Friday, July 03, 2009

And the Weird Light Shines in the Dark, but the Dorks Don't Comprehend It

I think we can all agree that there is a real world. I call this world O. This real world is irreducibly horizontal and vertical. There is no vertical in the absence of the horizontal, and no horizontal in the absence of the vertical -- similar to how there is no form without substance, and vice versa.

However, the horizontal is a world of linear effects, while the vertical is the realm of nonlinear causes. Within itself, the vertical is characterized by connections which we experience down here as synchronicities. For example, it is not as if your true self is caused each moment by the immediately preceding moment. Rather, it is ultimately rooted in a vertical archetype that is outside time.

And this archetype is connected to other archetypes reflected in the herebelow. This is how you might be closer to me at this moment than you are to someone in the next room -- or how we can all occupy the same barstool next to Toots. Obviously such a thing would be impossible in profane time and space, or outside Babe's, his favorite watering hole.

Sherrard writes that "Each natural form is the center of an influx coming from its divine archetype or theophanic Divine Name." However, there is no "gap" between archetype and worldly form, at least from the top down: "The one is the other, the archetype is the icon, the icon is the archetype, there is an indissoluble interpenetration of the one by the other." In a way, you could say that this corresponds to the two poles of Christ's -- and of our -- existence, i.e., immanent incarnation and transcendent identity.

But again, these are not two different worlds. Rather, it is more like one world with two ends -- more a way to think about reality than reality itself: "Though there is a disctinction, there is no dualism between the natural and supernatural world. The spiritual world is not another world set apart from the natural world. It intermingles and coexists with, and constitutes the invisible dimension of, the natural world."

But of course, only the saint -- or the Thrice-Cleared Operating Thetan and Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler of the Holy Temple Church of Tonga Pacific -- realizes this truth in its fulness, while the rest of us only get occasional glimpses, or (?!).

Everything is simultaneously within and beyond itself, like an arrow pointing in two directions. Detached from the vertical, no thing is any thing at all; it has no reality, but is merely a condensation of nothingness floating over a sea of dreams. This is what it means to say that creation is dependent upon God. It must be understood in the vertical, not horizontal, sense.

As I described in the book, (k) corresponds to Ø as (¶) corresponds to O; and (k) flows from (•) as (n) flows from (¶). These empty pneumaticons are like algebraic placeholders that must be filled by personal experience. In other words, they have no particular meaning until it is realized by the individual.

Sherrard perfectly describes what is intended by the distinction between (k) and (n): the latter "combines the reflected knowledge of the data given by Revelation and the most personal inner experience; for without such experience, all that can be conveyed is a mere collection of concepts," or (k) (emphasis mine).

In my book, I compared revelation to the reflectors on the back of a car. They are dark until you shine a light into them, at which time they seem to illuminate from the inside out. Here is how Sherrard describes it: "One might say that the divine revelation is the light that makes it possible to see, while the inner experiential vision of the gnostic is the light that sees. To ignore the first -- the divine revelation -- is to remain permanently in the dark. Not to attain the second -- the inner experiential vision -- is to remain blind."

What a wonderful analogy: scientistic darkness vs. religious blindness. Fortunately there is a way out, but it is only thorough (¶) and (n). To plagiaphrase a formulation Schuon used, revelation is the light of the intellect objectfied, while the intellect (¶) is the light of revelation subjectivized. When you think about it, this makes perfect sense: (¶) and (n) are again two poles of the same divine reality. And ultimately, it is as Eckhart described, God knowing God, i.e., "the eye with which I see God is the same eye with which He sees me."

This eye is (¶), and you might say that it shines in three directions, "up," in, and out. It is what illuminates heaven for us, but also that which allows us to know heaven on earth -- or to understand that "the kingdom of heaven is within."

Again, (¶) is qualitative, not quantitative; it is also a measure of depth. Therefore, to spontaneously apprehend the "deep qualities" of existence is ipso facto to be operating out of (¶). This is why I say that one of the organizing principles of the spiritual life is to follow the depth, from whatever realm, whether science, philosophy, or theology, for the attainment of depth is the realization of soul.

Please note as well that this attainment of depth is not a horizontal phenomenon. In other words, it can never be like the hypertrophied (•) which conflates depth and width, so to speak. This is why some wise man or guy said that an intellectual is just an ass bearing a load of books -- or an (•) bearing a load of (k). For if the (•) in question knows nothing of (¶) or (n), what good is he? True, he can be a good plumber or mechanic, but that's all he can be, no matter how tenured.

In contrast, (n) can only take place now. I don't care how much of a biblical scholar you are. If you can't put down the Book and reproduce and transmit some of its light now, then you are probably fooling yourself. Everyone knows the devil can and does quote scripture with the best of them. Indeed, he has been known to memorize the Koran front to back. But the devil knows only the letter, never the spirit that contains, protects, and illuminates scripture.

