Interviewing @crossfire

[JustGeorge]

Hi @crossfire !

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed!

First off, I'd like to ask a bit of your beliefs.

What do you identify(religiously) with?

 

[crossfire]

Hi @crossfire !

Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed!

First off, I'd like to ask a bit of your beliefs.

What do you identify(religiously) with?

First and foremost, I am a Western Mahayana Buddhist from Western Zen.

Secondly, I am a western LHP occultist.

Thirdly, I am an ordained Pastafarian. Pastafarianism is my political religion in the Sacred Clown tradition, which speaks truth to power (or deals with the political leadership in an often humorous way.) Buddhism generally stays of of politics out of the tradition of withdrawing from the mundane.

I see beliefs as tools--paralleling the Chaos Magick technique.

 

[JustGeorge]

First and foremost, I am a Western Mahayana Buddhist from Western Zen.

I notice with both of these labels, you make sure to add 'Western'. How does this make the path differ?

Secondly, I am a western LHP occultist.

Tell me more about what this entails.

Thirdly, I am an ordained Pastafarian. Pastafarianism is my political religion in the Sacred Clown tradition, which speaks truth to power (or deals with the political leadership in an often humorous way.) Buddhism generally stays of of politics out of the tradition of withdrawing from the mundane.

I don't know much of Pastafarianism, but was under the impression it was mostly meant as a joke. Are there deeper teachings?

What is the Sacred Clown tradition?

I see beliefs as tools--paralleling the Chaos Magick technique.

I'm only vaguely familiar with chaos magick. Can you elaborate any on it?

 

[crossfire]

I notice with both of these labels, you make sure to add 'Western'. How does this make the path differ?

Buddhism (as well as the LHP) strives to help the individual recognize unconscious cultural programming and to mindfully think for themselves instead of just letting the unconscious cultural programming unmindfully take over. The "western" designation is to show that my cultural programming is from Western culture.

Tell me more about what this entails.

LHP occultism: occult means hidden. It's a practice done in private (hidden from public view,) and in my case, it is done to draw out things hidden in my unconscious mind.

I don't know much of Pastafarianism, but was under the impression it was mostly meant as a joke. Are there deeper teachings?

It is a joke, but one with meaning. It was created in response to the Kansas Board of Education wanting to teach creationism in science classes.
The argument was made that if you are going to teach intelligent design in science, you have to include all of the intelligent designers, such as the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Much of the mythos of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster consists of humorous examples of logical fallacies, one example being correlation does not prove causation. In the Church of the FSM, it shows the inverse correlation between the number of pirates and mean global temperature over time. If you apply the logical fallacy of correlation proves causation to the data, then one can only conclude that Pirates are holding back Global Warming! This discovery made Pirates heros within the Church, and pirates (Capt Mosey and his crew) were soon integrated into the lore. Captain Mosey and his crew are credited with bringing us the Eight I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts (aka the 8 condiments.)

What is the Sacred Clown tradition?

The Sacred Clown tradition is used as a sociological category, although some cultures have formal inductions to a Sacred Clown Tradition.

The function of a Sacred Clown is to speak Truth to Power, and to help raise morale among the people through humor. Court jesters are one example you might be familiar with. The court jestor could often convey criticism towards policies the royal family instills without getting his head chopped off for disloyalty or speaking ill of the royalty.

Another example of a Sacred Clown tradition is the Heyoka of the Sioux nations. They are contrarians who don't necessarily conform to the status quo. For example, when all the people are complaining that it is so cold outside, a Heyoka might dance around naked in the cold, complaining how hot it is. This is not only a show of humor to help cheer people up, but it is also a demonstration of humankind's ability to survive through adversity. Other aspects of the Heyoka correlate with some LHP traditions in that they represent a reversal of energy (facing west instead of east) and not being tied to the status quo.

I'm only vaguely familiar with chaos magick. Can you elaborate any on it?

The part relevant to my belief is that belief is a lens through which you perceive reality. You won't see what is contrary to your belief, while things that confirm your belief will be highlighted. Therefore, you can enhance your perception by changing your lens (or belief, or by at least suspending disbelief.) In this regard, belief becomes a perceptive tool that can enhance your ability to perceive something.

The Big 5 Personality traits would categorize this as the Openness to Experience trait, except in chaos magick this is consciously cultivated and used in a conscious manner for specific purposes.

 

[sun rise]

A note: In Islamic sufism, we have the figure of a wise fool, Mulla Nasruddin, who holds up a "mirror" in the form of a story so people can see themselves.

 

[rocala]

First and foremost, I am a Western Mahayana Buddhist from Western Zen.

Secondly, I am a western LHP occultist.

Hi Crossfire, I am curious but totally ignorant about LHP. Could you recommend a good book for a beginner please?
Your combining it with Buddhism has really whetted my appetite.

 

[crossfire]

Hi Crossfire, I am curious but totally ignorant about LHP. Could you recommend a good book for a beginner please?
Your combining it with Buddhism has really whetted my appetite.

