SPECTRE OF URTHONA

This is a continuation of the post ENITHARMON & LOS

Illustrations to Paradise Lost 
Temptation and Fall of Eve

We begin this section with allusions to the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 'Urizen's Mysterious tree' evokes the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil from the Garden, and Blake's Tree of Mystery which encompassed false religion growing out of erroneous ideas.

Enitharmon realizes that her fears and sense of failure grow out of her eating of the fruits of these two trees. She is unable to celebrate life but, like Enion, sees that life is a mutual devouring of the other. As did Eve, Enitharmon offers the fruit to her counterpart who she believes to be "strong & mighty To bear this Self conviction". She is seeking proof that there is life Eternal but after eating the fruit Los despaired, seeing not life Eternal, but death Eternal.

Los and Enitharmon are connected through Urthona from whom they were born as he fell from his original unity. By acting as a medium between the quarreling pair, the Spectre of Urthona takes steps to rejoin together what has been torn asunder. His next step is to acknowledge that his own actions precipitated the chain reaction leading to the present situation.

The state of Death that the Spectre of Urthona encountered is described as "Each Male formd without a counterpart without a concentering vision." So Los and Enitharmon will be given the task of providing for these Spectres of the Dead who have no counterpart. If they can accomplish this they may repair the rift between themselves. And if they can learn to live together in love and forgiveness, Urthona may be reunited with his Spectre. Then the broken psyche and the broken world may be healed.

Four Zoas, Night VII, PAGE 95 [87] (SECOND PORTION), (E 369) 
"But Los stood on the Limit of Translucence weeping & trembling
Filled with doubts in self accusation beheld the fruit  
Of Urizens Mysterious tree For Enitharmon thus spake
 
When In the Deeps beneath I gatherd of this ruddy fruit 
It was by that I knew that I had Sinnd & then I knew
That without a ransom I could not be savd from Eternal death
That Life lives upon Death & by devouring appetite
All things subsist on one another thenceforth in Despair
I spend my glowing time but thou art strong & mighty  
To bear this Self conviction take then Eat thou also of
The fruit & give me proof of life Eternal or I die
Then Los plucked the fruit & Eat & sat down in Despair
And must have given himself to death Eternal But
Urthonas spectre in part mingling with him comforted him  
Being a medium between him & Enitharmon   But This Union
Was not to be Effected without Cares & Sorrows & Troubles
Of six thousand Years of self denial and of bitter Contrition 

Urthonas Spectre terrified beheld the Spectres of the Dead
Each Male formd without a counterpart without a concentering vision
The Spectre of Urthona wept before Los Saying I am the cause
That this dire state commences I began the dreadful state
Of Separation & on my dark head the curse & punishment
Must fall unless a way be found to Ransom & Redeem"