fi llment of ideals. The State of Soul, when perfectly realized, is
united, fully pre sent, and in a certain manner exists outside of time.
Blake thought of the Soul State as preeminently associated with
poetry and the imagination. But this book expands his view to as-
sociate Soul with compassion, courage, and the quest for Truth.
The Soul State serves not only the individual who enters it, but also
others who gain from loving- kindness, protection, inspiration, and
the paths opened by true thought. But the State of Soul is, as Blake
also knew, a dangerous state. Those who pursue it are sometimes
victims of ridicule, neglect, persecution, and even of violent death.
And not all claimants to higher states are to be believed and trusted—
no end of deception has gone on in the name of ideals.
Maybe we are best off without ideals. Perhaps there can even be
something bleakly noble in affi rming ourselves as fundamentally
Darwinian creatures who live to sustain our existences with as little
pain and as much plea sure as possi ble. But is that all there is to life?
The question of the great States of being, Self and Soul, is in danger
of dropping off the map of human inquiry. In its place there opens
up an expanse of mere existence based on desire, without hope, full-
ness, or ultimate meaning. We can do better. This book seeks the
resurrection of Soul.
The Triumph of Self 15