Buddha was LHP not conforming to the status quo (maara.) I mean, really LHP, with all of his extreme ascetic practices before his enlightenment. Heck, he even had to break the LHP "rules" of not eating during meditation before he could become enlightened.

You think for yourself instead of letting groupthink overcome your mind, and you are the guardian of your mind.

 

[JustGeorge]

Buddhism (as well as the LHP) strives to help the individual recognize unconscious cultural programming and to mindfully think for themselves instead of just letting the unconscious cultural programming unmindfully take over. The "western" designation is to show that my cultural programming is from Western culture.

LHP occultism: occult means hidden. It's a practice done in private (hidden from public view,) and in my case, it is done to draw out things hidden in my unconscious mind.

What is different from a LHP and a RHP?

What are some of the practices you do in order to draw out these hidden aspects?

In regards to Buddhism, can you share a little on both Mahayana Buddhism and Zen Buddhism, and how they differ?

It is a joke, but one with meaning. It was created in response to the Kansas Board of Education wanting to teach creationism in science classes.
The argument was made that if you are going to teach intelligent design in science, you have to include all of the intelligent designers, such as the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Much of the mythos of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster consists of humorous examples of logical fallacies, one example being correlation does not prove causation. In the Church of the FSM, it shows the inverse correlation between the number of pirates and mean global temperature over time. If you apply the logical fallacy of correlation proves causation to the data, then one can only conclude that Pirates are holding back Global Warming! This discovery made Pirates heros within the Church, and pirates (Capt Mosey and his crew) were soon integrated into the lore. Captain Mosey and his crew are credited with bringing us the Eight I'd Really Rather You Didn'ts (aka the 8 condiments.)

That's pretty cool!

The Sacred Clown tradition is used as a sociological category, although some cultures have formal inductions to a Sacred Clown Tradition.

The function of a Sacred Clown is to speak Truth to Power, and to help raise morale among the people through humor. Court jesters are one example you might be familiar with. The court jestor could often convey criticism towards policies the royal family instills without getting his head chopped off for disloyalty or speaking ill of the royalty.

That's an important role, and not one that always gets a lot of attention as being important in today's world. How do you play this role in day to day life?

Another example of a Sacred Clown tradition is the Heyoka of the Sioux nations. They are contrarians who don't necessarily conform to the status quo. For example, when all the people are complaining that it is so cold outside, a Heyoka might dance around naked in the cold, complaining how hot it is. This is not only a show of humor to help cheer people up, but it is also a demonstration of humankind's ability to survive through adversity. Other aspects of the Heyoka correlate with some LHP traditions in that they represent a reversal of energy (facing west instead of east) and not being tied to the status quo.

I feel people that are willing to break away from accepted norms are important in a society(what doesn't change dies). When did it become apparent to you that you wanted to walk this path?

The part relevant to my belief is that belief is a lens through which you perceive reality. You won't see what is contrary to your belief, while things that confirm your belief will be highlighted. Therefore, you can enhance your perception by changing your lens (or belief, or by at least suspending disbelief.) In this regard, belief becomes a perceptive tool that can enhance your ability to perceive something.

Good point!

 

[crossfire]

What is different from a LHP and a RHP?

In a nutshell:

RHP = Thy will be done
LHP = My will be done

RHP follows societal rules without question,
LHP questions societal rules.

Joseph Campbell explains it well here:

What are some of the practices you do in order to draw out these hidden aspects?

Dream work, meditation, occasional ritual to envoke an archetype,

In regards to Buddhism, can you share a little on both Mahayana Buddhism and Zen Buddhism, and how they differ?

Mahayana is vast. Zen is just a small aspect of Mahayana. Mahayana is the Bodhisattva path, and can get quite elaborate. Zen is quite bare boned compared to some Mahayana sects.

That's pretty cool!

That's an important role, and not one that always gets a lot of attention as being important in today's world. How do you play this role in day to day life?

I love to argue!
I always try to find the humor in things, and am not afraid to try something different.

I feel people that are willing to break away from accepted norms are important in a society(what doesn't change dies). When did it become apparent to you that you wanted to walk this path?

7 years old, maybe? My family tradition is that children shall be raised to have their own minds, and I embraced it.

Good point!

 

[Secret Chief]

Zen is quite bare boned compared to some Mahayana sects.

Great for simpletons like me! Rip them sutras up!

 

[crossfire]

Hi Crossfire, I am curious but totally ignorant about LHP. Could you recommend a good book for a beginner please?
Your combining it with Buddhism has really whetted my appetite.

I really can't recommend any good books to you, unfortunately. You can find Joseph Campbell's lectures on Spotify, however.

 

[JustGeorge]

In a nutshell:

RHP = Thy will be done
LHP = My will be done

I think sometimes LHP gets a bad reputation from those who don't understand it. Can you give some examples of what 'my will/thy will might look like? (Generally speaking)

RHP follows societal rules without question,
LHP questions societal rules.

Joseph Campbell explains it well here:

Dream work, meditation, occasional ritual to envoke an archetype,

Do you have any favorite archtypes?

