Joseph Smith's activity in bringing forth the Book of Mormon can be viewed as a project of alchemy, which was influenced by his affiliation with treasure digging, the folk magic worldview, the Hermetic tradition,1 as well as his many mystical spiritual experiences. I suggest he initially sought to bring the “gold plates” of his visions into material reality, and in the process discovered the true “gold” was within himself, the elusive Philosopher’s Stone.
The following are excerpts from a discourse given by the Byzantine Christian monk and poet, Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022 AD), to the monks of the Monastery of St. Mamas.
This morning I came across a quote in an excellent essay by Daniel Christian Wahl, frequently attributed to the renowned modern theoretical physicist Albert Einstein. Wahl did not misquote him, but it seems to be often misquoted when cited in full.
An addition to the BHT, a passage in which Paul talks about coming to know Christ directly within one's Self, which is the resurrection. (The painting above is "Saint Paul Writing His Epistles," attributed to Valentin de Boulogne, dated 1618-1620.) 7 Whatever things I gained in the world, any advantages and wealth, all of that [...]
In my recent move from Utah to Pennsylvania I've had the opportunity to get to know wonderful new people, and one of those is JD Stillwater. He is a wise, affable, loving, and talented science educator, writer, musician, mystic, naturalist, speaker, and much more. As part of his Seven Candles project, a non-profit organization with [...]
An addition to the BHT, where Jesus notes how God beloved the Cosmos.
An addition to the BHT, regarding Jesus's definition of a timeless life in his Farewell Prayer or High Priestly Prayer.
I thought this short video was a beautiful summary and illustration of Buddhist philosophy from Dr. Daniel Brown, a Harvard Psychologist and Tibetan Buddhism scholar. I believe this philosophy may similarly be found in most of the world's religions, framed in a multitude of different symbols. This is perennial wisdom.
Alain de Botton's School of Life addresses the subject of Jesus as a philosopher of kindness in this short video.
Jesus was the man, the human form, the male person who lived in the Middle East some 2000 years ago. Christ is the realization of oneness with God, Source, Universe, Reality, in and through all of life, love, goodness, and truth. I perceive it is synonymous with Buddha-nature in Buddhism, and the Atman in Hinduism.