"...reflections of their inner reality" . Is not our life a reflection of our thoughts? We reap what we sow, we are what we think. We create our own reality by reflecting our thoughts.
Yes, it is the journey itself which keeps us seeking.
Thank YOU. From what I observed, particularly from my elders, this order seems to have remained unchanged, persisting seamlessly from the past to the present.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this gift! As it was a subject addressed 'per my request' let me say that it inspired joy which leaped in my soul, cooling down to awe, then reverence.
Apart from expounding on the meaning of the words employed (i.e. 'philosopher,' 'metaphysics,' 'Hermeticism,' 'Alchemy' etc...) or delving into the rich concepts which might otherwise seem to be artistic choice (i.e. illumination Vs transformation, 'veil of illusion' etc), I have no impulse to add or change anything on this subject I love so well.
Further, in my mind, the 'seeking of the Philosopher's Stone' is the answer to my question previously about 'does the analogy found in 'Plato's cave'" have enough power to compel us out of our modern slumber - wrench us from dancing fires behind the images in our screens? From what I've learned, the great mission of the Greeks was to 'acquire thinking' for our spiritual evolution, and the modern task is to 'practice the alchemical wedding of soul and spirit' - to seek the Stone. Meaning the two pieces you put together - 'Cave and Stone' follow perfectly - joining our modern epoch to the previous one.
I was most curious how you'd treat this subject - in the first line, you tell us it's a subject 'wrapped in secret.' Quite so. For whatever the reason, we in America, call the first book in the most popular fantasy series of all time "The Sorcerer's Stone" instead of by the original English title "The Philosopher's Stone." Why? Because it's a secret.
Indeed, if there is one message that blares across the earth today and is demonstrated relentlessly - is that 'there are no secrets - there is no mystery.' There is only information, the measure of which is knowledge. The message is the medium.
Rudolf Steiner predicted, over a hundred years ago, that 'all writing would be cast under this spell' under which we are now living - that wisdom would be entombed and frozen in information. We would fall into hopeless materialism. This entombment seems to be the task of modern schooling. I wondered was this the same schooling that you took up with 'almost religious zeal?' Can a modern mind acquire such knowledge and not freeze the heart's yearning for mystery?
To see that this 'subject' of the Philosopher's Stone still lives to be treated as a work of art rather than a catalog of information, is for me, a triumph.
Your gratitude is deeply humbling, and your reflections enrich the very essence of what I wanted to share. The connection you draw between Plato’s Cave and the Philosopher’s Stone is fascinating to me. To merge these epochs as a continuum of spiritual evolution speaks to the timeless nature of our quest for truth, one that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
As for the modern mind and its relationship with mystery, I believe the heart remains the keeper of secrets. No amount of scholastic rigor can extinguish its flame; rather, it tempers the mind, sharpening it into a tool fit for the soul’s work. To treat the Stone not as information but as art, as you so beautifully put it, is indeed a triumph—a defiance against the spell of materialism that seeks to entomb the sacred.
Your words are a testament to the Stone’s living power, and for that, I thank YOU.
Haha! How wonderful again! When I was 21 and living in New York City (first in the East Village, a couple of blocks from CBGB's and then in the West Village a few blocks from the Chelsea Hotel) I'd walk around and wonder 'why is this place so dead? How come there are no lectures or anything to go to?' Alas, there was nothing like the Roxburghe Jr. On the other hand, if you were around back then, giving such presentations as the above, I don't think I would have done much with my life afterwards.
Oh to brush shoulders with the ghosts of artistic legends—what a canvas of possibility to have walked upon! But there's one thing I must disagree here. Had there been a Roxburghe Jr. back then, and had I been its humble speaker, I imagine it would have been less a beacon of finality for your ambitions and more a spark—a kindling for the brilliance you undoubtedly already possessed. I admire it. I somehow know and feel that you have never rested idly.
Well, if nothing else, it would have been worth the spectacle of the dramatic flourish as the curtain fell away!
Good read. I have a different take on the philosphers stone. It seems to me the stone is metaphor for the heart. Fixating blindly, pursuing knowledge turns the heart to stone. The purpose of life is not to know but experience and enjoy. But then again my brains a little warped. LoL.
I recently wrote a bit on it called You’ve Heard of the Jewel of Great Price, But What the Heck is a Great Carbuncle? September 13, I think. It’s short, a mere introduction for readers, but I would love for your take on it.
Of course, I’d be glad to read it. The idea alone intrigues me, and I’m curious to see how you’ve introduced it to your readers. I'll share my thoughts as soon as possible—it deserves more than that.
"...reflections of their inner reality" . Is not our life a reflection of our thoughts? We reap what we sow, we are what we think. We create our own reality by reflecting our thoughts.
Yes, it is the journey itself which keeps us seeking.
Thanks again Dilay.
