This phenomenon is spreading quickly, not just among traditional Catholics but among other Christians as well, especially those with an evangelical flair and an imminent-apocalypse/political lean. Huge talk of prophesy and sifting hidden knowledge for hints of what is to come. I read the postings on Telegram and elsewhere and am amazed at the esoteric nature of what is posted as compatible with Christianity as usually understood. I was told by one very sincere believer a couple weeks ago that ‘Gematria runs the world whether you believe it or not.’ Of course, Gematria is a Kabbalistic numerical system supposedly able to uncover occult meanings and connections between apparently different ideas, circumstances, etc.
You may already know of this fellow Stacker of yours, Chris Jackson, who is on the same train concerning the occult and traditional Catholics. The following and more on his feed, which goes by the name Hireath in Exile:
I literally gasped at some of the content per who among significant Catholic clergy and/or theologians, and others, have taken on esoterica as compatible with orthodox belief.
Stack is not cooperating with my edits, my apology. The second has the proper names of the gentlemen referred to for their own fine writings, as they deserve!
This phenomenon can also be observed in our country, although only a handful of people have even gotten to the old mass. In my Eastern European way, I have always thought that these esoteric trads are simply agents. (Of course, I may be wrong, but we have lived among agents at all levels for too long. Out of 10 million people, 1 million were agents, including the peace priests who reported who went to mass. The Davos church seems to me to be the same agent structure as the state party was under communism. True, today AI does the surveillance and soon the liquidation, but the work of the agent is irreplaceable in cultural Marxism: If, where you could find the truth, there are paperboys shouting lies, then the possibility of finding the truth can be successfully taken away.)
The Truth is immutable. But having experienced Old Fashioned Communism in an overt way, you know the breadth of the Conspiracy and how many people are willing to sell their souls for a Mess of Pottage. In the United States, which never experienced overt communism- although the cops are acting more and more like Stazis with each passing day, and the dialectic is in clear play- it is much harder for people to escape from the White Hats/Black Hats paradigm, in the sense that the infiltrators bash each other, and are leading the Sheeple into respective camps, none of which is the true one. The intent is to cause confusion and despair, to the extent where people convince themselves that Ultimate Truth is unknowable, and so excuse their laxity and worldliness.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us. You are our only hope!
In communism, there were two ways someone could be agent: on "patriotic grounds", i.e. voluntarily, or forced by blackmail, because they could be blackmailed.
I think that most agents are recruited into traditionalism.
The sudden silence with Prevost greatly intensified the long-standing smell of agents.
The 6 million Christian martyrs, on whose blood the Christian Roma was built, were neither agents nor blackmailable, nor esoterics
For a few minutes I was wondering if I had blundered into an unknown Monty Python sketch, with Roger Buck telling Morello that Valentin Tomberg (died 1973) has been acting as a "daemon" and guiding Morello. Plainly there are ever expanding layers of wackiness in this area of spirituality. McFadden should soon have enough material for a much expanded edition of his monograph. Indeed it might have grown to the length of a major book.
note by the way that this viewpoint/ attitude is informed by Protestant and Enlightenment desacralisation. if you read the fathers and look at mediæval life, you wouldn’t think like this.
also, notable pre-conciliar manualists like Prümmer do not condemn white magic, only that which is motivated by evil
I personally would not use the magic terminology so much, as it is defective in several ways (two-tiered worldview, the quasi-mechanistic taking advantage of creation among others) it is clear that the author of this essay and the hand-wringers are the more detached and fundamentally out of touch with the world as viewed by Christian teaching - note, it is not an empty box with people in it and immaterial decoration strewn around - there is stuff about us and the acknowledgement of spirits, archons, demons, etc. or the basic recognition that some actions and places are holier than others (note: liturgy and shrines) is Christian and good, regardless of how uncomfortable some are made by the language
here, prudence should be employed. but I dare you to read even Augustine and St Thomas in full and not come out to condemn them for the same - because their views were closer to those you criticise
Magic, taken in the general sense, is the art of working marvels through hidden causes.
A distinction is made between white or natural magic (fn: taschenpielerkünste [pocket tricks], prestidigitation [sleight of hand]), which is the art of working marvels by natural means; and black magic (Schwarzkunst, magie noire) or superstitious magic, which is the art of working marvels by the power of the devil.
