I had been planning to write a post or two about esotericism this morning, when I woke from a dream.
{{ I had devised a random number-veneration generator. A black cube made of lacquered hardwood, with sides of about 6cm, filled with machinery – brass cogs, spindles ratchets, springs, coils, escapement mechanisms what have you – and heavy in your hand. The machinery, intricate and precise, is sealed inside, with no way of physically accessing it.
What is the number than shall be venerated today? It whirrs, it clicks, it calculates. And the result it gave me, transmitted directly into my mind, for Sunday the tenth of March was... 46.
Forty-six. This is the number. But why 46? What is its significance? Why should it be venerated on this of all days? I hurriedly add the two integers, four and six, to produce ten. Ten! Why, it is a One followed by a Zero! A regression, from Completeness to Nothing! The wrong direction! "A butterfly cannot become a caterpillar!" Or maybe just seemingly the wrong direction... How could...? }}
And in that instant, all became clear. The entire notion of esotericism is like this. Take a random notion or concept that can be interpreted in multiple ways, and bury it within an arcane structure of numerology, linguistics, mystical visions, obscure references and call it an secret key that unlocks a door to another layer on the path to the Ultimate Truth...
Seeking a universal spiritual dimension of reality, as opposed to the external ('exoteric') institutions and dogmas of established religions, esotericism draws on mystical beliefs and traditions harking back to the Gnosticism of the early days of Christianity, as well as the Kabbalah and Hermeticism. The esoteric tradition, continued through such secretive groups as the Rosicrucians, contends that there is hidden spiritual knowledge reserved for select initiates, hidden from the masses.
Allow me now to become controversial. I'd posit that the war waged by the Church Fathers against the Gnostics, and the secrets kept hidden with esotericism can be framed in the light of a struggle between neurotypical hierarchs and a network of the neurodiverse.
For the leaders of the early Christian church, the Truth was not hidden. It was made manifest in the death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, mankind's Lord and Saviour, who died on the Cross to redeem us sinners. Those who follow the Lord shall be rewarded by eternal life in the Kingdom of God. There it is! Nothing more to it than that. Everything in plain sight, simple, straightforward – follow the Lord. Without question.
But no! The Gnostics emphasised personal spiritual knowledge (gnosis) above the teachings and authority of religious institutions. They "held the principal element of salvation to be direct knowledge of the hidden divinity, attained via mystical or esoteric insight. Gnostic texts deal not in concepts of sin and repentance, but with illusion and enlightenment" [Wikipedia.] A hidden divinity to be accessed by esoteric insight, not prattled off once a week on Sunday.
The Church Fathers did not like this one bit and carried out a centuries-long fight against the Gnostics, branding them as heretics, destroying Gnostic texts and persecuting adherents of Gnosticism.
But what if Gnostics ("those who are oriented toward knowledge and understanding – or perception and learning – as a particular modality for living") were merely individuals who today would be diagnosed as being somewhere on the high-functioning end of autism disorder spectrum ('savant syndrome')? Symptoms include restricted interests, ritualistic behaviours, higher levels of perception skills and attention to detail.
If indeed this is the case, then the condition of being an early Gnostic would be genetic. Maybe the Gnostics exhibited biological markers, such as enlarged caudate-putamen structures in their basal ganglia, that caused them to process information differently to rank-and-file adherents of canonical Christianity?
And now I slip into Dan Brown territory. Bloodlines! Descendants of the second-century Gnostics walk the earth today, seeking knowledge and understanding rather than pursuing material goals in life!
This brings me to a major thread from my Lenten blog posts from 2023, considering how one's approach to spirituality and religion may differ due to underlying neurological factors. More tomorrow.
Lent 2023, Day 26
The Ghost in the Machine
Lent 2022: Day 26
The End of Times
Lent 2021: Day 26
Physical Immortality
Lent 2020: Day 26
Intimations of Immortality
Posts
2 comments:
My first reaction to your producing ten and the subsequent deduction was 'Not if you're reading it as bit code or binary numbers for example. So 10 would be on/off, yes/no, or 2. A Gnostic's delight?
And if I were to tread into 'controversial' territory, it would be to say that the idea of belief in God without question is misleading as any Catholic or early follower of Christ would know that it is a gift of Grace, so much the work of the Greater party though requiring the cooperation of lesser.
Additionally, in the context of the above and general text, the statement 'Descendants of the second-century Gnostics walk the earth today, seeking knowledge and understanding rather than pursuing material goals in life!' sounds rather as if it were implying that descendants of Catholics are not.
Still, as I've said before, your blog, especially during lent, is always enlightening, and provides much food for thought.
@ adthelad
Many thanks for the comment! Much to unpack here...
1) 10 as 'on/off' or 'yes/no' – a good interpretation!
2) The role of Grace – very interesting – a topic worthy of coverage; I've not written specifically about the concept since Lent 2013 – about time!
3) I did suggest I was being speculative here; science and spirituality have a long way to go before unifying!
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