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The Grey School of Wizardry is an online educational institution founded by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart , offering a curriculum in the realm of secular esoteric arts. With inspiration drawn from various sources, including the fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry , the Grey School aims to provide a modern, non-religious approach to exploring magic and mysticism . Its curriculum spans seven years, encompassing over 500 classes across 16 color-coded departments.

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78-506: These departments cover an array of subjects, from wizardry and healing to alchemy and the dark arts . The school's structure promotes both specialization and interdisciplinary understanding, emphasizing practical application, research projects, and ethical considerations. Known subject-matter experts periodically contribute to the curriculum through guest lectures and workshops, ensuring students receive diverse perspectives and remain updated on current practices. The Grey School's approach

156-463: A distinctive educational establishment like the Grey School can significantly elevate Whitehall's profile. She expressed hope, indicating that the school’s integration into Whitehall signifies promising prospects for the community's future. Wizardry Wizardry is a series of role-playing video games originally created by American publisher Sir-Tech . The series was influential in

234-465: A full apprenticeship program where upon completion apprentices receive a certificate of journeymanship in their chosen major. Course materials and exercises are provided by qualified faculty and guest lecturers. The Grey School's Magister Program removes the structure and level restrictions of the Apprenticeship program, allowing the student to choose nearly any class from any level of study in

312-432: A predominantly vegetarian lifestyle. Parasparopagraho jīvānām (the function of souls is to help one another) is the faith's motto and the Ṇamōkāra mantra is its most common and basic prayer. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through a succession of twenty-four leaders or Tirthankaras , with the first in the current time cycle being Rishabhadeva , whom the tradition holds to have lived millions of years ago;

390-584: A quest for an ultimate or sacred meaning , religious experience , or an encounter with one's own "inner dimension". The term spirit means "animating or vital principle in man and animals". It is derived from the Old French espirit , which comes from the Latin word spiritus ( soul , ghost, courage, vigor, breath) and is related to spirare (to breathe). In the Vulgate , the Latin word spiritus

468-594: A seven-year apprenticeship curriculum in wizardry. More than 500 classes are offered in 16 color-coded departments. These are: Wizardry (indigo), Natural Philosophy (silver), Magickal Practice (gold), Psychic Arts (aqua), Healing (blue), Wortcunning/ Herbalism (green), Divination (yellow), Performance Magics (orange), Alchemy & Magickal Sciences (red), Lifeways (pink), Beast Mastery (brown), Cosmology (violet), Mathemagicks (clear), Ceremonial Magic (white), Lore (grey), and Dark Arts (black). Although some classes address mythology and comparative religion ,

546-597: A similar party-based system in Ultima III: Exodus . Other user interface elements were influential in Japanese role-playing games. The later Wizardry games implemented multiple endings, some of which were only accessible to people who imported characters from previous games. Wizardry features what would later be called prestige classes . Aside from the traditional character classes , such as fighter , players could take more advanced ones that combined

624-401: A social and psychological meaning. Socially it denoted the territory of the clergy: "the ecclesiastical against the temporary possessions, the ecclesiastical against the secular authority, the clerical class against the secular class". Psychologically, it denoted the realm of the inner life: "the purity of motives, affections, intentions, inner dispositions, the psychology of the spiritual life,

702-496: A starting point, including Students of the Round , Stranger of Sword City , and Demon Gaze . Spirituality Antiquity Medieval Early modern Modern Iran India East-Asia The meaning of spirituality has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality is referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover

780-470: A supernatural realm or afterlife, or to make sense of one's own "inner dimension". Bergomi detects "an enlightened form of non-religious spirituality" in late antiquity . Words translatable as "spirituality" first began to arise in the 5th century and only entered common use toward the end of the Middle Ages . In a Biblical context the term means being animated by God. The New Testament offers

858-541: A template for role-playing video games. Some notable series that trace their look and feel to Wizardry include 1985's The Bard's Tale and the Might and Magic series. The specific Wizardry formula, that of a turn based RPG taking place primarily in a dungeon via first person exploration, is referred to as a dungeon crawl . Wizardry is the major inspiration to the Nintendo DS title The Dark Spire . While

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936-636: A textbook—a grimoire —for the school, the Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard (2004). This was followed by the Companion for the Apprentice Wizard in 2006. The Grey School of Wizardry first opened on August 1, 2004. The school's motto is: Omnia vivunt, omnia inter se conexa (“Everything is alive; everything is interconnected” — Cicero ). It is a nonprofit educational institute for children 11–17 years of age, and adults of any age. The name of

