Episode 4: "KABBALISTIC KNOWLEDGE"
When the second defenestration of Arthur Schopenhauer took place, Novalis was newly arrived from Jena. All his friends from Weimar were eager to learn about the news that the young poet brought from that other pole of attraction of the Romantic movement.
The group of friends is gathered in a tavern.
-Tell us, tell us!
-In the University of Jena there is a teacher who gives Kabbalah classes.
-Kabbalah? The secret science of the Hebrews?
-Fortunately, it begins to be less secret. Did you know that Kabbalists believed in the transmigration of souls?
One of the young men who form his audience jumps suddenly:
-My soul is eager to transmigrate to America. But my parents won’t let me.
The others correct him:
-Don’t be dumb. What you say is emigration. And, as far as I know, soul and body migrate together. What would your soul do in America without your body?
-Ha ha! He has the illusion of “making it in America”.
-But to “make it in America”, you have to have a body. Otherwise, they will not let you enter anywhere. Is not true, Novalis?
-I don’t know. I’ve never been to America. Now let’s stop joking and listen attentively. Because the best thing about transmigration or reincarnation, as you want to call it, is that the soul does not reincarnate alone. Kabbalists believed that the soul has a companion.
-The twin soul of which Plato already spoke!
-That’s right. They spoke of how, when falling to this world, the divine Soul was divided into two halves and of how they seek each other life after life.
- And do Kabbalists explain what is the way to find your twin soul?
-Well, there are many kabbalistic procedures... But that would be long to explain.
-I don’t need the Kabbalah to find my twin soul. I already know who she is.
-It’s Margarete Brückner! You have been seen walking around the “Ilmpark” together.
-Margarete and I are just friends. I talk about another...
-Who?
-Princess Vera von Hohenlohe.
Novalis is the only one that remains unchanged. The others wallow on the floor laughing.
“Assholes! What are you laughing about?”, exclaims the twin soul of the Princess Vera von Hohenlohe.
- You've never even met her!
-How is he going to meet her if she doesn’t even exist?
-She exists! I have seen her in dreams.
-You trust dreams too much. Last night I dreamed that I was attacked by an elephant, which is unlikely to happen.
One of the young men points at the horizon:
-Look! There comes one! You better start running!
The audience burst into laughter. Then, one of them takes the floor:
- Now I'm telling you seriously: I know of an infallible method to find your twin soul.
-Which one?
-You only have to attend Mrs. Schopenhauer's salon and ask her to read the palm of your hand.
-I don’t believe in palmistry.
-But you do believe in your crazy dreams about non-existent princesses!
-They say she always guess right. It seems that a gypsy woman taught her the technique and now she masters it perfectly.
-Hey, Novalis, could you get us an invitation to Mrs. Schopenhauer salon?
-Sure. But I'm not going to take you all at once. Anyway, it's a bad time now because she has his son at home.
- And what’s the matter with him?
- That he is a skeptic. And a curmudgeon. And also has a tendency to throw himself out the windows.
Again everybody laughs, but Novalis reprimands them: “That's not funny, boys."
-Novalis is right. Another Romantic with suicidal tendencies. That’s sad.
-That’s not the case, it’s more complicated than that. First of all: he isn't a Romantic nor an Idealist. He hasn’t suicidal tendencies either. He jumps out the window to... to...
“To get to the street earlier!”, one of them burst out, and the others laugh at it. Novalis laughs too but he immediately becomes serious: “The reason doesn’t matter. The fact is that he has broken an arm and a leg. And that’s not funny.”
“Novalis, take me with you to the salon this week”, the young man in love with Princess Vera of Hohenlohe requests. And another spits out: “But didn’t you say that you already knew who your twin soul was? That princess Vera of your dreams ...”
-It's not that. I would like to meet that window-jumper. Will you take me, Novalis?
-Sure. But I warn you: he is a curmudgeon, capable of throw you out the window!
Everybody laughs.
-I'll take the risk.
