ennui is for suckers

Got my first book review published.

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 07:58:19 GMT

on Paola Zambelli's book about Renaissance Magic
will be in Vol. 2:3 of Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review
http://www.academicpublishing.org/ASRR.php

Pretty stoked!

My talk from the Philip K. Dick Festival, and an interview I did for a podcast

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 16:22:07 GMT

Plotinus and the Problem of Dick's Christianity

Occult Sentinel Podcast #38 - Ted Hand - Entering the World of Philip K. Dick

Audio of my Philip K. Dick and Alchemy conference paper

Wed, 15 Aug 2012 02:53:48 GMT

http://podcast7364349260.podomatic.com/entry/2012-07-31T11_28_18-07_00

Fundraising T-shirt for the Philip K. Dick festival

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 23:16:55 GMT

(Check out the cool Ubik spray can vs. PKD face art)
http://totaldickhead.blogspot.com/2012/07/festival-t-shirts-fundraising.html
2 months away! My talk will be on "Neoplatonism and the problem of Dick's Christianity"

UC Davis Esotericism Conference Schedule

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 06:02:03 GMT

http://www.aseweb.org/?page_id=174
my talk on PKD and Alchemy will be on Friday at 2pm

PKD talks

Mon, 28 May 2012 20:57:53 GMT

I've decided to call my Philip K. Dick festival talk "Neoplatonism and the Problem of Dick's Christianity."

The UC Davis talk will be on PKD and Alchemy, looking at his interest in the "Hermetic Tradition" via Jung, Boehme, Paracelsus, and Giordano Bruno.

lots of conference talking this year

Sun, 26 Feb 2012 04:46:50 GMT

I'll be doing papers on Philip K. Dick at a conference in Davis this July http://aseweb.org
and for the SFSU PKD conference. Maybe I'll do one at the Chicago AAR meeting, panel on SF+religion. Hoping to find time to turn the talks+my blog into chapters of a little book of essays on PKD+Religion

Call for Papers for PKD Conference at SFSU next September

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:08:51 GMT

http://pkdreligion.blogspot.com/2011/12/call-for-papers-philip-k-dick.html

S. Pinker

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 04:11:47 GMT

Language is not just a window into human nature but a fistula: an open wound through which our innards are exposed to an infectious world. It’s not surprising that we expect people to sheathe their words in politeness and innuendo and other forms of doublespeak.

“The Stuff of Thought,” 2007

Esoteric Tweets - magic, visionary experience, alchemy, Paracelsus, quotes links and thoughts

Thu, 26 May 2011 21:45:17 GMT

The Prophetic-Poetic Dimension of Philosophy: The Ars Poetica and Immanuel of Rome http://bit.ly/k5jwIw

Introduction to Buddhist Semiotics http://projects.chass.utoronto.ca/semiotics/cyber/ramout.pdf

MAthematical and Biblical Exegesis: Jewish Sources of Athanasius Kircher's Musical Theory http://bit.ly/j0I7Bf

Abraham Ibn Ezra and the rise of medieval Hebrew science http://bit.ly/lvjBsw By Shlomo Sela

Dozy Gary Lachman wakes from his reverie to explore the visions and brainwavess of the half-asleep. http://bit.ly/asQOsH via @kimcascone

http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2011/05/26/136578241/kurt-vonnegut-turns-cinderella-into-an-equation

"We’re all just walking each other home." ~Ram Dass

Two Tornadoes Reported On Ground Near Chico http://www.ktvu.com/news/28027813/detail.html very weird for northern California

future of Pacific Pinball Museum uncertain http://www.eastbayexpress.com/ebx/the-pinball-wizard/Content?oid=2665537

Anointing Oil & Kaneh Bosem http://khem-caigan.livejournal.com/2858.html

did Rabelais have knowledge of Cannabis Intoxication? http://gradworks.umi.com/14/72/1472886.html

P.B. Shelley: visionary experience leads to poet's curse http://bit.ly/iY4sB0

The Language of Religious Experience http://bit.ly/j6TTZk Luke Timothy Johnson, Religious Experience in Earliest Christianity:a missing dim.

Jewels of Wonder, Instruments of Delight: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Science-Fantasy as Vision-Inducing Works http://bit.ly/iLpBrG

updated: now with more ladders! http://alchemicaldiagrams.blogspot.com/2010/12/blog-post_9642.html

about to hit 50,000 page views! http://alchemicaldiagrams.blogspot.com/2011/05/like-this-blog-on-facebook.html

Zohar and Iamblichus http://www.jsri.ro/new/?download=18_JSRI_Liebes_Yehuda.pdf

Mysticism, Magic, and Shamanism http://bit.ly/mc3eML Descenders to the Chariot: The People behind the Hekhalot Literature, James R. Davila

"Mystical Modes of Awareness" http://bit.ly/l4lYvF in Exploring Unseen Worlds: William James and the Philosophy of Mysticism

Medieval visions of heaven and hell: a sourcebook http://bit.ly/j30Ej9 By Eileen Gardiner

Ancient visions: petroglyphs and pictographs from the Wind River and Bighorn country, Wyoming and Montana http://bit.ly/iujyb7

The Dream Seekers: Native American Visionary Traditions of the Great Plains http://bit.ly/lOC2zx By Lee Irwin, Vine Deloria

Visionary experience in the Golden Age of Spanish art http://bit.ly/loMvPn By Victor Ieronim Stoichiță

Rabbi Joseph Gikatilla's Hermeneutics http://bit.ly/jdbPFo By Elke Morlok

The study of 20th century Kabbalah http://bit.ly/krqbx7

Theory of Shamanism, Trance, and Modern Kabbalah http://bit.ly/jaJl8k

mason_mem @t3dy as long as you don't impair the likeness you're doing alright

Powers of Language in Kabbalah: Comparative Reflections http://bit.ly/igKjFn

Devotional, Covenental,+Yogic:3 Episodes in Religious Use of Alphabet+Letter From a Millenium of Great Vehicle Buddhism http://bit.ly/ky9fR8

"Greek Distrust of Language" in The poetics of grammar and the metaphysics of sound and sign By S. La Porta http://bit.ly/jRptJI

Adam's Naming of the Animals: Naming or Creation? http://bit.ly/lQbUQK

Shalom Shar'abi and the kabbalists of Beit El http://bit.ly/js3Va1 By Pinchas Giller

However opaque its moral, Othello does provide an object lesson in the dangers of hermeneutic tunnel vision.Michael Lablanc,Shakespeare Crit

The Existence-Bestowing Word in Islamic Mysticism http://bit.ly/kiUdMc

Jan Assman, Creation Thru Heiroglyphics: Cosmic Grammatology/Ancient Egypt http://bit.ly/kHjOLG poetics of grammar+metaphysics of sound+sign

Mind and religion: psychological and cognitive foundations of religiosity By Harvey Whitehouse, Robert N. McCauley http://bit.ly/mbZJ2p

Vision, as it is engaged by painting, has long been described as a discursive practice. http://bit.ly/lLtOHp

Savran: "Theophany narratives allow us to explore the visual representation of the divine from a unique perspective." http://bit.ly/iTS0Qt

A Seal Within a Seal: The Imprint of Sufism in Abraham Abulafia's Teachings http://www.bahaistudies.net/asma/abulafia10.pdf HArvey J. Hames

Ten Psychoanalytic Aphorisms on the Kabbalah by Daniel Abrams http://www.atlasbooks.com/marktplc/01305.htm#ten

Watched the Jerry Springer "Tantric Magus 210-timing his soror mystica" episode. Was impressed w/Springer's adherence to the Law of Thelema.

The story behind the world’s oldest museum, built by a Babylonian princess 2,500 years ago http://io9.com/5805358/ via @erik_davis

Pico was very clear about what his brand of magic was not(i.e.diabolic conjuring etc.)but his positive definition was never fully explained.

Savonarola - A.O. Spare (Pencil and watercolour on paper. Unsigned, c.1907) http://ow.ly/52kcb

Egyptian pyramids found by infra-red satellite images http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-13522957 via @kimcascone

"never anything to do in this town" http://www.avclub.com/articles/st-vincent-slays-big-blacks-kerosene,56471/

WRS | Archivist uncovers 500-year-old playing cards http://t.co/yRVa4KL via @AddThis

toastbeard Rod Naquin Ibn 'Arabi began to write books at about the age of 27, and continued to do this for the rest of his life.

Quotes from Cicero on the gods http://renaissancemagic.blogspot.com/2011/05/cicero-de-natura-deorum.html

Picard and Riker http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vDnFIyZiQq4/TT-VwrvJ5RI/AAAAAAAAAS4/o3AA_eFCcM0/s1600/DoubleFacePalm.jpg

http://xkcd.com/902/ does Darmok and Jalad. #Metaphor

blurring the line between story and game? (I dunno) http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2011/may/11/la-noire-exclusive-interview

http://games.slashdot.org/story/11/05/18/187210/US-Government-Recognizes-Funds-Video-Games-As-Art

http://games.slashdot.org/story/11/05/18/2133207/Fable-III-Dev-Used-Game-Sales-More-Costly-Than-Piracy

emulation chatter http://ask.slashdot.org/story/11/05/18/2336204/Ask-Slashdot-DOSBox-or-DOS-Box

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2011/may/15/video-game-design-psychology

Alfredo Jiménez I have learned the easiest way to prevent yourself from saying dumb things on an internet forum: forget your password! // RT @nedroid

davidbmetcalfe David Metcalfe @joeysavitz I think the LRH con deserves more than just a declaration of mental instability.

Daimonic Imagination http://ow.ly/4YdXS

davidbmetcalfe David Metcalfe Alchemical Visions of Eternal Rapture - Boehme's Illuminationist Eschatology http://ow.ly/50Yz5

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/05/24/does-carrying-a-firearm-make-one-safer

Valentinian Secretiveness Reconsidered http://bit.ly/knf63g in Beyond Gnosticism: Myth, Lifestyle, and Society in the School of Valentinus

Michael Allen Williams on re-thinking "Gnosticism" http://bit.ly/j53GpK

@ @eglinski I had the title wrong (from hasty notes) it's actually "Gnosis: An Esoteric Tradition of Mystical Visions and Unions."

Karen King, Why is Gnosticism so Hard to Define? http://bit.ly/jDSDXf

http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/ten-people-who-are-funnier-on-twitter-than-they-are-on-tv

Calif. county to replace headstones bearing N-word http://www.salon.com/wires/us/2011/05/24/D9NE1QT01_us_cemetery_slur/index.html #GoldRush

new book: Continuity and Innovation in the Magical Tradition, Gideon Bohak, Shaul Shaked, Yuval Harari (looks fun, if heavy and dense)

Marvin W. Meyer on the Gospel of Thomas http://bit.ly/lutuYt "it does not seem to fit with gnosticism..."

Leo Sweeney, S.J. Mani's Twin and Plotinus: Questions on "Self" http://bit.ly/irfxwZ

John D. Turner, The Final Contemplation of the Supreme Principles http://bit.ly/mhGHVI #Gnosticism

John Turner, Sethian Gnosticism Literary History http://jdt.unl.edu/lithist.html Plotinus+Platonizing Sethian Treatises http://bit.ly/mzRAaC

Birger Pearson, Alexandrian Judaism and Gnostic Origins http://bit.ly/lChKfP Biblical Exegesis in Gnostic Literature http://bit.ly/jZPtAb

Birger Pearson, Jewish Haggadic traditions in The Testimony of Truth from Nag Hammadi http://bit.ly/iiRGmo #Gnosticism

Pearson, Gnostic Ritual+Iamblichus' On the Mysteries of Egypt http://bit.ly/mJEGR5 Figure of Seth in Manichean Lit. http://bit.ly/jLO5w9

Birger Pearson, What is Gnosticism? http://bit.ly/mPFRmN on Gnostic Iconography http://bit.ly/mbjwPH Figure of Seth http://bit.ly/lXA35X

John McWhorter on Bono's use of "fucking brilliant" http://www.tnr.com/article/put-differently/85504/curse-words-pop-music-cee-lo

I'm not sure if it's to Janeane Garofolo's credit that she seems to believe her crappy lines in Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior.

IanniX: great graphical open-source sequencer, based on Xenakis works. Will take time learning to use > http://iannix.org/ (via @kimcascone)

"I just was after some meaningless sex and it turned into something sleazy." -Sam Malone (Cheers)

Cloisonné https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jYGTawnmCI new They Might Be Giants

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/bob-dylan-sings-charles-in-charge-theme-31711/1314713/

read the scene where gravity is pulling me around

"like" my alchemy blog on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alchemical-Emblems-Occult-Diagrams-and-Memory-Arts/121638884584283

@ @mason_mem "is he to be reached? ...maybe these maps and legends have been misunderstood."

Paschal Beverly Randolph: Sexual Magic in the 19th Century http://hermetic.com/sabazius/randolph.htm

Zonker marshals Scripture vs. Eschatologists http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/archive/2011/05/21

watching cheers, coach started singing "I've got spurs/jingle jangle jingle" (a synchronicity b/c I'm still geeking out to Fallout music)

Paschal Beverly Randolph thought he had the cure for what ails horny stoner mystics, but it took an Aleister Crowley to Patent the Medicine!

Pirate utopias: Moorish corsairs & European Renegadoes, By Peter Lamborn Wilson (AKA Hakim Bey) http://bit.ly/jtdneO

What's worse, a hipster who doesn't actually read the William S. Burroughs books on his shelf, or one who does actually read them?

Perhaps b/c I got into microblogging via Livejournal, I've always seen Facebook+Twitter more as writing tools than toys, tho' I play plenty.

How many more Pirates movies before they use Burroughs' Cities of the Red Night as a source text? (or Peter Lamborn Wilson!)

