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^nOne vhO has been mOved b !he suQerna! g!Or O !he
mOmen! vhen !he 5un emerges rOm !he eas!ern hOrZOn has an
nk!ng O !he spr!uaI! O !gh!. 1hs nchOa!e exQerence O !he
cOmmun! O !he IumnOus and !he numnOus s !he QOn! O
depar!ure !Or !he \sdOm O IIumna!On Ormu!a!ed b
5hhabOddn Yaha 5Ohravard, !he grea! revver O! lerme!c
gnOss n sIam vhO suered a mar!rs dea!h B IZ" L 5ra. ^! !he
hear! O 5Ohravards ms!c scence s !he recOgn!On !ha! !he l
O ever seI!-avare en!! s a Qure, mma!era! !gh!.
\h!e 5Ohravards vOrks exercsed a prOOund n!luence
On sQr!ua! and n!eIIec!ua! curren!s v!hn sIamdOm, !he vere
never !ransIa!ed n!O La!n and !hus remaned vr!ua!! unknOvn
n !he \es! Or cen!ures. lenr LOrbn [1V3-1V7b) deserves !he
!On's share O cred! Or !he redressa! O !hs s!a!e O! a!!ars. ^s a
Oung man LOrbn vas n!rOduced !O 5:hravard b hs !eacher
LOus NassgnOn, vhO Qresen!ed hm v!h a I!hOgraQh O !he
mar!red shah's ^rabc mas!erpece Hikmat a!-sma
q
. 1he
Qenn drOpQed. n hs cOrrespOndence v!h NassgnOn ears !a!er,
LOrbn spOe O! 5Ohravard as mOn shaK [m sQr!ua! gude).
ar rOm mereI servng as a research !Opc, 5Ohravard had
become LI n!a!or.
1Iank> !o Lorbns !teOng cOmm!men! !O ed!ng,
tran>Ia!ny, and [mos! mpOr!an!!) n!erpre!ng !he vr!ngs Ot
5o!ravod and I> commen!a!Ors, !he Nas!er Ot l!!umna!On has
IctuI_ become a sOurce Ot Iresh nspra!On tOr ph!OsOphers,
>\cIo!oy>!>, ar!s!s, and ms!cs n !he \es!. Lne mgh! ven!ure
!o omare Lorbns cOn!empOrar unve!ng Ot !he \sdOm Ot
l!!umna!on v!I 5Ohravards hgh-spr!ed revva! Ot !he gnOss
o! ancen! ran n hs Ovn era. Lke !ha! Ot 5Ohravard, LOrbns
vork IarmOnzes cr!ca! reasOnng and vsOnar n!u!On, mOdes
o! knovng nOv mOre !han ever Ou! Ot snc. n reva!OrZng
mayna!on as an eps!emO!Ogca! ca!egOr LOrbn cOned !he !erm
magna!, an expressOn vhch has guck! ganed vde
n!erdscp!nar currenc.
\h!e !he presence Ot 5Ohravard nspred and Oren!ed
LOrbns vOrk, ! b nO means cOntned hs n!eres!s. 1he \sdOm
ot !!umna!On has nO use tOr !aassub, tana!csm. 5!eeped n
a!c hem , ange!O!og, cOOr smbO!sm, cOsmO!Og, geOsOph, Cra!
!ore, heroIs!or\, !oVe !heOr, sub!!e phsO!Og, sacred geOme!r,
sopho!oy\ and !IeopIanc phenOmenO!Og, LOrbns Oeuvre Ot
some !vo Iundred cr!ca! !ex! ed!Ons, bOOks and ar!c!es
cons!!u!es a monumen!a! con!rbu!On !O !he te!ds Ot s!amc
pI!o>opI\, 5uI>m, and 5h!e eso!ercsm.
n !he presen! vO!ume, LOrbn veaves !he tber Ot
5Ohravards me!aphscs n!o a !apes!r resp!enden! v!h !he
cO!Ors Ot Cerman rOman!csm, NaZdasm, Nanchesm,
lerme!csm, and !he 5utsm Ot Kuzbehan bag!, amOddn
KObra, "amOddn Kaz, 5hamsOddn Lah, and ^!aOddav!eh
5emnan. 1he avakenng Ot !he bOd Ot !gh! s !he !heme. 1he
!ranstOrma !ve experences Ot !!um na !On descrbed n !hese pages
amOun! !O nO!hng !ess !han !he tu!t!!men! Ot a supp!ca!On !ha!
resOunds !O !hs da n mOsgues trOm !he Naghreb !O |ava:
\ COd, p!ace !gh! n m hear!, and !gh! n m
sOu!, !gh! upOn m !Ongue, !gh! n m ees and
gh! Bm ears, p!ace !gh! a! m rgh!, !gh! a! m
et!, !gh! behnd me and !gh! betOre me, !gh!
abOve me and !gh! benea!h me. !ace !gh! n m
nerves, and !gh! n m t!esh, !gh! n m bOOd,
!gh! n m har and gh! n m skn! Cve me
!gh!, ncrease m !gh!, make me !gh!!
Za naa! Khan
I . ORIENTATION
C0n/cn/s
1.ThePo|eofOrientation
2. TheSymbo|softheNorth 4
I I . THEMANOFLIGHTANDHISGUIDE 13
1.TheHermeticIdeaofPerfectNature 13
2. TheNaofHermesandtheShepherdofHermas 26
3.FravartiandWa|kyrie
28
4. TheHeaven|yTwin( MandeismandManicheism) 33
I I I . MIDNIGHTSUNANDCELESTIALPOLE 39
1. TheCosmic North andtheOrienta| Theosophy"
of Sohravardi (1191) 39
2. VisionsofthePo|einRzbehnofShiz(1209) 52
3.ThePo|eastheAbodeoftheAnge|Sraosha 55
IV. VISIOSMARAGDINA 61
l . NamoddinKobr(1220) 61
2.LightandSpiritua|Warfare 64
3. TheTri|ogyoftheSou| 66
4.LikewithLike 68
5.TheFunctionoftheDbikt 73
6. TheGrenLight
76
7. TheSensesoftheSu prasensoryWor|d 80
8. TheOrbsofLight
82
9.TheHeaven|yWitness" 84
1.TheSca|esandtheAnge| 89
V. THEBLACKLIGHT 99
1.LightwithoutMatter 99
2.The Doctrine ofPhotisms accordingto Nam Rzi
( l 256) 103
3.B|ack Light in the Rose Garden of Mystery"
(I 317)
11 0
VI. THESEVENPROPHETSOFYOURBEING 12 l
l . A|oddaw|ehSemnni(1336) 121
2. TheWor|dofCo|orsandtheManofLight l 3 I
3 . ThePhysio|ogica|"Co|orsaccordingtoGoethe 139
NOTES 1
BI BLIOGRAPHY 16 l
I NDE 163
. . . /am/uingwitbtbeai/a[anive
tteewbicbi neitheroftheEastnoroI
theWest,/utstinginta[mmeeven
tbaugb [itetaucbitnat. . .Hnditi/igbt
uan/igbt.
~Qorn24. 35
1
,
LV11^1L
! . 1he Po/e o uentotion
Orientation is a primary phenomenon ofour presence in the
wor|d. A human presence has the property of spatia|izing a
wor|d around it, and this phenomenonimp|iesa certain re|a
tionship of man with the wor|d, bis wor|d, this re|ationship
being determined by the very mode of his presence in the
wor|d. The four cardina| points, east and west, north and
south, are nottbings encountered by this presence, but direc-
tionswhichexpressitssense, man'sacc|imatizationtohiswor|d,
hisfami|iaritywith it.To have thissenseistoorientonese|fin
the wor|d. The idea| |ines that run from east to west, from
north to south formasystemof tiati spatia|evidenceswith-
outwhichtherewou|dbeneithergeographicnoranthropo|og-
ica| orientation. And indeed, the contrasts between Eastern
man and Western man, between Nordic man and Southern
man, egu|ate our i deo|ogica| and charactero|ogica|
c|assifications.
The organization, the p|an, ofthis networkhasdepended
sincetimeimmemoria|onasing|epoint. thepointoforienta-
tion,theheaven|ynorth,thepo|estar. Isitenough,therefore,
to say that spatia|ization, deve|oped horizonta||y toward the
four cardina| points, is comp|eted by the vertica| dimension
frombneathtoabove,fromthenadirtothezenith:Orrather
1
l. frcntaton
aretherenotinfactdifferentmodesofperceptionofthissame
vertica|dimension,sodifferentin themse|vesthattheymodify
theatientatian ofthehuman presence,noton|yinspacebuta|so
in time Orientation in time" refers to the different ways in
which man experiences his presence on earth, and the con-
t|nuityofthis presence within a kindofhistory, andtheques-
tronastowhetherthishistoryhasasense,andifso,whatsense
Thisinturnraisesthequestionwhethertheperceptionofthe
heaven|y po|e, of the vertica| dimension tending toward the
cosmic north, isauniform phenomenon,physio|ogica||yregu-
|ated by constant |aws, or whether the phenomenon is not in
factregu|atedanddiversifiedbytheverymodeofbeingofthe
human presence atienting itse|f Hence therefore the primor
dia|importanceofthenorthandoftheconceptofthenorth. it
is in accordance with the wy in which man inward|y experi-
ences the vertica|" dimension of his own presence that the
horizonta|dimensionsacquiretheirsense.
Now one ofthe /eitmative ofIranian Sufi |iterature is the
QuestfortheOrient,"butthisisa QuestforanOrientwhich,
asweareforewarned(ifwedonota|readyrea|ize) ,isnot~and
cannot be~situated onourgeographica| maps. This Orientis
notcomprisedinanyofthesevenc/imes (kesbvat) ,itisinfactthe
eigbtb c|ime. And the direction in which we must seek this
eighth c|ime" isnotonthehorizonta|butonthevertica|. This
suprasensoy, mystica| Orient, the p|ace ofthe Originand of

Return,obectoftheeterna|Quest, isattheheaven|ypo|e,
t is the Po|e, at the extreme north, so fr off that it is the
thresho|d of the dimension beyond. " That is why it is n|y
revea|edtoadefinitemodeofpresencein thewor|d,andcan
be revea|ed on|y through this mode of presence. There are
otier modes to which it wi|| never be revea|ed. It is precise|y
thrsmodeofpresencethatcharacterizesthe modeofbeingof
theSufi,buta|so,throughhisprson, themodeofbeingofthe
entirespiritua| fami|ytowhichSufism~andespecia||yIranian
Sufism-b|ongs. Thetient sought by the mystic, the Orient
that cannot be |ocatedon our maps, isin thedirectionofthe
natb,beyondthenorth.On|yanascensiona|progresscan|ead
towardthiscosmicnorthchosenasapointoforientation.
A primary consequence a|ready foreseen is, to be exact, a
dis/acatian of the contrasts regu|ating the c|assifications of
2
!. Po/e o urientotion
exotericgeographyandanthropo|ogy, which dependonouter
appearances. Eastern men and Western men, Northern men
andSouthernmen, wi||no|ongerbe identifiedby thecharac-
teristics previous|y attributedtothem, itwi||no|ongerbe pos-
sib|eto|ocatetheminre|ationtotheusua|coordinates.Weare
|eftwonderingat what point the |oss comes about in Western
man of the i ndi vi dua| di mensi on that is irreducib| e to
c|assifications based on exoteric geographic direction a|one.
Then it may happen,ust as we have |earned to understand
a|chemyassignifyingsomethingquitedifferentfromachapter
in the history or prehistory ofour sciences, that a geocentric
cosmo|ogy wi|| a|so be revea|ed to us in its true sense, having
|ikewisenoconnectionwiththehistoryofoursciences.Consid-
ering the perception ofthewor|d and the fee|ing ofthe uni-
verseonwhichitisbased,itmaybethatgeocentrismshou|dbe
meditated uponandeva|uatedessentia||yafterthemannerof
theconstructionofamanda/a
It isthismanda/a uponwhichweshou|dmeditateinorderto
find again the northern dimension with itssymbo|ic power, ca-
pab|e of opening the tresho|d of the beyond. This i s
theNorthwhichwas|ost"when,byarevo|utionofthehuman
presence, a revo|ution ofthe mode ofpresence in the wor|d,
theEarthwas|ostintheheavens. "To|osesightoftheNorth"
meansno|ongertobeab|etodistinguishbetweenheavenand
he||, ange| and devi|, |ight and shadow, unconsciousness and
transconsciousness. A presence |ackingavertica| dimension is
reducedtoseekingthemeaningofhistorybyarbitrari|yimpos-
ingthetermsofreference, power|esstograspformsintheup-
ward direction, power|ess to sense the motion|ess upward im-
pu|seofthepointedarch, butexpertatsuperimposingabsurd
para||e|epipeds. And so Western man remains baff|ed by Is-
|amic spiritua|ity, with its powerfu| ca|| to reco||ection ofthe
preeterna| covenant" . and by the heaven|y Assumption
(mi't) ofthe Prophet, he doesnotevensuspectthathis own
obsession with the historica|, his materia|ization of events in
Heaven, " can be equa||y baff|ing to others. In the same way,
theSufiHeavensofLight"wi|| remain foreverinaccessib|eto
the most ambitiousastronautic" investigation, theirvery exis-
tencenotevenbeingsuspected.Ifthosewho|eadyousay,Lo
the Kingdom isin the sky , ' then the birds ofheaven wi|| be
3
. frcntaton
therebefore you ... utthe Kingdom is withinyou and a|so
outsideofyou."
2. 1he 8ymoo/ of the North
And so, ifwe fond orseveswriting the wordsLx Urtcnlc lux
as
.
an epigraph, we wo d be comp|ete|y mistaken if we im-
a

med we
.
wer

sayiothe same thing as the Spiritua|masters

dscussed

,swor aresaying,andif|ookingfortheLight
ofthe eot wemereyted towardthegeographica|east.
For wheo we seaofthc sun rising in theeast, thisrefersto
the igat o| thc day as it succeeds the night. Day a|ter-
nateswith mght, astwooppositesa|ternatewhichbytheirvery
natur

caooot coexist.ight risingin theeast and |ightgoing

down the westaretwopremonitionsofanexistentia|option
between the wor|d ofDay with its criteria and the wor|d of
Night with its deep and insatiab|e passions. At best, on the
boundarybetw

en the two we haveatwofo|dtwi|igh. thecrc-

pusculum ucsc
'
ltnum, no|ongerday but not yet night, thecrc-
(
usc
"
lum malultnum, no|ongernightbutnotyetday. Thisstrik
mgimage,aswe know, wasusedbyLuthertodefinethebeing
ofman.
Inourturn,|etuspausetoconsiderwhata|ightcansignify
w
.
hich is neither eastern norwestern, the northern |ight. mid-

ight sun, b|aze ofthe auroraborea|is. Itis no|ongera ques-

tnor daysucceedingnight,nornight,day.Day|ightbreaksin
themrdd|eofthenightandturnsintodayanightwhichissti||
therebutwhich isa Nightof|ight.Ll nox tllumtnalto mca tn dc-
/tctu mcu. Th,sa|readysuggeststhepossibi|ityofaninnovation
m phi|osophra| anthropo|ogy. the need to situate and inter-
pret in an entire|y new way the opposition between East and
West,Lightand Darkness, inorderfina||ytodiscoverthe fu||
and unforeseen s,gnificance of the northern |ight, and con
sequent|yofNordrcman,themanwhoisatthenorth" orwho
isgoingtowardthenorthbecausehehascomefromtienorth.
Butthenorthcanon|yattainitsfu||significancebyamode
ofpercetio

w|ichraisesittothepowerofasymbo|,tobing
asymtcdrrectrn,thatis,toadimensionbeyond"whichcan
be pomtedtoon|ybysomethingthatsymbo|izeswith"it.And
so we are concerned with primordia| I mages preceding and
4
}2. 1he 8ym|oL o the N orth
regu|atingeverysensoryperception, and notwith images oo
structeda poslcrton on an empirica| basis. For thescnsc o|th
given phenomenon depends on the primordia| Image. the
heaven|y po|e situatedonthe vertica|ofhuman existence the
cosmic north. And even in geographic |atiudes where we
shou|d hard|y think itpossib|e for the phenomenon to occur,
its archetypa| Image exists. The midnight sun" appears in
many ritua|s of mystery re|igions, ust as it sudden|y bursts
forth,inSohravardi'swork, inthemidstofanecstasyofwhich
Hermes is the hero. Later Iranian Sufi masters refer to the
Nightof|ight,thedarkNoontide,theb|ackLight. Andinthe
anicheafaith itisthef|amesofthearoraborea|isthatare
visua|izedintheColumna glortac ascomposedofa||thepartic|es
ofLight reascending from thetn[cmum to the Earth of|ight,
theTcrra /uctda, itse|fsituated, |iketheparadiseofYima,inthe
north,thatis,inthecosmicnorth.
Precedinga||empirica|data,the archetype-Imagesarethe
organsofmeditation,oftheactiveImagination,theyeffectthe
transmutationofthesedatabygivingthemtheirmcantng, and
precise|y in so doing make known the manner ofbeingofa
specific human presence and the fundamenta| ortcnlalton in-
herent in it. Taking its bearings by the heaven|y po|e as the
thresho|d ofthe wor|d byond means that this presence then
a||ows a wor|d other than that of geographica|, physica|, as-
tronomica|spacetoopenbeforeit. Heretrave|ingthestraight
path" means straying neither to the east nor to the west, it
means c|imbing the peak, that is, being drawn toward the
rcnlcr, itistheascentoutofcartographica|dimensions,thedis-
coveryoftheinnerwor|dwhichsecretesitsown|ight,whichts
thewor|dof|ight, itis an innerness of|ightasopposed to the
spatia|ityoftheouterwor|d which,by contrast, wi||appearas
Darkness.
Thisinnerness mustin noway be confusedwith anything
that our modern terms subectivism or nomina|ism may be
supposedtoreferto, norwithanythingimaginaryinthesense
ofthisword thathas beencontaminatedfor usby the ideaof
unrea|ity. Theinabi|ity toconceiveofaconcrete suprasensory
rea|ityresu|tsfromgivingtoomuchimportancetosensoryre-
a|ity, thisview,genera||yspeaking,|eavesnoa|ternativebutto
take the suprasensory universe as consisting ofabstractcon-
5
I . frcntaton
cepts. On the contrary, the universe which in Sohravardi's
neo-Loroastrian P|atonismisca||edthemundu tmagtnalts (Tlam
al-mtlhdl) or the heaven|y Earth of Hurqa|y" is a concrete
spiritua| universe. Itis mostcertain|y notawor|dofconcepts,
paradigms, and univrsa|s. Ourauthorsneverceaseto repeat
thatthearchetypeofaspecies has nothingtodo withthe uni-
versa|sestab|ished in |ogic,butistheAnge|ofthatspecies.Ra
tiona|abstraction,atbest,dea|son|ywiththemorta|remains"
ofan Ange|, the wor|d ofarchetypeImages, the autonomous
wor|d of visionary Figures and Forms, is on the p|ane of
ange|o|ogy o see beingsandthingsinthe northern|igh"is
toseethemintheEarth ofHrqa|y,"thatis,toseethemin
the |ightoftheAnge|,itisdescribed asreachingtheEmera|d
Rk,the heaven|ypo|e,cominguponthewor|doftheAnge|.
Andthispresupposesthattheindividua|personassuch,irres-
pectiveofanything co||ective, virtua||y has a transcendent di-
mension at his disposa|. Its growth is concomitant with a
visionary apperception, givingshape to the suprasensoryper-
ceptionsandconstitutingthattota|ityofwaysofknowing that
canbgroupedunderthetcrmhtcrognosts.
As acoro||ary, the terms ofreference presupposed by the
mystica| symbo|s ofthe north here suggest something |ike a
psycho-spiritua|rea|mofthreedimensions,which theordinary
two-dimensiona| view cannot account for, since it is restricted
tocontrastngconsctousncss andunconsctousncss. To put it more
precise|y, it has to dowith two Darknesses there isone Dark-
ness which is on|y Darkness, it can intercept |ight, concea| it,
andho|dit captive. Whenthe|ightescapesfrom it(according
totheanicheanconceptionortheIshrqofSohravardi) ,this
Darknessis|eft to itse|f, fa||s back uponitse|f, it does notbe-
come|ight.ButthereisanotherDarkness,ca||edbyourmystics
theNightof|ight,|uminousB|ackness,b|ackLight.
A|readyinthemystica|Recita|sofAvicenna,anexp|icitdis-
tinction, dependent on the vertica| orientation, isestab|ished
betweentheDarkness at theapproachesto the Po|e"(thedi-
vineNightofsuperbeing, oftheunknowab|e, oftheoriginof
origins) and the Darkness which is the extreme occident of
atter and of non-being, where the sun of pure Forms de-
c|ines and disappears. The Orient in which the pure Forms
rise, theirUrtcnl-ortgtn, is thepolc, the cosmic north. Here a|-

}2. 1he 8ym|oI o the North
ready the Avicennanrecita|exp|icit|yshowsus atwofo|d si|+..-
tionandmeaningofthemidnightsun"ontheonehandII 5
the first I nte||igence, the archange| Logos, rising as a rv|a-
ion over the Darkness oftheDcus abscondtlus, and which, io
termsofthe human sou|, isthearising ofsupcrconsctousncss on
the horizo of consciousness. On the other hand, it is the
human sou| itse|fasthe |ight ofconsciousness rising over the
Darknessofthesubconscious. Wesha||seehow,inNamoddin
Kobr's work the co|ored photisms (in particu|ar |uminous
b|ack" and green |ight) proc|aim and postu|ate an identica|
psycho-cosmicstructure.Thatiswhyortcnlalton requiresherea
threefo|darrangementofp|anesthedayofconsctousncss isona
p|ane intermediate between the |uminous Night ofsupcrcon-
sctouncss and the dark Night ofunconsctousncss. The divine
Darkness, the C|oud ofunknowing, the Darkness at the ap-
proaches to the Po|e," the Night ofsymbo|s" throu

h wh,ch
the sou|makesitsway,isdefinite|y nottheDarkness which
thepartic|esof|ightarehe|dcaptive.The|atteristheextreme
occident, and is He||, the demonic rea|m. Orientation by the
Po|e, the cosmic north, determines what isbe|ow and what is
above, to confuse one with the other wou|d mere|y indicate
dtsortcnlalton (cf.tnjra V, I ) .
Thisorientationmightwe||bewhatwou|denab|eus tova|-
idatewhat iche|Guiomarsoadmirab|yforesaw. Ourc|assica|
oppositionsexpressedintherefusa|ofthehosti|edawnor,on
the contrary, in the distress of twi|ight, ofthe refused eve-
ning," might we|| turn out tobe nothingother than pairs be
comeunrecognizab|e, thatistosaythedivergence,inediter-
ranean and northern geographica| areas, from one and the
same great origina| myth. This wou|d imp|y an exp|osion of
thismyth intotwo kinds ofnguish, two refusa|s,twocorre|a-
tive kinds ofpower|essnessinthecaseofthemanwhohas|ost
hispo|ardimension,"thatistosayofmanno|ongeroriented
towardtheheaven|ypo|eandsofacedwiththedi|emmaofDay
succeedingNight,orofNightsucceedingDay.
To speak of the po|ar dimension as the transcendent di-
mension ofthe earth|y individua|ity isto point out that it in-
c|udes a counterpart, a heaven|y partner", and that its tota|
structure isthat ofaiunity, aunus-ambo. Thisunus-ambo can
be taken as an a|ternation ofthe first and second person, as
7
I . frcntaton '
formingadia|ogic unity thanksto the identityoftheiressence
and yet without confusion of persons. This is why the po|ar
dimensionishera|dedintheguiseofaFigurewhoserecurrent
manifestations correspond on each occasion to an abso|ute|y
persona|experienceofthespiritua|seekerandtoarea|ization
ofthis iunity. Soitisthatin Iraninthetwe|fthcentury(sixth
century ofthehegira) this Figure reappearsincontexts which
differ butwhich in everycase appertain to a metaphysicsora
mystica|experienceofLight.
In northwesternIran,Sohravard(d. I I 9I ) carriedoutthe
great proect ofreviving the wisdom or theosophy ofancient
pre-Is|amic Loroastrian Iran, he set the sea| on this achieve-
ment by dying as a martyr in A|eppo in the fu||ness of his
youth, victim ofthevindictiveness ofthedoctors oftheLaw.
Heca||ed histheosophica| system Ishrq becausehetraced its
sourcetoanOrientandtothei||uminationofanOrientwhich
isnotthegeographica|east.Certain|ytheSagesofancientPer-
siawereabovea||otersthe representativesandguardiansof
thiswisdom,butthefactthattheyarereferredtoasOrienta|s"
re|ates in the true sense to their orientation toward the
Orient-oriinofpureLight.Threecenturiesbeforetheyzan-
tine phi|osopher Gemistus P|etho, Sohravardis work made a
|ink between P|atoandLarathustra,inadoctrinedominatedby
the name and wisdom of Hermes. And so the same figure
which inHermetismisthatoftheheaven|yI , thellcr Lgo, the
eterna| partner and companion, reappears in Sohravardi
underthenameofIcr[ccl ^alurc.
A contemporary of Sohravardi in southwestern I ran,
Rzbehn ofShirz (d. I 209), thetmam parexce||ence ofthe
'Icdclt d'amorc in Iranian Sufism, dec|ares in his Dtartum
rptrtlualc that his decisive experience, his persona| initiatic
proof, wasa seriesofvisionsreferringto theheaven|yPo|e, it
was by meditatingonthesethathe fina||yunderstood howhe
was persona||y and secret|y connected with the group ofthe
asters ofinitiation symbo|ized by the stars stationed in the
mmediatevicinityofthePo|estar.
Last|y, at the extreme east ofthe I ranian wor|d, in Trans-
iania,NamoddnKobr(d. l 220)guidedtheSufismofCen-
a| Asia toward the practice ofmeditationwith particu|arat-
entiontothe phenomenaof|ightandchromaltc succcsston that
8
2. 1he 8ym|oI of the North
wi||makec|earto us the significance and pre-eminence o|IHL
grccn Ltghl. Andin thiscontextwe meetagainthehomo|ogu

e
of Perfect Nature, the Figure whom Nam Kobr ca||s his
Witnessin Heaven,"hissuprasensorypersona|Guide,"Sun
ofthe mystery,"Sunoftheheart,"Sunofhighknow|edge,"
SunoftheSpirit."
..
ConcerningthisFigure, Namoddin Kobrteacheshisdis-
cip|e. Thouarthe"~andhei||ustrateshisaffirmationbyadd-
ing the impassionedwordsofthe|overto hisbe|oved Thou
artmyse|f(anla and). However,sett|ingfortheordinaryterms
I" and se|' to describe the two dimensions" ofthisunus-
ambo mightwe|| |ead to a misunderstanding ofthe rea| situa-
tion. More often than not, Se|fdesignates an impersona| or
depersona|izedabso|ute,apureactofexisingwhichobvious|y
cou|d not act as second person, the second termofa dia|ogic
re|ationship. ut the a|ternative, whetherin experience or of
necessity, is not the supreme deity as described in dogmatic
definitions. Dcus csl nomcn rclaltuum: this essentia| and essen-
tia||y individuated re|ationship is what is her

|ded in expe
.
ri-
encebytheapparitiona|Figureweareattemptmgtorec

gmze
here underdiferentnames. Onecannot understand thsre|a
tionship except in the |ight of the fundamenta| Sufi saying
He who knowshtmscg knowshts Lord. The identity ofhtmscg
andLord doesnotcorrespondtoare|ationshipofl l , butof
1 l . the identity of an essence raised to its tota| power by
being mu|tip|iedbyitse|fandthusput inaconditiontoconsti-
tute a biunity, a dia|ogic who|e whose members share a|ter-
nate|ythero|esoffirstandofsecondpersonOragainthestate
described by our mystics. when, at the c|imax, the |over has
becometheverysubstanceof|ove,heisthenboththe|overand
thebe|oved. uthtmscg wi||notbelhal withoutthesecond per-
son, without the lhou, that is to say without the Figure who
makes him ab|e to see himse|f, because it is through his very
owneyesthattheFigure|ooksathim.
It wou| d therefore be as wrong to reduce the two-
dimensiona|ityofthisdia|ogicunitytoaso|ipsismastodivideit
into two essences, each of which cou|d be tlscg without the
other. The seriousness ofthe misunderstanding wou|dbe as
great as the inabi|ity to distinguish between the Darknes or
demonic Shadow that ho|ds the |ight captive, and the divine
9
I . frcntaton
C|oud of unknowing which gives birth to the |ight. for the
sae
.
reason, reco

rse to any co||ective schema can on|y be

ahdftheschemarstakenasadescriptive process foridicat-

mgthepotentia|itiesthatarerepeatedineveryindividua|case

ndabov

,;.

hepotentia|ityofthel whichisnotttscg withou:

rts other l
. '
itsllcr Lgo . ut such a schema by itse|fwou|d
neverexp|am therea|event: theintervention in thepresent
of

the Perfect Nature, the manifestation ofthe Heaven|y

wtess, the reaciingofthep
_
lc. for the rea| eventexact|y
mphes a break with the co||ective, a reunion with the tran-
scendent
.
dimension which puts each individua| person on
gua
.
rd agams

the attractions of the co||ective, that is to say

agam

teveryimpu|setomakewhatisspiritua|asocia|matter.
.
ltisbecauseoftheabsenceofthisdimension thattheindi-

rdua| person |owers himse|fand succumbs to such fa|sifica-

tr

s. Ontheother hand, accompanied by theshaykh al-ghayb,

h

s suprasensorypersona|Cuide,heis|edanddtrcclcd toward
hrs own ce

ter, and
.
a

biguitiescease. Or rather, to suggesta

moreexactrmage,hrs suprasensoryCuide andhisindividua|
personcometobesituatedinre|ationtooneanotherasthetwo
fociofthe||ipse.
Tie divine

and the satanic remain ambiguous so |ong as

conscus

s rs

abe todi

tinguish between whatis its Day

ndwh

isitsNght.ThereisanexotericDay|ight. so|ongas
rscondrtrons prevai|, themidnightsun which is theinitiatic
|ight cannot showitse|f. This Dayand this Night are unaware

fo

eanotierandneverthe|essareaccomp|ices, thesou||ives
th

sDay|r g|to

| ybecaus

theNightisinitse|f. Theending
oftirsambrgtyistheharbmgerofthemidnightsunwithits
horz

ns upon
.
hori

s: itmay be the divine Night ofsuper

cons

usness rradratmg the fie|d of |ight of consciousness,

anditmaybethe|ig|tofconsciousnessovercomingtheDark-
ness of the subconscous, of the unconsciousness which was
hemmingitin. lnbothcasesaburstof|ightrendsthetissueof
eadymade
.
answers. th

fictions ofcausa| re|ationshps, of

|inearevo|utions, ofcontmuouscurrents,everythingthatbo|-
sters upwhat peop|e haveagreed to ca|thesenseofhistory.
The sense of another history rising from Earth to Heaven is
revea|ed. the historyofan nvisib|e spiritua| mankind whose
cyc|esofearth|ypi|grimagesrefertoeventsinHeaven, notto
l 0
}2. 1he 8ym|oI of the Nort/
the evo|utionary fata|ity of successive generations. H5 I5 D
secret history of those who survive the de|uges tha ovcr
whe|m and suffocate the spiritua| senses, and who rise aau
one after another, time after time, into the universes towa
which the same lnvisib|e forces guide them. This then s the
ortcnlalton that has to be made c|ear. uhcrc is it |eading, and
uhal makesitsuchthatthebeingwhotakesontheeffortofthis
upward movement is, at the same time, the being beyond
whose growing manifestation itse|f guarantees this progress?
Hidden inthisreciprocity, thisactofcorre|ation,isthewho|e
secretofthe invisib|e Cuide, the heaven|y rtner, the Ho|y-
Spiritoftheitinerantmystic(saltk), who, need|esstorepeat, is
neithertheshadownortheDoub|e''asinsomeofourfantastic
ta|es, but the figure of |ight, the lmage and the mirror in
which the mystic contemp|ates~and without which he cou|d
notcontemp|ate-the theophany(laall) tn lhc [orm corrcspond-
tng lo hts bctng.
These few remarks throw |ight on the way by which the
present research mustbepursued.Theattempt mustbe made
toestab|ishtheidentityofthis figureunderthevarious names
thataregiventoitsapparitions,forthisverydiversitysupports
usinthestudyofre|igiousorientationswhichsuggestthesame
type of individua| initiation whose fruit is reunion with the
Cuideof|ight.Thespiritua|universeoflran,beforeandafter
theadventofls|am, herebecomesofthe greatestimportance.
ln its recurrent expressions (Loroastrianism, Manicheism,
Hermetism,andSufism)thisfigurepointsinonedirection: to
the |ight ofthe North as the thresho|d ofthe beyond, to the
dwe||ingsin the highNorthwhicharetheinnerabodessecret-
ingtheirownLight.ThemysticOrient,theOrient-originisthe
hcaucnly polc, the point oforientation ofthe spiritua| ascent,
actingas a magnet to draw beingsestab|ished intheireterna|
haecceity toward the pa|aces ab|aze with immateria| matter.
This is a region without any coordinates on our maps. the
paradiseofYima,the Earthof|ight,Tcrra /uctda, the heaven|y
Earthof1rqalya. Thewaysofapproachtoitarepre-sensedin
the sp|endor ofautsto smaragdtna, theoutburstofgreen |ight
characteristic, according to Nam Kobr and his schoo|, ofa
specificdegreeofvisionaryapperception. lts appearance may
precedeorsucceedthedarknessattheapproachtothepo|e,

I . Lrcntaton
thecrosingofwhichisthesupremeordea|ofindividua|initia-
tion,inotherwordsthethemecomeseitherasapre|udeorasa
seque| to the theme ofthe b|ack Light, as we sha|| hear it
described b|ow by two masters oflranian Sufism. Since the
theme is as ferti|e as itis exemp|ary, we sha|| on|y point out
iere som

ofth connections that open upbefore us. To go

mtothemmdetai|wou|dca||forother|inesofresearch.
The passing from theb|ack Light, from the|uminous
Night:

to the bri||iance of the emera|d vision wi|| be a sign,

accordmg toSemnni,ofthecomp|eted growth ofthe subt|e
organism,theresurrection body hiddenin thevisib|ephysi-
ca|body.Exact|y here theconnectionbetweentheexperience
ofco|oredphousmsandthephysio|ogyofthemanof|ightis
unvei|ed the seven subt|e organs (latqa), the seven centers
typifyingtheAbodesofthesevengreatprophtsinthemanof
ght. The growth of the man of |ight thus recapitu|ates in
wa

d|y

thewo|e

e ofProphecy. Theideaofthis growth,

whichrsthehberatnofthemanof|ight,canbe readevenin
certaint

pes

firanianp

inting(fromManicheanpaintingto
t

he Persian m:mature). fma||y, the physio|ogy ofthe man of

|igh

t, whose g

rowth isaccompanied byco|oredphotismseach

havmga pre

se mystica| significance, is an integra| part ofa

genera| doctnneofco|orsandofthe veryexperienceofco|or.
We

ointthiso

tbr

ief|yandattheendofthischapterbecause
this
.
snotthef:rsttimethata meetingtakesp|acebetweenthe
gemusofCoetheandthelraniangenius.
l 2
11
,
Fart/auartwit/mc.allthcdays
cjmylq.
-Psa|m23 (22):4,
11 N^ L1 1l1
^1 11b l1111
! . 1he Hermetic Ieo of Pegect Noture
se of the word syncretism |eads easi|y to abuse. lt is used
most often as a substitute for reasoned argument to avoid
further consideration ofsome proect nob|y conceived to re-
storeint/cprcscntdoctrinesgenera||yacceptedasbe|ongingto
abygonepast.Yetnothingf|uctuatesmorethanthenotionof
past, it depends actua||y on a decision, or a pre-decision,
which can a|ways be surpasscd by another decision which re-
stores a future to that past. The who|e history of gnosis
throughoutthecenturiesisrather|ikethat.Therestorationof
anorienta|theosophy (/ikmat al-ls/rq) by Sohravardiinthe
twe|fthcenturywasnotexemptfromsuchsweepingandunde-
servedudgment on the part ofthose who were ab|e on|y to
acquaint themse|ves rapid|y and superficia||y with his work.
Certain|y,aswithanyotherpersona|systematization,onefinds
e| ements in Sohravardis s ystem that are obvious|y
identifiab|e~they be|ong to Hermetism, Loroastriani sm,
Neop|atnism, the Sufism of ls|am-but the organization of
these materia|sintoa newstructureisdirectedbyacentra|in-
tuition, as origina| as itis consistent. This centra| intuition is
made exp|icit in the form ofa number of figures, amongst
which the ro|e assumedby the Hermetic figureofthePerfect
Nature (al-ti/ ' al-tmm) is especia||y noteworthy. An essentia|
l 3
l l . hc Man ol ght and Hs Gudc
detai|. theArabictradition ofHermetism is theon|y one that
a||ows us to give this figure its context. from it we |earnthat
Perfect Nature is the heaven|y parcdrcs, the Sage's Cuide of
|ight. To understand itsro|e and manifestation, itis necessary
topicturetoonese|ftheanthropo|ogyfromwhichitisinsepar-
ab|e,ananthropo|ogywhoseheroisthemanof|iht,he|dcap-
tivebyDarkncss andstrugg|ingto freehimse|ffrom Darkness.
Theentireideo|ogyandexperiencecenteredonthmanifesta-
tionofPerfect Naturethus presupposetheideaofthemanof
|ightand his |ivingexperience ofthecosmicadventure. On|y
thencanoneunderstandhowthecoup|ecomestobeoinedin
thedialcgicunigofmanof|ightandhisCuidetowhichwefind
so many referencesinArabic Hermetism downto the time of
Sohravardi.
Wecanfo||owthepresenceoftheideaofthemanof|ight
evenfurtherin the Sufism ofNam Kobr, where the Arabic
expressionss/ak/sminnr andskak/snrniaretheequiva|ent
oftheCreekexpression metvo 'v0poo. The Creekterm
figures in the Hermetic documents transmitted to us by
Losimos of Panopo|is (third century), the famous a|chemist
whose teaching is based on the meditation ofphysica| meta|
|urgic|operationsasmode|sorsymbo|sofinvisib|eprocesses,
of spiritua| transmutations. This doctrine efers both to a
Christian Cnosticismrepresentedinthis caseby the Booksof
theHebrews,andtoaHermeticP|atonismrepresentedbythe
Ho|y BooksofHermes.Commontobothisananthropo|ogy
from which the fo||owing idea of the man of |ight emerges.
there i s the earth|y 3dam, the outer man of f|esh (op
ktvo'y0poo) subecttotheE|ements,top|anetaryinuences,
and to fate, the four |etters comprising his name encipher
the four cardina| points ofthe earth|y hoizon. And there is
the man of |ight (metvo'y0poo), the hidden spiritua|
man,theoppositepo|etocorporea|man:hs.Thehomonyms
o, |ight,ando, man,thusbearwitnessin|anguageitse|fto
theexistenceofthe manof|ight,theindividua|parexce||ence
(the spiritua| hero corresponding in this sense to the Persian
avnmard)3dm is thearchetype ofcarna| men,hs (whose
own persona| name was known on| y to the mysterious
Nicotheos) isthearchetype,notofhumans in genera|,butof
menof|ight,thee.
l 4
! . 1he Hermetic Ieo of Pegect Noture
hs, innocent and peacefu|, pre-existed in paradise, th
archons tricked him into c|othing himse|f in the corporea|
3dam. Butthe |atter,exp|ains Losimos, wasthemanwhomthe
Creeksca||ed Epimetheusandwhowasadvisedby hisbrother
Prometheushs not to accept the gifts of Leus, name|y, the
bondwhic wou|d ens|ave him to fate, to the powers ofthis
wor|d. Prmetheusis the manof|ight,orientedandorienting
toward |ightbecausehe fo||owshisownguide
.
of|ight. Those
who haveon|yphysica|hearingcannothear hrm, fortheyare
subecttothepoweroffate,totheco||ectivepowers,on|ytose
whohavespiritua|hearing, thatis, sensesandorgansofh

ht,
hear hissummonsandhisadvice. Andthisa|ready, wenotre,
points to a physio|ogy of the man of |ight and of his subt|e
organs.
. =
Asformore precise informationabout theC+eofLrght,
wegatheritbothfromLosimosandfromtheCnostrcs
.
towhom
Losimos himse|freferred lt is, in fact, the man ofhghtwho
speaks through the mouth of Mary Magda|ene when, in the
course ofthe initiatic conversations between the Resurrected
Christandhisdiscip|es,sheassumesthepredominantro|econ-
ferred on herin the book ofthePistis Scp/ia, the New Testa-
ment of the re|igion ofthe man of |ight. The poer w
.
hi

h
issuedfromtheSaviorandwhichisnowthemanofhghtwrthm
us. . . . MyLord Noton|ydoesthemanof|ightinmehaveears
butmy sou| hasheard andunderstood a||the

ordsthatthou
hastspoken. . . . Themanof|ightinmehasgded me, hehas
reoicedandbubb|edupinmeasifwishingtoemergefromme
and pass into thee.ust as Losimos p|aces on the one hand
Prometheus-hsoppositehis guide of|ightwhoisthesonof
Cod and on the other the earth|y3dam opposite his guide,
the+ntimimcs, the counterfeiter, so in the bookofthePistis
Scp/ia: lt is l, dec|ares the Resurrected
.
On

e, who rought
thee the power which is in thee and whch ssued from the
twe|vesaviorsoftheTreasuryofLight.
By the same inversion and reciprocity which in Sufism
makes the heaven|y Witness simu|taneous|y the one Con-
temp|ated and the Contemp|ator, the man o
.
f |ight ap

ea

s
both as the one guided and the guide, thrs
'
cm
"
unc
"
tu
idicmatum forewarns us that the bi-unity, the dra|ogrc umty,
cannot be taken as the association ofPhsand carna| Adam,
l 5
I I . hc Man ol
ght and Hs Gudc
whofo||owsanotherguide.TheLightcannotbecompounded
with the demonic Darkness, the |atter is Phs's prison, from
whichhestrugg|estoseparatehimse|fandwhichwi||returnto
its primordia| negativity. The syzygy of |ight is Prometheus-
Phsandhisguide,thesonofCod. Thisveryfacta|sopoints
c|ear|ytoastructure,whichhasneverthe|essbeensubecttoa||
kindsofmisunderstandings The powerwhich isin thee,in
cac/ofyou,cannotrefertoaco||ctiveguide,toamanifes-
tationandare|ationshipco||ective|yidentica|forcac/ofthe
sou|sof|ight.Nor,ajartiari,canitbethemacrocosmoruniver-
sa| Man (lnsn kalli) which assumes the ro|e of heaven|y
counter-partofcac/ microcosm.Theinfinitepriceattachedto
spiritua| individua|ity makes it inconceivab|e that sa|vation
cou|d consist in its absorption into a tota|ity, even a mystica|
one. Whatis important isto seethatitrefersto an ana|ogica|
re|ationshippresupposingjaurterms,andthisessentia||yisust
whatissoadmirab|yexpressedintheange|o|ogyofVa|entinia
Cnosis. Christ'sAnge|sareChristhimse|f,becauseeachAnge|
u Christre|atedto individua|existence. WhatChristisforthe
s

u|sofLight as a who|e, each Ange| isforeach sou|. Every

ume oneoftheseconunctionsofsou| and Ange| takes p|ace,
the re|ationship which constitutes the p|eroma ofLight is re-
produced.There|ationshipisinfactsofundamenta|thatitis
found again in Manicheism, and is a|sowhat, in Sohravardi's
orienta| theosophy, makes it possib|e for us to conceive the
re|ationshipbetween thePerfectNature ofthe mysticandthe
archetypa|Ange|ofhumanity(identifiedwiththeHo|yChost,
theAnge|Cabrie|oftheQornicReve|ation,theactiveInte||i-
genceoftheAvicennanphi|osophers) .Whatthisfigurerepre
sents in re|ation to the tota|ityofthe sou|s of|ight emanated
from ite|f, each Perfect Nature represents respective|y for
each sou|. The concept of this re|ationship is what we are
guidedtowardbytheHermetictextsin ArabicconcerningPer-
fectNature.
)he mostimportantofthese texts known todayis a work
attrbuted to Mariti. the G/yat al-Hakim (the Coa| of the
Sage),composed no doubtinthee|eventhcentury,butfrom
farmoreancientmateria|,sinceitinformsusindetai|aboutthe
re|igion and ritua| ofthe Sabans ofHarran. There a|ready
Perft Nature is described as the phi|osopher's Ange|, his
l
}1. 1he Hermetic Ieo of Perfect Noture
uiator and tutor, and fina||y as the obect and secret o| a. l
hi|osophy, the dominant figu

e ,n the Sage's persona| re-

. Againandagain,thedescrptnsou

dsth
.
fundamea
uoe. his Perfect Nature can on|y revea| rtse|f person to
uewhosenatureisperfect, thatis,tothe manof|i

ht thei
e|ationis this unus-am/a in which each ofthe two srmu|tane
s|y assumes the position of the l and the simage an+
irror. my image |ooks at me with my own |ook l |ook at rt
withitsown|ook.
Thc lirst thing you havc t

.
do in rc.atio

t

ourscll,

is to
mcditatc attcntivcly on thc sp:

:tu

l cntt

(ruhun

tuto-ku, your
angcl') which rulcs you and wh:ch tsassociatcdwth your
.
star

-
namclyyour PcrlcctNaturcwichthcsagc ucr

csmcntions1
his book, saying Whcn thc microcosm which ts man bccomcs
pcrlcct in naturc, his soul is thcn tc homologuc

ol tjc

su

stationcdin Hcavcn,whosc rays shcd ghtonallhonzons. Smi-

larly,PcrlcctNaturcriscsinthc soul, its

raysstricandpcnctratc
thc lacultics ol thc subtlc organs ol wisdom, thcy attract thcsc
lacultics,causc thcmtoriscinthc soul,ustasthcraysolthcs

n
attract thccncrgicsolthctcrrcstrialworld and causc thcm tonsc
inthcatmosphcrc
Thusit is suggested that between Perfect Nature and its sou|,
therewi||be a re|ationshipas formu|ated inthe psa|mcom
posedbySohravardito hisownPerfectNatur

such
.
thatthe
Bearer ofthe Chi|d is simu|taneous|y the Chr|d who rs Born,
andviceversa.
WiscSocratcsdcclarcdthatPcrlcctNaturciscallcdthcsunolthc
philosophcr,thcoriginalroot olhisbcingandatthcsamctimcthc
0runch springing lrom him. Hcrmcs was askcd. uow docs on

c
achicvcknowlcdgcolwisdom? How can onc bnng tt down tothis
world bclow?'ThroughPcrlcct Naturc,' hc answcrcd. What
.
is
thc rootolwisdom?' Pcrlcct Naturc.' Whati sthc kcy to ts-
dom?' Pcrlcct Naturc.' What thcn is pcrlcct Naturc?' hc was
askcd.ltisthchcavcnlycntity,thcphilosphcr'sAngcl,

on oincd
withhis star which rulcshimandopcnsthcdoorsolwisdomlor
him,tcachc. himwhatisdillicult,rcvcalstohimwhatisright,in
slccpingasinwaking. '
We haveust heard Hermes speak of the phi|osopher's Sun,
and in Nam Kobr, the homo|ogue of Perfect Natur

, the
Witnessin Heaven,thesuprasensorypersona| master,r sde-
scribed as the Sun of mystery, the Sun ofthe heart, and so
forth andin one ofhisecstaticrecita|s, Sohravardwi||te||us
l 7
I I . hc Man ol ght and Hs Gudc
whenandhowthissunriseswhichisnotthesunoftheearth|y
eastorwest.erfectNatureissosure|ytheu|timatesecretthat,
aswe readon,wearea|soto|dhowitistheonepartofmystica|
theosophy reea|ed by the Sages exc|usie|y to their discip|es
and neer mentioned, whether ora||y or in writing, outside
theircirc|e.
!t fo||ows that eery acountof the attainment of erfect
Naturerepresentsan actua| performanceofthedramaofiniti-
ation, whether enacted in the dream state or in the waking
state. !t isattained at thecenter, that is, in a p|ace fi||ed with
Darknesswhichcomestobe i||uminated byapureinnerLigbt.
OnesuchaccountinthesameworkisHermesrecita|,whereit
issaid.
Whcn l wishcd to bring to light thc scicncc olthc mystcry
andmodalityolCrcation,lcamcuponasubtcrrancanvaultlillcd
wih darkncss andwinds. l saw nothing bccauscolthc darkncss,
nor could l kccp a|ightbccauscolthcviolcnccolthc winds. Lo
and bchold, a pcrsonthcnapcarcdto mc inmyslccina lorm
olthcgrcatcstbcauty.'' Hcsaidto mc. Takcalampandplaccit
undcraglassto shiclditlromthcwinds,thcnitwillgivcthcclight
inspitcolthcm. Thcn go intothcundcrgroundhambcr, digin
itscenter and lrom tcrc bring lorth a ccrtain Cod-madc imagc,
dcsigncdaccordingtothcrulcsolArt.Assoonasyouhavcdrawn
out this imagc, thc winds will ccasc to blow through thc undcr
groundchambcr.Thcndiginits lourcorncrsand youwillbring
tolightthc knowlcdgcolthc mystcricsolCrcation, thccauscsol
Naturc,thcoriginsand modaliticsolthings. Atthatl said,'Who
thcn art thou?' Hc answcrcd. l am thyIeqect Auture. ll thou
wishcsttosccmc,callmcbymynamc. '
-
The same account a|so appears, word for word, in a text
attributed to Appo||onius ofTyana ( B|ins in Arabic) . Here
theordea|ofpersona|initiationconsistsofthe effrts ofthe
manof|ight,Fbs, before whomtheDarknessoftheprimor-
dia|secretistransformedintoaNightof |ight.Itisinthiseffort
towardthecenter,thea/e, andtheDarknessattheapproach
tothepo|e,thattheCuideof|ight,PerfectNature,sudden|y
shows itse|fto him and te||s him what todotobring|ightinto
thisNight. todigfortheImagewhichistheprimordia|reve|a-
tionoftheH/scanditum. Havingputhis|apunderag|ass,'as
prescribed by Perfect Nature, theinitiate enters the subterra-
neanchamber, heseesa Shaykh,whoisHermesandwhoisbis
a image, sittng on a throne and ho|ding an emeraH ta/t
l d
! . 1he Hermetic Ieo o Pegect Noture
which bears an inscription in Arabic, the Latin equia|eut O
which is. bac est secretum mundi et scientia Hrtu naturae. Jhc
identificationofthemanof|ightandhisCuideof|ightisesta-
|ishedby makingFbsintothe|ight-bearer,opo for
.
itis
both to him and through him that Perfect Nature, hisgde,
revea|sthatitisinitse|fthesecret. thesecretofthe|ightofthe
inaccessib|ediineNight.
Thenceforththeyaresointimate|yunitedthatoneandthe
same ro|e is p|ayed in turn, even simu|taneous|y, by Hermes
andhisPerfectNature. Thisiswhatis suggestedinSohravar
dis writings where PerfectNature is described, particu|ar|yin
thepassionate|y |yrica|psa|mreferredtoaboveandinthe

-
bean |iturgiesconveyingknow|edgeofthesamecharactersuc
situation. Hermes is the prophet ofPerfectNature,by initiat-
inghimtowisdom, hisPerfectNaturetaughth.mhowtowo

-
ship itse|f, taughthimtheformofprayerby which toca||for
.
it
andcauseittoappear(aHermetic h) ,thispersona|worship
is what Hermes transmitted to the Sages, instructing themto
performamongthemse|ves, at|easttwicea year,thispesona|
|iturgyoftheirPerfectNature. ThuswefmdaSa~anturgy
addressedto Hermeshimse|f, invokinghiminturnmthevery
same words inwhich hehadbeentaughtby hisPerfectNature
toaddressit. 'Herewehaveanexperientia|testimony,farbet-
terthanatheory,providedbytheperformanceofaprayer,of
the re|ationshipsuggestedby Sohravardi's own psa|m, where
he addresses Perfect Nature simu|taneous|y as the one who
givesbirthandtheonewhoisborn.Thesamere|ationship,as
we sha||see, is imp|icit inthe specifica||y Sufi notion ofthe
sbbid, the witness-of-contemp|ation. the Sufi contemp|ates
bieq in contemp|ating the theophanic witness, the Con-
temp|atorbecomestheContemp|atedandviceve

sa,amystica|
situation expressed by the wonderfu| Eckhartian form

| a.
The seeing through which I know hi m is the same seemg
throughwhichheknowsme.
Aparticu|ar|y fu| | andorigina| deve|opmentothethme
ofPerfect Nature is foundin a phi|osopherwho ved a tt|e
bfore Sohravard, name|y Ab|-Barakt Baghddi, a subt|e
andvery individua|thinkerofewish origin, converted|

tein
|ife to Is|am, who died aut 5l l l 5 at the age ofmnety.
Sincewehave dea|twithhimatgreater|engthe|sewhere, ' we
l 9
. hc Man ol ght and Hs Gudc
sha|| on|y reca|| herehow the themeofPerfect Natureseeps
into his work in regard to the prob|em, inherited from Av-
icenna and the Avicennans, ofthe Active lnte||igence. When
the Active lnte||igence ofthe Avicennans is taken to be the
sameasthe Ho|y Spirit,andthe|atterthesame,intheQornic
Reve|ation, astheAnge|Cabrie|-inotherwords,theAnge|of
Know|edgeas being the same asthe Ange| ofReve|ationfar
from|eadingtoarationa|izationoftheSpirit,itraisesagain,on
thecontrary,thewho|eprob|emofnoeticsintermsofange|o|
ogy.Thereuponafurtherquestionarises. whyshou|dtherebe
on|yoneActivel nte||igence?To answerthisquestionca||sfora
decisin as to whethera|| humansou|sare identica| in species
andessence,whethereachsou|differsfromanotherinkind,or
again whether they are not perhaps grouped essentia||y in
spiritua|fami|iescomposingmanydifferentspecies.
ThisiswhythcancicntSagcs. . . initiatcdintothingshcscn
sorylaculticsdonotpcrccivc, maintaincdthatlorcachindividual
soul,orpcrhapslorscvcraltogcthcrhavingthcsamcnaturcand
allinity, thcrc is a bcinginthc spiritualworldwhich throughout
thcir cxistcncc watchcs ovcr this soul and group ol souls with
cspccialsolicitudcandtcndcrncss,lcadsthcmtoknowlcdgc,pro-
tccts, guidcs, dclcnds,comlortsthcm, lcads thcm tovictory, and
thisbcingiswhatthcycal|cdIeqect Auture. Thislricnd,dclcndcr
andprotcctoriswhatinrcligioustcrmnologyiscallcdthcngel.
A|though herethe aspect ofintimate unionisnotsoexp|icit|y
stressed,thethemeneverthe|essfaithfu||yechoestheHermetic
teachings,itdefinesthesituationwhichwi||resu|t,accordingto
Sohravard,fromthee|ationshiptobeestab|ishedbetweenthe
Ho|ySpirit,the Ange|ofHumanity, and the Perfect Natureof
eachmanof|ight.WhetheritisreferredtoasthedivineBeing
orasthearchetype-Ange| , nosoonerdoesitsapparitionrevea|
the transcendentdimension ofspiritua| individua|ity as such,
than it must takeon individua|ized features and estab|ish an
individuated re|ationship. from that very fact, a direct re|a-
tionship is estab|ished between the divine wor|d and this
spiritua| idividua|ity, independent|y ofthemediationofany
earth|y co||ectivity. Some sou|s |earn nothing except from
humanmasters,othershave|earnedeverythingfrominvisib|e
guidesknownon|ytothemse|ves.
lnSohravard's vast body ofwritings, there are three pas-
2
}1. 1he Heetic Ieo of Pegect Noture
aesn particu|arthatthrw|ightonthet|e

meofer|ec

t Na-
t re,nottheoretica||y,butasafigure inavisionaryexper

asonewhospeaksinanswertoaprayer. Themostexpt h
n theBaak a[ Canversatians ,' where Sohravrdi undoubte+y
||udestotheHermetictextquotedafewpagesback. a|umm-
ousformappears to Hermes, it proects orbreathesintohim
heknow|edgeofgnosis.To Hermes'question,Whothenare
you? it answers, l am yourFeqect Nature. " And in anoth

r
passage
we find the invocation addressed by Her

es

to hs
erfect Nature amidst the peri|sthatcometo try hrm m the
courseofadramaturgyofecstasy,ana||usivedramatiatinof
an initiatic ordea| experienced in a secret persona| wor|d
(wherein Hermes may then perhaps be a pseudonym for
Sohravard) . Nowthebaur as we|| asthe/ace ofthisvisionary
episodeevokethesymbo|softheNorthtoindicatethepassage
toawor|dbeyond the sensory wor|d. Thisepisde isthemost
strikingi||ustrationofthethemew

rea:

a|

z.nghre.

