhilosophyOfMind #HumanDignity #Consciousness

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: Neuroscientist: Brain Surgery Can Create Two Conscious Entities? 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-05T16:00:00+03:00 📄 Summary: The intriguing question of whether brain surgery could generate two distinct conscious entities has sparked debate among neuroscientists and philosophers alike. While some propose the tantalizing possibility that surgical interventions might bifurcate consciousness, Dr. Michael Egnor counters with a nuanced perspective: consciousness is an indivisible phenomenon, inherently unified, and there exists no empirical evidence to suggest that one person can be split into two separate persons. This conversation revisits fundamental inquiries into the nature of selfhood, identity, and the essence of consciousness itself—reminding us that the mind’s unity resists fragmentation despite advances in neurosurgical techniques. 🔗

Mind Matters

Neuroscientist: Brain Surgery Can Create “Two Conscious Entities”

Egnor: Consciousness is not the kind of thing that can be split, and there’s no evidence that one person can ever become two people.

🗞️ Source: Denyse O'Leary 💓 #Consciousness #Neuroscience #PhilosophyOfMind

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: Defensa de la Alegría: The Courage of Choosing Joy Amidst Sorrow 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-04T00:00:00-04:00 📄 Summary: In a world inundated with sorrow, the deliberate choice of joy stands as an act of profound courage and quiet rebellion. Embracing joy not in spite of our suffering but because of it, it becomes a miraculous affirmation of life’s most vibrant and alive essence. This reflection, inspired by Mario Benedetti and echoed in the soulful resolve of Nick Cave’s lyrics, invites us to see joy as a necessary, radical miracle of consciousness—a luminous beacon that honors our survival and humanity. 🔗

The Marginalian

A Defense of Joy

One of the most important things to have learned in life is that choosing joy in a world rife with reasons for despair is a countercultural act of ...

🗞️ Source: Maria Popova 💓 #PhilosophyOfJoy #Resilience #ExistentialCourage

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: Harry Smith: The Mystic Artisan of Vision and Sound 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-04T16:01:26+03:00 📄 Summary: Harry Everett Smith, whose life culminated on November 27, 1991, in New York, was far more than a filmmaker—he was an alchemist of visual and sonic realms, a painter, musicologist, and magician woven into the fabric of esoteric traditions. As a Bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica and a member of the Ordo Templi Orientis, Smith's work traversed the liminal terrain between art and the sacred, becoming a beacon for those seeking meaning beyond the mundane. The Greater Feast commemorates not only his passing but the enduring legacy of his mystical artistry that continues to inspire seekers and artists alike. 🔗

Harry Smith - Hermeneuticon - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #EsotericArt #MysticalLegacy #HarrySmith

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: Princess Witch Boy: A Fantasy Memoir in Two Parts 🗓️ Published: 2009–2010 📄 Summary: "Princess Witch Boy" emerges as a captivating fantasy memoir, uniquely crafted by the artist Storm (Arcana). Delivered in two evocative issues—Gateway and Replica—this series invites readers to traverse an ethereal realm where the boundaries between identity, magic, and self-discovery blur. The collection stands as a testament to the potency of speculative narrative in exploring themes of transformation, belonging, and the arcane facets of human experience. It is a rare literary gem whose limited release enriches its mystique and allure. 🔗 http://stormantic.com |

The Violet Storm

The Violet Storm

Memoir, Myth, & Magick

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #FantasyLiterature #SpeculativeMemoir #Arcana

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: Susan Stebbing: Pioneer of Analytical Philosophy and Logical Clarity 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-04T16:00:46+03:00 📄 Summary: Susan Stebbing stands as a luminous figure in the annals of philosophy, remarkable as the first female professor of philosophy in the United Kingdom and an influential founder of the journal *Analysis*. Her presidency of both the Mind Association and the Aristotelian Society underscores her leadership in shaping philosophical discourse. Stebbing’s enduring legacy lies in her development of precise directional analysis, a method that elegantly begins from common-sense beliefs and meticulously unpacks the structure of reasoning and argument. Her work embodies a pursuit of clarity in thought, a paradigm that invites us to reconsider the foundations of rational dialogue and the art of thinking well. 🔗

Susan Stebbing | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

🗞️ Source: IEP Author 💓 #PhilosophyPioneer #AnalyticalPhilosophy #ClarityInThought

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: The Enigmatic Symbolism of the Fool and the All-Mother in Ancient Wisdom 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-03T16:03:00+03:00 📄 Summary: Delving into the arcane allegory drawn from the Hebrew fable brought from Babylon, the tale of Nebuchadnezzar’s seven-year exile reveals profound philosophical symbolism. The Ox, emblematic of the letter Aleph and the Atu of Thoth, embodies zero—the genesis of truth and cosmic order referenced as Maat or Maut, the vulture, the All-Mother archetype resembling Our Lady Nuit. Simultaneously, this symbol metamorphoses into the Fool, Parsifal, the eternal seeker. This fusion of myth and mysticism points to the cyclical journey of wisdom, from oblivion back to enlightenment, inviting us to ponder the thresholds between madness, truth, and the sacred feminine. 🔗

