Emanationist Theology

[Tamrin]

There are said to be only seven basic plots: overcoming the monster; rags to riches; the quest; voyage and return; comedy; tragedy; rebirth. I sugest a common Masonic theme is that of voyage and return (e.g., Whence come you? & the sojourners' return). I once wrote:

Freemasonry stresses that we are each an emanation of the Deity. Thus, we have divine origins and that which is essen­tial within each of us is divine. Emanationist theology was most clear­­ly espoused by the NeoPlatonists who held that, after exper­iencing the rigours of physical man­i­fest­­at­ion, during which we dev­elop self-consciousness, self-control and self-sacrifice, we re­turn to our source, enriched and better able to participate in the un­folding of consciousness and in the ongoing pro­cess of creation.

Pop­ular emanationist stories include the parable of the prodigal son; The Magic Flute, by Mozart (a mason); The Jungle Books’, by Rudyard Kipling (another mason); and ‘The Wizard of Oz, by Frank Baum (a theosophist). The same theme was central to many of the Ancient Myths and was depicted in the Ancient Mysteries.