The Jacob’s Ladder of the Soul
“We, half dust, half deity.” ~Lord Byron
By Gary Z. McGee
The bridge to the Overman is the Jacob’s Ladder of the Soul. We are all of us, individually, God perceiving itself. As Alan Watts said, “You are something that the whole universe is doing, in the same way that a wave is something that the whole ocean is doing.”
Likewise, in the grand tapestry of existence, where each thread intertwines to create the fabric of the cosmos, you are not merely a thread but a vibrant expression of the entire weave. Just as the ocean’s entirety moves through its waves, swelling, crashing, and ebbing in a dance of endless becoming, so too are you an unfolding of the Divine. You are God, not in parts, but in whole, perceiving itself through a unique perspective.
In this dance of cosmic self-awareness, every thought you think, every laugh you utter, every tear you shed, is God exploring the depths of its own mystery. Your life, your journey, is not separate from the universal journey but an integral act of the universe understanding itself. You are not just a part of God; you are God, in the act of being, in the act of knowing, in the act of becoming. Through you, God laughs at its own infinite jest, weeps at its own profound sorrow, and marvels at its own boundless creation.
As Rumi said, “I searched for God and found only myself. I searched for myself and found only God.” Or as Sagan said, “We are a way for the universe to know itself.”
This aligns with the idea that divinity is not external but intrinsic. Each individual is a part of this divine consciousness, experiencing and exploring itself through a Unity of Existence: emphasizing the interconnectedness of all things, where individual experience contributes to a collective divine consciousness. Thus, encouraging empathy, unity, and a recognition of the sacred in everyday life.
We either adapt to this sacred becoming by climbing the Ladder with diligence and vigilance toward the overture of the Overman, or we die along with the Last Man (as just another member of the living dead) by cutting ourselves off at each wrung. Let’s break it down…
The Jacob’s Ladder of the Soul:
“The fact that a man who goes his own way ends in ruin means nothing. He must obey his own law, as if it were a daemon whispering to him of new and wonderful paths.” ~Carl Jung
Spiritual Ascent:
Jacob’s Ladder, from Judeo-Christian tradition, symbolizes a connection between heaven and earth, often interpreted as a path of spiritual ascent or enlightenment. Here, it’s reimagined as the path to the Übermensch or Overman, suggesting personal evolution towards a higher state of being.
Soul’s Journey:
The soul’s journey on this ladder implies a lifelong process of self-discovery, transformation, and transcendence. It suggests that the Overman is not just an end goal but a continuous process of becoming.
But, journeyman beware, the ladder begins in the primordial mud of the abyss. As a bridge to the Overman, it is akin to the Yggdrasil, the World Tree in Norse mythology, offering a profound metaphysical and existential landscape. Here’s how this imagery might be expanded upon…
The Primordial Mud of the Abyss:
“Someday this pain will be useful to you.” ~Ovid
The Starting Point:
Just as Yggdrasil’s roots delve into the depths, touching Niflheim, the realm of ice and mist, or even Hel, the Norse underworld, Jacob’s Ladder begins in the primordial mud of the abyss. This symbolizes our origin in chaos, ignorance, or the raw, unformed potential of existence. It’s where life emerges from, representing our most basic, instinctual, and unconscious selves.
The Abyss as a Catalyst:
The abyss, though often associated with nothingness or despair, is also where Nietzsche suggests one must confront the void to create new values. Here, it’s the fertile ground from which the Overman can grow, acknowledging and integrating the shadow aspects of the self or humanity’s darker potentials.
Jacob’s Ladder as a Tree of Life:
“The road to heaven feels like hell. The road to hell feels like heaven.” ~Unknown
Growth and Evolution:
As a tree, Jacob’s Ladder symbolizes growth, evolution, and the interconnectedness of all things. Like the Yggdrasil, which connects the nine worlds in Norse mythology, this ladder or tree spans from the depths to the heights, representing the full spectrum of human experience and potential.
Branches of Possibility:
Each branch could represent different paths or choices one might take, different aspects of the self to develop, or different perspectives to adopt. Climbing this ladder involves not just upward movement but exploring these branches, suggesting that the journey to the Overman includes lateral development as well.
Roots in Hell:
-Acknowledging Darkness:
The roots reaching into hell or the abyss emphasize the necessity of confronting our deepest fears, our shadow, and the darker aspects of existence. This confrontation is not about dwelling in darkness but about understanding and integrating it into one’s being, transforming base material into something noble.
-Transformation Through Adversity:
Just as the roots draw nourishment from the earth, including its darkest parts, so too does the Overman gain strength from overcoming adversity. This part of the journey involves transmuting suffering, ignorance, and ego into wisdom, compassion, and self-mastery.
Flowers in Heaven:
-Aspiration and Actualization: The flowers or fruits at the top symbolize the ideals, virtues, and the realization of the Overman’s potential. Here, ‘heaven’ isn’t a place but a state of being where one has transcended their limitations, embodying creativity, love, wisdom, and existential joy.
-The Bloom of the Self: This blooming represents the full expression of one’s will to power, not in domination, but in self-overcoming, creating one’s values, and living authentically. It’s the culmination of the journey where the individual not only ascends but also blossoms into their fullest potential.
The Overman’s Ladder:
“Elevate yourself above the battlefield.” ~Robert Greene
Continuous Ascent and Descent:
Unlike a linear ladder, this journey involves both climbing toward enlightenment or self-realization and descending into one’s depths for growth. The path to the Overman is not a one-way trip but a dynamic cycle of growth, fall, and regrowth; birth, death, and rebirth; success, regress, and reassess.
Interconnection:
Just as the Yggdrasil connects all worlds, individuals on this ladder are not isolated. Their growth affects and is affected by the cosmos, implying a responsibility to the whole, where one’s personal evolution contributes to the evolution of the collective. In this sense, we are each medicine. We each carry our own unique magic elixir and our courage expands or contracts to the extent that we are able to share it with the “tribe.”
Symbolic Trials:
Each rung or branch might present its own trials or lessons, mirroring the trials of Odin hanging on the Yggdrasil for wisdom, or Jacob wrestling with the angel, or even Jordan Peterson wrestling with God. These challenges are opportunities for self-discovery and transcendence.
This metaphor of Jacob’s Ladder as a Tree of Life or an Yggdrasil-like structure encapsulates the Nietzschean journey towards the Overman as a profound, multifaceted process. It’s a journey of descent into the self, confronting and integrating the shadow, and then an ascent towards a higher form of existence.
This path is not straight but winding, requiring one to explore various dimensions of human experience, ultimately aiming to unite the depths of hell with the heights of heaven within oneself, fostering a being that is both grounded in the reality of existence and aspiring towards its highest possibilities: as God perceiving itself.
Image Source: William Blake
About the Author:
Gary Z McGee, a former Navy Intelligence Specialist turned philosopher, is the author of Birthday Suit of God and The Looking Glass Man. His works are inspired by the great philosophers of the ages and his wide-awake view of the modern world.
This article (The Jacob’s Ladder of the Soul) was originally created and published by Self-inflicted Philosophy and is printed here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Gary Z McGee and self-inflictedphilosophy.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this statement of copyright.
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