Cancer, I've been here before.

So the docs found a new spot on my lungs. It is May 27th, 2026, I've been here before. I'm ready for this. Interesting, it was exactly four years ago on this day that I posted "My Cancer Cure" post on here. In that post I wrote: "We all come into this life with a mission, a reason, and when that reason is done so are we...this is why cancer doesn't matter to me, if I still have a reason to live, the cancer will wait. And as I told you before, the blue Buddha came to me in a dream and so I know I am healing and will stay alive as long as I continue my mission. I am chanting each morning that this body which can create a cancer cell, can heel a cancer cell. Therefore, I chant that the recent spots they found on my lungs are smaller than they were the day before, and that they are not cancerous. I then thank the heavenly deities for providing this. I also pray that the medicine king will bring me the knowledge, doctors, cures, etc., that I need...."

I go into how I eat raw bitter melon, broccoli, and carrots in the morning. I also go into my faith: "The faith I speak of is the Mystic Law which saved my life over a year ago by alarming me to have my lungs checked. I've told you about it before, how while chanting my chest began to hurt which caused me to go to the hospital where they found a cancer spot. It amazed the doctors that I brought it to their attention so early. I had part of my lung removed and have lived another year without cancer. Now, it looks like there are more spots which could be cancerous.  I am not sure what I have left, if it is to share with you how my faith has saved me again, or how I know by chanting I am protected and will be here as long as I am needed.  Maybe just to share my cure with you, kind reader. The faith I speak of is the Mystic Law. To obtain it all you have to do is chant: Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Give it a try. 

Athena Is Coming To Save Us From The Bullies of the World

In case you missed it, an "Exceptional Statue of the Greek Goddess Athena" was uncovered in Ancient Laodicea, Turkey.

That's right, archaeologists have uncovered a nearly 2-meter (6.6 feet) marble statue of the Greek goddess Athena at the ancient city of Laodicea, located in modern-day Turkey. Researchers found the statue lying face-down in rubble debris along the outer wall of the theater’s rear stage section, known as the “postskene.” The statue is carved from white marble, though its head has not yet been found.

As we know here at EsotericDaily.com, nothing is by accident or without meaning, and so I ask you these questions, "Why did a headless Athena present herself to us now?" "What does it mean."

First, Athena was one of the most revered goddesses in ancient Greece, associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft. She is traditionally depicted wearing a helmet and holding a spear, with snakes and the gorgoneion among her most recognized symbols. Unlike Ares, who personifies the bloodlust and violence of battle, Athena represents the disciplined and intellectual side of war—specifically strategy, tactical prowess, and heroic endeavor.

A quick refresher on myth, Athena was the daughter of Zeus and was known for her miraculous birth, emerging fully grown, in armor, and emitting a battle cry from Zeus’s forehead. In some accounts she was produced without a mother, and in an alternative story her mother was Metis, the goddess of counsel, whom Zeus swallowed while she was pregnant with Athena. Being the favorite child of Zeus, Athena had great power. In turn, she favored such mortal heroes as Odysseus, Heracles, and Perseus.

Now, esoterically speaking, here are the factors that present themselves to us:

1. Athena gives Perseus the power to face Medusa by instructing him not to look her directly in the eyes, but to use the reflection of his sword to attack her. Medusa, who could turn anyone into stone by looking at them, was the evil force trying to create chaos in the world. By giving Perseus the power to defeat Medusa, Athena is actually protecting the world from a selfish bully who wanted nothing but death, destruction, and chaos in the world. 

2. In another myth, Athena wanted new weapons, so she went to the blacksmith god, Hephaestus to request his services. When Hephaestus saw Athena he tried everything he could to forge a relationship with her, when she refused him, he lost control of himself and forced himself (yes, rape) on her. She fought him off, but not before he ejaculated on her leg. Athena wiped the nasty mess off herself and threw in on the ground where it turned into a snake: her snake-son Erichthonius.

3. Athens, which is named after Athena, is where western society began with the likes of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, and where democracy was founded. Most myths with Athena show her as the champion of fairness, justice, and democracy -- just look at the face of the Statue of Liberty and compare it to the statues of Athena; conversely, many temples that had been dedicated to Athena were converted into churches for the Virgin Mary with the spread of Christianity, most notably, the Parthenon (the "Temple of the Virgin Athena") served as the Cathedral of Theotokos (Mother of God) for nearly a thousand years. 

Athena on the left, Mother Mary on the Right.

4. In The Eumenides, Athena shows up in the final play as the divine arbiter who ends a cycle of blood vengeance and establishes the foundations of human justice. Yes, the first courtroom scene ever written. 

Put these statements together, and we see that Athena is the goddess of human decency, fairness, and justice. Unlike the other woman in myths she doesn't need saving by a man, instead she uses her intellect to protect herself and others, and she remained a virgin. She brought order to the world with the Medusa story, then fairness and democracy to Athens, and as in the play Ajax, written by Sophocles, she intervenes to bypass useless killing by driving the bully leader, Ajax, mad.  

In conclusion, I believe Athena has popped up from the grave as a warning to the male leaders who are creating chaos instead of order. We know who they are, just look at the wars in Ukraine, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, and the macho world leaders pounding their chest to drop more bombs, kill more people, and create more chaos.  

Enough is enough.

Athena is a hopeful message to those of us wanting immediate peace for the sake of humanity, and a warning to the war lords that bad things will start happening to them if they don't start playing nice; that is, once she finds her head. 

~~ Eso Terry 

May, Aleister Crowley, and the Esoteric Message of Nursery Rhymes

Hermes and Maia

May, the fifth month of the current Gregorian calendar and the third month of Spring's rule, which derives its name from the Roman Springtime goddess Maia, whose divine powers encouraged the growth of crops. 

