Last night we looked at various aspects of symbolism. We reflected on symbols used in the titles of well-known mystical works, such as 'The Cloud of Unknowing' and 'The Interior Castle'.
We also looked at characteristic symbols used to describe spiritual progress ('ladder' 'maze' 'path'), and our multi-faceted relationship with the Ineffable: Hildegarde's 'a feather on the breath of God', St Teresa's 'spiritual marriage', and or even being hounded, as in Francis Thompson's 'The Hound of Heaven' - 'Whither shall I flee from Thy Spirit'.
We mentioned in passing the idea of the complementary paths: the Via Affirmativa and the Via Negativa, which we'll come back to later in the course. Meanwhile, here is a quote from Damascius: 'The universe is double: that which is seen and that which is not seen - the world within the world we see. The seen is a symbol of the unseen, the material a parable of the real. The visible world is the garment and drapery of God.'
We'll pick up next time with what we really mean by the unseen - it refers to more than that which just happens to be invisible to the eye. It is that which can only be approached by intellect in its fullest sense.
The next session will be at 7.00pm Tuesday 10th February.
