Hinduism

[close] Discussion forum for Hari Gopinath Das on Books Gaudiya Vaishnavism and Bhagavad Gita

[close] Inspire and be Inspired! Welcome to Inspiring Book Club where you can talk about your all-time favorite book that has inspired you the most, and helped change your life. What book has touched you deeper than any other? What words have moved you and transformed the way you look at life? Let's build a library of inspiring books that we hold dear to our hearts, and have a shelf filled with special offerings. Inspiring others is the pathway to our own discoveries —RCC

[close] Recommended reading for knowledge of Indo-European spirituality. From esoteric and perennialist writings to academic texts on archaeology and history, the over all goal is to increase knowledge and understanding of the ancient ways.

[close] Black Maven is discussion group dedicated to the discovery and exposition of occultist literature that would appeal to the late Aleister Crowley. Everyone is welcome, especially transhumanists, alchemists, astrologists, dowsers, egyptologists, freemasons, kabbalists, gnostics, magicians, metaphysicists, ninjas, numerologists and the like. So, you may first ask, what is a maven? A maven (also mavin) is a trusted expert, often self-proclaimed, in a particular field, who seeks to pass knowledge on to others. The word maven comes from the Hebrew, via Yiddish, and means one who understands, based on an accumulation of knowledge.1 Moreover, maven knowledge is typically gained outside a culture's traditional educational apparatus. For example, college or university degrees in Alchemy just aren't to be pursued anywhere in the Occident. A Black Maven is a particular kind of expert of "occult" knowledge. More often than not, a cultural taboo is associated with occult knowledge, and sometimes quite perniciously. Well, you don't have to look far for examples of that kind of cultural phenomenon--simply reference the Spanish Inquisition as a prime example. Ironically, if we take stock of the hugely popular Harry Potter phenomenon, we surely must reach the prima facie conclusion that occultism has captivated the minds of young and old alike (the old are at least paying for all the Harry Potter media and spinoff merchandise their children are clamoring to purchase). Perhaps the polemic that naturally evolves from that realisation is something that can be pursued through this group. In summary, the purpose of this group is to entertain. If it does something other than that, such as enlighten, so be it. 1 Dictionary.com