The Fractal Symbolic Structure of Reality
Reality possesses an intricate fractal symbolic structure, wherein the entire world is a miracle, constantly sustained by a divine spirit. Miracles are not isolated phenomena but rather exceptionally vivid manifestations of an omnipresent underlying reality.
The difficulty in comprehending how spirit embodies itself in the world often stems from an inability to conceptualise this inherent fractal nature, recognising that all phenomena and their constituent parts are continuously upheld by divine spirit.
Heaven and Earth: Archetypal Categories
At the foundation of this understanding are the archetypal categories of heaven and earth, as presented in ancient texts. These are not entities within the world as it is commonly experienced.
Earth represents chaotic potential, described as emptiness and void, while heaven is the source from which divine voice emanates to form reality.
Matter, in this framework, lacks independent existence unless it is qualified by heaven. Every discernible entity is thus a confluence of heaven and earth. Order originates from above, from heaven, whilst potential or chaos arises from below, from earth.
The union of these two principles is essential for anything to exist. Consequently, every single being contains within it elements of heaven and earth, functioning as a miniature temple or a divine revelation. Heaven provides identity, and earth contributes variation.
Fractal Manifestation in Creation
Divine creation itself is structured fractally.
A basic category is established, and the earth is commanded to produce variations upon it. A potent metaphor for this is the seed within a plant, which embodies heaven. The seed is not the plant itself but a concentrated pattern of it, a minute point containing the entire blueprint.
This pattern then actualises itself by utilising the potential offered by the earth, thereby giving rise to a particular plant. This principle extends to all things: every entity possesses a pattern that embodies itself and manifests through variability.
This fractal arrangement is evident in the indefinite reproduction of patterns. For instance, the divine command for the earth to produce vegetation means that every plant subsequently produced will contain a pattern that facilitates its own reproduction and variation.
Consider the example of trees: there are trees, then variations of trees, then specific species such as maples, then variations among maples, culminating in a unique maple tree in one's garden. This particular tree is both completely distinct from all others and a manifestation of, and participant in, the various patterns of tree, maple, and its specific kind of maple. Every plant thus exhibits both identity and variation, in an indefinite and limitless progression.
This system comprises cascading hierarchies that manifest simultaneously, all of which are valid and multiple. Any singular being recognised as such represents a confluence of potential.
The Primacy of Patterns
The world's fundamental reality is anchored not from below in material forms, but from above in Logos, which encompasses purposes, names, and the underlying reasons for existence.
These higher reasons subsequently find their numerous and often unstable instantiations in the world. The transient and variable nature of things below indicates that true solidity does not reside there. Rather, the patterns are the most real aspects of things. Invisible patterns confer identity and purpose.
Embodiment of Spirit and Causality
Heaven embodies itself, or descends, upon individuals and groups through an indefinite multitude of embodiment levels.
These are shades by which heavenly purposes and identities manifest in their variability within the world. Divine revelation, which comes from above, is inherently mysterious and initially devoid of concrete form.
The glory of God, as described in scripture, is depicted through images such as light, breath, wind, or even darkness, signifying its formless nature that transcends human experience.
Divine acts such as naming things or choosing individuals, like Abraham, are initially invisible. The structural design of the Tabernacle or temple illustrates this: a sacred, veiled inner sanctum where divine revelation manifests, from which the multiplicity of the world unfolds.
Each successive level of manifestation functions simultaneously as a veil, obscuring the higher reality, and an embodiment, making it tangible. There is an inherent resistance to complete embodiment, as every manifestation, while revealing, also creates a separation from its source.
The law, for instance, serves as a manifestation of heaven. It frames and manages purposes at a more concrete level, providing guidelines such as prohibitions against theft. Should adherence to the law prove insufficient, the process of embodiment descends further, necessitating punishment and enforcement mechanisms, such as a police force.
