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BRAVO for your excellent video on William Blake! I read his complete collected works back in the 80s, and was utterly mesmerized by his incredible visions. You totally nailed everything in this excellent introductory video on him. Thank you!! It's so refreshing to hear someone talk about Blake and it's a very rare treat to listen to someone who actually gets what he was saying! You made my day
Thank You for this episode on William Blake... One of my heros He who binds to himself a joy Does the winged life destroy; But he who kisses the joy as it flies Lives in eternity's sun rise. ~William Blake
My biggest takeaway from Blake is that true imagination can only be directed outwards, and not inward. Imagination is not something we keep inside ourselves, but it’s something that flows outward to others, and embraces others. Inward expression, introspection, is a sterile, windowless prison for being. Imagination explores the world around us and embraces every new aspect it encounters with joy.
So little people are ready to accept other's imagination.. Though i agree with you.. My imagination's been so often rejected.. Guess who by.. Women.. Not inducing anything.. Just my own experience with the women i met.. Why are they seemingly so attached to their egos...?
I was first exposed to Blake's mythology and prophetic poetry when I rewatched Blade Runner earlier this year and decided to find out what Roy Batty meant when he said "Fiery the angels fell; deep thunder rolled around their shores; burning with the fires of Orc." That brought me to Blake's "America: A Prophecy": Fiery the Angels rose, & as they rose deep thunder roll'd Around their shores: indignant burning with the fires of Orc And Bostons Angel cried aloud as they flew thro' the dark night. I am glad today to finally learn who "Orc" is!
5:21 The way you pronounce Urizen just opened up the whole mythos for me, Doctor. I had not heard it pronounced the way you do, but it makes perfect sense. I first heard about William Blake decades ago, as a freshman studying Western LIterature. The professor could go on and on about Homer, St Augustine, Petrarch, Dante, Shakespeare and many others-- but when we got to Blake, he shrugged and admitted he was baffled by Blake's America, for example, and all the long poems. We learned Innocence & Experience. Nevertheless, I loved Blake for his Proverbs from Hell (I think it's called) because I recognized one in a Pretenders song circa 1980-- We are all of us in the gutter But some of us are looking at the stars. 🙏
I hear "Urizen" as a play on both "Your reason" and "Horizon". Blake tells us in "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" that reason is the outer bound or limit of energy, so comparing Urizen to the horizon -- the limit of our perception of a much larger world -- makes a great deal of sense, since for Blake that same definition applies to reason as well. The end of "Urizen" explicitly has the rebellious sons of Urizen rejecting and escaping from the fallen created world, which seems to contradict one of your arguments against Blake as a Gnostic prophet. I do agree that the label is at best an awkward fit. Thanks for mentioning that Blake is a saint of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (EGC). I'm a bishop of EGC, and I like to think that my constant pestering of the head of our church during the 1990s contributed to Blake's being acknowledged as a saint circa 2000. 🙂 I've adored Blake's work since discovering it in college, and have given several talks on his philosophy and mythology over the decades since. I'll be borrowing ideas from this video next time I give such a talk. Thank you for sharing your insights!
'"The morning comes, the night decays, the watchmen leave their stations; The grave is burst, the spices shed, the linen wrappèd up; The bones of death, the cov’ring clay, the sinews shrunk and dry’d Reviving shake, inspiring move, breathing, awakening, Spring like redeemèd captives, when their bonds and bars are burst, Let the slave grinding at the mill run out into the field, Let him look up into the heavens and laugh in the bright air; Let the enchainèd soul, shut up in darkness and in sighing, Whose face has never seen a smile in thirty weary years, Rise and look out; his chains are loose, his dungeon doors are open; And let his wife and children return from the oppressor’s scourge. They look behind at every step, and believe it is a dream, Singing: “The Sun has left his blackness, and has found a fresher morning, And the fair Moon rejoices in the clear and cloudless night; For Empire is no more, and now the Lion and Wolf shall cease.” That's poetry. I don't know what academic literary criticism can do with stuff like that. Blake is full of it.
There are only four authors to which I have dedicated more than one bookshelf: Blake, Goethe, Jung and James Joyce. Your videos are a refreshing drink from the waters of the depths, and I thank you.
