contents page of “the Way of the Fool”

http://ipwebdev.com/hermit/twotf.html

Table of Contents

Introduction.

Moral Grace

 – the theme (song) of the central mystery of the modern age –

first stanza: Shepherds and Kings – a Temporary parting of Ways –

second stanza: the Evolution of Consciousness – the meaning of the historical differences between the time of the Pharaohs (the time of the Old Testament) and our present Age (the Dawn of the Third Millennium)

third stanza: the Church and the Body of Christ – being a discussion of the future of Christianity as that future development appears out of the Evolution of Consciousness.

fourth stanza: Moral Grace – a first iteration – being an attempt to describe and name something very many people already instinctively know

Freedom

 – the theme (song) of the real challenge of modern life –

fifth stanza: Three New Ways – being an examination of the profound and surprising interrelationship between the What Would Jesus Do Movement; the Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous; and, Rudolf Steiner’s book: The Philosophy of Freedom (also known as, The     Philosophy of Spiritual Activity,)  [which stanza also contains, the Shepherd’s Tale, the King’s Tale and the Healers’ Tale]

sixth stanza: in the Absence of the Good – in the Age of Freedom, and in the confusion of the weaknesses of traditional moral authority, what happens when Moral Grace is not present – the Pharmaceutical Industry as an Example

seventh stanza: the Seventh Day of Creation – the problem of freedom seen in the light  of the nature of evil, and its relationship to the course of individual human lives (the biography) [which stanza also contains the Fool’s Tale (part I)]

eighth stanza: the Gesture of the History of Civilizations as expressed in both Matter and Spirit – from whence comes technology and  where is it going, or, the entanglement of the i-AM in matter, its consequences and its meaning

Love

 – the theme (song) of the deepest hidden potential of the human being –

ninth stanza: the Four Forms of Love – selfless love (Agape); nurturing love (Storge); brother and sisterly love (Phileo); and, erotic and sensual love (Eros).

tenth stanza: the Seventh Day of Creation as an Expression of Love – concerning the role of Divine Love, and human love, in the creation of new social forms, or what we usually call the Fall of one Civilization followed by the  Birth of a new one [also contains the Fool’s Tale (part II)]

eleventh stanza: entering the Narrow Gate – love as an act of inner husbandry, through the stewardship and discipline of the life of the mind

twelfth stanza: love and the gift of the word – a demonstration – being a deeper consideration of the relationship between our inner activity, and our outer acts in speech [also contains the Fool’s Tale (part III)]

Appendices

 (some matters requiring a bit of detail,

but which really didn’t belong in the main text)

1) Prayer and Meditation: certain nuances connected to providing the i-AM some rest and time of reflection.

2) Sacrifice of Thoughts: cleaning out the garden of the mind before growing new insights, and other unusual properties of our soul-spirit nexus.

3) Some further thoughts about finding a healthy relationship to the fourth form of love, UnFallen Eros.

4) A few words for those whose faith is in natural science, and/or might consider themselves to be secular humanists.

5) In praise of the virtues of ordinary mind.

6) Confessions.

7) In Joyous Celebration of the Soul Art and Music of Discipleship: some more recent thoughts on the relationship between Shepherds (exoteric Christianity, or Faith) and Kings (esoteric Christianity, or Gnosis).

Epilogue: Concerning the immediate future

End Story: Bicycles: a Children’s Christmas Story for Adults