The Oracle of Delphi
Nestled into a rock faced mountainous hillside beneath two white-stained limestone cliffs on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus, the ancient city of Delphi appears to have had its modest beginnings around 1400 BC as a small village. According to Greek myth and legend, Mount Parnassus was the “omphalos” of the earth, which translates effectively as the “center” of the earth. One of the relics uncovered at Delphi is the conical stone that supposedly marked the center of the world. According to tradition, Zeus had set two eagles to fly toward the center of the world, one from the east and one from the west. The conical stone was placed where the two eagles met. Omphalos is the Greek word for “navel.” It is believed that prior to the arrival of the Greeks “mother earth” was worshiped as a deity. Gaia, mother earth, appears to have been the the first cult worshiped in the region of Delphi. Archaeological excavations have unearthed terracotta statuettes of the female form dating from the Mycenaean Age (1900 to 1100 BC).
In Greek mythology, Mount Parnassus was the battleground between Apollo and the monster Python. According to the myth, the goddess Gaia had set the Python at Mount Parnassus to guard the omphalos. Gaia was more of a primordial force that personified Earth than a goddess. Gaia was the great mother of all: the heavenly gods, the Titans and the Giants were born from her union with Uranus (the sky), while the sea-gods were born from her union with Pontus (the sea). According to legend, Apollo, slew the serpent Python with his first arrow as an infant. Because of this act, Apollo was forced to flee and spent eight years at menial labor. (ll. 300-310) But nearby was a sweet flowing spring, and there with his strong bow the lord, the son of Zeus, killed the bloated, great she-dragon, a fierce monster wont to do great mischief to men upon earth, to men themselves and to their thin- shanked sheep; for she was a very bloody plague
Near Delphi, where the stream Pleistos joined the sea, a large settlement named Kirrha dates back to the Early Helladic period (2800 to 2100 BC). Inland, during the Middle Helladic period, an acropolis was built at the site of Crisa (2100 to 1550 BC). Gaia was the first cult worshiped in the area. Excavations have unearthed terracotta statuettes of the female form dating from the Mycenaean Age (1900 to 1100 BC. The land at Delphi was unsuitable for cultivation, so it would seem that Delphi, situated on the major east-west route through Greece, must have been from the start a site of a temple of worship.
Excavations have revealed evidence that the earliest worship in the Delphic area was to Gaia, the earth goddess, and to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, courage, inspiration, civilization, law and justice, just warfare, mathematics, strength, strategy, the arts, crafts, and skill. The transition from earth goddess, a manifestation of primordial forces, to Athena a goddess of rational aspirations and civilized crafts is a vast jump in ideology. Athena marks a radical departure from the worship of an earth deity. It seems most scholars believe that Apollo was imported from abroad. In ancient civilizations there are some remarkable similarities between religious myths that appear in different countries, frequently separated by great distances. In the Iliad Homer portrays Apollo as a god who fought on the Trojan side. Apollo wasn’t born fully developed in Greek culture but evolved over time. Apollo, frequently referred to as Phoebus Apollo, meaning radiant or light, evolved into the Greek god of prophecy, medicine, archery, music, and the care of flocks and herds. It wasn’t until the 3rd century BC that Apollo became Apollo Helios replacing the Titan god Helios, god of the sun.
Without question, there was a Cretan influence at Delphi. In the earliest historical records, the priests of Delphi were called Labryaden which means "double-axe men”. The double-axe symbolized the sacred Cretan labyrinth of Minoan origin. In the museum at Delphi, there are Cretan sculptures dating to 620-600 BC which have been unearthed at Delphi. Also, a Minoan lioness head rhyton (vessel to hold water for ritual purification) was excavated in the deeper layers beneath the sanctuary of Apollo which suggests a connection with the Minoan goddess of the earth. This is one of those rare instances where legend matches archaeological evidence
The Hymn of Apollo, a Homeric hymn dating from 580 BC, tells the tale of how Apollo came to establish Delphi as a center of worship to him. The hymn evidently was written some time after the Delphi had become well established. In the myth, Apollo leaped onto a Cretan ship in the form of dolphin. Then Apollo made it so the winds would take the Cretans up the coastland past many until the ship reached Crisa, a site predating Delphi. When the Cretan ship finally reached land near Delphi, it is said that “like a star at noonday, the lord, far-working Apollo, leaped from the ship: flashes of fire flew from him thick and their brightness reached to heaven. He entered into his shrine between priceless tripods, and there made a flame to flare up bright, showing forth the splendor of his shafts, so that their radiance filled all Crisa, and the wives and well-girded daughters of the Crisaeans raised a cry at that outburst of Phoebus; for he cast great fear upon them all.” So, after a journey to Olympus, the Cretans settled at Delphi and established a temple, although modest to Apollo. The evolution of religions does seem frequently parallel across many cultures, so it is important to note that one of Apollo’s admonitions to the future priests was to be righteous.
