The notion that Heaven is not bestowed, but must be stormed, finds its genesis in a biblical verse, Matthew 11:12. It reverberates through literary corridors from John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” to the lyrical musings of the Canadian rock band Rush. Knowledge, we realize, is not the terminus of our inner odyssey; it is but a prologue to transcendence. Transforming knowledge into a vehicle for transcendence requires a formidable force of will, indomitable courage, and the humility to acknowledge that, though our origins are shared and our ultimate goal universal, the pathways we traverse are uniquely our own. Every journey may yield insights, but it is not a template for the elevation of others. Each individual is tasked with forging their own vehicle, devising their methodologies, and summoning the requisite energy to breach the self-imposed barriers that circumscribe our human potential. Yet, in the end, we must all tread the same paths of learning and face the same challenges along the way.
Our common struggle towards consciousness has left, as its record, a mighty and labyrinthine edifice of experience, the sum of all human philosophy and religious tradition. Down one of its obscure corridors can be found a curious quartet of verbs – an ancient formula for attainment. The words are scire, velle, audere, tacere: to know, to will, to dare, and to be silent. These four verbs describe a cycle of positive intent and action, a strategy for those who aspire to transcend their current state. For heaven is not a passive destination; its attainment is an unending war against stagnation and complacence. The kingdom must be taken by storm. The way thither demands audacity and action, an orchestrated symphony of knowing, willing, daring, and in time, the profound eloquence of silence.
Delving into the esoteric realms of the Qabalah and the Tarot, we encounter potent symbols that echo the resonance of our collective human psyche. Death and the Devil emerge not as malevolent specters, but as guardians of the paths we tread. They are the sentinels of our ignorance and fears, formidable gatekeepers whose purpose is twofold: to challenge and to protect. Fear, that age-old specter, becomes the sentinel at the gates of unexplored possibilities, constraining us from venturing down pathways for which we may not yet possess the requisite strength. Ignorance, its twin in passive evil, tempts us to avoid knowledge – for knowledge is the death of ignorance.
These seemingly terrible guardians will only stand aside when confronted with their opposite virtues.
Once we acquire the twin virtues of wisdom and fortitude, the journey unfolds like a vast, cosmic tapestry. Navigating the pathways of human experience demands more than mere knowledge; it necessitates the gathering of willpower and the audacity to confront the shadows within ourselves. The contest we face is perennial, an eternal dance with the darkness that resides in the recesses of our being.
The final stage of the cycle is silence. Once we know what we must do, and have summoned the will to act, and have acted with resolve and fortitude, we do well to remember that victory is not often immediate. Nor is it the destiny of true warriors to rest upon their laurels: once the battle is won, it is time yet again to seek the stillness of mind that enables reflection and the clarity to plan the next cycle of growth – the storming of the newly scried ramparts on the higher ground unseen from our previous position.
Our stillness is also the result of humility learned through reflecting productively on failure. In the crucible of failure, a transformative alchemy occurs. With each misstep, a lesson is etched into the fabric of our being, fortifying us for the journey ahead. The persistent pursuit of learning and growth unveils a momentous day of reckoning. In this pivotal battle, the tides turn, and the specters of ignorance and fear retreat before the relentless onslaught of our will and dedication. The empowerment to change the conditions of our existence becomes a tangible reality. Life, once obscured by the shadows of uncertainty, unfolds like the parting clouds revealing a new landscape. Under the radiant sun of realization, the unknown becomes a canvas painted with the hues of endless possibilities. The symphony of transformation plays on, a perpetual cadence of evolution.
In this martial dance with our own evolution, an appeal resounds – a call to arms, not for a battle against external foes, but an inner conquest. It is an exhortation to embrace productive work towards the goal of psychological growth and spiritual enlightenment. Let our actions be the chisel that sculpts our own statues of self-realization. Let our endeavors be the alchemy that transmutes base elements of ignorance into the gold of wisdom.
In this symphony of scire, velle, audere, tacere, let the crescendo of our efforts storm the gates of Heaven. For when we join with others in the pursuit of the divine within, the quartet becomes an anthem, a melody that transcends the individual notes, echoing through the corridors of the cosmos. The journey is both personal and collective, and as we forge ahead, let our endeavors be a testament to the infinite possibilities that await those who dare to know, to will, to dare, and to be silent.