The ancient philosophy, in its original Orphico-Pythagorean and
Platonic form, is not simply a way of life in accordance with the
divine or human intellect (nous), but also the way of alchemical
transformation and mystical illumination achieved through initiatic
'death' and subsequent restoration at the level of divine light. To
use another mythical image, philosophy restores the soul's wings
and leads the purified lover of wisdom to Heaven. As a means of
spiritual reintegration and unification, ancient philosophy is
inseparable from the hieratic rites. Therefore those scholars who
themselves follow the anagogic path of Platonic tradition are more
or less firmly convinced that their philosophy ultimately derives
from the Egyptian and Mesopotamian temple liturgies and rituals,
reinterpreted and revived by the Neoplatonists under the name of
'theurgy' in late antiquity. The theurgic 'animation' of statues
appears to be among the main keys for understanding how various
royal and priestly practices, related to the daily ritual service
and encounter with the divine presence in the temples, developed
into the Neoplatonic mysticism of late antiquity. The traditional
theory of symbolism still stands on the Neoplatonic foundation
established by Iamblichus, Proclus, and Damascius. "This book
clearly establishes three things: that traditional myth (as the
Neoplatonists maintained) is the symbolic expression of
metaphysics, as metaphysics is the exegesis of myth; that Greek
philosophy was not an isolated 'miracle' but a reinterpretation of
perennial themes common to the ancient Near Eastern, Mesopotamian,
Indian, and especially Egyptian religions; and that Platonic
philosophical discourse was but one-half of a whole which included
an invocatory/contemplative practice known as 'theurgy'. It was not
merely the ancestor of western speculative philosophy, but an
askesis, a yoga-a way of realization (though no longer a living
tradition) worthy to be included among the great spiritual methods
of all places and times." Charles Uupton, author of Knowings "In
this most stimulating and wide-ranging work, Algis Uzdavinys,
drawing on the resources of his enormous learning, leads
Neoplatonic theurgy back to its roots in Ancient Egypt, thereby
setting Platonic philosophy in a new and wider context. Students of
Neoplatonism will find themselves much indebted to him for this,
and all readers will find their outlook on life significantly
changed.- Prof. John M. Dillon, Trinity College, Dublin, author of
Middle Platonists
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