I had bought the William Blake Tarot, and didn’t regret it. He’s got a lot of beautiful things to say, and what’s more beautiful than to boldly speak through poetry and art? Mans art will live on from generation to generation 💝
OH MY GOD IM SO HAPPY YOURE COVERING THIS TOPIC! You’re like one of my favorite history channels and I’ve been looking for explanations on William Blake’s stuff for so long I can’t beieve this is actually happening aaaa I havn’t even watched the video yet but I’m so excited thank you ^^
Beautiful introduction to a hard to approach genius. Blake had a huge influence on me in my youth, opening an inner world I previously didn't believe possible. A couple of notable "experiences" from those days were having Blake's words bleed from the page I was reading as sort of zap of light of what I now might call the luminosity of awareness, but then just seemed like some kind of divine poetic magic. Also, around that time, after reading Blake and meditating until the sun came up I remember seeing a huge protecting angel, like something off old Tarot cards, looking over some hard-working carpenters who, in the vision, were shingling on my neighbor's roof, but in "reality" were no more substantial than the angel. I more or less just looked up, saw this miraculous display and said "wow" to myself and laid back down on the floor. Hopefully those aren't too self-indulgent to share, just interesting to be reminded of how profound some of these Blake-influenced "glimpses beyond the veil" were for me and a testament (in my mind at least) to his spiritual and poetic realization, that truly transcend the confines of "consensus" reality and have the power to exert a liberating influence upon those with the right alignment of causes and conditions to be open to it. Very much looking forward to more Blake content and diving into some of these prophetic works myself with some of your helpful context. As much as I love Blake, I always hit a wall when it came to these texts, figuring I would just get lost and misread them without some kind of help. Think you are a perfect guide for this long-overdue exploration! Cheers!
The ultimate synchronicity - 7 or 8 days ago I asked the owner of the Spanish-language channel “Revelando el Velo” if he could work on William Blake’s work (not only his paintings and prints but also his poetry), and today I find this! Excellent analysis, thanks for sharing this with us
Blake is one of the most fascinating people to learn about. I'll admit I'm not terribly familiar with his work but you've got me hooked now. Last time I read Blake was over 10 years ago in high school so I'm looking forward to cracking open some of his lesser known works. Thanks Dr. Sledge!
Used your video for my 300 level British Lit After 1800 class. Great job. Students can follow this and you present it in a way that makes it interesting to them.
“What is now proved was once only imagined.” William Blake. He just saw things in brilliantly different ways and opened doors "To see the world in a grain of sand..."
I was introduced to Blake through Ulver's album "Themes From William Blake's the Marriage of Heaven and Hell". If you happen to be into "electronics, industrial music elements, progressive metal, avant-garde rock and ambient" (according to Wikipedia), check it out.
Man this is so cool. It feels less like a gnostic worldview to me, and more like a lashing out against the constraint of "rationality" and strict materialism that dismisses the human mind's "fanciful" thoughts. The tragedy doesn't, *really* feel like it's simply the creation of the physicals world, but the strict definition of it and the loss of imagination and infinite potential with it. It's such a raw cry of a man's creativity straining against what he saw as harsh limiting laws and the society that saw him as insane for finding beauty in his imagination colored view of the world. I hope he's happy how with the world has grown since his day
I just love how you cover such deep topics so well, while keeping a fun tongue in cheek dialog running in the background. Thanks for another lovely video.
Thanks for another great episode Dr Sledge. I look forward to more on Blake in the future. Blake's poetic works have long influenced my political outlook, but until now i knew very little about his mythological system and often found it bewildering. Excited to delve in further now that you've provided some bearings.
This is where my spiritual journey properly began. My first insight into the nature of reality happened because of this book. I very much enjoyed this interpretation. Thank you.
Blake seems to have had such a significant influence in a variety of realms, but strangely, little seems to be written about his philosophy in the grand scheme of things. Great video.
I’m really drawn to Blake’s work but it’s honestly impenetrable to me. So complex but seems genuinely inspired. Hopefully you can help me make sense of it in future episodes - I can’t wait. New patreon member here as well.
Surprised & grateful that you are taking up and making others aware of William Blake. I was gifted a few of his works and I find them quite marvelous. Creativity -> Imagination -> The Divine!
I'd watch an "intro to kabbalah" sized lecture series on this. I would go as far as taking a class on his work from you. I've always felt like Urizen and wrote as something like a character or figure like him and upon discovering Blake I felt like there was another who truly treads this path. ill just say I'm very excited to see what you have in store and have more gratitude for this then you know. thank Dr. Sludge.🖤🙏
Interesting facts: Blake was influenced by Thomas Taylor, which might be where all this Demiurgical business derives from; and since you mentioned Wollstonecraft, Taylor and his wife were landlords to Mary Wollstonecraft's family. Possibly why he composed his Declaration of Rights of Brutes the same year Wollstonecraft put out her Declaration of Rights of Women (1792).
🌈*the more you know* - But I wonder about the more evil-demiurge material? I imagine the more Platonic elements coming from Taylor but I think the only source for that gnosticy kind of stuff was probably Irenaeus (or Apostolic Fathers adjacent)? Surely someone's done this work already, though I didn't see much of a discussion in Fear Symmetry, which is a bear of a read but great.
@@TheEsotericaChannel Probably Taylor too? It was Taylor who translated Plotinus and brought attention to his anti-gnostic attitudes (Against Those That Affirm the Creator of the Cosmos and the Cosmos Itself to Be Evil)
Thx for commenting, you beat me to it! I've been a Blakean since the 70s and so few know this. Thomas Taylor was a giant of the intellect and a friend and influence on Blake via Plotinus. Kathleen Raine....
