14-07-2021, 09:27 PM
What a beautiful post, RenegadeHealer! I almost felt I was there when you described those scenes. You are a writer!
For myself, I'm a skeptic of the first order, but in researching Hermetism last summer, I could see why it was so attractive to the intellectuals and scientists of those ages, because it celebrates learning. A main precept is that learning as much as you can about the world around you is the same as worshipping God and wisdom is the main route to God. Think of the sense of freedom that must have conferred on intellectually quashed science and philisophy nerds of the time. I can totally see why Isaac Newton was a hermetist. And someone should really study his debt to hermetism for his notions of change, motion and calculus.
Moreover, the apophatic tradition closely mirrors the hermetic tradition. Become wise and good enough you see God in everything and nothing - the route to wisdom, salvation and everlasting life. So yes, I believe apophatic/hermetic notions of presence from absence might very well play a part in the VMS construction . I'm so glad you agree! I might actually follow up on it. I'd really like to find examples of apophatic imagery (somewhat oxymoronic, as stated) in medieval texts but not too much has been labelled as such, aside from the mandorla darkening towards its middle (another reason for the moon imagery?). But I haven't even really started, perhaps there is a treasure trove awaiting us!
For myself, I'm a skeptic of the first order, but in researching Hermetism last summer, I could see why it was so attractive to the intellectuals and scientists of those ages, because it celebrates learning. A main precept is that learning as much as you can about the world around you is the same as worshipping God and wisdom is the main route to God. Think of the sense of freedom that must have conferred on intellectually quashed science and philisophy nerds of the time. I can totally see why Isaac Newton was a hermetist. And someone should really study his debt to hermetism for his notions of change, motion and calculus.
Moreover, the apophatic tradition closely mirrors the hermetic tradition. Become wise and good enough you see God in everything and nothing - the route to wisdom, salvation and everlasting life. So yes, I believe apophatic/hermetic notions of presence from absence might very well play a part in the VMS construction . I'm so glad you agree! I might actually follow up on it. I'd really like to find examples of apophatic imagery (somewhat oxymoronic, as stated) in medieval texts but not too much has been labelled as such, aside from the mandorla darkening towards its middle (another reason for the moon imagery?). But I haven't even really started, perhaps there is a treasure trove awaiting us!