Perfec

;
Nature,theguideof|ightofthesptua|mdiduahty, o

pens
itstranscendentdimensionbymakingpossib|e thecrossmgof
thethresho|d. . . (seea|soin[ra lll) . Thepersontowhomthe
appea| isaddressed inthis initiaticecstasyisthe same

Perf

ct
Natureaddressedinthepsa|mcomposedbySohravardr , whrch
isperhapsthemostbeautifu|prayereverdir

ctedtoth

Hnge/ .
ln this senseitisapersona||iturgy,conformmgtothemstruc-
tionswhich,saytheSabans, were a |egacy from Hermes to
theSages. '
Thou,mylordand princc, my mostholyangcl,myprccious
spiritual cing, Thou art thc Spiri

wh

gav

birth to mc, and

ThouartthcChildto whom my spnt g:vcsbirth . . . Thou who
art clothcd in thc most brilliant oldivinc Lights . . may Thou
manilcstThysclltomcinthcmostbcautilul(orinthchighcst)ol
cpiphanics,showmcthclghtolThydazzlinglacc,bclormc thc
mcdiator . . . liltthcvcilsoldarkncsslrommyhcart. . .
Thisconunctioniswhatthespiritua|seekerexperienceswhen
hereaches thecenter, tha/e, the same re|ationship is found
again in a| |ddn Rm' s mystici sm and in the

ho|e
Sohravardiantraditioninlran,aswe|earnfromthetest:mony
ofMr Dmd,thegreatmaster oftheo|ogy at lspahaninthe
seventeenth century. ltis a re|ationship in which the mystica|
sou| , as Maram, as ftima, becomes the mother of her
2 l
I I . hc Man ol ght and Hs Gudc
father,amma/i-ba. Andthisagain isthemeaningoftheverse
in lbn'Arabi. lcreatedperceptioninTheeon|ythatthereinl
mightbecometheobectofmyperception.
Z0
This re|ationship, inexpressib|e excpt in paradoxica|
terms, istheonetoward whichthesamefundamenta|experi-
ence consistent|y tends, notwithstanding the diversity of its
forms. Again, Sohravardi dramatizes the search for this ex-
perience and its attainment in a comp|ete short work. a
visionaryrecita|,aspiritua|autobiographyentit|edRecita/a[tbe
Occidenta/Lxi/e.Thisrecita|isre|atednoton|ytothetextsofthe
Hermetictradition,buta|sotoatexteminent|yrepresentative
both ofgnosisand ofManichean piety, thefamousSanga[tbe
Fear/ in thebookoftheHcts a[Tbamas . A|thoughit is truethat
such abookcou|d notbutbe re|egatedbyofficia|Christianity
totheshadowyrea|mofApocrypha,itcanneverthe|essbesaid
to express the /eitmativ of a|| lranian spiritua|ity sti|| a|ive in
Susm.
Z I
SomemayseeintheSanga[tbeFear/apregurationof
rsifa|'s quest, Mount Sa|vat, emerging from the waters of
Lake Hmn (on the present-day frontier of lran and Af-
ghanistan) has been |ikened to the Mountain of the Lord
(KbeKbweb) , where the fravartiswatch overthe Larathus
tran seed of the Savior, the Saasbant to come, as the Mans
victaa/is , it was the point from which the Magi began their
ourney,bringing lranian propheto|ogybackto the Christian
Reve|ation, it connects at |ast the memory of King Con-
dopharesandofthepreachingoftheApost|eThomas.Whatis
certain isthatonthe one hand SohravardisRecita/ a[tbe Lxi/e
beginswhereAvicenna's i/n\aqznended,andthatonthe
other hand the Recita/ a[ tbe Lxi/e is so c|ose|y para||e| to the
Sang a[ tbe Fear/ that everything takes p|ace as though
Sohravardi himse|f had ust been reading the story of the
young lranian prince sent by his parents from the Orient to
EgypttowinthePear|withoutprice.
Theyoungprinceshedstherobeof|ightwhichhisparents
had|oving|ywovenforhim,hearrivesinthe|andofexi|e,heis
theStranger hetriestogounnoticedyetheisrecognized.they
feed him the food offorgetfu|ness. Andnextcomesthemes-
sage carried by an eag|e, signed by his father and by his
mother, the queen of the Orient, and by a|| the nob|es of
22
!. 1he Heetic Ieo o Pegect Noture
thia. Thereupon the prince remembers his origin and he
ear|forwhichhehadbeensentonhismissiontoEgypt.And
t hencomes thedeparturefromEgypt,theexodus,thegreat
eturntothe Orient. His parentssend twoemissariestomeet
him and bring him the robe he had |eft behind when he de-
parted. Hedoesnotrememberwhatitwas|ike, havingbeena
sma||chi|whenhetookitoff.
And bchold, sawitaltogcthcrn mcand was altogcthcrin
it, lor wc wcrctuo, scparatcd lromoncanothcrbutncvcrthc|css
on/ one, olsimilar lorm. . . l saw also that allthc movcmcts ol
gnosiswcrctakingplaccinitand sawlurthcrthatitwasaboutto
spcak . . l saw that my staturc had grown to lit thc way it was
madcandinitsrcga|movcmcntsitsprcadovcrmc.
- -
Without doubt the author thus expressed i n the most direct
way andwithahappy simp|icity thebiunityofPerfectNature
(here representedbytherobeof|ight) andofthemanof|ight
guidedbyitoutofexi|e,abi-unitywhichisinfactinexpressib|e
inthecategoriesofhuman|anguage.
A||thesethemesrecurinSohravardi'sRecita/a[tbe Occiden-
ta/Lxi/e.
Z3
Herea|so thechi|dofthe Orientis sentintoexi|ein
the West, symbo|ized by the city of Qayrawn, which is the
same as the city mentioned in the Qorn as the city of the
oppressors.Recognizedbytheoppressors'peop|e,heisputin
chainsandthrown intoawe||fromwhichhecanon|yemerge
atnightfor f|eeting moments. Hea|soexperiencesincreasing
power|essnessdueto fatigue,forgetfu|ness,anddisgust.Then
comeshisfami|y'smessagefromafar, carriedbyahoopoe,in-
vitinghimtosetoutwithoutde|ay.Thereupon, intheb|azing
|ight that awakens him, e departs in search of that Orient
whichisnottheeastonourmapsbutwhich|iesinthecosmic
northustasthe lranian Sages, theguardiansoftheorienta|
theosophy, derive their epithet Orienta| from an Orient
other thangeographiceast). To return to the Eastis to c|imb
the Mountain Qf, the cosmic (or psycho-cosmic) mountain,
the mountain of the emera|d cities, a|| the way up to the
heaven|ypo|e,themystica|Sinai,theEmera|dRock.Sohravar
di'smaorworksmakethistopo|ogyc|earertous(see l) .
this Orient i s the mystica| Earth of Hrqa|y, Terra /ucida,
situatedattheheaven|ynorth. Thisisthevery p|ace where the
23
I I . hc Man ol ght and Hs Ludc
meeting occurs between the pi|grim and the one who gave
birth to him (and to whom the psa|m quoted above is ad
dressed) , his Perfect Nature, the persona| Ange|, who revea|s
tohimthemystica|hierarchyofa||thosewhogobeforehimin
hesuprasensoryheightsandatthesametime,pointingtothe
oneimmediate|ybeforehimse|f,dec|ares. Hecontainsmeust
aslcontainyou.
The situation is simi|ar. in both recita|s the exi|e, the
stranger, faces up tothe powers ofoppression which try to
force him to forget and to conform to the demands oftheir
co||ectivemastery.Theexi|ewasatfirstaheretic,butwhenthe
criteria are secu|arized and become socia| criteria, he is no
more than a madman, a misfit. from thenon his situation is
curab|e andthediagnosisisnothinderedbysuchdistinctions.
Andyet mystica| consciousness has avai|ab|e acriterion ofits
ownwhichmakesitirreducib|etothesede|usiveassimi|ations.
theprinceoftheOrientintheSanga[tbeFeat/andtheRecita/a[
tbeLi/e knaws whereheisandwhathashappenedtohim, he
haseven triedtoadapt,todisguisehimse|f, buthehasbeen
recognized, he hasbeen forced to swa||ow thefoodofforget-
fu|ness,hehasbeenchainedinawe||,inspiteofa||that,hewi||
understandthemessage andknowsthatthe|ightwhichguides
him (the |amp in Hermes' underground chamber) is not the
exoteric|ightofthecityoftheoppressors.
Onefurtherexamp|ewi||begivenheretosupportthefact
thatthisisthe/eitmativ oflranianspiritua|ity(theimageofthe
we// appearsagainconstant|yinNamKobr) .Wehaveustre-
ferred tothepara||e|betweentheHct a[ Tbamas andSohravar-
di'secita/. Thissamepara||e|ismreappearse|sewhere.Acom-
pi|ation which inits present formcannothavebeenmadeear
|ier than the sevenththirteenth century, and whic is pre-
sented as an Arabic e| aboration of a Sanskrit text, the
Hmttakunda, inc|udesashortspiritua|romancewhichinfactis
noneotherthanthetextofarecita|e|sewherewrong|yattrib-
uted to Avicenna, entit|ed Rismt a/-Ma/d wa'/-Ma'd, The
Epist|eofthe Originandthe eturn," atit|ebornebymany
phi|osophica| works in Arabic and Persian and which froma
gnostic pont of view, can a|so be trans|ated Cenesis and
Exodus, that is, the descent to the earth|y wor|d, into occi-
24
}1. 1he Heetic Ieo of Pegect Noture
denta|exi|e,and thedeattute fromEgypt, the returnbame.
Here the stranger is sent on a mission by the |ord of his
country of origin (the Orient) and before his departure re-
ceives instructions from his |ord'swise minister. The p|ace of
exi|e isthecitywherethe peop|eoftheouterandinnersenses
and ofthe physio|ogica| energies appear to himasacrowdof
active and agitated peop|e. At |ast, intheheartofthecity, he
finds himse|fone day before the throne ofthe shaykh who
ru|esthecountry. Hecomesnearandspeaksto him, thesame
gesturesandwordsrespondtohisowngesturesandwords.He
rea|izesthattheshaykhishimse|f(seeabove,theinitiaterecog-
nizinghis own imageintheimageofHermes) . Then sudden|y
the promise made before his departure into exi|e is remem-
bered. In hisbewi|derment, he encounters the minister who
hadgiven him hisinstructions andwhonow takeshimbythe
hand. P|unge into thiswaterforitistheWaterofLife On
emerging from the mystica| bath he has understood a|| sym-
bo|s,deciphereda||codesandfindshimse|foncemorebefore
hisprince.Bewe|come says theprince,Henceforthyouare
one ofus. And havingcutintwothe threadspunbyaspider,
theprinceputsittogetheragain,saying. l x l .
Thisi s a|sothe[atmu/a thatwesuggestedabove,becausehe
whodeciphersithodsthekeytothesecretthatpreserves him
both from pseudomystica| monis (whose formu|a is l l )
and from abstract monotheism which i scontent to superim-
poseanLnssutemum onthe mu|titudeofbeings(n + l). !tis
thecipheroftheunionofPerfectNatureandthemanof|ight,
whichtheSanga[ tbeFeat/ soexce||ent|ytypifies.Weweretwa,
separated from one another, and yet an/ ane , of simi|ar
form. EvenwithouthavingtoconsiderAvicennaastheau
thor of this spiritua| romance, it nonethe|ess confirms the
meaningofhisRecita/a[ i/n\aqzn. A|thoughithasbeen
soweak|yinterpretedastomakeitimpossib|etodiscerninhis
Recita| anything beyond an inoffensive phi|osophica| a||egory
on the interpreter's |eve|, it neverthe|ess has a deeper sense
whichshinesthroughpageafterpage, because,asin theother
Recita|s of the Avicennan tri|ogy, Hayy ibn Yaqzn points a
fingertothesameOtient towhichSohravardi'srecita|s redirect
us.
25
. hc Man ol ght and s Gudc
2. 1he No o Hermes on the 8hepher o Hermos
Thearchetypa|figureexemp|ifiedbytheapparitionofPerfect
Natureassumestherefore in respectto the manof|ight,Fbs,
throughouttheentireordea|ofhisexi|e,aro|ebestdefinedby

hewo
.
rd,theshepherd,thewatcher,the guide.This
sprecise|yawordwhichca||stomindboththepro|ogueofthe
mostfamousoftheHermetictextsandthatofaChristiantext

hichisperhapsitsecho.Ineachcasethesequenceofepisodes
s the same first the visionary's meditation, his withdrawa| to
thecenter ofhimse|f, the moment of dream or ecstasy inter-
mediate between waking and s|eep then the apparition and
the interrogation, then the recognition. In the same way the
NcsappearsbeforeHermeswhi|ehisbodi|ysenseswerehe|d
in bondage duringadeeps|eep. Itseemsto himthatabeing
ofenormoussizeapproaches,ca||shimbynameandasks
hatdostthouwishtohcarandscc,andtolcarnandknow
through thought?' But thou, who art thou?' amIotmunJer
hc` wihabsolutcsovcrcignty now whatthouwishcstana
| am with t hcc

cvcrywhcrc ' Suddcnlycvcrythingopcncd bc

lorc lL H an stant, and

saw boundlcss vision, cvcrything

havgbcocscrcncandoyousght,andhavingsccnthislight,
bchold waslllcdwthlovc lorit
-

Referringto the Coptic term fromwhichthename Poimander

is derived, it cau e uuderstood as the heaven|yNaus , as the
shepherd orathe wituess, butitis sure|ythe samevisionwit-
nessedby thoseo|the ! ranian Spiritua|s whospeaksometimes
ofPerfectNature,aiuSohravardisHermes,sometimesofthe
witness in Heaveu, othe suprasensory persona| Cuide, as in
theworksoNamobrandhisschoo|.
At one tim the Canan ofChristian Scriptures inc|uded a
charming |itt|e book, theSbeberd a[Herma, especia||y rich in
symb

|ic visions, today this |itt|e book, exi|ed |ikeFbs in per-

son,fmdsap|aceon|yintheCananofideasofpersona|re|igion
where itappropriate|ybe|ongsbesidetheHcts a[ Tbamas . Her-
masisat home,seatedonhisbedinastateofdeepmeditation.
Sudden|y a strange-|ookingpersonageenters, sits downathis
sidanda
.
nnounces I havebeensentbythe MostHo|yAnge|
tohve bes:de theea||thedaysofthy|ife. Hermasthinksthat
theapparitionistryingtotempthim.
2
}2. 1he Ne o Hees on the 8hepher
Who art thou thcn? For know to whom havc bn
trustcd ' Thcn hc said to mc. Dost thou not rccognic mcr`
No ' `l am thc Shcphcrd to whosc carc thou hast bccn CM~
trustcd. 'And whilc hcspokc,ht: u:]ect chungeJ, and bchold | CL~
ognicdthe one to uhom l huJ 0een entru:ted. '
Whetherornotoneiswi||ingto seeinthepro|ogueofHermas
a Christian rep|ica to the Hermetic Poimander, the fact re-
mainsthatChristo|ogywasnotorigina||yquitewhatit|aterbe-
came. Itisnotata||bychance thatinthe|itt|ebookofHermas
the expressions Son of Cod, Archange| Michae|, Most
Ho|y Ange|, and Magnificent Ange| are interchangeab|e
ThevisionofHermasgoesbacktotheconceptionsdominated
bythefigureofCbristas-Hnge/as ,andthesituationthusdefined
offers the fo||owingana|ogyofre|ationships. the shepherdof
Hermasisre|atedtothe MagnificentAnge|as,inSohravardi,
thePerfectNatureofHermesis re|ated to the Ange| Cabrie|,
theAnge|ofHumanity,theHo|ySpirit.
ThethemeofCbristas-Hnge/as isa|sothethemeofChristus-
astar, so we|| i||ustrated in primitive Christian art, where
ChristisrepresentedbythefigureofHermesCreabaras (witha
|amb on his shou|ders, his head ha|oed by the seven p|anets,
thesunandthemoonathissides),orasAttis,withashepherds
staffand a f|ute, viewed both in meditation and mystica| ex-
perience(Psa|m 23 andohn l 0. I I - l ) asa truedamcn are
dras ,apersona|protector,everywhereaccompanyingand |ead-
ing the one in his care, as Poimander says. I am with thee
everywhere. Hermas' exc|amation on recognizingthe one
towhom he hasbeenentrustedseemsto a||udeto aspiritua|
pactconc|udedatthetime ofaninitiation.Thena|sowe are re-
minded of the specifica||y Manichean expression of the
twofo|dtheme. ofChristastheHeaven|yTwinofManiand
oftheform of|ightwhicheachofthe E|ectreceives onthe
daywhenherenouncesthepowersofthiswor|d.Theconunc-
tionofthesetwothemesintroducesustotheheartofthepre-
Is|amic Iranian representations their |ater recurrences are
evidenceofthe persistence ofthearchetypewhoseexemp|ifi
cationsa|waysreproducethesame situation. theconoiningof
guideof|ightwithmanof|ighteffectedintermsofarientatian
toward aprimordia|Orientwhichisnotsimp|ythe geographic
east.
27
. hc Man ol ght and Hs Gudc
3. Frovorti on no/kyrie
The Loroastrian re|i gion of ancient l ran offers us the
homo|ogueorrathertheperfect,c|assicexemp|icationofwhat
the HermeticfigureofFeqectNatute orofthesbebetd hera|ds
and represents. However, in ana|yzing it, one mustbewareof
thediicu|tiesofatwofo|dtask. lnthefirstp|acePerfectNa-
ture as guide and heaven|y partner of the man of|ight has
heretofore appeared to us as essentia||y immune to any con-
tamination by the Darkness. ls there not however aoint re-
sponsibi|ity? As soon as itis c|ear|y stated, a second question
fo||ows.whatifthemanof|ightfai|stomaintainhiseffortand
fa||svictimtotheDarkness,whatifFbs isfina||ycapturedand
overcomebytheearth|y,carna|Adam?Thisquestionfindsan
answerfirstinthesequenceofeventsinLoroastrianindividua|
eschato|ogy and again in the interpretation of the co|ored
photismsbyNamKobrandhisschoo|,accordingtowhether
the co|ors unvei| oron thecontraryconcea| the suprasensory
persona|Cuide

To guardagainstanypossib|emisunderstand-
ing,|etussayimmediate|ythatwhattheseanswersshowisthat
theactofseeing changesaccordingto whether itistheactof
the manof|ight,Fbs, oronthecontrarytheactofthecarna|
and ma|eficent Adam who, by proecting his own shadow on
the heaven|y figure and by interposingthus this shadow, is
himse|ftheonethatmakesthisfigureinvisib|etohimse|f,tha
dis-figuresit.ltiswithinman'spowertobetraythepact,tocast
adarkened|ookonthewhitenessofthewor|dof|ight,thereby
hidingt from hisown gaze,butthisisthe |imit ofhis power,
andthisho|dstrueinthecaseofthesbbidinSufismaswe||as
oftheeschato|ogica|figureof DanainLoroastrianism.
lnthesecondp|ace,wesha||havetodefinethere|ationship
betweentwofiguresthatareofequa|va|ueasarchetypes,those
which are designated respective|y asFtavatti andDana. We
cannotgo deep|y into thistheme here,butmustconneour-
se|vestoindicatehow theprob|emarisesand howcertaintexts
a||ow us to foresee a so|ution in accordance with the schema
verieduptonow

TheFtavattis" are, in Mazdean cosmogony, feminine en-

tities, heaven|yarchetypesofa||thebeingscomposingtheCre-
ationof|ight. Eachbeinghavingpassedfrom theheaven|yor
2d
}3. Frovorti on no/kyrie
subt|e(mnk) statetothemateria|andvisib|estatetik,ama-
teria| state which in the Mazdean conception imp|ies by itse|f
neither evi| nor darkness, the |atter being proper to the
Ahrimaniancounter-powers, whicharethemse|vesa spiritua|
order)achbeinghashi[tavatti intheheaven|ywor|dwhich
assumes the ro|e ofhis guardian ange|. Whatis more, a|| the
Ce|estia| beings, gods, ange|s and archange|s, even Ohrmazd
himse|f, have theirrespective[tavatti . Syzygiesof|ight, |ight
upon |ight. Ohrmazdrevea|sto his prophetLarathustrathat
without the concurrence and assistance of the fravartis he
wou|d not have been ab|e to protect his Creation of |ight
against the assau|t ofthe counter-creation ofAhriman. Now,
theveryideaofthiswarfareisdramatica||yunfo|dedwhenwe
come to the fravartisofumanbeings. ln the pre|ude to the
mi||enniumsofthe period ofmixtute, Ohrmazd offered them
the choice from which their entire destiny originates. they
cou|deither|ive inthece|estia|wor|dshe|teredfromthe rav-
ages ofAhriman, or e|se descend to earth there to be incar-
nated in materia| bodies and strugg|e against the counter-
powers ofAhriman in the materia| wor|d. Their answer to
this proposa|wasthees whichgivestheirnameitsfu|| mean-
ing,mostsignificant|yforourpurpose.tbasewbabavecbasen. l n
practice the[tavatti incarnatedi nthe terrestria| wor|d fina||y
becameidentifiedinre|igiousrepresentationspure|yandsim-
p|ywiththesou|.
But thenthequestioninevitab|yarises. how toconceiveof
the bi-dimensiona| structure characterstic of the beings of
|ight,ifthe fravartisinperson, theheaven|yarchetypes,by
descending to earth, are identified with the earth|y dimen-
sion? lnotherwords,if,inthecaseofhumans, thearchetype
orange|,on|eavingthehighrampartsofheaven,istheterres-
tria|person hims|f,doeshenotinhisturnneedsomeguard-
ian ange|, a ce|estia| redup|ication ofhis being? lt seems that
Mazdean phi|osophyhasinfactentertainedthisquestion.One
so|utionmightbeinsomewaytoconceiveoftheearth|yunion
offravarti and sou| as one in which the formerremains im-
mune from a|| Ahrimanian contamination. ' However, when
weconsiderthefundamenta|situationthatisthebasis forthe
entire meaning of human |ife as it is experienced once the
fravarti and the sou| are actua||y identified, the question i
29
. hc Man ol ght and Hs Gudc
much too comp|ex for a so|ution to be found in a mere
phi|o|ogica|inventoryofexistingtexts.
A phi|osophica| approach is itse|f ca||ed for by the es-
chato|ogica| intervention ofDan (an vestan name, whose
form in midd|e lranianor Peh|evi isDn) . Etymo|ogica||y se
represents the visionary organ ofthe sou|, onto|ogica||y, the
|ightthatmakesseeingpossib|eandthe|ightwhichisseen.She
u the pre-terrestria| vision ofthe ce|estia| wor|d and is thus
te/igian and[aitb avowed,thevery faithwhichwas chosen by
thefravarti,sheisa|sotheessentia|individua|ity,thece|estia|
transcendentl, thefigurewhich, atthedawnofitseternity,
sets the be|iever face to face withthe sou|ofhis sou|, because
tea/izatian unfai|ing|y corresponds to[aitb. A|| the other in-
terpretationsofthepersonageofDancu|minateinthisand
thereafterceasetoconf|ictwitheachother. According|y,there
is the posthumous episode at the entrance to the Chinvat
Bridge,theapparitionoftheheaven|ymaiden,aprimordia|
figure,whoisatthesametimewitness,udge,andretribution.
Thenwhoartthou,whosebeautyoutshines a||otherbeauty
ever contemp|ated in the terrestria| wor|d? l am thine own
Dan. l was |oved,thouhast made memore |oved sti||. l was
beautifu|,thouhastmademesti||morebeautifu|, andembrac
ing her devotee, she |eads him into the Abode-of- Hymns
(Gatatman) . Thisast mattem dia|ogueagain remindsusofthe
reci procity of the Civi ng-Bi rthBeing-Born re|ationshi p
ana|yzedabove. lncontrast,hewhohasbetrayedthepactcon-
c|udedpriortoexistenceinthiswor|dseeshimse|finthepres-
ence ofanatrocious figure, hisownnegativity, acaricatureof
hisce|estia|humanitywhichhehashimse|fmuti|ated,extermi-
nated.ahumanabortioncutofffromi[tavatti,whichistosay
a man without aDan. TheDan remainswhatsheu inthe
wor|dofOhrmazd, whatthe manseeswhohascuthimse|foff
fromher,whohasmadeherinvisib|e to himse|f,isfitting|yhis
ownsbadaw, hisownAhrimaniandarkness,insteadofhisce|es-
tia| mirrorof|ight. ThisisthedramaticmeaningofMazdean
anthropo|ogy.
A Mazdean text giving the best so|ution of the comp|ex
situationregardingthephysio|ogyofthemanof|ightsuggests
to usatri|ogyofthesou|, that is, oftespiritua|orsubt|eor-
ganismofman(hismnckib), independentofhismateria|physi
3
}3. Frovorti on n o/kyrie
ca|organism.first|yisthe Sou|onthe way (vani t ) | hat
is, theonethatis metonthewa totheChinvatBridge, whih
eschato|ogica||yand esctatica||y, isthe thresho|dofthe beyo
|inkingthecentetofthewor|dwiththecosmicorpsycho-cosi
mountain. There can b no doubt, therefore, that this indee
refers Daa guiding the sou| in the ascent |eading to the
northernmostofheights,theAbode-of-Hymns,theregion o|
thenfinite Lights. And then there is the sou| referred to in
thetextasthesou|outsideofthebody(tuvn-itntan) , and
fina||y the sou| which is the sou| in the body (tuvn-i tan) .
These|attertwodescriptionscorrespondt otwoaspectsofthe
samesou|,thatisofthefravartiincarnatedinaterrestria|or-
ganism, ru|ing the |atter |ike an army commander (the Ls-
ab/ad of the Isbtqn, the begemanikan of the Stoics), and
sometimesescapingfromthe body in dreamorinecstatican-
ticipationtomeet,duringthisf|eetingexodus,theSou|onthe
way,thatis, theDan whoguides it,inspiresit,andcomforts
it.
Thetota|ityrepresentedbytheirbi-unityistherefore|ight
upon|ight, itcanneverbea compositeofOhrmazdian|ight
and Ahrimanian darkness, or in psycho|ogica| terms, ofcon-
sciousnessanditssbadaw. ltcan besaidthatthefravartiiden-
tifiedwith the terrestria| sou| isre|atedto the ange|Dan in
the same way as Hermesisre|atedto Perfect Nature, Phs to
hisguideof|ight, Hermasto hisshepherd,theexi|ed prince
to the Robe of|ight. There is additiona| confirmation in that
the lranian theme is high|y reminiscent of Tobias and the
Ange|. The theme is inexhaustib|y fruitfu|, for itexpresses a
fundamenta| human experience, wherever it is experienced
the same symptom reappears, te||ing of the fee|ing of indi-
vidua| transcendence prevai|ing against a|| the coercion and
co||ectivization of the person. Therefore it has homo|ogues
both in the re|igious universes re|ated to that ofthe ancient
lranianre|igion,andinthoseofitssuccessors,reactivatingand
transva|uatingthefundamenta|concepts.
ln Mazdean terms, Dan-fravarti, as the preexistentia|
fate of man, represents and is the ho|der ofhisxvatnab, in
ordertoconveyverybrief|ythefu| | significanceofthisspecifi
ca||y Mazdean notion, it is best to reca|| the twofo|d Creek
equiva|ent which it was given. |ight ofg/a ((o) and[ate
3 l
. hc Man ol ght and Hs Gudc
().Nowhereprecise|ywehavearepresentationthatbrings
theIranianandtheNordictheogonyintoaccord. Inboththere
are simi|ar visions of ce|estia| feminine entities bearing and
keeping the power and destiny ofa man. Fravartis and a/-
ries . Perhaps these figures wi|| fina||y give the |ie to the au-
stere critics who consider that to associate feminine features
withtheAnge|makesthe|attereffeminate."Suchcriticismin
fact presupposescomp|ete incapacitytoconceiveofthepower
inquestion, having|ostthemeaningoftheAnge|,manwithout
a[ravarti (which may be the state ofmankind through
.
out an
entireepoch)can no |ongerimagineanythingbutacacature
ofthis figure. In anycase the themeofcomparativeresearch
consociatingFravartisandWa|kyries,wou|drevea|a||itspoten-
tia|ities on|y on condition ofsearching, even ofca||ing, for its
ref|oweringinthecourseoftime.Wereca||hereaconversation
with the |ate Gerhard van der Leeuw, who himse|f, as a good
phenomeno|ogist, cou|d doustice to Richard Wagneron this
point. As he pointed out, and as we who||y agreed, though
Wagnertreatedthe ancientSagasin a very persona| manner,
heat |easthada penetratingand subt|ecomprehensrnofthe
ancient Germanic be|iefs. In the figure of Brnnhi|de he
created a beautifu| and moving figure ofan Ange|, Wotan' s
thought," a sou| sent forth by God, vis--vis the hero she is
certain|ytheauthenticF/a,ho|dinghispowerandfateinher
hand, her apparition a|ways signifying the imminence ofthe
beyond. Whoseesmebidsfarewe||totheday|ightofthis|ife.
ThoushastseenthefierygazeoftheWa|kyrie, nowthoumust
departwith her." Inthe samewaythe Iranianecstatic meets
Dacnon|yontheroadtotheChinvatBridge,onthethresho|d
ofthebeyond, HermesmeetshisPerfect Natureon|yinamo-
ment|eadinguptothesupremeecstasy.
Any rationa|istinterpretation wou|d go astray here in re-
ducingthis Figure to ana||egory,onthe groundstat itper-
sonies"theactandactionofman.Bynomeansisitana||egor-
ica| construct, but a primordia| Image thanks to which the
seekerpercevesawor|dofrea|itieswhichis neither thewor|d
ofthe senses nor the wor|d ofabstract concepts. This power
fromthedepthsnecessari|yrecursnoton|y,aswehaveseen,in
theorienta| theosophy" ofSohravardi,butevenintheworks
ofcertaincommentatorsontheQorn (inTabarisgreatTa[sir
32
}+. 1he Heoven/y 1oin (Moneism on Mon|c/e|o)
onsra l 0. 9 there is to be found word for word the Avcs| an
episodeoftheastmartem meetingwith Dacn),and moc s
y
s-
tematica||y sti|| in Ismae|ian Shi'ite gnosis. Ismae|iao ao-
thropo|ogyrepresentstheearth|yhumanconditionasabouo-
dary statebtween two things. potentia|ange|orpotentia|de-
mon. Atthec|imacticpoint, Ismae|iananthropo|ogyspontane-
ous|y |inksupagainwiththeLoroastrianrepresentations. And
indeed, itisthec|assica| Mazdean tri|ogythatNasiroddinTsi
reproducesin speakingofwhatbecomesofthe faithfu|adept
after death. His tbaugbt becomes anHnge/ proceeding from
the archetypa| wor|d, his seecb becomes a sirit proceeding
fromthisAnge|,hisactian becomesa/adproceedingfromthis
spirit."Onceagaininthesameway,thevisionofDacnatthe
ChinvatBridgecanberecognizedfeatureforfeature,thistime
intheAnge|in|oveab|eand beautifu|formwhobecomesthe
companionofthsou|fora||eternity.Andthusthegnosisof
Is|amicIran

on|yservestoreactivatethefeaturesofaFigure
who is |ikewise the pre-eminent figure in Mandeism and in
Manicheism.
+. 1he Heoven/y 1oin (Moneism on Monicheum)
InMandeangnosis,everybeingin the physica|universehasits
counterpart in the heaven|y Earth of Mshunia Kushta, inha-
bited by the descendants ofa mystica| Adam and Eve (Hdam
ia,Lvaka:ia) . Everybeinghashisarchetypa|Figure(ma/d'
dmutba) there,and the |atter sometimescommunicateswith its
earth|y counterpart (as for examp|e in the episodeofthe gir|
awakened andwarnedbyhersisterin MbuniaKubta") .After
theexitus at death, the earth|y person abandons his body and
takes on the subt|e body ofhis heaven|yH/ter Lga, whi|e the
|atter, rising to a higher p|ane, assumes a body ofpure |ight.
When the human sou| hascomp|eteditscyc|eofpurifications
and when the sca|es ofAbathur Muzania bear witness to its
perfectpurity,itentersthewor|dofLightandisreunitedwith
its eterna| Partner. I gotowardsmy |ikenessAnd my|ikeness
goestoward me, He embraces me and ho|ds me c|oseAs ifI
hadcomeoutofprison. "
Simi|ar|y, the heaven|y rtner (qarin) or Twin (taw'am) is
the dominant figure in the propheto|ogy and soterio|ogy of
33
. hc Man ol ght and Hs Gudc
Manicheism. It is the ange| who appearsto Mni when he is
twentyfouryearso|dandannouncesthatitistimeforhimto
manifest himse|fand bid men hearhisdoctrine. Greetings
to you, Mn, from myse|fand from the |ord who sent me to
you. "The |ast wordsofthe dying Mni a||uded tothis. "Icon-
temp|ated my Doub|e with my es a[ /igbt. " Later, in their
psa|ms, his community sing. We b|ess your partnerCom-
panion of |ight, Christ, the source ofour good." MnI, |ike
Thomas in those same Hcts which inc|ude the Sang a[ tbe
Feat/, hasCbtistas Hnge/as as his heaven|y Twin, who informs
himofhisvocation,ustasthe prophetMohammedwastore-
ceivethereve|ationfromtheAnge|Gabrie|(andtheidentifica-
tionCbtutas-Ga/tie/ is by no means unknown in gnosis.) Now,
Christos Ange|os is the same in re|ation to Mni (in eastern
Manicheism the Virgin of |ight is substituted for Christos
Ange|os),asisthetaw'am, theHeaven|y Twin, "inre|ationto
eachoftheE|ectrespective|yandindividua||y.ItistheFormo
|ight which the E|ect receive when they enter the Manichean
community through the act of so|emn renunciation of the
powersofthiswor|d.AtthepassingawayofoneoftheE|ect,a
psa|m is sung in praise of thy heaven|y rtner who fai|eth
not." In Catharism it is hewho isca||ed theSititus sanctus or
ange/icu: oftheparticu|arsou|,ascarefu||ydistinguished from
theSitustincia/is , the Ho|y Spirit referred to in invoking
thethreepersonsnamedintheTrinity.
hat iswhy, sinceManvabmed (thearchange| Vohu Manah
o|oroastrianism,the Nos)iswithoutdoubtaccordingtothe
Eatetetsthee|ementof|ight,andassuchbothoutsideand
ioide thesou|, the ituation can be correct|y defined on|y by
precrviothefourterms required by theana|ogypointedout
avc. he greatManvabmed is to the tota|ity ofthe sou|s of
| gh| t hca/umnag/atiae) whateacb Manvahmed (notthe co|-
|ectivi y i to its terrestria| I. " Here again itcan be said that
ea hM anvabmed (orSititustincia/is)asinSohravardIPerfect
Na| ur i re|ated to Gabrie| , the Ho|y Ghost andAnge|ofhu-
man | y. hi orm of |ight thus fu|fi||s the same function as
| ature. Each one ofthe E|ect is guided by itthrough-
ou| and yond, it is the supreme theophany. It is the
id who initiates him by causing conversion (e:uoty) to
peo rat hisheart,itistheNa|ightcomingfromabove,the
34
}+. 1he Heoven/y 1oin (Moneism on Monicheum)
ray of the sacrosanct oo:p which comes to i||uminate,
purify, and guide the sou| toward the Earth of |ight (Tetta
/ucida) from which it came at the beginning of time, and to
whch it wi|| return, reassumingitsorigina|form. "Thiswise
guideistheFormof|ightwhich is manifestedin exttemis tothe
E|ect, the image of|ight in the semb|ance ofthe sou|," the
Ange| bearing the diadem and crown", it is, for each ofthe
E|ect, the heaven|y Sophia or Virgin of |ight (the dominant
figure a|so in the bookoftheFistis Sabia) . And Manicheism
exp|icit|ygivesthis figure its Loroastrian name, thusconfirm-
ingthe Loroastrian visionwheretheDana ofa beingof|ight
comes to meethim afterdeath in the form ofamaiden who
guideshim. "
A||wehaveusttried tobringtogether here-too rapid|y,
tooa||usive|y~shou|d be comp|eted by reference to sti||other
texts, moreaccessib|enodoubtthanthosea||udedtoabove,as
forinstancethepassagesintheFbaedaandTimaeusofP|atoand
the commentary on these in the fourth chapter ofthe third
Lnnead, in which P|otinus speaks ofthe damn atedtas into
whose care we are given, and who is the guide ofthe sou|
throughout |ife and beyond death. Mention shou|d a|so be
made of the beautifu| deve|opment of the same theme in
Apu|eius(DeDeaSactatis , l ) , dea|ingwiththehighergroupof
damns to each ofwhom the care ofone human individua| is
entrusted and who serves as its witness (testis) and guardian
(cutas) No|essessentia|forourpurposearethetextsinwhich
Phi|oofA|exandriaca||stheNa: thetrueman,themanwithin
man. Weexperience thisbama vetus who dwe||s in the sou|of
eachofus,nowasanarchonand king,nowasaudgeaward-
ingthecrownafter|ife'sbatt|es, onoccasionhep|aysthepart
ofa witness (p) , sometimes even ofa prosecutor. Fi-
na||y, mention must be made ofthe notion ofsaksbin in two
Upanishads. The man in man" is a|so theeyewitness, |ook-
ing on at, but not invo|ved in, not su||ied by the actions and
inner states of the man, whether in the waking state or the
dream state, in deep s|eep or in ecstasy. Two friends with
beautifu|wings,c|ose|yentwined,embracingoneandthesame
tree, oneeatsitssweetfruits, theotherdoesnoteat,but|ooks
on. "Thesak:bin istheguide, thehumanbingcontemp|atesit
and is united with it to the degree that a|| his defects are ef
35
. hc Man ol ght and Hs Ludc
facedinit, itisthehomo|ogueofPerfectNature,ofthesbbid
astheformof|ight.
The word witness" (pp=, testu, sbbid) has been men-
tioned severa| times, which a|ready suggests what a|| these re-
currences o| the same Figure have in common~from the
Loroastriao visionofDacntothecontemp|ationofthesbbid
inSu|ism. Where thiswitnessofcontemp|ationbecomes,as in
Nm Kor, thetheophanicwitnessofwhatisseeninvision,
the |uoctioo itsname imp|iesis madeevenc|earer. accordmg
towhet herthesou|invisionseesitas|ight,oronthecontrary
seesoo| ydarkness,thesou|itse|ftestifies,byitsvision,[aror
against its own spiritua| rea|ization. Thus the witness in
eaveo is ca||ed the sca|es ofthe suprasensory" (min a/
gba/) the eautyofthebeingwhoisthewitnessofcontemp|a-
tioois|ikewi eameansofweighing,sinceitprovesthecapacty
or iocapa ity o|the sou| to perceive beauty as theophany par
exce| |eoce.
| t hes texts converge toward theepiphanyofthe same
Figur whose verydiverse names revea|ratherthanconcea|its
ideotity. the phi|osopher's Ange| or Sun, Dacn, Perfect Na-
ture, per ooa| master and suprasensory guide, Sun of the
heart, et . | | these signs ofconvergence provide the indis-
pensa|e ootext for a study of the phenomeno|ogy of the
visiooaryexperience in Iranian Sufism,whereperceptions of
co|ored |ihts are the manifestation ofthe persona| spiritua|
guide (sbakb a/-gba/ in NamKobr,astdgba/inSemnni) .
t was i portaotto show that the examp|esofthis experience
are|i okedwithoneandthesametypeofessentia||yindividua|,
persooa|spiritua|initiation.Further,asthereunionoftheman
o||ightaod his guide, hisheaven|ycounterpartandthe tran-
sceodeot di mension of his person, this experience has
seeed to us ariented andaenting in a definite direction, to-
ward those Earths"whosedirectioncanbe suggestedon|y by
symo|s~thesymbo|softheNorth.
oe||ect we havetriedto showthestructureandpremises
onwhich the |iberationofthemanof|ight, Prometheus- ,
depends.he|iberationasaneventwi||nowmakec|earertous
theaentatian onwhichitdepends.Wesha||needtorecognize
to wat region thesuprasensory guide forminga pairwith its
terrestria| doub|e" be|ongs, and in what direction it is re
3
}+. 1he Heoven/y 1oin (Moneism on Monicheism)
vea|ed,name|ythe regionanddirectionfromwhich origi-
natesandbacktowhichhisguidehasto|eadhim. In thewrit-
ings ofNam Kobr, we find again the image ofthewe// into
which theexi|eofthe Sohravardian recita|is cast. The[ective
emergencefromthwe||beginswhenasupernatura|green/igbt
shinesatits mouth. Ear|ierwe |earned in Sohravard both the
baur when the event takes p|ace and thedirectian iodicated by
this experience ofradica| individuation, experienced as a re-
union with the persona| Form of Light. Midnight Sun and
heaven|y po|e. the symbo|s of the Nartb taken together wi||
show usthedirectionofthe mysticOrient , that is, the Orient-
origin, which has to be |ooked for not on the earth|y p|ani-
spheres,butatthesummitofthecosmicmountain.
37
111
,
N11l1 b1 ^1
I11b ^ L1
!. 1he 6osmic North on the uriento/ 1heosophy o
8ohmvor ( ! ! 9!)
TheAvestantermHianem |ab ( Peh|evi

rn- |) designates
thecrad|eandoriginoftheAryan- Iraniansinthecenterofthe
centra|kesbvar (ar/is , zone) . Those who have attempted to de-
termine its position on geographic maps have run into great
difficu|ties, no convincing so|ution has been obtained in this
way, forthefirstandgoodreasonthattheprob|emof|ocating
it |ies in the rea|m of visionary geography. The data pre-
sented here re|ate to a primordia| and archetypa| Image, that
is,to the primary phenomenon ofaentatian we referred toat
theoutset(sura I, 1) . ItisthisImagethatdominatesandcoor-
dinatestheperceptionofempirica|data,itisnottheotherway
round, thatacquireddata, geographica|andcu|tura|, produce
the Image. The Image gives physica| events their meaning, it
precedesthem,itisnottheythatgiveriseto it.Thisinnoway
imp|ies that it is a question of mere subectivity in today's
|oose usage ofthis word. It indeed refers to an organ ofper-
ception to which a definite p|ane or region of being corre-
sponds as its a/ect, a region which is represented in a |ater
e|aboration of Iranian phi|osophy as the heaven|y Earth of
Hurqa/a.Toarientourse|vespersona||y,itwi||bebesttoinquire
39
. Mdnght 5un and Lclcstal IoIc
firstofa||intotheeventsthattakep|acein
_
rnc, ofwhich
the

ertinentonesareasfo||ows.
Ern-Vc isthep|aceofthememorab|e|iturgiesce|ebrated
by Ohrmazd himse|f,bythe heaven|ybeings,bythe|egendary
heroes. Itwas in
_
ran-Vc that Yima the beautifu|, Yima the
dazzing|y beautifu|, thebestofmorta|s, receivedthecommand
toconstructanenc|osure,thevar,wherethee|iteofa||beings,
themostbeautifu|, themostgracious,wou|dgathertobesaved
from the dead|y winter un|eashed by the demonic powers so
that they might one day repeop|e a transfigured wor|d. (|en-
didd2. 2 l ff.) Thisvar orparadiseofYimais|ike awa||edcity,
with houses,storerooms,andramparts. It hasagateand|umi-
nescentwindowswbicbtbemse/vessecreteaninner/igbtwithin,for
itisi||uminatedbothbyuncreatedandcreated|ights.I tsinhab-
itantsseethestars,moon,andsunriseandseton|yonceayear,
and that is why a year seems to them on|y a day. Every forty
years, from each pairofhumans, anothercoup|eisborn, con-
sistingofama|eandafema|e.Anda||ofthese beings|ivethe
mostbeautifu|of|ivesintheunchangingof Yima."
Certain|y we mightbetemptedtohearanechointhisde-
scripionofaprimaeva|soournoftheIraniansinageographic
far north, the memory ofa dawnofthirty days precedingan
annua|sunrise. However,theindicationsarestrongerthatitin
factreferstothethresho|dofasupranatura|beyond. thereare
uncreated |ights, a wor|d that secretes its own |ight, as in
Byzantine mosaicsthego|d i||uminates the enc|osed space be-
cause the g|ass cubes are reinforced with go|d |eaf, a shadow-
|ess country peop|ed with beings of |ight who have reached
spiritua| heights inaccessib|e to earth|y beings. They are tru|y
beingsofthe beyond, wherethe shadow which ho|dsthe|ight
captiveends,therethebeyondbegins,andtheverysamemys-
teryisencipheredinthesymbo|oftheNartb. Inthesameway
theHer/areans symbo|ize men whose so| hasreached such
com|etenessand harmonythatit isdevoidofnegativity and
shadow, it isneitheroftheeast norofthewest.)ustasin In-
dian mytho|ogya|sowehearofthepeop|eofthettara-kurus,
thepeop|e ofthe northernsun,who havefu||y and idea||yin-
dividua|ized features, a peop|e composed oftwins |inked to-
gether, typifyingastateofcomp|etenessexpressed a|soby the
formandthe dimensionsoftheircountry. anearth|yparadise
4
}!. 1he 6osmic North
in the Far North whose shape, |ike the var ofYima, |ike thc
emera| d ci ti es )ba|q and )bars, | i ke the Heaven| y
)erusa|em, isaperfectsquare.
Otherevents in
_
rn-Vc . Larathustra (Loroaster), having
reachedtheageofthirty,yearnsfor
_
rn-Vcandsetsoutwith
a numberofma|e and fema|ecompanions.Thenatureofthe
spacestheytraverse,thedateofthemigration(homo|ogous,in
the annua| cyc|e of the ca|endar, with the dawn of a mi|-
|enium)showussomethingmoreandbetterthanapositivist
history. whatwehavehere isaseriesofhierophanies.To |ong
for
_
rnVc isto|ongfortheEarthofvisionsinmedicmundi , it
istoreach thecenter, the heaven|yEarth,where the meeting
takes p|ace with the Ho|y Immorta|s, the divine heptad of
Ohrmazd and his archange|s. The mountain ofvisions is the
psycho-cosmic mountai n, the cosmi c mountain seen as
homo|ogoustothe human microcosm. Iti sthe Mountain of
dawns" from whose summit the Chinvat Bridge springs forth
to span the passage to thebyond,at thevery spot where the
aurora| meetingoftheange| Dacnand herearth|y egotakes
p|ace. Here, therefore, the Archange| Vohu-Manah (Persian,
abman, Exce||ent Thought," e'uuoto) enoins the visionary-
prophettocastoffhis robe, thatis, his materia| bodyandor-
gansofsensoryperception,becausein
_
rnVc itisthesubt|e
body of |ight that is the seat and organ ofevents. And it is
there,in medic mundi and at the summitofthe sou|, that the
Larathustrianseedof|ightispreserved,whichistheX vaab of
thethreeSaasbant,thefutureSaviorswhobyacosmic|iturgi-
ca|actwi||bringaboutthetransfigurationofthewor|d.
These same categories ofthe transcendenta|active Imagi-
nation give formto the perceptions through which something
inthenatureofaphysio|ogyofthe manof|ight"isrevea|ed.
Bymakingpsycho-cosmichomo|ogationpossib|e,thisimagina
tion has served as the basis ofsymbo|ic constructions, desig-
natedbythetermmanda/a, which serveto supportthementa|
rea|izationsachieved through meditation. Some ofthese con-
structions were gigantic, as we know. The famousziqqrt of
Baby|onia typified the cosmic mountain with seven stories
whose co|ors corresponded respective|y to those ofthe seven
Heavens, thus a||owing the pi|grim, ritua||y, to c|imb to the
summit, that is, to the cu|minating point which is the cosmic
4l
. Mdnght 5un and Lclcstal Iolc
north, the po|e round which the earth revo|ves. I neach case,
the |oca| zenith cou|d be identified with the heaven|y po|e.
Stuas (as in Borobudur) are constructions ofthe same kind,
their symbo|ic architecture typified theouter covering ofthe
universe and the secret, inner wor|d whose summit is the
center of the cosmos. Last|y, invo|ving the same homo|ogies,
there is the microcosmic temp|e, a||ed by theIsbrqin the
temp|e of|ight" (baka/ a/-nr) , the human organism with its
seven centersor subt|e organs the sevenmtqa (in[ra VI, l ) , or
inner Heavens, resting one upon another, each with its own
co|or, each identified as the microcosmic seat of one ofthe
great prophets. Man and the wor|d are thus who||y repre-
sentedasevo|vingaround avertica| axis, from this viewpoint,
the idea ofahorizonta||inearevo|ution wou|d appeartota||y
devoid ofmeaning and directionee. The Abode-of-
Hymns, the Earth of Hurqa|y, the Heaven|y)erusa|em, -
progressive|yindirectre|ationtotheascent ofthemanof
|ight. The space enc|osed in the 360-degree sphere is the
homo|ogue which on the cosmic sca|e materia|izes a secret,
supernatura|carumsticumofbeingsandorgansof|ight
_
rn-Vc, theparadiseofYima,thespiritua|rea|mofsubt|e
bodies, has been a constant and absorbing theme of Iranian
meditationforteadeptsofLarathustrainthedistantpast,the
adeptsoftheSohravardian theosophyofLight,andthinkersof
theShaykhischoo|inShi'iteIran.Theideaofthecenterofthe
wor|d,the|egendarythemeofthecentra|keshvardetermining
theorientationoftheothersixkesbvars arrangedarounditand
|aterseparatedfromoneanotherbythecosmicocean,hashad
a continuous phi|osophic deve|opment. The most important
phase ofthis deve|opment is perhaps the moment when, in
Sohravardisorienta|theosophy",theP|atonicIdeasareinter-
pretedintermsofLoroastrianange|o|ogy.
Betweenthewor|dofpurespiritua|Lights(Lucesvictaria/es ,
the wor|d ofthe Mothers" in the termino|ogy ofIshroq) and
thesensoryuniverse,attheboundaryoftheninthSphere(the
SphereofSpheres) thereopensamundu: imgna/is whichisa
concrete spiritua| wor|d of archetype-Figures, apparitiona|
Forms, Ange|s ofspecies and ofindividua|s, by phi|osophica|
dia|ecticsitsnecessityisdeducedand its p|ane situated, vision
ofitinactua|ityisvouchsafedtothevisionaryapperceptionof
42
}!. 1he 6osmic Nouh
theactiveImagination.Theessentia|connectioninSohravard
which|eadsfromphi|osophica|specu|ationtoametaphysicsoI
ecstasya|soestab|ishes the connection between theange|o|ogy
ofthis neo-Loroastrian P|atonism and the idea ofthe mundus
imagna/is . This,Sohravardidec|ares, is the wor|d to which the
ancientSagesa||udedwhentheyaffirmedthatbeyondthesen-
sory wor|d there exists another universe with a contour and
dimensions and extension in a space, a|though these are not
comparab|ewith the shape andspatia|ity aswe perceive them
in the wor|d ofphysica| bodies. It is the eighth"kesbvar, the
mystica|EarthofHurqa|ywithemera|dcities, itissituatedon
the summit of the cosmic mountai n, which the traditions
handeddowninIs|amca||themountainofQf.
There is amp|e supportingevidence that this was indeed
themountainformer|yca||edA|borz(L//urz,inAvestana7iti
Bareza) , geographica||y,the name todaydesignatesthechainof
mountainsin northern Iran. But thisorographica|factisirre|-
evantto thevisionarygeographyoftheancient|egendswhich
te||usofthemarve|ousraceinhabitingthemountainscities. a
race as ignorant ofthe earth|y Adam as ofIb|Is-Ahriman, a
racesimi|artotheAge|s,androgynousperhaps,since without
sexua| dierentiation (see the twins ofthe paradise ofYima
andoftheUttara-kurus),andhenceuntroub|edevenbydesire
forposterity. The minera|s in theirsoi|nd the wa||s oftheir
citiessecretetheirown|ight(|ikethetor ofYima) , theyhaveno
need ofanyouter |ight, whether fromthe sun,the moon, the
stars, or the physica| Heavens. Theseconcordant signs estab-
|ishthe heaven|y topographyofthissupernatura|Earthonthe
boundaryofthe Sphere abovethe p|anetary Heavensand the
Heaven ofthe innumerab|e Fixed Stars, which encompasses
the entire sensory universe. The mountain of Qf is this
Sphere ofSpheres surroundingthe tota|ity ofthe visib|e cs
mos,anemera/drack,castingitsref|ectionoverthewho|eofthe
mountainofQf,isthekeystoneofthisce|estia|vau|t,thepo|e.
Now, in theRecita/ a[tbe Occidenta/ Lxi/e, whose very tit|e
poi nts to the fundamenta| meani ng of the ori enta|
theosophy,"thisisprecise|ythemountainwhichtheexi|emust
c|imbwhenheissummonedat|asttoreturnbame,toreturnta
bieq. He hastoreachthesummit,theLmeraHRack thatrises
up before him |ike the trans|ucent wa|| of a mystica| Sina,
43
. Mdnght 5un and Lclcstal Iolc
there, aswe have a|ready seen (suta II, l ) , onthethresho|dof
the p|eroma o|ight,thepi|grim meets his erfectNature,his
Ho|yGhost,inanecstasyofanticipationcorresponding,inthe
Mazdeandramaturgy,tothe meetinginthedawnwiththece-
|estia| erson at the entrance to the Chinvat Bridge. This
thresho|d pensonto the c|imateofthe Sou|,"a wor|d made
who||y o|a subt|e matter" of|ight, intermediate between the
wor|d o|the herubinic pure Lights and the wor|d ofbsis ,
which inc|udescorruptib|esub|unarmatteraswe||astheastra|
matteroftheincorruptib|e Heavens.Thisuniverseofbss in
itsentiretyformsthecosmicOccident , theotheruniverse isthe
Otient, which begins at the c|imate ofthe Sou|, the eighth"
c|imate.
Thustheparadisa|EarthofLight,thewor|dofHrqa|y,is
an Orient intermediate between the |esser Orient," which is
thesou|srisingtothehighestpointofitsdesireandconscious-
ness, and the greater Orient," which is the further spiritua|
Orient, the p|eroma ofpure I nte||igences, the sou|'s risingto
sutacansciausness . Thetwofo|d symbo|ic meaningofthemid-
night sun (suta I, 2) corresponds to this structure ofOrient
risinguponOrient. Indeed, sincetheeighthc|imate,thece|es-
tia|EarthofHurqa|y,issaidtobeintheOtient,andsincethe
directionindicated to usisthatofthecosmicnorth,thesum-
mitofthewor|d, "itcertain|ydoesnotrefertothe Eastaswe
are accustomed to |ocate it on the terrestria| map. Here the
Orientis atiented towardthecenterwhichisthetopmostpoint
ofthe cosmic dome, thea/e. it is the Emera|d Rock at the
summitofthemountainofQf.To reachitonehastosucceed
in c|imbing the mountainust as the pi|grim reaches itin the
Reci/a[ tbeLxi/e, byobeyinga summonsidentica|tothesum-
monsreceivedbytheexi|edprinceinh Sanga[tbeFeat/inthe
Hct a[ Tbamas (suta I I , l ) . This orientation pertains to a
visionary geographyoriented to the c|imateofthe Sou|," the
p|aceoftheemera|dcities,i||uminated bythebri||ianceofthe
inner |ight that they themse|ves secrete. This Sutasensa
OtientgovernstheprimaryphenomenonoftheGnostic'sorien-
tationtowardhiscountryoforigin. TheOtient-atigin identified
withthecenter,withtheheaven|ynorthpo|e,hera|dsaccessto
the beyond, where vision becomes rea| history, the history of
thesou|,andwhereeveryvisionaryeventsymbo|izesaspiritua|
44
!. 1he 6osmic North
state, or, as theIsbtqn say, it is the c|imate where what is
bodi|ybecomesspiritandwhatisspiritua|acquiresabody. "
Northern Light, origina| |ight, pure inner |ight coming
neither from the east nor the west. the symbo|softhe north
open spontaneous|y around that centra| intuition which isthe
intuition ofthe center. The exodus from the we//, the ascent
that|eads to the Emera|d Rock and towardthe ange|, erfect
Nature,beginsinthedarknessofnight.Theourneyismarked
by the vicissitudes whichtypify the statesand the peri|softhe
sou| undergoing this initiatic test. Themidnigbtsun bursts into
f|ameattheapproachtothesummit-theprimordia|Imageof
inner|ightthatfiguredsoprominent|yintheritua|ofthemys-
tery re|igions(seesuta I I , l . the|ightcarriedby Hermes into
the heartofthe underground chamber). Thisis how itcomes
to pass for Hermes, the hero oftheeschato|ogica|ecstasy de-
scribed by Sohravardi, from which we have a|ready gathered
evidence(suta II, l ) insupportofthehermetictradition, and
whichre|atesthevisionwhereinHermesrecognizedhiserfect
Nature in the beautifu| and mysteriousspiritua| entity which
manifesteditse|ftohim.
Sohravardigivesmoreparticu|arsconcerningthisvisionin
one of his maor works.

In this case, Hermes kept vigi| a||

night|ong,meditatinginthetemp|eof|ight"(baka/a/-nt,his
own microcosm) , butasunshonein this night. Whenthepi|-
|arofdawn"burstforth,thatistosay,whenthebeingof|ight
brokedown the wa||softhe temp|e" thatenc|osed him (here
weareremindedoftheca/umnaG/atiaeofManicheisminwhich
reascentofthe e|ements of|ightcoincideswith the descentof
theCrossofLight) , HermessawanEarthbeingswa||owed up
andwithitthecitiesoftheoppressos"drowninginthedivine
wrath.Thisdownfa||ofthesensory,materia|wor|d,oftheOc
cident ofcorruptib|e matter and its |aws, reca||s the scene de
scribedintheRecita|oftheoccidenta|exi|e.here,thearriva|at
thecasmicnattb,attheEmera|d Rock,thresho|dofthebeyond,
ishera|dedbytheoutburstof|ightofthemidnightsun"(asin
Apu|eius.media nacte vidisa/emcatucantem) . The midnightsun
is the i//uminatia matutina, the bri||iance ofdawn rising in the
Orient-originofthe sou|,thatis,at thea/e, whi|ethecitiesof
the oppressors arebeing swa||owed up. Here the autata can
sutgens rising at the Emera|d Rock, at the keystone of the
45
. Mdnght 5un and Lclcstal Iolc
heaven|ydome,istheaurara /area/is inthe Heavenofthesou|.
Before this unknown horizon Hermes was fu|| of fear and
cried out. Save me, you who have given birth to me " ( In
Sohravardi'spsa|m, aswereca||,heappea|stohi sPerfect Na-
ture in the very same way.) And Hermes hears this answer.
Seizeho|dofthecab|eofthe ray of|ightandriseto thebat-
t|ementsoftheThrone." Hec|imbs up, and |o underhis feet
werean Earth and a Heavn. A Heavenand anEarthwhere,
with Sohravardi's commentators (Shahrazri and Ibn Kam-
muna) , we recognize the mundus imagina/is , the autonomous
wor|d of the archetype-Figures, the Earth of Hurqa|y she|-
teredby thebatt|ementsoftheThronewhichistheSphereof
Spheres,thec|imateoftheSou|revo|vingaroundtheheaven|y
po|e. In the Sabeantextsofthe pseudo-Maritiwea|so reada
descriptionofthePerfectNatureasthephi|osopher'sSun,and
NamKobr wi|| referto the witness in Heaven" asthe sup-
rasensorySun,theSunoftheheart,theSunofthespirit.
In regard to this Orient-origin, oriented vertic||y toward
the po|e as the thresho|d ofthe beyond, where the inner, the
esoteric |ight shines in the divine Night, the |itera|," geo-
graphic East wou|d then typify the da/igbt of exoteric con-
sciousness,aspower|essinoppositiontothedivine Nightofthe
Ineffab|e as against the nocturna| depths ofthe dark Psyche,
hencetheconfusionbtweenthesetwonights,sincebyitsvery
nature this Day cannotco-existwith Night, itcanexiston|yin
the inevitab|e a|ternation ofdays and nights, ofrise and de-
c|ine. But here we have another |ight, that of the Emera|d
Rock. ( In Isma'i|ian Shi'ite gnosis, another symbo|ism wi|| a|-
|udetothesunrisinginthewest,"fromthesideofnight,but
there it wi|| referspecifica||ytothe Imm who isthea/e, the
keystone and axis of the esoteric hierarchy.) The midnight
sun"typifiestheinner|ight,thatwhichissecretedbytheabode
itse|f(asbythevarofYima),initsownsecretway. Thatiswhy,
as we said, this suggests a new way ofeva|uating the Orient-
Occident contrast. here Nordic" man isno |ongerthenordic
manofethno|ogy,butistheOrienta|"inthea/arsenseofthe
word, thatis, theexi|ed Gnostic, thestrangerwho refusesthe
yokoftheoppressors"bcausehehasbeensenttothiswor|d
forapurposewhichtheycannotrecognize.Andthatiswhywe
havea|readyhada premonitionofthesignificanceofthisfun-
4
}1. 1he 6osmic North
damenta|arientatian, guidingvisionand actua|izationin the di-
rectionofanascentwhichconf|ictswithourhabitua|notionsof
dimensionsoftime,ofevo|ution,ofhistorica|actua|ity.
Is not the senseofa|| mythsofreintegratian henceforth af-
fected by thisorientation: For the tota|ity of man'sbeing, the
transcendent persona| dimension he discerns in the northern
|ight, in the midnight sun," is not mere|y the sum tota| of
orientandoccident,of|eftandright,fconsciousanduncon-
scious. The man of|ight'sascentcausesthe shadesofthewe//
wherehe washe|dcaptiveto fa||back into themse|ves. Hermes
doesnotcarryhissbadaw with him, he discardsit, forherises
up, and corresponding|y the cities of the oppressors" sink
downintotheabyss.Anditisdifficu|t,wemustconfess,toread
with equanimity certain interpretations of the caincidentia -
asitarum where comp|ementaries and contradictories are ap-
parent|y indiscriminate|y |umped together under the head of
asita. To dep|orethatChristianityiscenteredonafigureof
goodnessand|ightand entire|y over|ooksthedarksideofthe
sou|wou|d be no|essva|idan eva|uation ifapp|iedto Loroas-
trianism. But how cou|d reintegration consist in a comp|icity
between, a tota|ization" of Christ and Satan, Ohrmazd and
Ahriman: Eventosuggestsuch a possibi|ityistoover|ook the
factthat even under the reign ofa figure of|ight the satanic
forces remain in operation-those for examp|e who tried to
prevent Hermes' escape from the depths ofthe we|| and his
ascent to the batt|ements oftheThron. And it is exact|y for
thisreasonthatonehastoaffirmthatthere|ationshipofChrist
toSatan,OhrmazdtoAhriman,isnotcomp|ementarybutcon-
tradictory.Comp|ementarye|ementscanbeintegrated,butnot
contradictoryones.
Itwou|dseemthatthe misunderstanding in the rstp|ace
concernsthe natureoftheDa whoseconstraintsaredep|ored,
and consequent|y the remedies ca||ed for. From this pointof
view the distinction made c|ear to us by certain Iranian Sufi
masters between |uminous Night,orb|ackLight,and unqua|-
ifiedb|ack,b|acknesswithout|ight(ira VandVI) , isessentia|
topreventusfromgoingastrayandtokeepusariented toward
the po|e. TheDaywhoseconstraintsaredep|ored, and whose
ambiuity isobviousbecause itobeys the demonic|awofcon-
straint, is the exoteric Day where ready-made notions are ac-
47
. Mdnght 5un and LcIcstal IoIc
cepted and taken for granted. De|iverance from it |iesin the
esotericNightofhiddenmeanings,whichisthenightofsuper-
consci ousness, not of unconsci ousness, for it is not the
Ahrimanian Night,buttheNightIneffab|e,theNightofsym-
bo|s, which a|one can pacify the dogmatic madnessesofDay.
Rationa| dogmatic excitement and irrationa| |unacy cannot
compensate for one another. The tota|ity symbo|ized by the
midnightsun"istheDeus a/scanditus andtheAnge|Logos,or,
intermsofShi'itegnosis,thea/e,theI mm,whichbrings|ight
into the night ofthe inner wor|d. Nothing short oftota| dis-
orientation cou|d resu|t in confusing the night of the Deu
a/scanditu with the Ahrimaniannight,the Ange| Logos with a
reve|ation of Ahriman or a reve|ation comp|ementary to
Ahriman.Thatiswhytheo|dIranianZenismwhichhasbeen
socomp|acent|yadmiredonthepretextthatitimp|iesaphi|os-
ophyofunitytran

