48 - asceticism
Recently I had occasion to catch up with a fellow member, and we stumbled upon the topic of asceticism. What ensued was a detailed dive into asceticism and its interface with the teachings of the Temple. Let’s take a look at how this practice can help us adhere to the First Keystone - Strive to be efficient, competent, and autonomous.
First thing first – what is Asceticism? It’s an ancient and sometimes overlooked part of any religion, a profound practice rooted in self-discipline and self-denial. It's a journey undertaken for spiritual, religious, and philosophical enlightenment. It calls us to willingly abstain from certain worldly desires in our quest to attain higher ideals and a deeper connection with the Paraclete and the divine more generally.
Let me tell you, the origins of asceticism are as old as humanity's desire to reach ultimate goals – to develop our inner selves, attain intellectual excellence, and even embrace moral virtue. Asceticism comes in many forms, each with its own unique path, though we can break down their respective efficiency quotients in terms of how they may function under Paraclism.
Efficiency in ascetic practices can vary widely depending on your goals and the context in which you apply the practice. What is considered efficient (or, Paraclete forbid, inefficient) can be somewhat subjective and may differ from person to person. Nevertheless, we present the fruits of our ecclesial discussion for your benefit below.
Overall, asceticism is a practice not to be undertaken lightly. As with most things, it should be done in moderation and extreme forms ought to be avoided as they are unlikely to provide benefits that outweigh the costs. However, willingly putting oneself into a restricted state, or one where we are lacking commonly expected creature comforts, has an undeniable benefit – it brings us closer to the Paraclete, first and foremost. More practically, it trains the body and the mind for difficulties in a time where none exist. This training allows us to thrive should those difficulties truly manifest themselves before us, rather than suffer as others might.
Highly Efficient
Abdication of Worldly Goods: Requires and trains self-discipline, very practical, simplifies one’s life and reduces material distractions. Radical forms are vows of poverty, but even a simple decluttering can help to moderate your environment and filter things that do not necessarily bring joy to your life.
Restriction of Contact: Shutting yourself away from others can be surprisingly effective. Easy to try, this trains your ability to be alone and away from others. Certainly, not something we want for our entire lives, but an important skill nonetheless – also helps cope with troubled relationships and is a skill in dealing with those who ought not be in your life. Effective for contemplation.
Vigils: Abstinence from sleep, either to keep watch, meditate or pray. This can be done alone or collectively, low cost, and can be done by anyone. On a collective basis, is an excellent builder of solidarity and community. Note that this ought not be done on a regular basis, given the importance of rest to our well-being.
Moderately Efficient
Abstinence and Fasting: Effective for spiritual purification and discipline. Easy to do, provides an ongoing slow burn and trains mental discipline. Can easily go too far and ought be undertaken carefully.
Reduction of Movement: An expanded version of Restriction of Contact, this involves complete seclusion in a given space. Generally, this is done to remove one from contact with others and culminates in solitary confinement in wilderness, frontier areas, forests, mountains or even deserts and cliffs. In general, any settled dwelling place is unacceptable to this approach. May have some practical benefits but limited scope.
Pain-Adjacent: Most of our lives are roughly centered around avoiding pain. But think of certain physically exhausting and even painful exercises. Exercise falls into this bucket. Running a marathon. Intense emotional focus. These are all difficult to undertake, but have positive outcomes (health, focus, clarity, etc.). The efficiency drops off when the tradeoffs become more serious, things like self-laceration, flagellation or even castration – these are not efficient forms, as lasting physical harm is essentially impossible to compensate by the potential gains one might experience. Moderation is key.
Least Efficient
Celibacy: This is an easy one to undertake, and may even grant mental clarity to some users. Ultimately this is not an efficient approach as it denies two key Can be efficient for religious or philosophical goals.
Personal Hygiene: Abdication of washing is a sacrifice that can eventually turn painful. While certain examples can be found where this approach is effective, they are largely in the history books, and in today’s age this is unnecessary and generally runs contrary to the social contracts we are all implicitly party to.
Self-Mortification: An extreme form of pain-adjacent approaches, this includes staring at the sun or allowing limbs to wither. Very limited practicality and enormous potential for harm.
Obedience: One of the more inefficient approaches, the requirement to abdicate thought to another is a deeply troublesome outcome. Paraclism seeks to enhance its adherents and grow their intellect – blind obedience of others cannot achieve this goal.
As you can see, there is quite a lot that can be employed in your spiritual life, and truly the true power of asceticism lies in its diversity. What may work wonders for your spiritual journey in one tradition might not fit the bill in another. Asceticism is a complex and diverse practice, and it remains a profound way to transform ourselves, attain enlightenment, and purify our spirits. Simplifying life by letting go of worldly goods may also be a path to enlightenment. Keeping vigil for a loved one can bring you closer together. Refraining from certain foods or behaviors (or even people) can be a great way to purify your spirit.
Let the Paraclete into your heart and you will be guided on your journey to self-discovery, enlightenment, and a deeper connection with the divine. This is The Way
