Camillo's Memory Theater

*My apologies for this not appearing over spring break.  I was on a grand adventure in Chicago creating new memory palaces of my own.

Camillo's memory theater is a vast mental structure that largely evades my understanding.  It's a shame his magnus opus was never completed, having his completed thoughts concerning the memory theater would be greatly helpful for those still trying to understand his masterpiece.  Thanks to Yates, I know have a better understanding of the theater's workings and hope to apply Camillo's wisdom when building my own museyroom.

Camillo's reverse theater set-up is structured around 7 grades (steps) that then divide into 7x7 gates. Each gate is decorated with several images that guide the viewer to his numerous memory loci.  In this sense, the gates stand as doorways to inner chambers stock full of unbelievable amounts of information concerning almost seemingly all topics on the face of Earth.

The whole structure rests upon the 7 pillars of Solomon's House of Wisdom.  These pillars symbolize ""Solomon, in the 9th chapter of Proverbs says that wisdom has built herself a house and has founded it on 7 pillars.  By these columns, signifying most stable eternity" (Yates 137). These pillars are "The eternal places of his memory."

The 7 Grades/Steps
1.  The Planets: the planets are nearer to us and more approachable than the Sephiroth and there images are easier for us to use for memory images.  Once these have been grasped, the mind is able to move on into either the upper celestial world of ideas or the subcelestial world of elements.

2. The Banquet:  all the gates on this level will have the image of a banquet for the gods.  The banquet was held by Ocean (waters of wisdom in existence before time).  "The invited gods are the Ideas existing in the divine exemplar."  This represents the creation of all the elements.

3.  Cave (Homeric, not Plato): this grade represents another stage of creation in which the elements are mixed and form created things

4.Creation of Man: this grade represents the creation of man's mind and soul.  Camillo uses the striking image of the Gorgon sisters for this gate due to the Cabalist theory that man has three souls (3 souls for 3 Gorgon sisters.

5. Body joins Soul: this grade is represented by Pasiphae and the Bull.  Pasiphae (body) was enamored with Bull (soul) and the two joined, thus joining the interior and exterior of man.

6. Sandals: This gate is represented by Mercury's sandals which in turn represent all tasks that man can perform naturally with no help from art or magic.

7. Arts: An image of Prometheus holding a torch marks all the gates on this level.  Prometheus was the man who stole light (knowledge) from the gods thus this grade contains all knowledge of arts, science, law and religion.

Here stands an absurdly simple outline of Camillo's masterpiece memory theater.  The structure in reality is a complicated home to facts and knowledge spanning all categories of man's mind and soul.  I am still unsure how to use this memory theater--I doubt anyone but Camillo could ever know and understand all its secrets.  However, this structure stands as an emblem of hope and possibility for our own memory theaters and the preservation of the oral tradition.