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Joanna's avatar

I appreciate the exploration and thought provoking ideas around spirituality. I came across Loosh a year ago... and was prompted to explore it more. I landed on Tom Campbells videos and work and found one of them where he discusses how loosh came about. It was quite insightful to hear his views. Listening to Tom Campbell discuss how Loosh was interpreted from Bob Monroes gave clarity to how others interpreted it. The category describing Loosh in this article is congruent with the origin story. However, I think Tom Campbells discussion on high entropy and low entropy metaphors are helpful here too. At 55:00 Tom Campbell address the orign of Loosh. He knew Bob Monroe and worked with him for years. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqAObaOTnGE .

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Adrienne's avatar

The author of Hebrews is unknown and the topic of quite a bit of scholarly debate.

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Ethical Skeptic ☀'s avatar

Agreed.

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Unperson's avatar

Very satisfying read, through and through.

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Jeff Cook-Coyle's avatar

Jesus addresses this again in the context of His return in glory to judge the living and the dead.

Essentially (my paraphrase), He separates the Looshers from the Lovers on the basis of “whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me.” He characterizes it as separating the sheep from the goats. Those who cared for the hungry, thirsty, stranger, etc., will “inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” The story is at the end of the 25th chapter of Matthew’s gospel.

The Catholic Church features this reading today in its celebration of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. It is the final Sunday before Advent.

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Surviving the Billionaire Wars's avatar

I take Matthew 5:39 as a statement of "do not engage." Bullies & thugs try to provoke. Keep your karma clean by walking away.

I have been privileged on several occasions to witness immediate karma kickback simply by not engaging.

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Gwyneth's avatar

And faith is neither the submission of the reason, nor is it the acceptance, simply and absolutely upon testimony, of what reason cannot reach. Faith is: the being able to cleave to a power of goodness appealing to our higher and real self, not to our lower and apparent self. [Matthew Arnold, "Literature & Dogma," 1873]

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Retired Librarian's avatar

I assiciate loosh with the work of Robert Munroe. For many decades!

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TRM's avatar

That was the term Robert Monroe used in "Far Journeys" (Chapter 12 I think). Loosh was the energy humans give off when lonely and other states of mind. It is collected by higher order beings. Interesting if somewhat esoteric type stuff.

Where did you come up with the term from?

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jotolo's avatar

That's not the way I remember the story. First, the Christian leaders in Damascus initially were very afraid of him. Second, Paul disappeared for several years to learn about Christianity from the early Christians.

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Ethical Skeptic ☀'s avatar

I didn't know that we had an actual timeline of this nature.

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jotolo's avatar

Fyi, per wikipedia: Early ministry. After his conversion, Paul went to Damascus, where Acts 9 states he was healed of his blindness and baptized by Ananias of Damascus.[86] Paul says that it was in Damascus that he barely escaped death.[87] Paul also says that he then went first to Arabia, and then came back to Damascus.[88][89] Paul's trip to Arabia is not mentioned anywhere else in the Bible, and some suppose he actually traveled to Mount Sinai for meditations in the desert.[90][91] He describes in Galatians how three years after his conversion he went to Jerusalem. There he met James and stayed with Simon Peter for 15 days.[92] Paul located Mount Sinai in Arabia in Galatians 4:24–25.[93]... Paul's narrative in Galatians states that 14 years after his conversion he went again to Jerusalem.[97] It is not known what happened during this time, but both Acts and Galatians provide some details.[98] Though a view is held that Paul spent 14 years studying the scriptures and growing in the faith. At the end of this time, Barnabas went to find Paul and brought him to Antioch.[99][100]

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Ethical Skeptic ☀'s avatar

So, three years.

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jotolo's avatar

More like 14 years before he became a missionary to the Gentiles.

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Ethical Skeptic ☀'s avatar

I doubt that just anyone got to meet with James and stay with Simon Peter for 15 days. Something was already afoot well before 3 years.

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jotolo's avatar

Maybe, but then he went away for 11 more years before he started his famous missionary work

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Ahmed’s Stack of Subs's avatar

Howard Stern sounds like a nazi. Irony. Again.

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David Shohl's avatar

Intriguing, thank you.

I wonder if loosh is related to louche (apparently from French, "squint")?

Nihilism and Pauline resentment sounds about right -- Paul's "Justification by 'faith,' not works" may appeal to many (including Luther of course), since it amounts to "Easier said than done."

Good faith seems to me closer to "fait" -- the deed, in the beginning, not the word..

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jotolo's avatar

Paul's conversion story makes sense to me.

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Ethical Skeptic ☀'s avatar

But they did not immediately appoint you as head of all Christianity the very next week. ;-)

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Faith&FitnessMama's avatar

It wasn’t the next week. It was years later. My Bible study group did a deep dive into Acts last year and I was surprised to realize there was a long period of time (like 14 years) between Paul’s conversion and the start of his missionary work.

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Ethical Skeptic ☀'s avatar

Read Jotolo's excellent summary above.

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Brook Hines's avatar

This was the most fascinating bit from your discussion with Greg Carlswood on the Higherside Chats. I’d not heard of loosh, but I’m familiar with David Lynch’s “garmonbozia” which he defines as “pain and suffering” that’s craved by those damned in the Black Lodge. This is what drives the story in all of his work, although he only names it in the Twin Peaks universe. I’d be shocked if Lynch weren’t reappropriating loosh and making it his own. Instead of a heavenly ‘ambrosia’ he depicts garmonbozia as creamed corn (his sense of humor; it looks gross).

Thanks for re-visiting this! It’s very apropos to COVID-19.

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