Visiting the Great Lord of the Heavens – up in the night sky and descending to view our apocalyptic times seen with the ‘Solar Eye’
By: Sandra Principe
18/10/2020
Prologue
Years ago, as I travelled to new places, I asked myself to try and see these places as though I were seeing them with ‘the Eyes of God’. Was I then thinking of the memorable Genesis 1:25? After bringing forth the cosmos and every kind of living creature, excepting humankind, it said, “And God saw that it was good.” Later, after forming humankind ‘in His image,’ it again says, “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.” (Gen. 1:31) To me, this earth and all its inhabitants remain the work of God’s ongoing Divine Creation.
Now I would like to introduce a vision from Christmas 2004 ; I saw ‘the Hand of God’ over a hillside in central Israel while driving through the West Bank. Our taxi driver, with whom we had made contact at the Damascus Gate, offered to drive us the half-day’s journey to the northern Palestinian city of Jenin. As we drove, I noticed a sign indicating the location of ‘Jacob’s Well’, off to the west, over uninhabited little hills covered in scrub brush. I wondered if this was anywhere near the biblical Bethel, which Jacob called, the “House of God, Gate of Heaven” (Gen. 28:17). In other words, could this be where he dreamed of angels ascending a ladder up to heaven? Further on, I happened to look up at a high cliff on the east side of this road. I clearly saw a giant Hand reach down into the rocky outcrop at the top, and the mass of rocky stone disappear into that golden light. It was an awesome sight of supra-natural power!
Until recently, I have never been able to interpret that vision’s meaning. I have since learned, through courses in mystical theology, that streams of supra-natural light come down from the heavens and, although invisible to physical eyes, occasionally irradiate parts of the earth. Greek Orthodox theologian, St. Gregory Palamas, whose writings we look at later, attested to these ‘Divine Uncreated Energies.’ He wrote in the mid-14th century at the height of the Black Death. Let us hope that similar radiations of divine origins are casting their light on our equivalent age of pandemic ‘darkness.’
To understand these divine radiations, however, takes time. I begin by recounting ideas from literature on divine interventions, which seem relevant to my mysterious vision on the road to Jenin. The first of these is the concept of the sacred ‘Solar Eye,’ with which the ancients believed humans could be endowed. This is best illustrated in the ancient Egyptian text, ‘The Amduat,’ or ‘What is in the Netherworld,’ as translated by Erik Hornung, which we later look at closely. In the text, Horus, god of the bright sky and son of Osiris, accompanies the sun god on the solar barque as it travels by night through the shady realm of Osiris, ruler of the underworld. “In the middle of the darkly hour,” as Hornung puts it, “Horace and Sokar look after the solar Eye, protecting and renewing it, while at the end we are afforded an unexpected and consoling glimpse of the morning sky.” (Hornung, 1999:37). In the same text, the god of wisdom, Thoth is also present in the sun god’s barque. Thoth heals this precious solar Eye, which will ignite the sun and make it shine miraculously at midnight! The Amduat also tells of the sun god gathering the dead to convey them to a heavenly world that shines like the sunrise. But we will discuss this more fully later.
Another ancient Egyptian text narrates the sacred drama of Horus acquiring the ‘Carnelian Stone’ from the storm god, Seth. The stone is symbolic of the solar Eye. A. C. Bouquet, writing in Sacred Books of the World (1959:58), tells us that, “no doubt caused by lightning,” Horus was blinded by the storm god in connection as part of a traditional rain-making cult.
As to how I learned to ascend through the upper skies into the heavens – the star-filled, night sky, and down to earth again – I had to first learn to see, as best I could with my inner, ‘seeing eye.’ I began by engaging in daily relaxation exercises during this period of self-isolation. In the process, I discovered that modern relaxation techniques are similar to age-old methods of breath control, such as yogic teachings from the Upanishad era in ancient India. I applied my efforts to this systematic method of breath control, so as to release body and mind from ordinary restraints.
To better understand this story, when I claim to go up into higher earthly spaces, which transition into more sacred realms, I was guided by a wondrous messenger from the spirit-world. I first became acquainted with an ancient archetype – a great white-feathered, winged Bird – hovering overhead in the sanctuary of my Anglican Church on the Day of Pentecost. It subsequently appeared in my inner imagination during this Covid-19 period of relaxation exercises. It was as though he were calling me to fly with him to wherever he wanted to guide me.
Somewhere up in the night sky among the stars, I discovered to my astonishment that a Great Spiritual Being dwells. It was then I recalled from a course in Ancient Astronomy that, in the 3rd millennium BCE, Egyptian architects built the Great Pyramids at Giza so that they pointed towards the vault of the heavens. Once the king’s body was buried therein, his spirit was could project upwards towards the eternal realm of the gods. This seemed not unlike my upward spiritual trajectory, guided by the great bird.