[...]
White magic is licit in itself. Indeed, it is practised through natural powers, human cleverness and skill. However, per accidens, even white magic can become illicit, because it excessively excites those who see and hear, and they are readily led to believe that preternatural powers intervene to produce marvellous effects.
--
So what is white magic? It's stage magic, magicians, illusions, etc. That's what's described (natural powers, human cleverness and skill) and can, per accidens become illicit if those who see it "are readily led to believe that preternatural powers intervene."
So, whatever white magic is, it is something that does not involve preternatural powers.
You're right to point this all out. This is why I specifically brought up Prümmer.
The main question is what you mean by 'magic.' You haven't clarified it at all, which is the reason you can equivocate between the aesthetic (marvellous things, the magical beauty of a sunset or a mountain), 'white magic' á la Prümmer and straight up demon worship. I'm pro 1 & 2 and obviously reject the last in all its forms, not the least as per my baptism.
While I deplore the quality of some popular traddie books - recently had a very disappointing experience with Rod Dreher's newest, and nearly all the 'best sellers' of the last 10 years are below average - it's pretty hard to read them as diabolical. Sensationalist language and some missing clarifications, that's it. And that's what pieces like this are exploiting to stir up moral outrage.
Thanks for the Deep Dive into Trad Inc. Fortunately, I have always been wary of those who want to pimp the Apostasy for fun and profit, such as Malachi Martin. True Catholics flee every aspect of the modern world and from the housetops attempt to warn people of the psuedoscience and false, concocted history. The Satanists are most clever. Back in the early days of the Internet, they allowed many types of whistleblowers and erudite students of the crisis to flesh together the overarching truth and then trained a vast number of agents in areas where they could lead adherents to limited hangouts. We see this so clearly in people like Taylor Marshal, Cardinal Burke, and Archbishop Vigano (who also doubled as a Damage Control Agent concerning the McCarrick affair, when that threatened to spin out of control.)
'Tis sad that one can take just about anything and, so long as they dress it up in Bells and Smells, Trads will come running, thinking they have arrived at the 13th Century.
And, of course, the utter spiritual desolation of the Modern Landscape helps this along.
People seem to forget that the only time Our Lord Jesus Christ actually got physically violent was when He tossed the Money Changers out of the Temple. If there is one thing that seems to get His proverbial Goat it is people pimping the Truth of God for profit and their own narcissism. (Which is one reason I will never charge a plugged nickel on Substack or anywhere else.) I am sure a special place in Hell exists for those who want to pimp the Apocalypse for their bottom line and their sadistic glee.
I just posted the following information on Chris Jackson’s stack, per his most recent essay on this topic. I hope it will be of help to you as well.
—————————————-
Thank you, once again, for your work. Rudolf Steiner is mentioned several times in your essays. Are you aware of the Rudolf Steiner Archives? They are extremely helpful in understanding his thought and how it has impinged upon Christianity overall, and especially Catholicism. Here is a link from the “Lectures” tab of the Archives that includes three talks, given in 1920, on Roman Catholicism. Well worth the read per the current topic! As are many other of the Lectures.
Consequences are owed because bad judgment created the debt in the first place. For decades, this insignificant soul has warned, criticized and rebuked the blithely pious but culpably errant tradites for their affection, fondness and support of the equally esoteric lord of the rings garbage. That’s one bad author who co-existed in the same age as Crowley & Carroll. Stupidity is the foundation for what causes evil and its devices to become normalized. Upon which each succeeding decades errors weight of evil are added upon. Some one, many some one’s are making a buck off all that now because that’s what monetizing what someone thinks about something somehow becomes more attractive, eloquent and prescient by hiding it behind a pay-wall. The damage is done. And the debt is still owed. Because stupidity still reigns supreme.
Thank you, thank you! Such important work.
This phenomenon is spreading quickly, not just among traditional Catholics but among other Christians as well, especially those with an evangelical flair and an imminent-apocalypse/political lean. Huge talk of prophesy and sifting hidden knowledge for hints of what is to come. I read the postings on Telegram and elsewhere and am amazed at the esoteric nature of what is posted as compatible with Christianity as usually understood. I was told by one very sincere believer a couple weeks ago that ‘Gematria runs the world whether you believe it or not.’ Of course, Gematria is a Kabbalistic numerical system supposedly able to uncover occult meanings and connections between apparently different ideas, circumstances, etc.
