Thank you for this, Farasha. Please don’t take it as a criticism, but the scholar in me often finds himself wondering about the name of the poem, or addressee of the letter, quoted. For example, to whom DHL was writing in the striking letter indicated by footnote 44? Beyond that, this fine essay reads as if it were a culmination of sorts, clarifying much about DHL and your entire series. It was worth the several weeks’ wait -- and the three sittings it took to read it! No doubt, I'll have further questions/remarks but that's enough for the moment.
Robert, Thank you for your comments. Regarding your comment about the names of the poems, and the references to letters, the section names are the names of the poems of DHL that lead each section. I chose this layout, since I found that DHL condensed all of the major themes of his life into the poetry of his fnal two years. As such, the book as a whole can be viewed as an extended commentary on his late poems. As for the letters, I purposely avoided making things too easy for the interested reader. The first time I read through the 8 volumes of his collected letters, I read straight through without sleeping for two and a half days. DHL was a master letter writer, and his letters are not only of great general interest, but are, by far, his best biography. My hope is that I can spur more people on to reading his letters in their entirety. At any rate, the letter referenced by footnote 44 was to Rolf Gardiner. Gardiner was the recipient of a number of the best and most interesting letters. Gardiner himself was an interesting character, and aside from his role in pioneering organic farming, he, at one time, tried to found a utopian community based on the principles DHL put forth in "The Plumed Serpent."
I expect the final chapter of the series to be finished and posted around early January, and expect it to be approximately the same length as the current chapter. The final chapter will transition from the macrocosm to the microcosm and will discuss the nature of the soul and its destiny. It will be the least political part of the text, and will be the true culmination. A friend who read an early draft said that in her opinion it is by far the most important part of the book, and that I should have started with it, rather than alienating people with all the misanthropic chapters. My retort, is that those who get to this point need to earn it. One must first pass through the via negativa to reach the possibility of stating something positive. In this sense, I am performing the age old task of the Zen master who makes the prospective aspirant wait a couple of weeks in the cold and rain before allowing him to enter hallowed halls.
A tour de force. Thank you Farasha. On a personal level, quite serendipitous too.. Demonic voices have been needling me, trying to provoke a conflict between my reverence for Christ and my attraction for the old gods. 'It's either him or them,' they say. It's salutary then to be brought back to that Great Unity that stands at the white hot core of reality, behind and above and beyond all levels of manifestation, the Herakleitian fire, the God behind the gods, the 'fons et origo' of all Divine beings and expressions. No-one did this better Lawrence. Your 'take' on him really brings this aspect of his work and mission to life.
Thank you. It has been heartening to hear from you and a few others who have taken the time to read such a long piece.
I have come to the conclusion that all paths are limited by nature, as most must be, but to be a pagan while denying Christ, or to be a Christian while denying the many Gods is, in fact, to inflict a mortal wound upon oneself.
The abstract God of Islam or the Brahma of the Hindus mean nothing to me. To me, a God must have blood. Dionysus and Jesus are unified in their bloodedness. And the primordial Fire, unlike Allah or Brahma is right here and now. I can touch it in my pulse, I can smell it in the pine needles, and I can feel it in the hot breath of the dog on my cheek.
Yahweh and Allah are Jealous Gods. I don’t think Jesus is: he is in my personal pantheon, but he holds no higher position than Dionysus, that is if they are even two, for they both are sides of the same eternal Nature.
Thank you for this, Farasha. Please don’t take it as a criticism, but the scholar in me often finds himself wondering about the name of the poem, or addressee of the letter, quoted. For example, to whom DHL was writing in the striking letter indicated by footnote 44? Beyond that, this fine essay reads as if it were a culmination of sorts, clarifying much about DHL and your entire series. It was worth the several weeks’ wait -- and the three sittings it took to read it! No doubt, I'll have further questions/remarks but that's enough for the moment.
Robert, Thank you for your comments. Regarding your comment about the names of the poems, and the references to letters, the section names are the names of the poems of DHL that lead each section. I chose this layout, since I found that DHL condensed all of the major themes of his life into the poetry of his fnal two years. As such, the book as a whole can be viewed as an extended commentary on his late poems. As for the letters, I purposely avoided making things too easy for the interested reader. The first time I read through the 8 volumes of his collected letters, I read straight through without sleeping for two and a half days. DHL was a master letter writer, and his letters are not only of great general interest, but are, by far, his best biography. My hope is that I can spur more people on to reading his letters in their entirety. At any rate, the letter referenced by footnote 44 was to Rolf Gardiner. Gardiner was the recipient of a number of the best and most interesting letters. Gardiner himself was an interesting character, and aside from his role in pioneering organic farming, he, at one time, tried to found a utopian community based on the principles DHL put forth in "The Plumed Serpent."
I expect the final chapter of the series to be finished and posted around early January, and expect it to be approximately the same length as the current chapter. The final chapter will transition from the macrocosm to the microcosm and will discuss the nature of the soul and its destiny. It will be the least political part of the text, and will be the true culmination. A friend who read an early draft said that in her opinion it is by far the most important part of the book, and that I should have started with it, rather than alienating people with all the misanthropic chapters. My retort, is that those who get to this point need to earn it. One must first pass through the via negativa to reach the possibility of stating something positive. In this sense, I am performing the age old task of the Zen master who makes the prospective aspirant wait a couple of weeks in the cold and rain before allowing him to enter hallowed halls.
A tour de force. Thank you Farasha. On a personal level, quite serendipitous too.. Demonic voices have been needling me, trying to provoke a conflict between my reverence for Christ and my attraction for the old gods. 'It's either him or them,' they say. It's salutary then to be brought back to that Great Unity that stands at the white hot core of reality, behind and above and beyond all levels of manifestation, the Herakleitian fire, the God behind the gods, the 'fons et origo' of all Divine beings and expressions. No-one did this better Lawrence. Your 'take' on him really brings this aspect of his work and mission to life.
Dear John,
Thank you. It has been heartening to hear from you and a few others who have taken the time to read such a long piece.
I have come to the conclusion that all paths are limited by nature, as most must be, but to be a pagan while denying Christ, or to be a Christian while denying the many Gods is, in fact, to inflict a mortal wound upon oneself.
The abstract God of Islam or the Brahma of the Hindus mean nothing to me. To me, a God must have blood. Dionysus and Jesus are unified in their bloodedness. And the primordial Fire, unlike Allah or Brahma is right here and now. I can touch it in my pulse, I can smell it in the pine needles, and I can feel it in the hot breath of the dog on my cheek.
Yahweh and Allah are Jealous Gods. I don’t think Jesus is: he is in my personal pantheon, but he holds no higher position than Dionysus, that is if they are even two, for they both are sides of the same eternal Nature.