Wooo, I have to stop here for Maia is also the mother of Hermes, and well, I have to go Hermetic on your ass now because we have invoked the name of Hermes Trismegistus which brings us to today's topic: The Holy Qabalah, Aleister Crowley, and Nursery Rhymes, for you see all nursery rhymes were holy before the Demiurge's Fake Religion of today.  

 So hold onto your seats boys and girls as we reveal one of the great secrets of the adepts.  

Old Mother Hubbard

Went to her cupboard

To get her poor dog a bone;

When she got there, 

The cupboard was bare, 

And so the poor dog had none. 

Who is this ancient and venerable mother?  According to Aleister Crowley she is none other than Binah of the Kabbalah, as is evident in the use of the holy letter H with which her name begins. 

And to what cupboard did she go?  To the most secret caverns of the Universe? And who is this dog?  It is not the name of God spelt backwards (saying "not" is the only way one can share the true secrets of an Initiate without provoking the spirits of the teachings).  And what is the bone?  It is the master's Wand.  

As Crowley said in his The Book of Lies, "This rime is the legend of the murder of Osiris by Typhon when the limbs of Osiris were scattered in the Nile, and Isis sought them in every corner of the Universe, and she found all except his sacred lingam..." which was not found until Crowley's own time, but that's another story for another time.  

How about this one:

Little Bo Beep

She lost her sheep, 

And couldn't tell where to find them. 

Leave them alone!

And they'll come home,

Dragging their tails behind them. 

"Bo" is the root meaning Light, from which spring such words as Bo-tree, Bodhisattva, and Buddha. And "Peep" is Apep, the serpent Apophis.  This poem therefore contains the same symbol as that in the Egyptian and Hebrew Bibles.  The snake is the serpent of initiation, as the Lamb is the Savior.  This ancient one, the Wisdom of Eternity, sits in its old anguish awaiting the Redeemer.  And this holy verse triumphantly assures us that there is no need for anxiety.  The Saviors will come one after the other, at their own good pleasure, and as they may be needed, and drag their tails, that is to say those who follow out their holy commandment, to the ultimate goal. 

So get to work performing your holy commandment.  I'm serious, now what is your holy commandment?  Only you can know that, and believe me it is not in any church or Turkish Bathhouse -- you see, I did the extremes there.    

Hickory, dickory, dock!

The mouse ran up the clock;

The clock struck one, 

And the mouse ran down, 

Hickory, dickory, dock!

The clock symbolizes the spinal column, and the mouse is the Ego (the Qabalistic spelling of the word "mouse" backwards). The Ego force being driven up the spine, the clock strikes one, that is, the duality of consciousness is abolished.  And the force again subsides to its original level to try again.  Go back into meditation and figure it out. 

"Hickory, dickory, dock!" is the mantra which was use by the adept who constructed this rime, thereby hoping to fix it in the minds of men. 

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;

Humpty Dumpty got a great fall'

All the king's horses

And all the king's men

Couldn't set up Humpty Dumpty again. 

Humpty Dumpty is of course is the Egg of Spirit, the fertility egg, and the wall is the Abyss -- his "fall" is therefore the descent of spirit into matter; and no mere leader of men can put him back together again, it takes more, much more, such as faith. Faith in what, now that is the true question here.  

So that is it for today, Initiates.  Remember, after five years of silence you will begin to understand.  The answer is love, but first, we must listen.  Oh, and never look at your image in the mirror besides a candle.  But you probably already know this.  

~~ Eso Terry

Prana

"The Prana in me, sees the Prana in you."

What is Prana? A clothing store for the active Buddhist in all of us? Yes, it is, but before materialization got a hold of us, Prana was more, much more. Let's dive into it now

First, there is much confusion regarding Prana. Google Prana and you'll see everything from crossed-legged yoga poses to energy enemas. The problem is they seldom mention "apana," and to put it bluntly, you can't have one without the Apana (other). Yes, it's a yin/yang thing. Therefore, Prana and Apana are two primary, opposing energetic forces in yoga that regulate the body and mind. Prana is the upward/inward life force of intake and expansion, located above the navel. Apana is the downward/outward force of elimination and grounding, located below the navel area.

Now that that is clear, we will talk about Prana, and to do so I'll use a passage from Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism, written by Yogi Ramacharaka 1862–1932, where he writes: "Prana is everywhere and in everything. Prana is not the Ego, but is merely a form of energy used by the Ego in its material manifestation. When the Ego departs from the physical body, in what we call "death," the Prana, being no longer under the control of the Ego, responds only to the orders of the individual atoms or their groups, which have formed the physical body, and as the physical body disintegrates and is resolved back to its original elements, each atom takes with it sufficient Prana to enable it to form new combinations, the unused Prana returning to the great universal storehouse from whence it came."

So you see, Prana is in all forms of matter, and yet it is not matter - it is the energy or force which animates matter.

Maybe a better definition can be found in Insighttimer.com:

"In the heart of ancient wellness practices lies a concept so powerful yet so subtle that it forms the very essence of our being. Prana, often described as the life force or vital energy, courses through the universe and every living creature, connecting us to the broader cosmos with invisible threads. This concept, deeply rooted in yogic traditions, is not just about the air we breathe but encompasses the energy that animates life itself...ancient texts and practices within Hinduism have long acknowledged the significance of prana, highlighting its role in the creation and sustenance of life. Though Hindu tradition isn’t the only well-known philosophy that recognizes life force — “Qi” (chi) in Traditional Chinese Medicine is a notable parallel." 

Finally, prana is seen as the bridge between the physical and the non-physical, influencing our health, emotions, and spiritual state. Recognizing and harnessing this energy is key to achieving a state of balance and harmony within oneself and with the surrounding world.

