Spiritual Rot Caused By Gated Communities and Wealth (and how to avoid it)

Spiritual Rot Caused By Gated Communities and Wealth (and how to avoid it)

In his compelling article, “Plutocrat Archipelagos” in MacGuffin Magazine, Jack Self offers an unflinching look into the secluded, fortified worlds of the ultra-wealthy. Through vivid descriptions of razor-wire fences, bodyguards, and gated communities, Self explores how these enclaves of extreme wealth serve as both physical and psychological fortresses, isolating their residents from the societal and environmental impacts of their wealth. The article dives into the unique, often paradoxical psychological profiles of those born into vast fortunes—highlighting how isolation, privilege, and a lack of consequence lead to existential crises and detachment…

Context Matters for Indigenous Insight Practices

Decontextualizing indigenous insight practices—like those in traditional Ashtanga Yoga or other ancient systems—tends to diminish their efficacy because these practices are deeply embedded in specific cultural, spiritual, and historical contexts. This “embedding” isn’t a casual detail; it’s essential to how these systems work. When aspects of a practice are extracted or secularized, they lose the nuanced interconnections that support the whole system, similar to removing a keystone from an arch. For example, in Ashtanga Yoga, specific techniques and philosophies are not just exercises but methods developed within a layered understanding…