Light in Darkness: The mystical philosophy of Jakob Böhme Coventry Cathedral (Until 5 July)

Review by Andrew Marsh

by Andrew Marsh 21st June 2019

Why should anyone care about natural philosophy? This exhibition – an artistic and historical interpretation of Jakob Böhme and his work – offers an explanation. The display is superbly curated and animated by: Lucinda Martin, Universität Erfurt; Cecilia Muratori, University of Warwick; and Claudia Brink, State Art Collections, Dresden, Germany, with which Coventry is twinned.

With the current socio-political landscape appearing simultaneously to crumble and harden into power structures with which many passionately disagree, it is possible to think of the twenty-first century landscape as one in which Friends are either excluded or irrelevant. It’s equally as easy to ignore the divine in a pragmatic approach to modern living as to exclude the unpleasant or hide uncomfortable personal stories. Böhme wrote about the battle of light and dark within us and acknowledged the divine contains a darkness which can reveal the Light.

Jakob Böhme was born in Stary Zawidów, then known as Lower Silesia, now within Poland and close to the Czech border. He had a family and made a living as a shoemaker in the city of Görlitz, a city bisected by the river Neisse, with one part in Saxony and a portion within the Polish town of Zgorzelec. As a non-ordained Lutheran he was forbidden to pronounce and write on matters of religion and spirituality. His manuscripts were confiscated unpublished by state authorities in the seventeenth century.

Böhme’s writing appears to contain the essence of what were then, and continue to be viewed by many today, as heresies. Philosophical approaches that encompass opposing viewpoints may, however, be needed now more than ever. Closely linked to the emergence of the modern scientific method, and in a tradition traced to the alchemical antecedent of modern pharmacy and medicine, Paracelsus, his censorship by established authorities sought to protect power structures exploited by the state. His opposition to war was well documented at a time when early Friends were similarly inspired.

‘The gate was open to me’ epitomizes Böhme’s heart-centred approach, associated with similarly enlightened contemporaries and those who followed, including Baruch Spinoza, George Fox, William Blake and others.

Over twenty local people, including four Friends from Coventry Meeting, took part in discussions with the three curators in May. I would answer my original question by saying that personal experience changes the world for the better. The exhibition has highly recommended guided tours and a podcast featuring Lucinda Martin. The exhibition is tied to sessions entitled ‘From destruction to reconciliation’ which focus on co-creating social actions in Coventry that follow from this work. Friends may find these of particular interest.

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