Mahayana is vast. Zen is just a small aspect of Mahayana. Mahayana is the Bodhisattva path, and can get quite elaborate. Zen is quite bare boned compared to some Mahayana sects.

What is it that drew you to each?

I love to argue!
I always try to find the humor in things, and am not afraid to try something different.

I can see why you're drawn to the forum, then...

7 years old, maybe? My family tradition is that children shall be raised to have their own minds, and I embraced it.

That's awesome you found acceptance so young!

 

[crossfire]

I think sometimes LHP gets a bad reputation from those who don't understand it. Can you give some examples of what 'my will/thy will might look like? (Generally speaking)

You are in control of your mind. (Hence, mindfulness.) You don't want to get raptured away by groupthink, and will stand up against peer pressure/groupthink when you think it is wrong.

Do you have any favorite archtypes?

The psychopomp--the messenger between the conscious and unconscious, and guide through the unconscious mind.

What is it that drew you to each?

My martial arts Sen-Sei stealthfully trained me in Zen (without any of the language except for the words mu and koan) during my martial arts lessons. I didn't realize it until years later. (Classic!) I started exploring Buddhism once I realized this, mostly to get the vocabulary to go along with what I was taught, but once I started to understand what Buddhism was about, I studied even more avidly. Studying Buddhism helped me to understand other religions better, and studying the Western Left Hand Path helped me to understand Buddhism better.

I can see why you're drawn to the forum, then...

That's awesome you found acceptance so young!

I do consider myself to be lucky in that regard.

 

[JustGeorge]

You are in control of your mind. (Hence, mindfulness.) You don't want to get raptured away by groupthink, and will stand up against peer pressure/groupthink when you think it is wrong.

I can definitely respect that.

(And now you've got me wondering if I may be LHP.)

The psychopomp--the messenger between the conscious and unconscious, and guide through the unconscious mind.

Any specific psychcopomps you work with, or do you work with the energy in a more general sense?

My martial arts Sen-Sei stealthfully trained me in Zen (without any of the language except for the words mu and koan) during my martial arts lessons. I didn't realize it until years later. (Classic!) I started exploring Buddhism once I realized this, mostly to get the vocabulary to go along with what I was taught, but once I started to understand what Buddhism was about, I studied even more avidly. Studying Buddhism helped me to understand other religions better, and studying the Western Left Hand Path helped me to understand Buddhism better.

That's so cool! When did you study martial arts? Is it something you still practice?

 

[crossfire]

I can definitely respect that.

(And now you've got me wondering if I may be LHP.)

Any specific psychcopomps you work with, or do you work with the energy in a more general sense?

Mercury/Hermes or Nephthys, usually. Sometimes Hecate if I am trying to hunt something specific down.

That's so cool! When did you study martial arts? Is it something you still practice?

Back during my 20's and 30's. I haven't been doing much with it lately. The muscle memory is still there if I need it.

 

[River Sea]

Buddha was LHP not conforming to the status quo (maara.) I mean, really LHP, with all of his extreme ascetic practices before his enlightenment. Heck, he even had to break the LHP "rules" of not eating during meditation before he could become enlightened.

You think for yourself instead of letting groupthink overcome your mind, and you are the guardian of your mind.

@crossfire
I like that what you wrote about LHP was that you explained to think for yourself instead of letting groupthink overcome your mind.

 

[JustGeorge]

I love how much thought you've put into your religion, and how it reflects you.

On an average day on an average week, how much time do you put into practice?

How do you feel your life differs from someone with no religion(or one they only hold culturally)?

If you had any religious advice for those reading your thread, what would it be?

 

[crossfire]

I love how much thought you've put into your religion, and how it reflects you.

Thank you

On an average day on an average week, how much time do you put into practice?

Maybe 10-15 minutes meditation on an ordinary day, along with mindful activity. If there is anything within my body or mind that needs to be attended to, I will do a relevant practice for that. I don't envoke archetypes very often, but when I do, it might take about 10 days preparation for a deep dive, or less for a quick dive.

How do you feel your life differs from someone with no religion(or one they only hold culturally)?

I'm an introverted nerd and can be rather geeky when it comes to mindfulness in tasks.

If you had any religious advice for those reading your thread, what would it be?

Enlightenment is a series of *doh* moments.
Being surprised by what you may find within your mind is good.
A flexible mind is also a good thing to have--use it!

 

[JustGeorge]

Thank you

Maybe 10-15 minutes meditation on an ordinary day, along with mindful activity. If there is anything within my body or mind that needs to be attended to, I will do a relevant practice for that. I don't envoke archetypes very often, but when I do, it might take about 10 days preparation for a deep dive, or less for a quick dive.

10 days of prep! Wow! What does that look like?

I'm an introverted nerd and can be rather geeky when it comes to mindfulness in tasks.

Geeky!

How does one get geeky with mindfulness?

 

[crossfire]

10 days of prep! Wow! What does that look like?

Doing things to activate that archetype within my mind to plug into that particular archetype.

Geeky!

How does one get geeky with mindfulness?

Becoming totally mentally absorbed in even the simplest task.