"Cruelty should be cruelly mocked." -Dan Savage

I'm deeply skeptical that we can reconstruct ancient thought, especially esoterica, from texts alone. No modern witness to power they had.

rational soul derived from intelligible+participates in power of demiurge/means of which we ascend with aid of theurgy. http://bit.ly/lmVA12

Musical Theory and Ancient Cosmology http://www.new-universe.com/pythagoras/mcclain.html

Fowden: Once theurgy was vindicated and accepted, there was no further need to worry about its sources http://bit.ly/m3vO5s

@ @Demon_Writer We run into big problems using texts to try and prove these big theories, especially texts already so poorly understood

@ @Demon_Writer of course Shaw has criticized Idel for a theory of theurgy that owes too much to Dodds, problems with using the term abound...

@ @Demon_Writer Yeah. I've met Lehrich and dig his work, but since I'm not on the same theory trip I can't always follow let alone nod my head

Demon_Writer Jeffrey S. Kupperman @t3dy This, perhaps: http://bit.ly/l8xtSd

@ @Demon_Writer ah, that recently published! thanks. definitely looking forward to reading it

@ @Demon_Writer right. instructive on what not to do. so much of the intellectual content of esotericism overlooked as a result.

The Pythagorean Theory of Music and Color http://www.sacred-texts.com/eso/sta/sta19.htm Manly Palmer Hall, Secret Teachings of All Ages

@ @Demon_Writer why is that? Dodds is an amazing example of brilliant understanding co-existing with unthinking misunderstanding

http://theoryofmusic.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/music-in-platos-republic/

@ @Demon_Writer I read some online writeup but hadn't seen the book mind grabbing me the reference?

@ @Demon_Writer Yeah Greg Shaw's work is the foundation of lots of great stuff going on these days in theurgy studies

Practical Philosophy - Telestic http://bit.ly/ljvGLO in Hierocles of Alexandria By Hermann Sadun Schibli

Lewy: "Theurgical elevation...is the chief mystery of the Chaldaean sacramental community...its goal being the immortalization of the soul."

George Luck, "Theurgy and Forms of Worship in Neoplatonism" http://bit.ly/kNIPRb

music for theurgy in Music of the Warao of Venezuela: song people of the rain forest By Dale Alan Olsen http://bit.ly/j2X2q1

theurgy in The philosophy of the commentators, 200-600 AD: a sourcebook, Volume 1 By Richard Sorabji http://bit.ly/m3QiMi

Moshe Idel on three types of Kabbalistic theurgy http://bit.ly/ma5gYo

@ @Demon_Writer I think it's an oversimplification to say that theurgy is merely practice for Iamblichus-it's a discourse as well as a ritual.

@ @Demon_Writer Yes, Majercik's idea of theurgy owes much to Iamblichus, although she's trying to understand pre-Iamblichean Chaldean Oracles.

It's hard to find the time to write much on the blog projects but getting all this traffic, as well as interesting comments, certainly helps

"Theurgy as praxis, then, can be distinguished from theology as speculation..." ibid

difficulties in defining the term "theurgy" http://bit.ly/lxWYeS Majercik on the Chaldean Oracles

Uzdavinys:traditional myth(as the Neoplatonists maintained)is the symbolic expression of metaphysics, as metaphysics is the exegesis of myth

I started my blog as a museum of alchemical emblems+links to readings http://alchemicaldiagrams.blogspot.com/ hope to write more on it soon.

I often get into trouble when I try to write on weird literature as testing philosophical points, rather than depicting them as narratives.

I'm fascinated by speculation in effort to fill gaps in our knowledge, but prefer models that stay close to the text

I'm super down with this recent research on Plato as having structured his texts in Pythagorean manner, hitting octave resonances telling it

Plato of course included revolutionary amounts of hardcore analytic philosophy as topics, but discussions go further, mean much more/have fx

It's a mistake to look to Egypt for origin of what logic-choppers call analytic phil. Plato didn't redefine mystic philosophy as rationality

I'm not interested in Plato as founder of what Analytic Philosophy departments call philosophy, but as author of real, mystic/literary stuff

I think interesting esoteric/mystical insights of Egypt didn't translate as philosophy, work better as subtle allegorical hints in Plato

I want to see researchers interested in questions of ancient hermetica delving into scholarship/questions of M.L.West,Yan Assman,G.Fowden...

I liked Lachman on egyptian shamanism, which I think worthy study as influence on Plato, but I'm skeptical of Egypt as source of Philosophy.

I seek to understand what medieval+renaissance alchemists/magi actually thought--on their own terms--not to fit an occult system.

I don't deny uses modern occultists make of medieval thought but recognize that most are pure anachronism (this can be a key to their power)

'With games, learning is the drug,' writes Raph Koster

MorganScorpion Julia Morgan http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vytIq2sq0BE The Nightmare Lake by H P Lovecraft, read by me.

helacious Hilary Joyce Held Impecunious? In me cups; IOU! #anagram #artwiculate

In studying alchemy/magic in the contxt of the history of ideas, I have to take 19th+20th century interpretations with much care+skepticism.

Pico's philosophical angelology has been unjustly neglected in scholarship on the history of ideas/Huge influence on 16th-17th cent. cosmos!

Peter Serafinowicz “@DudeWabiSabi: How does Yoda have sex? #PSQA” Yoda does not have sex. He just masturbates.

Just as there is more philosophical content in Pico's angelology than occultist readings have allowed, there's more philosophy in his magic.

xenophrenia "...those who do not make human beings the center of their concern soon lose the capacity to make any ethical choices .." Dwight Macdonald

chaoflux Danny Chaoflux good things are happening

Cannes: The Talmud scholarship comedy of the year! http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/andrew_ohehir/2011/05/20/footnote/index.html

I live in California and I have barely woken up yet; I certainly don't appreciate these articles saying "May 21 came and went"

The tale of the rose http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/the_tls/article7175082.ece #symbolism

http://necropolisnow.blogspot.com/2011/05/interview-with-professor-ronald-hutton.html expert on pagan studies

The twitter stream is a surrealist's heaven and an organization freak's hell. Nonlinear, stream-of-consciousness, cutup. Oh but such a wash!

@ @soundhunter @torreybird http://pkdreligion.blogspot.com/2011/01/philip-k-dick-and-alchemy-of.html http://t3dy.livejournal.com/1691163.html

@ @soundhunter @torreybird PKD Exegesis stuff soon to be published will shed more light on his esoteric interests. he wrote very little on alc

Sigil to allow myself a gratuitous grace now and again: ibid ibid ibid ibid ibid ibid ibid ibid cf cf QED cf cf ibid ibid ibid ibid ibid

@ @clerestories I appreciated that "Villa Incognito" was(ironically)such an explicit effort at myth making, demands allegorical interpretation

@ @clerestories The "eye game" in Skinny Legs and All is another, gives me insight on how to gaze at visionary weirdness of alchemical emblems

@ @clerestories JP-Great example. I was thinking about how it works great as literal narrative, straight up advice, but also resonates deeper.

http://www.philosophynow.org/issue84/Mathematical_Platonism

Chase:"In Ismaili thought, the Intellect is described as "sorrowful", since it longs to return to the ineffable One, but cannot cognize it."

I haven't tweeted much about Tom Robbins yet but I sure do love his stories, rich mystical+psychedelic allegories as well as empowering fun.

To what degree did #PKD buy into the Jungian version of gnosis + alchemy? How far did he depart? Is his reality breakdown gnostic rebellion?

making friends with astral faces ain't just trading places or getting between spaces

@ @davidbmetcalfe When I talked with Zeke Mazur I told him about my difficulties; he thinks we can still use "gnosis" + get the gnostics right

@ @davidbmetcalfe I've been scratching my head about Voss vs. Merkur. She defends "alchemy is like tantra" saying they're both doing unity.

@ @davidbmetcalfe true weird+distinctive nature of Gnostics isn't captured in Jonas' typology any more than Faivre's Western Esotericism model

@ @davidbmetcalfe I think the New Gnostics are often great, but don't buy this emphasis on gnosis as an "experiential knowledge" category.

@ @davidbmetcalfe I'm still very skeptical of the notion that there's a "gnostic attitude" that is distinguishable from xtian spirituality.

sigil for allowing myself a gratuitous grace UAITNONEGUGRACENCUCUITTYYITIYYIT

"Don't say gay ... say Takei!" http://www.salon.com/life/gender/index.html?story=/ent/tv/feature/2011/05/19/george_takei_gay_bill

"Poets do not go mad, but chess players do." -G.K. Chesterton

Demon_Writer Jeffrey S. Kupperman
@ @t3dy Have you read "Giordano Bruno: Neoplatonism and the Wheel of Memory in De Umbris Idearum" by Alessandro G. Farinella in Ren Quarterly?

@ @Demon_Writer Yeah that paper and Clucas' "Simulacra et Signacula" have been a huge inspiration, got me heavy into Plotinus and Proclus

Certain People I Could Name - They Might Be Giants http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsDWl3xDMOU

"As time went by, the pillars became smaller, simpler, and were mounted with less and less care."

world’s oldest temple suggests the urge to worship sparked civilization http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/06/gobekli-tepe/mann-text/1

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2011/05/picasso-mistress-201105?currentPage=all

Dalai Lama HHDL recalls his early childhood in this clip from his talk at the University of Minnesota on May 8, 2011. http://youtu.be/_zln3n27ZdY

zota Jason Brown "It's either Proust or Hoarders." http://goo.gl/ELt6b

http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2009/dec/03/when-heaven-was-more-interesting-than-hell/

@ @Demon_Writer sounds interesting thanks for the tip. I want to one day write a play about Bruno's Process, inquisition vs. his memory texts.

articles by Renaissance historian Ingrid Rowland http://www.nybooks.com/contributors/ingrid-d-rowland/#tab-blog

Those Bad Borgias, Ingrid D. Rowland http://www.nybooks.com/blogs/nyrblog/2011/may/16/those-bad-borgias/ (a great Giordano Bruno scholar)

tiferetjournal Tiferet Journal You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger.~Buddha

SOUNDMAGICK DAMON COOK I liked a @YouTube video http://youtu.be/iYB0VW5x8fI?a Terence McKenna: Culture is not your friend

rdonoghue Rob Donoghue Moment of confusion as my son pipes up "Hollah!" - takes a second to realize he's enthusing about his piece of bread.

@ @WeiserBooks Crowley wasn't notorious for being easy to work with--what Harris pulled off is an astonishing artistic/magical accomplishment!

Weiser Books Women & The Occult - Lady Frieda Harris: Artist of the Thoth Tarot http://wp.me/pZiw6-uZ

did a little work on my reading/translation of Bruno's De Umbris Idearum, a text I have neglected for too long

Power and Magic in Italy by Thomas Hauschild http://www.berghahnbooks.com/title.php?rowtag=HauschildPower

the sound of running water is very comforting

signification blues

@ @davidbmetcalfe Having RTFA my opinion of Pagels actually improved. I'm definitely with her on "open question" emphasis, respect for mystery

@ @davidbmetcalfe Yeah I like that Pagels emphasizes the Christianity of gnostics (who weren't heretics YET!), but other influences important.

@ @davidbmetcalfe I actually think that Pagels should be more highly regarded by scholars, but her import is popularizing new Gnostic studies.

http://visionarymagic.blogspot.com/2011/05/elaine-pagels-on-gnosticism-great.html

starsorceror David Rankine "There is above the celestial lights an incorruptible flame always sparkling; the spring of life, the formation of all beings" - Porphyry

The Shamans of Egypt by @garylachman http://ow.ly/4VKFc via @realitysandwich

David Metcalfe "the terms Gnosticism & Gnostic hijack (the) ability to...retrieve the bounty...in the formative stages of Christianity" http://ow.ly/4WlQE

@ @davidbmetcalfe I like this notion of gnostic concept "light pollution," although this guy vastly overstates Pagels' scholarly importance.

"I'm sorry, but we can't send a search and rescue team into Plato's Cave." http://xkcd.com/876/

it's rare to see a retelling of the Arabian Nights with an appropriate amount of sleaziness http://xkcd.com/879/

I have barely gotten started with http://pkdreligion.blogspot.com/ but already received some excellent comments; hope to post much more soon

My most difficult blog is http://theurgystudies.blogspot.com/ -- looks at academic study+theory of theurgy, especially the Neoplatonic kind.

looking forward to seeing my first Rivercats game this weekend, celebrating a good friend's 30th.

Probably my blog I most unjustly neglect is http://atonalitybargain.blogspot.com/ repurposing art+magic to illustrate music theory problems.

I have been posting excerpts from Latin texts dealing with magic on my blog http://renaissancemagic.blogspot.com/ any questions welcome!

My alchemy blog http://alchemicaldiagrams.blogspot.com/ had a 500-hit day recently + has made $50 in ads this year. Thanks for your support!

"truth is satire's spermatozoon" http://bit.ly/jMqn17 Bill Moyers interviews Jon Stewart (excerpt)

How the Brain Got Its Buttocks: Sixteenth-century anatomists couldn't keep their minds out of the gutter. http://www.slate.com/id/2294833/

amazingly weak defense from a celebrity philosopher http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/scocca/

According to Yates, Bruno knew Lullism better than its inventor.(if also thru renaissance lenses) Saw uses better, or a radical repurposing?

Frances Yates was on to something with her research into "magical religion" +inward magic post-Ficino+Pico, although debatable on details.

@ @kimcascone Topkapı Sarayı'ndaki şifalı gömlekler by Hülya Tezcan -- "sifali gömlekler"="healing shirts". "Topkapi Sarayi"=Topkapi palace.

http://img.slate.com/blogs/blogs/browbeat/archive/2011/05/17/a-short-history-of-lady-pirates.aspx

Scored a copy of The Art of Memory by Frances Yates at Borders going out of business 80% off sale

today I looked at a book of medieval Turkish Talismanic Shirts. amazing how much magic is out there

http://pkdreligion.blogspot.com/2011/05/ubik-graffiti-in-el-cerrito.html

crocodile autopsy. no not some surrealist mystical metaphor this time it's what they put on the tv

@ @soundhunter I didn't know about that thanks--haven't seen a Burton film since Sleepy Hollow, but my wife liked Coraline so I'll try it..

