QUANTUM PHYSICS and PERENNIAL PHILOSOPHY: of Occidental Thinking; and Logic: Her- Okorokov, V

Lucio GIULIODORI

Heidegger, M. (2006). Nitsshe i pustota (Nietzs- lism-empiricism/ DOI: 10.24234/wisdom.v18i2.451 che and emptiness, in Russian). Mos- Nietzsche, Fr. (1990). Sochineniya v dvukh to- Lucio GIULIODORI cow: Eksmo. makh (Works in two volumes, in Rus- Heidegger, M. (2018). Heraclitus: The inception sian). Moscow: Mysl. QUANTUM PHYSICS AND PERENNIAL PHILOSOPHY: of occidental thinking; and logic: Her- Okorokov, V. (2018). Limits of thought in the MIRRORS OF KNOWLEDGE aclitus‟s doctrine of the logos. (J. G. light of nature and divinity. A return to Assaiante & S. M. Ewegen, Trans.). ancient thought or the quest for the be- Abstract Bloomsbury. ing of primordial thinking in the later Jaeger, W. (1947). Paideia: The ideals of Greek Heidegger. Philosophy and Cosmology, The core of what is defined as Perennial Philosophy is established by ancient traditions of metaphysical culture: Volume II: In search of the di- 20, 170-184. doi:10.29202/phil-cosm/- thought, which, though arising from the most various historical contexts from East to West, outstandingly vine centre. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. 20/17 share some fundamental truths such as the mutual interrelation of all things. However, even more astonish- Retrieved from https://archive.org/stre- Plato (2020). Republic. Retrieved from http://- ingly is how the insights of contemporary physics currently back up these various truths which spread am/werner-jaeger-paideia-the-ideals-of- www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/searchre among different cultures. greek-culture-vol2#page/n1/mode/2up sults?q=Republic This paper aims at underscoring how undeniably compelling. Yet, uncanny this bond is, primarily on Jaeger, W. (1986). Paideia: The ideals of Greek Plato (2020). Timaeus. Retrieved from http://- the plane of knowledge, a broader knowledge substantiated by science and philosophy – the two speak culture: Volume III: The conflict of cul- www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/searchre here an unknown language, yet with the same voice: the incommunicability of their truths overlapping tural ideals in the age of Plato. Oxford: sults?q=Timaeus with the incommunicability of their actual experiences. Oxford University Press. Rubinstein, M. (2008). O smysle zhizni. Trudy po Grappling with the dazzling disclosures of these “mirrors of knowledge” is as fascinating as unavoida- Kant, I. (1964). Sochineniya v shesti tomakh filosofii tsennosti, teorii obrazovaniya i ble. This study takes into account some of them by uncovering how crucial they are both for the present (Works in six volumes, in Russian). universitetskomu voprosu (On the mea- and the (albeit acknowledged by the past wisdom) future understanding of the reality we are entangled Moscow: Mysl. ning of life. Works on the philosophy with. Kieliszek, Z. (2020). Human education towards of value, theory of education and uni- goodness. The potential of the Kantian versity issue, in Russian). Moscow: Keywords: perennial philosophy, quantum physics, entanglement, consciousness, perennialism, tradi- concept of “perpetual peace” in shaping Territory Budushchego. tionalism, renaissance philosophy, oriental philosophy. future peaceful relations among na- Safranski, R. (2005). Khaydegger: germanskiy tions. Philosophy and Cosmology, 24, master i ego vremya (Heidegger: A 151-158. doi:10.29202/phil-cosm/24/15 master from Germany and his time, in Introduction truths, which are called perennial as they have Koyré, A. (1999). Filosofskaya evolyutsiya Mar- Russian) (T. Baskakova, Trans.). Mos- been disseminated over the centuries without tina Khaydeggera (Martin Heidegger‟s cow: Molodaya Gvardiya. The concept of Perennial philosophy, intro- ever being scratched. philosophical evolution, in Russian). Seibt, J. (2020). Process philosophy. In E. N. duced for the first time in the 16th century by Erwin Schrödinger‟s comment on Huxley‟s Logos, 10, 113-136. Retrieved from Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia Agostino Steuco in his work De perenni philoso- work perfectly frames Perennial Philosophy‟s http://www.ruthenia.ru/logos/nu- of philosophy. Retrieved from https://- phia libri X (1540) (see also Steuco, 2018), then core as well: “It is an anthology from the mystics mber/1999_10/06.htm#_ftn1 plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2020/- re-proposed by Leibniz in the 18th century, be- of the most various periods and the most various Krichevsky, S. (2020). Creation of a “cosmic” entries/process-philosophy came popular in recent times thanks to Aldous people. Open it where you will, and you will find human: Ideas, technologies, projects, Sheehan, T. (2014). Making sense of Heidegger: Huxley (2009) It refers to all those worldviews many beautiful utterances of a similar kind. You experience, risks, limitations, and pro- A paradigm shift. Rowman & Little- that share some fundamental “metaphysical”1 are struck by the miraculous agreement between spects. Future Human Image, 13, 32- field International. humans of a different race, different religions 45. doi:10.29202/fhi/13/4 Stelmakh, S., & Kotova, S. (2020). Concept of 1 Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). A Greek-Eng- an “ideal Europe” in the philosophical The adjective “metaphysical” doesn‟t refer to classical metaphysics, as Aristotle presented it and later refor- ditionary lore of primitive peoples in every region of lish lexicon. Oxford: Clarendon Press. discourse during World War I (1914- mulated by Heidegger, it rather refers to what Huxley the world, and in its fully developed forms it has a Markie, P. (2017). Rationalism vs. empiricism. 1918): British rationalism versus Ger- pointed out: “The metaphysic that recognises a divine place in every one of the higher religions. A version of Reality substantial to the world of things and lives and this Highest Common Factor in all preceding and sub- In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford ency- man “individualism”. Future Human minds; the psychology that finds in the soul something sequent theologies was first committed to writing clopedia of philosophy. Retrieved from Image, 13, 94-101. https://doi.org/10.- similar to, or even identical with, divine Reality; the more than twenty-five centuries ago, and since that https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/rationa 29202/fhi/13/10 ethic that places man‟s final end in the knowledge of time the inexhaustible theme has been treated again the immanent and transcendent Ground of all being - and again, from the standpoint of every religious tradi- the thing is immemorial and universal. Rudiments of tion and in all the principal languages of Asia and Eu- the Perennial Philosophy may be found among the tra- rope” (Huxley, 2009, vii.).

