This is the third part of a series discussing, chapter by chapter, the book, “Natural Table” by Louis Claude de Saint-Martin. The first in the series can be found here, and the previous article is here.

Communication

Communication is absolutely fascinating. Taking a physicalist point of view for a moment (a stance I entirely disagree with, but bear with me), it can be thought of as a way to for me to change the chemical state of your brain to match mine. For example, the ideas that I am trying to express on this page are associated with a certain physical state of my brain. If I do a persuasive job in writing this, then your brain will have a matching state by the time you’ve finished reading.

I am quite sure that Saint-Martin would not agree with this physicalist description, but it is a similar idea with which he begins the third chapter of his book, “Natural Table”. We speak, write, produce art, perform political acts, etc., all in an effort to unify others with us. Perhaps to persuade them of a point of view, or perhaps to convince them of our political power, but always to reduce the distance between ourselves and others.

Saint-Martin sees this desire for unity throughout nature, and it is only due to our “separatedness” that we are forced to use material means (art, speech, etc.) to accomplish it.

As usual Saint-Martin takes his argument, and zooms out to the level of the Divine. As argued in the previous chapters, the Divine has left visible signs throughout Nature. Given that these signs are analogically identical to our own works, this implies directly that the Divine is working to communicate with us and so to unify with us.

Expressions of the Creator

On a similar theme Saint-Martin then goes into an argument based on the observation that all creations are somehow an expressions of the principles lying behind them. For example, from looking at a statue one can determine something about the sculptor.

This is almost identical to the previous argument, but just taken from a slightly different viewpoint. The earlier statements were from the point of view of the person trying to communicate, and so speaking words that reflect their inner selves. Now he is saying the same thing from the point of view of the works themselves.

A work is a reflection of the innermost workings of the being that created it.

Our creations

At this point he goes on to look more carefully at humanity’s works.

Not only do we communicate with one another, but we engage in agriculture, science, and art. These are not passive works communicating something passive and unchanging. Rather these are monumental works whereby we try to take the entire Universe under our control.

Think also of religious institutions that offer the ability to approach an unknown God and to speak to that God. They certainly don’t agree with one another, and so they are certainly making errors, but lying at the bottom of them all is this belief that we can communicate with the Highest Principle of the Universe.

Speaking of making mistakes, Saint-Martin points out that even the worst of humanity believe they are doing the right things. Even in their most hideous crimes, the vast majority of people will have based their decisions on some virtuous root. This is true also of our political systems. The problems they set out to fix may be real or imagined, but the intention is still to improve and repair.

Even when making disastrous mistakes we are trying to do the right thing. We may have confused cruelty with justice or hatred with fear, but we believe that what we are doing in righteous. The seeds of virtue lie within us all, even at our worst.

Our true being

So despite the ego-denting conclusion of the first chapter — that we have no thoughts of our own — we have significant powers and drives that set us aside from dead materiality.

Saint-Martin concludes that we are clearly the direct image and living symbol of the Divine in the material world. The true link between God and materiality. A witness to the Divine Light in the darkness of the physical world.

We are the very thoughts and words of God.

Before the flambeaux.