MEDITATION
ON MEMORY LOCI IN THE GOLDEN FIGURE
This
figure provides an initial step for the rational mind as it becomes
disposed to understand the difficult and subtle parts of Raymond's Art.
And it is like a prime alphabet, and a visible instrument used by the imagination
and intellect to remove that ignorance which negates the human intellect's
natural disposition to understand things.
And
to address the human intellect as it lies open like a clear table,
where few, if any scientific concepts at all are portrayed, I am making
the visible figure shown here, to facilitate initial learning for those
who have not known other lofty sciences, and to have it as a single prime
object showing all parts of universal being in united order, for
there can be no science of non being.
Note
that the Figure shown here is not the true Figure, but is meant to be sublimated
(without physically looking at the Figure, and even in its absence) from
the imaginary picture that remains of it, up to the intellectual level.
Imagine, from this flat circular Figure, the very greatest spherical body
that can naturally exist, like the sky all the way to its outermost surface,
as shown in the Figure; by considering it from the center towards the circumference
and rising all the way up to the Prime Golden Link, through which the intellect,
with the senses and the imagination, perceives this whole world as one
single sensible and imaginable being, manifested in glorious order.
And
the universe was discovered in this way by all the sages of ancient times,
as will be seen, God willing, in many places further on in this book. Now
the virtue of eyesight does not reach beyond the starry sky. But the imagination,
whose power surpasses all the senses, in the absence of any particular
act of the senses, and in the absence of anything presented to the sentient
being, can imagine things larger or smaller than what was seen and alter
what was seen by the eye into another shape and color. Thus, it can act
above the senses, for no particular sense can either enlarge or decrease
the Figure, its size, color etc.
And
although the eyesight cannot penetrate beyond the starry sky, a greater
sky is perceived to exist above and beyond the starry sky, through the
virtue of the imagination elevated above the senses. And this is because
it perceives an extrasensory, imaginary body above and beyond the starry
sky; even though its virtue does not rise above this ultimate sky, for
above and beyond its outermost surface there is no more body, nor any physical
locality or place containing anything, or contained by anything.
Now
the intellect has its real spiritual existence above physical imagination,
and so it is truer, more actual, more powerful and far reaching as a human
faculty which goes where imagination fails to reach. And as the imagination
is immediately subjected to it, it elevates it as much as it can, by producing
a fantastic being or chimera and reaching to things that never existed
for the senses. But the intellect cannot carry the imagination either into
the void or beyond the physical level . And this is where the virtue
of imagination fails, and is overtaken by the intellect, and rightly so,
for being spirit, intellect reaches to spiritual being beyond the physical
planes.
And
whereas through imagination, the intellect reaches to the physical being
of nature, and whereas physical nature has less form, less actuality, less
nobility and is a lesser being than spiritual being, the intellect reaches
spirit and substance in an extrasensory and extra imaginary way, as sense
and imagination cannot go beyond the accidents, and extrasensory imagination
cannot go beyond the physical senses or beyond the three dimensions of
space. The nine accidents beyond which the senses cannot go, are: Quantity,
Quality, Relation, Action, Passion, Time, Situation, Habit, Space.
And
gold is more precious than any other color, and its substance more precious
than any other physical substance, and as the eyesight distinguishes and
elects the precious, neat, pure, beautiful and delightful color of gold
incomparably above other colors, so does the intellect rise aloft, elevating
incomparably above the choice of sense, the separate spiritual substances
which dwell above all the heavenly bodies.
And
thus the first circle contacted by the intellect, which is of a less pure
and neat golden color, represents reality in a comparative way, which is
not a true representation, but only meant to facilitate learning about
the nature of the rational soul as it dwells in the lowest of the spiritual
horizons, where compounded with the body, it is apt to receive the disturbances
of human flesh weighing it down. So the soul is immediately joined
to the body, and above it, so that it can be aware of its own lesser nature,
and of physical nature as well. And by the same token, the body which is
directly in contact with the soul, is the body of heaven, or the astral
body, which is a more spiritual, more formal, less compounded and subtler
body. And so it is elevated above the visible body, and as a spiritual
body it is greater and less compounded, and simpler than the bodies below
it. For these reasons it is elevated above the heavens and closer to the
spiritual entities that it is joined to.