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knowing nothing about each other‟s existence, mythical, irrational and narrative aspects, separated by centuries and millennia, and by the as indeed proposed by the theologian Ru- greatest distances that there are on our globe” (as dolf Bultmann…. The contingent discrep- cited in D‟Adamo, 2015, p. 211). ancies of the various religions would, in This is indeed an accurate description of the fact, all refer, albeit in distinct forms, to matter at hand. Perennial Philosophy or Sophia that “transcendent unity” whose Schuon Perennis – as Frithiof Schuon preferred to define refers to (Siniscalco, 2020, p. 163).4 it2 – carves itself out as a gripping “anthology” Significantly, the thread that binds all these which astounds the “reader” in so far as it is fra- metaphysical, perennial traditions finds a shock- ught, laden of universal knowledge, which as ing confirmation in Quantum mechanics‟ current such, does not address to a single doctrine, a sin- discoveries, which is why I would consider gle philosopher, or even less, a single historical Quantum physics and Perennialism5 as “mirrors context.3 of knowledge”. They share three main decisive It goes without saying that this congenital concepts: interconnectedness, incommunicabil- metaphysical universalism upholds religious plu- ity, experience. Let us delve deeper into them. ralism as well, and in that respect, Luca Sinis- During an interview, Elémire Zolla, consid- calco states: ered one of the main perennialists, defining what We can assert that in the perspective of Perennial Philosophy is, identifies its two main Perennialism, the external discrepancies features: unity, meaning universalism (“inter- through which religions are manifested on connectedness”, in quantum words) and incom- a historical, liturgical, ritual, cultic and fol- municability (which could be even considered as kloristic level are all accounted for original a consequence.6 metaphysical harmony. The latter can be Perennial Philosophy is a denomination acknowledged and spread thanks to esoter- proposed by Leibniz, but it was created in ic teachings and essential sacred doctrines the XI Century by Agostino Steuco, a preserved by the traditions ascribable to monk from Gubbio who took up the tho- the same metaphysical core. ught of Pico della Mirandola, having read Therefore, it is not about demythologiz- his whole work gathered by the bishop of ing the sacred, i.e. religion declined in an Venice. What does it indicate? The philos- existential perspective, “cleansed” of its 4 To this regard, it must be mentioned that Perennialism stands also as a claim, on the one hand a claim against 2 “We prefer the term sophia to that of philosophia for scientism, mechanism and materialism, on the other the simple reason that the second term is less direct hand it is a claim against theology whose effort to and because it evokes in addition associations of ideas challenge the aforementioned scientism, failed. with a completely profane and all too often aberrant 5 Perennialism and Tradition are widely used as syno- system of thought The key to the eternal sophia is pure nyms of Perennial Philosophy. Elémire Zolla inter- intellection or in other words metaphysical discern- changes the two. See his two works La Filosofia Pe- ment. To “discern” is to “separate”: to separate the renne. L‟incontro fra le tradizioni d‟Oriente e d'Occi- Real and the illusory, the Absolute and the contingent, dente, Milano: Mondadori 1999 and Che cos‟è la Tra- the Necessary and the possible, Atmā and Māyā. Ac- dizione, Milano: Adelphi 1998. companying discernment, by way of complement and 6 The concept of “incommunicability” can be also operatively, is concentration, which unites: this means deemed as a cause for the lack of academic popularity becoming fully aware – from the starting point of of Perennial Philosophy which instead is worth a grea- earthly and human Māyā of Atmā, which is both abso- ter spread among scholars. lute and infinite” (Schuon, 2007, p. 243). The Persian scientist Al-Biruni who lived in the 11th 3 As Schuon stated: “The truths just expressed are not century, in order to describe the insufficiency of lan- the exclusive possession of any school or individual: guage in translating scientific-philosophical concepts, were it otherwise they would not be truths, for these used the metaphor of a camel on a gutter, an image cannot be invented, but must necessarily be known in then quoted by Franco Battiato, who with the afore- every integral traditional civilization” (Schuon, mentioned metaphor entitled one of his famous al- 1993, p. xxxiii). bums.

WISDOM 2(18), 2021 38 38 Quantum Physics and Perennial Philosophy: Mirrors of Knowledge

knowing nothing about each other‟s existence, mythical, irrational and narrative aspects, ophy that everyone had enunciated in vari- the truths unveiled by Quantum physics, the me- separated by centuries and millennia, and by the as indeed proposed by the theologian Ru- ous ways, one could even say: in every chanist model a priori fails attempting to explain greatest distances that there are on our globe” (as dolf Bultmann…. The contingent discrep- imaginable way, yet all irreprehensible them; as a result, here as well, an alternative cited in D‟Adamo, 2015, p. 211). ancies of the various religions would, in from the logical point of view. A philoso- “language” is required.9 This is indeed an accurate description of the fact, all refer, albeit in distinct forms, to phy that denies the word: the word is not This assumption brings about two main im- matter at hand. Perennial Philosophy or Sophia that “transcendent unity” whose Schuon the only means; those who believe in per- plications: Perennis – as Frithiof Schuon preferred to define refers to (Siniscalco, 2020, p. 163).4 ennial philosophy can bear to enunciate it 1. If this metaphysical reality intertwines with it2 – carves itself out as a gripping “anthology” Significantly, the thread that binds all these in words with annoyance because it refers ours, then we are part of this entanglement which astounds the “reader” in so far as it is fra- metaphysical, perennial traditions finds a shock- to an understanding that the word can only too.10 ught, laden of universal knowledge, which as ing confirmation in Quantum mechanics‟ current betray. On the other hand, the way in 2. If we are part of it, we should then possess the such, does not address to a single doctrine, a sin- discoveries, which is why I would consider which it is exhibited is always innovative ability to establish contact with it. gle philosopher, or even less, a single historical Quantum physics and Perennialism5 as “mirrors and transformable: the word is always de- This skill, though, according to perennialists, context.3 of knowledge”. They share three main decisive ception. is unknown to the majority of people and, there- It goes without saying that this congenital concepts: interconnectedness, incommunicabil- Here are some philosophies that can be fore, never used and got atrophied.11 The awak- metaphysical universalism upholds religious plu- ity, experience. Let us delve deeper into them. called perennial: Chinese Taoism, Hindu ralism as well, and in that respect, Luca Sinis- During an interview, Elémire Zolla, consid- unitary advaita, speculative Buddhism, and is established, and we discover that we are no longer calco states: ered one of the main perennialists, defining what Neoplatonism, the philosophy of the Flor- the aggregate of the elements that compose us as indi- We can assert that in the perspective of Perennial Philosophy is, identifies its two main entine Platonists at the end of the 15th cen- viduals: body (rupa), sensation (vedana), perception (samjna), sensitive function (samskara), conscious- Perennialism, the external discrepancies features: unity, meaning universalism (“inter- tury. …Perennial philosophy means a phi- ness (vijnana). The world that is revealed after these through which religions are manifested on connectedness”, in quantum words) and incom- losophy that rejects duality and opposition preliminary exercises is described by the great Tibetan masters, but talking about it is almost forbidden, it can a historical, liturgical, ritual, cultic and fol- municability (which could be even considered as in order to stick to unity (Fasoli, 1999). be misunderstood”. (Zolla, 2009, p. 211, my transla- kloristic level are all accounted for original a consequence.6 This unity – and here we are introducing the tion). 9 metaphysical harmony. The latter can be Perennial Philosophy is a denomination third concept – is not an abstract notion, nor a Jung investigated the concept of “synchronicity” with 7 the Nobel Prize for physics Wolfgang Pauli, his pa- acknowledged and spread thanks to esoter- proposed by Leibniz, but it was created in poetical metaphor : it is uncommunicable, but it tient and then friend. The two scholars spoke different ic teachings and essential sacred doctrines the XI Century by Agostino Steuco, a does exist, its incommunicability doesn‟t inter- scientific languages that had to abdicate when facing phenomena that were over and above the same de- preserved by the traditions ascribable to monk from Gubbio who took up the tho- fere with its existence, rather with its description. scriptiveness: an evident embarrassment exactly from the same metaphysical core. ught of Pico della Mirandola, having read This unity or interconnectedness exists because the scientific point of view - neither physics nor psy- Therefore, it is not about demythologiz- his whole work gathered by the bishop of both Perennialism and Quantum Physics men- choanalysis could tell what certain experiences showed. The two disciplines unveiled a world never ing the sacred, i.e. religion declined in an Venice. What does it indicate? The philos- tion the experience of it. seen before, in which what is material is no longer dis- existential perspective, “cleansed” of its According to the perennial We lt anschauung- tinct from what is psychical and with regard to this, 4 To this regard, it must be mentioned that Perennialism en, the physical world is not the only reality; be- Pauli says: “We should now proceed to find a neutral stands also as a claim, on the one hand a claim against or unitary language in which every concept we use is 2 “We prefer the term sophia to that of philosophia for scientism, mechanism and materialism, on the other yond it, there is another non-physical realm applicable both to the unconscious and to matter, in the simple reason that the second term is less direct hand it is a claim against theology whose effort to whose (recalling of Plato‟s cave) the material order to overcome this old belief that the unconscious and because it evokes in addition associations of ideas challenge the aforementioned scientism, failed. psyche and the matter are two separate things” (Quot- with a completely profane and all too often aberrant 5 Perennialism and Tradition are widely used as syno- world is but the shadow. This higher reality can ed by Massimo Teodorani, 2011, p. 77, my transla- system of thought The key to the eternal sophia is pure nyms of Perennial Philosophy. Elémire Zolla inter- be experienced. However, this experience cannot tion). 10 intellection or in other words metaphysical discern- changes the two. See his two works La Filosofia Pe- be described rationally as it takes on a mystic “Patient is the course of idea, it has been reviewed two ment. To “discern” is to “separate”: to separate the renne. L‟incontro fra le tradizioni d‟Oriente e d'Occi- 8 centuries and only in the present generation do the Real and the illusory, the Absolute and the contingent, dente, Milano: Mondadori 1999 and Che cos‟è la Tra- character. Rationality struggles grappling with gains begin perhaps to emerge. Shamanism has been the Necessary and the possible, Atmā and Māyā. Ac- dizione, Milano: Adelphi 1998. assimilated as Zen Buddhism and the Tibetan dzog companying discernment, by way of complement and 6 The concept of “incommunicability” can be also chen has, indigenous civilizations have been acknowl- operatively, is concentration, which unites: this means deemed as a cause for the lack of academic popularity 7 In this respect William Blake‟s beautiful, famous ver- edged, and the suffocating closure and isolation of becoming fully aware – from the starting point of of Perennial Philosophy which instead is worth a grea- ses come to mind: “To see a World in a Grain of Sand/ humanity and its history begins to dissipate; nature is earthly and human Māyā of Atmā, which is both abso- ter spread among scholars. And a Heaven in a Wild Flower/Hold Infinity in the part of us, it becomes a foregone certainty. Man is lute and infinite” (Schuon, 2007, p. 243). The Persian scientist Al-Biruni who lived in the 11th palm of your hand/And Eternity in an hour” (Blake, naturally transfused into the landscape” (Zolla, 1999, 3 As Schuon stated: “The truths just expressed are not century, in order to describe the insufficiency of lan- 1982, p. 490). p. 117, my translation). the exclusive possession of any school or individual: guage in translating scientific-philosophical concepts, 8 Elémire Zolla, pondering about Tibetan Buddhism, 11 Juilius Evola, speaking of the ability to visualize with were it otherwise they would not be truths, for these used the metaphor of a camel on a gutter, an image states: “Once this triple game is activated, it unfolds the mind‟s eye, as one of the main abilities in Tantric cannot be invented, but must necessarily be known in then quoted by Franco Battiato, who with the afore- gradually a lighter, happier life. Intellectual abilities sâdhana, states that “in the average type of “civilized” every integral traditional civilization” (Schuon, mentioned metaphor entitled one of his famous al- previously unknown and previously unsuspected po- Western man such a faculty has greatly atrophied, par- 1993, p. xxxiii). bums. tential skills, can be seen. A different game of instincts allel to the dominance that in him acquired abstract

