Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Faezeh Nourian ¹
• Amir Nasri ²

¹ Department of Persian Literature, Faculty of Literature and foreign Languages, University of Allameh Tabatabai, Tehran Iran

² Department of Philosophy, Allameh Tabatabai University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

“Unity in multiplicity” and its symbols are the most remarkable antithetical concepts in Mysticism, which constitutes the concept of truth through the connecting two opposite poles(truth/being) and hence is the major dissociation point in this field; which means even though this concept has been considered as an obvious fact in mystic literature, it has been generally impaired the objectivity of the unity concept and stands as a barrier against the perception, Nonetheless this concept is the only possibility to represent the significant contrast in mysticism which seems to be as vital as primordial mystic principles.

This antithetical concept has been symbolized in mystical literature in many different ways. “Unity in multiplicity” has been stated in opposition between two-sided icons as ‘divine world/mundane world’ and ‘body/psyche’ which has been symbolized by visual contrasts as ‘white/black’ ‘light/dark’ and ‘up/down’. These pairs of antithetic figures has been formed in metaphors as ‘tresses’ and ‘visage’ (tresses is black and visage is bright according to literature traditions) which are originally belong to lyrical poetry however are utilized as mystical symbols.

Moreover contrasts utilized to attach the rhetorical dimension of mysticism to its semantic domain, a very simple reason to use contrast is that the human have to organize the variety of external stimulus to comprehensible patterns by dividing them to dualistic models in order to reduce its tension. As a matter of fact without contrasts, world would be an endless maze for human being, even though they have diminished the concept of truth to a subjective matter, forever.

This study has been focused on the process of meaning formation by revising antithetical concepts of unity and multiplicity in mystic textuality. Accordingly there will be a brief survey on mystical major concepts as ‘the divine love’ ‘paganism’ ‘sublimation’ and ‘moderation’.