1014-410: A wider range of experiences, including a range of esoteric and religious traditions. Modern usages tend to refer to a subjective experience of a sacred dimension , and the "deepest values and meanings by which people live", often in a context separate from organized religious institutions . This may involve belief in a supernatural realm beyond the ordinarily observable world, personal growth ,

1092-561: Is a blend of humanistic psychology, mystical and esoteric traditions, and Eastern religions. In modern times the emphasis is on subjective experience and the "deepest values and meanings by which people live", incorporating personal growth or transformation, usually in a context separate from organized religious institutions. Spirituality can be defined generally as an individual's search for ultimate or sacred meaning, and purpose in life. Additionally it can mean to seek out or search for personal growth, religious experience , belief in

1170-523: Is also derived from Latin spiritualis . There is no single, widely agreed-upon definition of spirituality. Surveys of the definition of the term, as used in scholarly research, show a broad range of definitions with limited overlap. A survey of reviews by McCarroll, each dealing with the topic of spirituality, gave twenty-seven explicit definitions among which "there was little agreement". This causes some difficulty in trying to study spirituality systematically; i.e., it impedes both understanding and

1248-581: Is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought of Judaism. Kabbalah is a set of esoteric teachings meant to explain the relationship between an unchanging, eternal and mysterious Ein Sof (no end) and the mortal and finite universe (his creation). Interpretations of Kabbalistic spirituality are found within Hasidic Judaism , a branch of Orthodox Judaism founded in 18th-century Eastern Europe by Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov . Hasidism often emphasizes

1326-492: Is an important concept in Buddhist praxis ( Patipatti ). The word bhavana normally appears in conjunction with another word forming a compound phrase such as citta-bhavana (the development or cultivation of the heart/mind) or metta-bhavana (the development/cultivation of loving kindness). When used on its own bhavana signifies 'spiritual cultivation' generally. Various Buddhist paths to liberation developed throughout

1404-414: Is an individual experience, and referred to as ksaitrajña ( Sanskrit : क्षैत्रज्ञ ). It defines spiritual practice as one's journey towards moksha , awareness of self, the discovery of higher truths, Ultimate reality, and a consciousness that is liberated and content. Traditionally, Hinduism identifies three mārga (ways) of spiritual practice, namely Jñāna (ज्ञान), the way of knowledge; Bhakti ,

1482-720: Is composed of eight different titles. All of the titles were first released in North America, and then ported to Japanese computers. Some of the titles were also officially released in Europe. The first three games are a trilogy, with similar settings, plots, and gameplay mechanics. A second trilogy is formed by installments 6 through 8 – Bane of the Cosmic Forge , Crusaders of the Dark Savant and Wizardry 8 – with settings and gameplay mechanics that differed greatly from

1560-609: Is played as a solo adventure: one character only, with no supporting party or monsters. All players use the same character, without the ability to choose class or attributes. In addition, the game contains only 16 spells, compared to 50 in the first four adventures, and more in the subsequent ones. It is also the first Wizardry title where the player saw enemies in advance and thus could try to avoid them. Japan North America PAL region The popularity of Wizardry in Japan inspired several original sequels, spin-offs, and ports, with

1638-483: Is rooted in a secular exploration of the esoteric arts, distinct from religious spirituality. Despite its online nature, the school also acquired a physical campus in Whitehall, New York , known as the "Nine Acre Woods" Conclave Grounds and the "Highspire" Manor building, fostering opportunities for in-person learning. The program was partially inspired by the fictitious Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from

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1716-531: Is sometimes associated today with philosophical, social, or political movements such as liberalism , feminist theology , and green politics . Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was a pioneer of the idea of spirituality as a distinct field. He was one of the major figures in Transcendentalism , an early 19th-century liberal Protestant movement, which was rooted in English and German Romanticism ,

1794-631: Is stressed by both Muslim and non-Muslim authors. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi , an 11th-century Islamic scholar, referenced a statement by the companion of Muhammad , Jabir ibn Abd-Allah : The Prophet ... returned from one of his battles, and thereupon told us, 'You have arrived with an excellent arrival, you have come from the Lesser Jihad to the Greater Jihad ;– the striving of a servant (of Allah ) against his desires (holy war)." The best known form of Islamic mystic spirituality

