The gesture of Cosmic Man

da | Nov 2, 2018 | Senza categoria | 0 commenti

orante oggi

Since there are various dispositions of the body, the preferred one consists in raising the hands and raising the eyes, because in this way the body introduces into the prayer the qualities that belong to the soul “(Origene, Peri Euchès).

Analyzing the typology of the archaic gesture, I have been able to identify the three basic gestures to which correspond three specific ways of cosmological approach: the gesture of Cosmic Man, that of Universal Man and of Chthonic Man. These are gestural archetypes that can be found (with a small number of exceptions) in every human culture, in every time and in every place. During the Christian mass even today the priest raises his arms towards the sky repeating the gesture of the Cosmic Man. The image of Cosmic Man is represented throughout the time frame that goes back from the Middle Ages to Antiquity and Prehistory, up to the oldest anthropomorphic representations of Upper Paleolithic (16,000 years BC). Assuming this position, the man identifies himself with the axis-mundi; while his feet touch the earth and his arms rise to heaven he exercises the function of cosmic mediator, in order to draw on the energy of the universe to make it available, through the rite, to the various needs of man.

St Porchaire Poitiers

Church of Saint Porchaire, (Amiens, 11th century). Psalm 62, 5 says: “So I will bless you as long as I live, in your name I will lift up my hands”. This gesture is a sign of prayer, supplication, intercession, openness, availability. For many centuries, the people joined the priest in the same gesture.

La Danza delle Origini

Versione cartacea

di Gaudenzio Ragazzi

15.00

C’era una volta il Torchio

Versione digitale

di Gaudenzio Ragazzi

8.60

L’ Albero del Tempo

Versione digitale

di Gaudenzio Ragazzi

4.90

0 commenti

Trackback/Pingback

  1. Purush – The Cosmic Man – Viewpoints which Matter - […] The gesture of Cosmic Man […]

Rispondi

Visualizza carrello