7th International Conference of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism Western Esotericism and Consciousness: Visions, Voices, Altered States BOOK OF ABSTRACTS University of Amsterdam, 2-4 July 2019 ESSWE7 7th International Conference of the European Society for the Study of Western Esotericism Western Esotericism and Consciousness: Visions, Voices, Altered States University of Amsterdam 2-4 July 2019 BOOK OF ABSTRACTS Beth Abbate Colors of the Celestial City: Esoteric and Cognitive Aspects of Messiaen’s Synesthetic Consciousness Sound-color synesthesia, associated with the attainment of a higher spiritual state by Blavatsky and Steiner and embraced by symbolist poets and Second Viennese School composers, was initially not given much credence by academic researchers. More recently, cognitive science research on synesthesia has blossomed, with particular emphasis on its relevance for “better understanding of consciousness.” Composer Olivier Messiaen’s synesthetic mind and music provide a particularly fruitful focal point for considering intersections of esoteric and academically defined concepts of altered states of consciousness. His sound-color synesthesia, sometimes experienced in dream states as “a gyrating fusion of superhuman sound and color,” was integral to the often deeply esoteric visions that he conveyed through his music, yet he himself sought a scientific explanation for his experiences. This paper will, first, explore a phenomenology of Messiaen’s synesthesia by placing some of his observations on his experiences into contrasting interpretive frameworks. Thus sound-color correspondences experienced at the point of sleep could be attributable to the suppression of neocortical areas of the brain together with activation of the more image- and symbol-oriented limbic areas, but they also have similarities to “hypnagogia”—visual, auditory, and other hallucinations at the onset of sleep that have been linked to Leadbeater and Besant’s “thought-forms.” It will then focus on Messiaen’s 1963 Couleurs de la Cité Celeste, a depiction of the “celestial visions” in the book of Revelation that so fascinated Messiaen, who linked St. John’s visions of rainbows and walls set with gems of every color with the lifelong “dazzlement” that he experienced gazing at medieval stained glass. Conceived entirely synesthetically, with “complexes of sounds and timbres evolv[ing] in the manner of colours …[and] turn[ing] on itself like a rose window,” and with color associations indicated throughout, Couleurs both illuminates the composer’s consciousness and demonstrates how, through harmonic-timbral complexes and unusual overtones, the composer conveys his experience to his listeners. Eyad Abuali Diagnostic Oneirology in Kubrawi Sufism: The Development of Sufi Dream Theory in the 12th and 13th Centuries Medieval Islamic dream science has not received much attention in studies concerning Islamic thought and society. The significance of dreams has often been diminished as phenomena which are irrelevant to historic events. In addition, Sufis who devoted much of their attention to dream theory were often considered ascetics and recluses who were uninterested in questions pertaining to society. By contrast, this presentation will argue that understanding the development of dream sciences in the medieval period offers important insights into the development of Islamic thought and society. This presentation will attempt to account for the development of dream theory into a coherent and systematic oneirology in the 12th and 13th centuries. It will argue that the adoption of important philosophical concepts into Sufi thought in this period enabled a more systematic shift from divinatory to diagnostic oneirology within Kubrawī Sufism. These developments accompanied the increasing importance of Sufism in the 12th and 13th centuries which witnessed the transition of Sufi communities into orders. Hence, the emergence of systematic diagnostic Sufi oneirologies in this period are directly related to significant developments in Islamic thought, as well as important societal changes in the history of the Islamic world. Riikka Ala-Hakula Austin Osman Spare’s Contribution to the Tradition of Magical Monograms English artist Austin Osman Spare (1886–1956) was an influential but an unsung figure of early twentieth century occultism. He developed a novel technique of magical monograms, which was influenced by Medieval Magic, which in turn has roots extending to the use of magical signs in Antiquity. The term “monogram” is part of Benoît Grévin's and Julien Véronèse's classification that divided medieval characters into six families: a) conventional signs b) simple geometric signs c) pseudo-ideograms d) caractères à lunettes e) monograms