1872-441: Is studied and practiced are varied and range from ecstatic visions of the soul's mystical union with God to simple prayerful contemplation of Holy Scripture (i.e., Lectio Divina ). Progressive Christianity is a contemporary movement which seeks to remove the supernatural claims of the faith and replace them with a post-critical understanding of biblical spirituality based on historical and scientific research. It focuses on

1950-627: Is the Sufi tradition (famous through Rumi and Hafiz ) in which a Sheikh or pir transmits spiritual discipline to students. Sufism or taṣawwuf ( Arabic : تصوّف ) is defined by its adherents as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam . A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a ṣūfī ( صُوفِيّ ). Sufis believe they are practicing ihsan (perfection of worship) as revealed by Gabriel to Muhammad , Worship and serve Allah as you are seeing Him and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you. Sufis consider themselves as

2028-957: Is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God". Alternatively, in the words of the Darqawi Sufi teacher Ahmad ibn Ajiba , "a science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the Divine , purify one's inner self from filth, and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits". Jainism , traditionally known as Jain Dharma, is an ancient Indian religion . The three main pillars of Jainism are ahiṃsā (non-violence), anekāntavāda (non-absolutism), and aparigraha (non-attachment). Jains take five main vows: ahiṃsā (non-violence), satya (truth), asteya (not stealing), brahmacharya (sexual continence), and aparigraha (non-possessiveness). These principles have affected Jain culture in many ways, such as leading to

2106-533: Is the spiritual practice of living out a personal faith. Pope Francis offers several ways in which the calling of Christian spirituality can be considered: The terminology of the Catholic Church refers to an act of faith ( fides qua creditur ) following the acceptance of faith ( fides quae creditur ). Although all Catholics are expected to pray together at Mass , there are many different forms of spirituality and private prayer which have developed over

2184-465: Is used to translate the Greek pneuma and Hebrew ruach . The term "spiritual", meaning "concerning the spirit", is derived from Old French spirituel (12c.), which is derived from Latin spiritualis , which comes by spiritus or "spirit". The term "spirituality" is derived from Middle French spiritualité , from Late Latin spiritualitatem (nominative spiritualitas ), which

2262-824: The Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling . Before the school opened, the Grey Council was established by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart as an advisory group to determine the curriculum. The Grey Council was composed of some two dozen authors, mystics, magicians and leaders of neopagan communities around the world, including Raymond Buckland , Raven Grimassi , Patricia Telesco , Frederic Lamond , Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart , Donald Michael Kraig , Katlyn Breene , Robert Lee "Skip" Ellison , Jesse Wolf Hardin , Nicki Scully , Sam Webster , Trina Robbins , Ronald Hutton , Amber K , Ellen Evert Hopman , Luc Sala and Jeff McBride . The Grey Council worked through 2003 to produce

2340-543: The Immanent Divine presence and focuses on emotion, fervour , and the figure of the Tzadik . This movement included an elite ideal of nullification to paradoxical Divine Panentheism . The Musar movement is a Jewish spiritual movement that has focused on developing character traits such as faith , humility , and love . The Musar movement, first founded in the 19th century by Israel Salanter and developed in

2418-510: The spiritual science of Martinus was an influence, especially in Scandinavia. The influence of Asian traditions on Western modern spirituality was also furthered by the perennial philosophy , whose main proponent Aldous Huxley was deeply influenced by Swami Vivekananda's Neo-Vedanta and universalism , and the spread of social welfare, education and mass travel after World War II . An important influence on western spirituality

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2496-445: The 21st century by Alan Morinis and Ira F. Stone , has encouraged spiritual practices of Jewish meditation, Jewish prayer, Jewish ethics , tzedakah , teshuvah, and the study of musar (ethical) literature . Reform Judaism and Conservative Judaism have often emphasized the spirituality of Jewish ethics and tikkun olam , feminist spirituality , Jewish prayer, Torah study, ritual, and musar. Christian spirituality

2574-469: The Apple II at the present time". While noting limitations such as the inability to divide the party, or the emphasis on combat over role-playing, the magazine stated that "no other game comes closer to providing the type of contest favored by most players of non-electronic role-playing games... one outstanding programming achievement, and an absolute 'must buy' for those fantasy gamers who own an Apple". In

