Icarus

Fundamentally, Icarus – as it seems to me, is a phallic or masculine style of thinking.  Icarus seeks enlightenment by transcending the Earth – which he takes as “feminine”.  But this is all too impetuous (although nonetheless very natural, and indeed very necessary).  Actually one has to shoot as high as possible – and definitely for enlightenment (whether one is male or female), but the shaman (i.e. Bataille) as post-metaphysician already knows that this is going to fail.  However, the failure is not in the way that the linear mind would understand failure.  When Icarus falls to Earth, his linear mind considers his an effort that led to failure, but in fact that is wrong – or only half of the picture.

 

In fact, Icarus has reached the limits of his being (which is commendable), but he was only ever in one channel, operating in ONE mode, which is that of linear thought.  His crash is not a disaster (entirely) because it returns him to the other level of thought, which unites him with the duality of existence.  Thus he is reunited with circular (perhaps) or “feminine” thought (diffused thought).  

 

But the shaman (perhaps even the potential shaman in Icarus) knew that this was always bound to happen.  It is in the natural order of things that one gets beyond the monistic thought IF one pushes far enough and with enough resolution – one reaches the limits of one’s being.  After that, one must reunite with the other elements of through that one had left behind.

 

The paradox of shamanic initiation – only after one has crashed and burnt can one be whole.

 

But this is not as pretty as it sounds, and takes a lot to pick up the pieces.