/lit/ - Literature

>This prophetic talk supposes that it is staying right in the centre and in the depths,
>looks disdainfully at determinateness (Horos),
>and deliberately holds aloof from Notion and Necessity as products of that reflection
>which is at home only in the finite.
Hegel says that people who favor unplanned spirituality are using 'prophetic talk' which means they are trying to connect themselves up to God without the Absolute. If you just look at spiritual people though, you will not come to the conclusion that planned spirituality is somehow worse than unplanned. In fact you will find that planning spirituality actually empowers us rather than constricts.

One who says unplanned spirituality is superior is arguing that it is the 'determinateness' or the apparent reliance on causality which constricts planned spirituality (because causality is a scientific understanding of reality). But as we know, God works in our hearts through causal processes all the time. We attend planned religious functions. We plan times when we will pray and meditate. We find love in planned places. We see beauty in planned environments. Planning spirituality is something that we are already doing. It is simply more difficult to find beauty in a prison cell than in a garden. You will not find your soulmate if you refuse to do some exploration, yourself. It is practically impossible to pray or meditate upon Absolute Truth in a busy street than in a quiet house of God. Planning spirituality actually allows us to dig our roots deeper into God than we ever could do spontaneously.

Of course, there is always plenty of room for spontaneity, but what Hegel generally wishes to impress upon us is the incredible empowerment that planned spirituality provides over just unplanned spirituality.

>But just as there is an empty breadth, so too there is an empty depth;
>and just as there is an extension of substance that pours forth
>as a finite multiplicity without the force to hold the multiplicity together,
>so there is an intensity without content,
>one that holds itself in as a sheer force without spread,
>and this is in no way distinguishable from superficiality.
>The power of Spirit is only as great as its expression,
>its depth only as deep as it dares to spread out
>and lose itself in its exposition.
Hegel is saying that the 'prophetic talk' of these unplanned spiritualists have 'an empty breadth' and 'an empty depth', and Hegel also says that their claims are 'a finite multiplicity without the force to hold the multiplicity together' meaning their roots have little depth and inadequate breadth in the soil of God so as to even be able to grow.

All they have is 'intensity without content' and 'one that holds itself in as a sheer force without spread.' They have great intensity and perhaps even anger at the idea of planned spirituality, but ultimately their claims are 'in no way distinguishable from superficiality' and 'its depth only as deep as it dares to spread out.' In other words their roots barely even dig into the surface of God. No real nourishment can be gained from their spiritual claims.

>Moreover, when this non-conceptual, substantial knowledge
>professes to have sunk the idiosyncrasy of the self in essential being,
>and to philosophize in a true and holy manner,
>it hides the truth from itself: by spurning measure and definition,
>instead of being devoted to God,
>it merely gives free rein both to the contingency of the content within it,
>and to its own caprice.
>Such minds, when they give themselves up to the uncontrolled ferment
>of (the divine] substance, imagine that, by drawing a veil over selfconsciousness
>and surrendering understanding
>they become the beloved of God
>to whom God gives wisdom in sleep;
>and hence what they in fact receive,
>and bring to birth in their sleep is nothing but dreams.
Hegel says that when these unplanned spiritualists profess "to have sunk the idiosyncrasy of the self in essential being", or in other words when they claim that they are indeed deeply rooted in God, "it hides the truth from itself: by spurning measure and definition." Meaning if you investigate the matter, planned spirituality is incredibly empowering, not constrictive and damaging. In fact, 'instead of being devoted to God' these unplanned spiritualists, themselves, are the ones damaging our connection to God by suggesting that anyone should be taken seriously or 'become the beloved of God.' If you are not Actually deeply grounded in God, reasonable people will just think that your claims must be either wholly frivolous, simple entertainment, or maybe even perniciously motivated.

But unfortunately not everyone is reasonable. Look! In this day and age, many people (including some celebrities) try and help steer the great ship of consciousness without first hooking themselves up to the Absolute, and in this way they can easily do more harm than good. Their efforts serve to "give free rein both to the contingency of the content within it, and to its own caprice." In other words, if you're not prepared to demonstrate that you are hooked up to Absolute Truth, then get off the wheel (tell us you're just entertainment and not spiritual guidance).

Imagine if people tried to plug their little garden hoses into a fire hydrant. Now imagine this fire hydrant is actually one million times larger. This is what it is like when someone occupies the helm without Actually connecting themselves up to the proper Adapter. In other words, if you want to steer, make sure you are properly grounded. The problem, of course, is that these processes of communication within (and between) the human consciousness(es) take much longer to manifest their fruits (or more simply, effects from causes) than most of our short attention spans are capable of understanding. Therefore the consequences of having the ungrounded at the helm are not necessarily obvious nor easily measured.

