Reflections on Being a Polymath

A Renaissance Person is a polymath who develops various skills based on their interests. This ideal emerged in Italy during the Renaissance. It is based on a notion by Leon Battista Alberti, who viewed such individuals as capable of doing whatever they wanted. Hence, Renaissance Humanism considers the human being boundless in its potential and the center of the Universe — kinda like Magick.

Digital Renaissance

Many believe we live in a ‘Digital Renaissance’ in which being a polymath is essential. This is also the main idea in David Epstein’s Range. Epstein explains that generalists are often late bloomers yet possess greater creativity and are capable of forging connections across various fields.

Genius

Such versatility fosters innovation and superior impact. According to an old saying:

‘The genius finds patterns and connections where others don’t…’

Apophenia

This is (actually) called ‘Apophenia.’ The term comes from Greek. It was coined by the psychiatrist Klaus Conrad, who describes it as ‘the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between unrelated things. According to Peter J. Carroll: 

“Apophenia means finding patterns or meaning where others don’t. Feelings of revelation and ecstasies usually accompany it. It has some negative connotations in psychological terminology when it implies finding meaning or pattern where none exists; and some positive ones when it implies finding something important, useful or beautiful. It thus links creativity and psychosis, genius and madness…”

The Vitruvian Man

Since I realized its meaning, I’ve considered Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man a symbol of ultimate self-development — an ideal to aspire to through body, mind, and soul connecting to Spirit and transcending the self. Ever since, I have had a profound desire to build my version, blending crafts (and passions), living as a Renaissance person and perhaps a culture of One.

My Viewers

Considering our community tab discussions, I asked my viewers whether they’d be interested in the topic. Most voted yes, which encouraged me to share a few reflections based on an almost decade-long transformation.

Curiosity and Soul Searching

A childlike curiosity is the first essential to becoming a Renaissance Person. It helps you identify the crafts and skills of the one you’ll (actually) become. Those will stand out as triggers of a ‘burning desire.’ So, you’ll be innately driven toward them.

Detach

Detach from and reconsider what you have wanted thus far. Some of it will prove ‘essential,’ while others will not, turning out to be prefabricated desires resulting from conditioning and reactions.

Gifts

Becoming a Renaissance Person starts with making the most of your gifts and talents, which may (or may not) overlap with initial strives and aspirations. So think of solve-et-coagula while guided by following Socrate’s quote.

‘The unexamined life is not worth living…’

The Nephesh

Coming to terms with your Nephesh is crucial for your curiosity. Besides containing your ‘inner child,’ that sources your psychosexual energy, letting you stay curious and committed to improving. Something you can do from the get-go is devote a few minutes daily to connect with your inner child, relaxing and calming them.

Hypnagogia

You can do that in combination with rhythmic breathing and/or right before falling asleep or fully waking up. At those times, the body enters what’s called hypnagogia. During ‘hypnagogia,’ the barriers between the conscious and subconscious (including your child’s self) are significantly loosened. So, this is one way to help your inner child become ‘more of a conquerer,’ which is mandatory for building various crafts.

Time, Energy, and Space

Being a Renaissance person is about diversifying your skills. This requires time, energy, and mental space. Before habits and routines, I suggest using the mighty devices of proper nutrition, OMAD, NoFap, and Bodybuilding. Also, limiting your exposure to junk media.

Immediate Change

Besides getting your nephesh under control (immensely), such a combination grants time, energy, and vitality. Furthermore, it promotes neurogenesis — vital for becoming a polymath as building new skills and habits is building new neural connections, also, for comfortably spending time alone and not seeking cheap dopamine.

One By One

Becoming a Renaissance person is about expansion. Yet, that needs a starting point — your current skill set. Since maintaining that is automated and/or no longer requires (much) effort, begin expanding by developing other passions (one at a time). I am sure those consuming my content already have a thing or two. If you insist you don’t, follow your curiosity, identifying what puts you into flow most naturally.

Flow States

Entering flow states requires solving challenging yet doable tasks you are (actually) excited about. Flow states allow you to sustain focus, engaging with reality. This is crucial, as it makes you addicted to good dopamine, thus practicing more and improving.