Thus, (n) is specifically timeless. It cannot be realized in time, because it is atemporal, like a Vegas casino, where there are no clocks. When you play blackjack with God, you bet everything, with no concerns about yesterday or tomorrow. And you can't beat the house.

Just getting started. There's much more. If I don't see you tomorrow, happy Independence Day. And for Obama supporters, happy Dependent Life.

13 comments:

walt said...

In describing the Sage, Lao Tzu wrote:

Without leaving his house, he knows the whole world.
Without looking out of his window,
he sees the ways of heaven.


I would only add that it sure helps to have One Cosmos to read each day!

I've often wondered exactly what people mean by "all things depend on God." Your linking the phrase to the vertical dimension is worth a thousand words!

Susannah said...

Well, I'm afraid we're in for it, independence- and dependence-lovers alike. See here and here and here. I'm concerned about the future of homeschooling, personally. But I'm celebrating eternal truths tomorrow, not ephemeral ones, so take that, Wash. D.C.!

Anonymous said...

"Without leaving his house, he knows the whole world.
Without looking out of his window,
he sees the ways of heaven".

Wait a minute, I thought those were lyrics by George Harrison...well close anyway. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhHm-5lKkZ0&feature=related

Van Harvey said...

"But again, these are not two different worlds. Rather, it is more like one world with two ends -- more a way to think about reality than reality itself: "Though there is a distinction, there is no dualism between the natural and supernatural world. The spiritual world is not another world set apart from the natural world. It intermingles and coexists with, and constitutes the invisible dimension of, the natural world.""

The moderns tend to mistake their "way to think about reality" for "reality itself", forgetting that analysis itself, breaking down, is an intellectual exercise for the purpose of discovering the nature of the whole, not for the purpose of asserting that the whole doesn't exist. They'll do the equivalent of taking a ball, splitting it in half and saying "Clearly a ball can be divided in two equal halves. These halves cannot bounce. Therefore the sentimental notion that balls are One, undivided, and capable of bouncing, is an outmoded fiction"... which is why leftists have no balls.

robinstarfish said...

But again, these are not two different worlds. Rather, it is more like one world with two ends.

Some architectures are more conducive to this idea than others.

Magnus Itland said...

Yes, even though I find it convenient to talk about higher and lower worlds, in practice there is of course only one cosmos, the higher and lower parts being more like strata and always connected. Ironically, it is always the higher parts that support the lower. You may say the world has been left hanging. Or perhaps we are seeing reality upside down, and God actually placed himself at the bottom, upholding all things?

Alan said...

Happy Independence Day all!

Alan said...

ps. If you haven't seen Sarah Palin's speech, it is worth watching - just for its length, articulation, and lack of a teleprompter.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Alan-

Yes, I saw that yesterday. There sure are a lot of people in the MSM, on the Left, and some on the right that can't seem to comprehend that Sarah Palin considers her family more important than politics.

I thought her speech was very clear. Her priority is her family, and she realizes as Governor she will also be subject to far more than the litigation she has currently gone through, and although she has been exonerated each time, she still must pay for her own defense, with no help expected from any GOP organizations, because lets face it, she ain't and wasn't the typical politician.

Which brings up apathy, which Palin mentioned. Apathy, along with other factors like bad education, no distorted history, the MSM, etc., is one of the main reasons we have Zero and the most transparentless and corrupt Congress in history doin' all they can to destroy liberty.

Now, that will probably change as folks realize how much of a liar Obama is (especially when they get hit in the wallet hard, and, if Zerocare is passed, stand in very long lines to receive mediocre, state run medical care...if approved by the state that is.

In the meantime, Sarah Palin can do much more behind the scenes and as a citizen rather than a politician.
Personally, I'm happy for her and her family. Who needs all this political crap and unending attacks on her family (without precedent I might add) when she has gotten non-existent help from the GOP leadership?

Anyhow, the MSM/Left (among others) will be speculating about all the "hidden" meanings of her speech for quite some time.

Bob is right: The dorks just don't comprehend it...even horizontally speaking. A bunch of cluelesside conisewers.

Happy Independence Day everyone! :^)

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

"no distorted history" should read:
knowing only distorted history.
Natch.

Skully said...

Thus, (n) is specifically timeless. It cannot be realized in time, because it is atemporal, like a Vegas casino, where there are no clocks. When you play blackjack with God, you bet everything, with no concerns about yesterday or tomorrow. And you can't beat the house."

And lotsa free drinks, as long as you keep playin'.

Anonymous said...

Two thumbs up for (love that lady:)Sarah Palin!

Happy Independence Day All!

Theofilia

Alan said...

USS Ben: You hit the nail on the head... they don't understand and fear that understanding!

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