2652-488: The Biblical criticism of Johann Gottfried Herder and Friedrich Schleiermacher , the skepticism of Hume , and Neoplatonism . The Transcendentalists emphasized an intuitive, experiential approach to religion. Following Schleiermacher, an individual's intuition of truth was taken as the criterion for truth. In the late 18th and early 19th century, the first translations of Hindu texts appeared, which were also read by

2730-548: The Forsaken Land in 2002, and awarded it a score of 8.5 out of 10. In 2011, Wizardry: Labyrinth of Lost Souls was also reviewed by GameSpot and received a score of 7.5 out of 10. In Japan, readers of Famitsu magazine considered the Famicom port of the original Wizardry I to be one of the 100 best games of all time. The series was ranked as the 60th top game (collectively) by Next Generation in 1996. They cited

2808-552: The Mayor of Whitehall, during a discussion with the school's internal publication, Grey Matters, conveyed her endorsement and anticipation for the establishment. She stated, "Whitehall welcomes the Grey School of Wizardry and any apprentices who opt to visit Whitehall." Eagan emphasized the school's dedication to community involvement and civic service, which resonates with Whitehall’s communal values. She observed, "Whitehall centers on community and mutual support." The mayor suggested that

2886-493: The May–June 1982, issue of Computer Gaming World , the reviewer praised Wizardry as setting a standard by which all fantasy role playing games should be compared to, and call it an all time classic. The series had sold over 1.5 million copies by 1987, 2 million by 1992, and over 5 million by 1996. Spin-offs originally released in Japan received generally positive reviews in North America. GameSpot reviewed Wizardry: Tale of

2964-543: The Second World War, spirituality and theistic religion became increasingly disconnected, and spirituality became more oriented on subjective experience, instead of "attempts to place the self within a broader ontological context". A new discourse developed, in which (humanistic) psychology, mystical and esoteric traditions and eastern religions are being blended, to reach the true self by self-disclosure , free expression, and meditation. The distinction between

3042-709: The Transcendentalists, and influenced their thinking. They also endorsed universalist and Unitarianist ideas, leading to Unitarian Universalism , the idea that there must be truth in other religions as well since a loving God would redeem all living beings, not just Christians. A major influence on modern spirituality was the Theosophical Society , which searched for 'secret teachings' in Asian religions. It has been influential on modernist streams in several Asian religions, notably Neo-Vedanta ,

3120-479: The Wizardry formula. Much like the original Wizardry, XTH spawned a direct storyline sequel, Wizardry XTH: Unlimited Students . The second XTH game was used as the basis for and shared code with Class of Heroes , which swapped the modern science fiction elements for a combination of High School, High Fantasy, and Anime aesthetics. Class of Heroes would go on to spawn several sequels and spinoffs itself. Following

3198-460: The abilities of multiple classes if they had the right attributes and alignment. In the early Wizardry games, some classes were inaccessible during character creation due to the high requirements; this meant the player needed to first gain levels and then change their class. Wizardry VI allowed starting with any class if the player invested enough time during the random character attribute generation. Wizardry inspired many clones and served as

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3276-612: The ages. Best-known is the Noble Eightfold Path , but others include the Bodhisattva Path and Lamrim . Hinduism has no traditional ecclesiastical order, no centralized religious authorities, no governing body, no prophets nor any binding holy book; Hindus can choose to be polytheistic, henotheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, or atheistic. Within this diffuse and open structure, spirituality in Hindu philosophy

3354-623: The analysis of the feelings". In the 17th and 18th centuries, a distinction was made between higher and lower forms of spirituality: "A spiritual man is one who is Christian 'more abundantly and deeper than others'." The word was also associated with mysticism and quietism , and acquired a negative meaning. Modern notions of spirituality developed throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, mixing Christian ideas with Western esoteric traditions and elements of Asian, especially Indian, religions. Spirituality became increasingly disconnected from traditional religious organizations and institutions. It

3432-711: The capacity to communicate findings in a meaningful fashion. According to Kees Waaijman, the traditional meaning of spirituality is a process of re-formation that "aims to recover the original shape of man, the image of God. To accomplish this, the re-formation is oriented at a mold, which represents the original shape: in Judaism the Torah , in Christianity there is Christ , for Buddhism , Buddha , and in Islam , Muhammad ." Houtman and Aupers suggest that modern spirituality

