Thanks for this, Nathalie. I hadn't heard that legend of the Rabbis - very thought provoking. It rings of Neverland, of the Pilgrim's Progress, of Chesterton's response to "what's wrong with the world today?" It reminds me of Lewis' quote: “The process of living seems to consist of coming to realize truths so ancient and simple that, if stated, they sound like barren platitudes. They cannot sound otherwise to those who have not had the relevant experience; that is why there is no teaching of such truths possible and every generation starts from scratch.”
As to the question of "Which gods do we need to sacrifice to tell a different story?" - I would like to propose the following list of "gods," or perhaps idols, which have this in common: the more we pursue them, the more they elude us:
Fulfillment, Satisfaction, Control, Abundance, Fairness, Acceptance, Superiority, Justice, and Comfort.
The question, then, is what should we pursue instead?
Thank you Andrew for your thoughtful response. I really appreciate the quote because it's true. When I would hear/read great wisdom teachings expressed in the simplest terms, I would often dismiss it or think, yeah I know that/do that. But it wasn't until I'd encountered really challenging times that these simple teachings hit home. They lack the process one must undergo for these teachings to be experienced as truth.
And, what a list of gods/idols! I wasn't expecting to see these listed and expected obvious ones like greed, envy, the rest of the sins. Chasing these things will let us down because they rely on someone else's value system or judgement.
Perhaps we need to pursue respectfulness, coexistence, getting lost, mutual trust to name a few.
I very much enjoyed this, though I should probably point out that I am only *ethnically* Jewish, and I'm much more knowledgeable about alchemy, Hermeticism, and the evolution of occult traditions. I even started work on an "occult phylogeny tree of life" tracing the origins and influences over the millennia, but that's tame in comparison to other things I've studied.
The most controversial thing I ever wrote was "Adam Kadmon, Tabula Rasa" (https://alexvaryag.substack.com/p/adam-kadmon-tabula-rasa) about the occult origins of social engineering. What I described comes from the Hermetic form of Kabbalah, which is notably different from any Jewish version, as one of the commenters, a student of Lurianic Kabbalah, helpfully explained. In alchemy, transmutation is performed by deconstruction - moving something from concrete to abstract - and reconstruction, moving it back to concrete. It is a cyclical process, hence the "transmutation circle" and many other circular symbols. The "end of history" is the end of the cycle, hence some eschatologists saying that history "hasn't even begun yet," because the cycle *can't* start until man is "enlightened," which means different things to different people.
I have two other articles on different subjects already planned, but if you're interested, I can write one after that on alchemy and how it relates to souls and eschatology.
This is great Sasha! I would love to read your next articles, especially about alchemy and its relationships to souls.
I have studied both Hermetic and Lurianic Kabbalah, not deeply but enough to compare to what I have directly experienced.
I think the era of AI is the next version of social engineering based in the occult and/or dark magic. I don't see mostly good things emerging from this next wave.
That legend and its interpretations have my mind spinning. I sense that I have been exposed to something important, but also a bit unmoored and confused. I think I sense the need to read this post several times and order your book. Thanks.
I see myself (I am 75) in several of these different Rabbi’s. I am not Jewish, but I have spent much of my life studying a scripture which was written by Jews (old and new testaments). I have lately succumbed to rather mystical thinking. No one dies, we have a short mortal life, that is mostly filled with trials tribulations and discoveries. We are fundamentally spiritual beings that must go through a mortal existence before we merge with all once mortal beings (including plants and animals) into a single spiritual being. We become what is referred to as “I Am”. I haven’t the faintest idea what our spiritual life is like but those who practice meditate have said that they have gotten a glimpse of a future spiritual state and they say it is something desirable, something to look forward to.
I think that those who died in this parable are stages I sense we all may experience if we live long enough. I am hoping the portrayal of Rabbi who lived is inaccurate and that he represents the Spiritual essence to which all living things are destined. If not back I guess one must go return to losing one’s frame of spiritual reference (Rabbi 1).
