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‘‘Not all those who wander are lost.’
J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973)[1] ‘The most difficult thing in life is to know thyself.’ Thales (624 BCE-546 BCE)[2] ‘The unexamined life is not worth living.’ Socrates (469BCE-399 BCE)[3] ‘If I am not for myself, who will be? If I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, when?’ Rabbi Hillel (110 BCE – 10 CE)[4] ‘It is not your duty to finish the work, but you are not at liberty to neglect it.’ Rabbi Tarfon (70?-135CE?)[5] Unexpected invitations are dancing lessons from the Divine. G. M. Jaron (1954 CE-) [1] (Tolkien 1954, 1955, 170) The Fellowship of the Ring, Book I, Chapter 10. [2] (Breverton 2009, 9) Attributed by Diogenes Laertius, (circa 200 BCE) in his Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers to the philosopher Thales ,(635/620-546/543 BCE) [3] Plato, Apology, 38a [4] Rabbi Hillel, Pirke Avoth, 1:14. (Goldin 1955, 69) [5] Rabbi Tarfon, Pirke Avoth, 2:16. (Goldin 1955, 116)
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So…what’s the point of it all?
This place is my philosophic blog site. I hope to offer you something useful. To paraphrase William James, with a dash of my Dad: “If something ain’t useful to you then you don’t need to bother with it.” Let’s start with the title of this blog site: ‘Find Your Way’. The title is actual a riddle that needs to be solved. Since I have a hard time thinking in a straight line, I’m going to start at the end. Let’s start with the meaning of the word ‘way’: It’s a noun. Here is a list of definitions and some commentary to explain how that definition relates to its usage to help you understand my blog site. 1) It is the English translation of the Chinese term ‘Tao’. This is alluding to the book of Lao Tzu ‘The Tao Te Ching’. The Tao for Lao Tzu refers to the Cosmos, Nature, the way Nature flows and does it thing, something’s true essence, something’s true nature. I intend this meaning of the term to invoke your own personal sense of connection to a greater power as you define it. Also, it is invoking the idea of you tapping into your own true nature, your own true essence or own true being. 2) It’s a method, style, or manner of doing something. Synonyms: method, process, procedure, technique, system, etc. I intend this blog site to offer you some pragmatic orienting philosophic tools. Some useful methods/tools/maps that can guide you to think about yourself and the world you inhabit in a new way. 3) It’s a road, track, path, or street for traveling along. I intend and hope this blog will take you down the my well traveled path through the books that inspired me and that have shaped my path that I’ve been traveling throughout my life. Hopefully this blog will also help you to see the path that you are traveling on. 4) It’s a state or condition. I hope to get you to reflect on the way things are for you and to realize that you can change, at least somethings, some of the time. To choose the path of change is not an easy road but it is an option. 5) It’s the means to enter or leave a place. This site will be a portal where you can come in and find evocative, inspiring, interesting, maybe even amusing comments and essays to help you on your way. 6) It’s a roughly defined geographic place. This is my place on the World Wide Web to talk to you. 7) It refers to a tradition within modern paganism concerned with a dedication to a specific deity or craft. Examples :the way of runes, the way of the Wyrd, etc. To read and contemplate what I present here will offer insight into the way of William James, the way of Alfred Korzybski, the way of Lao Tzu, and of course the way of me, Gary Jaron. Now you should have some idea of what I mean by the word ‘way’. The full title of my blog implies that I hope and intend to offer you insights from all the experiences and encounters I had with books and people in my life so that I may guide and map out how you can find your way. |
A blog about Lovecraft's Dream land, Jewish Kabbalah, Occult Qabalah, Philosophy, Metaphysics, and other stuff. Gary Jaron was set on his life's journey at age nine when he had a mystical experience.
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