An alchemy of transforming Power into Knowledge

By James Paul Roolvink

In 1204, the mystic Muhyiddin ul-'Ibn Arabi (1165-1240) wrote a letter, known in Arabic as 'Treatise on the Lights in the Secrets Given to the One Who Goes into Retreat', at the request of (aspiring) Sufis/mystics. That letter is now a book for us, and this book has been translated from the English (into Dutch and back to English via the translation machine DeepL) and provided with an explanation. A very clear explanation that follows the text closely.

Ibn Arabi has written a roadmap for those who wish to set out on the path to the Lord of the Powers in order to dwell in His presence. You must traverse six lands ('Realms'), and there are all manner of stages leading to and from stopping points. At these stopping points, you receive Powers from the Lord, who tempts you with those Powers. You must resist that temptation by desiring only to be in the Presence of the Lord, who is the unity of all existence. Once you have reached the Lord, it is your duty, when you return to everyday sensory reality, to receive those Powers by which you did not allow yourself to be tempted. Ibn Arabi shows how.

It is a text written for Sufis who share the same way of life as Ibn Arabi and have travelled part of the path. The text is therefore not very systematic in structure and contains little explanation, as Ibn Arabi assumes much is already known to his Sufi readers. However, the translation provides a useful and meaningful chapter structure based on the content of the text itself, making the text considerably more accessible.

'An Alchemy of transforming Power into Knowledge' also offers a critique of Ibn Arabi's book, noting that it fails to make a clear distinction between God (the 'Absolute Subject') and the origin of God (the 'Absolute', the One). Consequently, his understanding of what Power and Knowledge are, and how they relate to one another, remains obscure. In the wake of this, the critique also focuses on the failure to mention the role of sacrifice on the journey to the Lord and back again from the Lord to 'ordinary' sensory reality.

This criticism clarifies the distinction between mysticism (focused on God) and magic (focused on that One). Ibn Arabi's book can thus itself be regarded as a stage to be overcome on the path to the Lord. It also becomes clear why James Paul Roolvink's magnum opus is entitled 'Magical Humanism'.

The book concludes with a chapter in which a number of points, such as those mentioned above, are rectified.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0H73K4XJ2
• ISBN13: 9798185062890
• Release Date: June 2026
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 180 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.4" x 6.0"