Saturday, December 11, 2010

Stars & the Apeman and Sun for the Moonbats

Bonus Saturday post, picking up from yesterday:

All of us are of the stars, but some of us are looking at the gutter. --Petey

Tomberg writes that the fourth day of creation -- which gives us the various heavenly bodies that populate the upper vertical -- implies "an all-embracing world rhythm" which affects all beings, and which unites them in a transcendent cosmic community.

It truly is one cosmos, in that everything interpenetrates and is connected to everything else. Nothing is radically separate, even though everything is distinct. Nothing whatsoever could be if it did not orthoparadoxically share both of these features, distinction and unity. Like the human body, the cosmos is not just one and many, but one because many, and vice versa. Everything is brought to us by our nonlocal sponsor, the One.

Tomberg compares this to the mystery of human subjectivity, the main feature of which is transcendent unity and wholeness -- science knows not how -- despite being "constituted," so to speak, of numberless impulses, memories, plans, whims, fantasies, dreams, desires, moods, etc. -- not to mention billions of individual neuronal connections. Despite the infinite complexity, subjectivity "orders itself around a central point -- the self -- which represents the center of gravity of soul life, i.e., the permanency of the identity of the personality."

Thus, the human being is always one and many, which is fine, so long as there is a preponderance of coherence around the one. When the self becomes too dis-integrated, and parts begin to spin off into their own orbits with their own centers of influence, that is when psychotherapy (or something analogous) is indicated. We should always be on the way toward integration and unity, even if we can never arrive there this side of the manifestivus.

The self -- at least a healthy self -- does not merely spin around an interior axis. Rather, aided by "the light of Reason" (understood in its integral, not merely rationalistic sense) and by transcendent ideals, this center of subjectivity can undergo increased order and evolve in the direction of one's highest aspiration, toward the true cosmic center of which we are a distant and middling relativity -- we are the "center at the periphery," as Schuon has called it, the true center being the nonlocal, space-pervading spirit of I AM.

Speaking of the rhythm of being -- days, seasons, years, etc. -- for Schuon, all natural phenomena are here to convey deeper lessons to us. Thus, for example, our lives are not just divided into day and night, but into seasons: the childhood spring of "formation and learning"; the mature summer of "actual and effective realization"; the late-middle age autumn of "consolidation, reparation, and the directing of others"; and the old age winter of "detachment and transcendence."

Alternatively, one could say that childhood is "the paradise of innocence," youth "the time of the passions," maturity "the time of work," and old age "that of sadness" -- at least for the horizontal man. For the vertical man, "the opposite takes place: age is an ascent towards another world." Extremes meet, as paradise comes into view (hence the resonance between grandparents and grandchildren, who are on the same page, i.e., pages 266→007 of the cosmic maryOground).

For Tomberg, the fourth day of creation is ultimately the divine-cosmic archetype of holy communion, or the vertical recollection of the a priori unity that embraces and subtends all beings in the world.

As such, the fourth miracle of John -- the feeding of the 5,000 -- "is the corresponding healing work of the Word-made-flesh." For as the central sun "nourishes" and unifies all beings, so too Jesus ("sitting on a mountain") functions as the "nourishment-giving center" for the multitude below. It is as if he "speeds up" the time it takes for the sun to produce bread -- planting, sprouting, growth, ripening, harvesting, etc. -- multiplying it in the same way the sun multiplies the small amount of wheat or corn that is planted (all life involves transformations of the same energy emanating from the central sun).

Interestingly, Jesus does not distribute the bread and fish directly, but through the mediating principle or "reflected light" of the disciples. Tomberg suggests that this is a mercy, for the direct light would be so shattering an experience that one would be temporarily blinded, like Paul on the road to Damascus.

This also speaks to the hierarchical structure of the world, which is not simply bipolar (i.e., creator and created, God and man, heaven and earth), but has degrees of being. Each level of the hierarchy is a moon to the level above but a relative sun to the level below. Better men than I can withstand the direct rays of the sun. For now, it is enough to stand in the reflected light of certain nonlocal operators who illuminate the path.

We must never forget that an unreflective spirit of democracy will usually end in an inhuman horizontalocrazy in the absence of hierarchy. In reality, there is no ordered wholeness without hierarchy and no hierarchy without a top and bottom.

But as Richard Weaver writes in Ideas Have Consequences, forms are the ladder of ascent: "Every group regarding itself as emancipated is convinced its predecessors were fearful of reality, looking upon veils of decency as obstructions that it will strip aside. But behind the veils is a reality of such commonplace that it is merely knowledge of death." The "taking away of degree" creates a tyrannical flatland which is death to the soul and its spiritual evolution toward integration and actualization. This is why leftists are always mindlessly rebellious, anti-authority, and radically "democratic" (when it is convenient).

