Just another cup of coffee, in September 2007, Athens. This was the most expensive cup I’d ever had. But times have changed, and nowadays four euros is not that much anymore, is it? To me it is, of course, but not for the cafe keepers. Anyway, this very short visit to Athens was by no means a lost one. And today I feel it can be counted as the beginning of my travels with Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagite, whom I consider to be among the key figures in solving ”the Western spiritual crisis”. According to some researchers he was a teacher in the esoteric school of Athens, and it is certain he made way for a stream of mysticism (that could bring the three great religions closer). I want to repeat myself. Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagite is a figure uniting two rather distinct branches or flows: the one is that of thinking and scientific approach towards the spirit, the other is a mystical path. Despite the still on-going debate concerning his ”origin”, it is clear that it does not make any difference, even if the name was taken from around 50 A.D. and the writings date from the 5th century. For Christ’s sake, the world history is full of secret schools based on oral tradition. Two years ago I wanted to buy a book in Rome, near Vatican. It had to be something I could hold on to. Then I found the collected writings of…..
In Athens I heard these words, for the second time on the same journey, from an old Greek lady: ”are you orthodox?” My reply was: ”we are from Finland”. Go and figure out. I was looking for a small copy of the icon of Kosmas, and when I found it, the shopkeeper’s granddaughter asked me: ”do you have a picture of Ville Valo?”, I said I don’t, but I have the picture of Kosmas now. Then I told her I used to go to the same bar as Ville Valo. She was interested. This was an example of times a-changing and generations moving on. Maybe there was something about Finland or Greece, too. I (don’t) know.
KAΦE Valkoinen Kukka & Mustaa Viiniä 