The Amphictyonic Leagues held sway over religious matters and organized the Olympic and Pythian Games. Delphi must have gained a great deal of prestige to be one of the two temples that the League protected and administered. Of course, being a major temple of the Delphic Amphictyony only enhanced its reputation. The end result was that Delphi became a cultural epicenter playing a pivotal role in the inter-state relations, becoming frequently an arbiter of disputes. Beginning in 776BC, the Pythian Games were held in honor of Apollo’s slaying of the Python. Every four years, athletes from all over the Greek world gathered to compete in athletic games, horse racing, and chariot racing. Musical competitions were also held. This meant, of course, that Delphi must have had by this time an established stadium to host the Pythian Games. The Delphic League evolved into a political force by which the more influential and powerful city-states ‘persuaded’ the lesser city-states into actions they might not have otherwise pursued.
The prophetic tradition of Delphi was actually an evolution of a tradition and a set of beliefs which eventually centered on worship of the Greek God Apollo, not the emergence of a fully developed oracular cult. There is an ancient beautiful vase preserved from Greek antiquity that depicts a supplicant in front of Themis, the prophetic goddess. Themis, the mythical forerunner of the Oracle of Delphi, who held laurel leaves in one hand while the other held a dish of water into which Themis gazed. Sibyl, another soothsaying forerunner of the Pythia, is according to legend to have frequented Delphi to prophecy. On tours of Delphi today, the guides still point to the rock upon which the sibyl is said to have sat.
The laurel leaves held by Themis show the influence of Apollo even in the earlier representations of prophetic tradition. In Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Apollo, who is frequently portrayed holding a bow, made the mistake of mocking the god, Cupid, for using a weapon that only a real man should use. In revenge, Cupid shoots Apollo with a golden dart causing him to fall in love with the nymph Daphne. Cupid simultaneously shits Daphne with a poisoned arrow making her find Apollo repulsive. Apollo chases after Daphne but Daphne runs away. As a final recourse, Daphne prays to her father, Peneus, the river god, who changes her into the laurel tree. Because of his love for Daphne, whose name in Greek relates to the Laurel tree, the laurel tree became sacred to Apollo.
In a cleft between the two limestone cliffs, called the Phraediades, a stream issues at the base, which is downhill from the temple of Apollo. It is the Castalian spring, a sacred spring, named after the nymph Castalia. Apollo fell in love with Castalia. Apollo gave chase to Castalia but she fled, and dove into the spring at Delphi to escape Apollo, which ever-after was called the Castalian spring. So, Themis had laurel leaves sacred to Apollo in one hand, and a dish of sacred water from the Castalian spring in the other hand. The vase shows a blending of the two traditions and myths as the beliefs evolved.
Apollo, according to tradition, had dominion over colonists, and was also, according to tradition, the defender of herds and flocks. In legend, Apollo, with his lyre, was the leader of the Muses (Apollo “Musegetes”) which made Apollo the patron god of music as well as poetry. In Greek myth, it was the god Hermes who created the lyre for him – which became a trademark symbol of Apollo. Hymns sung to Apollo were called paeans.
According to tradition, the Priestess of the temple of Apollo, who was called the Pythia, sat on a tripod above a fissure in the inner sanctum of the temple of Apollo and after going into a trance, gave answers to the questions asked of her. Some stories about the Pythia told of her raving incoherently, while moving about the adyton or inner sanctum knocking down the ceremonial tripods. Plato described the priestess as in the throes of a mania under divine compulsion. While there are some Roman sources that cite vapors from holes in the ground by which the Pythia became entranced, there is scant archaeological evidence of any fissure in the adyton, or inner chamber. At Mount Parnassus, as the legend goes, there were vapors that came from a hole in the ground. In the legend, the fissure or hole was discovered by a shepherd who saw his goats leaping about frenetically. When the shepherd investigated, the shepherd began prophesying.
