INTERVIEW
Seeing with wisdom: an imagined interview with William Blake
10 December 2024 – Vol 2, Issue 4.
This text, presented as an interview, is based on comprehensive research studies on Blake, listed below[i].
Gil Dekel: Mr. ‘Blake’, could you tell us what imagination means to you?
‘William Blake’: Imagination is the vision of reality itself. It is not mere fantasy or escape, as some believe; it is the means by which we perceive the divine within all things. Many see only the surface of life – the tangible, the measurable. But true sight comes through the eye of imagination. Without it, we see only shadows and miss the heavenly that lies within and behind each form.
Gil: So, imagination is more than just a creative impulse?
‘Blake’: Precisely. Imagination is an active principle, the very spark of divinity within us. My art is an attempt to reveal this truth, to show the divine order in all things. Imagination is not confined within; it extends outward, encompassing stars and stones alike. It is the power by which we see the eternal in the fleeting.
‘Blake’s Make Imagination Great Again’, by Gil Dekel and AI. 2024. Incorporating portion of Blake’s letter (first page) to Trusler, August 23, 1799.
Gil: Yet, your works are often described as specific, unique to you personally.
‘Blake’: The idea that my visions are solely my own is a misconception. My symbols and ideas draw from a rich, ancient tradition—from the Bible, Hermetic philosophy, Plato, Paracelsus, and the great mystical traditions. These sources are woven together within me, yes, but they are not my invention. Know this: inspiration is a continuum, a river flowing from the depths of antiquity, carrying with it the wisdom of ages, and I am but one voice in this long tradition. I am shaped by the voices that came before and lending my own notes in service to that eternal vision. My particular voice is mine, yet the vision is eternal.
Indeed, many a people believe that the stars above are related to the bodily creatures below. In the same way, I believe that there is a correspondence between the visible and invisible, the earthly and the divine. In The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, I wrote of the union of opposites, the reconciliation of heaven and earth. This alchemical unity defies the duality that sees spirit and matter, heaven and earth, as separated realms. The divine does not reside only above, but flows through all of creation, as surely you know.
I have written of several figures – Los, Urizen, and other beings. They represent forces within the human soul and the cosmos itself. Los represents the imagination—the creator, the artist who forges worlds. He is a blacksmith of the soul, shaping the eternal vision into tangible form.
Urizen is reason, the lawmaker, who seeks to confine and control, often to his own detriment. When Urizen dominates, we descend into Ulro, a state of spiritual desolation where life is reduced to mere function and utility. Ulro is the realm of despair and fragmentation, where reason dominates, and imagination is suppressed. It is the state where people see themselves as separate from one another, from nature, and from the divine.
‘Generation’ is the world of physical existence—birth, growth, death—where life unfolds in cycles but remains bound to the material. Beulah, however, is a place of rest, where the soul experiences beauty, gentleness, and peace, but without full awareness of divine unity. Eden is the true state, the realm of harmony, where all things exist in interconnectedness and love. It is the state we reach when imagination fully reigns. Luvah embodies love and passion, while Tharmas is the primal instinct. These forces are in each of us and must achieve harmony for us to reach a higher state of being.
The higher state of being resides within nature itself. Nature holds the beauty and balance we seek, an untainted reflection of creation’s harmony—a vision wherein peace and strife are wed, embracing opposites in sacred union; a vision that is instructive to our own journey.
Gil: How, then, does nature inspire your visions?
‘Blake’: Nature is not merely an external landscape; it is a reflection of the soul. The sea, for instance, symbolizes the flux of matter, the ever-changing physical world. The tree represents life’s connection to both the earthly and the heavenly. Nature, as the alchemists say, is a forest that burns as it grows, issuing from nothing and returning to nothing. This cyclical transformation mirrors our own journey. I do not see trees, rivers, and stars as lifeless objects but as expressions of the divine imagination. Nature is alive, and filled with spirits, a visible form of the eternal essence.
