Francis Berger's Blog, page 59
October 28, 2022
Praying For Divine Intervention in This World Is Not Spiritual Creativity or Co-Creation
Praying for God's help in this world is all fine and well, but it is crucial to understand that such appeals do not qualify as spiritual creativity. Also significant -- any answers to such prayers or appeals cannot be considered co-creation.
Praying for God's intervention in this world usually stems from some feeling or thought attached to the world's necessity. Feelings or thoughts that originate from or circle around the world's necessity do not emanate from a state of spiritual freedom, from the innermost and inexplicable depths of that state, but from somewhere far more shallow – from reaction to the external, the moderate, the everyday.
Why is this important? Well, because only he who is spiritually free -- at least intermittently -- is capable of spiritual creativity. Without spiritual freedom there can be no spiritual creativity.
God may respond to prayers for intervention, but it is important to remember that any subsequent divine response or intervention comes from "up high", as it were, rather than from "down low".
Why does this matter? Simple -- the revelation of spiritual creativity and the potential for co-creation are not revealed from above but from below. To paraphrase Berdyaev, creativity is an anthropological revelation, not a theological revelation.
God may very well "perceptively" respond to prayer, and He may "perceptively" answer a call for help by intervening in some worldly matter or other, but such responses and interventions are not co-creation.
Creativity and co-creation are man’s answer to God’s call, not God’s answer to man’s call. Put another way, spiritual creativity is man’s response to God’s prayer, but God’s prayer has nothing to do with the world’s necessity. Spiritual creativity and co-creation begin where the world’s necessity ends.
Prayers for divine intervention and co-creation are both divine-human matters, but they are very different divine-human matters.
Praying for God's intervention in this world usually stems from some feeling or thought attached to the world's necessity. Feelings or thoughts that originate from or circle around the world's necessity do not emanate from a state of spiritual freedom, from the innermost and inexplicable depths of that state, but from somewhere far more shallow – from reaction to the external, the moderate, the everyday.
Why is this important? Well, because only he who is spiritually free -- at least intermittently -- is capable of spiritual creativity. Without spiritual freedom there can be no spiritual creativity.
God may respond to prayers for intervention, but it is important to remember that any subsequent divine response or intervention comes from "up high", as it were, rather than from "down low".
Why does this matter? Simple -- the revelation of spiritual creativity and the potential for co-creation are not revealed from above but from below. To paraphrase Berdyaev, creativity is an anthropological revelation, not a theological revelation.
God may very well "perceptively" respond to prayer, and He may "perceptively" answer a call for help by intervening in some worldly matter or other, but such responses and interventions are not co-creation.
Creativity and co-creation are man’s answer to God’s call, not God’s answer to man’s call. Put another way, spiritual creativity is man’s response to God’s prayer, but God’s prayer has nothing to do with the world’s necessity. Spiritual creativity and co-creation begin where the world’s necessity ends.
Prayers for divine intervention and co-creation are both divine-human matters, but they are very different divine-human matters.
October 27, 2022
Stuff My Ten-Year-Old Son Gets a Kick Out Of
When my ten-year-old son isn't elaborating on his comprehensive, flatulence-based re-imagining of the Star Wars franchise -- long, long ago, in a galaxy fart, fart away . . . Fart Wars, featuring Fart Vader, Luke Skyfarter, Bubble Fart (Boba Fett), R-Toot-D-Toot, Three Seepy Farts, and the ominous power of the Death Fart, "may the fart be with you" -- he gets a real bang out of videos like the one below, featuring Wrinkle the Duck.
Yes . . . I live under the same roof as this kid.
Yes . . . I live under the same roof as this kid.
October 26, 2022
Visegrád - 1854 
Romantic Riverside Landscape with Figures - 1886 October 24, 2022
Where My Christianity Starts and Ends
My Christianity starts where society and politics end -- and ends were society and politics start.
