Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Journey through Realms of Shadow to the Mystery of Transformation

2021 marks the 700^th anniversary of Dante’s death, and in recognition of his immense and unique contribution to human culture I have made his Divine Comedy my constant companion for some time now. I’ve read it closely and with ever increasing wonder at the psychological depth of this work of art. And I now more than ever appreciate and understand the magnificence of the Divine Comedy. Dante captures and recasts the entire known world of his time in his poem. It is a work unique and astonishing, like the Lord God’s creation of the world in six days. And Dante’s world is not so different from our present world. The divisions he suffered in his political and social environment in Florence we can easily identify in our contemporary world. The absence of love, the dominance of power-seeking, the longing for justice–these we share in common with him. Dante finds a solution to his dilemmas by taking an unusual route: he goes on an inner journey.