Confusion

St. Foy, Conques

Photo by the author

The illustration here is from the tympanum at the abbey church of St. Foy in Conques, France. Superficially, it’s a recapitulation of the last judgment, a common theme in medieval art. Much more could (and ought to) be said about this tympanum, which has some very ingenious features; but for today let’s just take note of the fact that it is divided into three levels, top to bottom, and that the left and right side depict heaven and hell. Let’s note, furthermore, that heaven and hell exist as a foundational level here; heaven is not ”above“ and hell “beneath.” They’re on the same level; and the entire rest of creation (Christ and the activity on the two higher levels) are solidly built upon this pair of contradictory impulses.

High Medieval art is never, esoterically, about locations other than the inner. This tympanum depicts what is taking place in us right now. It’s always thus; the esoteric Christian message is always direct towards the immediate question of what my state is now. Heavens and hells are not abstracted places of reward and punishment; they are inner states which I choose to participate in.

In the Tympanum at St. Foy, I can choose between the order of heaven or the chaos of hell; both are present in me. One has a sense of the sacred, the other is deeply entangled in the chaotic events of the physical and material world. Yet these two states in me are codependent and thus arranged on the same level. My only option is to become responsible for both of them. It’;s the inner physics of attraction that leads me towards heaven or hell; and this is a material, a foundational, action upon which, metaphorically, the kingdom of Christ (the next level up) is erected.

Now, we know from the sermons of Eckhart than medieval monastics were deeply engaged with the examination of such questions (more so, I'd say, than we are today) and so it’s no surprise to see such concerns carefully, if somewhat covertly, encoded in the tympanum of a medieval church. In medieval art, it’s the rule, not the exception. Yet it’s probably quite difficult for us to see how this relates to us as people, if at all.

The point here is that my psychological states, along with my intellect, are mired in this state of confusion represented by hell. It is chaotic, excited, and perversely attractive. It is, furthermore, so completely filled with activity that it distracts me from any possibility of organically sensing an order within myself. Clearly I could do better.

Yet I don’t.

The inner physics of attraction builds its church (its inner order) from the molecular sensation of my Being by gradually forming a center of gravity within me. This center of gravity creates a magnetic field around it: and in this way it’s quite identical to a planet. First gravity; then spin; then magnetism. I’m creating an inner solar system, if you will. This magnetism attracts substances (Gurdjieff’s arcane “chemical factory”) that concentrate within the body and gradually attract more particles, which collectively engender a capacity for Being. 

All of the obstacles of my own intellect, especially my impatience, at first stand between me and this action. My impatience especially is an enemy in this regard, because it is selfish (like the false or artificial center of gravity created by my psychology and personality) and ants everything immediately. It’s very clever at seizing absolutely everything thing it encounters and deciding that this, that or the other things represents a molecular sensation and an experience of Being, because, you see, I feel that I have to have it. 

I don’t see that this desire and this feeling themselves begin within and proceed out of my mind and its vanities, and thus make it from the start quite impossible for me to discover anything real. I've watched this process within myself and others for decades and it is a terrifically power pathology which one must forever remain on guard against.

Only patience and decades of work aimed at cultivating an inner vision attract enough particles to change the inner center of gravity; but if this can be effected the change creates an objective assistant.     

   
Warmly,

Lee

Announcing the publication of 

The Reconstruction of the Soul

The Reconstruction of the Soul is a wide-ranging investigation of symbolism in High and Late Medieval art. It includes detailed analyses of the Unicorn Tapestries at the Cluny Museum and the Cloisters in New York, as well as detailed examinations of the mysterious, erotic and bizarre symbolism in The Cathedral of St. Lazare in Autun.

Along the way, it traces the roots of Western esoteric art from Babylon to ancient Greece, revealing traditions that are still alive today, some 3000 or more years later.

The material is illustrated with photographs taken by the author on location in France and New York, as well as source material from various museums.

It will appeal to anyone interested in the symbolic transmission of the world's Western esoteric heritage.

All funds from your purchase of this book will go to support the translation of important historical documents related to the Gurdjieff tradition.

The author is currently at work on a second volume which will explore even earlier (!) influences on esoteric art and practice. Anticipated publication of this follow-up work will be late 2019.

Lee van Laer is a Senior Editor at Parabola Magazine.