Greetings, and welcome to Sumne Lepus. Here, you will find a collection of writings that span a broad range of topics, from philosophy to esoterica. This website is the product of years of soul-searching and a lifelong quest of asking questions, contemplating answers, and seeking an outlet to share insights.
The Proprietor
By day, I’m a DevOps engineer, specializing in systems integration, process automation, and AI. I am also a philosopher working towards my doctorate, a mystic and an occultist. When I’m not pouring over stacks of too many books, I enjoy good coffee and classical music, and occasionally sacrifice some time for movies and other drab entertainment. I am fortunate enough to have found an amazing person to spend my life with, with whom I have two wonderful children and three cats. I live just outside of Boston, Massachusetts.
The Content
For over a decade, I have written sporadically on a wide variety of topics, albeit publishing very little. When I first began writing, my goal was fairly simple: to share my spiritual and philosophical approach in the hopes that others might find some inspiration or comfort therein. The more I wrote, however, the more I found I had to write. At times, this was simply daunting; in some situations, I lacked the depth of knowledge to due the topic justice; often, I found I lacked the words to effectively express what I wanted to say.
To complicate things a bit more, there is a wide variety of perception on any given topic. In this day and age, contextual exposition and definition of concepts and terminology is essential, lest a message be confused in transmission. This necessitates a more holistic approach to exposition of any topic, especially those of a philosophical nature. Put simply, we cannot do justice to the topics of philosophy and theology without also expounding on topics ranging from academic methodology to sociology. Therefore, my endeavor instantly became far deeper and more expansive than I had anticipated.
Bearing this in mind, it is essential, as one reads through the pages on this website, that any pre-existing understanding of concepts and terminology be suspended. As a general “rule of thumb,” no matter how familiar a term, concept, or idea may be to the reader, and without regard to how trivial it may seem, if there is an exposition of it (or a link thereto), you are strongly advised to review and assimilate it — at least for the purposes of the discussions herein. This will assist in clarifying context and content alike. As with all philosophical discourse, it is essential to explicitly define terminology and concepts in context for the ideas to be understood correctly.
For this reason, the subject matter contained in these pages spans a much broader variety of topics than simply philosophy, theology, and esoterica. In many cases, this material is auxiliary and supportive; in others, it simply represents an additional field of interest for your dear proprietor (as will often be the case with musical content, for example). In any case, let the big takeaway be simply that multi-disciplinary “generalists” or polymaths are alive and well in the world today, fulfilling a unique role that is not only beneficial but essential to the further growth and development of humanity and civilization.
The Goal
I would like, now, to paint a picture of the vision I have for these pages. However, before I begin this discourse, I must due my duty to ensure that it is received correctly, and preserve the grace of the Great Conversation, lest it devolve into barbaric and abrasive mudslinging.
I am not making any claims of absolute truth or certainty. As have all philosophers previously, I am merely sharing my ideas and views, and I expect them to be challenged, questioned, and dissected; let the useful bits be preserved and built upon, and the chaff cast off.
That being said…
It is my hope that, by providing these ideas in such a public forum, it might contribute to the catalyzing of the next stage of advancement for humanity.
The Role of the Polymath
Throughout history, there is a correlative pattern between the flourishing of intellectualism and culture, juxtaposed against periods of stagnation (sometimes referred to as “dark ages”). Each period of intellectual flourishing is associated with its body of “great thinkers” — in the classical period, it was the great philosophers like Plato and Aristotle; at the end of the medieval period, it was the “Renaissance Men” like da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Galileo; during the Englightenment, Francis Bacon, Robert Hooke, and von Goethe carried this torch. The common ground shared by these great minds is consistently their multidisciplinary approach — they are all polymaths.
Despite the scientific and technological growth that has characterized post-World War society, we must admit that as a society in general, we are slowly being lulled into a state of intellectual complacency. Technology (and especially the latest explosion of AI) has played a major role in this, although its origins can really be traced back to the Industrial Revolution and the shifts in educational philosophy that were catalyzed by this event. While we enjoy more advanced technology than any civilization prior to our own, we have begun to stagnate. We are desperate for a reinvigoration of some sort, lest society move towards collapse and implosion resulting from the obsolescence of humanity itself.
The Pneumatic Revolution
Each of these periods of flourishing throughout history were largely driven by the great minds — most (if not all) of whom were polymaths — who happened to exist during a revolutionary period. And now, in the early 21st century, humanity once again finds itself at a crossroads, proverbially speaking. We have once again grown stagnant; conflict, crisis, and uncertainty are the order of the day. In short, we are overdue for a revolutionary “Renaissance” of our own.
I contend that this revolution will largely be a psycho-spiritual event. Our dependence on technology and growing disconnect from the natural world with which we once held a symbiotic relationship now threatens the very core of what it means to be human — our sense of purpose, our zeal for life, and our sense of interconnectedness with existence.
There is only one direction for this shift in consciousness to go, and it is the one direction that humanity has avoided since we first established civilization. It must be a psycho-pneumatic (or emotional and spiritual) shift. And, as in all ages previous, it will once again fall to the philosophers, the mystics, the artists and creators and dreamers, the academics, and the polymaths to lead the charge into this next chapter of human history.