Soy estudiante de Bellas Artes en Brasil y nativa de una cultura indígena de los Andes, Quechua. No estudié Blake en el colegio y poquísimo en la uni, pero siempre me fascinó. Como mi próprio trabajo conceptualmente habla sobre crear versiones alternativas del catolicismo colonial, mesclando mi própria fé a una nueva iconografia, los textos gnósticos y los de Blake son una importante fuente de inspiración para mi. Por primera vez vi que la religión que persiguió mis ancestros tiene ella misma una cara mas cósmica y milenaria, algo que de cierta manera casi se parece a nosotros. Gracias por el tu trabajo! Está siendo transformador a una estudiante en artes en otro hemisferio!
Fantastic video as always professor. I’ve always found Blake interesting but I was always terrified that I wouldn’t get it so I didn’t start, a self fulfilling prophecy at its finest, so thank you for this introduction.
Thank you so much, I just wrote an essay on this exact piece! very helpful and validating. I look forward to more Blake mythos material on the channel.
"Can you imagine the Amazon reviews you'd get from Gabriel..." 😆😆 That is a great writing prompt. Fantastic piece, doctor. I find Blake endlessly fascinating and recently picked up the William Blake tarot deck. It's the kindest, most gentle deck I've interacted with. Beautiful, too, of course. Strongly recommended if you are into such things. Best holiday wishes to you and yours. Take care out there!
Thank you for this! I started noticing references to Blake everywhere from political and history writing to books on gardening, so I borrowed a copy of his complete works from the library. I was overwhelmed, to say the least. Having someone even point out where to start is a huge help. Looking forward to more videos on him!
Love it, not shoehorning him into Gnosticism. Blake was a member of Swedenborg's New Church (close by his home in Soho) as you identify and also as you indicate a free thinker. Whilst he was an early English Romantic, I do feel that he can be located in this tradition. Running through Ruskin up to William Morris. I cannot begin to describe how important Blake was to British culture in the 1960s and 70s. As a teenager I would spend hours in a darkened room in what is now the Tate Britain marvelling at his etchings. Even today he is an inspiration to legions of female jam makers across the UK, inspiring them to slow clap Tony Blair.
LOVELOVELOVE! just found your channel and already subbed. I knew of W. Blake and had read his poetry (my dad had a nice edition of his works that i skimmed from time to time) and seen some of his paintings.... BUT i never knew there was so much more under the surface. I have studied esotericism for awhile on and off and I never knew that Blake had this kind of foundation or works, I just knew there was some iconography and use of 'religion' in his paintings. I thank you so much for this episode and I really really hope that you delve more into Blake for us, as an artist and someone with esoteric interests I find it incredibly enlightening.
I wonder if there is at least a little of William Blake in Tom Bombadil. Apparently Blake sang his poems and was wont to scare his neighbours with his Edenic nudism in the confines of his garden. Many thanks for this video. I've struggled and failed to read Blake's prophetic poems. The Silmarillion is like a primer book in comparison.
I don't even know where to BEGIN talking about Blake... The biggest takeaway I have from Blake is that humans are here to be creative. He calls science the "tree of death" and art the "tree of life", and spoke of architecture as unique among the "four arts" because it's also a science. No doubt this was intertwined with his visions and ideas of what the temple of Solomon looked like. Some of the most obscure stuff I found in Blake: Time is male and space female? The angel with the flaming sword will come to cleanse the earth from it's state of being "finite and corrupt "Hold infinity in the palm of thy hand eternity in an hour" Blake's take on Ezekiel always fascinated me and he referred to this continent's indigenous people's spiritual practices having a strong similarity to Ezekiel (raising men to the infinite). I love his critique of Newton, who was to busy with "measuring" everything and would never see "the infinite" because of it. "Newton is an incel"'- William Blake, probably The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is amazing and my favorite
Thank you for covering this subject and sharing your knowledge. I first encountered these works of Blake in, of all places, a tabletop Role Playing Game Lords of Creation (1983), by Tom Moldvay. He even went so far as to include stat blocks for the Family of Los! I don't know Moldvay's background, but it might be worth looking at LoC from an esoteric perspective. There is a LOT of strange and unexpected stuff in there.
Had just recently hopped off a kind of beginner's introduction to Gnostic by Foolish Fish and had William Blake and Perennial Philosophy in mind at time! I'm thrilled for this focus on Blake's Gnostic worldview! I just know of the evocative Goya artwork!
I actually once again sat stunned at end credits like the epic battle story anticipated with War Scroll! Bravo on this monumental task on introducing Blake! Hopping onto Several Circles and I commented I had no inkling I would be diving headlong into Blake before today! And I had no idea that Blake himself was the artist for such evocative art of many tomes and themes!
Justin, you lay out the information so masterfully so as to allow us to make our own connections and conclusions and for that, I applaud you. Many thanks!