Different Flow

According to the book IKIGAI, different activities make different people flow. For some, these are more physical; for others, they are mental; and for others, they are a little bit of both. Whatever the case, finding yours is crucial for becoming a Renaissance person. The more something makes you flow, the greater its chances of being one of the later-addressed ‘core skills.’

Investing Effort

According to David Allen:

‘You can do anything, not everything…’

The aspiring polymath should take this as practical advice. Willpower, time, and energy are limited, and you can only do so much in a day. Use your best hours to build that new skill and/or work on whatever is most challenging (currently). This distributes your efforts more reasonably.

Your Best Hours

Some are most productive in the morning, and others during the night or midday. Once you develop that skill (or project), preserve your best time for the next you start from scratch.

Cycling Efforts

Availing of your best hours is non-negotiable for polymaths. Improving enables you to get results at any time, like one of Leonardo Da Vinci’s mottos:

‘Ostinato Rigore’ or ‘Permanent Effort.’

Rome wasn’t built in a day, nor is it becoming a Renaissance person. Everything runs in seasons. The key is to prioritize different things during different ones, building your multifaceted personality.

All-Rounder

Although becoming a ‘well-rounder’ is the goal, some crafts will always feel more natural. This makes building them first essential. The process reveals more practical approaches to learning, making things ‘easier’ (in the future). It also builds habits and confidence while turning you into a Jack of All Trades, Master of One, which is Benjamin Franklin‘s original saying.

T-Shaped Person

A ‘T-shaped Individual’ is a metaphor describing

someone with specialized knowledge and skills in a particular area but also an ability to make connections based on multiple interests.

Second Nature

While ‘T-shaped’ individuals are companies’ preferred candidates, for some, that’s more of a necessary stage. Beyond that, the primary skillset no longer feels as ‘specialized’, compared to others. It turns into a second nature and perhaps one’s fundamental skill, as without it, nothing happens.

Writing and Content

A good creator is likely passionate about filming and editing and perhaps even producing and using my tracks as background music. However, what brings those together is one’s writing, as without a script, there’s no video. The same applies to digital products.

Aesthetics

The Vitruvian Man is the ultimate self-developer. Apparently, that includes excellent health and an aesthetically pleasing physique, which many occultists tend to underestimate. While it is mere vanity for some, a body transformation is an initiatic experience for others—a starting point of new life in both the inner and outer worlds.

Bodybuilding

The fitness industry obsesses over measures and PRs. In contrast, old-school legends considered Bodybuilding primarily mental and even spiritual — an artistic expression driven by the mind and the ‘Yoga of the West,’ according to Frank Zane, who is a Renaissance Person.

Golden Legends

Unlike contemporary ones appearing to be ‘one-trick ponies,’ old-school bodybuilders embodied the Renaissance person idea. They were/are artists, poets, musicians, actors, writers, yogis, and (even) biohackers by today’s standards.

Tangible Results

Bodybuilding might become one’s starting point as it teaches habits, routines, and discipline—all vital for the polymath. It also causes changes to occur in conformity with will exceedingly tangibly.

A Gateway

It really is no wonder why most internet polymaths are into Bodybuilding. Bodybuilding can be a gateway to personal development, philosophy, psychology, entrepreneurship, and even magick, essentialy helping one become a polymath. Let me know if you agree.

Effort is Not Free

‘Effort is Free’ is the motto of a well-accomplished logo designer I follow on IG. With all due respect, I (humbly) disagree. The hours you spend learning to code cost those you didn’t improve your writing. The ones you devote to graphic design or making music are compensated with no BJJ training. Pushing more content on this channel means not uploading on my other one. And making less music. Acquiring encyclopedic knowledge and developing Robert Greene’s ‘Da Vinci’s perspective’ may cost no friends.

Opportunity Cost

This is not just FOMO. It’s (actually) called ‘Opportunity Cost.’ The term comes from the finance world. It was adopted in psychology by Barry Shwarts. According to Investopedia:

“Opportunity Cost is the potential forgone profit from a missed opportunity — the result of choosing one alternative over another…”

Negotiation

Apparently, your effort as a polymath is not free. It has much to do with internal negotiation. This is where the ability to prioritize and cycle enters the picture. And while you may or may not have a complete unification of the aspects of your soul as a polymath, learning to make them agree is crucial.