Society and politics now exist and operate as little more than evil abstractions. Both inform me that I am their product, and that I owe my existence to them. Society and politics are firmly controlled by the System, which has harnessed both to fulfill a suicidal mission of corruption and damnation ending in destruction and chaos.
I aim my Christianity beyond these imposed boundaries and strive to operate at the level of concrete spiritual relationships between beings in Creation.
Society and politics now exist and operate as little more than evil abstractions. Both inform me that I am their product, and that I owe my existence to them. Society and politics are firmly controlled by the System, which has harnessed both to fulfill a suicidal mission of corruption and damnation ending in destruction and chaos.
I aim my Christianity beyond these imposed boundaries and strive to operate at the level of concrete spiritual relationships between beings in Creation.
October 23, 2022
If Even a Fraction of the What the Anti-Peck Blogs Are Reporting Is True . . .
Back at the beginning of the summer, I responded to the apparent "death of the birdemic" with the phrase "long live the birdemic".
Though I did not know what details would unfold, I had a strong sense that the powers-that-should-not-be would be quite reluctant to completely release their grip on the birdemic -- or, more precisely, to release the grip the birdemic has on the world.
Well, it is now mid-autumn. Thankfully, the masks, social distancing, and other birdemic restrictions have remained largely on the sidelines.
On the other hand, peck mandates continue to persist -- the most recent and by far most egregious example being the CDC's 15-0 vote in favor of including the birdemic peck in regimens for preschool children.
Though it is difficult to shock me these days, I must admit that even I was bewildered by that particular piece of System communication. Then again, System communication is about manipulation and coercion, not information, so there's no knowing what the communication actually means or what -- if anything -- it might actually lead to.
Speaking of information, I spend an hour or so a week browsing the various articles and posts created by what I would describe as the anti-peck blog subgenre.
Though I am and have always been squarely against the peck and all of its associated evil manipulations, lies, and coercion, I often don't know what to make of the information I encounter on these anti-peck blogs. Some of it seems sensationalistic; some of it seems skewed; and some it seems downright speculative.
All the same, much of it rings true, and some of it seems utterly undeniable, which inevitably leads to me to the following thought:
If even a fraction of what the anti-peck blogs are reporting is true, then the birdemic is very much alive. Moreover, it has entered or may soon enter an even darker phase.
Though I did not know what details would unfold, I had a strong sense that the powers-that-should-not-be would be quite reluctant to completely release their grip on the birdemic -- or, more precisely, to release the grip the birdemic has on the world.
Well, it is now mid-autumn. Thankfully, the masks, social distancing, and other birdemic restrictions have remained largely on the sidelines.
On the other hand, peck mandates continue to persist -- the most recent and by far most egregious example being the CDC's 15-0 vote in favor of including the birdemic peck in regimens for preschool children.
Though it is difficult to shock me these days, I must admit that even I was bewildered by that particular piece of System communication. Then again, System communication is about manipulation and coercion, not information, so there's no knowing what the communication actually means or what -- if anything -- it might actually lead to.
Speaking of information, I spend an hour or so a week browsing the various articles and posts created by what I would describe as the anti-peck blog subgenre.
Though I am and have always been squarely against the peck and all of its associated evil manipulations, lies, and coercion, I often don't know what to make of the information I encounter on these anti-peck blogs. Some of it seems sensationalistic; some of it seems skewed; and some it seems downright speculative.
All the same, much of it rings true, and some of it seems utterly undeniable, which inevitably leads to me to the following thought:
If even a fraction of what the anti-peck blogs are reporting is true, then the birdemic is very much alive. Moreover, it has entered or may soon enter an even darker phase.
Testing Directly-Known Convictions Against Indirectly-Known Yet "Correct" Criticism
Convictions that do not arise from direct-knowing -- direct, experiential contact with beings within Creation -- but are arrived at indirectly through the thinking of others and the secondhand critique of others' opinions are susceptible to ressentiment via the adoption of criteria systems for evaluating and testing the "correctness" of convictions.
When such criteria systems are internalized, the testing of convictions to determine if they stand the test of indirect criticism becomes a far more vital task than learning about or coming to know the directly-known conviction itself.
