Vork,

 

I really enjoy your very insightful posts and killer puzzles! You've been with us for a comparatively short time so far but your contributions to TSC have been extremely impressive! I'm very glad you found us.

 

I lift a cold brew in your honor my friend...

 

--Badger

 

 

MM Fae!

 

Vork is one of our newer members and he has been posting some great stuff! The Mental Challenge message board was his idea.

 

Vork is a very welcome addition to our little circle of friends.

 

BB, Badger

Thank you. my newfound friends for your kind words.

 

I am not really Wiccan, though, as you appear to be, but I am open to  the "search for the truth" which does not seem to be any standard offering from that scoundrel, King James, nor the blood-soaked Vatican.

 

At present the quantum approach is opening its doors to me. At lower levels, particles pop in and out of reality. Sometimes experiments depend on the consciousness of the observer to determine the outcome. Will keep you posted as I learn more!

Vork,

 

I think that the majority of us here in TSC are Pagans of different varieties, including Wicca and simular beliefs. I personaly am a Gnostic and a Hermeticist Pagan. I believe that science and pantheistic(Pagan and Eastern) religious philosophies can be unified in an objective quest for a complete understanding of the ultimate reality.

 

--Badger

 

 

Fae ... I know what you mean about the mail sorter. I put mine on manual select so I don't have to go searching for misdirected mail. Oh, and I like that black and gold pentacle sigil in the Warriors post.

 

I have my groups listed under Favorites and just go down the list jumping right into ALL MESSAGES instead of waiting for mail, but everyone has their own preferences.

 

---

A little research brought this to light:

 

The hermeticist knows that knowledge of God is innate to him, and could be accomplished by every human being.

He is trained never to forget the world - as it is his forging ground.

 

The hermeticist is ever prepared to burn in exchange for gnosis, or to peel away the onion which wrap up the world's Mysteries and himself.

 

He discovers that all around is a sea of chaos and pure potentiality, waiting for him to organize and shape it via symbolism and mental frameworks into a reality that expresses ones innate happiness.
 
The Gnostic claims to have superior knowledge of spiritual matters, and explains the world as created by powers or agencies arising as emanations from the Godhead.

Vork,

 

Those are accurate statements. Gnosticism holds that humans are Divine and trapped in an illusory state of forgetfulness of their origins in the Godhead. Gnostics are of the opinion that they are waking up to their Divine nature by aquiring spiritual knowledge or gnosis. Aquiring gnosis is seen as the path of liberation from incarnating in the bio-chemical world of material existence.

 

Hermeticism is sort of a catch-all phrase that means you're a student of the 'Western mystery tradition' of occult illuminism. 

 

--Badger

Wabbushon:
I guess it was a dumb post for this site since you already knew that information.

 

Thanks for the additional info, Badger.

My apologies Vork.  I seem to keep taking things the wrong way these days.  I made a rude and unnecessary remark. 

and, I'll never truly understand gnosism, nor anything else for that matter. lol

That's OK Wabbushon, no offense taken.