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In some European myths, from Plato's Cratylus to Rumplestiltskin, knowing someone's True Name means having special knowledge about them, or power over them. What kind of powers are those? What about other cultures of the world? [more inside]
posted by kandinski at 8:43 PM - 18 answers

Please recommend recordings (and/or podcasts) of devotions or meditations that would be suitable for a morning routine. [more inside]
posted by notquitemaryann at 9:09 AM - 4 answers

I'm trying to improve my understanding of stoic philosophy and one way I've found to increase the resolution of my understanding is to try to identify the key differences between different proponents of a view. So what are the key differences and disagreements we can identify between them?
posted by casebash at 4:51 AM - 3 answers

What are your favorite quotes or short passages about having patience and persevering? Positive and encouraging excerpts from religious texts, poems, etc are especially welcome. Thank you.
posted by Hermione Granger at 4:29 PM - 26 answers

Help me re-center my quality of life expectations by comparing what I have access to against aristocracy of the past. What lifestyle elements were accessible only to rulers and the elite in the past, and are generally accessible now? Here's a diagram! [more inside]
posted by rebent at 10:03 AM - 39 answers

I’m torn between the world of legal agreements and my social justice heart. I got lied to, a lot, in a real estate transaction. Details inside. [more inside]
posted by anonymous at 6:16 PM - 66 answers

What happens if someone has a heart attack during a church service? [more inside]
posted by amicamentis at 1:34 PM - 16 answers

I'm dealing with an existential crisis and am not sure humanism is still a mindset that works for me anymore. I'm reading about religion and spirituality at the moment to see if I can experience subjective divine experience (about the only framework I think I could understand God or some kind of cosmic order through). I'm also considering psychedelics. I can function at work but the rest of my life is getting strained. What are good resources to help me through this? [more inside]
posted by MuppetNavy at 9:09 PM - 45 answers

So, I'm an atheist, but I'd like to read the parts of the Bible that are about Jesus's life on Earth, and I'd like to avoid reading any of the rest of it. If that's my goal, what sections should I read? [more inside]
posted by 23skidoo at 3:05 PM - 28 answers

I read a sci fi story recently (Aspirate) that got me a bit too close to the absurd. It's turned into fixation and rumination. I want to move on and make the most of my time on Earth because what else can I do, but that's a tall order. I guess I should put this stuff in the extended explanation if it's a bit much for people to scroll past. [more inside]
posted by MuppetNavy at 10:32 AM - 20 answers

What are the best philosophical works (including novels) you've read that touch on belief (the nature of, not the content of), memory, and identity?
posted by perhapses at 7:44 PM - 9 answers

I am looking for an original taxonomy of monsters. [more inside]
posted by nantucket at 1:23 PM - 5 answers

I was raised non-religiously in a nominally Catholic family, but I've never believed in God. However, I went to college at a Jewish university, my ex-husband was Jewish, my social circle is predominately Jewish, and my current boyfriend is Jewish. I've been Jewish-adjacent for decades. When I married my ex, I didn't convert because of the atheism thing. But my boyfriend asked me to marry him yesterday, and this loud, clear voice in my head boomed "you should convert." But can I? [more inside]
posted by Neely O'Hara at 11:01 AM - 24 answers

I’m not certain of the exact timeframe, but shortly after the 2016 election I read an article online reviewing the philosophical arguments for a conscientious person staying in a system they find to be harmful in an attempt to make it better versus leaving the system in protest because staying would make them complicit. While the premise was working in the Trump administration, the bulk of the article was situation-agnostic and discussed different philosopher’s opinions. My attempts to find this article have been in vain. Help me, Mefi!
posted by AaRdVarK at 7:47 PM - 2 answers

This may come off as weird, but for certain reasons, I'd like to memorize interesting passages from sacred texts. Interesting in the sense as a) core locus for a less well known theological debate / thesis or b) an interesting discrepancy between different parts of the text or c) interesting passage in light of later developments. [more inside]
posted by kmt at 1:56 PM - 8 answers

How do you know whether you're doing something good by stepping out of your comfort zone, or whether you're just forcing yourself into doing things you get no enjoyment out of?
posted by iamsuper at 8:41 AM - 12 answers

Can anyone give me a summary of the Roman Catholic approach to the Liturgy of the Hours (a.k.a. the Breviary), specifically evening prayer (Compline)? I want to add it to my evening routine, so recommendations of a compact book of them would be REALLY useful. [more inside]
posted by wenestvedt at 8:34 PM - 9 answers

I've finished reading the long and awesome "What's Your Best Nursing Ghost Story?" thread recommended by this old askmefi and am looking for similar stories in hospital/nursing home settings online. [more inside]
posted by whitelotus at 4:32 AM - 1 answers

What books are good historical accounts of monastic traditions around the world? [more inside]
posted by zenja72 at 5:09 PM - 4 answers

Looking to be more intentional this coming year, and while I've never been one for journaling I'd like to start by doing some very simple reflection. I think having a punch list of questions to reflect on and (optionally) do some simple journaling on would be helpful. Do you have a set of these questions? Or a simple process for reviewing your goals and personal vision/mission and sticking to them?
posted by sciencemandan at 7:27 AM - 23 answers