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I know that some annoying-sounding things that mystics or Zen teachers say, about cosmic oneness or the flow of the Dao, are actually just straightforward descriptions of what the world looks like from a certain point in the contemplative path. “The original face you had before your parents were born” is a phrase that will make perfect, undeniable,... See more

The realm of the esoteric, properly understood, is the dimension of depth. It is to analytical, rational consciousness what dreaming is to waking consciousness. The realm of the esoteric is the realm of ideas in all their living intensity, which can only be fully encountered not in concepts, but in living symbols.

To be an esotericist, then, is to... See more

Alchemy’s metaphorical language and concrete practices offer a way to re-imagine inner life and the process of psychological growth. Its arcane symbols, various stages and operations, and mysterious hermetic philosophies invite us to stand between the worlds of spirit and matter, to bridge conscious and unconscious.