Jive Book Review: Theurgy and the Soul by Gregory Shaw
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 12 окт 2024
- Jive Book Review of Theurgy and the Soul The Neoplatonism of Iamblichus by Gregory Shaw, Professor of Religious Studies at Stonehill College. In this work he outlines the philosophy and ritual practise of Iamblichus of Syria (ca. 240 325), whose teachings set the final form of pagan spirituality prior to the Christianization of the Roman Empire. Theurgy literally means "divine action" or "godly work"
I describe how this work is useful for modern polytheists including Heathens like myself.
Learn to conduct rituals here: startingheathe...
Please support Survive the Jive: linktr.ee/Surv...
Learn to conduct rituals here: startingheathenry.thinkific.com/
Fantastic as always. The point about the fundamental importance of ritual is very well put. I just finished reading 'Hellenic Tantra' yesterday, it's also very good.
How does it differ in content from this book?
@@Survivethejive It directly compares theurgic practices and concepts to Indian tantric equivalents.
@@e.c.winsper3750
Does it make an analogy between the ritual and the inner practice? One of the most common disputes in the theurgical question is whether there is a higher order and a lower one, an internal and an external one. Beyond discussions, I am interested in the phenomenological and internal aspect in analogy with theurgical operations, with the ontological degrees or hypostases and their knowledge... etc.
Thank you
@@Bromios18 That is gone over much more deeply in the book STJ is reviewing here, though it is also discussed there.
@@e.c.winsper3750
I am familiar with Theurgy and the Soul, but I was hoping that Shaw would speak in relation to dharma, specifically regarding yoga (states like samadhi, dhyana...) or with schools like Mimamsa. This surely goes beyond the tantric realm, but there would be material
Keep Surviving the Jive.
My favorite book, Tom! Thanks! Iamblichus is a giant of pagan theology .
I love these book reviews. I wish there were more book reviews and book recommendations videos. Thank You so much.
Synchronicities always pop up as I begin the reinvigorate my religious and philosophical studies. I was just watching an interview with Gregory Shaw the other day and started reading "On the Mysteries" a week before that. Keep doing your good work, Tom. Wæs Hæl
Really interesting to hear about the idea of practicing in a way that is proper to one’s own soul, I’d not encountered this before.
Not really a Germanic heathen, but learning about each European tradition, or any tradition really helps me understand my own via comparison. Plus it's just interesting to learn about in general.
Wow! This looks like it'll be good. Thank you so much for doing these, Tom! You bless us!
Isn't it interesting that the Greco-Roman world had spiritual schools very much like their Eastern Indo-European cousins in India and their spiritual descendants in the Far East.
I am clear of painkillers at this point in time but my first impressions of the opening was...jazz. Even your voice had a kind of jazzy overtone.....nice.
The tapestry behind you is beautiful, is it for sale somewhere?
it is a batik print from Skye batiks
I've got the Urgy to watch Survive the Jive in the afternoons
Wodinaz Weraz from the Mercians
Curious if you’ve read Taliesin’s Map or watched some of the videos he makes on RUclips. He has some very interesting ideas on the Germanic cosmogony. Buri being licked from ice, Ymir made from venom, the source that sent the heat and tuisto being an earth born god actually makes sense and directly ties Odin to Rudra.
His work isn’t perfect. Couple of places where I’ve seen a lack of full research and his book has lots of grammatical errors but the ideas have been very interesting to me. His videos seem to go more into depth ironically.
I own the book but haven’t read it yet
Taliesin's Map is largely an analysis of Welsh and Irish mythology while comparing Vedic, Greek and Germanic mythology. His book deciphers the mysterious figures in the medieval Irish and Welsh literature, proving them to be not only gods, but also having one to one equivalents in nearly all the Indo-European branches.
Buri and Tuisto are the equivalents of Prajapati, yet he doesn't go over this in his book as that topic wasn't really written in his book, only at the very end of it. He does mention that Savitr is the Prajapati of the world and that his myth mimics Prajapati. Yet, he goes over this a lot more in his RUclips videos and these topics will be in his upcoming second publication, Breoghan's Tower.
There's a large bibliography at the end of his book and his theories are solid.
Germanic mythology and paganism are cool, but no one seems to care about Celtic mythology and paganism. Which is why his book, Taliesin's Map is a great start to truly understand the Celtic gods.
@@CharlesWorthington-pt2vu yup I know I have it/reading it. Recently came across his channel and have binged a lot of it. Just curious what Tom’s take would be.
Surtr = “that one”
Ymir = cosmic egg/Dyaus Pita
Buri = Brahman/Axis Mundi (Heimdallr IMO)
Borr = Buri’s passion (Manaz)
Odin = Rudra/Cronos/Finn
Would be interesting to hear you go more in detail about the Platonic doctrines you disagree with some time. Either alone or perhaps with Aarvoll?
A jive deep dive on platonism/neoplatonism would be a banger
I did talk with Aarvoll
The way I think of the multiplicity of gods is that there are many gods, but only so many. I am one person, but my mother and my boss experience me differently, not because I am two different people but because *they* are, and I am a real individual and they are both real individuals. Likewise, there is only one sun, which is not the moon or the earth or the sea or love or conflict, but also the experience of the sun differs among different cultures precisely *because* they are different cultures, not because the sun has more than one consciousness (more than one sun deity).
I came to this same conclusion about the nature of different divine personalities on my own. I even use the same metaphor. I'm happy to see this understanding is so self-evident that many others come to it as well.
Well done!
100th like. Great book
Really enjoyed this review Tom. Given the perfect nature of the Gods most Neoplatonists worship, would a re-telling of the Germanic myths in light of this ancient critique (such as that of Xenophanes) be a worthy pursuit? Thanks.
Awesome
Regarding impurity of certain types of matter, it's interesting that Buddhism looks at everything as pure and with a Buddha Nature; everywhere is a Pure Land. It is only through samsaric delusion that you cause yourself to suffer in such places. I don't accept such doctrines myself, but it is an interesting answer to the challenge posed by some that you mention at 1:24:20
Also, while I think it's true that any God can manifest in anything They want, They manifest in what They do, because those are exactly the substances They want! Going out of your way to make sure the materials are right I believe demonstrates piety before the Gods as you are refusing to be flippant and demanding They come to you on your terms.
Aki Cederberg's Holy Europe next??
Are you aware of Dr. Edward Butler's works? He is a scholar of the platonic philosophy and theology of polytheism, as well as a pagan practitioner.
He was very rude to me
@@jivetalk I suspected he would not be a pleasant person when I saw him fawning over some African voodoo tradition as a prime example of "Indigenous polytheism". Which is a shame because he has some good insights on the difference between the pagan view of the One and the Henads, and the monotheistic view of the One as some existing and all-encompassing divinity.
Crush on Jivers
I think it's quite important not to forget the previous iterations of the same tradition of theurgy and Platonism, which is to start with Socrates. and if you find that your view on it is contradicting the initial example of Socrates, then you are not doing Platonism.
The origin of life denying gnosticism, which leads to modern world atheism and degen eracy is very telling. The circle k tribe right everyone?
Atheism does not spring from Gnosticism.
and degeneracy is not a function of atheism
To me that was as good as hearing it from the horses mouth
First 😂
So Christianity uses Blood of Christ, which is correct.