According to legend, the reason that the Pythia sat above a fissure is because, according to myth, the body of the Python had fallen into a fissure when Apollo destroyed him. In the tale, intoxicating fumes came from the Python’s body. There is some modern speculation that is very controversial that the small hole revealed by excavations emitted ethylene which could explain the trances of the Pythia and is consistent with the sweet odor noted by the Roman historian Plutarch.
There were some rituals and preparation that the supplicants were forced to go through before appearing in person before the Pythia. The priests of the temple of Apollo would throw water on goats to see if they shivered. If the goat did not shiver then it was not the time to ask the Pythia that particular question. If the goat shivered, supplicants, carrying laurel branches sacred to Apollo, approached the temple along the winding upward course of the Sacred Way, bringing an animal for sacrifice in the forecourt of the temple, and a monetary fee. Some ancient Greek and Roam historians portray the Pythia as a woman who had let go conscious control, in order to leave herself free to do the will of Apollo. There are stories of the Pythia going about the inner temple knocking down tripods and speaking senseless words. The Pythia’s answers were cryptic, sometimes unintelligible. The priests frequently needed to interpret her utterances, then giving her prophecies in hexameter verse.
Not only was there a monetary fee for consulting, but the city states gave Delphi a tithes of the booty and spoils from battle. Besides thanking the gods for their favor in the outcome of an issue, there was the status and civic pride involved in donating statues and gifts to show off their victories. After the Greeks defeated Xerxes’ Persian army at Plataea, the Greeks gathered the booty together and sent a tenth to Delphi with other portions sent to the gods at Olympus and the gods at the Isthmus. From the booty, the Greeks made a giant bronze serpent with three heads holding a golden tripod to commemorate their success at Plataea. Delphi became a fantastic showcase of art treasures and all Greek states would send rich gifts and votive statues to entreat the favor of Apollo and the Pythia. Delphi was raided and looted several times in history. The Roman emperor Nero is said to have carried off 500 votive statues. Delphi finally came to an end in the 4th century AD when a newly Christian Rome proscribed its prophesying.
The ancient historians, of course, recorded the prophecies given by the Oracle of Delphi during times of war as well as prophecies about colonization which were frequent, whereas the daily advice given by the Pythia is barely touched upon. In ancient times priest-prophets and oracles traveled with armies and the oracles given would frequently determine what the army did or did not due on that particular day. From what little evidence there is, it seems ordinary people were concerned with everything from health issues to the fidelity of a spouse. The common man in Greece during those times did appear to be an ardent believer in the prevalence and influence of the gods in the course of human affairs. The question of divinely ordained destiny is a theme of several Greek tragedies such as Oedipus Rex. Archaeology has consistently found numerous lead tablets with curses written upon them in their excavations. And nowhere is belief more important than during warfare, when the mindset of the soldier plays a pivotal role in the outcome of battles. It is said there are no atheists in foxholes. Perhaps, that is why the leaders and generals always sought the advice of the Oracle of Delphi. Ancient Greek and Roman armies always had a soothsayer travel along with them and produce daily sacrifices on the army’s behalf. The famous historian Herodotus notes several times that armies frequently stopped to consult soothsayers or oracles.
When Xerxes brought the formidable Persian army and navy against the Greeks in 480BC, the Delphians consulted the priestess for advice on how to proceed in the war against the Persians. The Pythia, as the sibyl or priestess was called, issued this prophecy, “pray to the winds; for the winds would do Greece good service.” Herodotus, records that the Greeks then “raised an alter to the winds at Thyia … and worshiped them with sacrifices.” (p.40, 178) Not long after, a violent storm fell upon the Persian navy. The Persian navy was at a narrow beach and those Persians that could, drew their ships up onto the beach. The storm raged for three days. Herodotus notes that the lowest estimate of Persian losses put the count at four hundred ships, along with innumerable merchant and provision ships whose losses “beyond count.”