scendingdua|ism,cou|don|yappearabsurd
and grotesque in the eyes ofthe Loroastrians. The word esa-
tesm, sooften misused,refers to the unavoidab|e necessityof
expressing the reintegration of the human being in symbo|s.
|uminous night and midnight sun, twins of the paradise of
Yima,themanof|ightandhisguide,thethemeofandrogyny,
thereunionofAdamandthece|estia|Sophia,towhomhewas
btrothed in his youth. " But one essentia| fact has to be re-
membered. Faust, renavatu: in navam in[antiam, is reborn in
Heaven,"wheretheSabiaaete appears, theredemptionof
Faustis not a sum tota|" ofFaust and Mephistophe|es. The
counterfeiter, the Hntimiman, is not Fbs's guide of |ight, it
bringscontradiction,itisnotcomp|ementary.
Ifthediversityofthese expressionsisstressedhere, a||too
brief|y, itisbecause ofthe impressionthattheorientation re-
quired in this search by the very nature of its theme and
sources, encounters ateverystepthesamedifficu|tiesderiving
from the sameconfusionordisorientation. Thiscan butpro-
|ongandstrengthenthe|awsoftheexotricDayagainstwhich
theSohravardianHermesexertshiseorttobefree,bybreak-
ingwith the pre-estab|ished andgenera||y accepted view. One
cannot concoct history out of Hermes' visions Nor can
HermesandtheprinceoftheSanga[tbeFear/beadaptedtoa
socia| context. To attempt to do so is, as it were, to prevent
themfromarientingthemse|ves,andfromunderstandingwbere
4d
}!. 1he 6osmic North
theyare,andtomakethemforgetthewe||intowhichthey have
ben thrown. The Day|ightturnedon them in this way is not
the |ight ofthe Emera|dRock, and thatiswhy this Daycannot
enterintocombinationwiththeNightofSymbo|s.Thebi-unity
isHermesandhisPerfectNature,itisnotHermesandtheCity
ofthe oppressors, nor Hermes and the we|| into which the
oppressors have thrown him. Hedoes notemergea|onefrom
thiswe||, sti|||essdoes heemerge inacrowdanden masse, he
emerges from itasa pair,thatistosay,inthecompanyofthe
guide of|ight,by whatever name, among his many names, he
makeshimse|frecognized.
Thatiswhythepossibi|ityofreachingthecosmicnorth,the
Emera|d Rock, isessentia||y |inked to the bi-unitary struture
of human individua|ity, potentia||y inc|uding a transcendent
dimensionof|ight( Hermesand hisPerfct Nature, the Mani-
cheanadeptandhisFormof|ight,etc. ) . Thepowersofdoubt
and forgetfu|ness, underthedifferentnamesthatcoverthem
up through the ages, the powersofthe exoteric Day and the
powersoftheNightwithout|ight,doa||theycan tostif|eand
annihi|atethispotentia|ity.Thisiswhyonemayno|ongereven
g|impsethenatureofthe|uminousNight,theb|ackLightspo-
ken ofby certain Sufis, and which isin no way a mixture of
divineLightanddemonicshadow.To saythatwhatisbe|owis
an imitation ofwhat isabove isnotto saythatwhatisbe|owis
whatis above. Thenigbt ofreecteddemonicdepths,or on the
contrary the horror ofthed inspired by the fascination of
thesedepths-these perhapsare the two impotencesto which
occidenta|man succumbs. Itisnotbycompoundingthemthat
onefindsthe|uminousNightoftheOrienta|,"thatistosay,of
the northern man, northe nightofthe intra-divineheights
(in[ra VandVI) .
Thestress|aidonthesymbo|ofthea/e,onthedoub|econ
ste||ation of the Bear and theFa/estar in the hierognosis of
Sufism, succeeds in convincing us of this. We find here the
samehomo|ogationasinthecosmicmountainwhosea/eisthe
cu|minating point. The same |aw ofpsycho-cosmic structure
makes the menta| circumambu|ations around the heart, for
examp|e, homo|ogousto those made around the Temp|e,and
tothe rotation ofthe heaven|ydome about its axis. Proected
onthezenith,theprimodia|Imageofthecenterthatthemystic
49
. Mdnght 5un and Lclcstal Iolc
experiences in himse|f, around which he inward|y revo|ves,
thena||owshimtoperceivethe Po|estarasacosmicsymbo|of
therea|ityofinner|ife.InnersanctuaryandEmera|dRockare
then simu|taneous|y the thresho|d and p|ace oftheophanies,
the po|eoforientation,the direction fromwhichtheguideof
|ightappears.Wesha||seehimappearinthiswayinthevisions
of a great Sufi master of Shirz, and it cou|d |ikewise be
ana|yzedby aphenomeno|ogyofprayer|inkedtothefactthat
the Mandeans, the Sabeans of Harran, the Manicheans, the
BuddhistsofCentra|Asiatakethe north asheQi//a (theaxis
oforientation)oftheirprayer.
But here again our phenomeno|ogy of the north, ofthe
a/e, shou|d prec|ude any dangerofthe disorienttion which,
aswehaveuststressed,canmanifestasthetemptationtocon-
fusethenorthernsun,themidnightsun,withacaincidentiaa-
asitarum, as an artificia| iso|ation of contradictions instead of
comp|ementaries. Since this fictitious conci|iation remains in
fact on the exoteric |eve|, the break away" demanded by the
vertica| dimension oriented toward the north is not consum-
mated. Hermes departs from the Occident," but it is not by
carrying hissbadaw a|ongwith him thathe rises to thebatt|e-
mentsoftheThrone. Becausethenorth,thepo|e,isabove,"it
a||ows the recognition ofwbere the shadow is, be it the indi-
vidua|shadowofthe|owerfunctionsofthescbe,ortheco||ec-
tiveshadowofthecityoftheoppressors. "Buthowcou|dthis
ustify saying that wbat makes the shadowvui//e and shows in
whatdirection it |iescou|d a|sobe the very samesbadaw Far
from it,whatindicateswbere the shadowis,ischaracterizedas
being itse|fsbadaw/ess. Ifthe cosmic north is the thresho|d of
the beyond, ifit is the paradise ofYima, how cou|d it be the
p|aceofHe||:Hermesrises, he|eavestheIn[euminitsp|ace,
be|ow him, in the wor|d which he has |eft. There is neither
ambiva|ence nor ambiguity, the opposition between Loroas-
trianism and Lervnism hasbeen reca||edabove, andifsome-
thingofthe |atter survived andbore fruit in the gnosis ofIs-
|am,itwasthankstoashiftingof|eve|,aradica|a|terationofits
dramaturgy,freeingthefie|dprecise|yfortheorientationhere
envisioned.
Certain|y there are mytho|ogica| data in which the nartb
5
}!. 1he 6osmic North
takes on a meaning contrary to that which we are ana|yzing
here. Buttherecou|dthenbenoquestionofambiva|enceun
|ess thesu/ect remainedidentica|. One shou|dtherefore have
started by constructing, more or |ess fictitious|y, and by sub-
stantia|izing, a co||ective Psyche, in ordertoafirmits perma-
nenceand identityinthea|ternationofitsconrarytendencies.
Theambiva|enceofthesymbo|ofthenartb wou|ddependon
thisonesubect,signifyingnowthethresho|doftheparadiseof
|ife,nowthethresho|dofdarknessand hosti|epowers.Unfor-
tunate|y, wou|d one not thereby fa|| into the trap ofthis in-
ventedandcomp|acent|yacceptedpictureofthesituation:For
whatexistsin fact, rea||y, concrete|y and substantia||y, isnota
co||ectivitybutindividua|sou|s, that is, persons each ofwhom
can he|p another to find his own way out ofthe we||, but as
soonasthereisawishbysometoimposetheirwayonothers,
thesituationbecomesoncemorethatofthecityoftheoppres-
sors" in the Sohravardian ta|e. This notion f a co||ective
Psyche,invo|vingthedisorientationofsymbo|s,isagainon|ya
resu|t ofthe forgetting and consequent |oss ofthe ascending
vertica|dimension,forwhichanevo|utionarhorizonta|exten-
sionissubstituted.Thevertica|dimensionisindividuationand
sacra|ization, the other is co||ectivization and secu|arization.
The firstis ade|iveranceoth from the individua| and from
theco||ectieshadow. IfHermeshadacceptedtoremainatthe
bottom of the we||, he a|so, we must conc|ude, wou|d have
taken the cosmic north, the po|e, for He||. But this is by no
means to say that Heaven is He||, what he wou|d have per-
ceived wou|d have been nothing but the co||ective shadow
proectedonthe po|e andprevntinghimfromseeingit,that
is,fromseeinghisownpersonof|ight(astheunb|ieverinthe
Chinvat Bridge sees on|y hisowncaricatureinstead ofseeing
Dacn, as the Sufi novice sees on|y darkness unti| the green
|ightshinesatthemouthofthewe||) . Iftheregionofthepo|eis
whatit forete||stotheSufi,itcanforete||thecontraryon|yifa
shadowdarkensit, the shadow precise|yofthose whorefuseto
makethe ascent to which Sufism invites them. To castoffthe
shadowisnottoreturntowardtheshadow,orientationcannot
bdisorientation.
5 l
. Mdnght 5un and Lclcstal Iolc
2. |isions o the Po/e in Pz|ehn o8hrz ( !209)
Some of the visions described by Ruzbehn of Shrz in his
Diatium situa/e i||ustrate the symbo|ismofthea ina par-
ticu|ar|y exp|icit way. In a dream, or rather in a state inter-
mediatebetween wakingands|eeping,thetota|ityofcreatures
is revea|ed to him as though they were assemb|ed within a
house theearemany|ampswhich giveofabright|ight,buta
wa|| preventshimfromreachingthem.Then hemountstothe
terrace o|the house which ishisown dwe||ingp|ace, there he
finds two very beautifu| personages who appear to b Sufi
shaykhsand in whom he recognizesbisawnimage~a verysig-
nificantdetai|.Togetherthethreepartakeofakindofmystica|
repast, consistingofpurewheatbread andoi|so subt|ethatit
was |ike a pure spiritua| substance. Subsequent|y, one ofthe
two shaykhs asks Rzbehn if he knows what this substance
was. As he does not know,the shaykhinforms himthatitwas
oi| from the canste//atian a[ tbe Beat which we gathered for
you. "After emergingfrom his dream Ruzbehn continuesto
meditate upon it, but it took him some time, he confesses, to
understand that there had been in it an a||usion to theseven
a/es (qt/, more genera||y the seven a/d/) in the heaven|y
p|eroma, and that God had dispensed to him the pure sub-
stanceoftheirmystica|station,thatistosay,hadadmittedhim
to the rank oftheseven masters ofinitiation and intercessors
whoareinvisib|yapportionedtoourwor|d.
Thcnhcwritcs, l conccntratcdmyattcntiononthcconstcl-
lation olthc Bcar and l obscrvcd that it lormcdtIt apcrturcs
throughwhichCodwasshowinghimscllto mc. MyCod 1 cricd,
what is this? Hc said to mc. thcscarc thctIt apcrturcs olthc
Thronc.
)ustas HermesinSohravardi'srecita|isinvitedto c|imbto
thebatt|ementsoftheThrone,sohereRuzbehn,bingadmit-
tedtothe numberofthe sevenH/d/surroundingtheFa/e (in
Sh'itetermsthehidden Imm") , isintroducedtothesummit
of the mysterious and invisib|e spiritua| hierarchy, without
which |ife onearthcou|d notcontinueto exist. The Ideaand
the structure ofthis mystica| hierarchywhichdominatesSufi
theosophyandespecia||y,inSh'ism,Shaykhitheosophy,corre-
spond to theideaand structureofanesoteric astronomy, the
oneandtheotherexemp|ifythesamearchetypa|Imageofthe
52
}2. |isions o the Po/e in Pz|ehn o8hrz (!209)
wor|d. Ruzbehnaddstheefurtherdetai|swhichconfirmthat
whatheperceivesin hisvisionofthea/e,ofthecosmic north,
is i ndeed the thresho|d of the beyond and the p|ace of
theophanies.
Lvcry night [hc writcs], l continucd altcrwards to obscrvc
thcscapcrurcsinHcavcn,asmylovcandardcntdcsircimpcllcd
mctodo. And lo!oncnight, l sawthatthcywccopcn,and saw
thc divinc Bcing manilcsting to mc through thcscapcrturcs. Hc
saidto mc, manilcsttoyouthroughthcscopcnings, thcylorm
scvcn thousand thrcsholds (corrcspondingtothcscvcnprincipal
stars olthcconstcllation) lcading to thc thrcshold olthc angclic
plcroma (mhkut). And bchold show myscllto you through all
olthcmatoncc.
Thus the visions ofRuzbehn i||ustrate a twofo|d theme.
that ofthea/e andthatofthewa/at , the initiation" whose
keystoneisthea/e, groupingand graduatingaroundhimthe
membersofapureLcc/esiasitua/is , whoremain unknownto
ordinarymenandinvisib|etotheireyes.TheuseoftheArabic
termqat/,axis"(namata/-Qat/. thepo|eStar),hereevokesthe
image of the mi | | pivot fixed into the |ower stationary
mi||stone,andpassingthroughacentra|openinginthehigher
mobi|e mi||stone, whose rotation it governs. The heaven|y
domeisthehomo|ogue ofthismobi|ee|ement,whi|ethepo|e
Star represents the aperture through which an idea| axis
passes.Thestarsc|osesttothepo|eStarparticipate inits pre-
eminenceandareinvestedwithspecia|energyandsignificance
(the invocations to the conste||ation of the Bear in certain
Gnostic or magica| documents testify to it) . These seven stars
have their homo|ogues in the spiritua| Heaven. We haveust
seen Ruzbehn describe them as the seven po|es," whereas
these seven mysterious personages are usua||y designated as
thesevenH// who, fromcyc|etocyc|e, aresubstitutedinsuc-
cession for one another.)ust as the conste||ation ofthe Bear
dominatesandsees"thetota|ityofthecosmos,theyarethem-
se|vestheees throughwhichtheBeyond|ooksatthewor|d.
I t isat this point that thistwofo|d themeand the spiritua|
doctrineofRuzbehnconoin. In the|atterwefindthethme
common to the entire specu|ative mysticism of Sufism, espe-
cia||ystressedinIbn'ArabI,oftheDeusa/scanditus ,thehidden
Treasure," aspiring to revea| himse|f, to be known. However,
this very reve|ation gives rise to a dramatic situation in which
53
I I I . Mdnght 5un and LcIcstal IoIc
thedivineBeingandthebeinginwhichandthroughwhichhe
revea|shimse|faresimu|taneous|yimp|icated, for Godcannot
|ookatanatbet thanhimse|f,norbeseenbyanatbet thanhim-
se|f. The Hw/i, the initiates," graduaed in the diferent
spiritua|degrees,areprecise|ytheees atwhichGod|ooks,be-
cause they are the eyes through which He |ooks. Through
themourwor|dremainsawor|datwhichGod|ooks,"andthis
isthe meaningofthe mysteriousafirmationthatiftheywere
not,ifthereceasedtobethea/e (thehiddenImm)whoisthe
keystone of the invisib|e Heavens which thy a|| combine to
form,ourwor|dwou|dco||apseinfina|catastrophe.Itisrather
difficu|tcertain|ytofindinour|anguagestwotermsthatfaith-
fu||y render the meanings ofthe wordswa/at andHw/i.
Theideaofinitiation,"thatofasoda|ityofinitiates,"invisib|e
andpermanentfromcyc|etocyc|eofprophecy,bysubstitution
ofone for another individua|ity, seems best fitted to awaken
their resonances. The theme is especia||y important in Shi'ite
immo|ogy, anditisa|soShi'iteSufismthatoffersthebestpos-
sibi|ity ofa study in depth. And these terms suggest another
connection. Litera||y the word Hw/i means Friends". the
PersianexpressionHw/ia-eKbad meanstheFriendsofGod."
The very same term was app|ied to themse|ves in the four-
teenthcenturybyanentirefami|yofSpiritua|sintheWest.A||
inhabitthesameheightsinaccessib|etothosewhoareunaware
of their atientatian, |ike the Friend ofGod" in O/et/and, the
high country," where Goethe's inner vision wi|| neverthe|ess
know how to find these heights, in a great poem which re-
mainedunfinished. dieebeimnisse(theSecrets).
There are manytraditionsreferringto this peop|e ofin-
itiates" unknown to theverymen whom theyexistto protect.
Rzbehn deve|oped these traditions in the pro|ogue to his
greatworkontheradoxesofthemystics. "Theyaregener-
a||ysaidtobe 360innumber,correspondingtothe360divine
Names,the360daysandnightsoftheyear,the360degreesof
theSpheremeasuringtheday-nightcyc|e.A||thevariationsof
this number have symbo|ic meanings. To pick one of the
simp|estforms,wewi||quotethefo||owing.
Cod[writcs Rbchn], posscsscs oncarththree hunJreJ eea
or pcrsonswhoschcartis consonantwiththchcartolJum ; [ort
whosc hcart is consonant wth thc hcart ol ^oaea ; aeven whosc
54
J. 1he Po/e os the A/oe o the Ange/ 8roosho
hcart isconsonantwiththc hcart ol0ruhum ; [tve whosc hcart is
consonantwiththchcartolGu0rtel; three whoschcartisconsonant
with thc hcart ol^tchuel; one (thc]ole) whosc hcartisconsonant
withthchcartolSeru]htel.
The sum of356 persons is raised tothe tota| of360 by four
figures
.
of prophets who, according to Is|amic esotericism
meditatingontheQornicreve|ation, havethecommoncharac-
teristicofhavingbeencarriedoffa/ive fromdeath. Enoch (that
istosayIdrs,identifiedwithHermes),Khezr, E|ah,andChrist.
J. 1he Po/e os the A/oe o the Ange/ 8roosho
A few years ago, a |earned Loroastrian carefu||y investigated
this symbo|ism ofthea/e and its spiritua| conste||ation. The
extremeinterestofhisstudy|iesinthefactthatitopenedanew
path|eadingfromtheLoroastrianre|igiontotheSufismofthe
Is|amized Iran. In fact, the work ofSohravardasa|ready
shown us the path, which he himse|f and in person opened
intentiona||y and historica||y. Here the dominant figure, the
veryonewhichshowsthewayinquestion,isthatofa\azata or
Ange|" fthe Avesta, who, a|though not be|onging to the
supreme heptad ofthe Amahraspands (the Immorta| Saints,
the Archange|s"), occupies a particu|ar|y outstanding rank,
name|y the ange| Staasba (Peh|eviStsb, Persian Satsb) , who
hasbecomeidentifiedinIs|amizedIranwiththeange|Gabrie|.
Heisrepresentedasapriest-ange|,with theyouthfu|features
commontoa||Ce|estia|s,andour|earnedarseeidentifieshim
astheAnge|ofinitiation(wam at) ,theange|Sraosha'spreroga-
tives,thesitu: ofhisabode,thespecificityofhisfunction,area||
features that wou|d seem to imp|y the existence in Loroas-
trianism itse|fofan esoteric doctrine professed by the repre-
sentativesofacu|tinwhichhewasthecentra|figure.
The Avesta (\asb 57) has him dwe||ingin triumphon the
summitofthehighestofmountains(HataitiBateza, theH//az).
We have a|ready | earned that thi s very abode i s se| f-
i||uminatedwthin,andadornedontheoutsidewithstars",and
tisthecosmicmountaindescribedinanAvestanhymn(\asbt
I 2. 25) asthe mountainaround which the sun,the moon, and
the stars revo|ve. Neryoseng, who trans|ated the hymn into
Sanskrit, ientifies it with Mount Meru. The Avesta and tra-
55
. Mdnght 5un and LclcstaI Iolc
ditions here enrich this theme ofthe cosmic mountain with a
newdetai| . the factthat thereat its summit,atthe po|e,atthe
po|estar, is the abode ofthe Ange|Sraosha. Fromthatpoint
on, the deve|opmentofour research a||owsus to understand
the fo||owing for ourse|ves. since hierocosmo|ogy p|aces the
dwe||ng ofthe ange| ofI nitiation in the cosmic north, and
sincehierognosis perceivesinhispersonthea/e, itgoeswith-
outsayingthatthearriva|atthesummitofmysticinitiationhas
to be experienced, visua|ized and described as arriva| at the
po|e, at the cosmic north. And here exact|y is where we can
g|impse a |ink ofcontinuity between Loroastrian spiritua|ity
centered on the ange| Sraosha and the spiritua| universe of
Sufism centered around the po|e. We in fact quoted above,
whi|e pointing out the existence ofvariants in regard to the
numberandnamingofthepersons,thetraditionswhichbring
outtheesoterichierarchies,theinvisib|esupportsofourwor|d
centered around thea/e. Onthe one hand, the po|e isthere-
fore thesitus oftheange|Sraosha(whothuswou|dcorrespond
to the ange| Seraphie|) , on the other hand this is the qua|i
cationgiven inSufismtothegreatshaykhofaperiod(eventhe
shaykh ofa Sufi community, a tariqat, insofar as the |atter is
taken as the homo|ogue ofa microcosm) , and for this reason
the po|e is considered in Sh'ite Sufism as representing the
hiddenImm.
Another point ofinterest in the Loroastrian scho|ar's re-
searchwasthathedrewattentiontoa para||e|ismbetweenSufi
hierocosmo|ogy and certain Taoist concepts, and it is a|so in
Centra| Asian Sufism that the idea ofthewa/at is the most
firm|yrootedandamp|ified(notab|yafterHkimTermezi, d.
d9d, inwhosewritingsthenumberofthefortyH/d/isparticu-
|ar|y significant) . The Taoisttraditionsrefertoseven spiritua|
ru|ers|oca|ized"intheconste||ationoftheBear. TheC|assic
ofthe Pivot of)ade" gives a spiritua|doctrineto|d inits very
tit|e, which refers to the NorthStar,thepivotofHeavenre-
vo|vingonitse|fandcarryinga||theheaven|ybodiesa|ongwith
itinitsrounddance." Anditneverceasestosuggestremarka-
b|ecorrespondenceswithSufiesotericconcepts.Onbothsides
we notein fact thatthespiritua|hierocosmosexemp|ifiesthe
same schema as the cosmos of astronomy. the wor|d is ar-
ranged|ikeatentrestingonacentra|axisand four|atera|pi|-
56
J. 1he Po/e the A|oe o the Ange/ 8roosho
ars(awtd) .Thefunctionofthepersonageswhoexemp|ifyte
|atteristorevo|vearoundthewor|deverynightandtoinfor
theQat/ whatsituationsrequirehis he|p. Bettersti||, symbo|ic
numero|ogy shows a tru|y striking concordance beteen the
numerica| configuration ofthe mystica| pa|ace ofMing-Tang
(theha||of|ightwhichisatonceatemp|e and anastronomica|
observatory) and thearrangementofthe figuresin the mystica|
hierarchya|readyenumeratedhere.

Thus,ontheone hand,theange| Sraosha watchesoverte

s|eeping wor|d, he is the guardian ange| and the head ofa
brotherhood ofmigrants who keep watch" on the wor|d and
for the wor|d, they are described by a term referring to their
ho|y poverty, the Avestan term drigu (Peh|evidrigsb, Pzend
dasb) , theequiva|entofwhich in modern Persian isdaisb,
dervish,"thenameby which a||IranianSufisaresti||referred
totoday. thepoorinspirit."Onthe other hand, this brother
hoodrepresentsagroupwhichisinvisib|etoordinarymenand
whichexemp|ifiesthe very imageofthecosmosunfo|ded,rest-
ing |ike a tent onits axis and atits peak Sraoshas own abode,
the cosmic north secreting its own |ight." The symbo|s of
Taoism, Loroastrianism,and Sufism are a||in accord with this
samerepresentation.
Andso the heaven|yEarths" from whichwe have a|ready
(sura II)seenFormsof|ight appearanddescendtowardtheir
earth|y Doub|esare a||, |ike Hrqa|y,theeighth"c|imate,re-
gions ofthe cosmic north, which means thresho|ds ofthe be-
yond. In Manicheism there is the Earth ofLight, Terra /ucida,
situatedinthekingdomof|ight. It isgovernedbyadivinityof
eterna||ight, surroundedby twe|veSp|endors. Like Hrqa|y,
|ike the Paradise of ima, a|| the beauties ofour terrestria|
Earth are inc|uded in it, but in the subt|e state, as pure |ight
without an Ahrimanian shadow. Andust as, when the Mani-
cheans take as their Qi//a the sun and the moon it does not
meanthattheyareworshippingthesunandthe moon butthat
they|ookuponthemasthepre-einentvisib|erepresentatives
ofthe wor|d of|ight, so when they take the north asQi//a it
eansthattheyare turningtowardtheTerra /ucida, thedwe|-
|ingofthekingofLight.Wehavea|readymentionedtheidea|
wor|dofthe Mandeans,Msbunia Ku:bta, awor|d intermediate
tween our wor|d and the universe of|ight, this is a wor|d
57
. Mdnght 5un and Lclcstal Iolc
peop|edby adivineraceofsuperhumans,beingswithasubt|e
body invisib|e to us, descendants ofthe hidden Adam dam
kasia) , and we|earnedthat amongthem eachearth|ybeinghas
his Twin of|ight. Thismundu: imagina/is a|so hasits guardian
spirit(itsdmutba) , its kingof|ight, Shish|am Rba,ust as Hibi|
Liwais the guardianspiritoftheEarth (andthereare striking
ana|ogies between the actians ofHibi| Liwa and those ofthe
youngprinceintheSanga[tbeFear/). Now,theMandeansa|so
be|ieve that thisEarth of|ightisin the north, separated from
ourwor|d by a high mountainofice, whi|e they make itc|ear
that it is between Heaven and Earth," this be|iefpoints out
precise|y thatwhat isinquestion isnot the earth|y north, but
the cosmic north. The theme ofthe Green Is|and (a/azirat
a/-kbadr) shou|da|sobe reca||ed here, the Green Is|andbeing
thedwe||ingofthehiddenImm. "
No doubt itwou|d take a who|e book tobring together a||
the evidence showing the ignificance ofthe Orient as supra-
sensory OrientOrient-origin, Orient thatconsequent|yhasto
be |ooked for in the heights, on the vertica| axis because it is
identified with thepo|e, the cosmicnorth,asbeingathresho|d
ofthe wor|ds beyond. Thisarientatian wasa|readygiventothe
Orphicm,sts . WefinditinthepoemofPrmenideswherethe
poetundertakesaourneytowardtheOrient.Thesenseoftwo
directions, right and|eft, the Orient and Occident oftheCos
mos,isfundamenta|inVa|entinianGnosis.Buttamakeane'swa,
ta tbe rigbt, tawardtbe Orient,sti//meanstagauward,thatistosay
in the direction of the po|e, because in fact the Occident
typifiesthewor|dbe|ow,thewor|dofsensorymatter,whereas
the Orient typifies the spiritua| wor|d. bn'ArabI ( l 240) sym-
bo|ica||y g|orifies hisown departure for the East, theourney
whichtook him from Anda|usiatowardMeccaand)erusa|em,
hesawas hisIsr, comparingittoanekstasi whichrepeatsthe
Prophet's ascentfrom Heaven to Heaven, upto the Lotusof
the boundary."

Here the geographic, |itera|" East becomes

the symbo|oftherea|" Orientwhich isthe heaven|y po|e de-
scribedin Sohravard's recita|ofthe Exi|easthe ascentofthe
mountainoftotheEmera|dRock.
Another very great Iranian Sufi master, A|i-e Hamadni
(d. 7dl l 3d5), in a treatise on dreams, speaks of the Orient
whichis the veryipseity(/awi,at)ofthewor|d ofMystery,thatis
5d
}3. 1he Po/e os the A|oe o the Ange/ 8roosho
tosayofthesupra-sensorywor|d,ofthatOrientwherethePer-
fectOnesrise. E|sewhere he speaksofthis same Orientasthe
ipseityoftheinvisib|ewor|dwhichisthesourceoftheemana-
tionofbeing,descending to theOccident ofthewor|dofbodies,
bytheeightdegreesorAbodesofthewor|dsofthe a/artand
oftheMa/akt." Inthe same way,when Avicennaasks Hayy
ibnaqzn(whop|aysinrespecttohimthepartp|ayedbyPer-
fect Nature inrespect to Hermes) what hiscountry is, the an-
swer refers to the Heaven|y)erusa|em, Hayy ibn aqzn, the
personificationofthe Active I nte||igence, is an Orienta|", he
be|ongs to that Orient" the steps to which he shows to the
phiosopher, his discip|e, mountingoneabovetheotherfrom
thewor|d ofearth|y matter.

Thisideaofthe Orient in the

AvicennanRecita|sisthusperfect|yinaccordwithSohravardi's
ideaexpressedinhisownorienta|theosophy",heOrienta|s"
arethose who, coming fromabove, returnthere after passing
throughtheinnerinitiationdescribedintheRecita|oftheoc-
cidenta|"exi|e.
Theyarriveatthisorienta|know|edge"('i/misbrqi) which
isnotare-presentativeknow|edge,butanimmediatePresence
ofthe known, inthewaythathewhoknowsimse|fispresent
tohimse|f. The Latin equiva|ent wou|dbe the expressioncag-
nitia matutina, used in Renaissance Hermetism and which a|-
readyfiguresinStAugustine'stermino|ogy. Whereastheeve-
ning know|edge, occidenta| ," cagnitia vesertina, is the outer
man's know|edge-know|edge of the outside of things-the
morningknow|edge, orienta|,"cagnitia matutina, isthe know|-
edge ofthe man of|ight, having attained the abode which
secretes its own |ight," that is to say the Emera|d Rock, this
beingthe know|edgewhich isse|f-consciousness. Thiscagnitia
matutina is in a sensecagnitiaa/aris , the auroraborea|isin the
eavenofthe sou|. Thereexact|yisdiscovered thewayofac-
cess tothe deepest senseoftheSufisayingreca||ed here from
thebeginninghewhoknowshimse|fknowshisLord,"thatis.
knowshisheaven|ya/e.
There isindeedacorre|ation between thediscoveryofthe
ego, theegoin the second person, theH/terLga, tbau, and the
upward vertica| direction~between interna|ization (the dis-
overyofthe Heavensofthe sou|)andorientationtowardthe
heave|y po|e. If Sohravardi's orienta| theosophy" exp|odes
59
I I I . Mdnght 5un and LclcstaI Iolc
theschemaofPto|emaicastronomyandthePeripatetictheory
oftheI nte||igences,itisbecausetheuniverseofspiritua|beings
postu|atedbybothofthemisnotonthesca|eofthemu|titudes
oftheHeavenoftheFixedStars,theinfiniteLightsonwhich
Sohravardi'smeditationwasfixed. Butbyvisionaryappercep-
tionheassimi|atesthevisionsofLarathustraandoftheb|essed
kingKayKhosraw(oneofthe|egendarykingsofancientIran,
born in
_
rnVc, and goes beyon the schema of the as-
tronomy ofhis own time through the vision ofthe suprasen
sory Heavens, orwhatinSufismisca||edtheesotericofeach
Heaven" (/tin a/amk) , the very Heavens which mark the
stages of the Prophet's heaven|y ascent or the ascent ofthe
muntain ofQf. The identification ofthe esoteric" Orient,
that is to say of the suprasensory Orient, cosmic north,
heaven|y po|e, is conditioned by the effective passing to the
innerwor|d, thatistosaytotheeighthc|imate,theC|imateof
theSou|,theEarthofLight,Hrqa|y.
Inthesameway,NamoddnKobremphasizesthisby de-
ve|opingthethemethat|ikecanon|ybeknownby|ike.
Do not bclicvc tha thc Hcavcn you contcmp|atc in thc su
prascnsoryisthcvisiblcoutcrSky.No,inthcsuprascnsory(i. c. , in
thc spiritual world) thcrc arc othcr Skics, morc subtlc, blucr,
purcr, brightcr, innumcrablc and limitlcss. Thc purcr you bc-
comcwithin,thcpurcrandmorcbcautilulisthcSkythatappcars
to you, until linally you arc walking in divinc purity. But divinc
purityisalsolimitlcss.Soncvcrbclicvcthatbcyondwhatyouhavc
rcachcdthcrcisnothingmorc,nothinghighcrstill. (60)
And here is a sti|| more radica| statement ofthe princip|e of
innerness,makingeveryspiritua|rea|itysomethingasinherent
inthemysticashisown|ifeandhisowndeath
Know thatthc soul, thcdcvil,thcangclarcnotrcaliticsout
sidc ol you, you U7t thcy. Likcwisc, Hcavcn, Larth, and thc
Thonc arc notoutsidc olyou, nor paradisc nor hcll, nordcath
norlilc. Thcycxistinyou,whcnyouhavcaccomplishcdthcmys-
ticalourncyandhavcbccomcpurcyouwillbccomcconsciousol
that. ()
Now, toaccomp|ishthismystica|ourney, isexact|ywhatinter-
na/ze is,

hatis,to comeouttowardonese|, thatis whatthe

exadus is, theourney toward the Orientorigin which is the
heaven|ya/e, ascentofthe sou|outofthe we||," whenatthe
mouthofthewe||arisestheviiasmaragdina.
60
Hndtberewasarain/awraunda/auttbe
tbrane,insigbt/ikeuntaanemera/d
BookofReve|ation.4. 3
1,
N1b1L bN^H^l11^

Nomon Ko|r (

It seems that Namoddin Kobrwas the first ofthe Sufi mas-

terstofocushisattentiononthephenomenaofco|ors,theco|-
ored photismsthatthemysticcanperceiveinthecoursefhis
spiritua| states. He took great pains to describe these co|ored
|ightsandtointerpretthemassignsrevea|ingthemystic'sstate
anddegreeofspiritua| progress. Someofthegreatestmasters
ofthe Iranian Sufism issuing from this Centra| Asian schoo|,
notab|y Nam Dyeh Rzi, Na m Kobr's direct discip|e, and
A|oddaw|eh Semnni who fo||owed histarqat, have in their
turn i||ustrated this experimenta| method ofspiritua|contro|
which imp|ies at the same time an appreciation of the sym-
bo|ismofco|orsandtheirmutations.
Thisiscertain|ynottosaythattheirpredecessorswereun-
fami|iar with visinary experiences. Far from it. But the
anonymous short work of a shaykh (which must have been
written |ater than Semnni, since it refers to him by name)
bearswitnesstoanorthodoxteacher'sa|armatwhatseemed
to himan innovation.

' Sohravardi himse|f, at the end ofhis

mostimportantwork,whereinhisaimistorestoretheorienta|
theosophy, gives a detai|ed description ofthe experiences of
|ight, ofbatisms, that a mysticcan have, however, co|orsand
theirsybo|ismarenotyetreferredto.

6I
V. Vso 5maragdna
Thedescriptionsdonotrefertophysica|perceptions,Nam
Kobra||udessevera|timestotheseco|ored|ightsassomething
seen with the eyes c|osed. They have to do with something
re|ated to theperceptionofan aura. Threis indeed affinity
andcorrespondencebetween physica|co|ors and auric (orau-
ra/, aurora| co|ors, in the sense that physica| co|ors them-
se|ves have a mora| and spiritua| qua|ity and that what the
aura expresses corresponds to it, symbo|izes with it.' This
correspondence,thissymbo|ism,isprecise|ywhatmakesrtpos-
sib|e fora spiritua| master to estab|ish a methodofc

ntro|by
which to discriminate between suprasensory perceptons and
what we wou|d ca|| today ha||ucinations. Technica||y, one
shou|dspeakofitasvisionaryapperception

T|ephen

me

on
correspondingtoitisprimaryandprimord:a|,

educb|
.
e, ust
asthe perceptionofaphysica|soundorco|orrs irreducib|

to
anythinge|se. As fortheorgan ofthisvisi

naryappercep

:n
andthemodeofbeinginwhichitcanfunct:on,thesequest:ons
re|ate precise|y to the physio|ogyofthemanof|ight,whose
growthismarkedbytheopeningofwhatNamKobrca||sthe
sensessuprasensory

To the extent thatthe |atterarethea

tivit ofthesubect himse|f, oft

.
he sou|,we

ha||c

nc|udeth

s
study b brief|y out|ining an mterconnecuon :th Coethes
theoryofphysio|oica|co|ors.
!thastobeunderstood,ofcourse,thatintheschemaofthe
wor|d presupposed andverified here by mysti

a| experi

nce,
theterms|ightand darkness,c|arityandobscurty,arenether
metaphorsnorcomparisons.Themysticrea||yandactua||ysees
|ight and darkness, by a kind of vision
.
that depends

n an
organ other than the physica| organofs

ght. Heex

erences
andperceivesthestatefromwhichh
.
easp:restorreeh:mse|fas
shadowanddarknes,aspowerswh:chattracth:mdownward,
he perceives as |ighta||the signs and premonitions hera|din

g
his|iberation,thedirectionfromwhichitcomes,a||theappar-
tions that attract him upward. There is nothing questionab|e
about the arientatian ofthe wor|d experienced in the vertica|
dimension: at the summit the heaven|y po|e, at the nadir the
we||ofdarknesswherethee|ementof|ightishe|dcaptiveust
as intheMazdeanschema,the|ightisinthenorth,theshadow
aoddarknessarein thesouth. Thattheentireschematization
isinperfectconsonancewiththeManicheancosmogonyandat
62
} ! . Nomoin Ko|r ( !220)
the same time with the Sohravardian recita| oftheLi/e, and
withtheSanga[tbeFear/ intheHctqTbamas , i swhatthe fist
paragraph ofNamKobrs great bookte||sus. Learn, C my
friend,thatthea/ect ofthe search(mard) isCod,and th
at
.
the
su/ect whoseeks (the subectwhomakeseffort,marid) is
aght
thatcomesfromhim(orapartic|eofhis|ight . ( I n
other
words theseeker, the heroofthe Quest, is noneoter than
thecaptive|ightitse|f,themanof|ight,o:etuo 'u0p
no.

This isthe first/eitmativ ofNamKobrsgreat work. Ths
partic|e of|ightaspiresto freeitse|f,oriseagainto itsorigin.
WhatisdepictedinthoseofthePersianminiatureswere the
Manichean inf|uence can be detected (ira VI, l ) i s
thus
exact|y the same as what Nam Kobr perceives trough
visionary apperception. A f|ame comes down fr the
Heavenstomeetthef|ame|eapingupfromtheEarth, andat
their fiery meeting-point Nam discerns or foresees te pres-
enceoftheheaven|yWitness,thesuprasensoryCuide, who
isrevea|ed inthisc|imaxasthehomo|ogueofPerfect ature,
theNas, the otpqu, the guide of|ightofPrometheshs.
Thereis acorre|ation between theescapeofthe manf
hght,
the co|ored photisms, and the manifestation ofthe hea
ve

|y
guide. This corre|ation itse|f intimates the condition
wh:ch
must precede a|| such experience: men must separate
them-
se|vesfromthevei|thatb|indsthem.
Now, this vcil is not outsidc thcmsclvcs, it is a part ol
thcm,
andisthcdarkncssolthcircrcaturalnatrc (I )
My lricnd,shutyourcyclidsandlookatwhatyouscc

| l you
tcll mc. ! scc nothingyou arc mistakcn ou can scc vcry wcll,
but unlortunatcly thcdarkncssolyournaturc is so closc
to you
that it obstructs your inncr sight, to thc point that yo
do

not
disccrnwhatistobc sccn. !lyou want todisccrnitand tos

c t1
lront olyoucvcn with your cycs closcd, bcgin by diminishm
g
or
byputtingaway lrom yousomcthingolyournaturc. But t h
.
c path
lcading to that cnd is spiritual warlarc. And thc mcanm
g ol
spiritual warlarc is putting cvcrything to workso as to rcp
clthc
cncmics orto kill thcm. Thc cncmics in thiscasc arc nat
rc, thc
lowcrsoul,andthcdcvil(2)
To reach the goa|, one must firstarientanese. discern the
shadowand wheretheshadow is. This shadowiscomp
se
dof
thethreeantagoniststhathaveustbeennamed.Spirita
|
war-
fare tains one to recognize the enemies, to know te by
63
V. Vso 5maragdna
name, to distinguish the forms in whichthey appear, and to
effect their transmutation. Actua||y these various works are
carried out synchronica||y rather than successive|y, progress
andresu|tsarecorre|ative. separationfromtheshadowandthe
fa||oftheshadow, manifestationofthe|ightsandoftheGuide
of|ight. Thisexact|ywi||serveasafina|warning nottoabuse
theideaandthewordsbadaw. theguideof|ightisnomorethe
shadowthanheisapositive"aspecto

ftheshadow.Thisfigure
requires us henceforth to recognize anatber dimension ofthe
person,nota negativity butatranscendence. Since NamKob-
r's bookisa spiritua|ourna|ratherthan adidactictreatise,a
diariumsiritua/e not un|ike that ofRuzbehn, the best we can
doisto sing|e out certain ofits|eadingthemes, their|inescon-
verge. Thethreeadversariescanon|ybedestroyedattheprice
ofaneffortthatattacksthediscordanttri|ogyofthesou|. The
motive power to fue| this effort is the |ight itse|f, that is, the
partic|eof|ight,themanof|ight,"eectingtheconversionof
|iketo|ike.Thedbikr,asaspiritua|technique,p|aysanessentia|
ro|e.Thespiritua|energygivenoffbythedbikr makespossib|e
theemergenceandascentfromthewe||, thisthemerecurswith
an emphasiswe havea|readypointedout. Thestagesofascent
are accompanied by the co|ored photisms that hera|d the
growthofthe subt|eorgansorcentersofthe manof|ight, at-
tractedtoandbythesupernatura|green |ightthatshinesatthe
mouthofthewe||.Attheendofthisascent,the phenomenaof
|ightmu|tip|y, hera|ding the reoiningwiththeheaven|yWit-
ness, at the a/e . Nam Kobr's entire doctrine perfect|y
exemp|ifies the archetype ofindividua| initiation pecu|iar to
Sufism.
2. Light on 8pirituo/ nogore
To recognizethe threeadversariesmeansactua||ytocatchsight
ofthem,toexerience theformsinwhichtheyappear.Farfrom
mere|yconstructingatheory,NamKobrdescribesrea|events
whichtakep|aceintheinnerwor|d,onthep|aneofvisionary
apperception"(mqma/masbbada) , inanorderofrea|itycor-
respondingspecifica||ytotheorganofperceptionwhichisthe
imaginative facu|ty (Imaginatrix) . This exact|y is where
creaura| nature, natura| existence (wad), is at first sight
comp|etedarkness,whenibginsobepurified,youwi||seeit
64
2. Light on 8pirituo/ nogore
take on before your eyes the appearance ofa //ack c|oud. So
|ongasitistheseatoftheDevi|(sbtn)ithasareddisbappear-
ance.Whenitsexcrescencesarecorrectedandannihi|atedand
|egitimateaspirationsare imp|anted in theirstead,youwi||see
that its appearance gradua||y whitens and it becomes a wbite
c/aud(acumu/us) . Asforthe|owersou|,atits first appearance,
its co|or is deep //ue, it seems to be an upsurge, |ike that of
water fromaspring. Ifthesou|istheseatoftheDevi|,it|ooks
|ikeatwofo|dupsurgeofdarknessandof [ire,withoutthepower
to show anything e|se, for there is no good in devi|ry. Now,
whatpoursforth fromthesou|overf|owsandspreadsoverthe
who|e ofa man's nature, this is why a|| spiritua| teaching de-
pends on the sou|. When the sou is hea|thy and pure what
f|owsfrom itisGood, andGoodnessgerminatesfrom natura|
existence, ifwhatf|owsfromitisEvi|, Evi|wi||germinate.The
Devi| isan impure fire mixed with thedarknes ofimpiety in
monstrous form. Sometimes he takes the shape before your
eyesofagiganticNegro,terrib|eto|ookupon. Hemakesevery
efforttoenterintoyou. Ifyouwanttomakehimgiveup, recite
in your heart. 'C Thou, the he|p of those who ask, he|p me
(7).' For, asanothergreatSufi says. Satan|aughsata||your
threats. Whatfrightens himistoseea/igbtinaurbeart " that
istosay,whenyoubecomeawareofwhatheis. Nowaswehave
read (sura 67 quoted in[ine I I I , p. I 00- l 0l ) , he, |ike any
otherspiritua|rea|ity,isnotoutsideofyou,hisattemptstoen-
ter into you" are but one phase of the fight which is being
wagedwithinyou.
What this means precise|y isthattheshadowis in you. to
separateyourse|ffromtheshadowistobringaboutyourown
metamorphosis, and by this metamorphosis to make possib|e
theconunctionofthetwocurrentsoffirerisingandfa||ingto
meetoneanother.
Naturalcxistcnccismadc upollourclcmcntssupcrimposcd
ononcanothcr,allolwhich arcJurkneaa. Larth,Watcr,Firc, Air,
and you yourscllarc buricd bcncath thcmall. Thc onlyway to
scparatc yourscll lrom thcm is to act in such a way that cvcry
rightlulpartinyoucomcstogcthcrwiththattowhichitrightlully
bclongs, thatis, by actinginsuch a way thatcach part comcs to-
gcthcrwithitscountcr-part. Larthrcccivcsthccarthypart,Watcr
thc watcry part, Air thc cthcric part, Firc thc licry part. Whcn
cachas rcccivcd its sharc, you willlinallybc dclivcrcdolthcsc
65
lV. Vso 5mara
[
dna
burdcns. hcthrcc advcrsarics di s urb thc innatc knowlcdgc ol
thcdivinc,thcyFormanobstaclcbctwccnthcheurt andthcdivinc
Throne, thcy prcvcnt thc conunction othctuo rua oltght. Bc-
causc oF thcm, a man linds himscll at list in a statc ol total
spiritualblindncss ( I )
Whatisatstakein metamorphosisis thereforewho||ythis.
either, the sou| havingsucceeded in separating itse|f, the man
of|ight effectsconunction with his guide of|ight, his witness
in Heaven" (sbbid[i/-sam) , or e|se the sou| succumbs to its
darkness, remains in the embrace of its b|s, its demonic
shadow. Toconvertane's awn b|s to Is|am," as Ab'|-Mar
and 'Attr expresses it, means to effect the destruction ofthe
|owersou|. Theindividua|hasnopowertodestroy Ib|sinthe
wor|d,buthecanseparatehissou|fromb|sbydestroyingthe
shadowinhis sou|, forb|scanwe|dhimse|ftothesou|on|yin
shadow. Everything depends therefore on theeffortdirected
tothecentra|adversary. thesou|,withitsIb|sononeside,and
natura| existence on the other. The stages ofmetamorphosis
aredetectedbymeansofthethreedifferentwordsusedinthe
Qorn to qua|ify the sou|, when the third of these qua|ities
f|owers, it can be takenthatthebeart (qa//) exists in actua|ity,
theheartisthesubt|ecenterof|ight,theThroneinthemicro-
cosm,andbythatveryfacttheorganandp|aceofconunction
withthe|ightoftheThrone.
J. 1he 1ri/og o the 8ou/
Three characteristicssituate and constitute the tri|ogy ofthe
drama ofthe sou|. There is the extravagant |ower sou|. na[s
ammra (l 2. 53) , |itera||y, the imperative sou|, the one which
commands"evi|,thepassionate,sensua||owerega.Thereisthe
b|aming"sou|.na[s /awwma ( 75. 2) , theonewhichcensures,"
criticizes, thisisse|f-consciousness, and is|ikened to theinte|-
|ect (aq/) of the phi|osophers. Fina||y there is the pacified
sou|".na[s matma'anna (d9. d7) , thesou|whichinthetruesense
istheheart(qa//) , towhichtheQornaddressesthewords. C
pacifiedsou|,returntoyourLord, acceptingandaccepted. "

Thisreturn,whichisthereunionofthe two fierycurrents,is

exact|y whatisdescribed in one ofNam Kobrs most signif-
icantvisions.
Theextravagant|ower sou|, theega ofthecommonrunof

J. 1he 1rio/og othe 8ou/
men, remains such as it is so |ong as the effects ofspiritua|
warfarehavenotmadethemse|vesfe|t.Whentheefectofcon-
tinuous prayer,hedbikr, penetrates it, it is as though a |amp
were|ightedinadarkeneddwe||ing.Thenthesou|attainsthe
degreeofb|amingsou|", itperceivesthatthedwe||ingisc|ut-
teredwithfi|thandwi|dbeasts, itexertsitse|ftodrivethemout
so thatthe dwe||ingmay be ready to we|come the |ightofthe
dbikr as its sovereign, this we|come wi|| be the pre|ude to the
openingofthepacifiedsou|(54).
Andtherearesignswhich akeit possib|etorecognizere-
spective|y byvisionary apperception each moment in thistri|-
ogy, each phase ofmetamorphosis Thanks to these signs the
Spiritua|retainsperfectawarenessofhise|f.
Know thatthclowcrsoul prcscntsasign tha makcs itrccog-
nizablc by visionary appcrccption. it is a grcat circlc that riscs in
lront olyou, cntircly0hck, as it wcrc oltar. Thcn it disappcars,
onlytoariscbclorc youagain latcrinthcaspcctolablackcloud.
But lo andbchold! gradually, atitsarising,somcthingis rcvcalcd
atitscdgcs rcscmbling thc crcsccnt olthcneu moon whcn oncol
its hornsappcars inthc sky through thcclouds. Littlc by littlc, it
bccomcs a complctc crcsccnt. Whcn thc soul has bccomc con
sciousolitscllto thcpointoFscll-udgmcnt, bcholditriscstothc
sidc olthc right chcck inthc aspcctolagloutng aun whosc hcat
maycvcn bc lclton onc'schcck. Somctimcs itis visualizcd bythc
car, somctimcs bcForc thc lorchcad, somctimcs abovc thc hcad.
And this 0lumtng aoul is thc intclligcncc ('ql rclcrrcd to by thc
philosophcrs)(55).
As lorthc]ucj]teJ aoul, italsoprcscnts a sign which makcs it
idcntiliablcby visionary appcrccption. somctimcsitriscsinlront
olyoulormingasitwcrc thc orb ola grcat lountaingivinglorth
lights, somctimcs you visualizc it in thc suprascnsory rcalm as
corrcspondingtothccirclcolyourcountcnancc,anorbol light,a
limpid disk, similar to a pcrlcctly polishcd mirror. Attimcs this
circlc may sccm to risc toward yourlaccandthc lattcrto vanish
into it Yourlacc is thcnitscllthcpacilicdsoul. Somctimcs, on
thc contrary, youvisualizcthc circlc ata distancc,asthoughlar
rcmovcd lrom you in thc suprascnsory rcalm. Thcrc arc thcn
bctwccnyouandthccirclcolthcpacilicdsoulatousandstagcs,
ilyouwcrctodrawncartooncolthcm,youwouldbcsctolirc
(56) .
Fromhereontheendi s i nsight.Thepathwi||be|ongand
peri|ous, itisdifficu|ttodescribe, thatis itisnoteasytocon-
nect descriptionsofthe pathina|ogica|and rationa|orderin
7
V. Vso 5maragdna
which no moment wou|d over|ap another. Nam Kobr's
Diatium offersusratherthepossibi|ityofdeve|opingthetheme
ofeach phase a|ternate|y, considering them successive|y from
severa| pointsofview, amongst which priority is given to that
whichapp|iestotheforcethatmovesthemystica| pi|grima|ong
theWay. fromanotherpointofview, toperceivetheeffectsof
thisspiritua|energyinhimwi||beawayoffo||owingthestages
ofthe ascent and the concomitant growth of the organs of
|ight, which mu|tip|iesea isa the possibi|itiesofvisionaryap-
perception, |eadingtothevisionthat proc|aimstheintegration
ofbiunity.
1. Like oith Like
So far we have been given the namesofthree organs orcen-
ters. the sou| (nas), the inte||ect (aq/) , the heart (qa//) . Two
other centers, the spirit(/) and the transconsciousness (sitt,
the secret) take their p|ace in a who|e where their meaning
and function wi|| be made c|ear to us |ater in the writings of
Nam Kobr's discip|es (in[ta V, 2 and Vl, l ) . These are the
centers of a subt|e physio|ogy, recognizab|e by the co|ored
|ghtswhich symbo|izethem.These aretheorgans which a||ow
the supreme princip|e to operate, in hierocosmo|ogy as in
hierognosis. |ike seeks to unite with |ike. Asubstanceseesand
knows on|y its |ike, it can itse|fbe seen and known on|y byits
|ike ( 1) . This is the princip|e which, acording to Nam
Kobr, governsthefundamenta|intuitionandsetsitinopera-
tion. whatissoughtisthe divine Being,theseekerishimse|fa
|ightcomingfrom thedivineBeing,a partic|eofits|ight.The
statement and app|ication of the princip|e certain|y awaken
many consonances. We a|ready hear it in Empedoc|es. fire
can be seen on|y by fire. ln the Catu Hetmeticum (l l20)
wheretheNasdec|arestoHermes.lfyoudonotmakeyour-
se|f |ike Cod, you cannot understand Cod. ln P|otinus (Ln-
neaVl, 9, l l ) . ThePrincip|ecanbeseenon|ybythePrinci-
p|e. ln the Westit |eads us from Meister Eckhart to Coethe
(ita l,2).
' A|i-e Hamadni, the great shaykh responsib|e for the
spreadofSufisminl ndia,formu|atesitbrief|yinawaythatis
particu|ar|y striking. The human being, he says, is a copy
d
1. Like ut/h
Ltkt
transcribed fromthegreatQorn
which
isthe cosos

v y
thingthatconstitutesthiscosic
or
s

ras,

erses,wo
|etters,vowe|signs-hasanesoteric
and
anotercaspect
ln cach
part ola man whizh has
|
ccn p

riIicd, its cu t-
partolthc samc naturc isrc
c
ztcd, lo
n

thmgca

n b
_
c sccn tX
ccptbyitslikc.Thcrclorc,whcn

thccsotc
z
naturcmdacdbyH
man' s i nclinations and Iaclncs has
|
czomc
purc, hc cu-
tcmplatcs thcrcin
whatcvcr is olthc
sam
c naturc i
_
n
.
thc maro-
cosm. Thcsamc
applicstothcso
l,thc
hca
t,thc

spnt,thctrn-
consciousnc
ss, up to thc arzan

m (||]
thc
mncrmost plac
whcrc thc divinc
Attributcs
h:zh to
zatc arc
nvcilcd, and
whcrcitcanbcsaidum Hta hran
g
'
atght

The parts
constituting th

human
ing
can
even be re-
gardedasfragmentsoftheircosicco
nter

arts
,eachb|ongs
toawho|efromwhichitderives.
a

obrathusestabhshesa
rea| connection between the fire of
passion and the inferna|
fire. the fireofvo|uptuousness,ofh

n
e

and
.
thirst, of

ic-
kednessandsensua|ityarepartsofthe
ferna
| fre.Byfe

edmg
thesefiresa manincreaseshis he||,
for
he||is
notoutstdeof
him, man is his
own he|| (l 30). Partic|s
.
ofdif(erentnatures
aremutua||yrepe||ent,thepartic|e
si

pr

soned
tn manarea

-
tracted to their |ike. The attracti
on,
ts physica| aspect, b
magnetism, in its psychic aspect, the
year

ing
of|ikefor|ike.
Actua||y the first
aspectison|ythe e
otecaspectofthe sec-
ond, NamKobris
thinkingofthe
seco

daspe
ctwhen

hehas
recoursetohisfavoriteimageofthe
pr
c

usstone|ongmgfor
thewor|dfromwhichitwasorigina
||ye
tracted.
forthis
attractionisatiented
towa
rd
theHea
venofthesou|,
the suprasensory Heaven, the inner

Heaven, or perh

s it i

better to
say the esoteric Heaven,

se

e wor)

mn

r
shou|d give rise to the idea of a
sube
cttve
heaven |ackmg
any substantia|
rea|ity. Orientation to
ward the Heaven ofthe
sou|,towardthea/e
presupposes
and
brings
aboutthisinward
movement
whichisthereturntothe
vastwor|d
ofhesou|,the
passagetotheesoteric.Thesubt|e
organwhichen

e|opsth

e
heart andwhich Nam Kobr ca||s
the
Ho|y
Chost

m man b
identified
withthis Heaven. The
subt
|e or
an desgnated as
Spiritisthe
Heavenoftheheart.
The
moveme
ntinwardbrings
about the passage from this wor|d
to
the wor|d beyond, f

om
theo
ter man to the man of|ight.
As
wehave
noted, thedea
9
V. Vso 5maragdna
ofthespiritua|Heavenshada|ready|edSohravarditoexp|ode
theschemaofPto|emaicastronomy,andthesameideaopened
thewaytotheEmera|dRockforHermesandtheexpatriatein
the Recita|ofthe Exi|e. This passage, thisexadus , iswhat au-
thenticates and what is foreseen in the visions received by
visionaryapperception,inwhich there are anabove and abe-
|ow, Heavensand Earths.becauseorientedtowardthepo|e,a||
this no |onger has to do with the wor|d ofobects ofsensory
experience. Thereascentof|iketowards its |ike (theascentof
theco|umnofLight) traversingtheentirecosmos,thereturn
of |ight to |ight, of precious stones to their origin. the an-
thropo|ogywhich is its organ is the science thatconcerns the
manof|ightandisorientedtowardthea/e. lfthiswerenotso,
the mi'r of the prophet and the ascent out of the we|| are
uninte||igib|e and devoid ofrea|ity. lfthisis so, then mystica|
experiencefi||safunctionofcosmicsa|vation.Severa|essentia|
passagesinNamKobrstreatisesmakethisabundant|yc|ear.
Thc Ho|yChostinmanisa hcavcn|ysubt|corgan. Whcnthc
conccntratcdpowcrolspiritua|cncrgy' ' is|avishcdonhim, hc is
rcunitcdwiththcHcavcnsandthcHcavcnsarcmcrgcdwithhim.
r rathcr, HcavcnsandSpiritarconc andthcsamcthing. And
thispiritdocsnotccasctosoar, toincrcasc, andtogrowunti|it
has acquircd a nobi|ity highcr than thc nobi|ity ol Hcavcn. r
againwccou|dsay. inthchumanbcingthcrcarc pcciousstoncs
lrom cvcry kind ol minc, and cvcrything that aspircs to rcdis-
covcr its own origina| minc is ol thc samc naturc as thc |attcr
(59) .
ButNam makesitc|ear thatwi||andeffortarenecessaytoset
freethisattactiveenergy.
havc ncvcr contcmp|atcd Hcavcn0elou mc norutthtn mc,
un|cssbclorchandthcrchadariscninmcancllortandthiscom-
p|aint. whyam! notnowin HcavcnorgrcatcrthanHcavcnFor
thcn thc nob|c prccious stoncs in cxi|c wcrc cxpcricncing a con-
sumingnosta|gialorthcirorigina|homcandlounditagainat|ast
(59). '
-
lt is therefore the termina| point of this reunion that
guarantees the orientation. Earths and Heavens of the sup-
rasensoryrea|m,ofthebeyondwhosethresho|disthea/e.
Know thatvisionaryappcrccptionistwolo|d. thcrc ispcrccp-
ionolwhatisbc|owandpcrccptionolwhatisabovc. Bc|owisthc
vision ol a|| that thc arth (and by Larth | mcan hcrc thc su-
70
1. Like oith Like
prascnsory LarthTena /uctJa, notthc Larth which is in ht hy|
ca||yvisib|c wor|d)la||, rcpcat,thatthc Larthcontai nshy uy
olco|ors,occans,|uminarics,dcscrts,|andscapcs,citics,wclls |o
trcsscs,ctc. Abovc,thcrc isthcvisionola|| thatthc Hcavcnston
tain. sun, moon, starsconstc||ationsolthc odiac houscs u| ht
moon. Now, you scc and disccrn nothing whatsocvcr cxcct y
mcns olsomcthing that is its |ikc (or which is a part ol it) ht
prccious stonc sccs on|y thc minc lrom which it originatcd, i t
ycarnsandishomcsick lor thata|onc. Thcrclorcwhcnyoucnvi -
sionahcavcn,ancarth,asun, orstars,ora moon, know thati s
is bccausc thc partic|c inyouwhich comcs lrom that minc has
bccomcpurc(60) .
There fo||owsthewarningwehavea|readyread(sura l l l , 3in
in) and whichconditions a|| suprasensoryexperience. what-
evertheheavensyouarecontemp|ating,therearea|waysother
heavensbeyond, thereisno|imit.
Mutua|attractionandrecognitionof|ikeby|ike. this|awis
exemp|ified in mu|tip|e variations throughout Nam Kobr's
doctrine and mystica| experience. lt is the basis of a cam
municatia idiamatum between the divine and the human, a reci-
procity ofstates which is very characteristica||y proected and
expressed in terms of spatia|ization and |oca|ization. Pure
spiritua|spacearisesfromthestateexperienced,andthestate
experienced is a visitation ofthe divine Attributes. Here we
mayreca||theCopticCnosticbooksofeu(thirdcentury),in
which the Emanations of the true Cod eu surrounding a
Treasury,the/aceofthetrueCod,arethemse|vesthep|acesor
abodesofthe:not, thesou|ofthemysticiswe|comedthereby
theco||ectorsoftheTreasuryofLight, undertheirguidanceit
|eapsfromone/ace toanother,unti|itreachestheTreasuryof
Light. Themabdir, inNam Kobr's termino|ogy, correspond
exact|y to those p|aces orabodes knownto thegnostics. The
divine Beinghas different p|aces or abodes and they are the
/aces oftheAttributes.Youdistinguishthemfromoneanother
by yourown mystica|experience, forwhenyou risetothisor
that p|ace, your tongue invo|untari|y utters the name ofthat
p|aceandofitsattribute.
Here agai n, therefore, there are signs and indications
which make verification possib|e, as previous|y in thecaseof
eachofthep|acesofthesou|,andastherewi||bea|soforeach
oftheco|oedphotisms
7 l
V. Vso 5maragdna
Thc hcart participatcs in cvcry divinc Attributc, and thcrc-
lorc in thc divinc Lsscncc. This participation docs not ccasc to
grow, and thc mystics di llcr lrom cach othcr according to thc
cxtcnt ol thcir participation. Sincc cach Attributc has its scat in
onc ol thc placcsor abodcs in qucstion, and sincc thc hcart par-
ticipatcs in cach olthc divincAttributcs, thcy arccpiphanizcd in
thc hcarttothc cxtcnt thatthchcart participatcs inthcsc Attrib-
utcs. Thus Attributcs arc rcvcalcd to Attributcs, Lsscncc to Ls
scncc(orthcSclltothcScl.thconchand,thcAttributcs(or
placcs)contcmplatcthchcart(causcittobcprcscnttothcm).n
thc othcr hand, thc hcart contcmplatcs thc placcs olthcAttrib-
utcs (makcs itscllprcscnt to thcm).Thcophanyis broughtabout
lirst by thcorctical knowlcdgc, latcr by visionary appcrccption,
whcthcrthc Attributcsmakcthcmsclvcswitncsscs prcscnttothc
hcart, orwhcthcrthc hcartmakcsitsclla witncssand prcscnt to
thc]hcea olthc Attributcs(6 ) .
This is a subt|e passage and hard to fo||ow at first, but ex-
treme|yimportant,becauseitisthepre|iminaryout|ineofnd
introduction to the subsequent account of the re|ationshipof
themysticwithhisheaven|yWitnesswhichwi||deve|opatthe
summit of his inner ascent l n this re|ationship the Con-
temp|ator (sbabid) is simu|taneous|y the one who is Con-
temp|ated (msbbd) , theonewho witnesses issimu|taneous|y
the one who is witnessed, and this a|ready indicates that the
ideaoftheheaven|yWitnessinNamKobrisnodifferent,
in essence, from the idea of the Witness of contemp|ation
which orients the spiritua| view of other contemporary Sufi
masters.
furthermore, this re|ationship resu|ts from the idea that
theseekerishimse|fapartic|eofthedivineightthatisbeing
sought, iti||ustratestheprincip|eoftheQuestand oftherec-
ognitionof|ikeby|ike,which isamp|ifiedwithextraordinary
powerinotherpassages,ca||ingustowitnessthisreunianwhich
isthecu|minatingmomentofpersona|initiation.
Thcrc arc lights which asccnd and lights which dcsccnd.
Thc asccnding lights arc thc lights olthc hcart, thc dcsccnding
lightsarcthoscolthcThronc.Crcaturalbcingisthcvcilbctwccn
thcThroncandthchcart. Whcn thisvcilisrcntandadoortothc
Thronc opcns in thc hcart, likc springs toward likc. Light riscs
towardlightand lightcomcsdown uponlight,unJ tt o ltght u]on
ltght` (Qoran24. 35)(62).
verything thatwe are ana|yzing maywe|| be condensed in
72
7. 1he Function othe
thosefew |ines . a tota|ity which is|ightupon|igh

- . l
and shadow,intheperspectiveofthethreefo.dps

ch: ` ^
sion,aswehaveagaintoemphasizein

onc|usn(inra , |0) o
Herearefurtherinva|uab|equotatrons.
Lach timc thc hcart sighs lor thc Thronc, thc Thronc s gs
lorthchcart, so thatthcy comctomcct . . . Lachpr

c
_
us
_
onr
(thatis,cacholthcclcmcntso

thc

man ollight)wh:ch:sn yo
bringsyoua mysticalstatcorv:s:on1 th

Hcavcnorrcspondng
toit,whcthcritbc thc lirc olardcntdcs:rc,olacghtorollvc
(scc 83quotcdtn[ru lV, 9) . Lach timc a ltght rtae

u] [rom ou, U
ltght comea Joun touurJ ou, and cach timcallamc scs lromyou,a
corrcsponding llamc comcs down toward you (scc lurthcr 83)
! lthcir cncrgics arc cqual, thcy mcct hall-way (bctwccn
i-avcnandLarth) . . . Butwhcnthcsubstanccollighth

sgrown
o
u thcn this bccomcs a Wholc in rcation to what ts olthc
1 yo g
l l
.
h H
samc naturc inHcavcn. thcn itisthcsubstancco
.
ig t1

avcn
which ycarns lor you and is attractcd by yo

ght, and tt dc-

sccndstowardou.Thisisthcscrctolthcmysticalapproach(atrr
ul-aur, 63-64) .
Atru|yfascinatingdescription,buthowdes

theSufireach
h
.
`
The most effective means ofreahzauon offered to
t :s a:m.
h

h
him is thedbikr ( zkr) , continuous prayer T :s

s w atcan
bringabouttheopeningandthenthegrowthofth:ssutstance
of|ightwhich isinyou, to suchadeg

eethatbyat

tracu

gthe
heaven|yWitness,itssuprasensoryCde,thereuon

:|take
p|ace.Thestagesofgrowthofthisorganismofh

htw:||

t|en
bmarkedbytheco|oredphotisms,unti|thep

ruc|

ofdiine
|ight, the man of |ight within you, your o:etuo ou0pono,
sudden|yburstsforth
7. 1he Function o the Lhikr
fa||spiritua|practices. meditati

nonthe

ayingso( th

Pro-
phet and on the traditions ofSuf:sm, med:tate

d rectau

n of
the Qorn, ritua| Prayer, and so forth, the dbt

kr (zekr) :s the
practicemostaptto freespiritua|energy, tiat:s,

a||

ow

the
partic|eofdivine ightwhich

isintie

ysucto re

om:ts hke.
The advantage ofthe dbikr is that t :s not restrct

d to any
ritua| hour, its on|y |imitation is the persona|

capac:ty of the
mystic. It is impossib|e to stu|y
.
the ques

uon

f c

|oreu
photismswithoutknowing the sptua| exercise

h:ch:sthe:r
source. verything takes p|ace, need|ess to say, m thegba/a,
73
IV. Vso 5maragdna
he suprasensory wor|d, what is in question here is so|e|ythe
physio|ogyofthemanof|ight.NamKobrsethimse|fthetask
ofdescribing the casesandcircumstancesin which thefireof
thedbikt itse|fbecomestheobectofmystica|apperception. As
opposedtothefireoftheDevi|,whichisadarkfire,thevision
of which is accompanied by distress and a fee|ing of over-
whe|ming oppression, the fire of the dbikt is visua|ized as a
pureandardentb|aze,animatedbyarapidupwardovement
(d). On seeing it, the mystic experiences a fee|ing of inner
|ightness, expansion, andintimate re|ief. Thisfireenters into
the dwe||ing p|ace |ike a sovereign prince, announcing. l
a|one,andnoneotherthan. ltsetsfire toa||thatisthereto
be consumed, and sheds |ight on any darkness it may en-
counter

lf|ightistherea|redy, the two |ights associate with

eachotherandthereis/igbtuan/igbt(9- I).
Thatiswhyoneformofthediktabovea||other,|eadingin
actua|itytotheacquisitionofthispureandardentf|ame,con-
sistsinrepeatingthefirstpartofthesbabda,theprofessionof
faith. / i/ba i//'//b (Nu//us deus nisi Deus), and meditating
uponitaccordingthetheru|esofSufism.

lnlsmae|ianShiite
gnosis, theosophica| dia|ectic was a|ready practiced with ex-
treme subt|ety by a|ternating the negative and affirmative
phasescomposingthefirstpartofthesbabda,inordertoopen
upapathbetweenthetwoabysses,theta'ti/andthetsb/ib,that
is to say, between rationa|ist agnosticism and the |itera|
rea|ismofnaivefaith.Byfo||owingthisway,theideaofmediat-
ingtheophaniesisestab|ished, thehierarchyofthep|eromaof
|ight. Whi|e the transcendence ofthe rincip|e beyondbeing
and non-being is preserved in lsmae|iangnosis,orthodoxy is
b|amed inasmuch as it fa||s into the most pernicious kind of
metaphysica| ido|atry, thevery oneit was so anxious toavoid.
ln the Sufism ofNam Kobr, the reiteration ofthe negative
part ofthe sbabda (nu//u: Deus) is designed to be a weapon
against a|| the powers of the na[s ammta (the |ower ego) , it
consistsin denyingandreectinga||pretensionstodivinepre-
rogatives, a||c|aimsinspiredinthesou|bytheinstinctsofpos-
sessivenessanddomination. lnthepositivepartofthesbabda
(nuiDeus) on the otherhand the exc|usive nature and powers
oftheOneandOn|yOneareaffirmed.
Then there comes about the state a||uded to in a saying
74
7. 1he Function o the
tire|ess|y repeatedbythe Sufis, and fami|iartousheLs f`
havereaditinSt.au| (Cat.2. 9), whereinfactitharksha k l
theReve/atiana[ L/ab. 'The mysticseeswhattheey

sooi
seen,hearswhatnoearhasheard,whi|ethoughtsrse . o s
mind which had never arisen inthe heartofman, that h

l
say, ofman who remainsburied in the depths

of

atura| e-
tence. for the effect ofthe[ite-/igbt ofthedbtkt is to make
man c|airvoyant in Darkness and this c|airvoyance forete||s

that the heart is being freed,isemergingfromthewe// of

turebut(|etusremembertheSohravardianRecita/a[ tbeLx/e)
on|, aheartthatho|dsfasttothecab|eoftheQornandtoth

,
trainoftherobeofthedbikt'escapesfromthewe||ofnature

No doubt the practice ofthedbiktin NamKobr's schoo|

inc|udesa|so awho|esystemoftechniques. m

vements

o( the
head, contro| ofbreathing, certain postures (m Se

nam for
examp|e, the seated position with crossed |egs, nght ian+
p|aced on |eft hand, the |atter ho|ding

the rigit |eg which ,

p|aced onthe|eftthigh) possib|yreveahn

Tastmf|

ence.
Byuninterruptedpo|arizationoftheattention

nobect,tie
obect fina||y imposes itse|f with such rorce

is imbued with
such|ife, thatthemysticisattracted andis, asitwere,abso
.
r|ed
intoit.Thisisthephenomenonudo|fOttofoundsostnkmg
when he had a|ready discerned a c|ear para||e| itween the
Sufidbikt andthe mpq :o Heou or'lqoo practiced by the
* *
,
*

monksofAthosandinear|yChnstianmonasticism.