When such criteria systems are internalized, the testing of convictions to determine if they stand the test of indirect criticism becomes a far more vital task than learning about or coming to know the directly-known conviction itself.
October 22, 2022
An Italian Take on the Hungarian Csárdás, Played Here by a German
The csárdás is a traditional Hungarian folk dance that takes its name from csárda, which was the name given to roadside taverns in the 18th and 19th centuries. Csárdás (music now, not taverns) tend to contain many shifts and modulations -- they usually start off slow and somewhat melancholic but then explode into fast tempo of rhapsodic energy.
The csárdás ranks among the most representative of Hungarian music and attracted the attention of a variety of Hungarian and non-Hungarian composers, including Liszt, Brahms, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky.
One of the best known csárdás was composed by the Italian Vittorio Monti in 1904, played here by the German violinst, David Garret.
It must have been a wonderful experience to feast in one of those old roadside taverns somewhere in the Hungarian countryside and enjoy a night of revelry to such music. Noted added: For a more "authentic" (non-orchestral arrangement) rendition of Vittorio's Csárdás for piano and violin, see video below:
The csárdás ranks among the most representative of Hungarian music and attracted the attention of a variety of Hungarian and non-Hungarian composers, including Liszt, Brahms, Strauss, and Tchaikovsky.
One of the best known csárdás was composed by the Italian Vittorio Monti in 1904, played here by the German violinst, David Garret.
It must have been a wonderful experience to feast in one of those old roadside taverns somewhere in the Hungarian countryside and enjoy a night of revelry to such music. Noted added: For a more "authentic" (non-orchestral arrangement) rendition of Vittorio's Csárdás for piano and violin, see video below:
October 21, 2022
Try the Eternal Spiritual Being Experiment
Give this a try some time. Regard every person you interact with, meet, encounter, or see as an eternal spiritual being. Not simply an invisible soul locked away somewhere beneath a layer of flesh but as an actual eternal being incarnated in this world for the spiritual experience of mortal life.
The people you meet are unlikely to look, act, or sound like eternal spiritual beings. Moreover, nearly all would probably deny being one if you happened to ask them about it, but that is irrelevant. Just focus on yourself as an eternal spiritual being interacting with other eternal spiritual beings.
You don't have to do anything special during this "experiment" other than remain conscious of the fact that you are regarding yourself and the people around you as eternal spiritual beings.
Once you have "mastered" that, extend the awareness to everything else you encounter or see -- plants, trees, clouds, animals, landscapes . . . all of it. Treat everything as eternal beings or parts of eternal beings interacting dynamically within Creation.
Keep track of how long you can "keep this up" and then reflect upon the experience after your consciousness drifts or falters out of the experiment and settles back into "the real world".
The people you meet are unlikely to look, act, or sound like eternal spiritual beings. Moreover, nearly all would probably deny being one if you happened to ask them about it, but that is irrelevant. Just focus on yourself as an eternal spiritual being interacting with other eternal spiritual beings.
You don't have to do anything special during this "experiment" other than remain conscious of the fact that you are regarding yourself and the people around you as eternal spiritual beings.
Once you have "mastered" that, extend the awareness to everything else you encounter or see -- plants, trees, clouds, animals, landscapes . . . all of it. Treat everything as eternal beings or parts of eternal beings interacting dynamically within Creation.
Keep track of how long you can "keep this up" and then reflect upon the experience after your consciousness drifts or falters out of the experiment and settles back into "the real world".
October 16, 2022
Must the Four Horsemen Arrive Explosively?
Art featuring the Four Horsemen generally depicts them bursting onto the scene in the most extreme and devastating manner imaginable, overwhelming everyone and ravaging everything in their path. 
Albrecht Dürer - The Four Horsemen - c. 1498 
Four Horseman of the Apocalypse - Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov - 1887 
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Ernő Gebauer - 1960 Given the nature of the subject matter and the biblical source from which it originates, these depictions of explosive destruction are hardly surprising.
