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Focusing on how spiritual initiation takes place in Western esoteric religious, literary, and artistic traditions from antiquity to the present, Restoring Paradise provides an introduction to Western esotericism, including early modern esoteric movements like alchemy, Christian theosophy, and Rosicrucianism. The author argues that European and American literature and art often entail a written transmission of spiritual knowledge in which writing itself works to transmute consciousness, to generate, provoke, or convey spiritual awakening. He focuses on several important figures whose work has not received the attention it deserves, including American writer and Imagist poet H.D. (Hilda Doolittle) and British painter Cecil Collins, among others. While Arthur Versluis presents a new way of understanding Western esotericism in a contemporary light, above all he has crafted a book about knowing, and about how we come to know, and what "knowing" by way of literature and language actually means.
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RESTORING Paradise Western Esotericism, Literature, Art, and Consciousness Arthur Versluis Restoring Paradise SUNY series in Western Esoteric Traditions David Appelbaum, editor Restoring P a r a d i s e Western Esotericism, Literature, Art, and Consciousness Arthur Versluis S t a t e U n i v e r s i t y o f N e w Yo r k P re s s Published by STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS, ALBANY © 2004 Arthur Versluis Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, address State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207 Production, Laurie Searl Marketing, Anne M. Valentine Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Versluis, Authur, 1959– Restoring paradise : western esotericism, literature, art, and consciousness / Arthur Versluis. p. cm.—(SUNY series in Western esoteric traditions) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-6139-4 (alk. paper) 1. Occultism—History. 2. Occultism in literature. 3. Occultism in art. I. Title. II. Series. BF1411.V47 135—dc22 2004 2004045292 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 In memory of poet and scholar Kathleen Raine Contents Preface ix Acknowledgments xi Introduction: Initiatory Transmission and the Imagination 1 What is Esoteric? Initiatory Transmission and Western Esotericism The Esoteric Imagination 1 Origins 17 Alchemy of the Word The Field of the Imagination The Red Thread of Gnosis Conclusions 2 Historical Currents Divine Service: Chivalry and the Troubadours Books within Books: Jewish Kabbalism The Transfiguration of Earth: Alchemical Literature The Divine Science: Theosophic, Pansophic, Rosicrucian, and Masonic Literature 35 viii CONTENTS 3 Modern Implications 87 Prospero’s Wand: Modern Esoteric Literature The Western Esoteric Traditions and Consciousness Literature, Art, and Consciousness Notes 159 Index 169 P re f a c e Restoring Paradise began as an introduction to the literary and religious history of Western esotericism and was meant for a general audience, but as the book took shape, so did an unexpected thesis about initiation, literature, art, and conscious