Now that that's clear, I'll return you to your regular way of being.


~~ Eso Terry

"Prana is everywhere, boys and girls, even in a clown like me!"

the gunas

In Sankhya, matter is said to have three gunas: sattva, rajas, and tamas. These terms are translated in a variety of ways by different scholars, usually something like “harmony,” “mobility,” and “inertia.”

Sattva, is a nominal form of sat (being) with a suffix which is equivalent to English “-ness” or “-hood,” hence sattva implies a thing’s essential being.

Rajas, from the root rañj (colored, especially reddened), is associated with vapor or mist, desire, menstrual discharge, etc. and in the context of Sankhya philosophy implies exciting emotions motivated by desire.

Tamas, from the root tam (choke, be exhausted, become immobile), has the general meaning of darkness, obscuration, heaviness, or ignorance, hence implies a condition of dullness, habituality, or stupidity.

According to the folks at Theosophy.World, "There is a temptation to identify these three gunas with properties of physical matter. For instance, it is claimed by physicists that all laws of matter involve at the very least three undefined variables, usually identified as resonant frequency, energy, and inertia. That sounds very much like sattva, rajas, and tamas. But one cannot eliminate any of the three physical variables in the way that the Gita urges you to eliminate, or at least minimize the influence of, rajas and tamas. So that cannot be what they mean. A more plausible interpretation would be to equate the three gunas with the theosophical idea of the elementals of the three lower planes of matter: tamas with the physical elemental which seeks repetition of past actions, rajas with the emotional (or “astral”) elemental which seeks excitement and is mainly driven by desire, and sattva with the mental elemental which seeks harmony among ideas, thus is sometimes equated with knowledge, happiness, and illumination.

Helena P. Blavatsky grapples with the task of explaining the nature of the gunas when she writes, “What are the ‘producers’ evoluted from this universal root-principle, Mula-prakriti or undifferentiated primeval cosmic matter, which evolves out of itself consciousness, and mind, and is generally called ‘Prakriti’ and amulam mulam, ‘the rootless root,’ and avyakta, the ‘unevolved evolver,’ etc.? This primordial tattwa or ‘eternally existing “that,”’ the unknown essence, is said to produce as a first producer (1) Buddhi — ‘intellect’ — whether we apply the latter to the sixth macrocosmic or microcosmic principle. This first produced produces in its turn (or is the source of) (2) Ahankara, ‘self-consciousness’ and Manas, ‘mind’” (CW IV:580-81). In other words, she follows the general outline found in Sakhya. I. K. Taimni, in his book, Man, God and the Universe, explains the gunas thus: “Here then we have really another example of integration and differentiation not at the level of matter or vibration but at the level of the mind, for perception of properties is a function of the mind though the stimulation comes from matter and vibrations. The conception of Prakti as an integrated state of the gunas, which contains all gunas in a potential state and from which any guna or property can emerge if the proper conditions (the particular combination of the three gunas based on harmonious motion, irregular motion and no motion) are present will thus be seen to be in perfect accord with our scientific ideas regarding the nature of integration and differentiation. In the conception of Prakti as the integrated state of the gunas (dharmas — depend upon different combinations of the three gunas) we have gone up from the level of matter or vibration to the level of the mind which is the product of the interaction of Spirit and matter” (pp. 204-5).

In our modern Yoga-Coffee-Shop world today where Yoga is a form of light exercise for the body, the mind, and the "Spandex" ego, the popular definition (as found in YogaBasics.com) can be summed up as:

"All three gunas are always present in all beings and objects surrounding us but vary in their relative amounts. We humans have the unique ability to consciously alter the levels of the gunas in our bodies and minds. The gunas cannot be separated or removed in oneself but can be consciously acted upon to encourage their increase or decrease. A guna can be increased or decreased through the interaction and influence of external objects, lifestyle practices and thoughts.

"To reduce tamas avoid tamasic foods, oversleeping, overeating, inactivity, passivity and fearful situations. Tamasic foods include heavy meats and foods that are spoiled, chemically treated, processed or refined. 

"To reduce rajas avoid rajasic foods, over-exercising, overwork, loud music, excessive thinking and consuming excessive material goods. Rajasic foods include fried foods, spicy foods, and stimulants. 

"To increase sattva reduce both rajas and tamas, eat sattvic foods and enjoy activities and environments that produce joy and positive thoughts. Sattvic foods include whole grains and legumes and fresh fruits and vegetables that grow above the ground. All of the yogic practices were developed to create sattva in the mind and body."

As you might have guessed, there are a lot of ways to correct your gunas as mentioned above, things like Sweat Yoga and/or purchasing cool Yoga items on Amazon.com -- which you won't find here.

The bottom line is that there is a lot of hype about gunas today, put in a nutshell; however, there are three forces within us we must understand, and though the ancients teachers tried to leave us with  definitions, gunas do vary by end person. In other-words, know your gunas, know thyself, and if that doesn't work, there is always ayahuasca.


~~ Eso Terry

The Sacred Fire

In Taoism, Yang is fire and Yin is water. Is it any wonder that the two places we find ourselves most contemplated are either beside a fire with a marshmallow on a stick, or on a beach starring at the ocean with a beer in our hand (beer optional). It's primordial to say the least.

This being the Year of the Fire Horse (2026), I'll start my brief meditation on The Sacred Fire with the Chinese New Year, which uses fire to symbolize purification, protection, and prosperity, where fire is used to ward off evil spirits and welcome good fortune. Traditions include jumping through bonfires (tiao huo) in Guangdong, burning ritual gifts for ancestors, and setting off fireworks to scare away the mythical monster Nian

If you've ever been to a Chinese New Year, it is like being a flame in the fire. It's very special indeed.