Thus, somewhere up in the night sky dotted with tiny lights, I happened upon the Great Being (invisible to my inner, seeing eye), Who entered into a form of thought-communion with me. For clarity of writing I have assumed He is male-gendered, although this is questionable. He said I was not the first to find my way to His realm. Many others have been there before me. His later communications suggested that His ‘Light-Energy,’ which I saw faintly, formed a massive circular body of dazzling golden light. His immaterial body is a Divine Force that whirls about in space, giving off streams of light, some of which flows downwards as far as earth.
According to St. Gregory Palamas, there are ‘Divine Uncreated Energies’ that descend from the Source, the Godhead of Whom they spoke as ‘Uncreated Essence.’ He is utterly unknowable to us, remote and transcendent. Yet, He is at the center of all existence, heavenly and earthly, and His power is greater than our laws of physics. As for His Name, the One with Whom I spoke said that He had no name we could conceive of. He said to call Him any name; I like to think of Him as ‘The Great Lord of the Heavens.’
I have also been musing ever since this conversation with the Great Lord, about the following idea, which is difficult to articulate. As His Being spins about, His invisible body rotates so that streams of light are pulled round and round in a swirling fashion. (Much like the galaxies seen by today’s astronomers.) On rare occasions, when these radiations stream down from the heavens, they become perceptible to humans, but fleeting and mysteriously, so that they seem to come and go. The unpredictability of the Divine Light has perplexed mystics such as such as St. Symeon the New Theologian for ages. He is quoted in Vladimir Lossky’s The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church (1973:226);
“I often saw the Light -says St. Symeon the New Theologian – ‘sometimes it appeared to me within me, when my soul possessed peace and silence; sometimes it only appeared afar off, and even hid itself altogether. … Then I suffered an immense sorrow … began to weep, and witnessed to my detachment from everything, to an absolute humility and obedience, the Light reappeared like the sun which chases away the thick clouds and which gradually discloses itself, and brings joyfulness…”
St. Symeon’s observation of the Light, which is sometimes present and otherwise hidden, is part of my visionary experiences, especially with respect to hypnogogic-like dream-images. These can flash into my mind and any scenes, symbols, or fragmentary images, can seem clearer and more striking than anything seen in reality. They glow in jewel-like colours from within, and their meaning is elusive in the moment. I consider such experiences part of my mystical explorations. As Lossky remarks, “In a certain sense all theology is mystical, inasmuch as it shows forth the divine mystery .” (1973:7)
I will now return to earth, to tell you another truth regarding my imagined use for sources of cosmic energy. After I had traversed (in vision, that is) upper earth spaces and reached the ionosphere, I began to read about the physics of ‘ionization effects.’ I was thinking of the application of negative ionization to treat depression. Scientists suppose the higher ionosphere is primarily composed of negative ions endowed with super-charged electrons, which favourably affect our spirits. This directly contrasts the effect of positive ions, which adversely affect us. Scientists believe that this is because the charge produced by negative ions is directed by lightning into the earth. Whereas, positive ions are generated from earthly crustal layers, such as rock, and tend to weigh and drag us down physically as well as emotionally. There are geographical locations that possess a higher negative ion count than others. And because negative ionization is a medical treatment for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), people tend to seek recreation in places rich in negative ions: mountaintops, forests, beaches, shorelines, waterfalls and even in the air after thunderstorms. These settings are also conducive to visionary experiences.
Christian Trinitarian Metaphysics
Christians in attendance at mass or communion feel blessed by the Holy Spirit, which bears the Trinitarian impulse of Father and Son come down to earth. The Trinitarian power of the Holy Spirit can dissolve the hardness of human sin, heartache and suffering, particularly the interpersonal contradictions that plague our lives and psyches. (See my above tale of seeing the Hand of God dissolve the outcrop of rock on the hillside.) The writers of the Hebrew Scriptures thought of the Divinity in Whom they believe as occasionally present, as for instance, “For I am God and no mortal, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath” (Hosea 11:9. ). But it did not follow that anyone had or could see Him. In fact, they often said that only Moses had ever seen the Lord God “face to face,” as on Sinai.
Though none have fully seen His unimaginable Glory, some Christians claim to have experienced ‘Divine Uncreated Energies’ emanating from His ‘Uncreated Essence.’ In medieval times, Greek Orthodox monks, practitioners of Hesychasm, a practice of contemplative prayer, received impressions of these Divine Energies. Some radical mystics even abandoned the Holy Sacraments to seek out the spiritual benefits of these wondrous lights.
In The Triads, St Gregory includes a paper ‘In Defence of the Holy Hesychasts,’ writing on behalf of monks dedicated to constant recitation of the Jesus Prayer, along with meditations induced through breath control. He suggested they ultimately experienced something approaching Christ Jesus’ own ‘Divinization.’ The Eastern Orthodox Church remains deeply impressed by the gospel accounts of the ‘Transfiguration of Christ Jesus’ on Mount Tabor.’ To them, it speaks to our human potential to become inwardly enlightened, a state monks strive for in their prayer-life and spiritual meditations. Notably, Mount Tabor is, by virtue of being a mountaintop, one of the aforementioned locals high in negative ions.
