«This little volume has been prepared under great difficulties, due to the immense scope of the subject matter and the consequent necessity of abbreviating so much valuable material. And yet it is almost impossible to condense this presentation of arcane knowledge without running the risk of causing greater confusion in the reader's mind.» — el problema de escala con que abre el prefacio a la primera edición: la materia obliga a abreviar, y abreviar arriesga confundir más al lector
Espagiria
What does this tradition say about experience, knowledge and transformation? We approach these questions with consciousness as our centre, listening to the language of each source.
Gonzalo Olivares Velázquez · Spiritus Mundi
1 · Listen to the sources
How these passages were chosen: from the works assigned to this tradition, in alphabetical order, the first passage of each whose quoted words name consciousness, awareness, soul, spirit or knowledge (in English or Spanish); one per work, up to four. The choice is by vocabulary only: a passage may agree with our reading, disagree with it, or leave the question open.
«We may legitimately postulate that initiates of other ages possessing knowledge which has now partly vanished, had access to the secret of continuing youth.» — [Barbault, capítulo One] lo que se permite postular sobre los iniciados de otras edades: que tuvieron el secreto de la juventud continuada, con un saber hoy en parte perdido.
«For I shall here teach you to know the spirits of herbs, trees, and all growing things; how to separate them from their bodies, and also how to purify the four elements and restore them to their first being and their perfect power; that is, that when the elements are purified, how they can be put together again and make a perfect and fixed body of them, which is then glorified and has a miraculous effect .» — la continuación de ese epígrafe, que enuncia el programa entero del libro —separar, purificar, recomponer— en palabras de Holland.
«to control, purify and transform then by the living power of the spirit—This is true alchemy» — el remate de ese mismo pasaje de Paracelso, que define la alquimia verdadera como captación de los elementos invisibles por sus correspondencias materiales. El tramo abre a mitad de frase por el salto de plana desde la 16, donde queda *To grasp the invisible elements, to attract them by*; el troceo imprime *then* por *them*, sic.
2 · Ask what each source declares
Who knows, and what is transformed? Is the relationship between inner experience and the world declared, disputed, or left open? Let the passage determine the answer before bringing it into dialogue with our reading.
Explore documented argument maps →3 · Return to the centre
For us, these paths meet in consciousness. Which passage converses with that reading, and which qualifies or contradicts it? Save it with your own note.
Read the position of the house →Open your notebook →