Nevertheless, the "end times" we are experiencing today generally lack this quality of explosive annihilation, most likely because destruction's ultimate detonation point has yet to be hit.
Sorath is clearly taking over from Ahriman, but Ahriman is still "managing" the destruction to some degree. The explosive destruction may overwhelm everything soon enough; until then, I tend to visualize the Four Horsemen resembling something akin to the depiction below:
The Four Horsemen of the Metropolis - Rose Freymouth Frazier - 2017
Albrecht Dürer - The Four Horsemen - c. 1498 Four Horseman of the Apocalypse - Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov - 1887 The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - Ernő Gebauer - 1960 Given the nature of the subject matter and the biblical source from which it originates, these depictions of explosive destruction are hardly surprising. Nevertheless, the "end times" we are experiencing today generally lack this quality of explosive annihilation, most likely because destruction's ultimate detonation point has yet to be hit.
Sorath is clearly taking over from Ahriman, but Ahriman is still "managing" the destruction to some degree. The explosive destruction may overwhelm everything soon enough; until then, I tend to visualize the Four Horsemen resembling something akin to the depiction below:
The Four Horsemen of the Metropolis - Rose Freymouth Frazier - 2017
October 14, 2022
Seems My Climate Colleague Will Get His Wish
Back in March 2020 -- when the birdemic was just beginning to break here in Hungary -- I wrote a post about a true-believing "climate change" colleague of mine who was frustrated by authorities shutting down the world for a virus but not for climate change, which in his view, is a far more urgent and pressing crisis.
To use his words, he thought the birdemic measures were "the right thing for the wrong reason".
Well, it's now more than two years later, and the birdemic hysteria has waned here in Hungary. Though murmurs about masks and pecks still linger here and there, barely anyone wears masks and no one, not even the government, talks much about pecks anymore.
Nevertheless, it seems lockdowns will be making a comeback, albeit in an altered form. Instead of ordering people to lock themselves into their homes to protect themselves from a "dangerous" virus, the government and other sectors of Hungarian business and society are planning to lock themselves up and lock people out due to prohibitive heating and electricity bills brought about by the "energy crisis".
For example, my place of employment recently reduced its operating hours and work week. Come December, it plans to shutter all but two of its campus buildings for the better part of two months.
Theaters, baths, hotels, restaurants, municipal offices, post offices, schools, and yes, even hospitals have all announced that they will either significantly reduce their operating capacity or close up shop entirely until spring.
A few wags on the radio are already beaming about how much all of this closing down and locking up will reduce Hungary's carbon footprint.
I'm sure my colleague is elated. Still, I wonder how his elation will fare when it is pitted against a crisis that makes nothing better but just keeps getting worse and worse and worse and worse . . . until . . .
To use his words, he thought the birdemic measures were "the right thing for the wrong reason".
Well, it's now more than two years later, and the birdemic hysteria has waned here in Hungary. Though murmurs about masks and pecks still linger here and there, barely anyone wears masks and no one, not even the government, talks much about pecks anymore.
Nevertheless, it seems lockdowns will be making a comeback, albeit in an altered form. Instead of ordering people to lock themselves into their homes to protect themselves from a "dangerous" virus, the government and other sectors of Hungarian business and society are planning to lock themselves up and lock people out due to prohibitive heating and electricity bills brought about by the "energy crisis".
For example, my place of employment recently reduced its operating hours and work week. Come December, it plans to shutter all but two of its campus buildings for the better part of two months.
Theaters, baths, hotels, restaurants, municipal offices, post offices, schools, and yes, even hospitals have all announced that they will either significantly reduce their operating capacity or close up shop entirely until spring.
A few wags on the radio are already beaming about how much all of this closing down and locking up will reduce Hungary's carbon footprint.
I'm sure my colleague is elated. Still, I wonder how his elation will fare when it is pitted against a crisis that makes nothing better but just keeps getting worse and worse and worse and worse . . . until . . .