Stephen Colbert starting a Political Action Committee http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/54946.html

sigil for composing statistically improbable phrasesnP+++ARG+-+-+FA---R+++-GLE++NBAR++HEN+++AB+-++RGL++-ET-AOR++GN-U-EY++KDL-AH----T-I+-EO++

Watching the Giants game with my wife, she exclaims "oh honey it's cubs versus pandas."

http://weiserbooksblog.com/2011/05/13/field-guide-friday-charles-fort-master-of-mysterious-factoids/

Paschal Bev.Randolph was right http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21028124.600-sex-on-the-brain-orgasms-unlock-altered-consciousness.html

headline too far but interesting findings nevertheless http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-artificial-grammar-reveals-inborn-language.html

geartooth syncopation blues

Watched Candyman for Friday the 13th horror movie night, nice to finally get around to stuff like that.

Role-Playing Game manuals are often compelling works of art even without needing to put the game into practice/art can relate to play or not

Thorndike: Solomon and the Ars Notoria http://www.esotericarchives.com/solomon/mes49.htm

Roger Bacon in Lynn Thorndike, History of Magic and Experimental Science http://bit.ly/kwtbTB

Full Text of Roger Bacon (1953) http://www.archive.org/stream/rogerbacon032106mbp/rogerbacon032106mbp_djvu.txt

From Magic To Chemistry And Physics. http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/andrew_white/Chapter12.html

Roger Bacon https://eee.uci.edu/clients/bjbecker/SpinningWeb/week3a.html #Medieval #Alchemy + #Magic

art and magic quotes http://quote.robertgenn.com/getquotes.php?catid=339 nice one by Tom Robbins

"I see painting as an evocative magic, +there must always be a random factor in magic, one which must be constantly changed and renewed."WSB

"Many secrets of art and nature are thought by the unlearned to be magical." -Roger Bacon (anticipating Arthur C. Clarke by ~800 years)

http://esotericscholarship.blogspot.com/2011/05/dan-merkur-on-mystical-experience.html

"This is not a normal world." -Batman

@ @louddetective I was a big Douglas Adams fan as a kid, really appreciated TFTFB showing me how to do systems for weird physics/drinking etc.

fake WSB criticism below generatev with http://www.elsewhere.org/pomo/

"the characteristic theme of the works of Burroughs is not narrative, as semioticist subdeconstructive theory suggests, but postnarrative. "

ST.Aug.+Hermes--English translation+Latin original http://renaissancemagic.blogspot.com/2011/05/saint-augustine-on-hermes-trismegistus.html

http://alchemicaldiagrams.blogspot.com/2011/05/hugh-urban-on-paracelsus-imagination.html #Paracelsus on Imagination, #Magic and #Alchemy

http://alchemicaldiagrams.blogspot.com/2011/05/frater-achads-alchemical-pedagogy.html

http://renaissancemagic.blogspot.com/2011/05/reuchlin-on-kabbalah-techniquesnames.html

Crowley: "The average man cannot believe that an artist may be as serious + highminded an observer of life as the professed man of science."

Witchcraft: A Very Short Introduction http://www.indiana.edu/~jofr/review.php?id=1150 review

geometric and musical analysis of Enochian letters http://www.jwmt.org/v2n18/ophanic.html

more John #Dee #007 #debunking http://jeremyduns.blogspot.com/2011/02/licence-to-hoax.html

Things Done Wisely by a Wise Enchanter: Negotiating the Power of Words in the Thirteenth Century http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/Fanger.html

Were the Bard’s Occult Themes Directed from Behind the Scenes? http://atlantisrisingmagazine.com/2009/05/01/shakespeare-and-dr-dee/

Did Edward Kelley write an alchemical poem to Shakespeare? http://www.jwmt.org/v2n15/kelley.html

@toastbeard Shakespeare+magic(not Sonnets specifically but lots of historical context and references) http://www.jwmt.org/v2n15/garland.html

tons of John Dee commentary http://www.john007dee.com/commentary.html

John Dee and Edward Kelley’s Great Table (or, What’s This Grid For, Anyway?) http://www.jwmt.org/v2n18/tablets.html

I love it when the bit I like fits perfectly into a tweet with authorname+quote marks intact.

Teresa Burns: "Who came up with this? We don't know. What is the logic? That's a good question for any practitioner who uses it to answer."

BC p.151 to find the statues of the Asclepius in Plotinus was important for Ficino, who was always looking for harmonies among the ancients.

Augustine on Hermes Trismegistus http://ls.poly.edu/~jbain/mms/texts/mmsaugustine.htm

Copenhaver: "In the City of God Saint Augustine himself had condemned Hermes for using sinful demonic magic." http://bit.ly/kmraGF

Copenhaver:De Vita mentions Hermes seldom+treats him ambiguously... leaves reader puzzled about moral status of theurgy http://bit.ly/kmraGF

p. 531 Ficino noted that Albertus Magnus approved talismans carved w/figures+letters if they attracted celestial rather than demonic powers.

Copenhaver:When Ficino attempts to save the phenomena by setting them in context of theory...he deserves our attention. http://bit.ly/jCZh7P

Copenhaver: In his Apology Ficino says that De Vita grew out of his commentary on the Enneads Plotinus http://bit.ly/jCZh7P Schol.phil+magic

"These stories,histories+pseudo-histories go beyond legitimizing strategies.As a kind of myth making they are,in fact,beyond any individual"

Myth, History and Mytho-History: An Essayby J. S. Kupperman http://www.jwmt.org/v2n19/myth.html

@ @Demon_Writer Yeah I think all that extra clicking to convert would be a waste of your talents. I don't have any need or preference for PDF.

Kelley's end http://www.voynich.net/Arch/2002/08/msg00052.html (John Dee's alchemist skrying partner)

@ @Demon_Writer Thanks for the link. I liked the article on the Heiroglyphic Monad, been meaning to print out the whole JWMT archive...

Bad History! http://www.jwmt.org/v2n19/index.html Western #Esotericism John #Dee #Angel #Magic #Myth

@ @Demon_Writer ah right on. I'm always happy to hear corrections and input like this. I'm interested in "Dee 007" as a rhetorical strategy.

Giania Georgene @ @t3dy that's one of the prettiest, least dorky esoterically themed websites I've seen in a while

@ @Demon_Writer the book to read on Dee's science is still Clulee. I post these silly web articles b/c I study them, not as valuable sources!

@ @Demon_Writer I like this guy's approach http://www.amazon.com/John-Dee-Politics-Renaissance-Massachusetts/dp/1558490701

@ @Demon_Writer Yeah I've never seen anything persuasive; better to look at the real work he did rather than speculate about secret activities

The First Science - popular science history book on Roger Bacon http://www.brianclegg.net/firstscientist.html

http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/occult/roger-bacon.html

another one on the ethics of killing Bin Laden http://dissentmagazine.org/online.php?id=484#smoler

A Bond for All the Ages : Sir Francis Bacon and John Dee : the Original 007 http://www.sirbacon.org/links/dblohseven.html

I have always understood the Beastie Boys "Brass Monkey" song as a coded allegory about Hermetic statue animation or homonculus/golem-craft.

http://marklord.info/2010/07/31/albertus-magnus-roger-bacon-thomas-aquinas-and-robert-grossteste-all-loved-their-brass-robots/

Roger Bacon, An Appreciation http://www.darksites.com/souls/pagan/wraith/texts/bygone/partB/chap11.html

http://www.unexplainedstuff.com/Magic-and-Sorcery/Alchemy-Roger-bacon-c-1220-1292.html

Roger Bacon http://www.strangescience.net/rbacon.htm

Friar Bacon His Discovery of the Miracles of Art, Nature, And Magick. http://www.sacred-texts.com/aor/bacon/miracle.htm

@ @Giania I've made a couple of those http://www.livejournal.com/allpics.bml?user=gdorn RT "Where's the goddamn animated gifs?!"

"You can hit a golf ball farther with a howitzer on the Moon." -Jubelum Jaynes, KSC

@ @Giania heh heh yeah I've seen way too many of that other kind, I like that this one is so detailed in expositing+illustrating the method

What is a sigil and what is a sigilhouse? A personal perspective. http://www.sigilhouse.net/library_texts/sigils.htm

impressive sigils http://www.divinearchitect.com/windows-divine-architect/holy-cities.html

"Advertising Arts Magic" http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BctymMyK_Nw/SiVbUs23tfI/AAAAAAAAAtg/gBqicNYyZ50/s1600-h/triad-sigil.jpg

How to Create the Sigil for Practical Alchemy http://www.appliedmysticism.com/alchemy/alchemy-sigil/

@ @louddetective @catvincent what no Tales from the Floating Vagabond?

brainpicker Maria Popova The Ancient Book of Myth and War – Pixar animators explore the mythology of heroics http://j.mp/fT7MPh

thinkgeek thinkgeek A D&D comedy about an out-of-control DM? Yep, we'd pay to see that. "Zero Charisma" teaser looks good: http://j.mp/jkVSdI

clerestories Sienna Latham Great post from @TheAVClub on how the energy we devote to seeking out new music wanes with age : http://avc.lu/mjxkm3

Walter Pagel--Jung’s Views on Alchemy. Isis, May 1948,44-48 http://www.compilerpress.ca/Competitiveness/Anno/Anno Pagel Jung on Alchemy.htm

Reverse Transmutations:De Verville's Parody of Paracelsus in le Moyen De Parvenir An Alchemical Language of Skepticism in the French Baroque

http://www.forteantimes.com/features/articles/248/paracelsus_the_mercurial_mage.html

http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/h/homunculus_the_definition.html

Mysticism at the Dawn of the Modern Age -- Agrippa of Nettesheim and Theophrastus Paracelsus http://bit.ly/lNUPRS

The Book of the Revelations of Hermes - Concerning the Supreme Secret of the World, Theophrastus Paracelsus http://bit.ly/knbHKR

The Alchemical Allure of Herbology:Transformation and the Copper Still http://www.herbalenergetics.com/id26.html

The Hermetic + Alchemical Writings of Paracelsus http://www.archive.org/stream/hermeticandalch00paragoog/hermeticandalch00paragoog_djvu.txt

Robert Browning's "Paracelsus" http://www.blavatsky.net/magazine/theosophy/ww/setting/browningone.html

Epilepsy--Modern Insights from Paracelsian Medicine http://www.anthromed.org/Article.aspx?artpk=504 Bertram von Zabern, MD

Paracelsus By Harry A. Curtis, Eta Reprinted from The Hexagon, November 1939, Vol. 30, No. 2 https://www.alphachisigma.org/page.aspx?pid=345

Paracelsus: Adam was the first inventor of arts, b/c he had knowledge of all things as well after the Fall as before. http://bit.ly/mIoiLj

http://www.shamanicjourney.com/article/6050/alchemy-shamanism-organic-food-and-the-doctrine-of-signatures

Waite on Michael Maier, Rosicrucian Apologist, his Atalanta Fugiens http://www.sacred-texts.com/sro/rhr/rhr20.htm#page_268 #Alchemy

http://studiahermetica.com/uncategorized/secret-of-state-magic-politics-and-secret-communication-in-renaissance/

new journal http://studiahermetica.com/

@ @Demon_Writer which Zambelli you reading? I'm working on a review of White+Black Magic in the European Renaissance.

Charles Webster. From Paracelsus to Newton: Magic and the Making of Modern Science http://bit.ly/lmkcF3

Paul Weiss vs. Peter Singer on Scarry http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1986/jun/12/the-body-in-pain/

For the record, I've not yet seen Thor. Rather, I've actually read the Eddas.

Famous Alchemists http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/webprojects2002/crabb/famous.html Zosimos Geber Magnus Paracelsus Newton

Is power evil? Thoughts on the ethics of power. http://moralmindfield.wordpress.com/2011/02/25/is-power-evil-the-ethics-of-power/

TheMoralMindfield St. Thomas Aquinas music video. Every philosopher should have one! http://moralmindfield.wordpress.com/2011/03/04/philosophical-music-video/

TheMoralMindfield Bin Laden is dead, but is it good? now what? http://moralmindfield.wordpress.com/2011/05/01/the-ethics-of-killing-osama-bin-laden/

blogging William S. #Burroughs http://vakrokti.blogspot.com/2009/08/reading-nova-trilogy.html anybody know some more good WSB blog links?

@ @Giania yeah nova trilogy is quite difficult, but some of my favorite stuff. "who monopolized cosmic consciousness?"

SuitePhilosophy Thais C. Mozart – Alchemical Symbols in Mozart's Magic Flute http://t.co/UQuakFZ #music #masonry #freemasonry #alchemy #suite101 #occult

had a yellowjacket stuck in my hair for a couple minutes without noticing. by some undeserved grace I didn't get stung, but boy did I freak!

#FF @moralmindfield ethics, science and religion

Paracelsus' theory of mental illness http://alchemy-forums.forumotion.com/t262-how-to-cure-mental-illness#1920

Paracelsus on Alchemy as a Pillar of Medicine http://alchemicaldiagrams.blogspot.com/2011/05/paracelsus-on-alchemy-as-pillar-of.html

@ @Giania Junky is interesting because it's such straight prose, but still brilliant. He could have written great mainstream novels.