I did an art history paper on Blake in college. And of course got a kick out of seeing you end with The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun, the painting that so obsessed the main antagonist in the prequel to The Silence of the Lambs. Also thrilled that you mentioned his influence on His Dark Materials. 🖤 I don’t think we appreciate how much his influence has lingered.
Pro tip: If you are not already familiar with Blake, you will definitely want to watch the "Several Circles" episode BEFORE watching this one. That said, they're both excellent!
Excellent video. I've always been fascinated by Blake and his prophetic genius but found his later work difficult to approach. Thank you so much for making them accessible. I'm so excited to revisit them now. Keep them coming!!!
Hello professor! I have used this video in a presentation I gave as a student in my British literature class. Everybody enjoyed your perspective, which I presented in a powerpoint. When I said "Urizen" as in "Your reason" everybody was flabergasted. 🤣
This is fascinating to me--we covered some Blake poems in my lit courses but nothing like this. I recognize the lower-right image at 12:07 but had no idea where it came from.
Blake’s poetry has always been a favorite of mine but this is a side I was less familiar with. Not a big shock considering I went to Catholic school my entire life. 😂 Please do a more in-depth episode of the mystical side of his work. This was fascinating!
Blake’s understanding of the devil is heavily influenced by Milton. The idea of materialism, ego, quantitative/qualitative duality and symbolism as a rift between God and man.
This was truly enjoyable, and for myself, educational. I’ve never heard of 5e se writings, by Blake, and will be reviewing them myself, deeply. Ty for bringing them to my awareness. This is the first video I’ve discovered by you, and I look forward to scouring your channel. Subscribed.
Such a good video, good job, every second I listen or read about Blake makes me love him more. I find it very difficult to read his text themselves, because english is not my first language and I struggle with the old and complex language he writes in. I love his prints and engravings also, his style is so unique and recognisable, makes me feel like a prophet just by looking at it lol
This is absolutely fascinating! While I was familiar with Blake to some degree before watching this video, I had no idea about any of his mythology. Really looking forward to future videos on Blake.
Thank you, I've always revered Blake. Much of his wonderful artwork is in a room in a British museum where I spent an enjoyable afternoon. I look forward to the next video.
The character of Orc could also be a partial inspiration for Roy Batty of Blade Runner - the character mis-quotes Blake's character Orc from the poem "America." Very cool stuff! I love your videos, so super interesting and insightful and educational.
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BRAVO for your excellent video on William Blake! I read his complete collected works back in the 80s, and was utterly mesmerized by his incredible visions. You totally nailed everything in this excellent introductory video on him. Thank you!! It's so refreshing to hear someone talk about Blake and it's a very rare treat to listen to someone who actually gets what he was saying! You made my day
Anything on the essene sects?
Thank you for making your videos and sharing 🙏🏼💞 you're so appreciated 🙏
Thank You for this episode on William Blake... One of my heros
He who binds to himself a joy
Does the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in eternity's sun rise.
~William Blake
My biggest takeaway from Blake is that true imagination can only be directed outwards, and not inward. Imagination is not something we keep inside ourselves, but it’s something that flows outward to others, and embraces others. Inward expression, introspection, is a sterile, windowless prison for being. Imagination explores the world around us and embraces every new aspect it encounters with joy.
So little people are ready to accept other's imagination.. Though i agree with you.. My imagination's been so often rejected.. Guess who by.. Women.. Not inducing anything.. Just my own experience with the women i met.. Why are they seemingly so attached to their egos...?
@I D whats inside yourself does not exists in this world unless explicitely expressed
The one could say introspection leads to freedom -> Know Thyself, As Self, For Self....
@I D to be or not to be, chicken and egg.. Man n monkey ^^
@I D hate nine
I was first exposed to Blake's mythology and prophetic poetry when I rewatched Blade Runner earlier this year and decided to find out what Roy Batty meant when he said "Fiery the angels fell; deep thunder rolled around their shores; burning with the fires of Orc." That brought me to Blake's "America: A Prophecy":
Fiery the Angels rose, & as they rose deep thunder roll'd
Around their shores: indignant burning with the fires of Orc
And Bostons Angel cried aloud as they flew thro' the dark night.
I am glad today to finally learn who "Orc" is!
Always have been quite amazed how Blake came up with this world-building project and expressed it in different media.
5:21 The way you pronounce Urizen just opened up the whole mythos for me, Doctor. I had not heard it pronounced the way you do, but it makes perfect sense. I first heard about William Blake decades ago, as a freshman studying Western LIterature. The professor could go on and on about Homer, St Augustine, Petrarch, Dante, Shakespeare and many others-- but when we got to Blake, he shrugged and admitted he was baffled by Blake's America, for example, and all the long poems. We learned Innocence & Experience. Nevertheless, I loved Blake for his Proverbs from Hell (I think it's called) because I recognized one in a Pretenders song circa 1980--
We are all of us in the gutter
But some of us are looking at the stars.
