‘ Faust’, an etching by Rembrandt, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Used on cover page by Goethe in 1791 for his publication of Faust.
(Chapter 5: The Spiritual Philosophers)
A facsimile of the title page of the 1592 edition of the Damnable Life of Dr. Faustus; anon. (Chapter 5 : The Spiritual Philosophers )
Dante and his guide Beatrice before the ‘divine light’ in Paradiso, Canto 31. By Gustave Doré. (Chapter 5 : The Spiritual Philosophers )
The upper part of the Transfiguration of Jesus by Raffaello Sanzio (Raphael) (1483 – 1520) focusing on the ‘luminosity’ of the event.
(Chapter 6: Kundalini: The Light at the End of the Tunnel)
The entirety of the Transfiguration of Christ by Raphael
Russian icon of the transfiguration, Jesus is shown surrounded by a light blue aureole with white flashes of lightning (fifteenth century, attributed to Theophanes the Greek, Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow)
(Chapter 6: Kundalini: The Light at the End of the Tunnel)
Paul (Saul) blinded by the ‘light’ on his way to Damascus. Painting by Caravaggio (1571–1610).
(Chapter 6: Kundalini: The Light at the End of the Tunnel)
Ezekiel’s vision portrayed by Gustave Doré , the vision is surrounded by radiance; the divine presence (the figure on the throne) is seen. The impression is one of awe, and Ezekiel prostrates himself before it .
Mohammad as sometimes depicted, surrounded by flame or ‘light’. This detail is from a larger painting of Mohammed as he meets the prophets Ismail, Is-hak and Lot in paradise. Taken from the Apocalypse of Muhammad, written in 1436 in Herat, Afghanistan (now in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris).