The Wisdom of Hypatia: Ancient Spiritual Practices for a More Meaningful Life (52 page)

248 the path of truth

Textual Commentary (continued)
: A more advanced exercise would be to work through Proclus’
Elements of Theology
, which attempts to establish the Neoplatonic system by systematically stating and proving 211 propositions. Of course, there is

no reason to limit your exercises to Platonic texts. For each meeting, pick some

text or part of a text for discussion, which the participants should read before

the meeting. One person can be designated as the commentator when the text is

picked, or the commentator can be chosen at the time of discussion (which helps

ensure that everyone does their reading!). The commentator should present the

text and attempt to reveal its inner meaning and significance. The other partic-

ipants ask questions to clarify the text, to analyze or criticize it, and to explore its wider connections and implications. Keep in mind the dialectical exploration

of ideas in themselves, in their implications, and in their presuppositions. If you

reach any conclusions, it is worthwhile to have someone write them up; in any

case you should record your own conclusions in your journal.

Allegorical Interpretation
: Allegorical interpretation is an important Neoplatonic spiritual practice, for any inspired text has multiple levels of meaning. The

most superficial level—the literal meaning—is the least important. Neopla-

tonists believe that penetrating into the deeper levels of meaning will grant

you profound insights and even cause a spiritual transformation. Ancient my-

thology is especially valuable for this exercise. For example, you could use

selections from Hesiod’s
Theogony
, Homer’s
Illiad
and
Odyssey
(a favorite of Neoplatonists), Ovid’s
Metamorphoses
(with its Pythagorean allegories), or Apuleius’
Golden Ass
or
Metamorphoses
. Your goal is to use your intuition to find the hidden meaning(s). Record your interpretations and discuss them with

your spiritual companions.

Purification 3: The Contemplation of Nature

Hypatia settles on a stone bench in the garden, and her students take up positions

around her. Aedesia and Hermias lean against a tree; Olympius has brought a folding

chair of carved wood.

the path of truth 249

“In the Ascent by Truth,” Hypatia begins, “your goal is the timelessness of the Forms.

So after dialectical analysis is complete, discursive reason should retire and make way for contemplation. Thus the third stage of Purification addresses your noetic soul and turns it toward contemplation of the Forms. This discipline is called
Physics
, but you must remember that this word refers to Nature as a whole, spiritual as well as physical, so this practice is more accurately described as
Contemplation of Nature
. Although I am a scientist, this practice is not about equations and science, although these, properly approached, can contribute to the contemplation of Nature. The goal here is not a rational or scientific analysis of the physical world, but an intuitive contemplation of Nature, at all levels of reality, from an interior as well as an exterior perspective. As you know, the Pythagoreans and many of their Platonic successors were inspired by the

mathematical structure of Nature, but for them numbers were not just quantities. They were also symbols of the noetic structure of the cosmos.”

Contemplation of Nature is familiar to contemporary Pagans and followers of other

Earth-oriented religions, but the path to God through nature is a part of many spiritual traditions. The Neoplatonic practice takes your appreciation of nature to a new depth by developing your intuitive insight into the interconnectedness of all things and your place in the cosmos. This is valuable for your spiritual development, even if you are a city dweller!

“According to Platonic philosophy,” Hypatia continues, “all things
proceed
from The One, or God, through the eternal Forms in the Cosmic Nous, and through their

expression in space and time in the Cosmic Soul, to create the individual things that constitute the material world. Therefore in this practice you contemplate all the objects of the material world, human as well as non-human, non-living as well as living, human-made as well as natural, in order to see them as expressions of The One.”

There is more to this than simply wonder, awe, and romantic appreciation of Nature and her beauty. The goal is to understand intuitively, not necessarily scientifically (that is, with the heart, not the head; with the nous, not discursive reason) each particular thing’s place in the cosmic order. Each thing has its individual logos (Formal structure, archetypal foundation), which is an emanation of the Universal Logos. Your contemplation should be

directed toward the logos in each thing, which you grasp with your noetic understanding or intuition.

250 the path of truth

There are two ways to do this. The first focuses on how all things emanate from The

One, which organizes and harmonizes everything in nature. The second focuses on how

each individual thing in the universe looks back toward The One, and through its own unity becomes an individual symbol of The One. Let’s listen as Hypatia explains the purpose and practice of both contemplations.

“A consequence of this contemplative practice is that you begin to see yourself

as a part of this cosmic order. You see the divine order not only in the exterior macrocosm, but also in the interior microcosm. In particular you will come to understand the unique position of humankind, for we are a microcosm combining a material body

with an interior image of the entire macrocosm, from The One to the Ideas to individual souls. Therefore we are embodied divinities, combining material and divine realities, for humans are intermediate, combining aspects of the animal world and of the

angelic world. Through our conscious engagement with the archetypal world, we can

function as mediators between nature and divinity. This perspective helps us to un-

derstand our proper role in the totality of reality.

“Don’t confuse Contemplation of Nature with the View from Above, which is in-

tended to help you keep your individual concerns in perspective by seeing them in

the greater context. The View from Above aims to reduce your attachment to matters

that are out of your control and not really your concern. In contrast, contemplation of your place in the macrocosm helps you to see what
should
be your concern, so that each of us may come to know our greater purpose.

“Contemplation of your place in the macrocosm is also different from aimless

day-dreaming, for it requires you to pay attention to each thing and event in its particularity in time and space, to be completely present in the moment. Thus it depends on the excellence of Watchfulness, but also on the practice of living in the present, which you have learned in the first two degrees of wisdom. Let’s try the Contemplation of

Nature.”

the path of truth 251

Seeing All Things in The One:
Contemplation of Nature is best practiced, of course, in nature, but this is not necessary, for everything is nature. Therefore sit comfortably where you can see some thing or phenomenon that you want to con-

template (the
focus
). Quiet your body and lower soul by breathing gently, allowing any bodily feelings, moods, or thoughts to pass away without stress or

anxiety. Place your attention on your focus, but do not stare at it; eventually

you may want to close your eyes, since you will be contemplating it with your

inner vision (your
insight
), not with your eyes. Without trying to be too scientific, turn your attention toward the ultimate Cause of the universe, however

you conceive it: The One, God, the Great Spirit, the Absolute, the laws of

physics, etc. Think how from it flow all the Forms and Patterns that give things

their nature and organize their behavior, from the fundamental particles and

forces of the universe, up to through the organization of all things, living and

non-living. In particular, see your focus as the convergence of myriad forms

and processes, all ultimately arising from The One. Try to allow your mind to

grasp the immensity of this organized, integrated process, stretching across

the diameter of the universe, evolving from the Big Bang into the unimag-

inable future. Realize that you too are a part of this Cosmic Soul, yourself a

part of this totality. Allow your intuitive mind to abide quietly and motion-

lessly in this contemplation as long as you are able. Be completely present in

the present. If your mind wanders or you drop down to the level of sequential

thought, gently return to your contemplation. When you are done, record in

your journal any insights you might have had.

Hypatia and her disciples have been contemplating here and there in the garden.

She calls them together and resumes her teaching. “That is good for now; you should

practice longer contemplations on your own and with a variety of focuses, but now I

want to go deeper into the technique of contemplation. According to the Triadic Principle, all things revert back to their cause and ultimately to The One. Therefore, while the Contemplation of Nature focuses first on Nature as contained in The One, proceeding from it, it also turns back toward The One, by contemplating divinity in Nature.

“In this practice we see each existing thing as a
symbol
for some aspect of divinity.

The Inexpressible One cannot be expressed in words, therefore symbols are required