DLM # 159 The Sovereign Psyche (Or Why Texting Sucks)

Here is a video that clearly shows why we are dying, psychologically. Why our souls are dying even as we make sure to take down all other living beings with us. If I waggle my finger in everyone’s face this week, it’s because our babyish ways are irresponsible, we need to grow up, stat.

For this week’s music, I’ve decided to start offering musical assignments. Please download Beethoven’s final symphony onto your phone, then go out into the woods with headphones, or or the desert, or the river, somewhere away from humans and the digital world. While you listen to the symphony, collect leaves, rocks, twigs, whatever winks at you, and then build a mandala on the ground. Make a square, then put a circle in the middle of it. Then embellish and decorate it in any way you like. Say a prayer for the soul of the world, the anima mundi. This process will take a bit over an hour. Then make a pact that you will do something beautiful and non-digital like this every week come hell or high water. Don’t take a picture of your mandala. Don’t upload it to social media or text it to anyone. Let it be a secret ritual of between you and the cosmos, mixed together in silent and loving solitude.

DLM # 158 Asleep At The Wheel 🌀

So excited to share this week’s sermon and music with you all. After a very long and cold winter, the weather is finally turning warm around here and it’s a glorious Sunday morning. No matter what is happening in your world, or in the world in general, there can be some joy in sitting in the sun and breathing deeply.

DLM # 155 Adventures on the Wheel of Samsara ☸️

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers, and Jai Ma!! Victory to the Mother!

And happy four years of attempting to spread wisdom and light into the world!

After listening to the sermon, you may object that it’s important to be “in the world” to help alleviate suffering. I agree, of course, we must all do what we can. But what I am suggesting is that there is something even more important than that: training yourself and your mind to such a degree that you are no longer unconsciously contributing to the cyclical regeneration of suffering in the first place. If with one hand we clean, and with the other, we are creating a mess, then the cycle just goes on ad infinitum. At some point, we must stop creating the mess in the first place and we can only achieve this with a highly trained and refined mind.

DLM # 152 Moonday Sermons

I like the word thalassic. For music this week, look up Tom Moulton’s remixes of the Philadelphia Classics and listen to all of them, then slowly, slowly, get really into Tom Moulton.

DLM # 151 Solar Cycles of Death & Rebirth 🌀🔥

It takes a lot of heart, man. That’s all I can say.

DLM # 150 Mindfullness or Singlemindedness?

It’s an important question we don’t ask ourselves enough. Should we be full of mind or should we be focused?

The external world is unreliable, it will not avail us, especially when we are using an untrained monkey mind to interact with it. Training is the only answer, the only pathway to liberation which begins within, inside our own minds, the scariest and most dogmatic place of all!

DLM # 148 Slowness and Consciousness

I hope you enjoy today’s sermon. In honor of its theme, we’re listening to Manuel Göttsching’s E2E4—an hour-long song that gives new meaning to slowing down.

DLM # 142 Something's Fishy 🐬

Intuitively sensing that mind is trapped in matter, I wrote a sermon and then started reading Paramahansa Yogananda’s analysis of the Bhagavad Gita, where just now I came away with the astonishing statement: “all matter is thought.” And thought is an elemental aspect of of mind. It’s exciting to be here with you and share knowledge through words, but I will tell you, I’m starting to find that only deep meditation produces real knowledge. Everything else is just theoretical or conceptual knowledge which is often mistaken and deluded.

DLM # 141 Where Is Our Volition Carrying Us?

I think it’s a pretty good sermon this week, but gentle friends, I am working on so many projects that I have no music mix again. Maria Popova speaks of the “Ode to Joy” today in her blog, so I’m inspired to listen to Beethoven’s ninth symphony in its entirety and am suggesting you do the same. When you do listen to it from beginning to end, keep in mind the lyrics that I’ve posted here for you. They will make you quake with ecstasy.

With love until next week (and scroll down for link to sermon!)

An die Freude

Freude, schöner Götterfunken,
Tochter aus Elysium,
Wir betreten feuertrunken,
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!
Deine Zauber binden wieder
Was die Mode streng geteilt*;
Alle Menschen werden Brüder*
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

Wem der große Wurf gelungen
Eines Freundes Freund zu sein;
Wer ein holdes Weib errungen
Mische seinen Jubel ein!
Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele
Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund!
Und wer's nie gekonnt, der stehle
Weinend sich aus diesem Bund!

Freude trinken alle Wesen
An den Brüsten der Natur;
Alle Guten, alle Bösen
Folgen ihrer Rosenspur.
Küsse gab sie uns und Reben,
Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod;
Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben
und der Cherub steht vor Gott.

Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen
Durch des Himmels prächt'gen Plan
Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn,
Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen.

Seid umschlungen, Millionen!
Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt!
Brüder, über'm Sternenzelt
Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen.
Ihr stürzt nieder, Millionen?
Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt?
Such' ihn über'm Sternenzelt!
Über Sternen muß er wohnen.

Ode: To Joy

Joy, beautiful spark of Divinity [or: of gods],
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter, drunk with fire,
Heavenly one, thy sanctuary!
Thy magic binds again
What custom strictly divided;*
All people become brothers,*
Where thy gentle wing abides.

Whoever has succeeded in the great attempt,
To be a friend's friend,
Whoever has won a lovely wife,
Add his to the jubilation!
Yes, and also whoever has just one soul
To call his own in this world!
And he who never managed it should slink
Weeping from this union!

All creatures drink of joy
At nature's breasts.
All the Just, all the Evil
Follow her trail of roses.
Kisses she gave us and grapevines,
A friend, proven in death.
Ecstasy was given to the worm
And the cherub stands before God.

Gladly, as His suns fly
through the heavens' grand plan
Journey, brothers, on your way,
Joyful, like a hero to victory.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss to all the world!
Brothers, above the starry canopy
There must dwell a loving Father.
Are you collapsing, millions?
Do you sense the creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy!
Above stars must He dwell.

DLM # 132 On Finding Freedom 🌀

Good one this week, I found it very helpful.

DLM # 129 A Coronation Event 👑

A halo of light encircling a radiant object.

DLM # 128 Goddess Reclamation Projects 🌚

Here is a photo of Prague according to the tram system (notice the mandala-esque design), and a cool Gothic tower. Plus, this week’s wisdom and musical libations. Enjoy!

Prague-Mandala.jpeg
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DLM # 117 Artemis, Apollo, and the Dance of Oracular Healing

The 2021 Fates & Graces Mythologium was held this weekend and I presented a new paper about the archetypal significance of the pair being twins, among other things.

Ever since Nietzsche wrote The Birth of Tragedy, people have been laying their grievances about the patriarchy and its over-emphasis on rational thought at Apollo’s feet. But to me, Apollo cannot be separated from the imaginal attributes surrounding his myth. In my view, it is really Aristotle we should be complaining about.

Anyway, I turned my conference presentation into a Youtube video which is now moonlighting as this week’s sermon. The work is certainly preachy at times so I think it qualifies as a religious sermon.

This week’s music mix is also recycled because I have been listening to it nonstop since last week. I realized that I’ve had Artemis and Apollo on the brain for a while now and last week’s mix is really about the two of them. See if you can identify which songs invoke Artemis and which Apollo. There’s an epic one that’s really about both of them.

DLM # 115 Personal v. Transpersonal

I have discovered recently that people other than those I have reached out to personally have discovered my sermons and have been listening to them every week, so, for those who are interested or have the need, I wanted to announce that I now offer mentoring services: https://luminositymentoring.com/

Enjoy the week and do your best to stay conscious. xo