WISDOM 2(18), 2021 38 39 39 Lucio GIULIODORI

ening of this skill (i.e. being involved in an initia- changes its nature by observing it, rasing the tory path) coincides with the highest goal as hu- above mentioned astonishing and dazzling mat- man beings: the exercise and development of this ter: an objective world is not there anymore, and ability match with the purpose of our existence.12 this, surprisingly, echoes the perennial wisdom. This exercise of awakening, namely the de- In the twentieth century, it was under- velopment of these skills, may involve mystical stood that the position and speed of a par- experiences that, by shifting the physical parame- ticle are not measurable simultaneously, as ters of the perceivable world, display its meta- if to say: the existence of subatomic events physical foundation as they unfold an interrelated is the result of our observation; to the ex- reality. The initiate can experience – again, expe- tent that we observe them, we become par- rience but not describe – these metaphysical pla- ticipants by modifying them. nes as they are part of the physical ones; they are Is light a wave or a particle? It all de- only invisible from a materialistic viewpoint.13 pends on the experiment we are conduct- Exactly to this specific regard, Perennialism ing (Zolla 1999, p. 250, my translation). tunes in with Quantum physics as in the latter, Norman Friedman (2012) states: “Bell‟s theo- something similar takes place. Zolla (2009) sta- rem states that relativity must be nonlocal, since tes: “The electron is our representation: it con- in a local reality information can be transferred at sists of dots separated in time. The so-called par- speed not greater than the speed of light, and ticles are different conditions of motion, and aro- such speeds are insufficient to explain the quan- und each particle, there is a field of virtual parti- tum facts. Note that Bell‟s theorem depends on cles of infinitesimal duration, a fleeting mist. quantum facts, not quantum theory. Quantum This show of virtual events at speeds above light facts are established by experiments. Since Bell‟s is mind-blowing. It forces us to free ourselves work is based on established facts, his theorem from our habitual categories, rejecting the notion cannot easily be dismissed” (p. 35). To this re- of “thing”” (pp. 251-252, my translation). gard, the same John Stewart Bell asserts: “I think Thus, since particles do bi-locate, their behav- it‟s a deep dilemma, and the resolution of it will iour seems to recall mysticism more than science not be trivial; it will require a substantial change commonly understood. A wave could also be a in the way we look at things” (as cited in Davies particle, depending on the observer who indeed & Brown, 1986, p. 48). This substantial change, though, already oc- thought, “intellectuality” (Evola, 2010, p. 96, my curred centuries ago, and it is what Perennialism translation). 12 “Huxley stated that the basic premise of Perennial has so far been emphasizing through its different Philosophy is that the eternal self is one with the Ab- voices. solute and that each single individual is on a journey to discover that fact and more importantly, to return Keeping commentating on Bell, Friedman there” (Friedman, 2012, p. 107). (2012) practically claims what Plato already did 13 Elémire Zolla, speaking about the ecstasy that experi- four hundred centuries BC: “To accommodate ence brings about, states: “It is born from perfect knowledge, subtracted from the word that wanted to both special relativity theory and his own non- express it, however capable of exploring with intellec- local view of reality, Bell postulates the existence tual intuition the root and the metaphysical source of of another (or “deeper”) level than our universe. joy. We are faced with a dilemma that arises only from The instantaneous interconnectedness of quan- the inability to conceive at the root of physical reality tum particles must be accomplished outside our the foundational, metaphysical plane, where there is no space or time course and which constitutes the me- three-dimensional universe, in some sort of ex- taphysical premise where all religions and all philoso- tradimensional space. Again, the description of phies can unify: only perennial philosophy validates it, the universe requires at least a second level” however warning that verbal expression cannot trans- late it into language” (Zolla, 1999, p. 71, my transla- (p. 35). tion).

