The mystery of Seraphita, Balzac's wonderful creation, is an evidence that
Balzac had glimpses of that perfect union, which gives rise to the
experience called cosmic consciousness.
It is well to remember that in every instance of cosmic consciousness, the
person experiencing this state, finds it practically impossible to fully
describe the state, or its exact significance.
Therefore, when these efforts have been made, we must expect to find the
description colored very materially by the habit of _thought_, of the
person having the experience.
Balzac was essentially religious, but he was also extremely suggestible,
and, until very recently, Theology and Religion were supposed to be
synonymous, or at least to walk hand in hand. Balzac's early training and
his environment, as well as the thought of the times in which he lived,
were calculated to inspire in him the fallacious belief that God would have
us renounce the love of our fellow beings, for love of Him.
Balzac makes "Louis Lambert" renounce his great passion for Pauline, and
seems to suggest that this renunciation led to the subsequent realization
of cosmic consciousness, which he unquestionably experienced.
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