3510-663: The centuries. Each of the major religious orders of the Catholic Church and other lay groupings have their own unique spirituality – its own way of approaching God in prayer and in living out the Gospel . Christian mysticism refers to the development of mystical practices and theory within Christianity . It has often been connected to mystical theology , especially in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox traditions. The attributes and means by which Christian mysticism

3588-473: The concept of being driven by the Holy Spirit , as opposed to living a life in which one rejects this influence. In the 11th century, this meaning of "Spirituality" changed. Instead, the word began to denote the mental aspect of life, as opposed to the material and sensual aspects of life, "the ecclesiastical sphere of light against the dark world of matter". In the 13th century "spirituality" acquired

3666-529: The evolution of modern role-playing video games alongside Ultima and Might and Magic . The original Wizardry was a significant influence on early console role-playing games such as Shin Megami Tensei , Dragon Slayer , The Shining , Fire Emblem , Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest . Originally made for the Apple II , the games were later ported to other platforms. The last game in

3744-542: The first graphically-rich incarnations of Dungeons & Dragons -type gameplay for home computers . The release of the first version coincided with the first wave of Dungeons & Dragons' popularity in North America . The first five games in the series were written in Apple Pascal , an implementation of UCSD Pascal . They were ported to many different platforms by writing UCSD Pascal implementations for

3822-526: The first trilogy. The fourth game, The Return of Werdna , was a significant departure from the rest of the series. In it, the player controls Werdna ("Andrew", one of the game's developers, spelled backwards), the evil wizard slain in the first game, and summons groups of monsters to aid him as he fights his way through the prison in which he had been held captive. Rather than monsters, the player faced typical adventuring parties, some of which were pulled from actual user disks sent to Sir-Tech for recovery. Further,

3900-491: The fourth game, The Return of Werdna , was poorly received, as, lacking the knowledge of subcultures necessary to solving the game, Japanese players had no chance of figuring out some puzzles. The eight main titles in the series are: Japan North America PAL region In 1996, the series received the first (and, so far, only) spin-off developed in North America, titled Nemesis: The Wizardry Adventure . Every other Wizardry spin-off has been developed in Japan. Nemesis

3978-429: The game follows its own story and maps, much of the game uses the same game play mechanics, even going so far as including a "classic" mode that removes all of the game's graphics, replacing them with a wireframe environment, 8-bit-style sprites for monsters and characters, and chiptune music. The game's publisher, Atlus , also published another Wizardry spin-off, Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land . While designing

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4056-651: The growth of secularism in the western world have given rise to this broader view of spirituality. The term "spiritual" is now frequently used in contexts in which the term "religious" was formerly employed. Both theists and atheists have criticized this development. Spirituality in Judaism ( Hebrew : רוחניות , romanized :  ruhniyut ) may involve practices of Jewish ethics , Jewish prayer , Jewish meditation , Shabbat and holiday observance, Torah study , dietary laws , teshuvah , and other practices. It may involve practices ordained by halakhah or other practices. Kabbalah (literally "receiving")

4134-866: The huge dungeons with elaborate quests and tons of differing enemies. Fans of the series included Robin Williams , Harry Anderson , and the Crown Prince of Bahrain ; the latter even called Sir-Tech on the phone. Together with the Ultima series, Wizardry established the conventions of role-playing video games. The command-driven battle system with a still image of the monster being fought would be emulated in later games, such as The Bard's Tale , Dragon Slayer , Shining Force , Fire Emblem , Dragon Quest , and Final Fantasy . The party-based combat in Wizardry also inspired Richard Garriott to include

4212-438: The in-game jokes and parodies. For example, Blade Cusinart was introduced in early games as "a legendary sword made by the famous blacksmith, Cusinart [ sic ]" but its meaning was misinterpreted because Cuisinart food processors were virtually unknown in Japan. However, this misconception appealed to early computer gamers who were looking for something different and made the Wizardry series popular. Conversely,

4290-542: The lived experience of spirituality over historical dogmatic claims, and accepts that the faith is both true and a human construction, and that spiritual experiences are psychologically and neurally real and useful. An inner spiritual struggle and an outer physical struggle are two commonly accepted meanings of the Arabic word jihad : The "greater jihad" is the inner struggle by a believer to fulfill his religious duties and fight against one's ego . This non-violent meaning