Ϝτ. De Herbo Sanctissimo Arabico. - The Book of Wisdom or Folly - The Libri of Aleister Crowley - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #SacredSymbols #HermeticPhilosophy #MythicWisdom

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: De Quibusdam Mysteriis, Quae Vidi—A Dialogue with the Ineffable 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-03T16:03:00+03:00 📄 Summary: In this enigmatic reflection, the author invites us into the realm where memory, symbol, and secret converge. Like hieroglyphs etched only for the initiated, these mysteries transcend the mere telling and beckon the experienced to rediscover through personal encounter. The vision unfolds upon a darkened field, emblematic of the depths of understanding hidden from the unready, promising that some truths reveal themselves only through contemplative immersion beyond the surface of years of instruction. Herein lies an ode to the sacred and elusive nature of knowledge — a silent dialogue between symbol and soul. 🔗

Ϝυ. De Quibusdam Mysteriis, Quae Vidi. - The Book of Wisdom or Folly - The Libri of Aleister Crowley - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #EsotericWisdom #MysteryUnveiled #SymbolicThought

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: Ϝφ. De Quorum Modo Meditationis: The Ascent of Mind to Truth 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-03T16:00:00+03:00 📄 Summary: In this profound meditation, the author reflects on the transcendent transformations of the mind — those sacred ladders reaching towards the realm of Truth. These mental transmutations, elusive yet vital, serve as spiritual steps ascending to a higher understanding, akin to celestial ascent. Yet, the writer humbly confesses the ineffable difficulty in capturing such inner workings with mortal words, likening this struggle to trying to engrave the ephemeral upon stone. This text invites contemplation on how consciousness itself evolves, urging seekers to embrace the ineffability of spiritual transitions that define our passage toward enlightenment. 🔗

Ϝφ. De Quorum Modo Meditationis. - The Book of Wisdom or Folly - The Libri of Aleister Crowley - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #Philosophy #SpiritualAscension #MysticalThought

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: The Path to Enlightenment Through Contradiction: A Philosophical Reflection 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-03T16:02:56+03:00 📄 Summary: In contemplating the profound intersections of theory and lived experience, one discerns that true comprehension, particularly of the universe’s flawless nature, demands initiation into a higher law of understanding. This sacred knowledge reveals that all thoughts inherently divide, yet the art of wisdom lies in uniting each thought with its contradiction, dissolving separation and achieving a harmonious unity. Such an approach not only challenges conventional reasoning but imbues the practitioner with a secret enlightenment, weaving perfection into the fabric of perception and being. 🔗

Ϝχ. Sequitur De Hac Re. - The Book of Wisdom or Folly - The Libri of Aleister Crowley - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #PhilosophyOfMind #MysticalThought #UnityInContradiction

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: On the Imperfection of Thought and the Limits of Contradiction 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-03T16:00:00+03:00 📄 Summary: In a contemplative exploration, this discourse reflects upon the inherent limitations of human thought when framed within dualities such as health and sickness. It asserts that thought, being imperfect in its dimensions, cannot encapsulate the totality of existence by contrasting simple opposites. The Universe, as represented in discourse, remains partial and must be understood beyond mere binary qualities. This philosophical meditation invites us to reconsider the nature of understanding, urging a deeper appreciation of the complexity beyond contradictions. 🔗

Ϝψ. Sequitur De Hac Re. - The Book of Wisdom or Folly - The Libri of Aleister Crowley - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #PhilosophyOfMind #Dialectics #MetaphysicalInquiry

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: Ϝω. Conclusio De Hoc Modo Sanctitatis 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-03T16:00:00+03:00 📄 Summary: This profound treatise reflects on the fundamental nature of opposites perceived by the senses and the mind. It contends that sensory impressions—light versus dark, long versus short—are inherently paired with their opposites, extending also to emotional states such as love and hate, or truth and falsehood. Yet, it is in the most intense oppositions that illusion thrives, the mind ensnared by the binding relations that define their conflict. The discourse gestures towards the contemplation of sanctity as transcending such dualities, inviting the seeker to discern beyond the veil of antagonism. 🔗

Ϝω. Conclusio De Hoc Modo Sanctitatis. - The Book of Wisdom or Folly - The Libri of Aleister Crowley - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #PhilosophyOfOpposites #Sanctity #IllusionAndTruth

📰 To Read... 🔖 Title: James Branch Cabell: The Enchanter of Illusion and Reality 🗓️ Published: 2025-07-03T16:02:26+03:00 📄 Summary: James Branch Cabell, an American fantasy writer born in 1879, invites us to ponder the delicate dance between reality and illusion. His motto, *Mundus Vult Decipi* — "the world wishes to be deceived" — captures a profound philosophical truth about human nature’s eager embrace of comforting fictions. Cabell’s reflection on optimism and pessimism encapsulates the eternal paradox: the optimist's hopeful assertion that this is the best of all possible worlds versus the pessimist's fearful conjecture that it might indeed be so. Through his elegant narratives, Cabell challenges us to discern the illusions we cherish and the realities they veil. 🔗

James Branch Cabell - Hermeneuticon - Hermetic Library

🗞️ Source: librarian@undisclosed.example.com (John Bell) 💓 #LiteraryPhilosophy #FantasyWisdom #HumanNature