Heaven exerts its influence through a unique form of causality that is invisible and motivational, not reliant on physical coercion. This invisible motivation unites people towards a common purpose, thereby establishing order.
As this influence descends through a hierarchy, it becomes increasingly explicit, concrete, and entwined with the physical world, leading to a proliferation of laws and the need to address exceptions. Consequently, the enforcement of this influence becomes a necessity at lower levels of manifestation.
Societal Embodiment and Hierarchies
In historical social structures, such as the medieval European model, society was ordered into three tiers: those who pray, those who fight, and those who work.
Those who pray occupied the apex, providing invisible influence, exemplars, guidance, and motivation, which are all manifestations of heavenly influence. Those who fight then embodied these purposes through laws, regulations, and magistrates. At the practical limit, the military and police forces were responsible for enforcing societal boundaries.
A nation possesses an invisible reason for its collective existence, akin to an angel or spirit. Human beings instinctively seek to embody this spirit in a singular leader, such as a president or chairman, who then wields explicit authority and serves as an exemplar. While this embodiment in a single figure can be fraught with dangers, as observed in cults, it also offers substantial advantages.
Groups typically originate from an intuitive, invisible bond. To concretise this intuition, a group requires a name, which inherently sets boundaries for the spirit's embodiment. Further embodiments include mottos, flags, and procedural rules such as meeting protocols. Protocols formalise relationships, crystallising certain possibilities while precluding others; their utility varies with context.
Within any group, exceptions to its established purpose invariably arise, necessitating decisions regarding punishment or ejection. In the context of a nation, this process escalates to the establishment of laws, police forces, prisons, and executioners.
These levels of enforcement represent a progression and are not inherently good or bad; they simply exist. While there is a natural human desire for direct, intuitive participation in groups, the realities of larger, more formalised structures often necessitate these different levels of enforcement.
This pattern is fundamentally fractal. A police force, for example, is tasked with enforcing laws, yet it also possesses its own internal hierarchy. Its captain provides authority and influence, while different ranks and roles, such as detectives and uniformed officers, embody the enforcement function at various levels of direct action and intellectual work. The pattern of influence cascading into embodied action repeats at every level within the group.
The Transformation of Embodiment
Embodiment, particularly when viewed from a lower perspective, can be perceived negatively, as leading to fragmentation, multiplicity, and illusion, reminiscent of certain Gnostic philosophies.
Excessive focus on the multiplicity at the base of the hierarchical pyramid can obscure the overarching pattern.
Furthermore, individuals situated at the bottom of a societal pyramid may become victims of its structure, as exemplified by certain caste systems, where a lower position is interpreted as a consequence of past transgressions, placing one closer to chaos.
However, a transformative understanding reveals that the entire pyramid of being, representing divine revelation, can be perceived not as obscuring veils, but as luminous manifestations of light. This perspective portrays the relationship between heaven and earth as one of love and sacrifice. Heaven requires earth for its manifestation; without it, spirit remains as fleeting as breath that never takes form.
This transformative understanding posits that when the spirit of a group manifests at various levels, it simultaneously offers itself to the group, purposefully yielding to multiplicity.
This inherent flexibility allows the group's foundational purpose to adapt to the individual motivations of its members, thereby fostering a relationship rooted in love rather than solely in top-down authority. This higher vision conceives of the world as a self-sacrificial act, an emptying of the divine into creation to sustain and unify it.
Groups led by individuals who selflessly commit to their members exhibit the greatest strength and authenticity. Conversely, purely authoritarian, top-down structures tend to be fragile because their subordinates are compelled rather than willing participants.
In loving families or congregations, members participate by choice, finding a unity that transcends their individual selves and offers a glimpse of the heavenly. As Saint Paul described the Church, this principle extends to all relationships, including commercial enterprises.
Cultivating such a loving exchange fosters a strong body and deep commitment from its members. Even when individuals join a group for disparate reasons, these motivations are complementary, working together like members of a unified body towards collective unity in love.