The Deeper Quest

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Preface

With a squeal of rusty hinges and rumble of iron chains, the ancient drawbridge falls open at your feet. The Grail Castle beckons you inside.

Like others before you, you hesitate, anxious to learn its many secrets, yet unsure of what will follow. The thought crosses your mind that this may be the moment for which you were born.

After a lifetime of challenges and disappointments, you will soon find answers that have long escaped you, answers pointing back to the origin of your people – perhaps to the mystery of existence itself. The questions that drove you here echo in your mind, unspoken yet insistent. Seeking their answers has already shaped your direction thus far. You know well that whatever you seek with passion shapes your destiny.

According to legend, one of the treasures that waits for you inside is a book. Some call it the Book of Life, a book of secrets from a forgotten past. Others warn that when you look at it, the pages are blank, the words write themselves as the worthy person performs great deeds. When someone else finds it, the words disappear so that a new story can take its place.

Either way, the deeper quest crosses the threshold to another world. Here you will find the cultural and spiritual depth of your ideals, knowledge that contributed in no small measure to making you who you are. Here you can lay claim to the spiritual roots that are your inheritance.

Other cultures might reserve such learning for masters and initiates, who veil their knowledge in secrecy.

Not here. The Western Way has no room for masters or initiates. Knowledge is for all who seek it. The search for truth defines who we are.

Chwalry-Now, the philosophical expression of these ideals, presents us with a reservoir of principles focusing on self-development, personal responsibility, and a treasure trove of thoughts dating back to a forgotten past. The process of acquiring that self-discipline and knowledge cannot be derived from a book, however, or many books. It comes through seeking it out directly, learning through experience, or not at all.

We call this process the quest.

By confronting the challenges of life as a journey of discovery through which we learn and grow, we experience the immediacy of life in the here and now, which is the core principle of authenticity. It is a journey that each of us is called to take alone. No book, not even this one, with its open drawbridge, can replace the trials of actual experience. Think of this book as a catalyst for thought.

The quest is different for every person who partakes in it. Individuality makes that certain. Nevertheless, it is wise to gain insight from those who came before, whose wisdom has survived the test of time. Transmitting such wisdom is the purpose of culture and tradition. When a culture fails to do that, it offers noise and very little substance, filling empty hearts not with joy but with longing, no matter what our material wealth or spiritual aspirations.

Each person's quest is a unique reflection of his or her life. Lessons to be learned are found at every crossroad, contributing to growth, purpose and integrity. These are the benefits of the quest, an adventure filled with meaning that, in the end, makes the world a better place. All we need do is see life for what it is, and live accordingly.

This book introduces cultural treasures that will illuminate and fortify your quest experience. Many are from times when people were closer to nature than we are now, a time when life was simpler and more reflective. Used properly, they provide insights for your journey, the legacy of those who passed this way before and bequethed what they learned for our benefit.

What you glean from their insights entirely depends on you. No one can decipher life's meaning on your behalf. We start by acknowledging the obvious: wisdom is found by the inquisitive mind. We are called to learn from our every encounter with truth, and grow accordingly. That is what the quest is all about.

In the following pages you will confront the treasures and challenges of Esoterica, a collection of Western concepts that made us who we are, and lead us on the road to fulfillment.

The drawbridge waits for you to enter.

Welcome to the temple of Esoterica.

Part I

Esoterica—The Quest for Knighthood

Introduction

Truth has a way of making itself known.

Whenever we confront it, its sublime nature sparks a recognition that resonates in our souls.

The experience can be profound, even life transforming. Why? Because for creatures who think, ponder and reflect, incorporating truth into our lives validates who we are.

The rational mind plays a significant role in what it means to be human. It values what is true in order to function properly. Beyond this practical role, relating to the grandiosity of truth also informs us that there is more to life than our everyday routines. We come face-to-face with the significance of human life, with its moral demands and ability to judge. We conclude that our lives should count for something more than the measurement of our consumption.

We instinctively know that our relationship with truth is life-affirming. The religious heart understands that, but so does the heart of the dedicated scientist, philosopher or mystic – or anyone who feels inspired by the beauty of music, a setting sun or the perfectly crafted phrase. When we allow it, this affirmation takes hold of us for a moment. It authenticates the reality we are part of.

