When I was at college many years ago I became a big fan of Schopenhauer’s philosophy. In fact, his work did a lot to keep me going through some pretty horrible times. I wasn’t terribly keen on the philosophy degree I was studying for, and I certainly wasn’t a very happy person back then. Schopenhauer stuck a chord with me, and I still keep two volumes of his work nearby in my bedroom. I don’t still regard him as my go-to philosopher, and I see his limitations even compared to other western philosophers like Marx, Scheler, Heidegger and particularly Bergson. But back in the day he was my top man. I was so devoted to him that between slaving away at a soul-crushing job, seeing a psychiatrist for apparently insurmountable problems, and drinking myself into trouble when I should have been attending lectures, I wrote a mythological cosmogenisis loosely based around Schopenhauer’s ontology. Over the years I’ve made a few edits and rewordings, but it’s basically the same as it was in 2004 when I composed it first. I present it here. I’d say “enjoy”, though that’s probably not the most appropriate word!
The Wakeful Darkness (a vision of the Emanation)
‘Always has been the Wakeful Darkness. Self-perceiving, in watchful warmth, is this eternal dark. The Wakeful Darkness is the source of the Mind, and through the transformations of the Mind come the turnings of the universe.
Within the Wakeful Darkness appear the forms, at once perceived and arisen. These are translated from out of their dark birthing pool through the creative intuition of the Mind into becoming the myriad forms of the universe.
But the turns of the Mind are directed by a fluctuating principle- the Will- within the Wakeful Darkness. It pulses, now pure, now impure- and thus the character of each cycle gives rise to a universe- now blissful, now painful- in unending wheels of recurrence.
When the disturbed phase is ascendant in the Dark, the Mind conceives a painful birth. Herein, the Mind gazes out across the inner abyss of the Dark, and the Will conjures the Mind to fill all the space with ideation. Thus begins the thoughtful emanation of worlds.
The Mind draws forms from the Dark and casts and establishes them in inner space. Music arises from this great action which causes pain to the Holy Dark which ever loves silence. Thus does tension and unrest arise in the fashioning worlds. Springing in response flow joy and excitement, further distressing the Dark. To restore its peace, from the Dark is thrown up a barrier, and this barrier is doubt, and Mind braces it. Shaped by Doubting Mind comes this universe flecked with hurt, where violence wallows in the dark between the stars’
In the youth of this universe, the Maternal Form as two visions passes through the Mind. The one is vast in girth, all embracing, and exceedingly great. Her fiery eyes are watchful, her great arms ever ready to comfort and protect her mortal young. The other is slender, and shines with a ghostly light- beautiful and utterly chilling- blue baleful eyes searching the stars for a special child with whom to share her elegant misery. And many she finds. Though it often appears to their kin that these ones are blessed and exalted of the universe, in truth their ruinous fate is beyond tears. And while the Great Mother rejoices at the flaming birth of the stars and sets herself up in cosy observation, the Pale Mother wanders the dark bowels of existence- the dread mountains and haunted plains of the universe, against whose gloom her woeful glitter beckons all the stronger
Within the emanation there appeared early a star, and this star was of formidable light and power. This star was formed as a gift, from the deep Sentience to the beings of this universe above, and it did not pass through Doubting-Mind, but vaulted over. This star was known as the Ever-Light and the early sages of the worlds took it’s manifestation as a sign that Doubt had been thrown down, and it was not so.
Light and flame the Star was, but more. For within the glorious fire there was the child of the Ever-Light.
For long the Child of the Ever-Light was content in benevolence. Ever brighter, ever more radiant it shone, ever more worlds did it embrace in its blessed light. But on a time it came that the Pale Mother, seeking fulfilment of her ghastly longing approached the child of the Ever-Light. In the mingling of their lights, the child perceived that she was beautiful, and so the child doubted her not. She shimmered like the frost on a winter rose, and her enchantment was a power greater than the draw of the hugest sun. She spoke,
“Son of the Holy Light, mightiest you are of all things in this Universe, and beautiful you are. Come unto me in embrace and together we will rule all things and own them and treasure them . I shall anoint you Emperor of Worlds and you will take me as thy mother”
Doubtless the child truly loved her then and acceded to her desire.
In embrace the star of the Ever-Light became swathed in her phantom light. A new star together they became, and it was called the Dragon-Star. The yellow fire of the Ever-Light was permeated by her cold sapphire glow, and so shone with the green blaze of contagion. The pure benevolence was perverted and the worlds in its encompass came to gleam in awful corruption. They became places of horror and in this was the birthing moment of the Helikinu: the elementals. In forms of frightening majesty these walked upon the worlds, and as kings and queens they were taken by the mortal inhabitants, yea, even as gods.
But the eyes of the Great Mother soon turned upon them and at seeing the multitudes of her children under such evil dominion, she came in wrath against the Dragon-Star.
It is said by the seers that the violent majesty of her approach was the most terrible thing ever beheld in this Universe. Her glittering chariot she bathed all round about with purple fire erupting from her eyes, and red lighting belched forth from her molten mouth as she roared with the voice of cataclysm. Thundering against the Dragon-Star, she tore it asunder. With one mighty arm she cast aside the Child of the Ever-Light, and with the other she hurled the Pale Mother back into the bowels of the Universe where her dreary mansions lay. Then the Child, in rage, blazed into new flame and with this assaulted the Great Mother, but could not overcome her. Above her head she raised the red star of her maul and she struck him and stripped the Child of the Ever-Light of the power of his fire and he fled.
Though in truth, he was guilty of no more than his trust in Arkharas, yet his passion for vengeance prevented his immediate reconciliation, and though the Great Mother loved him nonetheless, still he was compelled in bitterness to flee.
He hid in the Earth of a planet that was afterwards known as Goge, and by that name he himself has since been known. And though none of the wise has identified this world’s location in the fathoms of space, it is said that it will be through the movements of Goge that the catalyst for the turning of this aeon’s cycle will begin.
Beyond the coming collapse of worlds, when all this universe dissolves in the dark, that mindful blackness that is Ruler of All, from its Self of Peace begins to swell again. From dark tides again springs up the holy radiance of wisdom. Here begins the emanation of the noble cycle of times, from the ever pregnant deep into which the previous cosmos fell. A Universe born again of thought from the Will in fluctuation.
First born is the All-Form One, the Being in whom all beings are contained. He is Urymo, he is the Two Mothers as one. The holy Broudhos (the Great Mother) is his force, his spirit. Pale and dreadful Arkharas is his mass and movement. He tears himself asunder and becomes all things. His soul is the Wakeful Darkness into which, at aeon’s end he shall re-gather and return. Crazura is his lifespan- the dancer in the stars. Therefore, the spirit of the Universe inclines to the nature of the Great Mother, to wholeness, bliss, love, while the mass and movement follow the Pale Mother down into coldness, forgetfulness, death’