🙏
I hear "Urizen" as a play on both "Your reason" and "Horizon". Blake tells us in "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" that reason is the outer bound or limit of energy, so comparing Urizen to the horizon -- the limit of our perception of a much larger world -- makes a great deal of sense, since for Blake that same definition applies to reason as well.
The end of "Urizen" explicitly has the rebellious sons of Urizen rejecting and escaping from the fallen created world, which seems to contradict one of your arguments against Blake as a Gnostic prophet. I do agree that the label is at best an awkward fit.
Thanks for mentioning that Blake is a saint of Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica (EGC). I'm a bishop of EGC, and I like to think that my constant pestering of the head of our church during the 1990s contributed to Blake's being acknowledged as a saint circa 2000. 🙂
I've adored Blake's work since discovering it in college, and have given several talks on his philosophy and mythology over the decades since. I'll be borrowing ideas from this video next time I give such a talk. Thank you for sharing your insights!
That quote is from Oscar Wilde.
I never studied literature at a university, but Blake's America is one of my favourite poems
'"The morning comes, the night decays, the watchmen leave their stations;
The grave is burst, the spices shed, the linen wrappèd up;
The bones of death, the cov’ring clay, the sinews shrunk and dry’d
Reviving shake, inspiring move, breathing, awakening,
Spring like redeemèd captives, when their bonds and bars are burst,
Let the slave grinding at the mill run out into the field,
Let him look up into the heavens and laugh in the bright air;
Let the enchainèd soul, shut up in darkness and in sighing,
Whose face has never seen a smile in thirty weary years,
Rise and look out; his chains are loose, his dungeon doors are open;
And let his wife and children return from the oppressor’s scourge.
They look behind at every step, and believe it is a dream,
Singing: “The Sun has left his blackness, and has found a fresher morning,
And the fair Moon rejoices in the clear and cloudless night;
For Empire is no more, and now the Lion and Wolf shall cease.”
That's poetry. I don't know what academic literary criticism can do with stuff like that. Blake is full of it.
there's literature on the various pronunciations, it's a thing
There are only four authors to which I have dedicated more than one bookshelf: Blake, Goethe, Jung and James Joyce. Your videos are a refreshing drink from the waters of the depths, and I thank you.
I had bought the William Blake Tarot, and didn’t regret it. He’s got a lot of beautiful things to say, and what’s more beautiful than to boldly speak through poetry and art? Mans art will live on from generation to generation 💝
OH MY GOD IM SO HAPPY YOURE COVERING THIS TOPIC! You’re like one of my favorite history channels and I’ve been looking for explanations on William Blake’s stuff for so long I can’t beieve this is actually happening aaaa I havn’t even watched the video yet but I’m so excited thank you ^^
Beautiful introduction to a hard to approach genius. Blake had a huge influence on me in my youth, opening an inner world I previously didn't believe possible. A couple of notable "experiences" from those days were having Blake's words bleed from the page I was reading as sort of zap of light of what I now might call the luminosity of awareness, but then just seemed like some kind of divine poetic magic. Also, around that time, after reading Blake and meditating until the sun came up I remember seeing a huge protecting angel, like something off old Tarot cards, looking over some hard-working carpenters who, in the vision, were shingling on my neighbor's roof, but in "reality" were no more substantial than the angel. I more or less just looked up, saw this miraculous display and said "wow" to myself and laid back down on the floor. Hopefully those aren't too self-indulgent to share, just interesting to be reminded of how profound some of these Blake-influenced "glimpses beyond the veil" were for me and a testament (in my mind at least) to his spiritual and poetic realization, that truly transcend the confines of "consensus" reality and have the power to exert a liberating influence upon those with the right alignment of causes and conditions to be open to it. Very much looking forward to more Blake content and diving into some of these prophetic works myself with some of your helpful context. As much as I love Blake, I always hit a wall when it came to these texts, figuring I would just get lost and misread them without some kind of help. Think you are a perfect guide for this long-overdue exploration! Cheers!
The ultimate synchronicity - 7 or 8 days ago I asked the owner of the Spanish-language channel “Revelando el Velo” if he could work on William Blake’s work (not only his paintings and prints but also his poetry), and today I find this! Excellent analysis, thanks for sharing this with us
Yo tambien se lo iba pedir XD
Blake is one of the most fascinating people to learn about. I'll admit I'm not terribly familiar with his work but you've got me hooked now. Last time I read Blake was over 10 years ago in high school so I'm looking forward to cracking open some of his lesser known works. Thanks Dr. Sledge!
@@Pfeffa Thanks for the recommendations! I'll be sure to check all of those out.
This is my favorite analysis of Devil May Cry V to date.
Used your video for my 300 level British Lit After 1800 class. Great job. Students can follow this and you present it in a way that makes it interesting to them.
Wonderful - glad to hear it!