The Oracle of Delphi Prophesied to King Croesus
As the famous Greek historian, Herodotus, tells the story, King Croesus decided to put the various well-known Oracles and Seers throughout the ancient world. to the test, hoping to discover which oracles were worthy of his attention - and who he could rely on. Croesus dispatched envoys to all of the most famous oracles of his times (of which there were many) with instructions to put the question, on the 100th day after their departure, to the Oracles, as to what the Lydian King, Croesus, son of Alyattes would be doing on that very day.
The Delphic Oracle to King Croesus
According to legend , the of the Oracle of Delphi Priestess, also known as the Pythia answered in verse, as the Pythia-Priestesses did, by tradition.
"I know the sand's number and the measures of the sea
I understand the mute and hear him though he does not speak.
The smell has come to my senses of a hard-shelled tortoise
Being cooked in bronze together with lamb's meat;
There is bronze beneath it and with bronze it has been covered."
When Croesus’s envoys returned to Lydia to relay the Oracles' responses to King Croesus, as the story goes, when King Croesus read the oracle of Delphi’s verse, he bowed, because he realized this was true oracle. According to legend, on the precise day Croesus had specified to the Oracles Croesus had boiled tortoise meat and lamb’s meat together in a bronze cauldron, which as the Pythia had specified was covered with a bronze lid. Oracles were, during those times, actually a political force, since getting oracles to issue positive oracles for your situation proved frequently to be beneficial especially in ventures of warfare. So, Croesus wanted to thank the Oracle of Delphi and get her ‘on his side.’
Croesus commissioned his artisans to create a lion out of pure gold which weighed ten talents, along with a statue of a woman also made of gold. Herodotus indicated that the gold lion was kept at the Treasury of the Corinthians in Delphi. Croesus also donated two huge krateres (wine-mixing bowls), one made of gold and one made of silver, which were placed on either side of the entrance to Apollo’s temple, as well as four silver pithoi (storage jars), and two perirrhanteria (basins for ritual purification by water). Lastly, Croesus also gave a golden shield which he offered to the Greek goddess, Athena Pronaia. Hundreds of years after the legendary historical figure Croesus had come and gone, both the historians Herodotus and Pausanias (who didn’t write until much later) spoke about the exorbitant votive offerings that Croesus had donated to the Oracle of Delphi, which were still there. So, one must consider that the legendary story of Croesus’s test of the oracles should be taken seriously.
It is interesting that King Croesus was considered to be a Greek. It seems a bit ironic that, historically, that is was the oracles led to the downfall of Croesus. Croesus began preparing a campaign against Cyrus the Great of Persia. Before embarking on his campaign, he requested advise from the Oracle of Delphi as well as the Oracle of Amphiaraus as to whether he should launch an attack against Persia, and, also, as to whether he should also seek any alliances to succeed. Oracles are known for issues ambiguous and nebulous statements, prophecies, and oracles The Oracle of Delphi prophesied that if Croesus attacked the Persians, he would destroy a great empire. And the Oracle of Delphi was right – Croesus destroyed his own empire.
Reflections and Commentary on the Oracle of Delphi!
The Persian Invasion and the Oracle of Delphi!
The first Oracle the Pythia gave to Athens when the Persians invaded was basically to 'run like hell!' The Athenians didn't like that oracle so the Athenians asked again. The Delphic Oracle said to find safely in wooden walls. The brilliant Athenian politician Themistocles who championed Athenian naval power and built up a formidable naval force out of nothing, interpreted the "wooden walls" to mean Athenian Naval power. That turned out to be historically correct in a way. In 480 B.C. the naval battle of Salamis took place. In part, as a result of trickery by Themistocles, the Athenians lured the Persian Navy into the cramped Straits of Salamis - where the Persian overwhelming number of Persian ships became a hindrance because they couldn't maneuver properly and so the Persian forces became disorganized. The Athenian and Allied fleet attacked, which resulted in a decisive victory. The Allied navy sank or captured at least 200 Persian ships. What happened - since Xerxes forces depended almost entirely on supply by the navy - is that Xerxes was forced to retreat a substantial part of his force. Ironically,
Themistocles was later formally ostracized and banished - to Persia of all places. Ostracism was a method of temporary banishment by popular vote (once a year) without trial or special accusation practiced in ancient Greece. The origins of the name come from the pottery shards that were used as voting tokens, called ostraka in Greek. Broken pottery was abundant and virtually free, so easily served as a kind of scrap paper
The Question of Human Sacrifice:
One can gauge the extent of people’s beliefs by what they are willing to sacrifice for those beliefs. Human sacrifice conjures up images of the Aztecs cutting out the hearts of human victims with stone knives on the altars atop the temples. However, many cultures show traces of prehistoric human sacrifice. Archaeology of Carthage has revealed some evidence of child sacrifice.