WISDOM 2(18), 2021 40 40 Quantum Physics and Perennial Philosophy: Mirrors of Knowledge

ening of this skill (i.e. being involved in an initia- changes its nature by observing it, rasing the This extradimensional space was called “hy- In this regard, Fritijof Capra (1999) states: “In tory path) coincides with the highest goal as hu- above mentioned astonishing and dazzling mat- peruranion” by the Greek Philosopher. recent decades, high-energy diffusion experi- man beings: the exercise and development of this ter: an objective world is not there anymore, and ments have revealed to us, in the most extraordi- ability match with the purpose of our existence.12 this, surprisingly, echoes the perennial wisdom. An Interconnected Reality nary way, the dynamic and ever-changing nature This exercise of awakening, namely the de- In the twentieth century, it was under- of particles; matter has proved capable of trans- velopment of these skills, may involve mystical stood that the position and speed of a par- In a mystical experience, the perceiver and formation. All particles can be transformed into experiences that, by shifting the physical parame- ticle are not measurable simultaneously, as the perceived are one single thing. However, as other particles. They can be created by energy ters of the perceivable world, display its meta- if to say: the existence of subatomic events Quantum Physics displayed, something compa- and can disappear into energy. In this context, physical foundation as they unfold an interrelated is the result of our observation; to the ex- rable takes place in ordinary reality, at least on a classic concepts such as “elementary particle”, reality. The initiate can experience – again, expe- tent that we observe them, we become par- microscopic level. “material substance”, or “isolated object” have rience but not describe – these metaphysical pla- ticipants by modifying them. The movement of particles, which is implied lost their meaning: the whole universe appears as nes as they are part of the physical ones; they are Is light a wave or a particle? It all de- by the act of the observer, proposes an indissolu- a dynamic network of energy configurations only invisible from a materialistic viewpoint.13 pends on the experiment we are conduct- ble entanglement of the subject (mind) and ob- which cannot be separated” (p. 96). Exactly to this specific regard, Perennialism ing (Zolla 1999, p. 250, my translation). ject (matter). If we interfere with particles, they In the later part of his life, the American phys- tunes in with Quantum physics as in the latter, Norman Friedman (2012) states: “Bell‟s theo- change. Moreover, when they change, they don‟t icist David Bohm, focused his research on the something similar takes place. Zolla (2009) sta- rem states that relativity must be nonlocal, since do it locally, discrediting the conceptual structure philosophical implications of his discoveries. His tes: “The electron is our representation: it con- in a local reality information can be transferred at of space and time in classical physics. connection with Jiddu Krishnamurti (Bohm & sists of dots separated in time. The so-called par- speed not greater than the speed of light, and As far as we are concerned, what we know Krishnamurti, 1999) strengthened his aim and set ticles are different conditions of motion, and aro- such speeds are insufficient to explain the quan- prior to the measurement of a particle is nothing off an alternative philosophical attitude, unac- und each particle, there is a field of virtual parti- tum facts. Note that Bell‟s theorem depends on more than a cloud of probability in which the ceptable for the academic world close to him, cles of infinitesimal duration, a fleeting mist. quantum facts, not quantum theory. Quantum particle might be located.14 firmly anchored to the Newtonian view of reality This show of virtual events at speeds above light facts are established by experiments. Since Bell‟s Teodorani (2007), underlines the unavoidable and therefore incapable of accepting a combina- is mind-blowing. It forces us to free ourselves work is based on established facts, his theorem philosophical consequences: “The mathematical tion of philosophy and physics, let alone physics from our habitual categories, rejecting the notion cannot easily be dismissed” (p. 35). To this re- method of investigation of physical phenomena and mysticism. of “thing”” (pp. 251-252, my translation). gard, the same John Stewart Bell asserts: “I think is and remains valid, but at profound levels, the According to Bohmian thought, particles do Thus, since particles do bi-locate, their behav- it‟s a deep dilemma, and the resolution of it will physicist‟s mind is also forced to open up to new not communicate with each other at super speed, iour seems to recall mysticism more than science not be trivial; it will require a substantial change horizons of thought that are connected in part to a speed faster than that of light. Simply, “they are commonly understood. A wave could also be a in the way we look at things” (as cited in Davies Platonic philosophy and in part to Eastern reli- never moved”, they are never separated. They do particle, depending on the observer who indeed & Brown, 1986, p. 48). gions” (p. 41, my translation). not need to move to reach each other since they This substantial change, though, already oc- are already reached. Translating this evidence thought, “intellectuality” (Evola, 2010, p. 96, my curred centuries ago, and it is what Perennialism 14 from the microscopic world to the macroscopic translation). The American physicist David Bohm, wanted to find 12 “Huxley stated that the basic premise of Perennial has so far been emphasizing through its different out what could lead to this dual and mysterious behav- one, it may be assumed that individuals them- Philosophy is that the eternal self is one with the Ab- voices. iour. He did so by reformulating the Schrödinger selves are not separate entities, but extensions of solute and that each single individual is on a journey equation, which describes the electron‟s motion, add- to discover that fact and more importantly, to return Keeping commentating on Bell, Friedman ing a key parameter: the quantum potential. According one ultimate reality, like many tips of a sub- there” (Friedman, 2012, p. 107). (2012) practically claims what Plato already did to Bohm, particles act in synchronicity by dint of a merged iceberg, which outwardly appear to be 13 Elémire Zolla, speaking about the ecstasy that experi- four hundred centuries BC: “To accommodate quantum potential which, invisible and as a matter of separate but in-depth are firmly connected, even ence brings about, states: “It is born from perfect fact unknowable, guides and regulates the particles‟ knowledge, subtracted from the word that wanted to both special relativity theory and his own non- behaviour from a further, or “parallel”, plane. In this if this is invisible - at least to the Newtonian express it, however capable of exploring with intellec- local view of reality, Bell postulates the existence explanatory framework, determinism is preserved, but mechanistic eye. tual intuition the root and the metaphysical source of of another (or “deeper”) level than our universe. in the light of a process which is utterly inexplicable Therefore, if Plato (2008) in his Timaeus joy. mechanistically. We are faced with a dilemma that arises only from The instantaneous interconnectedness of quan- To this regard, the Italian Astrophysicist Massimo talked about the soul of the world, contemporary the inability to conceive at the root of physical reality tum particles must be accomplished outside our Teodorani asserts: “There is determinism here, but it is physics speaks of “universal hologram”, “zero- the foundational, metaphysical plane, where there is very different from Newtonian determinism in which no space or time course and which constitutes the me- three-dimensional universe, in some sort of ex- the causes must always precede the effects: in this point field”, “quantum potential”, and “implicate taphysical premise where all religions and all philoso- tradimensional space. Again, the description of context, causes and effects coincide and such deter- order”. It is noteworthy to mention that Bruno phies can unify: only perennial philosophy validates it, the universe requires at least a second level” minism is not a clockwork mechanism but a sync or- himself spoke of mens insita omnibus (the mind however warning that verbal expression cannot trans- der of things, much like a living organism whose all late it into language” (Zolla, 1999, p. 71, my transla- (p. 35). parts act in harmony” (Teodorani, 2007, p. 41, my is in everything) and mens super omnia (the tion). translation).