Thepreponderantro|eoftheSuf, dbiktisustifiedinthatit
estab|ishesexperientia||ytheconnectionbetweenthethe

eof
theascentfromthe we||, thepo|arorientationofthespi
.
ntua|
seekerandthegrowthofhisbodyof|igit. The

o|aronenta-
tioninthiscase signifiesa|soandessentia||yanmwa
.
rdmove

ment asthewayofpassingtothewor|dbeyond. N

mKobra
describesby meticu|ousana|ysesandefe

ence
.
to
.
hispersona|
experience this process of internahzat

on it is a gradua|
deepeningofthedbiktinthreestages.Asitwasr

ca||edab

ve,
the phenomenadescribedre|atenot to the
.
physica|orgamsm
buttothephysio|ogyofthesubt|ebodyanditsor

ans

Afirst and sti|| incomp|etephaseofpenetrationismarked

by acoustic phenomena which
.
may be

ainfu|
.
and eve

dangerous. in such a case (as Namwas stnct|y advise+ by hi

s
shaykh) , it is abso|ute|y necessary to interrupt thedbtkt un|
75
V. Vso 5maragdna
everythingreturns to norma|(5ff.) Thetwootherphases
aredescribedasthefa||orabsorptionofthediktfirstintothe
beatt, then into the sitt, or secret, the transconsciousness.
When the dbikt is immersed in the heart, the heart is then
sensedasthough itwere itse|fa we||andthedikt a pai||ow-
ered into ittodrawupwater,or,accordingtoanotherimage
ofthe sameexperience. the heartis s ibn Maryam,andthe
dbikt is the mi|k that nourishes him. Thus we find again the
themeofthebirth ofthe spiritua| Chi|d (suta I I , I ) , a theme
whose equiva|ent is reiterated by so many mystics and which
|edtheSufistoregardMaryamasthetypificationofthemystic
sou|(). OtherdescriptionsgivenbyNamKobrspeakofan
openingproducedbythedbiktonthetopofthehead,through
whichdescendonyoufirsta darkness(ofnatura|existence),
then a fiery|ight, then thegteen /igbt ofthe heart (i/id. ) , or
again, ofawoundintheside throughwhichtheheartandits
Ho|y Ghostescape |ike a horseman with his mountand make
theirwayuptothedivinep|aces,(mabdita/-Haqq,thezot of
theGnostics,suta) (5) . Letusnotnecessari|yinferthatthis
indicatessomeouterstigmatization.Noneofthistakesp|acein
theoutersensorywor|d,norintheimaginarywor|d,buton|y
inthemundus imagna/is ('amm a/-mitb/), theimaginative wor|d
towhichbe|ongorgansofthesamenatureinthehumanbeing,
name|y thecenters ofsubt|ephysio|ogy(the/atqa) . In a fina|
phase, thedbikt isinterming|ed sointimate|y with the funda-
menta|beingofthemysticthatwerethe|atterto abandon the
dbikt,thedbiktwou|dnotabandonhim.Itsfiredoesnotcease
to b|aze, its |ights no |onger disappear. Without interruption
yousee|ightsrisingand |ightsdescending. The f|amesofthe
fire are a|| around you-very pure, very ardent, and very
strong(5 ) .
. 1he 6reen Light
Lightsascending, |ightsdescending thedbikt sinks downinto
thewe||oftheheartandatthesametime|iftsthemysticupout
ofthedarknessofthewe||. Thesimu|taneityoftheseconcen-
tricmovements forete||sthebirth and growthofthesubt|eor-
ganism of|ight. The descriptions become more comp|icated
andinterwovenunti|theyarereso|ved,asNamKobrte||sus,
inthevisia smatagdina to which these movementsare the pre-
76
. 1he 6reen Light
|ude.Oursisthemethodofa|chemy,dec|arestheshaykh. | |
invo|ves extractingthe subt|e organismof|iht from beneath
the mountains under which it|ies imprisoned (I ) . Itmay
happen thatyou visua|ize yourse|fas|ying at the bottom ofa
we|| and the we|| seeming|yin|ive|ydownward movement. In
rea|ity it is you who are moving upward (i/id. ). This ascent
(remindingofthevisionofHmesinSohravardi,hisascentto
thebatt|ementsoftheThrone) ,isthegradua|emergencefrom
the mountains which, aswe have a|ready been to|d (suta IV,
) , are the four e|ementary natures constituting the physica|
organism. The inner states accompanyingthisemergence are
trans|ated into visions of deserts, even cities, countries,
houses, which come down from above toward you and |ater
disappearbe|owyou,asthoughyouwere seeingadikeonthe
shorecrumb|eanddisappearintothesea (I ) .
Thiscorrespondencei s precise|y what provides the mystic
with a decisive method by which to verify the rea|ity of his
visions,itisaguaranteeagainsti||usions,foritdemandsthemain-
tenanceofarigorous/amnce.
You comc to gazc with your own cycs on what you had until
thcn only known thcorctically, through thc intcllcct. Whcn you
cnvision yoursc|lassubmcrgcdinasca,andyctmakingyourway
across it, know that this is thc climination ol supcrl|uous lctal
rcquircmcnts originating lrom thc clcmcnt Watcr. ll thc sca is
clcar andilsunsorlightsorllamcsarcdrowncdinit,knowthatit
is thc sca ol mystic gnosis. Whcn you cnvision rain dcsccnding,
knowthatiti sadcwwhichlal|slrom thc]hcea olDivincMcrcyto
vivily thc carths ol hcarts slumbcring in dcath. Whcn you
visua|izcallamcinwhichyouarclirstcntirclycngu|lcdandlrom
which you thcn lrcc yourscll, know that thisis thc dcstructionol
thcclcmcnts surroundingthc lctusthatoriginatc inthcc|cmcnt
Firc. Finally,whcnyou sccbclorc youagrcatwidcspacc,anim
mcnsity opcningontothc lar distancc, whilc abovc you thcrcis
clcar purc Air and you pcrccivc on thc lar horizon thc colors
green, reJ, ellou, 0lue, knowthatyouarcabouttopass,borncalolt
through this air, tothc licld olthcsc colors. Thc colors arc thosc
olthcspiritua|statcs cxpcricnccdinwardly.Thccolorgreen isthc
signolthclilcolthchcart,thccolorolardcntpurc[tre isthcsign
olthc vitality ol spiritual cncrgy signilying thc powcr to ac-
tualizc. llthis lircisdim,itdcnotcsinthc mystic astatcollatiguc
andalllictionlollowingthcbattlcwiththclowcrcgoandthcDcv-
il.Blue is thc color olthis |owcr cgo. \ellou indicatcs a lcsscning
olactivit.Allthcscarcsuprascnsoryrcaliticsindia|oguc withthc
onc who cxpcricnccs thcm in thctwolold |anguagcolinncr|cc-
77
V. Vso 5maragdna
ing (Jhouq) and visionary appcrccption. hcsc arc two com-
plcmcntarywitncsscs,lorou ex]ertence tnuorJl tn ouraeg uhot ou
tuuolt:e utth our tnner atght, onJ rect]rocoll ou touolt:e utth our
tnner atght grectsel uhot ou ex]ertence tn ourag ( I)
Thcshaykh formu|atcsinthis way thc vcry |awof/a/ance
whichmakcsitpossib|ctoauthcnticatcthcscvisionsofco|orcd
|ights,and isa||thc morc ncccssarysincc itisa mattcr, notof
op;ica| pc

rccptions,butofpcnomcnapcrccivcdbythcorgan
ofmncrsrght,/a/ance makcsitpossib|ctodiscriminatcanddis-
tinguish thcm from ha||ucinations. Discrimination is in fact
cstab|ishcd to thc cxtcnt that thc inncr statc cxpcricnccd in
rca|ity is vcrificd by its corrcspondcncc with thc statc which
wou|d bc brought aboutby hcoutcr pcrccption ofsuch and
uci aco|or. To thatcxtnt, whatisinqucstionisccrtain|yno
|usnbutarca| visua|izationandasign,thatistosay, thcco|-
orationoftea/ obcctsand cvcntswhoscrca|ity,ofcoursc, isnot
physica| but suprascnsory, psycho-spiritua|. This is why thcsc
co|orcd photisms arc in thc fu|| scnsc ofthc word witnesses
witncsscs of what you ate, ofwhat your vision is worth, and
prcfigurc thc vision ofthc pcrsona| hcavcn|yWitncss.Thc
importacc ofthc co|orgteen (thc co|orofthca/e) dcrivcs
fromthiswho|ccontcxt,sinccitisthcco|orofthchcartandof
thcvita|ityofthchcart( I ) . Now,thccartisthchomo|oguc
ofthcThronc,ofthca/ewhichisthcthrcsho|dofthcbcyond.
ono sowcrccognizchcrcmorcthanoncfcaturca|rcadyfigur-
mgmSohravardisRecita/a[tbeLxi/e.
Gteen isthcco|orthatout|aststhcothcrs.rom thisco|r
cmanatcf|ashing,spark|ingrays. This grccn maybcabso|utc|y
purcoritmaybccomctarnishcd. ltspurityproc|aimsthcdom-
inantnotcofthcdivinc|ight, itsdu||ncssrcsu|tsfromarcturn
ofthcdarkncss ofnaturc ( I 5) . ustasthc mountainofQf
(thcpsycho-cosmicmountain,suta l l l , ) who||ytakcsonthc
co|orationofthc Emcra|d Rockwhichisits summit (thcpo|c,
thccosmicnorth) ,soisthchcartasubt|corganwhichrcf|ccts
suprascnsory things and rca|itics that rcvo|vc around it. Thc
co|orofthc thing is rcproduccd in thc subt|c orga (/atqa) it
faccs,ustasformsarcrcf|cctcdinmirrorsorinpurcwatcr. . .
thc hcart is a |ight in thc dcpths of thc we// of naturc, |ikc
oscphs|ightinthcwc||intowhichhcwasthrown ( ) .
And so from thcn on, i nthis |ight, thc vicissitudcs ofth
18
. 1he 6reen Light
asccnt out ofthc wc|| bcgin to takc shapc. Thc first tim t ha|
thc we// is rcvca|cd toyou it shows youa dcpth to which H
dcpthpcrccivcd physica||y can bc comparcd. Whcrcas in |hc
wakingstatc you arc onthc waytobccomingfami|iarwith it ,
whcn you visua|izc it in a statc whcrc thc outcr scnscs arc
undcr cstraint (or missing, that is, in thc suprascnsory
gba/a) , youarcshakcnbysuchtcrrorthatyou thinkyou arc
autto dic. Andthcn, suddcn|yatthcmouthofthcwc||thc
cxtraordinarygteen /igbt bcgins to shinc. rom thcn on, un-
forgcttab|c marvc|s show thcmsc|vcs to you, thosc of thc
Ma/at (thcwor|dofthcHnimaecae/estes, thccsotcricaspcctof
thc visib|c hcavcns) , thosc of thca/at (thc wor|d of th
Chcrubim,ofthcdivincNamcs).Youcxpcricnccthcmostcon-
tradictoryfcc|ings. cxu|tation,tcrror,attraction. Atthccndof
thcmysticway,youwi||sccthcwc||bc|owyou.lnthccourscof
thcasccnt,thcwho|cofthcwc||ischangcdintoawc||of|ight
orofgrccn co|or. Dark atthc bcginning, bccausc itwas thc
dwc||ing-p|accofdcvi|s,itisnow|uminouswithgteen /igbt,bc-
causcithasbccomcthcp|acctowhichdcsccndthcAngc|sand
thcdivincCompassion ( I 1) . HcrcNamKobrtcstificstothc
angc|ophanics which wcrc grantcd to him. thc cmcrgcncc
fromthcwc||undcrthcguidanccoffourAngc|ssurrounding
him, thcdcsccntofthcsakina (thcsbekbina) , agroupofAngc|s
whodcsccndintothchcart,orc|scthcvisionofasing|cAngc|
bcaringhimupasthcprophctwasborncup( I - ) . '
And thcn a|| thc spiritua| Hcavcns, thc inncr Hcavcns of
thc sou|, thc scvcn p|ancs ofbcing which havc thcircountcr-
partsinthcmanof|ightshincmu|tico|orcdin thc rainbowof
thcvisiasmatagdina.
Knowthattocxistisnotlimitcdtoasinglcact.Thcrcisnoact
olbcing such that abovc itoncdocs not discovcranact olbing
cvcnmorcdclinitcandmorcbcautilulthanthconcprcccdingit,
untillinallyoncrcachcsthcdivinc Bcing nthcmysticourncy
thcrc isauell corrcspondingtocachactolbing. Thccatcgorics
olbcing arc limitcd toscvcn, it isto this thatthc numbcr olthc
Larths and thc Hcavcns alludcs. Thcrclorc, whcn you havc
riscn up through thc scvcn wclls in thc dillcrcnt catcgorics ol
cxistcncc, lo and bcho|d, thc Hcavcn olthc sovcrcign condition
(ro00o) and its powcr arc rcvcalcd to you. !ts atmosphcrc is a
green ltght whosc grccnncss is that ola vital light through which
llow wavcs ctcrnally in movcmcnt towards onc anothcr. This
1
V. Vso 5maragdna
grccnc

lorissoi

tcnscthathumanspiritsarcnotstrongcnough
tobcartt,

th

ugh:tdocsnotprcvcntthcm lromlallingintomys-
ticlovc w:th t. And on thc surlacc olthis hcavcnarc to bcsccn
point

morc i

cnsclyreJ tan lirc, rubyorcornclian, which ap-

pcarncdup mgroupsollivc.nsccmgthcmthcmysticcxpcri-
cnccs nostalgia and a burning dcsirc, hc aspircs to unitc with
thcm( ! B) .
/. 1he 8enses o the 8uprosensoq nor/
We sha|| understand the meaning ofthese g|owingconste||a-
tionsafterhearingadescriptionwherethethemeoftheascent
outofthewe||isrepeatedfromthe pointofviewoftheinner
states or events visua|ized in this way. Whatyou visua|iz, ac-
cordingto the shaykh'steaching, are the stagesofyour inner
ascent, that is, the very facts ofyour inner experience. Now,
whatisthecontentofthisexperience? ltis thegrowth ofthe
man of|ight, the transmutation ofhis senses intoorgans of
|ight, into suprasensory senses. Herethephysio|ogy ofthe
manof|ght,invo|vingawho|edoctrineofsymbo|icforms,re-
capitu|atestheitinerariumadvisianemsmaragdinam fromanother
aspect. ln other words, the co|ors characterizing the co|ored
photismsofvisionaryapperceptionsignify,toputitbrief|y,the
transmutationofthesensory by a transmutationofthe senses
intosuprasensorysenses.
Theprocessisminute|ydescribedbyNamKobr.ltcanbe
no more thansummarizedhere.Wea|readyknowthatthereis
a strict interconnection between the fee|ing ofa mystic state
andvisionaryapperception,the|atterbeingthevisua|izationof
theformer
But thcrc is a dillcrcncc in that thc visionary appcrccption
prcsupposcs thc opcning olthc inncr cyc by thc rcmoval olthc
vcil whi

h darkcncd it, whcrcas thc lcclingolmystic cxpcricncc

():scauscdbyatransmutationolthcbcingandolthcspirit.
Thc mystical cxpcricncc is thc intimatc lccling that ancvcnt is
takingplaccwithinyou. Thistransmutationincludcsatransmuta-
tion olthc lacultics olscnsory pcrccption. Thc livc scnscs arc
changcdintoother aenaea ( 4! ) .
And what i sessentia| here can nodoubt be expressed as
fo||ows. an inversion which brings about a suprasensory per
ceptionofthesensory,thatis,perceptionofthesensoryinthe
mundusimagina/is whichSohravardica||stheheaven|yEarthof
80
/. 1he 8enses o the 8uprosensoq nor/4
Hrqa|y(theTern /ucida, in the cosmic north), fami|iao l
visonarymysticssuchas, forexamp|e,lbn'Arabi,forwhoI
i sthep|aceoftransfigurations,thep|acewheretheimaginai
power (Imaginatrix) operatesto producescenes in whichth
isnotingeofdemonic,twi|ightfantasy.
Lookingbackbrief|y, wecanseethedistancethathasbee
covered a|ongthe mysticWay. At the beginningvisionaryap-
perceptionisdirected tothefiguresandimagesoriginatingin
the sensorywor|d |ateritdirect|y perceivespersons, essences
(dawt), anditisthen(andtheconcomitancemustbestressed)
thattheco|ored photismscomeabout. Moreexp|icit|y. thein-
te||ect, |ike a hunter, beginsby being on the|ookoutfor sup-
rasensoryrea|ities(thema'ani, thehidden,esotericcontents)
lthasatwofo|dnetforcatchingthem. theimaginativeandthe
representativefacu|ties.Thevisua|facu|tyisasitwerehisdog,
hispointer. The imaginationc|othesthema'aniinappropriate
attire,forexamp|e,itgivesacontemptib|eenemytheformofa
dog, a nob|e and generousenemytheformofa|ion,etc. The
science of the ta'/ir of dreams is founded on this, the in-
terpretation ofsymbo|s, that is to say ofindirectperceptions.
(42)
However, shou|d one say the events direct/ perceived in
Hrqa|yarean/ symbo|s? lfitismorefittingtosaynothing
|essthansymbo|s,therebyreferringtothequa|itythatcausesa
thing to symbo|ize with another, does this not mean to say
that this synchronisma|ready postu|atesprecise|y what fo||ows
fromtheinversiondescribedabove?Newsenses perceivedirect/
the order of rea|ity corresponding to them. At this stage, in
fact, the inte||ect rea|izes how deceptive are the senses which
previous|y suggested to it that nothing is rea| except what is
physica||y seen, tasted and touched. Now it has discovered
anothermodeofsensoryperception (ibsskbar) ,suprasen-
sorysenses(bissgba/ia||ofthisprecisetermino|ogymustbe
noted) , andconsequent|yanactivelmagiation,otherthanthe
imaginationthatisforcedtoadheretothedataofthephysica|
senses.Theinte||ectnowrefusestobe|ieveinthedatafromthe
prvious wayofsensing things. ltis no |onger interested in
hunting, since it perceives direct|y. Henceforth, spiritua|
rea|itiesaredisp|ayedtoitinca/ars,becausethesynchronismof
co|orsandinnervisionisnowestab|ished.
8 l
V. Vso 5mara
g
dna
! nsti||otherwords, a decisive event has taken p|ace. the
co|ors are evidence ofperfectinterna|ization, perfectconcor-
dancebetween the state experienced and theeventvisuaized,
and this is what constitutes the transmutation ofthe physica|
senses into suprasensory senses or into the senses of the
suprasensory wor|d, into organs of|ight. The perception of
the co|ored photisms coincides with the moment when these
suprasensorysensescome intoactionas the organsoftheman
of |ight, of the partic|e of the divine |ight. A|| the ma'ni
returntotheirsourcein theheart,everythingbecomesfixedin
asing|eco|or, theeen which is the co|orofthevita|ityofthe
heart (). Hereagain,in the innerHeavensofresp|endent
emera|d green, a star emerges, teddisb ut/e, the co|or that,
accordi ng to Nm Kobr, hera|ds the lnte| |i gence in its
twofo|d form. that of the macrocosm (Insn Ka/it, Hama
mimu) , name|ythe Ange|-Logos,the theophanyofthe lnac-
cessib|e, and thatofthemicrocosm, another name forthena[s
/awwma, which,aswehaveseen,beingthe|ight-consciousness
castingoffthesbadaw, thus makesthestateofpacified sou|
accessib|etotheheartwhosevita|ityisproc|aimedbythegreen
|ight. The visionary coherence of the figures and images is
striking.
. 1he ur|s O Light
And so the eventexperienced (the ascent from the we||) and
the visua|izations (the co|ored photisms) are synchronic and
mutua||yverifyeachother,becausetheytakep|aceatthesame
timeastheopeningofthemanof|ight,thatis,oftheorgansof
ght (the suprasensory senses) ofhis subt|e physio|ogy. Other
photisms described byNamKobr now te|| usofhis growth,
which wi|| continue unti| the visua|ization of the lnvisib|e
Cuide, the heaven|y Witness, is reached. This growth is
proc|aimedbythevisionoforbsof|ightformingtheantithesis
tothecirc|eofdarknessperceivedbythe mysticin thebegin-
ning, when his |ower ego (na[s ammta) was sti|| proectinga
shadow. Each of the senses transmuted into suprasensory
senses,orrathereachofthesubt|eorgansof|ightcorrespond-
ingtothephysica|senses,ishera|dedbya|ightwhichisproper
to it. Thus there is a |ight of speech, a |ight of hearing, etc.
8
. 1he ur|s O Light
(51). However, these atter are not yet exp

r
i
enced in the
aspect ofthe geometrica| fiures so

haracte

stic of

oe of
Nam Kobr's visuaizatious, such

as

rc
|
eswh:chmamfestthe
face inthe fina stageoftheystcpgmage.Amongsto

her
circ|es,thereisthedoubecirc|e oftheeyes, twoorbsofhght
which appear wherever one tus, tothe rig
l
t or t

the |eft.
There is the circ|e ofthe diviue igh which s afested as
equidistant from the twoeyes. here is thecirc|e ofthe vita|
neuma (d'itata/-tb) , etc. 51
The doub|e circ|e of the two eyes coes e seen as of
predominant significance, for, to t
|
e degre

hat the nn

r
Heavensarepurified,itbecomesbgger unti| tshowsthecrr-
c|eofthecomp|etefaceandfina||ytheauta ofth

who|eer-
sonof|ight.Thephasesoftheappearance

fthsorbofg
|
t
a||owustomake various pre|iminarycomparsons.! t passes,
fact, through stages ofgrowth correspondingto th

phases

f
theMoon,startingfromthenewmoon.Because thrsgrowth s
simu|taneous|ythepassagetothelnnerHeavens( Spiritand
Heaven are one and the same thing, we have been to|d) , the
mystic thus inward|y experiences the
.
twenty-eight |unar st

-
tionswhichcorrespondtothetwentyeght|ettersoftheArabic
a|phabet, since the |atter, i nterpreted as |etters of the
phi|osophica|a|phabet,areengenderedbytheheavenofthe
Moon ( | | ) .
.
The doub|e circ|e ofthe|ightofthe eyes (or eyes ofhght)
grows as the mysticourney progresses.
^
||usion
.
was made
above ( IV, 6 in[ine) to the seven categones o
|
bmg, to

seven heavens which have their counterparts m the mysucs

innerwor|d.Thegrowthoftheorbsof|ightreferstotheinner
ascent through seven strata, from each ofwhich proceed t
l
e
|ettersofeach Heavenandwhich,accordingto Semnni(tn-
ta Vl), arethemtq a, thesubt|eorganso
|
th

physio|ogyofth
.
e
manof|ight.urthermore,whatevertheirdifference
.
s,ther

s
something in common between the circ|es of
.
which Nam
Kobrspeaksandeveryothervisionordiagrammthef

mof
a circ|e made known to us from other sources (Ha||a, the
Druses) ,ustasthereishomo|ogyoffunctionbetweenthe

atqa
ofSemnnandthecbakta whicharethecentersofconscious-
nessandtheorgansofsuprasensoryperceptionin Mahayana
Buddhism.
8
V. Vso 5maragdna
WhensuchandsuchapartoftheinnerHeavengradua||y
becomes pure, theco|orofthatSkyanditsmagnitudeinre|a-
tiontotheprecedingHeavenbecomevisib|etothemystic,unti|
na||ythecirc|ecoincideswith theentireface (I I 5) ." lt may
evenhappen,forexamp|e,whenastateofhappinesssucceeds
distress, orwhen fearchangestofami|iarity,orwhentorporis
succeeded by ardent desire, that a|| the circ|es of |ight ofthe
facearemanifestedatthesametime. ltthenseemstothemys-
ticthatthe Augustfaceitse|fisrevea|edto him,irradiatedby
f|amingcirc|es which surround itwithhymns ofpraise. ln-
vo|untari|y he utters. C|ory be to me! C|orybe to me! How
sub|imemy state! '~whenhefindshimse|fwho||yimmersed
inthis|ight. Ore|se,retaininga senseofhimse|f,hewi||utter
inthe third person. C|orybe to him! C|orybe to him! How
sub|imeishisstate! ' (I I 5). "
v. 1he Heoven/y nitness
And so now we ome to the innermost secret ofthe mystica|
experience, to the decisive event a|ready pre-sensed in the
sp|endorsoftheemera|dvision.Thea|ternationbetweenthe
first and the third person, the substitutionoftheoneforthe
other, are on|y another way of stating the same paradox
proreated-procreator, Contemp|ated-Contemp|ator-which
thethemeofPerfectNaturehada|readya||owedustograspas
beingthesupremeexpressionofindividua|spiritua|initiation.
ln thisrea|ization ofreciprocitya|onecan thefeaturesofthe
August face be f|eeting|y g|impsed. a face of |ight which is
yourownface becauseyouare yourse|fa partic|e oflts|ight.
What themystic, by virtueof his ardentdesire, pursues and
experiencesisnotaco||ectivere|ationshipsharedbya||a|ikein
respecttoasingu|arobect,i snotare|ationshipidentica|fora||
to which everyone hasanequa|c|aimin respecttooneandthe
same obect. No, this re|ationship is unique, individua|, un-
shareab|e, because itis a re|ationship of|ove. ltis not a fi|ia|
re|ationship,butratheramarita/ one. Anindividua|,unshared
re|ationship of this nature can on|y be manifested, repre-
sented,andexpressedbyafigurewhichattes totherea|pres-
enceofonea|onetoonea|oneandforonea|one,inadia|ogue
unus-am/a. The figure of the Heaven|y Witness, of the su-
84
v. 1he Heoven/y nitness
prasensory persona| Cuide, thus guaranteeswithsuchccrt at n|
y
a theophanyperceivedby |ove a|one,correspondingtoa |c
i ng of marita/ re/atiansbi, that i ts most charactes i .
manifestationsthef|amingof photismsbearingwitnessoth
reunion of|ike with |ikecome about at the moment o|U
stateof|ovecarriedtoits c|imax. Themystica|experience d-
scribed by Nam Kobr thuscomes to accord with the forms
andexperienceofce|estia||oveinlranianSufism.
Whcn thc circlc ol thc lacc has bccomc purc writcs thc
shaykh] ,'itclluscslightsasaspringpourslorthitswatcr,sothat
thc mystic has a scnsory pcrccption (i. c. , through tbc su

rasc

-
sory scnscs) that thcsc lights arc gushing lorth to irradiatc h:s
lacc. This outpouring takcs placc bctwccn thc two cycs and bc-
twccn thccycbrows. Finallyitsprcadsto covcr thcwho|c lacc. At
that momcnt,bclorc you, bclorc yourlacc,thcrcisanothcrF

cc
also ollight,irradiatinglights, whilcbchindits diaphanousvcila
aun bccomcs visiblc, sccmingly animatcd by a movcmcnt to and
lro. ln rcality this Faccisyour own lacc and this sun isthc sun ol
thc Spirit (ahuma ul-rh) that gocs to and lro in your body. Ncxt,
thcwholcolyourpcrsonisimmcrscdinpurity,ana sudd

nly

ou
arcgazingatapcrsonollight(ahukhmtn nr)

hoisals

radi

t-
ing lights. Thc mystic has thc scnsory olths irrada-
tionollightsprocccdinglromthcwholcol pcrson. ltcnthc
vcil lal|s and thc total rcality olthc pcrsonisrcvcalcd, and thcn
withthcwholcolyourbodyyoupcrccivcthcw|olc.Th

op

cning
olthc inncrsight(0uaru, thc visualorganoll

ght) bcg:

s m thc
cycs, thcn inthc lacc, thcninthcchcst, thcnm

hc cnnr

body

This pcrson ollight (ahukha nrcn) bclorc you is callcd in Suli

tcrminologythcsuprascnsoryGutJe (moouJJum ul-ghu0) . lt isal

o
callcd thc suprascnsory]eraonul Nuater (ahukh ul-ghu0) , or agam
thcsuprascnsoryspiritualSculea (m:dm ul-ghu0) () .
lt has been given many other names, a|| reminiscent of

the
midnight sun, thewitnessinthevisionofHermesdescrbed
bySohravardi(sura ll, I andl l l , I ) . amKobrrefe

stothe
Cuideof|ightastheSunoftheheart,theSunofcertamty,the
Sun of faith, the Sun of know|edge, the spiritua| Sun ofthe
Spirit.

Andmoreexp|icit|ysti||hesays. Knowthatthemystic
hasaWitness(sbbid). Heitiswhoisca||edthepersona|Mastr
inthesuprasensorywor|d.Hecarriesthemysticuptowardthe
Heavens,thusitisintheHeavensthatheappears().
Thepersona| Cuide inthesuprasensory wor|d isthusex-
press|ydesignateasthesbbid. ltisacharacteristicterminthe
vocabu|ary ofthose spiritua| seekers who, in Sufism, shou|d
85
V. Vso 5maragdna
right|y b ca||cd thc faithfu| |ovcrs bccausc ofthc divinc
scrvicc thcy rcndcr to bcauty by contcmp|ating it as thc
grcatcst ofa|| thcophanics. Whcn Nam Kobrrcfcrs morc
prccisc|y to thcWitncssinthc Hcavcns(sbbid[i'/sam) , thc
hcavcn|yWitncss,thiscpithctfurthcracccntuatcsthccsscntia|
aspcct ofthcsbbid, ofthc witncss ofcontcmp|ation, mcdi-
tatcdsimi|ar|ybymysticssuchas RzbchnorIbn' Arab,and
it immcdiatc|y p|accs thc origina| cxprcssion ofthc shaykhs
visionaryappcrccptioninthccontcxtoflranianSufism, |ast|y,
thisdcsignationshou|dmakcitimpossib|ctodistortthcidcaof
thc Sbbid by an crroncous psycho|ogica| intcrprctation and
bringitdowntothcnotionofthcDoub|casbcingthcsbadaw.
forafaithfu| |ovcr |ikc RzbchnofShrz,cvcrybcauti-
fu| facc is a thcophanic witncss bccausc it isa mirrorwithout
which thc divinc Bcing wou|d rcmain aDeus a/scanditu. lt is
|ikcwisc significant that in Nam Kobr thc Witncss in thc
Hcavcns shou|d bc prcscnscdinthcaspcctofanoutburstof
nacvisua|izcdinthcHcavcns,andaccompanicdbyastatcof
mtcnsc|ovc. Bctwccnthchcavcn|ypcrsonofthcCuidcof|ight
and thc obcct-that isto say,thccarth|ypcrson|ovcd with a
cc|cstia| |ovc~thc rc|ationship is an cpiphany, sincc it cvcn
givcsriscothcsymptomvisib|ctothccycsofthcsuprascnsory
scnscs ofthc prcscncc ofthc witncss inthc Hcavcns. Sincc
thc|attcrisvisib|ctothccycsof|ight''on|ytothcdcgrccthat
thcmanof|ightfrccs himsc|ffromthccrudcorcofdarkncss,
thcrciscvidcnccthatcc|cstia||ovcisthctcachcrinitiatingthis
|ibcration. Thisiswhythcidcaofthcsbbidfindsitsp|accina
comp|ctc doctrinc of mystica| |ovc, bringing togcthcr thc
carth|y|ovcdoncand thcwitncssinthchcavcnsmanifcstcd
as thc Cuidc of |ight Nccd|css to say thc phcnomcna hcrc
again havc to do with thc physio|ogy of thc suprascnsory
scnscs.
Lo

and bchold jwritcs Nam Kobr] whilc soourning in

gypt,m

a smalltowno thcbanksolthcNilc,l lcllpassionatcly

m
.
lovc w:th a young g:rl. For many days, l rcmaincd practically
w

th

ut loodandwithout drink, andinthiswaythcllamcollovc

w:thm mc bccamc cxtraordinarily intcnsc. My brcath cxhalcd
llamcsollirc. And cach timc l brcathcdoutlirc, | oand bhold,
lrom thc hcight ol hcavcn aomeone was also brcating out lirc
which camc to mcct my own brcath. Thc two shalts ol llamc
blcndcd bctwccn thc Hcavcnsand mc. For a long timc l did not
86
v. 1he Heoven/y nitness
knowuho itwaswhowas thcrc atthcplacc whcrc thctwo Ium N
camc togcthcr. But at |ast l undcrstood that it was my tlnr\\ tn
Heoven (B3).
Nothing cou|d i||ustratc bcttcr than this cxpcricnta| vcr-
ificationwhatwchavcbccngivcntoundcrstandbythcthcmc
ofthccoming togcthcrof|ikcwith |ikc (sura l, 4) . cvcry
timcaf|mcariscsfromyou,bcho|daf|amccomcsdownfrom
thchcavcnstowardyou
Anothcr ofNam Kobr's confcssions suggcsts to us in a
manncr no |css spccific thc conncction constituting cc|cstia|
|ovc,byintroducingthcthcmcofthcsararsiritua/is.
dcpartcd"hcwritcs], and bchold, thcrcappcarcdto mc a
Hcavcnthatrcscmblcdthcbookol thcQoran. Four-sidcdligucs
wcrc inscribcdthcrcin,outlincdbydottcd lincs. Thcdotslormcd
somc vcrscs lrom thc aro To-ho ( 20. 39-4 l ) . l shcd thcc |ovc
lrom Mc, that thou mightcst bc bclorc my cycs whcn thy sistcr
camc to pass by. " Having undcrstood thcsc vcrscs, bcgan to
rccitcthcm nd itcamc to mcby inspiration thatthcirmcaning
rclatcd to a woman kncw who borc thc namc olBono[aho, "
whilchcrnamcinthcsuprascnsoryrcalmwas alo[ln ( l 0).
Donot|ookforthcmcaningofthis|astnamcinsomcArabicor
Pcrsian dictionary, on|y Nam Kobr can cxp|ain it to us. Rc-
turning to thc thcmc ofthc csotcric Namcs bornc by ccrtain
bcings in thc suprascnsory rca|m (I 76), hc intcrprcts thc
namc inqucstion assignifyingthc Aycsha ofhcr timc.Thc
vcry factthatthccarth|ywomanbcarsancsotcric namc, that
is to say, has a name in Heaven (a namc in thc suprascnsory
wor|dwhichisthcwor|dofthcCuidcandofthcpcrsona|mas-
tcr), indicatcs, ina manncr that isasdiscrcctasitisc|oqucnt,
whatcc|cstia||ovccsscntia||yimp|ics. thcpcccptionofabau-
tifu| bcing i hcr hcavcn|y dimcnsion, throuh scnscs which
havcbccomc organsof|ight prccisc|y,thcorgansofthcpcr-
sonof|ight.
Andthatiswhy Nam Kobr'sdoctrincof|ovcconncctscs-
scntia||ywith thc doctrincofthosc for whom, |ikc Rzbchn,
human and divinc |ovc arc by no mcans opposcd to onc
anothcr as a di|cmma dcmanding that thc mystic makc a
choicc. Thcy arc two formsofthc samc |ovc passagcsin onc
andthcsamcbookwhichoncmust |carnto rcad (withcycso|
|ight) . T pass from oncto anothcr docs notconsist in c
87
V Vso 5marag
dna
transferof|ovefrom onea/ect to another, for Codisot an
a/ect , Cod is the abso|uteSu/ect. To pass from one form of
|ove to another imp|ies the tamatbasis a[ tbe su/ect, of the
'biq. ThisiswhattheentiredoctrineofRzhnandthatof
Nam Kobr are intendedto indicate, so thatwe shou|d notbe
surprised if, for the same reason, Nam does not make the
same distinction as do some devotees and pious ascetics be-
tween divine and human |ove. for the metamorphosis ofthe
subectreso|vestheapparentdissonancesintheparadoxes,the
pious b|asphemies, ofecstatics in |ove. lt may be that the
|over,addressingtheearth|ybeauty,theobectofhis|ove,cries
out.YouaremyLord.lhavenoLordbutyou Perhapsthose
areb|asphemouswords, however,theyarisefromanemotiona|
state,fromaninnercompu|sion,whichisneitherconsciousnor
vo|untary. Thesewordsarenotutteredbythe|over,butbythe
|ivingf|ame of|ove, for the fire of|ove is fed by the be|oved
and the |over can but speak in the inspired |anguage ofthe
moment. for you, l am |ost to the re|igious and profane
wor|ds,youaremyimpietyandyouaremyfaith,youarewhat
l wasyearningforandyou are the endand fu|fi||mentofmy
desire,auatemseq(antaan) . "Thevehemenceofthis|yricism
isfina||yappeasedina|ongquotationfromHa|| . lamfi||ed
with wonder aut you and me, that through yourse|f you
makemeasnothingtomyse|f,thatyouaresoc|osetomethatl
cometothinkthatyouareme. ( 8 )
Sti||further( I 0I ) , NamKobrquotesanothercoup|etat-
tributed to Ha||. l amhe (or she) whom l |ove, he(orshe)
whoml |oveis me. Theanonymous lraniancommentatoron
Rzbehn introduces this same coup|et to accompany the
themeofMannwhenhe hasbecomethe mirrorofCod
(the state of Mann to which the commentator re|ates the
sameQornicversesasthosereadby Nam Kobrinthecon-
ste||ationsoftheinner Heaven asre|atingtohissatatsititua/is ,
because he knew her heaven|y name). The shaykh expresses
thisfurtherby saying. ltmaybethatthe|overisentire|ycon-
sumed by |ove, then he is himse|f|ove (8). That is exact|y
thedoctrineofAhmadChaz|.
I
Whenthe|overhasbecome
theverysubstanceof|ovethereisno|ongeranyoppositionbe-
tween subect and obect, between the |over and the |oved.
That is the metamorphosis of the subect expressed by the
88
! 0. 1he 8co/es on the Ange/
Neop|atonicidentityof|ove, |over andbe|oved,and tha l t hc
divine formof|ove. When Nam Kobrdescribesthe fourUh^
cending degrees of|ove, he is concerned with this metao
phosis To wonder why he makes no distinction betweeu
human |ove anddivine |ove wou|d bequitebeside thepoin,
wou|dindicatethefai|ureto perceivethemeaningofthecon
comitance experienced in the reunion of the two f|ames be-
tween Heaven and Earth, of the synchronism between the
manifestation of the Witness in Heaven, the suprasensory
Cuide, the Sun of the heart, and the know|edge of the
esoteric name, ofthe name in Heaven, oftheearth|y be-
|oved. lndividua|initition ends here inthisinnerreve|ation,
theseare the stesproc|aimedbytheco|ored photisms, from
thecirc|eofdarknessandtheb|ue|ightofthe|owerego, sti||
given overentire|y to sensory and sensua| perceptions, up to
thevisiasmatagdinaoftheThroneiridescentinrbsof|ight.ln
this way onecanforesee what is common tothe profound|
origina| spiritua|ity ofNam Kobr and that ohis great con-
temporaries,Sohavardi,Rzbehn,lbn'Arabi.
! 0. 1he 8co/es on the Ange/
Amongthe expressionsqua|ifyingthe heaven|yCuidein re|a-
tion to the co|ored photisms, there is one, the suprasensory
Sca|es (mizn a/gba/), that shows more particu|ar|y the
homo|ogy between Nam Kobr's heaven|y Witness and the
other manifestations of the same archetype ana|yzed above
(suta ll) , especia||ythemanifestationwhichexemp|ifiesitbest
of a||, name|y, the figure of Dan-fravarti in Loroastrian
Mazdeism. furthermore the theme ofthesca/es a||ws us to
recognize forcertainwbattheshadowisandwbete theshadow
is, itforces usto acceptthatthree-dimensiona|ityoftheinner
wor|d without which, as previous|y indicated, orientation to-
ward thea/e wou|d remain ambiva|ent and ambiguous, or
ratherwou|dnotinfactguaranteeanysenseofditectian.
Nam Kobr stresses this symbo|ic qua|ification severa|
times. Theentirequestionforusistointerpretcorrect|y what
thesca/es indicate. Whatinfacthappensinthecasewhereitis
saidthatthesuprasensoryCuideshowshimse|f,orratherhides
himse|f under b|ackness, darkness? The suprasensory Wit-
8
V. Vso 5maragdna
ness, the suprasensry Cuide, the suprasensory Sca|es. this is
whatyouareshownwhenyouc|oseyoureye|ids.Accordingto
whetherwhatappearstoyouis|ightordarkness,yourwitness
(sbbid) is|ightordarkness. Or, toputit moreexact|y,inthe
|attercaseitmeansthatyouhavenowitness,noheaven|ypart-
ner. heis notthere at a||. This isexact|y whyheisca||edthe
sca/es , because by him the states ofthe sou| (or your ego) are
weigbedastotheirpurityordisfigurement."

Asaba|ance,its
ro|e is therefore to indicate whether there is excess or defi-
ciencyinthespiritua| state, thatis, whether|ight prevai|s over
darkness orvice vetsa (9) . lfit so happens that at the mid-
pointofthemystica|ourney,thetwocirc|esof|ightoftheeyes
appear, itisthe signofanexce||et spiritua| state. lfthey re-
main hidden, this concea|ment indicates a |ack, a preponder-
anceofthedarknature. furthermore,theymayappearbigger
or sma||er, more frequent|y or|ess. a||these variationscorre-
spondtoanexcessoradeficitonthesca|es(0) .
Thephasescorrespondingt othetransmutationsofthesou|
canberecapitu|atedthus. Atthebeginningtheremaybedark-
ness (the man sti||without |ight, withouta witness, without a
fravarti). At the midpoint, two circ|es of|ight, increasing or
diminishing, at the |ast, comp|ete visibi|ity of the person of
|ight.
ltmay happcnthatthispcrson(thcWitncss)appcarsto you
atthcbcginingolthcmysticalourncy, butthcnyouonlyscca
black color, ablackligurc. Thcn itdisappcars.Butthc othcr(that
is, thc pcrsonolthc Witncssrcvcalcd tothc pcrso ollight)will
nolongcrlcavcyouor,morcaccuratly,youarcthatpcrson,lor
it cntcrs into you it is conoincd to you. l l, at thc bcginning, it
appcarcdtoyouasblackincolor, it was bccausc thcvcilolyour
own dark cxistcncc washidingit. But whcn you makcthisdark
cxistcncc disappcar lrom bclorc it, and whcn thc llamc olthc
Jtkr andolardcntdcsirc havc consumcd this barricr with lirc,
thcn thc purccwclislrccd lromitsorc. Thcn itbccomcsa pcr-
sonwhollyol light() .
Thetextishigh|ycondensed. lt echoes ina way thetheme
oftherobeof|ight,oftheSanga[tbeFeat/intheHcta[Tbamas ,
at|east asthe Songisrenderedinasymbo|ic recita| intheEn-
cyc|opedia of the Brethren of the pure heart and by
Nasroddn Ts.

' Here,oncethe garment ofdarkness has

been burned and consumed, the person of |ight becomes
90
! 0. 1he 8co/es on the Ange/
visib|e. There, the garment ofwretchedness and d r| hv|u
beenshedatthemomentofthereturntotheorient,IHCy
teryoftherobeof|ightisexp|ainedintermsthatovercot h
difficu|ty ofexpressing theunus-am/a . twa, distinct fro ou
another,yetbutaneinsimi|arform.Herea|sothereisadist| u-
tion. theheaven|yWitnesscandisappear,beabsent,whi|eyo
remain there, without it. The ce|estia|Witness is a person o|
|ightandisvisib|eon|yforandbyyourpersonof|ight(|ikecau
be seen on|y by |ike). The disc ofdarkness, the B|ack figure
sometimes visua|ized by the Spiritua| at the beginning ofhis
mystica| ourney, is nat the ce|estia| Cuide, the Witness in
Heaven. Theb|ackness,ordarkness,isprecise|ytheabsenceof
theWitnessof|ight, theb|ackco|orisnottheWitness,butthe
sbadaw not its shadow, but the Ahrimanian shadow (active
negativity)whichpreventshimfrombeingseen.Thisshadowis
not he, but you, for it is the shadow proected by yourna[s
ammta, the sensua| sou|, your |ower ego. Seeing on|y this
shadow,youcannotseeyourheaven|yWitness.Andifheisnot
presenttoyou,howwou|dhe seeyou,hwwou|dyoubepre-
sent to him? When he is your Witness, it is because you are
presentto him, he isthe Witnesswhocontemp|ats you,you
arewhatbe contemp|ates. Butforthatveryreasonheissimu|-
taneous|ypresent to you, he iswhatau contemp|ate. for he
contemp|ates you with the same |ook with which you con-
temp|ate him. Every mystic has attempted to formu|ate this
subt|e reciprocity of ro|es. Here the twofo|d nuance of the
wordsbbid, theeyewitness"whoattests,andtheonewhois
present,"he|pstoexpressthedia|ogica|situation.

TheWit-
nesscan on|y respond foryouin thecorrespondence ofa co-
response. This is whyone cannot speakofasbbid who is not
there, that wou|d b an absent resence. lf he is absent, if
on|y the B|ack figure is there, itisbecause you are withouta
sbbid,withoutacorespondent,orpersona|Cuide.Asacoro|-
|ary, his appearance and degree of visibi|ity are the sca/es
measuringwhatyou tru|y are. |ightordarkness,orsti|| a mix-
tureofthetwo.Thereby(andthisisimportantforunderstand-
ing the structure oflranian Sufism) the idea ofthesbbid in
Nam Kobr unites, as emphasized above, with the idea of
theohanicwitness,awitnessofcontemp|ation,forthemystica|
faithfu||overs.
9 l
V. Vso 5maragdna
At that very point, in fact, the sbbid denotes the bing
whosebeauty barswitnessto thedivinebeauty, bybeingthe
divine reve|ation itse|f, the theophany parexce||ence. As the
p|ace and form of the theophany, he bears witness to this
bauty to thedivine Subect Himse|f, becauseheispresentto
the divine Subect as His witness, it means that God is on-
temp|ating Himse|fin him, is contemp|ating the evidence of
Himse|f. So, when the mystic takesthistheophanic witness as
witnesstohisntemp|ation,theformeristhewitnessa[ divine
Beauty, present ta the divine Beauty contemp|ating itse|f in
him, itisGodcontemp|atingHimse|finthiscontemp|ationof
themysticdirected toward HisWitness. 'Nm obrsidea
ofaWitnesinHeavenandRzbhnsideaofatheophanic
witness meet in thesametestimony. In bothcasesthe appari-
tiona|formchangesaccordingtothestateofthecontemp|ator.
ither the man has no sbabid. he sees nothing but shadow,
darkness, the B|ack, the form ofhis |ove is confined to the
sensua| form because of hi s i ncapaci ty to perceive the
theophany.ustasinourdaycertain|oudassertionsthaart
no |onger has to refer to beauty fina||y crush their authors
underthewho|eweightofthetestimonythattheyareoffering
against themse|ves.) Or e|se the man of |ight, the precious
gemhavingbeen freedfromitsoe, perceiveshis|ikeness.
theorbof|ight,thef|amesrisingtotheHeavensofthesou|.As
you|ookuponthesbbid, sodoeshe|ookuponyou,andsuch
you yourse|fare. Yourcontemp|ation isworth whateveryour
bingisworth,yourGodisthegodyoudeserve, Hebearswit
nesstoyourbeingof|ightortoyourdarkness.
Sofina||ywehearagainwhatwasa|readypre-sensedinthe
oroastrian notion of Dan-fravarti. another dimension of
thesou|,thedimensionofasou|whichhasapersona|Witness
in Heaven,whichisvouchedforbythisWitnesstotheextent
thathisownbeingbearswitnesstohimandfor him. Itwou|d
beimpossib|etorea|izewhatthismeansifonewere |imitedto
the one-dimensiona| perspective offered by current psycho|-
ogy.Thebi-unitarystructure,whosesymbo|,aswehaveseen,is
not I I butI I , isthestructurethatpostu|atesadimension
ofindividua/ persona|ttascendence,andasanideaquitediffer-
ent, certain|y, fromthe idea ofa transpersona| evo|ution. An
Initiationthatistypica||yindividua|,withdegreesandafigura-
92
}! 0. 1he 8co/es on the Ange/
tion suchaswehaveustbeenbroughtto recognize,is s ll
ca||ywhatopensupthisotherdimension,itdoes notre|a
essentia| individua|ity either to co||ective mediation or aH
socia|ized or socia|izab|e re|igious form. A|| depends
whether oura/i/i ta camrebend, ourbermeneutics, has oras
notsufficientdimensionsatitsdisposa|.According|y,aspirit-
a|ityasorigina|asthatofNamobr,attentivetothepercep
tionofsignsofthisessentia|individuationinsuprasensoryco|-
ored photisms, may either orient our search toward a new
horizonorpossib|ycripp|eitbecauseofamisinterpretationre-
su|tingindisorientation.
Letustrytoconstructthediagramsuggestedtousfromthe
outsetby the threefo|d structure ofthesou|(sura I, 3). On
the |ower p|ane. na[s ammra, the |ower ego, the imperative
scbe, apparent in the disk of shadow, the B|ack figure, the
b|ack c|oud turning to dark b|ue. On the upper p|ane. na[s
matma'anna,thepacifiedsou|,thegreenco|or,emera|dsp|en-
dorandorbsof|ight. Betweenthetwo. thesou|-consciousness
(naeawwma)perceivedinvisionasagreatredsun,thisisthe
inte||ect ('aq/),consciousnessproper. In termsofthescas . the
witness in Heaven bcomes manifest to the extent that the
sou|-consciousness, p|aced inthecenter, empties the pan of
thesca|escontainingthe|owersou|,andgivesgreaterweightto
thepanofthepacifiedsou|whichisthebeart, thatisto say,
thesubt|e organ sonamedbytheSufis. And this iswhyitwas
possib|e, fromthatpointon,togiveanunambiguousanswerto
a first question. to whom did the shadow, the b|ack co|or
visua|ized at the bginning, be|ong? In otherwords, cou|d the
heaven|ywitnesseverhave/een darkness? No, thisdarkness
was the darkness ofyourown nature, whos opacity was op-
posedto the transparency thatconditions the reciproca| pres-
enceofthemanof|ighttotheguideof|ightandu|timate|ythe
penetration ofthe Image ofthe Guide into you to the point
whereitmaybepossib|etosayyouarehe(I I ) . Andsoit
was your own shadow, your Ib|is or na[s ammra which was
proecting and interposing a vei| that the f|ame ofthe dbikr
fina||y seton fire andconsumed, thiswas the on|ythingthat
was making the sbakb a/-gba/, your partner and heaven|y
counterprt,invisib|e.
Butthetransmutationthatiseffectedbynomeanssignifies
93
V. Vso 5maragdna
thatthc o|d lbis, yourlb|is convcrtcd to ls|am has bccomc
yoursbakb a/-gba/, yourwitncssin Hcavcn. Convcrsion of
your lb|is (yourna[s ammra) to Is|am is thccanditian anwbicb
thcsbakba-gba/ can bccomcvisib|c, wichis not at a|| tosay
that Ib|is bccomcs thc witncss in Hcavcn. Such a notion is
untcnab|c bccausc of thc fundamcnta| oricntation, thc po|ar
oricntation ana|yzcd hcrc at thc bginning. cithcr thc sou|-
consciousncssisnotfrccdfromitsshadow,thcamm ra, but
|ks at itand through it, thus sccingnothingbut shadow,it
shadow,orc|scthcshadowhassubsidcdandthcsou|hasriscnto
thcdcgrccofmatmaanandsccsitsowndimcnsionof|ight.
lfthisisstrcsscdtoavoidconfusion,itisbccauscaqucstion
wi||incvitab|yarisc.Itwou|dbc vcrytcmptingindccdtointcr
prctthctriadicdiagramofthcsou|rcca||cdabovcintcrmsof
consciousncss and thc unconscious and |cavc it at that. How-
cvcr, can thc phcnomcnaofshadow and |ight, thc inncr pro-
ccss ofwhich has bcn so minutc|y ana|yzcd by Nam Kobr
andthcSufisofhisschoo|,rca||ybctrans|atcdsimp|ybyspcak-
ingofconsciousncssasthcrcgionof|ightandthcunconscious
as thc rcgion of shadow? Thc sou|consciousncss (na[s mw
wm) is p|accd bctwccn thc two. bctwccn thc |owcr sou|and
thchighcrsou|,towhichandbywhichthcwitncssinHcavcn,
thcsuprascnsoryCuidc,ismadcmanifcst.Howcou|doncpos
sib|y say that thc two sou| s bctwccn whi ch thc sou|
consciousncss is p|accd both bc|ongcd cqua||ytothc samc rc-
gionofsbadawThcfirstisthcshadowthathastobcovcrcomc
in ordcr for thc bi-unitary structurc to bc rcstorcd. Is it not
thcn this two-dimcnsiona|ity of thc sou| (a syzygy of|ights)
which itsc|f postu|atcs thc thrcc-dimcnsiona|ity of psycho-
spiritua| spatia|ity? Inothcr words. docsnot thctri/ ofthc
sou|(sura I V, 3) forccustoadmitat|castoricnation,distinct
|cvc|s within thc unconscious, in ordcrto dctcrminc its struc-
turc? But howcanonc introduccpositivcdiffcrcntiationsinto
whatisncgativcandncgativity?Amorcscriousdccisionhasto
bcmadc,namc|y,toacccpta||thatfo||owsfromourdiagram,if
wcwishtoavoidthcmistakc,a|rcadypointcdout,ofconfusing
comp|cmcntary c|cmcnts with contradictory c|cmcnts, which
wou|d |cad to intcrprcting thc fravarti, or thc witncss in
Hcavcn,and lb|is-Ahrimanascomp|cmcntarymanifcstations
ofthcsamcSadow.
94
! 0. 1he 8co/es on the Ange/
forcsccing thcsc dificu|tics, wc havc avoidcd h w
thingsinparticu|ar. lnthcfirstp|accwchavcavoidcc|a |
thcidcaofthcwitncssi nHcavcntowhati sconnotcy | h
CcrmantcrmDae/gnger, prccisc|ybccauscofthcamb| |y
thcshadow,attachcdtothistcrm. lnfactwhatwcarcspcak|
of i s aountcrpart,acc|cstia|,transccndcntcountcrpart,rathc
thanadoub|c, thcidcaofthishcavcn|ypartncrisantithct|
tothcDoub|c whoscro|cissuggcstcdinanumbcroffantast|
ta|cs,andthcrccou|dbcnoqucstionofbringingthcscantithc-
scs togcthcr to form onc Who|c. And indccd psycho|og|ca|
ana|ysisshowsthisDoub|ctobc thcmanifcstationofthc pcr
sona| unconscious, hcncc bc|onging to thc functions of thc
|owcr psychc, that is, thcna[s ammra, thc darkcnvc|opc, thc
shadow,cxact|ywhatthcdbikrhastodcstroybyfircsothatthc
Cuidcof|ightmaybccomc visib|c. Whatprcvcnts thcrcunion
oftwin|ightscannotbconcofitsconstitutivcc|cmcnts
ln thc sccond p|acc, in thc fcw phcnomcno|ogica| indica
tionsout|incdhcrcandthcrc, wchavcavoidcdanysuggcstio
ofaco||cctivcunconscious. Oncnoticcsinfactaccrtaintcn-
dcncytoacccntuatcinthiscxprcssionthcadcctivcco||cctivc,
tothcpointofgivingitthcsubstantia|ityandvirtucsofanhypos-
tasis. in so doing, it is simp|y forgottcn that thc purposc of
psychoana|ysis,asthcrapyforthcsou|,tcndscsscntia||ytofostcr
whatitca||sthcproccssofindividuation.forthcsamcrcasonit
wou|dbcabsurdtocxp|ainthckindofindividua|initiationpro
pcrtoSufismbyrc|atingittosomcco||cctivcnorm,whcrcasits
who|cpurposcistofrccthcinncrmanfromsuchauthority.Thc
prcdispositiontosomcthing|ikcSufismcancxistinamu|titudc
ofindividua|s,butitisnotforthatrcasonaco||cctivcdisposition.
Thcobscssionsofthc prcscntdaywi||cndbyobscuringcvcry
spiritua|orcu|tura|phcnomcnonthatdocsnotfitthcircasc.
Asforthcconstructionofthcdiagram,urgcnt|yrcquircd,
aswc forcsaw a |itt|c car|icr, so thatourhcrmcncuics might
havcthcrcquisitcdimcnsions,wcshou|dnowamp|ifyitasfo|-
|ows. an anthropogony in which antithctic forccs (murdcrcr
and victim, for cxamp|c) obcctivc|y rcprcscnt onc divinc
primordia|rca|ityisoncthingananthropogonysituatingman
bctwccntwowor|dsisquitcadiffcrcntthing.Manaccordingto
lsmacian gnosisisanintcrmcdiary-potcntia|angc|orpotcn
tia|dcmon,hiscomp|ctccschato|ogica|rca|ityisnotthcsumo|
95
V. Vso 5maragdna
these two antithetica| virtua|ities. Man in Ibn ' Arab's anthro
pogony is |ikewise intermediate. situated between being and
nonbeing, between ightand Darkness, atthe same time re-
sponsib|e and respondent to both sides, he is responsib|e for
theDarknessto heextentthatheinterceptstheLight,butheis
responsib|e |or the ight to the extent that he prevents the
Darkness|rominvadingandgoverningit.
ln Nm Kobr, the sou|-consciousness is a|so p|aced be-
tween the two. Thisbeingsoweneedadiagram superimpos-
ingthe p|anes, it is impossib|e to suppose thattherecou|d be
one sing|e invisib|e area, inevitab|y and uni|atera||y situated
/e/aw the visib|e area, that is, the area ofunconsciousness. A
number of manifestations surpassing and going beyond the
bounds ofthe conscious activity ofthe su| have t be p|aced
not b|ow buta/ave cansciauness. There isasu/cansciauness or
in[racansciauness,correspondingtothe|eve|ofthenas ammra,
and there is a suercansciauness or suracansciausness. corre-
spondingto the |eve| ofthena[s matma'anna. In the physica|
order,theinvisibi|ityofanobectmaybeduetoa|ackof|ight,
itmaya|sobeduetoanexcessof|ight,tothedazz|ingeffectof
being tooc|ose to it In the suprasensory" order, thatofthe
suprasensory senses" or physio|ogy ofthe man of |ight, the
sae app|ies. On the one hand invisibi|ity (absence of the
J/m), whichistheshadow,theAhrimaniandarkness,thene-
gation orcaptivityofthe |ight, opposed to this the invisibi|ity
thatthediscip|esofNamKobrca||theb|ack|ight,"thepre-
originofa||thatisvisib|e,thatistosay,ofa|||ight(in[ra,V). for
this very reason, the b|ack |iht is the antithesis of the
Ahrimaniandarkness. lnboth cases there is somethingthatis
byondthe|imitsofconsciousnessButinthefirstcasethein-
visibi|ity, the absence of |ght, is a fact pertaining to su/can-
sciauness in the second case, invisibi|ity due to an excess of
b||ance,tobingtoo c|osetothe|ight,isafactpertainingto
suercanciausness or transcanciauness. And the facts ofsuper-
consciousnessareindividua|facts,individua||y,eachsou|hasto
overcome,aswe||asitsownshadow,theco||ectiveshadow.
Asanexemp|aryfact" amongthefactsofsuperconscious
ness, it is necessary to reca||~though the word is genera||y
misused~thefactreferredtobytheideaofvacatianwitha||its
ysterious,iperative,irrationa|andinexorab|econnotations.
9
! 0. 1he 8co/es on the Ange/
The idea ofvocation serves perhapsbetter than any othci O
recapitu|ating a|| that is suggested by the idea ofthe Ang |
conveyed to us i n the theme ofDan as g|ory ((o) and
destiny () in the theme of the Perfect Nature o| IDt
SohravardianHermes,andfina||yinthethemeoftheWitnss
in Heaven, ofthe Sca|es of the suprasensory wor|d y
NamKobr.Insucharecapitu|ation,theessentia|,undeniab|e
ideaofindividua|ityisseeninfactasinseparab|efromange|o|-
ogybecauseitprovidesabasisforthe idea oftheAnge|ustas
theideaoftheAnge|isitsownfoundation.
Onthisbasis,theideaofindividua|itystandsfirminfceo|
the attempts to ustify co||ectivization" and nomina|ist con-
cepts. ltsavesusfromthei||usionof|ievingthatitisenoughto
escapefromtheindividua|sphereand,byreachingthesocia|
sphere, simu|taneous|ytoreachthedivne, foritisthereverse
ofthe mystic's viewofthe gradations ofbeingashesca|esthe
mountain of to the Emera|d Rock at its summit, and
emerges step by step above and byond the natura| rea|ms
thevegetab|e wor|d, theanima|wor|d andthehumanspecies.
Step by step, a species isrevea|edwhich does notyetinc|ude
individua|s, thentheindividua|coexistingwiththespeciesthat
dominateshim, thentheindividua|coexistingwiththespecies
he dominates. fina||y, fromascenttoascent,thereturnofthe
man of|ight to his origina| p|eroma postu|ates the idea ofa
non-specificindividua|,ofarchetypa|individua|itywhosesoar-
ing f|ight and power, by assuming a|| the virtua|ities of a
species,itse|fbcomesauniqueexamp|e. Theideaofanindi-
vidua| who is himse|fhis species is the idea of the Ange|.
Leibnitztransposeditintothemonadicconceptofthesou|nd
this iswhat tru|y makes it possib|e tounderstandthe idea of
vocation as re|ationship with the archetype. Here exact|y this
specificity ofanindividua|ity beingborn at the end ofa per-
sona| mystica| i ni tiation is made mani fest as a state of
dua|itude,"aunuam/astructure.Thisbiunityisnotaunion
of two contradictory e| ements, Ohrmazdean | i ght and
Ahrianian darkness, but a unionofOhrmazd and his own
fravarti,oftwinsof|ight,ofthepacifiedsou|"anditswitness
inHeaven,"ofHermesandhisPerfectNature,ofh andhis
guideof|ight, consciousness andsuercansciauness. And it is
|ghtupon|ight."
9
,
1 U^Ib 1l
! . Light nithout Moaer
Essentia||y,whathasust been referred to assuperconscious-
ness (si, k/a, in Suf termino|ogy) cannot be a co||ective
phenomenon. Itisa|ways somethingthatopens upattheend
ofastrugg|einwhichtheprotagonististhespiritua|individua|-
ity. One doesnotpass co||ective|y fromthe sensoryto the su-
prasensory, for this passage is the birth and expansion ofthe
person of|ight. Withoutdoubta mystica| fraternity wi|| resu|t
fromit,butdoesnotexistbefore it( Hermesisa|oneasheen-
tersthesubterraneanchaberfo||owingtheinstructionsofhis
erfectNature,sun Il , I ) . Aswehaveseen,thisgradua|open
ingismarkedbycertaintheophanic |ightscorrespondingto
eachstageThecorrespondenceofthese|ights,thedetermina
tionoftheirdegreeofpresencebyandfortheirwitness"isthe
very thing that thematizes the motif of the s//d. ' ' The
super-individua|ity of the mystic, that is to say, the tran-
scendent dimension of the person is conditioned by this
syzygicinseparabi|ity.Oncethethresho|dhasbeencrossed,the
rspective ons on the peripatetics ofa secret history, the
stagesofthe spiritua|ourney, the peri|sand triumphs ofthe
rson of |ight, the occu|tatons and re-appearances of his
s//d. To fo||ow these to the end in detai| wou|d require a
thorough sudy ofthe who|e of Iranian Sufism, whereas we
99
V. hc Black ght
must|imitourse|vesheretopointingoutsomefurtheressentia|
features borrowed rom three or four ofthe great masters.
Thedimensionofsuperconsciousnessissymbo|ica||yhera|ded
bytheb|ack |ight, accordingto NamRziand Mohammed
Lhi,thisconstitutesthehighestspiritua|stage, accordingto
semn

i, it marks tie most perious initiatic step, the stage

immediate|y precedg the u|timate theophany, which i s
hera|dedbythegreen|ight. I nanycasethereareobstac|esof
the highest significance between thevisia smatagdina andthe
b|ackLight,duetotheircontiguity.
The idea ofb|ack |ight (Persiannt-esib) is above a||
whatob|iges ustodistinguish between twodimensions which
cou|dnotbeaccounted forbyaonedimensiona|orundiffer
entiatab|e unconscious. To the extent that the mystica| |an-
guagecomestosymbo|ize withphysica|experience,itseems
thatthe|atterperfect|yi||ustratestheideaofapo|aritynotso
muchbetweenconsciousnessandtheunconsciousasbetweena
superconsciousness and a subconsciousness. There is one
darknesswhichismatter, andthereisanotherdarknesswhich
is an absence of matter. Physicists distinguish between the
//ackness ofmatterandthe//ackness ofthestratosphere. On
theonehandthereisthe/mck/ad,abodythatabsobsa|||ight
withoutdistinctinofco|or,thisiswhatisseen"inadarkfur-
nace. When heatedit passesfrom b|ack to red, thentowhite,
thentowhite-red.A||this|ightis|ightabsorbedbymtterand
re-emitted byit. Thisis a|so so in thecaseofthepartic|e of
|ight (the man of|ight, om) asorbed in the dark we||
(na[s ammta,suta I I I,3),whichaccordingtoNamobrand
Sohravardi,iscompe||edbythefireofthedbikt to|ibratethe
partic|e,tore-emitit.Thisthenistheb|ackfigure,thewe||or
dark furnace, it is the |owerdarkness, the infraconscious or
suonscious.Butthereisanother|ight,a|ight-without-matter,
which becomes visib|e when re|eased from this a|ready made
matterthathadabsorbedit. The darknessaboveistheb|ack-
ness ofthe stratosphere, ofste||ar space, ofthe b|ack Sky. I n
mystica| erms, i t corresponds to the |ight ofthe divine Se|f
i

