To truly perceive something as profound and ethereal as an angel, one must first have a concept or understanding of what it represents before it can be seen clearly. This means that our capacity to recognize certain abstract ideas or entities depends largely on our pre-existing knowledge and beliefs about them.
This statement by James Hillman delves into the nature of perception and cognition. It suggests that our ability to see, understand, or experience something transcendent is deeply rooted in what we already know or believe about it. This idea can be extended beyond the literal interpretation of an angel to any abstract concept or entity that lies outside our immediate sensory experiences. For instance, understanding complex philosophical ideas, experiencing spiritual enlightenment, or even comprehending scientific theories requires us to first build a framework of knowledge and beliefs around them. Without this foundational understanding, these concepts remain elusive and difficult to grasp.
James Hillman was an influential Swiss-American psychologist and archetypal thinker who founded the field of archetypal psychology. He is known for his writings on mythology, philosophy, religion, and literature, as well as his theories about the human psyche. His work often challenges conventional psychological thinking by incorporating mythological perspectives to explore deeper meanings within the human experience.
