Rabbi Daniel Lapin and the Secret to Jewish Success

Lapin, Rabbi Daniel (2010) Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money, Second Edition, Hoboken, John Wiley and Sons Inc. Thou Shall Prosper is a fascinating exploration into wealth creation amongst Jews and the values within Jewish communities that encourage financial success.  It is organized into 10 separate chapters, titled commandments in imitation of the [...]

Sumble: The Origin of Toasting

Toasting is a peculiar custom in Western society.  Nearly everyone who has a drink makes toasts, but few realize that they are taking part in an ancient custom with roots in the old pre-Christian religions of Northern and Western Europe: the Sumble. The Sumble is an ancient communion rite that was historically practiced by Germanic [...]

Tribal Renaissance group

A discussion group for the Tribal Renaissance; This list is intended for pragmatic and scholarly discussion about the creation and maintenance of self sufficient, cooperative communities and the implementation of Indigenous principles in perpetuating, protecting and providing for these communities. Influences for this phenomenon are many from the sociological to the ecological; religious and political. [...]

The Law of Attraction

            The Law of Attraction is a metaphysical theory asserting that “like attracts like,” or those things that a person thinks about the most are those that will naturally be attracted to him.  Though recently popularized again by the 2006 book and film The Secret by Rhonda Byrne the term “Law of Attraction” was originally [...]

Rastafari, Zion and a Religious Irony

Fans of Reggae music understand how intimately tied it is to the Rastafarian movement from which it was born.  Rastafari is a religion, a philosophy, a way of life and a social movement.  Depending on whom you ask regarding the nature of Rasta, you’ll get a different combination of these basic premises.              Rastafari emerged [...]

Ishmael: Book Review

Quinn, Daniel (1992) Ishmael, An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit, New York: Bantam/Turner Books Daniel Quinn’s award winning novel Ishmael is a compelling exposition of the author’s social and political perspective through the eyes of a gorilla. The essential theme upon which the book is written is one that lays the blame of all [...]

The Tavern; Home of the Western Philosophical Tradition

     Two things that shouldn’t be discussed in a bar are politics and religion.  At least that’s how the old saying goes.  This idea seems to come from the belief that the watering hole is a place of mostly ignorant hopheads dancing to loud music and enjoying other forms of drunken debauchery, too insecure to [...]

Here We Come A-Wassailing; The Roots of a Christmas Tradition

It’s not Christmas without Christmas carols.  Many of our most traditional carols are filled with lyrics and lines that leave the modern caroler bewildered.  One of my favorite holiday tunes is “Here We Come A-Wassailing,” also commonly known as “Here We Come A-Caroling.”  Just what is wassailing?  Is it just an archaic word for Christmas [...]

Freemason Albert Pike and the Luciferian Quote

Conspiracy theories are popular on the internet.  A simple web search on almost any government agency or religious organization is bound to turn up at least a few web sites dedicated to “exposing” some secret government agenda that’s all a part of the “illuminati” master plan.   A popular favorite subject for these conspiracy enthusiasts [...]

God is a Verb

Naming G-d can be one of the most challenging ideas presented to the religious mind. The Spirit from which all things emanate, the creator of everything is truly the unfathomable force throughout the universe. It is beyond gender and similar terrestrial attributes, but everything that is male and female exists within It. This Supreme Being [...]