Paracelsus quotes - medical alchemy, God's help http://alchemicaldiagrams.blogspot.com/2011/05/from-paracelsus-on-invisible-diseases.html

@ @FNORDLORD "if you don't see the timewave it can't immanentize you."

can't sleep? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unsolved_problems_in_philosophy

Paracelsus and the Light of Nature http://www.naturasophia.com/Paracelsus.html

http://renaissance-astrology.blogspot.com/2011/04/renaissance-natal-astrology-course.html

review of Mathers' last secret http://gyllenegryningen.blogspot.com/2011/04/historical-revisionism-in-golden-dawn.html

@ @Giania I started that recently, in fact I was talking about it the other day (my friend asked when an honest pirate movie will be made)

PARACELSUS AND THE RENEWED IMAGE OF GOD http://www.psychovision.ch/rfr/gs4htm.htm

@ @Giania it's an excremeditation. all great sentences are. (the WSB quote is from Junky)

"What makes Seals special is that we can be thoughtful, disciplined and proportional in our use of force.” http://nyti.ms/lYY8ZC

@ @Giania "People who talk about their bowel movements are as inexorable as the motions they describe" -William S. Burroughs (paraphrased)

philo_quotes Philosophers quotes Wisdom is learning what to overlook. ~ William James http://bit.ly/philq

@ @Giania sounds like a worthy experiment for that website that will print and sell your t-shirt design

DavidHolzmer David Holzmer The “Twitterbrain” Is Just Like The Human Brain… And Retweets Are Synapses? - AllTwitter http://ow.ly/4SH55

Music for Silenced Voices: Shostakovitch and his Quartets http://nyti.ms/jnIw4l review

erik_davis Erik Davis "equating angels with transistors." RT @RichardMetzger: Microworld: William Shatner on microprocessors (1976) http://is.gd/Gjyeh1

erik_davis Erik Davis Death is an event horizon: Me talking to Terence McKenna: http://is.gd/20VRrX

@ @erik_davis I really liked Duclow's work on Cusa.

erik_davis Erik Davis @ @mpesce A philosophical question: how do you know when you have been studying too much philosophy?

Erik Davis @ @al_robertson Cyclonopedia is an amazing work: the ultimate myth of today: Oil is an evil ancient djinn who wants to desertify the earth.

erik_davis Erik Davis Why can't I get enough of this kinda thing? RT @waldemaringdahl: The Hergé/Lovecraft connection http://tinyurl.com/TintininRyleh

The Ideas of Terence and Dennis McKenna http://evolverintensives.com/upcoming/psychedelic-adventures-at-the-edge-of-the-abyss.html

sigil to build up nervous circuits vs.delay discounting OZARGNARGLARGARZ__++_+++__+++_+___+++++_+ http://www.physorg.com/news140173735.html

@SuitePhilosophy Dan Merkur's work has been a big influence on my theoretical thinking+cleared up lots of questions about spiritual alchemy.

Edison: "We are already on the verge of discovering the secret of transmuting metals, which are all substantially the same in matter, ...1/2

...though combined in different proportions." 2/2 http://www.paleofuture.com/blog/2011/1/18/edisons-predictions-for-the-year-2011-1911.html

Thegreatone35 Derrick Hudson "The future is already here - it's just not very evenly distributed." Author: William Gibson.

@ @EPButler or "not yet put into play" vs. "unplayable?"

@ @SuitePhilosophy thanks for letting me know, I'm always happy to help. Check out the links on my alchemy blog for more: http://bit.ly/fg9RDz

Happy birthday Plato! (according to somebody on the Neoplatonism list)

Response to “Methodology + the Study of Western Spiritual Alchemy” http://www.istanbul-yes-istanbul.co.uk/alchemy/responsetoMerkurJames.htm

The Tabula Smaragdina Revisited http://www.istanbul-yes-istanbul.co.uk/alchemy/TSpaper.htm Karen-Claire Voss

The Angelic Stone in English Alchemy http://www.danmerkur.com/onlinewritings/Stone.PDF

Western Esotericism and the Science of Religion. reviewed by Fanger http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/VolumeIII/HTML/Fanger.htm

@ @LalySky at least the top guy always does. RT "He won't let go of his divinity."

is bitly an adverb?

Podcast--Alchemy and Manna: interview with Dan Merkur http://bit.ly/mzcVgb

Stages of Ascension in Hermetic Rebirth http://www.esoteric.msu.edu/Merkur.html

Met a Discordian who was convinced that Cpt. Mal from Firefly is named after the Malkavian clan from V:TM. Looking forward to the manifesto!

Akermann responds to Merkur in a thread http://www.alchemywebsite.com/a-archive_dec00.html

discussion of alchemy and gnosis problems (lots of references) http://www.levity.com/alchemy/t_gnosis.html

http://www.facebook.com/notes/henry-corbin/hermeneutics-and-imagination/160574030672669

Veg-Stone: Elizabethan Psychoactive Alchemical Substance? http://alchemicaldiagrams.blogspot.com/2011/05/were-alchemists-medieval-heads.html

@ @kimcascone Synchronicity is an altered state, ain't it? I'd be interested to read more: so much to be learned about music producing ASC's.

@ @Bebejax A bit. Great story that. I'm a big fan of Michael Drout who lectures on those two very well for Teaching Company...

@ @tonhoberlinense Proclus will put one to sleep.

tonhoberlinense Antonio Vargas "I read Proclus for my opium" RT @t3dy Proclus and Emerson http://www.scribd.com/doc/54284626/9/Proclus-Americanus

renaissance magic/latin blog with reposts from DOP_Latin with markup errors

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 02:23:39 GMT

http://renaissancemagic.blogspot.com/

review of Adjustment Bureau (via Total Dick-Head)

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 05:02:34 GMT

This would be the theme of the class: today, everyone in Hollywood wants to be different, to be innovative, even to be strange; hence, they are inexorably drawn to the works of Philip K. Dick, because perhaps more so than any other science fiction writer in the business, Dick is consistently different, consistently innovative, consistently strange. In the 1950s, he tossed out dozens of bizarre little stories like firecrackers, many of them still not properly appreciated; in the 1960s and 1970s, his ideas more often poured out in inchoate novels that sometimes worked and sometimes didn’t, but were never dull.
http://www.locusmag.com/Reviews/2011/03/philip-k-diminished-a-review-of-the-adjustment-bureau/

looking forward to seeing Adjustment Team

Sat, 19 Mar 2011 01:32:38 GMT

at the super cool Cerrito theater, might get a bottle of wine with dinner.
had a very trying week teaching Junior High, but a few cool things happened.
Met Zeke Mazur and had a long chat about Plotinus.

clipped from one of those obnoxious quotes sites

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 02:35:02 GMT

You Have to Have Trouble

It’s very hard to write about that which is always beautiful and pleasant and good. You don’t get anywhere with it. There’s no friction in it. There’s no trouble. You have to have trouble. Somebody’s got to get in trouble, or no one wants to read it.

PAUL BOWLES

thanks due to Ihsan for the quote

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 03:55:39 GMT

“Whoever is born must die, but his words live on. Language is the interpreter of thought and science. It gives man dignity. Human beings attain happiness through language. But language can also demean man and cause heads to roll. It is on words that man can rise and acquire power and prestige.” -- Yusuf Has Hacib

for larry mudd

Sun, 20 Feb 2011 21:41:13 GMT

"Retweet First. Click After." -The Red Queen (Rule 140), Alice's Adventures in Twitterland and Through the Linking Gloss. p.23, n.5

scholars weigh in on my dispute with former thesis director

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 00:43:38 GMT

The thesis runaround you’ve dealt with, compounded by the loss of your brother and daughter, sound unbearable. My sincere condolences—I wish there was more one could meaningfully say about such loss; it seems to beggar description and consolation. It’s hard to imagine academic advisors not working to accommodate your needs (e.g. for time away) in such a situation. It would be one thing if your professors had taken some protective interest in keeping you on campus, but to desert you without further comment? It sounds cruelly neglectful and callously misrecognizing. In any case, if you think it will help your argument in arbitration, please feel free to quote the following paragraph. Of course, you should know that my area of expertise is not in Neoplatonism, Renaissance thought, or any of the other designations that would characterize the domain of your thesis. In this regard, I think the intervention of your emeritus mentor is your best hope for getting some justice.

I’ve read a number of sections of your thesis on Pico della Mirandola in draft format (via your blog) and have found it worthy of scholarly consideration. Indeed, my attention was first drawn to your work by a colleague in philosophy who was intrigued by your methodology as well as the consequence of your findings. Garnering the attention of active philosophers while writing at the Master’s level is no small accomplishment; it speaks to the real interest of your project. While I do not have expertise in Pico’s work, I’ve been intrigued by your arguments about the influence of Dionysius the Areopagite on Pico, as well as by your defense of the metaphysics behind Pico’s angelology. In addition to close and considered readings of the primary texts, you’ve made good use of weighty secondary literature (e.g. by W. Hankey and E. Butler). In my judgment, you’ve written a constructive work which makes a careful but novel contribution to the literature. While you may need to tidy up stylistic and organizational issues, these cannot genuinely be understood as valid reasons to reject the thesis—editing suggestions by an advisor would have been enough to clear these up before your defense. Your arbitration committee (and your former advisors) should understand that the account of your experience—coupled as it is by public access to the work you’ve done—are making the Graduate Theological Union sound like an unworkable and hostile institution, i.e., not a place we could recommend to students or colleagues.

Katie Terezakis

EB Dear Ted,

Just a few words, given your recent academic situation, concerning your thesis, which I was pleased to be able to read on your site. This thesis is serious and important scholarship on Pico, showing a keen awareness of cutting edge debates on the reception of ancient philosophy in medieval and renaissance thought. I particularly appreciated the manner in which you draw upon Wayne Hankey's work on the influence of Dionysius on Aquinas, using it to transform the Scholastic background of Pico's angelology. The thesis is deeply researched, original, and argumentatively cogent, well beyond the level of work I've seen in an MA thesis, and would be taken seriously as a proposal for a doctoral dissertation in any program concerned with the history of philosophy. Indeed, the idea that such a thesis has been rejected out of hand in the fashion GTU has is, frankly, troubling. Any serious research institution ought to be interested in doing everything they can to support a promising young scholar such as yourself. In addition, your use of the internet, through your several blogs and Twitter feed, to share your results with a broader community of scholars is truly exemplary, and shows extraordinary initiative and creativity.

Sincerely,
Edward P. Butler

This is serious and important scholarship on Pico, showing a keen awareness of cutting edge debates on the reception of ancient philosophy in Medieval and Renaissance thought.

Deeply researched and argumentatively cogent, it's well beyond the level of work I've generally seen in an MA thesis, and would be taken seriously as a proposal for a doctoral dissertation in any program concerned with the history of philosophy.

Edward Butler

DE: happy to write a brief support statement on the nature of the work (for whatever that might achieve), however *do you have an email or paper trail for the administrative issues*? as i feel that all you need is that- supervisors who are absent or themselves say they are "too busy" is damning material and should be more than enough to achieve what you need- if a supervisor can't supervise (ie are incapable of doing their JOB) then it is their moral and professional duty to arrange for someone who can do that. This is awful news, hope it gets sorted out soon

Dave Evans

Iamblichus De Mysteriis 5.23

Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:59:37 GMT

For it is not proper to despise all matter, but that alone which is foreign from the Gods. But that matter is to be chosen which is adapted to them, as being able to accord with the edifices of the Gods, the dedication of statues, and the sacred operations of sacrifices. For no otherwise can a participation of superior beings be obtained by places in the earth, or by men that dwell in it, unless a foundation of this kind is first established. It is also requisite to be persuaded by arcane assertions, that a certain matter is imparted by the Gods, through blessed visions. This matter, therefore, is doubtless connascent with those by whom it is imparted. Hence, does it not follow that the sacrifice of a matter of this kind excites the Gods to present themselves to the view, immediately calls forth the participation of them, receives them when they accede, and perfectly unfolds them into light?

new blog on theurgy studies

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 06:03:29 GMT

http://theurgystudies.blogspot.com/

Is Robert Anton Wilson using disinformation methods as a literary conceit?

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 01:05:19 GMT

Prenna23 @t3dy I think there's less disinformation in RAW than you might think.
Prenna23 @t3dy I think he's more like Scarface "Me, I always tell the truth, even when I lie" 16 minutes ago via web in reply to t3dy
Prenna23 @t3dy Fooled how?
Prenna23 @t3dy Never said you were a hater, I merely don't think there's as much disinformation/obfuscation as you are suggesting in his work.
Prenna23 @t3dy Please don't put words in my mouth.
Prenna23 @t3dy I'm not offended, it's not my work you're discussing. Disinfo suggests deliberate distraction from the truth with falsehoods.
@Prenna23 sorry I don't mean to be uncivil or attack. No "ill will that blows no minds" it was an effort at irony-felt you put words in mine
@Prenna23 I'm not saying RAW wants his readers to turn into assholes (Crowley I dunno...) but I do think he's using put-on methods cleverly.
@Prenna23 Problem is when folks approach it from a self-aggrandizing point of view, use it to pull the wool over their own eyes the bad way.
@Prenna23 Absolutely. When I say there's disinfo in those I mean most helpful+initiatory variety. When you get the message you hang up fone.
Prenna23 @t3dy Like all authors some works are stronger than others. I usually recommend Illuminatus, Prometheus Rising, and Quantum Psych to people.
@Prenna23 since it's entirely constructed out of overdetermined cutup cabalistic algorithms rather than organic narratives about real humans
@Prenna23 Or a mere dissimulating satire ghostwritten by a RAWilson fake? I think the joke might have been his book doesn't pass Turing test
@Prenna23 Or are you saying that it's the nature of RAWilsonian disinformation to sow confusion as to how much disinfo?Are you sure it's RAW
@Prenna23 Somewhere in a fiction Wilson remarks on irony of the sacred drugs are being misused, elsewhere Crowley "danger of mixing LHP+RHP"
@Prenna23 Same goes for Crowley. He's teaching how to become "Exempt from Exempt Adeptship" but falls into traps of domination and addiction
@Prenna23 But I'm talking about disinfo as a literary conceit, it's something utterly beguiling about his style, perhaps overlooked by many?
@Prenna23 Good stuff, and exactly what I mean. Shows how the lies work, sometimes even by fooling reader w/ them. He is that good at fooling
@Prenna23 I disagree about "like all authors." maybe sumbunall, but I see RAW as a unique talent, but like Crowley driven by unique problems
@Prenna23 What I mean is what do you think I mean by disinformation? Are you offended? I was trying to use RAW's terms--Put On, Guerrila Ont
@Prenna23 I'm continuing my spiel about Illuminatus! from earlier, but also thinking of his AC text. I spoke at his memorial,am not a hater.
@Prenna23 RAW even more than Eco gave us conspiracy theory as a metaphor for looking at the way literary art works, a magic vs. imagination.
@Prenna23 However, having gone to the trouble of reading most of his books+countless articles, regretful I can't recommend it all as highly.
@Prenna23 In this sense RAW is equal to Ballard or Pynchon, legit heir to Burroughs, in writing the Great American Postmodern Mindfuck Novel
@Prenna23 My experience of reading RAW's fiction has been reward after reward of penetrating veils of misdirection leading to bigger jokes.
@Prenna23 Are you saying you don't think RAW's fiction is much of a success? That I am a fool to find it so interesting to read again+over?
@Prenna23 Still not getting what you mean. How much disinfo am I suggesting? I'm talking about the literary conceit in RAW + Crowley's AA...
@Prenna23 joke attempt was isn't it funny to say: when he says it's disinfo, that's not disinfo, but it isn't true b/c not disinfo/or is it?
@Prenna23 What I was trying to ask earlier is do you disbelieve RAW when he explicitly says that his book is a disinfo "useful idiot" maker?