The word ‘civilization’ is almost synonymous with Greek and Roman society. Greek civilization produced great philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato, and brilliant scientists such as Archimedes, Eratosthenes, Hipparchus, Pythagoras, and Miletus. Surprisingly, both Roman and Greek historians speak about instances of human sacrifice in religious practices. Human remains have been excavated in the foundations of Roman buildings. During special times Romans would offer criminals as human sacrifices to the gods. Herodotus and Pausanias relate several stories of human sacrifice dating from “prehistoric” Greek culture. While modern historians of Greek and Roman culture tend to gloss over this factor, books about the Oracle of Delphi, especially when using the Pythia as an expression of psychic phenomena, fail to mention that the Oracle of Delphi was, at times, a cruel and barbaric force in Greek culture.
Here is a link to my site: https://www.spirittruthandmeaning.com/
Post script II: Personal ultra-brief "spiritual" bio
As Jean MacPhail, an author and scholar, observes - my personal spiritual-psychic experiences are unique in part because they are documented and they relate to events outside myself! While my spiritual-psychic experiences are indeed somewhat haphazard – though very consistent - my (often documented) spiritual-psychic experiences are best described as being consistently perceptions of political “threats to the group” - as it were. Perhaps best understood as human variants of the alarm calls of animals.
The highlights from my forty years of what truthfully would best be described as somewhat haphazard spiritual-psychic experiences would be these experiences:
1. 1981 call I made to the FBI in Toledo, Ohio warning of an impending attack on President Reagan,
2. the notarized, exceptionally detailed, "What a nightmare - Mustard Seed" warning-spiritual epiphany from October 18, 1981. Details: group fabricating bombs, money -twice, New York, death, woman, the title "What a nightmare" identified Weathermen terrorist manifesto
3. call to the CIA warning about 9/11
4. recent email to Baltimore, MD FBI agent McElwee warning of the Nashville bombing on 12-25-2020 which occurred on two months later on 12-25-22, Christmas day.
Link to a list of experiences with over a dozen documented: Brief Overview of some Precognitive Dreams - Pattern of Connecting with Certain Personality Types & Perceptions of threats to the group with support from Bem's Successful Precognitive Experiments
https://www.spirittruthandmeaning.com/overview-perceptions-dreams
Death IS Superstitious Nonsense:
A. A narrative explanation & discussion with a Filipina college graduate of The Definist Fallacy - Maladaptive Stereotype
A short while ago I happened to be talking to a Filipina college graduate. I explained the materialist argument as explained by Miller & Thompson in the NIH article – that spirituality is unreal and nonexistent because you can’t measure it. I was a bit surprised when she emphatically agreed with the argument that spirituality is unreal and nonexistent because you can’t measure it. So, I asked her to consider the concept of “death” for a minute. Death is far beyond measurement or quantification – so then, following the logic of the materialist argument then “Death would then be a figment of her imagination and “superstitious nonsense.” She did concede that a fallacy had indeed skewed her thinking – which is a major success for me. Bargh observes that most people just really don’t want to believe that any unconscious factors could influence their thinking - without their knowledge.
The psychologists, William R. Miller and Carl E. Thoresen, state in their article, “Spirituality, religion and health: an emerging field of research”: “A philosophical basis for this perspective is materialism, the belief that there is nothing to study because spirituality is intangible and beyond the senses.” On source cited an example of a Definist fallacy would be the statement that the contenders’ arguments are “crackpot theories” – leaving no room for intelligent discussion. A version of the materialist fallacy that I encounter often is that one need to “Prove God” before one can have valid spiritual beliefs. When I first encountered that argument (and it si not uncommon), I was like – “Prove God??? Are you crazy?”
