Common Ground: The Kinship of Metaphysicians

A syncretic approach to esoteric teachings - the golden threads that connect Pagans, Yogis, Rosicrucians and Masons.

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Ted Czukor

Ted Czukor

A student of esoteric traditions since the age of 16, Ted Czukor (Theo the Green) taught Yoga for 37 years until retiring in 2013. For 26 years he was adjunct faculty for the Maricopa, AZ Community Colleges, teaching Gentle Yoga and Meditation & Wellness. Raised in the Methodist Church but drawn to Rosicrucianism, Hinduism and Buddhist philosophy, he is a devotee of the Goddess in all Her forms. Ted has been a Shakespearean actor, a Masonic ritualist and an Interfaith wedding officiant. He is the author of several books, none of which made any money and two of which are available as .pdf files. He lives with his wife Ravyn-Morgayne in Sun City, Arizona. Their shared dream is to someday relocate to Glastonbury, England. theoczukor@cox.net.

All religions acknowledge this ultimate reality: On the roulette wheel of Life, even if we are among the fortunate few who achieve health, fame, fortune and love, our winning streak is doomed to expire. In the end, the House always wins; we all die, by one unpleasant means or another. In my opinion, the only important differences between world religions is in how the leading lights of each faith envisioned what comes afterward.

To my way of thinking, altogether too much has been made of the monotheism-polytheism-deism-theism-pantheism debate, and the same thing goes for reincarnation, pro and con. I know what I believe; the only thing I really want to know for sure is, what happens in the final reality after all time has ended. When the universe has contracted and all the suns are gone, when everything is finished and all our stories have been told, will I—and will all the souls I have ever loved, both human and animal—be okay? I mean, really okay? What are the House Rules?

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  • Me
    Me says #
    Oh, you're welcome, Ted, and thank you for your kind words as well. I look forward to hearing more from you. :-)
  • Ted Czukor
    Ted Czukor says #
    Thank you, Jason, for your most generous review; it's the best one I ever got! I read your review of The Memory Garden, and rated
  • Me
    Me says #
    Ted, Thanks for the excellent post. It paints seemingly-broad strokes with the left hand hand while simultaneously drawing hundre

The writing scripts of humankind may look completely different from one another, but the sounds formed by human mouths can be very similar. For example, the sound Ma—and variations thereof—mean Mother all over the world. 

J. Robert Oppenheimer said that when the first atomic bomb was detonated, he remembered a quote from the Bhagavad-Gita: "Now I have become Death, destroyer of worlds." That ancient sentiment was written in Sanskrit—not the oldest language of humankind, but one of the few which are still in use today. 

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  • Francesca De Grandis
    Francesca De Grandis says #
    Ted, lovely article, thank you! I love Latin, and learning more about its roots was awesome. I also loved hearing about the Cel
  • Ted Czukor
    Ted Czukor says #
    Francesca - It's a lonely feeling, to be ahead of your time with ideas that you can't get anybody to listen to - and then to find
  • Francesca De Grandis
    Francesca De Grandis says #
    Ted, you are so sweet, thank you. Yeah, it does get lonely, as you clearly have experienced. But I am also grateful for deep think
  • Ted Czukor
    Ted Czukor says #
    Blessed Be to you, too.
  • Greybeard
    Greybeard says #
    Despite a century of misinterpretation, humans are not evolved from chimpanzees. We both share ancestry with some common ancient

Posted by on in Studies Blogs

I had been teaching Yoga for three decades, telling students every day to center themselves, when one of them spoke up and asked me what that meant. I was gob-smacked that anybody wouldn't understand this universal expression, which I had known all my life. It made me really think about it; and I soon realized that this is exactly why we teachers are here—to explain the things that are so obvious to us, to those who haven't got a clue. 

Yogis tell us that too much Moon energy (Feminine, Yin, Ida or Left Nostril) can make us depressed while too much Sun energy (Masculine, Yang, Pingala or Right Nostril) can make us manic, like a pendulum swinging uncontrollably from one extreme to another. The modern psychiatric term for this is Bi-polar disorder. Too much Moon will cripple us; too much Sun will make us self-destruct. But the proper balance of Sun and Moon will keep us healthy and functioning. 

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Sometimes a grumpy old man can come up with a sage observation, and even a sage can have a day that makes him pretty grumpy. But, generally, a man tends to be one or the other. He is born with clear tendencies either way, and all the experiences of his life thereafter simply serve to reinforce his natal qualities. 

