Are we sure this doesn't "really" exist?
Many thanks to all who have faithfully trekked with me through the upper regions, the lower regions, the far and the wide, of the "Middle Earth" were man perpetually finds himself (or loses himself?). The "World" is a Vale of Tears and a Veil of Illusion, and it will stay that way for the salvation of souls. There is no Utopia around the bend. Nevertheless, the Kingdom of God is constantly with us, and it may be, perhaps, that a Golden Fourth Age can be restored, if the Kingdom of God is manifested strongly enough. Utopias are built on the lies and the strength of man - the attainment of a "Utopia" on earth is a byproduct of the Kingdom of God. It is a penultimate result only, and not even a penultimate goal. Utopia can never be a "goal" of any kind, whatsoever, without a loss which will make the attainment of the Kingdom of God impossible.
33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33
Utopia literally means "Nowhere". To aim at Utopia, is to guarantee Hamartia. It is also to insist upon Hubris, with the counterbalancing vengeance of Adrastia.
People don't read the Greeks any more. Nemesis and Adrastia await those who attempt to steal Promethean fire for the personal gratification of mortals.
The modern city replaces the classical city with a world of ever-rising expectations, and thereby forever rules out all satisfaction. The state of mind of the modern city dweller appears in the mythical tradition only under the image of hell: Sisyphus, who for a while had chained Thanatos (death), must roll a heavy stone up the hill to the pinnacle of hell, and the stone always slips from his grip just when he is about to reach the top. Tantalus, who was invited by the gods to share their meal, and on that occasion stole their secret of how to prepare [165] allhealing Ambrosia, suffers eternal hunger and thirst standing in a river of receding waters, overshadowed by fruit trees with receding branches. A world of ever-rising demands is not just evil—it can be spoken of only as hell.
This is what Culianu called the modern "Sorcerer-State". Those who have accompanied the Squire for awhile have seen this reference before. Of course, it's even plainer in the Scriptures, and no one reads those any more, either. At least not enough to change History.
Why do the heathen rage,
And the people imagine a vain thing?
2The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together,
Against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying,
3Let us break their bands asunder,
And cast away their cords from us.
4He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh:
The Lord shall have them in derision.
Psalm 2:1-4
The religion of Progress is a Heresy, to speak plainly.
The modern mind has not made up its mind whether it should be Christian or pagan, it sees with one eye of faith and one of reason. Hence its vision is necessarily dim in comparison with either Greek or biblical thinking. - Karl Lowith
The Natural World is hidden in a Cloud, the Inner World is concealed with a Veil. Through contemplation of Nature through the sacred Word of Scripture, one parts the Cloud of the "Day", and the other disperses the Veil of Fire at "Night". Man's noetic faculty has two eyes - one contemplates the Truth in Images (in Nature) and the other eye learns to contemplate the Truth directly, in intuitions and then inner sight (in the Word).
(There is, of course, and "Image" in the Word (Scripture), and a "Word" in the Image (Natural world).)
The Church Fathers, from Gregory of Nyssa, to Maximus the Confessor, and through to John Scotus Erigena, both experienced, knew, and taught this. Being made in the image of the Trinity, man possesses a higher emotional faculty and a higher intellectual faculty, which are the "two eyes". The third higher center, is partially possessed already, in the creative instinctual and sexual center, which is downpayment and the full promise of the power of the Holy Spirit.
It's dangerous to think too much...and even more dangerous not to think even more.
It is easy to see, given man's ignorance of God and himself, how the power of Eros is abused in all manner of ways, and the Beauty of Nature becomes an indictment of the tragedy of Man. "Life is a tragedy to the feelings, and a comedy to the intellect." The World's literature, from Faust to Don Quixote, bears witness to this fact.
Truth (Archetype)/Father - Goodness (Logos)/Son - Beauty (Secret Fire)/Holy Spirit
Without knowledge, the people perish. Tolkien discerned that the Secret Fire can only be safely channeled, and indeed sublimely and gorgeously so, if it is in obedience to the Logos and the Archetype. Hence, Gandalf the Wise is wise precisely because, unlike Saruman, he rejects the temptation to misuse the power of the Spirit (Eros) on behalf of libido dominandi. Every one of his heroes follows suit.