The Sacred Fire holds immense significance in Hinduism, symbolizing purity, the divine presence, and connection between the earthly and spiritual realms. It serves as a critical element in various rituals, such as the Agnicayana and Vedic sacrifices, where it represents both the act of sacrifice and the deity Agni. Sacred fire is central to numerous ceremonies, including weddings, where it signifies commitment and divine blessings. This fire, regarded as holy, is essential for maintaining spiritual practices and connections in different aspects of Vedic traditions.

In Buddhism, "Sacred Fire" symbolizes spiritual practice, purification, and dedication, reflecting ascetic rituals, the rejection of empty traditions, and a quest for deeper spiritual truth, serving as a revered element in both ascetic and Brahminical traditions.

In the Shingon sector of Japanese Buddhsim, the Goma (fire) Ritual is performed with the purpose of destroying negative energies and detrimental thoughts and desires. In the ceremony, a priest burns wooden sticks in the scared fire. The fire symbolizes the wisdom of the Buddha and the wood sticks symbolize what is to be cleansed and released.

According to Geoffrey Hodson of the Theosophy Society, "Fire is one of the garments of God, Who, to the spirits of fire, appears clothed in flame." In other Christian faiths, the Sacred fire embodies the divine presence, purity, and righteousness, guiding individuals spiritually. It plays a crucial role in Zoroastrian worship, where it symbolizes passion for faith and the connection to Jesus Christ.

In Irish culture, fire is more than just a physical element; it’s a living, breathing presence that embodies the energy of life itself. Whether lighting the way during ancient festivals or offering protection against unseen forces, sacred fire has been a source of both comfort and awe for generations.

I could go on for fire is what originally gave us life separated us from the animal kingdom. It warmed us, cooked our foods, lighted the darkness, but also burned if we got too close.

The most sacred of all the fires I've studied, are The Sacred Fires of Delphi in Greece, and The Sacred Fire of Vesta in Rome.

The Sacred Fire of Delphi was an eternal flame kept within the hestia (hearth) of the Temple of Apollo, symbolizing the center of the world and the divine presence of Apollo. The Sacred Fire of Vesta was an eternal flame in ancient Rome dedicated to the goddess Vesta, protector of the hearth, home, and family. The fire was tended by the Vestal Virgins, who were chosen by lot from patrician families; the Vestals served for thirty years, during which they ensured the flame never went out and performed rituals linked to domestic life. These included the ceremonial sweeping of the temple on June 15 and the preparation of sacred food for major festivals. As Vesta embodied the hearth, the flame symbolized both the life of every Roman household and the vitality of the state. As with the Sacred Fire of Delphi, both were believed to guarantee the goddess’s protection and the enduring strength of the cities. Furtermore, both The Sacred Fire of Delphi and Rome were extinguished with the rise of Christianity around 390 AD; however, if you look closely in the original Christian Gothic Cathedrals, you will see somewhere in the stone, carved out with the gargoyles, a fire wheel, to which most esotericist agree, was the initiates way of keeping the Pagan fires alive, a reminder to seek the fire from within, not from a temple.


~~ Eso Terry

My Easter Day Poem - My Savior Donald Trump perfored by Hairy Larry

The spring equinox has always been the day where light and dark come back into balance, and our instincts call for us to go outside and dance with our arms in the air rejoicing in the return of balance.  To those of us with eyes to see, it is the perfect mean, the day of pi, the alchemist resting point.  

 

In ancient Sumerian times, they called it the Descent of Inanna, the heavenly goddess who descended into the underworld only to be brought back to life three days later by Enki, the pagan god of heaven. 

 

And even then, we danced with our arms out towards the heavens, the perfect mean.

 

Then came Ostara, the Spring Fertility goddess associated with bunny rabbits and fertility eggs.  

 

And still, we danced with our arms out towards the heavens, the day of pi. 

 

Today, they call it the resurrection of the anointed.   

But still, we dance with our arms out towards the heavens, the alchemist resting point.  

~~ an Eso Terry poem 

The Buddha Paradox We All Must Learn: Lotus Sutra by Way of the Dual Cosmos

That Buddhist Paradox is this: to attain Buddhahood, you must be a Buddha. 

Ouch, how that even possible? Here's the answer: 

Thousands of years ago, gifted sages had possessed extraordinary intuitive sensibilities with which they crossed the horizon of consciousness into unexplored territory. With their mind’s eye they saw beyond the boundaries of earthly forms and observable distances into exotic heavenly domains where deities and celestial spirits resided. The sages observed that gods governed the cosmology of Nature with a set of absolute laws. Accordingly, mortals who honored the universal precepts acquired beneficence and protection from spirit-world forces dedicated to the sustenance and perpetuation of existence. Conversely, those who disregarded the supreme sanctity of divine law were destined to suffer the chaotic consequences of their ignorance.

When the mystics returned from trance, they conveyed their findings to the residents of the mortal world in parables, metaphors and symbolism. Through richly poetic languages, they described a universe apportioned into two parallel worlds — one a mortal, physical existence and the other an immortal, spirit realm. They further concluded that two distinct entities fused to form the human being. One component was corporeal and the other metaphysical. The model of a twofold human — fusing body and soul — mirrored the duality ascribed to the large-scale cosmos.

The doctrine of duality preceded the establishment of human civilization and the institutionalization of religion. Tribal shamans already had linked the soul and creation to the will of gods. Accordingly, sentient beings lived in a god-created material world until their earthbound presence extinguished in death. Thereafter, their soul passed on to a higher spirit realm. The end of the mortal body coincided with the release of the spiritual entity into an eternal place — where deities and spirits ruled, and birth and death were unknown. Ancient sages had reasoned that before mortality began the spirit realm already existed. Therefore, they decreed that the place of beginnings and ends — was the lower world.