“What is now proved was once only imagined.” William Blake. He just saw things in brilliantly different ways and opened doors "To see the world in a grain of sand..."
Your dry wit and delivery positively slay me. 👏
waited so long for someone to break this down with your cleanliness, objectivity, respectful & sacred precision.
🙏
I was introduced to Blake through Ulver's album "Themes From William Blake's the Marriage of Heaven and Hell". If you happen to be into "electronics, industrial music elements, progressive metal, avant-garde rock and ambient" (according to Wikipedia), check it out.
I’ve been fascinated by Blake since I wrote my BA thesis about him in the 1960s.
Man this is so cool. It feels less like a gnostic worldview to me, and more like a lashing out against the constraint of "rationality" and strict materialism that dismisses the human mind's "fanciful" thoughts. The tragedy doesn't, *really* feel like it's simply the creation of the physicals world, but the strict definition of it and the loss of imagination and infinite potential with it. It's such a raw cry of a man's creativity straining against what he saw as harsh limiting laws and the society that saw him as insane for finding beauty in his imagination colored view of the world.
I hope he's happy how with the world has grown since his day
I just love how you cover such deep topics so well, while keeping a fun tongue in cheek dialog running in the background. Thanks for another lovely video.
Whoa I had no idea this video was coming. William Blake is one of my biggest influences. I appreciate you doing a video on his mythology
Didn't expect this as a topic! Nice one. Greetings from the land on which those feet in ancient times
gotta stay away from those dark satanic mills!
@@TheEsotericaChannel red rag to a bull
Wow! I had no idea about this facet of Blake!
thanks!
Thanks for another great episode Dr Sledge. I look forward to more on Blake in the future. Blake's poetic works have long influenced my political outlook, but until now i knew very little about his mythological system and often found it bewildering. Excited to delve in further now that you've provided some bearings.
I've been waiting for you to get to Blake. Thank you. You may have changed my mind on Blake's "Prophetic" works.
This is where my spiritual journey properly began. My first insight into the nature of reality happened because of this book. I very much enjoyed this interpretation. Thank you.
Blake seems to have had such a significant influence in a variety of realms, but strangely, little seems to be written about his philosophy in the grand scheme of things.
Great video.
Outstanding Work, Thanks.
“When gold & gems adorn the plow to peaceful arts will envy bow”~Blake
I’m really drawn to Blake’s work but it’s honestly impenetrable to me. So complex but seems genuinely inspired. Hopefully you can help me make sense of it in future episodes - I can’t wait. New patreon member here as well.
Many thanks!
Wow! What synchronicity! Just as I was looking for the Blake quote about systems to post it here, you throw it out in the video. Truly spectacular!
Until this video I did not know that Blake lived in the London borough of Lambeth which is where I currently live!
Blake and Austin Osman Spare have always reminded me of each other
Surprised & grateful that you are taking up and making others aware of William Blake. I was gifted a few of his works and I find them quite marvelous.
Creativity -> Imagination -> The Divine!
I'd watch an "intro to kabbalah" sized lecture series on this. I would go as far as taking a class on his work from you. I've always felt like Urizen and wrote as something like a character or figure like him and upon discovering Blake I felt like there was another who truly treads this path. ill just say I'm very excited to see what you have in store and have more gratitude for this then you know. thank Dr. Sludge.🖤🙏
Much gratitude for your work. I shall be attending every class! Best wishes for happy holidays. Smiles.
Interesting facts: Blake was influenced by Thomas Taylor, which might be where all this Demiurgical business derives from; and since you mentioned Wollstonecraft, Taylor and his wife were landlords to Mary Wollstonecraft's family. Possibly why he composed his Declaration of Rights of Brutes the same year Wollstonecraft put out her Declaration of Rights of Women (1792).
🌈*the more you know* - But I wonder about the more evil-demiurge material? I imagine the more Platonic elements coming from Taylor but I think the only source for that gnosticy kind of stuff was probably Irenaeus (or Apostolic Fathers adjacent)? Surely someone's done this work already, though I didn't see much of a discussion in Fear Symmetry, which is a bear of a read but great.
@@TheEsotericaChannel Probably Taylor too? It was Taylor who translated Plotinus and brought attention to his anti-gnostic attitudes (Against Those That Affirm the Creator of the Cosmos and the Cosmos Itself to Be Evil)
Yeah, could be - I've been reading that section for the upcoming Collab
Also, when we gettin the four zoas audiobook ;)
Thx for commenting, you beat me to it! I've been a Blakean since the 70s and so few know this. Thomas Taylor was a giant of the intellect and a friend and influence on Blake via Plotinus. Kathleen Raine....