The Divinization of the human person is found in Vladimir Lossky’s The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church. Lossky tells of the holiness of St. Seraphim (an 18th century Russian saint).This conversation with a disciple took place in a forest setting on a winter morning, as summarized below (!973:227-229).
“ The disciple asked, ‘How can I be firmly assured that I am in the Spirit of God…His true manifestation?’…The saint replied, ‘We are both together, son, in the Spirit of God… why lookest thou not on me?’… ‘I cannot look, Father, because lightning flashes from your eyes; your face is brighter than the sun and my eyes ache in pain’… Then the saint whispered to him, ‘… you have seen that I did not make the sign of the cross, only in my heart I prayed mentally tp the Lord God… vouchsafe to see with my bodily eyes that descent of Thy Spirit … when thou are pleased to appear in the light of thy marvellous glory.’… Then, the disciple saw around the figure of St. Seraphim…. “a blinding light spreading several yards around and throwing a sparkling radiance across the snow blanket and into the snowflakes…”
Orthodox Christians justified such amazing holiness by reflecting on Christ’s Transfiguration on Mount Tabor. The Gospel of Luke, 9:28-35, reports that Jesus took Peter, John and James with him when he went up that mountain to pray. From further down the mountain, the disciples saw that, as Jesus was praying, “The appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzlingly white.” As he talked with the Old Testament prophets, Moses and Elijah, all three “appeared in glory.”
Some Trinitarian theologians point to the “over-shadowing cloud” during Jesus’ Transfiguration as the Holy Spirit, the Third Person of the Trinity (its presence presaging Pentecost). I wonder if the disciples envisioned Christ and his holy companions covered in that ‘Cloud of Glory,’ as well as perceiving the dazzling white shine of His face and cloths.
To St Bonaventure, ‘Seraphic Doctor’ of the Middle Ages, the inner eye that sees things above was ‘the Third Eye.’ This ‘Triple Eye’ was a composite of three different ways of ‘seeing.’ It was created in the Garden of Eden, or, “the original Paradise.” According to Bonaventure, the ‘eye of the flesh’ sees the outer world, while the ‘eye of reason’ sees things with the inner mind. But the third eye, that of contemplation, was meant “to see things above”. Ilio Delio, in introducing St. Bonaventure’s writing of The Soul’s Journey to God, says that “Bonaventure describes Creation as a theophany, a manifestation of God. Creation signifies the overflowing goodness of God in the myriad life-forms of creation.” To St, Bonaventure all are enveloped within the ‘Triple-Eye.’
Pre-Judaic and pre-Christian Themes in ancient Religious Thought
When I wrote a brief paper on Hinduism, I discovered ancient wisdom in a text attributed to a Vedic era priest-seer, 3000 years ago. I quote from Rajendra Pandeya’s article ‘The Vision of the Vedic Seer,” in particular, his English translation from the Sanskrit the story of a Vedic seer who envisioned a Radiant Being emerging out of the void (seeGen. 1:2-3 above).
“…. out of the primeval void… out of the waters…. arose the radiant presence … of the sacrificer… the imminent God.” Then Pandeya records the ancient Vedic priest’s idea of the transcending mystery, that opposites, which customarily distinguish our earthly thinking., saying “… there are none of the oppositions such as arise in the creation – existence and non-existence, death, immortality, earth, sky, day, night … (1989:11-12).”
In Philip Novak’s collection of Hindu literature, he introduces another Vedic Era text, speaking of “this lengthy creation hymn,” entitled ‘Creation as Cosmic Sacrifice’ in English. At that time, a few thousand years ago, they believed the world’s origins were borne out of a divine being’s self-sacrifice. (1995:7-8)
Thetheme of great sacrifice by godly beings appears in a pre-Columbian Aztec myth, which I summarize from David Carrasco’s account in The Aztecs. Carrasco recounts what Aztec elders related to the Spanish historian, Friar Bernardino de Sahagun in the 1550s. The myth revolves around the mystery of the pyramid complex the Aztecs knew as Teotihuacan, meaning City of the Gods. The elders believed that the previous cosmic age had ended in darkness, until fifty-two years later, there being no sun, the gods congregated around a hearth of burning fire. Each of the gods sacrificed himself to the fire, so as to bring the sun to life again. They said that when the sun was reborn on the eastern horizon it wobbled about in the sky. Then, the Aztecs said, the sun ascended through the heavens and even descended into the underworld. This draws on an Egyptian belief briefly outlined earlier in discussing The Amduat. In their myth, the Aztecs measured those 52 years of darkness according to the sun-moon pattern inspired by the earlier, Mayan calendar, but integrated it with their idea that an interval of darkness before Divine intervention brought their cosmic age into being. The idea of the Divine would have been more mysterious to them than the material remains of the wonderful abandoned pyramid city.