The questions that follow are these: Is it possible to hold onto this affirmation for more than a moment? Can we incorporate it as part of our everyday lives? Can we use it to find meaning in everything we experience?

In other words, will a relationship with truth make us more authentically human?

Such questions are not new. We find them universally articulated in myth and literature reaching back to prehistoric times. In Western culture, they play a central role in stories that involve the quest.

The quest is a learning process through which heroes are born from incomplete persons. From the adventures of Odysseus, to the tales about King Arthur's Knights, to Tolkien's epic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, the challenges of the quest describe a life-transforming process that adds vital components to who we are. Consider how just by changing our perspective to one that views life as an adventure instantly changes consciousness itself.

The concept is simple. When we embrace life as a quest, we engage in a spiritual journey through which we constantly learn and grow from everyday experience. We no longer distort what is best about our lives in order to fit dull routines, prejudice and stifling self-images. We no longer enslave ourselves to stagnant ideologies that take away the work and responsibility of forming our own decisions.

Instead, we willingly face the challenges of life boldly, deal with them heroically, and inject virtue in everything we do. We protect ourselves from whittling away our lives through meaningless routine, and reward ourselves with purpose that is worth living.

We need not search far to engage the quest that awaits us. All it takes is a moment's inspiration. As one Grail tradition tells us, the goal we seek is down the road a little way, over to the left, and across the drawbridge.

If the words and concepts in this book seem strangely familiar, as if they are part of you already, it is no coincidence. It is the nature of the quest to express in the language of our souls our deepest yearnings, symbols and moral imperatives. It connects the conscious mind to its own labyrinth of conscience to awaken what is there already. Whether this knowledge is innate, culturally embedded, or a mixture of both, matters little. What matters is that it is part of us. Raising it to consciousness, thereby bringing it to life, completes who we are. In this way, we are reborn.

The quest awakens the truth inside us to the truth around us. It is a process integral to who we are. We call this truth Aletheia. (We will explore the richness of this term later.) Through the quest, we engage the world as a learning, and even sanctifying experience, filled with meaning and purpose. Knowing that we are uniquely and consciously part of the world around us places us exactly where we should be.

Remember – each age calls for its heroes because it needs their input and direction.

This is your invitation.

Chapter 1

Opening One's Mind

…it is not permitted that we should trifle with our existence.

So wrote Edmund Burke, the 18th-century, Irish/Anglo father of modern conservatism.

Although he was not referring to the quest as we define it, he amply expresses its serious intent. As living beings, the finite existence that we own should not be trifled with. Like the parable of the talents told by Jesus, in which we are condemned by the careless non-engagement of our lives, we are charged by what can only be described as a sacred mandate not to waste ourselves. What good are we if the miracle of our lives does not contribute to the world's betterment?

Life is existentially relevant for each of us, despite its confounding mixture of sadness, joy, mediocrity, challenge and final limitation. It is vitally important that we take that seriously – all the more because each of us represents a unique perspective. Living correctly is the only proper response for a being who is capable of thought, purposeful deed and moral reflection. Edmund Burke acknowledged this in another warning that we still hear quoted today:

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Around the same time that he wrote that, thousands of miles away, a radical insurgent named Thomas Jefferson spoke his mind as well:

…I have sworn upon the altar of god, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny of the mind…

Where did the severity of this hostile commitment come from? Jefferson tells us elsewhere, giving us a glimpse into what generated the energy of his life's work:

I sincerely believe in the general existence of a moral instinct.

You might question why I cherry-picked quotes from political icons of opposing ideologies.

I did this to clearly illustrate, up front, the nature of the quest. No one owns truth in its entirety. No one can contain it. Bits and pieces show themselves where they will. It neither submits nor limits itself to the conjecture of anyone. Traditionalists like Burke and radicals like Jefferson, both virtuous men despite their conflict of opinion, demonstrate the eclectic nature of Western thought. Truth resonates piecemeal from many diverse perspectives. When we fail to recognize that, we shut ourselves off from the totality of truth and veer toward error and fanaticism. On the other hand, when we open our minds to diverse opinions, we uncover our greatest strength.

