Hearted Youtube comments on ESOTERICA (@TheEsotericaChannel) channel.

  1. This channel came highly recommended and it did not disappoint! Great stuff here, informative, hilarious, one couldn't ask for more.
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  2. The yarrow certainly has an intense medow aroma when I pass it in a field. That was the most tension filled video you have done. Need a follow-up to see you are alright.
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  3. Thank you for this enlightening video on the Lesser Key of Solomon. I also have a fondness for Qohelet and, as part of my bachelor's curriculum, I wrote an exegesis on Ecclesiastes 1:4-11.
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  4. Super fascinating! I actually really like the story of the testament. The allure of demons has always been a bit lost on me. I would love to go back in time and ask the anonymous writers, of all the subjects...why write this? Maybe it made them feel powerful or in control in times of uncertainty? And why the hierarchies? It would be interesting to size up the time periods in which many of the original works were written to possibly find a correlation between societal or political factors that maybe would motivate the texts? I'd also want to ask them if they believed in demons. I would guess most would, but you never know. Thank you Dr. Sledge! So much to think about! Hope you get back to tip top form asap so you feel much better!
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  5. Fascinating! Thank you for sharing these more obscure voices. Pain in Conway's life gave her motivation to find meaning in or behind it. This was super inspiring! Thank you 😊
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  6. I recently ran a mile for the first time in my life and actually broke down crying afterwards as I looked at the sky and trees directly after. Everything seemed more beautiful than it ever had in my life
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  7. Thank you for sharing with us all of this knowledge. Even after listening to this particular episode 6-7 times, I am still gleaning new information - this is what I love most about your channel. Thank you, Dr. Justin Sledge
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  8. If my kid began practicing Alchemy on his own, I don't know if I'll be proud or scared, probably both. Great video doctor Sledge!
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  9. Thanks! I work 12 hours a days 5-6 days a week. These videos help keep my mind occupied so well as I chip away at what needs to get done :)
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  10. Terrific intro. It’s a pleasure to be creating alongside you Justin. You’re second to none. A scholar and friend. With love, Zevi
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  11. So basically the original alchemists wanted to be able to find a method to turn stuff into other stuff, elemental transmutation. And in the process of doing that they discovered a lot of compounds, basically by trying to mix various things, heat them up and/or then separate them again, and these compounds were then given fanciful descriptions, since nobody really knew how the process worked at the molecular level ("Spirit of Sea Air" being a favorite.) Then actual analytical chemistry became a thing because people had discovered that some of the things alchemists had made were useful for normal everyday applications, and they wanted to make more of those things, and know the exact process to make them, and if it could be made more efficient and cheaper. As usually happens when money is involved, all the fanciful ideas about what actually took place were stripped out, a new process for mass production was formulated, and we get common everyday hydrochloric acid. Then after alchemy had already been declared a pseudoscience by the current generation, someone thought that this lost art would be really cool to bring back, because surely something that involved had to have SOME meaning to it, and they made it trendy, and then a lot of now-famous people put words in the mouths of the old alchemists that were only really trying to turn one metal into another?
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  12. I'm a long time cinema geek. Murnau's Nosferatu is one of my favorite early movies, along with Dreyer's Vampyr. I learned a lot from the video you've offered us here. Cheers. ✌️
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  13. Great video, Justin! I think early modern Hermeticism and Puritanism, while seemingly so ideologically opposed, were comparable in their utopian and apocalyptic ambitions because they both came out of the earth-shattering zeitgeist of the transition from feudalism to capitalism – as colonialism created the first truly global market, there was a palpable sense of the old order dying and a new world rising to take its place. Both radical Protestantism and alchemy had individualistic ideas of understanding nature and the divine through direct personal observation rather than (as you said) ancient authorities like Aristotle or ecclesiastic authorities like the Catholic Church (or even the Anglican Church...). Can't wait to hear more about colonial American alchemists in future episodes!
