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The Great Instauration

Bacons brainchild is his Great Instauration, a project he conceived for the step-bystep restoration of a state of paradise upon earth, but coupled with the illumination of
mankind. In other words, whereas mankind was innocently ignorant in the original
paradise, in the future paradise all human souls will have reached a state of
knowledge of truth. Such illumined knowledge will be one based on experience or
practice of the truth, which truth (as all great Masters teach, including Bacon) is
lovefor it is one thing to speak of love and believe in it, but quite another to really
know the truth of it.
A worldwide state of illumination or golden age is an ancient dream and prophecy of
all great sages who ever lived on earth, for which they laboured. Bacons great gift to
the world was his ability to see this anew and to both devise and inaugurate a
particular scientific method by which it might be more certainly achieved, suitable for
the approaching era. This new method he referred to as an artthe Art of Discovery;
whilst the Great Instauration itself he conceived as being comprised of six stages of
work, leading to a final stage of rest and enjoyment of the results of the labourthe
state of paradise.
Bacon planned his Great Instauration in imitation of the Divine Workthe Work of
the Six Days of Creation, as defined in the Bible, leading to the Seventh Day of Rest or
Sabbath. He saw his own work, which is itself built upon that of Jesus Christ, his
exemplar, as being like the light of the First Day, which would inaugurate and
illumine the unfolding of the rest. He also understood that the Seven Days of Creation
constitute an eternal archetype for a cyclic occurrence, associated for instance with
the seven-day cycle in which the solar wind or breath from the Sun bathes the Earth
with its light-energy, and then switches polarity for the next seven days, and so on.
The Six Days Work of the Great Instauration, and its Seventh Day, is therefore also
cyclic, just like life itself, with each cycle building upon the previous one, so that
knowledge and ability steadily increases in cycle after cycle, and with there being
smaller cycles within greater cycles.
All good teachers practice what they teach, and so Bacon left not just an idea for
posterity but also a practical example, a working model for the rest of us to study,

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learn from and, if necessary, develop further. He provided us with examples of each
of the individual parts or stages of the Great Instauration, which he symbolised as
individual volumes, seven in all. These volumes may be seen illustrated in the
frontispiece engraving to the 1640 edition of Bacons Advancement of Learning, as
well as on the title page illustration to the same publication. In some instances there
is in fact one particular original volume published for the part of the Great
Instauration it illustrates, such as the 1623 De Augmentis Scientiarum to illustrate
Part 1, the 1620 Novum Organum to illustrate Part 2, and the 1623 Folio of
Shakespeares Comedies, Histories and Tragedies to illustrate Part 4; but for Part 3
several publications comprise Bacons example of a Natural History, and not all of
them were published in his lifetime.
It should be emphasised that by Natural History Bacon means a history or factual
record, suitably organised, that embraces natural, human and divine nature, not just
nature in the sense of our corporeal world. That is to say, the Great Instauration
concerns the acquisition of all knowledge (Bacons stated goal), for entirely
philanthropic or charitable purposes, and therefore includes knowledge of the human
psyche and human ethics as well as knowledge of the nature and operations of
divinity within all manifest life, physical and metaphysical. All too often Bacon is
called materialistic and utilitarian (in a materialistic sense), which is a travesty of the
truth and a point of view which misses the point of the Great Instauration.
Moreover, it should be noted that Bacons examples were made as starting
dissertations, providing inspiration and guidance as well as material to get things
going. They were not intended as dogmatic examples that have to be repeated ad
infinitum without change. He foresaw his method, like the whole project, as evolving,
and designed it accordingly.
Bacons method, his six stages, can be summarised as (1) a survey of the state of
things together with a plan of action, (2) the discovery, acquirement or development
of a method, (3) the collection of a historya data bankon which to draw, (4) the
presentation of the data to the eyes and heart by means of suitable drama and
illustrated examples, (5) the drawing out of temporary axioms or ideas of truth
derived from the experience of the drama, and (6) the development of final axioms or
certainties as a result of putting the ideas into actionthe test being that truth prints

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goodness; therefore only if the action and its result is truly good, on all counts, will
we achieve illumination and the state of paradise.
As shown in the title page illustration to the 1640 edition of Bacons Advancement of
Learning, the six parts or volumes of the Six Days Work are organised into two sets
of three, which cross-relate to each other as well as being related to the symbolism
and meaning of the Six Days of Creation:1. Partitions of the Sciences

4. Ladder of the Intellect

(De Augmentis Scientiarum)

(Scala Intellectus)

2. New Method

5. Anticipations of the 2nd Philosophy

(Novum Organum)

(Anticipationes Philosophi Secunda)

3. Natural History
(Historia Naturalis)

6. The Second Philosophy or Active

Science
(Philosophia Secunda aut Scientia Activ)

However, in the frontispiece illustration to the 1640 edition of Bacons Advancement

of Learning, the six parts or volumes of the Six Days Work are organised into three
sets. The first set is comprised of volumes 1 and 2, stacked lying down, one on top of
the other, on the end of the table to Bacons left. The second set consists of volumes 3
to 6, stacked upright on the bookshelf. The third set is the single volume, the mystical
seventh, in which Bacon is shown writing. This whole arrangement relates to Bacons
Pyramid of Philosophy, wherein the second set of volumes forms the Pyramid,
which has History as its base, Poesie (the Ladder of the Intellect) as its middle, and
Philosophy as its upper part. The first set provides the survey or plan and the method
by which the pyramid is built. The apex or capstone is the seventh volume (the third
set), which signifies knowledge of the Summary Law of Nature, which law Bacon
identified as Love, or Divine Charitythe work which God maketh from the
beginning to the end.
Pervading all this, as an invisible presence, is Divinitythe Wisdom of God that is
inspired into the human heart or recorded in books of wisdom such as the Biblethe
Wisdom that inspires, guides and teaches us. Bacon urged us to become proficient in
discovering and reading both Great Booksthe Book of Gods Word (Divinity) and
the Book of Gods Works (Philosophy), the latter being but the handmaiden to the