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mind is over everything). rialistic modern views that have divided a reality If, according to the vision of Bohm and Prib- that was already united.16 ram, true reality is at this point only that of the As it could ultimately overturn the view we “potential quantum field” or “zero point”, we look at our existence, the perennial philosophy should deduct that the reality that we experience, “implied” by the new physics claims a role of the empirical world, is nothing more than a “hol- extreme importance, probably never seen before. ogram”, a projection, essentially something en- Recalling Sgalambro‟s (1990) words: “A phi- tirely illusory. David Bohm (1996) explains: losophy that does not make you forget all the “Relativity and quantum theory implies a divided others is not worth anything” (p. 92, Author‟s totality in which analysis of well-defined sepa- translation). We have probably found this phi- rate parts is no longer relevant. Nevertheless, losophy today: it enfolds the marriage of the old there is a tool that can give us an immediate per- wisdom and the new science. ception of the meaning of this unity…. Such a perception is possible when we consider the hol- From East to West: ogram (the name derives from the Greek holos, A Perennial Renaissance meaning “all” or “whole”, and gram which means “to write”. A hologram is, therefore, a In 2011, the Italian musician Franco Battiato tool that, so to speak, “writes the wholeness”)” (whose output is often fraught with perennial (p. 200).15 philosophies)17, in collaboration with philoso- In conclusion, these “mirrors of awareness” pher Manlio Sgalambro, wrote an opera inspired deeply affect the various branches of knowledge, by the Italian Renaissance thinker Bernardino split by Cartesianism and all the following mate-

16 “The forma mentis that has shaped the modern world derives to a greater extent from Descartes. In the Wes- tern world, Cartesian thought was meant to set in mo- 15 The neurophysiologist Karl Pribram who had collabo- tion a revolution as profound as the one created by the rated with Bohm, proposed the holographic model for Renaissance, a revolution that would lead to the En- his studies on the brain, inquiring that it could provide lightenment, also known as “The age of reason” (Bai- the most valid explanation to the classification of gent & Leigh, 2003, p. 247, my translation). memories and therefore, de facto, to their non-locality. This is why, the hermetic vision of reality, during (I refer the reader to PRIBRAM, K (1971). Languages the rationalist “triumph” age, found shelter in the arts; of the Brain: Experimental Paradoxes and Principles let us think of William Blake as an example. of Neuropsychology. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Psychology itself is not exempt from this fragmenta- Hall). tion that is why Assagioli, through his Psychosynthe- To this regard, concerning the affinity of certain as- sis proposes a sort of recomposition. In addition to the pects of quantum physics with the hermetic philoso- main four forces – behaviourism, psychoanalysis, ex- phy of the Renaissance, it would be interesting to eva- istential-humanistic psychology and transpersonal luate a parallelism between this conception of memory psychology – “in his writings Assagioli added a fifth and the famous techniques of Giordano Bruno. Those force called psychoenergetics, a psychological conse- of Nolan were not only strengthening mnemonic tech- quence of the new scientific paradigm shift followed niques but real operational tools for transmutation of by the revolutionary significance of quantum physics‟ microcosmic and macrocosmic reality, i.e. changing new discoveries. The father of Psychosynthesis be- the individual in order to transform the whole of reali- lieved these findings would set the way for a new vi- ty: “Bruno not only intends to strengthen the mnemon- sion both of the world and man, whose great truths – ic muscle, rather he wants to change the cosmos. That stated by all sacred traditions over thousands of years - is - let me say again - change the very structure of eve- were eventually accepted without prejudice. These ry initiate‟s mind and then, through them, change the truths would be finally given the importance they de- world, by means of the micro-macrocosm interde- serve, by dint of their valuable insights and directions pendence, in other words mind-universe. This is the for the future development of humanity” (Guggisberg work of “his” Ermeticism, changing man‟s mind, Nocelli, p. 211, pp. 95-96, my translation). changing his intimate essence and then, through him - 17 Suffice to say that his album Fetus (Bla bla, 1972), newborn-man, revolutionising the world” (La Porta, inspired by reading Paramahansa Yogananda, was 2001, p. 195, my translation). dedicated to Aldous Huxley.

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mind is over everything). rialistic modern views that have divided a reality Telesio. The work was presented to the public in well as a major stumbling block: we still If, according to the vision of Bohm and Prib- that was already united.16 holographic form. can‟t find the metric, the geometric do- ram, true reality is at this point only that of the As it could ultimately overturn the view we “Witnesses at the representation in Cosenza main and the mathematical operators able “potential quantum field” or “zero point”, we look at our existence, the perennial philosophy said that the public believed that singers, dancers to describe it formally (Teodorani, 2012, p. should deduct that the reality that we experience, “implied” by the new physics claims a role of and the actor Giulio Brogi were on stage, in flesh 36, my translation). the empirical world, is nothing more than a “hol- extreme importance, probably never seen before. and blood, deceived by the incredible effects of As Elémire Zolla stated in Verità segrete es- ogram”, a projection, essentially something en- Recalling Sgalambro‟s (1990) words: “A phi- the holograms”.18 Therefore, a sort of reality shift poste in evidenza (1990): “One cannot demon- tirely illusory. David Bohm (1996) explains: losophy that does not make you forget all the is what the audience experienced. strate a difference between the perception of real- “Relativity and quantum theory implies a divided others is not worth anything” (p. 92, Author‟s It is no coincidence that Battiato has com- ity and a constant and durable collective halluci- totality in which analysis of well-defined sepa- translation). We have probably found this phi- pared holograms, with apparent reference to Da- nation: they are the same thing” (p. 159, my rate parts is no longer relevant. Nevertheless, losophy today: it enfolds the marriage of the old vid Bohm, creator of the holographic universe translation). there is a tool that can give us an immediate per- wisdom and the new science. theory, with Italian Renaissance philosophy. Unquestionably, these concepts seem shock- ception of the meaning of this unity…. Such a It should be considered that affirming the illu- ing and absurd, even ridiculous yet supported perception is possible when we consider the hol- From East to West: sion of reality is anything but sensational news; and validated by years of laboratory research car- ogram (the name derives from the Greek holos, A Perennial Renaissance as far as that statement sounds absurd and para- ried out by the greatest minds in contemporary meaning “all” or “whole”, and gram which doxical, it is absolutely in line with what has al- physics, such as Nobel Prize winners Albert Ein- means “to write”. A hologram is, therefore, a In 2011, the Italian musician Franco Battiato ways been claimed by various traditional stein, Wolfgang Pauli, Max Planck (who devised tool that, so to speak, “writes the wholeness”)” (whose output is often fraught with perennial thoughts. From Gnosticism to Hinduism, from the concept of the quantum of energy), Louis De (p. 200).15 philosophies)17, in collaboration with philoso- the abovementioned Renaissance to Theosophy, Broglie, Richard P. Feynman, Werner Heisen- In conclusion, these “mirrors of awareness” pher Manlio Sgalambro, wrote an opera inspired up to the Twentieth Century with the already berg, Paul Dirac, J. Von Neumann and obviously deeply affect the various branches of knowledge, by the Italian Renaissance thinker Bernardino mentioned Schuon, Guénon, Evola, Zolla19 and Stephen Hawking. split by Cartesianism and all the following mate- Cooramaswamy. The philosophical implications of their dis- A reality that cannot be defined as ei- coveries, as we have already hinted at in the pre-

