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A growing reading guide

Dec 14, 2024

A cosmological and ethereal train station with an awe-inspiring atmosphere. The architecture blends futuristic and timeless elements, featuring grand, glowing arches and a celestial dome displaying constellations and swirling galaxies. The 'Welcome!' sign appears as if formed from stardust, glowing softly against the cosmic backdrop. The space is illuminated by the soft glow of nebula-like lights and shimmering stars scattered throughout the station. Passengers and trains seem to emerge from portals of light, blending seamlessly with the vast and infinite universe. The scene evokes a sense of cosmic wonder and unity with the cosmos.

This is a place where many topics from the fields spirituality and philosophy are discussed, and often build upon each other. As this archive grows, the ideas will continue to as well. In order to avoid confusing new readers or falling into the constant repetition of ideas, I have decided to pin a reading guide for everyone so people don’t have to search around for things, as many posts are related to some degree.

Mystical Spirituality

Homesickness is a post describing the Advaita Vedanta perspective on the Self and the ‘three bodies doctrine,’ a conceptual framework of our spiritual anatomy. What we’re doing in this world is also touched upon through the idea of ‘divine play.’

Let’s Talk About The Unspeakable is a description of the death to rebirth process as described by the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

And A Way We Flow is an introduction to Daoism, the universal flow, and how to be in harmony with it. It also further touches upon the idea of divine play, a theme that underlies a great deal of this publication.

The Cosmic Game Manual is an elaboration on the participatory side of divine play. This post gets into the ideas of karma, sin, and compassion.

Six Paths, Four Truths, Eight Steps is an introductory guide to the Buddhist realms of rebirth and core teachings on the path to liberation.

Meditations For Healing is a guide to six meditations that have made a profound impact on me as both a healer and a healing person.

Broader Philosophy

Virtue Is A Virtue discusses the Aristotelian and Daoist paths to virtuous living.

The Art Of Mindful Disintegration is a meditation on the teachings of the conscious dying movement, turning our suffering into opportunity for healing.

Brother, May I Have Some Platonic Meme Analysis? is a serious analysis of a seriously dank meme through the lens of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave from The Republic.

Scar Tissue is an exploration and demonstration of the Tibetan Buddhist diagnosis and treatment of suffering.

Rants & Ramblings

Why To Fear The Turtle, my first post, is a (hopefully) humorous reflection on the inescapable reality of human religiosity.

Rethinking Religion is an expansion on Why To Fear The Turtle as a call for people to investigate their ideas and to veer away from extremism.

The Jewish Answer is my take on the unfortunate hate against Jews.

Poptardation examines our poor cultural conditions through the lens of communications theory and serves as a meditation on how to correct course.

Poptardation 2: Sophist Boogaloo explores the hollow ideologies and pseudo-philosophers that arise when society’s values and beliefs erode, with a particular focus on the Red Pill movement. Here, we discuss what they’ve all gotten wrong about The Matrix, and the true path to freedom.

Poptardation 3: Hemlock & Heroism is a reflection on what becomes of morality in a world devoid of beliefs. This third and final part of the Poptardation series discusses the value of moral courage—and the price.

From Hell to Happiness is my guest post for Sober App Substack. The post chronicles how mindfulness and Buddhist practice helped me recover from PTSD and my addiction to alcohol.

For My 30th Birthday, I Got Cancer is a personal piece about a very strange episode of my life.

What Makes A Hero? Exploring Ethics In The MCU

Your Phronimos Neighborhood Spider-Man is a look at Peter Parker through the lens of Virtue Ethics.

Captain AmeriKant vs. Iron Mill takes Captain America: Civil War and illustrates how it represents the debate between Deontology and Utilitarianism.

We Are Groot pins the Guardians of the Galaxy against Care Ethics and Kohlberg’s theory of moral development.

The Knight With Claws examines the evolution of Logan (A.K.A. Wolverine) from the perspective of Existentialism

Make Wakanda Great Again goes through the philosophy of Social Contract theory and how it plays out in Black Panther.

The Passion Of The Odinson compares Augustinian and Calvinist views on Divine Command Theory with the movie Thor.

Four Or Five Moments touches on Ethical Egoism through everyone’s favorite Merc with a Mouth.

Excelsior! observes Stan Lee’s many cameos and makes sense of them through the lens of Cultural Relativism.

Short Stories

What To Expect: Joseph of Nazareth must come to terms with some unexpected life changes. This story touches upon the ideas of kenosis, hypostatic union, and vocation.

The Dawn of Darkness: In the wake of Krishna’s death, an ashram seeks solace in the words of their Guru. This story describes the concept of the Kali Yuga and how to approach life within it.

Not A Small Favor: Interrupted from his nap in the Garden of Eden, a mission from God has Snake rethinking reality. This story is a theodicy of sorts, addressing suffering and death from a mystical perspective.

Old Friends: Cain, humanity’s first sinner—and God’s eternal servant—makes a new friend in Elijah, the new immortal on the block. This story is about selfless service in a fallen world.

And while you’re here…

I want to be interactive with the community. If you have any questions or requests, please speak up!

Also, if you are an artist and you are interested in recreating any of the art you see in the articles here, I would be more than happy to replace the AI image with your submission. You would get a shoutout along with the image in the article with full artistic credit and direct links to your other works.

Fill my tea kettle