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former, the mistress. The role of the handmaiden is to serve her mistress. Since the
mistress is love, or the wisdom that is love, then the handmaidens service can only be
an act of love, the love of love, which is charity. Only by this means can the Great
Instauration be achieved.
To Bacon, philosophy and science are two words for virtually the same thing, like
mind and soul, but with this difference: just as the soul signifies the shining or
illumined mind (i.e. Sol, Sun), so science signifies the knowledge that the love of
wisdom (i.e. philosophy) becomes when put into practice. Hence Bacons Second
Philosophy is also called by him the Active Science, emphasising his intention that
such a new philosophy, based upon his method, will be an enlightened one, and is
nothing less than philanthropy, or charity.
Bacons temple, which is to be constructed in the human mind according to his
principles and method, and on which he has made a start, is his Pyramid of
Philosophy. A pyramid is a pyre of flamea temple of light.
I have held up a light in the obscurity of Philosophy, which will be seen
centuries after I am dead. It will be seen amidst the erection of Tombs,
Theatres, Foundations, Temples, of Orders and Fraternities for nobility
and obediencethe establishment of good laws as an example to the
World. For I am not raising a Capitol or Pyramid to the Pride of men,
but laying a foundation in the human understanding for a holy Temple
after the model of the World. For my memory I leave it to Men's
charitable speeches, to foreign Nations and the next Ages, and to my
own Country after some Time has elapsed.
Francis Bacon, Advancement of Learning, Bk II.
But we are not dedicating or building any Capitol or Pyramid to human
Pride, but found a holy temple in the human Intellect, on the model of
the Universe For whatever is worthy of Existence is worthy of
Knowledgewhich is the Image (or Echo) of Existence.
Francis Bacon, Novum Organum, Bk I, Aph.120.

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Bacons Pyramid of Philosophy has history for its base, upon which is built, layer
upon layer, first physics, then metaphysics, and finally the crowning knowledge of the
supreme law of love. Physics is concerned with material and efficient causes, and
metaphysics with formal and final causes. These causes are laws. The formal causes
are what Bacon, like Plato, calls Forms, which are the living Ideas (i.e. Angels) of
God that lie behind all Creation. The final causes are the greatest of those living Ideas
(i.e. Archangels), of which the supreme cause (the Summary Law of Nature) is divine
Love. Bacon urges us to discover and know these causes, and most of all the supreme
cause, so that we may do good by practising them. Therefore, because love is an
emotion, he urges us to study emotions.
For the principles, fountains, causes, and forms of motions, that is, the
appetites and passions of every kind of matter, are the proper objects of
philosophy.
Francis Bacon, Thoughts on the Nature of Things.
It is rightly laid down that true knowledge is knowledge by causes. Also
the establishment of four causes is not bad: material, formal, efficient
and final.
Francis Bacon, Novum Organum, Bk II, Aph.3.
For knowledges are as pyramids, whereof History is the basis. So of
Natural Philosophy, the basis is Natural History; the stage next the
basis is Physique [Physics]; the stage next the vertical point [apex] is
Metaphysique. As for the vertical point, opus quod operatur Deus
principio usque ad finem,1 the Summary Law of Nature, we know not
whether man's enquiry can attain unto it.
Francis Bacon, Advancement of Learning, Bk II.
Bacons Pyramid of Philosophy is a true pyramidthat is to say, it has a triangular
base, with three sides joined together at the apex in a single point. In terms of
Platonic solids it symbolises the element fire. Each side represents one of the three
main aspects of truth to be researched, practised and knownDivine, Human and

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Naturalwhich correspond to the Hermetic description of the three HeadsGod,
Man and Cosmos.
So there are these three: firstly, God, Father and the Supreme Good;
secondly, the cosmos; thirdly, man.
The Corpus Hermeticum, Bk 10, 14.
In Philosophy, the contemplations of man do either penetrate unto God,
or are circumferred to Nature, or are reflected and reverted upon
himself. Out of which several inquiries there do arise three knowledges,
Divine Philosophy, Natural Philosophy, and Human Philosophy or
Humanity. For all things are marked and stamped with this triple
character of the power of God, the difference of Nature and the use of
Man.
Francis Bacon, Advancement of Learning, Bk II.
God does not ignore man, he knows him fully, as God also wishes to be
known. This is the salvation for man: knowledge of God.
The Corpus Hermeticum, Bk 10, 15.
The apex of the pyramid represents the summary (or supreme) law of lifethe law of
Love, which is divine Charity or Goodness.
Peter Dawkins, FBRT, 1999
Ref:
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Eccles. 3:11 (No man can find out) the work that God maketh from the beginning

to the end.
* The Corpus Hermeticum quotations are from The Way of Hermes, translated by
Clement Salaman, Dorine van Oyen and William D. Wharton (London: Duckworth,
1999).