4368-437: The menu-driven WizPlus , a utility program that allowed users to make changes to both the characters and also to the playing environment of Wizardry ; Bob Reams reviewed the utility for Computer Gaming World , and said that " WizPlus should be used with great caution or the spirit of adventuring will be diluted and, more importantly, you will not be able to continue with this exciting series". The original Wizardry series

4446-489: The nature of the Japanese mobile system, English localisations of the following games are unlikely. Japan North America PAL region The original Wizardry game was a success, selling 24,000 copies by June 1982, just nine months after its release according to Softalk's sales surveys. In the June 1983 issue of Electronic Games , Wizardry was described as "without a doubt, the most popular fantasy adventure game for

4524-613: The original series by Sir-Tech was Wizardry 8 , released in 2001. There have since been various spin-off titles developed for the Japanese market. Wizardry began as a simple dungeon crawl by Andrew C. Greenberg and Robert Woodhead . It was written when they were students at Cornell University and published by Sir-Tech . The game was influenced by earlier games from the PLATO system, most notably Oubliette . The earliest installments of Wizardry were very successful, as they were

4602-492: The original shape of man", oriented at "the image of God " as exemplified by the founders and sacred texts of the religions of the world. The term was used within early Christianity to refer to a life oriented toward the Holy Spirit and broadened during the Late Middle Ages to include mental aspects of life. In modern times, the term both spread to other religious traditions and broadened to refer to

4680-573: The original true proponents of this pure original form of Islam. They are strong adherents to the principal of tolerance, peace and against any form of violence. The Sufi have suffered severe persecution by more rigid and fundamentalist groups such as the Wahhabi and Salafi movement . In 1843 the Senussi Sufi were forced to flee Mecca and Medina and head to Sudan and Libya. Classical Sufi scholars have defined Sufism as "a science whose objective

4758-419: The player had only a limited number of keystrokes to use to complete the game. In Japan, the Wizardry series was translated by ASCII Entertainment , and became very influential during the 1980s, even as its popularity at home declined. When first introduced, the games suffered from the culture barrier compounded by low-quality translation. This meant that the game was taken seriously by players who overlooked

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4836-407: The popular Japanese role-playing game Dragon Quest , Yuji Horii drew inspiration from the Wizardry series, 1986's Mugen no Shinzou ( Heart of Phantasm ), and the Ultima series of games. Horii's obsession with Wizardry was manifested as an easter egg in one of his earlier games, The Portopia Serial Murder Case in 1983. In a dungeon-crawling portion of that adventure game, a note on

4914-511: The revival of Theravada Buddhism , and Buddhist modernism , which have taken over modern western notions of personal experience and universalism and integrated them in their religious concepts. A second, related influence was Anthroposophy , whose founder, Rudolf Steiner , was particularly interested in developing a genuine Western spirituality, and in the ways that such a spirituality could transform practical institutions such as education , agriculture , and medicine . More independently,

4992-671: The school may derive from the colors associated with the wizards in the J. R. R. Tolkien classic The Lord of the Rings and, in particular, with the appendix to the name of the protagonist Gandalf (the Grey). It was incorporated as a non-profit educational institution in California on March 14, 2004, and received a 501(c)(3) tax exemption from the Internal Revenue Service on September 27, 2007. The school provides

5070-566: The school presents an opportunity for males who are unsatisfied by the teachings of the modern Wicca movement. He also wrote: The Grimoire collects in one book a library of wisdom about ceremonial native and Earth-centered magic, Paleo- and Neopagan religions, the obligations of the wise to protect the defenseless, great wizards and witches of the past and present, and more. The Grey School of Wizardry, based in Whitehall, has received attention and acknowledgment from local authorities. Julie Eagan,

5148-400: The school's course catalogue. In October 2019, the Grey School acquired a physical campus in Whitehall, New York . The "Nine Acre Woods" Conclave Grounds and the "Highspire" Manor building are open to Apprentices and Magisters for physical classes and during the school's yearly conclaves. Special access by appointment can be given by the provost. According to neopagan author Isaac Bonewits

5226-499: The school's grimoire (textbook of magic), Companion for the Apprentice Wizard , and the school's philosophy focus on secular exploration of the esoteric rather than spirituality . The curriculum is categorized as follows: The curriculum at the Grey School of Wizardry undergoes regular updates to remain aligned with current advancements in the field and to incorporate feedback from the academic community, ensuring its relevance in contemporary esoteric education. The school offers

