A life of "mystic nobility" is yours
Stoic spirituality and living.
“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Stoicism originated in ancient Greece and Rome, and was a hugely influential and popular philosophy (and still is).
It contained an entire cosmological philosophy, but was a practical, ethical philosophy meant to applied to everyday life.
For the Stoics, it was about living in accord with nature, knowing what is in our power to change and what is not, and to be at peace with that. To be calm, peaceful, strong, wise, unaffected, virtuous, in service to others, and ultimately to achieve Eudaimonia, the Greek concept of living a good life, or happiness. To escape the hedonic treadmill and find an enlightened state of existence as a part of the great cosmic whole.
Stoicism is often compared to Buddhism. The connections are glaringly obvious.
The philosophy is even said to be a main inspiration for modern cognitive behavioral therapy.
The tenets of this philosophy is what saved me from the depths of depression and anxiety and has continued to. I’m far from the only one. It doesn’t fit everyone, though, and can be easily misinterpreted. But I think some of the best parts can be found in other philosophies and spiritual systems.
Mystic nobility
The “mystic nobility” of the Stoics, as Will Durant put it in The Story of Philosophy, allows for a powerful feeling of equanimity and calm. One might call it “Zen,” in the colloquial sense.
This is what makes Stoic teachings particularly useful in difficult situations. Understanding that you may not have control over everything, but you are full of power: the power to know who you are, what you stand for, and to direct your thoughts and actions to your purpose at all times. And to rise above the negative forces that threaten your inner life.
On a grander scale, Stoic virtues teach something I find extraordinarily beautiful: the harmonious interplay between doing right by yourself and doing good to your community and the world.
Put another way: when you find your purpose, and you live as your true self, you are now in the position to do good to the world. You are living “in accordance with nature” and thus uplifting not only yourself but every living thing.
You are in accord with the cosmos.
This element of service to community, I believe, is crucial to understanding the value of Stoicism, just as it is to other philosophies and spiritual practices.
More thoughts...
The ancient account of the founding of Stoicism begins with Zeno of Citium consulting the Delphic Oracle of Apollo about what to do with his life and being told to “take on the complexion of dead men” or something like that, which he interpreted as going to a bookstore and reading the philosophers, which he did, which ultimately led him to found Stoicism.
Neoplatonism
Porphyry writes that Plotinus’ writings were “full of concealed Stoic ... doctrines.”
Plotinus is considered the founder of Neoplatonism, which is heavily linked (whether upstream or downstream) to Hermeticism, Gnosticism, Kabbalah. And thus Stoicism finds itself as a main character in the story of Esotericism.
- Joe
I’ll leave with a simple quote from the Stoic founder, Zeno to take with you today:
“Happiness is a good flow of life.”