This is a non-profit blog whose purpose is to raise funds for children in need. So if you want to make a donation in exchange for this story, click on this link to UNICEF. I really appreciate it!
The group of friends is gathered in a tavern.
-Tell us, tell us!
-In the University of Jena there is a teacher who gives Kabbalah classes.
-Kabbalah? The secret science of the Hebrews?
-Fortunately, it begins to be less secret. Did you know that Kabbalists believed in the transmigration of souls?
One of the young men who form his audience jumps suddenly:
-My soul is eager to transmigrate to America. But my parents won’t let me.
The others correct him:
-Don’t be dumb. What you say is emigration. And, as far as I know, soul and body migrate together. What would your soul do in America without your body?
-Ha ha! He has the illusion of “making it in America”.
-But to “make it in America”, you have to have a body. Otherwise, they will not let you enter anywhere. Is not true, Novalis?
-I don’t know. I’ve never been to America. Now let’s stop joking and listen attentively. Because the best thing about transmigration or reincarnation, as you want to call it, is that the soul does not reincarnate alone. Kabbalists believed that the soul has a companion.
-The twin soul of which Plato already spoke!
-That’s right. They spoke of how, when falling to this world, the divine Soul was divided into two halves and of how they seek each other life after life.
- And do Kabbalists explain what is the way to find your twin soul?
-Well, there are many kabbalistic procedures... But that would be long to explain.
-I don’t need the Kabbalah to find my twin soul. I already know who she is.
-It’s Margarete Brückner! You have been seen walking around the “Ilmpark” together.
-Margarete and I are just friends. I talk about another...
-Who?
-Princess Vera von Hohenlohe.
Novalis is the only one that remains unchanged. The others wallow on the floor laughing.
“Assholes! What are you laughing about?”, exclaims the twin soul of the Princess Vera von Hohenlohe.
- You've never even met her!
-How is he going to meet her if she doesn’t even exist?
-She exists! I have seen her in dreams.
-You trust dreams too much. Last night I dreamed that I was attacked by an elephant, which is unlikely to happen.
One of the young men points at the horizon:
-Look! There comes one! You better start running!
The audience burst into laughter. Then, one of them takes the floor:
- Now I'm telling you seriously: I know of an infallible method to find your twin soul.
-Which one?
-You only have to attend Mrs. Schopenhauer's salon and ask her to read the palm of your hand.
-I don’t believe in palmistry.
-But you do believe in your crazy dreams about non-existent princesses!
-They say she always guess right. It seems that a gypsy woman taught her the technique and now she masters it perfectly.
-Hey, Novalis, could you get us an invitation to Mrs. Schopenhauer salon?
-Sure. But I'm not going to take you all at once. Anyway, it's a bad time now because she has his son at home.
- And what’s the matter with him?
- That he is a skeptic. And a curmudgeon. And also has a tendency to throw himself out the windows.
Again everybody laughs, but Novalis reprimands them: “That's not funny, boys."
-Novalis is right. Another Romantic with suicidal tendencies. That’s sad.
-That’s not the case, it’s more complicated than that. First of all: he isn't a Romantic nor an Idealist. He hasn’t suicidal tendencies either. He jumps out the window to... to...
“To get to the street earlier!”, one of them burst out, and the others laugh at it. Novalis laughs too but he immediately becomes serious: “The reason doesn’t matter. The fact is that he has broken an arm and a leg. And that’s not funny.”
“Novalis, take me with you to the salon this week”, the young man in love with Princess Vera of Hohenlohe requests. And another spits out: “But didn’t you say that you already knew who your twin soul was? That princess Vera of your dreams ...”
-It's not that. I would like to meet that window-jumper. Will you take me, Novalis?
-Sure. But I warn you: he is a curmudgeon, capable of throw you out the window!
Everybody laughs.
-I'll take the risk.
This is a non-profit blog whose purpose is to raise funds for children in need. So if you want to make a donation in exchange for this story, click on this link to UNICEF. I really appreciate it!
Novalis
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