Thanks for sharing your thinking Kenneth. I see things similarly to you - a physical existence ceases but existence in spiritual form (for lack of a better word to describe unbounded existence) continues. I also think the enlightened Rabbi is not a final state in life but could represent an ideal final state of physically embodied existence. I guess neither of us will know until our time and then we won't be able to report back, nor care to.
Having just lived through the largest hoax to mankind, I think I went through all of those phrases of Rabbi. I've come out the other side with a stronger belief in The Divine, an hitherto unknown knowledge that things had to happen like this in order to bring the pharmaceutical sludge, corruption and evil to the surface along with how many in our Governments have no interest, thought or desire to protect those they govern. That goodness and love WILL prevail - if we want it to. For those that have lost their lives, for those who been dreadfully injured by these injections because they certainly aren't vaccines, no matter how many times the CDC changes descriptions of these solutions, I pray for you all. I thank you all for your soul's decision to suffer like this, in order to make others 'see'. 🙏
It's a great outcome to get through the hoax and feel more connected to the Divine. So much underlying evil continues to surface and will continue to surface, thankfully.
Wow NM...a terrific piece that I will ponder for some time. Raised Catholic so sadly I did not get the benefit of exposure to valuable parables from the Jewish tradition. I think of Pema Chondron's quote [paraphrase] "training to die continually...to stay in the space of uncertainty without trying to reconstruct a reference point."
Everyday we die to our old self. So does society. It is getting used to that uncertainity that is at first terrifying and then the source of all freedom.
Powerful and thought provoking. Thanks for sharing this Nathalie! I'll have to ponder this for a while, but here are some of the questions that popped into my mind:
Who were the other three systems? Ideas? Forms? that went into the orchard? Haven't we tried them all? What made the West different from earlier forms of democracy? Has there ever been a time in history where the collective wasn't led?
Thanks for these provocative questions! I think many people idealise and idolise Indigenous traditions and tribal/community leadership. There's still a leader of a tribe, clan or community. I think about co-ops, kibbutzes and similar non-hierarchical communities organisations. I don't know how they can apply to states because I don't know if most humans can manage without a leader to guide.
The Rabbis that lost his mind lines up well with postmodernism and the dark night of the soul.
I believe that this is where we're headed next.
A fully postmodern world where AI, AR/VR & Metaverse fully converged.
A high tech world in which it becomes hard to distinguish the real from the artificial. Anyone can be anything they like. Everything becomes possible and nothing means anything. A world thrust into a full on identity crisis.
In order to get to heaven it's this hell that we have to individually and collectively pass through.
As I'm reading your description of the Rabbi who lost his mind and where we're heading, I can that dystopian future you describe and still have hope that the human spirit will shine through the darkness because this is our collective journey.
Hi Nathalie, this piece of yours, like others have said, has been spinning my cogs and I keep coming back to it. Similar questions and ideas have been surfacing for me as a result of my career in leadership development and the realisation quite a long time ago that when any group/organisation depends more on its leaders than individual and collective wisdom we are probably bound to end up being led by those who are motivated more by power and control than the wellbeing of the group. However, this status quo is also aided and abetted by the lack of thoughtful and constructive action on the part of the group. A phrase that popped up in my journalling this morning was "People are led more by factions than facts." This seems to be relevant to this conversation.
You asked "Which gods do we need to sacrifice to tell a different story?" and I am thinking that those not in leadership roles need to sacrifice the idea of leaders/leadership and instead work to understand the nature and responsibilities of individual sovereignty. While I can envision a culture of individuals empowered with love in their hearts for all of life, getting there is a journey that can only be taken consciously and voluntarily by each individual. What is likely to motivate many to do that? It is clear that contributors such as yourself and many of the readers are on that path and for all of you I am deeply grateful.
To what extent are we "preaching to the choir" and what does it take to create stronger ripples out into the wilderness?
