Petworth House, The National Trust
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This post wraps up Larry's reaction to
Blake: A psychological Study by W. P. Witcutt. Reading
Witcutt was a consciousness expanding experience which opened his
mind to the intuitive understanding of the contents of the psyche.
It acted as a gate into the vast inner unconscious world which is
open to the intuition and closed to thought, emotion and
sensation.
What to thought is an abstract concept appears to intuition as a symbol; thus Blake personifies thought as the kingly figure of Unizen...
The intuitive introvert is the symbolist par excellence. He lives in a dream world where symbols have in waking life as much vitality as an ordinary man sees in dreams...To him the symbol appears as unrelated to anything else; they live their own lives as unearthly semi-divine figures see in the mind's eye.
Larry - 5-28-78
Jung is interesting; Blake is exciting. They addressed the same problems, Jung under cover of 'science'; Blake as a poet and artist. Blake thus more free and creative. Jung tried to bring all of his intuitions under the hegemony of reason. Poetry is the highest form of truth. In Answer to Job and Memories, Dreams and Reflections Jung almost broke out of the straight jacket his chosen role had placed upon him. He had deep yearnings as a prophet, but never quite took the leap of faith into radical responsiveness to Intuition. Instead he founded a school.
The meaning of life is the struggle
for consciousness. We struggle against unconsciousness but not
against the Unconscious: it is as large an infinity. We struggle
for a relationship with the Unconscious, for dialogue between
ego and Self, the psychological corollary of prayer. We struggle
to love - with heart, mind, soul and strength - Luvah, Urizen,
Los and Tharmas.
Deuteronomy 6
[5] And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
[6] And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be
in thine heart:
Luke 10
[27] And he answering said, Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy
neighbour as thyself.
Witcutt Page 18
The great value of Blake's poetry is
that it provides a kind of outline of the unconscious mind.
Blake explored this strange region more thoroughly than any
before or since, and what is, more he knew what he was doing.
"I rest not from my great task!
To open the Eternal Worlds, to open the immortal Eyes
Of Man inwards into the Worlds of Thought: into Eternity" (Jerusalem 5)
And the point is that the things he discovered in the inner worlds, the godlike figures and the symbols, were not peculiar to himself. They are to be found - altered in inessentials - in the inner world of every man. For the inner world is for each of us the same. [Jung gave it a name: 'The Collective Unconscious.']
Four Zoas, Night VII, Page 84, (E 360)
"Thou knowest that the Spectre is in Every Man insane brutish
Deformd that I am thus a ravening devouring lust continually
Craving & devouring but my Eyes are always upon thee O lovely
Delusion & I cannot crave for any thing but thee not so
The spectres of the Dead for I am as the Spectre of the Living
For till these terrors planted round the Gates of Eternal life
Are driven away & annihilated we never can repass the Gates"
Milton, Plate 14 [15], (E 108)
"And Milton said, I go to Eternal Death! The Nations still
Follow after the detestable Gods of Priam; in pomp
Of warlike selfhood, contradicting and blaspheming.
When will the Resurrection come; to deliver the sleeping body
From corruptibility: O when Lord Jesus wilt thou come?
Tarry no longer; for my soul lies at the gates of death.
I will arise and look forth for the morning of the grave.
I will go down to the sepulcher to see if morning breaks!
I will go down to self annihilation and eternal death,
Lest the Last Judgment come & find me unannihilate
And I be siez'd & giv'n into the hands of my own Selfhood"
Milton, Plate 38 [43], (E 139)
"In the Eastern porch of Satans Universe Milton stood & said
Satan! my Spectre! I know my power thee to annihilate
And be a greater in thy place, & be thy Tabernacle
A covering for thee to do thy will, till one greater comes
And smites me as I smote thee & becomes my covering.
Such are the Laws of thy false Heavns! but Laws of Eternity
Are not such: know thou: I come to Self Annihilation
Such are the Laws of Eternity that each shall mutually
Annihilate himself for others good, as I for thee.
Thy purpose & the purpose of thy Priests & of thy Churches
Is to impress on men the fear of death; to teach
Trembling & fear, terror, constriction; abject selfishness
Mine is to teach Men to despise death & to go on
In fearless majesty annihilating Self,"
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