Above
this circle there is another, neater and purer golden circle, and through
its purity and neatness the angels, or simply separated substances, nobler
intelligences in no way bound to physical nature are elevated, by their
greater nobility, to a higher degree of dignity than the rational soul.
And
the purest and most perfect gold of all, a gold of absolute purity, dwells
infinitely and incomparably above the lower forms of gold, which stand
far below it, as likenesses are inferior in their dignity to the thing
they represent. As there is a real difference between an image appearing
in a mirror, and the thing that it represents, likewise, and infinitely
more so, there is a difference between this purest gold of all and the
other kinds of gold. As perfectly pure gold is different from a dye made
with gall, which is only a very remote likeness of gold, so does God reach
above all other things in his holiness and infinite dignity.
Consequently,
if among visible objects and among all kinds of beings, even the most base
and vile, a natural order is found, rising in orderly fashion through the
simple comparative degrees of great, greater and greatest, (as in inanimate
bodies, where one stone can be naturally more dignified that another through
its beauty, or virtue, or both; and also in inanimate artificial bodies,
such as metals; and likewise in vegetation, plants, trees; and among more
or less evolved animals as well). Among humans, the simple order of greater
and greatest is discerned by reason. And in the world of human activities,
this can be observed in the respective worlds of the laity and the clergy
and the way that they follow a certain order, as if compelled by some kind
of necessity.
And
the same concept can be stated in other words, namely that in each and
every class of being, something primordial and supreme can be found,
to which all other things of its own kind are reduced. So in this way,
throughout the whole universe, a most natural and necessary order is found,
among the positive, comparative and superlative degrees. The necessity
of this order is visibly demonstrated by the orderly disposition of the
elements, each in its place, ascending and descending along a vertical
axis.
The
argument of Priscian, when applied to natural things, is a true and necessary
one, although it is ignored by many, who do not know how to detect the
natural order of things. They do not know how to face things as they really
are, but prefer to cast a confused glance at only a few items, without
considering likenesses and without finding any differences, and without
making any orderly comparisons according to the majority, equality and
minority that exist among all classes of natural beings. They easily jump
to conclusions, and make pronouncements, as they deem that anything that
they do not know, must be equally unknown to everyone else. Moreover, they
suppose that no one else can possibly know or understand anything that
they do not themselves know or understand, and that no one else can rise
anywhere above the level of knowledge that they have achieved. And this
class of individuals can be aptly described as being obstinate purely for
the sake of obstinacy.
Others
remain obstinate in believing in some true authorities, whose true meaning
they have not basically understood, because they prefer narratives and
stories, to intellectual debate. These folks have no scientific background,
and as they realize their shortcoming, they are less likely to remain obstinate.
Others
still, remain obstinate in their false principles from false authorities,
having been brought up and nourished and imbibed with sayings handed down
from their predecessors. And these people do not want to understand anything
that could make them improve their behavior, and refuse to suppose that
anything could be different from what they say it is. It is boring to live
and to contend with such people, and difficult to extirpate them from their
persistent obstinacy, the only way is to gradually lead them along by applauding
them from time to time, when they do happen to say something right. If
they were truly rational human beings, wouldn't they want to know the truth!
But they suppose that they already know enough, if not everything, and
see others, at all times, as ignorant.
But
let us come back to our previous thread of thought, and let us say that
where sensual knowledge fails, the imagination takes over by reaching beyond
the senses, and when the imagination fails, the intellect takes over and
reaches above the imagination by attaining truths through rational discourse.
