And every day there were what are called the Green Hills; that is, the low line of the Castlereugh Hills which we saw from the nursery windows. They were not very far off but they were, to children, quite unobtainable. They taught me longing—Sehnsucht: made me for good or ill, and before I was six years old, a votary of the Blue Flower. Continue reading
Dante acknowledges his connection to Virgil and even into Purgatory. Virgil is gone before Dante could reach the Earthly Paradise, or the Primordial State. This is a state of supernatural happiness. However, it is still not yet the Beatific Vision. Continue reading
Since the shadow is unconscious for most people, the snake corresponds to what is totally unconscious and incapable of becoming conscious, but which seems to possess a peculiar wisdom of its own and a knowledge that is often felt to be supernatural. Continue reading
Friday the 13th was the day the Templars were destroyed. This post is dedicated to them. Continue reading
Take note that the most perfect and intimate union that the lover may have with the celestial beloved is signified by the union of the kiss, because all other coming together or coupling beyond that, as in the case of physical love, is in no way allowed to be used as a metaphor in this holy and most sacred love. Continue reading
Impassibility was one of the preternatural gifts before the Fall. If the aim of the spiritual life is theosis, to become more like God, then we need to recover the quality of impassibility that was lost. Continue reading
Exoterism lives in “processes”, esoterism in tragedies and dramas. … The ancient mysteries were tragedies and dramas— it is here where their esoteric character lies. Exoterism corresponds to the mentality and psychology of a passenger, esoterism to that of a member of the crew. Continue reading
In order to achieve the alchemical transformation, the stages of the Fall of man documented in Genesis need to be understood. Although there are four levels of interpretation of sacred texts, the historical or literal, the allegorical, and the moral levels are not our concern here. Continue reading
I am worm, I am slave, I am king, I am God. ~ Gabriel Derjavine The “to be silent” therefore precedes the “to know”, the “to will” and the “to dare”. This is why the Pythagorean school prescribed five years silence to beginners or “hearers”. One dared to speak there … Continue reading
Ahriman In the essay On Magic, Giordano Bruno discusses the existence and action of non-human spirits. The practice of invoking god, demons, and heroes is the branch of magic called theurgy. He calls this the “magic of the hopeless” because they often become the vessels of evil demons. A safer … Continue reading