Monday 26 June 2023

Ancient Darkness

Roma Mater, XXV, 1.

Gratillonius reflects on the Three of Ys:

"...in the Gods of Ys was too much of the ancient darkness from which They had risen." (p. 405)

He recognises that religion ascends through successive levels from darkness toward light. There is a Buddhist saying that the lotus grows from dark places. In the Upanishads, Vedic polytheism is incorporated into philosophical monism:

"...Indra, the god of thunder, excelled all other gods, for he came nearest to Brahman and he first knew that he was the Spirit Supreme."
-Juan Mascaro (trans.), Kena Upanishad IN Mascaro, The Upanishads (Harmondsworth, Middlesex, 1984) AT PART 4, p. 53.

Indra surpasses other thunder gods, like Thor.

Some would say that the light toward which we ascend from ancient darkness is that of secular science. I agree but add the light of meditation.  

1 comment:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

In my letter to the Andersons about THE KING OF YS, I discussed that "ancient darkness." IIRC, Anderson replied that darkness sprang from human energies and drives that we NEED, but which also needs to be tamed.

Ad astra! Sean