La dualitude comme identité mystique chez Henry Corbin

"Henry Corbin is the creator of many neologisms. The term imaginal, related to the phrase mundus imaginalis, is probably the best known among them. Few researchers have come to realize that the term dualitude is also a Corbinian neologism. By first exploring the historical origin of the term in Corbinian thought, I propose then to explain the metaphysical role given by him to the term, but also the way in which the concept ensures the coherence of “mystical identity”. As a matter of fact, Corbin places at the heart of “mystical identity” the principle of dualitude of the Self and the Ego. For Corbin, the metaphysical structure of monotheistic angelology rests on this principle and allows a personal relationship between the individual and the divine."

PRIMORDIAL SYMBOLS – THE COMMON TREASURY OF MANKIND

The paper explores the wide distribution of symbols whose religious and folklore interpretations are the same or similar among different cultures. The definition of symbols and their origin are considered, with reference to the theory of the "Mundus Imaginalis" of the orientalist Henry Corben, and its similarity with the "active imagination" of the psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung. The resemblances of the legends about the Cosmic man and the Centre of the world are followed through various mythologies, folklore traditions and cults. The Cosmic man – the first human being – who usually makes a sacrifice in order for the world to emerge and survive, in many cultures represents the embodiment of the highest virtues, towards which one should strive. The human form as the basis for temples or various sacral diagrams can be found in all ancient religious traditions and always symbolizes Imago Mundi – image of the world. At its center is the "navel" of the world, the Pillar of the Universe, Axis Mundi, which connects the earth with the sky and the underworld, and represents the axis around which the world revolves. Exploring these sets of symbols, we see that their essential aspect should not be understood as geographical places to be located, or personifications of some historical figures whose true identity needs to be interpreted. On the contrary, the symbols indicate that the search for meaning is, above all, internal; immersing ourselves in the domain of the archetype, we reflect on the essential questions of the purpose and origin of the universe, the nature of the self, kinship with the rest of humanity, which is why the symbolic layer of the human psyche helps us fight against the general alienation of the modern world.

Dalí, Disney and Destino: Alchemy in Animation

Salvador Dalí claimed that he made his whole life “a work of alchemy.” He saw in alchemy the principle of metamorphosis and “the transmutation of bodies.” Carl Jung recognized “imaginatio” as the key to alchemy. As Patrick Harpur suggests: “The Work takes place in a realm intermediate between mind and matter. It is a daimonic process, a ‘chemical theatre’ in which processes and psychic transformations interpenetrate.” The alchemist does not simply work on matter, but on the self. In Dalí’s “paranoiac-critical method,” objects similarly seem to exist in an “intermediate realm between mind and matter”; they are animated presences, with a life of their own. The Dalínean double-image is itself a kind of alchemical magic, invoking the “transmutation of bodies.” In 1946, Dalí began work for the Walt Disney Company on a short film, Destino. This would be, he claimed, the “First Surrealist Cartoon.” The appeal of animation for him may have been based in part in what Eisenstein termed “plasmaticness”: the “ability to dynamically assume any form.” Animation, then, may be seen as a kind of “chemical theatre.” As a “realm between mind and matter,” it also functioned for Dalí as a form of mundus imaginalis, in which he could engage with the “obsessing” images in his psyche. In Destino, Dalí invoked the alchemical process as a journey to tranfiguration and psychological “rebirth.” The film was not completed in his lifetime; this account is based on the original storyboards which he produced.

Geografia real e imaginal em Grande Sertão: veredas

RESUMO Propomos uma leitura do “Liso do Sussuarão”, descrito em Grande sertão: veredas, como território imaginal. Face às considerações teóricas de Bolle (2004) sobre a geografia como sistema de pensamento e de Corbin (1976) sobre “mundus imaginalis”, abordamos a questão dos nomes. Concluímos que, no romance, os problemas da linguagem unem-se àqueles dos limites, das fronteiras e do território para formar um mundo intermediário.

Messianic movements and the sacralization of the territory

This article focuses on contemporary Messianic Judaism. The author deals particularly with the Chabad and Gush Emunim movements, which have established many settlements in the West Bank, Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, and Golan Heights. These settlements not only satisfy a vital need for living space but are also the expression of strong Messianic tension. This tension produces a mundus imaginalis (Corbin), the boundaries of which come between heaven and earth, between the biblical contours of the Promised Land and the harsh reality of a territory marked by war. The object of analysis is the toponymic politics developed by these Messianic movements in order to sacralize the territory in view of the coming of the Messiah.

EL BARZAḪ ENTRE LO IMAGINAL Y LO IMAGINARIO: ASPECTOS DE LA RESONANCIA DE IBN ʿARABĪ EN LLANSOL

Resumen: Este texto tiene como objetivo estudiar y comparar algunos aspectos de la presencia de Ibn ʿArabī en la obra y en la “mística experimental” de Maria Gabriela Llansol. Nos centraremos en los temas relacionados con el mundus imaginalis (ʿālam al-miṯāl) y en las categorías de “imaginario”,“imaginal” y barzaḫ, que Llansol recibió a través de la lectura de Henry Corbin. En este contexto, nos acercamos de una interpretación de Llansol sobre Fernando Pessoa, según las reflexiones de la escritora sobre el sufismo. Abstract: This text seeks to study and compare some aspects of the presence of Ibn ʿArabī in the work and in the “experimental mystique” of Maria Gabriela Llansol. We will focus on themes related to the mundus imaginalis (ʿālam al-miṯāl) and on the categories of “imaginary”, “imaginal” and barzaḫ, which Llansol received through reading Henry Corbin. In this context, an interpretation of Llansol is approached about Fernando Pessoa, according to her reflections on Sufism.

Inscapes: Introducing a New Term to Cultural Astronomy

Within the field of cultural astronomy, the terms ‘skyscape’, ‘spacescape’ and ‘landscape’ are in common usage. Whilst all may contain psychological or phenomenological aspects, all are also strongly related to the physical environment. This paper proposes the addition of a new ‘scape’ to the current pantheon, one which prioritises the inner environment and thereby adds to the list of ‘scapes’ under consideration. This is the ‘inscape’, or ‘inner landscape’. The paper gives examples of how this term may usefully be employed to describe certain phenomena of interest within the field, particularly those relating to psychological astrology. It begins by examining the limitation of the existing scapes, before going on to consider the use of the term by archetypal psychologist James Hillman, whose references to inscape inspired this paper. It goes on to consider Carl Jung’s exploration of what I call his inscape as a precursor to the development of his key ideas. It then considers inscape as a way of referring to parts of Corbin’s mundus imaginalis. It then proceeds to examine the idea of planetary inscapes within psychological astrology before considering the meeting place or horizon between inscape and landscape through other practices within cultural astronomy.

L’imaginaire de l'apocalypse, le septénaire: sens et symboles

Angers é cidade do Apocalipse, assim testemunham as obras de arte que ao longo de séculos foram lá fixadas, pórtico e rosáceas dos transeptos da Catedral Saint Maurice (século XIII), tecido decorativo do Apocalipse de Angers (século XIV), tapeçaria Le Chant du Monde de Jean Lurçat (século XX, etc.). A releitura de São João, a observação das obras nos conduzem a pensar que a matéria apocalíptica é do domínio do imaginário. Ela desvela, no sentido da palavra apocalipse, a profundidade do imaginário escondido no coração das nossas sociedades, oriundos, entre fé e saber, deste mundus imaginalis do qual fomos, há muito tempo, separados. Vamos aqui considerar o tema do septenário que lá está é muito recorrente. Nesta base, vemos como o Apocalipse fixa uma temática arquetipal ao alcance universal