@mrvi Crowley I'm treating as RAW influence+literary body, but also set of practices since practices themselves are what influence RAW's art
@mrvi I'm not a religious critic so I don't mean to apologize or proselytize for the occultists I discuss. Just finding literary interest!
mrvi @t3dy Always preferred Spare over Crowley; RAW wrote more wisely when he did so via overt Fiction imo
@mrvi Agreed. His fiction is brilliant, nonfiction sometimes but lots doesn't read well today. Spare is less dangerous than Crowley for sure
@mrvi I'm not a religious critic so I don't mean to apologize or proselytize for the occultists I discuss. Crowley I'm treating as RAW influence, literary body, but also set of practices
@mrvi right on. "Lit.interest is good interest." But I try to be sympathetic to occult readerly need. Lit talk archive: http://bit.ly/gM4xPz 38
mrvi @t3dy literary interest is the good interest in my book!

what I don't yet understand is why magic and alchemy as metaphor alone isn't enough for some people. imagination is the only magical tool...

Pico meta

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 23:58:04 GMT

Hankins+Allen Pico+F. "more comprehensive ways of theologizing in contexts outside of, if ancillary still to, Christian analysis+exposition"

Theurgy in Neoplatonism is a subject of difficulty and complexity, obviously a simple answer on Pico's theurgy is not to be expected.

Levi: Pico della Mirandola, whose dependence on Proclus was clearly shown by Michael Allen's studies of Ficino ... http://bit.ly/fuNXMh

Szulakowska:recent research of Allen into Ficino's Pythagorean numerology has revealed his interest in optical geometry as a theurgic device

"Where Galileo wanted detachment, Pico looked for coincidence"

Whether or not theurgy is the right term, we will still have many problems to sort out concerning Pico's philosophical motivations in using.

Pico looks to ancient theology not because they share some universal truth that transcends Christianity/but b/c he sees them pointing toward

Ficino believed that Mercury was the original theologian http://bit.ly/fGecbA

Alemanno "Let us come to wisdom and union only by the way of intellectual speculation or by sudden intuition, but not by magical actions"

Pico is clearly working on Dionysian + Thomistic problems in philosophical angelology in his texts/Any theurgic hints are secondary to this.

Angelic influence matters to Pico, as it did for Aquinas+Dionysius, but his writings on this influence do not suddenly change it into magic.

Dougherty shows how attention to the scholastic forms Pico is using in 900 Conclusions clears up misconceptions about his motivations+style.

Pico seems to contradict himself in the 900 Conclusions because he was not giving his own opinion, but preparing sentences for a debate.

it is not clear how a theurgic interpretation of Pico gives us any help in understanding the problems of his epistemology, cognitive models.

On Pico's Kabbalah and Language/Knowledge problems see Stuckrad's Textures of Renaissance Knowledge (cite his W Eso survey on Pico earlier)

God is not intellect (or life, etc.) but is better than that

in the long ch5 of De Ente he came back to this fundamental difference

Blum PRR134 on Commento "this can get Platonists in trouble" Pico attacks this kind of Platonism by underscoring mp gap b/t cr.hum.mind+God

Blum in Dougherty suggests that the reason for Pico's theses being condemned is his failure to respect a boundary between nat.phil+theology.

Blum interprets Pico as a critic of pagan Neoplatonic revival, conservatively defending Christian metaphysics vs. Ficino (Phil.Rel.Renaiss.)

Blum: This intermediate level--name it Sefiroth, Angelic Mind, First Created--keeps world and God apart and together. (Phil.Rel.Ren. 133)

Blum 133 Agreement between Pico's critique of Neoplatonist emanation and Elia's critique of misrepresented cabalism proof Pico an Averroist?

Blum: this very view is the main message in Pico and it is very much at odds with Ficino. Phil.Rel.Ren 132

"the order we find in the world is that of the Sefirot" Del Medigo, ibid

"they believe that in the Infinite there is no thinking or apprehension" Del Medigo letter to Pico(explains why for Pico Kabbalah=Dionysius)

Del Medigo letter to Pico: the order in which the produced beings are produced +maintained within the order is Sefirot...flow from infinite

Petrarch's hope that the study of ancient mythology might enhance reverence for Christian faith was shared by Ficino and Pico. Blum (ibid)

rather than hints of theurgy Blum speak of "hints against poluarizing pagan Platonism"

p.135 Oration should be read as an appeal to spiritual conversion to which knowledge of all sorts of wisdom contributes if properly applied.

Pico understands the Dionysian problem of angelic knowledge and does not neglect the Dionysian concern to preserve the hierarchy/gap between

thesis - Pico's philosophical angelology deserves to be taken more seriously than it has been (magic/kbl/theurgy needs a fair treatment too)

however, recent groundbreaking work has been done that when taken into account allows for a much richer picture of Pico in context

Marshall Angels in EM World "Pico believed that practical Cabbal led to the ... both angel magic and the peril of entrapment by the demonic."

Moshe Idel: A disentanglement of theosophy from theurgy recurred in the Christian version of Kabbalah

Sheppard argues against Dodds's thesis that by accepting theurgy Neoplatonism abandoned its rational basis of Plotinian mysticism

Sheppard elaborates on Smith's analysis by distinguishing three levels of theurgy in Proclus' writings; forms of "white magic" -Majercik

Proclus integrated his response to Iamblichean theurgy into his grand (proto-scholastic?) system of philosophical "theology"+ph."angelology"

Iamblichus' defense of theurgy was very important, but so were his theories of religion and metaphysics of the One/philosophical angelology.

I don't think "theurgy" should be seen as a defining (limiting...) theme for Iamblichus, Proclus, or Dionysius, w/out a great deal of care.

Sheppard makes theurgy central to Proclus' philosophical theology + "mystical experience" ...would certainly be mistake to do so w/Dionysiu

Whatever Pico means by introducing Kabbalah,he describes it as primarily theology+angel metaphysics/secondarily as ground of magic operation

In suggesting philosophical motivations I don't mean to downplay influence of KBL angel, but Pico sees KBL as "exact metaphysics of angels."

Pico's angelology is Biblical and Christian angel read through Neoplatonism (as it was already in Dionysius/Aquinas)+Kabbalah--seen as NP...

Crofton Black suggests that Pico weaves 49 Gates of Kabbalah into Heptaplus structure -- is there a practice here as well as an hermeneutic?

the simplicity of material objects makes it easier to contact divinity

Watts "While it was controversial, theurgy held a strong appeal for those with a philosophical inclination."

Theurgy was a development w/in the Platonic tradition, but a development that on some points was difficult to harmonize http://bit.ly/g8k2sU

as one scholar puts it "The invocations can raise us to union with God."

theurgic interpreters have put too many words in Pico's mouth/really we don't understand theurgy or Pico well enough to say w/certainty

some theurgic interpretations clearly based on misinterpretation, but Copenhaver and Stuckrad understand Pico well

more on ascent see Couliano Psychanodia and "Out of this World"

Moshe Idel discusses Pico's theory of ascent in light of kabbalistic precursors/possible influences in Ascensions on High

on theurgy and "elevation" see Lewy "chaldaean oracles and theurgy" ch.3

theurgic interpreters have not said what theurgy means for Pico's doctrine of Angelic Mind or angelic cognition--"gnostic" is a cop-out

Theurgy is a controversial issue that I'm not bringing up to make an argument resolving/but only to note for important context to angelology

the magic of the Renaissance in general—and Bruno's magic in particular—is a science that primarily (if not solely) works in the imagination

magical interpretations are no excuse for not studying Pico's magic

Language, immateriality, and prayer. http://bit.ly/dLjybZ in Word and meaning in ancient Alexandria.

Like Dionysius Pico doesn't dare to describe the angels as they are, but rather focuses on traditional medieval accounts of their functions.

Pico isn't really theorizing mystical union in a theurgic way--like Dionysius and Aquinas he leaves the details up to God, Jesus, Angelic CH

Theurgy resists being theorized, although Iamblichus, Proclus, Dionysius do an admirable job of mapping what can be said about it/Does Pico?

is a philosophical spirituality more of a problem than a magical spirituality? Pico's philosophical angelology harder to deal w/than theurgy

The only "magical arts" Pico consistently seems to want to apply are the ones that exhort his reader to a Christian sprituality of philosoph

Pico's is a poetic theology not a magical one

I suggest that rather than seeing Pico as structuring his texts like a talisman, might make more sense to see him structuring like PD hymn.

Pico may have intended some number magic, or he may have just been making numerological jokes for the initiated to grin about when reading.

But Copenhaver's talisman is quite quite speculative... many other ways Pico's organizational arts structuring his texts could be understood

Copenhaver's angel magic talisman is an interesting speculation. We'd need a whole new category of textual talisman method, owing to Pico...

Copenhaver If Pico wanted his seventy-two conclusions to form an angelic talisman for repelling Azazel by summoning Metatron...

... As a device for doing angel magic, this figure derives its power from its hexagonal form, ...

French p87 follows Yates "it was cabalist angel-magic that, he thought, enabled him to operate in the supercelestial or angelic world"

# Yates “Through Reuchlin, Pico's kabbalist magic leads straight on to the angel magic of Trithemius or of Cornelius Agrippa, ...

http://bit.ly/fyLZa0 The western esoteric traditions, Nicholas Goodrick-Clarke: Planetary and Angel Magic in the Renaissance

# Shadduck "One alternative tradition-encouraging the desire for ontogenic elevation-appears in Pico della Mirandola" England's amorous angels

RC digest: "Important developments which Reuchlin gave to angelology cleansed it of the demonological suspicions which..."

ibid p20 "medieval tradition of commenting on Dionysius as a theologian's rite of passage"

In the anteroom of divinity: the reformation of the angels from from Colet to Milton By Feisal Gharib Mohamed - http://bit.ly/gqrBjN

Avery Dulles: His views on this question, because of their consequences in angelology, brought Pico into conflict with the Church. ...

even the self is a social relation, however blind we like to make ourselves to its otherness

what is the difference between mode of cognition of angels / rational souls? difference between God+angels? sensible forms int'ly in angel?

# I don't think Pico's 900 Conclusions should be seen as a source for Pico's finished ideas about these matters, but start of his problems w/.

Crofton Black (echoing Craven) describes efforts to render Pico's 900 Conclusions under a single unifying schema in a harsh critical light.

Theurgic interpretations have made too much of Pico's "influences" -- he was indeed eclectic but not determined by any of his many sources.

Dionysian theurgy seems like a good place to look for more light on what Pico means by turning to magic and especially to kabbalah.

Challenge for philosophical reading of Pico remains how to integrate magical, kabbalistic,+possibly theurgic interests w/Pico's Christianity

Pico's angelology is not a finished system, but it is a marvellous effort and was profoundly influential on later esoteric Christians+QBList

Surveys of Renaissance+Medieval Angelology tend to dismiss Pico on the basis of magical interpretations that are not current with P scholars

Philosophical approaches to Pico have problem of not wanting to deal w/ possible implications of theurgy/how Pico really meant to use magic.

Tentative nature of 900 Conclusions I want to emphasize above any insight they may offer. Can't jump to "Conclusions" about Pico's magic...

Pico theorized language as a conduit of divine power as explaining magic+kabbalah/but not necessarily things he wants readers to actually do

@aureliomadrid Pico only describes Aquinas+Dionysius as "glory of our theology" has lesser praise for other influences in their image mostly

@aureliomadrid I posted a link below to argument that NP distorts Pico's theology. I disagree b/c NP is crucial to Aquinas+Dionysius "glory"

@soundhunter Dionysian "sacramental theology" is all about how the invisible+transcendental must be seen as entering through senses, body...

@soundhunter there's great stuff in Dionysius--he's following Neoplatonists on need for divine to be infused into matter to help us ascend.

Since "all is in all" but hierarchical levels are still distinct, man gets angelic being at his proper level. Swedenborg emphasized this.

while Dionysius influence still a problem, constraints of Dionysian "becoming theurgic" help contextualize Pico's "becoming angelic" model.

@aureliomadrid my strategy is to cover a few theurgic interpretations at beginning and show why I like them. Yates for highlighting mystical

@aureliomadrid But those looking for an angel magic or theurgy in Pico would do well to first understand his philosophical angelology texts.