16 “The forma mentis that has shaped the modern world ther subjective or objective. The world of vious paragraph, are massive. Self-evident are derives to a greater extent from Descartes. In the Wes- matter and that of mind are so intrinsically the analogies with Hermetic Philosophy: tern world, Cartesian thought was meant to set in mo- 15 The neurophysiologist Karl Pribram who had collabo- tion a revolution as profound as the one created by the interconnected as to form a single whole... Hermetic thought had established the rated with Bohm, proposed the holographic model for Renaissance, a revolution that would lead to the En- Yet this concept is not new but dates back interrelationship and interconnectedness of his studies on the brain, inquiring that it could provide lightenment, also known as “The age of reason” (Bai- two thousand years ago when the Hindu all things so that if in any one area of the the most valid explanation to the classification of gent & Leigh, 2003, p. 247, my translation). memories and therefore, de facto, to their non-locality. This is why, the hermetic vision of reality, during Tantric tradition of the world postulated a textile of reality a filament is pulled, in an- (I refer the reader to PRIBRAM, K (1971). Languages the rationalist “triumph” age, found shelter in the arts; similar philosophy. According to Tantric other point of reality, a filament is stret- of the Brain: Experimental Paradoxes and Principles let us think of William Blake as an example. philosophy, reality is nothing more than an ched or slackened. Nuclear physics, at of Neuropsychology. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Psychology itself is not exempt from this fragmenta- Hall). tion that is why Assagioli, through his Psychosynthe- illusion and this illusion is called the “veil least, has confirmed the validity of this To this regard, concerning the affinity of certain as- sis proposes a sort of recomposition. In addition to the of Maya”. The main error that we commit principle and has translated the theory into pects of quantum physics with the hermetic philoso- main four forces – behaviourism, psychoanalysis, ex- phy of the Renaissance, it would be interesting to eva- istential-humanistic psychology and transpersonal is not perceiving this illusory veil: we per- practice. ...At the beginning of this centu- luate a parallelism between this conception of memory psychology – “in his writings Assagioli added a fifth ceive ourselves as separate from the world ry, biology, chemistry and physics were and the famous techniques of Giordano Bruno. Those force called psychoenergetics, a psychological conse- around us. This is a realm where the laws presented as three separate and distinct of Nolan were not only strengthening mnemonic tech- quence of the new scientific paradigm shift followed niques but real operational tools for transmutation of by the revolutionary significance of quantum physics‟ of classical physics no longer apply; it disciplines... When they were established, microcosmic and macrocosmic reality, i.e. changing new discoveries. The father of Psychosynthesis be- stands for the ultimate goal of physics as these disciplines were hailed as innovative the individual in order to transform the whole of reali- lieved these findings would set the way for a new vi- and revolutionary, while they are nothing ty: “Bruno not only intends to strengthen the mnemon- sion both of the world and man, whose great truths – ic muscle, rather he wants to change the cosmos. That stated by all sacred traditions over thousands of years - 18 From the Sicilian singer‟s website, my translation: more than the expression of Agrippa and is - let me say again - change the very structure of eve- were eventually accepted without prejudice. These https://www.battiato.it/telesio/ Retrieved January 2022 Paracelsus‟ global reality. They express a ry initiate‟s mind and then, through them, change the truths would be finally given the importance they de- 19 On Zolla and Perennial Philosophy see my essays: Il world, by means of the micro-macrocosm interde- serve, by dint of their valuable insights and directions pensare nell‟assenza del sacro: Elémire Zolla tra unity that existed long before analytical pendence, in other words mind-universe. This is the for the future development of humanity” (Guggisberg Filosofia Perenne e modernità in «Il pensare», Anno processes would come to create an artifi- work of “his” Ermeticism, changing man‟s mind, Nocelli, p. 211, pp. 95-96, my translation). I, N.1, 2012 and Verità metafisiche esposte in eviden- cial distinction between its components. In changing his intimate essence and then, through him - 17 Suffice to say that his album Fetus (Bla bla, 1972), za: Elémire Zolla e la Tradizione in “Frammenti di newborn-man, revolutionising the world” (La Porta, inspired by reading Paramahansa Yogananda, was Filosofia Contemporanea”, Limina Mentis, Milano reality, biology, chemistry and physics 2001, p. 195, my translation). dedicated to Aldous Huxley. 2013.

WISDOM 2(18), 2021 42 43 43 Lucio GIULIODORI

have always been interconnected, and Car- Francesco Pullia (2004), in his essay on the tesian science has made a mistake assum- affinity of Bruno‟s thought with Eastern philoso- ing that they were separate (Baigent & phies and de facto the affinity of both with quan- Leigh, 2003, pp. 268-269, my translation). tum mechanics, asserts: Now, what does this interconnectedness mean Man is not a separate subject from na- practically? According to Renaissance hermetic ture and the divine, rather he is, by his very philosophers, the universe was conceived as a essence, nature and divinity, he is no long- large animated body, enlivened by a principle, er at the centre of the cosmos since every- the anima mundi20, by dint of which everything thing is composed of the same living mat- was substantiated by occult and spiritual energy. ter, the same energy: there is nothing of In this perspective, subject and object exchange ours that becomes extraneous and nothing roles, as everything (animated by the anima extraneous that doesn‟t become ours, says mundi) is both object and subject of the same the philosopher. ...One cannot but note reality. The analogies with Bohm‟s physics are how this holistic interrelationship, unchan- quite evident, let alone the implicated and expli- ged for millennia, marks the main cogni- cated reality in Nicholas of Cusa (complicatio tive core of modernity‟s horizon from Ein- and explicatio). Bohm even uses similar words: stein up to the contemporary outcomes of implicated and explicated order. Fritiof Capra, Humberto Maturana, Fran- If macrocosm and microcosm interpenetrate, cisco Varela, Gregory Bateson (p. 75, my it may be assumed that the individual is not just a translation). walk-on actor but an effective, fundamental cha- What the ancients had intuited - or probably racter of this interpenetration: he is the subject even experienced if we think of the role of magic and object of this reality; therefore a fundamental both in the Renaissance21 and in the Eastern tra- and intimately integral part of it who perennially ditions22 - is now being demonstrated in the la- reminds us of both the Renaissance homo faber boratory. This factor casts Quantum mechanics and the god-man mentioned by both Eastern and to a top cultural position and imposes a rigorous Western traditions. study by philosophers. As Gabriele La Porta (2001) points out: Physicist Fred Alan Wolf stated: Through progressive emanations, di- Classical physics holds that there is a vine ideas penetrate material forms by real world out there, acting independently means of the spirit mundi, right down to of human consciousness. Consciousness, the most minute particles. Nature is thus in this view, is to be constructed from real deified as an essential complement to the objects, such as neurons and molecules. It deity. is a byproduct of the material causes which An Infinite God cannot be separated produce the many physical effects ob- from the other infinite worlds of which he served. is the cause and animating force. Quantum physics indicates that this Man is an essential part of nature, and

the presence of the divine in it inevitably 21 “This world of the second century was, however, results in the presence of the divine in the seeking intensively for knowledge of reality, for an human, manifesting itself in that heroic fu- answer to its problems which normal education failed to give. It turned to other ways of seeking an answer: ry, relentless effort in itself, never tired, intuitive, mystical, magical” (Yates, 1964, p. 4). never satisfied with the search for truth (p. See also Donà, M. (2004). Magia e filosofia. Mila- 124, my translation). no: Bompiani. 22 “The magnified strength of Hatha Yoga is not that of an athlete, but the strength of a magician, of “a man- 20 The Platonian “soul of the world”. god” (Eliade, 1984, p. 147, my translation).

