What in me is dark, Illumine. How Milton summoned the wrong muse
The 17th century was a fascinating period for me because it was a pivotal moment between magical thinking and the rational, scientific worldview of the Enlightenment. The century started off in 1600 with the mystic, magician and proto-scientist Giordano Bruno being burnt at the stake by the Catholic Church for his heretical views. A few years later James VI of Scotland became King James I of England, and his book Daemonologie was reprinted. James I wrote this book himself (as opposed the book that he is more famous for being associated with, the King James Bible), and in it he argues for the reality of witches and demons, and made the combat of witchcraft official crown policy.
Both Bruno and James I addressed the magical act of invocation in their works. First, let’s see what Bruno said about invocation in his book De magia — On Magic (this extract is from the introduction where he defines nine types of magic):
Sixth, if they access through religious rites or invocations intelligences or efficiencies of exterior or higher nature, with orations, consecrations, fumigations, sacrifices, certain behaviors and ceremonies directed at Gods, daemons and heroes, and then ultimately achieve contraction of those spirits with themselves, and by them become a vessel and instrument, that they may appear wise, however, it is easier to achieve this wisdom with a drug, and easier to evacuate than with a spirit, too; and this is desperate magic, that is achieved through possession by evil spirits, as are exorcised by the Notary Art, and also made by ruling and commanding inferior demons which the authority of higher demonic princes, indeed cultivating and enticing these, conjuring and abjuring those, constraining them; and such magic is transnatural or metaphysical, and is properly called by the name theurgia.
Bruno, Giordano; Gosnell, Scott. On Magic (Collected Works of Giordano Bruno Book 5) (p. 14). Kindle Edition.
So, you can invoke using orations, and there are two very different potential outcomes. Firstly Magia desperatorum (the original text is in latin, the above is a translation), where through possession by a demon you gain showy, borrowed “wisdom”. Secondly theurgia – “trans-natural or metaphysical magic”, in this outcome you manage to possess a demon, from which you can gain power. But dealing with demons is a risky business either way.
What does James I say about invocation? It’s a bit hard to read being in Jacobean English:
…none can studie and put in practize … the cirkles and art of Magie, without committing an horrible defection from God.
Chapter V, Argument, The Project Gutenberg eBook of Daemonologie
So any kind of practice of the art of magic is a “horrible defection from God”. Elsewhere in Chapter V he forbids even using a “white” witch to break a spell, since any appeal to spirits other than God resorts to the devil’s power and imperils both body and soul.
No waies lawfull: … for by the Deuils meanes can neuer the Deuill be casten out … at the last it will doubtleslie tend to the vtter perdition of the patient, both in bodie and soule.
Chapter V, Argument, The Project Gutenberg eBook of Daemonologie
In the quote, above James I explains that even when magicians think their magic binds the spirit (Bruno’s theurgia), the devil is just tempting them into deeper sin.
So if you invoke spirits, you’re going to have a bad time. And yet what does John Milton do right at the start of Paradise Lost? He invokes a spirit to help him write the poem. If you’re going to invoke spirits you better be very clear who you are asking for, you wouldn’t want to be vague and accidentally be possessed by a demon or Satan. So rule number one of invocation is to use the correct name of whoever it is you are trying to invoke. Just saying the name can be an invocation. Is Milton clear about who he is invoking? Let’s see. Here’s the full text of his invocation spell:
Of Man’s first disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden Tree, whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man
Restore us, and regain the blissful seat,
Sing Heavenly Muse, that on the secret top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed,
In the beginning how the Heavens and Earth
Rose out of Chaos: Or if Zion hill
Delight thee more, and Siloa’s brook that flowed
Fast by the oracle of God, I thence
Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song,
That with no middle flight intends to soar
Above the Aonian mount, while it pursues
Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.
And chiefly thou, O Spirit, that dost prefer
Before all temples the upright heart and pure,
Instruct me, for thou know’st; thou from the first
Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread,
Dove-like sat’st brooding on the vast Abyss,
And mad’st it pregnant: what in me is dark
Illumine, what is low raise and support;
That to the highth of this great argument
I may assert the Eternal Providence,
And justify the ways of God to men.John Milton, start of Book I of Paradise Lost (Standard Ebooks edition)
Let’s consider this bit:
Sing Heavenly Muse, that on the secret top
Of Oreb, or of Sinai, didst inspire
That shepherd,
“Sing Heavenly Muse” — which muse? You’ve got to be more specific than that! Who are you invoking? Later in the poem, in Book VII, he calls on the muse Urania (the Ancient Greek muse of astronomy and astrology), but that is way after the invocation and seems to be calling on the muse just for that part of the poem. Some Milton scholars argue that the muse he is invoking in the above text is the “Holy Spirit”, but he doesn’t say that specifically. So, are there any clues about who he might be invoking?
Scholars think that the shepherd on the top of Sinai must be Moses. But in magical tradition there is a strong relationship between Moses and the father of occult philosophy and first magician Hermes Trismegistus. In Renaissance Italy occult philosophers like Marsilio Ficino, Giovanni Pico della Mirandola and Giordano Bruno thought that either Trismegistus was a contemporary of Moses, his tutor, or some even speculated that Trismegistus was Moses.
I thence
Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song,
That with no middle flight intends to soar
Above the Aonian mount, while it pursues
Things unattempted yet in prose or rhyme.
This is the opposite of Christian humility, it is incredibly vain and arrogant. He invoking a spirit for aid to do things greater than anything that has been done before. It’s hubris. It’s Satanic.
from the first wast present, and with mighty wings outspread, Dove-like sat’st brooding on the vast Abyss, And mad’st it pregnant
Gosh, so he’s invoking someone with mighty wings outspread, brooding on the vast abyss, and then making it pregnant. Doesn’t that sound a bit like Satan, ruling over hell?
what in me is dark
Illumine
It’s fairly easy to see that he is asking for his dark side to be brought out. To be lit up. Illuminated. Who illuminates? Lucifer, the light bringer.
William Blake thought that John Milton was “of the Devil’s Party without knowing it.” And now we know why. Milton accidentally summoned Satan and became possessed by him.
Don’t do summonings kids. Not even once.
Endnote
This is a creative essay. I am an atheist and a rationalist. However, I agree with Blake that rationalism is the enemy of creativity.
Also, hail Satan! 😈