You may already know of this fellow Stacker of yours, Chris Jackson, who is on the same train concerning the occult and traditional Catholics. The following and more on his feed, which goes by the name Hireath in Exile:
https://open.substack.com/pub/bigmodernism/p/why-are-tarot-and-kabbalah-books?r=c6q4u&utm_medium=ios
And here is an amazing series by Alastair McFadden as recommended by Chris in his work.
https://justacatholic.medium.com/observations-on-the-influence-of-the-occult-in-traditional-catholic-discourse-2d798e5ba51c
I literally gasped at some of the content per who among significant Catholic clergy and/or theologians, and others, have taken on esoterica as compatible with orthodox belief.
Stack is not cooperating with my edits, my apology. The second has the proper names of the gentlemen referred to for their own fine writings, as they deserve!
Thank you, very thorough summary!
This phenomenon can also be observed in our country, although only a handful of people have even gotten to the old mass. In my Eastern European way, I have always thought that these esoteric trads are simply agents. (Of course, I may be wrong, but we have lived among agents at all levels for too long. Out of 10 million people, 1 million were agents, including the peace priests who reported who went to mass. The Davos church seems to me to be the same agent structure as the state party was under communism. True, today AI does the surveillance and soon the liquidation, but the work of the agent is irreplaceable in cultural Marxism: If, where you could find the truth, there are paperboys shouting lies, then the possibility of finding the truth can be successfully taken away.)
The Truth is immutable. But having experienced Old Fashioned Communism in an overt way, you know the breadth of the Conspiracy and how many people are willing to sell their souls for a Mess of Pottage. In the United States, which never experienced overt communism- although the cops are acting more and more like Stazis with each passing day, and the dialectic is in clear play- it is much harder for people to escape from the White Hats/Black Hats paradigm, in the sense that the infiltrators bash each other, and are leading the Sheeple into respective camps, none of which is the true one. The intent is to cause confusion and despair, to the extent where people convince themselves that Ultimate Truth is unknowable, and so excuse their laxity and worldliness.
Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us. You are our only hope!
Exactly!
In communism, there were two ways someone could be agent: on "patriotic grounds", i.e. voluntarily, or forced by blackmail, because they could be blackmailed.
I think that most agents are recruited into traditionalism.
The sudden silence with Prevost greatly intensified the long-standing smell of agents.
The 6 million Christian martyrs, on whose blood the Christian Roma was built, were neither agents nor blackmailable, nor esoterics
Bald, satanic attack on Church continues apace. St. Michael, defend us in battle!
For a few minutes I was wondering if I had blundered into an unknown Monty Python sketch, with Roger Buck telling Morello that Valentin Tomberg (died 1973) has been acting as a "daemon" and guiding Morello. Plainly there are ever expanding layers of wackiness in this area of spirituality. McFadden should soon have enough material for a much expanded edition of his monograph. Indeed it might have grown to the length of a major book.
note by the way that this viewpoint/ attitude is informed by Protestant and Enlightenment desacralisation. if you read the fathers and look at mediæval life, you wouldn’t think like this.
also, notable pre-conciliar manualists like Prümmer do not condemn white magic, only that which is motivated by evil
I personally would not use the magic terminology so much, as it is defective in several ways (two-tiered worldview, the quasi-mechanistic taking advantage of creation among others) it is clear that the author of this essay and the hand-wringers are the more detached and fundamentally out of touch with the world as viewed by Christian teaching - note, it is not an empty box with people in it and immaterial decoration strewn around - there is stuff about us and the acknowledgement of spirits, archons, demons, etc. or the basic recognition that some actions and places are holier than others (note: liturgy and shrines) is Christian and good, regardless of how uncomfortable some are made by the language
here, prudence should be employed. but I dare you to read even Augustine and St Thomas in full and not come out to condemn them for the same - because their views were closer to those you criticise
wishing all a blesséd Pentecost
Here's what Prümmer says in the Latin:
---
Notions.
Magic, taken in the general sense, is the art of working marvels through hidden causes.