WISDOM 2(18), 2021 44 44 Quantum Physics and Perennial Philosophy: Mirrors of Knowledge

have always been interconnected, and Car- Francesco Pullia (2004), in his essay on the theory cannot be true – the effects of ob- those movements, to bring my actual expe- tesian science has made a mistake assum- affinity of Bruno‟s thought with Eastern philoso- servation “couple” or enter into the real rience into manifestation. ing that they were separate (Baigent & phies and de facto the affinity of both with quan- world whether we want them to or not. This is the only radical thinking that Leigh, 2003, pp. 268-269, my translation). tum mechanics, asserts: The choices made by an observer alter, in you need to do. However, it is so radical; it Now, what does this interconnectedness mean Man is not a separate subject from na- an unpredictable manner, the real physical is so difficult because we tend to take the practically? According to Renaissance hermetic ture and the divine, rather he is, by his very events. Consciousness is deeply and inex- world out there for granted, independent of philosophers, the universe was conceived as a essence, nature and divinity, he is no long- tricably involved in this picture, not a by- our experience. It is not. Quantum physics large animated body, enlivened by a principle, er at the centre of the cosmos since every- product of materiality (Wolf, 1986, p. 57). has been so clear about it. Heisenberg him- the anima mundi20, by dint of which everything thing is composed of the same living mat- Though consciousness is central in Perennial self, the co-discoverer of quantum physics, was substantiated by occult and spiritual energy. ter, the same energy: there is nothing of Philosophy as well, its insights have informed said, “Atoms are not things, they‟re only In this perspective, subject and object exchange ours that becomes extraneous and nothing the Indian tradition for at least two millennia, tendencies. roles, as everything (animated by the anima extraneous that doesn‟t become ours, says while the West has only become sensitive in the So instead of thinking of things, you mundi) is both object and subject of the same the philosopher. ...One cannot but note last centuries23. have to think of possibilities. reality. The analogies with Bohm‟s physics are how this holistic interrelationship, unchan- According to Fritjof Capra (1991), the highest They‟re all possibilities of Conscious- quite evident, let alone the implicated and expli- ged for millennia, marks the main cogni- aim of the Eastern teaching‟s followers, “wheth- ness.24 cated reality in Nicholas of Cusa (complicatio tive core of modernity‟s horizon from Ein- er they are Hindus, Buddhists, or Taoists is to On the scientific horizon implicated by these and explicatio). Bohm even uses similar words: stein up to the contemporary outcomes of become aware of the unity and mutual interrela- discussions, the aforementioned transpersonal implicated and explicated order. Fritiof Capra, Humberto Maturana, Fran- tion of all things, to transcend the notion of an psychology is also included, and this confirms a If macrocosm and microcosm interpenetrate, cisco Varela, Gregory Bateson (p. 75, my individual isolated self and to identify them- thriving of cross-sectional studies that structure, it may be assumed that the individual is not just a translation). selves with ultimate reality” (p. 29). within quantum physics, a highly holistic ap- walk-on actor but an effective, fundamental cha- What the ancients had intuited - or probably To this regard, Professor Amid Goswami proach. The famous Italian psychiatrist Roberto racter of this interpenetration: he is the subject even experienced if we think of the role of magic states: Assagioli (1988) is quite clear about the illusion and object of this reality; therefore a fundamental both in the Renaissance21 and in the Eastern tra- We all are used to thinking that every- of reality: and intimately integral part of it who perennially ditions22 - is now being demonstrated in the la- thing around us is already a thing existing The state of consciousness of the ordi- reminds us of both the Renaissance homo faber boratory. This factor casts Quantum mechanics without my input, without my choice. You nary man can be called a dreamy state in a and the god-man mentioned by both Eastern and to a top cultural position and imposes a rigorous have to banish that kind of thinking. In- world of illusion: illusions produced by Western traditions. study by philosophers. stead, you really have to recognise that imagination, emotions, mental conceptions As Gabriele La Porta (2001) points out: Physicist Fred Alan Wolf stated: even the material world around us, the and more generally illusion of the external Through progressive emanations, di- Classical physics holds that there is a chairs, the tables, the rooms, the carpet, world, which our senses perceive as reali- vine ideas penetrate material forms by real world out there, acting independently time included, all of these are nothing but ty. Concerning the external world, modern means of the spirit mundi, right down to of human consciousness. Consciousness, possible Consciousness movements. And chemistry and physics have shown that the most minute particles. Nature is thus in this view, is to be constructed from real I‟m choosing, moment to moment, out of what appears concrete, stable and inert to deified as an essential complement to the objects, such as neurons and molecules. It our senses, on the other hand, is a dizzying deity. is a byproduct of the material causes which swirl of infinitesimal elements, energy An Infinite God cannot be separated produce the many physical effects ob- 23 Professor Oldmeadow (2013) highlights: “Eastern tra- charges animated by a powerful force. from the other infinite worlds of which he served. ditions, such as Tibetan Buddhism, can provide us Therefore, the matter which appears to our with highly sophisticated maps of consciousness, and is the cause and animating force. Quantum physics indicates that this of states of being, which take account not only of what senses and which was conceived by mate- Man is an essential part of nature, and Freud termed the “subconscious” but also the “supra- rialistic philosophy does not exist. Current conscious”, a realm of experience accessible through the presence of the divine in it inevitably 21 science has eventually shared the funda- “This world of the second century was, however, the individual psyche but by no means bound by it. To results in the presence of the divine in the seeking intensively for knowledge of reality, for an cite one example of such a map: the Buddhist Wheel mental theoretical construct of India, the human, manifesting itself in that heroic fu- answer to its problems which normal education failed of Life is not only a representation of various post- ancient spiritual vision according to which to give. It turned to other ways of seeking an answer: mortem states but is simultaneously a figuration of ry, relentless effort in itself, never tired, intuitive, mystical, magical” (Yates, 1964, p. 4). various states of consciousness and of the psychic never satisfied with the search for truth (p. See also Donà, M. (2004). Magia e filosofia. Mila- mechanisms which bring them about. Such maps alert 124, my translation). no: Bompiani. us to the limitations of materialistic and mechanistic 22 “The magnified strength of Hatha Yoga is not that of accounts of consciousness in particular, and of the 24 From an Interview at “The World Congress of Quan- an athlete, but the strength of a magician, of “a man- Cartesian and Newtonian paradigms of scientific in- tum Medicine”, retrieved January 2021 from http://- 20 The Platonian “soul of the world”. god” (Eliade, 1984, p. 147, my translation). quiry in the West” (pp. 56-7). www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnzYVJGjjK8