According to the doctrine of a dual cosmos, the initiative for the commencement of the mortal world came from the higher immortal realm where from a powerful god created the mortal world through a sudden, unprecedented, spontaneously generated event — a “first” cause — independent of any preexisting condition.

The doctrine of duality also provided early societies with the foundation for communal order. Human values came to be sanctified as divine laws envisioned as the wishes of the immortals. Moral codes and social rules were cloaked in divine significance and relevancy. The sacred laws governed the individual’s place in the family, clan, tribe and nation. Respect for the laws led to paradise in the afterlife, while their defilement conjured the specter of dire consequences. Judgment came when the soul of the dead crossed to the realm of the spirits. There, one’s eternal fate would be adjudicated from evidence gathered in a single mortal existence.

Upon a cosmic scale the mortal’s virtues would be weighed against any misdeeds. At length, an incongruity developed within the doctrine of dualism, perhaps in some measure because of the discrepancy in logic between the creation and the judgment scenarios. On the one hand, judgment in the afterlife rested solely upon the mortal defendant’s earthbound performance — accountable for his self-willed thoughts and actions. On the other hand, the doctrine of creation transcended cause and effect by relying solely on the absolute will of gods (heavenly deities). 

Ancient sages disagreed over the basis for final judgment. Those who saw deities as omnipresent imperial sovereigns deemed human will to be valid only as a confirmation of the immortal will. Conformity to the sanctified laws set the standard for judgment. Other sages preferred less imposing deities and a freer human will. Their gods judged the human soul on choices made in the mortal realm. The doctrinal deviation between the wills of gods and man eventually led to a theological divergence — characteristic of Western and Eastern religions.

The Occident preferred a creationist model founded upon the supremacy of an omnipotent, omnipresent God whose will and authority superseded natural law. By contrast the Eastern Practitioners made natural law supreme and assigned its management to a hierarchical pantheon of gods. Among them, one god had initiated the beginning of mortality by setting the great wheel of universal cause and effect into motion, while a pantheon of gods served in advancing the continuous forward rolling of existence. On a personal level each mortal being had to contend with a similar wheel. One’s fate was determined by how well the individual’s own cycle of cause and effect synchronized with the larger universal wheel of laws rolled by the gods.

Subsequently, Western and Eastern dualists crafted differing doctrines regarding the aftermath of death. The West believed in an afterlife, while the East proposed a next life. At length, two contrasting doctrines developed on the subject:

1 The Doctrine of Eternal Afterlife — Living beings experienced only a single mortal lifetime — one birth, one death. In the afterlife, the court of the immortal realm decreed judgment on their souls based upon the merits or demerits they accumulated during existence. Thereafter and forever more, their souls would reside in a dimension of the spirit realm, either damned to serve a sentence of eternal punishment in a hellish netherworld, or forever enjoying the heavenly realm in blissful peace.

2 The Doctrine of Rebirth — The spirit realm served as a between-lives court. Its justices decided the fate of mortals based on past performance. They determined where and under what circumstances a mortal would be born in the next life. The sentence could either return one to Earth as a human or animal, or cause the soul to incarnate as a tortured creature in a hellish netherworld. The destined place and circumstance of the next birth reflected the progressive stage of one’s spiritual evolution.

Bridging the two doctrines, sages of ancient India developed the concept of emancipation from the cycle of rebirth. Accordingly, mortal temptations caused one to be reborn. By severing oneself from earthly desire one could bring an end to this indeterminate recycling. They reasoned that attachment to gratification of the senses bound mortals to a fate of repeated physical forms. They resolved that rejection of earthly desire freed the spirit-self from the causal bond that drew it back to the mortal plane. A successful aspirant would in death ascend to the heavenly realms and enjoy the rest of eternity in a state of bliss. A spirit emancipated from the birth cycle joined the gods in eternal and immortal formlessness.

In the first millennium B.C.E. in India a sage of the Sakya clan (Skt Sakyamuni) succeeded in achieving a clear, unobstructed view of all existence. The Enlightened One (i.e., Buddha), a title chosen in honor of his supreme wisdom, introduced a new vision quite different from the traditional doctrine of dual dimensions and dual-natured beings. He proposed that fundamentally all states of existence were facets of one indivisible cosmology. In the Buddha’s world-system, a single identity encompassed everything — including humans, spirits, gods, universe, eternity. All existence was one Reality of Life. The purpose of his teachings was to define the scope and essence of this singularity.

 According to the Buddha, the Reality of Life was boundless, everlasting and absolute, and simultaneously finite, mortal and ever-changing. The Buddha explained that the infinitely multifaceted scope and essential singularity of Life transcended relativist thinking and comprehension. His view of Life was profoundly ironic. While it was not itself a substance, without it substance could not exist. Although it had no actual form of its own, it could not be described as nothingness.

Moreover, the singularity of Life could not be proved at all, although the existence of sentient mortal beings testified to it. Sakyamuni compared the boundless entirety of Life in the universe to an ocean, and likened individual mortal manifestations of Life to the drops that composed it.

Through this metaphor the Buddha illustrated that no actual distinction can exist between individual life and the universal life-singularity. Just as no distinction exists between the ocean and its component drops, there is no distinction between existence and death, spirit and form, person and environment, mortality and immortality. He proposed that the mortal mind creates the illusion of segmentation causing the eye of human perception to conjure a divided cognitive reality.

