Wisdom

One of our wanderers in residence — Balinor Lyre — is a sage of both alchemy and music. Balinor initially pursued the path of an academic scholar. But, one day, Balinor experienced a cataclysmic psychic event (that’s all he’ll say about it — with a twinkle in his eye and an enigmatic smile). This ‘event’ wrenched him from the path of academic knowledge, and thrust him onto the path of becoming a wise sage. No longer satisfied with just ‘knowing’ in his head, he wants to ‘be’ in his entire being. As he likes to say, “We’re not ‘human knowings’, we’re ’human beings’! Or, better: ‘human becomings’!”

While exploring the cathedral’s vast disheveled library, he found an unmarked, dust-covered tome hidden in a forgotten corner. With the title page missing, he refers to it as simply the GrailHeart Codex. The Codex is filled with cryptic symbols, faded diagrams, and passages in languages long abandoned. Intrigued, Balinor has begun the laborious process of deciphering it. (more…)

A guest post by GrailHeart Wanderer in Residence Luca di Benedetto

There are some days when the world feels like it’s pressing down on you, like it’s all just too much. The kind of day when the questions and doubts pile up faster than you can shove them away. I used to spend those days chasing answers, frantically sketching, writing, doing anything to feel like I was moving forward. But these days, I try to do something different. I try to just sit still.

Right now, I’m sitting in my studio. The light’s coming through the window at that perfect late-afternoon angle, the kind that makes everything feel a little softer. My sketchbook is open in my lap, but I haven’t touched the pencil. There’s no rush. (more…)

In an age where science has unraveled the mysteries of the cosmos, offering us unparalleled knowledge about the physical world, we find ourselves grappling with a profound question: how do we use this knowledge wisely? The distinction between knowledge and wisdom has never been more crucial. While science provides us with facts and understanding, wisdom guides us in applying this knowledge ethically and meaningfully.

The Origins of Philosophy: A Dual Quest for Understanding and Ethical Living

To explore the roots of wisdom, we turn to the origins of philosophy, particularly the pre-Socratic thinkers — Greek philosophers who preceded Socrates (c.470 – 399 BCE). These early philosophers were not only pioneers of rational inquiry but also ardent seekers of ethical living. For them, understanding the cosmos was intrinsically linked with living a virtuous life. Figures like Pythagoras and Heraclitus delved into the nature of reality and human existence, proposing that true wisdom involved a harmonious balance between knowledge and ethical action. (more…)

“We have art so that we shall not die of reality.”  —  Friedrich Nietzsche

The book of Genesis in the Bible famously says that God created humanity “in our own image.” We’ve returned the favor – creating Gods in OUR own image. That is, human-like, only really really big. For example, the God of the Bible may not have a physical body, but certainly behaves in all too human ways: He loves and hates: “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” (Mal. 1:2-3). He exacts revenge: “Vengeance is mine, says the Lord, I will repay.” (Deut. 32:35). He regrets: “The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth.” (Gen. 6:6). He is jealous: “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Ex. 34:14). Examples abound.

It’s called “anthropomorphism” – “anthropos” = human beings and ‘morphos’ = the form of something. So anthropomorphism is projecting human traits and actions onto things and situations that aren’t human, such as pets, or “an angry storm,” or “my phone died.” (more…)