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  14. I like the way "descending" to the throne gives meditation the feel of a dungeons and dragons type experience.
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  15. A truly under appreciated channel. Both in quality and quantity of all variables.
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  16. And then the modifications that alchemists made to their cars in order to outrun Inquisitors and contract enforcement eventually leads to organized racing circuits.
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  17. An amazing episode! The magi were my favorite part of the Christmas story when I was a kid. That's probably because they were portrayed in bright colors though! 😂 Thank you for all your work this year on the channel! I can't wait to see what you have planned for 2024!
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  18. What an incredible moment. Proud to be there with you Dr. Sledge.
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  19. Your channel means a lot to me. My dad was a Southern Baptist minister. I clearly remember all of the 80s and 90s Satanic Panic. Distinctly the West Memphis 3 because I grew up (and still live) nearby. Channels like yours have helped explain, but not excuse, why I was raised the way I was, though I’ve had to spend a great deal of time in therapy dealing with what can only be considered mental abuse by the church. Thank you for such a personal ending to what is otherwise still a very educational video.
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  20. Thoth was a CEO (Chief Everything Officer) of a computing company, like Apple, Microsoft, or Intel. He designed the hardware, softwares, programming languages, operating system, and all.
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  21. The Buddhists say consciousness is a sense organ for thoughts, which is consistent with my experience. Here we have imagination as a sense organ for so-called arcane forces, also consistent with my experience with my understanding of arcane. Next, here we have self-recognition as the restorative power of the divine.. well I don’t do any “divine” but I do think self-recognition is restorative because my life experience led to loss of self… and regaining that sense was restorative. It is just wonderful to have articulated what I might have managed to,articulate in about ten years or so. What a brilliant set of remarks that dr sledge pulls from the muddy paracelsian exposition. Really impressive. Thank you!!!
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  22. A very spooky topic for a fitting time of year. I'll definitely be re-watching this one after the winter storm hits. Also, I think I know what the next item in your store will be: Esoterica Gin! Each bottle comes with instructions on how to soothe the sufferings of ancient Sumerian ghosts. 😄
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  23. This is the first talk where I can feel your deep deep reverence for the peoples on this spiritual path. Very touching, really enjoyed these insights.
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  24. Everyone working in Enochian magic seems to say that everyone else is doing it wrong.
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  25. I so wanted to serve you a cup of herbal tea with honey the whole episode. I admire your determination to be dressed and appear functional when you are clearly ill which you have done more than once. (At least you are doing so behind a camera at safe social distance). Thanks for tackling this subject, I remember seeing ads for the Rosicrucians in the backs of magazines growing up. Have always been curious, though they kept company with the sketchier ads in those magazines back in the day.
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  26. I worked in a library for seven years and studied in a religious school for nine years. Your comparison of the Bible to a library is so accurate. It gave me flashbacks of the religious section in the social sciences room. So many books, so many opinions, so few hours to absorb them all!
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  27. Thanks for such in depth free content. You are an excellent teacher good sir!
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  28. Nothing better than a Christmas ghost story! Growing up I thought only our family did that cuz we were dark and weird, glad to know its actually a normal thing!
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  29. Thanks for continuing to produce these videos. I learn so much!
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  30. I love the core of empathy that ties so much of your work together (and the smattering of nerdy historical jokes). I particularly like these more high level, accessible conversations, and would love to hear you talk more about your thoughts about the relationship humans have with magic and technology 💙 One thing I have been thinking lately that seems a bit counter intuitive is that when looking at the world through the lens of magic, my impression is that the cost of that control or understanding is front and center to the person involved. Whereas I think in modern times, we have a tendency to overlook the costs of our technology. Things appear on our doorsteps and disappear in our trashcans, without too much thought from us (until maybe the pandemic or supply chain issues). In a way, one of these seems to be much closer to the disparaging interpretation of "magical thinking" than the other Just a thought. Keep up the great work and have a nice day!
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  31. Dr. Jackson Crawford has many excellent videos on the runes from the historical and linguistic side.
