Ever so often in history arcane mystic disciplines resurface to redefine the spiritual and political structure of society. Even in modern society this takes place with regular intervals. The most conspicuous example is the re-emergence of interest in the Elysian Rites among thinkers in the late 18th Century, triggering new and radical approaches to classical disciplines in philosophy and politics.
The philosophy of MR is based on the belief that spiritual disciplines such as healing or empowering meditation, divination and fortune-telling, along with mental faculties like hypnosis and phenomena like mass suggestion, placebo effect and telepathy can all be explained as dormant or degraded neurological skills left over from an age in which humans relied heavily on them for survival.
They are all aspects of shamanism, the rudimentary religion or spiritual view that has dominated the majority of human evolution. As hunter-gatherers with technology limited to simple mechanical instruments the abilities we now call paranormal were essential and overdeveloped when compared to today's modern human being who rely on rationalism and high technology.
The Rationality of Shamanism
One proved paranormal ability is known as "remote scanning", which enables gifted individuals to locate and identify persons and objects across huge distances. In the literature of paranormal phenomena and spirituality this is often known as "astral projection."
As for modern observations like the placebo effect, once can imagine how powerful an instrument this variant of suggestion was in the hands of a shaman, useful to insulate a subject against pain from injury or disease.
Archaeologic findings and research clearly indicates that shamanism was universally the foundation of social cultus to ancient civilizations, that virtually all shared a profound reverence for stellar objects, cultivated an often highly intricate study of them - even to the point of producing accurate analogue models - and a tendency to not only associate the origins of their culture with the moving planets in the night sky, but use the constellations as a virtual storage facility for collective myths and legends.
Astrology may be the first advanced human technology, and the sky the first library of early "primitive" hunter-gatherer communities. On top of that, the shamanic structure centred around empaths is a common trait of all ancient cultures. Again, one can imagine the powerful effect of shamanistic suggestion ahead of a hunt, raising the spirit of the hunters - or ahead of a battle between tribes and clans.
The Objective of Mystic Returns
The main point of MR is to investigate and stimulate the dormant potential in humans to transcend their physical boundaries, first of all by providing understanding of shamanism from a modern rationalistic view-point.
MR does not embrace superstition or religious fanaticism, and should in no manner be associated with any existing religion, sectarian movement or cult. Neo-shamanism should be perceived as an investigation into the cultic origins of human culture, and a method of expanding the mind of thinkers with concepts currently held as taboo in the Western rationalistic tradition.
Note: The texts on MR can be difficult to understand, even if I do make some effort to associate the mystical concepts with modern science and philosophy. There is deliberately no systematic introduction to the concepts, answer book or rigorous explanation: Those who are capable of comprehending will do so. Those who deny it are without blame. Those who aim to twist or abuse the lessons do so at their own peril.
"Astrology is but an arcane language that allows the human mind to tap into forgotten ressources and powers from an age, where shamanism was the primary instrument of survival"
