This site is a platform for personal observations and mental musings on the metaphysical - posted live with the aim of stimulating thought and helping make the alternative accessible.
Originally there was a plan to write-up the meanderings of the mind through an ongoing work in progress, loosely called 'A Journey of The Mind'. This was a conglomeration of notes from books of interest, such as JRR Tolkien's 'The Notion Club Papers & The Drowning of Anadûné' about the link between Tolkien's fictional world and the idea of Atlantis; or 'The Cosmic Christ' by Violet Tweedale – an ancestor of mine – writing in the Victorian age about the idea of one universal Christ or light, who historically turned up at judicious moments to put humanity back on track... The cast includes Krishna, Buddha, Zoroaster, Melchisedek, Laotzu, Osiris, Enoch, Apollo, Orpheus, Pythagoras, Mithra, St. Michael and Jesus.
Other works included 'The Great Transformation' by Karen Armstrong - the exploration of a phenomenal period, populated by, amongst others, Buddha, Socrates, Confucius and Jeremiah, that saw an explosion of new religious and philosophical concepts, and flowering connections between the philosophers, mystics and theologians of that time; also 'Mysterious Britain', diving into the world of druids, magic, astrology and divination; and 'The Everlasting Man' by GK Chesterton - a brilliant book that was in fact a particular influence for both Tolkien and CS Lewis, illustrating the spiritual evolution of humanity alongside the development of Western Civilisation.
This last book opens with a favourite quote of mine which aptly sets the theme both for 'A Journey of the Mind' and also, why not, for this site, Metaphysical Matters:
“There are two ways of getting home; and one of them is to stay there. The other is to walk round the whole world till we come back to the same place…”
G.K Chesterton, The Everlasting Man
I think I've definitely chosen the latter route, and this site, in some way, will chart some of the observations and discoveries along the way.
As Wikipedia helpfully tells us, Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that examines the fundamental nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and matter, between substance and attribute, and between potentiality and actuality. It seems like an excellent catch-all term for the matters on mind which I'd like here to share. I'm anticipating, hopefully, some thought-provoking and possibly useful articles on ancient history, very ancient history, science and spirituality, sacred sights, sacred geometry, music, the cosmos and harmony, amongst other things.
To what end all this leads is certainly not clear but my hope is that some mysteries will be explored, depths plumbed, gems unearthed, eyes opened and minds expanded. It's all part of a journey for the writer and i hope it may encourage new journeys for the reader too.
Wol Balston
January 2021
Note on the image: The above MM is inspired by a symbol in the Cathedral Saint-Marie-Majeure de Marseille in France. It is not for Metaphysical Matters, but for Mary Magdalene - an extremely interesting figure whose own journey, and the impact of her inspiration, will certainly be explored down the road. As for the possibly dubious aesthetics of the image, I'm exploring a meeting of Islamic or Sacred Geometry with William Morris, in a sort of East-meets-West experimentation, which in some ways represents the spirit of what this is all about - meetings of minds and cultures as well as intellectual, cultural and spiritual exploration etc.
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