CYCLE TWENTY-THREE

1. Just as form precedes content, as the egg precedes the chicken, so does form condition content, since without a given type of form to mould itself to, there would be no proportionate content, and hence no resolution of form in content, of power in glory.

2. Power justifies itself through the achievement of glory by the self which utilizes a given type of power to a glorious end, the end being proportionate to the type and degree of power utilized.

3. It logically follows that an apparent power and/or form will lead to an apparent glory and/or content, just as an essential power and/or form will lead to an essential glory and/or content.

4. Likewise, it logically follows that a quantitative power and/or form will lead to a quantitative glory and/or content, just as a qualitative power and/or form will lead to a qualitative glory and/or content.

5. As I hope to have already established, the relationship of self to science, politics, economics, and religion is direct, since it implies a commitment, through disciplinary procedures, to power and glory, whereas the relationship, by contrast, of self to art, literature, sculpture, and music is indirect, since it implies a commitment, through disciplinary procedures, to form and content.

6. Hence we may hold that a direct commitment by self to the disciplinary manifestations of any given element is commensurate with power and glory, whereas an indirect commitment by self to the disciplinary manifestations of any given element is commensurate with form and content.

7. Thus we may further distinguish the 'natural' status of power leading to glory in relation to science, politics, economics, and religion ... from the 'cultural' status of form leading to content in relation to art, literature, sculpture, and music.

8. Of course, the relationship of self to either power and glory, if direct, or to form and content, if indirect, will vary according to whichever self we are discussing, since there are in effect four selves, corresponding to each of the elements, from which to choose, viz. metachemical, chemical, physical, and metaphysical, two of which will be objective and two subjective, whilst each of these is further subdivisible into noumenal and phenomenal manifestations in both external ('once-born') and internal ('re-born') contexts, and either can be negative or positive, as we have seen.

9. Hence the metachemical self, or soul, will operate within the noumenally objective parameters of space-time materialism, as that which mediates between metachemical power and/or form and metachemical glory and/or content to achieve an emotional end, whether directly, in relation to science, or indirectly, in relation to art.

10. Likewise the chemical self, or id, will operate within the phenomenally objective parameters of volume-mass realism, as that which mediates between chemical power and/or form and chemical glory and/or content to achieve an instinctual end, whether directly, in relation to politics, or indirectly, in relation to literature.

11. Conversely, the physical self, or ego, will operate within the phenomenally subjective parameters of mass-volume naturalism, as that which mediates between physical power and/or form and physical glory and/or content to achieve an intellectual end, whether directly, in relation to economics, or indirectly, in relation to sculpture.

12. Finally, the metaphysical self, or mind, will operate within the noumenally subjective parameters of time-space idealism, as that which mediates between metaphysical power and/or form and metaphysical glory and/or content to achieve a spiritual end, whether directly, in relation to religion, or indirectly, in relation to music.

13. Since self can be either negative or positive, its mediation between power and glory (if 'natural') or form and content (if 'cultural') will likewise be divisible between the negativity of antiself vis-à-vis antipower and/or antiform and antiglory and/or anticontent on the one hand, and the positivity of self vis-à-vis power and/or form and glory and/or content on the other hand.

14. Hence space-time materialism affords us a noumenally objective negative/positive contrast between the antisoul in relation to metachemical antipower and/or antiform and metachemical antiglory and/or anticontent, and the soul in relation to metachemical power and/or form and metachemical glory and/or content.

15. Likewise, volume-mass realism affords us a phenomenally objective negative/positive contrast between the anti-id in relation to chemical antipower and/or antiform and chemical antiglory and/or anticontent, and the id in relation to chemical power and/or form and chemical glory and/or content.

16. Similarly, mass-volume naturalism affords us a phenomenally subjective negative/positive contrast between the anti-ego in relation to physical antipower and/or antiform and physical antiglory and/or anticontent, and the ego in relation to physical power and/or form and physical glory and/or content.

17. Finally, time-space idealism affords us a noumenally subjective negative/positive contrast between the antimind in relation to metaphysical antipower and/or antiform and metaphysical antiglory and/or anticontent, and the mind in relation to metaphysical power and/or form and metaphysical glory and/or content.

18. The antiselves devolve (descend) from most to least via more and less negative power and/or form and glory and/or content, while the selves evolve (ascend) from least to most via less and more positive power and/or form and glory and/or content, and this whether in relation to the primary elements (objective, particle-based) or to their secondary counterparts (subjective, wavicle-centred).