Theos-Talk Archives (October 1996 Message tl00103)

Synchronicstically (yeah, that again!) I placed my hand on the exact book I have
been looking for for years, but wouldn't have understood its importance until
today.  It is called "Kabbalah and ART" by Leo Bronstein.  It's style is much
like mine.  I felt a deep soul connection, not just with what Mr. Bronstein
says, but the way he says it.  Perhaps, things like this can be talked about in
no other way, but as poetic, hidden layers of what he called the image as
substitution for ..........?  For what?

All art is pointing, not to just the artist or to the Platonic world of ideal
beautiful perfect forms, and not even to the Jungian archetypes, but to the
deeper veiled material that only those who have studied the Kabala can
understand.

I know that Jerry Schueler and Alan Bain for two and others on this list have
studied the Kabala and argued about it from the standpoint of analytical
details.  But it isn't a system of spheres, paths and numerical and astorlogical
correspondance, but a larger CORRESPONDANCE, a SUBSTITUTION.

Mr. Bornstein portentiously talks about the Jewish intention.  I have yet to
discover what this is.  I assume he is Jewish and knows.  I have never been
interested in Judiasm as such as have never had much to think about it one way
or another.  All I remember are the Nazi atrocites rehashed in the films of my
youth like "Judgement at Nurenberg."  He hints that his appreciation of the
Anti-semitic artist Degas provided a bridge of understanding between the two men
when before each found each other UNFORGIVEABLE.
The bridge is the Shekhinah.


Mr. Bronstein writes:  "Kabalah's doctrine of the mystery of "the descent on
behalf of the ascent via the Presence - the Shekhinah - the Light, the Secret,
Metaphysical Woman, a doctrine made one with Kabbalha's still more mystrious
doctrine of the cosmic initial Error cause by the severity and rigor of "pure'
Father-judgement, the Error corrected-redeemed by the "fiat" of the Secret
Wojan's Mother-mercy."

The abstruse mystical repetivive style of Mr. Bronstein is part of the message.
The analytical Father, hides the Mystical Mother as Shekhinah, hidden in the
daily life, but reavealed in art and secret communion of the mystical state.
Mystical STATE.  The quality of mercy is not strained and the POWER of art is
not restrained, but revealed in the most concealed word in the concealed Jewish
language game:  the Shekinah.  It is the Shekhinah that speaks as the VOICE OF
THE SILENCE,  a pulls the strings of fate in the small insignificant life of the
individual and the larger intention of the STATE of all things, all places, all
people, all life.

Mr. Bornstein writes:  "Such also the Plentitude-Vagueness of any sensation, af
any perception, as, in Kabbalah, of any aspect power of Hoshmah.  WHen
Shenkinah, the Secret Womanh, is identified with Kenesset Israel, the community
of Israel as the community of the righteous only ( and Islam's inheritance of
this in the sacredness, univerality and righteousness, of its Community of
Believers, the Ummat-as-Islam).

The Platonic ideal of Crotona the democratic academy of the study of divine
geometry, porportion, and the sacred truth of Beauty half-veiled, half-revealed
floats like a dream in a parallel universe waiting to be grasped and reborn.
Oh, that we could discuss the issues without the fears, anxieties and paranoia
of the end of the millineum.   Everywhere we see people like frighened children
afraid of their own shadows, the shadows of the intention of the future.  Who
but the artist can make the impress the image beyond words, analytic and logic,
beyond art, transitory and evascent, into action into historical intention.   We
cannot ignore the intentionality of time, the intentionality of Art, the
intentionality of Action, they blend like a smokescreen that captures the hazy
image of Plato's cave, the images of SUBSTITIUTON and CORRESPONDANCE.

These are my random thoughts based on a quick reading of Mr. Bornstein's book.
I hope that those familiar with the Kabala and Jewish history can enlighten me
on a subject - that speaks volumes of feelings, sensations, images, musical
resonances of time enfolded upon itself like a spiralling hand --- but I get NO
clear idea analytically about what he may be getting at on the mundane level of
the history of Israel, Kabala and Art.  Believe me I would like some help on
this as he seems to touch on the subject, I have tried to express concerning
Spirituality and Art from a Theosophical Perspective.  I feel new doors of
insight are about to open, I hope eventualy for everyone.

Namaste
Keith Price