According to Sakyamuni’s metaphysical teachings, the physical senses caused one to discriminate. Sentient beings discerned their world through mental markers, such as substance, shape, size, color, age, origin, distance, destination, movement, speed, direction and so on. Thus, the senses triggered the perception that the external world was separate and distinct from the subjective self. As a result of this false sense of separation, Sakyamuni asserted, it would appear natural that a dual-self of body and soul co-existed. However, he declared, at the very core of both form and formlessness was one Reality.

The Buddha viewed apparent distinctions as nothing more than superficial designations — relative and temporary boundaries. By contrast he advanced a Doctrine of Non-differentiation wherein he proposed that all of existence was one indivisible singularity — a cosmic essence which all mortal entities arose from, eventually receded to and were composed of. He saw a transcendent, infinitely boundless field of Life conjuring countless objects and subjects all sharing a single inseparable quality. According to his Reality, there were no dual worlds of spirit and substance, no physical form could ever be immortal, no soul could exist as an independent entity separate from a body, and as all effects required a cause neither the universe nor any single phenomena could be born by spontaneous origination. 

The Buddha’s teaching regarding the boundless singularity of Life was the overarching theme of his Dharma — a Sanskrit word that simultaneously meant Cosmology, Reality, Truth and Law. The Buddha’s Dharma represented a single, integrated Theory of Everything. His Cosmology encompassed a view of the universe that encompassed phenomenal as well as spiritual facets. The reference of the Buddha’s Dharma to Truth meant that it revealed both the observable and hidden truths of existence. In reference to it as the “Reality of All Existence,” the Dharma included tangible, as well as intangible realities. Wherein the Dharma also meant Law, it referred to universal laws governing all natural functions affecting matter, energy, space, time, as well as the laws of life and death, and social/moral laws. Hence, the Buddha’s Law encompassed all the laws of existence, including natural, metaphysical and human laws. In all the Buddha’s Dharma interchangeably conveyed his views regarding the configuration of the universe, natural laws and forces, and the role of human beings within the grand cosmos of existence.

As the Buddha’s sutras provided the vehicle for unveiling his Dharma, the word Dharma also came to be synonymous with his teachings. In that context, Dharma referred to the Buddha’s sermons on the purpose and function of Life.

The sutras described a super-cosmos. It encompassed the present large-scale universe and all mortal subjects within it . The absolute singularity they recounted spanned an infinite and eternal field, yet these teachings deemed it to be actively ever-changing relative to mortal existence. Within the framework of the Buddha’s cosmology, everything that was mortal manifested in the mortal realm repeatedly.

This applied to universes as well as human beings. It was easy to see that birth ended in death, but to propose the reverse as viable required the configuration of a cosmic dynamic that tied together a string of mortal existences. From Sakyamuni’s vantage, the True Reality of All Existence was the cosmic ocean from which the waves of mortal transmigration repeatedly arose and to which they receded.

This doctrine was deemed to be of such profound scope, nature and essence that only a Perfectly Enlightened being could fathom it. Nevertheless, the Buddha declared that those who would choose to follow his teachings in due course would accomplish Perfect Enlightenment — a state-of-being equal to his own. Thus, he set forth to describe a new cosmology in carefully crafted stages guided by the capacity of his to absorb it. As they honed their abilities to learn it, Sakyamuni advanced his Dharma. As they grasped each progressive stage of his Cosmology, they awakened within themselves a greater capacity to fathom it.

Sakyamuni’s disciples embarked on the journey toward Perfect Enlightenment — some by learning through listening, others by using exceptional intuitive and meditation skills to realize the truth of his teachings. Yet, from the start of his discourse he presented them with a seemingly irreconcilable dilemma concerning this lofty state. Accordingly, Perfect Enlightenment was infinitely profound. Hence, Perfect Enlightenment was beyond the grasp of one’s mental processes, whether it be pursued by learning or realization. Therefore, it was impossible for any of his disciples to fathom the ultimate Dharma unless they were already Buddhas.

Nevertheless, if they are to fathom that which the Buddha teaches, they must never forsake their desire for Perfect Enlightenment. The paradox of attaining Perfect Enlightenment was defined as follows: Perfect Enlightenment cannot be attained, because only a Buddha can fathom Perfect Enlightenment. Yet, the teachings of the Enlightened One cannot be fathomed unless one desires to fathom Perfect Enlightenment. The caveat appears to say that one must pursue that which one cannot hope to gain.

To the many learned and spiritually skilled disciples who chose to follow the Buddha’s course, this Paradox of Attainment placed the achievement of Buddhahood beyond reach. Awestruck by the majesty of his supernaturally august appearance they deemed Perfect Enlightenment to be the crown worn by the king of all wisdom — the Enlightened One who has deciphered all the secrets of the universe.

When asked how he had achieved such a state, Sakyamuni replied that for countless eons of past lives he selflessly devoted himself to the salvation of others. He urged his followers to similarly turn their focus away from pursuing enlightenment for their own sake. Vowing to aid the Buddha in his effort to lead people toward the liberating teachings of the Buddha’s Law, many of his disciples chose to apply the practice of Selflessness (Skt bodhisattva) by devoting their lives to aiding the welfare of others.