I spent a good part of my youth wishing that I were a wise old man of 60 or more. I believed that people of that age no longer had any anxieties, having gained complete mastery over their minds. It was an accepted assumption in our society, reinforced by early TV and movies, that older men could be trusted with young women (and, for that matter, young boys), because men over 50 no longer had any sexual desires. By the age of 60, I thought, all my youthful fires would be quenched. In their place would reign rationality, wisdom and imperturbable tranquility. A long and eventful life would give me the perspective of a saint. Young people would flock to me for advice, inspiration and emotional comforting. I would be a valued elder statesman of my society. 

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  • Archer
    Archer says #
    "Everything seems to be harassing me personally"...I know just what you mean! I really appreciate the reminder to stop and think a
  • Ted Czukor
    Ted Czukor says #
    Thank you, Archer. I had a friend in high school who decided to be "radically honest" with everybody for a couple of months...whic
  • Jill Swift
    Jill Swift says #
    Always, Ted! Brightest Blessings!!
  • Jill Swift
    Jill Swift says #
    Touche!!!! That's just about what I am thinking these days!! Couldn't of had said it better! But i'm not sage, I am a CRONE. I gu
  • Ted Czukor
    Ted Czukor says #
    Ah, Jill - It is so nice to communicate with a kindred spirit. Thank you.

The following reflections came to me gradually over a period of forty-two years. I offer them here because of their universal spirituality, and also because our 21st century culture has turned Yoga into something quite different from its original purpose—which was, in fact, very close to Druidry. 

1971 was the year I took my first Yoga class. It was part of Actors' Training at the Stratford National Theatre of Canada. Our movement coach (Trish Arnold, http://www.teawithtrish.com/) presented yoga as a physical discipline—a means whereby performing artists could develop and maintain ultimate flexibility and endurance. 

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  • Francesca De Grandis
    Francesca De Grandis says #
    Ted, a lovely musing, thank you. I love the phrase "The greater the leader was, the more he was in touch with the natural world an
  • Ted Czukor
    Ted Czukor says #
    Dear Francesca, Yes, exactly! It's not what people call themselves, it's how they conduct themselves based on their inner inspira
  • Francesca De Grandis
    Francesca De Grandis says #
    Thank you. One thing I miss from the old pagan days (I've blogged on this but cld not find the blog to give u its link, LOL) is ho
  • Ted Czukor
    Ted Czukor says #
    It may be the way of things, but it's a shame. Ravyn and I had the same experience in a New Thought Center 20 years ago. When we f
  • Francesca De Grandis
    Francesca De Grandis says #
    It is definitely "the way of things," to use yr phrase. Unfortunately, it usually ends up with the organization run by small min

Posted by on in Studies Blogs

In common with the majority of Neopagans, I am a devotee of the Goddess. I spent the first half of my life in a masculine God-based religion, then felt drawn to explore the other side of things and to learn as much as I could about the Divine Mother. She has been my focus ever since. I see Her reflected in the best qualities of women I have met, and I often recognize her gentle and compassionate nature in men, too—underneath the stereotypical bluster and mindless arrogance which our pop culture likes to impose on us.

The downside, of course, is that—as a heterosexual man—I sometimes feel guilt about the historical subjugation of women, in a similar way that as a white man I feel guilt about the history of black slavery. While as a 60's flower child my personal sentiments have always been 100% on the side of women's equality and civil rights, it is obvious to any observer that I am a male of Caucasian descent; so I am connected, by association, with all males and all whites who came before me. But I am not one of the stereotypes. I am not an Archie Bunker. 

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  • Siri Snow
    Siri Snow says #
    From the small and forgotten, but very masonic Nova Scotia.
  • Siri Snow
    Siri Snow says #
    I agree with you Ted, heterosexual (especially white) males have a stigma attached to them...well to be fair I would say every cul
  • Ted Czukor
    Ted Czukor says #
    Wow, what great comments from all of you! Siri, thank you so much for understanding where I was coming from; the only dental surg
  • Brandy
    Brandy says #
    This comment thread is very interesting to me, and coincidentally occurring during a period of time when I have been trying to ans
  • Ted Czukor
    Ted Czukor says #
    No problem; upon re-reading, I see that the twinkle isn't very obvious unless you know me. I happen, by the way, to be shorter th

Posted by on in Studies Blogs

For the greater part of our lives, most of us feel the need for someone to say this to, and we all desire someone who will say it to us: "I love you, and I will take care of you." 

When we commit to caring for someone, we feel a sense of purpose in life. And when we know that a parent or a partner—or a God or a Goddess—is taking care of us, we feel comforted. 

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