-itse|f(nt-e dt), theb|ack|ightoftheDeus a/scanditus, the

|idd

nTreasurethataspirestorevea|itse|f,tocreatepercep-
tio

ordertorevea|toitse|ftheobectofitsperceptio,"and
whichthuscanon|ymanifestitse|fbyvei|ingitse|intheobect
I 00
! Light nithout Motter
state. This divine darkness dos not refer therefore to the
|owerdarkness, thatofthe b|ack body, the infraconsciousness
(na[s ammta), but to the b|ack Heavens, the b|ack Liht in
which the ipseity oftheDeu: a/scanditu: is pre-sensed by the
superconsciousness.
WethereoreneedametaphysicsofLightwhosepathswi||
be mapped by the mystic'ssititua/ exetience ofco|ors, espe-
cia||y,inthepresentcase, theexperienceofthe Iranin Sufis.
Their visionary apperception ofco|ored |ights post|ates an
ideaofuteca/atconsistingofanacta[ /igbt whichactua|izesits
ownmatter,thatis,whichactua|izesindifferentiatedstagesthe
potentia|ityofthe hidden Treasure aspiringto revea| itse|f.
Morecertainandmoredirectthananyotheristhereferencein
an ear|ier chapter that takes us back to the distinction estab-
|ishedinoneofthegreatmystica|Recita|sofAvicennabetween
theDarknessattheapproachestothea/e" andtheDarkness
reigningatthearWestofmatterThe|atteristhedakness
whosebehaviorinregardto|ightisdescribedbyphysics, these
aretheforcesofdarknessthatretainthe|ight,obstructitspas-
sage, the forces of the b|ack obect which absorbs |ight and
whichintheorienta|theosophyofSohravardiisca||edbythe
characteristicancientIraniantermof/atzakb (screen,barier).
On the other hand, the Darkness at the approaches to the
a/eistheregion oftheb|ackLight,whichexistsbefore a||
tematterthatitwi||itse|factuaizeinordertobereceivedinit
and, init, tobecomevisib|e|ight. Theantithesisisestab|ished
between the b|ack |ight ofthe po|e and the darkness ofthe
materia| b|ack body, and not simp|y between |ight and the
darknessofmatter. Betweenthemateria|b|ackbody(typified
for examp|e bythena[s ammta) fromwhichthe|ightseeksto
escapeandthe premateria|b|ack |ight(thatofthe divine Ip-
seity) thewho|euiverseof|ightsextendsupwardsandintheir
actua|ityas|ightsbecomeco|orsinanautonomousstateof|ife
andsubstantia|ity.
Since theirentire effort tendsto free them from a matter
which wou|d be foreign to theiraction andn which they are
sometimescaptive (seein[ta VI, I , themeaningofManichean
paintinganditsinf|uenceon Persianminiatures), theydonot
eveneed tosett|eonthesurfaceofanobectwhichcou|dbe
theirprisninorderta/eco|ors.These|ights,madeintoco|ors
I 0I
V. hc BIack ght
in the very act ofbecoming |ight, have to be represented as
creatingforthemse|ves,outoftheirown|ifeandnature,their
formandtheirspace(thatsissitudasititua/is , toborrowagain
an epression ofHenry More's, which is the p|ace ofthe su-
prasensory perceptionsdescribed by NamKobr andhisdisci-
p|es). These pure |ights ( forming, according to Sohravardi,
twofo|d order, |ongitudina|and |atitudina|,Mothers and ar-
chetypes)are, intheacta[/igbt whichconstitutesthem,constitu-
tiveoftheirowntheophanicform(mazbat) . Theactsof|ight
(photisms,ubtqt)actua|izetheirownreceptac|eswhichmake
the |ight visib|e. Light without matter means here the |ight
whose act actua|izes its own matter ( again accordi ng to
Sohravardi,materia|odiesareneverthesufficientreasonsfor
the properties which they manifest). l nre|ation to the matter
of the b|ack body, invested with the forces of obscurity,
Ahrimaniandarkness,itisnodoubtequiva|enttoanimmate-
ria|ization. Moreexact|yitismatterinthesu/t/e ethericste
(mtq) , the actofthe |ight,and notantagonisticto|ight, itisthe
incandescence of the mundu imagina/is (c/am a/-mitb/), the
wor|dofautonomousfiguresandforms,theheaven|yEarthof
Hrqa|ywhich secretesitsown |ight. To seethingsinHr-
qa|y, ascertain Sufi shaykhs say, is to see them inthat state
which can on|y be perceived by the suprasensory senses
(suta lV,7) .Thisperceptionisnotapassive|yreceivedimpres-
sionofamateria|obect,butactivityofthesubect,thatis,con-
ditionedby thephysio|ogyofthe manof|ight. lnthiscontext
the Cthean doctrine ofphysio|ogica|co|ors (in[ta VI , 3)
findsitsp|acespontaneous|y.
Wesha|| |earn further (ita V, 3) that the b|ack|ight is
thatofthedivinepseityasthe|ightofreve|ation,whichmakes
anesee. Precise|ywhatmakes anesee, thatis tosay,|ightas abso-
|utesu/ect, can in nowise become a visib|ea/ect. lt is in this
sense thatthe Lightof|ights(nt a/-anwt) , thatby which a||
visib|e|ightsaremadevisib|e,isboth|ightanddarkness,thatis,
visib|e because it /tings a/aut visian, but in itse|f invisib|e.
Henceforth a|sowhen speakingofco|oras a mixture of|ight
and darkness, we shou|d not understand it as a mixturewith
theAhrimanianshadow,evenifitwereon|ytheshadowofthe
b|ackobect.Thesevenco|orsemergeonthe|eve|ofthemost
transparentofbodies.Thismixtureistob understoodasthe
I 02
2. 1he Doctrine o Photisms occoring to Nom Pz
re|ation ofthe act of|ight with theinfinite potentia|itywhich
aspirestorevea|itse|f(lwasahiddentreasure,lwantedtobe
known), thatis,astheepiphanicactinthenightoftheH/scan-
ditum. Butthis divine night istheantithesisoftheAhrimanian
darkness, itis the source oftheepiphaniesofthe |ightwhich
the Ahrmaniandarkness |ater seeks to engu|f. Thewor|d of
co|orsinthepurestate,thatis,theorbsof|ight,isthetota|ityof
theacs ofthisLightwhichmakesthe|ightsandcannotitse|f
be manifested except by these acts, without ever bing itse|f
visib|e.Anda||thesereceptac|es,thesetheophanicformswhich
itcreatesintheseveryactswhichmakeitmanifestarea|waysin
corre|ationwiththestateofthemystic,i . e. , withtheactivityof
the partic|e of |ight in man which seeks to rediscover its
|ike. 'Perhapswecang|impsethecorre|ationwhichrequires
us L the one hand to distinguish between thesuetcansciaus
and the su/cansciau and on the other hand between the /mck
/igbt and theb|acknessofthe/mcka/ect . Andthiscom|et

sthe
summaryofatientatian whichwehavesoughttoestabhshmthe
presentessay-admitted|yinveryimperfectterms.
2. 1he Doctrine oPhotisms occoring to Nom Pz
(!27)
NamRzi,'directdiscip|eofNamKobr,is the a

thor

f a
mystica|treatiseinPersiansti||incurrentusetodaym ran
.
an
Sufism,whereinthechaptersparticu|ar|yre|atedtooursube
.
ct
dea| with visionaryapperceptions(masbbadt) and theunve|-
ings ofthe suprasensory (maksbat) . ' Their/eit

tiv mak

s
the distinction btween the theophaes or appantns ofdr-
vine|ightswhicharethoseoftheLightsofMaesty and the
theophanieswhicharethoseoftheLightsofBeaut,'uaesty
(i. e. rigor, inaccessib|e sub|imity) and Beauty (fascmatn at-
trction, graciousness) these are the two great categories of
attributes which referrespective|y to the divine BeingasDeus
a/scanditus and as Deus teve/atus , Beauty being the supreme
theophany,divinese|f-reve|ation. ' lnfact they a

e insep

ra-
b|e and there is a constant interp|ay between the maccessb|e
Maesty of Beauty and the fascinating Beauty of inaccessib|e
Maesty. The interp|ay is even such that Na Kobr,

|en
comparingtheirre|ationtothatofthemascuneandfemmme
I 03
V. hc Black gl
t
princip|es,perceivesatransferencecorr
pondingtoamutua|
exchangeofthemascu|ineandfeminine
ttributes(4). Andto
suggestthattheirtwofo|dnessisnecessa
y forthespiritua|in-
dividua|ityto b born, hequotesthis sa
ingofthe Sufi Ab
Bakr Wsiti The attribute of Maesty and the attribute of
Beautyinterming|e, fromtheir union te Spiritisborn. The
son is an a||usion to partia| rea|ity, the ther and
motheran
a||usion to tota| rea|ity. ( 65) . Acco
i ng to Na m Rzi,
photisms,pure|ightsandco|ored|ights, efertothe
attributes
ofBeauty, theb|ack|ightreferstothe
ttributesofMaesty.
Heout|inesthephysio|ogyofthe man
f|ight
concurrent|y
withthetheoryoftheunvei|ingsofthesprasensorywor|d.
firstofa||, as a genera| ru|e, the caacity toperceive su-
prasensory |ights is proportionate to the degree of
po|ishing,
chief|ytheworkofthedikt,whichbrin
thebeatttothestate
ofperfectmirror.I nthebginningthese
ightsare
manifested
asephemera| f|ashes. Themore perfect
hetransparency (the
specu|arity) of the mirror, the more t
ey grow, the |onger
they|ast,themorediversetheybecome,
ti|they
manifestthe
form ofheaven|y entities. As a genera| u|e a|so, the source
wheretheseLightstakeshapeisthespiri
a|entityofthemys-
tic,histbniat, thevery same,aswehav
seen(suta I l , I ) , in
SohravardiandtheHermetistsunderthnameofPerfectNa-
ture, the phi|osophers Ange|. But be
ides this we have to
take into consideration that every spirit
a| state, every func-
tion,everyfee|ing,everyact, hasitsspirit
a|entity,itsAnge|
which manifests itse|f in the |ight prper to it.
Prophecy
(na/awwat) , Initiation (wam at) , thespirits
ofthe Initiates (Hw-
i) , thegreatshaykhsofSufismtheQo
n,theprofessionof
Is|am,thefide|ityoffaith (imn) ,

even
every formofdikt,
every form ofdivine office and worshi
each one ofthese
rea|itiesisexpressedina|ightpropertoit.
Inthedescriptiongivenbyourautho
ofthesuprasensory
phenomenaofpure |ight, whatwenote ishortisthefo||ow-
ing brief f|ashes and f|ames most ofte
originate from the
|iturgica|acts(prayer,ritua|ab|ution,etc. ).
A|ongerandbright
er|ightisthatfromtheQornorfromthdt. Theremaybe
vsua|ization of the we||-known verse fro
the chapter Light
(4 35) The image ofHis |ight is that ofa Niche
wherein
there is a |amp, the |amp isin a case of
g|ass .
. Here the
I 04
2. 1he Doctrine oPtim occoring to Nom Pz
Nicheof|ightsmanifestsa|ightoftheprophecyore|seofthe
initiatic qua|ity ofthe shaykh. Tapers, |amps and |ive embers
manifestthedifferentformsof diktore|seareaneffectofthe
|ight ofgnosis. A|| the forms ofstars which are shown in the
Skies ofthe heart (smn-e de/) are, as in Nam Kobr, |ights
manifestingtheAnge|,i . e. , theesotericaspectoftheastronom-
ica| Sky that is its homo|ogue (/tin-ea/ak) . According to the
heart'sdegreeofpurity,thestarmaybeseenwithoutitsSkyor
e|sewithits Sky, in the |attercase,theSkyisthesubt|eastra|
mass ofthe heart, whereas the staris the |ightofthe Spirit.
TheConste||atedfiguresmanifesttheHnimaecae/estes . Sunand
moon may appear in various positions, each ofwhich has its
meaning. Thefu| | moonintheSkyoftheheartmanifeststhe
effects ofthe initiation corresponding to the degree of|unar
initiation (wam at-e qamatia) , the sun manifests the effects of
theso|arortota|initiation(w.ka//ia) . Severa|sunstogetherare
amanifestationoftheperfectl nitiates(Hw/i-eka//i) . Sunand
mooncontemp|atedtogetheraretheointmanifestationofthe
form oftheshaykh and the form ofthe abso|ute initiator.

Sun,moon and stars mayappearasthoughimmersedeitherin

the sea or in running water oron the contrary in motion|ess
water, sometimesina we||. A||themysticsrecognizetherethe
|ights oftheirspiritua| entity. Thesemmersions ina trans-
parente|ementproc|aim theextreme purity ofthe heart, the
stateofthepacified sou|, which, attheboundary, wi||a||ow
theraysofthedivineLightstopiercethrougha||thevei|s.This
isthemeaningoftheverseinthesuta ofthe Star. Theheart
does not be|ie what it has seen ( 5. I I ), " the mystica| sense
which sanctionsthe Prophets visions (My heart has seen m
Lord in the most bautifu| of forms) and the theophanes
vouchsafedtoAbrahamandMoses.
Nam Rzi knows it. it may be asked whether a|| these
theophaniestake/ace intheinner, esotericwor|dorratherin
the outer, exotericwor|d? Hisansweristhatanyonewhoasks
thiskindofquestionremainsfarfromtherea|situationwhere
thetwowor|dsmeetandcoincide. lnonecaseitmaybethatthe
suprasensoryperceptionisawakenedandstimu|atedbyasen-
sory perception, betweenthe sensory(bissi) and thesuprasen-
soryba/i) ,theexoteric(zbit)andtheesoteric(/tin) , thereis
synchronism and symbo|ism, these are even the foundation
I 05
V. hc Black ght
andcriterionofvisionaryapperception. lnanotherinstance,a
directperceptionofthesuprasensorybytheorganoftheheart
may come about without a sensoryorgan or physica| support
(seesuta lV, I , auta andauric perception) . ln eithercase this
organoftheheart(withthespiritua|energyoftemaginattix,
effectsatransmutationofthesensorysothatitisperceivedin
Hrqa|y,on thep|aneofthemundus imagina/u, theimagina/
wor|d wherein what is corporea| becomes spirit and what is
spiritua|assumesady(ourmethodisthatofa|chemy,said
NamKobr) . ' Thisisthe meaningderivedbyspiritua|her-
meneuticsfromtheverseontheLight.Codisthe|ightofthe
Heavens and ofthe Earth (24. 35), for, in rea|ity and in the
truesense,whatmakesmanqest (thatis,|ight)andthatwhichu
manqested (mazbat, thetheophanicform),whatsees and what is
seenare thedivine Being himse| Whenthe meaningofAbra-
ham's exc|amation. Tbis is m Latd has been mystica||y under-
stood, then sensory and suprasensory, exoteric and esoteric,
apparentandhidden,wi||beoneandthesamething.
Semnn perceives in anotherverse ofthe Qorn (4I . 53)
the very princip|e of the inward movement whereby every
outerdatumbecomesaneventpertainingtothesou|,bringing
iistorica|, physica| time (zamn [qi) back to inner, psychic
trme(mnan[asi) .Thisisthefina|endtowardwhicha||mystic
ways converge, itisthe spiritua| abode where the gaze ofthe
onewhocontemp|atesthebeautyoftheWitnessofcontemp|a-
tion(sbbid) inthemirroroftheinnereye,theeyeoftheheart,
isnoneotherthanthegazeoftheWitness. lamthemirrorof
thy face, through thine own eyes l |ook upon thy counte-
nance. The Contemp|ated is the Contemp|ator and vice
versa, ' ' we have a|readyattempted here to approach the se-
cretofthismystica|reciprocity,aparadoxwhichcannotbbet-
ter expressed than in terms of|ight. Nam Rzi pursues the
attempttothe|imit.
!lthclightriscsinthcSkyolthchcarttakingthclormolonc
or olscvcral lightgiving moons, thc two cycs arc closcd to this
world and to thcothcr. llthis lightriscsand, inthc uttcr|y purc
inncr manattainsthc brightncssolthcsunorolmany suns, thc
mysticis no longcrawarclthis world nor olthc othcr, hc sccs
only his own Lord undcr thc vcil olthc Spirit, thcn his hcart is
nothingbut light, hissubtlcbodyislight, hismatcrial covcring is
I06
2. 1he Doctrine o Photism occoring to Nom Pz
light, his hcaring, issight, his ha

d, his cxtcrior, his intcriorarc

nothingbut light, hismouthand hs tonguc also.
The photiss ofpure |ight thusdescribedcorrespond to
the stateoftheheartwhich isthatofthe pacified sou|.The
co|ored photisms which Nam Rzi proceeds to describe rise
stepbystepfromthemomentwhenthespiritua|individua|ity
istriumphant|y freed fromthe |owerego (ammtagi) and,

n
reaching the degree of consciousness (/awwmagi) , makes rts
way to the degree of the pacified sou|, the thresho|d of the
beyond (suta lV, 3). Then the mystic enters the first va||ey,
fo||owing an itinerary the successive stages of which are
marked by the visua|ization ofco|ored |ights, |eading him to
the seventh va||ey, the va||ey of b|ack |ight. But here we
shou|dnote certain features throughwhichthe origina|ityof
eachofthelranianSufimastersbecomesapparent(payingno
heedto theimmutab|e rigidity ofa certain tradition putto-
getherinourdayintheWest) .WhereasSemnniconnects

he
co|ored |ights to theseven centersororgansofsubt|ephysio|-
ogy (/atqa) , NamRzire|ates them simp|y to spiritua| states.
Heout|ines,however,inconnectionwiththeunvei|ingsofthe
suprasensory,aphysio|ogyofthesubt|eorgans,ofwhihin
histheorythereareon|y [ive. Whatismore,theco|ored
.
hghts
are different|y graded and in a qute different order the
respectiveworksofthesetwomasters.
AccordingtotheNamRzitheco|orsvisua|izedbythesu-
prasensory senses are graded in the fo||owing order. at the
firststage,the|ightvisua|izediswbite/igbt ,itisthesignofs/m.
Atthesecondstage,e//aw/igbt ,thisisthesignofthefideht

f
faith(imn) . Atthethirdstage,the|ightisdatk//ue (ka/d) , ts
thesignofbnevo|ence(ibsn) Atthefourthstage,ti

|ightis
gteen,thisisthesignof tranqui|ityofthesou|(thepafredso

| ,
matma'anna). Perceptionofthegreen|ightthusagree

asto

its
meaning,ifnotasto itsp|ace intheorderofsuccesson, wrth
the perception ofthegreen |ight in Namkobrstreatise (re-
gardingSemnni's,seein[ta Vl, I ) . Atthefrfthstage

azute//ue
/igbt, thisis the signoffirmassurance(qn) . t the srxthstage,
ted/igbt , thesignofmystica|gnosis,theosophica| .now|edg
(in Nam Kobr, it is the co|or oftheNa: , or acuve l

te|h-
gence) . Attheseventhstage,//ack/igbt (nt-esib) , thesrgnof
passio

ate,ecstatic|ove.
I 07
V. hc BIack ght
Thefirstsixstepsthuscorrespondtothe|ightswhichNam
zi describes as |ightsoftheattributeofBeauty, theophanic
|ightswhichi//uminate. Theb|ack|ight"isthatoftheattribute
ofMaesty which sets the mystic's beingonfire, itis notcon-
temp|ated, itattacks, invades, annihi|ates,thenannihi|atesan-
nihi|ation. lt shatters the supreme theurgy" (tamsm-e azam) ,
that is, the apparatusofthe humanorganism, this terminci-
denta||yoccursa|soinSohravardsvocbu|ary.Theirconunc-
tionishoweveressentia|(seeWsiti'stextcitedabove) , thusitis
inaccessib|e Maesty which is revea|ed in a||uring Beauty and
Beauty whichis revea|ed Maesty. Butthisreve|ation presup-
posesaform,areceptab|e(mazbat) toeceiveit. Namziaf-
firms that there is |ight and darknesswherever you |ookand
thatthisiswhytheQorn(inreferenceto|ightanddarkness)
speaks not of a creation orcreated state (kbaiat), but ofa
primordia|estab|ishmentja'/iat,conditioningtheverycoming
into existence of being). Light and darkness are not things
a|ongside otherthings,butare categoriesofthings. Thispre-
|iminaryorientationwi||thensaveusfromconfusingthedivine
Night, theabscondityofthe Esence which causes |ight to be
revea|ed, and the darkness here be|ow, thedemonicdarkness
which ho|ds the |ightcaptiveand does nota||ow itto escape.
Thisdarknessisnotwhatmakesthe|ightmanifest,itre|easesit
when forced todo so. But ifa|| |ightso re|eased is visib|e as
|ight,iftherefore the|ightca||sfor amatter,"a receptac|eto
conditionthisvisibi|ity,thenthematterinquestionisnotthat
ofthe|owerdarkness. Heretheimportance isfe|t(aswehave
beenremindedmanytimes)ofthewor|dm subt|ematter,mun-
dusimagina/u (c/ama/-mitb/),inthecosmo|ogyprofessedbya||
ourSpiritua|seekers.Subt|ematter"istheesotericHeavensof
the heart, its astra| mass" and so forth. The suprasensory
phenomenaofco|ored|ightsareproducedby thismatter"be-
causeitisthe actitse|fof|ight, nottheantagonistof|ight. Di
vine Night (Deu a/scanditu) , as the source and origin of a||
|ight(Deusteve/atus) , isnotacompoundofthedemonicandthe
divine. Butthis divine |ight, oncerevea|ed, may we|| fa||into
captivitinAhrimaniandarkness.Thisdramaisadmirab|yde
scribed by the Manichean cosmogony, as an ever-present
dramawithinexhaustib|evariants, uptoandinc|udingconfu-
sionofthesocia|withthedivine.
I 08
2. 1he Doctrine oPhotisms occoring to N om Pz
Astothetheoryofthesu/t/eatgans accordingtoNamzi,
whi|e differing from Semnn's theory, it neverthe|ess opens
thewaytothe|atter. Thetheoryproceedsessentia||

from
.
the
tradition (baditb) which states God has 70,000 ve|s ofhght
andofdarkness, ifheremovedthemthebri|ianceofhisface
wou|dburnupa||thatmethis|ook."Thesevei|sarethetota|ity
ofa||thesensoryandsuprasensoryuniverses(ma/kandma/akt,
sbabadat andgba/at) . The figure which determines the
numberqua/itative/, fo||owing the above tradition, is 70,000.
Buttherearevariants,sometraditionsmentionI 8,000wor|ds,
others 360,000wor|ds. Now,a||thesewor|dsareexistentin
theinnerwor|dofman,inhissubt|eoresoteric(nabn /atin)
being, which inc|udes as many eyes" as there are wor|ds,
throughtheseeyes"manperceivesresp

ive|yeach
.
ofth

se
wor|ds, by the |ivingexperienceofthesptua|statem which
each ofthese wor|ds becomes manifest in him. Thus he pos
sesses 70,000 eyes", among which are the five outer senses
attachedtothebodi|yrea|itiesofsensorymatter,thefiveinner
sensesthe fiveenergiesoforganicphysio|ogy, butthese, one
suspects a|ready, areon|y a sma|| partofthe energies ofthe
who|emantowhomsuprasensorysenses"areavai|ab|e. And
sothetermmakba[t, unvei|ings,"isneverusedbySufis(as
Namz pointsout) inreference toobectsofa perception
derivingfromthethreecategoriesoffacu|tie
.
sustenum

rat,
buton|y inreferenceto suprasensory reahes. It thusmphes
eaisa theideaofunvei|ingsofsuprasensoryt

hingstiatcome
aboutinthecasefthesbi/-ekasb[, atermwhichagamannot
bebettertrans|atedthanbythewordc|airvoyant."
When the c|airvoyant" commits himse|fto the tatqat or
mystica|ourney,fo||owingtheru|esofspiritua|warfareunder
thedirectionofthemasterofinitiation(w/i) andthe shaykh,
e passes in succession through a||these vei|s, a

each station
(mqm) an inner eye opens in him correspondmg|y, a

d he
perceives a||the modesofbing or spiritua| states re|atmg to
that station. This perception is effected by the suprasensory
facu|tiesororgansofthesubt|ephysio|ogyofthec|airvoyant,"
whichineachgenerationareimpartedtoasma||groupofhu
mansWeSemnnienumeratessevensubt|eorgasr/atqa,
Namztakes them as fiveon|y. the inte||ect,theheart, the
spirit, the superconsciousness (sitt), and theatcanum or trans-
I 09
V. hc Black ght
consciousness(kba).Eachofthesesuprasenoryfacu|tiesper
ceivesitsownwor|d, thisiswhywehearofanunvei|ingtothe
inte||ect (kasb[-e 'aq/i, the maority of phi|osophers have not
gone beyond that), an unvei|ing to theheart(mak:ba[at-ede/,
visionsofthevariousco|ored|ights) ,unvei|ingstothespirit(m.
tbi, assumptions to heaven, visions of ange|s, perception of
pastandfuture intheirpermanentstate) , fina||y, uvei|ingto
the superconsciousness and to the atcanum. There the time
andspaceofthebeyondarerevea|ed,whatwasseenfromthis
side is seen from the other side. And a|| these organsarein-
termediate in regard to the others, each transmitting to the
nextwhathasbeengrantedandunvei|edtoitse|f,andthenext
receivesthisintheformpropertoitse|f,thefurtherthemystic
progresseson the seven steps of the heart by conforminghis
beingtothemati/us divinis (takba//aq /i-akb/qH//b) , themore
theseunvei|ingsmu|tip|yforhim.
J. B/ock Light in the Pose 6oren o Mystery
(!J! /)
The |ong Persian poembeari ngthetit|e ofCo|shan-eRz(the
Rose Carden ofMystery) , comprisingabout I 500 coup|ets, is
the workofMahmd Shabestari. ' ' Thiswork hasbeen read
c|ose|yandcontinuous|yinlran unti| now,butitsextremecon-
ciseness (in itthe author answers many questions gathered by
oneofhisfriendsconcerningthehighdoctrinesofSufism) has
motivatedthewritingofanynumberofcommentaries.Among
thesethemostcomp|eteanda|sothemostfrequent|ystudied
in lran unti|todayis thatofShamsoddin Lhi, itsscopeand
contentmakeitaveritab|ecompendiumofSufism. ' '
Afeaturereported inthebiographyofLhidemonstrates
to what point the doctrine ofco|ored photisms, showing the
mystic hisdegreeofprogressonthespiritua|way,is ref|ected
inthe detai| ofhis dai|y |ife, it suggests to him in fact that he
can wear garments whose co|ors correspond to those of the
|ightssuccessive|ycharacterizinghis spiritua| state, theexperi-
enceisthustrans|atedpractica||yintothesymbo|sofapersona|
|iturgy, coincidingwiththeverycurrentof|ife.QziNro||ah
Shoshtar' re|ates that during the time when Shh Esm'i|
( lsmae|)' estab|ished his power in the province offrs (Per-
l l 0
J. B/ck Light in the Pose 6oren o Myste:y
sis) and Shirz,the sovereign wishedto visitthe shaykh. When
he met him, he asked. Why have youchosen a|ways to wear
b|ack c|othing ln mourning for the lmm Hosayn, an-
sweredtheshaykh. Butthekingremarked,lthasbeenestab-
|ished that on|y ten days each year shou|d be devoted
.
to
mourningtheho|y lmm.No,rep|iedtheshaykh,t(at

s a
human error. ln rea|ity the mourningfor the ho|y lmam b a
permanentmourning,itwi|| notend unti|thedawnoftheRes-
urrection.
Obvious|yonecanhearinthisanswertestimonytothefer-
vorofa Shi'ite,atthe heart ofwhosemeditationsremainsthe
dramaofKarba|a,ustasthedramaofChrist'sassionisatthe
heartofChristianpiety. Butanotherintentioncana|sobeseen
inthewearingofthisb|ackc|othing,anintention

corre

pond-
ing precise|y to the practice by certain groups m uftsm of
wearingc|othing of the same co|or as that
.
of the hgit con-
temp|atedinthemysticstationtheyhadattamed. lnthts
.
waya
chromatic harmony is estab|ished between the esoterc and
the exoteric, the hidden and the apparent. Thus in the first
stages, b|ue (ka/) c|othingwasworn. ' ' At thehigheststage
b|ackc|othingwou|dhavecorrespondedtotheb|ack|ight. ls
this then indeed the meaningwhichwefind in this persona|
practice ofLhi,whichsoast

nished
.
Shh
.
Esm'i| A poem
composedby oneofhisowndtscip|esm praiseofthe shaykh,
seemsindeedtoconfirmthis. '
lnanycase, thepages where hi unfo|ds thetheme of
theb|ack|ightincommentingonMahmdSh

bestari'spoe
.
m
areofcapita|importancewhenitcomes to mak

nga
.
c|ear dts-
tinction between thedivine Night and the Ahrmaman Dark-
ness. ' The b|ack |ight is the |ight ofthe pure Essence in its
ipseity, initsabscondity, theabi|ityto perceiveitdependsona
spiritua| state described asreabsorption in Cod an//b) ,
the statei nwhichSemnanipereivesthedangerofasupreme
ordea|fromwhich,accordingto him,thmysticrisesagainon
the thresho|dofavisia smatagdina, the green |ight then being
raisedtotherankofthehighest|ightoftheMystery.Compara-
tivestudyofthesevisionsisofexceptiona|interest,itwou|dca||
foramp|emeditationandcanon|ybeout|inedhere.
Whi|e fo||owingtheexact wordsofthe poet ahiscm-
mentaryasitdeve|opsaffordsag|impseoftheprecise|inesof
I I l
V. hc Black ght
its deve|opment as a series ofsteps. Three moments become
distinct, name|y, an effort to approach the idea of the b|ack
|ightfroma||sides,thentodescribethesuperconsciousnessit
postu|ates,anunknowingnesswhich,assuch,isknowing,|ast|y
this |uminous Night is identified with the state ofmystica|
povertyin the true sense, the very sense inwhich the Sufi is
describedaspoorinspirit(dab,dervish,suta l l l , 3) .
To encompasstheideaofb|ack|ightisa||themoredifficu|t
inthatitbustsforthinatwofo|dway.ltirruptsinthepresence
ofthings, itmeansaparticu|arwayofseeingthem,whichpro-
vides the author with the theme ofthe /mck Face of beings
(sib-t'i) . And it irrupts in the absence ofthings, when the
inte||igence,turningawayfromwhatismanifested,endeavors
to understand ba is manifested and revea|ed. This is the
theme of pure Essence, of divine lpseity as a/sa/ute Su/ect ,
whoseinaccessibi|itytheauthorsuggestsbyspeakingofexces
sive proximity andbedazz|ement. This is where the theme f
mystica| poverty brings a dnouement to a dia|ectica||y inex-
tricab|e situation. the coexistence ofthe abso|ute Subect and
theindividua|subects,oftheOneandtheMany.
Asforthefirsttheme,thereisnobettermeansofp|acingit
than by referring to Shaykh his own testimony, since on
manyoccasionshei||ustrateshiscommentarywithfactsdrawn
fromhispersona|experience.Hereishisaccountofavision.
! saw myscll[writcs thc Shaykh] prcscnt in a world ollight.
Mountains and dcscrts wcrc iridcsccnt with lights olall colors.
rcd,ycllow,whitc,bluc.lwascxpcricncingaconsumingnostalgia
lor thcm lwasasthoughstrickcnwithmadncssandsnatchcdout
olmyscllbythcviolcnccolhc intimatc cmotion and lcclingol
thcprcscncc. Suddcnly l sawthatthc0hck ltght wasinvadingthc
cntirc univcrsc. Hcavcnandcarthand cvcrything that was thcrc
hadwhollybccomcblack|ightand, bchold, !wastotal|yabsorbcd
inthislight,losingconsciousncss.Thcnlcamcbacktomyscll.
Therecita|ofthisvisionatoncesuggestsacomparisonwith
oe of the geat ecstatic confessions of Mr Dmd, there is
somthingin common between the b|ack |ightswa||owingup
theuniverseandMr Dmds perceptionofthegreatoccu|t
c|amorofbeings,thesi|entc|amoroftheirmetaphysica|dis-
tress. 'Theb|ack|ightrevea|stheverysecretofbeing,which
canon|y/e,as-ta-/e,a||bingshaveatwofo|dface,afaceof
I I 2
J. B|ck Light in the Pose 6oren o Myste:y
|ightandab|ackface.The|uminousface,thefaceofday,isthe
on|y one that, without understanding it, the

common

of
men perceive, the apparent evidence oftherr act ofexrstmg.
Theirb|ackface,theonethemysticperceives,istheirpoverty.
they have nothing with which tobe, they cannot be u
.
ff.cient
unto themse|ves in order to be what they have to be, rtb the
inessenceoftheiressence.Thetota|ityoftheirbeingistheirday-
|ightfaceandtheirnightface,theirday|ightfaceis

hemak

in

g
ofessenceoutoftheirinessencebytheabso|uteSubet.Thrsb
the mystica| meaningofthe verse in
.
the Qorn. Everyting
perishesexceptHisface(28. 88),thatrs,exceptthefaceof hght
ofthatthing.
Nowwhatthosetwofacesshowthevisionaryisthetwofo|d
dimension ofbeing precise|y ana|yzed in Avicenna's onto|ogy
asthedimensionofnecessarybeingandthedimensionofcon-
tingent being. ln fact, there is strict|y speaking no c
.
o

n-
tingency. There is actua|ized possibi|ity, and every possrbrh
.
ty
to be actua|ized necessari|y exists from the very fact that ts
perfectcause,itssufficientreason,isgiven. ltcou|dnot

otbe.
However, this dimension of possibi|ity remains |atent m the
heartitse|foftheactua|izedpossibi|ity,inthesensethatitsdi-
mensionofnecessarybeing,itscapacitytobe,comestoitfrom
itsconnectionwiththeSourcefromwhichtemanates,wereas
its dimensionofpossibi|ity, thatistosay,itsmetaphysica|indi-
gence,isperceivedassoonasitregardsitse|f-fictitious|y,t

ot
sure, and in ahypothetica|way~asseparatedfromthePrmcr-
p|ewhenceitsnecessarybeingderi

es.Asone know

s,
.
theen-
tireAvicennantheoryoftheprocessrnofthecherubrmclnte|-
|igences, the emanators ofthe Heavens and ofthe Earth, is
basedonactsofcontemp|ationdirectedtothesedimensions
of inte||igibi|ity. The i sionary irruption of this twofo|d
dimension-positive and negative-is the vision of the b|ack
|ight.
Even fromtheprimordia|originofthep|eroma, from the
eterna|instantofthearisingofthefirstoftheInte||igencesthe
first ofthe Kerobin, Ange|Logos, the twofo|d dimension of
every existentia|ized being is a|ready manifest

d. its

face of
|ightand its b|ack face. This is what |ed certam !

aman Av-
icennans'to compare theAvicennancosmo|ogy wrt| theZ

t-
vnist cosmo|ogy of ancient Iran. No doubt there b a dra-
l 3
V. hc Black ght
grammatichomo|ogy as regardsthe form but, aswe have a|-
readynotede|sewhere,thiswou|dbcorrecton|yifreferredto
exorcised,"de-satanized"Zetvnism. Fortheb|ackface"that
showsitse|ffromthefirstactofbeingisnotAhrimaniandark-
ness,butthesecretofthecreatura|conditionthathasitsorigin
inthe darkness at the approaches to thea/e, that is, in the
very mystery ofthe setting up ofcreation. The Ahrimanian
darkness is in the extreme Occident," the region of mate-
ria|ized matter. Thatiswhyhiiandthemysticonwhomhe
iscommentingrepeat,exact|yasAvicennasaidintherecita|of
Hayy ibn Yaqzn, thatinthis darkness at the approachesto
thepo|e"istobefoundtheWaterofLife.To findthiswe||spring
demands the penetration ofthe meaning ofthe twofo| face
ofthings,and to understandthatisto understandatthesame
time the mystica| i mp|ications of Avicenna' s phi |sophy,
attestedbytheperspectivesitopeneduptoIranianspiritua|s.
Here a|as is where the impoverished rationa|ism ofmodern
interpretersofAvicennaintheWestrevea|sitsimpotenceand
incurab|e b|indness. As Lh|i says,onedoes not|earn to find
the Water ofLife in the Darkness simp|y by hearsay and by
readingbooks.
TheAvicennanana|ysisofthetwofo|ddimensionofestab-
|ished beingborefruitunti|thetimeoftherenaissanceofphi-
|osophyin Iraninthesixteenthandseventeenthcenturies. Itis
presentinthe metaphysicsof|ighte|aborated by Sohravardiin
termsofa metphysicsofessence, aswe||asinthe workofhis
greatinterpreter, Mo||Sadr Shirzi (died I 640 , who gave
the existentia/ version of the orienta|theosophy." I t is tra-
ditiona||yrepeated,fromMo||SadrdowntoShaykhAhmad
Ahs'i,thefounderoftheShaykhiteschoo|inSh'ism,thatthe
actofexistingisthedimensionof|ightofbeings,whereastheir
quiddity is their dimension of darkness. And this cannot be
understoodwithoutgoingbackto the Avicennanorigins. The
metaphysica|indigenceofbeingsana|yzedinAvicennanonto|-
ogyistrans|ated andexperiencedby Lh|iasa fee|ingofau-
thentic mystica| poverty. By experiencing this, the visionary
contemp|atesthemysteriousb|ackLightthatpermeatestheen-
tireuniverse, itiscertain|ynotthe Ahrimanianinversionand
subversion that transports him in ecstasy, but the Presence
whose suprabeing consists incauing-ta-/e and which for that
I l 4
J. B/ck Light in the Pose 6oren oMysteq
reason can never its|f be caued-ta-/e, or seen as being
forever invisib|e whi|ecau:ingtasee in itspermanentactuation
ofeachactofbing.
That is why there is a profound connection between the
meaningoftheb|ackLightperceivedinthepresenceofthings
when they revea| to the visionary their twofo|d face and its
meaningasheperceivesitwhenthingsabsentthemse|vesfrom
him andheturnstoward the Princip|e. Thesetwothemesare
so deep|y |inkedtogethe that the second appears asthe basis
ofthe first. It is in the second sense that Lhii dec|ares that
b|ackistheco|orofthepuredivineIpseityinItse|f,inthesame
way thatto NamRzI thisco|orapp|ed on|y to the attrbutes
ofinaccessib|e Maesty, to theDeu a/scanditu. henhecom-
ments on this verse oftheRase Gatden a[Mse, The/ck
co|or, f you fo||ow me, is /igbt of pure Ipseity, within this
DarknessistheaterofLife" (v. I 23)~whatdoesLhimean
in this case by speaking of a bedazz|ement and a b|indness
whose cause iscertain|y notextremedistancebuttoo greata
proximity: The eye ofinnervision, thesuprasensorysenses"
themse|ves,aredarkenedthereby.
To understand the shaykh's intentionandhistermino|ogy,
|et us first reca|| the imp|ications ofAvicenna's onto|ogy the
metaphysica| indigence ofbings, theirinessence, imp|ying that
they wou|d have nothingwithwhich to b ifnecessary Being
didnotcompensatefortheir|ack.ereferredustnowtothe
existentia|version ofthe AvicenneSohravardian metaphysics
inMo||Sadr Sadrgivesthedeterminantmetaphysica|pre-
cedencetotheactofexisting,nottoquiddityoressence. Itcan
b said that Mo|| Sadr ofShirz, here ase|sewhere, revea|s
his own formation as anAvicennanstrong|y imbued with the
theosophyofSohravardiand with thatofIbnArabI. Butwe||
bforehitherewereSpiritua|sinIranwhohadreadbothAv-
icenna and Ibn 'ArabI. LhI was one ofthem, and no doubt
he wasab|etovethe|etomisinterpretationsinf|ictedinthe
estonthe thought ofhis two masters, so different, inciden-
ta||y fromeachotherThefamousexpressionwabdata/-wad
does not signify an existentia|monism"(ithasnoconnection
either with ege| or with aecke|), but refers to the tran-
scendenta| unity ofbing. The act ofbing does not take on
differentmeanings, itremainsunique,whi|emu|tip|yingitse|f
I I 5
V. hc Black ght
in the actua|itiesofthe beings that it causes to be, an uncon-
ditioned Subect which is never itse|fcaused-ta-/e. So this too-
c|osenessspokenofbyhi, thebedazz|ementofb|ackLight,
is understood wheneveryactofbeingoreveryact of|ight is
r|atedtoitsPrincip|e.
Inotherwords, |ightcannot/e sen, precise|ybecauseitis
whatcauesseeing. Wedonotsee |ight,weseeon|yits recepta-
c|es. Thatiswhy |ights visib|e onsuprasensory p|anes necessi-
tate the idea ofute ca/ats, as previous|y out|ined, which are
actua|izedeaisa bytheiractof|ightasreceptac|esthatarethe
matter" ofpure |ight, and not needing to fa|| into a matter
foreign to their actof|ight. This being so, it is impossib|e to
withdraw enough tosee the |ight which is the cause--seeing,
since inevery actofseeingitisa|readythere. This is the prox-
imity that the mystic speaks ofwhen heexpresses his amaze-
ment that you bring yourse|fso near to me that I come to
thinkthatyouareme"(suta IV,9).Wecanneithersee|ightwhen
thereisnothingto receive it, norwhere it isswa||owed up. By
tryingtop|aceourse|vesinfrontofthecaue-a[-seeing,whichitse|f
canbutremaininvisib|e,we find ourse|vesinfrontofDarkness
(andthatistheDarknessattheapproachestothepo|e"),forwe
cannottakeasana/ect ofknow|edgeprecise|ywhatenab|esusto
knoweachobect,whatenab|esanae toexistassuch.Thatis
whyLh|Ispeaksofaproximitythatdazz|es.Ontheotherhand,
thedemonicsbadaw isnotthe|ight,itse|finvisib|e,whichcauses
seeing,butistheDarknessthatpreventsseeing,asthedarknessof
the subconscious preventsseeing.Theb|ack|ight,on the other
hand,isthatwhichcannotitse|fbseen,becauseitisthecauseof
seeing,itcannotbeobect,sinceitisabso|uteSubect.Itdazz|es,as
the|ightofsuetcansciausness dazz|es. Therefore itis said inte
Rase Gatdn a[ Ms. Renounce seeing, for here it is not a
question of seeing." On|y a know|edge which is a theophanic
experiencecanbeknow|edgeofthedivineBeing. Butinre|ation
to the divine Ipseity, this know|edge is a not-knowing, because
know|edgepresupposesasubectandanobect,theseerandthe
seen,whereasdivineIpseity,b|ack|ight,exc|udesthiscorre|ation.
To transute this unknowingness into know|edge wou|d b to
recognizewbathetruesubectofknow|edgeis,inasupremeactof
maphysica|renunciation,where LhI testifies to his senseof
theavetofthedervishandtothefruitofhisownmeditationon
Ibn'Arab.
l l
J. B/k Light in the Pose 6oren o Mysteq
Here one wi|| reca|| certain visionary apperceptions of
Nam Kobr. now the red sun stan|ing out on
.
a b|ack back-
ground, now the conste||ations turmng red ag

st the back-
ground ofan emera|d Sky, dazz|ingtohumann. we have
|earned from him that this red sunand these reddemng orbs
announce the presence ofthe Ange|-Logos or ofone oi the
ange|ic nte||igences. Asin Hermes'vision, ange|ophany

ias-
sociated with the symbo| ofte midnight sun," of|um

nous
Night, because the first nte||igence, the Ange|-Log

s, is the
initia| and primordia| theophany oftheDeus a/scandtus . The
profound meaning ofan episode in themi't ofthe Prop|et
thenemerges. The Ange| Gabrie|, as the ange|ofReve|aon
identified by a|| theIsbtqin with the ange| of Know|ed
.
ge,
|eadstheprophetasfarastheLatusa[tbe/imit.Hecannoth
.

-
se|fgo further, for he wou|d be consumed by fire. Now, it
unthinkab|e that his theophanic being shou|d be consumed
andannihi|ated,thatwou|dmeanse|f-destructionofthedivine
rve|ation. As Lh|Iexp|ains,theAnge|doesnot havetocross
this[an '//b, the test of reabsorption into
.
God. |he
theophanicformmustpersistinordertobemetwithagam at
the emergence from the supreme test, the sun becoming red
against a b|ack sky, as in Nam Kobr's vision. The ordea| of
this penetration, comprising an experience ofdeati and an-
nihi|atin is for man a|one toattempt, and marks hs hour of
greatestp-ri|. Either hewi||be swa||owedu

indementiaorie
wi|| rise again fromit, initiatedinthemeanmgoftheophan

andreve|ations. Thisresurgenceis|atertrans|atedby Semnam

asanexa|tationfromb|ack|ighttogreen|ight. Bypassingthus
through the annihi|ation of annihi|ation, by p

ssi

g o the
Gabrie|ofyourbeing,"therecognitionoftheodeisauth

en-
ticated ofthewitnessinHeaven,"thereddemngsunagamst
the background ofdivine Darkness. or this recognition im-
p|iesrecognitionoftheUnknowab|e,whichistosaymetaphys-
ica|renunciationandmystica|poverty.
ThpoetoftheRaseGatdenqMste asks.W|

toon
measureistherebetweentheTerrestria|andthedivmewor|ds,
thatbeingunab|etofindknow|edgeshou|da|readyo|itse|fbe
know|edge"(v. l 25) AndLhIIcomments.
Thc pcrlcction olcontingcnt bcing is to rc
k
rcss

| t s |usic
ncgativity,andtocomctoknowthrough tsowo ookoowo
k
ocss

l l 7
V. hc BIack ght
!t mcans to know with thc ccrtainty olcxpcricncc that thcaum-
mum ol knowlcdgc is unknowingncss, lor hcrc thcrc is inlinitc
disproportion. This mystical station is that ol bcdalcmcnt, ol
immcrsion olthcobcct in thc subcct. !tisthcrcvclation olthc
non-bcin olthat which hasneter 0een, and olthc pcrcnnity ol
thatwhich hasneter not 0een . . . !nrcality,thcrcis noknowlcdgc
olCod byonother than Cod, loronother than Codta not. Thc ulti-
matccnd towardswhich thc pilgrims olthcdivincWay procccd,
is to arrivc at thc mystical station whcrc thcy discovcr that thc
actions attributcs and ipscity ol things arc cllaccd and rcab-
sorbcd in thc thcophanic ray ol light, and whcrc thcy arceaaen-
cj]teJ by thc vcry lact ol thcir csscntial dcstitution, which is thc
stagc olabsorption in Cod gonallah) , whcrcbcingis rcturncd
tobcing,non-bcingto non-bcing,inconlormitywith thcvcrscol
thc Book. Cod commands you to rcndcr that which is hcld in
trusttowhomitbclongs'( 4. I ) .
Buttheonetowhomi t be|ongswi||befoundon|yoncondi-
tionthttheseventhva||eyisreached.
Thc scvcnth is thc vallcy ol mystical povcrty and ol[onc.
Altcr that you can go no lurthcr. !t has bccn said that mystical
povcrty is thc wcaring olblack raimcnt'
-
in thc two univcrscs.
Thissayingcxprcsscsthclactthatthcmysticissototallyabsorbcd
in Cod that hc no longcr has any cxistcncc olhis own, ncithcr
inwardly noroutwardly in this world and bcyond, hc rcturns to
hisoriginalcsscntialpovcrty,andthatispovcrtyinthctrucscnsc.
!tisinthisscnsc,whcnthcstatcolpovcrtyhasbccomctotal,that
a mysticcan say thathc isCod, lor that mystical station is whcrc
hc givcs divinc !pscityo0aolute mcaning (it iso0aolteJ olall rcla-
tivation) . . . Solongasthcmystichasnotrcachcdhisownnegottt-
tt, whichis complctc rcabsorption,hc has notrcachcd thc]oatttt-
tq ol csscncilication by absoutc bcing, which is supcrcxistcncc
throughCod.To 0e non-0etng byonc'sowncllortsisthcvcrysamc
asto 0e throughCod.Absolutcnon-bcingismanilcstcdonlyinand
throughabsolutcbcing. Foranyothcrthan PcrlcctManacccssto
thisdcgrccisdillicult,lorPcrlcctManisthcmostpcrlcctolbcings
andthcvcrycauscolthccomingintocxistcnccolthcworld.
Thus the metaphysica| indigence ofthebeingis transfigured
intomystica|poverty,abso|ute|iberationfromthisindigence.
Howsha||I findwordstodescribesuchasubt|esituation
LuminausNigbt,datkMidda (v. I 25), criesthepoetfurtheron
in theRaseGatdna[Mste. Hiscommentatorknows whathe
means. foronewhohasexperiencedthismystica|stateana||u-
sionisenough,whereasanyonee|sewi||beab|etounderstand
on|y to the degree of his proximity to it. And hii is fasci-
I I 8
J. B/ck Light in the Pose 6oren o Mysteq
natedby this|uminousNight(sba/etasban)whichisdark Mid-
day,amystica|auroraborea|isinwhichweourse|vesrecognize
oneofthese symbo|s ofthe north" which fromthebeginning
haveoriented oursearchtoward anOtient not to be found in
theEastofourgeographic maps. ItisindeedNigbt, since itis
//ack|ihtandtheabscondityofpureEssence,thenightofun-
knowingness and ofuknowab|eness, and yet/uminaus night,
sinceitisatthesametimethe theophanyofthea/scanditum in
the infinite mu|titude ofits theophanic forms (mazbit) . Mid-
da, midd|eofthe Day, tobe sure, thatis, highnoonofmu|ti-
co|oredsuprasensory|ightwhichthemysticperceivesthrough
his organ of|ight, his innereye, as theophaniesofthe divine
Names,attributesandacts,andyetdatkMidda, sincethemu|
titude ofthese theophanic forms are a|sothe 70,000 vei|s of
|ight and darkness which hide the pure Essence (see suta
NamRzis reference to this number). TheNigbt of pure Es-
sence, devoid of co|or and distinction, is inaccessib|e to the
knowing subect as knower, since it precedes a|| his acts of
knowing. The subect thus is rather the organ by which the
Essence knows itse|fas abso|ute Subect. And /uminaus Nigbt
neverthe|ess,sinceit is whatcausesthesubecttobeby making
itse|fvisib|etohim, whatcaues himtaseebycausing himta /e.
Datk Midd of theophanic forms, certain|y, because |eft to
themse|ves they wo|d be darkness and non-being, and be-
cause in their very manifestation, they show themse|ves as
hidden "
Butit i s impossib|e to divu|ge the secrets oftheophanies
andofdivineapparitions,thatistosay,thesecretsofthesbbid.
One who does so incurs on|y vio|ent reproaches and denia|s.
About the formsin which the traces oftheophaniesarepre-
sent,' certain|y I wou|d have much to say, but to besi|entis
preferab|e (v. I 29). TheRase Gatden a[ Mste thuscomes to
anend. A||Sufivisionariesagreewithhim, forheisa||udingto
the hypostasis ofthe divine Lights, whose co|ors, forms, and
figures specifica||y correspond to the spiritua| stateand voca-
tion of the mystic. This, therefore, is the very secret of the
sbbid, the Witness ofcontemp|ation, the witnessin Heaven,"
without which the Godhead wou|d remain in the state of
abscondityorabstraction, andtherewou|dbeno possibi|ityof
thatati whichisthe |inkbetween |overandbe|oved,a |ink
I I 9
. hc Black ght
whichis

individua|andunshareab|e,andtowhicheverymystic
soui

sp

res. G

has no |ike (mitb/), but He has an Image, a

typrfrcatrn (mitba/), dec|ares h|I. This is the secret of the
Prophet'svisiontire|ess|ymeditated upon by so many Sufis. I
haveseen

my God

inth

mostbeautifu|offorms, "

attesting
that the drvme Bemg, rthout form or moda|ity, is present to
tie ey

ofthe heart in a particu|ar form, moda|ity, and indi-

vrduat

on. rorafter
.
the experience ofthe reabsorption ofa||
theeprphamcformsmtheb|ack|ight"ofpureEssence,comes
theresurgencef

thedangerofdementia,frommetaphysi-
ca| and mora| mhrsm, and from co||ective imprisonment in
ready

made forms, the mystic, having understood what it is

thatassurestheperennityofthedeterminationofapparition

forms,ofany givendistinctepiphanicformThisistheauthen-
ticrecognitionofthefigureoftheheaven|yWitness,thesbbid,
whose recurrences we have studied under many and various
names(suta, I I and I V, 9). And thatiswhy, in SemnnI, itis
by

nd the b|ack |ight, the crossing ofwhich he regards as

pe|ous m the extreme, that the visia smatagdina begins to
open.
20
1
11 b1N1 VL11b
L1 YL1V U11l
! . A|ooo|eh 8emnn ( ! JJ)
Hisisoneofthegreatestnamesin Iranian Sufism. Thanksto
his doctrine, the connection fina||y beomes c|ear between
visionaryapperceptions, graduatedaccordingto theirco|ora-
tion, and the physio|ogy of the man of |ight," that is, the
physio|ogyofthesubt|eorganswhosegrowthisnothingother
than the ontogenesis of the resurrection body." It is the
spiritua|hermeneuticsoftheho|yBookwhichgiveitstructure.
the spiritua| exegesis of the revea|ed text coincides with the
exadu ofthe manof|ight making hiswaystepbystep inward
toward thea/e, the p|ace of his origin. In other words, the
structure oftheseven esoteric meanings ofthe Qornexact|y
corresponds to the structure of a mystica| anthropo|ogy or
physio|ogy connectingseven subt|e organs or centers (/atqa) ,
eachofwhichistypifiedbyoneofthesevengreatprophets.
Having a|ready dea|t at some |ength e|sewhere with this
doctrineofSemnnI,wesha|| |imitourse|veshere to pointing
outitsessentia|features. ' Wesha||reca||on|ythattheshaykh
be|onged to a nob|e fami|y ofSemnn (a city sti|| f|ourishing
today, situated some 200 ki|ometers to the east of Teheran).
Bornin659 l 26l , heenteredtheserviceofArgun,theongo|
ru|er ofIran, as a page, a the age of fifteen, when he was
twenty-four, whi|e camping with Argun's army in front of
l 2 l
. hc 5cvcn Ir|hc|s ol Your Bcng
Qazwin, he underwent a profound spiritua| crisis, asked tobe
re|ievedofhisduties,and thereafter gave himse|fup onceand
fora||to Sufism. HehadhisKhnqh atSemnnitse|f,wherea
throngofdiscip|es came to him and where his memoryissti||
a|ive today, his sanctuary, a beautifu| Mongo| monument of
de|icateconstruction,wassti||extantunti|quiterecent|y.
ThattheQorn hasa spiritua| meaning, or rather severa|
spiritua| meanings, thateverythingexoterichasanesotericas-
pect, and thatthe mode ofbeingofthetrue be|ieverdepends
on his know|edge ofthese spiritua|meanings, was a|ready af-
firmed from theear|iestdaysof Is|am, itexpressesan essentia|
aspect ofSh'ism, from which Immo|ogy isinseparab|e, this
affirmation a|waysprovoked the disapprova|ofthe orthodox
Sunnite |itera|ists. It is founded amongst other things on the
hadith, orreported sayingofthe rophet himse|f. the Qorn
hasanexotericandanesotericmeaningan outerappearance,
a|itera|sense,andaninnerdepth,ahiddenorspiritua|sense.
Initsturn,thisesotericmeaningitse|fhasanesotericmeaning
thisdepth has adepth,in theimageoftheheaven|ySpheres
enfo|ded the one within the other, and so forth, up to the
sevenesotericmeaningssevendepthsofdepth . "
Thefoundation andpractice ofthese spiritua| or esoteric
hermeneuticsarenfactboundupwithametaphysicsof|ight,
whose principa| source is theshtaq ofSohravardI,and which
operatessimi|ar|yin thecaseofthe Ishrqiyun,theSufis,and
the Ismae|ians. In Semnni, the physio|ogy ofthe organs of
|ight, the mystica| anthropo|ogy, further accentuates the con-
nection. This phenomenon has its counterpart in Latin
Scho|asticism,whereinterestintreatisesonoptics,thetreatises
Deetsectiva, was fostered by the wish to a||y the science of
|ighttotheo|ogy,ust asitisa||ied here toQornichermeneu-
tics. The imp|ication ofthe |aws ofopticsin the study ofthe
scripturesinspired, forexamp|e,theexegesisofBartho|omew
fBo|ogna. Whi|e in optics seven other modes ofparticipa-
tion ofbodies in |ight are known, Bartho|omew finds seven
corresponding modes of participation of the ange|ic and
human inte||ects in the divine |ight. "' Asn a|acios had a|-
readynotedtheessentia|affinitybetweenthehermeneuticsof
theIs|amicEsoteristsandthatofRogerBacon. Inneithercase
is there anythingin the |east arbitrary in their procedure, a||
I 22
! . A |ooo|eh 8 emnn ( !J J )
they do, inshort,isto app|y the |awsofopticsand perspective
k ' ' L k
` `
to thespiritua|interpretationoftheho|yboo s. ewse,it
isthe app|icatioofthe|awsofperspectivethatmak

