All of us love cleanliness, a clean space in which we find ourselves or a city in which we live. We love to be clean, fresh, and surrounded by everything that is pure.
We know that cleanliness needs to be maintained regularly because everything in this material world constantly gets dirty – as soon as we wipe away the dust, new dust accumulates and the process needs to start over. So day by day, we clean ourselves and everything around us. This freshness and beauty are our inspiration, making all the effort we constantly put in easier.
However, besides the visible, material aspect, what about the ones we cannot see, our feelings and thoughts? Since we live and operate on these subtler planes of our being, it is logical that we need to clean there regularly too, as dust and dirt accumulate there as well, which need to be regularly removed.
But neither a broom nor water can help on that level, cleaning and renewal are subtler there. For example, when we feel pain or sadness, crying can “ease our soul,” as if we got rid of something that was inside us. and it pressed. Listening to beautiful music or reading an inspiring book can also be a form of purification. Although all the cleanings and arrangements on the visible, material level will certainly have a positive impact, on higher levels, more subtle methods of cleansing and renewal are needed.
The process of this “invisible” internal purification was traditionally called catharsis. The fact that we can find it in all cultures and civilizations speaks to its necessity and importance.
The concept of catharsis comes from the Greek katharsis (κάθαρσις) and means purification or cleansing, and katharos means pure.
The ancient Greeks paid great attention to the health of the soul and body. In Greek culture, cathartic cleansings are associated with art, primarily with Greek tragedy and music. Catharsis was also necessary preparation for rituals in oracles, such as those at Delphi. In initiation centers, such as Eleusis, access to mysteries was impossible without prior purification processes.
Kata The concept of catharsis was first defined by Aristotle in his work “Poetics,” in which he describes the possibility of catharsis, a purification in the spectators who follow the tragedy in the theater. The spectators participate in the fate of the characters on stage and experience different life situations with them, thereby undergoing their own deep internal experience. In his understanding of the tragic, Aristotle says that tragedy, by arousing feelings of pity and fear, releases suppressed emotions, brings relief, and encourages bravery.
Aristotle also mentions catharsis in his work “Politics,” in which he discusses the benefits of studying music or engaging in music-related activities: Music should be studied for its numerous advantages, not just one. It should be learned for education, for purification (catharsis), for proper use of free time, and for relaxation and rest after exertion.
The Pythagoreans placed great importance on purity. The clothing they wore was white, linen, and clean. They considered music to be extremely important for the purification of the soul and for maintaining good health. They had Songs for various states – some were effective against sadness, others against irritability or anger. When they went to sleep, they would clear their minds of daily clutter and noise using appropriate songs and melodies, thus ensuring a peaceful sleep.
For Plato, catharsis represented the liberation of the soul from bodily inclinations and passions through the development of spiritual life. According to his words: Sciences are meant to cleanse and revive certain tools in the human soul that other occupations have dulled and made blind, so preserving spiritual life is more valuable than having a thousand eyes, because only in this way can truth be discerned.
Purification, for Plotinus, is the practice of virtues, it is both prudence and courage, and wisdom itself. From the perspective of the soul, says Plotinus, it is the rejection of all impurities, leaving only what is good. When it is purified, the soul becomes more beautiful, resembling the divine. It thus liberates itself, separates from everything that is not its true nature, from everything transient and, as Plotinus says, from everything that meaningless. What helps the soul in this is reason and thinking, which turn away from what is below and direct themselves towards what is above, towards God.
Hippocrates considered catharsis primarily as a bodily purification, i.e. the expulsion of substances from the body that cause illness. In descriptions of Hippocratic medical procedures, many connections have been found between therapeutic catharsis and ritual catharsis with art, suggesting that art was used for the purpose of purification.
Ancient Romans, among others, had ceremonies dedicated to collective purification called lustrations. They most commonly took place in February, as the god Februus (February) was associated with purification, or lustration. Those who needed to be purified were sprinkled with water with laurel or olive branches, and a special sprinkler (aspergillum) was used for this purpose. Smoke was also used for purification, as it was believed to have the power of purification.
The Romans often held lustration rituals they would maintain, so they would purify and fields after the harvest for better crops, herds to protect them from diseases, the army before going to war… Lustration rituals were held among the entire Roman population and were conducted by Roman censors. The first lustrum was performed in 566 BC during the reign of King Servius Tullius.
Catharsis is a complex process in psychology where suppressed ideas are brought into consciousness in order to reduce tensions caused by suppressed emotions. There are two key components of catharsis – the emotional aspect (strong emotional experience) and the cognitive aspect (insight, new realization through which the unconscious becomes conscious).
If we look around us, we will see that everything is constantly being renewed and cleansed. This is an important and necessary process that is part of the nature of life.
Cleaning and purifying are necessary in order to deal with various burdens and by discarding the old and useless, we can start anew, our small and big new cycles. This requires effort, but That is a way for us to continue living better, more beautifully, and more joyfully.