and (f) complex geometric compositions. They define the term monogram: “signs composed of identifiable elements such as letters.” In Spare’s system a person’s desire is the starting point for the creation of a monogram. It should be written on paper by formulating it in a short sentence. Then, the visual elements of letters of the sentence are reformulated by creating a new magical sign from the parts of the letters. The magnum opus of the Renaissance Magic Cornelius Agrippa’s De occulta philosophia (1486–1535) gives an instruction for creating magical monograms that have similarities with Spare’s system. Moreover, the manual of ceremonial magic Lemegeton (compiled in the 17th century) contains magical monograms that have a visual likeness with Spare’s signs. These monograms were used to contact the good or evil spirits which gave the exorcist favorable services. Yet, Spare’s monograms were private symbols with which he communicated with the subconscious. In the paper I will compare Spare’s use of magical monograms to their traditional use in the magic manuals Lemegeton and De occulta philosophia. Kurosh Amoui Reading the Aleph in Isfahan: the Esoteric and the Islamicate in Works of Jorge Luis Borges In line with the recent developments in the academic study of esotericism, and the formulation of esotericism as a category of “rejected knowledge,” this paper investigates the extent of esoteric themes and characteristics in works of the Argentinian author Jorge Luis Borges (1899- 1986). I first examine Borges’ general approach to esotericism as reflected in his short stories, essays, and poems—e.g. their references to Gnosticism, Zoroastrianism, and Kabbalah. I will then situate Borges’ interest in and inspiration from the Islamicate culture, above all The 1001 Nights (or The Arabian Nights), within his broader understanding of esotericism. My work also looks at the history of translating Borges’ works into Farsi, and the ways in which his writings have inspired a generation of authors in Iran known as the Isfahan School, and works of fiction like Bahram Sadeghi’s Malkuth (1961) and Hushang Golshiri’s The Book of Jinn (1997) that possess strong esoteric motifs. In the final analysis, I will discuss how this transmission of esoteric themes—from The 1001 Nights to Borges to the Isfahan School—challenges the common premises of the discourse of Orientalism, as framed in the works of Edward Said, by approaching “the orient” as a playful and diverse construct instead of a fixed and unchanging essence. Julia Andreeva Energy, Information and Spiritual Messages in Russian Intentional Communities New Age religion, oriented to this-worldly achievements and values, seeks to deal with the otherworldly experience as a part of everyday life. The altered state of consciousness is one of the goals, sought by religion in general (Bourguignon 1973) and New Age in particular (Hanegraaff 1996: 51). To make contact with a spiritual reality, people use different mind- expanding techniques or they need to be in a special place and time. In my paper, I will focus on some groups of Russian New Agers who are involved in the construction of intentional communities (ecovillages) where they want to escape from the urban and human miseries. For them, the whole environment is full of energy, which is distributed in different proportions and, of course, in nature a person can obtain more knowledge and health. The purer and the more mindful the individual, the more spiritual information one can receive from the universe. The ecovillagers interpret many everyday practices as influenced by supernatural agents, nature, and earth. New Agers make decisions guided not only by rationality, reason and knowledge but also by intuition, and some messages they receive through dreams, special physical or spiritual techniques, and contacts with nature, by help of sacred objects or places. These sensations reflect reality even more accurately than science and rational arguments; moreover, this extraordinary experience is available for every person who is ready to receive it. Tiziano Anzuini Mystical experiences and kabbalistic wisdom in Jacques Gaffarel’s works The Orientalist Jacques Gaffarel (1601–1681) was often mentioned, mostly as a literary forger, but rarely studied. As a matter of fact, all we know about his life deals with his youth, when he was Richelieu’s librarian, interested in the Christian Kabbalah. The aim of this paper is to analyse how Gaffarel merges together referred supernatural experiences, kabbalistic literature and Christian tradition, thus creating an original patchwork and seeking to ensure a deeper knowledge of the world as well as of the human being. Our study will particularly focus on Abdita divinae cabalae mysteria (1625) and