@aureliomadrid I'm saying theurgic interpreters are correct to want to look at this stuff, there is something we can learn about religion...

@aureliomadrid I still think there's a problem with magic+theurgy. I'm only bracketing them really, not explaining them away or minimizing.

Heptaplus: like angels we cannot go in a circle and come back upon ourselves" crucial Proclan insight Pico gets via Dionysius + now directly

@aureliomadrid How can I be sensitively treating these delicate problems? I want to account for Pico's commitments + strange interests.

Pico gives rhetorical celebration of exalted place of man using Christian+Aristotelian philosophy, not offering a radical magus alternative.

Many have remarked that Heptaplus focuses on fallen+limited state of man, a surprising bummer for those who ignored Christianity of Oration.

Dionysian theurgist is like angel in the sense of illuminating those lower than his position on the church hierarchy. Pico's Syrianus notes.

Dionysius had to deal with problem of human participating in angelic theurgic activity when presiding as hierarch over liturgic rituals.

Can we see Pico's biblical angel comparison problem as similar to Dionysian problems in explaining angel to human interactions?

When Dionysius discusses human participation in Church liturgy or scriptural interpretation as "becoming theurgic" doesn't mean magically...

For Dionysius (emphatically for Aquinas) human does not become angelic b/c stays w/in human limit at position in hierarchy, tho'participates

Dionysius understands theurgy as magical metaphor for saving "Divine Work" performed by Jesus+angels, human participation a special case.

Theurgy is needed to explain Iamblichus-something needed to get past soul's material stuckness-but this is different problem post-Dionysius.

* Delete

#

Theurgy theory of Iamblichus rests on difficult problem not being philosophical or theological account. Pico doesn't need a theurgy between. about 1 hour ago via web

* Delete

#

Theurgy of Neoplatonists now seen as Religious, not coercive, passive participation in rituals given by gods who plant symbols,but crucially

Theurgy studies have already been set back long enough by confident misreadings that explain it as something else "theurgy is really magic."

Theurgic interp. has to deal w/problem of Pico not using term theurgy, getting far from his actual text. Why not use his own terminology?

# Theurgy interpretations have problem accounting for why Pico would feel the need to conjure angels when already in contact acc. to PD story.
Magic+Theurgy problems much harder to solve (KBL work already had pioneering studies) but angel philosophy grounding will only help matters.

There is plenty of easy and moderately difficult work to be done on Pico's Encounter with Neoplatonic Philosophical Angelology before magic.

Philosophical approach has tools to offer future theurgic interpretations, which can't rest on misunderstandings of Pico's motives+tool use.

@toastbeard Yeah, Pico is absolutely pointing to language of tools. Cabalists show how divine creation key language can be mined by artists.

@toastbeard Pico's is definitely a magic of real uses, whatever they are. But it could be he just imagines natural philosophy is useful...

over 12,000 words, I have 24 hours to sculpt http://angelologyofmirandola.blogspot.com/2011/01/almost-everything-all-together-outline.html

@aureliomadrid I'm not arguing for his orthodoxy. I am arguing for his sincerity. It's not just rhetorical cleverness to avoid accusations.
@aureliomadrid But I'm arguing we can take Pico's word for it that he's only exploring this stuff, not implying any conjuring, finds useful.
@aureliomadrid Big part of problem which may clear up eventually is we don't understand how magic stuff fits into Pico's theology project.
@aureliomadrid It seems like Pico was jazzed on Kabbalah bc he thought it was Dionysian mysticism, feels free to leave out what don't agree.
@aureliomadrid My last insight is to admit that my philosophical approach has issues of not yet being ready to deal with all the magic+KBL/T
@aureliomadrid Wirszubski points out that all Pico's kabbalistic sources have divine language power as source of Kabbalistic operations.
@aureliomadrid I point at selections he's making. In 900 leaves out theurgy of Iamblichus+Proclus. Heptaplus omits sefirotic interpretation.

@t3dy ...this seems so difficult to untangle because of all the mystical/hermetic & kabbalistic teachings pico embraced.

@aureliomadrid yeah it's a toughy. as I polish my final i'm pained to give my opinion a shape as argument.got any more thoughts on sensitiv?

I can't say Dionysius is not dangerous or possibly controversial, but Pico thought situating his angel mysticism in PDian mode made it safe.

Pico presents a Neoplatonic cosmology+anthropology...that was notably modified by his knowledge of the medieval Jewish magical tradition. CT

Renaissance transformations of late medieval thought Front Cover Charles Edward Trinkaus p.326 treats Aristotelian Pico

Trinkaus, Charles. “Cosmos+Man: Marsilio Ficino and Giovanni Pico on the Structure of the Universe+the Freedom of Man,” Vivens Homo 5 (1994)

Pico sees his angelology as a Biblical problem, situated in the thinking of Paul, Dionysius, and Thomas Aquinas.

Pico sees Dionysius as giving the angelology of Paul

Pico’s texts might be read as Dionysian style theurgic hymn/prayers rather than magical talismans

Copenhaver sees Kabbalistic angel as possible place where Pico imports novel practices but no practices are mentioned in Pico's later texts.

I will look at Idel, Copenhaver, Wirszubski on Pico's Kabbalah, which is only a problem for Oration+Conclusions, later texts don't treat K-A

I will devote some attention: Copenhaver's use of the term theurgy, Allen's study of Commento angel, Crofton Black on Dionysius in Heptaplus

Stuckrad: Alemanno had "intensive intellectual exchange" with Pico. W.Esotericism p 72

Stuckrad: Pico doesn't regard this KBL as Jewish--rather expropriates Jews w/reproach they hadn't understood true meaning of own teachings."

Craven has good rips on Pico misreaders "He is far from giving his own opinion" "no hint of theurgy" ... impatient historiography

Pico's "Dignity" only seems like radical new role for man in hindsight; in context it is clearly a standard medieval role (however enthused)

things to remember - Pico doesn't really need magic+KBL, only brings them up to celebrate philosophy and solve theology problems/not rad-ize

remember - stuff from end of De Ente which gives final summation of Pico's mystical program that shows consistent interest in imitate divine

quotes to remember - Yates on taking magic up to supercelestial, Heptaplus compared to 12th cent cosmotheology, Mebane etc. theurgy schools

theurgy might be better term used for Pico if disentangled from magic, seen in NP/PD terms as mystical theology/ascent practice via liturgy.

Pico's angelology is first+foremost a reaction to angelologies of Aquinas+Dionysius. Rest is just resources+tools Pico deploys to develop em

Allen says Angel has lost central role, philosophical explanatory value in Ficino. Why does it remain central for Pico? Magic isn't the key.

Pico sees philosophizing about angels as a natural part of his Christian project that gives him information about how to become angelic/div.

We see in Pico's Conclusions first experiments in translating Neoplatonic philosophical angelology into Christian terms, later refined in H.

juiciest problems of Pico's theurgy I don't even want to touch. but see Mebane, Stuckrad for interesting takes,Copenhaver for best th.interp

listening to all my old Pico tweets being read by the Kindle's rich robot tenor. hypnotic and galvanizing my muscle memory to write more key

Participation is now seen as a key to Aquinas' metaphysics (Wippel). Pico's grok of participation involved detailed study of NP use of term.

need to remember for first half: Paul, Library, Proclus on theurgy of number, Copenhaver on seriousness of Proclus' magic, Pallas angel knot

Pico's 900 Conclusions cannot be seen as giving us Pico's final systematic opinions, but it can help us understand angel phil. motivations.

It should be obvious from the fact that Pico circumscribes a limited place for magic, yet devotes much text to angelology, which is central.

The corporeal imagination: signifying the holy in late ancient ... - Page 194 Patricia Cox Miller - 2009

NES music covers - guitar, theremin, bird

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 04:27:53 GMT

Recent Blog Posts

Wed, 12 Jan 2011 01:11:47 GMT

http://alchemicaldiagrams.blogspot.com/2011/01/rosicrucian-alchemy-from-manly-palmer.html
http://angelologyofmirandola.blogspot.com/2011/01/pico-and-theology-of-number.html
http://teachingalchemy.wordpress.com/2011/01/09/asking-good-questions-about-alchemy/
http://atonalitybargain.blogspot.com/2011/01/ironic-beauty-in-unfortunate.html
http://visionarymagic.blogspot.com/2011/01/initiation-as-interruption-of.html
http://pkdreligion.blogspot.com/2011/01/galactic-pot-healer-in-exegesis.html
http://cryofthesubteacher.blogspot.com/2011/01/shorts.html

A Blog about my MA thesis on the Angelology of Pico della Mirandola

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 02:02:19 GMT

now illustrated. 3 most recent posts are abstracts of 3 main chapters.
http://angelologyofmirandola.blogspot.com/

January Pico tweets and conversations/replies/responses

Wed, 05 Jan 2011 00:11:47 GMT

Some assume Pico was trying to be provocative, I don't think he expected to be accused of heresy but least of all angel magic or bad theurgy

Whether or not Pico's original approaches to Neoplatonism, Dionysius, Plotinus, Thomism work, they're based on serious engagement.

Raymond Waddington's article on "Sun as Center" looks at structure of Heptaplus, which Pico organized by theme, but magically?

Copenhaver has suggested that Pico structures 900 Theses like Talisman, but other modes of signification, subtler magics are possible.

As in Pseudo-Dionysius, who structured his texts to follow celestial hierarchy procession as contemplative model, Pico's texts strux.matter.

In Commento Pico plays Renaissance game of exploring Christian mysteries using Greek mythological symbols -God/Uranus AngelMind/Saturn-Venus

Pico looks at his [serious] man/angel comparison problem from other direction when he considers why angels represented by men in Heptaplus.

Jill Kraye, in Dougherty p.35 Pico draws on the resources of Humanism to extol scholastic philosophy+theology"... "what schol. had to offer"

For Pico it is this angelic mediation that forms an important part of the story of harmonizing Plato with Aristotelian criticism vs. Forms.

Pico discusses Angelic mind as one simple being receiving and translating the forms into the level of being appropriate to human knowlegde.

Pico finds it more practical to talk angelology, levels of being, Angelic Mind in simple Plotinian terms rather than complex Proclan/Pd-ian.

Pico takes a "more philosophical" approach not to criticize or modify philosophical angelology of Dionysius/but to translate into Plat.terms

For our purposes, since we have undertaken to say what we think is the common ground between Plato+Aristotle, we shall ignore first opinion

But Pico is not like Eriugena or Eckhart in following Dionysius/Proclus all the way to "I am God" but follows Aquinas constraint "image of."

Pico seems to be going back past Aquinas into the murky depths of Augustinian+Dionysian theologies--more negative, more numerological/poetic

Interpretation of Pico's De Ente has not emphasized the "Aristotelian" interpretation of Dionysius by Thomas Aquinas. He follows but rePlat?

Thomas Aquinas was well aware that Proclus, Dionysius, and Book of Causes author were dealing w/ different approach to similar phil. themes.

a great Platonist once told me that he was amazed by a passage in which Plotinus says that God understands nothing and knows nothing. -Pico

Crofton Black argues in his conclusion that Pico's theory of scriptural interpretation in Heptaplus is anagogic in sense of Pseudo-Dionysius

Even if Pico follows Iamblichus on theurgy, since for Iamblichus main idea is mystical union, not conjuring spirits,P's theurgy is mysticism

The philosophical contribution to Renaissance angelology represented by the Proclan conclusions alone is impressive. Huge digesting project!

In his Proclan conclusions (100 of 900) Pico lays bare the metaphysics of the celestial hierarchy which can be found in Neoplatonism/amazing

Pico quietly brings a huge amount of Proclan angelology into the 900 Theses that doesn't cause much of a fuss. Important b/c showed PD~=NP

Pico seems to be more public about his admiration of Plotinus, but uses sparingly, finding more angel metaphysics in Proclus+Syrianus,Iambl.

Pico does not exhibit "theurgic skepticism" of Reuchlin+Agrippa, celebrates doesn't deconstruct philosophy

Iamblichus was wary of philosophy in De Mysteriis since it can't wield theurgic knowledge, Pico loves it b/c prepares for holy theology

Iamblichus wrote his defense of theurgy scoffing at Porphyry to think he could get there by mere contemplation. Pico celebrates mere contem.

When Pico exhorts reader to "become angelic" in celebration of philosophy, he means it, but angelizing is contemplation, not theurgy.

If we consider Dionysius' careful efforts to constrain theurgy, show how hierarchy not broken, not magic, works for Pico becoming angelic...

In his 900 Theses Pico has not laid out an "angelic regimen," Copenhaver may be exaggerating to say he does in Oration/it's rhetorical flair

Rather than look for a mystical angelology in 900 Theses we should look for what Pico is suggesting, what study resources he is highlighting

Can we reconcile Pico's angelology of Commento and Heptaplus with that of De Ente? Do we need to? Pico would consider his own work debatable

Pico is admitting that Commento is a philosophical speculation exercise, departing from the mode of Dionysius which will be his tool in Ente

Pico says that the Plotinian style approach to Angelic Mind he's favoring in Commento is "more philosophical" + closer to Plato/Aristotle...

stick to the most beautiful lines, not the nuts and bolts of egghead mysticism
De Ente + Disputations only one quote each on angels would be minimalist, plenty more to say on T's PD worth mentioning briefly, A/C Being.
Heptaplus I could discuss but better overlook many uses of PD, show T reading, focus on AngelicMind+Angel as Number, how "example"perf.works

Pico's work on Proclan mp/ontology that supports PD'ian angelology complicates purely "Plotinian" approach he outlines in Commento+Heptaplus
Pico seems to be following Aquinas who said "Dionysius everwhere follows Aristotle" when he uses PD to back up his Arist.argument in De Ente
Pico makes an Aristotelian argument vs. Iamblichus in De Ente. Sees Dionysius as a better Aristotelian, corrects the Platonism to a degree?
Gonna be cycling thru various stress reduction rituals+exercises tonight. Anyone got a favorite tip for 30 second break+recharge practices?
Commento Bit: Show how Pico sets up problem, quote tasty bits, refer to Michael Allen's masterful study "Bday of Venus," Angel Comp, AngMind
elsewhere D uses same manner of speaking Plotinus uses-God's not intell. or intelligent creature, but is ineffably exalted above all int+cog

Pico is not bold to disagree with Dionysius. He apologizes for taking this "more philosophical" view, but feels it is not contrary to faith.
-second opinion is more philosophical; closer to views of Aristotle+Plato,+is followed by all of the better Aristotelians+better Platonists.
The first opinion's closer to that of Dionysius the Areopagite+Christian theologians who believe in a more or less infinite number of angels
Pico della Mirandola, Commento: "About the second hypostasis, that is, the angelic or intellectual, there is disagreement among Platonists."

