What if everything you think you know about enlightenment… is a trap? In this episode of the Sitara Podcast, hosts Caleb Lara and Avi Nash pull no punches as they dismantle the overused, misused, and sometimes dangerous concept of “enlightenment.”

We begin where all true mysteries do — in the cave. With Plato’s allegory as our torch, we explore the raw and messy path from illusion to awareness, asking: Is the light always worth it? And more importantly: What if the cave was actually safer?

Through candid dialogue, personal reflections, and esoteric analysis, Caleb and Avi move between:

• 🧠 Immanuel Kant’s call to “Dare to Know”
• 🧘 The Buddha’s liberation from suffering
• 🔥 Aleister Crowley’s radical alignment with the True Will

But this isn’t just a philosophy lecture. This is lived experience, ritual wisdom, and the occasional Batman metaphor. We examine the New Age burnout epidemic, the rise of false light spirituality, and the hidden grief behind awakening. Caleb reminds us that “real Light dismantles before it reveals,” while Avi asks the uncomfortable questions: Do we mistake ego inflation for illumination? Are we addicted to transcendence at the cost of integration?

This episode bridges multiple traditions — Freemasonry, Gnosticism, Hermeticism, and modern chaos magick — without watering them down. You'll hear what it means to "receive Light" in the Masonic lodge, why the Gnostic seeks to escape the demiurge’s illusion, and how the Hermeticist seeks transformation, not escape. Through it all, we explore the paradox of being both hoodwinked and initiated, both fools and seekers.

🔦 Key Themes:

• False Light vs. True Light: The spiritual traps that masquerade as growth
• Shadow Integration: Why your enlightenment must include your darkness
• Esoteric Comparisons: Masonic Light, Gnostic escape, Hermetic alchemy
• Awakening & Identity Death: Why most people are unprepared for true illumination
• The Role of the Fool: Why the awakened are often ridiculed by the world they return to
• Ego, Isolation & Suffering: Unpacking the myth of the “blissfully enlightened”

🪞 This is not a self-help episode. This is a ritual deconstruction. A fireside reflection. A whispered warning and a knowing laugh. You’ll walk away with more questions than answers — and that’s the point.

So whether you’re a Master Mason, a chaos magician, a recovering New Ager, or just a curious soul wondering why “light” doesn’t always feel good... this episode is for you.

🌀 Listen now. And remember: The cave may be dark — but it echoes with truth.

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🔗Instagram @SitaraPodcast @sitaragrotto

🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever seekers tune in.

📩 Want to be featured? Share your questions at: sitaragrotto.org/sitara-podcast

#enlightenment #sitara #masonicpodcast #chaosmagick #esotericism #spiritualawakening #hermeticism #gnosticism #awakeningjourney #shadowwork #freemasonry

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In Episode 3 of the Sitara Podcast, hosts Caleb Lara and Avi Nash take you deep into the shadows of Plato’s Cave—and out into the light of philosophical and spiritual awakening. What does it really mean to be “enlightened”? How do ancient myths, Masonic symbols, and modern science point to a shared truth? From personal growth to ancestral legacy, this episode is a raw, reflective, and irreverent conversation for those walking the hidden path.

📍Recorded in El Paso, TX | Powered by Sitara Grotto
🎙️ Hosted by Prophet Caleb Lara & Prophet Avi Nash

🎬 Production by Prophet Jean Carlo Sanchez

🔔 Don’t forget to subscribe and drop a comment — especially if you’ve escaped your own cave…

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro & Greetings
00:27 – Setting the tone: Picking up from Episode 2
01:09 – Plato’s Cave explained
02:50 – Enlightenment vs Ignorance: Returning with the light
04:09 – Real-world darkness: Jobs, oceans, and space
07:03 – You don’t need to leave the cave to know there’s more
08:58 – Are you applying the teachings or just reading them?
13:24 – Are you the heretic or the prophet? Legacy and work on the “orb”
20:31 – Batman, meditation, and putting yourself in the cave
22:33 – True meditation = maximizing your own energy
24:52 – God experiencing through us: parenting, joy, and growth
27:31 – The spice metaphor: Experience and perspective
33:30 – Knowledge without application is not wisdom
36:02 – Death, enlightenment, and your soul’s timing
38:10 – What is your true speed in life?
40:45 – You must experience truth to be changed by it
42:00 – Where do we really begin? Are we more than we think?
45:57 – Mythological societies vs today’s divided minds
48:18 – Many paths to the same summit
50:25 – Why we click: Different backgrounds, same search
51:16 – Final reflections + Why we make this podcast
52:58 – “We’re not about. We’re like magicians.”

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In Episode 2 of the Sitara Podcast, Prophet Monarch, Avi Nash and Prophet, Caleb Lara dive deep into the paradoxes of existence—where opposites not only define our reality but may actually hold the key to enlightenment. What happens when we embrace contradiction instead of resisting it? What role does joy play in our spiritual compass? From Masonic symbolism and Kantian synthesis to Jungian individuation and simulated reality theory, this episode explores how to live authentically in a world of dualities. A podcast for Freemasons, philosophers, and seekers of esoteric truths—raw, real, and irreverent.

⏱️ Timestamps:

00:00 – Welcome to the Sitara Podcast
01:00 – Does enlightenment lie in opposites or contradictions?
03:00 – Is joy your compass? Scribbles, chaos, and authenticity
05:00 – The word "weird" and the magic of being yourself
08:30 – Living in the moment vs. clinging to past/future
09:30 – Masonic symbols: the black & white squares and the hidden third column
11:00 – Societal boxes vs. true individuality
13:00 – Plato’s Cave, Jung’s individuation, and ego death
15:00 – God experiencing itself through us
17:00 – The idea that life is a simulation
20:00 – Masonic columns as metaphors for balance and healing
23:00 – Ghosts, angels, and idealism in quantum science
29:00 – Manipulating the simulation through synchronicity
33:00 – Robin Williams, masks, and emotional authenticity
36:00 – Self-abuse as a red flag in energy and trust
38:00 – Signs, ego, and real-life synchronicities
40:00 – Rebels with a cause: Masonry as righteous rebellion
43:00 – Grotto service and building a pillar of light
45:00 – Final reflections and invitation to local Master Masons

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