Now in the same way, and much better, as a healthy and open eye, in the
presence of an object set at a proper distance and in the proper light,
so that no other color or object interferes, must see and cannot help seeing,
thus, and much more so, an intellect that is naturally well disposed in
a naturally well disposed human body, in the presence of its object, namely
of a self evident statement or of some demonstration whose principles are
clearly obvious to all, must understand the truth of these things, and
cannot fail to understand it.
Now
as the truth of true statements presented to the intellect depends on the
truth of objects existing outside the intellect or soul, and whereas that
which exists in the intellect is not the object itself, but a likeness
or a species of that object, if this species is truly governed by the object,
the intellect truly attains the object by directing the true species or
likeness to its appropriate object. And in this manner, it attains its
object much better than the thing reflected in a mirror is perceived, supposing
that the mirror is straight, clean and flat and of the right colors. Therefore
a statement that states the truth about an object in this way, can be rightly
said to express the truth regarding the object, at least to the extent
that it is possible to make a statement about anything by referring to
the likeness which represents it.
From
all this, it is obvious that a stone or a thing is not in the intellect,
even though it is an object of the intellect. It is only a species
or likeness abstracted by the active intellect, and it is self evident
that this species is something far removed from the truth of the externally
existing object. So it is clear that intellectual truth manifestly depends
on real truth. This is why any statement containing the reality of a thing
is said to be true, if it affirms this reality, and false if it negates
it. It is also clear that our own affirmations do not add anything new
to the reality of the object, nor can they modify it.
And
from all this, it is clearly obvious that a real object contains more real
truth that does anything that the intellect can draw from it. Reasoning
can vary, as it can freely affirm or deny, and can announce or express
things differently from what is in the mind, which is commonly known as
lying, and the thing or the object does not change but permanently remains
in its true reality. And the real thing, in its truth, surpasses
and transcends the truth understood about it by the intellect, to the extent
that a likeness differs from the thing that it represents, as the intellect
does not reach to the real object, and the real object does not reach out
to the intellect, but only the species through which it understands. And
there is yet another degree of distance, because the intellect, as it uses
the species that it holds within itself as a sign or likeness of the object
or of the thing objectified by it, this sign that is held in the human
mind cannot be expressed or pronounced unless it be through a further sign
of this impression or likeness that exists in the soul, namely through
a meaningful vocal expression, which designates the mental concept, and
thus, voice is a second sign following upon the first. An in this
way, the likeness of a thing begins to emanate from the thing itself,
and then it is multiplied as the active intellect attracts it, until the
sign is finally imprinted in the passive intellect. And after this, from
the passive intellect, the sign of the mental concept and not the
concept itself, is reproduced as it is carried by the voice that
expresses it, and it stands as far away from the sign first received in
the passive intellect, to the same distance at which any likeness stands
from the real thing it simulates.
As
a meaning is received in the ear through a vocal sign or meaning, and subsequently
imprinted upon the mind or the passive intellect of the listener, it is
imprinted upon two things. First, in the speaker, from the immediate likeness
or species of the external object. Secondly, it is received by the listener
through some sign which conveys the meaning or the concept that the speaker
has in mind; and this mental concept was previously the immediate species
or likeness of the external object, and now this originally conceived species
or sign is detected by the listener through a sign that is not taken straight
from the object, but from a species previously derived from it. And this
second sign is carried by the speaker's voice all the way to the ears of
the listener, and the listener attracts the meaning of the voice
and knows that this meaning comes from an object, namely through the distance
of two intervening steps, as explained. However, as the listener refers
and directs the meaning of the voice to the real object from which it first
arose, then, if this meaning is properly expressed by the voice that conveys
its intimate sense, it is sufficient to provide for a good understanding
of what is meant. Now we cannot cannot understand things any better than
this, as we cannot always carry them around with us or even point them
out with our hands. We can only designate them with meaningful vocal expressions,
and these are merely signs of yet other signs previously imprinted on the
passive intellect.
