Neo-Paganism and the Temple of Set by Ruth Nielson

In this episode, we descend from the philosophical heights of the Left-Hand Path into the chaotic marketplace of modern religious identity, where the boundaries between pagan, neo-pagan, Christian, and Setian blur into a confusing morass of terminology and misunderstanding. We explore how Ruth Nielsen II°—an Adept of the Temple of Set, a former Catholic, and a sharp-eyed analyst of religious systems—seized a moment of public confusion and transformed it into a masterclass in apologetics, declaring that the true distinction between religious paths is not the name of the god you worship but the ultimate fate of the Self.From the rejection of union with Something-Or-Other and the embrace of Self-deification, from the four categories of religious analysis to the devastating summary of the right-hand path as "Self feeding the Gods and feeding upon the Gods," from the critique of Christian paganism to the appropriation of Buber's I-Thou for Setian purposes, from the crisis of the Holocaust and the "omnipotent Nothingness" of modern Judaism to the vampire as symbol of self-motivated independence—we trace the monumental, deeply contested, and astonishingly useful legacy of Nielsen's apologetic framework and ask: In a world that still categorizes us as satanists, still confuses us with neo-pagans, and still demands that we explain ourselves in soundbites, do we have the courage to articulate our own truth, or will we retreat into the comfortable silence of the misunderstood?🎧 ABOUT THE RUBY TABLETThe Ruby Tablet Podcast is a philosophical and spiritual journey through the essays of the Temple of Set, exploring the great traditions of human thought—from ancient Egypt to the present day. Each episode is a deep dive into the ideas that help shape the Self and fan the Black Flame.🔗 SOURCES & READING LIST:Essay #36: Neo-Paganism and the Temple of Set Classification: V2 - 290.P - 1 Author: Ruth Nielsen II° Date: October, XXV Publication: Trail of the Serpent HTML Revision: Sept. 14, 1998 CE Subject: Neo-Paganism Reading List: 3C📚 RECOMMENDED READING:-Ruth Nielsen II°, "Neo-Paganism and the Temple of Set" (Trail of the Serpent) -Martin Buber, I and Thou -Richard L. Rubenstein, After Auschwitz: Radical Theology and Contemporary Judaism -Irving Greenburg, "Cloud of Smoke, Pillar of Fire: Judaism, Christianity, and Modernity After the Holocaust" -Jerry V. Diller (ed.), Ancient Roots and Modern Meanings Robin Lane Fox, Pagans and Christians -Marvin W. Meyer (ed.), The Ancient Mysteries: A Sourcebook -James Lewis (Ipsissimus), Book of Leviathan -Carl Jung, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious -Aleister Crowley, Magick Without Tears -Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers -The Crystal Tablet of Set The Word of Leviathan (Prophecy of the Red Magus) -Michael A. Aquino, The Temple of Set (various writings)🏷️ HASHTAGS#NeoPaganism #TempleOfSet #Apologetics #Setianism #LeftHandPath #RightHandPath #SelfDeification #Paganism #Christianity #Judaism #Catholicism #Sacraments #MysteryCults #IAndThou #MartinBuber #RichardRubenstein #HolocaustTheology #GodIsDead #VampireMythology #Mythology #Deities #Mysteries #InitiatoryStates #Xeper #BlackFlame #Set #Satanism #ReligiousPluralism #ReligiousCommunication #Apologetics #SelfRealization #TheRubyTablet #PhilosophyPodcast #OccultPodcast #SpiritualJourney #ReligiousStudies #ComparativeReligion #TrailOfTheSerpent #Gnosis #KKUP #TimMcGranahan #TheGiftOfSet #Setamorphosis #AeonicWords #OrderOfLeviathan #CouncilOfNine #Remanifest #Setian #Nielsen #RuthNielsenII #TheSelf #GodForms #PeersInEternity #AdventureOfEternalLife #TheUprightPosition #SetIsAlsoFriend #ReligiousTerminology #CulturalCommunication #EsotericLiterature #NewAge #AquarianAge