Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth

Gnosis in general is still quite misunderstood regardless of how it’s approached. And in this work elaborating the significance of his “mundus imaginalis”, Corbin is still misunderstood by some due to the dense introduction. This is remedied by reading Darmesteter’s Zend Avesta where the “mythology” is actually introduced, but that’s no easy read either. So the first half will require re-reading, especially when one discovers the sublime beauty of the second part, with it’s anthology of segments from different mystics. Corbin states as much on p 57, in reference to Shī-ism: “ Too often, influenced by contemporary fads, people reduce its origins to questions of political succession. By so doing, they completely overlook the important body of literature consisting of the conversations of the first adepts with successive Imams until the ninth century of our era. “ So not for a beginning student but of immense value to the mystic seeker.

Henry Corbin was perhaps the greatest of all the modern day Sufis. In this book, The Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth he clearly reveals the esoteric or occult side of Sufism, which he traces back to the ancient Magi and Zoroaster. Its value lies in the remarkable esoteric anthology of sufi translations of the works of some of the greatest Sufi thinkers, including the great Ibn A'rabi. The 170 page anthology takes up the major portion of the book. The Celestial Earth, we find, is a symbol, an esoteric blind, used to veil the secret future home of elect. It is a New World of Light, a paradise similar to the Garden of Eden, which it is hinted will someday be the etherial condition of the Earth.

Henri Corbin's "Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth" offers a very clear and didactic immersion in the parallelisms of Angelology of Iranian Mazdeism and mystic Shi'ism (Shaikhism), leading the reader through a path of discovery and amazement. Corbin's extensive knowledge on the subject as well as his unique insight make this book a wonder to read and to have.

Amazing volume! I'm just getting into this body of literature. His introduction to the the imaginal (rather than merely imaginary) is of great volume to me as a teacher among religious subjects. I look forward to reading more of this man.

An astounding book. Difficult in that it contains its own vocabulary that must be learned, but there is enough repetition that the concepts begin to be easier grasp. This book however works at a level beyond the intellect.

This (the first of Corbin's books that I've read) is certainly an intriguing volume. After taking a couple of classes on Islamic civilization, history and religion, I thought I had at least a decent grasp of what Islam was about. Apparently not! Corbin's translations here open up whole new vistas on Sufism and Islam (at least for the ignorant, such as myself). To hear the same tired stories and dogma about Islam and Mohammed repeated so often and then to come across a work such as this is quite an experience. First of all: one star off for Corbin's impenetrable introduction. Although in some ways it helps to set the stage, I find it hard to believe that anyone but Corbin and perhaps a few experts in this field could really follow what he is talking about. Perhaps the translator is at fault here, but I doubt it - since the (double!) translations of the original texts themselves tend to be crystal clear and very enjoyable to read. Corbin's lengthy introduction (nearly half the book), however, is so weighty and confusing that it nearly deterred me from reading the texts that follow - which would have been a big mistake. The texts are highly varied (in length and quality - curiously, the more recent authors, mostly late 1800's, become in my opinion far less interesting and more dogmatic, or so it seems) but all point to what Corbin calls the 'Imaginal Realm', which is a bit difficult to describe, but is generally explained as halfway between pure ideas and material reality; that is, a world of mental images, spaces, objects, and so on. To someone (such as myself) very interested for a long time in dreams, lucid dreaming, astral projection, etc., the correspondences are very intriguing. As another reviewer pointed out, there is a similarity here to the shamanic descriptions of traveling to 'higher worlds' and for me many of the first-person accounts of travel to the Imaginal Realm were very reminiscent of lucid dreaming experiences. The later texts to focus more on how this Realm explains how a 'bodily' Resurrection can take place, a tortured argument I found not only unconvincing (and boring), but rather dogmatic. Overall however this is an eye-opening book that will introduce you to a beautiful and fascinating side of Islam most people never seem to come across (and which, unfortunately, seems greatly in decline today). Intriguing! Very highly recommended, especially, to dreamers who want to see an ancient religious take on the dream world.

Love it, love it, love it. Henry Corbin's best. Read it when you feel drawn to it. You'll learn, expand, and be shaken!!

A wonderful treatise on Sufi mysticism.

everything as promised