While the practice of Selflessness equated the path of Perfect Enlightenment with action rather than reflection, Sakyamuni still impressed upon them another version of the Paradox of Attainment. In their case he had described a lengthy journey across many existences during which a devout bodhisattva would undergo 52 stages of advancement to be climbed one step at a time. After an incalculable span of time one would reach the threshold of the summit — the fifty second stage of enlightenment. Nevertheless, the Buddha advised, it did not necessarily follow that one who reaches the fifty-first (non-regression) will be able to find that it provides access to the fifty-second step (Buddhahood). On the contrary, he cautioned, even the most selfless being would not be able to ascend the top to the level of Buddhahood from a stage below. Once again, Sakyamuni declared that only a Buddha could ascend the fifty-second step (buddhahood), as only a Buddha can know the way to Perfect Enlightenment. For the practitioners of Selflessness, he provided the following Paradox of Attainment: one who climbs the stages of Selflessness cannot reach Perfect Enlightenment, because the final rung to Perfect Enlightenment can only be ascended by one who is already a Buddha. As only a Buddha can access Buddhahood, one who ascends Perfect Enlightenment must be a Buddha who is returning to that level. Thus, through the Paradox of Attainment Sakymuni placed those who practiced Selflessness in the same quandary as the practitioners of Learning and Realization. Ironically, from the start of his teachings, Sakyamuni harbored a Dharma which would allow his followers to know the secret of Perfect Enlightenment and in so doing overcome the Paradox of Attainment. Nevertheless, until they were ready to receive this gift, the Buddha forestalled his revelation of his ultimate Cosmology wherein he would reveal the “Truth of the Reality of All Existence” — for in their ignorance they might reject it.

To protect them from premature misunderstandings, the Buddha spent over 40 years imparting the depth of his Dharma in progressive stages before leading his followers to the portal of Buddhahood. Gradually, he taught them increasingly sophisticated principles probing the theoretical underpinnings of his Cosmology.

Eventually, he completed his provisional teachings and led them into the Dharma of the Lotus Sutra wherein he resolved the enigma that stood in the way of Perfect Enlightenment. And that enlightenment was further defined by Nichiren Daishionin, The Buddha of the Later Day of Law in the form of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.  

It's really simle. 

Esoteric St. Patrick’s Day

I've written a few blogs over the years on St. Patty's Day. There was the post on how the early Irish settlers who came to the American colonies, many of whom were indentured servants, brought the Irish tradition of celebrating St. Patrick's feast day to America, and I wrote how St. Patrick Day folklore tells how statues bowed to St. Patrick. This St. Patrick Day I want to tell the dark history of St. Patrick's Day. 

Digging into the dark history of St. Patrick’s Day, we uncover genocide. St. Patrick was sent to Ireland as a missionary, and as a result of his work in Ireland, the non-Christian population was persecuted and subjected to horrific acts of violence. St. Patrick and his followers committed crimes against the pagans, such as forced conversions, destruction of sacred sites, and execution of those who refused to abandon their beliefs.

The Catholic Church’s campaign in Ireland was part of a broader strategy to spread Christianity throughout Europe and beyond. Pope Celestine I commissioned St. Patrick to convert the Irish population and during this era the Church was known to use various methods to establish its dominance over other religious practices, including the use of violence and coercion. Other regions, such as the Iberian Peninsula and Northern Europe, experienced similar campaigns of forced conversion and suppression of non-Christian beliefs. The Church’s actions in Ireland were part of a larger pattern of religious imperialism that sought to eradicate alternative spiritual systems not for the spiritual enlightenment of its people, but for control of the people. 

The stories Christians still tell about pagan's to justify their acts of violence are not true.  They claim pagans performed animals sacrificing and ate human flesh. The truth is that pagans were tolerant of other's and accepting of diverse belief system. Pagans accepted  multiple deities, nature worship, and ancestor worship. There was no centralized authority, such as the Catholic Church who were imposing their Man-God dogma in place of the feminine goddesses who sought spiritual awakening. 

The St. Patrick's Day dark history continued in America when early Irish immigrants, escaping the devastating effects of the Great Famine and political unrest, arrived in America only to face discrimination and hostility as they attempted to assert their identity and celebrate their heritage. St. Patrick’s Day was often hijacked by those who sought to mock and demean them, perpetuating stereotypes of drunkenness and disorderly conduct. This exploitation of the holiday served to further marginalize and oppress the Irish immigrant community, and reverberates through today: just go to any modern day St. Patrick's Day Parade and experience it for yourself.  

Digging even deeper, we see that the saint called Paddy/Pat/Patrick was not Irish. Historians agree that Patrick was born in 373 CE giving two possible locations – Dumbarton in Scotland or on the west coast of Roman Britain i.e. Wales. The Romans are said to have exited Britain by 410 CE. Patrick eventually retired to Glastonbury, England, where he died at the age of one hundred and eleven on the 17 March, 460 A.D. These dates do not add up; 460 – 373 = only 87 years of age, so was he 87 or 111 years old when he died? It depends on which spin you read… The man who is so well known to us as St Patrick was originally called - Maewyn Succat or Magonus Saccatus Patricius. His father Calpurnius, had been a deacon and a decurion and his grandfather was a priest, his mother was called Conchessa.
Pope Celestine gave Maewyn Succat or Magonus Saccatus the name of Patrick. The Pope gave him the mission of bringing the Catholic Faith to Ireland. He gave him many relics and other spiritual gifts, and gave him the name "Patercius" or "Patritius." This name is derived from two Latin words pater civium meaning the father of his people. The designation is like Patricus, a Latin / Roman upper class name similar to Patrician. Rome had three classes – Patrician, Plebeian and Paganus. Patrician was the ruling class, while Plebeian was the working and middle class leaving Paganus to be the name / rank for all those who did not obey the rule of Rome.

We are told that he was taken into slavery at 16 years of age and sold in Ireland where he worked as a sheepherder for 6 years but sheep did not exist back then – so he would have been a goatherder... It was during his time as a slave sheep / goat minder that he began to have religious visions. These visions reenforced (so we are told) his Catholic Faith. During one of these visions he heard voices that told him where he could find a getaway ship. He escaped, went to France where he became a priest and later on he returned to France to become a bishop.

He also burned many Druid books if his confessions are to be believed. 150 Druid Books were burned and on Tara he caused a competition with a Druid Book and the Bible to be thrown into a barrel of water – needless to say the Druid Book sank proving that the Bible was a better book. But hang on, we are repeatedly told that the Druids did not have books!

