An esoteric note

This is to respond to sourcevisceral's question:

that was my way of asking why it's bad to open the crown chakra without a strong root chakra

I think of it this way: the esoteric working of the human body creates a circuit of exchange between the earth (the Self) and the Spirit (the All), and so to complete that circuit especially the points of contact -- the root and the crown -- are paricularly important. Points inbetween are important too, of course, but opening the crown chakra is a way of signalling to Spirit that you are open and ready to receive it.

Opening the crown without having the root open is like approaching the Bridegroom without any oil in your lamp (see Matthew 25:1-12 for the reference).

Oh, perhaps this is a good time for me to clarify how I distinguish between esoteric and mystic. In common usage some people use these words interchangably, and I have distinct, perhaps even specialized, meanings for these words.

In my usage:
"Mystic" refers to the pursuit of understanding and awareness rooted in naive examination of perception and experience. So it refers to exercises and undertakings that "get the mind out of the way" of raw experience. Mystic practices include mindfulness, compassion, worship, devotion, prayer, and contemplative meditation. But, any action, done mindfully, can serve as a mystical practice. (Somewhere in my papers I have a blurb from Thich Nhat Hanh describing how one can wash the dishes and derive mystical insight therefrom.)

"Esoteric" refers specifically to experiences and exercises focused on the subtle and energetic workings of the human body. Esoteric practices include thaumaturgy (invocation, skrying, and spirit vision), yoga, tantra, qigong, middle pillar meditation, and so forth.

Edit: In anticipation of an expected nitpick, please keep in mind that I view this as a loose distinction. There is quite a bit of crossover, especially in that esoteric practices can often serve as mystic ones. But I define the words in this way for ease of reference.

(no subject)

I'll try to put some time and thought into my next whimsical poll. This last one was poorly thought-out and executed. "Other" generally shouldn't be selected far more often than any other choice. My omission of the Brain was a particularly heinous oversight, as was the omission of Sideshow Bob and Wile E. Coyote.

I wouldn't have thought of Josef Stalin or the Joker as "comedic" villains, though perhaps I should have specified that I refered to villains who were specifically meant as funny.

( so who were the villains many of us didn't know? )