I don't really have an answer, but recently I joined my local residents and ratepayers association. I am comforted by the intelligence and empathy in this group of largely older people who are more aware than I had at first thought they might be. They are also struggling with the lack of common sense and wisdom in local decision making, but together we are encouraged to keep going. This is at least a small move in the right direction.
Thanks so much for reading it Kay. I have to admit that I was thrilled reading your thoughts on leadership and its flaws in organisations/groups. We default into saviourism because that's our imprinted program design flaw but as you said, there is a different way that honours our responsibility and sovereignty.
Connecting with others to solve problems and improve circumstances through shared decision making and mutual respect can be meaningful endeavours. Imagine a world where this was the way?
May 11·edited May 11Liked by Nathalie Martinek PhD
I was deeply moved by this essay, Nathalie, and also by the comments from fellow readers. It brought something personal into sharper focus.
For 10 years I worked on a PhD (on leadership development practices in universities). However, I abandoned the PhD a few years ago, mainly because the data I had collected could not be used to support the story that I came to believe was more significant. That is, leadership development perpetuates a focus on leaders and maintains the hierarchical master-servant style structure prevalent in most organisations. This was a personal insight based on much reflection and there was no concrete evidence for it in the data that I had collected almost a decade earlier. Like most personal revelations/insights, this was a gradual process working through some really painful experiences of my own in leadership roles, as well as observing others as leaders. My career was in leadership development training. In the early days, I was enthusiastic about the prospect of developing people so that they could be better leaders. During the PhD process I came to believe that the focus on leaders and leader/ship development was in itself part of, if not the main problem. While still working I tried to convince those I reported to that instead of leadership development for the chosen few (elite), we should instead provide everyone with professional/personal development, and find ways to design the organisational structure to be more fluid. I didn't succeed. I guess that was predictable given the preference for many of those individuals be the elite, rather than become a collaborative collective of empowered individuals. And it kinda got me fired (lol).
The infatuation people seem to have with becoming leaders has a lot to do with how they embrace and manage power once appointed to those positions. Many openly assert that since not everyone can be a leader, leadership development should only be made available for those most likely to become leaders. But this just perpetuates elitism and facilitates the seduction of power. That said, my experience also showed me that many in the rank and file positions were as responsible for maintaining the power differentials and at the same time seeing themselves as victims. Perfect system for paralysis. For a long time I have thought that the only way out is through personal development but it isn't that popular in the workplace. And as your Four Rabbis illustrate it is not an easy journey. It takes a great deal of time, courage, and humility. So far it has taken me 68 years to reach this point. I can recognise parts of myself in the four Rabbi phases, and it feels like in the last 4 years the insights have expanded. Great quote from C.S.Lewis provided by Andrew too :-)
I love that this was your research Kay and the hidden curriculum revealed itself as the ethical dilemma of trying to apply it in contexts dependent on hierarchical master-servant dynamics. This is similar to the quandary many awakened Chief Wellbeing Officers face - set up for failure because the system doesn't actually want to change. At 68 years, you have wisdom of no needing to assimilate and not being capable of assimilating to any order that requires submission.
I'm also moved by the comments and I finally have time/space to respond to them properly.
Thank you again for the rundown of your PhD experience and the wisdom of your learning.
A shadow government creates a shadow populace. A society lacking empathy is the oil that keeps the endless war empire's machinery marching, and fills the pockets of those that are in love of money...the root.
A greedy society that also lacks empathy is certainly destructive. This is why the term Cluster B society fits. Those who are high on the narcissism spectrum feel at home right now.
Thanks for this, Nathalie. I hadn't heard that legend of the Rabbis - very thought provoking. It rings of Neverland, of the Pilgrim's Progress, of Chesterton's response to "what's wrong with the world today?" It reminds me of Lewis' quote: “The process of living seems to consist of coming to realize truths so ancient and simple that, if stated, they sound like barren platitudes. They cannot sound otherwise to those who have not had the relevant experience; that is why there is no teaching of such truths possible and every generation starts from scratch.”
