218 Nietzscherism § 638, "will have bad nights when he is tired and finds that the gates
of the city, which should offer him rest, are dosed" (2,363; HHl § 638).
This situation is dire because "the desert extends up to the gate" and the
night sinks "like a second desert upon the desert." Still, once he has sur-
vived this, there is a prospect of a rapturous morning "in which he
already sees, as the light begins to dawn, the bevies of muses dandng by
him in the mist of the mountains. Later, when he quiedy takes a walk
under trees with the peace of mind of his morning soul, many good and
bright things are thrown to him from the treetops and leafy recesses, the
gifts of all those free spirits who make their home in mountains, forests,
and solitude and who, like him, are wanderers· and philosophers in their
sometimes joyful and sometimes reflective way." (2,363). This peri-
patetic philosopher, "born from the mysteries of dawn" (2,363), is the
phenomenologist Nietzsche. His phenomenology is the philosophy of
the early light and the morning.
Phenomenological attentiveness to the world of consciousness
requires an attitude that clashes with the demands and complexities of
everyday life. We become so caught up in our daily routines and
ensnared in our many obligations and habits that anxiety and oppor-
tunism gain the upper hand. As a result, we are not sufficiendy com-
posed to let the wodd work its magic. We fail to provide it with a stage
on which to appear as an epiphany, rich and enigmatic, and give our-
selves the opportunity to warm up to it. For this to be possible, we must
not have become too established as creatures of habit. Leeway is
required to allow consciousness to observe itself, not in an autistic sense,
but in such a way that receptivity for the wodd can be experienced on an
individual level. This degree of attention to the way in which the world
is "given" to us entails a decided departure from our customary attitude
toward the wodd. We need to undergo a genuine transition in attitude,
the kind we experience every morning when we awaken.
This moment of transition affords us the opportunity to see the
wodd anew. The temporary worldlessness of the night enables us to
come to the world afresh. This fresh oudook is requisite for both every-