B. Endorsed critique by four prominent psychologists:
I have a critique of materialism which to a large degree focused on the Definist Fallacy – maladaptive stereotype which is endorsed by four very prominent psychologists and medical researchers. For the record that critique has had well over 10,000 views between academia.edu, LinkedIn and FB science groups (before I stopped posting on FB)
1. Dr. Paul Wong, Professor Emeritus of Trent University edited two large volumes of The Human Quest for Meaning (which I personally found extremely helpful) and authored over 300 publications on topics stated about this essay, "Your letter to a congressman needs to be published somewhere.!"
2. Dr. Harold Koenig, a medical doctor-psychiatrist, a well published and very well-known author and researcher stated about this article: "Charlie – makes perfect sense to me, and very nice letter right on target! HK Director, Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Associate Professor of Medicine Duke University Medical Center.
3. Dr. Stephen Farra: Columbia International University Emeritus, a Christian psychologist and director of the Psychology Program at Columbia International University i, stated unequivocally that the "Definist Fallacy (leading to a closed Materialism) is spiritual poison, and has hurt us all
4. Stefan Schindler, an award-winning author, and retired psychology-philosophy professor responded to my question: "Would you say the argument about the "methodological flaw" is correct" by stating, "Yes, correct!"
Plus I filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Justice (because of harassment and degrading treatment by Kaiser Permanente). The DOJ accepted my complaints # 83404-WLP; 83404; 95500, 91650, 91569, 90778. The complaints explained in detail how the Definist Fallacy – maladaptive stereotype causes serious misunderstandings and cause prejudices, misunderstandings, and outright ignorance at times. The complaint was filed against Kaiser Permanente – who had basically told me – to take my beliefs and go screw myself. I filed 5 or internal complaints with KP stating how offensive I find their acceptance and approval of a fallacy which is a destructive maladaptive stereotype if there ever was one.
I filed the complaints because I felt their treatment of my spirituality and specifically the response to my query about the Definist fallacy was horrifically degrading
C. Bargh – Pervasive Unconscious Mental categories
Bargh emphasizes the pervasive influence of unconscious influences in many circumstances. Bargh unequivocally states: “Imagine for a moment that you are a psychology professor who does experiments on conscious awareness. You keep finding that your subtle manipulations of people’s judgments and even behavior are successful –causing your experimental participants to like someone or to dislike that same person, to feel happy or sad, to behave rudely or with infinite patience. However, none of your participants have a clue as to what caused them to feel or behave.” The Unbearable Automaticity of Being, John A Bargh & Tanya L. Chartrand - p. 462 July 1999 American Psychologist)
As an example of unconscious factors and influences Bargh observes, “Yet the recent advances in child social psychology, such as David Kelly’s pioneering study of the facial preferences of young infants, are starting to paint a much more pessimistic picture: that these in-group/out-group preferences may be forming much earlier in life, well before a child starts school.” (p. 69 John Bargh Before You Know It) Of course I am the first to analyze academic norms and stereotypes.
For perspective - The Divine: a source of inspiration and motivation
Jean MacPhail observes that my personal spiritual-psychic experiences are “unique” in part because many of the experiences are documented (by email) and are correlated with events outside myself – besides have reasonable and consistent interpretations. My testimony would be my spiritual experiences have been a powerful source of inspiration and motivation for me – as well as a source of fruitfulness.
From my mini-study I conclude that there are a couple “universals” among people who have spiritual experiences: 1. People view their experiences and spirituality as a motivation 2. People say their experiences – spirituality help them make sense of the world. – which of course confirms what Viktor Frankl, William James, and Carl Jung conclude long ago., - Not to mention Christ – John 5:6 Spirit is Truth; worship in spirit and truth – John 4;23-24; The comforter, Spirit of Truth; guidance (Luke)
D. Unhealthy and destructive consequences of a maladaptive stereotype
From personal experience, the stereotype that transcendental spiritual experiences are automatically and necessarily “mental illness” is very widespread. That is also false – big time. There is no facts or evidence to support that false premise – zero, none, nada, zero.
In general, these type of unconscious influences - being outside ordinary awareness – or control are generally ignored or dismissed out of mind. However, it would stand to reason that unconscious academic- scientific stereotypes would be exceptionally effective in skewing thought processes.
