It is worth noting that centralization of Sun worship occurs in the late periods of empires, not in their formative or "vital" stages. In Rome, Sol Invictus' worship was an attempt to square Platonist "monotheism" with the filial cults who had already fallen by the wayside centuries before. In Egypt, Akhenaten's reforms were extremely late and short lived.
Worship of the Sun (as central cult object) seems to be a result of "Intellectualization", an attempt to recapture that which was lost, or reform that which was organic into a rigid cultic view.
It is perfectly in alignment with these historical priors for the "youth right" or whatever you'd call it to start to put forth their own version.
Great observation. It seems, mythically speaking, that the truly vital and energetic society is the monotheistic one that sees the Sun as a brother or a captain, rather than the ultimate power.
Picking hairs, here — the God of the Greeks, Hyperborean Apollo, was associated with the Sun. The very existing of a pantheon, a hierarchical structure of gods, permits multiple virtues and societal goods. I’d count myself in this Solar camp. You are entirely correct that it’s idolatry, and that’s good!
It was always good intentions but full of pride and vanity. I came through the "solar sphere" as a occultist/pagan. It was a quick stepping stone to Christianityas I saw it was void of any depth or meaning beyond aesthetics.
hello, I enjoyed reading your post much, and feel I can relate and wish to express a few ideas, if I may?
First, there is a very underestimated concept in most world views and intellectual frameworks; most logics fail to attach importance to a century old phenomenon, that Lobaczewski, a polish psy, taught; it's the one of "psychopathology" and goes by the idea that positive structures not aware of such danger will become the target of it (cannot deal with what you don't see) one day or another, as a rule of thumb.
I have the feeling that the sphere you describe may have suffered from an external form of takeover - because you express that it kind of progressively lost something. If that concept feels relevant to you, there is a guy expanding about Lobaczewski's concepts (ponerology substack).
Second, there were those guys in the past, the Essenians, who'd match more the solar context you are describing.
Overall, I would be tempted to say that the core of your sphere may have been more "essenian" than "atlantean" - but who am I to assert things? You may be right, after all, and given all the freemason mess and cults including the sun in it's doctrine, the sphere you met may actually be atlantean from the start, rather than "essenian" or authentic.
Another point is that I know for sure that red meat focus is on the right track, but not martial arts; there, we see a hidden door based on a false truth; is the martial art there from the start? is this a new feature in the sphere? We see an incomplete structure or a wrong one.
I feel that beauty, kindness and virtue are under-represented in our world; you may be certain that any form of gathering promoting such value would automatically benefit from external attempts of corruption, degradation, twisting, with the aim of removing it. This is a pity. New members, new directions, new "policies", new rules, then the old genuine guys, the original "core", gets wiped in benefit of new "members": did you see such process happening in that sphere?
I believe that we have to stay away from what we feel is wrong, overall; you felt a problem, and it's probably a very positive attitude. I feel that your "sphere" partly accounts for extremely positive true spiritual values, but that it may be a scam designed to hijack the original spiritual truth around "the sun", or whatever goodness we instinctively feel that exists there. I won't express because I don't know!
I may be all wrong, so just reacting with ideas about a situation you raised! All the best!
Form over function. Aesthetics matter, but they should come from a place of substance. Social media demands you cultivate an aesthetic to drive engagement
There is a reason God has no grandchildren. Each generation must be instructed in the ways of the Lord and the necessity of new life in Jesus Christ. Salvation and rebirth are not inherited. Pride removes/distorts the instructors/preachers/pastors of the next generation, as the Evil One consistently fights to break the family of God and disinherit those who are coming next. The real question is the one asked by the Early Church Fathers, "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" The parable of the tares speaks to your column since nothing pure lasts because there is an enemy who seeks to destroy or debase everything of God. Advice comes from the same parable, do not attempt to pull up the tares or you will damage/destroy the wheat along with it. Leave that to God. Do the best you can to keep yourself pure and admonish those who will listen to do likewise.
Great read. Check out Chesterton’s short story, “The Eye of Apollo” if you haven’t, it relates very much to the ideas here, as well as the spiritual history he paints from pagan antiquity to the Christian era in “the everlasting man”
I have benefitted as well from that sphere in certain ways, but you are right about identifying pride as its ruin. It’s not all warm sunshine and smiles. The pagans at least knew that the sun god was mighty, yet cruel.
And then you have St. Francis, humble and bold enough to call the sun his brother. That is the Christian ideal, that the glories of the nature are from a common source.
Brilliant article, perfectly captured the dark side of the solar archetype. Those with a strong solar archetype want to constantly shine and be the best they can be for all the world to see, but that runs the risk of thinking that everything revolves around you.
Awesome way to put it. The Solar sphere is absolutely agreeable, but it's got a sour aftertaste. It's helped me to get away from video games & doomscrolling and outside pursuing adventure. But, I don't spend time in the woods to worship the woods- I thank God for his Creation.
"Truly all things are vanity! For life is just a shadow and a dream, and vainly does man on earth trouble himself, as the Scriptures say. When we have acquired the world, then do we take up our abode in the grave, where kings and beggars lie together."
Not to say that many of these things aren't good, but our impact is minimal if we only use them to service ourselves.
