Jose Remy - Spirituality





	Spirituality If a wheat let, fallen down, didn't die, it stays alone, but if it dies, it bears fruits (Charles de Foucauld) from Jean 12-24.

Back Home

I do not have a steady practice... but my father intended to be a priest and followed catholic seminary studies before marrying and committing worldly, following the way of his own father in Paris. Fortunately with blessing of Port au prince' archbishop Joseph Legouaz, apostolic nuncio.

(Click on pictures to enlarge)

Stained glass window in a church of Prague

When I was a young child living in Prague, It was not possible to walk in the street with me without entering each church on the way. When I say it was not possible, I mean that obstacle to my will had to face me in a fit of anger (Jung inner child archetype), rolling down in the dust, mud, water or snow. Therefore most of the time I regularly visited Each church on my way to school, or whatever activity.

Note that I didn't had this behavior for chocolates or candy... Then my parents moved to Arabic countries, and it solved this problem with me... (as far as I remember, mosques look really different than churches...and muezzin used to wake up me everyday at 5)..but I appreciated pyramids instead.

When I was 6 years old, I visited san Francesco church in Ravenna (Italy) with my parents. I stayed more than an hour alone with a priest, listening his harmonium music. This memento is still very intense for me.

I discover later, that, beside the church is the grave of Dante, author of "Divine Comedy", an impressive way through Hell

There is no root-loa in the family of my father because catholic tradition fight against Voodoo,

In 1974 I had the occasion to visit Haiti with some friends. We went to well-known pilgrim of "Notre dame du mont Carmel" (virgin Mary apparition), and also to associated Voodoo event of "Saut d'eau" (waterfall) where people took "chance bath". This place host two of the spirits, of Rada family, acting as messengers with god: Erzulie and Damballa.

...and popular tradition expected that if you received too much chance during your bath you could become a sorcerer or a werewolf...therefore I just took a shower right under the waterfall...

Nevertheless, Antonia, an aunt and godmother of my father, was a Mambo named "Ravette blanche"

In 1982, I attended a Christmas mass in El-Goléa (Algeria) chapel of "white fathers", with four missionary sisters of "notre dame d'Afrique", a priest "white father" and two friends. It was a rare moment of spiritual quality. The chapel is near the grave of Blessed Charles de Foucault (moved there to be near a church)

In 1985, I had the occasion to visit chapel of Foucault hermitage (Assekrem) in Sahara desert (Hoggar). I stayed a while, alone in the chapel, and got a feeling of profound serenity.

Foucault Hermiage - Assekrem, Hoggar, Algeria

In 2000, I went in Jerusalem. As soon as I arrived in front of old town, with strength, I felt like those crusaders having crossed unknown countries, and who are now watching ramparts.

By contrast, peacefully, in the church of holy sepulcher, I saw so many people coming from different parts of the world, having each a place in the church, and sharing common spirituality with different languages, and sometimes different rites. Therefore I was encouraged to visit the Jewish part and tried to go to Islamic part, but access was closed from west part of Jerusalem.

Beginning in 1998, I went several times to the love parade of Berlin (0.5 to a million people each year), I always found a crowed with very positive attitudes. Inside, you feel part of a tolerant, large human community. I witnesses, when some ones exhibit some aggressive behavior, his excess of energy is drawn by the crowd without any explicit constraint. This is the highest level of mass self-regulation I ever seen. Certainly one of the most sophisticated behavior relying on collective consciousness (not relying on any drugs!)

And now we can spend the night in the Tresor techno club of Berlin, sharing a bath of energy in the dark

Enjoy electronic sound: "With Benny Benassi"

My muses as followers of "Melpomène"

Beautiful Rafaela (1927) by Tamara Lempicka

Since St Paul apostle and Augustine of Hippo, Roman catholic church tends to consider sexual pleasure as a sin (lust) when it is not directly related to procreation. But Theology of body (John-Paul II) and encyclical Deus Carita Est (Benedict XVI) about Eros and Agape are a move, especially when focusing on intent.

Last but not least, ultimate spirituality, for me, is reached with "little death" (petite mort) of poets Georges Bataille, that is fusion when making love (and not orgasm strictly speaking as it is often written). It is an interesting misunderstanding. Most people think that "petite mort" relates to the moment of abandon after orgasm. No, it relates to the psychological sensation (qualia), the entanglement, arising between two psyche becoming so close that they merge during a short time, therefore each one experimenting death. This is why passion is a deadly adventure as stated by Vladimir Jankelevitch, and why it is sacred.

And now just listen Zbigniew

Preisner "Concerto en Mi mineur"