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  32. Gosh, yes! Was listening to this recounting, and thought of Finkel. Anyone who hasn't watched any of his lectures/presentations (available here on YT) is sorely missing out. The man is a treasure.
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  33. ESOTERICA! Literally every one of the last 10 videos have been things I've been wanting to learn more about in the last few months. Thank You for what you do and keep on doing it, whatever it is!
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  34. When my grandson was in elementary school, he had a spiritual experience one day at school, and heard the voice of God calling him by his name. The school sent him home and as I picked him up, he excitedly told me about it; however, his parents when they got home from work, they took him to their catholic priest, who told them it was demonic and kicked them out of "his congregation" saying it was heresy.
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  35. I am an Egyptian Muslim and can not thank you enough for this amazing journey through this rich history .
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  36. Excellent choice of theme, this manuscript has always intrigued me. I’m so glad you decided to do this , your channel has filled a void in this algorithm that to ppl like me interested in everything and anything occult, hidden, or not known would otherwise not be found , thanks!👍🔥
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  37. Not only a great video, but a beautiful new intro/outro recording!
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  38. This pleases my Valentinian heart.
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  39. Growing up in a Christian household I was always interested in the fringe ,read everything I could find for the past 15 years ,I wish I'd found this channel that long ago
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  40. Okay, I love this guy! He recognizes these ancient religions as mythology and calls them that. He sees that many of these stories are downright hilarious, and that more than anything they often reveal the insecurities of the authors more than make any useful point or moral stance. (Lilith was 'evil' because she wanted to be on top sometimes during sex!) Anyway, thanks for the good information to brush up the finer points of my familiarity with the the Abrahamic religions, and also for several heartfelt laughs out loud. SUBSCRIBED!!!
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  41. Great explanation of the akchemical foundation... I especially like the in-depth reasoning of what they were seeing & their model. We forget... They weren't idiots, they were just wrong. Wrong in the right way & you've all kinds of evidence to prove the misunderstanding.
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  42. 'Life, Prosperity and Health' to you too Dr Sledge. This was an excellent presentation of a very challenging collection of concepts from an era far, far removed from ours. I've been an amateur Egyptologist for over forty years and I'm still learning. In a discussion once I remember telling an elderly Christian friend of mine about the famous 'Cannibal Hymn' from The Pyramid Texts where Unas ritually slaughters, cooks and eats the bodies and the spirits of the gods. "Oh, like the eucharist...", was her surprised reaction. Excellent episode, Many thanks.
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  43. Probably the most conceptually interesting video I've watched in years. Thank you for putting all of this together! It was a joy to watch
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  44. The algorithm as a demiurge is such a good metaphor for a corporate internet. It really is a trap, like the material world to gnostics, which creates a world of opportunities while limiting possibilities overall. The creation of illusions of competition and an obfuscation of shared person-hood and genuine community not filtered through an overbearing all-seeing eye.
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  45. I really enjoy the obscure ancient/historical artwork you display, it's always stuff i've never seen before. also, I notice you're using much fewer edits, looks great!
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  46. Dr Sledge, you make solitude spirituality more bearable. Thankyou for sharing your knowledge.
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  47. What a fantastic episode, Justin! I truly enjoyed it. As a fellow scholar located in between Philosophy and Religious Studies, I totally agree that we need more philosophical investigations of religious experiences. Luckily, the online space has you to mend that wound! ;-)
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  48. Knowing me if I cast a protective circle the entities will sneak into it behind me and then I'm stuck with them.
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  49. This was soooo good.
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  50. If you ever have a chance to piddle around in a lab there at the university, take the "white stone" silver chloride and dissolve it in concentrated ammonia. When you add copper to the solution, you'll get the most beautiful shade of blue and you'll precipitate pure silver. The blue color is actually produced by solvated electrons, so what you're seeing is the closest the human eye can come to experiencing an actual interaction with a subatomic particle. It's an absolutely magical experience.
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