Probably this chronic mutual suspicion of our neighbour’s capacities—suggesting, in effect, a hierarchy of competence with respect to human consciousness—will never be settled to everyone’s satisfaction.

Georges Bataille, Story of the Eye

Hermetic quote Bataille Eye suspicion

Consider also:

  1. “The question is not whether consciousness or whether knowledge, but the quality of the consciousness and of the knowledge. And that invites consideration of the quality of fineness of the human subject—the most problematic standard of all.”
  2. “… For Mercy has a human heart, Pity a human face, And Love, the human form divine, And Peace, the human dress.”
  3. “Imagine a sacred wand that has the power to transform existential truths into celestial realities; picture a universal symbol that when gazed upon could raise human consciousness to a higher order of perception”
  4. “It is in the Celestial Hierarchy that the Thrones become situated and defined with the structure of subsequent Christian metaphysics, and from this context that essentially all further elaborations are derived. The Thrones and their celestial functions are given in chapters II, V–VII, and XI of the Celestial Hierarchy, wherein they are described as being symbolically represented by ‘some kind of fiery wheels above the heavens, or material thrones upon which the Supreme Deity may recline,’ and further as great wheels, covered with numerous eyes, marking the end of the uppermost choir or hierarchy of angels where the emanations from God begin to take on material form.”
  5. “all forms of serious art and knowledge—in other words, all forms of truth—are suspect and dangerous.”