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Is THE MYSTICISM OF GIORDANO BRUNO A FORM OF INITIATION
indeed tightly related. The work De vinculis in genere expresses the political
nature of the magic of Bruno: the human who is bound to the divine by
means of the inner deed can rule the natural beings and bind profane human
beings, exercising a sovereignty over part of the vicissitudes.
In conclusion, it is possible to maintain that the mysticism of Giordano
Bruno is connected to the kind of initiation outlined above, since it can
be considered the highest intensification of knowledge and will, which
allows humankind to realize a conscious and transfiguring conversion
to its metaphysical origin by means of a mystical inner deed and to reach
a preeminent position in the social and political sphere.
Some differences can be identified in the nature of transmutation, which is
not ritual, and in the instability of the mystical meeting, the effects of which
are not permanent, and the establishment of a brotherhood of wise men,
whereon Bruno does not take a clear stand.
By means of an accurate comparison, the present analysis can be extended
to other authors whose thought is characterized by relevant mystical elements
in order to examine whether and to what extent the concepts of initiation and
sacred knowledge can be related to the higher levels of the knowledge and
the experience of the divine.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Badaloni, N., La filosofia di Giordano Bruno, Firenze, Parenti, 1955.
Beierwaltes, W., Actaeon. Zu einem mythologischen Symbol Giordano
Brunos, in Denken des Einen. Studien zum Neuplatonismus und dessen
Wirkungsgeschichte, Frankfurt a. M., Klostermann, 1985, 345-354.
Bruno, G., Opere italiane, a cura di G. Aquilecchia, Torino, UTET, 2002,
2007?.
Bruno, G., Opere magiche, a cura di S. Bassi, E. Scapparone, N. Tirinnanzi,
Milano, Adelphi, 2000, 20032.
Caillois, R., Lhomme et le sacré, Paris, Gallimard, 1950.
Canone, E., Giordano Bruno lettore di Averroé, in A. Baffioni (ed.), Averroes
and the Aristotelian Heritage. Atti del convegno di Napoli del 1999, Napoli,
Guida, 2004, 211-247.
Catana, L., The Concept of Contraction in Giordano Bruno’s Philosophy,
Aldershot, Ashgate, 2005.
Cazeneuve, J., Les rites et la condition humaine, Paris, PUF, 1958.
Corsano, A., Il pensiero di Giordano Bruno nel suo svolgimento storico,
Galatina, Congedo, 2002 (original edition: 1940).
” See De vinculis in genere; De magia naturali; Theses de magia.
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