Blake was a great visionary, a mystic, whose ideas came from many sources; rather than following the established cultural tendencies of his age, he turned to the occult traditions in Europe:
– the Jewish cabbalistic ideas – tradition of mystical understanding of God and universe
– Emanuel Swedenborg – Heaven and Hell: The Bible must be understood in a mystical and spiritual sense -> the real world comprises of three worlds:
- o the heavens
- o the hells
- o our world where judgement takes place
The Trinity is Love (Father), Wisdom (Son), and Energy (Spirit)
– Jacob Boehme – a German mystic: will is the original force; opposition God vs. nature
– the Rosicrucian Brotherhood – an organisation of esoteric thinkers in the 15th century; knowledge of spiritual truth held by the ancient Gnostics is essential for salvation -> Earth + Heaven symbolism