The
expression of meaning therefore presupposes understanding, and understanding
presupposes being. And understanding depends on real things, and
the conveying of meanings depends on the intellect, or on the act of understanding.
Therefore it is most necessary to express mental concepts with the vocal
signs that convey the most intimate reality of the object in the most intimate
and vehement manner. Thus we can see at this point, how necessary it is
to have a good knowledge of what is said when naming things and using vocabularies,
for clearing up doubtful questions both substantial and accidental. Accidents
do play a large role in knowing what things are, so that terminological
disputes can be avoided. This is why anyone ignorant of the meanings of
words, can easily go astray in their logic, the cause of their errors lies
in the fallacies which are latent in words. And it follows, that even though
all voices do not sound the same, nonetheless, when their meanings
are understood, the meanings do not stray from the things meant by them.
Coming
back again to the Figure, or to the root from which we have digressed to
make the above useful comments, let us now consider the order of
the universe. And first, as we descend from the top in orderly fashion,
let us see how creatures descend from GOD in an immediate way, following
their greater likeness to GOD, and then let us descend from greater likenesses
to lesser ones, and from more subtle, pure and lucid likenesses to ones
which are less subtle, pure and lucid, and thus proceed through a process
of involution through the spiritual planes, until finally we arrive at
a nature which is simply of another order, namely physical nature.
The
involution of created spiritual substance takes place in the rational soul,
which stands at the lowest horizon of intelligences, as the dregs of spiritual
being with respect to the angels above it, as it is seen to be in touch
with physical nature, without being physical in itself , but only endowed
with an aptitude for entering into composition with a body, and as one
of two parts of a compound, to produce thereby a third entity. Thus the
rational soul is one one hand, lowest in the scale of intelligences, and
on the other hand, it stands immediately above, and in continuous contact
with the body of heaven, or the universal astral body. Therefore the rational
soul is in touch with this prime universal body, which is subtler than
any of the heavenly bodies.
And
from this ninth heaven, and from the prime mobile sphere, the spheres descend
in their successive involutionary order, although they all consist
of one and the same celestial or astral nature, homogeneous through the
whole natural body of heaven down to the sphere of the Moon, which is more
lumpy and gross than the spheres above it, as can be seen by looking closely
at the body of the Moon, which is not uniform, but covered with stains
and blemishes. For the lunar sphere is tinged with the likeness of the
spheres immediately below it, namely the elements with their perturbations
and impurities, generation and decay, all signified by the waxing and waning
of moonlight.
Next,
in descending order comes the sphere of things subject to generation and
decay, the confused disturbance and chaos of the elements, which likewise
follows an order based on the nature of each element. Now fire is the element
possessing the highest level of form, subtlety, rarity, actuality, and
purity, and the least amount of physical matter, and it belongs in the
first closest region to the heavens, as the element which comes nearest
to reaching celestial nature. Fire is luminous, and extremely light, which
gives it a natural tendency to rise toward the clarity and light of heaven;
thus it belongs to the uppermost sphere closest to the heavens where it
is joined to the concavity of the lunar sphere.
After
fire, in descending order comes air, which is more gross and less pure
than fire. Thus it belongs below fire, and being lighter and more pure
and subtle than water, it is found above water. And water is more subtle,
pure and beautiful than earth, so it is above earth; and as water is more
gross, compact and material than air, it is placed beneath air. And earth,
as the dregs and involution of the other elements is the most gross,
thick, and impure of them all, and the elements can be considered as the
dregs of astral bodies. Astral bodies can be considered, comparatively,
as the dregs of the intelligences. And the intelligences are clean, pure
creatures, sublimated above every kind of uncleanness. As intelligences
descend through involution, their dregs are found in the rational spirit,
which does not exist as an end in itself, and has no purpose on its
own, and only finds rest in man, for whom it is ultimately meant.
