The Beauty of Space is visible to our eyes every time we admire the vault of the starry sky, the rising sun, the crystal clear water of a mountain stream, the eyes of a loved one. The Beauty of Space is not an abstract or mental concept, it is a vital current that is transmitted in every region, and that deeply touches sensitive hearts. Let us now take a little journey through words to understand together something more of the mystery of the Beauty of Space. The safe harbor from which we can set sail on this journey is a new concept of Space; new or perhaps eternal, as the Ancient Wisdom teaches us. Here is the concept: Space is a living and infinite entity, it is the universal container of life, and it is infinite because if we thought it was finite there would be other space outside. Everything is contained in Space and Space is the substance of which all things are made.
Here then is a first formula of Beauty, which expresses a universal equality between Life, Space and Infinity, in their combinations. The second concept, which helps us to establish a course, is that in Space there are no distances and separations, because everything is in communication and everything lives. Distances, understood as divisions, are only illusory, because every point, every region, every living entity is in some relationship with the others. This set of relationships, admirable in its order and beauty, is the living geometry of Space, it is the sacred geometry that unites and arranges everything in the right order and in the right proportions.
“…To learn the effusions of natural manifestations and to understand them as Beauty, is to give wings to mankind… “(Leaves of the Garden of M. vol. I, §272)
This is what we read in the texts of Agni Yoga, and the first natural manifestation to be understood and admired is that of being aboard a spaceship, our Earth, which ploughs through Space at great speed, along an ordered orbit, together with more experienced spaceships and a fleet commander who flies, and at the same time radiates light and energy to the whole group. The ensemble of orderly and perfect orbits, like a set of clocks, is once again an expression of the Beauty of Space.
We now face seven stages in our navigation, seven qualities of Space.
The first quality of Space is its creative power: Space is pervaded by the will to be, to manifest and to create. This force is everywhere, in every point, in every region, in every star, in every being that inhabits space. It is the force that makes life appear and governs its continuous transformation, through destruction and regeneration. The Beauty of this first quality lies in the burning and secret core of the Sun, as well as in the burning core of every human heart.
The second quality of Space is its very infinity. Space, sky and love are different words that all express the same reality: space is the universal container of life, and the energy that connects and holds together every part of space, every living entity housed in space is an energy of love, magnetic and wise. Nothing is lost in space, which remembers and preserves everything. Space penetrates and envelops everything with its subtle fabric made of love. The Beauty of this second quality lies in the radiant warmth of the Sun, as well as in the capacity to love, protect and nurture every human being.
The third quality of Space is the generation of consciousness, whose nature is light, intelligence and rhythm. Life and Space, everywhere in contact, produce consciousness. The evolution of consciousness moves in a spiral, as do the galaxies, the expanding centers of consciousness. Energy follows thought, and intelligent and creative thought travels through space, like a functioning electrical grid: the evolutionary message is transmitted from point to point, from region to region, from stars to planets, from galaxy to galaxy. The Beauty of this third quality resides in the very mystery of Light, made of rays and waves, and in the revelation of the presence of the thought of the “Great Architect of the Universe” to every human consciousness that is committed to its own growth.
The fourth quality of Space is the resulting harmony. Space is always reflecting like a mirror, therefore it produces and hosts symmetries and reflections. Everything tends towards total and perfect commensurability, that is, balance and harmony. In the center of the seven stages, a balancing energy pulses, which connects every part through harmonic rules, proportions, geometries, quality of numbers. The Beauty of this fourth quality lies in recognizing the infinite reflective capacity of Heaven as the basis of the true rules of art, of all human creative activities: the better the image or creation reflects the higher model, the more beautiful, true, good and right it will be. “As in Heaven, so on Earth”, the true formula of Beauty and coincidence between form and truth.
The fifth quality of Space lies in its ability to continuously break down life into infinite subdivisions and manifestations, without losing the central unity of everything. The infinite is made of infinite forms, of infinite living creatures, each one unique, precious, unrepeatable, and each one carrying the unique fire of life. Thus worlds are born, containing other worlds, systems of life, orders and degrees. The Beauty of this fifth quality of Space is enclosed in the universal symbol of the Tree of Life, which has universal roots above, in the sky, branching out into the levels of the perceptible, and is rich in foliage below. The upside-down tree expresses the Beauty of life flowing from the top to the bottom, and waiting for the return to the top.
The sixth quality of Space is in the absence of separation, or its being primarily a medium of communion. Every point, every region, every living entity is in contact with all others. When all the forms caused by the action of the fifth quality have been expressed, here comes the wave of return, which leads back to the essential unity and the recognition of communion. The starry sky is again the symbol and evidence of this communion, and is traversed by a wonderful and perennial communication between all its parts. The Beauty of this sixth quality induces the human being to finally raise his eyes to Heaven, looking at it as a sacred place of divine communion.
The seventh quality of Space is called Order. Space is geometric order, organized and hierarchical, that is oriented by a purpose, a finality, a continuous cooperation. In Space there is no chance, just as there is no emptiness. At the end of our journey, the seventh quality encompasses all the others, because the seven emanations of life are actually one life. And since life is not accidental but voluntary, and is an art, a final image of Beauty appears to give meaning to our journey: Guiding Intelligences piloting their great spaceships along the magnetic orbits marked out by the Heavens, thus demonstrating skill and the ability to coordinate routes. The celestial order reveals itself to be open and free, even in the general discipline. He who then looks into Heaven, orders himself, and will become capable of expressing Beauty.
“The right relationships between the parts, between the various organs, between the geometric and spatial elements, between Heaven and Earth are and remain the only known method of expressing beauty. Men periodically rediscover it and forget it, and when they come back into possession of it, they leave signs and works of high value which they then, in times of disorder, admire and regret…..
The natural landscapes, many of such beauty as to astonish the human mind, are everywhere spontaneously shaped but not without design will, and it is recognized that the mode of such power is always majestic and solemn, even when the scene is simple or poor. There is no place, unless disrupted by human activity, that is totally devoid of beauty. Swamps and deserts, glaciers and forests, oceans, large and small areas, skies and caves testify in favor of this assumption. It is known, on the other hand, that beauty is present in any creature, from the amoeba to man: the skill of the Spatial Architect admirably combines practicality and beauty, purposeful function”.
A special tribute and thanks to Enzio Savoini, who inspired these brief notes on the Beauty of Space
by Franco Anesi
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