Mysticism

The Joy of Cultivation

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In my various Taoist-infused spiritual meditation. There’s something I noted in both my own experience and in the writings of different teachers, sage, immortals, and weirdos – that there’s a real joy in self-cultivation.

Meditation. Ethical contemplation. Dietary improvement. Self-analysis. Reading and informing oneself. There’s a real pleasure in all of it that I saw in everything from Taoist mystics to Confucian intellectuals to mystics and magicians. I get this, and it’s a joy I think more people could appreciate.

My meditative work, both breath and energy work, help me explore myself, develop myself, understand myself. It’s like refining a metal, gradual work as something beautiful emerges. I sit down and tune my breath and rest mind, or circulate energy, there, in touch with myself – even when a distraction frustrates me at least I’m there, alive.

My meditative work is also about skill development. Tuning that breath and attention. Being aware of the flows of energies. Every day is a chance to improve that skill, every day I’m a little bit better (well, statistically) at what I do.

My meditative studies are fulfilling. To read documents thousands of years old, to analyze symbols and translations, informs me and connects me to others that laid the foundation for me now. Wrestling with symbolism may at times be frustrating (notoriously so in Taoist alchemy) but it is also connecting and energizing. I’m there, understanding, relating, and going “what the heck” just as people have for thousands of years.

I also work on my ethics, my place in society because you can’t escape that – being human. I may be a mystic of sorts, but it’s not in a monastery – indeed I’m of the mind that self-cultivation is best directly in human society if you can handle it. It may be more challenging, but it’s also fulfilling as I am in direct contact with people and can learn more quickly.

My ethical studies and interests also, again, connect me to others. I can discuss with other people so included to self-cultivation, but I also connect with past writers as I read their books. There is something about reading advice from a thousand years ago that is relevant to today that is illuminating and connecting. There’s also something about trying to be a better person and really figure out what to do in this world.

(And at times frustrating, as you’re realizing how many a human problem hasn’t changed. But it’s a frustration that connects me to another frustrated person of centuries ago!)

My mystical work, prayer, theurgy, also connects me to the bigger picture. To think of gods, of the great forces of the world (however abstract or embodied you prefer) is to think of the way the world works. It is to think about the powers that are and what your role in all of it is. It is to ask “where am I in all of this?”

Of course there is the Tao, and it’s hard to discuss the contemplation of that, of the Big Picture. But you get the idea.

And of course there’s questions of diet and ethical diet, of proper use or non-use of certain substances, and so on. That joy of cultivation, of becoming better, connects you to so many things. Even when those things are questioning if you should down a glass of rum (my preferred alcohol) or not.

There is a joy in this cultivation.

This is something I also think is important to modern times – if I may be so bold, needed. Making being actually better part of your life. Not what’s expected, necessarily. Not what’s trendy. But of getting real.

Maybe, as I write this, that’s a joy I should share more. But I suppose writing this is a good start.

–Xenofact

We Need The Shrines

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I’d seen a Tumblr post about a desire to have community shrines again, a place to leave offerings to local spirits and luminaries, a sort of ritual in physical form. That post made me feel many things and I wanted to explore them.

We have them, we just don’t call them that

As any regular reader knows I adore Little Free Libraries and in fact engage in ritual behavior with them. Every week I place books of particular importance to me in whatever Little Free Library I choose – a used copy of the Tao Te Ching a copy of On Tyranny (which i get in bulk). Sometimes I place other books, and of course sometimes it’s time to clear the shelves – but I always make it part of a ritual.

The Little Free Libraries are a shrine to knowledge and writing, all you have to do is treat them as such. Your favorite gods, immortals, and spirits of such things can be respectfully and appropriately honored – as well as any local spirits you wish to.

But there’s aren’t’ the only “also shrines” out there.

There’s Little Free Galleries that display art, take a piece, leave a piece. There are donation boxes put out to share resources in a community. I’ve seen people leave “bottles” of well wishes for people to pick out, or invite folks to chalk inspirational messages on the sidewalk, hang signs to give neighbors a books, and so on. All of these are shrines if you let them be. In fact, they may be shrines anyway if you really think about it, and the creators may not have realized it consciously – but unconsciously, who knows?