What Tolkien added to the Western canon and tradition was this - not only can we, but we must, enter into the story. But that the must will fit us like a forgotten summer day from our long lost child hood. If we refuse to enter (out of misplaced caution and prudence), we are in grave danger of succumbing to the lure of libido dominandi, and going under the Shadow.
Tolkien had picked up something of the divine delicatus of Spenser:
We must recognize the humility and seriousness of his poetry, and we must be humble and serious ourselves. A young lady whom I once had the honour to examine advanced the view that Charissa suckling her babies was a figure, in its own way, no less disgusting than Error vomiting. If there is any lingering sympathy with this attitude in us, we shall do well to leave The Faerie Queene unread. It is a twofold offence against Spenser’s poem. It is a blasphemy against Life and fertility, and it is the sin of pride, of nicety; and Spenser will tolerate neither. He himself has nobly practised and praised the humility which he demands of his readers. Link
In Tolkien, as in Spenser, those who throw away or lay down their life, really do get it all back, in spades. Beyond the already glowing Imagination. Death and worse, is but a the frightening decoration hung by Satan, on the door to eternal Bliss, a scarecrow to frighten us away. With Tolkien, the old Saxon Neorxnawang is baptized and transfigured, and becomes the Heavenly Meadow. Fairie is illumined and lifted up, lifting us up with it.
The Christian ideal of lying down one's life (in other words) is not for some cold, Kantian, abstract ideal. It is not purely a naked duty, nor the promise of secular Utopia. It is laid down, that it may be taken back up, forever. We lay it down for that which is innate and connate with us, the Word of God that speaks from the inner creature, the Logos which speaks as our very own logoi. God makes Himself the "heart of our heart", even before we know it. When we "let Jesus in", it is us letting ourselves into the inner chamber, and Him coming out of it. It's we who are "outside" our own hearts (St. Augustine).
God gives us everything, in exchange for nothing (this "World"). This is the true and forever Fairy Tale, which no one believes, because it is too good to be true. Therefore, one does not manifest it or experience it, for without Faith, it is impossible to "please" Him. And why is that? Because God is a big Tough Guy, reaping where He has not sown? No. Because even God cannot "force" us to come to terms with Truth. The gift of our abyssal Being (Nicholas Berdyaev) includes the freedom to reject God, who is closer to us, than we are to ourselves. God cannot do violence to the Divine, which He has freely communicated to His creature. This secret Fire is what makes a creature.
All of Tolkien's art is a dramatization of these Truths. To call them "inner" might be misleading. They are "outer" as much as inner. The result is pure magic: Middle Earth is just as real as what most of us call "Reality". In fact, it is more real, not only for Tolkien, but also (if we are lucky), for us. This is what I have been trying to say. We can, even if unable to "do" at Tolkien's level, begin to participate with him, through entering into the text, intuitively and imaginatively and spiritually.
Of course, almost any Fairy Tale will do...
For a very long time indeed, the World has been trying to shock us into realizing that the Veil and the Illusion are still too strong with us, with the Christians. We have piled our chips, our energy, and our fondest hopes and dreams into the promise and allure of Secularism, in all of its glittering forms. It is Secularism, not Christ, who is passing away. Indeed, we are told this is so...
15Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 17And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 1 John 2:15-17
Now the days of Judgement are at hand. (Of course, they always are, but today's is pretty dramatic and colorful) Sauron seems simultaneously poised to destroy all things, including himself. It is indeed a Dark Time, from this view.
Poised on the edge of ruin, the men of Westernesse watch the clash between All Powerful Mordor and the last remnant of Christendom. It seems to be the end of the world, and the end of hope. But Hope belongs with Faith. Unless Faith can end (and Love and Knowledge), Hope cannot pass away either. And Faith holds firm. Therefore, Hope takes courage.
Herein is our Hope.
It is a step beyond Faith, towards Knowledge, on a trip that ends in Love.
"Love is a law of devotedness implanted in the mind, drawing together all things that are related to each other by nature". St. Maximos, CCSG 23,
This Love is Verb & Being. Laying down our life is a cloud and a veil, an illusion - we are taking up Life, because Christ takes us "up".
The position of the Squire (as you can see) is that the "end of Us" or the "world" is nothing of the sort. There is, and can only ever be, one Life, one Light, and one Love. Everything else, revolves around that central Sun, and seeks to "take it in" and be "taken in", in order that it, too, might become as the Son.
Postscript - Tolkien recaps and defends this position, like Dante, in Leaf by Niggle.