As to the question of "Which gods do we need to sacrifice to tell a different story?" - I would like to propose the following list of "gods," or perhaps idols, which have this in common: the more we pursue them, the more they elude us:
Fulfillment, Satisfaction, Control, Abundance, Fairness, Acceptance, Superiority, Justice, and Comfort.
The question, then, is what should we pursue instead?
cheers,
-Andrew
Thank you Andrew for your thoughtful response. I really appreciate the quote because it's true. When I would hear/read great wisdom teachings expressed in the simplest terms, I would often dismiss it or think, yeah I know that/do that. But it wasn't until I'd encountered really challenging times that these simple teachings hit home. They lack the process one must undergo for these teachings to be experienced as truth.
And, what a list of gods/idols! I wasn't expecting to see these listed and expected obvious ones like greed, envy, the rest of the sins. Chasing these things will let us down because they rely on someone else's value system or judgement.
Perhaps we need to pursue respectfulness, coexistence, getting lost, mutual trust to name a few.
I very much enjoyed this, though I should probably point out that I am only *ethnically* Jewish, and I'm much more knowledgeable about alchemy, Hermeticism, and the evolution of occult traditions. I even started work on an "occult phylogeny tree of life" tracing the origins and influences over the millennia, but that's tame in comparison to other things I've studied.
The most controversial thing I ever wrote was "Adam Kadmon, Tabula Rasa" (https://alexvaryag.substack.com/p/adam-kadmon-tabula-rasa) about the occult origins of social engineering. What I described comes from the Hermetic form of Kabbalah, which is notably different from any Jewish version, as one of the commenters, a student of Lurianic Kabbalah, helpfully explained. In alchemy, transmutation is performed by deconstruction - moving something from concrete to abstract - and reconstruction, moving it back to concrete. It is a cyclical process, hence the "transmutation circle" and many other circular symbols. The "end of history" is the end of the cycle, hence some eschatologists saying that history "hasn't even begun yet," because the cycle *can't* start until man is "enlightened," which means different things to different people.
I have two other articles on different subjects already planned, but if you're interested, I can write one after that on alchemy and how it relates to souls and eschatology.
This is great Sasha! I would love to read your next articles, especially about alchemy and its relationships to souls.
I have studied both Hermetic and Lurianic Kabbalah, not deeply but enough to compare to what I have directly experienced.
I think the era of AI is the next version of social engineering based in the occult and/or dark magic. I don't see mostly good things emerging from this next wave.
That legend and its interpretations have my mind spinning. I sense that I have been exposed to something important, but also a bit unmoored and confused. I think I sense the need to read this post several times and order your book. Thanks.
That's music to my eyes Kenneth! Please let me know if any new insights drop in with additional reads.
I see myself (I am 75) in several of these different Rabbi’s. I am not Jewish, but I have spent much of my life studying a scripture which was written by Jews (old and new testaments). I have lately succumbed to rather mystical thinking. No one dies, we have a short mortal life, that is mostly filled with trials tribulations and discoveries. We are fundamentally spiritual beings that must go through a mortal existence before we merge with all once mortal beings (including plants and animals) into a single spiritual being. We become what is referred to as “I Am”. I haven’t the faintest idea what our spiritual life is like but those who practice meditate have said that they have gotten a glimpse of a future spiritual state and they say it is something desirable, something to look forward to.
I think that those who died in this parable are stages I sense we all may experience if we live long enough. I am hoping the portrayal of Rabbi who lived is inaccurate and that he represents the Spiritual essence to which all living things are destined. If not back I guess one must go return to losing one’s frame of spiritual reference (Rabbi 1).
Thanks for sharing your thinking Kenneth. I see things similarly to you - a physical existence ceases but existence in spiritual form (for lack of a better word to describe unbounded existence) continues. I also think the enlightened Rabbi is not a final state in life but could represent an ideal final state of physically embodied existence. I guess neither of us will know until our time and then we won't be able to report back, nor care to.
