Myths & mysteries
Discover facts about myths & mysteries. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Myths & mysteries
John of Ruusbroec wrote mystical masterpieces in the woods
Cabin fever can apparently produce some incredibly profound literature. This 14th-century Flemish writer heavily preferred sitting alone deep in the dense…
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Starets are spiritual directors who mostly just listen
These deeply revered figures are essentially highly glorified therapists who live in the woods. People walk for miles to confess their darkest secrets, and…
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Kidnapped by incredibly petty coworkers
Office politics in the sixteenth century were utterly ruthless. John of the Cross suggested some structural reforms to his order, and his colleagues responded…
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Christian Science reading rooms occupy prime real estate
Downtown commercial leases are notoriously brutal, unless you have deep institutional backing. This organization holds onto incredibly valuable, street-level…
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Julian of Norwich invented extreme medieval toxic positivity
While trapped in a tiny room during the literal plague, Julian proudly declared that 'all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.' It stands as…
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Astrological software calculates your personality based on math that astronomers abandoned centuries ago
When you type your birth time into a snazzy app, it uses highly complex orbital algorithms to spit out your chart. The irony? The massive computational power…
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Staples on documents are frequently completely asymmetric
Take a closer look at the corner of your paperwork. Due to slight mechanical variations in the cheap metal dispenser on your desk, the two folded prongs on…
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Tears of compunction involve weeping for absolute joy
Instead of crying because life is terrible, these practitioners cried intensely because they were utterly overwhelmed by cosmic mercy. It resulted in massive,…
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Part of fortune indicates arbitrary luck
Part of fortune indicates arbitrary luck based on a geometric calculation. It pinpoints exactly where the universe might actually cut you some slack and hand…
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Highly toxic liquid silver was the spirit of metals
Playing with extremely poisonous heavy metals was an essential part of historical spiritual growth. Mercury was believed to be the fluid, transcendent spirit…
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Green auras supposedly mean energy healing
Emitting a verdant glow means you are basically a walking, talking battery charger for other people. Proponents of energy fields claim this hue belongs to…
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Grapes strongly encourage wildly excessive behavior
Even before fermentation, astrological rules dictate that this fruit vibrates with pure hedonism. Consuming them theoretically lowers your energetic…
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Famed prophet Nostradamus allegedly wrote his apocalyptic predictions while incredibly high on nutmeg
The ominous prophecies you read about in airport paperbacks were basically just a really intense bad trip. To achieve his visionary states, Nostradamus…
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Draconic astrology uses the soul's underlying blueprint
Just when you thought you understood your standard profile, you learn there is a secondary hidden layer. This niche branch shifts everything to focus entirely…
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Esoteric Islamic philosophers viewed intellect as a barrier
Being too smart is apparently terrible for your spiritual health. Several mystical branches of Islamic thought argued that rational, analytical thinking was a…
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Pallas Athena reveals your battle strategy
Pallas Athena skips brute force and instead reveals your cold battle strategy. It shows how you recognize structural weaknesses in your enemies and plot their…
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Teleporting yourself requires vaporizing the original you
Instantaneous travel sounds fantastic until you read the terrifying instruction manual. Quantum teleportation theory dictates that transmitting your precise…
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Astrologer Linda Goodman received the highest advance ever paid for a book in the 1970s
If you ever doubt how lucrative selling vague personality traits can be, look at Linda Goodman. In 1978, she secured a $2.25 million advance for her book…
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Zoroastrian priests wear special mouth covers during rituals to prevent their spit from polluting the sacred fire
Masking up was a spiritual requirement centuries before it became a public health issue. In Zoroastrian mysticism, fire (Atar) is considered the supreme…
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Thomas Merton became immensely famous for completely hiding
Despite taking vows meant to totally isolate him from society, Merton continually wrote massive best-selling books about how great it is to be isolated. He…
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Druids sacrificed humans by stuffing them into giant wicker men specifically to ensure a good harvest of vegetables
Vegetables are important for a balanced diet, but setting a massive cage full of screaming humans on fire to get a better cabbage yield feels like a severe…
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Mystical enlightenment rarely lasts longer than an hour
Despite the decades of grueling fasting and endless silence, the actual payoff is hilariously brief. The transiency of these intense states means they usually…
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Bitter flavors are intense Saturn tastebud torture
Choosing to drink black tea with no sugar is a Saturn power move. It forces you to endure a harsh, unforgiving flavor simply to remind yourself that life is…
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Giordano Bruno was burned at the stake for claiming the universe was infinite and filled with magic
He was the Renaissance equivalent of that guy at a party who won't stop explaining string theory, except it got him killed. Giordano Bruno was an ex-monk who…
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