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Psychic Terror, Cosmic Horror
Aug. 1st, 2007 09:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
joysilenceLJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY paul_holman)
'Somewhere deeply rooted in the consciousness of humanity there exists the absolute objectification of psychic terror. This point is the basis for the total and unyielding pervasiveness of man's instinct for cosmic horror. This reality is not something which can easily be rationalized by simplistic categories, rather it escapes all attempts at categorical exorcism, whether they be rationalistic or mystical. Humanity is in the grip of a violent power of primordial chaos, which continually emerges and as yet is continually avoided by our sciences, arts, and all cultural systems of valuation.
But is this the truest essence of survival, if we must survive in a state of total psychic terror every moment of our lives, every experience of life somehow based on the feeling that below the surfaces the terror of nothingness can be said to exist, every idea being somewhat distorted because the light is not real nor is the light there?'
A quote from Michael Bertiaux's 'Voudon Gnostic Workbook', now reprinted, which I thought might strike a chord with some here.
paul_holman)'Somewhere deeply rooted in the consciousness of humanity there exists the absolute objectification of psychic terror. This point is the basis for the total and unyielding pervasiveness of man's instinct for cosmic horror. This reality is not something which can easily be rationalized by simplistic categories, rather it escapes all attempts at categorical exorcism, whether they be rationalistic or mystical. Humanity is in the grip of a violent power of primordial chaos, which continually emerges and as yet is continually avoided by our sciences, arts, and all cultural systems of valuation.
But is this the truest essence of survival, if we must survive in a state of total psychic terror every moment of our lives, every experience of life somehow based on the feeling that below the surfaces the terror of nothingness can be said to exist, every idea being somewhat distorted because the light is not real nor is the light there?'
A quote from Michael Bertiaux's 'Voudon Gnostic Workbook', now reprinted, which I thought might strike a chord with some here.