History shows us this as well. From gadfly philosophers like Socrates, to impoverished saints like Francis of Assisi; from church doctors like Thomas Aquinas, to humanists like Albert Einstein; from idealistic giants like Abraham Lincoln, to madmen like Frederick Nietzsche – we find sparks of value in them all. Incorporating truth into our lives wherever we find it is by definition the nature of the quest. That is and always has been the greatest strength of Western culture. Freedom of thought and the discovery it instigates is where authenticity begins.

Despite many claims to the contrary, truth does not come to us in a neatly wrapped package. In order to be real, it must be found fresh and new by each individual. That living relationship is what the quest is all about. It provides us thrilling clues and illuminating fragments that add significantly to our unique journeys, and glimpses of mystery that transcend formalized religion. Science may approach but never encapsulate it. In the political field, to suggest that truth is bi-partisan or non-partisan misses the point entirely. Impartial, objective thought can never be bound by the constrained and circular reasoning of partisanship.

We must never allow the truth we seek, the values we adhere to, and the virtues we extol to be distorted by dogmatic ideologies, distractions of convenience, or two-dimensional ideas of patriotism. Either we approach life directly, with existential awe and spiritual/humanistic reverence, and learn from it, or we get lost in the trappings of illusion.

* * *

One of the important lessons we learn from our journey is that most of the problems we face are of our own making. As individuals and as a society we often ignore that simple fact in order to avoid responsibility. Unfortunately, by not admitting our personal involvement, we sustain and even propagate the problems that we suffer.

There are, of course, problems that are not directly of our making, such as disease or natural disasters. Our philanthropic response to such tragedies is often quite generous, heroic and immediate, rescuing the needy, healing the sick, rebuilding what was lost.

While more people die from car accidents, smoking, and chemical addiction than hurricanes, tornados, floods or even terrorist attacks, we respond more urgently to natural crises or foreign threats than to those that are of our own making.

Collectively, we have the intelligence and capacity to end hunger, prevent many diseases, resolve conflicts before violence occurs, support equality and avoid the insanity of war. The reasons we do not are complicated. The most obvious comes from a lack of vision. In many and subtle ways we set ourselves against one another because of greed, selfishness, the lust for power, and political ideologies that thrive on contention. The problems continue to plague us despite our best intentions. They are too daunting, too prevalent, too complex and tightly embedded. Perhaps we even enjoy conflicts, and work to sustain them.

In light of all these problems, Chivalry-Now offers a simple, cost-effective, life-enhancing solution that would impact them all – one with which Burke and Jefferson might possibly agree.

Consider what would happen if people made more intelligent and compassionate choices in their lives, and exercised the self-discipline to perform them. Most of our social problems would vanish overnight, at little cost.

Imagine what would be possible if our best minds could then focus on solving the problems that are outside of our direct control, like disease and climate change.

Think how the world would be transformed if each of us exhibited something as simple as genuine courtesy in all our relationships.

Such positive steps transcend liberal and conservative thinking as we know them today. They provide commonalities that unite rather than divide – enjoining the very best of religion and humanism, tradition and science, thought and intuition. They replace the moment's transitory mix of pleasure and misery with a meaningful and positive obligation for the future.

* * *

As a philosophy or social ethic, Chivalry-Now can only exist in the hearts of those who live it. All else is just chatter or speculation. That includes the 12 Trusts and Esoterica (which is the focus of this book). Chivalry-Now is a name for something deeply human that has evolved over millennia. It is a moral yearning that struggles to express itself – an impetus capable of fulfilling who we are, not only as individuals, but as a species as well. It calls for us to forge our own destinies.

The 12 Trusts and Esoterica provide us with the cultural inheritance of a time-tested code built on the common sense wisdom of previous philosophical development. To be effective, however, we must consider them not as rules or commandments, but as catalysts for thought. The final teacher is the quest itself, which is the experience of life and the daily revelations from which we learn.

