After Socrates: Episode 13 - Ritual Way of Knowing

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May 2, 2023

Discover the profound role of rituals as pathways to self-discovery and deeper consciousness. Engaging discussions on Neoplatonism and its impact on Christian thought reveal the transformative power of symbols and ceremony. Explore how rituals provide insights inaccessible through logic alone, challenging modern perceptions. With references to influential philosophers like Proclus and contemporary thinkers, the dialogue encourages a reevaluation of how we connect with reality. Dive into the unique ways rituals unlock hidden dimensions of human experience.

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INSIGHT

Theurgy as Vertical, Reality-Centered Practice

Proclus distinguishes theurgia from sorcery, viewing theurgia as vertical and reality-centered, not egocentric magic.
Theurgia uses symbols (synthemata) to help people ascend to higher self-consciousness and deeper reality disclosure.

INSIGHT

Ritual Cultivates Virtue and Orientation

Ritual knowing involves embodied cognition, skills, and states of mind that facilitate cultivating virtue.
Rituals act as serious play in liminal states, fostering transfer-appropriate processing and improved relevance realization.

INSIGHT

Ritual's Unique Noetic Function

Ritual performs a unique noetic function, granting a way of knowing unreachable by other means.
Rituals help participants discover who they are and how they fit in the world, shaping agent-arena relationships.

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Welcome back to After Socrates! Episode 14 releases next Friday, March 24th, 2023. Please join our Patreon to support our work! https://www.patreon.com/johnvervaeke

Uncover the profound insights of ritual as a form of metaphysical inquiry. Dr. Vervaeke discusses the role of rituals in our lives, how they help us access deeper levels of self-consciousness, and their unique ability to reveal hidden aspects of reality. Our good friend @JonathanPageau is also discussed in this episode, please visit his channel if you have not yet done so!

In this episode, you'll discover:

*The powerful concept of "facing reality" and how it impacts our understanding of the world

*The works of influential philosophers and theologians like Proclus, Iamblichus, John Scotus Eriugena, Nicholas of Cusa, and Ambrose of Milan, as well as insights from Jonathan Pageau, a French Canadian icon carver and public speaker

*The role of synthemata in theurgy and how it can lead to higher levels of self-consciousness and reality disclosure

*The unique way of knowing in rituals that cannot be accessed through other means

*Join Dr. John Vervaeke as he explores the non-reductive noetic function of ritual and its importance in understanding ourselves and the world. If you feel like your life is empty of ritual, this episode might change the way you see things and help you reconnect with this essential aspect of human experience.

You are invited to join John, Guy, and Christopher live, online, at the next Circling & Dialogos Workshop where we discuss & practice the tools involved in both Philosophical Fellowship & Dialectic into Dialogos.

You can find more information, and register, here:

https://circlinginstitute.com/circlin...

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After Socrates is a series about how to create the theory, the practice, and the ecology of practices such that we can live and grow and develop through a Socratic way of life. The core argument is; the combination of the theoretical framework and the pedagogical program of practices can properly conduct us into the Socratic way of life. We believe that the Socratic way of life is what is most needed today because it is the one that can most help us cultivate wisdom in a way that is simultaneously respectful to spiritual tradition and to current scientific work.