In a sit-down with Dave Lanyon, he sheds light on how ancient, hermetic wisdom can lead to a more fulfilled and whole life.
In today’s world, investing in personal and professional growth with top business leaders and coaches has become increasingly popular. Thousands spend significant resources seeking guidance on how to excel and lead. However, there’s often a crucial element missing in these pursuits: ancient wisdom. The journey to truly knowing oneself and healing from within remains overlooked. While advancements in mental health have made significant strides, they often only scratch the surface of human consciousness. Recognizing the distinct and complementary role of spirituality can unlock deeper pathways to personal transformation and fulfillment.
This very concept is the crux of what Dave Lanyon, leader, or, “Sovereign Ipsissimus” of the Modern Mystery School, a school whose mission is to create world peace by empowering individuals to find peace within themselves through spirituality, is teaching.
“My early careers helped lead me to the path I am on now, and for that I am grateful,” he shares. “Believe it or not, at one point I was knee-deep in the corporate world, and saw so many red flags that made me feel that those conference rooms were not where I was supposed to be. The evident lack of ethics and old-fashioned mentalities weighed on my soul. From there I transitioned into running one of the largest martial arts academies in North America, which was something I had started while working full time to counterbalance feeling in control of myself. That turned into a full time career where I was coaching others and realized I wanted to learn more about the psychology of coaching. After that, my journey to unlocking my inner self spiraled, in a good way.”
While working in the mental health field was an experience Lanyon was grateful for, he kept running into one repetitive problem, and that was the absence of understanding spirituality and how it relates to mental health and personal growth. “A mentor of mine directed me to the Modern Mystery School which I then helped grow into something incredibly impactful,” he says.
Sitting down with Dave, he explains one of the most critical concepts associated with the school’s teaching: Hermetics. Hermetics, or Hermetic wisdom, is a nondenominational understanding of a higher order without the “dogma” or ego of human. As Dave explains it, it is the understanding that what is considered “right” is what works in the current moment in time – and perhaps what is considered right today could be different from what is right tomorrow. By shedding the egotistical standards ingrained in our psyches by societal norms, students of the Modern Mystery School learn that the mind is malleable and can adapt to a higher order of thinking. Lanyon explains, “Hermetics goes back at least 8,000 years. You can find any religion on earth that has a relationship or roots within Hermetics.”
He continues, “Hermetic wisdom revolves around the core principles that can be applied to anyone and everyone, in any station of life. And that we, as people, have the sovereignty and ability to take responsibility for our own lives and each other. Nobody needs to be left behind or pushed down for another to be successful. It’s clear to me that most major problems revolve around the unfortunate truth that someone is getting left behind, and also that humans tend to deny reality. If you think about your own life and the social circles you’re in, I bet you can think of at least one person who isn’t happy with their life. Our society suffers from a discontent epidemic.”
Lanyon continues, “Whether the issue derives from believing that life has left you behind or blinding oneself from true reality, Hermetics can be like a north star to help you make sense of things. It’s easy to put on a mask — which many people do by replacing their identity with their personality instead of truly accepting and embracing who they are on the inside in their individuality. Hermetics can help you become self aware of the habit of putting on these masks, first and foremost, and then how to remove them. More importantly, Hermetics and the teachings of the Modern Mystery School take you on a journey answering the question we all have, ‘Who am I?’”
Lanyon is the author of two published books, “‘You are not Perfect the way you are” and “Essential Principles for the Warrior of Light”. In his first book, “You are not Perfect the way you are”, he explains how the punchy title is a direct push back on new age spirituality. The more “trendy” spirituality we see permeating across society right now leans into accepting that we are all perfect beings the way we are, offering that improving oneself is unnecessary, or at best, optional. According to Lanyon, this couldn’t be further from the truth. As part of his curriculum, there is a fundamental understanding that everyone has something to work on within themselves – and that the journey of achieving Hermetic wisdom is the one and true way to find perfection.
In his books, he outlines these principles to help readers look inward. By learning more about these concepts, particularly Hermetic wisdom, readers can find themselves feeling more connected to who they really are, understandings of spirituality and so much more. As Lanyon explains, “Once you get the basics of Hermetics down, you’ll start to think of dozens of new questions you have never asked yourself. And that is where the real self work starts.”
To learn more about Dave Lanyon and the Modern Mystery School, check out their website. You can also learn more about these concepts through Lanyon’s published works, “You are not Perfect the way you are” and “Essential Principles for the Warrior of Light”. Visit his YouTube channel, where he explores modern-day complex topics and discusses how we can apply Hermetic wisdom to achieve resolution.
