“I solemnly promise to persevere with courage and determination in the labours of the Divine Science”
‘Divine Science’, an interesting turn of phrase that could just be poetic licence, but if not, what could this mean in terms of our Work?
We are taught time and time again that moderation, balance and harmony are to be sort in all things. Clearly art (including religion) is on one end of the spectrum, and science at the other, so how do we reconcile them – by putting both into practice in our application to the Work.
By way of example I want to discuss three aspects of each that we can and do apply to our studies and practice. On the art side, we have romance, imagination and visualisation. On the science side we have classification, dissection and extrapolation.
Romance, or rather a romantic world view, is one of the early first symptoms of an aspiring Candidate, someone disposed to investigating the Mysteries. Romance is perhaps the Divine spark shing forth in what would otherwise be a projection of the shallow egoic persona. The desire to view the now through rose tinted glasses, to find some enjoyment in dressing in strange robes, a desire to use archaic or sonorous turns of phrase, a belief that ancient wisdom existed in the past, these are all trappings of a Soul waking up from a deep slumber. Without romance, how can we start to believe in the existence of Angels? Without romance we struggle to see beauty, and for those more advanced members of the O., you will know the importance of Venus and of Love to our Work. It is the key to the Portal of the Mysteries.
The use of imagination as a faculty or tool of the mind is an important first step in seeing beyond the material, for without it we will struggle to give Form to Force, and for the Neophyte on the path, being able to turn a 2 dimensional symbol into a 3 dimensional book that tells its own story requires a good command of one’s imagination. While romanticism leads one to the Portal, it is imagination which opens it.
Imagination is the precursor of second sight, or controlled visualisation, needed to explore and understand many of the occult workings of Nature. Great physicists, especially those exploring the boundaries of speculative science require great imaginations, but also the ability to visualise in multiple dimensions stimulated by abstract and esoteric mathematical formulae. The Exempt Adept is no different, exploring multiple dimensions and alternative worlds looking for a syncretic truth pointing out the one direct path.
Ritual, which contains elements of romance, imagination and visualisation is perhaps the highest form of Art.
Now for science.
The very first Knowledge Lecture begins the long journey of classification for the student. The idea that one thing is associated with another, one symbol is connected to and helps reveal another symbol is an essential paradigm in the Work. Our frater and teacher, Giordano Bruno, brought this practice out into the light in the form of his Art of Memory. The discovery of a great Divine plan in which everything in life is connected and related, and that can be classified in multiple ways to explore and investigate from different perspectives with a focused mind. The O.’s use of classification of symbols is a fine example of the building blocks of Bruno’s method. Behind this classification is number. Each number bringing a slightly different ordering of classification, and in doing so revealing a different aspect or facet of that precious stone that is Nature.
Dissection next, involves the breaking down of something complex into its constituent parts. We do this with complex symbols like the Hieroglyphic Monad, or the V. of the Adepts for instance, or simply in meditation in trying to explore trains of thought, one at a time, until their inspiration reaches a natural terminus. The more we advance in the O., the more we are faced with complex symbols to dissect and decipher, ultimately leading to the most complex symbol of all, the contemplation and decipherment of Life and Nature.
Finally, using just three examples of applying a scientific approach to our Work is extrapolation – of Ariadne’s thread. To follow diligently, recording each alley explored, looking for further links and connections to as yet unknown concepts, ideas or symbolic forms. Experimenting with the jigsaw puzzle that is Nature, taking a leap of intuition from the firm foundation from an already explored and verified point. For those who have seen the diaries of past members using such techniques at Tatwas and Tarot will see meticulous note taking, and the creation of tables of correspondences revealed through extrapolation of ideas and concepts. Building Bruno’s Art of Memory through direct experience and intuition, rather than erudition and credulity in other’s work.
In conclusion, I would like to suggest that rather than viewing Art and Science as two extremes of a single spectrum, it helps to view them as two intersecting axis, in the form of a Great Cross, and where these lines intersect is placed the Divine language of symbol, the letter Heh and the Hebrew letters in general, both symbol and number, art and science. Hebrew when rightly understood and used in an esoteric manner, contains the Divine DNA of the Universe, the marker of the Lord of the Universe’s hand in creation.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1.
Kasmillos
