A thing is not esoteric because it is secret or kept hidden. It is esoteric because its existence is in some sense unmanifest, private, and by its very nature not available for examination from the outside: it is only available to participation, not, ultimately, merely to examination. In other words, the realm of the esoteric is, before anything else, the realm of consciousness, of experience.
Earl King, Jr., Having and Keeping Secrets: Some Words About Silence and The Hermetic Art of Secrecy
Riches she possessed, but that which enriches them, the participation of affection, was wanting. All that they could purchase for her became indifferent to her, because that which they could not purchase, and which was more valuable than themselves, she had, for their sake, thrown away. She discovered, when it was too late, that she had mistaken the means for the end—that riches, rightly used, are instruments of happiness, but are not in themselves happiness.
Thomas Love Peacock, Nightmare Abbey
Cursed be the kingdom, unfortunate the republic, desolate the city and home from whence the ass is banished, removed, and driven away! Woe to the senses, conscience, and soul where there is no participation in asininity!
Giordano Bruno, The Cabala of Pegasus
This is your last chance for Eclectic, Esoteric Postal Potlatch participation, as the deadline is today: April 1st, 2013. No, seriously!
However, it’s far too late to send a SASE in which I can in return send things to you for this round, but you can still become a supporter or subscribing supporter of the library to get on board for both the Postal Potlatch and extra fun such as a gratis download for the upcoming Spring 2013 Hermetic Library Album.
I think the next announced Postal Potlatch will have an Aug 1st deadline for participation. So, unless you are subscribing supporter, that will be your next chance to join in. For supporters, I plan on occasionally sending out additional mailings, if I’ve found interesting things to share between announced events. But, even if you aren’t a supporter, or don’t want to have things mailed to you, consider sending interesting items that I can add to the cache of stuff I send out.
Head over to the Postal Potlatch page for the current mailing address you can use to send things, if you want to participate; or where, you know, you can send stuff even if you don’t want to get something in return. Let’s have some fun!
Along the lines of having an engaged practice, you may be interested in this call specifically looking for magicians and others as part of a coordinated day of action on February 29th sent me by Katherine Ball, an activist in Portland, OR:
Hello magicians, squatters, artists, journalists, poets, experimental geographers, inventors, bicycle healers, hactivists and resistance scholars,
I am writing to invite you to participate in a coordinated day of direct action to shut down corporations on February 29th: www.shutdownthecorporations.org. The corporations, which run our government, place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and domination over equality. In this justice, liberty and a livable future are casualties. This is a call for a national day of direct action to reclaim our voices and challenge our society’s obsession with profit and greed by shutting down the corporations.
There are over 50 cities across the United States planning to take direct action on this day (full list at bottom of this page), and as of this week Mexico City has also joined.
This email is a call out to creative individuals and groups to also take direct action on this day. Just imagine what an outpouring of creative actions could do! I have listed some of the groups/individuals receiving this email at the bottom.
If you are interested in participating and want to make your participation public, there is a form on the bottom of the contact page. If you prefer to keep your participation autonomous, I thank you and wish you the best of luck. If you cannot take direct action, if you could use your means to further these ends, I would greatly appreciate it (such as writing an article, sending the call to action out to your network, etc). Any action—small or large—in solidarity would be appreciated.
This call comes from the Action Lab, a spokescouncil in Portland, Oregon, USA.
Thank you for your time and your wonderful work in the world,
Katherine
The Position and Possibilities of the Masonic Order from The Meaning of Masonry by Walter Leslie Wilmshurst.
“Were this achieved the Masonic Order would become, in proportion to that achievement, a spiritual force greater than it can ever be so long as it continues content with a formal and unintelligent perpetuation of rites, the real and sacred purpose of which remains largely unperceived, and participation in which too often means nothing more than association with an agreeable, semi-religious, social institution.” [via]
Mention of the philosophical connection between the Temporary Autonomous Zone of Hakim Bey and the Occupy movement can be found in “The Real Battle of St Paul’s Cathedral: The Occupy Movement and Millennial Politics” a recent post over at Christianity & Contemporary Politics.
“But there is also a striking contrast between those who gathered at St Paul’s Cross in 1066 and those who are encamped around it today. In 1066 there was a clear enemy and a clear set of demands. Many complain that the Occupy movement lacks any such clear programme. Yet this is to misunderstand the nature of the Occupy movement for whom the process is the programme. Demands are formulated but these are secondary. What matters is the transformative experience of participation.
What is created around the Cathedral and in other Occupy sites can be characterised as ‘temporary autonomous zones’ or TAZ’s. These TAZ’s are meant to give people an experience of direct democracy, including not only the experience of autonomy, but also of the free exchange of ideas and a spontaneous social order in a space free from control by capitalist corporations or state authorities. The primary point of focus is the daily General Assembly where all matters are decided, anything can be proposed and anyone can take part.” [via]
Egyptian Magic in Egyptian Magic by Florence Farr.
“it appears extremely probable that the whole Egyptian population was allowed a certain participation in the Mysteries; for the tests of a candidate before Initiation were of such a nature that none but human beings developed to a considerable degree of perfection could hope to stand them.” [via]