What is the relationship of esotericism and the Orthodox faith, and Christianity in general,, and whether it is at all? Can a man, who considers himself a true believer, eg, interested in esoteric? Not necessarily actively practice any spiritual practices, look for recipes how to make a spell and practice them, or be in a secret society? Или иметь отношение в целом – к активной или пассивной, let's call it like this, esotericism?
На первый взгляд вопрос может звучать странно – ведь, seems to be, религия в принципе отвергает какие-либо тайные знания и уж тем более практики – практически все, apart from faith. Respectively, единственным таинством может быть тайна церковная – то есть, let us say, mystery of confession or communion.
But everything, as it turns out, not so simple. And there are many such examples.. And not at the level of philosophical fabrications on the topic of, что “всё на этом свете связано”, but on the example of specific facts. Esoterics, as a complex of different interpretations of reality, that is, that, what happens to us in life, so deep into this very reality, that few aspects of human existence are not in contact with it. Религия – не исключение.
Let's start off with, What is the Christian religion itself?, since its earliest existence, pretended to some mystery of what is happening between man and God. Actually, like any other religion, Christianity is a set of doctrines, judgments and systems of understanding the surrounding world, spiritual state and analysis or planning of our actions and the actions of others. Why not an esoteric scheme?
Since ancient times, and it's not a secret, schools, ремёсла и даже новые поселения возникали и развивались при монастырях – в той или иной степени это происходит и сейчас. Sciences, secret knowledge, искусства – всё развивалось при патронаже церкви. Little of, the church and its adherents actively participated in and promoted these aspects of human life, which have already become history.
Порох – изобретение, changed the course of history, appeared thanks to the monks. In a secret, actually, in modern terms, laboratories. AND, by the way, for a long time, his recipe was kept secret. Мощнейшие общества алхимиков и алхимики-одиночки работали под кураторством церкви – хотя этот факт и не афишировался особенно – и многим из них пришлось поплатиться за свои смелые эксперименты и открытия. acids, metal processing technologies, ювелирное ремесло – всем этим мы обязаны именно им.
All of the above is esotericism in its purest form., if we analyze. А художники Эпохи Возрождения – апеллирующие к высоким чувствам? After all, the best artists and sculptors worked under the strict supervision of the church. She was the main customer.. AND, need to say, not only generously paid for the work of brilliant figures of its time, but also clearly followed the ideological content of the paintings. Virgin, Cupid, satyrs and other characters in the paintings of that time look quite frivolous, is not it? What is it, how not to try to manipulate people through their feelings.
And that's not to mention, how many secrets are shrouded in the rituals and ceremonies of the church itself. Election of the Pope, communion, confession, secret libraries of the Vatican, секреты крещения Руси – всех аспектов, having an unknown and secret meaning simply cannot be counted.
In Christianity there is a concept, как исихазм – система аскетизма, in fact, some practice of self-denial, including prayer, self-contemplation and preparation of one's mind, сердца и сущности к “созерцанию Бога внутри себя и вокруг”.
What is it? По сути – медитативная практика, including a whole range of exercises and rituals, if you want to. Фактически – тайное знание, как один из ярких примеров можно рассматривать Афонское монашество – в истории Афонского монастыря таких примеров множество.
In short, modern Christianity and Orthodoxy in particular, can be viewed from an esoteric point of view. After all, faith, and church, и религия – это сложнейший комплекс систем, including:
- psychology,
- science,
- a whole complex of rituals and systems, the meaning of which is already lost, or unknown to most believers.
Whatever religious beliefs a person adheres to, and no matter how he relates to the esoteric aspects of our life, и то и другое – путь к самопознанию и совершенствованию. not contradictory to each other, as human history and modern life show.