During the problem statement I will cite a few secondary sources but I don't want to get too bogged down in the argument, just list FY+EM ex
rather than get bogged down citing too many secondary sources when describing the angel I will cite Pico's texts almost predominantly
In Commento and Heptaplus Pico recalls Oration angel comparison saying _______ In Heptaplus Imitatio Christi ______ In De Ente imitate God _
In Commento Pico explains difficulty interpreting Philosophical Angelology, saying ______ this shows his angel project is part of concordia.
from this moment I'm avoiding old notes until it's time to just plug blanks into templates. need to start writing with blanks... ___________
Whatever we think of his KBL+NP theses,there's no obvious magical implication to be found in his scholastic angel theses.Shows phil.interest

Having done a survey of Pico's wntings on angels, I have discovered much difficult philosophy that needs work, very few magical implications
When I emphasize the philosophical reasons motivating Pico in his writings on Angels, I don't mean to downplay his angelic spirituality any

The term Theurgy helps us understand Pico in positive + negative ways. Shows legit religion he sees in anc.phil. also limits of Pico's magic
Pico's model of "becoming angelic," "rivalling the angels," + going beyond angelic level of being to unify w/divine, needs no "Magus."
Pico doesn't delve into the theurgic liturgical theory of Dionysius' EH. But he does delve into philosophical angelology tied up w/ theurgy.

Pico cites a debt to the Mystical Theology, Divine Names, Celestial Hierarchy of Dionysius but doesn't use[Theurgic]Ecclesiastical Hierarchy
Does Dionysian "becoming theurgic" help explain "becoming angelic" in Pico? Pico cites everything else in Dionysius-heavy on MT+DN,CH not EH

reruns
Pico's most original treatment of angels can be seen in Commento, where he does Plotinian Intelligible World as single, simple Angelic Mind.
Pico sees Proclan/PD angels as existing in a henadic manifold, but within Divine Mind--more "Aristotelian" via Aquinas as well as Plotinus

It is not clear if Pico himself even thought he knew what a licit magical operation would be like. Did he have a mystical"operative spirit"?

Pico's magical semiotics is an interesting subject but unfortunately he didn't write much explaining what he was doing with it.
Scholars have mistakenly assumed that "dignity" of Man in Oration makes him a Magus, but really Pico is doing standard T/Aug "divine image"

Pico knows from Christian revelation that it is possible for man to "become angelic" or become one with God. This is what he celebrates in O

Pico certainly doesn't rule out Dionysian theurgy, and since he approves of Iamblichean piety+metaphysics he's not anti-Iamblichean mystics.

Should we discern a progression here? In Oration Pico exhorts to emulating angels, Heptaplus to imitatio Christi, De Ente to imitate God...

Imitation of the divine is a consistent theme for Pico which he develops using Christian notions of emulating Angels (O), Jesus (H), God (B)
stick to the most beautiful lines, not the nuts and bolts of egghead mysticism
De Ente + Disputations only one quote each on angels would be minimalist, plenty more to say on T's PD worth mentioning briefly, A/C Being.
Heptaplus I could discuss but better overlook many uses of PD, show T reading, focus on AngelicMind+Angel as Number, how "example"perf.works

"all is in all" "god is not intellect" "participation" "angel as number" "stripping away perfections" all are prioritized over magic+Kabbala

...Interpretation, discovering information about the multiple worlds by discovering how they've been encoded into multiple layers of Genesis

In Heptaplus Pico applies the theoretical framework of different levels of being (a synthesis of Aquinas+Dionysius w/conf. from Kabbalah) to

Pico follows Dionysius who follows Proclus on "all is in all" -- for this to work need hierarchy of levels for each level to be expressed at

Pico in a Proclan conclusion emphasizes that though "all is in all each according to its own mode" hierarchy nevertheless preserved.

Pico never says that man jumps the hierarchy in order to infuse himself with the power of angelic being to work magic. He preserves it.

Aquinas in ST makes clear that talk of men being "lifted up into angel orders" (saints) doesn't mean state change, not becoming angel being.

Pico gives Enoch>Metatron as general ex. of human becoming angel. But he follows Aquinas who polices PD dangers/shows man doesn't BECOME ang

Like Dionysian theurgy for Pico magic+Kabbalah are metaphors that illuminate divine power+activity, angelic functionalities of contemplation

Can we learn something about Pico's handling of magic+KBL by looking at Dionysius' handling of Neoplatonic theurgy? Thomas' Dionysius mod?

Pico's Angelology remains unfinished but will be "Completed" only by his Christian Cabalists followers who read him as disobiently as he KBL

Pico's philosophical angelology did not lead him to magic, but it did become part of an angel magic in his Christian Cabalist followers.

Pico's Commento and Heptaplus make important philosophical contributions that must be understood as background to later CBL/Magical Theology

But while Copenhaver the UCLA Philosophy prof. may find Divinization boring+unattractive, Neoplatonists are still trying to understand Pico.
Pico's idea of freedom was the ability to choose what Copenhaver describes as the most unromantic life imaginable: boring old divinization.
It's a hilarious irony that Pico, author of "Rules for Spiritual Battle," gets confused with modern antinomian versions of anything goes fdm

interpretations that led to the negative impression of Pico have been debunked, but his angelology still not being studied, the view assumed
Pico uses Plotinus to reread PD+Late NP? Vice Versa? Plotinus post-Aquinas/Albert? Post-Averroes? In an case he's typical NP user+creative.
Pico uses Plotinus on magic and considers him among "better platonists." But Proclus+Syrianus is where we find angel encounter. A problem?

Michael Allen on Pico's Platonic Exegesis deals with his Angelology http://bit.ly/fG9DKF "to proceed Orphically" in P+F

Pico's work on Proclan mp/ontology that supports PD'ian angelology complicates purely "Plotinian" approach he outlines in Commento+Heptaplus
Pico seems to be following Aquinas who said "Dionysius everwhere follows Aristotle" when he uses PD to back up his Arist.argument in De Ente
Pico makes an Aristotelian argument vs. Iamblichus in De Ente. Sees Dionysius as a better Aristotelian, corrects the Platonism to a degree?
Commento Bit: Show how Pico sets up problem, quote tasty bits, refer to Michael Allen's masterful study "Bday of Venus," Angel Comp, AngMind
elsewhere D uses same manner of speaking Plotinus uses-God's not intell. or intelligent creature, but is ineffably exalted above all int+cog

Pico is not bold to disagree with Dionysius. He apologizes for taking this "more philosophical" view, but feels it is not contrary to faith.
-second opinion is more philosophical; closer to views of Aristotle+Plato,+is followed by all of the better Aristotelians+better Platonists.
The first opinion's closer to that of Dionysius the Areopagite+Christian theologians who believe in a more or less infinite number of angels
Pico della Mirandola, Commento: "About the second hypostasis, that is, the angelic or intellectual, there is disagreement among Platonists."

During the problem statement I will cite a few secondary sources but I don't want to get too bogged down in the argument, just list FY+EM ex
rather than get bogged down citing too many secondary sources when describing the angel I will cite Pico's texts almost predominantly
In Commento and Heptaplus Pico recalls Oration angel comparison saying _______ In Heptaplus Imitatio Christi ______ In De Ente imitate God _
In Commento Pico explains difficulty interpreting Philosophical Angelology, saying ______ this shows his angel project is part of concordia.
from this moment I'm avoiding old notes until it's time to just plug blanks into templates. need to start writing with blanks... ___________
Whatever we think of his KBL+NP theses,there's no obvious magical implication to be found in his scholastic angel theses.Shows phil.interest

Having done a survey of Pico's wntings on angels, I have discovered much difficult philosophy that needs work, very few magical implications
When I emphasize the philosophical reasons motivating Pico in his writings on Angels, I don't mean to downplay his angelic spirituality any

The term Theurgy helps us understand Pico in positive + negative ways. Shows legit religion he sees in anc.phil. also limits of Pico's magic
Pico's model of "becoming angelic," "rivalling the angels," + going beyond angelic level of being to unify w/divine, needs no "Magus."
Pico doesn't delve into the theurgic liturgical theory of Dionysius' EH. But he does delve into philosophical angelology tied up w/ theurgy.

Pico cites a debt to the Mystical Theology, Divine Names, Celestial Hierarchy of Dionysius but doesn't use[Theurgic]Ecclesiastical Hierarchy
Does Dionysian "becoming theurgic" help explain "becoming angelic" in Pico? Pico cites everything else in Dionysius-heavy on MT+DN,CH not EH

Pico's most original treatment of angels can be seen in Commento, where he does Plotinian Intelligible World as single, simple Angelic Mind.
Pico sees Proclan/PD angels as existing in a henadic manifold, but within Divine Mind--more "Aristotelian" via Aquinas as well as Plotinus

It is not clear if Pico himself even thought he knew what a licit magical operation would be like. Did he have a mystical"operative spirit"?

Pico's magical semiotics is an interesting subject but unfortunately he didn't write much explaining what he was doing with it.
Scholars have mistakenly assumed that "dignity" of Man in Oration makes him a Magus, but really Pico is doing standard T/Aug "divine image"

Pico knows from Christian revelation that it is possible for man to "become angelic" or become one with God. This is what he celebrates in O

From some accoutns it would seem Pico's angelology is heavily magical, but less than 1% of his writing on angels explicitly connex w/ magic.

Speculation about the theurgic potentials of Kabbalistic lore Pico converted into apologetic tools is interesting but sheds no light on Pico

I think an occultist interpretation of Pico would better serve its agenda by looking at what Pico said primarily, since it inspired so much. about

Craven shows that historians have demonstrated a remarkable tendency to twist Pico to their own ends. I don't mean to accuse of this, but...

Although I am not pursuing the notion very far, I have not exhausted topic, look forward to a Pico theurgic reading informed by recent schol

I think the quest for Pico's theurgy is a fool's errand. Better to just abandon historicity and do like Pico's Christian Cabalist followers!

Pico shouldn't be considered a theorist of theurgy because he never directly discusses it/But some brilliant discovery coded in implication?

It's ironic that Pico was accused of magic/heresy based on his commitments to Pseudo-Dionysius, since PD was anti-magical contact w/angels.

Pico like Dionysius doesn't understand gnosis or salvation as something that the philosopher magically takes into his own hands,but receives

Pico has interesting things to say on "operator" w/in limits of Dionysian (Christian) Mystical Theology, but passively "raised" by MT/angels

Pico doesn't bring in Pseudo-Dionysius' or Proclus+Iamblichus theurgy talk. But he does mystic ascent+poetic theology in unfamiliar style...

Pico never uses the term theurgy. If we are to use theurgy to describe Pico we need a good reason to distrust Pico's own terminology?

Pico wrote 3 small books after Oration+900 that are masterpieces of ontological theology and Dionysian angelology: Heptaplus, Commento, Ente

Pico's artistry is in the condensing and summarizing/synthesizing (though not really syncretizing) work he's doing in Conclusions+treatises.

I don't think Pico's reading of Plotinus should be considered less interesting than Ficino because we don't have enough text. Mystery's nice

Unlike Ficino Pico did not live long enough to fully articulate his reading of Plotinus. Michael Allen has argued he's unfair to Ficino but-

Pico's reading of Plotinus is unfortunately only available in small # of Conclusions, brief magic theory in Oration,Commento,Hep+BU shorts.

When Pico makes a "Plotinian" model of Angelic Mind in Commento he's not only articulating an original approach to angelology: Plotinus read

Pico is interested in the differences between Neoplatonists on matters philosophical, but doesn't seem interested in comparing theurgies.

Now that theurgy in Dionysius is so much better understood, perhaps we can understand presence of Dionysius angels in Pico's mystic ascent.

Application of the term theurgy to Pico has been confused a long time but only recently has the use of the term by Dionysius been understood

Pico consistently speaks of man as a passive recipient of angelic+divine illumination, even in Oratio his supposedly radically active model.

Pico's participation talk inclines me to think he follows Dionysius on theurgy: (if he's doing theurgy) man participates in what angels *do*

Pico picks up on usefulness of Aquinas' concept of participation, which he finds to solve the metaphysical problem disharmonizing Plato+Ar.

Aquinas' concept of participation is explained in his Boethius comm. as "taking part" it's a way of dealing with created space in hierarchy.

Pico sees the names of angels not as practical buttons to ritually push and summon angels, but as theoretical example of divine language/pow

Although his Kabbalah is still somewhat "Wild West" territory, my understanding is that Pico really did find a way to do angel w/o conjure.

I don't know if Pico sees Jewish Kabbalists as angel magicians in the suspect category, but I do believe what he says when he rules out bad.

Pico is interested in whatever magic demonstrates which he sees a possible regimen for study at a certain stage of philosophical preparation

Rather than seeing Pico's interest in mysticism of language as problematic b/c venturing into magical territory, I see Pico mining theology.

Wirszubski warned that mysticisms of prayer+language tend to shade/blur into magic. I'm not confident in critique of so-called magical ideas

Pico's Commento, Heptaplus, + De Ente develop difficult angel+theological metaphysics but don't expand on the obscure semiotic 900 insights.