Recently, the previously unknown Egyptian royal tomb texts have been of great interest to Christians. Among these is the aforementioned Amduat , translated by Erik Hornung (Hornung, 1999:27-53). The basic narrative went back to Queen-Pharaoh Hatshepsut (1479-1458 BCE). She commissioned the work for the tomb of her beloved father, Tuthmosis 1. Versions of this tale continued to be recorded in pharaohs’ tombs through to the 11th century BCE. These were secret writings, reserved for the pharaoh, whose body would lie in a sarcophagus underneath walls that recorded this spellbinding tale. The purpose of the Amduat served to bind the soul-spirit of the newly deceased pharaoh to the sun god, who retired at night to the realm of Osiris, ruler of the underworld, and judge of souls. The sun god was depicted as ‘ram-headed,’ because the hieroglyph for ram was also used for the ‘ba-soul’ – the identity of the sun god while traveling in the underworld of Osiris. Here was a linkage between that supreme god and the souls of deceased humans.
At the beginning of their twelve hour journey the sun god and king traveled in pleasant lands abounding in grain fields, full of peasants holding up sheaves of grain. Then they entered the desolate land of Sokar, where snakes and reptiles proliferated. Because there was drought, the boat had to be towed in places. Underneath this landscape lay the Lake of Fire.
Quoting from Hornung: In this part of the journey they encounter fiery threat; but, as the scene changes, poetically, “… the barque turns into a serpent whose fiery breath pierces a pathway through the impenetrable gloom, ” in Hornung’s words. Deeper than this desolate place, Hornung describes the … “Lake of Fire indicated as a place of punishment.”
At midnight, the sun god lay like a corpse in the arms of Osiris, in the primordial waters deep in darkness. Souls of previous kings, with crowns and sceptres, awaited the resurrection of the sun god and the newly deceased pharaoh. The sun god was brought back to life by a miracle; in the middle of the night sunshine shone forth from above!
Was this ancient Egyptians literary mysticism intended to teach pharaohs that a Great Miraculous Being has his ‘Dwelling Place’ somewhere up in the darkness of the starry night sky? Towards the end of the Amduat, the souls of the blessed dead are gathered into an eternal Kingdom of Light, the rebirth of their souls as wonderful as the rising of the sun in the morning. The following text from Hornung describes the resurrection of “all the blessed dead;”
“At about midnight, the sun shines anew,” writes Hornung, although in subsequent hours monsters lie ahead trying to stop the light from continuing to shine.. By the eleventh hour, judgment takes place upon the enemies of the sun god…”Goddesses sit upon fire-breathing serpents, which fires incinerate these enemies in “flame-filled pts.” However, all the blessed dead are gathered up and carried within the body of a huge serpent: finally, “They emerge from the serpent’s mouth as new born babies at the hour of sunrise…”
Horus is depicted in relics as a falcon-headed bird, wearing the double crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt, but is otherwise human-bodied. It seems likely this was more than conic representation of a clannish emblem descended from the original conquerors of the north known as ‘the Sons of Horus’ and dating back to the 3rd millennium BCE. They used this strange hybrid imagery to convey that the human-bodied Horus, had ‘vision.’ He was endowed with the “solar Eye’ –such as belongs to a high-flying bird. A sacred Bird!
The current BBC documentary, The Silk Road, hosted by British historian, Dr. Sam Willis, visits different sites linked to the historic trading routes frequented by merchants in South Asia. On September 7, 2020, Dr. Willis took the viewers to ancient Persepolis in southern Iran. Now in ruins, its main archeological features are the tall, standing columns that once framed the buildings of this great city. Displayed on a wall is the image of a white bird with outstretched wings and a tiny human head. Dr. Willis associated this bird-man with the Zoroastrian religion, the Divinity called Ahura Mazda, meaning ‘Wise Lord.’ Zoroaster (dated 1500-1000 BCE) was encouraged by this higher being to spread certain high-minded teachings. Dr. Willis said, “People were to pray to the “invisible” Ahura Mazda in the direction of the night.”
This ancient religion, Zoroastrianism, envisioned ‘the Apocalyptic,’ time of the end. There are several BBC websites that explore how Zoroastrianism shaped apocalyptic thought in Judaism and Christianity. Zoroaster preached of the battle between good and evil, of an ultimate Judgment Day when rivers of fire would run throughout the earth; the bad would perish, but to the good, the fire would feel like ‘warm milk.’
Dr. Willis next visited Yazd, a city in modern Iran. He was privileged to enter one of their Zoroastrian fire temples, where we again saw the iconic bird. The priest piled logs on the “eternal” fire that had been burning for the last 1500 years. Dr. Willis explained that the fire was symbolic of the light they knew in the darkness of night, like the night sky wherein Ahura Mazda was believed to dwell.
