Prayers and Reflections

Fasting: ”Fasting according to the signification of the word, is abstinence from food. Now food makes us neither more righteous nor less. But mystically it shows that, as life is maintained in individuals by sustenance, and want of sustenance is the token of death; so also ought we to fast from worldly things,
that we may die to the world, and after that, by partaking of divine sustenance, live to God. Especially does fasting empty the soul of matter, and make it, along with the body, pure and light for the divine words. Worldly food is, then, the former life and sins; but the divine food is faith, hope, love, patience,
knowledge, peace, temperance. For “blessed are they that hunger and thirst after” God’s “righteousness; for they shall be filled.” The soul, but not the body, it is which is susceptible of this craving.” (Theodotus/Kirby Collection.)

Garment: Meaning clothing, but in Gnostic terms can mean the flesh covering the body. Sometimes used in various references to wearing the soul or the idea of social position as a philosophical covering. From the Un-named text in the Bruce Codex: “This is Man, begotten of mind (nous) ‘, to whom thought gave form. It is thou who hast given all things to Man. And he has worn them like garment.” (See
also; Cebes)

Gehenna: Meaning hell, hades, sheol, in Gnostic terms hell is, the darkness, desire, and ignorance of Agnosia. In the ”Gospel of Judas,” Satan is Saklas, meaning foolishness. (See Tartaros, See also the ”Gospel of Mary” for the ‘forms of wrath;’ See also; ”The Five Gospels,” p. 544.)

Gematria: The study or science and art of number and letter manipulation. This would include geometric forms such as the Tetraktys of the Decad. ”I {Jesus} have turned their (periods of) influence and their quadrangles and their triangles and their figures of eight , since their (periods of) influence remained turned to the left from the beginning, together with their quadrangles and their triangles and their figures of eight.” (”Pistis Sophia,” See also; Tetraktys of the Decad.” See also; ”Marsenes.” )

Jewish Perspective:

Gematria is one of a number of methods which Kabbalists, and others I might add, employ to uncover “hidden meanings” in Hebrew words and expressions. Simply Gematria is the art of calculating the numerical value of a word by adding together the value of each letter. Once the numerical value of the word is known, words or combinations of words having the same value can be carefully scrutinized and compared. In this manner one number can become representative of several ideas, all of which are understood to be intrinsically related.

A famous example often quoted by commentators and authors addressing this specific topic is Genesis 49:10 which reads “The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh, and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” By Gematria the words “until Shiloh” – y’voh Shiloh (Yod [10] + Bet [2] + Alef [1] + Shin [300] + Yod [10] + Lamed [30] + Heh [5] = 358), align with the Hebrew word for Messiah – Mashiach (Mem [40] + Shin [300] + Yod [10] + Chet [8] = 358]). Hence, according to Kabbalah, there is a direct connection between the terms “until Shiloh” and “Messiah.” Associated here is the Gematria of Numbers 21:9 which reads “And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the Serpent of brass, he lived.” The serpent of brass is called Nachash (Nun [50] + Chet [8] + Shin [300] = 358). So there is a connection between “Messiah,” “until Shiloh,” and the “Serpent of brass.” Using this set of Gematria associations, Christian Kabbalists later assumed that the brazen serpent raised by Moses in the desert was a prefiguration of the Christian Saviour on the Cross. There are however other meanings such as the Nachash.

Using Gematria, Kabbalists arrive at many remarkable Holy Names or the names of Angels, revealing the mysteries of the world of the Merkavah (the fiery Chariot Throne and the Angels). An example is that the Gematria of the entire verse of Song of Songs 6:16: “I have gone down into the nut garden,” is equivalent to a verse in the Midrash (a Sacred Biblical Commentary) which reads “That is the depth of the chariot (Merkavah).”

There is really no limit to what can be yielded by employing this simple Gematria method explained above, but over the years the application of this system became more and more complex, and many more ways of practising this art were devised. I certainly cannot go into all of them in this short missive, but I should mention that there are two schools of thought in Kabbalah regarding the use of Gematria. One favours it, the other uses it very rarely, however both of them used it, hence Gematria is a key system in the “Letter-number Mysticism” of Kabbalah.

As said, Gematria became more and more complicated over the centuries. However, generally the most important types of Gematriot are:

1. The numerical value of one wore is equal to another word. This is the method explained above. Another example is the word Gevurah [Severity] (Gimel [3] + Bet [2] + Vav [6] + Resh [200] + Heh [5] = 216). The Gematria of this word is equal to the word Aryeh [Lion] (Alef [1] + Resh [200] + Yod [10] + Heh [5] = 216). A connection is therefore recognized between the ideas of “Severity” and “Lion” in Hebrew.

