(Hermeticism and the source of all creative) "The All is Mind; the Universe is Mental." "As above, so below; as below, so above.”
This blog post explores my recent delve into Hermeticism and its teachings, especially the concepts of duality and polarity. For those unfamiliar with Hermeticism, I recommend starting with "The Kybalion" which outlines the Hermetic principles.
The title of this post reflects this duality concept, exemplified by the idea of "right and wrong." Many polarizing issues in society, such as racism and sexism, can be reduced to this fundamental dichotomy of "right or wrong." The extremes of love and hate, good and evil, are all part of the same spectrum. Our moral compass determines what we consider "right or wrong." However, today's focus seems to be more on judging others' morality instead of improving our own. By fixing our own equilibrium, the world will, by itself, return to its natural balance.
Hermeticism also teaches that the universe is mental and that we are all part of "The All," also known as the source, god, oneness, etc. Personally I tend to use ‘the source’, especially when it comes to my music.
Since early 2010 I became more aware of why I wanted to make music and what the true meaning behind ‘inspiration’ could actually be.
Many years spent contemplating the wide spectrum of musical concepts like originality, copyright, inspiration, fame and success, ego and how they all fit and in what sense they align with your (creative) purpose.
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble’s ‘Here Be Dragons’ was the first album with which I gradually became aware of a specific creative and transcendental goal I wanted to pursue. This album became a turning point as it helped me create an imaginary universe through the music, evoking a magical and mystical form of escapism. With time and experience, I developed the right tools to guide the listener to particular places although the journeys were still somewhat of a bumpy ride. We nonetheless managed to create something unique on that album, even if it wasn’t an intentional creative goal from the start.
With experience, I started to finetune this concept and continue to search for the right tools to be able to create that particular universe for each new project or album. Coincidentally, the title ‘Here Be Dragons’ refers to unchartered or unknown territories, frequently found in old maps and charts indicated by drawings of sea monsters warning of peril and danger.
It wasn’t until the MANSUR ‘Temple’ release that the appropriate tools where acquired to not only create the exact universe I had in mind for the listener but also the appropriate vessel to guide them towards said place.
Dragons were conquered and vessels built to journey safely towards the mystical temples.
This is what I consider the ‘(MANSUR) Temple’ period of my life, and where I started to delve into various philosophies of life and was seemingly becoming more spiritual in my overall world view. It was then when I realised that personal connection to ‘the source’, "The All" or ‘God’.
During this period, I came to understand that this ‘connection’ to “The All” is what translates to creativity, talent and intuition. This connection should not feed the ego or create a sense of uniqueness, but rather connect us to the whole. Like a personal Wi-Fi connection, where the key is the password to unlock the firewall and the quest is to find growth in integrity and morality. This connection is not just limited to music, but extends to creativity, knowledge, wisdom, self-governance, and connectivity with everything living.
This led me to reflect on the bizarre concept of creative copyrights and how strange it is to own something that is sourced from "The All." By embracing this connection to "The All," we can tap into the infinite source of creativity and inspiration, without being limited by the ego or other external factors. But at one point we started putting an economic model on existing transitions in frequencies and vibrations that have existed throughout the universe for aeons. Where suddenly musical arrangements got claimed and for which people were penalised for copying or plagiarising. Don’t get me wrong, I have calculated the concept of plagiarism into this concept, even though this idea can only exist if we accept the concept of copyright, the economic model that its part of and the concept of monetary exchange that is entangled within the whole.
At one point in our civilisation music which was passed on at campfires, rituals, festivities and rites of passage through generation to generation and from tribe to tribe were suddenly written down on sheets, recorded and claimed by specific individuals who didn’t realise that all this music, all these arrangements, all these chord progressions and all these melodies already existed in the mind of “The All” and we were merely allowed to be connected to it in order to become aware and conscious of all the creative beauty that already existed, eternally, within “The All”.
With that said and returning to the concept of ‘right or wrong’ in reference to copyright or plagiarism, because at the end of the day it is solely our own moral compass that decides if the choices we are making are just and for the good. To plagiarise or copy music is purely subjective. It will surely depend on the incentive, the goal and or purpose for doing so. If it is in accordance with our moral compass and with just intentions to bring what it was purposed to do, then is copy-right or wrong?
We have unfortunately created a world where creativity is monetised and we create according to economic models and incentives, but in my opinion the point of creativity is to make ourselves and others aware of the beauty of the universe that we are part of. The beauty of art is that indescribable feeling that expands one’s soul. There is no price one can put on this, and therefore one can simply not copyright anything belonging to “The All”, because its meant to be shared and enjoyed by all. We are merely the connecting vessels that have the capacity to ignite that spark in others known as the energy of the universe : Love.