>Besides, it is not difficult to see that ours is a birth-time
>and a period of transition to a new era.
>Spirit has broken with the world it has hitherto inhabited and imagined,
>and is of a mind to submerge it in the past,
>and in the labour of its own transformation.
Hegel supposes that his own time was a 'birth-time' or a 'period of transition to a new era.' This transition Hegel is talking about was not a good one, but instead Hegel is saying that in his era "Spirit has broken with the world it has hitherto inhabited and imagined." In other words Hegel is saying that his era would serve to damage the connection with God. He could not have been more right. (Just remember the insane and extreme severity of death and destruction in the 20th century. From WW1 to Hitler to Pol Pot among others, all grounded in materialism and nationalism, soils which barely equal a trough-full in comparison to God's infinite fields of black gold.) And I hope that you will agree with me in saying NEVER AGAIN.

This is the reason why Hegel decided to write the Phenomenology. I believe that, though his own personal view may seem pessimistic, Hegel was an optimist, because he thought that his own diligent work and spiritual mapping would serve to help navigate the coming era, but unfortunately it was so difficult to understand that the horrors came anyway.

But do not be under a false impression. The same birth-time of Hegel's day is literally happening before our very eyes. And how we navigate in these coming years and decades will bear unimaginable horrors or incredible blessings. It all depends on if we, as reasonable people, come together and decidedly connect ourselves to God via the Absolute.

>Spirit is indeed never at rest but always engaged in moving forward.
>But just as the first breath drawn by a child after its long, quiet nourishment
>breaks the gradualness of merely quantitative growth
>there is a qualitative leap, and the child is born
>so likewise the Spirit in its formation matures slowly and quietly into its new shape,
>dissolving bit by bit the structure of its previous world,
>whose tottering state is only hinted at by isolated symptoms.
Hegel says that the "Spirit is indeed never at rest but always engaged in moving forward." This forward movement is not always good and cannot always be considered progress. But ultimately, progress or positive movement is always sought (or the growth of an unborn child as Hegel says metaphorically). And even in the middle of horrible birth pains, a child will be born, and more children will be born in the future; be sure of it.

Spirit (or our connection with God) forms us and molds us into new shapes continuously, and the horrors of the previous world need only be 'hinted at by isolated symptoms.' Or in other words the wounds only need be scars which help us understand just how bad things were and could be in the future if we are not careful. And likewise, the beauty of a newborn child can remind us of just how incredible and wonderful the blessings in life truly are and can be in the future if we will only allow ourselves to be sensitive and receptive to the Absolute and ultimately the Transcendent God.

Hegel can really cram a lot of information in just a few sentences, so I'm probably going to continue to space out these posts just so I can have more time to think about what Hegel was trying to say and how to translate it into our modern day.

>>15695764
What do you mean by planned spirituality ???

>>15696470
Nevermind got it

>>15695764
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>>15695810
Seems like Yukio Mishima was somewhat influenced by Hegel then.

I also wonder, how is it that in the philosophies of a Heidegger or Hegel they can exactly position a generally speaking "disconnection" from being? I mean, I can understand it, but speaking of a planning, how do they reason it?

>>15695764
Wtf does this mean I have to focus on every single detail to connect to the absolute or does he just mean hippy retards that call themselves "spiritual" are obviously flat pancakes? I'm overthinking the possibility that the quantitative extensiveness of necessary qualitative beholding requires my own constant functionally on a poetic level eternal, endeavour of union with the absolute Actually.

Like trying to retain Langan's system 24/7. I get that the complexity of Actual reunion/manifestation can't make me just think of this 24/7 but it still nonetheless makes it a priority next to others.

>>15696661
It's difficult to answer this question because Hegel's idea is that being is a continuum and the only 'disconnections' are just apparent stages of development which we can identify and categorize, but these categorizations cannot ultimately be applied to the Absolute beyond the way in which we connect to the Absolute (pure categories of understanding). The Absolute comes out of God, down to us, to our level, and is used by God to raise us up and develop us spiritually. I hope that helps.

If not, just stay tuned. Hegel is only really understood by going through the process of reading him. You can't just grab an idea in isolation from the rest of the work. I'm not even convinced it is possible to understand Hegel unless you read and comprehend everything in order.

>>15696778
Your comprehension of the Absolute needn't be exhaustive in order to hook up to the Absolute. Spiritual nourishment flows from God, through the Absolute, to us. So you obviously have to have knowledge about the Absolute, but you needn't have exhaustive knowledge.

Hippies who claim spiritual knowledge are using 'prophetic talk' and are essentially rejecting the idea that planned spirituality is superior to unplanned spirituality. The problem with hippies is that they are products of a large amount of planned spirituality and even their rejection or negation of planned spirituality is (ironically) a product of the planned spirituality which grew them in the first place.

I hope this helps.