2. The reduction of numbers to single units. For example the value of Shin (300) is reduced to 3 or Kaf (20) to 2.

3. The squared number is calculated by squaring the numerical values of each letter in a word. for example the Tetragrammaton YHVH squared equals (Yod) 10² ( Heh) 5² (Vav) 6² (Heh ) 5² which equals 186. This is in turn equated with the word Makom [Place] (Mem [40] + Kof [100] + Vav [6] + Mem [40] = 186). Makom is also a Divine Name.

4. Adding up the value of all letters preceding a letter in an alphabetical numerical series. For example, the letter Dalet is the fourth letter of the Hebrew letter-numbers (alphabet), and the use of this type of Gematria in this case, requires one to add the values of the letters preceding Dalet, thus 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10.

5. Then there is the method of Gematria termed Millui meaning “filling” or “spellings.” In this method the values of the letters comprising the names of the individual letters are calculated. In Hebrew each letter is a word, and is spelled as follows:

Alef— Alef-Lamed- Peh [Feh]
Bet— Bet-Yod- Tav
Gimel— Gimel-Mem- Lamed)
Dalet— Dalet-Lamed- Tav

Heh can be spelled:
Heh-Alef
Heh-Heh
Heh-Yod

Vav can be spelled:
Vav-Alef-Vav
Vav-Yod-Vav
Vav-Vav

Zayin—Zayin-Yod-Nun
Chet—Chet-Yod-Tav
Tet—Tet-Yod-Tav
Yod—Yod-Vav-Dalet
Kaf—Kaf-Feh
Lamed—Lamed-Mem-Dalet
Mem—Mem-Mem
Nun—Nun-Vav-Nun
Samech—Samech-Mem-Kaf [ Chaf]
Ayin—Ayin-Yod-Nun
Peh—Peh-Heh
Tzadi—Tzadi-Dalet-Yod
Kof—Kof-Vav-Peh [ Feh]
Resh—Resh-Yod-Shin
Shin—Shin-Yod-Nun
Tav—Tav-Vav

Using this type of Gematria the value of Alef (Alef [1] + Lamed [30] + Feh [80]) = 111; Bet (Bet [2] + Yod [10] + Tav [400]) = 412, etcetera. These Millui or fillings are very important in the construction and permutation of Divine Names. Take for example the earlier mentioned YHVH, in which the letter-numbers Heh and Vav have different fillings, that is different spellings. As indicated already, the letter Heh can be spelled Heh-Alef, Heh-Heh or Heh-Yod, and Vav can be spelled Vav-Alef-Vav, Vav-Yod-Vav or Vav-Vav. So with these letters one can use three different kinds of fillings, traditionally called:

Millui de-Alfin (Alef filling);
Millui de-He’in (Heh filling); and
Millui de-Yodin (Yod filling).

Applying these to the Ineffable Name, YHVH, the Sacred Tetragrammaton can be varied accordingly to give the so-called “Forty-Five Letter Name of God,” “Fifty-Two Letter Name of God,” “Sixty-Three Letter Name of God,” and “Seventy-Two Letter Name of God.” In fact each of these names correspond to one of the Four Worlds of Kabbalah, respectively the worlds of Assiah, Yetzirah, Briah and Atzilut. This is done in the following manner:

Yod-Vav-Dalet Heh-heh Vav-vav Heh-heh comprises the “Fifty-Two Letter Name of God,” and in Gematria the word Ben (Bet [2] + Nun [50] = 52). The word Ben (son) is thus representative of the “Fifty-Two Letter Name of God.”
Yod-Vav-Dalet Heh-Alef Vav-Alef-Vav Heh-Alef comprises the “Forty-Five Letter Name of God,” which corresponds in Gematria to the word Adam (Alef [1] + Dalet [4] + Mem [40] = 45). The word Adam (man) therefore symbolizes the “Forty-Five Letter Name of God.”
Yod-Vav-Dalet Heh-Yod Vav-Alef-Vav Heh-Yod comprises the “Sixty-Three Letter Name of God.”
Yod-Vav-Dalet Heh-Yod Vav-Yod-Vav Heh-Yod comprises the “Seventy-Two Letter Name of God,” which according to some is related to what is called the “Name of Seventy-Two Names.”

Of course I have barely touched on this topic, and there are still a few Gematria techniques which I have not listed at all. This is purely because I am address more extensive details in this short message, but I hope I have been able to shed some light on this intriguing topic.

Glaucius: Glaucius and Mark, if by only legend where employed in recording the records of Peter, in Alexandria, around 44 C. E. (See; Works of Henry Barchlay Swete, 1835-1917.)

