Sunday, October 4, 2009

Manhunter analysis - part 22: Man as microcosm of the universe

CATEGORY: MOVIES



Above left and right: Pictures and posters of space and celestial bodies in Dollarhyde's house.


In the previous post in this analysis, the idea of there being a relationship between the classical planets and the vital bodily organs was mentioned. There was an interesting article on this topic published in the year 1913 in a magazine called The Word. The article was titled, "Is man a microcosm of the macrocosm, the universe in miniature? If so, the planets and the visible stars must be represented within him. Where are they located?" Part of the article is quoted below.

"Thinkers in different times and in various ways, said the universe is epitomized in man. As a metaphor or in fact, this is likely to be true. It does not mean that the universe has fingers and toes and wears eyebrows and hair on a head, nor that the universe is built according to the present dimensions of man's physical body, but it means that the operations of the universe may be characterized and featured in man by his organs and parts. The organs in man's body are not made to fill space, but to perform certain functions in the general economy and welfare of the organism as a whole. The same may be said of bodies in the firmament.

"The scintillating rays of light and the steady glowing orbs in the heavens are media through which universal forces act in the body of space, according to universal law and for the general welfare and economy of the whole. The internal organs, such as sex organs, kidneys, spleen, pancreas, liver, heart and lungs, are said to be correspondence of and bearing a direct relation to the seven planets. Such scientists and mystics as Boehme, Paracelsus, Von Helmont, Swedenborg, the fire philosophers and alchemists, have named the organs and planets which correspond to each other. They do not all give the same correspondences, but agree that there is a reciprocal action and relation between the organs and the planets. ..."[a]


a. "Is man a microcosm of the macrocosm, the universe in miniature? If so, the planets and the visible stars must be represented within him. Where are they located?" in The Word: a monthly magazine devoted to Philosophy, Science, Religion, Eastern Thought, Occultism, Theosophy, and the Brotherhood of Humanity. Ed. H.W. Percival. 17 (1913): 191. 4 October 2009. Google Books, URL = https://books.google.com


      





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