Soy estudiante de Bellas Artes en Brasil y nativa de una cultura indígena de los Andes, Quechua. No estudié Blake en el colegio y poquísimo en la uni, pero siempre me fascinó. Como mi próprio trabajo conceptualmente habla sobre crear versiones alternativas del catolicismo colonial, mesclando mi própria fé a una nueva iconografia, los textos gnósticos y los de Blake son una importante fuente de inspiración para mi. Por primera vez vi que la religión que persiguió mis ancestros tiene ella misma una cara mas cósmica y milenaria, algo que de cierta manera casi se parece a nosotros. Gracias por el tu trabajo! Está siendo transformador a una estudiante en artes en otro hemisferio!
Fantastic video as always professor. I’ve always found Blake interesting but I was always terrified that I wouldn’t get it so I didn’t start, a self fulfilling prophecy at its finest, so thank you for this introduction.
Thank you so much, I just wrote an essay on this exact piece! very helpful and validating. I look forward to more Blake mythos material on the channel.
Please go further into Blake! There is so very much we can learn from him and so few seem willing to venture into his mystic notions.
Blake is a fascinating character. I will admit, understanding his works is not easy for me. Another reason I love this channel!
"Can you imagine the Amazon reviews you'd get from Gabriel..." 😆😆 That is a great writing prompt. Fantastic piece, doctor. I find Blake endlessly fascinating and recently picked up the William Blake tarot deck. It's the kindest, most gentle deck I've interacted with. Beautiful, too, of course. Strongly recommended if you are into such things.
Best holiday wishes to you and yours. Take care out there!
Thank you for this! I started noticing references to Blake everywhere from political and history writing to books on gardening, so I borrowed a copy of his complete works from the library. I was overwhelmed, to say the least. Having someone even point out where to start is a huge help. Looking forward to more videos on him!
Been waiting for this one
Love it, not shoehorning him into Gnosticism. Blake was a member of Swedenborg's New Church (close by his home in Soho) as you identify and also as you indicate a free thinker. Whilst he was an early English Romantic, I do feel that he can be located in this tradition. Running through Ruskin up to William Morris.
I cannot begin to describe how important Blake was to British culture in the 1960s and 70s. As a teenager I would spend hours in a darkened room in what is now the Tate Britain marvelling at his etchings. Even today he is an inspiration to legions of female jam makers across the UK, inspiring them to slow clap Tony Blair.
LOVELOVELOVE! just found your channel and already subbed. I knew of W. Blake and had read his poetry (my dad had a nice edition of his works that i skimmed from time to time) and seen some of his paintings.... BUT i never knew there was so much more under the surface. I have studied esotericism for awhile on and off and I never knew that Blake had this kind of foundation or works, I just knew there was some iconography and use of 'religion' in his paintings.
I thank you so much for this episode and I really really hope that you delve more into Blake for us, as an artist and someone with esoteric interests I find it incredibly enlightening.
I wonder if there is at least a little of William Blake in Tom Bombadil.
Apparently Blake sang his poems and was wont to scare his neighbours with his Edenic nudism in the confines of his garden.
Many thanks for this video.
I've struggled and failed to read Blake's prophetic poems.
The Silmarillion is like a primer book in comparison.
I don't even know where to BEGIN talking about Blake...
The biggest takeaway I have from Blake is that humans are here to be creative. He calls science the "tree of death" and art the "tree of life", and spoke of architecture as unique among the "four arts" because it's also a science. No doubt this was intertwined with his visions and ideas of what the temple of Solomon looked like.
Some of the most obscure stuff I found in Blake:
Time is male and space female?
The angel with the flaming sword will come to cleanse the earth from it's state of being "finite and corrupt
"Hold infinity in the palm of thy hand eternity in an hour"
Blake's take on Ezekiel always fascinated me and he referred to this continent's indigenous people's spiritual practices having a strong similarity to Ezekiel (raising men to the infinite).
I love his critique of Newton, who was to busy with "measuring" everything and would never see "the infinite" because of it.
"Newton is an incel"'- William Blake, probably
The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is amazing and my favorite
I've always seen Blake as a proto symbolist a precursor of A.o. Spare.
Bravo professor!!
Finally overcoming my laziness and happy to thank you and support you for all your hard work and excellent content!
Thank you for covering this subject and sharing your knowledge.
I first encountered these works of Blake in, of all places, a tabletop Role Playing Game Lords of Creation (1983), by Tom Moldvay. He even went so far as to include stat blocks for the Family of Los! I don't know Moldvay's background, but it might be worth looking at LoC from an esoteric perspective. There is a LOT of strange and unexpected stuff in there.
I love his favourite phrase; "Tour de Force"
Good stuff. Thank you!
Had just recently hopped off a kind of beginner's introduction to Gnostic by Foolish Fish and had William Blake and Perennial Philosophy in mind at time! I'm thrilled for this focus on Blake's Gnostic worldview! I just know of the evocative Goya artwork!
I actually once again sat stunned at end credits like the epic battle story anticipated with War Scroll! Bravo on this monumental task on introducing Blake! Hopping onto Several Circles and I commented I had no inkling I would be diving headlong into Blake before today! And I had no idea that Blake himself was the artist for such evocative art of many tomes and themes!