I have encountered a number of American college graduates – particularly in FB philosophy and science groups – who stated unequivocally that they would NOT read any research or studies on the health benefits to spirituality. These college graduates were absolutely convinced that spirituality is totally “unreal.” When I pointed out that you can measure people all day – and night long, that particular replied spiritual people have no physical reality.
That maladaptive stereotype that all spirituality is unreal is so pervasive I have encountered many tell me that there is a separate “spiritual dimension” completely disconnected from the real world – parallel to the dualism of the Cathar sect from the 11th and 12th centuries One Cristian woman who had psychological training said that “Spirituality is outside psychology” – that is a classic materialist argument. – and the origins of “literalism” which as Karen Armstrong resulted from the “secularism” (materialism) which also produced extremist reactions as well. Materialism and literalism emerged very roughly the same time. The French philosopher Rene Guenon argues materialism first emerged with Descartes.
E. Complaint to Office of Inspector General: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services regarding Kaiser Permanente: I complained to member services and this was the response I got:
The issue: Kaiser Permanente Sr Director Evans suspended my rights to KP services to abuse. The top listed abusive message - literally: “December 8, 2022 I felt that the acceptance of the Definist fallacy and your refusal to acknowledge my rights and beliefs as extremely offensive” I even filed a complaint with the DOJ [which I sent them but they never read apparently] which was accepted. My position is endorsed by Dr. Koenig, Dr Wong, and Dr Farra."
The letter from Director Evans demonstrates my contention - that KP and "psychiatry" were deliberately and intentionally sabotaging the integrity of my identity and my beliefs. I have forty years of dealings with clinical psychology and psychiatry – during which I was intentionally conditioned and ostracized by “professionals.”
I always brought up my “unique” and often documented spiritual – psychic experiences which have reasonable and consistent interpretations – and during 40 years no one said a single word. THAT is deliberate and intentional conditioning.
In relation to KP, how could – or why would - a medical-scientific organization possibly approve and condone a fallacy?? The only conclusion one can draw is the psychiatrists, member services, and board doctors at KP could only be viewed as some kind of fanatical indoctrinated materialists. What other reason could there be? I mean - KP is degrading my beliefs - big time – when it is obviously a valid question – endorsed by 4 prominent psychologists, “recognized” by the Department of Justice, and rather a self-evident truth scientifically??? That is freaking absurd.
Personal perspective – Stories and narratives often have intrinsic value
In spite of the endorsed essay and analysis – my two oldest children have not sent me a Christmas card or father’s day card in three years. They have become convinced – due largely to the “psychiatric toxic” environment in Maryland My (now-ex) Lutheran wife went to the Baltimore County commissioner and told him I was psycho so the police came out with a paddy wagon and two police cars – took me into custody – put me in handcuffs – and transported me to a psychiatric hospital. The staff looked at my website and released me 15 or twenty minutes later. Of course, it might have helped that I have a copy of Van Hollen’s letter to me expressing interest in studies of spiritual experiences. The worst of it is my family (including my mother) started deliberately – and viciously attacking and vilifying me for my PTSD – which I have been diagnosed with by Dr Neal and Dr Schwartz. It is clear – to me – that KP personnel were deliberately antagonizing me – in my view.
A Christian psychologist told me to avoid my family. It is not safe for me as a spiritual person in Maryland. I explained my situation to a couple Filipina here about PTSD episodes – being your body kicked into full adrenalin alert and how like many people with PTSD like me yell – and yes – I cuss sometimes. A couple asked why they have never seen me yell. I responded very truthfully that Filipinas don’t say a lot of really ignorant and stupid things. My sister told me that I think I have "powers". I was being told my PTSD is psychotic rage. My brother in law told me I should write "science fiction" (rather than critiques of materialism endorsed by 4 prominent psychologists)
Another example would be that KP personnel very clearly - deliberately and intentionally - refused to answer my several inquiries about the Definist fallacy intentionally as a put down. All they had to say was – “I can understand how you look at things. It has gotten so bad even talking to psychiatrists can trigger PTSD.
Filipinos have a strong sense of family. Many express surprise that I am here alone - with no family relations. When I mentioned the fact that a Christian psychologist told me to avoid my family they were shocked that a Christian psychologist would ever say that. It is a sad situation.
Link to academia.edu profile
https://independentscholar.academia.edu/CharlesPeckJr