Fighting Regret

In his Paradox of Choice, Schwartz explains that regret is a highly destructive feeling. Freeing yourself from it is just as essential as your interests as a polymath.

Scheduling, mindfulness, and meditation are great for starters. Occultists have the option to align their workings with the traits and skills they currently build. This increases the probability of succeeding more efficiently and minimizes potential regrets. Let me know if that resonates.

Money

It is common for artists and occultniks to deem money’ evil.’ Actually, money could play a vital role in becoming a Renaissance person. And often, the more talented (and curious) you are, the more it does.

Tools, Resources, Supplies

According to Leonardo Da Vinci:

‘Learning never exhaust the mind.’

According to me, you should be able to provide that.

Being self-taught is essential. Yet, investing in quality resources saves precious time, provides know-how, and facilitates progress. Whether it’s camera gear, instruments, plug-ins, software, tablets, and drawing supplies — like your effort — these are not free. The same applies to books and others, just in case you are of a more philosophical type.

Further Development

It’s crucial to figure out ways your crafts actually make you money, supporting your lifestyle and development. As I like to say:

“If following your True Will doesn’t eventually lead to a stage of it taking care of you mentally, physically, and financially, then you likely don’t follow your True Will…”

Common Sense

Say you’ve upped your skills (Yetzirah). Now, you can benefit from better tools and instruments. Being able to afford those allows the free expression of your light (Briah) in Assiah the physical; the opposite restricts it. Let me know if you agree.

Different Skills

The more you progress, the more you’ll be able to categorize your crafts in two ways.

1. The core crafts you master, capitalize of, and stand out with.
2. The supplementary ones, which you (also) practice less frequently.

The second group is also ‘important’ as it increases excitement and prevents burnout and boredom. So, to an extent, it fuels the primary ones.

Example

Practicing data structures and algorithms (Hod) tends to make my writing more concise. In the same way, regular practice on my turntables increases my overall excitement, as scratching was my original passion (Netzach).

Netzach and Hod

I also found that overdoing the first inevitably results in some of a need to engage with the second. If I don’t, my ability to synthesize short messages may decrease.

The same applies to too much writing and no music-making. Apparently, Hod‘s structures and organizations are fueled by Netzach‘s passion and desires, becoming Nephesh‘s instincts.

Patterns and Dynamics

Whether you attribute them to the Tree of Life, recognizing such patterns can be of excellent service to any polymath. Initiating and availing of them through ritual — essential to the occultist.

Rituals

To me, being a polymath has a lot to do with two things, expansion and organization. Given that, working with the function pillars, especially Jupiter|Chessed and Mercury|Hod, might prove very beneficial to many. Second, I’d put Saturn|Binah, Mars|Geburah, and Netzach|Venus to help make the right choices, cut out crap taking precious time and space, and develop the right things at the right time — also, the paths of the Zodiac — to bring the appropriate characteristics aligned with one’s goals.

Alone

Becoming a Renaissance person will likely imply spending a lot of time alone. For those who resonate but struggle with it, I offer the following:

‘Learn to be interesting to yourself, and you’ll never get bored.’

This was the advice my mom gave whenever I got bored seeking cheap dopamine. Three decades later, I consider it one of the best self-help advice I received. And what do you know? The more you become a polymath, the less you’ll actually need it.

Jack of All Trades

According to Shakespeare:

‘A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one…’

The more we move into the future, the more that holds true. If the new Aeon is (really) about self-sufficiency and permanent growth, then being a Renaissance person is (indeed) mandatory. This is evident in the paths of content creation, solopreneurship, and personal brands — all intrinsic to the Information Age.

The Future

Like the future, these carry uncertainty. Yet, as the future unfolds, such careers increasingly become the surest paths to sovereignty and self-sufficiency. Apparently, they all require forging cross-connections across a broad spectrum of skills and fields. Seemingly unrelated, each of the latter has a ‘special contribution’ to the person’s unique vision, brand, and version of the Renaissance person. But that’s just my opinion. Let me know if you agree, and

Thank You for your time.