5304-425: The school, with its unique focus on training students to be active contributors to their communities, complements the spirit of Whitehall, offering both parties avenues for interaction and collaboration. Moreover, Eagan highlighted the potential economic and social impact the school could have on Whitehall. She remarked on the significance of the school’s presence, implying that while new businesses are always welcome,

5382-682: The series long outliving the American original. As of 2022, thirty-nine different spin-offs were released in Japan, with five of them being localized and released worldwide. The latest is also the last original game produced in the series, released in Japan in 2014 and in English in 2017. Japan North America PAL region All the games in this sub-series were developed by Starfish SD . Japan North America PAL region Japan North America PAL region Japan North America PAL region Japan North America PAL region Japan North America PAL region Due to

5460-574: The shutdown of Michaelsoft, the director of Wizardry XTH , Motoya Ataka took a group of programmers he called "Team Muramasa" that had worked on Empire and XTH and went on to found Experience Inc. , creating a series of PC games with Wizardry XTH's mechanics called Generation Xth . These would later be ported to the PlayStation Vita , their ports localized as Operation Abyss and Operation Babel . Experience would go on to create several other DRPGs using Wizardry ' s mechanics as

5538-629: The spiritual and the religious became more common in the popular mind during the late 20th century with the rise of secularism and the advent of the New Age movement. Authors such as Chris Griscom and Shirley MacLaine explored it in numerous ways in their books. Paul Heelas noted the development within New Age circles of what he called "seminar spirituality": structured offerings complementing consumer choice with spiritual options. Among other factors, declining membership of organized religions and

5616-455: The spiritual practice often includes chanting, singing and music – such as in kirtans – in front of idols, or images of one or more deity, or a devotional symbol of the holy. Karma marga is the path of one's work, where diligent practical work or vartta ( Sanskrit : वार्त्ता , profession) becomes in itself a spiritual practice, and work in daily life is perfected as a form of spiritual liberation and not for its material rewards. Rāja marga

5694-529: The target machines ( Mac II cross-development). David W. Bradley took over the series after the fourth installment, adding a new level of plot and complexity. In 1998, the rights were transferred to 1259190 Ontario Inc., and in 2006, to Aeria IPM. In 2008, Aeria IPM merged with Gamepot , the developer of Wizardry Online and in 2017, Gamepot was shut down and absorbed into its parent company GMO Internet . Drecom announced they had acquired Wizardry from GMO Internet on October 29, 2020. Datamost released

5772-429: The twenty-third tirthankara Parshvanatha , whom historians date to 9th century BCE; and the twenty-fourth tirthankara, Mahavira around 600 BCE. Jainism is considered to be an eternal dharma with the tirthankaras guiding every time cycle of the cosmology . Buddhist practices are known as Bhavana , which literally means "development" or "cultivating" or "producing" in the sense of "calling into existence". It

5850-486: The wall reads "MONSTER SURPRISED YOU". Wizardry's legacy continued in Japan after the parent company ended, with titles such as Wizardry Gaiden , Wizardry Empire , and Wizardry XTH , being developed after the original games were released and generally keeping the same tropes, themes, and mechanics. Notably Wizardry XTH: Academy of Frontier swapped the original's Gothic themes for a modern day military school setting, adding item crafting and party member compatibility to

5928-409: The way of devotion; and Karma yoga , the way of selfless action. In the 19th century Vivekananda , in his neo-Vedanta synthesis of Hinduism, added Rāja yoga , the way of contemplation and meditation, as a fourth way, calling all of them "yoga". Jñāna marga is a path often assisted by a guru (teacher) in one's spiritual practice. Bhakti marga is a path of faith and devotion to deity or deities;

6006-450: The western world and Asia, which also influenced western religiosity. Unitarianism, and the idea of Universalism, was brought to India by missionaries, and had a major influence on neo-Hinduism via Ram Mohan Roy 's Brahmo Samaj and Brahmoism . Roy attempted to modernise and reform Hinduism, from the idea of Universalism. This universalism was further popularised, and brought back to the west as neo-Vedanta, by Swami Vivekananda . After

6084-424: Was Neo-Vedanta , also called neo-Hinduism and Hindu Universalism , a modern interpretation of Hinduism which developed in response to western colonialism and orientalism . It aims to present Hinduism as a "homogenized ideal of Hinduism" with Advaita Vedanta as its central doctrine. Due to the colonisation of Asia by the western world, since the 19th century an exchange of ideas has been taking place between

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