Bernard Conway

There is in every enduring spiritual legacy, an emphasis on ascetic practice. Why this occurs has been subject to much investigation. And while the investigations themselves may interesting, no single study will sufficiently describe all aspects of asceticism. Nor should we expect one to. For practical purposes, as it is experienced, the subject must be considered on a number of different planes. We will limit ourselves to three examples, along with some further considerations on the subject. A Final Break with Attachment Defined as the act of breaking an attachment, this view of asceticism may be the easiest to understand as that it can be easily translated into terms that require no consideration of its more transcendent features. Although a ‘break’ with some aspect of the material world often is often done in order to look beyond, this need not always be the case. The motivation can be more secular. Many students know well the feeling of what was intended to be five-minute ...

MYSTERY CULTS AND INITIATION "That I do not, however, accuse the Christians more bitterly than truth compels, may be conjectured from hence, that the cryers who call men to other mysteries proclaim as follows: 'Let him approach whose hands are pure, and whose words are wise.' And again, others proclaim: 'Let him approach who is pure from all wickedness, whose soul is not conscious of any evil, and who leads a just and upright life.' And these things are proclaimed by those who promise a purification from error. Let us now hear who those are that are called to the Christian mysteries: Whoever is a sinner, whoever is unwise, whoever is a fool, and whoever, in short, is miserable, him the kingdom of God will receive. Do you not, therefore, call a sinner, an unjust man, a thief, a housebreaker, a wizard, one who is sacrilegious, and a robber of sepulchres? What other persons would the cryer nominate, who should call robbers together?” -Celsus The mysteries t...

The above video is Marine Gunnery Sergeant Walgren speaking before the invasion of Marjah in 2010. It’s since become a staple of Marine Corps moto (motivational) culture and it always resurfaces around Veteran’s Day and the Marine Corps Ball. It used to be the video that would make an annual appearance but it now shares a lot of that former limelight with all things related to the Patron Saint of Chaos, General James Mattis. Still, there’s an important similarity between the two that goes deeper than the hype factor. Give Mattis a spin through Google Images. Then do the same for Eisenhower, Puller, Nimitz, Macarthur…do the same for any famed American flag officer. A pattern presents itself. In none of any of their most iconic photos are these men depicted as overseeing anything like a parade or an inspection. Particularly for the most recent of them, where PR is a fact of life, they’ll always be pictured standing amongst a small group of ground troops. And that’s not a coincide...

"Every doctrine is true in what it asserts but false in, or because of, what it excludes." -Leibniz 

MORE THAN MERE METAPHORS An introduction to the suprahuman THE TERROR OF HISTORY In Mircea Eliade ’s view, ancient peoples believed their myths to occur in a remote ‘sacred time’. Opposite of this was the ‘profane time’ of their own, and our, day-to-day lives. Profane time followed a linear path, accumulating changes and unique events as it went on. Sacred time had a more limited amount of content, usually a cosmic creation, sagas of heroes and gods, a final dissolution, and an eventual rebirth. It was sacred time that was more revered by the ancients. Sacred time was the central point of the cosmos which our world only imitated. We were the incidental bystanders to far greater processes. These cycles may have been natural for the gods and spirits, but our own lives weren’t as predictable. Seeking to overcome the uncertainty of our existence, we once tried to link the events of our personal and communal lives with those of the myths in hopes of gaining a sense of di...