And
as said above, GOD the Holy One projects away from Himself the effects
which He derives from Himself, by putting a distance between Himself, and
the things least similar to Him. And He has situated a place for the damned,
in the nether abyss of earth, in the midst of the collective uncleanness
of all creatures, in a place which is at the greatest distance from GOD,
measured in every direction. And He has called His creatures back to Himself
from the lowest element and from the place found furthest away from Him;
having created them or caused them all to exist for Himself through the
grace and generosity of His love. And so that His operations do not proceed
in vain, He set a gradual ascending order among creatures, where they can
finally and perfectly achieve the end of perfection for which they have
been ordained, and find rest in this end. And thus, GOD has bestowed virtues
on creatures, through which their orderly ascent to their creator
can be detected, for they have been created by the creator in a descending
order, as stated above.
Therefore,
let every creature rejoice and exult in Him, as creatures cannot possibly
be ordained for a greater and more perfect purpose. And let the rational
creatures rejoice and exult most of all, because they can understand and
know this truth; and most of all man, as he is the medium through which
this orderly ascent back to Godhead takes place, and as such, man is the
focal point of all creation.
And
this return to the Source takes place within a sphere full of disturbances,
confusion and chaos, contrariety and corruption. As compared to other,
higher creatures, it may seem like a divine condemnation; but such is not
the case. Rather, it is a just action on GOD's part, whereby in his infinite
wisdom, He creates the worlds for himself, and for making himself and his
operations manifest, so that through his operations, GOD the supreme operator
can make himself known, and reveal through his operations the purpose and
final perfection of his divine work, which has, no doubt, been
meant for rational creatures. He created confusion, so that order could
better and more perfectly shine forth in contrast. He has placed order
among similar and dissimilar things in the world, to create a medium for
cognition and clear awareness and removal of doubt. And the reason why
He has introduced into this place of exile, decay and confusion, this most
excellent operation, and many other super excellent and supremely dignified
operations, was to compensate for the exaltation and lofty situation of
the higher creatures. Now He created all creatures equally with the same
love, each and every one destined to one and the same end, and in this
end, his entire effect, or world, is made perfect.
What
a marvelous and supernatural, infinite operation it was, to create out
of nothingness a great work, like the sensible world with its intelligences;
and to make two things that are so naturally remote, and naturally so distant
from each other, like spiritual nature which is GOD's greater likeness,
and physical nature below it, which is entirely, essentially and naturally
diverse and separated from spiritual nature. And also, within physical
nature, to create two things so essentially different in nature, as are
the perpetual celestial cycles, and the corruptible things made of elements?
Even
more marvelous, was the conjunction or union of two such distant and diverse
natural extremes, as the body, which is entirely subject do decay, and
spirit, which can neither be generated nor corrupted, in such an entirely
perfect composition, as to produce from them one, singular and natural
substantial being, which is neither of the two said things, but something
essentially different, while each of the two yet remain intensively what
they are in themeselves, without any corruption of their own natures either
in composition or in simplicity, and all this in the present valley of
tears?
And
the most marvelous of all, was to see infinite being assume finite being
in such a manner, as to make a single substantial being without any composition,
as each of the two remains what it was, what it is, and what it shall be;
through this operation GOD became everything while making everything over
to himself, as He made the creator into a creature, and the creature into
the creator! Is it any wonder, for rational man to desire most ardently
and fervently to know about this?
I
do not intend to deal here with the things that I have just mentioned,
nor to delve into their causes, so as to leave some room for wonderment
and thirst for knowledge. However, I do intend to delve into the source
and origin of all knowable causes, as there can be no science if the principles
are ignored. And since the principles of knowledge are identical to the
principles of being, and being precedes knowing, we can first gaze upon
the world as it is in its goodness, and in its greatness, and admire its
order and beauty. As we admire the world in this, and many other ways,
which we cannot grasp or comprehend through the senses and imagination,
we are moved by reason to say that the world is not its own cause. If the
world had existed before coming into existence, it would have existed even
before existing, and it would have existed even then, when it did not exist,
and thus it would have both existed, and not existed at the same time,
which is simply an impossibility.