I recognized the mythic bird shown in the documentary, both as sculpted on the wall in ancient Persepolis, and in the fire temple at Yazd. It was the same mysterious great-winged and white-feathered bird I first saw at communion on the Day of Pentecost, June 2019. At first it looked like a white mantle enveloping the whole sanctuary ceiling. It made me think of the First Nations’ Great White Manitou, a leading deity associated with wind stirring up the waters. Then I saw it was a gigantic bird, hovering above our head and its presence was reminiscent of he Dove at Jesus’ baptism.
After reading the BBC websites on the Zoroastrian Apocalyptic and realising the connection to Ahura Mazda’s bird, I had to rethink this wonderful bird’s appearance in a sacred Christian context. When it began reappearing to my inner sight during my relaxation exercises I knew I had been right to re-examine its importance. This mythic Great Winged One was calling to me, guiding me into the skies and heavens, up into the dark night sky of the ‘Great Lord God of the Heaven.’ Its purpose, in part, was to show me earthly locales from a higher perspective; indeed, some scenes implicitly revealed environmental concerns – the ‘Apocalyptic’ in today’s world.
There was more wisdom for me to ponder regarding the sacred in certain earth-places we visited. For instance, we saw a little-inhabited, sub-Arctic region encased in snow and ice in colder months. While we awaited His direction from up in the night sky, He started to speak of a place which He said was “Precious to me.” How important that place must be! He directed us to fly down to the most easterly point of continental land in North America, just to look around. I thought it must be somewhere along the coast of Labrador, Canada.
Later, I looked up ‘Battle Harbour,’ Labrador. Now it is mostly a summer fishing village, but Battle Harbour used to be a thriving hub of the cod industry. Today it attracts some tourists because of its varied geological formations and marine fossils. So, what can one say of this place that is dear to the Cosmic Creator? We must have been looking upon something resembling Genesis 1. The landscape I saw in my vision featured hard, grey, rocky hills, devoid of vegetation. There were little coves with narrow beaches leading into the deep Arctic waters, likely filled with whales and seals, though fewer than there once was.
Similarities of mystical teachings and mediational approaches to the Godhead
As background to Philip Novak’s English translation of the Sanskrit text entitled ‘Svetesvatara Upanishad,’ he reports that this writing laid early foundations for fundamental Hindu teachings regarding the cycle of death and rebirth. This is due to our “Ignorance of the divine ground for all life (Brahman).” Novak says they taught people to “Realize one’s inner spiritual nature, the Universal Self or Atman, which is none other than Brahman.” Bellow are instructions for the beginner (Novak 1995:9);
“With upright body, head and neck lead the mind and its powers into thy heart [similarly practiced by today by Eastern Christian monks, transposing mind down into the heart];and the OM of Brahman will then be thy boat with which to cross the rivers of fear…
And when the body is in silent steadiness, breathe rhythmically through the nostrils with a peaceful ebbing and flowing of breath. The chariot of mind is drawn by wild horses, and these wild horses have to be tamed.
Find a quiet retreat for the practice of Yoga, sheltered from the wind, level and clean, free from rubbish, smoldering fires, and ugliness, and where the sound of waters and the beauty of the place help thought and contemplation ….
The first fruits of the practice of Yoga are: health, little waste matter, and a clear complexion; lightness of the body, a pleasant scent, and a sweet voice; and an absence of greedy desires.
Even as a mirror of gold, covered by dust, when cleaned well shines again in full splendour, when a man has seen the Truth of the Spirit he is one with him, the aim of his life is fulfilled and he is ever beyond sorrow….. Then the soul of man becomes a lamp by which he finds the Truth of Brahman. Then he sees God, pure, never-discarded any preconceptions born, ever-lasting; and when he sees God he is free from all bondage…” (Novak 1995:18-19)
The following passage from St. Gregory’s The Triads explains the unique method of the Hesychast monks’ meditational practice for overcoming mental and intellectual distractions.
“Certain masters recommend to control the movement inwards and outwards of the breath, and to hold it back a little; in this way, they will be able to control the mind together with the breath – until such time as they have made progress, with the aid of God, have restrained the intellect from becoming distracted by what surrounds it, have purified it and truly become capable of leading it to a ‘unified recollection.’
