ESOTERIC COLLECTING

from them in order to expand con– sciousness. This makes more sense of the use of the word 'disciple' in apply– ing the word 'esoteric' to the activi– ties of a collector. The disciple is one who attaches hin1self to a sage in order to learn as much as possi– ble in an individual quest for en– lightenment; the collector does the same, although the works of art be– come the focus of wisdom, the channel through which it flows, rather than the sage. Progressing through the obvious, surface layers of meaning, the disciple delves deeper and deeper in an attempt to reach the fundamental level of meaning. Whether a Buddhist disci– ple or a disciple of art, the process is the same, only the paths differ and, perhaps, the efficiency of the chosen vehicle, since Buddhist dis– ciples have a very clear idea of their ultimate goal and can, there– fore, concentrate more efficiently on it, whereas most collectors do not fully understand what they are doing. This may sound a trifle pa– tronizing, so let me hasten to add that 1 mean this in the sense of grasping the full nature and poten– tial of their pursuit. This is easily demonstrated by the answers you might expect to get from the ques– tion: 'Why do you collect snuff bot– tles" We rnight get a range of an– swers, but how many would respond: '1 collect to become enlightened' or even '1 collect to expand consciousness.' T suspect we would get a range of less pro– found answers. Some would do it to pass the time, as an agreeable hobby and lots of fun; some as a social function, allowing them to join with others involved in the same pursuit; some would probably be frank enough to say that a seri– ous concern is the potential for the rewarding storage of excess funds, or to put it crudely, because it's a damn good investmenr. There would also be a number of other perfectly sensible reasons for col– lecting, nor need they be mutually exclusive, since most people collect for a number of complementaly reasons and all of the above, and many more, may pertain simultane– ously. I suspect VCIY few, however, would answer that they collect in order to grasp the inner nature of self and environment. In fact, if they did, one would probably be looking around for a bucket to throw up into, but the fact is that at the core of any esoteric purSUit is that desire, whether recognized Of nor. Recognition merely makes the entire process n1uch, much more efficient. Before leaving the subject of why we collect there is one more useful point to be made. Progression from surface to inner layers of meaning does not render the surface layers meaningless in the absolute sense, in fact it greatly enhances their meaning by granting a broader per– spective. Grasping the esoteric na– ture of what we are doing does not take the fun out of buying a paint– ing to match the drapes, or invest– ing wisely, or showing off all our Van Goghs and Monets to a table full of socialites, it just puts it all in a far more enlightening perspective and allows us to play all the surface games with so much more aplomb. Now, let us look at what we ac– tually do as collectors. It strikes me that the activities of a collector can be divided into two major cate– gories, which incorporate all of the minor ones. We gather and we add value. TI,e first is fairly straightforward: we gather together works of art within a certain proscribed range. The second is rather more com– plex. When I say we add value, I don't only mean in the obvious sense of material value, although that is a not inconsiderable result of our activities. We also add other forms of value. We add intellectual value by revealing greater meaning, which adds cultural value which, in turn, adds spiritual value since the more esoteric the meaning re– vealed, the more spiritual it be– comes. Finally, of course, we add value to ourselves by expanding consciousness. We become wiser) more focused, more confident, bet– ter able to cope with life because we know more about it, we have reached into its inner secrets, to whatever extent, through our artis– tic activities. As collectors we can– not, in fact, avoid doing this to some extent, however shallow our activities may prove. Just by gather- 6 ing together a group of art objects one enJlances their meaning, with– out any further input. A totally uninstructed viewer Jooking at a collection of snuff bottles will auto– matically have far more information immediately and easily available tI,an could be had from a single example. In fact, even these two basic cat– egories are intelwoven to some extent, since the preparations for gathering already begin to add value in some of the senses of the term. To define what we are look– ing for requires intellectual effort, some research perhaps, a focusing of the mind and energies. We must learn enough about what we are looking for to know what to look for and where to look. It also in– volves going out, even if no fUIther than to the local antique shop, in order to search out our chosen quarry. Finally, locating and identi– fying it, we negotiate the acqUisi– tion of the prize. By the time the collector has come across his first prize, he has already learned some– thing and, therefore, added value to himself if not yet to the process of art represented by a particular art object. The collector, in many respects, is not unlike the hunter and, when the kill is mounted and hung over the mantelpiece, ti,e only difference is that the hunter uses rather more savage means to acquire a prize. Shooting at dealers and fellow col– lectors is, fOltunately, discouraged by society. Although if I were to tell you right now that there was an Imperial ivory for sale at fifry bucks at the end of the corridor and that the first one there gets it, I'd proba– bly put my money on the collector who happens to be packing a Smitll and Wesson. Actually, I wouldn't. I'd have bought it before I told you abollt it, but the savage, atavistic glint in my eye as I holstered my smoking wallet would be obvioLls to all. Having dealt with the Why? and the What? of collecting we can now move on to the more practical side of how to clo it esoterically, or as a high art. Remember, esoterica or the potential for high 011 resides in any and every approach to collect– ing. It is up to the individual 10 dis-