sitposs-
b|e to produce diagrams ofthe spiritua| wor|d (as wrth the s-
mae|ians or intheschoo|ofIbn'ArabI) . Anovera|| compara-
tiveresearch wou|d, ofcourse, haveto inc|ude heretheproce-
dures emp|oyed in the bib|ica| interpretations of Protestant
theosophists,suchasthoseoftheschoo|of )acobBoehme.
nfortunate|y, what Semnni was ab|e successfu||y to
achieve is on|y partia||yexpressed inwriting. HisTa[sit,' in-
troducedbya|ongpro|ogueinwhichheexpoundshismethod,
actua||yon|ybeginsfromsta^I . Theauthor'sintentionwasto
continuethe unfinishedTa[sit ofNamoddIn RzI. Hehimse|f
foresaw c|ear|ywhata co|ossa| undertakingitwou|dbe toac-
comp|ishtheproect-acomp|etespiritua|
.
interpetationorte
sevenesotericmeaningsoftheQorn. Hsreaderapprerates
themagnitudeofthetaskwhi|eobservinghowtheauthort

kes
care to bring out the seven meanings step by step, nt m a
theoretica|way,buta|waysconcernedtore|atethemtospiritua|
experience,thatis,toauthenticateeachmeaningbyre|atingitto
thetypeanddegreeofspiritua|experiencewhichcorresponds
to a |eve| ofthis or that depth (or height) . This degree itse|f
referstothesubt|eorganwhichisitsp|ace,"ustasitdoestothe
co|or ofthe |ight that hera|ds it, and is the evidence that the
hasarrivedatthisdegreeofvisionaryapperception.
.
The|awofcorrespondencesthatgovernsthesehermeneutrcs,
and whichis noneotherthanthe|awgoverninga||spiritua|in-
terpretation, canbestatedasfo||ows. thereisho

o|ogybetween
theeventstakingp|aceintheouterwor|dandthemnereventsof
the sou|, there is homo|ogybtween what SemnnIca||szaman
aai, the time of horizons" or horizonta| time," name|y, the
physica| time of historica| computation govened by
the movement of the visib|e stars, and the zamn an[osi, or
psychic time, the time of the wor|d of the sou| , of the
oe governing the inner Heavens. This is exact|y why each
outer factcan be |ed back" (the |itera| meaningofthe word
ta'wi/, used technica||y to describe spiritua| exegesis) to the
inner region" corresponding to it. That region isone of
.
the
series ofsubt|organsofmystica| physio|ogy, each ofwhch,
duetothehomo|ogyoftimes,isthetypificationofaprophetin
I 23
. hc 5cvcn Iro
|
hc|s ol Your Bcng
the human microcosm, whose image and ro|e it assumes. Fi-
na||y, each ofthese regions ororgans is marked by a co|ored
|ight which the mystic isab|e to visua|ize ina state ofcontem-
p|ation and to which hehasto |earn to b attentive because it
informshimastohisownspiritua|state.
The first ofthese subt|e organs (enve|opes or centers) is
ca||ed the subt|ebodi|yorgan (/atqa qa/a/ia qa/a/, |it. the
mo|d"). Un|ike the physica|humanbody, it isconstituted by
direct inf|uxemanatingfromthe Sphereofspheres,the Sou|
ofthewor|d,withoutpassingthroughtheotherSpheres,orof
the p|anets or ofthe E|ements. Itcannotbegin to be formed
unti| after the comp|etion of the physica| body. having the
form ofa body, but inthe subt|e state, itis, soto say, theem-
bryonicmo|dofthenewbody,theacquired"subt|ebodyjism
maktasa/) . This is why in mystica| physio|ogy it is symbo|ica||y
ca||edtheHdama[aut/eing.
The second organ ison the |eve|correspondingtothesou|
(/atqa na[sia) , not the one which is the seat ofspiritua| pro-
cesses, but ofthe vita|, organic processes, theanima sensi/i/i,
vita/is , and which consequent|y is the center of uncontro||ed
desiresandevi|passions,as such,itisca||edna[s ammta inthe
orn,anditsro|ewasdescribedtousinNamKobr'stri|ogy
(suta I V, 3) . Thismeansthatthe|eve|towhichitcorresponds
on the subt|e p|ane is the testing ground for the spiritua|
seeker, inconfrontinghis|owerse|f,heisinthesamesituation
as Noah facingthe hosti|ity ofhis peop|e. When he hasover-
comeit,thissubt|eorganisca||edthe aaba[aut/eing.
The third subt|e organ isthat ofthe heart (/atqaqa//ia) in
whichthe embryo ofmystica| progeny is formed,asa pear| is
formed in a she||. This pear| or offspring is none other than
thesubt|eorganwhichwi||be theTrueEgo,therea|,persona|
individua|ity (/atqa an'ia) . The a||usion to this spiritua| Ego,
who wi|| be the chi|d conceived in the mystic's heart, im-
mediate|y makes it c|ear to us why this subt|e center ofthe
heartistheH/tabama[aut/eing.
Thefourthsubt|e organisre|atedto thecenter technica||y
designated by the term sitt (/atqa sittia) , the secret" or
thresho|d ofsuperconsciousness. Itis the p|ace and organ of
intimate conversation, secret communication, confidentia|
psa|m"(mant) .itistheMasesa[aut/eing.
I 24
! . A|ooo|eh 8emnn| ( |6)
The fifth subt|e organ is the Spirit (tub, /atqa tuba) , be-
cause ofitsnob|erank, itisrightfu||ytheiineiceregent.itis
theDavida[aut/eing.
The sixth subt|e organ is re|ated to the center bes de-
scribed by the Latin term atcanum (kba[i, /atqa kba[ia) . He|p
andinspiration fromtheHo|yGhostarereceivedbymeansof
thisorgan, in the hierarchy ofspiritua| states it is the sign of
accesstothestateofna/i, prophet. Itistheesusa[aut/eing, it
is he who proc|aims the Name to a|| the other subt|e centers
andtothepeop|e"inthesefacu|ties,becauseheistheirHead
and the Naeheproc|aimsisthesea|ofyourbeing,ustasin
theorn( 3 6) it is said that)esus, as the prophetbefore the
|astofthe prophetsofourcyc|e,wasthe hera|doftbe mstta-
bet,i. e. , oftheadventoftherac|ete. '
The seventh and |ast subt|e organ is re|ated to the divine
centerofyourbeing, to theeterna|sea|ofyour person(/atqa
baqqia) . It is the Mab

mmad a[aut /eing. This subt|e divine

center concea|s the rare ohammadan pear|," thatis to say,
thesubt|eorganwhichistheTrueEgo,andwhoseembryobe-
ginstobeformedinthesubt|ecenteroftheheart,theH/tabam
a[aut/eing. Everypassageintheornwhichdeines the re-
|ationshipofohammad with Abrahamthenoffers usan ad-
mirab|e examp|e ofthe nward movementactua|ized by Sem-
nni's hermeneutics, the transition from horizonta| time" to
the timeofthe sou|. " Itendsbyactua|izing,in the person of
the human microcosm, the truth ofthe meaning according to
which the re|igionofohammadoriginates in the re|igion of
Abraam, forAbrahamwas neither)ew nor Christian, but a
pure be|iever(banq) , aMas/em ( 3. 60) ,"whichisto say that the
Abraham ofyour being" is |ed through the subt|e centers of
higher consciousness and ofthe atcanum (the oses and the
)esus of your being) unti| he reaches your true Ego, his
spiritua|progeny.
Thus thegrowthofthe subt|eorganism,thephysio|ogyof
the man of|ight, progresses through the seven/atqa, each of
whihisoneoftheseventabetqaut/eing. thecyc|eofbirth
and initiatic growth is homo|ogous to the cyc|e of prophecy
Themysticisawareofthisgrowththanksto theapperception
ofco|ored |ights which characterize each ofthe suprasensory
organsorcenters,totheobservationofwhichSemnnIgaveso
l 25
. hc 5cvcn Iro
|
hcts ol Your Bcng
much attention. These|igtsre t eouous vei|s enve|oping
each of the /atqa, their co|oriog rvea|s to the mystic which
stageofhisgrowthorourneyhehsreachedThestageofthe
subt|e
.
bodyatthe|eve|ofitsbirth,sti|veryc|osetothephysica|
orgasm (th Adam of your beiog) , is simp|y darkness, a
//ackness someti

es turning to smoke-grey, the stage of the

vta|sou|(Noah)b //ue inco|or,thatoftheheart(Abraham) is
e, that of the superconscious (Moses) is wbite , that of the
Spirit (David) is,e//aw, thatofthe arcanum esus) is/uminaus
//ack(asw

d., , th
.
isistheb|ack|ight,"the|uminousNight
aboutwhrchweweremformed byNamRzIaswe||as bythe
Rasec

+ M,ste and itscommentator|ast|ythestage of

the dvme center (Mohammad) is bri||iantee (the sp|endor
of the Emera|d Rock, suta I I I , l and IV, ) for the co|or
green i
.
s the most appropriate to the secret ofthe mystery of
Mystees(orthesuprasensoryunitinga||thesuprasensories) . "
We immediate|y notice three things firstofa|| thattheco|-
ored |ig|ts, in
.
Semnns account, differ in two ways from the
account m Nm Rzi's treatise (su V, 2) theirorderofse-
quenceisdiff

rentand
.
theirtermofreference. nfortunate|y,
we cannot go mto detar| here. Second, an exp|icitdistinction is
maoe between the darkness ofthe//ack tbing (the b|ack obect
whrch

bsorbstheco|ors,ho|dsthesparkof|ight"captive)and
the/umina

//ack, i.e., theb|ack|ight,|uminous Night,darkMid-

day,onwhrchaswehaveseen,Lh|idwe||sat|engthinhisCom-
mentaryonShabestarseGatden. Somewherebtweenthetwo
weg|impsedthesituationofthewor|dofco|orsinthepurestate
(suaV,l ) . Last|y,un|iketheauthorsustreca||ed,Semnnihasit
thatthfina|

ystica|stationismarked, notby/mck/igbt butby

greenght.Thrscor

pondsnod
.
oubttoadifferenceintheway
eachofthesedepthsb mner|yattamed,atiented.
The ru|e app|ying to this movement inward, the turning
awayfromthewor|dofhorizons"towardthewor|dofsou|s"
ispointedoutbySemnniasc|ear|yasonecou|dwish.
Lach timc youhcar in thcBook words addrcsscd toAdam
listcntoth
.
cmth

ough thcorganolthcsubtlcbody . . . . cditat-

on th

t w:th wh:ch thcy symbolizc, and bc vcry surc that thc

csotcncaspcct olthc passagc rclatcs to ou, ust as thc cxotcric
aspcct
.
rclatcs to Adam in that it conccrns thchon:on . . . . nly
thcn will youbcablc to apply thc tcachingolthc divinc Word to
I 2

A|ooo|eh 8emnn ( | 6)
yousclland to cull it as you would a branch dcn with |cshly
opcncdllowcrs.
Andhecontinuesinthesamestrain, fromprophettoprophet.
The app|ication ofthis ru|e governing the movement in-
wardwi||itse|fshowuswhyandhow,fromthepointofviewof
the Is|amic Sufi Semnni, to pass through the //ack /igbt
typifiedby the )esus ofyour being" is the sign ofa decisive,
nottosaydramaticstep,butisnottheu|timatestageofgrowth.
The comp|ete fu|fi||mentofpersona| initiationcomesto pass
on|y when there is access to the seventh mtqa, the one en-
ve|opedinthemostbeautifu|co|orofa||"mera|dsp|endor.
In fact,Semnniviewsthe|eve|ofthesubt|eorgantypifiedas
theesusofyourbeing"asbingexact|ytheperi|ousdistract-
ing stage whereat Christians in genera| and certain Sufis in
Is|am have been mis|ed. Itis worth our whi|e to |isten atten-
tive|ytothiseva|uationofChristianityasformu|atedbyaSufi,
foritdifersprofound|yfromthepo|eicsutteredbytheoffi-
ca| heresy-huntingapo|ogists who denyva|idity to a|| mystica|
fee|ing.Semnni'scritiqueismadeinthenaeofspiritua|ex-
perience, everything takes p|ace as though this Sufi Master's
aimweretoperfecttheChristianta'wi/,thatis,to|eaditback,"
toopenthewayat|asttoitsu|timatetruth.
Byastrikingcomparison,Semnniestab|ishesaconnection
betweenthetrapintowhichteChristiandogmaoftheI ncar-
nationfa||sby proc|aimingthebamaauia andbyafirmingthat
's ibn Maryam isGod, and he mystica| intoxication inwhich
suchasHa||cryout. I amGod"(Hn/-Haqq) . Thesedangers
are symmetrica|. On the one hand the Sufi, on experiencing
theab, mistakesitfortheactua|andmateria|reabsorp-
tionofhumanrea|ityinthe godhead, ontheother, theChris-
tianseesa anofGodintohuman rea|ity.'ThisiswhySem-
nniperceives on the one side and the other the same immi-
nentthreatofanirregu|arityinthedeve|opmentofconscious-
ness.TheSufiwou|dneedanexperiencedshaykhtohe|phim
avoidtheabyssandto|eadhimtothedegreethatisintruththe
divinecenterofhisbeing,the/atqa baqqia,wherehis higher,
spiritua| Ego opens. Ifnot, the spiritua| energy beingwho||y
concentratedonthisopening,itcanhappenthatthe|owerego
is |eft a prey to extravagant thoughts and de|iri um. The
l 27
. hc 5cvcn Iro
|
hc|s ol Your Bcng
sca|es" (suta IV, I 0) are then comp|ete|y unba|anced, in a
fata| moment of |ooking back, the newborn higher Ego suc-
cumbstowhathadbeenovercomeandpersesinthemoment
oftriumph. Andthisisust astrue inthemora|domainas in
respecttothemetaphysica|perceptionofthedivineandofbe-
ing. It is a premature rupture of the process of growth, a
fai|ed initiation. " One cou|d say that the morta| dnger de-
scribedbySemnnionbothsidesistheverysamesituationwith
which the West came face to face when Nietzsche cried out.
Godisdead."
Thisthenistheperi|whichconfrontstheSpiritua|seekerin
the mystica| station ofthe //ack /igbt or /uminaus datkness. To
sumupbrief|y Semnnisconc|usion(Cammenta tasta I I2) ,
one cou|d put i t as fo||ows. i fboth Sufi and Christian are
menacedbythesamedanger, itisbecause thereisareve|ation
and an opening up ofthe Ego corresponding to each ofthe
/atqa.Thedangerinthiscasecorrespondstothemomentwhe
the Egomakesits appearance (taa//i) on the |eve| ofthe at-
canum (whoseco|orisb|ack|ightandwhoseprophetis)esus) . f
in the course ofspiritua| growth intoxication" has not been
comp|ete|ye|iminated,thatis,thesubconsciousa||urementsof
the|eve|ofthetwofirst/atqa,thena|owermodeofperception
continues to function and Abraham's ourney may remain
foreverunfinished.Thisiswhythemysteryofthetheophany,
the manifestationofthe Ho|y Ghostinthevisib|e forofthe
Ange| Gabrie| appearing in Maryam, his breathing into"
Maryambywhich)esusismadeRbH//ab (SititusDei)~aof
this-wasnotperceivedbytheChristiansintheirdogmaofthe
ncarnation on the |eve| oftheatcanum (/atqa kbaa) . They
sawitonthe|eve|ofdatabe|ongingsti||tothe|eve|ofthefirst
twomtqa. Their dogma wou|d have the birth ofthe one God
take p|ace materia||y on earth, " whereas the )esus ofyour
being''isthemysteryofthespiritua|birth.i. e. , oftheassump-
tion to Heaven. They saw the eventin thezamn [qi, not in
thezamn as, that is, onthesuprasensory p|anewhere the
rea|eventtakesp|acewhich istheadventofthe Sou| into the
wor|doftheSou|.TheSufi|ikewise,onthesame|eve|,deviates
from the metaphysica| poverty, mystica| nakedness, which as
we have seen (suta V, 3), is the secret ofthe b|ack |ight. He
shoutsHna/-Haqq (I am God) instead of saying, as Ibn 'Arabi
I 28
} ! . A/ooo/eh 8emnn ( |6)
remindshim,Hnsitta/-Haqq Iam God'ssecret thesecret
thatis, whichconditionsthepo|arityofthe twface the face
of|ightand thefaceofdarkness,becausethe divineeingcan
notexistwithoutme,norIexistwithoutHim.
Thesymmetryofthedangersisref|ected inacorrespond-
ing symmetry ofspiritua| therapeutics. The mystic has to be
carriedaway"to the higherspiritua|Abode(topass from the
b|ack Lighttothe green |ight), so hat the nature ofhis True
Egomayberevea|edtohim,notasanegowiththegodeadas
its predicate, so to say, but s being the organ and p|ace of
theophany, this means that he wi|| have become fit to be in-
vested in his |ight, to be the perfect mittat, the organ ofthe
theophany. This isthestateofthe friend ofGod," ofwhom
the divine eing can say, according to the inspiredbaditb, so
oft-repeadbytheSufis. I amtheeyethroughwhichhesees,
theearthroughwhichhehears,thehandywhchhetouches
. . . " Thisdivinesayingcorrespondstothemystics.IamGod's
secret."Semnnfindshisinspirationregardingthesespiritua|
therapeuticsinaversewhichhegreat|yva|uesandinwhichthe
essenceofQornicChristo|ogyisexpressed. Theydidnotki||
him, they did not crucify him, they were taken in by the ap-
pearance, Godcarriedhimofftowardhimse|f(4I 56), "i.e. , he
carried himoffa|ivefromdeath. On|yanauthenticspiritua|
rea|ism," suprasensory rea|ism, can penetrate the arcanum of
this verse. Itdemands aa/at orientation rising above the di-
mensionwhich istheon|ythingab|e to ho|dusback from the
rea|ity oftheevent , name|y, the horizonta|" dimensionofhis-
tory.Onthecontrary, whattheSufiisseekingisnotata|| wha
wehypothetica||yca||thesenseofhistory,"buttheinnersense
ofhis being and ofevery being, not the materia| rea|ity the
datum ofearth|y history-making (in thezamn qi) , but the
eventinHeaven"whicha|onecansaveearth|yman and bring
himhome."
Thatbeingso,whenyou|istentosomeofGodssayingsto
hisfriend the Prophet,or a||usionsto them,|istentothem,see
themthrough the subt|eorganwhich isthedivine in you, the
Mabammad a[ aut /eing" (/atqa baqqia) . The formation of
heaven|y man is comp|eted in that subt|e center. It is in that
veryp|acethatthesubt|ebodygrowstoitsfu||stature,thebody
acuired"bythemyscsspiritua|practiceandwhichcontains
I 29
. hc 5cvcn |ro
|
hc|s ol Your Bcn
g
thccsscntia|hcart," thcspiritua|hi|dofthc3/ra/amajaur
/cing, ' thc onc bci ng who i a pab|c of assumi ng thc
thcophanic function ofpurc mirror (spccu|arity," mir'ia) . '
Thc conncction bctwccn spiritua| hcrmcncutics and mystica|
physio|ogy isfu|yrcvca|cdThc undcrstanding ofthc hiddcn
mcaningsand thcgrowthofthcsubt|corganism hiddcninthc
human bcing dcvc|op concurrcnt|y-thc growth from pro-
phctto prophct" cu|minatinginthc fu|| prophctic staturc. A||
thc factors in ScmnnIs thcosophica| cosmo|ogy havc to bc
takcn into account hcrc. As thc hiddcn mcanings gradua||y
comctobc undcrstood, thcorgansofthcsubt|cphysio|ogyrc-
ccivc cncrgics fromunivcrscs prcccdingthc scnsory univcrsc,
thcscunitcwiththcorgansofthcbodyofimmorta|ity"which
arc at thc corc of thc mystics pcrson much bcttcr than thc
starsofhisfatc,"sinccthcyarcthcprophctsofhisbcing."
At this mystica| stagc, havingrcachcd his pcrfcct spiritua|
statrc,thcmysticno|ongcrnccdstomcditatconthcu|timatc
latqa, sincc from thcn on hc thcMohammad ofhisbcing.
Atthisvcry pointwc sccthcfu||mcaning,inScmnnI,ofthc
thcophanicfigurcwchavccomctorccognizcundcrmanyand
variousnamcs,whichScmnnIforhispartca||sthcastdg/a/i,
thc suprascnsory mastcr or pcrsona| guidc. This figurc is
c|car|y thc s/ak/ al-g/a/ , thc Guidc, thc witncssin Hcavcn"
ofwhomNamKobr'svisionsinformcdusScmnnIdi scrcct|y
suggcstsitsfurthcrro|candfunction.
ust as thc physical scnsc olhcaringjhcwritcs is a ncccssary
condition ilthc hcarcr isto undcrstand thc cxotcric mcaning ol
thcQorn andrcccivcthcto[alr lrom hs outcr,visib|cmastcr(oa-
tdJ ahohoJ) , so thcintcgrityolthchcart, ol thc inncrhcaringisa
ncccssary condition ilthc inspircdSpiritua|scckcr(molhom) is to
undcrstand thc csotcric mcaning ol thc Qorn and rcccivc thc
to'ul olhisinncrsuprascnsorymastcr(oatdJ gho0).
This passagc, so admirab|y condcnscd and a||usivc, thus
makcs itc|car that thc inspircd mystic's rc|ationship with his
asmd g/a/i isthcsamcas Mohammad'src|ationship with thc
Ho|yGhostwhichwashisinscparab|ccompanion,ustasitwas
for)csus. Thisiswhythcsuprcmc/atq aofthcsubt|corganism
isa|so rc|atcd to thcLotusofthc Limit,"thcp|accwhcrc thc
Prophct saw thc angc| Gabric| standing in radisc (53. I 4) ,
anda|sowhythcprc-cmincnccofhcco|orgrccn,hcra|dingthc
I 30
2. 1he nor/ o 6o/ors oo the Moo ) tg//
highcstmystica| station, issupportcd byan a||usio to | hc ra[-
ra[, thcgrccn drapcrysccnbythcProphctcovcri t hchorio
ofthc Hcavcns,atthcmomcntofhisfirstvisionofthc Angc|.
And it is immcdiatc|y c|car a|sowhy thclatqa or subt|c organ
known as thc Mohammad of your bcing shou|d, from
anothcraspcct,bc dcscribcd as thclatqaa/ra'clia, thc angc|
Gabric|ofyourbcing."Hcrcthclatqaa/ra'clia is,forthcmys
tic,rc|atcd with thcAngc| ofRcvc|ationustas Pcrfcct Naturc
is rc|atcd with thc Angc| of Humanity in SohravardI's hcr-
mcncutics(supra II, I ) . Itcana|sobc undcrstood whysomany
Sufis,from)a||RumItoMIrDmd,havcsccnthcannuncia-
tionofthc Ho|yGhostGabric|to Maryaminthcirmcditations
asanannunciationtocvcrymysticsou|.Butonccangofurthcr
a|so and conc|udc thatthcthcophanic figurc ofthc Angc| of
Rcvc|ation in prophcto|ogy,thcAngc|ofknow|cdgc inthco-
ricnta| thcosophy" of thc ls/rqn, is hcrc thc Angc| of
spiritua|cxcgcsis,thatistosay,thconcwhorcvca|sthchiddcn
mcaningofprcviousrcvc|ations, providcdthatthcmysticpos
scsscsthccarofthchcart,cc|cstia|"hcaring(malakti) .To this
cxtcntthcAngc|hasthcsamcspiritua|functionasthcImmin
ShI'ism, thcwam at ofthc Imm as thc donor ofthc hiddcn
mcaning, and it wou|d sccm that ShI'itc Sufism a|onc makcs
thcidcaofthcwalatc|carfroma||sidcs.Butonccansaythat
ScmnnI's spiritua| doctrinc and mcthod comcs in thc cnd to
thc radica| inncrrca|ization both ofprophcto|ogy and ofIm-
mo|ogy. Andthisa|onciswhatmakcsa Mohammadan. "
Hcwhohasbccomcconsciousolthislotgo, whohasrcachcd
itbyourncying, stcpystcp,bywingcdl|ightorccstasy,whohas
a||owcd thc powcrs ola|| his subt|c organs to opcn in lrccdom
lrom thc taint oli||usionand rc|ativity, whohasa||owcd thcmto
bc dcmonstratcd as thcy shou|d bc dcmonstratcd in thc purc
statc, hc it is indccd who can tru|y bc ca||cd a Mohammadan.
thcrwisc, makcnomistakc,donotbc|icvcthatthclactoluttcr-
ingthc words 'l allirm that Mohammad is Cods Mcsscngcr is
cnoughtomakcyouaMohammadan.

1he nor/ o 6o/ors oo the Moo o Light

Thc prcccding ana|yscs havc rcpcatcd|y shown us that thcrc
wasan affinity, somctimcssubt|c, somctimcscxp|icit, bctwccn
Sufi sm a nd Mani chci sm rcvca|cd in thci r physi cs and
I 3I
. hc 5cvcn Iro
|
hcts ol Your Bcng
metaphysics of|ight. It wou|d b a fascinating task to pursue
thetracesofthisaffinityiniconography, morefascinatingsti||
ifwe notice the cross-references between Sufism and Chri-
tianity,whichwecaneasi|yforeseeare|eadingustowardChris-
tianrepresentationsnota|togetherthoseofofficia|andhistori-
ca|Christianity. Semnnsindicationswou|da|readysufficeto
put us on the track. The centra| truth ofChristianity may be
conceivedintermsofhypostaticunionofdivinityand human-
ity, itmaybethoughtoutinterms oftheophany(taa//i) . The
firstwaywasthatofthe GreatChurch, weneedhard|y reca||
how this appeared in theudgment of the who|e of Is|amic
theo|ogy. Thesecondwaywas fo||owed bythosewhorefused
theimp|iedcontradiction,whethertheyhappenedtobea|en-
tiniansorManicheans,anApo||inariousofLaodiceaor,among
the ProtestantSpiritua|s,aSchwenckfe|doraa|entin-Weige|.
Thi s does not in the |east mean that they deve|oped a
mytho|ogica| Christo|ogy, they affirmed the idea of a cato
Cbtitisitua/is .
I fwewishtounderstandtheimportofthecriticismsvoiced
by a Sufi |ike Semnn, as we|| as the profound intentions of
Shi'ite I mmo|ogy, thiswayofrepresentingitiswhatwehave
to keep in mind, for itimp|iesgreatconsequencesfor the sci-
enceofre|igionsin genera|. Thisspiritua|izedrea|ism" hasat
itsdisposa|thewho|esubstanceoftheheaven|yEarthofHr-
qa|y" forgiving /od to the psycho-spiritua| and to spiritua|
events.WehaveseenSemnnirevea|thedangerexact|ycorre-
spondingto thatwhich threatens Sufism. no|onger indeed a
an//b, butonthecontrarya[an, ofthe divineinhuman
rea|ity. IfSemnnhaused a modernman's termino|ogy, he
wou|d have spoken of historicization, secu|arization, socia|-
ization-notasofphenomenatakingp|aceamongothersinthe
zamn[qi, thehorizonta|time"ofmateria|historicity,butas
of the phenomenon itse|f of the fa|| of the zamn an[osi, a
psycho-spiritua|time,intothezamn[qi. In otherwords,fa|
|ingfromeventswhichatem bythehistoryoftesou|toahistory
whihismadebyouterevents. Thefirstareinnowaymytho|ogy,
andtheiconographythatrepresentstheminnowayconsistsof
a||egories.But,ofcourse,intentionsandproceduresdifferpro-
found|yaccordingto theoneor theothercategoryofevents.
A|readyonecangetanideaofthecontrastbyreferringonthe
l 32
2. 1he nor/ o6o/ors on the Mon o Light
one handto theiconographyoftheCbtistuuvenis ofthevery
first centuries of Christianity (a few types were mentioned
above, I I , 2) and on the other hand, either, in the Eastern
Church,totheiconographyoftheantoktatotendowedwitha||
the attributes of maturity and viri|ity,' or, in the Western
Church,totheiconographyofthesufferingandcrucifiedesus.
Whatthe|attertrans|atesisthetendencytoattributetothe
divinethehuman rea|ityofeveryday|ife, eventoitsconfusions
andmiseries. theideathatGodcou|don|ysavemanbybecom-
ingmaninthissense. Incontrast,whatthefirsttrans|atesisthe
ideathatGodcanon|ycomeincontactwithhumanitybytrans-
figuring the |atter, that te sa|vation of man imprisoned in
AhrimanianDarknesscanbenothingotherthananassumption
toHeaven,operatedbythea||-powerfu|attractionofthedivine
Light, without the|atterhavingto norbeingab|e to be made
captive,forthenthepossibi|ityofsa|vationwou|dbeabo|ished.
The preparation and expectation ofthis triumph are exact|y
what fi|| the acts ofthe Manichean dramaturgy ofsa|vation.
Thissoterio|ogy, the|iberationoftheprtic|esof|ight"taken
up from their prison and at|ast reoiningtheir|ike, isexact|y
that of a Sohravardi and of a Semnni. Hence thei r
metaphysicsof|ightsurroundingtheirphysio|ogyofthe man
of|ight,itse|fcenteredaroundthepresenceortheattractionof
a Perfect Nature or ofa witness in Heaven," who is for the
indvidua|ityofthemysticthehomo|ogueoftheheaven|yTwin
ofMni,thatisto say, Christorthe irginof|ight.Thisreturn
of|ight to |ight" as a suprasensory event is what Manichean
paintingintended to make avai|ab|e to sensory perception. I f
iconographyrevea|sanaffinitybetweenitsmethodsandthose
of Perian miniatures, this wi|| show us another affinity in
depth.
Andsothisdeepaffinity,discernib|eintheaffinitybetween
thetechnica|processesfManichean iconographyandPersian
miniatures, is the very one which operate in the eighth and
ninth centuries ofour era, ithin the spiritua| circ|es where
Shiitegnosis wasformed. '

Thevery same ideawhichdomi-

natesShi'itephi|osophy,thatofthe Imm and ofImmo|ogy,
determinesastructuretowhichthreefundamenta|themesare
avai|ab|e,inwhichtheaffinitybetweenShi'itegnosisandMan
icheangnosisisdiscovered. Ofthesethreethemes, the theme
l 33
\ . hc 5cvcn Iro
|
hcts ol Your Bcng
of the wa/at is perhaps dominant, because it crysta||izes
arounditthethemeofthecyc|esofProphecyandthethemeof
thespiritua|sciencesofnature,a|chemy,andastro|ogy, which
arethebases ofManicheancosmo|ogyandio|ogy.
The theme of the wa/at has a|ready come up here,
whetheraproposofthevisionofthesevena/d/,thesevenstars
near the a/e, according to Ruzbehn, or apropos of the
esoterichierarchy,organizedintheimageofthece|estia|dome
whose keystone is thea/e (the hidden I mm) and which fi||s
thefunctionofcosmicsa|vation(suta I I I , 2 and 3). esawit
appearagain,afewpagesago,aproposoftheideaoftheinner
master,astdgba/i, theange|Gabrie|ofyourbeing,who,in
his ro|e ofinitiator in thehiddenmeaningofthe reve|ations,
appeared in Semnni as the inner Imm and besides as an
interiorizationofImmo|ogy.ehavea|readypointedoutthe
difficu|tyoftrans|atingsimu|taneous|ytheaspectsconnotedby
the term. the difficu|ty is due no doubt to the fact that the
imp|iedstructurehasnothingexact|ycorrespondingtoitinthe
est, except among the Spiritua|s incidenta||y referred to
above. This re|igious structure isquite different from a|| that
we habitua||y designate by the word Church, it provides in
eachoftecyc|es ofProphecy (na/awwat) , acyc|eofInitiation
(wa/at) to the hidden meaning ofthe revea|ed |etter. Shi'ite
gnosis,asaninitiaticre|igion,isaninitiationinadoctrine. This
is why it is particu|ar|y unsatisfactory to trans|ate, as isoften
done, wa/at as ho|iness. hat this term connotes, name|y
thecanonicideaofho|iness,isveryfarfromthepoint.a/at
as an initiation and as an initiatic function, is the spiritua|
ministry ofthe Imm whose charisma initiates his faithfu| in
the esotericmeaningofthe prophetic reve|ations. Better sti||,
the Immate i this very meaning. The Imm as wa/i is the
grand master, the master of initiation (thus transposed to
another|eve|,the twofo|d exotericacceptationofthewordwa/i
can beconserved on the one hand,friend,companion, on the
other,|ord,protector) .
The second theme, that ofthe cyc|es ofReve|ation, is im-
p|ied in theveryidea ofthewa/at. Thewam at postu|ates in
fact, as we haveustsaid, a theory ofthe cyc|es ofProphecy.
propheto|ogyand Immo|ogyaretwoinseparab|e|ights.Now,
this theoryofcyc|esofReve|ation,a|thoughinIsmae|iangnosis
I 34
}2. 1/e nor/ o 6o/ors on the M on o Light
it hasfeaturesremindingofthethemeofthe|etusFtabeta in
EbioniteChristianity, iswe|| known to be a Manicheantheory.
On the other hand, the physio|ogy ofthe man of|ight, the
growth ofsubt|e organs, is mode||ed in Semnni, as we have
seen,onthissametheoryofcyc|esofProphecy.Thesubt|eor-
gans are respective|y the prophets of your being. their
growth into a body of resurrection, in striking corre-
spondence with the cyc|e ofresurrections oftheadeptin Is-
|amic gnosis, is the microcosmic ctua|ization and the know|-
edgeofthecyc|esofProphecy.
Fina||y, as the third theme, a|chemy and astro|ogy, as the
spiritua| sciencesofnature, are fundamenta|totheManichean
soterio|ogy of |ight, we have a|so heard Nam Kobrca|| the
seekerthe partic|e of|ight imprisonedin Darkness,andde-
c|arethathisownmethodwasnoneotherthanthatofa|chemy.
This a|chemica| operation is what produces the aptitude for
visionaryapperceptionofthesuprasensorywor|ds, thesebeing
manifestedbythefiguresandconste||ationswhichshineinthe
Skiesofthesou|, theSkyoftheEarthofLight.Thesespiritua|
conste||ations are the homo|ogues of those interpreted in
esoteric astronomy (suta I I I , 3), thus exemp|ifying on both
sidesoneandthesamefiguredominatingtheImagamundi . the
Immwhoisthea/e,ustasintermsofspiritua|a|chemyheis
theStoneortheE|ixir.
Thesearethethreethemesconstructedonpara||e||inesin
Manicheangnosisandin ShI'itegnosis,whichampifyandex-
p|icate the fundamenta|motifofthetbeaban, whose presup-
positionsandimp|icationshavebeenreca||edabove. Now,this
theophanic fee|ing common to Shi'ism and to Sufism (and
whichtriumphs particu|ar|y in Shite Sufism), determines the
Sh'ite apperception of the person ofthe Imm, as it deter-
mines the apperception ofbeauty in those ofthe Sufis, disc-
p|esofRzbehnofShIrzforexamp|e,towhominparticu|ar
we have restricted the designation fede|i d'amore. Con-
sequent|y we have to appea| to this same fundamenta|
theophanic fee|ing in order toaccount for common pictoria|
techniquesiniconography.ThepersonoftheImm (thatisto
say,theeterna|Imminhistwe|vepersona|exemp|ificationsin
the case of Twe|ve-Imm ShI'ism) is the preeminent the-
opanicformmazbar) . Thepersonofthesbbid, thebeautifu|
I 35
. hc 5cvcn Iro
|
hcts ol Your Bcng
being chosen as the witness of contemp|ation, is for the
fede|e" his persona| theophanic form, in the course ofthis
study we have identified this figure under diverse names.
Thereissomethingincommonbetweenthechiva|ricdevotion
that binds the Shi'ite adept to the theophanic person of the
Imm andthe |ovingservice thatbinds the mystic|overtothe
earth| y form through whi ch the pre-emi nnt di vi ne
Attribute-beauty~isrevea|edtohim.Thehistorica|originsof
this mutua| inc|ination wi|| perhaps never be definitive|y
c|arified, itisestab|ishedatthetimeandinthespiritua|circ|es
that we have reca||ed above. What ho|ds the attention ofthe
phenomeno|ogist is the testimony of states experienced, the
Manichean fee|ing ofthe drama ofthe universe was particu-
|ar|y fitted to deve|op the fee|ing of a persona| covenant of
fide|ity, the who|e ethicofShi'ism and Iranian Sufism cu|mi-
nates in the idea ofavnmard, that is to say of spiritua|
chiva|ry."
romhereon,itbecomespossib|etofu||yeva|uatethetes-
timony that we owe to a writer ofthe e|eventh century, Ab
Shakr S|imi, a writer who describes for us how the Mani-
cheansofCentra|Asiaweremarkedbyaformofworshipwhich
was the passionate adoration they professed in regard to
beauty and a|| beautifu| beings. In our day obections have
been raised to this testimony which cance| themse|ves out by
thefactthatthey show pure|yandsimp|yaconfusionbetween
the imp|ications of the Manichean physics of |ight and with
whatwe habitua||y thinkofin the Westin terms ofhypostatic
union. Hencethewarningthatwerepeatedatthebeginningof
thepresentchapterthepurephi|o|ogisthadbetterkeepoutof
the c|osed fie|d of phi|osophy than enter it with i||-adapted
weapons. '
I fone thinks in termsoftheophany (taa//i, zabr), not i n
termsofhypostatic union,onei sspeakingon|yofacorporea|
receptac|e(mazbar) , whichfi||sthero|eandfunctionofamirrar
This receptac|e, cara sitit/is , can be perceived in various
ways, thea|chemy ofwhich Nam Kobrspeaks producesthe
aptitude for this perceptionby workingontheorgansofper-
ceptionofthecontemp|ator(forwhichand throughwhich, as
wehaveheardNamRzidec|are,eventsareatthe same time
sensoryandsuprasensory) . Thisiswhywehavebeenreminded
I 3
2. 1oe nor| o 6o/ors oo toe Moo o Ligot
many timesthat thevisionvariesinproportiontotheaptitude.
yourcontemp|ation isworth what youare. And sothe Ismae-
|ian authos, Ab Ya'qbSeestni among others, |ay stress, as
though to foresta|| the abovementioned i||-founded obec-
tions, on the fact thatbeautyisnotan attribute immanent in
physica| nature, nora materia|attributeofthe f|esh, physica|
beautyisitse|faspiritua|attributeandaspiritua|phenomenon.
Itcanbe perceivedon|ybytheorganof|ight, perceptionofit
effects,as such, from now onthe passage fromthe sensoryto
the suprasensory p|ane Perhaps Ab Shakr's description
exaggeratesindetai|someofthefeaturescommontotheMan-
icheans and the Ha||ian Sufis, but, as L. Massignon wrote,
his description summarizes the essentia| character of that
pecu|iardeve|opmentofcrysta||ineaestheticsentimenta|ity,as
transparent as a rainbow, which Is|amderived from a rather
dramatic Manichaean concept, that of the imprisonment of
partic|esofthedivine|ightinthedemoniacmatrixofmatter."
Here we have the fundamenta| esthetic fee|ing, persising
in a variety of deve|opments, which is here expressed by a
common pictoria| technique. Mni has been traditioa||y re-
garded in Ism as the initiator ofpainting and the greatest
master of that art (in c|assica| Persian, the terms nagretn,
nagr-kbneb,areusedassignifyingthehouseofMni"todes-
ignate a a||ery of paintings, a book of painted pictures) .
Everyoneknowsthatthepurposeofhispaintingwasessentia||y
didactic, it was intended to|ead visionbeyondthe sensory to
incite|oveandadmirationoftheSonsofLight,"horrorofthe
Sons ofDarkness. " The |iturgica| i||umination so high|y de-
ve|oped by the Manicheans was, essentia||y, ascenographyof
the|iberation ofthe|ight."Withthisaim in view, the Manic-
heanswere|edto represent |ightin theirminiaturesby preci-
ous meta|s. If we associate the persistence ofthe Manichean
techniqueanditsdecoratvethemeswiththeresurgenceofthe
Manichean physics of |ight in the orienta| theosophy" of
Sohravardi, and above a|| in certain psa|ms composed by
him,'

then wewi||be the better ab|e to keep in mind |onger

a||thatissti||beingsuggestedbythese|inesofL Massignon.
Thc art olcrsianminiaturcs,withoutatmosphcrc,without
pcrspcctivc, without shadows, and without modcl|ing, in thc
ctallicsplcndourolitspolychromy, pcculiartoitscll, bcarsit-
I 37
. hc 5cvcn Iro
|
hcts ol Your Bcng
ncss to thc lact thatits originators wcrc undcrtaking a kind ol
alchcmicsublimationolthcparticlcsoldivinclightimprisoncdin
thcmass olthcpicturc. Prccious mctals, gold andsilvcr, comc
to thc surlacc olthc lringcs and crowns, olthc ollcrings and
cups,tocscapclromthcmatrixolthccolours.
Escape, ascent andde|iverance. this is a|sowhat visionsof
co|ored |ights hera|ded for Nam Kobr, co|ors in the pure
state, suprasensory, freed rom the Ahrimanian darkness of
the//ack a/ect whichhad absorbedthem,and restored,ustas
they were opened up to the divine Night a the approach to
thepo|e,"intheTea/ucida whichsecretesitsown|ight"(suta
I I I , I ) . In this pure |uminescence we recognize one Iranian
representationabovea||others. theXvaab, the|ight-ofg|ory
which, from their first beginning, the beams of|ight estab|ish
in their being, ofwhich it is at once the g|ory ({o) and the
destiny () (supra I I , 3) . This iswhat in iconography has
been represented as the |uminous nimbus, the auta g/atiae
whichha|oesthekingsand priestsofthe Mazdeanre|igion,this
way ofrepresentingit has been transferred to the figures of
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as a|so the heaven|y figures of
primitive Christian art. It is the Xvatnab that forms the
vermi||ion-go|dbackground ofmany Manichean paintings of
Turfanand ofthepaintingsincertain Persianmanuscriptsof
theschoo|ofShIrz,surviva|softhece|ebratedmura|paintings
oftheSassanids.
Letusmakenomistakeastothemeaningofthesered-go|d
backgroundco|ors,whenwefindthemagaininthego|dback-
ground of the Byzantine icons and mosaics. Whether it is a
questionofthenimbusofpersonagesorofthevisionarygeog-
raphy of what has been ca||ed xvaab |andscapes" (Strzy-
gowski) ,itremainsa|waysaquestionofthesametransfiguring
|ight. |ights returning to their origin or |ights desced-
ing to meet them as far as the surface ofthe obects out of
whichtheyattractthem.Thereisneithercontrastnorrupture
intheidea, on|ythe pro|ongation andpersistenceofone and
thesameidea. orinthewho|eofEasternChristianitythereis
a|ways a |atent monophysitism in which |ies the same and im-
perative desire for transfiguration, cata situa/is Cbtisti, of
whichthe an //b ofSufismisperhapsatoncetheprevision-
ingortheaccomp|ishment. orcontrastandrupture,wehave
I 38
J. 1he Physio/ogica/ 6o/ors Accoriog to 6oethe
to |ook e|sewhere. there where the Shadow and te shadows
havedefinitive|ybanishedthis|ightfromiconography.
J. 1he Physio/ogico/ 6o/ors Accoriog to 6oethe
Wesha||notattempttorecapitu|atethe|eadingthemesofthe
present study, ourconcernis not to come toconc|usions, the
aim of true research is to open the way to new questions
Among the questions which remain to be formu|ated or de-
ve|oped, there is one that at this very moment spontaneous|y
arises.Whatwehaveana|yzedreferringtovisionaryappercep-
tions, suprasensory senses, subt|e organs or centers that de-
ve|op in conunction with a growing interiorization-in brief,
a|| the themes constituting a physio|ogy of the man of
Light-have shown us that the co|ored photisms, the supra-
sensory perceptions ofco|ors in the pure state, resu|t froman
inner activity of the subect and are not mere|y the resu|t of
passive|yreceivedimpressionsofamateria|obect.Whoeveris
ami|iar with or in sympathy with Goethe's Fat/en/ebte (his
tbeaorratherhisdacttinea[ca/ats)inevitab|ywonderswhether
thereisnotafruitfu|comparisontobeattemptedbetweenour
physio|ogy of the man of |ight and Goethe's idea of
physio|ogica|co|ors."
Let us keep in mind some of Nam Kobr's principa|
themes,forexamp|ethattheobectofthesearch istedivine
Lightandtheseekerishimse|fapartic|eofthis|ight, thatour
method isthe method ofa|chemy, that|ike aspirestoits|ike,
that |ike can b seen and known on|y by its |ike. It certain|y
seems then that Goethe had himse|fmapped out theway for
anyone wishing to respond to the Iranian Sufi's invitation to
penetratetothe heartoftherob|em.
Thccycjwritcs Cocthc], owcsitscxistcncctolight.Froman
auxiliary, scnsory apparatus,animalandncutral,lighthascallcd
lorth, produccdloritscll, anorgan likc untoitscll thusthccyc
waslormcd by light, ollightand lorlight, sothatthc innr light
mightcomc incontactwith thcoutcrlight. Atthisvcry pointwc
arcrcmindcdolthcancicntlonianhool,whichncvcrccascdto
rcpcat,givingitcapitalimportancc,thatlikcisonly knownbylikc.
Andthuswc shallrcmcmbcralsothcwordsolanancicntmystic
(hatl would paraphrasc as lollows.
I 39
. hc 5cvcn Iro|
hcts ol Your Bcng
lthccycwcrcnotbynatrc solar,
Howshouldwcbcablctolookatthclight?
!lCodsownpowcrdidnotlivcinus,
Howwouldthcdivincbcablctocarryusolli nccstasy
One can|eave itothe IranianSufis whohavebeenquoted
here to make for themse|ves the spontaneous association of
theirtestimonywiththatoftheanonymousmysticofo|dwhom
Goetheca||saswitness.Theideaofaphysio|ogyofthemanof
|ight,"asout|inedinNamKobrstheoryofthesuprasensory
senses and Semnn's theory of subt|e organs enve|oped in
co|or, |inks up with Goethe's vast scheme, where the author
assigns priority to the physio|ogica| co|ors" in heading his
greatwork and, nits amp|ification, even treatsexp|icit|ythe
mystic significance ofco|ors and ofthe experience ofco|ors.
Thepointisthatthetermphysio|ogy"inowayrefershereto
some kind of materia| organi sm, but to something that
rationa|istsciencetriestodowithoutinacceptingnothingapart
from sensory, empirica| dataexceptabstractideasavai|ab|e to
the ordinary mind. Goethe |ikewise begins by reminding us
that the phenomenon he designates as the phenomenon of
physio|ogica| co|ors" has ben known for a very |ong time,
unfortunate|y, due to the radica| |ack of an apprriate
phenomeno|ogy,ithasbeenneithecomprehensib|enorgiven
its proper va|ue, there hasbeen discussionofca/ates adventici ,
imaginatii, bantastici , vitiaugitivaacu/atsectta, etc. I nshort,
these co|ors have been regarded as something ofan i||usory,
accidenta|,insubstantia| nature, andre|egatedtothe rea|mof
dangerousfantasies,becauseaconceptoftheuniversewherein
physica| rea|ity is regarded as tota| rea|ity, in fact, no |onger
a||owsthe suprasensory to be seen othewise thanas spectra|.
In contrast, we have here |earned to see somethingquite dif-
ferentinthesuprasensorywor|dofwhichour Sufis havebeen
speaking. And this something quite different" is in accord
with what isaffirmed in theFat/en/ebte, whichpostu|ates that
the co|ors referredtothereinas physio|ogica|" pertain to the
subect, to theorgan ofsight, to the eye whichis itse|f|ight,"
and what ismore,thattheseco|orsaretheveryconditionsof
theactofseeing,which remainsincomprehensib|e ifit is not
viewedasaninteraction,areciproca|action. '
l 0
J. 1he Ph,sio/ogico/ 6o/ors Accoring to 6oethe
Thetermphysio|ogica|,"app|iedtoco|orsforthisreason,
gradua||ytakeson itsfu|| meaninganustification to the de-
greethatthenotionofthesubect"inquestionunfo|ds.There
isessentia||ya refusa|toadmit pureexteriorityorextrinsicity,
asiftheeyedidnomorethanassive/ ref|ecttheouterwor|d.
The perception ofco|oris an action and reaction ofthe sou|
itse|fwhich iscommunicated to the who|ebeing, an energyis
thenemittedthroughthe eyes, a spiritua|energythat cannot
be weighed or measured quantitative|y (itcou|d be eva|uated
on|y by the mystica|sca/es ofwhich Nam Kobr has spoken,
suta IV, I 0) . Theco|orsweseeinbodiesdonotaffecttheeye
asiftheyweresomethingforeigntoit,asifitwereamatterof
an impression received pure|y from outside. No, this organ is
a|wayssosituatedastoproduceco|orsitse|ftoenoyap|easant
sensationifsomethinghomogeneoustoitsnatureispresented
toit from outside" ( 760). And this because co|ors on|y occa-
siona||y modify the |atent determinative capacity or power
whichistheeyeitse|f. Theaffirmationreturnscontinua||yasa
/eitmativ to te fact that theeye at this point producesanother
co|or,itsawn co|or. Theeyesearchesatthesideofagivenco|-
ored space for a free space where it can produce the co|or
ca||ed for by itse|f. This is an effort toward tota|ity invo|ving
thefundamenta||awofchromaticharmony, ' ' andthisiswhy
ifithappensthatthetota|ityofco|orsispresented to theeye
from the outside as an obect, the eye takes p|easure in it be-
cause at such a momentits own activity is presented to itas a
rea|ity"( 808) .
Is therenotasimi|arphenomenonoftota|ityinthereunion
ofthetwofiery|ightsissuingtheone from Heaven,theother
from the earth|y person, which NamKobrperceivedas the
theophanicformofhiswitnessinHeaven"(suta IV,9) ,thatis
to say,ofthe heaven|ycounterpart conditioningthe who|eof
his being: And whatustifies the comarison are the very
wordsoftheo|dmysticadoptedbyGoetheandparaphrasedin
theintroductiontohisownbook.
Fromthe mutua|exchangebetween|ikeand |ike, fromthe
interaction thus suggested in genera|, the idea ofspecific ac-
tions begins to become c|earer these actions are never arbi-
traryandtheirefectsaresufficienttoattestthatphysio|ogica|
l l
. hc 5cvcn Iro
|
hcts ol Your Bcng
co|or" as suchis an experience ofthesou|, that is, a spiritua|
experienceofco|oritse|f.
Fromthcidcaolpolarityinhcrcntinthcphcnomcnon, lrom
thc knolcdgc that wc havc rcachcd olts particulardctcrmia-
tions, wc can concludc that particular imprcssions olcolors arc
notintcrchangcablc, but that thcyact in aspccilicway and must
produccconditions havingadccisivcspccilic cllcctonthc living
organism. Thc samc applics to thc soul (Gemtt) . cxpcricncc
tcachcsusthatparticularcolorsproduccdclinitcmcntalimprcs-
sions. '
-
Thesearetheimpressionsonwhich themeaningsofco|ors
arebased,risingbydegreestotheirmystica|meaning,thevery
meaning which has he|d the who|e attention ofour Iranian
Sufi masters.Onthesubecofthesemeanings,theFat/en/ebte
conc|udesinaseriesofadmirab|epages.A||thathasbeensaid
hasbeenanattempttoshowthateachco|orproducesadefinite
effectonthe human beingand by thatvery factrevea|s itses-
sentia| nature to the eye as we|| as to the sou|. Itfo||ows that
coor can be used for certain physica|, mora|, and aesthetic
purposes. " It can a|so be used for another purpose which
makesuseoftheefectandexpressessti||betteritsinnetmean-
ing, name|y, the sm/o/ic use which Goethe carefu||y distin-
guishes from thea||egorica| (incontrastwith our habit, which
unfortunate|y is moreoften than not to confusea||egory and
symbo|) . '
Finallyi t willbc casytolorcscc thatcolorcanassumcamatt-
col atgntconre. l nclcct, thc schcmainwhich thc divcrsityolcol-
ors is rcprcscntcd suggcsts thc archctypal conditions (-
terhultntaae) thatbclongcquallyto man'svisualpcrccptionand to
aturc, that bcing cstablishcd, thcrc is no doubt that onc can
makcuscolthcirrcspcctivcrclationships,asolalanguagc,ilonc
wishcs to cxprcss thosc archctypal conditions, which do not ol
thcmsclvcsallcctthcscnscswiththcsamclorccorwiththcsamc
divcrsty. '
And this is in fact the |anguage in which the coored
photismsspoketoa||NamKobrdiscip|es,becauseco|orisnot
a passive impression, but the |anguage of the sou| to itse|f.
Thus,intheheptadofco|ors,SemnnIperceivedtheheptadof
theorgansofthemanof|ight,the heptad oftheprophetsof
hisbeing."
The fina| pointmadeby Goethe maya||owustoperceive
I 42
J. 1he Physio/ogico/ 6o/ors Accoring to 6oethe
howthe spiritua|experienceofco|orcaninitiateinthereve|a-
tionofthe witness in Heaven,"the heaven|y Guideofwhom
Sohravard,NamKobr,Semnni,havea||spoken.
llthcpolarityolycllowandbluchastrulybccngraspcd,ilin
particularthcirintcnsilicationintorcdhasbccnwcllnotcdandit
ha bccomc clcar how thcsc oppositcs tcndtoward on anothcr
and rcunitc in a third color, thcn it cannot bc doubtcd that thc
intuition ol a prolound sccrct is bcginning to dawn in us, a
lorctastc olthc possibility that a spiritual mcaning might bc at-
tributcd to thcsc two scparatc and mutually opposcd cntitics.
Whcnthcyarcsccntoproduccgreen bclowandreJ abovc,onccan
hardly rclrain lromthinking that onc is contcmplatinghcrcthc
carthly crcaturcs and thcrc thc hcavcnly crcaturcsolthcLlohtm
(9l 9) .
Onceagainthewordsoftheanonymousmysticadoptedby
Goethe are what enab|e ustoforeseethetota|convergencebe-
tweenGoethe'sdoctrineofco|orandthe physicsof|ightofour
Iranian mystics, on whose side it represents a tradition going
backtoancientpre-Is|amicPersia. Theindicationswehavere-
ceivedweree|usive.Quiteanumberofquestionswi|| remainin
the air, but it was worth whi|e taking the ecessary steps to
open them. To the extent that Goehes optics is an an-
thropo|ogica| opics," itrunscountertotherequirements and
habitsofwhatisca||edthescientificmind,andwi||continueto
do so. Itisthe scientists'businessto pursuethe aimthey have
setforthemse|ves. Buthereweareconcernedwithadifferent
question, adierentaim, commonto those who have experi-
encedinsimi|arfashiontheactionofLight."
Thisaimisthesuperexistenceofthehigherpersona|indi-
vida|ity,attainedbyreunionwiththeindividua|'sowndimen-
sonofLight,hisface of|ight,"thatgivestheindividua|ityits
tota|dimension. For this reuniontobe possib|etheinc|ination
towardthepo|ardimension"musthaveopenedintheterres-
tria| being, the inc|ination hera|ded by fugitive f|ashes of
superconsciousness. The physio|ogy ofthe man of|ighttends
toward this opening-his is what Semnni was expressing
when he spoke ofthe spiritua| chi|d which the Abraham of
yourbeing"mustprocreate. NamKobradmitshavingmedi-
tated for a |ongtimebefore he understoodwbo was this|ight
thatfamedinthe Skyofhis sou|whi|e the f|ameofhisown
bei

g was rising to meet it. If he understood that the |ight

I 43
. hc 5cvcn Iro
|
hcts ol Your Bcn
g
saugbt was there, it was because he knew wba wasseeking the
|ight. He himse|fto|d us this. What is sought is the divine
Light, the seekeris himse|fa partic|e ofthe |ight. "IfGods
own power were not |iving in us, how wou|d He be ab|e to
transport us in ecstasy:" The mystic ofo|d who inspired the
pro|ogueoftheFat/en/ebtewasaskingthesamequestion.
The|itera|concordanceoftheevidencea||owsu sofar,to
consider the investigation of the origins and causes of the
physio|ogica|co|ors"as the search for experimenta| verifica-
tionofthe physio|ogyofthe manof|ight, thatistosayofthe
phenomenaofco|ored|ightsperceivedandinterpretedbyour
Iranian Sufis. On the one side and on the other, the same
Questofthemanof|ight,andtheanswertobothhasbeen,so
to speak, giveninadvanceby Mary Magda|en, in thebookof
theFistisSabia,whenshesays.Themanof|ightinme, "my
beingof|ight," has understoodthese things, hasbroughtout
themeaningofthesewords(suta I I , I ) . Whoissought:Whois
theseekerThetwoquestions,be|ongingtogether,cannotre-
main theoretica|. Ineverycasetherevea|ing|ighthaspreceded
therevea|ed|ight, andphenomeno|ogydoesnomorethanun-
cover|aterthea|readyaccomp|ishedfact.Itisthenthatthefive
senses are transmuted into other senses. Suetata te//u sideta
danat . And the earth transcended brings us the gift of the
stars"( Boethius).
44
L1b
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IculDU uS,llkcCaDODlyDc kDOWDDy llkc,cVcIy uOUcOuDUcISlaDUlD_COIIc-
SgODUS lO lDc uOUc ODlD_ OlDc lDlcIgIclcI. aulOOCODVlDCcU OlDlS DOl
lO IcCO_Dl2c DOW DOgclcSS ll lS lO lIy lO CODVcy lDc ucaDlD_ O SyuDOlS lO
gcOglc WDO aIc DllDU lO lDcu. Dc LOSgcl gaIaDlc OlDc tcaSl (%all. 22. 2- !0
Lk. ! 4. ! 6-24) ucaDS gIcClScly WDal l l SayS, cVcD IOu lDcSClcDlllC gOlDl O
Vlcw. l WOulU Dc IlUlCulOuS lO cD_a_c lD gOlculCS a_alDSl lDc ucD OI lDc
WOucD WDOIcuSclO COuc lO lDc caSl, lDclIIcuSal lDSglIcSODly SaUDcSS aDU
COugaSSlOD.
. m %PP Lt LLm PPL mb LLL
4. bcc dvicenno, l. , gg. 28! -284, Y. bCOll, Hermetico, N (LxOIU,
! 986) . ! 06 (LIcck lcxl), ! 08, ! 22, ! 24- ! 25, _. HuSka, 7obulo Smorogdino
(mclUclDI_, ! 926)gg. 26-28(LcIuaD lIaDSlallOD).
. 'o=vozoq ( IlSlD_, caSl), U0t (SclllD_, WcSl), o='pzo (lDc caI,
DOIlD) , p = coppo (ulUUay,SOulD).
6. bcc LaIl bCDulUl, Kqtisch-gnostisc

eSchri[ten, , DieFistisSohio .
,
. , 2

I 45
Notcs
AutIagc barbcttct . . . von WatcrJtI( crItn, l 94), pp. l d9, I. l 2, 20, I. 33
22 l , I . 30.
T. 5cc ourEnIsm m ini. are situels et hioshiq (ls. LaItmard,
l 9Tl ) , , k. , Lh. V , lc Kcctt dc I'cxt occtdcnta ct la gcstc gnostguc,
Hans 5odcrbcrg,LoReligion des Cothores ( lppsaIa, l 949), p. 249. 5ccaIso thc
rathcrobscurc vcrsc30 tn 7he Gosel occording to 7homos , p. 2l otthc cdttton
cttcdabvc (and thc anxtcty provokcd tn Aphraatc, thc lcrstan 5agc,` trans.
]. Oorcs, p. l T).
8. lscudo-Magrt,Dosieldes Keisen,I, Arabtschcrcxt, hrsgb. v. HcIImut
Ktttcr, Studien der ibliothek Korburg, X (lctpztg, l 933). hts ts thc workot
whtch a mcdtcvaI lattn transIatton was pubItshcd undcr thc tttc otFicotrix
(Arabtcroti F 'op;, Htppocratcs). 5cc aIsooustudyRituelsobeen et
exegeseiselienneduntuel,Eronosohrbuch,X X(urtch. Khctn-VcrIag, l 9l ) .
9. Ibid. , p. l 93. hc cnttrc chaptcr conccrntng thc lcrtcct Naturc t ssup-
poscd to bc dcrtvcd trom a Kitob ol-IstomoUi, tn whtch Artstotc pours out
advtcc to Acxandcrand tnstructs htm how to tnvokc hts lcrtcct Naturc, toI
IowtngthccxampIcotHcrmcs.
l 0. Ibid. , p. l 94;SccEn Islomionien,loc.cit.
l l . hcsc arc thc vcry words whtch arc rcportcd tn thc wcI-known"hoth
otthcvtston`to havcbccnuttcrcd by thc lrophct, 5cc ourCreotiveImogination
in the Su[m qIbn 'drobi, trans. trom thc lrcnch by Kaph Mannhctm, o-
Itngcn 5crcs, XL ( lrtnccton, N.]. . lrtnccton Lntvcrstty lrcss, l 99), p. 2T2
tt. (hcrcattcrabbrcvtatcdasSu[rmo[Ibn 'drobi).
l 2. Dosieldes Keisen, p. l 88.
l3. 5ccthcwcII-known vcrsc tnthc_oran, thcltght(24. 3),partotwhtch
hasbccntncIudcdhcrcasthccptgraphto Lh. . hctmagcotHtsItghttsasa
ntchc w-rctn tsa Iamp. hc amp tstn a gIass. hcgIasstsas ttwcrc ashtntng
star. . . .
l 4. 5cc]. Kuska,7obulosmomgdino, pp. l 34- l 3 (Arabtc tcxt) and pp. l 38-
l 39 (Lcrman trans. ). hcLuardcdabct` (lowh moh[uz d. 22) on whtch thc
archctypcotthc _oran tswrtttcn, has bccn tdcnttttcd by somcadcptswtth thc
7obum smorogdino. Kcgardtngthc cmcraId brtIItancc shtntnghcrc tn thc ntght,
comparc thc rcIatonshtpbtwccn thc grccn Itghtand thcbIackItght" tn5cm-
nan,in[ro V .
l . 5ccthctcxtscttcd tnourEnIslomironien, , k. , LI. andV .
l . 5ccdvicenn lt. , pp. 88-90.KcgardtngAbu'I-arakat,sccprtnctpaIy5.
ltncs,Nouvellesetudessur. . . db'l-orokotol-oghdod, MemoiresloSocietedes
Etudes uives , (lrts, l 9), Stues in dbu'l-orokot ol-oghd ds Foetics ond
Metohsics, ScntoHierosolmitono,V_crusaIcm, l 90).
l T. 5ccourcdtttonotthtswork tn5ohravard,Oero metohsico etmstico, ,
ibiliothecoIsm mico,XV (lctpztg-stanbu, l 94) . 44.
l 8. n thcooko[Elucidotions(Kib ol-7olwhot)cd. tbtd. , p. l 08, # 83.
l9. 5ccEnIsm mironien, , k. ,Lh. .
20. lorthccontcxtotthtsthcmc,sccourSqismo[ Ibn 'drob(supra, n. ll ) ,
pp. l 9- l T3 and p. 34, n. T0. 5cc aIso En Islm ironien, , k. V. Lh. ,
LontcsstonscxtattgucsdcMrOamad.`
2l . 5ccdvicenno,lt. , p. !T tt. , and M. K.]amcs,7hedoctholN 7esto
ment (Lxtord, l 90),pp.4l l -4l .
22. H. lctscgang, LGnose,trans.]. GoutIIard(lrts, l9l ),p. 249.
I 46
Notes
23. oth thc Arabtc tcxt and thc paraphrasc tn lcrstan wcrc pubItshcd tn
voI . ot our Oeuvres hilosohiques et mstiques ot 5hthaboddtn Yahya
5ohravardi, tbItothcguc rantcnnc, (chcran-lrts, l 92), scc thc Fro-
gnrtn lrcnchatthcbgtnnngotthcb k,p.8tl.,andEnIs mimn,U,k.
H, Ch. II. Wc havc pubtshcd a transIatton tnto lrcnch otthc whoIc cycc ot
5ohravard's mysttca rccttaIs undcr thc tttIcL'orchonge emourre, Ooccnts
sptrttucIs, l4 (lrts.layard, l 9T).
24. hctcxtcntttIcd Khowdol-Hooh (hcLtstcrn otthc Watcr otlttc),lo
version orobe de l'dmrtokun, was pubItshcd by Yusut Hosayn t n thcjouol
osiotique 2 l 3 ( l 928). 29l - 344. hcrc ts aIso an unpubItshcd vcrston ot tt tn
lcrstan. KcgardtngthcattrtbuttontoAvtccnna,scc L. L. Anawatt,Essoide bib-
liogrohie ovicennienne (Latro, l 90), p. 24,no. l 9T.
lorturthcr dctatIs on thccontcnt otthts brtct rano-ndtan sptrttuaI ro-
mancc, partsotwhtchaIrcady cxtst tn 5ohravardiand whtch cIcar tttItngotthc
mss makcs tt tmposstbc to attrtbutc to Avtccnna, scc our study Four une
mothologde losintuolitesh'ite,Eronos-johrbuch, XXX (urtch, l 9l ), Lh. V.
andEnIslomironien, , k. , Lh. V , .
2. hc tormua I x I t sasogtvcnby Kzbhanasthatotthccsotcrtctowd.
5cc our studyon thc 5uttsm otKuzbchan ag ot5hiraz tnEn Ism ironien,
, k. , Lh. V, .
2. Foimondres , 2-4, T-8. Corus Hermeticum (cd. A. O. Nock, trans, A. ].
lcstugtcrc) (lrts, l 94) . Tand9.
2T. Marttn Otbct us,Der Hirt des Hermos , (btngcn, l 923), p. 49l . Lrcck
tcxt cd. MoIIy Whtttakcr, Die oostolischen Iter, (BcrItn. Akadcmtc-Vcrag,
l 9) . 22, Iisio V, l tt.
28. 5cc thc psychoIogtcaI commcntary ot M. -l. von lranz, Die Fossio Fer-
etuoe, toIIowtng L. L.]ung,dion, Untersuhungen zur mbolgeschichte (Zurtch,
l 9l ) , pp. 43-438. LnChristos-dngelos scc Marttn Wcrncr,DieEntehungdes
christlichenDoos ,2ndcd.(crn, l 93),pp. 322-388.
29. Frovorti ts thc ortgtna torm otthc word, whtch, duc to an crroncous
assoctatton wttha stmtIartcrm,wastradtttonaIIy spcItFrovoshi (tn modcrn lcr-
stan,[oFohor,[orhor) .
30. lor what toIows,scc our two studtcs tn whtch rctcrcnccstothcorgtnaI
tcxts arc gtvcn. Le 7ems cclique dons mozdisme et don l'Ismoelisme, Eronos-
johrbuch, XX (Zurtch, l 92. l 9 tt. (cttcd hcrcattcr as 7ems clique) and our
bokSirituolod ond CelestiolEorth, trans. trom thc lrcnchby Nancy lcar-
son, oIItngcn 5crtcs, XL . 2 (lrtnccton, N.]. . lrtnccton Lntvcrstty lrcss,
l 9TT): 40tt. (cttcdhcrcattcrasSirituolod).
3l . KcgardtngthtsgucsttonwccouIdspcIoutthcanthropoogygtvcnt n thc
undhishn (thc Mazdcan ook ot thc Lrcatton), whcrctn man ts satd to b
composcd ot tvc torccs. dy, sou, sptrtt, tndtvtduaItty, and guardtan sptrtt
(torthctcxts scc H. 5. Nybcrg,uestionsdecosmogonieetdecosmologiemozdenes ,
tnjoulosiotique Yl 4( l 929) . 232-233) . hts ts, tn short, thc cttort attcmptcd
by thc dastur ].]. Modt, tn 7heReligous Ceremons ondCustoms o[ theForsees,
2nd cd. ( ombay, l 93T), pp. 388-40l . ut htsanaIystsotthcsptrttuaIconstttu-
tton otman` tatIs to gtvc a sattstactory ptcturcotthc posthumous rcIattonot
thc travartt to thc souI, whatts morc, tt says nothtngabout thc cptsodcotthc
mccttngwtthandrccogntttonotDon.5o tt sccms thatthcrc tsa dctccttnhts
schcmattzatton,andthatthcsoIuttonhastobcthoughtouttnanothcrway.
32. 5cc H. W atIcy,Zoroostrion FroblemsintheNinth-Centutoo (Lxtord,
I47
Notcs
!948) ,gg. ! ! 0- ! ! 5 (lcxlSOuam29:9aDUlurlnidrntk 28. 8) . LCOuISc,
DuCD DOIc SlIcSS lDaD lS gOSSlDlc DcIc SDOulU D glaCcU OD lDc Uala OlDc
gIODlcDgOScUaDUlDcDcaDlD_OlDcSOlullODgIOgOScU.
88. LDlDISlOg_IagDy,SccOuI5QtrrluIUcdj, g. 27.
84. L. VaD UcI LccuW,hdncmncIc_tc dHeIt_cn ! 6(1DlD_cD, ! 988) ,g.
!25.
85. PaS1IOUU1D S, 1he Haudalu'l 1aahm ccmmcnIj caIkd 1aaauuurI, cI-
SlaD lcxl cU. Dy W VaDOW (LclUcD-ODDay, !950), gg. 44, 65, 70, Scc OuI
1emQacItque, g. 2! 0. , DD.8,89aDU ! 00.
86. bccalSOlDclDcDcOlDcDcaVcDlyhcurlD PaS1IS1, H_hzcanym,LD.
77, uDlICallODS O lDc LDlVcISlly O cDcIaD, LLL (cDcIaD, ! 885 S. D. ).
47-48.
87. . b. LIOWcI,1hemandacanrcjraqandran (LxOIU, !987),gg. 54-55.
88. bccmcDIl-LDaIlcSucCD,Lemantchetame,acn jcndaleur, aadcclnnc (IIS,
! 949),gg.48-44,aDU OuILnaIamtr&ntm, , k. , LD. N, 4.