Stuckrad's book on Knowledge in the Renaissance emphasizes that Pico was doing interesting things with Language. But he abandons this later.

Stuckrad "Pico participated in the ontologization of language in his reception and interpretation of kabbalah" Wirzubski myst.of lang./magic

von Stuckrad: kabbalah provides a means to link rational demonstration with a perfect knowledge of the divine.

Ein-Sof as God's transcendent nature enables Pico to study the revelatory form of the divine without intermingling with the divinity itself.

A reading of Pico's angelology needs to be grounded in the metaphysics of Dionysius+Aquinas which is foundation for Pico's KBL/NP exploring.

But these problems of interpretation need not involve wild speculation about angel magic when there are plenty of things Pico actually said!

Pico's Kabbalah and what he calls Natural Magic does raise useful problems for interpretation of what is original+influential in his writing

Pico's interest in Magic+Kabbalah is not problematic in the sense of infecting his piety or spirituality with unhealthy "magical" elements.

Pico does bring in these Kabbalistic angel danger ideas, but it would be a mistake to think this ruins his whole angelology w/o checking 1st

"Angels in the Early Modern World" author makes mistake of thinking Pico implies angel summoning -- Enoch/Metatron more an ex. of myst.union

aureliomadrid @t3dy ..head spinning from the heptaplus 'in the beginning', circleswithincircles, plato, moses' tabernacle, the perfection of jesus, angels 3 minutes ago via web in reply to t3dy Retweeted by you

@aureliomadrid my head has been spinning for years as I try to boil the angel part down to 80 pages

Divine Attributes of Jesus http://gospelhall.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1743

Outline survey of Angel in Pico's major texts: http://angelologyofmirandoola.blogspot.com/2011/01/survey-of-angels-in-picos-main-texts.html

the life of the angels is not perfect. Unless vivifying ray of divine light constantly warmed it,it would all fall into nothingness -De Ente

Statements such as these can give a modern Platonist a good deal of trouble if he does not understand the principle behind them. -Pico,Comm.

updated tonight with excerpts from Pico's Angelology, Pico on Enoch/Metatron http://angelologyofmirandola.blogspot.com/

Oration of Pico della Mirandola in facing page Latin/English http://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/pico/text/riva/eframe.html

This intricate constellation of possible references...hints at the complexity of Pico’s angelology http://bit.ly/ijH2On

[KBL] at one time transforms holy Enoch into an angel of divinity, whom they call Metatron...
reshapes other human beings into other spirits.

Farmer describes Pico's Enoch/Metatron as "syncretic fusion"

On the subject of identification of Enoch and Metatron, see M. Idel, "Enoch is Metatron."

"Pico interprets this process from a distinctly philosophical point of view" -snippet

"that Enoch was transformed into an angel was brought as an example of the possibility of unio mystica in Pico" -a google books snippet

The role of Cabbala and magic in Pico's thought was deeply problematic. http://bit.ly/h9X0rU Angels in the Early Modern World

Copenhaver on Pico's Metatron http://bit.ly/dT0dmL

Pico's esotericism does not conflict with his Christianity; theurgic interpretations have been mistaken when they seek a problematic magic.

Pico takes bulk of his understanding of angels from Dionysius+Aquinas, sometimes refers to NP+KBL for confirmation but did no bad angelizing

Pico has been criticized as "Angelizing" philosopher/cosmos ironically b/c his deep Dionysian commitments lead him to do this--he's not rad.

Dionysius raided Neoplatonic theurgy terminology in order to advance an angelized Christology...cosmic system of divine work saving mankind.

Pico's main point about magic is that it demonstrates truly miraculous power of Christ: it's theory for theology, not practical application.

Since Pico's magic is better understood as theoretical than practical, he's closer to Dionysius who used theurgy as metaphor for divine work

Many theurgic interpretations of Pico have been advanced that don't work b/c fail to take into account what Pico was doing w/ these threads.

Why is theurgy a problem for understanding Pico's angelology? Term theurgy applies differently to his influences Dionysius,Neoplatonists,KBL

Like Thomas Aquinas, Pico always has the words of Dionysius on his lips. The influence cannot be overstated, but it's been little studied.

Pico seems to have been influenced by Abulafia's version of Maimonides the Kabbalist (see Wirszubski) but his Moses is from Pseudo-Dionysius

When Pico applies esoteric hermeneutics to Genesis he finds angel metaphysics of Dionysius, as told by Aquinas. Encodes this kind of mystery

Pico invented ways of applying KBL techniques to the project of confirming Christian metaphysics/wasn't interested in what KBL means to Jews

Copenhaver has suggested a non-conjuring interpretation of Pico doing angel magic but yet not being guilty of theurgy (in Aug not PD sense)

Since Pico makes a strong statement that he is against conjuring of any kind, speculation on any "angel magic" should look elsewhere than c.

Speculation on Pico's angel magic is based on a small set of obscure texts in which Pico makes no clear statement recommending it. no hint?

Pico is doing the same sort of Christian esotericism as Pseudo-Dionysius. He explains his mysteries using the language of Thomistic ontology

Pico's strong identification w/ Christian orthodoxy makes him a problematic candidate for exemplar of magical/occultist Western Esotericism.

Rather than approach Pico's angelology based on assumptions about a "magical worldview" I want to look at how he deals with angels in texts

Vision of Pico as magus is based on inflated readings of limited selection of his texts/Seen in larger context his angel work much different

Pico doesn't present himself as an expert on magic, and while he hoped his theses would be debated he doesn't encode magical mysteries into.

Pico seems like a syncretist b/c he takes KBL+NP seriously but only does it to confirm metaphysics he feels supports Christian spirituality.

Pico is not a syncretist b/c doesn't want to incorporate anything that doesn't confirm what he already believes. Syncretism is open to Other

Pico didn't see himself as Magus but philosopher w/expertise in newly discovered ancient knowledge. His spirituality is deep philosophizing.

reading some theurgic interpretations one gets impression that only reason Pico delved into high Neoplatonic ontology was excuse for magic!

Pico makes connection between language, creation and magic, theorizes divine sound of magical voice, but doesn't suggest usurping divine pow

Because Ficino wrote finished "Platonic Theology" he receives more attention as a Renaissance interpreter of Proclus, but Pico knew him well

In order to understand Pico's influence on later Christian Cabala, need to grok philosophical angelology as well as the magical implications

@toastbeard Pico's translator fed him spurious "Kabbalistic" number/letter info that Pico used to do gematria and obtain Christian results.
@Bebejax While I'm dropping refs, best article on Pico's Angelology (until my thesis published...) is Michael Allen "The Birth Day of Venus"
@Bebejax In a nutshell Copenhaver showed that Yates exaggerated Pico's reliance on Hermeticism (also debunks post-Kantian reading as modern)
@SVE13 I'm not saying I don't resonate w/gnostic meanings of magic. But I don't think it's correct to apply that to Pico's concept of magic.
@Bebejax I'm especially interested in Copenhaver's use of theurgy positively+negatively to describe Pico's Kabbalah, avoidance of bad magic.
@Bebejax Def. big problem sorting out anachronistic concepts projected on Ren--but Pico uses scholastic distinctions+tries to clearly define
@Bebejax Brian Copenhaver has a few articles on Pico's Hermes, Oration, Conclusions, Magic+Kabbalah http://www.cmrs.ucla.edu/brian/index.htm
@Bebejax I would be interested to hear your opinion on Pico+Hermeticism / Pico as Gnostic debates...I'm with Copenhaver+Craven, respectively
Thanks for RTs, Input +/or Dialectick on my Pico notes! @davidbmetcalfe @aureliomadrid @casuist @sve13 @toastbeard @ChristineMillan @bebejax
@davidbmetcalfe This is a great example of a Hermetic notion Pico would not have missed if he were truly such a deep Hermetist-he just ain't
@davidbmetcalfe Cool. It's a wonder Pico never mentions it, being a theorist of esoteric transmission. He defines Kabbalah as Dionysian eso.
@davidbmetcalfe Copenhaver has written some powerful debunking of the notion of Pico as "Hermetic" but I think Pico knew Iamblichus' Hermes
@SVE13 I'm afraid I'm still lost. My project is not to evaluate Pico's spirituality but to analyze what philosophy is present in his texts.
@davidbmetcalfe My sense of Pico's "Hermeticism" is that he saw Hermes much the way Albertus Magnus did, as philosophical-theological genius
@davidbmetcalfe There's a lot of stuff in the Corpus Hermeticism that might have been resonant w/ Christian Cabala had Pico worked with it.
@davidbmetcalfe This is one of the places where Pico+Hermetism is an interesting question or resonance, but answer's probably disappointing.
@SVE13 Tech. was short for technique. Pico didn't see esoteric obscurity as merely being a means for keeping info hidden.
@SVE13 Pico follows Proclus+Dionysius in conceiving mystery initiation as based on the very structure of being, not a mere exclusivity tech.
@davidbmetcalfe Pico is an esotericist of the highest order but his esotericism is a philosophical spirituality developing Christian mystery
@davidbmetcalfe Setting theurgy question aside I think trend in scholarship to see Pico as radical/subversive is a mistake. He's no Crowley!
@davidbmetcalfe unfortunately we never find out exactly what Pico is doing working in post-Averroistic ways of conceiving Agent Intellect...
@davidbmetcalfe Pico's subject to a huge Islamic/Averroist influence via his teacher Elia del Medigo+also Aquinas' response to Arab theology
# David Metcalfe davidbmetcalfe
@t3dy what kind of Islamic influence is existent in Pico? (if any...)
@SVE13 @t3dy For sure - words can never teach. Only experience teaches. Am not referring to Pico, in all this, actually - more a general remark but
@SVE13 I'm just a humble student of Pico, not claiming authority.Just trying to understand your problem so I can improve my writing+argument
@SVE13 Pico argued-deeper meaning of a philosophy can't be understood in words alone, language must be transcended by a higher consciousness
@SVE13 What do you mean by "it" re: languaged normally? Pico says explicitly he wants his reader to "reach" in sense of discursive exercise.
@SVE13 When I say interpreters x+y have misread Pico, I'm not criticizing esotericism or theurgy, I'm saying they're mistaken to read it in.
@SVE13 I'm not denying that some philosophy is deliberately difficult or esoteric. But Pico's difficulty is meant to be puzzled out!
@SVE13 Which philosophers are you referring to?I like that the neoplatonists are very clear.Pico picks up on this clarity and works with it.
@davidbmetcalfe But this mysterious insight of Pico's should make sense in context of his earnest+consistently philosophical angel project.
@davidbmetcalfe back to Pico, like the alchemists he does have something deep/heady about magic-as nat.phil-that he's trying to communicate.
@davidbmetcalfe What Pico meant--natural philosophy--is kinda boring according to mistaken theurgic approach,but very interesting hist.ideas
@davidbmetcalfe kinda sad thing: Pico turns out not to be of interest from p.o.v. of much contemporary magic b/c he doesn't mean that by it!
@davidbmetcalfe part of the problem: I'm dealing w/debris of spectacularly failed attempts to read Pico between lines that twist his intent.
@davidbmetcalfe Perhaps I'm still missing exactly what you're getting at suggesting a deep read approach to Pico. Surface is rich, neglected
@davidbmetcalfe Pico makes a powerful case that the philosophical opinions he's playing with are fair game, never makes any heretical claim.
@davidbmetcalfe But we also have a good sense of why Pico thought he should not have been censored--why Edelheit says Apology so important
@davidbmetcalfe We have a good idea of why Pico was censured--he was misunderstood, stepped on theological toes, threatened boundaries...
@davidbmetcalfe Readers miss that Pico wasn't shy about his "provocative" opinions, and was appealing over the heads of his accusers.
@davidbmetcalfe Yeah I don't think Strauss is saying all reading between lines reveals theurgy. But I don't think Pico's hiding theurgy.
@davidbmetcalfe What I am saying is that Pico gives "hints" that have been ignored by theurgic interpreters uninterested in angel philosophy
David Metcalfe davidbmetcalfe
@t3dy @casuist if anything Strass' deep reading would reveal why Pico was censured by the Church.
@davidbmetcalfe I'm not saying no esoteric meaning in Pico. obviously his meaning is unclear. But some readers are barking up wrong tree.
@davidbmetcalfe My argument is that before trying to tease out any such subtler implications to Pico's code, we must understand literal text
@davidbmetcalfe I'm not against reading Pico between lines-I just don't think the readings I'm arguing vs. get him right--spirit or literal
@davidbmetcalfe In the case of Pico many readers have sought theurgic/conjuring implications, but none have proved them by close reading.
David Metcalfe davidbmetcalfe
@t3dy @casuist provide a diff. & deeper argument; so w. Pico may be that a similar close reading would reveal diff. aspects of his message
@aureliomadrid Crofton Black's study of Pico's Heptaplus is well worth reading for exhaustive accounting of sources on esoteric hermeneutic.
@aureliomadrid Heptaplus is Pico's most interesting angelology text--ways he discovers angel metaphysics of Aquinas+Dionysius in Genesis/KBL
@aureliomadrid I'm working vs. criticisms that Pico's angelology is a cheap excuse for angelized philosopher+cosmos--I think he's serious!
aurelio madrid @t3dy just downed the orations & now onto pico della mirandola's heptaplus. the impure earthly body/the angelic realm/the celestial heavens.
# aurelio madrid aureliomadrid
@t3dy ... man like an animal from the earth to philosophy & then to a pico brand of syncretic theology (all as one, by the grace of god)? 5:07 AM Jan
@aureliomadrid read Edelheit+Dougherty on Scholastic forms Pico works with. He goes into Platonism+Kabbalah for confirmation of metaphysics.
@aureliomadrid Pico has a fairly conservative view about what areas are fair game for philosophy, which he makes clear in Oration + Apology.