You got me thinking...thank you!
Having just lived through the largest hoax to mankind, I think I went through all of those phrases of Rabbi. I've come out the other side with a stronger belief in The Divine, an hitherto unknown knowledge that things had to happen like this in order to bring the pharmaceutical sludge, corruption and evil to the surface along with how many in our Governments have no interest, thought or desire to protect those they govern. That goodness and love WILL prevail - if we want it to. For those that have lost their lives, for those who been dreadfully injured by these injections because they certainly aren't vaccines, no matter how many times the CDC changes descriptions of these solutions, I pray for you all. I thank you all for your soul's decision to suffer like this, in order to make others 'see'. 🙏
It's a great outcome to get through the hoax and feel more connected to the Divine. So much underlying evil continues to surface and will continue to surface, thankfully.
Wow NM...a terrific piece that I will ponder for some time. Raised Catholic so sadly I did not get the benefit of exposure to valuable parables from the Jewish tradition. I think of Pema Chondron's quote [paraphrase] "training to die continually...to stay in the space of uncertainty without trying to reconstruct a reference point."
Everyday we die to our old self. So does society. It is getting used to that uncertainity that is at first terrifying and then the source of all freedom.
Beautifully said Sue! Surrendering control and the stories that construct certainty is also a way to hack our own narcissism.
Powerful and thought provoking. Thanks for sharing this Nathalie! I'll have to ponder this for a while, but here are some of the questions that popped into my mind:
Who were the other three systems? Ideas? Forms? that went into the orchard? Haven't we tried them all? What made the West different from earlier forms of democracy? Has there ever been a time in history where the collective wasn't led?
Thanks again for your perspective!
Thanks for these provocative questions! I think many people idealise and idolise Indigenous traditions and tribal/community leadership. There's still a leader of a tribe, clan or community. I think about co-ops, kibbutzes and similar non-hierarchical communities organisations. I don't know how they can apply to states because I don't know if most humans can manage without a leader to guide.
Indeed! Thanks for taking the time to respond! Enjoy India!!
The Rabbis that lost his mind lines up well with postmodernism and the dark night of the soul.
I believe that this is where we're headed next.
A fully postmodern world where AI, AR/VR & Metaverse fully converged.
A high tech world in which it becomes hard to distinguish the real from the artificial. Anyone can be anything they like. Everything becomes possible and nothing means anything. A world thrust into a full on identity crisis.
In order to get to heaven it's this hell that we have to individually and collectively pass through.
As I'm reading your description of the Rabbi who lost his mind and where we're heading, I can that dystopian future you describe and still have hope that the human spirit will shine through the darkness because this is our collective journey.
Hi Nathalie, this piece of yours, like others have said, has been spinning my cogs and I keep coming back to it. Similar questions and ideas have been surfacing for me as a result of my career in leadership development and the realisation quite a long time ago that when any group/organisation depends more on its leaders than individual and collective wisdom we are probably bound to end up being led by those who are motivated more by power and control than the wellbeing of the group. However, this status quo is also aided and abetted by the lack of thoughtful and constructive action on the part of the group. A phrase that popped up in my journalling this morning was "People are led more by factions than facts." This seems to be relevant to this conversation.
You asked "Which gods do we need to sacrifice to tell a different story?" and I am thinking that those not in leadership roles need to sacrifice the idea of leaders/leadership and instead work to understand the nature and responsibilities of individual sovereignty. While I can envision a culture of individuals empowered with love in their hearts for all of life, getting there is a journey that can only be taken consciously and voluntarily by each individual. What is likely to motivate many to do that? It is clear that contributors such as yourself and many of the readers are on that path and for all of you I am deeply grateful.
To what extent are we "preaching to the choir" and what does it take to create stronger ripples out into the wilderness?
