FROM GNOSIS TO THE MEDIEVAL SEXUAL LIFE
In, let me say, “[fo:pa]”
web magazine, the strangest thing is its gallery. Some authors (of the works of arts) are mentioned by their first name and surname and clicking on those one can see a few works of (most probably) the artist. The photos are nothing extraordinary (nor too good). As for the works of art I have no idea whether there are of any value since little can be seen. As for the artists – no additional information is provided. Not a word. This is really mysterious. And it is perhaps this mystery that is most intriguing in “[fo:pa]”.
Eventually, I have abandoned the search for gallery's authors and stopped in the reading room. And here – what a surprise! Somebody has helped me with the search, since many years, not for the gallery artists, but for the Truths and Orders (eternalised in the thoughts of succeeding generations).
In this way we enter, accompanied by “[fo:pa]”, into the domain of secret knowledge. However, there is little secrecy to it – it is scientific.
The search for the third way..
..of viewing the world is described by Jerzy Prokopiuk (“[fo:pa]” no. 4 (p)o bogu) in “Gnoza i ja” [Gnosis and I]. And even though the 8th issue of the magazine has already appeared, in the reading room Gnosis is still in the centre of attention, at least it seems so to me.
Prokopiuk writes about gnosis in a very personal way. He explains an almost intimate matter: transcending, old-fashioned (as he believes) Catholic religion contra the 'scientific' material view – a reckless mixture, that is ... a very promising one.
Let me remind you that the author (born in 1931) is a religion specialist, philosopher, psychologist, Gnostic, anthropo-philosopher and above all a translator and promoter of the humanistic literature (mainly esoteric, philosophical, psychological and from the area of religion studies) from German, English and French. He also founded the magazine Gnosis, of which he is the chief editor.
But let us go back to the heart of the matter, i.e. to the relationship between esotericism and gnosis.
Gnosis..
..definitely belongs to our every-day spiritual life! Somehow at least. And more precisely, the situation is as follows: “Gnosis, growing out of the human need to satisfy curiosity, pursues the knowledge of the spiritual world (Divinity, the sphere of sacrum or numinosum), mysticism, in turn, desires to reach, through love, the union or possibly identifying with God, and finally, magic, driven by the desire to possess knowledge, wants to give man the ability to rule other creatures. In this understanding, gnosis is a way of the metamorphosis of thinking, mysticism – the metamorphosis of emotion and magic – the metamorphosis of will”.
This (in a way obvious) division can easily enter the paths of our world views, ordering the intuitively chosen direction of our movement. After all, staying away from the scientific route we still can ask: how to manage Church holidays without mysticism? How to enter into the New Year without the metamorphosis of thinking? How? As for magic – I will remain careful here. One can easily do without the power over all creatures (everybody knows how – it's normal). Perhaps Harry Potter's fans may disagree with me here.
By the way, it is usually so in our human life that questions imply answers, so Jerzy Prokopiuk refers the asking to many important readings (Harry Potter is not on the list). Those are books not necessarily ancient and they are most surely widely available. An additional term pops up here: neognosis and many alike, without which the intuitive-intellectual trips are not as vivid as the should be.
Going deeper..
.. into the extract from the reading room, one becomes intensively willing to get to know not only the spiritual path but also the history of gnosis (starting with the Far East through ancient gnosis to neognosis and anthropo-philosophy). Knowledge fusion!
Additionally, there is a third kind of gnosis, called by Prokopiuk the lateral gnosis. It is a concept of existence as well as creation of so-called alternative, parallel worlds (with respect to our world).
For many readers this is the moment when the door to science-fiction literature opens, which is very popular after all. Oh, it is worth touching some theory to be able to show off in the right moment (and in the right company).
Now, according to Everett, alternative (multiple) worlds emerge as a result of continuous decomposition of our world into numerous emerging worlds. However, not only worlds undergo this decomposition, also we, people, both as individuals and as historical societies. It all also entails the decomposition of the other worlds' histories.
Thus histories of our individual histories may appear... or histories of our (social) history. Whatever you want (and there is enough to choose from). There are also some cool writers who deal with such historical flourishes. As Paweł Dunin-Wąsowicz, a critic and a publisher, claims the historical fiction literature carries an enormous load of patriotism. At least the Polish one. It is how patriotism manifests itself most appropriately now (in literature).
From gnosis to gnosis... and time flies lazily. And the reading room, the whole “[fo:pa]” offers new areas to think about.
Usually it is full
of curiosities. Take for example the text of Alan Sasinowski Wlepiając ślepia w agonię papieża [Staring at Pope's Agony] or Dom Cupitt's Bajki, religia [Fairy Tales, Religion]. One can also find a lot of translations from English, Russian (but not from more exotic languages). There are, however, such exotic topics like Adam Krawiec's Seksualność, której nie było [Sexuality that did not exist] – a study of the medieval sexuality. And, as the author puts it through, it is not an easy task to research the medieval sexuality, not only due to the amount and variety of sources, but even more for not numerous chronicles and civil and ecclesiastical law. That is why Krawiec looks also into trial minutes, poetry, sermons, theological and medieval treatises. Nevertheless, author's attitude to sex is scientific and the research concerns only the lexical area. Dealing with sex in remote centuries is, of course, not faux pas, thus I can wholeheartedly recommend “[fo:pa]”.
Miłka O. Malzahn
Translated by Anna Skrajna
Discussed journals: [fo:pa]