“A fire broke out backstage in a theatre. The clown came out to warn the public; they thought it was a joke and applauded. He repeated it; the acclaim was even greater. I think that's just how the world will come to an end: to general applause from wits who believe it's a joke.”Søren Kierkegaard,... Continue Reading →
Beneath The Shadow of the Hammer § 8 – Two Trees
Philosophy as Ascension “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!" (Isaiah 14:14, ESV) In eating the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, the axe was set to the roots of our Soul: we were grounded in knowledge of Love -... Continue Reading →
Beneath the Shadow of the Hammer § 7 – The Kaleidoscope Through Which We Dimly See
“There are truths which are recognized best by mediocre minds, because they are most suited to them…"Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, ch. 253 “Out of the mouths of babes” - indeed, there are Truths which age obscures. May we remember the willingness of the infant to accept the necessity of its subjugation. Are we... Continue Reading →
Beneath the Shadow of the Hammer § 6 – Where the Light Shines Through
No one can know what the ultimate things are. We must therefore take them as we experience them. And if such experience helps to make life healthier, more beautiful, more complete, and more satisfactory to yourself and to those you love, you may safely say: ‘This was the grace of God.’Carl Jung, Psychology and Religion The... Continue Reading →
Beneath The Shadow Of The Hammer § 5 – Without Excuse
“Look at all the incredible savagery going on in our so-called civilized world, all of which is derived from human beings and their mental condition! Look at the devilish means of destruction! They are invented by perfectly harmless gentlemen, reasonable, respectable citizens, being all we hope to be. And when the whole thing blows up... Continue Reading →
Beneath The Shadow of The Hammer § 4 – “Do We Not Feel The Breath Of Empty Space?”
"The Parable of the Madman", as it is sometimes called, is a brief fictional narrative that contains one of Nietzsche's most famous quotations: the assertion that "God is dead" and "we have killed Him." In the mouth of an avowed atheist like Nietzsche, this claim could very easily be taken to be something akin to... Continue Reading →
Beneath The Shadow of The Hammer §3 – The Good Thief
“Christian Misunderstandings. The thief on the cross: when the criminal himself, suffering a painful death, judges ‘the way this Jesus suffers and dies, without rebellion, without enmity, graciously yielding, this alone is right’, he affirms the Gospel, and with that, he is in paradise.” Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will To Power, ch. 162 Of course, Nietzsche is... Continue Reading →
Beneath The Shadow of The Hammer §2 – On Frodo and Decadence
“Some have made the unworthy attempt to portray Wagner and Schopenhauer as examples of mental derangement; an incomparably deeper insight would be gained by describing with scientific precision the type of decadence they both represent.” Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will to Power, ch. 85 This far into Nietzsche and I have yet to have a clear definition... Continue Reading →
Beneath The Shadow of the Hammer § 1 – Christ, the Leveller
“The mortal enmity of the herd towards all hierarchy: its instinct favours the leveller (Christ); towards all strong individuals (les souverains), it is hostile, unreasonable, intemperate, arrogant, impudent, inconsiderate, cowardly, hypocritical, false, merciless, insincere, envious, vindictive.” Friedrich Nietzsche, The Will To Power, ch. 285 Christ as the Leveller. That’s a helpful picture, I think, in the... Continue Reading →
“Ekklēsia contra QAnon” or The Cults of Orthopraxy
"On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’" (Matthew 7:22-23, ESV 2016). 1 On January 6, 2021, a large... Continue Reading →
Seeking the Welfare of the City 