Firthjof Schuon (1907-1998) was one of the great perennialists. He was interested in intersection of religion and philosophy that he called Religio Perennis. This is the root foundation of esoteric knowledge and our interface with God.
“The essential function of human intelligence is discernment between the Real and the illusory or between the Permanent and the impermanent, and the essential function of the will is attachment to the Permanent or the Real. This discernment and this attachment are the quintessence of all spirituality; carried to their highest level or reduced to their purest substance, they constitute the underlying universality in every great spiritual patrimony of humanity, or what may be called the religio perennis; this is the religion to which the sages adhere, one which is always and necessarily founded upon formal elements of divine institution.”
Frithjof Schuon, “Religio Perennis”, Light on the Ancient Worlds (Full article in PDF).
Frithjof Schuon, “Religio Perennis”, Light on the Ancient Worlds (Full article in PDF).
This is the Cosmic Christ that is spoken about by Richard Rohr without the political overlay and by Ted Nottingham. The religion of the Sages has always been with us but for much of history it has been hidden beneath layers of bureaucracy.
The tedious laws of the Hebrews hid the “great permanent spiritual source” under a cloak of social devices, a practice that was carried on by the Romans when they co-opted Christianity into the state church of the Empire. Many people have continued down this path to this day through the institutional approach to religion.
Today we are at a crossroads. The Christian faith is under assault from within and without. Western Civilization is teetering. Yet the basis for its survival is in plain sight.
Many of you have been enjoying Perennis blog for years since the print version cease to exist. After over a decade we continue to post on this blog as time permits. I still go to work everyday as an artist squeaking out a living with my wife creating things to sell. It is no easier today than ever .
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