Real shrines might be a challenge

As much as I’d like full-bore public shrines I think they might be a challenge. Making things multi-spiritual/syncretic is a challenge in America of 2025, and it doesn’t take many people to ruin it anyway. It seems there’s aways some Influencer-Brain busybody out there to raise a stink, and I can hope in the near future we shame them away.

This makes me sad. The honest need for shared public ritual, spaces, and values is important. I think we need something like that. I think our culture, such as it is, needs something like that. Shared ritual space, perhaps just silent leaving of offerings and wishes, would do so much good for us.

However . . .

But let’s do it anyway – our way

What this really makes me think is we should start making public shrines and ensuring things are public shrines but in ways that work it into the community – and thwart busybodies.

Start with the Little Free Libaries, Little Free Studios, Donation boxes, and so on. Make donations, get your fellow spiritually-inclined folks to join in. Set regular times, do a walk around a city to hit specific spots relevant to local spirits, history, and so on. If you had a lousy day make an extra special donation, or make a donation in the name of those passed or those blessed. Use what we have.

Extend what you do. Nothing wrong with sending the person supporting a Little Free Library an anonymous card of gratitude and maybe a few bucks to pay for expenses and a non-specific “bless you.”. Put a bookmark that just happens to have your fave deity in the book you donate. When you donate food, put sticky note with a blessing to the person taking it on it, wishing them well. That sign someone hung on a tree saying “Have A Nice Day” probably needs another sign with another affirmation next to it to further encourage people.

Maybe make anonymous shrines out of some places you find. Oh nothing official, but perhaps you and your friends may agree to “enshrine” a specific area or thing, a bench or a post or something significant. Leave offerings and notes over time. Don’t call it out, or make it “official” just do it and see what happens.

Let’s get our shrines back, subtly at first, but then let’s see how far we can go . . .

–Xenofact

Room For The Mystic

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I have a book on my reading pile that I really need to get to, Alchemists, Mediums, and Magicians: Stories of Taoist Mystics by Thomas Cleary. It a catalog of assorted Taoist eccentrics, mystics, artists, and so on. It’s strange that I haven’t rushed to read what is basically “character study of characters” but there you go.

I have poked around in it, delighting at some of the stories. It also made me think about other Taoist figures, from the legendary immortals to 18th century doctor and mystic Liu Yiming (who apparently predicted his own death). Taoism has a legion of artists, mystics, sorcerers and other impressive weirdos throughout its history.

I suppose it’s no surprise I feel at home among this cast.

This got me to think about how many of these tales are about people who wrote great treatises, explored mystical states, founded orders, created poetry, and are noteworthy centuries and aeons later. They did this without the internet, without social media, without megachurches – many of them seemed to oddly not care about fame but achieved it anyway.

Even more obscure figures may still appear in historical documents – or in the book like the one I mentioned.

As I write this in 2025 I think about how we’re pushed to monetize everything – and avoid things that don’t make us money. We’ve got example after example of spiritual grifters to tempt us to start monetizing videos. Why can’t we just be religious weirdos?

We also don’t really encourage people to really live their religion. Our own religious pursuits are “fine and good” but you know, don’t take it too far. If you’re gonna be weird at least be religiously obsessive in the right way.

Oh, and to be sure don’t be religious in a way that makes the world better. We’re fine with homophobia and war-mongering, but don’t you dare tell us to care about each other! And be sure you never denounce the system or anything!

We don’t really have place to just be some spiritual weirdo in American culture, and we need those.

We need the eccentrics who contemplate the strange and discuss it, and that’s fine. We need people who produce zines (ahem) to spread their thoughts obsessively. We need to have room culturally for someone dispensing wisdom fro their front porch. We need people who live their spiritual practices.

We need people whose mystical meanderings may lead us to something. Let society have it’s spiritual Skunkworks.

Besides, if we had more people really thinking about the Big Ideas, we’d have less cults and megachurches. If we accepted the idea of a spiritual quest as fine, acceptable, and laudable who knows what we might have. Especially if we don’t encourage people to make a buck first.

I suppose I’m doing my part. It makes me wonder what happens if more and more of we weirdos live sincerely and team up. It also makes me wonder if maybe I’ve got some inhibitions I’m best without . . .