via positiva, art and science

We saw that to find via positiva in the West we had to turn to a group of poets. What then does poetry, Nature Mysticism and via positiva have in common? Creativity. We have no difficulty recognising poetry as a creative act, and for the Nature mystic both the beauty and the terror of nature are related to its endless creativity (for as we pointed out, without death creation would quickly grind to a halt).

'While we have energy we have creativity, so let our path be via positiva, let us do art, science or whatever. As our energies fade in old age there will be plenty of time for via negativa. What is more it will have a beauty from knowing that while we had the energy we fully participated in the manifest world, seeing it as the manifestation of the divine. Let us not return to the old error of seeing via positiva and via negativa in opposition.'

What about science and jnani? If the jnani spiritual orientation is one of enquiry, doubt and a will to penetrate the mysteries of existence, does this not sound like a description of a scientist? The answer is that, yes indeed, there similarities of temperament but profound differences also. We could say that science is a systematic and open enquiry into the deep structure of the objective universe, while jnani represents a systematic and open enquiry into the deep structure of the subjective universe. Such a claim is perhaps controversial, even in the way that it is phrased, in a postmodern era where a Khunian view of science is so influential. This idea will be explored in much greater depth in the section 'jnani and the West', but the next section will look at another kind of 'science', the occult.

One more point is worth making in the context of art and science. We saw with Walt Whitman that one is forced to reconsider the distinction between secular and spiritual, as his jnani via positiva can be pursued with no reference to conventional spiritual ideas or traditions (this is explored in more depth in 'selected Masters / Walt Whitman'). We will also find that one of the great jnani Masters of the 20th century, Douglas Harding, has a teaching that can be located in an entirely secular context. There are many who feel that art and science are spheres of endeavour that are ideally suited to the goals of jnani via positiva without the spiritual baggage of the past. Hence we will find that the secular / spiritual distinction is worth considering in more detail, and will be discussed again in Part Two of this site.

(continue)