Though I'm on Academia.edu, I am not employed by any university or college, but am an independent scholar. I study the history of occultism and mysticism in western Europe. I also edit and publish collections of occult and mystical literature for Topaz House Publications. I have a Bachelor's degree in Political Economy from the Evergreen State College.
This paper builds on the work of Matthew Ffytche in looking at the philosophical foundations of S... more This paper builds on the work of Matthew Ffytche in looking at the philosophical foundations of Schelling's concept of the unconscious. Ffytche, author of "The Foundation of the Unconscious: Schelling, Freud and the Birth of the Modern Psyche", does an excellent job of tracing the path from Schelling's idea of the unconscious in the "Weltalter", or "The Ages of the World, through the nineteenth century to Freud, but he doesn't outline just how the presentation of the unconscious in the "Weltalter" came to be. Making the link between Schelling's overall philosophy and his presentation of the personal unconscious in the "Weltalter" is especially important for a number of reasons. First, the majority of the "Weltalter" deals with cosmological issues, and only a small portion of it presents Schelling's idea of the personal unconscious. Secondly, the appearance of an unconscious mind within human beings appears at first glance to depart heavily from Schelling's "Naturphilosophie", prompting the question of how this concept came to be.
This piece looks at the medieval symbolism of the Trinity and of the mystic path through the medi... more This piece looks at the medieval symbolism of the Trinity and of the mystic path through the medium of the use of "Bread, Sun, and Air" in Saint Bernard's "On Loving God"
Medieval authors had a love of symbolism and of parallel correspondences, where a symbol from one... more Medieval authors had a love of symbolism and of parallel correspondences, where a symbol from one level of reality corresponds to a feature on another level of reality. Often, these parallel constructions are opaque to modern readers. This is because they're included in passing by medieval authors, and their meaning is not explicitly pointed out. Here, we'll look at a series of symbols from the beginning of Saint Bernard's “On Loving God”, and see how these correspondences play out.
This paper examines William of Saint-Thierry's "The Nature and Dignity of Love" in the context of... more This paper examines William of Saint-Thierry's "The Nature and Dignity of Love" in the context of Saint Bernard's "On Grace and Free Will". Bernard put forward the idea of a state beyond that which Adam and Eve enjoyed in Paradise which it was possible to reach during life, and William greatly expands on Bernard's idea in "The Nature and Dignity of Love". It's this idea which the paper is examining.
This isn't a complete paper, in that, among other things, it doesn't include the “Works Cited”, b... more This isn't a complete paper, in that, among other things, it doesn't include the “Works Cited”, but it gives a flavor of what I've been working on. This is an excerpt from a forthcoming book on the history and origins of the heresy of the Free Spirit and of the Family of Love.
It deals with the concept of the "Active Intelligence" of Islamic Philosophy and how this relates to the early theology of Saint Bonaventure.
This paper builds on the work of Matthew Ffytche in looking at the philosophical foundations of S... more This paper builds on the work of Matthew Ffytche in looking at the philosophical foundations of Schelling's concept of the unconscious. Ffytche, author of "The Foundation of the Unconscious: Schelling, Freud and the Birth of the Modern Psyche", does an excellent job of tracing the path from Schelling's idea of the unconscious in the "Weltalter", or "The Ages of the World, through the nineteenth century to Freud, but he doesn't outline just how the presentation of the unconscious in the "Weltalter" came to be. Making the link between Schelling's overall philosophy and his presentation of the personal unconscious in the "Weltalter" is especially important for a number of reasons. First, the majority of the "Weltalter" deals with cosmological issues, and only a small portion of it presents Schelling's idea of the personal unconscious. Secondly, the appearance of an unconscious mind within human beings appears at first glance to depart heavily from Schelling's "Naturphilosophie", prompting the question of how this concept came to be.
This piece looks at the medieval symbolism of the Trinity and of the mystic path through the medi... more This piece looks at the medieval symbolism of the Trinity and of the mystic path through the medium of the use of "Bread, Sun, and Air" in Saint Bernard's "On Loving God"
Medieval authors had a love of symbolism and of parallel correspondences, where a symbol from one... more Medieval authors had a love of symbolism and of parallel correspondences, where a symbol from one level of reality corresponds to a feature on another level of reality. Often, these parallel constructions are opaque to modern readers. This is because they're included in passing by medieval authors, and their meaning is not explicitly pointed out. Here, we'll look at a series of symbols from the beginning of Saint Bernard's “On Loving God”, and see how these correspondences play out.
This paper examines William of Saint-Thierry's "The Nature and Dignity of Love" in the context of... more This paper examines William of Saint-Thierry's "The Nature and Dignity of Love" in the context of Saint Bernard's "On Grace and Free Will". Bernard put forward the idea of a state beyond that which Adam and Eve enjoyed in Paradise which it was possible to reach during life, and William greatly expands on Bernard's idea in "The Nature and Dignity of Love". It's this idea which the paper is examining.
This isn't a complete paper, in that, among other things, it doesn't include the “Works Cited”, b... more This isn't a complete paper, in that, among other things, it doesn't include the “Works Cited”, but it gives a flavor of what I've been working on. This is an excerpt from a forthcoming book on the history and origins of the heresy of the Free Spirit and of the Family of Love.
It deals with the concept of the "Active Intelligence" of Islamic Philosophy and how this relates to the early theology of Saint Bonaventure.
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It deals with the concept of the "Active Intelligence" of Islamic Philosophy and how this relates to the early theology of Saint Bonaventure.
It deals with the concept of the "Active Intelligence" of Islamic Philosophy and how this relates to the early theology of Saint Bonaventure.