So, Nature is both a symbol and a sacrament. Every tree, river, and stone holds the spirit of the divine. The Romantic poets find their vision of eternity within the natural world. It is through nature that the soul touches the infinite, moving from mere sight to profound vision. Nature is alive with symbols, not as abstractions but as living parts of the whole. To look upon nature with open imagination is to see spirit woven within each form. It is not confined, as intellect would have it, to static definitions. It is open. It is where we find the pulse of creation.
Gil: Many have called your works “prophecies”.
‘Blake’: I am not a prophet in the sense of foretelling events, but I am a visionary. My work is a call to awaken, to see beyond the material and to glimpse the eternal. I have written against the dominance of what I call the ‘spectre’—that part of the human mind obsessed with control, division, and the worship of false gods. In my poem Milton, I portray the struggle to overcome Selfhood, the selfish part of the soul that binds us to a limited vision. A true prophet reveals this deeper truth, the unity of all things, and invites others to perceive it.
Gil: What are these “false gods” you mention?
‘Blake’: False gods are the idols we worship in place of true divinity. In my time, science and materialism became idols, separating nature from spirit, and reducing the soul to a mere machine. Figures like Bacon, Newton, and Locke represent a philosophy that mocks inspiration and disregards the divine. They taught that there are no innate ideas, and that all knowledge comes through the senses, as if we are blank slates, mere recipients of whatever sights and sounds imprint upon us. They bound the soul to the material. This view divides the world, leading people to see nature as separate from themselves, and in doing so, they lose a part of their own soul.
By insisting that all knowledge comes from the senses, Locke teaches man to see nature as mere matter and to view himself as a machine, not as a divine being. This error fosters a divided world.
Such thinkers—Locke, Bacon, and Newton—would have us believe that reality is nothing more than what our eyes and ears perceive, that there is no deeper essence, no inherent truth within us to be unveiled. But I say this: without innate ideas, without the divine imagination, we are left chained to shadows, mistaking what is visible for what is real.
Gil: So, you believe we carry knowledge within us already.
‘Blake’: Precisely. Every soul carries an imprint of the eternal – what I call ‘innate ideas’ or divine truths, placed within us by God himself. These truths are not learned from the senses; rather they are uncovered through the imagination. Sensory perception is useful for navigating the physical world, but it is not the whole of our knowledge. The true vision, the true understanding, is that which we see with the eye of imagination.
Imagination is the bridge that reunites us with the divine. Through imagination, we perceive the divine spark within every form, the spiritual essence that lies behind what the senses alone would show us. It allows us to see a world in a grain of sand, and a heaven in a wild flower. Through imagination, we hold infinity in our hands, and eternity in an hour… The imagination reveals the world not as fragmented but as a unified whole. It allows us to experience life as divine expression, to see all things as interwoven with spirit.
Gil: And Art?…
‘Blake’: Art is part of this visionary journey. Art is a holy act. It is not just self-expression, but revelation. In creating art, we do not project ourselves onto the world; rather, we uncover what lies beyond the self. The artist does not impose but reveals, bringing forth the symbols and truths that lie hidden in the fabric of reality. This is why tradition is important—true art speaks within a lineage, a great chain of visionaries and prophets who share this journey.
Tradition is the language of symbols through which knowledge is transmitted. The world often believes that to be original means to create without influence, but that is a fallacy. I am inspired by the Bible, by Hermetic philosophy, by Plato, by the wisdom of Paracelsus. Each of these is a thread in a great tapestry, and my work is a thread among them. True knowledge is not a formula but an experience; it is esoteric, known only through direct engagement. Art is the means by which this knowledge is shared across time, shaped by each soul but part of the same eternal vision.
Art is a call to awaken the wholeness within us. Poetry can convey mysteries beyond language, engaging the entire self. A poem or artwork is not mere self-expression but a bridge to universal truth, uniting spirit and matter. In engaging with art, we are called to awaken this full self, to experience life as both human and divine. This is the role of the artist and the prophet alike—to illuminate and to unify. Indeed, the journey of the soul—through innocence, experience, and ultimately wisdom—shines forth in art.
‘Young William Blake’, by AI and Gil Dekel. 2024.