Thank YOU. From what I observed, particularly from my elders, this order seems to have remained unchanged, persisting seamlessly from the past to the present.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this gift! As it was a subject addressed 'per my request' let me say that it inspired joy which leaped in my soul, cooling down to awe, then reverence.
Apart from expounding on the meaning of the words employed (i.e. 'philosopher,' 'metaphysics,' 'Hermeticism,' 'Alchemy' etc...) or delving into the rich concepts which might otherwise seem to be artistic choice (i.e. illumination Vs transformation, 'veil of illusion' etc), I have no impulse to add or change anything on this subject I love so well.
Further, in my mind, the 'seeking of the Philosopher's Stone' is the answer to my question previously about 'does the analogy found in 'Plato's cave'" have enough power to compel us out of our modern slumber - wrench us from dancing fires behind the images in our screens? From what I've learned, the great mission of the Greeks was to 'acquire thinking' for our spiritual evolution, and the modern task is to 'practice the alchemical wedding of soul and spirit' - to seek the Stone. Meaning the two pieces you put together - 'Cave and Stone' follow perfectly - joining our modern epoch to the previous one.
I was most curious how you'd treat this subject - in the first line, you tell us it's a subject 'wrapped in secret.' Quite so. For whatever the reason, we in America, call the first book in the most popular fantasy series of all time "The Sorcerer's Stone" instead of by the original English title "The Philosopher's Stone." Why? Because it's a secret.
Indeed, if there is one message that blares across the earth today and is demonstrated relentlessly - is that 'there are no secrets - there is no mystery.' There is only information, the measure of which is knowledge. The message is the medium.
Rudolf Steiner predicted, over a hundred years ago, that 'all writing would be cast under this spell' under which we are now living - that wisdom would be entombed and frozen in information. We would fall into hopeless materialism. This entombment seems to be the task of modern schooling. I wondered was this the same schooling that you took up with 'almost religious zeal?' Can a modern mind acquire such knowledge and not freeze the heart's yearning for mystery?
To see that this 'subject' of the Philosopher's Stone still lives to be treated as a work of art rather than a catalog of information, is for me, a triumph.
Thank you.
Your gratitude is deeply humbling, and your reflections enrich the very essence of what I wanted to share. The connection you draw between Plato’s Cave and the Philosopher’s Stone is fascinating to me. To merge these epochs as a continuum of spiritual evolution speaks to the timeless nature of our quest for truth, one that is both deeply personal and universally resonant.
As for the modern mind and its relationship with mystery, I believe the heart remains the keeper of secrets. No amount of scholastic rigor can extinguish its flame; rather, it tempers the mind, sharpening it into a tool fit for the soul’s work. To treat the Stone not as information but as art, as you so beautifully put it, is indeed a triumph—a defiance against the spell of materialism that seeks to entomb the sacred.
Your words are a testament to the Stone’s living power, and for that, I thank YOU.
I feel like how one of the Medici must have felt when their commission gets unveiled.
That’s a compliment worth a fortune, isn’t it? If I had a velvet curtain, I’d pull it aside with a dramatic flourish—voilà !
Haha! How wonderful again! When I was 21 and living in New York City (first in the East Village, a couple of blocks from CBGB's and then in the West Village a few blocks from the Chelsea Hotel) I'd walk around and wonder 'why is this place so dead? How come there are no lectures or anything to go to?' Alas, there was nothing like the Roxburghe Jr. On the other hand, if you were around back then, giving such presentations as the above, I don't think I would have done much with my life afterwards.
Oh to brush shoulders with the ghosts of artistic legends—what a canvas of possibility to have walked upon! But there's one thing I must disagree here. Had there been a Roxburghe Jr. back then, and had I been its humble speaker, I imagine it would have been less a beacon of finality for your ambitions and more a spark—a kindling for the brilliance you undoubtedly already possessed. I admire it. I somehow know and feel that you have never rested idly.
Well, if nothing else, it would have been worth the spectacle of the dramatic flourish as the curtain fell away!
Good read. I have a different take on the philosphers stone. It seems to me the stone is metaphor for the heart. Fixating blindly, pursuing knowledge turns the heart to stone. The purpose of life is not to know but experience and enjoy. But then again my brains a little warped. LoL.
Indeed, that's a fantastic point. I haven't really thought about it that way but I'll definitely make a further research. Thank you.
Intriguing. Have you read The Great Carbuncle by Hawthorne? It explores just this.
Thank you. And yes, we've covered it in an introduction to philosophy lecture in the past years. It looks like this is the right time to re-read it.
I recently wrote a bit on it called You’ve Heard of the Jewel of Great Price, But What the Heck is a Great Carbuncle? September 13, I think. It’s short, a mere introduction for readers, but I would love for your take on it.
Of course, I’d be glad to read it. The idea alone intrigues me, and I’m curious to see how you’ve introduced it to your readers. I'll share my thoughts as soon as possible—it deserves more than that.