I don't really have an answer, but recently I joined my local residents and ratepayers association. I am comforted by the intelligence and empathy in this group of largely older people who are more aware than I had at first thought they might be. They are also struggling with the lack of common sense and wisdom in local decision making, but together we are encouraged to keep going. This is at least a small move in the right direction.
Thanks so much for reading it Kay. I have to admit that I was thrilled reading your thoughts on leadership and its flaws in organisations/groups. We default into saviourism because that's our imprinted program design flaw but as you said, there is a different way that honours our responsibility and sovereignty.
Connecting with others to solve problems and improve circumstances through shared decision making and mutual respect can be meaningful endeavours. Imagine a world where this was the way?
I was deeply moved by this essay, Nathalie, and also by the comments from fellow readers. It brought something personal into sharper focus.
For 10 years I worked on a PhD (on leadership development practices in universities). However, I abandoned the PhD a few years ago, mainly because the data I had collected could not be used to support the story that I came to believe was more significant. That is, leadership development perpetuates a focus on leaders and maintains the hierarchical master-servant style structure prevalent in most organisations. This was a personal insight based on much reflection and there was no concrete evidence for it in the data that I had collected almost a decade earlier. Like most personal revelations/insights, this was a gradual process working through some really painful experiences of my own in leadership roles, as well as observing others as leaders. My career was in leadership development training. In the early days, I was enthusiastic about the prospect of developing people so that they could be better leaders. During the PhD process I came to believe that the focus on leaders and leader/ship development was in itself part of, if not the main problem. While still working I tried to convince those I reported to that instead of leadership development for the chosen few (elite), we should instead provide everyone with professional/personal development, and find ways to design the organisational structure to be more fluid. I didn't succeed. I guess that was predictable given the preference for many of those individuals be the elite, rather than become a collaborative collective of empowered individuals. And it kinda got me fired (lol).
The infatuation people seem to have with becoming leaders has a lot to do with how they embrace and manage power once appointed to those positions. Many openly assert that since not everyone can be a leader, leadership development should only be made available for those most likely to become leaders. But this just perpetuates elitism and facilitates the seduction of power. That said, my experience also showed me that many in the rank and file positions were as responsible for maintaining the power differentials and at the same time seeing themselves as victims. Perfect system for paralysis. For a long time I have thought that the only way out is through personal development but it isn't that popular in the workplace. And as your Four Rabbis illustrate it is not an easy journey. It takes a great deal of time, courage, and humility. So far it has taken me 68 years to reach this point. I can recognise parts of myself in the four Rabbi phases, and it feels like in the last 4 years the insights have expanded. Great quote from C.S.Lewis provided by Andrew too :-)
I love that this was your research Kay and the hidden curriculum revealed itself as the ethical dilemma of trying to apply it in contexts dependent on hierarchical master-servant dynamics. This is similar to the quandary many awakened Chief Wellbeing Officers face - set up for failure because the system doesn't actually want to change. At 68 years, you have wisdom of no needing to assimilate and not being capable of assimilating to any order that requires submission.
I'm also moved by the comments and I finally have time/space to respond to them properly.
Thank you again for the rundown of your PhD experience and the wisdom of your learning.
Your E book is listed as out of stock. Can you advise of its availabilty?
Amazon should have print per order if you’re in the US or Canada.
Im in Australia. Any way to purchase the ebook?
I live there too! You can get the ebook through me: www.hackingnarcissism.com/book
There’s a list of locations -ebook is at the bottom.
Thank you!
I used that link and it is listed as out if stock and i cannot purchase.
Sorry it’s being difficult! Send me your email address in a private message and I’ll send you the ebook
A shadow government creates a shadow populace. A society lacking empathy is the oil that keeps the endless war empire's machinery marching, and fills the pockets of those that are in love of money...the root.
A greedy society that also lacks empathy is certainly destructive. This is why the term Cluster B society fits. Those who are high on the narcissism spectrum feel at home right now.