This book describes the teachings of Esoterica. It presupposes that the reader is familiar with the 12 Trusts as expounded by the introductory volume, Chivalry-Now, the Code of Male Ethics. For those unfamiliar with this work, the 12 Trusts are repeated here:

Upon my honor,

1     I will develop my life for the greater good.

2     I will place character above riches, and concern for others above personal wealth.

3     I will never boast, but cherish humility instead.

4     I will speak the truth at all times, and forever keep my word.

5     I will defend those who cannot defend themselves.

6     I will honor and respect women, and refute sexism in all its guises.

7     I will uphold justice by being fair to all.

8     I will be faithful in love and loyal in friendship.

9     I will abhor scandals and gossip – neither partake nor delight in them.

10   I will be generous to the poor and to those who need help.

11   I will forgive when asked, that my own mistakes will be forgiven.

12   I will live my life with courtesy and honor from this day forward.

By adhering to these 12 Trusts, I swear to partake in the living quest in everything I do.

For many people, this simple code of ethics is what Chivalry-Now is all about. The only ingredient they must add is their own personal resolve. If enough people do this, our culture would heal itself. The meaning of the Grail legends would be fulfilled and Western Civilization would slip back on course as the vanguard of reason and compassion.

It is only natural that some people will want more. The call of chivalry pulses in their veins, a thousand years in the making. They will want to know the deeper aspects of Chivalry-Now. Having glimpsed the heart of their own identity, they long to become knights in the truest sense of the word.

How, then, do we define knighthood in order to make it relevant for today? What would it require? Upon what would it be based?

The child in us might suppose that the title by itself is sufficient, without need to earn it. The accolade confers some kind of magical transformation that the world will automatically recognize and honor.

Like most of the illusions we confront everyday, such fantasy leads only to disappointment. Wishful thinking, even if it involves wearing a suit of armor, does not transform someone into a knight. Nor does a tap on the shoulder by some titled person, genuine or otherwise. In an age that hungers for real meaning, we must not allow today's concept of knighthood to be a thing of whimsy or vanity. It must be real and significant, or why bother?

Chivalry-Now offers this deeper quest to those who seek the validation of knighthood with all their hearts. Here we explore the conceptual roots of this possibility, some dating back to ancient Greece, others from more recent luminaries. If we imagine Chivalry-Now as an intellectual stream passing from antiquity to the present, we find a number of significant tributaries have added to its flow.

Chapter 2

The Foundation of Chivalry-Now

Although Chivalry-Now returns something that was lost, it is not a treasure lifted intact from an ancient grave, fixed and inviolate. It is, rather, the continuation of a time-honored development of thought, punctuated by historical highlights, that has frequently made Western culture progressively significant to the world. The earliest ideals that it represents, lingering in our collective conscience, comprise our noblest inheritance. It is time that we recognize them for what they are. It is time that we reclaim them, and nurture their blessings for all posterity. Indeed, the times require that we must.

Whereas Western culture is well known as the birthplace of the scientific method, democracy and capitalism – each of which has profoundly influenced the direction of the modern world – these are just the offspring of something more grand. They reflect the moral vision and generative impulse of the Western mind itself.

These qualities are overlooked as a tree is sometimes forgotten for its fruit. Their relevance and almost universal appeal are often slighted for the short-comings of their applications. Like people everywhere, we often fail to live up to our ideals – sometimes with terrible results. This does not detract from the ideals themselves. It indicates our failure to live up to them.

We are only human. Like all human beings, we experience a tension between our highest moral values and our baser inclinations. Some of us perform better than others. Some fail completely. While this might be seen and even condemned as hypocrisy, it actually portrays the confused, metaphorical battle between good and evil that wages in our souls.

This explains the contradiction in the United States Constitution that espoused freedom and allowed for slavery at the same time. This moral dichotomy reflects the birth-pains of high ideals caught in the process of actualizing themselves. The quest is a journey comprised of many steps, some of them backwards or slipping off the path, yet each of them in some respect vital. The haphazard nature of human progress is such that its gems and genius are always in the making – and marred by fallibility.

The birth pains continue. As history shows, freedom and slavery coexisted until respect for one brought bloody end to the other. Imperialism once flourished among Western nations, despite our respect for national independence, and still defines many of our political and corporate interests today. Closer at hand, we witness daily how love for neighbor is ignored when it competes with the bottom line.

Nevertheless, in the midst of our own shortcomings, we continue to struggle to create something grand. To complete this task, if it ever will be completed, we need to employ the midwife of understanding and new resolve.

Thanks to globalization, our task is no longer the experiment of a regional effort. It involves and affects all humanity. We must be