89. H mantchaean aaIm-Ucck, l. , cU. L. H. L. PllDIIy (blull_aIl, ! 988):
4, !.22.
40. bccgIlDClgallylDclcxlSCOllcClcUDyLcOI_lO YlUcD_IcD,1hereal lchu
manah and lhe HQcalIe cj cd ( \ggSala, !945), gg. ! 7 . , 25 . , 88 . , maDS
bOUcIDcI_,0HeIt_tcndeaCalharea (LggSala, ! 949),gg. ! 74., 2 ! ! H.,247.
4! . mcLn aIam ranten, , k. , LD. N , 4, aDU YlUcD_IcD, q. ctl. , gg.
! 9-20. tllCulaIly IclcVaDl aIc lDc DODOlO_lcS aDOD_lDc lIlaUS lSSulD_ IOD
caCD OlDc lVc `talDcIS OI uDUaDcDlal aICDclygcS (KQhaIam, LD. N , gg.
84-86).ll SlDclDa_cOlI_Dl(DODOlO_ucOlDcNlI_lDOLl_Dl)lDal`cVOkcS
lDc lDIcc PD_clS OI UclllcS CODlD_ lO Dccl ODc OlDc lcCl al lDc DODcDl O
UcalD. PaIlcD_lDlcISluUylDaDlSgOSSlDlcDcIcCOulUD DaUcCODCcIDlD_lDc
LDOSllC lDcDc O lDc PD_cl aS lDc DcaVcDly HIler L_c aDU SaVlOI. POlc lDc
COIIcSgODUcDCc DclWccD lDc LDOSllC lcIDS om, oopn, 'oq,
'qcmu (reclcr) aDU lDc uDUaDcDlal IaDIaDlcID UcSl_DalID_ lDc uDCllOD O
lDcSaVIOIaDU _ulUc OlDcSOul : Qaranak (lD %aDUcaD, ]0t0nk0, YlUcD_IcD,
g. ctl. , g. 79. ). D DOUcID cISlaD.Qaruardn, lO DOuIlSD, lO cUuCalc,]0t0
kardan,lO lakc CaIc O.
42. DllO, @ucd delenua Qcltcn tnrtdtarr acleal, D_llSD IIaDS. Dy t. m. LOlSOD
aDU L. m. YDlllakcI, , 1heLceb CIaatcaI Ltbrarj (LaDDIlU_c, %aSS., 950).
2! 6-2! 9.
48. PaDcly 5uelaualara-UQantahad aDU Klhaka-UQanrahad, Cll. Dy tIllz
%clcI, lD lDc_IcalWOIkQuOlcU DlOW lt DOlc64.
. % LPLm bLP PPL LLbPL LL
44. tOI lDc `aIlD O ScVcD kcSDVaIS, lDc CaIlO_IagDlC gIOCcSS, aDU lDc
IccIcDCcSlO lDclcxlS,SccOuI5QtnluaIUcdj, gg. l7-24.
45. tOIlDclcxlS,Scctbtd. , gg.82-86.
46. btd., g 78 . , 84 . , bcc OuIrcIe_cmeneaau ccuurea QhtIcaghtquea el
mjaltqueade5chrauarm (auQra D. 28), gg. 89-55,CODCcIDlD_ lDc SlIuCluIc OlDc
glcIODa O Ll_DlS, aDU g. 85 . OD lDc CODDcCllOD DclWccD lDcHectmI cj Ihe
cctdenlaILxtIe aDU lDc PVlCcDDaDHectmIcj Maj aqmn. Yc alSO lDlcDU lO
guDlISD SDOIlly a lIaDSl3llOD O bODIaVaIU1S _Ical DOk Mtkml m 1hrq (lDc
`OIlcDlal lDcOSOgDy), lO_clDcI WllD lDc LlOSScS O %Olla baUIa bD1Ia21 (U.
640),lDclallcIDlD_cQualIDlDgIlaDCc lOaDOIl_lDalWOIk(SccOuIcU.aDU
l 48
Neas
lIaDS. O lDc Lture dea Qcnclraltcna mclaQhjatquea (Ktlab aI-maaha'tr), lDl.
IaDlcDDc,7(cDcIaD-aIlS, ! 964),DlI. ,g. 40.
47. PS %ODScD tay2 (aD IaDlaD bD1llc lDcOlO_laD OlDc ScVcDlccDlD CcD-
luIy) IcgcalS, bcc OuI5ujtam qbn 'Hrab, g. 85! . bcc lDc lIaDSlallOD O lDlS
lcxllDOuI5QtrluaIUcdj, gg. ! 76- ! 79.
48. DDO. 88 O lDc Ucck cj LIuctdaltcna`(aDOVc D. ! 8), a lcxl O lDc Dl_DcSl
lDgOIlaDCc.
49. mc OuInlrmucltcn lO lDc _Ical WOIk OHu2DDaD,Le_aamtn dca tdeIea
d'amcur, lDllOlDcQuc IaDlcDDc, N , cISlaD lcxl guDllSDcU lD COllaDOIallOD
WllD %OD. %OlD aDU lIaDS. O lDc lISl CD. ( cDcIaDaIl S. PUIlcD-
%alSODDcuVc, ! 958),g. 87H. bccaIsoLn1aIamtranten, , k. ,LD. .
50. Uaml Aa'ah,lDcCODSlcllallODO lDc caI(\ISa %a_OIaDU \ISa%lDOI).
5! . LODgaIc lDc lcxl uScU aS aD cgl_IagD Dy aD alCDcDlSl O lDc ScVcD-
lccDlD CcDluIy lD DlScUlllODOPlCDOlaS laDcl.LlutdebanlIaQtdemalanncum,n
mnucrcbabeI. 5eQlcmtaltccuItaunlcmtnt,qutdacurrunltnumueraamlerram (Ctl.
Dy L. L. _uD_, er etal der ychcIc_te, lD Lranca-_ahrbuch, 7
-
N) ( !947.

486-
487). LDc CaDDOl Dclg IclallD_ lDc lDcDc O lDc ScVcD HbdaI (WDO D_Dlly
lIaVcISc lDc WOIlU lO lDOID lDc gOlc) lO lDc lcxl OZcCDaIlaD, `DOSc ScVcD
aIc lDccycSOlDcLOIU,WDlCD IuD lOaDUIOlDIOu_D lDcWDOlccaIlD (4.!0),
OIa_alD ` . . . lDcSlODc lDal DaVclalUDOIc_OSDua,ugODODc SlODcSDallDc
ScVcD cycS (ZcCD. 8. 9).
52. tOIlDc CODlcxl OlDlSUOlIlDc lD Hu2DcDaD, SccLn aIam tranten, ,
k. , LD. . l CODlalDS lDc bD1'llcOYalayal aDU lDcCuIIcDl bul lUca O
Htmjal. DcIc Wlll D uIlDcI OCCaSlOD DlOW (tnjr& N , 2) lO IcCall WDy lDc
IcQucDl lIaDSlallOD O lDc ODc OI lDc OlDcI WOIU Dy `SaDCllly aDU O

aI
(gluIalHuItja) Dy SalDl lS lDaOcQualc. Dc lcIDntltaltcn S

cDS l
_
.
IcCagtl

-
lalc DcSl lDc lDgllCallODS O lDc WOIU uamjal. D WclVc-DaD bDI tlc _DOStS,
lDc `CyClc O DlllallOD (d 'tral aI-uaIajal) UODlDalcU Dy lDaDOlO_y SuCCccUS
lDc CyClcS OgIOgDcCy WDlCD WcIc CODglclcU WllD lDc `bcal OlDc IOgDclS.
LD lDc UcVclOgDcDlOlDlS lDcDc lD LaD1_1 (lDc WOIk CllcUDclOW M DOlc ! ! 8)
aDU ODlDcIclallODSDlg Su__cSlcU WllD LOclDcS gOcD aDU`lDc IlcDUOLOU
OLDcIlaDU, Scc OuI WOIkLnaIamtranten, N, k. N , LD. .
58. tOI lDc lcxlOlDlS lIaUlllOD, Sccq. ctl. , k. , LD. . DcIc aIc
DuDcIOuS VaIlallODS lD lDc cDuDcIallOD aDU ClaSSllCallOD O lDcSc DySllCal
DIcIaICDIcS.
54. _. L. LOygcc,CuIuandLe_cndr cjHnctenlran amChtna (ODDay, !986),
gg. ! 6! - ! 88.
55. azala ( cISlaD md) lllcIally. `aUOIaDlc. YDcD, lD CODOIDlly WllD
gOSl-SlaDlC lIaUlllOD, lDc cQulValcDl _lVcD OI lllSlDcDOllODOHn_eI (cISlaD
jOeahla), WDalDuSl Dc IcDcDDcIcUaIc DOl SO DuCD lDc aD_clS OlDc lDlc aS
lDctt-Hn_eItOIOCluS.
56. bcclDcUla_IaD SclugDy_. L.LOya]cc,cQ.ctl. , g. | 66.
57. LIOWcI, cQ. ctl. (auQra D. 87),gg. 9 56,85 l SccDS llllD_ lO DcDllOD
DcIc lDc OIDOWOISDlggIaCllCcUDyaDlUcal ScClOgDllOSOgDcIS, IccIIcU lO
lD lDc DCyClOgcUla OlDckhuan aI 5aja (lDc `IclDIcD WllD guIc DcaIlS).
DcSc gDllOSOgDcIS aggcaI lO D alODCc baDcaDSgcIDcalcU Dy PcOglalODlSD
aDU, aS ll WcIc, gIc-SDacllaD lDcOSOgDcIS. D lDc COuISc O caCD DODlD lDcy
CclcDIalc lDIcc DOly Dl_DlSCOIIcSgODUlD_lO lDc gDaScS OgDc %OOD (lDclISl
Dl_Dl, lDc DlU-DODlD Dl_Dl, aDU laSlly lDc Dl_Dl DclWccD lDc lWcDly-llD Uay
O lDc DODlD aDU lDc lISl Uay O lDc OllOWlD_ DODlD). Dc Illual OD caCD
I 49
Notcs
ngbt|d|vdcd nto tbrcc pcrods. tbclrsttbrd sdcvotcd to mcdtaton |n
oncsprvatcoratory,tbcsccondtb|rdtomcdtatonontb"cosmcscrpturc
undcr tbc sky, turnng onc's lacc toward tbcpoleStor. Tbc |ast pcr|od s dc-
votcd to cbantng lroma pb||osopbca|bymno|ogy (tbc"praycrolP|ato, tbc
"praycrolIdrs-Hcrmcs,tbc"sccrctpsa|molArstot|c, ctc. ). Tbccboccol
tbcpoleStor aqibm (tbcaxsolorcntatonoltbcpraycr) sccmstoponttotbc
SabsmoltbcscSagcs, tbcrca|cndarconlrmstbsmprcsson.Scca|oRoro'il
IHwon ol-So[o lV (Caro, !928) . 808-804, and lor lurtbcr dcta|s our study
Rituelsobeen et eegese ismoelienne du rituel,Eronos-johrbach, XlX/!950 ( ! 95! ) .
209ll.
58. SccSu[ism qbn 'drob, pp. 46-58 (Tbc P|grmto tbc Orcnt), and p.
806n. 87.
59. Tbstrcatscol'A|HamadnbasbcnstudcdbyfrtzMccr,Die helt
d

er Crbilder bei 'dlomod

n,Eronos-]ohrbuch,XVl ll( ! 950) ! ! 5- ! 72, scc par-

tcu|ar|y p. !67. frtz Mccr quotcs (p. 92 ol tbc work ctcd bc|ow n. 64) a
trcat|sc a|so by 'A| Hamadn cntt|cd Hoshrio ol-ruhono wo-mohrib ol-
trmono. tbcDnntolsprtua|rca|tcsandtbcDccidntolmatcra|rca||t|cs.
60. Scc ourdvicenno, Pt. l, p. !87ll. , partcu|ar|y 8, !0, 2 ! and 22, l. ll,
p.8! 9ll.
lV. VlSlOSMARAODlNA
6! . lt s tbc bclanonymous trcatsc studcd morc tban a ccntury ago
(Zeitchpt der Deutschen Morgenmndischen Gesellrcho[t, Vo| . !6 Lcpzg, ! 862.
285-24! ) by f|cscbcr, Ceberdie[orbigen Lichterscheinungen der Su[i's, accordng
totbcLcpzg Ms. ! 87 DevoriisluminibussingulorumgroduumSu[icorumprqriis.
62. Scc ourcdton olHikmot ol-Ishrq (Deuvresphilosqhiques et mstiques de
Sohrovord, l l , supro n. 28, 272). lntbswork, lltccncatcgrcs ol pbotsms
wbcbmytcscancxpcrcnccarcdcscr|bd andtbcautbor'sconc|usonstbat
"a| tbs pcrta|ns to tbc |aws oltbceighth c|matc wbcrc tbc marvc|ous c|tcs
]aba|q,]abars,andHrqa|yarctoblound.
68. SccOcrda Wa|tbcr,FhonomenologederMstik (O|tcn, !955), pp. 68- 7!
and ! 5!- ! 55, andourana|ytca|rcvcwoltbswork ntbcRevuedl'histoiredes
religiona anuary-Marcb !958), pp. 92- ! 0! . Scc a|so Mrcca E|adc's va|uab|c
study,Sigaj]icotionsde "lumiereinteeure", Eronos]ohrbuch, XXVl( !958). pp.
89-242. Vctor Zuckcrkand|'ssubstanta|work,SoundondSmbol (Ncw York,
!956),a|socontaorgna|pbcnomcno|ogca|obscrvatonsoltbc"ntcntons
olco|or(p. 6! ll. ). Tbcrcarccross-rclcrcnccsna||tbcscstudcswbcbbavca
bcarngonour purposc. Notbcngab|ctogo ntotbcm lurtbcrbcrc,wc sba||
bavctorcturntotbcmatsomcotbcrtmc.
64. A|| tbc parcntbctca| rclcrcnccsn tbctcxtoltbcprcscntcbaptcrrclcr
totbccxcc||cntcdtonby frtMccr,DieFowo'ihol-omolwojowotihol-om ldes
Nom od-dn ol-Kubro, Akadcmc dcr Wsscnscbaltcn und dcr L|tcratur,
Vcrllcnt||cbungcn dcr Orcnta|scbcn Kommss|on, lX (Wcsbadcn, !957).
Tbsva|uab|c cdt|on, togctbcr wtb a Ocrman commcntary, s a mor con-
trbutontotbcstud|csolSulsm.Wcbavcas|gbtrcscrvatonastotclormol
tb

tt|cadoptcd bytbc cdtorncontrastto tbatoltbcmortyoltbcmanu-

pts. Wc9 wouId prclcr:Fmm m-]ml . . . andtbustakc t to mcan: 7m
blossomso[Beouqondmepequmes qMoest, wbcb mcanstbatwtbouttbcb|os-
somngolBcauty as tbcopbany man cou|d notapproacb tbc sub|mty oltbc
Deusobsconmtus.Conccrnngtbcsctwocatcgorcsolattrbutcssccaganitqta V,
I 50
Notes
2. Tbc aspcctsolFreandlichkeit andErhobenheit dcrvc rcspcctvc|yomtbctwo
lundamcnta| Attrbutcs, but tsccms to uscsscnta| to prcscrvc tbcr prmary
mcanng(wtboutwbcba||tbctcxtsrc|at|ngtobautyastbcopbanyn Rzb-
bn and lbn 'Arab wou|d b ncomprcbcnsb|c). Wc can gvc bcrc on|y tbc
brclcst g|mpw olNm Kobr's bograpby. Born n 540/! !45, bc spcnt tbc
lrst part ol bs |lc n |ongourncys (Nbapur, Hamadn, Ispaban, Mccca,
A|cxandra) n tbc coursc olwbcb bc acqurcd bssprtua|tranng. But tbc

tradtonsconccrnngtbcordcrandt|ncraryolbstravc|sdvcrgctotbcpont
tbat tbcy arc dllcu|t to rcconstruct wtb pcrlcct cobcrcncc. Hc rcturncd to
Xwrczmnabout580/ ! ! 84. fromtbcnon,a||bsactvtytookp|accnCcntra|
Asa, wbcrc bc bad a tbrong ol lo||owcrs, scvcra| ol wbom bar ||ustrous
namcs.Tbcrcssomccvdcncctondcatctbatbcrccognzcdon|ytwc|vcgrcat
d|scp|csassucb(sccipro n. ! 09).Tradtonsrc|atcbsbcrocdcatbdurngtbc
borrb|c scgc olXwrczm by tbc Mongo|s n 6! 7/ ! 220- ! 22 ! . Wc ourscvcs
dcvotcd an cntrc coursc at tbc Eco|c dcs Hautcs-Etudcs ( ! 958- ! 959) to tbc
mportanttrcatscbyNamKobrmadcacccssb|ctousnfrtz Mccr'scdton.
HcrctbasonIybcnpossb|cto|ndcatctsprncpa|tbcmcs.Sccdnnuoirede
lo Sectiondes Sciences Religieuses,Eco|c pratqucdcsHautcsEtudcs, !959!960,
p.75ll. Aslortbcb||artyoltbcdvncattrbutcs jomolandjoml,tbcrcsan
cxactcquva|cnccnKabba|ab,sccOcrsbomO.5bo|cm,DntheKobbolohondin
Smbolum,trans.byRa|pbManbcm(London, !960),p.79ll.
65. Conccrn|ngtbs tcrm, scc ourSum o[b 'drobi, pp. | 58, ! 79 ll. , ! 87
ll. ,wbcrctbcnccdlor tbsnco|ogsmscxp|a|ncd.
66. On tbc tbrccaspccts olno[s (tbc sou|) scc itqro 8. Takcnby tsc|ltbc
wordno[s cxpandsbcyondourcurrntnotonolsou|. lntsbgbcraspcct,tbc
sou| stbcbcart(Arabcqolb, Pcrsandel, OcrmanGemut). ln tsntcrmcdatc
aspcct, t s tbc ntc||cct ('oql), conscousncss. ln tbc prcscntcontcxt, tdcsg-
natcstbc|owcrpsycbc.
67. Among many otbcr cxamp|cs (t may a|so bc rcca||cd bcrc bow
Zaratbustra put Abrman to l|gbt by rcctng tbcdhunovoi:o, sccIendid d
XlX), frtz Mc|cr rcca||s (q. cit. , p. !62)ancpsodc tbat lgurcs n tbc S|avc
vcrs|onoltbcIimdJeetEvoe. wbcntbcDcv|trcsto |urcEvcawaylromtbc
Tgrsbybsta|k,Evcdocsnotuttcras|ng|cwordnrcp|y.
68. On tbc mystca|cxcgcss oltbs vcrsclrom bc Qorn scc ourSu[umo[
bn'drob,p. ! 82.
69. A pcrlcct|y po|sbcd mrror (speculum) n wbcb tbcmagc tbat s rc-
l|cctcd s botb wbat sccs and wbat s sccn. t s tbc leitmotq ol a|| speculotive
mystcsmattcmptngtocxprcsstbc"dua|tyoltbcunus-ombo,tbc sccrctoltbc
bcavcn|yolter ego, lrom tbc lna|c oltbcSong o[the Feorl to tbc motloltbc
shokhol-ghobntbcprcscnttrcatsc.
70. Scc tbc tcxtoltbcRisolotol-insonol-komil (Trcatscontbc pcrlcct man)
ol 'A|Hamadn(supta n. 5), gvcnbyfrtzMccr,q. cit.dnhong, p. 288, no.
5.
7 ! . Himmo

Conccrnngtbsnoton,sccourSusmo[Iba'drob,p.222ll.
72. As an ||ustratonoltbcsamctbcmc,wc sbou|dctcarcmarkab|ccascol
"syncbronctybtwccnoncolNam Kobr'sdrcamsandadrcam olbsown
sbaykb,'Am mrBad|s. ` wasnmyrctrcatandbbo|d, cxpccnccdccstasy
(|t.,"l wcntaway,astbcautbor a|wayssays nsucb cascs). was rascd to tbc
bcgbts and bcbo|d tbcrc wasa rsng sun bclorc mc. was cd nto tbs sun,
I 5 l
Motcs
altcrbavngcxpcrcnccdtbctrcmcndousntcnstyoltscncrgcs.Latcr!qucs-
toncd tbc sbaykb ('Ammr) about tbs. Hc sad to mc. O|ory bc to Ood !
myscll bad tbc lo||o|ng vson n a drcam. I sccmcd to bc stro||ng n tbc
sacrcdtcrrtoryolMccca. Youwcrcwtb mc and tbcsunwas n tbcmdd|col
tbcSky.Tbcnyousadtomc. L sbaykb Doyou know wbo ! am !sad. Wbo
arcyouYousad.IomthotsunintheSk.Tbcnmysbaykbrcoccdtbatourtwo
vsons bad syncbronzcd. Hcsad. !wasusbcrcd ntotbcwor|doltbcbcart. !
carrcdontbc batt|clorL ngbt altcr ngbt ! obscrvcd tbcSky attcntvc|y
unt|tcntcrcdntomynncrwor|d,and !cxpcrcnccd tbat omtheSk.And!
obscrvcdtbcSkytbrougboutotbcr ngbts untl l sawtbc|owmc,usta ! bad
sccn tabvc mc. And ! obscrvcdtbc Eartb ngbaltcr ngbt, and ! sougbt to
dscovcrtast s, unt|twascngu|lcd nanorbollgbt(58).
78. Conccrnng tbs cxtrcmc|y mportant comparson scc Frtz Mccr, q.
cit. , p. 79,andCarl Scbmdt,Kqtisch-gnostische Schnen ! (Bcr|n, !954).a
ersteuchdesjeu,Cb. 89, p. 294,azwteuchdesjeu,Cb.42,p. 808.
74. !ntbcRisolot ol-so'ir (F. Mccr, p. 20! , n. 5) Nam Kobr rccommcnds
addnglrom tmc to tmc tbc sccond part. "And Mobammad s Ood's Mcs-
scngcr.Wcsbou|dtakcntoaccount,ontbspont,tbcncrcasngcomp|cxty
ol tbc lormu|a n ccrtan Sb'tc crclcs, tbc !mm s mcntoncd as tbc wol
dl h, "Frcnd ol Ood, "ntator, cvcn Ftma as"Lgbt olOod. Ocncra||y
spakng,Sb'tcdoctrncandpractccnc|udcatrp|cshohodot . l) attcstatonol
tbc Dvnc Unty 2)attcstaton oltbc probctc msson, 8) attcstaton oltbc
hom otoltbc!mms.
75. Scc Hcrzog, Reolencklqie[urrotestontche 7heologie undKirche 8rd
cd.,XV!, 25I , l. 49ll. , E.Tsscrant,dscensiond'Isoe (Prs, I909),p. 2 ! ! , notc
on l l .84(rcmncncc oltbcRelotion o[Eloh n St. Pu|,accordngto Or-
gcn rcmnsccncc ol !saab, accordng to St. ]cromc. dscensio eni Isoioe et
docolsisElioehochobnttestimonium).
76. Nam Kobr'sRiolotilo'l-ho'im, quotcdbyF. Mccr,dnhong, p. 295,no.
20.
77. Ibid. , p. 202, L. Massgnon,L'ided esrit do l'Islom, Eronos-johrbuch
X!!!/ ! 945. 279(tbcTaost nllucncc was pontcd out by H. Maspcro, scc also
suro !!! 8,conccrnnganotbcrpossb|cTaostnllucncc).
78. F. Mccr, q. cit. , p. 204, Rudoll Otto, Sunde und Urschuld (Muncb,
! 982),p. I40ll.
79. Tbcbia.sccsuro n. 7 ! .
80. MadoddnBagbdd(quotcdbyF.Mcc,p.244),nbs7ootol-bororo,
9 mcntonsasbaykb's sayng,wbcrcntbcgrccnco|orscbaractcrzcdastbc
Iastvc|oltbcsou|. Ontbcprc-cmncnccoltbsco|ornScmnn,sccin[ro V!,
l .
8! . "Knowtbatlourangc|sras tbcmystctowardstbsmystcstatontbc
Abdcoltbc |ord|ycondtonand olpowcr. oncon bs rgbt, onconbs|clt,
onc abvc bm, onc b|ow bm . . . ( !9) . On tbs quatcrnty rcprcscntng a
symbIsm oltbc ccntcr, scc ourcommcntary on tbc "Conlcssons cxtatqucs
dc Mr Dmd (suro n. 20), a sm|arangc|c tctrad lgurcs n tbcSummum
onum ol Robrt F|udd, !629 cd. "Usua||y tbc Angc|s comc lrom bbnd.
Somctmcstbcycomclrom abvc. Tbcsamclor tbcSokno. tbssagroupol
Angc|swbodcsccndntotbcbcart,tbcradvcntbrngsancxpcrcnccolquct
andpcacclu|ncssntotbcbcart. Tbcytransportyououtolyours|lsowbo||y
tbatyoubavcnoIongcranylrccdomtomovcorspcak, nopossb|tyoltbnk-
nolanytbngotbcrtbantbcdvncBcng(2!)."AnAngc|carrcdmcaway.
5
Notes
Hc camc p bbnd mc, took mc n bs arm and carrcd mc oll, tbcn bc
turncd toward mylaccand gavc mcakss. Hs lgbtsarklcdnmynncrvcw.
Tbcnbc sad !n tbcnamcolOod, tbanwbomtbcrcsnootbcr,tbcCompas-
sonatc, tbc Mcrclul. Tbcnbc roscupwtbmcaltt|cbgbcr. Tbcn bcsctmc
downagan(28).
82. Conccrnng tbc scvcn Hcavcns, sccQorn 67. 8and78 !2 conccrnng
tbc scvcn Eartbs, So[not ihr ol-dnr, !, 6

! . For an amp|lcaton ol tbs

tbcmcntbcSbaykbtcScbool,sccourSirituolod,p.802,n. 86.
88. Tbs s tbc gcncra| tbcmcolourbook,Sit:tuolod, rclcrcd tontbc
prcvousnotc,scca|soSu[ismo[Ibn'drob,p.850,n. | 0.
84. ComparctbctcxtoltbcRisolotilol-ho'im,quotcdby f.Mcc,p. 97 n. 2.
85. Tbc samctbcmc s lundamcnta| nSobravard and bs grcatcommcn-
tator, Mo|| Sadr Sbrz. sprtual rca|tcs must bc obscrvcd n a propc
manncr, ustasmatcralrca|cscaloranappropratcmctbodolobscrvaton.
86. Scc 44 and 70. Attcnton sbould bc drawn bcrc to an mportant
trcat|scbyoncoltbcmastcrsoltbc !rananSbaykbscboololtbc|astccntury,
Sbaykb Mobammad Karm Kbn Kcrmn,ontbcco|or rcd. tbcoptcalpbc
nomcnon, ts csscncc and naturc, ts symbo|c and mystca| mcanngs, ctc.
(Risolo-eum-ehomro) . Comparc tbs wtbtbcrcd |gbt tbatstbcdomnant
notc ntbc vsons ol "Oncngbt ! sawsomct

ngcnvc|opng tbc
Hcavcns. !tasa rcd |gbt. !askcdWbatstbat Hc to|d mc. !ts
tbcc|oakolMagnlccncc. SccEnIslomironien,!!!, Bk. !!!, Cb. !V.
87. Soncacbcascwcarcto|dabouta|gbtprocctcdbytscorrcspondng
organ, oncoltbcsubt|corgansoltbcbodyol|gbt, tbcvsua|zatonolwbcb
corrcsnds to tbc momcnt wbcn tbcsc organs bcomc ndcpcndcnt oltbc
pbysca| bdy'sscnsoryorgan. "Tbc |gbtolbcarngdocs notbavcacrcu|ar
lorm. tconsstson|yoltwo pontsollgbtwbcb makc tbcr appcaranccbc-
bndtbcdoub|ccrc|coltbctwocycs(57). Asntbccascoltbcotbcrscnscs,
tbs "vsua|zaton oltbc acoustc pbcnomcnon w|l bc obscrvcd n tcrms ol
suprawnsory pbyso|ogy. Tbc "pbyso|ogy oltbc man ol |gbt, accordngto
Scmnn, scstab|sbcdonabasscommon toal|tbc scnscs, butdcvclopsqutc
dllcrcnt|yncacbcasc.
88. On tbs corrcspondcncc, scc F. Mccr,o. cit. , p. 67, n. Pul Kraus,
jobir ibn Hoon, !! (Caro, !942), ndcx, our own study on Le "Livre du
Glorie"dejobir ibn Hoon,Eronosohrbuch, XV!!! ( ! 950) 75 ll. , s. Mart
(suro n. 8),DZieldesheisen,p.46.
89. Tbssoncoltbcwcll-known"outragcoussayngsoltbcgrcat lranan
mystc, Ab Yazd Basm (d. 26!/875), n our cdton ol Rzbcbn Baq|
Sbrz, Commentoire sur les orodoxes dessou[is (Shorh-eShothot), crsan tcxt
wtbFrcncbntroducton,Bb|.!rancnnc,X!!(Tcbcran-ars, | 966).
90. Consdcrab|c rcscarcb rcmanstobcdoncon tbcvaroswaysonam-
ng tbslgurcntbcscboo|olNam Kobr. Tbcshokh ol-ghb appcarsagan
n 'Azz Nasa, scctbctcxt7onzlol-orwoh,quotcdby F. Mccr, p. | 88, H. I, and
dnhong,pp.298-294,no. ! 8. Semnon(in[ro,V!, I ) tsca|lcdustodghob.
9! . Scc tbc tcxtoltbcRisolotilo'l-ho'imquotcdby f. Mccr, pp. | 85- ! 86and
dnhong,p.298,no. ! 7.
92. On tbsdcaoltbcbbid,accordngto Rzbbn,sccourworkEnIslom
ironien, !II, Bk.!II, Cb.!II, V, V| 6.
98. 'Ayna|QoztHamadn(d. 525 | ! 8| ), Abmad bazl's lavortc dsc
p|c (and wbo, |kc Sobravard, dcd a martyr's dcatb), rclatcs an ana|ogous
I 5
Notcs
v|s|on|n b|s bok,tbc7omhdat. Attb|smst|cstat|on,bcsa|d,"lsawa||gbt
cmanat|nglrom tbcd|v|ncbc|ng,ands|mu|tancous|yl sawa||gbtr|s|nglrom
mysc|l. Tbctwo ||gbtsmctand b|cndcd togctbcr, andtbcrc appcarcda lorm
olsucb bautytbat lorsomct|mcl rcma|ncddazz|cd tbcrcby(c|t. f. Mc|cr,p.
l l 4, n. l ) . lt|ss|gn|l|canttbat'Ayna|-Qoztcndstb|spcrsona| rcco||cct|on by
an a||us|onto tbc wc||-knownhodth ol tbc v|s|on,wbcrc tbc Propbctdcc|arcs.
"lsawmyOod|ntbcmostbcaut|lu|ollorms. Sccour S[tmo[Ibn'rob, p.
272ll.
94. Ghibto . As wc bavc alrcady po|ntcd out, tb|s |s tbc tccbn|cal tcrm by
wb|cb Nam Kobr rclcrs to cacb ol b|s v|s|onary cxpcrcnccs. "dcparturcs
lromtbcscnsorywor|d,"cntranccs| ntotbcsuprascnsorywor|d.
95. TbcscQorn|cvcrscsrclcr to tbccp|sodcolMocsb|ngrcscucdlrom
tbcwatcrs. Tbcway |nwb|cbtbcvcrscsarcrcpcatcd|n|so|atcdlragmcnts|s|n
accordancc,olcoursc, w|tbtbcv|s|onary's| ntcnt|on. Rzbcbna|sog|vcsusto
undcrstand tbat tbc words "l sbcd ontbcc |ovc lrom Mc cbaractcr|zccc|cst|a|
|ovc. tbccxcgcs|s oltb| vcrsc |s to bc lound |n tbc lact tbat Mannbas b-
comc a"m|rror olOod,bcausc b|sb|ngbasbccomctbc purc substancc ol
|ovcosmin,270in [ine). Bcs|dcs,tbcpassagcconta|nsanotbcrleitmotiv| mpor-
tant |n Nam Kobr, tbat ol tbc "suprascnsory boks wr|ttcn by Ood |n
Hcavcn. Namknowsscvcraloltbc|r t|t|cs, onc may bab|c to rcadtbcmust
||kc tbc Qorn|c vcrscs quotcd bcrc) |n tbc ||ncs and l|gurcs out||ncd by tbc
stars|ntbc Hcavcns oltbcsoul( 7l -72). f. Mc|cr (pp. I 84-l 85)rcm|ndsus|n
tb|sconncct|onoltbccascol ustnus Kcrncr'sSccrcssolPrcvorst.
96. Tb|s Pcrs|an word dcs|gnatcs tbc v|o|ct (l|owcrand co|or). Conccrn|ng
tb|sotbcr|mportanttbcmcoltbccsotcr|cnamcs,orbcavcn|ynamc,brncby
ccrta|nbc|ngs,sccf.Mc|cr,pp. l 85- l 86.
97. SccEnIslomironien, l l l , Bk. l I I , Cb. Vl, 7,and myIntroduction to josmin
(sut n.49)and tbctrans|at|onoltbc l|rstcbaptcroltbatbook.
98. Dwond'ol-Holm , cd.Lou|s Mass|gnon|n jouolosiotique 2l 8( l 98 l ) , no.
80. Tbctcxtgvcnby NamKobr bassomc var|ants,sccf.Mc|cr,p. 89oltbc
Arab|ctcxt.
99. Dwon,ibid. no. 57. Scc ourcd|t|onoltbcjosmin,Gloss . 95, p. l 70. Tbc
twol|ncsarcsomctmcsattrbutcd to Hal|,somct|mcsto Mann, somct|mcs
quotcdanonymous|yastbcyarcby Rzbbn'scommcntator. "Wbcntbcmys-
t|c rcacbcs pcrlcct|on |n |ovc, bc says, "tbc two modcs olbc|ngbccomconc
wbo|c|nb|m. Tbcnbccr|csout l am tbconcboml |ovcandtbconcl |ovc
|sl , wcarctwosp|r|ts |mmancnt|noncbdy.'Tbattbcsc||ncs maybavcbccn
addrcsscd toan cartb|y pcrson,asSarr tcst|l|cs, nomorc tbanbcarsout,lar
lrom contrad|ct|ng|t, tbc tbcopban|c|dcaol|ovc,sccEnIslom ironien l I I , Bk.
l l l , Cb. Vl, 7.
l 00. Tbc grat myst|c, l|cry sou|, nottobc conluscd w|tb b| sbrotbcr, tbc
tbco|og|an,AbHm|dObaz|.Tbc crs|antct Sowonih byAbmad-cObaz|
(d. 520l l l 26) (dhonsmen ubermeLiebe) was cd|tcd by Hc||mut R|ttcr, |nib
liothecoIslomico, l5 (Istambu|-Lc|pz|g, l942).Wc bavcmadcatransIat|onol|t,
asyctunpub||sbcd.
l 0l . Tbcanalogyw|tb tbc Mazdcan |dca makcs |tsc|llc|t |ncontcxt, cspc-
c|a|ly|nccrta|n |ntcrprctat|onswb|cb NamKobr g|vcsolBkbarz's v|s|ons.
Scctbc passagc|ntbclattcr'sKoqa'iol-kholwot,quotcd byf. Mc|cr,p. l 86and
dnhong,p. 292,no. I 6. "Attbatmomcnttbc lorccoltbc|nd|v|dua||ty(qowwot
ol-'on) |s rcvca|cd, tbat |scal|cd tbcsurosensosun, andwb|cb|s tbcscoles lr
wc|gb|ngact|ons and tbougbts. A man can rccogn|zcby mcans oltbcsc sca|cs
I 54
Notes
wbctbcr b|s |nncr statc sbows an cxccss or a dcl|c|t, wbctbcr bc |s salc and
soundor|ndangcrolpcr|sb|ng,wbctbcrbc|sontbcr|gbtpaborbasstraycd,
wbctbcr bc |sla|tblu|orunla|tblu| and d|sso|utc,wbctbcr b|s bcart|sd||atcd
ord|strcsscd, wbctbcrb|sgoa||sncaror|sst|||laroll,wbctbcrbc|srccctcdor
acccptcd, wbctbcr bc| smak|ngprogrcssor |sstand|ng st|||. ln sbort, bc can
d|scrm|natcbctwccn||gbtanddarkncss.
!!a. Wcarcrclcrrngtotbcsymbo||crcc|ta|dcvclopcdbyNasrTsattbc
cndoloncolb|sbooks|nPcrs|an(Koshoesh-Nomeh, unpub||sbcd) .
l02. Sccrclcrcnccsabovc|nnotc92.
l08. Ibid. , tbcwbo|colRzbcbn'sbook,7hejessomine qtheFoith[ulinLove
(suro n. 49), lormsasctt|nglortb|s tbcmc, olwb|cb only tbcbarcoutl|nccan
bcg|vcnbcrc.
l 04. lbn'Arab,Kitobol-FotuhotolMokko,Cb. 860, Ca|rocd|t|on, I 829,Vo|.
l l l , p.274ll.
l 05. furtbcrto n. l 0l abovc, onc w|||rcca|| bcrc tbc conncct|on |n Cbr|st|an
|conograpby bctwccn tbc symb|or attr|butc oltbcscoles and tbc Arcbangc|
M|cbac| (wbosc ||turgcal lcast, Scptcmbcr 29, a|socomcs undcr tbc zod|acaI
s|gn |bra). Tb|s wc|gb|ngoltbcsou|swaswbat|cdtbcoroastran scbo|ar,].
. Mod|,tomakcacomparat|vc studyoltbc l|gurcoltbc Arcbangc| M|cbac|
and tbatolM|tbra |n oroastr|an|smSt. Michoelo[ theChnstions onMimroo[
meZoroostnons.d comonson gouolo[ thednthq. Soc. o[ombo, Vo|. Vl, pp.
287-254).
I 06. A|ltbcscconncct|onsbavcbccnadm|rab|y|nd|catcd|na||ttlcbokw|tb
wb|cb wc do notcnt|rc|y agrcc on a|| po|nts but towards wb|cb wc lcc| sym
patbct|cbcausc|t|soncoltbrarctrcat|scsonangc|o|gywr|ttcn|nourt|mc
andbcausc|t|slortbcmostpart|nsp|rcdbybcartlc|tdarng Eugcn|od'Ors,
Introduccin o lovidoongelico, cortos o unosoledod (Bucnos A|rcs, l 94 l), csp-
c|a||ypp.87-40and62-68.
V. THE BLACK LlOHT
l 07. Tb|s |s a coro||ary oltbc tbcmc oltbc know|cdgc ol||kcby||kc, |n
Rzbbnaswc||as'lbnArab,alundamcnta|tbcmc|stbattbctbcopban|csol
tbcNamcsandAttr|butcsa|waysandcsscnt|a||ycorrcspondw|tbtbcsp|r|tua|
statcoltbconctowbomtbcyarcrcvca|cd.
l08. Scctbccxcc||cntart|c|cbycan-Lou|sDcstoucbcs,L'ombreetlolumiereen
hsique, |n tbc vo|umc Ombre et Lumiere, pub|. by tbc Admc scptcntrona|c
(Pr|s, l 96l ),pp. l 5-20.
l 08. Hcrc|t|sl|tt|nga|sotobrngto m|ndtbccorrclat|on btwccn tbcacts
ol||gbtorol||lum|nat|on (hroqot)andtbcactsolcontcmp|at|on(moshonodt)
|ntbccosmogonyolSobravard.
l 09. Namoddn 'Abdo|lab|bnMobammad|bnSbbwarAsadRz, known
as Dycb (d. 654ll 256), onc oltbc twc|vc grcatd|sc|p|cs wbom,accord|ngto
onctrad|t|on, NamKobracccptcd assucbby namc (scc tbc wr|t|ngsolHo-
saynXwrczm,quotcdby f. Mc|cr,p.44,n. I ) ; bc ||vcd |atcr|n Hamadn,at
tbc t|mc oltbc Mongo| |nvas|on bc rctrcatc to Ardab| (tbc crad|c ol tbc
Salav|d dynasty, on tbc prcscnt Russo-lran|an lront|cr, wcst oltbc Casp|an
Sca),tbcn |nAs|a M|nor, bc was |ncontactw|tb SadroddnQonyawand]a|
Rm'sc|rc|c. Bur|cd |nBagbdd. H|scb|clworkasamyst|c, bs|dcsaQorc
commcntary,|squotcdb|ow.
l l0. CbaptcrsXVllland XlXoltbcMirsodol-'Ibod,pub|.bySbamsol-'Oral
(Tcbcran, l 8l 2s.b.j l852I b. l988A.D.),pp. l 65- l 78.
I 55
Notc
I I I . Conccrnng tbcsc wo catcgorcs ol dvnc attrbutcs, scc abvc n. 64,
rcmarksconccrnngtbcttIcolNamKobr'strcasc.
l l 2. Tbcrc s anmportanttbcoIogcaI dstncton btwccn tbc twodcas ol
sm m andmon,tbcsccondbcngtbc pcrlcctonoltbclrst. ln SbtctbcoIogy
mon,latb(asnldcItyandconldcncc), mpIcstbcadbcrcnccoltbcbcartto
tbc pcrsonoltbcboIymom as dwliy, tbcntatorstotbc bddcn mcanngol
tbc probctc rcvcIatons, totaI latb n tbc Sb'tc scnsc prcsupposcs tbc
tbrccloIdsbabat(abvc,notc74).
l l 8. hol-emotloq. lnSb'tctcrmnoIogywom ot stbcprcrogatvcoltbc m-
matc,tbccbarsmaoltbclmmaswol,ncIudngtbclmmolourdaywbos
ddcnandnvbI(wcsupro l l l , 2and 8, andipro Vl, 2). ltsmpossbIcto
dscussbcrc tbc rcIaonsbps btwccn SbtctcrmnoIogyand tbatolSulsm
as sucb, nor tbc Sb'tc prcsuppostons, at Icast Iatcnt, n cvcry tbcosopby
wbcrctbcdcaol tcntcrs. NaturaIIytbcSbtcSulsboIdaprccscopn-
onontbspontandontbccxtcnsvcuscoltbctcrmdwlio. Hcrcwcnotctbc
cmpbass on tbc symbIs oltbc sun and moon, wbcb n gcncraI symbIsm
lgurc rcspcctvcIy tbc mascuInc and lcmnnc. ln lsmacIan Sb'tc gnoss
(wbcrctbccprcssond'i-emotloq ssomcwbat rcmndngoltbccxprcsson n
qucstonbcrc), tbcl mmasntatortotbcbddcn mcanng, dspcnsatoroltbc
"Igbt otbc woluot," s rcprcscntcd as sprtuaI motbcr ol tbc adcpts."
Ftma,tbcdaugbtcroltbc propbctandtbc motbcroltbcboIyl mms,stbc
"conlIucnt ol tbc two Igbts," tbat ol propbccy and tbat ol ntaton. ln
TwcIvc-lmm Sbtc gnoss, tbc Iarwom ot stbat olbc lmm, tbc Iunar
wom ottbatoltbcadcpts(Lb,q. cit.in[ro n. l l 8,pp.8l 6-8 l 7), sccEnslom
ironim l , Bk.l , Cb. Vl , 2 and lV,Bk.Vl l , Cb.l , 8.
l l4. Sccrcl.supro notc47.
l l 5. Sccrcls.supm notc92.
l l 6. Wbatsnqucstonbcrcarc tbcpIancsorunvcrscsolatransccndcntaI
cosmograpby, wbIc tbc l 8,000 worIds n lsmacIan gnoss, dcnotc unvcrscs
loIIowng onc anotbcr lrom a cycIc olcppbany (dowrol-Lsh[} to a cycIc ol
ocuItaton (dowrol-sotr), or lrom oncrcIgon to anotbcr, onccvIzaton to
anotbcr. Eacbltbcsc lormsascparatcunvcrsc,andonIybyspcakngolonc
npartcuIarcanoncsaytbattbadabgnnng(scc NasrTs,7mowworut,p.
48oltbcPcrsan tcxt). Tbclgurc 860,000rclcrstoamcgacycIc(Kowr,A)
and

concurrcntIytotbc860dcgrccsotbcSpbcrc,sccnkzbbntbclgurc
860rclcrstotbc numbrollntatcswbo lromonc prodto anotbcrarc tbc
"cycs"tbrougbwbcbOodIooksattbcworId. Aslortbclgurc 70,sccEnslom
ironien, l l l , Bk. l l l , Cb. l l l . n tbc tbcmcol l 8,000worIds n KabbaIab, scc
Ocrsbom5boIcm,LesOgnesJmKobbole, pp. 476, 490.
l l 7.

abmd

Sb

bstar,grcatmystcsbaykbolAzcrbaan,IvcdprncpaIIy
atTabzand dcdm 720l l 820,attbcagcol88, nSbabstar,wbcrc bstomb
stIIcxsts. HsgrcatpocmwasmotvatcdbtbcqucstonsolMrHosaynSdt
lt

s sgnlcanttbat btb oltbcsc mcn wcrc rcgardcd by tbc lsmac-

as bavmgbccn oltbcrpcrsuason,sccourcdtonolan unlnsbcd ls-
m

acIan c

mmcnary on Golrhon-e Roz, pubIsbcd n our 7rilogie ismoelienne,

BbI, lranc, l, Tcbcran-Prs, l 96l , lsmacIsm bavng survvcd n lran
undcrtbcUirqo (tbccIoak)olSulsm, or loncprclcrs, Sulsm bavng takcn
onccrtanaspcctsolacrypto-lsmacIsm.
l l 8. Tbs commcntary, rc-cdtcd scvcraI tmcs n lran, bas agan bcn tbc
obcctolarcccnt

tonundcrtbccarcolMr.KayvnSam',Mo[otih ol-iz
(Tcbcran, l 957), m a bautluI voIumc ol 96 804 pagcs. Sbamsdn
I 56
Noas
MobammadOnLb, natvcoltbcrcgonU tbcsoutbwcstoltbcCaspan
Sca,wasan cmncnt sbaykboltbc Nrbakbsbyabrdcr, bc was

cvcnoncol
tbc succcsrs olSayycd Nrbakbsb asbcadoltbc Ordcr. Hc dcd and was
burcdatSbrzn9l 2l l 506-07. Numcrouspagcsoltbscommcntaatob
loundtransIatcdnour7rilogeismoelienne.
l l9. Qz NroIIab Sbosbtar sonc oltbc grcat lgurcs ol

b'sm

tb
Salavd pcrod (bs Incagc was tr

ccd b

ack to tbc lourtb Sb

tc

am A
Zayno-'Abdn). Hcdcd amartyrm lnda, bytbcordcrol]aban, rn l 0l 9l
l 6l0. Sccourntroductioa totbcjosmin olkzbbn, p. 78, n. l 24. ln bsgrcat
coIIccton ol bograpbcs, Mojcltr ol-Mu'minn, bc gvcs vaIuabIc nlormaton
abutourautbor.
l 20. Sbb Esm'I (bo 892l l 487, dcd 980l l 524, grcat-grandson tbrougb
bs motbcrolKaIo]oanncs Comncnus, Iast CbrstancmpcrorolTrcbzond)
was, as wc know, tbc rcstorcr ol lranan natonaI unty somc nnc bundrcd
ycarsaltcr tbc coIIaps oltbcSassandsblorc tbc armcs ollsIam. lt was bc
wbo madc TwcIvc-lmm Sb'sm tbc natonaI rcIgon ol lran. Hc was onIy
lourtccnattbc tmc olbscoronaton n Tabrz (905l l 500) , tbc ngbt blorc
tbc ccrcmony, somc oltbosc cIosc to bm, and cvcn somc Sb'tc tbcoIogans,
warncdbmagansttbcdangcrollormuIatngtbcSb't

prolcss

nollatbn
actytbcgrcamaortyolwbownbabtantswcrcSuntcs.To tbstbcadoIcs-
ccnt answcrcd. "l am commttcd to tbs acton, Ood and tbc lmmacuIatc
lmmsarc wtb mc, and l lcar no onc" (scc E. O. Brownc, Litot Histoq o[
Fersio,lV,p.58).
l 2l . Kobud-pushon, tbc "bIuc-cIotbcd," s a currcn

Pcrsa

wayol na

n
Suls, rclcrrngtotbcrcustomolwc

rngbIuccI

tbmg,v

ous

cxp

anauons
bavcbcngvcnoltbspractcc. Hcrctbasapr

cscmcanmg,m

maccord
wtb a gcncraI symbsm oltbc coIor olcIotbmg. Tbu t

c mcang

ltbc
coIor bIuc (n NamKobrasnScmnn) makcsbIuccIotbmgappropatcto
tboscwboarcstIIntbclrststagcsoltbcmystcIlc. Fortbatvcryrcasononc
canundcrsandtbcmaIcousbumorolHlczwtbrcgardtotboscoltbcSuls
wbo ma

c a rcgIarbabt olwcarng cIotbng oltbatcor. wcrc tbcy tobc

takcnaspcopIcwboncvcrgotbyondtbclrststagcsoltbcmystcIlcOntb

c
otbcr band, wbcn tbc grcat mystc poctolSbz dcscrbcs tbc status ol bs
mastcras "rosc-coIorcd" r-e Golrong) asopposcdto tbcwcarcrsolbIuc, bc
wasaIIudng to tbscustomolcbangngtbc "IturgcaI"coIorolprsonaI cIo-
tbn toaccord wtb progrcsson tbcsprtuaI patb. Sccou

ntr

ducnon to)os-
min olkzbbn,pp. 56-62 (wbcrccxactIytbc cIuc to t

cdcnuty

ltbcF.r-e
Golmng pcrbaps aIIows us to conncct Hrcz

to tb

tonuut ol uzbba

ol
Sbrz n tarc aIso rccaIIcd scvcraIcsscnuaI casm tbc symboIsmolHalcz
wbcb bas bcnsounlortunatcIy msundcrstood ntbcWcstby smpIylorgct-
tng bow and wby bs Dwn couId bavc bccn uscd as a BbIc

by tbc l

anan
SulsuntIourday). TbspractcscxprcssIyattcstcdtoby NamKobra,wbo
dstngusbcstwocatcgorcsoltbccoIorbIuc.b (ccpbIuc) andozro
9
(sky
bIuc, azurc), scctbcpassagc lrom bsddbol-Mondu quotcd by F. Mccr, p.
l 26, n. 7. bIackandbIuc (siyh okbud)coIorcd cIotbngarc tobworn wbcn,
tbanksto tbc sprtuaIwarlarc, tbcIowcrpsycbc (no[s ommro) basbcnovcr-
comc,astbougboncwcrcnmournnglort.Tbcmcanngstbcrclorcnottbc
samc as n tbc casc ol Lb, bcrc bIack docs not rclcr to tbc bgbcr stagc
wbcrconcspcaksol"bIackIgbt.lnabgbcrsprtu

aIAbd

wb

rctbc mystc
gans acccss to tbc transIunar worIds

by conccnt

uon ol bs sptuaI cncrgy

(himmot),NamKobrconncctstbswtbtbcwcangolazurccoIorcdcItbmg.
lncvcrywwc musttakc ntoaccount tbc symbIc aIc oltbc coors, but
I 57
Notcs
thcy canvary,aswc havcsccnhcrc, trom oncmastcrtoanothcr. ln5cmnan
thchghcstcoIorsthccoorgrccn.
! 2
,
hs s thc pocm otMua ana guotcd by Mr. Kayvan5am', p. 9 ot
hs mtroducon to thc Golshon-e Roz (suro n. l ! 8) . Lthcr works rctcrrcd to
thcrcn show hw vsons otcoIorcd Ights havc nccrccascd to ntcrcst thc
lranans.
l 23. lp. 94- l 02otthccommcntarynthccdtonrctcrrcd to,whchwcshaI
nowanaIyzcwthoutpartcuIarrctcrcnccs,coupIct l 23- l 29(notmcntoncdn
thscdton)otthcRoseGordeno[Mstet.
l 24. 5cc thc sccond ot thc cstatc Lontcssons` ot Mr Oamad En Islom
ironien, lV, k. V,Lh. l , 4.

