Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 10-14 The Inferno

Canto 25 - Thievery and Aristotle's notion of the entelechy. I suspect one could only find such a juxtapositon here.

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 10-13 The Inferno

Canto 24 continued: Gil Bailie's poem Codicil

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 10-12 The Inferno

Canto 24 continued: fame leaves a vestige of oneself on earth. The instinct to leave evidence.

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 10-11 The Inferno

Canto 24 - Nearing the pit of Hell Dante is exhausted but Vergil urges him on to achieve fame.

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 10-10 The Inferno

Hypocrisy continued - with reference to Arnold Toynbee and mimesis.

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 10-9 The Inferno

Hypocrites in Hell, continued.

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 10-8 The Inferno

Canto 23 - a change of tone and the hypocrites.

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 10-7 The Inferno

the grafters try to game the system - 'how much can I get away with?'

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 10-6 The Inferno

The gargoyle cantos 21 & 22: Where the grafters are punished.

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 10-5 The Inferno

End of Canto 20 - final thoughts on the Annunciation. Cantos 21 & 22 - called the gargoyle cantos - bring a change of mood.

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 10-4 The Inferno

The Annunciation and knowing the future - continued

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 10-3 The Inferno

The Annunciation and knowing the future -

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 9-10 The Inferno

While the universe may be viewed as evolving or progressing it is better understood as fundamentally an Incarnating cosmos. Also, while there are may be legitimate and practical concerns for the future, when our focus is on determining or knowing the future we miss our proper orientation to the intersection of time with the timeless.

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 9-9 The Inferno

The intersection of time and timelessness will happen only in the presence of the human mind.

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 9-8 The Inferno

Continuing with TS Eliot's Dry Salvages from The Four Quartets...viewed at a close commentary on Canto XX of The Inferno. Preoccupation with the past and/or future is a sign of small 'h' hope. Whereas in the mystery of timelessness in the midst of each individual person's history is found the virtue of Hope, and the purview of the saint.

The point of intersection of the timeless
With time, is an occupation for the saint—
No occupation either, but something given
And taken, in a lifetime's death in love,
Ardour and selflessness and self-surrender.

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 9-7 The Inferno

...the future is a faded song, a Royal Rose or a lavender spray Of wistful regret for those who are not yet here to regret, Pressed between yellow leaves of a book that has never been opened. And the way up is the way down, the way forward is the way back.

TS Eliot, Dry Salvages

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 9-2 The Inferno

The future is the only transcendental value for men without a god

Albert Camus

Reflections on Dante's Divine Comedy - Pt 9-1 The Inferno

With this post we begin posting episodic excerpts from Gil Bailie's archival materials again. For the next long while these will be from Gil's 1984 24 cassette tape series on Dante's Divine Comedy which are being transfered into digital format. If you are interested in obtaining the complete MP3s finished so far please visit our webstore by following this link.

Those visitors who have shared contact information with us over the past years will likely in the days before Thanksgiving receive our annual Fall Appeal. We try to limit our fundraising appeals to once a year, and ask that you look kindly on our request for support for the coming year. If you are a new visitor to our weblog and want to learn more about our work please follow this link to our website.

In early 2015 Gil Bailie hopes to have the manuscript he has been working on lo these past four years in the hands of a prospective publisher. There will no doubt still be much work to be done. But when that happens we expect to see Gil back on the road. He has had to pass on numerous offers of speaking opportunities over the past few years in order to keep his focus on the manuscript. Next year that will change. If a publisher finds this manuscript worthy of publication we expect there will be some promotional trips involved following its debut. We will keep those interested in our work appraised of these events.

Thanksgiving blessings to all!