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everything that appears is Maya, illusion25 Baigent, M. & Leigh, R. (2003). L‟elisir e la pie- (p. 77, my translation). tra. La grande storia della magia (The elixir and the stone, in Italian). Milano: Conclusion Net. Blake, W. (1982). The complete poetry and pro- Perennial Philosophy, backed up by Quantum se of William Blake. New York: An- physics in some of its assumptions, paved the chor Books. way towards a further endearing layer of com- Bohm, D. (1996). Universo, mente, materia prehension of reality, with whom scholarship (Wholeness and the implicate order, in ultimately ought to grapple. This inclusive layer Italian). Como: Red Edizioni. wholeheartedly embraces a broader perspective, Bohm, D., & Krishnamurti, J. (1999). The limits abetted by both the old wisdom and the new phy- of thought: Discussions between J. sics, i.e. two languages still incomprehensible yet Krishnamurti and David Bohm. New compelling and unsettling. Moreover, they strug- York: Routledge. gle with scientism and materialistic worldviews Capra, F. (1999). Il Tao della fisica (The Tao of whose codes are instead apparent – at least in physics, in Italian). Milano: Adelphi. comparison with the perennial/quantum idioms – D‟Adamo, A. (2015). Science without bounds: A yet poor and mostly important fruitless. synthesis of science, religion and mysti- Perennial Philosophy thawed out a path of cism. Seattle: CreateSpace. knowledge which was only metaphysical until Davies, P. C. W., & Brown, J. R. (1986). The Quantum Physics arose: the latter unearthed and Ghost in the atom. New York: Cam- made out the same truths, scientifically though: bridge University Press. evidence has been adduced regarding what mys- Eliade, M. (1984). Tecniche dello yoga (Techni- tics and initiates dared to unveil. The new sci- ques of yoga, in Italian). Torino: Bollati ence is boosting philosophy – in its original Boringhieri. Greek meaning philo-sophia id est “love for Evola, J. (2010). Lo Yoga della Potenza (The knowledge” – universal knowledge, perennial Yoga of power, in Italian). Roma: Med- philosophy – setting in motion an unrelenting iterranee. cultural breakthrough, confrontational and un- Fasoli, D. (1999, June 20). Il pensiero che ol- fathomable, which eventually will mightily chal- trepassa la parola (The thought that lenge most of the mainstream certainties about goes beyond the word, in Italian). the world we attempted to describe, with no suc- L‟Unità. cess so far. Friedman, N. (2012). Bridging science and spirit. Suffolk: The Woodbridge Group. References Guggisberg Nocelli, P. (2011). La via della psi- cosintesi (The way of psychosynthesis, Assagioli, R. (1988). Lo sviluppo transpersonale in Italian). Firenze: L‟Uomo Edizioni. (Transpersonal development, in Itali- Huxley, A. (2009). The Perennial Philosophy, an). Roma: Astrolabio. New York: Harper Collins. La Porta, G. (2001). Giordano Bruno. Vita e av- venture di un pericoloso maestro del 25 Transpersonal psychologists are often paired to Peren- nial Philosophy, to this regard the author Norman pensiero (Giordano Bruno. Life and ad- Friedman (2012) speaking about Ken Wilber asserts ventures of a dangerous master of tho- that: “his work presents transpersonal psychology as ught, in Italian). Bologna: Bompiani. the modern expression of the Perennial Philosophy, or the application of the Perennial Philosophy to psychology” (p. 97).

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everything that appears is Maya, illusion25 Baigent, M. & Leigh, R. (2003). L‟elisir e la pie- Oldmeadow, H. (2013). The not-so-close enco- u/44841555/UNIT%C3%80_META- (p. 77, my translation). tra. La grande storia della magia (The unters of western psychology and east- FISICA_E_PLURALIT%C3%80_RE- elixir and the stone, in Italian). Milano: ern spirituality. In Psychology and the LIGIOSA_SCENARI_POSSIBILI_A- Conclusion Net. Perennial Philosophy (pp. 35-59). _PARTIRE_DALLA_PHILOSOPHIA Blake, W. (1982). The complete poetry and pro- Bloomington: World Wisdom. _PERENNIS Perennial Philosophy, backed up by Quantum se of William Blake. New York: An- Plato (2008). Timaeus. London: Penguin. Steuco, A. (2018). De perenni philosophia libri physics in some of its assumptions, paved the chor Books. Pullia, F. (2004). Giordano Bruno tra Oriente e X. London: Forgotten Books. way towards a further endearing layer of com- Bohm, D. (1996). Universo, mente, materia Occidente (Giordano Bruno between Teodorani, M. (2007). Entanglement (Entangle- prehension of reality, with whom scholarship (Wholeness and the implicate order, in East and West, in Italian). In Testimone ment, in Italian). Cesena: Macro Edi- ultimately ought to grapple. This inclusive layer Italian). Como: Red Edizioni. dell‟infinito. Giordano Bruno 1600- zioni. wholeheartedly embraces a broader perspective, Bohm, D., & Krishnamurti, J. (1999). The limits 2000 (Witness of the infinite. Giordano Teodorani, M. (2011). Sincronicità (Synchronici- abetted by both the old wisdom and the new phy- of thought: Discussions between J. Bruno 1600-2000, in Italian) (pp. 74- ty, in Italian). Cesena: Macro Edizioni. sics, i.e. two languages still incomprehensible yet Krishnamurti and David Bohm. New 79). Perugia: Ali&No Editrice. Teodorani, M. (2012). Bohm. La fisica dell‟inifi- compelling and unsettling. Moreover, they strug- York: Routledge. Schuon, F. (1993). The transcendent unity of re- nito (Bohm, the physics of infinity, in gle with scientism and materialistic worldviews Capra, F. (1999). Il Tao della fisica (The Tao of ligions. Wheaton: Theosophical Publi- Italian). Cesena: Macro Edizioni. whose codes are instead apparent – at least in physics, in Italian). Milano: Adelphi. shing House. Wolf, F. A. (1986). Body quantum: The new comparison with the perennial/quantum idioms – D‟Adamo, A. (2015). Science without bounds: A Schuon, F. (2007). The perennial philosophy. In physics of body, mind and health. New yet poor and mostly important fruitless. synthesis of science, religion and mysti- The underlying religion. An introduc- York: McMillan. Perennial Philosophy thawed out a path of cism. Seattle: CreateSpace. tion to the Perennial Philosophy (pp. Yates, F. (1964). Giordano Bruno and the her- knowledge which was only metaphysical until Davies, P. C. W., & Brown, J. R. (1986). The 243-250) Bloomington: World Wis- metic tradition. 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Lo Yoga della Potenza (The Perennis (Metaphysical unity and reli- tro delle tradizioni d‟Oriente e d‟Occi- knowledge” – universal knowledge, perennial Yoga of power, in Italian). Roma: Med- gious plurality. Possible scenarios, star- dente (The perennial philosophy. The philosophy – setting in motion an unrelenting iterranee. ting from the Philosophia Perennis, in meeting of East and West traditions, in cultural breakthrough, confrontational and un- Fasoli, D. (1999, June 20). Il pensiero che ol- Italian). Nuovo giornale di Filosofia Italian). Milano: Mondadori. fathomable, which eventually will mightily chal- trepassa la parola (The thought that della religione (New Journal of Philos- Zolla, E. (2009). Gli arcani del potere (The ar- lenge most of the mainstream certainties about goes beyond the word, in Italian). ophy of Religion, in Italian), 13/14. Re- cana of power, in Italian). Milano: Bur. the world we attempted to describe, with no suc- L‟Unità. trieved from https://www.academia.ed- cess so far. Friedman, N. (2012). Bridging science and spirit. Suffolk: The Woodbridge Group. References Guggisberg Nocelli, P. (2011). La via della psi- cosintesi (The way of psychosynthesis, Assagioli, R. (1988). Lo sviluppo transpersonale in Italian). Firenze: L‟Uomo Edizioni. (Transpersonal development, in Itali- Huxley, A. (2009). The Perennial Philosophy, an). Roma: Astrolabio. New York: Harper Collins. La Porta, G. (2001). Giordano Bruno. Vita e av- venture di un pericoloso maestro del 25 Transpersonal psychologists are often paired to Peren- nial Philosophy, to this regard the author Norman pensiero (Giordano Bruno. Life and ad- Friedman (2012) speaking about Ken Wilber asserts ventures of a dangerous master of tho- that: “his work presents transpersonal psychology as ught, in Italian). Bologna: Bompiani. the modern expression of the Perennial Philosophy, or the application of the Perennial Philosophy to psychology” (p. 97).

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