It is worth noting that centralization of Sun worship occurs in the late periods of empires, not in their formative or "vital" stages. In Rome, Sol Invictus' worship was an attempt to square Platonist "monotheism" with the filial cults who had already fallen by the wayside centuries before. In Egypt, Akhenaten's reforms were extremely late and short lived.
Worship of the Sun (as central cult object) seems to be a result of "Intellectualization", an attempt to recapture that which was lost, or reform that which was organic into a rigid cultic view.
It is perfectly in alignment with these historical priors for the "youth right" or whatever you'd call it to start to put forth their own version.
Great observation. It seems, mythically speaking, that the truly vital and energetic society is the monotheistic one that sees the Sun as a brother or a captain, rather than the ultimate power.
Picking hairs, here — the God of the Greeks, Hyperborean Apollo, was associated with the Sun. The very existing of a pantheon, a hierarchical structure of gods, permits multiple virtues and societal goods. I’d count myself in this Solar camp. You are entirely correct that it’s idolatry, and that’s good!
It was always good intentions but full of pride and vanity. I came through the "solar sphere" as a occultist/pagan. It was a quick stepping stone to Christianityas I saw it was void of any depth or meaning beyond aesthetics.
Well said.
hello, I enjoyed reading your post much, and feel I can relate and wish to express a few ideas, if I may?
First, there is a very underestimated concept in most world views and intellectual frameworks; most logics fail to attach importance to a century old phenomenon, that Lobaczewski, a polish psy, taught; it's the one of "psychopathology" and goes by the idea that positive structures not aware of such danger will become the target of it (cannot deal with what you don't see) one day or another, as a rule of thumb.
I have the feeling that the sphere you describe may have suffered from an external form of takeover - because you express that it kind of progressively lost something. If that concept feels relevant to you, there is a guy expanding about Lobaczewski's concepts (ponerology substack).
Second, there were those guys in the past, the Essenians, who'd match more the solar context you are describing.
Overall, I would be tempted to say that the core of your sphere may have been more "essenian" than "atlantean" - but who am I to assert things? You may be right, after all, and given all the freemason mess and cults including the sun in it's doctrine, the sphere you met may actually be atlantean from the start, rather than "essenian" or authentic.
Another point is that I know for sure that red meat focus is on the right track, but not martial arts; there, we see a hidden door based on a false truth; is the martial art there from the start? is this a new feature in the sphere? We see an incomplete structure or a wrong one.
I feel that beauty, kindness and virtue are under-represented in our world; you may be certain that any form of gathering promoting such value would automatically benefit from external attempts of corruption, degradation, twisting, with the aim of removing it. This is a pity. New members, new directions, new "policies", new rules, then the old genuine guys, the original "core", gets wiped in benefit of new "members": did you see such process happening in that sphere?
I believe that we have to stay away from what we feel is wrong, overall; you felt a problem, and it's probably a very positive attitude. I feel that your "sphere" partly accounts for extremely positive true spiritual values, but that it may be a scam designed to hijack the original spiritual truth around "the sun", or whatever goodness we instinctively feel that exists there. I won't express because I don't know!
I may be all wrong, so just reacting with ideas about a situation you raised! All the best!
Form over function. Aesthetics matter, but they should come from a place of substance. Social media demands you cultivate an aesthetic to drive engagement
There is a reason God has no grandchildren. Each generation must be instructed in the ways of the Lord and the necessity of new life in Jesus Christ. Salvation and rebirth are not inherited. Pride removes/distorts the instructors/preachers/pastors of the next generation, as the Evil One consistently fights to break the family of God and disinherit those who are coming next. The real question is the one asked by the Early Church Fathers, "What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?" The parable of the tares speaks to your column since nothing pure lasts because there is an enemy who seeks to destroy or debase everything of God. Advice comes from the same parable, do not attempt to pull up the tares or you will damage/destroy the wheat along with it. Leave that to God. Do the best you can to keep yourself pure and admonish those who will listen to do likewise.
Great read. Check out Chesterton’s short story, “The Eye of Apollo” if you haven’t, it relates very much to the ideas here, as well as the spiritual history he paints from pagan antiquity to the Christian era in “the everlasting man”
I have benefitted as well from that sphere in certain ways, but you are right about identifying pride as its ruin. It’s not all warm sunshine and smiles. The pagans at least knew that the sun god was mighty, yet cruel.
And then you have St. Francis, humble and bold enough to call the sun his brother. That is the Christian ideal, that the glories of the nature are from a common source.
Brilliant article, perfectly captured the dark side of the solar archetype. Those with a strong solar archetype want to constantly shine and be the best they can be for all the world to see, but that runs the risk of thinking that everything revolves around you.
Awesome way to put it. The Solar sphere is absolutely agreeable, but it's got a sour aftertaste. It's helped me to get away from video games & doomscrolling and outside pursuing adventure. But, I don't spend time in the woods to worship the woods- I thank God for his Creation.
"Truly all things are vanity! For life is just a shadow and a dream, and vainly does man on earth trouble himself, as the Scriptures say. When we have acquired the world, then do we take up our abode in the grave, where kings and beggars lie together."
Not to say that many of these things aren't good, but our impact is minimal if we only use them to service ourselves.
Nice.
I started a podcast, and the first six episodes are on virtues. Hope you like it. https://marchingthroughtheshadowlands.substack.com/p/147899062
the elephant between where the columns are now indicates that the elephant that stood there, did not die there & become petrified.