Contradiction and Duality in Esoterica

Anyone that has delved into the occult or other forms of esoterica has probably noticed that there is a lot of contradiction going on in. Not necessarily in the sense of saying one thing and then saying another but more along the lines of taking two sides of a duality and combining them. It recently occurred to me that this is done for a very good reason.

As humans we tend to see the world in pairs of opposites: hot and cold, wet and dry, light and dark, good and evil. The list goes on and on. In truth, reality is a continuum of these assorted extremes but that doesn't stop us from categorizing things by what they are opposed to. This is just how we make sense of our world. This said, how can we understand the true nature of the world, the continuum, without combining these opposites in some way?

At the boundary where opposites meet, or even in that gradient between them, we find beautiful contradiction and dynamic interplay. This brings us to phrases like "the Middle Way" and to concepts like the androgynous Mercury that is a mixture of male and female. As Terence said, "Moderation in all things." I think this applies to belief systems and ideas as well. Perhaps we can only understand the extremes by seeing how they interact with one another. To know cold one has to know warmth.

I think that there is another, more important reason for expressing esoteric ideas in contradictions and riddles though. I think this is because some ideas or concepts can only be expressed by contradiction. Contradiction forces us to think outside of our typical day-to-day categorization. It frees our minds of the chains of physicality for a moment to consider the impossible, the higher realms of mind and spirit. Contradictions such as "cold fire" force us into a non-linear state of mind which is conducive to spiritual exploration and allows us to gain an inkling of the infinite.

Contradictions aren't always used to obfuscate information in esoteric texts. Sometimes that's the only way to actually convey the teachings. Some things cannot be expressed in words and sometimes the best we can do is guide the mind to that truth with something that ostensibly doesn't make much sense. It's not necessarily about reserving information for the chosen ones that can decipher the text; it's also about using that language to guide seekers to the state of mind necessary to really grasp what's being conveyed. Keep this in mind the next time you're reading through an old grimoire or religious text. You may begin to see things in a new light.