If the raw stuff of life is precisely "what the civilized man desires to have refined," we shouldn't be at all surprised that in these leftist-dominated times we find ourselves swimming in it -- or that websites such as the dailykurse or huffingandpissed propagate political raw sewage (as in yesterday's post), precisely. Indeed, this crass warfare is one of the things that makes these snivelized whiners so repulsive. (Nor should anyone be surprised that there is exactly 18 times more pre-articulate profanity on leftist websites.)

Weaver points out that the loss of transcendentals also brings with it the loss of heroes. Like living works of art, heroes are in the world but point beyond it, to a higher principle that animates and shines through them. Without them, we are loused in space and moroned in time. We're just here and now, with no one to fly the planes up, out, or in for a promised landing.

In reality, the contemporary left has no real heroes, merely victims and their "heroic" enablers. Making the victim the hero is to overturn the ontological order of the cosmos, precisely. It is not merely to annihilate hierarchy but to substitute a reverse hierarchy -- which ends in a "race to the bottom" for superior victim status. (I might add that this is a true perversion of "the meek shall inherit the earth, which is why leftism specifically developed in a Judeo-Christian context -- as its shadow, as it were.)

A spiritual practice should be a force multiplier, in the same way that Jesus multiplied the bread and fish. Each of us can be an effective source of light below, but only if we are reflections of the true light above.

Tomberg concludes: "There thus arises a wonderful picture out of a deeper consideration of the miracle of the feeding of 5,000: in the center, high up on a mountain, Jesus Christ, as the shining and life-giving sun; then the circle of disciples as the silver moon; and round about the mountain a swarm of thousands of stars -- the people."

Alternatively, we can have a horizontal, farce-multiplying swarm ruled by its elite masters. But who will feed the endlessly multiplying victims? I mean, now that their masters have run out of other peoples' money?

15 comments:

Tigtog said...

To: Gagdad
Re: "A spiritual practice should be a force multiplier, in the same way that Jesus multiplied the bread and fish. Each of us can be an effective source of light below, but only if we are reflections of the true light above."

Just wanted to point out that snipers represent a force multiplier. Its important to know that their first tool is a radio not a rifle. You may be a cosmic sniper hidden in the weeds of the internet equipped with a communication device, cosmoptics and darts of brilliance.

Good hunting.

julie said...

Bonus Saturday post, picking up from yesterday:

Woohoo!

Now to actually read it...

julie said...

Thus, for example, our lives are not just divided into day and night, but into seasons: the childhood spring of "formation and learning"; the mature summer of "actual and effective realization"; the late-middle age autumn of "consolidation, reparation, and the directing of others"; and the old age winter of "detachment and transcendence."

I was thinking something along these lines the other day - that that old gripe about how "youth is wasted on the young" is utter crap. Rather, it's the reverse that's true: maturity is wasted on the perpetually immature. Of course, I may be odd in that I like getting older.

Each level of the hierarchy is a moon to the level above but a relative sun to the level below.

Oh, that's lovely. Examples are everywhere - parents to children, teachers to students, bosses to employees; even between spouses (who ideally would be both sun and moon to each other, in different capacities).

One of the true secrets to success in life is to internalize the truth of hierarchy, and remember that just because one is a sun to those below, does not mean that one has the authority to scorch them. In other words, just because someone may be lower than oneself in some respect, this does not mean that someone is lesser. And further, if they are below you in some respect, then in all likelihood they are holding you up. For instance, a doctor who treats his nurses and support staff badly is going to have problems doing his rounds, or a lawyer who treats his secretary and paralegals with contempt is going to find that important documents go missing just when they are needed.

SippicanCottage said...

...childhood is "the paradise of innocence," youth "the time of the passions," maturity "the time of work," and old age "that of sadness" -- at least for the horizontal man.

This explains Botox and second wives.

julie said...

Also cougars and most reality TV "stars."

Magnus Itland said...

This seems to verify what I heard from myself the other day: The hero occupies a station between the saint and the humanly good person. The saint is the light of the hero; the hero is the light of the good; the good is the light of the world. Interestingly, the artist falls into the "hero" category here.

The hero and the artist are often marred by flaws that would be unacceptable in the saint, whereas the ordinary good mensch simply does not rise to a level where his flaws come to such prominence. It is not that the flaws are not there, and in plenty, but they are not brought out.

ge said...

'Celluloid Heroes ' by this guy whom I consider one of [post?] rock's 'greats'
his band is the
frogs
cant we all just agree that youtube is best?
i saw it elsewhere but this is all avails now

Stephen Macdonald said...

As we prepare here for my daughter's first Christmas, I'm reminded of the ideas Bob translighted here concerning the profound cosmic significance of the mother-father-baby triad. Particularly the part about how we not only shape the mind and temperament of our children, but vice versa. Some days I think I learn much more about the sacred from little Katie than I do from our preacher on Sunday :-)

----

Didn't Ray Davies say something like the Kinks could have been another Beatles, but decided it wasn't worth it?

