Sense Knowledge Sense knowledge is known through the senses and mediated by thought. There are three inner aspects involved in knowing. Sensation. The senses apprehend an object Imagination. The mind forms and image of the object Intellect. The intellect knows what the object is What the intellect knows is the … Continue reading
Magical Artist Earthly Delights Suppose you saw a seascape that reminded you wistfully of that summer you spent in Cape Code in your youth … wouldn’t you admire the artist? Now suppose there was a magical artist who, Escher-like, managed to paint you yourself into that seascape … how much … Continue reading
A Being is a mix of Act and Potency. Act is what has been actualized, or manifests, i.e., it exists. Potency refers to those qualities of the idea that have not been actualized, yet have the possibility to exist. Existing things are subject to external forces that do not emanate from its essence; these are called accidents. Continue reading
Notice that meaning comes with understanding; through misunderstanding, the world is experienced as meaningless. But that is intolerable. That is why ordinary man (hylic man and psychic man), holds onto a belief system, as Dr. Lilly describes. The effect is that the world is misunderstood and its true meaning is obscured in a web of prejudices, etc., that are merely projections of his own thoughts. Continue reading
All magic is the putting into practice of the maxim: the subtle rules the dense, writes Tomberg. He quotes the words of Mary to the angel Gabriel at the head of the chapter. The empress symbolizes the super-consciousness ruling the consciousness (which rules force, which rules matter). The crown on … Continue reading
This post is In response to a “challenge” on to name 10 influential books. The primary criterion used in this selection is that the book provoked a fundamental change in world view. That is why I have seldom been able to reread any of these books, since a change like … Continue reading
Howbeit we speak wisdom among the perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, neither of the princes of this world that come to nought; But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, a wisdom which is hidden, which God ordained before the world, unto our glory: ~ … Continue reading
Before we proceed along the Arcana of the Meditations, it might be helpful to point out a link between “gnosis” and the “arcana”. In the very first chapter of his Meditations Tomberg highlights the truth that arcana represent “enzymes” or “ferment” which make the soul fruitful by awakening the deeper, … Continue reading
Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani relates a story about cats and the whole audience begins to weep from spiritual emotion. They listened with boredom to the brilliant sermon of the great theologian. Continue reading