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Dec 21, 1957
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Does life come to us or do we go out and fetch it?
I lived with Larry for 59 years, we adapted to each other but
maintained inner experience which was unknown to the other. When I
read what Larry wrote - his journal, his book, his autobiography,
his letters - I realize how separate his inner experience was from
what I knew of him. And, of course, I knew that he knew little of
my thoughts and feeling from my perspective. As much as we might
have shared experience, it meant something different to each of
us. I like to say, 'the darkness cannot impinge on the light;' in
the same way another's consciousness cannot impinge upon our own.
Life comes to us like a series of cars on a train - multiple cars
but one train - and there are others on the train with us. But
what life means to me I have to fetch; that is the part that is
unknowable to anyone but God or providence who arranged it.
______________
My own serious interest in Blake began in 1977 when
my wife brought Blake a psychological
study by W. P. Witcutt home from the library. I had been
on the point of a commitment to the study of Jung's voluminous
writings, which at that time seemed the most creative
intellectual work at hand. Witcutt diverted
my commitment to Blake, which we have now.
5-18-1978
Following his study of Witcutt
Some ideas about Blake's poetry:
It is naming of the selves. Sharing his visions gives great help
in understanding, in gaining detachment from the hardening and
rigid concrete of opinion, prejudice, passion - the principalities
and powers - that work to make us automatisms, zombies, denizens
of hell. It offers fresh and new ways of perceiving life -
ourselves and others - it detaches us from the old man - this body
of death, makes us aware of the spiritual struggle going on - we
have been asleep to it - tossed under the waves, the prostrate
Albion, the sick king. Blake's vivid imagery may shock us into
consciousness so that we may begin to act purposely.
Blake must have been an imaginative young boy and at some point
found thinking very oppressive. Did he go from permissive and
indulgent parents to a brutal taskmaster who used 'geometric
logic' like Quigg did. (in Caine Mutiny) He found reason and
feeling horrible and his visions of them seem to center on
calamity - the Fall.
He shared his visions in such a way that one might hope to
understand him at a deeper, more profound and real level than do
most folk including ourselves. Thus if we can achieve this
understanding of Blake, we may progress in learning of others
including ourselves. Then love may come forth.
The woes of Urizen do indeed move us strangely, perhaps they may
evoke the Holy Spirit in a powerful way. Hurrah!
In the Four Zoas, fallen Albion gives the scepter to
Urizen who builds a steel trap world, which 'has done so much harm
to our imagination's elastic and vital power.' Thus he didn't hate
creative thought & law but only the worship of the created
good. He hated the reactionaries and identified them with reason
which, no doubt, they used as a weapon against visionary liberals.
