ImaginalStudiesoftheSplendorSolis:AbitoftheStory

MarieAngelo,SpringEquinox2018.IcameupontheSplendorSolis(orratheritfoundme)agoodtwentyyearsagonow.Itwas‘asif’Iknewtheilluminationsfromlongago,meetingthemasgreatteacherswhowishtobeseenandheardoncemore.Theyspokeintheirwonderfulalchemical‘languageofthebirds,’inspiringagrandproject.Sincethen,I’vespentmytimeexploring.Theyquicklyrevealedthemselvesasafull‘en-cyclo-paedia’(A-Zcycleoflearning)ofesotericwisdom–anentréetotheimaginallanguages,theLiberal,liberatingArts,andmysticpracticesthatare‘theyogaoftheWest.’Asgreatteachers,theycelebrate‘theeternalreturn’oftheseasonsaroundandwithinus,alwaysreadytotakeusfurtheranddeeper,onceweareready.Alongtheway,ImadeandtaughtanMAcourseofTranspersonalArts&Practice(universityofChichester),basedonapilgrimagethroughtheilluminations,eachexploredinclose-up.Whatfunwehad!Igavedozensofillustratedtalks,andpublishedafewpapersandchapters(I’llmakealistsometime,findthebooklistsandarchiveoftheoriginalMAwebsite-mostbeautifullymadebyalumnusEdwinaMilner-anduploaddetailsonotherpages.)Here’sanexampleofthetalks;thepublicityinformationforoneIgaveforthewonderfulTemenosAcademy:

‘ T EM E NO S A C A D EM Y H E RM E T I C I M A G I N A T I O N S E R I E S - P R O S P E R O ' S S P L E N D O R S O L I S : A N A D O R A B L E F I R E F O R O U R ' S O P O T E N T A R T ' – D R . M A R I E A N G E L O

Wednesday,November23,2016-18:30-20:30TheRoyalAsiaticSociety14StephensonWay,London,NW12HDUnitedKingdom.TheTemenosAcademy01233813663-www.temenosacademy.orgThegoldenageofrenaissancealchemicalartproducedtheSplendorSolis,famedforitsbeautifulhand-paintedilluminations,particularlythe1582HarleyversionwhichisagreattreasureoftheBritishLibrary.Thisillustratedtalkwillpresentmanyexamplesfromtheilluminations,particularlysomeastonishingclose-upsanddetailsnotusuallynoticed.These‘Solissecrets’slowthebusymoderneye,invitingusto‘createthesunandthemoon’oftransformedperceptions.

Alongtheway,we’llconsiderthenatureof‘theimaginal’itself,alchemicallyaperpetual,joyousweddingdayunitingAboveandBelow.FollowingtheloveofimageinCorbin,HillmanandHermeticism,wefinditisthat‘in-between’wheretraditionalimagesarerevealedaslivingpowerswhomwecanmeetasexaltedpersonages,enteraslandscapesandtemples,experienceinsomaandpsyche.

MarieAngelodesignedandrantheMA‘TranspersonalArtsandPractice’attheUniversityofChichester,drawingonanacademicbackgroundinPsychologyandtheHumanities,andapersonalbackgroundintheWesternMysteryTradition.

ApathwayofTransformativeArtstookshape,invitingHermesintotheAcademy.EachilluminationoftheSplendorSolisbecameaguestteacherof‘imaginalinquiry,’offeringimaginativewaysintotheimageforfield-workintheimaginalcosmosofthealchemists.

Afterthatbusydecade,afive-yearcourse,privatelyrun,allowedthemorepoeticandmysticalcorrespondencestospeaktheirtruths.TheilluminationsshimmeredwiththemagicofProspero’s‘drownedbooks’rescuedbyaMirandagrownthroughlove.TheyrevealedthemysteriesoftheSplendorSolisasagarmentofthebelovedfriend,themystical‘SunbehindtheSun.’

Allour‘ImaginalStudies’overtheyearshavebeenrecordedandtranscribed,formingthebasisforaseriesofillustratedtexts,thefirstofwhichissoontobepublished.’

Well,I’vecontinuedtoteachandwriteprivately,growingtheprojectonwards,andthelong-spoken-offirstbooknowreallyissoontobepublished.Themanuscriptfinallywenttothepublishers,Alchimia,onNewYear’sEve.ThisverySpringEquinox,itsrootsarefirmlygrown,shootssoontoshowaboveground.WeexpectfullpublicityherefortheSummerSolstice!Meanwhile,doreadtheSchoolofMemphispageandthetributes–I’vesaidalittlemoreabouttheSplendorSolisinmytributetomyownverydearandreveredteacher.InresearchingthehistoryofancientMemphis,itwasnotasurprisetodiscoverasensitivehistorianpointingoutwhatwealreadyknewfrom‘insidetheimage’–thattheSplendorSolisthemesofpersonalchangeand‘rebirthintheLight’canbetracedbacktotheancientTempleSchoolsofMemphis.Timelessthemesclothethemselvesinformsaccordingtotheirage,continuingrelevanttoustoday.Therewillbesomuchmoretoexploreasthewebsitedevelops.Butfornow–thankyouforyourvisittothispage–Marie.

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