Gil: How do you perceive innocence and experience?
‘Blake’: Innocence is the state of unity, a childlike wonder that sees all things as interconnected. Adults’ experience, however, is the state of division, where we learn of good and evil, of conflict and separation. My work explores this journey, but it does not end in experience. Beyond experience lies higher innocence, a state of wisdom that integrates both unity and division. This journey is not unique to me; it is part of the human soul’s evolution. It is a movement from innocence to experience, and then to a greater innocence, which is an informed harmony.
One must cultivate a heart open to wonder, a willingness to see beyond appearances. Reject the ‘mind-forged manacles’ – the limitations imposed by society, by false beliefs and idols. Seek beauty, embrace the visions that arise within, and do not be afraid to think and see differently. The imagination is a divine gift, the highest form of understanding, and it is our birthright. To return to innocence is not to become naïve, but to see with wisdom. It is the path to Eden, the garden within each of us.
Gil: So, imagination is not a retreat from reality; rather it is reality’s deepest expression?
‘Blake’: Indeed, and through imagination we touch the divine patterns that shape all things. We see the infinite in the finite, the unity within division. Imagination leads us back to our own souls, to the true Jerusalem within. It brings us to see that all life is connected.
Imagination does not oppose reason; rather, it transcends it. Reason is a tool, valuable in its place, yet limited, for it sees only the surface of things. Imagination reveals the infinite. Reason can critique and structure, but it cannot inspire or reveal the truth. Imagination is the vision within the vision, the divine light illuminating truth, while reason is a lantern by which we navigate. The two must coexist, yet imagination must lead, for it sees what reason is blind to. For, as I have written in a letter to John Trusler in 1799: “The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way […] As a man is, so he sees”.
And so, joy is like a bird—grasp it too tightly, and its life is crushed; but kiss it as it flies away, and you shall find yourself bathed in the eternal dawn. To bind joy is to lose it, for true delight lives only in freedom. Embrace the beauty of each moment as it passes, and you will dwell always in the light of eternity’s sunrise.
At a Glance:
Imagination = Internal Vision (Divine Spark) + External Reality (Symbols + Nature).
Imagination unites the divine spark within with the symbols and vitality of nature, revealing the infinite through internal vision and external reality.
© Journal of Creativity and Inspiration.
Images © Gil Dekel.
ChatGPT is an AI language model by OpenAI, designed to assist and engage users through natural, conversational responses, using text-based data.
Gil Dekel is a doctor in Art, Design and Media, specialising in processes of creativity and inspiration. He is a scholar, designer, visionary artist, Reiki Master/Teacher, and co-author of the ‘Energy Book’. Dr. Dekel is an Associate Lecturer at the Open University. In 2022 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Coin, in recognition of his dedication and commitment to pastoral work in the UK.
[i] This imagined interview text is based on the following sources:
Dekel, Gil. (2009) Inspiration: a functional approach to creative practice. PhD thesis. https://www.poeticmind.co.uk/research/phd-thesis/01-thesis-title-page/
Dekel, Gil. (2021) From Sight to Vision: a review of Maurice Bowra’s book ‘The Romantic Imagination’ (reviewed by Dr. Gil Dekel). https://www.poeticmind.co.uk/research/from-sight-to-vision-review-maurice-bowra-book-the-romantic-imagination-reviewed-by-dr-gil-dekel/
Gerlier, Valentin; Dekel, Gil. (2024) Blake’s explorers of the imagination: Valentin Gerlier interviewed by Gil Dekel. https://www.poeticmind.co.uk/journal-creativity-and-inspiration/volume-2-issue-4/’Blake’s-explorers-of-the-imagination-valentin-gerlier-interviewed-by-gil-dekel/
Raine, Kathleen. (2002) ‘Blake’ and Antiquity. London: Routledge.
Sklar, Susanne. (2024) Vision and reality: William ‘Blake’’s mythic system. https://www.poeticmind.co.uk/journal-creativity-and-inspiration/volume-2-issue-3/vision-and-reality-william-’Blake’s-mythic-system/