Therefore,
we say that the world has a cause, and a maker. Should not an effect that
is so good, so great, so durable, so powerful, with such wisdom and instinct,
such will and appetite, such virtue, such truth, delight and glory, should
not such an effect optimally have a maker Who has always been, and now
is supremely good, great and durable, powerful, wise, willing, virtuous,
true and glorious, eminently above and beyond the effect produced by Him?
Didn't
Aristotle, the philosopher, in the beginning of "The Heavens and
the World" clearly declare, that all things are threefold, and can
be divided into three dimensions? And all the Pythagoreans likewise
say, that all reality is encompassed by three dimensions, namely the end,
the middle and the beginning; and this number applies to all things, and
signifies the threefoldness of all things. And the Philosopher immediately
goes on to say: "And so, having taken these three from nature as (so to
speak) laws of it, we make further use of the number three in the worship
of one God, our Creator, Who eminently possesses all the properties
of all created things".
Therefore,
as any effect as such must necessarily be finite, since it precedes nothing
else, but proceeds from something else, so any effect is either nothing
at all, or something that follows upon something else. Therefore it must
necessarily follow, that the being which stands above effects and fininteness,
must itself be infinite, otherwise it would not stand above finite being.
So whatever stands above and beyond finite being, must either be infinite,
or nothing at all. Therefore, infinite goodness stands eminently above
created goodness, through its infinite magnitude, duration, power, wisdom,
will, virtue, truth and glory.
This
is really the original location, in which and from which Raymond Lull first
began to contemplate, as can be seen in his Biography, and seek out the
true causes of all knowable truths. And the Lord by divine grace, suddenly
, through an unknown shepherd who told him many great and wonderful
things about the Creator and his creatures, totally enlightened his intellect.
And from that moment on, he never stopped inquiring and writing, so that
GOD might act through him as an instrument, and so that by GOD's action,
and with the Art given by GOD as an instrument, he could extirpate the
errors, opinions and falsehoods that have always existed, and still exist
in this rational world, by the grace of GOD and with pure and simple
truth applied with the Art.
How
sad it is to see in our times, that whatever is said to be most true and
necessary, is also most deeply ignored, and most remotely hidden away from
the wise of this world! How many periods of history have passed in their
ceaseless search, and nonetheless truth is still more and more a matter
of opinion, without anyone daring to stand up and determine, or assert
the truth, or say anything more than: "Here is what others think of it",
and this is where it stops. And these errors exist for a cause: namely
ignorance of causes, or the principles of causality. But to be called wise,
or knowledgeable, you must be able to use your intellectual virtue with
assurance on your own for attaining difficult subjects and their causes.
And we consider that we really know something, once we are sure of its
causes. Knowing something is nothing more nor less than knowing the causes
of its effect, in a way that cannot possibly be otherwise.
As
Proclus put it so well in the beginning of his Book on Causes, "The prime
cause has greater influence on its effect, and is more of a cause than
the immediate, or secondary cause, for whatever is the cause of another
cause, is also the cause of what is further caused, and so we can say that
'whatever operation is performed by a second cause, is performed by the
first cause to an even higher degree'. For the first cause operates
from a more elevated and sublime level. And when the second cause is removed
from what it has caused, the prime cause is not removed, because the prime
cause adheres to a thing more greatly and more vehemently than does the
immediate cause; and the effect of a cause cannot be caused without the
participation of the prime cause. And this is because while the second
cause is not producing any effect in an object, the higher prime cause
influences the object with its virtue adhering vehemently to it and serving
it". And he gives the example of rational man: the first cause produces
being, the second cause: life, and the third cause: reason. He says: "If
reason is removed from a man, what is left is no longer a man, but merely
a living, breathing and sentient being. And if life is taken away, then
although no longer alive, the thing still has being, and being is not removed
from it, since a cause is not removed by removing the effect it has caused."
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