Divine Ignorance

“When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.” - Nietzsche

Regarding Nietzsche's famous abyss-staring quote, could the same be said for malicious entities? If experiences like being choked by sleep paralysis demons and having demonic intrusions in one's mind—all recent personal occurrences—are any indication, then perhaps yes.

I am looking forward to concluding The Entity Pill series, a collection of interviews exploring the possibility of the existence of malicious entities, or, if you prefer, demons. Firstly, I’m being invited to discuss entities more often, and I really don’t want to become the “entity guy.” Secondly, regardless of one’s metaphysical orientation, sensing entities as though they are real seems to attract strange phenomena.

People reach out with stories, unsolicited advice, and sometimes you encounter characters who give you an unsettling sense that something isn’t quite right. Overall, I have practiced intuition-maxxing for years and trust my senses deeply, despite whatever René Descartes' demon might advise. I recently told a friend it feels like we’re skating above darkness with this series, and my sense is to proceed slowly.

One principle that this deliberate slowness has led to is “divine ignorance.” I use this phrase similarly to how sociologist Linsey McGoey uses “strategic ignorance”—deliberately avoiding information because it might create unforeseen obligations, responsibilities, or, in the case of entity-like matters, an existential crisis. I don’t need to fully understand what’s happening or have a robust theoretical grasp of these phenomena; I only need a minimal philosophy¹ to respond practically to extraordinary experiences, where skeptical interpretations have proven unsatisfactory.

When you do an internet search on this phenomenon, you eventually come across certain “spiritual” individuals who uncritically accept any truth claims stigmatized by what is deemed the consensus of science. I am strongly against scientism—the turning of science into a religion—but accepting anything and everything just because it sounds cool or esoteric is equally absurd. Such a disposition reflects spiritual narcissism.

Entities, aliens, UFOs, alternative histories, psi phenomena, and wild conspiracies—it's good to stay open to these ideas, perhaps more so than skeptics might prefer. However, being drawn to them just because they make you feel special is unwise. A similar issue arises when people begin experiencing spiritual powers, or “Siddhis”—supernatural abilities like psychic powers that result from advanced yogic practices. They become egoically attached to their new, non-ordinary experiences and abilities, often massively overestimating their truth claims or moral authority as a result.

If Siddhis are real, then it is plausible that what philosopher

Jason Reza Jorjani

calls the “Spectral Revolution” will soon be upon us. Jorjani argues that a paradigm shift, comparable to the Copernican Revolution—which shifted our worldview to a heliocentric model and encouraged the scientific method—is imminent. The Spectral Revolution will bring widespread acceptance, including within the sciences, of paranormal phenomena such as entities, UFOs, and psi abilities. 

This revolution will not only overturn the materialist worldview but also require a reordering of human relationships. For example, if psi abilities are accepted and developed, ethics surrounding psychic privacy will need to be established. Imagining a world where what was once impossible becomes real can indeed be a trippy thought experiment.

"This is another reason why the Spectral Revolution, unlike say the Copernican Revolution or the Darwinian Revolution, has been resisted for so long. The data have been there for over 120 years, and yet unconsciously, I think, people have resisted coming face to face with the reality of these phenomena, because they pose such fundamental challenges to the way society is organized. Who wants to live in a world where your neighbor can become a well-trained telepath and read your intentions better than your spouse, or where people can clairvoyantly view what you do in your most intimate moments inside your home, or where the patents of corporations are not secure from remote viewing, where the stock market could be predicted in advance by precognition. So, there’s a tremendous potential for social destabilization, even for the disintegration of society there.” - Jason Jorjani, New Thinking Allowed

I’m beginning to view The Entity Pill series as a kind of liminal onboarding for post-skeptics like myself, easing us into a world where the paranormal becomes normal. I am interested in approaching this series with wisdom, of course, and for me, the main project is not an epistemic one but an ethical one. Or, to put it differently, how can we ensure that wisdom, rather than our egos, guides us when destigmatizing truth claims and being afforded their corresponding capacities?

Again, divine ignorance is my response. Being attracted too greedily to such claims and capacities, in unexamined ways, risks being captured by what stares from the abyss.

The Entity Pill Part 2 is going strong. Last week, Lama Tsultrim Allione joined us to discuss the “Feeding Your Demons” practice:

This week, we had the long-awaited return of Evan McMullen, discussing “Intersubjective Entities”:

We have a fantastic lineup of sessions ahead. If you'd like to join the rest of the series live, you can become a member of Less Foolish and apply behind the paywall. Here are the next three sessions happening in September, with the first one happening tomorrow:

Entities of Schizophrenia w/ Jerry Marzinsky. September 14th @ 12:00 PM ET. 

Jerry Marzinsky visits The Stoa for a exploration titled "Entities of Schizophrenia," drawing on his extensive experience as a psychotherapist and his work challenging conventional psychiatric views. In this session, Jerry delves into the unsettling and often overlooked reality that the voices heard by schizophrenic patients are not mere hallucinations but conscious, parasitic entities with malevolent intent. Based on decades of clinical investigation, Jerry argues that these entities exhibit behaviors that align disturbingly with descriptions of evil spirits found in historical religious texts. This session will explore the nature of these entities, their impact on mental health, and how understanding them could radically alter the treatment and perception of schizophrenia.

Entity Dream Encounters w/ Patrick McNamara. September 18th @ 12:00 PM ET.

Patrick McNamara visits The Stoa for a session titled "Entity Dream Encounters," where he expands on his research into the mysterious phenomena of dreams. Known for his pioneering research in the cognitive neuroscience of religion, Dr. McNamara delves into the fascinating world of entities encountered during sleep and dreams. His work spans the intricate processes of REM and NREM sleep, and the role these elements play in religious and spiritual experiences. Join us for a thought-provoking discussion on how dream encounters with various entities can offer profound insights into the workings of the human brain, consciousness, and the deep-seated evolutionary functions that shape our nocturnal visions.

Egregores w/ Mark Stavish. September 25th @ 12:00 PM ET.

Mark Stavish visits The Stoa for a session titled "Egregores," where he explores the mysterious and powerful entities created by collective group minds. Drawing from his esoteric research, Stavish traces the history of egregores from ancient Greece and Rome to modern esoteric traditions and contemporary culture. Attendees will learn how egregores are formed, sustained, and their influence on human behavior, along with practical insights on how to identify, manage, or even dissolve these entities. This session is a deep dive into the hidden forces shaping our collective consciousness.

You can attend these sessions live by applying behind the paywall.