A distinction is made between white or natural magic (fn: taschenpielerkünste [pocket tricks], prestidigitation [sleight of hand]), which is the art of working marvels by natural means; and black magic (Schwarzkunst, magie noire) or superstitious magic, which is the art of working marvels by the power of the devil.
[...]
White magic is licit in itself. Indeed, it is practised through natural powers, human cleverness and skill. However, per accidens, even white magic can become illicit, because it excessively excites those who see and hear, and they are readily led to believe that preternatural powers intervene to produce marvellous effects.
--
So what is white magic? It's stage magic, magicians, illusions, etc. That's what's described (natural powers, human cleverness and skill) and can, per accidens become illicit if those who see it "are readily led to believe that preternatural powers intervene."
So, whatever white magic is, it is something that does not involve preternatural powers.
You're right to point this all out. This is why I specifically brought up Prümmer.
The main question is what you mean by 'magic.' You haven't clarified it at all, which is the reason you can equivocate between the aesthetic (marvellous things, the magical beauty of a sunset or a mountain), 'white magic' á la Prümmer and straight up demon worship. I'm pro 1 & 2 and obviously reject the last in all its forms, not the least as per my baptism.
While I deplore the quality of some popular traddie books - recently had a very disappointing experience with Rod Dreher's newest, and nearly all the 'best sellers' of the last 10 years are below average - it's pretty hard to read them as diabolical. Sensationalist language and some missing clarifications, that's it. And that's what pieces like this are exploiting to stir up moral outrage.
You're possibly misunderstanding Prümmer's words as my glosses.
Apparently, people have too much time on their hands if they are reading material that might endanger their souls.
The point that has been missed however is that it also amounts to Modernist Heresy
Thanks for the Deep Dive into Trad Inc. Fortunately, I have always been wary of those who want to pimp the Apostasy for fun and profit, such as Malachi Martin. True Catholics flee every aspect of the modern world and from the housetops attempt to warn people of the psuedoscience and false, concocted history. The Satanists are most clever. Back in the early days of the Internet, they allowed many types of whistleblowers and erudite students of the crisis to flesh together the overarching truth and then trained a vast number of agents in areas where they could lead adherents to limited hangouts. We see this so clearly in people like Taylor Marshal, Cardinal Burke, and Archbishop Vigano (who also doubled as a Damage Control Agent concerning the McCarrick affair, when that threatened to spin out of control.)
'Tis sad that one can take just about anything and, so long as they dress it up in Bells and Smells, Trads will come running, thinking they have arrived at the 13th Century.
And, of course, the utter spiritual desolation of the Modern Landscape helps this along.
People seem to forget that the only time Our Lord Jesus Christ actually got physically violent was when He tossed the Money Changers out of the Temple. If there is one thing that seems to get His proverbial Goat it is people pimping the Truth of God for profit and their own narcissism. (Which is one reason I will never charge a plugged nickel on Substack or anywhere else.) I am sure a special place in Hell exists for those who want to pimp the Apocalypse for their bottom line and their sadistic glee.
In the Holy Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
So good! Thank you for this vital exploration.
I just posted the following information on Chris Jackson’s stack, per his most recent essay on this topic. I hope it will be of help to you as well.
—————————————-
Thank you, once again, for your work. Rudolf Steiner is mentioned several times in your essays. Are you aware of the Rudolf Steiner Archives? They are extremely helpful in understanding his thought and how it has impinged upon Christianity overall, and especially Catholicism. Here is a link from the “Lectures” tab of the Archives that includes three talks, given in 1920, on Roman Catholicism. Well worth the read per the current topic! As are many other of the Lectures.
https://rsarchive.org/Lectures/GA198/English/UNK1969/RomCat_index.html
Consequences are owed because bad judgment created the debt in the first place. For decades, this insignificant soul has warned, criticized and rebuked the blithely pious but culpably errant tradites for their affection, fondness and support of the equally esoteric lord of the rings garbage. That’s one bad author who co-existed in the same age as Crowley & Carroll. Stupidity is the foundation for what causes evil and its devices to become normalized. Upon which each succeeding decades errors weight of evil are added upon. Some one, many some one’s are making a buck off all that now because that’s what monetizing what someone thinks about something somehow becomes more attractive, eloquent and prescient by hiding it behind a pay-wall. The damage is done. And the debt is still owed. Because stupidity still reigns supreme.