St. Gregory often referred to “St. Denys, the Areopagite,” his name for the 5th-6th century writer modern scholars call “the Pseudo-Dionysius.” Dionysius’ philosophical pursuit of the Godhead was rooted in what came to be called the ‘Divine Darkness.’ As we see in Dionysius’ ‘The Mystical Theology,’ he held up Moses as our exemplar, one who bravely scaled the mountain in Sinai when it was quaking and burning with fire and smoke. Dionysius wrote that the person must “Plunge into the darkness” to the place where, “as scripture proclaims, [Ex. 20:21 and 19], dwells the One who is above all things…”
Dionysius further says:
“…. the good cause of all is both eloquent and taciturn, indeed wordless… has neither word nor act of understanding, since it is on a plane above all this … to pass beyond the summit of holy ascent… leave behind every divine light, every voice, every word of heaven…. Moses first submitted to purification, departed from others .. Then,,, he sees the many lights, pure and with rays streaming abundantly…”[like St. Gregory’s Divine Uncreated Energies?]….When Moses pushes ahead to the summit of divine ascents… he does not meet God himself, but contemplates … where he dwells… The highest and holiest of the things perceived with the eye of the body or the mind are but the rational which presupposes all that lies below the Transcendent One… Moses plunges into the truly mysterious darkness of unknowing… renouncing all that the mind may conceive….” (1987:136-137)
Vladimir Lossky in his chapter on ‘The Divine Darkness’ (The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church)is faithful to Dionysius’ advocacy of ‘the apophatic,’ or negative, approach to the Godhead. Lossky reiterates Dionysius’ recommendation that the seeker start by acknowledging a total ignorance of the Highest Being (1973:25):
” All knowledge has as its object that which is. Now God is beyond all that exists. In order to approach Him it is necessary to deny all that is inferior to Him.. all that which is. If in seeing God one can know what one sees, then one has not seen God in Himself but something intelligible… inferior to Him. Proceeding by negations one ascends from the inferior degrees… to the highest … setting aside all that can be known, in order to draw near to the Unknown in the darkness of absolute ignorance…. the knowledge of created things… destroys the ignorance which is the only way to attain to God in Himself…”
Below, Lossky reaffirms Dionysius’ ‘negative way of approaching the Godhead, as follows (1973:26-27):
“One must scale the most sublime heights of sanctity leaving behind all the divine luminaries, all the heavenly sounds and words …. only thus one may penetrate to the darkness wherein He who is beyond all created things makes his dwelling..” (here Lossky refers to Dionysius ‘Mystical Theology’).”
In Lossky’s chapter on ‘The Divine Names,’ he views the Divine Names, with which we eulogize the Godhead, as inadequate to describe His unknowability and transcendence.
“In his treatise of ‘The Divine Names,’ in examining the name of the One, which can be applied to God, he shows its insufficiency and compares it with another and most ‘sublime name – that of the Trinity, which teaches us that God is neither one nor many but that He transcends this antimony, being unknowable in what He is…” (1973:31)
Let us reread what the ancient Vedic priest-seer wrote of what he understood of the highest level of consciousness: “There are none of the oppositions such as arise in the creation … existence and non-existence, death, immortality, earth, day, night ….” Such a divine mystery!
Below, Lossky attempts to clarify the distinction between the ‘Uncreated Energies’ and the ‘Uncreated ‘Essence,’ though this language is difficult to fathom. Just how is there a relationship between the divine energies and existence – all that which is not God? (Lossky 1973:67-90).
“For the energies do not produce the created world processions of the essence of God; if they did, either the world would be as infinite and eternal as God Himself … The divine energies are not the relationship of God to created being, but they do enter into relationship with that which is not God, and draw the world into existence by the will of God. (1973:89)
Do the Divine Lights reveal features of an original state or existence, even something of original ‘glorification’ (e.g. St. Gregory’ ‘Divinization’ of earthly being)? Does this suggest that my vision on the road to Jenin – the Hand of God immersing the cliffside in Golden Light – was the effect of the Divine Energies?
In my visionary understanding of some Californian professors, they are interested in the thermal conductivity of rocks. For millions of years, the exposed surfaces of rock have absorbed the heat and light of the sun. When the Hand of God was laid upon the hilltop in the West Bank, was it a renewal of the Creator’s spiritual blessing upon this bit of earth, as in the time of the Divine Creation that God thought was “so Good”?
Ascending up into the Blue, and beyond into the Heavens
Recall the lines, which I requote below from the aforementioned Upanishad text, which well describe the inherent pleasantness of the setting in which I found myself, when relaxing deeply.
“Find a quiet retreat for the practice of Yoga, sheltered from the wind, level and clean, free from rubbish, fires and ugliness, and where the sound of waters and the beauty of the place help thought and contemplation…”
Once sufficiently relaxed, I found myself back in familiar surroundings, such as the back yard of an apartment where I had lived next to Lake Ontario. At the back of this apartment building is a stone seawall that holds back splashing waves, if the water isn’t too rough. Many hours were spent sitting at the picnic table next to the lake birdwatching for Canada geese, swans, ducks, gulls, even an occasional loon.
As my visionary self stood motionless on the lawn, I began to gaze up until somehow, we reached the ionosphere. Immediately, I was in that blue emptiness, floating amidst a scattering of white clouds. Yes, the Great Winged One was with me, flying us higher and higher until the clouds were far below us. We kept ascending. Once we saw a metallic installation, all angular construction and jutting wings. We inadvertently bumped into it and a burst of electricity flashed at us. Later, I learned about the communications satellites sent up into the ionosphere where solar and cosmic radiations flow into our upper earth-space. (Is it possible that the concentration of cosmic energies at this stage thrusts us up towards more sacred zones? This is a theoretical question for which I have no definite answer, except by this stage I have confidence we can reach beyond the rim of the earth.)
