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Hmmm... Where to start... It's hard to sum oneself up in a post to a forum thread, even if it is a gargantuan rambling of a post. I'll try anyhow.
Howdy. I'm Hroptr-Gagnrath. My friends call me Jack. Neither are my "real name." "Hroptr" and "Gagnrath" are two of the many names of Odin, the Father Archetype in Norse mythology, who I've found myself identifying with in recent months, and more and more as time goes on. It may seem pretentious or even sacrilegous to take on the names of a god, but one of the benefits of taking a dedicated approach to spirituality from an angle influenced by C.G. Jung and Joseph Campbell is you can seriously study the meaning of the gods in depth without taking them too seriously. I believe a fear of being sacrilegous can lead to a fear of unorthodox speculation, which of course, could inhibit spiritual growth.
Besides, these two names have meaning to me, and isn't that what names are for? "Hroptr" means "Hidden" with the implication of "Discoverer of that which is hidden" and "Gagnrath" means "Giver of good counsel," (roughly) which is a name I hope to be more worthy of in coming years.
As you can see, I have an interest in spirituality, philosophy, psychology, mythology, and the occult. I'm constantly broadening my horizons in that respect, because I believe that much can be learned by having a significant understanding of a broad range of mythologies, religions, folk tales, etc. Mostly Greek and Norse right now, but I'm developing a strong interest in Hinduism, and Egyptian mythology has also aroused my interest, as well as the Candomblé and Umbanda loa and the practices surrounding them.
Other than that... I'm an information freak. That's one of the reasons why I constantly find myself gravitating towards gods of wisdom and death. (They usually go hand in hand or are the same god.) This is why the internet appeals to me, and increasingly so as I find more and better places to find interesting information or links to it. One of my favorite things in the world is interesting conversation, which is in far shorter supply here in San Diego, California, than I'd like. The prospect of a consistent source of interesting conversation was what attracted me to Barbelith Underground, as well as the mini-synchronicity of me stumbling upon it just days after I was reading The Invisibles comic book series for the first time, and checked it out just because I recognized the reference. (I've read volume 1, am halfway through volume 2 but stopped because I'm missing four comic books in the middle of it. I should get the graphic novels soon.)
I'm a hopeless romantic and I am frustratingly sentimental, and I'm trying to learn to live in harmony with that. Both my Ascendant and my Venus sign are Cancer in the 12th house. Combine that with a Sun and Mercury of Leo in the 1st house, a Moon, Mars, and Saturn of Libra in the 4th house, and my Jupiter sign is Scorpio in the 4th. Uranus sign is Sagittarius in the 5th, Retrograde. Those of you who know astrology well will have a general idea of what I'm like, and those of you who know a scary amount about astrology might even be able to approximate my date of birth. If you can do that, I congratulate you.
I like to learn. Science and math strongly interest me, along with my even stronger interest in the arts and humanities. I'm just now brushing up on my math skills which I let go to rot. As far as art, I tend to like the unusual, the odd, and the surreal, whether it be music, paintings, literature, or film. However, I have discriminating tastes and have a dislike for cheap fluff. I also love "classics."
My goal in life? Comfort. I'd like a nice, not too big, not too small, home near a lightly forested area, cozy interior, lots of books, a good many trustworthy friends, etc. At this point in time that goal seems pretty far off in the distance, and I'm in a state of rapid development, so I don't know if that goal will remain as important as it is to me currently. In the mean time, I'm in college, working towards being whatever I'll end up being. I do well, but likely don't take school as seriously as one might think. I've found that I learn quite a bit no matter whether I'm in school or not, because learning is an addiction for me.
Also, I'd like to change the world. This is a much more serious goal than my own comfort. Strangely, I have much more confidence that I can make a large impact on the world than I have confidence that I can establish a comfortable situation for myself.
I think this a decent start. |
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