The Eye of Desire: Alexander the Great: Marc Gafni
marc gafni
posted on marcgafni.com
shared comments on info@marcgafni.com
The Eye of Desire
For many of the biblical mystics, the symbol of confused desire was Alexander the Great. He took almost the entire known world of his day. Yet, insisted the masters, without becoming an erotic lover, Alexander would necessarily remain empty.
The legend tells of Alexander seeking the Garden of Eden, symbol of erotic fulfillment, on the African continent. Now the talmudic masters have a little bit of a soft spot for Alexander. They saw in him not only as a confused seeker of desire but also a seeker of wisdom. So along the way to Eden, Alexander is depicted as growing wiser and slowly divesting the personality of a pure conqueror. He engages in what later Hebrew mystics will call the interrogation of desire.
In one of his adventures on the quest for Eden Alexander is confronted by an army of women warriors — mythological symbols of Eros and Shechina. They say to him, “It is not worth your while to attack us. For if we kill you — you will be known as ‘the king killed by women,’ and if you kill us you will be known as ‘the cruel king who killed women.’” This is his first lesson in the dance with desire. Neither conquest not submission will do.
Next, Alexander asks these same women for bread to eat. Instead, they serve him loaves of gold. In response to his astonishment they reply, “You have enough bread in your own city. You came all the way here because bread would not fill you — you needed gold.” The Second lesson — the need for the clarification of desire. Be honest about what you truly need to fill you.
At this point, Alexander is ready to encounter the Garden of Eden. He eats some fish and recognizes by its scent that the water was from Eden. Smell is considered by the mystics as the most erotic of the senses.
He follows the fragrance to the gates of the Garden. He cries out “Entry!” but is refused access. He is not yet enlightened. Alexander pleads to receive at least some of Eden’s wisdom. From behind the gate extends a gift — it is an eyeball. Sensing its magical quality, Alexander has the eyeball inspected and weighed. Turns out this small object weighs more than all the masses of gold and silver he has with him.
“How could this be?” he asks his sages in consternation. They reply that it is a human eyeball – representing desire that can never be satisfied. Human desire is so heavy that it weighs man down. Without a doubt it weighs more than all the gold and silver that Alexander could carry with him. Yet, unconvinced, Alexander asked the sages for proof. They sprinkled some dust over the eyeball so it could no longer see, and it immediately reverted to its natural weight.
On Alexander’s quest for wisdom, he needed to learn the futility of unclear desire. Alexander is empty, as is symbolized in his request for food to fill him. The Shechina warrior women of Eros teach him to be clear about his desires. Gold and not bread. Do not pretend to be working for you core survival (bread) when it is really gold (honor and glory) that you are after. Know what you want and pursue it.
Finally, know that your desire can never be fully sated, even by all the world’s gold and silver. The human eye of acquisition is a black hole of desire, always demanding more. You need to change your essential relationship to the world. Let go of taking and embrace the law of love. In the law of love we deepen our relationship to desire. After we have clarified our true desire we seek it’s fulfillment. In part we are able to achieve our desire. In part it remains beyond our grasp. It is in this second part that we make the most radical move. Instead of needing to fill your desire, Let the desire itself fill you!
This is the eros of desire.
marc gafni
posted on marcgafni.com
share comments on info@marcgafni.com