The Great Winged One and I have since made daily journeys into upper-earth spaces through varying sky-zones. Sometimes we encounter dense masses of grey cloud that obstruct vertical flight. They are penetrable, but we must fly blind to get through them. At other times, we fly above some thin, misty cloud layers, and enter a zone of wonderful radiance. It is blue, almost green-blue sky, glittering as though infused with tiny particles of light. It is tempting to stay in such an atmosphere of beauty and uplifting brightness. But ascending higher, as we must do, more often than not, we become enveloped in a deep-blue energy. This is the jewel-like colour of sapphire, lapis, or the sacred indigo. I think this must be the rim of blue that surrounds this planet when seen from space. This zone of dark, rich blue merges into the upper darkness of the night sky. The stars fill the sky in vast, uncountable numbers; there are too many to see with the naked, or even the ‘solar eye’. Floundering about in that vastness of space, I become aware of myself as a mere speck of nothingness, enveloped in Dionysius’ divine darkness.
The Wonder of the Place where the Great Lord dwells
Up in the night sky, I wonder if the Lord God belongs among these Heavens. Then some thought-forms fall into my mind, sensing His Presence, His Warmth, a Being of Absolute Goodness. As for His Wisdom, which the scriptures and theologians praise, all I can attest to is what the Great Winged One and I saw on each occasion that we visited some earthly locale He directed us to. He wanted us to fly down to earth and experience whatever that place revealed.
Our descent was more rapid than was our ascent, and at times I glimpsed a streaming lights trailing behind us. Perhaps the Great Lord of the Heavens wanted these ‘Divine Energies’ implanted in the place where we landed. While I have some geographical knowledge of place-names, I have since looked up possible local references on the internet, and have incorporated these into the scenes described below.
Descension Experiences, back on earth but in vision
Our first visit was to the New York area. Once I even flew over New York city, looking down on neighbourhoods nestled in greenery, the many waterways traversing the landscape. Following that spiritual visitation, I looked up its geography on the Internet. I found the region formed an estuary flowing towards the Atlantic. I suppose that my initial impression shaped how we saw it in my vision.
We arrived in a forested place with no signs of a cityscape, no tall towers, no roads, bridges, traffic or people. We did see a native person sitting on a beach, pensively looking out at the ocean. Otherwise, we toured these forests; they were dark green at first, but later, lightened from dense leafy thickets to a lightened and irradiated green colour. It was as though the trees themselves were enjoying springtime growth, like living creatures basking in the temperate sunshine.
We then went to California, on the Pacific coast. Our first visit was to Los Angeles, where we saw city streets largely empty of people and vehicles. I now perceive this to be a reference to the Covid-19 lockdown, although I failed to anticipate the timing of it. Our next visit was to California in general, and at first, was terribly shocking. We landed in the midst of a wildfire, flames shooting up into smoke-filled air – a terrifying spectacle! That visit was just before wildfire outbreaks took over the whole west coast.
I was directed from above to seek out significant cultural developments in this progressive area of America. I remembered seeing the façade of an UCLA building on television, so I walked into that building. I saw two professors discussing something I could partially hear. One professor mentioned ‘bitumens,’ and heat measurements. (I have since learned that the term ‘bitumens’ refers to thermal conductivity of rocks.) These academics planned to map temperature variations on a large scale basis. They were especially concerned with global warming as a result of longstanding drought and wildfire destruction on the west coast.
In another part of the university, I found the engineering department. Here professors and students were building a gigantic machine. They were attempting to capture more data from high in the ionosphere, because of its importance to radiocommunications and G.P.S.
I believe we next visited a Silicon Valley setting, where a group of computer scientists were excitedly discussing how to refine and enhance the visual imagery conveyed by virtual communications.
We headed into the countryside, to an agricultural setting where people spoke of building canopies over the fields, with covers that could be opened or closed as weather necessitated. From there we went to the forests. Initially, I experienced a vision of a little stream overhung by leafy branches, and water birds collecting there. It was a dreamlike vision of an idyllic scene! We went briefly through the Red Tree forest, marvelling at the tall, aged trees that had survived this modern world. I sensed that the ‘Divine Energies,’ wanted to bless the efforts of forest managers to save old trees and introduce sturdier, new varieties that would withstand increasing droughts.
Somewhere along the Gulf Coast of the southern American states, we skimmed a stretch of highway, beside which we saw the ‘remains’ of American economic activity. These were abandoned buildings, factories awaiting demolition, and strip malls. It was all commercial scenery. This late in the summer, hurricanes form in the Atlantic and sweep through those places bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricanes and tropical storms hit the southern states with torrential downpours, and strong winds and surge of waves onto the beaches. One imagines the storms are washing the coasts, pointing to ill-judged locations for residences and work places.
