Hierophany

“Any form of…vehement activity… invokes the bigger energy, the elemental power circuit of the Universe. Once this contact has been made it becomes difficult to control. Something from beyond ordinary human activity enters. When the wise men know how to create rituals and dogma, the energy can be contained. When the old rituals and dogma have lost credit and disintegrated, and no new ones have been formed, the energy cannot be contained, and so its effect is destructive – and that is the position with us. And that is why force of any kind frightens our rationalist, humanist style of outlook. In the old world God and divine power were invoked at any cost – life seemed worthless without them. In the present world we dare not invoke them – we wouldn’t know how to use them or stop them destroying us. We have settled for the minimum practical energy and illumination – anything bigger introduces problems, the demons get hold of it. That is the psychological stupidity, the ineptitude, of the rigid rationalist outlook – it’s a form of hubris, and we’re paying the traditional price. If you refuse the energy, you are living a kind of death. If you accept the energy, it destroys you. What is the alternative? To accept the energy, and find methods of turning it to good, of keeping it under control – rituals, the machinery of religion. The old method is the only one.” (Ted Hughes 1971, cited in Gifford and Roberts 1981, p12)


“in connection with the endeavour of the human mind to grasp the divine essence or the ultimate reality of things… God ceases to be an object and becomes an experience” (Pringle Pattinson, cited Inge 1969, p31).


“I want to hear one small moment from your life that proves you’re really alive”... “fake yuppie experiences that you had to spend money on, like white water rafting and elephant rides in Thailand don’t count” (Elvissa in Generation X, p104-5)