The Wisdom of Hypatia: Ancient Spiritual Practices for a More Meaningful Life (33 page)

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The Geocentric Ascent:
Go outside on a warm, cloudless, moonless night and sit comfortably, preferably in a reclining position. First you will visualize a simple

ascent to The One. Begin by looking around you at the plants, trees, houses,

or whatever else is in sight. Imagine their solidity and materiality, but also the

myriad physical processes taking place in them, that will cause all of these

things, even the rocks, to decay eventually. Now shift your gaze upward into

the air, above the tops of the trees, and above the clouds if any are visible, but

not so high as the stars. Be aware that you are looking at the air, which sur-

rounds the entire earth with a continuous fluid, a breath-spirit, that enters into

the depths of every plant and animal. For the oxygen goes into your lungs and

through them into your blood and thence into every cell of your body. This

all-permeating air not only envelops but also connects all living things. Now

shift your attention upward to the stars. Set aside any astronomical knowledge

you might have and admire the beauty of these fiery points of light. They have

been there forever, and your ancestors gazed on them in wonder as you do

now. They are perfect points separated by vast impassible voids, giving each

a perfect identity. Yet they are not independent, for they are related to each

other, creating eternal forms that are as evocative for us as they were for our

ancestors. Contemplate them, trace out their patterns. Finally, project your at-

tention into the black void beyond the stars, the perfect silence and invisibility

out of which have emanated the stars and all else. This will take some mental

effort, but focus on the black sky
behind
the stars. Rest for a while in the Abyss, the perfect simplicity and infinity of The One.

166 the macrocosm

The Geocentric Descent:
This exercise continues the preceding one by descending back to our world. After you have meditated on the Void and achieved a state

of peace, calm, and tranquility, begin to notice the faintest stars (but don’t

strain to see them). You are witnessing the emergence of the Ideas and the

Forms from The One. Continue to broaden your attention to take in more of

the starry firmament, and try to hold the whole sky in your awareness. Know

that these Beings of light are the causes of everything. Though motionless

in their heaven, they are the governors of the cosmos. Next let your atten-

tion descend into the atmosphere, the all-pervasive spirit, moving in currents

large and small to connect the earth into one living organism. Think about

the air moving through all living things, keeping them alive, but also creating

the weather that drives natural processes. Finally, return your attention to the

physical things around you, but experience them as emanations and effects

produced by all the levels above you. When you finish the practice and get up,

try to take with you the feeling of the interconnectedness of all things, both

horizontally to other things on the same level, and vertically as emanations of

The One.

The Central Light

Another way of visualizing the Neoplatonic cosmos, and the one most commonly used

by Plotinus, turns the geocentric perspective inside out. In the center is a perfect point of light, representing The One, the source from which everything emanates, so I will call it the
Central Light Image
(see figure). The immediately surrounding sphere, irradiated by The One, represents the World Mind. We can see how the infinitesimal point of The One expands into an indefinite continuum of differentiation (the Indefinite Dyad). We see this continuum divide into rays corresponding to the discrete Ideas in the World Mind, as a prism divides the continuum of white light into individual colors. Surrounding this sphere is that of the World Soul, which is further differentiated and darker, because further from the source of light and unity. In it the rays further ramify, like light through a crystal, into the many rays emanating from each Being. The outermost regions where the light reaches is the realm of organized matter, the World Body. In the outer darkness, where no light reaches, is the realm of absolute chaos and indeterminacy. It is utter negation, non-be-

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ing, and non-existence. This chaotic, indeterminate matter is furthest removed from The Good, but that does not mean that it is positively evil, only that it lacks the light of the Good and is beyond the reach of the organizing principle.

Central Light

Journey to the Central Fire:
This exercise will help to internalize the Central Light Image. Everyone is familiar with the mythological image of the “fires of hell”

in the center of the earth, but the ancients were more likely to imagine the fire

in the heart of Mother Earth as a hearth fire bringing the warmth of life to all

things on earth. The Pythagoreans especially teach the mystery of the Central

Fire, the Hidden Sun. This exercise builds on this imagery. Hypatia might have

guided her students’ visualization as follows. Sit quietly and close your eyes to

prepare for an imaginary trip to the center of existence. There are many ways

to begin your descent. For example, you can visualize the mouth of a cave in

a verdant sacred grove. It is obviously a holy place; there are altars and statues

adorned with colorful fresh flowers and fruit as offerings. You enter this sacred

grotto. Alternatively, following Jung’s example, you may prefer to imagine a

door in your basement that, astonishingly, you have never noticed before.