l 2. 5ayycd Ahmad 'AIaw, pupIand son-n-IawotMr Oamad, scc ourdv-

cenno,pp.8-0.
l 2. LtcraIy, 'thcbIackcoorotthcaspcct`, thsstatcmcntcanbc rcIatcdto
thc tact thatLai[ habtuay w

rc

bIackcIothng,thsbcngthcoutward sgn

tthcmctaphystcaI povcrtywhtch5 thcgrcatcstotrchcs tor thcbcngcsscn-

ttaIzcd by thc dvnc bng ot thc Lodhcad. hc thcmc ot'back ght` rc-
mmdsushcrcotthc paradoxcaItorm n whch onc otthc mostanccnt5h'tc
gnostcs, Hshambn5aIm]awaIg, propoundcd hsdoctrnc: Lod hashuman
tormanda bod

y, a suitIc body, notcomposcdottIcshandbIood,butotspar

khng, radtant hght. Lkc thc human bcng, Hc has tvc scnscs, but thcy arc
subtc organs. Hc h
-
a

abundant back har whch sblck light (nraswod). 5cc

thccontcxtmourSmo[Ibn 'drob, p. 38! t.,n. ! 2.
! 2T. Moshhod: paccotthc prcscncc ot thc hahtd, whcrc thc wtncsstcsttcs
to i sprcscncc and to thc prcscncc to whch hc s prcscnt (hcncc thc pIacc ot
tcstmony ot hcrctorc s thcshohidas pIacc and torm (mozhor)
otthcohay thc bcmgotpcrtcct bauty choscnas wtncss otcontcm-
pIaton.
l 28. Lnthc mystcaIcontcxtotthshoth, scc ourSqism o[Ibn'drob, p. 2T2
tt.
l 29. lor morc dctaIs on thc doctrncs ot 5cmnan, scc our workn Islom
ironien, 2 l l , k. l V, Lh. lV. l nt can bc tound n dctaI aI thc rctcrcnccso
thc worksot5cmnan,stIIn manuscrpt,n lcrsanand n Arabc, thcsc rctcr-
cnccswIInotbc rcpcatcd hcrc.
l 30. t. Lson. Histo o[ Chnstion Fhilosoh in theMiddle dges (Ncw York.
KandomHousc, !9), pp.34l -342.
l 3 l . 5cc MgucI Asn lIacos, Obros escogidas I (Ibn Massorro su escuelo)
(Ma

dd,

!94), pp. ! 9- l 0, on thc Ous mous ot Kogcr acon and thc

s

tua mtcrprctattonotthc lshragyun. Lonccrnng thc sccnccotpcrspcc

tvcasthc most tundamcntaIotthc sccnccsotNaturc,scc KaouILarton,L'x
eriencehsiquechz Roerocon (lars, l 924), pp. T2-T3, and L'exenencems-
tque del tllumtnotn teeure chez Rog ocon (lrs, l 924), pp. 2l 4tt. (thc
scvcndcgrccsotnncrsccncc), 2,30tt.
l 32. lntact thc wordm[sr dcsgnatcsthcItcracxcgcssccntcrcdaroundthc
canoncaI l samcsccnccs. Athough oncgcncraIyrctcrsto 5cmnan's7o[sr, t
woudbcmorc approprtatctospcak oths7o'wl (to'wl,ctymoIogcay, mcans
to rcconduct,` to Icad somcthng back to ts orgn, to ts archctypc). Ln thc

hrcc dcgrccs ot hcrmcncutcs. to[sr, to'wl, and to[m, sccEnIslomimnien,

mdcxs.v.
l 33. lnl samc cxcgcss thc wordForokletos s takcn tobc a dctormaton, by
I 58
Netes
thc Lhrstans, otthc wordFetklitos (loudotissimus F Ahmad F Mohammad).
hc vcrscs( l 4. l and 28, l . l ) ot5t.]ohn'sLospcIwoud thus rcad as thc
announccmcntotthcadvcntotthc5caIotthc lrophcts. ln5h'tcgnoss, thc
laracIctcoroqlt) sdcnttcdwththcwcItthl mam(thchddcnandawatcd
lmam) whowI rcvca thc csotcrc mcanng otthc KcvcIatons, scc ourrcport
on L'idee du Foroclet hilosohie imnienne, prcscntcd at thc Longrcss on
lranoIogy,Komc,Acadcmyotthc Lncc, AprI l 9T0,andpubshcdindttidel
Convegno internozionole su temo. Lo Fersio nel Memoevo (Komc. Accadcma
nazonacdcLncc, l 9Tl ), pp. 3T-8.
l 33a. hs ntcrprctaton, ngongto thcvcryroot, procccdscguaIytrom a
dccp pcnctraton ot lsamc thcoogy. lt wouId bc ntcrcstng to makc a com
paratvc studyotthc lunc thcmcotko(lhIp. 2. tt. ) , thcsemetisum
exinonivit" whch was such a thorny prbIcm tor Luthcran thcoIogar\s n thc
nnctccnth ccntury, scc artcc by Loots, Kenosis , n Hcrzog,Reolencl. rot.
7eol. undKirche,3rdcd. , X, 24-23.
l 34. Ln thc thrcc bodcs otthc human bcng. body otorgn, carthIy and
pcrshabIc, body otacgustonor truton, body otrcsurrccton, and on thc
anaIogywth thc physcsotrcsurrccton` nthc5haykhs,sccEnIslomimnien,
l l l , k. l V,Lh. lv, .
l 3. Ln thcsc obscrvatons conccrnng conography, scc our Su[ism o[Ibn
'drob,pp. 2Ttt.and 3T9tt. , n. Tto l 2.
l 3. 5cc Lous Massgnon, hc Lrgns ot thc ranstormaton otlcrsan
lconography by lsIamc hcoIogy. thc 5h'a 5chootKta and tsManchcan
Lonncxons` (n Arthur Lpham lopc,d Sut o[Fersion drt, Vo. V, lt. l X,
Lh. 49jLxtord Lnvcrsty lrcss, 2nd cd. , l 94- ! 9|, pp. l 928-! 93, partcu-
IarIyp. ! 933-l 93),whowasthc trstto throwghtonthc roIcotKtaatthc
orgn ot pantng n lsIam, and to show thc vauc ot thc tcstmony ot Abu
5hakur 5am guotcd bcow. hc l ranan mottotthcvooh Icads us how-
cvcr hcrc to a dttcrcnt ntcrprctaton ot thc connccton ot ths conography
wthwhatthcgodbackgroundsotyzantncconographysuggcst.
l 3T. 5ccourIntroduction tojosmin,pp.and 20.
l 38. hsonc, tor cxampc. 'Kasc upthcdhikr otthc Lght, hcIpthc pcopc
otLght, gudc thc Ighttoward thc Lght.` 5ccourFrolegomnesItothcWorks
ot5ohravard(supran. l T) , p.4.
l 39. Forbenlehre, Kroncrs aschcnausgabc, VoI. 2. 5chrttcn ibcrdcNatur
gcordnct und ausgcwahIt von Lnthcr lpscn (5tuttgart, l 949),Einleitung, p.
l T.(Wccamcacrosstoo atctobabctousc thcrcavcryntcrcstngnumbcr
otthc rcvcw7riodes l l l, 4, wntcr l 9,dcdcatcd to thc sprtua cxpcrcncc
otcoIors.` hc artccs n ths numbcrottcr strkng corrcIatonswth thc prc-
scntrcscarch. )
!40. Ibid. , I to3. Lctuscca vcrybrctIyoncotthcsmpIcstcxpcrmcnts
dcscrbcdat thc outsctotLocthc'swork.Ln a purc whtc shcctotpapcrpacc
or draw a d ot untorm coor, bIuc tor cxampIc, conccntratc your gazc
txcdy and attcntvcIyon ths dsc. 5oon thc pcrphcry bcgns to gow wth a
rcddsh-ycIow Ight thatsvcrybrIantbut cxtrcmcy dccatc, so dcIcatc that
t s not aways possbc to gvc t a namc. hs rdcscct Ight (physoIogcaI
coIor) sccms to bc tryng to 'cscapc` trom thc coIorcd dsc (rcca hcrc thc
tcchngucotManchcan pantng). ltsuccccdsand bccomcsacompctcorbot
ght` whch, havng bccomc dctachcd, sccms to tIuttcr on thc whtc papcr
around thc coIorcd dsc. ltoncabruptIy rcmovcs thc dsc (assumngtto bca
scparatc pccc)oncthcn pcrccvcsonythcorbotths physoogcaIcoIor.
I 59
Notcs
l 4l . IbtJ. , 80. Whcnthccyc sccsa coIortttstmmcdtatcyacttvatcd and ts
ttttcd by naturc to Qroducc unconsctousIy, ncccssarty, anothcr coIor, whtch,
togcthcr wtth thc gtvcn coor, tncIudcs thc totatty ot thc ctrcIc ot coIors. A
stngccoIor Qrovokcsnthccyc,througha sQcctttcscnsatton, thccttort toward
gcncraItty. 80. I n ordcr to bccomc consctous ot thts totatty and sattsty
ttsct, tt scck at thc stdcotcachcoorcd sQaccasQaccwtthoutcoIortn ordcrto
Qroducc thc coor tt rcgutrcs.` (5cc thc cxamQc gtvcn abovc tn notc l 40.)
80T: hcrccxacty onc ttndsthc tundamcnta IawotthcwhoIcDarmonyot
coIos, oIwhtch cach onc otus maybccomcconvtnccd through QcrsonaI cx-
Qcrtcncc, bytrytngthc cxQcrtmcnts tndtcatcd tn thc scctton otthts book dc-
votcdtohsiologicolcolors ."
l 42. IbtJ. , T l -T. T3. o cxQcrtcncc QcrtcctIy thcsc dcttnttc and
mcantngtuI cttccts,oncmustcomQIctcIysurround thccycswttha stngccoIor,
oncts, torcxamQIc, tnaroomaI otonccoIor,or oncooks througha coorcd
gIass,oncts thcn oncscIttdcnttttcd wtth thccoIor, c coIorbrtngs thc cycand
aIsothc mtnd tntountson.`htsmayrcmtnd usotNczam`s grcatQocm(otthc
twcItth ccntury),Ho[t Fokor (hc 5cvcn cauttcs), tn whtch thc 5assantd Qr-
tncc ahramLrvtstts scvcn QaIaccs, cach otwhtch rcsQccttvcytscnttrc thc
coIorotoncotthc scvcn QIancts, tncach otthc scvcnQaIaccs,a Qrtnccssotonc
otthcscvcncItmatcs,drcsscd aIsotn thc corrcsQondtngcoIor,tcIIs thc Qrtncca
Iong story contatntng many tndtcattons. hc Qocm tII ustratcs thc adagc Ii
coehtus comomo, and Qrovtdcs onc ot thc mottts most trcgucnty uscd tn
lcrstanmtntaturcs.
l43. IbtJ., 9l -9l T. (N. 8abovcrctcrs to an tmQortantstudyby an rantan
shaykhotthcastccntuonthcsymboItsm(to'l)otthccoIorrcd.)
l 44. IbtJ. ,8l 9, cndtng as toIIows: "hc mathcmattctans Icarncd thc vaIuc
andthcuscotthctnangc, thctnangIc ts hcId tngrcatvcncrattonby thc mys-
ttcs, many thtngscanbc schcmattzcdtnthctrangIc, and tnsuch a way thatby
duQItcattonand tntcrscctton wcgctthcanctcntand mystcroushcxagon.`
l
U1U1LlV ^1Y
Allbcry, Charlcs Robcrt Ccci l , cd. n Manichean Isa/m-ook , ! ! ,
Stuttgart I 938.
Asn Palacios, Migucl. U/tas escogidas l (i/n Masarra su escue/a) , Ma-
drid I 946.
Bailcy, Harold Waltcr. Zorastrian Iro//em in the Ninth-Centu ooks,
xlord I 943.
Carton, Raoul. L'exerience hsique chez Roger acon and
!
'exerience
mstique de l'i//umination interieure chez Roger acon, Pas I 924.
Dcstouchcs,]can-Louis. ArticlccntitlcdL'om/re et m /umire en h

iq

e
in thc volumc cntitlcd Um/re et Lumire publ. by thc Acadcmc
Scptcntrionalc,Paris I 96 I .
Dibclius, Martin.Der Hirt des Hermas (Tbingcn I 923) , Crccktcxtcd.
by Whi ttakcr, MollyDie aosto/ischen | ater ! , Bcrl i n,
Akadcmic-Vcrlag I 956.
Drowcr,Lthc|Stclana. The Mandaeans o[lraq and lran, xlord !937.
Lliadc, Mircca. Study ntitlcd Signjications de /a /umire interieure ,
Franos-qahr/uch XXV!/I 957( I 958) , pp. I 89-242.
Fcstugicr, Andr-]can, trans.Ioimandres inCoqus hermeticum ! , cd.
byArthurDarbyNock,ris I 945.
Flcischcr, Hcinrich Lcbcrccht. Le/er die [ar/igen Lichterscheinungen der
Su[i's altcr Lcipzigmanusript I 87. De tariis /umini/us singu/orum
graduum Su[icorum roriis i

(
eitschrjt der Deutschen
Morgen/andischen Gese//cha[t I 6,LcipzigI 862,pp. 235-24 .
Franz, Maric-Louisc.Die Iassio Ieretuae lollowing C. C. ]ungsnion,
Lntersuthungen zur Sm/o/geschichte, Zurich I 95 I , pp. 387496.
Cilson,

ticnnc.Histo o[ Christian Ihi/osoh in the Midd/e nges , Ncw

York,RandomHouscI 955.
!vanow,W.,cd. Nasroddn Ts,The Rawdatu't Tas/m common/ ca//ed
Tasawwurat, Lcidcn-Bombay I 950.
]ung, CarlCustav.Der Geist der Ischo/ogie , Franos-qahr/uch X! V/ I 96
(I94 7), pp.385-490.
Kraus,Pul .ja/ir i/n Hayan ! ! , CairoI 942.
Massignon, Louis. L'idee de /'esrit dans /'ls/am, Franos-qahr/uch X! ! !/
I 945( 946),pp. 277-282.
Mcicr, Fritz.Die Fawa'ih a/-ama/ waawatih a/-a/a/ des Nam ad-dn a/-
Ku/ra, Wicsbadcn I957.
Nybcrg, Hcnrik Samuc|. Questions de cosmogonie et de cosmo/ogie maz-
deennes ,qournc/ asiatique 2 I 4/ I 29,pp. I 93-3 I 0.
rs, Lugcnio dc. lntroduccion a /a tida ange/ica, carta: a una so/edad,
Bucnos-Aircs I 94 I .
tto,Rudoll.Sande und Lrschu/d, Munich I 932.
l l
BbIography
Pincs, Salomon. StuJtea t
"
0u'l-Burukut ul-BughJuJ'a Ioettca unJ
^etu]hatca (Scn]tu Hteroaolmtmnu , ]crusalcm ! 90.
Pucch, Hcnri-Charlcs.Le ^untchetame, aonqonJuur au Joctnne Pr: s
! 949.
J
J
Ringm,Lars-lvar.Grultem]el unJ IuruJtea , Stockholm ! 9 ! .
Rittcr, Hc

llmut, cd. Pscudo-Magrit,Dua Ztel Jea Hetaen l (StuJten dr

Bt0ltothek Hur0urg Xl l ) , Lcipzig ! 9JJ; Ahmad-c Chaza|
]hortamen u0er Jte Lte0e (Bt0ltothecu !alumtcu ! ) l stanbul-Lcipzig

! 942.
7
Ruska,]ulius.Tu0ulu amurugJtnu, Hcidclbcrg! 92.
Schmidt,Carl.Ko]ttach-gnoattche Schpten l,Bcrlin ! 94.
Scholcm,G. Lea ortgtnea d lu Ku00ule, Pris! 9.
Scott,Waltcr.Hermettcu l V,xlord ! 9J.
Sdcrbcrg,Hans. Lu reltgton Jea Cuthurea , Uppsa|a ! 949.
Van Dcr ccuw, Ccrardus. Ihunomenologte Jea Reltgton Tbingcn
! 9JJ.
J
Walthcr, Ccrda.Ihunommologte dr ^attk, |tcn ! 9.
Wcrncr, Martin.Dte Lnntehung Jea chrtatltchen Dogmua 2nd cd Bcrn
! 9J.
J
" 7
Widcngrcn,Cco.The Greut |ohu ^unuh unJ the ]oatle o[ GoJ Uppsa|a
! 94.
J
Zuckcrkandl,Victor.SounJ unJ Sm0ol, Ncw York ! 9.
62
117
AbatburMuzana,88
l.tbcscvcn,52,58,! 84, tbc
lorty,56
Ab'I-BaraktBagbddI, !9ll.
Ab'I-Ma'rI,66
AbSbakrSImI, ! 86,! 87, !59
n. I 86
Abrabam, 5, !05, ! 25, "olyourbc-
ng,"! 24- ! 26,! 28,! 80,! 48
absoIutcsubt, !02,! !2, ! ! 8
act.olI gbt, ! 0! , !02,! !6,actsolI-
Iumnaton(sbrgt),olcontcm-
pIaton, !08ll. ,oltbcLbt,! 08,
! 48
ActvclntcIIgcncc,see!ntcIIgcncc
dcoq7bomas, seeSongo[tbeFearl
Adam,48,55,carnaI,28,corporcaI,
! 4, cartbIy, !4, ! 5, 28,48,
ctcrc,58, ! 26, andEvc(Man-
dcsm),88,andFbs, !4ll. ,"ol
yourbng,"! 24, ! 26
bmadAbs'I,Sbaykb, ! !4
AbmadAawI,Sayycd,! 58n. I 25
Abrman,29, 47, 48, ! 5! n. 67,
Abrmanancountcr-wcrs,29
Abunavarya, ! 5! n. 67
Ar(cIcmcnt),65,66,77
'mmal-mtbl,seemundusmagnals
aIcbcmy,8, 77, ! 06,! 84- ! 89
AIIHamadnI,58,68
AIIZaynoI-AbdIn,Fourtblmmol
SbIsm, !57n. I I 9
AIIbrry,CbarIcskobrtCccI, !48
n. 89
aIoncwtbtbcaIonc,84
alterego (bcavcnIy),8,!0, 88,59, ! 5!
n.69.SeeaLaAngcI ,PcrlcctNa-
turc
Amabraspands(Zoroastranarcban-
gcIs),4 ! ll. ,55
AmmrBadIIsI, ! 5! n. 72
Amrtakunda,24ll.
l-Haqq (HaII), ! 27, ! 28, an srr
al-Haqq(lbn'AIabI), !29
androgyny,48
AngcI(tbc),82,97,!04,arcbctypc
olbumanty,!6, 20,27, 88-40(see
aLa OabrcI,HoIyObost,Actvc
l ntcIIgcncc),olknowIcdgcand
olrcvcIaton, !4 (seealsobd. ),
sotcrcAngcIol cacbHcavcn,
! 05, AncI-Loos,7,48, ! ! 8, ! ! 7
angcIoIogy,6,20, 97, Zoroastran,48
angcIopbancs,79
AngcIs. tbclour, !47n. 8 ! , olCbrst,
! 6
anmemlestes, !05
anman(youarc),88, ! ! 6
antbropogony,95-96
dntmmon, 48
docalyseo[El, 75
ApoIInarousolLaodcca, ! 82
ApoIIonusolTyana(BaIIns), !8 ll.
ApuIcus,85,45
ql,see ntcIIcct
aqt (Ics),tbcwvcn,52
arcanum, transconousncss(),
69, ! 09- ! ! 0.Seealtot a
arcbctypc. Fgurc(mbd',dmutba),
88,42(seealtomundusmgmbs),
l magcs,5. Seeaa AngcI
Argun, ! 2!
dscmono[I, ! 52n. 75
AsInPIacos,MgucI,! 22
assumptonto Hcavcn, ! 88
astroIogy,! 84- ! 85
astronomy.csotcrc,52, ! 85,
PtoIcmac,60
Attr,FarIdoddIn,66
Attcstor/Attcstcd,72
Atts,27
aura,62,! 85, gla, !88
auroraboreah,4, 5,46ll,59, ! !9
Avcsta,55
Avccnna,84, ! ! 8, ! !4, (arypbaI)
Estq tbeOrgnandRemm,24
ll. ,mystcaIrcctaIs,6, Recmlo[
Haboaqzn, 22,25,59, ! 0! ,
! ! 4,!48n.46
dul-eKh(FrcndsolOod),
54-55, !05
aumd,tbclour,57
AynaI-QoztHamadnI, !58n.98
Bacon,kogcr, !22
BabrmOr, ! 60n. I 42
BaIcy, HaroIdWaItcr,! 47n. 82
Banalsba,voIct,87
BartboIomcwolBoIogna, ! 22
! 0!
I 63
BastmI,AbYazId, ! 58n.89
Bcar,constcIIatonoltbc,49,52,58
Bcarng/Born, ! 7, !9,2 ! , 80,84
bauty,86,86-88,92, ! 08-!04, ! 08,
ndCx
!85- !86, !58n. I 27, as
tbcopbany,68ll. , sprtuacs-
scnccol, !87
bng.tbcbngbyond, ! 0ll. ,"tbc
oncwboncvcrbasnatbeen, ! ! 8
b-twccn,"manasa,88,95
bb(sprtuaI), ! 28
-unty, 7,9,28, 8! , 49,68, see aLa
unus-amba
bIack, 98, body,obcct,! 00- ! 08, !26,
!88, coIor, ! ! 5, tbcbIacklacol
bcngs, ! ! 2,Iumnous,7,! 26,
!28
bIackncss.oltbcstratospbcrc, I00,
wtboutIgbt,47
bIazcs,rconngoltbctwo,68,
65-66, 72-78, 85-87, 89, ! 4! ,
!48- !44
bIndncss(sprtuaI),66
bIuc-ad (tbc), Suls, !57n. I 2 !
dy.acqrcdsubtIc, ! 24, ! 29,! 59
n. I 4, olmmortaIty, ! 80,ol
orgn, ! 59n I 84,rcsurrccton,
! 2! , !85, ! 59n. I 84, subtIcbody
olIgbt,4! , !06, !58n.87
Boctbus, !44
Bbmc, . , !28
Books(suprascnsory),wrttcnn
Hcavcn,87
BrnnbIdc,82
BuddbasandBodbsattvas, ! 88
Buddbsm(Mabayana),88
BuddbstsolCcntraIAsa,50
Bundabisbn,antbropoIogyol, ! 47
n. 8I
Byzantnccons,mosacs,40, ! 88,
I 59 n. I 86
cardnaIponts,tbclour, ! , !4H.
caro siritualis, !82, ! 86,!88
Carton,kaouI, !58n. I 8 !
Catbarsm,84
ccntcr,5, !8,2! , 26, 4! H.,49
cbakras,88
CbnvatBrdgc,80-88, 4! , 44, 5!
cbvaIry(sprtuaIcbvaIry,avn-
mardi), ! 86
Cbrst, !6, 47, 55, !88, andMnI,27,
Cbntos-dngeks, 27, 84,Cbristus
uven,! 82- !88, Cbristus-Fastor,
27
Cbrsanty,47, !27, !82,Ebontc,
! 85, rcntaI, !88
Cbrstans ! 27, !28
CbrstoIogy,27, Qornc, ! 29
Cbromatcbarmony, I I I , ! 4!
ctcsol tbcopprcssors,28-24,5,
47, 49-5! , prsonaIcty,25
crcumambuIaton,49
CImatc,TbcEgbtb,2, 44,57, 60.
Seealsamundusimaginas
cIotbng,symbIsmolcoIorol,
! !0- ! ! ! , azurc,skybIuc, ! 57
n. I 2 I , bIack, I I I , I I 8, !57 n. I 2 I ,
bIuc, I I I , I 57 n. I 2 I , see aLa sym-
boIsmolcoIors
cIoud.bIack,65, 67, 98, gIowng,65
olunknowng,7, !0,wbtc,65
caitia.tutina,59,as, 59,ves-
ti, 59
coincmentiaaasitam, 47, 50
coIIcctvc,coIIcctvty, !0, coIIcctv-
zaton,8! , 5! , 97
coIor. IanguagcoltbcsouItotwIl,
! 42, mystcaI mcanng ol, I 40,
! 42- !48, urc, ! 0! , sprtuaIcx-
pcrcnccol,!42-!48,! 59n. I 89
cIorsarcbctypaIcondtons, !42,
aurc,62, bIuc(Lmandaztaq),
! 57n. I 2 ! , bIucandycIIow,p-
Iartyol, !48, grccn, ! 48, !57
n. I 2 ! , barmonyol, !60n. I 4I ,
IgbtsmadccoIors, I0 , mcntaI
mprconsol, ! 42, "pbysoIog-
caI,"62, !02,! 89-!44,ntbc
purcstatc, !08, ! ! 6,! 26,! 88,
! 89, rcd,!42- ! 48,tbcscvcn,
I02, !42,symbIc,notaIIcgor-
caI,uscol !42H., syncbronsm
ol,8! , tbcworIdol ! 8! - ! 89.See
aLasymbIsmolcoIors
CoIumn.olDawn,45,olLgbt,70,
columnaglonae, 5,84, 45
municatiaiam,7 !
compIcmcntarcsandcontradc-
torcs,47, 50, 94
conscous,6
conscousncss,47, 98-94, 96-97,
99- ! 00
ContcmpIator/ContcmpIatcd,7, 84,
! 06
corrcsponnccs, Iawol, ! 28
Coyacc, ]. C., !49 nn.54,56
CrossolLgbt,45
I 64
ndcx
CycIc.olcppbany,olocuItaton,
! 56n. I I 6, ollntaton, ! 49
n. 52, olntatcgrowtb, !25, ol
ropbccy, !2, 54, ! 25, !84- !85,
oltbcaat, ! 84
Dan,97, nMancbcsm, 85, n
Mazdcsm, 80ll. ,TbcSouIon
tbcWay,80-8! , cbatoIogcaIv-
sonol,80ll. , 88, 4! , and
Fravart, 80, 8! , 89,92
dim6naredros,27,85
darkncss,4-5, !4,28, 96, twoloId,6
ll., Abvc, !00,attbcskrtsol
tbcPoIc,6-7, I I , !8, !00- ! 0! ,
I I 4, I I 6, ! 88, dvnc,7, ! 00,! ! 7,
Bcncatb, !00,Abrmanan,8! ,
96, 97, !02- ! 08, ! 08, I I I , ! !4,
! 88, ! 88, dcmonacaI,9, !08,ol
tbcFarWcst, ! 0! , oltbcSuon-
scousncss,! !6. SeeaLaNgbt
dak noontdc, 5, I I 8, I I 9, ! 26
db(drigb, dtsb),dcrvsb, 57,
! !2, ! !6. SeeaLapovcrty
Davd"olyourbng," !25
Da.tbcworIdol,4,7, cxotcrc, !0,
24, 46-49,dcIvcranccoltbcpar-
tcIcsolLgbt," !88, !87
Dcstoucbcs,]can-Lous, ! 55n. !08
Ds abscomitu:,48,58,86, !00, !08,
I 08, ! ! 7, ! 50 n.64
dcvI(sbatn),68,65ll.
it(t),64, 67,78-76, !04,bIazc
oltbc,90ll. ,lrcoltbc,95, !00,
mmcrsonntotbcbcart,ntotbc
si,75ll.,Igbt ol tbc, I 04- I 05,
tccbnqucs,75ll.,oltbcLgbt,
! 59n. , Hcrmctst, !9, Sulc it
andTaosm,75,andtbcmonks
olAtbos,75
DbIus,Martn, !47n. 27
D-AngcI, ! 49n.55
dmcnson.byond,2,4, ol Igbt(b-
ng,ldarkncss(quddty), ! ! 4,
oltbcnortb,8,poIar,7,8, !48,
transccndcnt,pcrsonaI,6,!0, 20,
47,49,64,92, !00,vcrtca, ! , 8,
42, 50, 5! , 62
drcntaton,7,47-50, olsymbos,
5!
dvncattrbutcs,69,7! -72.SeeaLa
al,aml
I 65
dmuatutcIarySprt, magc),58
Dg elganger, 95
drcams(tabitorsccnccol),8!
Drowcr,EtbcIStclana, !48n. 87
Druscs,88
duaIsm,48
duaItudc,97
dyads, ! 6
Eab.cIcmcnt,65, ol Igbt, ! ! , 85,
57, olvsons,40-4! , bcavcnIy,
57, andIooltbcsuprascnsory,
70-7 ! . SeeaLaetra ucida
Ecclessiritualis, 58
Eckbart,Mcstcr, ! 9, 68
cgo,9- !0, Iowcr,66-67(seeaLa souI),
tbctruc, ! 24-! 25, !27- !28
EIburz(Abrz), 8,55
cIcmcnts,tbclour,65
EIadc,Mrcca, !50n.68
EIab,55
EIxr,!85
cIIpw,symbo, !0
Elobim, !48
EmcraI:kock,6,28,48-46,59,70,
78,97, !26,TabIct, !8
EmpcdIcs,68
cncrgy (sprtuaI),70, 77, ! 4! , !57
n. I 2 I
Enocb(ldrs,Hcrmcs),55
Epmctbcus, ! 5
rn-V,89ll.
csotcrc,48, ! 05-!06, I I I ,olcacb
Hcavcn,60,mcanngoltbcQo-
rn, ! 2! - ! 22,bcrarcby,46,52,
55, 57, !84
Esabbad, 8!
cvcnts. nHcavcn, ! 0, ! 29,ol tbc
souI, ! 06,!28- ! 29
EvI, 65
Exodus.oltbcmanolgbt,60, ! 2! ,
outol Egypt,28,2
cxotcrc, I05- ! 06, I I I , !22
cxpcrcncc(mystcaI),70,80
cyc(tbc).twIlIgbt, !89- !40, pro-
duccstsowncoIor, ! 4! , oltbc
bcart, !06, ! 20,nward, 80
cycs.olodntbsworId,58-54, n-
wardcycsolman, !09
lacc.olIgbt, ! ! 8, !48, bIack, ! ! 2-
! ! 8
ndCx
[on[b (rcrptonntoOod),
I I I I 7 ll., I 27 ll. , I 82, !88
larcastsprtuaI),48-44,larnortb,
40,larwcst(non-bng, bcII),6-7,
! 0! ! !4
Forbenhbre, ! 89- ! 44
Fatc, ! 5
Ftma,2), ! 56n. ! !
Faust,48ll.
Jedel d'omore, 8, 9! , ! 85
lcmnnc, ! 08- ! 04,! 56n. ! ! 8
Fcstugrc,Andr]can, !47n.26
Frc.cIcmcnt,65-66,77,darklrcol
tbcdcvI,74,lyIgbtoltbc
dbdr, 78ll. ,nlcrnaIlrc(nward
toman),69
FIamc, NcboIas, !49n. 5!
FIcscbcr,HcnrcbLcbcrccbt, l 50
n.6!
FIudd, kobrt, ! 52n. 8!
lorms,4, appartonaI,64ll. , ! 20,ol
Igbt,27,84-85, 49,57,
tbcopbanc, !02- !08, ! 06, ! ! 7,
! ! 9, ! 86, ! 4!
Franz,Marc-Louwvon,! 47n.28
FrcndolOod(ntbcObrIand),54
FrcndsolOod,seeduh-eKmd.
Frovortya r), 22, 28-82, 94,97,
andWaIkyrcs,8! -82
FyIa,82
OabrcI(arcbangcI). HoIyObost,Ac-
tvcl ntcIIgcncc, AngcIolbu-
manty, ! 6,27,4,55,! 28, ! 80,
ngcIolknowIcdgcandrcvcIa-
ton,20, ! ! 7, ! 8! , olyourb-
ng," ! ! 7, ! 8! , ! 84. See alra ta
gebtu'lio
Gortmn (AbdcolHymns),80,42
OcmstusPIctbo,Ocorgus,8
gcocntrsm,8
gtm(matcraIstatc), 29
ObazII,AbHmd, ! 54n. ! 00
ObazII,Abmad,88
OIson,Etcnnc, !58n. ! 80
gnoss.nlsIa, 50, lsmacIan,95,
! 84,! 56n. ! ! 6, Mancbcan, !88,
! 85, Sbtc,! 88- ! 85, ! 59n. ! 88,
VaIcntnan, ! 6,58
Ooctbc, ! 2, 54, 8, ! 89- ! 44
Oondopbarcs, 22
Oood, 65
Goseloccordngto7bomos, 8-4, ! 46
n. 7
OrccnsIand,58
OuardcdTabIct(LoubMob[),!46
n. ! 4
Oudcol Igbt,pcrsonaInward
gudc,sprawnsorygudc
(mqodmol-gbob, ostdgbobi,
sbokb ol-gbob), 9- ! ! , ! 5, 27, 86,
48, 50, 68, 64, 82, 85, ! 80- ! 8!
Ouomar,McbcI,7
badItb.oltbcvson, !05- ! 06, ! 20
! 54n.98,oltbcscvcnctcrc
mcangs, ! 22
Halcz ol SbIrz, !57n. ! 2!
HkmTcrmczI(898),56
HaII(aI-), 88,88, ! 27
baIIucnatons,62, 78
bcarngoltbcbcart,! 8!
bcart(qalb),65,66,68,69,78,78,82,
98, ! 04, ! 09, ! 5! n.66. SeeaLa
at a
Hcavcn. bIack, ! 0! , ! ! 7, nward,70,
82,oltbcbcart,69, !05, oltbc
robbqo, 79, oltbcsouI, 45, 59,
69
Hcavcns.nward,79, 88, ! 28, oltbc
bcart, ! 05, !08, oltbcEartbol
Igbt,oltbcSouI, !85, sprtuaI,
69,79,suprascnsory,60,tbc sc-
vcn,88
begemonkon, tbc, 8!
Hcrmas,26-27, 8 !
bcrmcncutcs(sprtuaI,ctcrc),98,
! 2! - ! 22, andmystcaIpsycboI-
ogy, ! 80
Hcrmcs, 8,26,68,Creqboros, 27,cc-
statcasccnsonol,nSobravardI,
5, 45, 47, 50-52,70,77, 85, and
tbcundcrgroundcbambr, !8,
24, 45,99,andtbcPcrlcctNa
turc, ! 7- ! 9, 2! , 8! -82, 45-46,
48-49,SacrcdBksol, !4,
SbaykboltbcpcrsonaIcty,25,
vsonolApoIIonus olTyana, !8
Hcrmctsm, ! ! , ! 8, nArabcIan-
guagc, !4, ! 6
bcxagon, ! 60n.44
HbIZwa,58
bcroosmoIogy,56,57, 68
bcroosmos,57ll.
l
ndcx
bcrognoss,6,56, 68
bcropbancs,4 !
bkmotol-sbrq,see "orcntI'
tbcosopby
bmmo, 77, ! 5! n. 7 ! , ! 57n. I 2 !
bstorczaton, ! 82
bstoryoltbcsouI, ! 82
HoIyObost,nman, ! ! ,69.SeeaLa
OabrcI, HoIyObost
bomovus, tbcmannman,85
aaus !27
Hosayn bn'AII,tbrdlmmol
Sbsm, ! ! !
bourI(bcavcnIy), ! 48n.86
HrqaIy, ! !,28,89, 42-44, 46, 57,
80-8! , ! 02, ! 06, ! 82
Hypcrborcans,40
bypostatcunon, !82
lbIIs,48, 9,convcrtnglbIIstols-
Im, 66,94
lbnaI-'ArabI,MobyIddIn,22, 58,8! ,
86,89,96,! ! 5, ! 28,! 5! , n. (4,
!55n. ! 07, pIgrmtotbc Orcnt,
58
lbnKammna,46
conograpby, ! 82- ! 88, ! 85, ! 88- ! 89
lcu, Onostcboksol,7 !
.
Ikbunal-Sa[a ('?beBretbrenuttb
FureHeorts), 90,ttualo[tbe
Fblosqbs, !49- ! 50n.57
umnotomtutm, 45
lmagc:olIgbt,84-85,52,prmor-
daIl magcs,4-5,82,89.SeeaLa
arcbctypclmagcs
magnaI,"seemundusmgnobs
magnary,5
.
lmagnaton,8! , acuvc,5,48,8! ,
transccndcntaIactvclmagna-
ton,80
magnatvclacuIty(lmagnatrx),
64, 8! , !06
lmm(ntbcSbtcscnsc),! 8! , ! 84,
! 85, tbclmmaspoIc,46,48,
! 56n. ! ! 2, tbcbddcntwcIltb
lmm,pIcolpIcs, 52, 54,56,
58, ! 59n. ! 88,tbcnward, ! 84,
l mmatc,! 84, ! 56n. ! ! 8,lm-
moIogy,54,! 22, ! 8! - ! 84
mmatcraIzaton, ! 02
mmcrsonoltbcobcctntotbcsub-
cct, ! !8
l ncarnaton, ! 27, ! 28
ndvduaIandspcccs,97
ndvduaIty(sprtuaI), !6, 20,99,
! 04, !07, ! 48
ndvduaton(csscntaI), 98,97
n[um, 50
nlraconousncss,96, ! 0!
ntaton,58,54,ndvduaI,95,
laIcd, !28
ntcIIcct('aql),66-68, 98, ! ! 0, ! 5!
n.66.SeeaLata
lntcIIgcncc.tbcFrst,tbca,7,
.
82, Actvc,20,59.SeealraOabrcI
lntcIIgcnccs,tbcoryoltbc,60, ! ! 8
ntcrnaIzaton,60, 75, 82, ! 06,! 27,
! 89, ol ImmoIogy, ! 8! , ! 84
lnvsbIcs(tbc), ! !
nwardmastcr(astgbobj,n-
vsbIc, 85,98-94, ! 80, ! 84.See
alraOudcolIgbt
nwardncssolIgbt,5
lonanscbooI, ! 89
l sbnMaryam, 72, !27. Seeala
]csus
sbrq, 8, lsrqiun, 8! , 42, 45, ! ! 7,
!22
sm mandmn, ! 64
smacIans, ! 22, ! 56n. I ! 7, an-
tbropoIogy,88
sm[tin (csotcrcnamc),87
!smmokb(k baI-), !46n.9
lvanow,w. , ! 48n.85
]baIq,]bars,4 !
att, 59, 79
]brbnHayyn, ! 58n. 8
al(dvncattrbutcsolrgor,
macsty), ! 08, ! 08, ! 86, ! 5! n.64
]aIIoddInkmI,2! , ! 8! , ! 55n. I 09
a l(dvncattrbutcsolgracc,
bauty), ! 08, ! 08, ! 86,! 50- ! 5!
n.64
]awIIq, HsbmbnSIm, !58
n. ! 26
]crusaIcm(bcavcnIy),4! , 42
]csus.Rdlmb, ! 28, ! 80, "olyour
bng,"! 25- ! 28. Seealrat
]ung,CarIOustav, ! 47n.28,! 49
n. 5!
I 7
KabbaIab, ! 56n. ! ! 6
KayKbostaw,60
ndCx
kenstryund of the dvne nto the
human realty), l27
Kembtm, 79, l l 3
Kesbvar(orHs, zone), 39, the seven,
42, l48 n.44, the central 42
`
the
eghth, 43

Khezr (Khadr, Khdr), 55
Kraus, Ful, l53 n. 88
Kh-e Khw]eh, 22
Ihjjl, 5hamddln Moh. , l, l l ,
l l 4- l l , l 2, hs vsons of the
bIack Ight, l l l - l l 2
mtu (subtle organs or centers), l2,
4, 83, the seven, 42, l7, l9,
qumHyu, m[sqa, l 24, l 29, quul
byu, und'tyu, l 24, ryu, l 25,
Nu]qu, l 25, l28, mqqyu, l 25,
l 27, l 29-l 3,)ubru'elqu, l 3l
latttudmaI and Iongtudnal order of
Lghts, l2
Lebnz, 97
Igature of the senses 2 79
Ike wth Ike, 4, 9-72, 87, l39, l 4l
Ltght, 4, 8, %, and darkness l8
`
whte, l7 ff. , bIue, 89, l07 ff., n
your heart, 5, of fre, 7, of the
tongue, of hearng, 82, of
prophecy, l4, of pure ssence
l l , l l l , l l 5, oftheophany, l ls,
ofthe wumyut, l 4, ofIghts, l3,
of the dbkr, 7, the northern 4
l l , 45, 47, of the Throne, o. o-
ward, l8, 4, 43, 45, 4, l39, yeI-
Iow
.

l 7 ff. , black (nr-esqb, the
anttthess of Ahrmanan dark-
ness), 5, 7, l l- l 2, 47, 49, 9,
l -l3, l 7-l8, l l - l 2, l 2-
l 29, Ohrmazdan, 3l , 97, of or-
g,44-45, that makes one see
(ab
*
Iute sub]ect), l 2, l l, re-
v

aImg, reveaIed, l 44, red, l 7,

wtthout matter, l , l2, upon
hght, 29, 3l , 72, 74, 97, green, 7, 9,
37, 4, 7-79, 93, l, l 7, l l l ,
l l 7, l 2-l 27, l29
Ights: avendng and dexendng
72-73, l 38, colored, l , l 4, 08,
l l 2 (red, yeIIow, whte, bIue),
l 24, l 2 (se ubo photsms), of
eauty, Ma]esty, l 3-l4, of the
heart, of the Throne, 72-73, un-
l d
created, 4, nfnte, 3l , , pure,
l2, l 4, supransory, l l 9,
theophanc, 9, l 8
"lo". of Mercy, 77, ofthe true God
eu, 7l , dvne, 7
.
Lotus of the Imt, l l 7, l 3
Love. four degrees of, 89, human
and dvne, 87-88, mystcaI, 8-87
Luther, Mann, 4
Ma'ni,8l , 8z
Macroosm, l , 82
Mag, 22
Man. outward, carnaI (sarknosan-
mrqs), l4, Perfect, l l 8, unver-
sa!, I . See uIto bomo u~
Man of Ight gbounosanmrqos,
Smkbs nrni), l 2, l 4, l8, 25, 28,
3, 47, 59, 3, 4, 85, l l
l 3l -l 39, and the Perfect Natu:e,
25, axent of, 42, physoIogy of
4l , 2, 74, 8, 82, 83, l 2 l 2l
.
l 39- l4, l43. See ubo Fhs, mt[u
Ma
]
doddln aghddl, l 52 n.8
Ma]nn, 88, l 54 n.95
Ma]rltl (pudo-) l - l 7, 4, l53 n.88
Mamk,53, 59, 79
MandaIa, 3, 4l
Mandeans, Mandean gnoss 33 ff
5, 58
J

MnI (the prophet), 34, l 33, l 37
Manchean. cosmogony, 2,
dramaturgy of salvaton, l33
l 5, pantng, l2, l l - l2, l 33,
l 37- l 39, l 59 n. l4, physcs of
Ight, l 3, l37
Mancheans, l l , l, 2, 33, 34, 45,
5, 57, 58, l 3l , l37, of CentraI
Asa, l 3
Manvahmed, 34
Mary MagdaIene, l 5- l , l 44
Maryam, 2l , 7, l 28, l 3l
mavuIne, l 3-l4, l 5 n. l l 3
Maspero, Henr, l 52 n. 77
Magnon, Lous, l 37, l 52 n. 77, l 59
n. l 3
Matter (subtIe), 44, l 2, l8
Mazd

sm. trad
.
of thought, speech,
acuon, 33, trmd of souI on the
way, uI outsde the bdy uI
^
thn the bdy, 3-3l

Meter, Frtz, l 5 n.4, l 5l n.7, l52
1M. 73, 78, l53 n.88, 1 54 n. %
ndcx
Mnk (subtIe state), 29, Mnkb
(subtIe organsm), 3
Mephstopheles, 48
Meru, Mount, 5
Mng-Tang, mystcal palace of, 57
metaphyscs of Lght, l l , l 22, l 32,
l33
Mchael (archangeI), 27, 55, l 55
n. l5
Mlr Dmd, 2l , l l 2, l 3l , l 52 n. 8l
M'r)(heavenly assumpton otthe
Prophet), 3, 58, , 7
Mrror, l 4, l, l 29, l 5l n.9
MN (pre-eternal covenant), 3
Mthra, l 55 n. l 5
mxture perod), 29
Mod, ]. ]. , n.3l , l 55 n. l5
Mohammad. the Prophet, 34, l 3,
"ofyour bng," l 25, l29- l 3l
Mohammad Karlm Khn Kermnl,
l53 n.8
Mohammadan (the true), l 3l
Mohn Fayz, l49 n.47
Moksba[t(unveIngs of the supra-
senry), l3, l 7, l9- l l
Monophystsm, l 38
Mom Ictonhs,22
Mon, 7, 83
More, Henry, l2
Monand Mord(the eker and the
sought), 3, 8, l 39, l44
Moses, 55, l5, l54 n.95, "of your
bng," l 24, l 2
"Mothers," worId of the, 42, l 2
Mount 5aIvat, 22
Mountan. cosmc, 4l , 5 (seeubo
gd[), of dawns, 4l
Mshuna Kushta, 33, 58
Mundusmgmls('dmm ul-mttbdl), ,
42 ff. , 4, 58, 7, 8, l2, l,
l8
Na]moddln Kobr, 7, 8, l l , l7, 28,
3, 37, 4, , l -97, l, l2,
l l 7, l 39, l4
Na]moddln R(Dyeh), l , l,
l 3- l l, l l 5, l 23, l 2
names (eterc), nan.es n heaven,
87, 88, l 54 n.%
Na, Azlz, l 53 n.9
Naslroddlu Tsl, 33, 9, l5 n. l l
NaturaI exstence, 4,
Nature, 3, sprtual scences of, l 34,
l 35
Neoplatonsm, l 3
Neryoseng, 5
Nezml, l n. l42
Ncotheos, l4
Netzxhe, l 28
Nght, 7, the worId of, 4, of lght,
lumnous, 4, 5, 7, l2, l8, 47-49,
l l2, l l 7-l l9, l 2, esotcrc, 48,
of pure essence, l l9, of symbIs,
48, dvne, l9, l3, l8, l l l , l 38,
dvne nght of unknowng, of the
neffabIe, 9- l, 4, 48, of super-
conscousness, l, 48, Ahrma-
nan, 48, of the demonacal
depths, 49, wthout lght, 49,
dark, 7
"Noah of your bng," l24, l 2
north, 3, 4, as qtbm, 5, 57, as sym-
bl, 4, 5, cosmc north, abde
of the AngeI 5raosha, 5-57,
cosmc north, threshold of the
byond, 2, 5, , 7, 23, 39, 45, 49,
5, 53, 5, 58, 78, heavenIy, l, 23,
the sde oflght, 2. See ubo far
north
No (the), 34, of Hermes, 2, ac-
cordng to Phlo, 35
Nrbakhsh, Nrbakhshlyah (order
of the), l57 n. l l 8
Nybrg, Henrk 5amueI, l 47 n. 3l
observaton (ntrd)of the sprtual,
l53 n.85
Occdent, 4, symbI of the shadow,
the world bneath, 43-45, 5,
58-59. S~ ubo far west
Ohrmazd, 29, 4l , 47
optcs. Iaws of, l 22, anthropoIogcal,
l43
orbs oflght, 7, 82 ff., 93, l3, l 52
n. 72, crcIe of the dvne Ight, of
the vtaI pneuma, 83, doubIe cr-
cle of the two eyes, 83 ff., 9, cr-
cle of the face, 85-8, the August
Face, 84
organs or centers (subtle), organs of
lght, 8, 8, 82, l 2l , l 23 ff, l 3,
l 38, the fve subtIe organs (Na]m
R), l7, l 09- l l. See ubo md]u
Orent. symbI of the supranry
l 9
ndCx
worId,2,4,44,58-60,gratcr
Orcntat),IcsscrOrcnt
(a),ntcrmcdatcOr|cnt
(mundusimaas,cgbtbcI-
matc),44ll. ,mctapbyscaI,mys-
tcaI,2,8, ! ! ,28, 25, 87,Orgn,
6, 8, ! ! , 27, 87, 44, 45, 58. See aLa
larcast
"OrcntaI'(tbcStrangcr,tbcmanol
tbc"nortb"),46
OrcntaIs' (ntbcmctabyscaI
scnw),28, 59
orcntaIknowIcdgc,59,SobravardIs
"OrcntaI" tbcosopby, ! 8, ! 6,82,
42,59, ! 0! , ! !4
orcntaton, pbcnomcnonol, ! , 2,5,
7, ! ! , 27, 89, 44, 47, 48, 5 ! , 54,
58, 62,68H.,69, ! 08,! 08, I I ! ,
poIar,94, ! 29
Orpbsm,58
Ors,Eugcno d',! 55n. !06
stgbi,86, ! 58n.90,sccOudc,
nwardmastcr
Otto,kudoIb, 75
outwardmastcr(asdsbabi),
vsbIc, ! 80
pantokrator, ! 88
ParacIctc, ! 25
paradoxcsoltbcmystcs,88
Prmcndcs,58
PrslaI,22
partncr(bcavcnIy),7, ! ! , 27,88,98.
SeeaLaAngcI,Oudc,PcrlcctNa-
turc
a(companon,gudc,savor),
! 48n.49
pcrccpton(suprawnsory), ! 02, ! 05,
suprawnsorypcrccptonoltbc
scnry,80, drcctpcrccpt|onol
tbcsuprawnsory,8! , ! 05, nd
rcctpcrccpton,8!-82
PcrlcctNaturc,8-! 0,84,! 88, tbc
pbIosopbcr'sAngcI, ! 7- ! 8,
20-2! , 24, 86, ! 04, unty,28,
Bcarng/Born, ! 7, ! 9, tbcHoIy
Obostntbcs,44,andtbc
arcbctyp-AngcIolbumanty, ! 6,
20,27, 84, ! 8 ! , andHcrmcs,2! ,
45,97,99,andtbcsbn,5,
gudcolIgbt, !4, !8, 68, pcr-
sonaIIturgy, ! 9, modcsolman-
lcstaton, ! 7 ll. ,avcnIypart-
ncr,27, SobravardIspsaIm, ! 7,
! 9,2 ! ll. ,sunoltbcpbIosopbc,
! 7,86,46,lnaIsccrctoltbc
Sagcs, ! 8
Pcsanmnaturcs, ! 2,68,! 0! , ! 88,
!87-!88, !60n. !42
crspcctvc,Iawsol, !28
Fe,85
PbIoolAIcxandra,85
pbIosopbcaaIpbabcta[t) , 88
F s, ! 4- !6, ! 8- ! 9, 26, 28, 8! , 86,48,
68,97. SeeaLa ManolIgbt
pbot|sms, ! 02, olpurcIgbt,07,
coIorcd,sgnsolsprtuaIstcs,
7-9, ! 2, 28, 6! , 68, 64,7 ! , 78,78,
8,82, !07ll. , ! ! 0,! 89, !42.S
asymbIsmolcoIors
pbysoIogy,ccntcrsolsubtIc, 75-76.
SeeaLalata,organs
Ficatti, ! 46n. 8
Pns,SaIomon, ! 46n. I 6
FstsSb, ! 5, 85, !44
PIato,8, 85, PIatonc!dcas,42,nco-
ZoroastranPIatonsm,48
pIcromaolLgbts,! 48n.46
PIotnus,85,68
Pomandrcs,26,27
poIc(symbIsmoltbc),tbrcsboIdol
tbcbyond,summtoltbc
csotcrcbcrarcby,2,7, ! 0, ! 8,
22, 44, 50, 52, 57, 64, 69,70, 89,
tbcbddcn!mm,48,52,54,56,
! 84, ! 85, Iousolorgn, ! 2 ! , "o
rcnt,"6,bcavcnIy,2,5-8, ! ! ,42,
48,56,62,tbcscvcnpIcs()
52, 58
poIycbromy, ! 87
povcrty(mctapbyscaI,mystcaI,n
tbctrucscnsc), ! ! 2- ! !5, ! ! 7-
! ! 8, ! 28. See aLa b
Prcwncc, ! !4, totbc worId, ! , 2,
buman,! -8, 5
ProIus, ! 49n. 55
romctbcus, !5, ! 6,86, 68
Propbcts.tbcscvcngrcat,! 2, tbc
"scvcnpropbctsolyourbng,'
! 2! - ! 8! , ! 85
propbctoIogy, ! 84
psycbc. coIItvc,5 ! , Iowcr, ! 5!
n.66,oburc,46
Pcucb,Hcnr-CarIcs, ! 48n.88
70
ndcx
Ql, Mountanl,28,48,44,58,78,
97
Qayrawn,28
QazwIn, ! 22
qb. nortb,57, sunandmn,57
Qorn.sta20(a-ba),87, vcrwol
tbcLgbt(24. 85),72,! 04, ! 06,
! 46n. I 8, sta 58(bcStar), ! 05,
csotcrcandcxotcrcoltbc, ! 2! ,
!22, ! 80,cosmc,69
qatb(pI.aqtb),seepoIc
QucstlortbcOrcnt,2
ta[ta[, ! 8!
rcaIsm(sprtuaI), ! 8
rcaIty(supawnsory),78, ! 09
rcntcgraton,mytbol, 47
kngbm,Lars-!var, ! 45n.2
kttcr,HcIImut,! 46n.8, ! 54n.
robolIgbt,tbcmcoltbc,8! , 9! .
SeeaLaSanga[tbeFeatl
koscOardcnolMystcry(aLban-e
z), ! !0- ! 20,!26
kuska, ]uIus, !45n.4, ! 46n. ! 4
kzbbnBaqIISbIrzI( ! 209),8, 2,
86,87,89,92, ! 84, ! 85, ! 5! n.64,
! 58nn.86,89, ! 54n.95, ! 55
n. I 07, ! 56 n. I !6
SabcanIturg|cs, ! 9, SabansolHar-
ran, ! 6,46,50, ! 49- ! 50n. 57
SadrSbIrzI(MoIIa), ! !4, ! ! 5, ! 48
n.46,! 58n.85
SadroddInQonyawI, !55n. !09
SagcsolanccntPcrsa,8
Saina,dccntoltbc,79
Sabin, 85
saIvaton(cosmc), ! 84
Saasbnt,22
Sasands, !88
Satan,47
ScaIcs.oltbcsuprascnsory(mizn
al-gbab), 86,77, 78,85,90,
92-98, 97, ! 28, ! 4! , ntbc
Zodac, ! 55n. ! 05
5bmdt, CarI, !45n.6, ! 52n.78
ScboIcm,OcrsbomOcrbard, ! 5!
n.64, ! 56n. I !6
5bwcncklcId,Caspar, ! 82
Scott,WaItcr, 45n.4
sccrctolmystcaIwaylarng(sittal-
sa), 78
wcuIar|zatonoltbcsprtuaI,5! ,
! 82
Sccrcssol Prcvorst, ! 54n. 95
SccstnI,AbYa'qb, ! 87
ScIl(tbc),9
ScmnnI,AIoddawIcb( ! 886), ! 2,
86, 6! , 75, 88, ! 00, !07, ! ! ! , ! ! 7,
! 2! - ! 88, ! 58n.87
"scnscolbstory,' !0, ! 29
scnscs. pbyscaI, 8 ! , andorgansol
Igbt, ! 5, suprawnsory,62,80,
8! , 82, 86, 96, ! 02, ! 07, ! 09, ! ! 5,
! 89, ! 40.SeeaLalata,organs
ScrapbcI(arcbangcI),55,56
Scvcn(tbc).abdl,seeab lcoIors,
! 02, subtIcorgans, ! 2(seeaLa
t a), pIancsorcatcgorcsolb-
ng,79,88,tbcscvcnpoIcs,apcr-
turcsoltbcbronc, 52, csotcrc
mcanngsoltbcQorn, ! 28,
Eartbs, Hcavcns,wcIIs,79
wvcntbvaIIcy(tbc), ! 07, ! ! 8
SbabstarI(mabmd), ! ! 0ll. , !26
Sbadow(tbc),47, 50, 68-64, 82, 86,
89, 92-94, ! 89, Abrmanan,57,
!, ! 02,coIIcctvc,5! , 96, dc-
monacaI, ! !6,ndvduaI,5! , 65
SbabEsm'II, ! !0- ! ! !
sbabt, 74,tbctbrccloIdSbI'tc,
! 52n.74, ! 56n. I I 2
S bid,sccWtncss
I 7 !
SbabrazrI,SbamsoddIn,46
aal-gb,seeOudc,nward
mastcr, Wtncssn Hcavcn
sbaism,42, 52, ! 58n.86
sbebia,79
sbcpbcrdai),26.SeeaLa AngcI ,
Oudc,PcrlcctNaturc
Sbbetda[Hs,26-27
SbI'sm,52,54, ! 22, ! 8! , ! 85, SbI'tc
tbcosopby, ! 88
SbsbIam kba(k|ngolIgbt),58
SbosbtarI,QzINroIIb, ! !0
sgbt(nwardsgbt,basita), 85
Sna(mystcaI),28,48
Sky,Skcs,seeHcavcns
ocaI,97, ! 08
saIzatonoltbc sprtuaI, !0, ! 82
Socratcs, !7
Sdcrbcrg, Hans, !48n.40
SobravardI,SbbboddInYaby,
sbaal-sbtq ( ! ! 9! ),5,6,8,! 8,
ndCx
!6, 82, 84, 87, 42,! 00, !08, ! ! 5,
!22, ! 88, ! 84, ! 55 n. I 08a, era
membaI, ! 46n. I 7,a
metohsi H, ! 4n. 28,! 50n. 62,
FsolmtotheFectNoture,2! -22,
46, Recimlo[eOccidentolEile,
22ll. ,48-45,59, 68, 70, ! 48n.46
Sgo[theFeorl(lromtbcdctsq
bs), 22-24, 84, 44, 48, 58, 68
SonsolLgbt,SonsolDarkncss, !87
Sopb(bcavcnIy),85, 48
sorsirituohs,87, 88
soriolo, ! 88
souI(nu[s), 68,69,|owcrsouIor
Iowcrcgo(nu[s ammra), 68,65,
66, 67,74, 82, 9! , 98, 94, ! 0! ,
!07, ! 24, conscousncss(m[s
|awwma),66,67,82,98,94, ! 07
paclcdsouIorbgbcrcgo(m[s
moa'yanna),66,67,82,98,94,
! 05, ! 07
SouIoltbcworId, ! 24
utb,tbcsdcolsbadow,62
spata|ty,spataIzaton, ! , 5
spccuIarty(mrya), ! 80
seculum, see mrror
SpbcrcolSpbcrcs, 42, 48, 46, ! 24
sprt(),68-70, ! !0. Seeoolota
Siritussonctusongelic,Sit:tU rin-
ciohs,84
itudosituolis, !02
Sraosba(angc|),55ll.
star. Nortb,56,pc, ! , 8,49,56
Stonc(aIcbcmy), ! 85
stoncs(prccous), 69-7 ! , 78
Strangcr,gnostctbcmcoltbc,22,
24, 46
Strzygowsk,]oscl, !88
stupas,42
suonscousncss,7, 96, !00,!08,
! ! 6, ! 28
substanccol|gbtnyou, 78
Suls, Sulsm, ! ! , ! 8,64,95, ! 22,
!82,Ccntra|Asan,56,!ranan,
2, 8, 47, 55, 85, 86, 99, !07, ! 89,
SbI'tc,54,! 8! , !85, ! 56n. I ! 8
Sun. ntbcmddIcoltbcsky, ! 5! -
! 52n. 72, ol tbcSprt,9, 46,85,
olccrttudc,olknowIcdgc,ol
latb,85,mdngbt,4, 5, 7, !0,
45-48, 50,85, olbgbknow|cdgc,
9,oltbcbcart,9,! 7, 46, 85,ol
tbcmystcry,9,! 7, Nortbcrn,50,
g|owng,67,rsngntbcwcst,
46,supawnsory,46, ! 54n. !0! ,
sunandmn, ! 05, !06
supcrconscousncss, supracon-
scousncss,7,! 0,48,96,97,99,
!00, ! 0! , ! 08, ! 09, ! !0, ! ! 6, ! 26,
! 48
supcrcxstcncc, !48
supcrndvduaIty,99
symbIsmolcoIors,6! ll. ,rdct
lrc,77, bIack,67, 89-9! , ! 26,
b|uc,65,77, 98, ! 26,darkncss
andlrc,65,grccn,77, 78, 79,
82,98, !26,!80, ! 8! , g|owng
orb,rcdsun, ! ! 7, |umnous
b|ack,! 26,rcd,77,80, 82(purp|c
star),98, ! 26,! 60n. I 48, smokc
grcy, ! 26,voIct, 87, wbtc, ! 26,
yc||ow,77,! 26,SeeoltocoIors,
Igbt
symbIsoltbcnortb,2! , 86,87,45,
! !9
syncbronsm !05
syncrctsm, ! 8
Syzygy,! 9, 2! , ol gbts,29,94, 95
TabarI,82
TabIct,seeEmcra|dTab|ct,Ouardcd
TabIct
Tabrz, ! 57n. I 20
[sr, ! 58n. I 82
Taosm,56,57, 75
', ! 28,! 80, olCbr|stanty,! 27
TcmpIcoltbc|gbt,42,45
tcnt(cosmc), 57
ea ucido,5, I I , 28, 85, 57, 58, 7! ,
! 88
tbcogony(!ranan,Nordc),82
tbcopbancknowIcdgc, ! ! 6
tbcopbancs, I ,50, 58, 72, 92, !08,
!05, ! ! 7, ! 82, ! 86, ol Namcs and
Attrbutcs, I I 9, ! 55n. I 07
tbcrapcutcs(sprtua|), ! 29
tbcurgy(suprcmc), !08
Tbronc(tbc),66,72,78, ntbcmc
rocosm,66
TII,Wa|tcr, !46n.6
imaeus,85
tmc. outwardoltbcpbysca|wor|d
(mmn[), !06,! 28, ! 28, ! 29,
! 82, nwardoltbcwor|doltbc
I 72
nJcx
souI(mmnon[os), !06,! 28,! 28,
! 82
Tobas,8!
Turlan, !88
transconscousncss,68,96, I09- ! ! 0
translguraton, ! 88, translgurng
|gbt, ! 88
transmutaton.olng,80,oltbc
scnscs,80,82, !44
rcasurc,tbcbddcn, 54-55
TrcasuryolLgbt,7!
trang|c, ! 60n. I 44
trdmcnsona|ty(psycbosprtua|),
6, 89, 98, 94, 96
Twnbcavcn|y(tow'am), 8,
bcavcnIyTwnolMnI,27, !88,
olIgbt,58, 97
unconscous, 6,47, 48,94,95, ! 00,
co||cctvc,pcrsona|,95,ncgatvty
oltbcunconscous, 94
unconscousncss,7, I0
unvcrsaI(IogcaI),6
unknowngncsstbatsknowIcdgc
! ! 6, ! ! 7 ! ! 8, ! ! 9
unus-mbo, 7,9, !7, 84,97, ! 5! n.69
Upansbads,85
UrsaMaor,UrsaMnor,see Bcar,
constc||atonoltbc
Uttara-kurus,40, 48
uxora|t, 85, ! !9
VaIcntnans, ! 82
Van dcrLccuw,Ocrbard, 82
Vc|solLgbtandolDarkncss,tbc
70,000, ! 09, ! !9
I erusFrhem, ! 85
Vrgn (tbc)olLgbt,84,85, !88
visio s7gnu, I I , !2, 77, 89, ! 00,
I I I , ! 20
vsonary.appcrccpton, 62,64,67,
68,70,72, 80, 8! , 86, ! 0! , !08,
! 06, ! 85,! 88, gcograpby, 89, 48,
44
vsonsolco|orcdIgbts,77,see
pbotsms
vsua|zatonsolnwardstatcs,77,
78, 80, !07, ! 24. See aa pbotsms
iae e Evae, I 5 ! n.67
vaton,97
VobuManab(Baban),84,4!
Wagncr,kcbard,82
wohdt ol-wo, 5
hom ot,58, ! 8! , ! 84, !49 n.52, ! 52
n. 74, l 56n. I I 8,so|ar, !05
wol, ! 84
Wa|kyrcs,82
WaItbcr,Ocrda, l 50n.68
Wst,AbBakr, !04, | 08
Watcr.c|cmcnt,6566, 77, olLlc,
25, ! !4,! ! 5
warlarc(sprtuaI),68,64, 67,!09,
I I I
Wcgc|,Va|cntn, ! 82
wc|I. magcandtbcmcoltbc,28, 24,
87, 45,47, 49,5! , 60,62,64,as-
ccntoutoltbc,70,76,77, 78-79,
b0,oscpb's,78,olnaturc,75,ol
grccnIgbt,79
Wcrncr,Martn, !4 7n. 28
Wbttakcr,MoIIy, !47n. 2
Wdcngrcn,Ocorgo, ! 48n.40
wiot, ! 49n. 52
Wtncss(shhid),contcmpIator
contcmpIatcd, 28, 86,9! , 92,99,
olcontcmp|aton, !9,86, 72,86,
!06, ! !9, !20, !86, nHcavcn
(shhid['l-som),9, !0, !5, !7, 86,
46, 68, 64, 66,72,78, 82, 84, 85,
86, 9!94, 97, ! ! 7, ! !9, ! 20, ! 88,
! 4! , !48, Tbcopbanc,86,86,92,
abscnccoltbc,90,9! . Seeara
scaIcsoltbcsuprascnsory,Pcr
lcctNaturc
Wor|d.oltbcAngcI,6,oltbcSouI,
! 26,suprascnsorybab),78-74,
79
worIds,tbc !8,000,tbc860,00,!09
vaab, 8! , ! 88, ! 59 n. ! 86, ol tbc
Sabas,4 ! , Iandscapcs, !88
Xwrczm, !5! n.64
Xwrczm,Hosayn,l 55n. I 09
omto,55
a(vororparadscol), 5, I I ,40,
4! , 42, 48, 46, 48, 50, 57
you, 9, 59
Zaratbustra,Zoroastcr,8,29,4! , 60,
! 5! n.67
Zccbarab, ! 49n. 5!
Zcrvnsm, 48, 50, ! ! 8
ziqqrt,4!
Zoroastran. ndvdua|cbatoIogy,
28,sprtua|ty, 55, 56, !ran, 8
I 73
Zoroastransm, I I , I 8, 47, 50,55,
57, 92
Zosmos ol Panopo|s, I4, I 5
Zuckcrkand|,Vctor, I 50n.68
ndCx
l 74