“Dreams and Beasts are two keys by which we are to find out the secrets of our own nature. All mystics use them. They are like comparative anatomy. They test objects; or we may say, that must be a good theory of the universe, that theory will bring a commanding claim to confidence, which explains these phenomena.” - Emerson, Journal for 1832.
It is always striking how superior a writer Emerson is in his journals - honest, direct (look at the brevity of these sentences!), inquisitive - and how bloated, vague, byzantine, prim, and intellectualized he is in his public works.
It’s hard to believe there isn’t a band called “Dreams and Beasts” yet. Or a book. When I put together the book about cabin life, we can call it that. An immersion in dreams, so that they never seem far away, and an affinity with beasts are two of the defining psychic characteristics of life in the woods.
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Speaking of great lines:
“An immersion in dreams, so that they never seem far away, and an affinity with beasts are two of the defining psychic characteristics of life in the woods.”
I have no idea what it means, (especially the first part) but it has a mystical doom quality that knocks my socks off!
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