I love it... please more Blake!
You explain things clearly.
Always a must click when Esoterica uploads!
Blake is the coolest. I enjoyed learning about his poetry and art at university.
Justin, you lay out the information so masterfully so as to allow us to make our own connections and conclusions and for that, I applaud you. Many thanks!
I did an art history paper on Blake in college. And of course got a kick out of seeing you end with The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed with the Sun, the painting that so obsessed the main antagonist in the prequel to The Silence of the Lambs. Also thrilled that you mentioned his influence on His Dark Materials. 🖤 I don’t think we appreciate how much his influence has lingered.
This is the best video so far! Max level upg. Thank you for exploring this with us, looking forward to the next one!
The Book of Urizen was always my favorite Blake work!
Several Circles is amazing! If you haven't, binge their channel lol
Many details in this, as I am sure you know, are echoed in the album Chemical Wedding by Bruce Dickison
❤More Blake, please and thank you❤
Awesome! Thank you for covering Blake, I'll be eagerly awaiting more videos on that
I have been meaning to look into this very subject for a couple of years. Thank you once again, Dr. Sledge.
If I can remember correctly I think Elaine Pagels described the Gnostic use of either Pronoia or Epinoia as "Creative Imagination."
Anyone wanting to pay their respects he is buried in a tiny graveyard between Old Street and Whitecross Street. I used to go daily to say hi
Pro tip: If you are not already familiar with Blake, you will definitely want to watch the "Several Circles" episode BEFORE watching this one. That said, they're both excellent!
Excellent video. I've always been fascinated by Blake and his prophetic genius but found his later work difficult to approach. Thank you so much for making them accessible. I'm so excited to revisit them now. Keep them coming!!!
How beautiful his aquarells are!
Hello professor! I have used this video in a presentation I gave as a student in my British literature class. Everybody enjoyed your perspective, which I presented in a powerpoint. When I said "Urizen" as in "Your reason" everybody was flabergasted. 🤣
This has been my favorite channel since it got started. And now... this is my favorite video. Thank you for the consistently best content. 💯 × 💯
As usual thank you for the lessons and wisdom. We appreciate it.
I am almost through all the videos on your channel!
One of my favorite of Blake's aphorisms is "Body is a portion of Soul discerned by the five senses."
incredible video
Kinda up your alley - hope you're well !
Thank you for everything you do on this channel, brother!
William Blake is my intellectual hero, proper nut job, man out of time
Excellent talk
Thank you for all the content you make. Including W.B.
Wonderfully lucid exposition of Blake’s daunting work…and I will reiterate my plea for a video discussing the Dictionnaire Infernal.
I truly appreciate your erudite and complimentary view of the poet's mythos ❤
Absolutely wonderful...I loved the ending. You've opened the door for a deeper understanding, hexwas sobelusive to me before this..thank you.
Wow, really excellent that this kind of level of esoteric information is available anywhere. Thank you
This is fascinating to me--we covered some Blake poems in my lit courses but nothing like this. I recognize the lower-right image at 12:07 but had no idea where it came from.
Blake’s poetry has always been a favorite of mine but this is a side I was less familiar with. Not a big shock considering I went to Catholic school my entire life. 😂 Please do a more in-depth episode of the mystical side of his work. This was fascinating!
Thank you Brother for all of your important work. I enjoy your channel so much 🙏🏼
This was somewhat hard to follow, but that last quote was incredible!
Blake’s understanding of the devil is heavily influenced by Milton. The idea of materialism, ego, quantitative/qualitative duality and symbolism as a rift between God and man.
Thank you for making this level of discourse available to us plebians.
This was truly enjoyable, and for myself, educational. I’ve never heard of 5e se writings, by Blake, and will be reviewing them myself, deeply. Ty for bringing them to my awareness. This is the first video I’ve discovered by you, and I look forward to scouring your channel. Subscribed.
Such a good video, good job, every second I listen or read about Blake makes me love him more. I find it very difficult to read his text themselves, because english is not my first language and I struggle with the old and complex language he writes in. I love his prints and engravings also, his style is so unique and recognisable, makes me feel like a prophet just by looking at it lol
Lmao wise AND funny. Thank you for all your hard work and dedication to enlightening others. You are definitely a light to the world
This is absolutely fascinating! While I was familiar with Blake to some degree before watching this video, I had no idea about any of his mythology. Really looking forward to future videos on Blake.
Thank you, I've always revered Blake. Much of his wonderful artwork is in a room in a British museum where I spent an enjoyable afternoon. I look forward to the next video.
It is worth pointing out that the name Urizen is also linked to horizon.
The character of Orc could also be a partial inspiration for Roy Batty of Blade Runner - the character mis-quotes Blake's character Orc from the poem "America." Very cool stuff! I love your videos, so super interesting and insightful and educational.