Another seaside place we visited was Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean. During our visit, we saw a lovely sandy white beach backed by inland greenery. It looked pristine. Soon afterwards, however, the news reported despair at the same beaches succumbing to an oil spill – an environmental disaster!
Another place we were directed was to Chicoutimi. This is the name of both the town and one of its two rivers east of the St. Lawrence in the Saguenay region of Quebec. We looked at the Chicoutimi River as its waters rushed through wooded landscape. It was not then, but has been known to flood. A great waterfall at this river’s end provides hydraulic power. During that visit, two images flashed into my mind; the first of a beautiful little girl with long black hair, a native child full of health and life, followed by a sad-looking native man. He walked the road listlessly, as though he didn’t know where he was going. A later visit to Quebec took us to the northeast, the Gaspe, where we went into a forest to look at logging activities amidst its wealth of standing timber.
We went far to the northwest, to visit ‘the Beaufort Sea’ in the western part of the Arctic Ocean, off the coasts of Canada and the U.S. We ranged over its deep, dark, cold and blue waters , which are still a nature preserve for marine creatures and animals. Once we saw, a giant whale with dark blue and white colouring come splashing out of these waters. It looked like the Orca that have reportedly migrated to Arctic waters since the loss of their more native habitats. The whale we saw beneath us opened its huge mouth wide, as if it was smiling at us. I like to think it sensed the Divine Energies that followed us from on high. I have since learned that there are colonies of Beluga whales in the Beaufort Sea and multitudes of Bow-heads, preyed on by Orca.
We returned to the American Pacific Coast, concerned like everyone about the terrible wild fires raging across the country. We flew over the Pacific searching for moisture-laden clouds, which could save homes and communities. It was impossible to find any storm clouds from the Pacific heading eastwards. Later, reading on the internet, I learned that in late summer, the high land temperatures in the West Coast block the ocean storms from coming to relieve drought and annual wildfires.
There is one more visitation to tell you about. We went to Jerusalem, a place I have visited before. There, I went up to the ‘Temple Mount” sometimes called the ‘the al-Haram al-Sharif’. So, what did I see there? First I must tell you briefly about The Dome of the Rock. It was built in the 8th century, its architecture borrowed from the Roman Emperor, Justinian’s Holy Sepulchre. The Dome is capped in glittering gold, the gift of the Jordanian King, Hussain. In my vision of Jerusalem, as I looked at this historic, the whole building dissolved into Golden Light, much to my amazement. Divine Energies from the Lod God of the Heavens on high streamed from it.
As I think on our human connectivity to the Great Lord God of all, I take to heart the thoughts of the Swiss Trinitarian theologian, Gilles Emery. Paraphrasing a few of his thoughts: we call the Great Lord God “Good,” and the creatures of this Divine Creation “Good,” as in Genesis 1. But we humans and all other earthly creatures are not at the same level of the Godhead. This is because, as Emery writes,
“God is the transcendent source of the goodness of creatures. God is his very goodness by essence, while creatures are good inasmuch as they participate in the goodness of God, in a radically limited mode.”
References
A.C. Bouquet, ‘ Hymn to the Sun -god’ in Sacred Books of the World, A Companion Source-Book to Comparative Religion, Penguin Books, first published 1914, reprinted 1959.
Sandra Principe, ‘Everyday Experiences of the Trinity: Communing with Heavenly Beings, the Spirit of Christ and the Holy Spirit of Pentecost, on web-site ‘Historical Visions,’ July 2019.
Vladimir Lossky, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, Cambridge and London England: James Clarke and Co. Ltd. First published 1957, reprinted 1973.
St. Gregory Palamas, The Triads, Edited With An Introduction By John Meyendorf, Translation by Nicholas Gendle, New York, Toronto: Paulist Press, 1983.
Ilio Delio, Simply Bonaventure, An Introduction to His Life, Thought and Writings, New City Press 2001:101.
Rajendra Pandeya, ‘The Vision of the Vedic Seer, in Hindu Spirituality 1989:11-12)
Philip Novak, ‘Creation as Cosmic Sacrifice: The Myth of Divine Self-Immolation and Its Sanction of the Caste System,’ The World’s Wisdom, Sacred Texts of the World’s Religions, New York: HarperCollins Publishers, (1995:7).
David Carrasco. The Aztecs, A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press, 2012: 25-27)
Pseudo-Dionysius, ‘The Mystical Theology,’ The Complete Works, ‘ Translated by Colm Luibheid, New York: Paulist Press, 135-137
Gilles Emery, O.P. The Trinity, An Introduction to Catholic Doctrine on the Triune God, Translated by Matthew Levering, Washington, D.C: The Catholic University of America Press, 2011:95.
Historical Visions 