He also prayed for an old Druid to die – we are told that Arch-Druid Lochru was lifted up high in the air but Patrick knelt in prayer and the Druid fell and was dashed to pieces upon a rock. St Patrick is said to have caused the murders of almost eight hundred Druids. The folk tale of a she-beast called Caoranach that he banished to an island in the middle of Lough Derg in Donegal is accompanied by the tale of a woman who followed him very closely and that after he had banished the she-beast, this woman was never seen again. The list of fanciful feats goes on, but I won't bore you. 

Because there is no mention of the three-leaf clover in Patrick’s writings we can conclude that this claimed association is quite simply modern propaganda by his promoters. The first written reference to shamrocks in conjunction with St Patrick was made in 1571; over a thousand years after St. Patrick had passed over. The Seamróg became the badge of St Patrick’s Day in 1681 in America. The first written record of the shamrock being a symbol of the Catholic Trinity appears in 1727. So it can be easily understood that the myth of St Patrick had a shamrock symbol added to it only a few hundred years ago – it may be obvious to some that this was a commercialization tactic as well as displacement of native practices honoring the Spring Equinox.

The shamrock is not the official symbol of Ireland – this honor is reserved for the Celtic Harp. The shamrock now represents the culture of the Catholic Church hero of St Patrick. The shamrock became a symbol of rebellion against the oppression of Queen Victoria, who made it a capital crime (punishable by death) to wear the shamrock. This was probably the most influential reason for the worldwide adoption by Irish people and their sympathizers of the Shamrock as a symbol of Irishness.

Legend has it that Saint Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland -- that they all went into the sea and drowned. There is no reason to believe there were actually any snakes in Ireland ever. There is no archaeological proof of snakes anywhere in Ireland at any time in the past. As this knowledge becomes more available we got fed the notion into our mainstream consciousness that “this is probably an allegory for the driving out of paganism (snakes were a revered pagan symbol in some places).” But this is just not so for Ireland, there were not and are not any snakes in Ireland so adding in bits of foreign snake lore is just disinformation.

The famous mountain of Croagh Patrick or as its more commonly known in Ireland “The Reek” was a place of Pagan Pilgrimage long before the Christians became Catholic in 325ad. It is a round cone shaped mountain that looks like a pyramid from a distance. This holy mountain is quartzite with seams of gold throughout, it sits on the western seaboard overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the setting Sun.

Croagh Patrick aka the Reek was once know as Cruchan Aigli or in English; Eagle Mountain, it is 2510 feet above sea level. It has always been a holy place with pilgrimage on the last Sunday of July (during Catholic times), which is of course the wrong day as the Sun magic happens later in the month but the plan was to disconnect the people from the Sun and connect them to a foreign religion. This last Sunday of the month of July is now used because of traditional connection to Lughnasa, the harvest festival of Lugh, a bright god of the Tuatha De Dannan and in his day it may have been called Cnoc Lugh. Archaeological investigations backed up by excavations show that a hill fort with stone ramparts and dwellings and 30 hut sites are to be found on the top of the Reek. There are ancient cooking sites, megalithic tombs, standing stones, burial mounds, ringforts and today’s modern Catholic Church. I doubt that many Catholic Pilgrims know that this holy mountain was sacred to Lugh or before that to the great fertility god Crom. Its old name of Eagle Mountain may refer to the practice of de-fleshing of the dead by carrion birds before burning of the remains and finally – internment of the remaining bones in an earthen mound. This practice was not uncommon in prehistoric times.

It was on this holy mountain that St Patrick supposedly did his greatest magic – when he summoned a great host of loathsome and venomous creatures and then commanded them to cast themselves over the edge of the mountain, thus freeing the Irish countryside from all kinds of reptiles. This included dragons, snakes and all types of reptiles, none of which ever existed in Ireland. We are told that St Patrick did this by verbal command. The actual truth is that there were no snakes in Ireland and long after he was dead and his head was gone into Jesuit care somebody just added this trick to St Patrick’s name. It was as if the Pagan traditions were still so strong with the Lughnasa pilgrimage to the Reek in August that something had to be done to displace the old ways and such a fantastic story as dragon/snake banishing fitted the bill. It had to be long after St Patrick’s death or else everyone would know it was just made up fantasy.

The conclusion offered is that this legend of Patrick was fabricated because he did not bring the Catholic faith or Christian beliefs to Ireland, he wasn’t Irish, it is highly unlikely that he could live to be 111 years of age when the usual life expectancy was maybe 40/50ish; he was given immense powers of traveling the entire country building churches and digging wells, killing dragons, snakes and reptiles that did not exist, burning 150 Druid books that did not exist, praying for old Arch Druids to die, killing or causing 800 Druids to be killed, having a female follower who was close to him disappear linked to a she-beast story, causing two princesses to die by his baptism, he never mentions shamrocks in his writings and he was given the totem of a shamrock long after he was dead, his title is not recognized by the leader of his own religion because no Pope would call him a saint and his fabricated importance was set up to displace a Pagan God. His most famous place was and is sacred to the Pagan God Lugh where we can still see incredible Sun and Landscape magic as our ancestors did. The reality today is that on the 17th of March many rivers are dyed green and people wear funny green hats and drink far too much alcohol especially green beer and pretend to be Irish. Do people make drunken fools of themselves on this day because they reckon that is what St Patrick did? He has outlived his usefulness to the Church that fabricated him and has become an alcoholic embarrassment for them – he is now a champion golem to excess commercialism, this is the Esoteric St Patrick's Day. 

Enjoy your green beer. 

~ Dr TV Boogie