Van Harvey said...

"The self -- at least a healthy self -- does not merely spin around an interior axis. Rather, aided by "the light of Reason" (understood in its integral, not merely rationalistic sense) and by transcendent ideals, this center of subjectivity can undergo increased order and evolve in the direction of one's highest aspiration, toward the true cosmic center of which we are a distant and middling relativity -- we are the "center at the periphery," as Schuon has called it, the true center being the nonlocal, space-pervading spirit of I AM."

I'll just say... Yes.

Van Harvey said...

"Extremes meet, as paradise comes into view (hence the resonance between grandparents and grandchildren, who are on the same page"

Very true, I suppose as sunrise and sunset share the same ring around the world.

wv:press
Freedom of... or from... or something to push?

Van Harvey said...

Julie said "Rather, it's the reverse that's true: maturity is wasted on the perpetually immature. Of course, I may be odd in that I like getting older."

Completely agree. Of course I could do without the aches, but I've never had a problem with the thought of growing older or the actuality of it, but it amazes me how many people do.

I've got an in-law, who at every birthday, shrilly, reflexively, spouts out "It's only a number!"... last month for my 50th, from 1,500 miles away (via X-Box video connection) she must have spouted it at the end of every mention of age or years passing as if I've got something to fear from it, and of course she's the one who's always trying to act young and 'with it'... I don't think anyone is more afraid of those numbers than she is.

Far worse than not fooling anyone into thinking of her as ‘youthful’, no one thinks of her as in any way mature. Sad.

Nick said...

"We must never forget that an unreflective spirit of democracy will usually end in an inhuman horizontalocrazy in the absence of hierarchy. In reality, there is no ordered wholeness without hierarchy and no hierarchy without a top and bottom. "

Ok so Concerning hierarchies, so our worldly hierarchies are for the most part pretty reversed from the true eternal order. Why then should we even trust the hierarchies of a reflective democracy?

I think of Christ the ultimate King, completely empty of himself so as to be full of God, grace and light. Yet as true king earthly heierarchies of course rejected him.

I know he was sent to overturn this order, he dropped the spiritual A-bomb so to speak, but its not done yet. So I guess I wonder if there has ever been a trustworthy hierarchy of men on earth, certainly there were periods were we got closer (specifically earlier times in our countries history), but the order has never really been established on earth yet, has it? Isn't that what the whole second coming and heaven on earth is all about. When Gods true hierarchy establishes itself here?

I think this is one of my hangups with following the status quo conservative line. I feel many conservatives think we had the order right at some time in our history and if only we'd hang on to our traditions a bit more we'd be there. I tend to think we just never quite had it. I think we were closer, but never quite there. So though I don't reject traditions outright I tend to be much more eager to seek out new roads and paths. For example though I believe strongly in conservative fiscal principles, I don't believe in the continued success of our current industrial economic form. No amount of applying conservative principles to it can fix its underlying flaws and dependencies. Its a tangent, but I believe we need a wholesale structural change, if anything so that we may more closely reflect the true hierarchy of Gods economy. Just as the Son sustains us in spirit, the Sun should sustain us in all matters of daily bread. As radical as it may sound, our oil resource extractive economy seems to greatly deviate from our planets intended spiritual hierarchy. So yes I believe in stuff like peak oil, unsustainable growth ect. So I guess this all boils down again to the question of how do we discern how close a hierarchy is to Gods intended eternal hierarchies?

Magnus Itland said...

Kabir,
what conservatives seek to conserve is the freedom of the individual, precisely because we are so far from implementing God's kingdom on Earth. It is the misguided radical who thinks it is right around the corner and if people would just obey, we'd be there soon. This counts as well for the misguided radical religious as for the political, but the latter are the more immanent threat in America, as the former are in the Muslim world.

You have a good point in that the average "conservative" seems to be frozen at some point in history that he seeks to go back to. These people are allies, in that they seek to hold back the tide of the almighty state, but they have not "got it". Still, as dreamers go, they are the best you find in any great quantity.

As for peak oil etc, this will take care of itself, as people quickly find new solutions if they have the freedom to do so.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

All of us are of the stars, but some of us are looking at the gutter. --Petey

With gutter balls. --Addendumb by Skully

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

"In reality, the contemporary left has no real heroes, merely victims and their "heroic" enablers."

Ironically, they fancy themselves to be "Robin Hoods" but in reality they are only hoods and worse than common thieves.

Of course, it's no wonder that leftists have the Robin Hood plot wrong.
Whereas leftists believe Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor, he actually stole from only rich thieves (royalty and their hired help and brown nosers), wealthy from the draconian taxes payed by rich n' poor alike.

IOW's, leftist politicians, leftist activists, community organizers, "celebrities," etc..

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