Gnosis: While the literal translation for this word is “knowledge”, it’s meaning is closer to “insight” or, to use another concept, “enlightenment.” It may imply more in some cases than a purely intellectual understanding. It may imply complete comprehension that comes from both rational and intuited means. Gnosis is bonding the soul (nous) with wisdom, in both Sethian,Valentinian, and other Gnostic schema, which link this act through Jesus. The process of Gnosis may have different schema, or criteria as to secular practices. The process of Gnosis seems to be transitional or a transcendence in a learned process.

Gnostic: A person regarded as a student of Gnosis. Can refer to specific sects mentioned by historians, and heresiologists, The term can be used as a category for a number of sects and individuals that believed “Gnosis” had a salvational purpose. Gnostic sects are known to have existed in pre-Christian Jewish
communities and later in Christian movements, according to information in the “Nag Hammadi” text by Robinson. Gnostic views differ, as do secular characters of the Pleroma in the creation myths. The term or versions of it, are used very early in regard to Christian learning, this quote from Book 3 of Clement of
Alexandria’s “Stromata.” “Joannis autem vitae institutum gnosticum quis imitabitur?”

Gnosticism: The word was adapted by modern scholars to refer to the sects of the ‘Late Antiquities’ that shared a similar cosmology and soteriology. More recently the definition has been widened in some circles to mean any form of mysticism or esotericism. Gnostic scenarios both differ, and are alike in the
cosmic reasoning for the creation, making them ‘creation myths.’ Gnostic texts use different names for the characters of the creation stories for characters from the Palermo. Gnostics all believe that man, through learning the perspectives of his psyche, earthly, and pleromic self can attain life after death in a corporeal state by bonding with the higher entities. The ‘Light,’ ‘ Sophia,’ (Wisdom). (See also; ”The Five Gospels,” by Funk, Hoover, Harpper-Collins, 1993, p. 544.)

Gospel: Means ‘good news.’ Gospels were used to relate evangelistic teachings. Gnostic writings appear to have been based upon all existing Gospels attributed to Apostles. Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, as well as Pauline letters are mentioned in some Gnostic texts. The ”Gospel of Thomas” appears
to be a main source of Bible Gospel, and Jesus reference in the Nag Hammadi collection, as well as other Gnostic works. The ”Gospel of Mary,” and the ”Gospel of Phillip” are in the Nag Hammadi Lib. The ”Gospel of Phillip”contains some New Testament references. , Jn 6:53, 8-32, 8-34, Mt. 3-10, 3-15,
15-13, 16-17, Paul, 1 Co 8-1, 1 P 4-8. See also ”The Gospel of Judas,” and ”The Gospel of Truth, and Gospel of the Egyptians.”

The blessed holy One has ascended in glory.

He is hidden, concealed in utmost loftiness

There is no one in the world—-

Nor since the day the world was created has there ever been —

Who can comprehend His wisdom or apprehend Him,

for he is hidden, concealed, transcendent, beyond, beyond…

–the Zohar

Lady, Mother of us all,

You are the source of all Love,

As the Father is the source of all light,

You sustain me on my journey,

In my work,

In my service to my fellow beings.

May I be trustworthy

Of your Love.

–Danaan Parry

They are all children when they sleep.

There is no war in them.

They open their hands and breathe

in the slow rhythm given to humans by heaven.

Whether soldiers, statesmen, servants, or masters

they purse their lips like small children

and they all half-open their hands.

Stars stand watch then and the arch of the sky is hazed over

for a few hours when no one will harm another.

If only we could talk with each other then,

when hearts are like half-open flowers.

Words would push their way in

like golden bees.

             God, teach me sleep’s language

–Rolf Jacobsen

“Christianity is not merely a set of foregone conclusions. The
Christian mind is a mind that risks intolerable purifications, and
sometimes, indeed very often, the risk turns out to be too great to be
tolerated. Faith tends to be defeated by the burning presence of God in
mystery, and seeks refuge from him, flying to comfortable social forms
and safe conventions in which purification is no longer an inner battle
but a matter of outward gesture.”

–Thomas Merton

What is the source

From whence gushes the frenzied growth

All about me?

What overlighting presence

Guides the living things of the earth

Toward the zenith of their life?

I, as one of these living things,

Marvel at the perfection of our unfolding.

Blessed am I to be a part of the plan.

–Danaan Parry

I ask thee Yahya, about the Way whereby the people of righteousness are put
to the test and go without hindrance.

Tell me: To what is the shape of Sauriel the death angel’s knife like? Tell
me: If the soul leaves the body, with what is it clothed, and to what is it
like in the vain body?

Surely the soul is not possibly like the blood, that it should became heated
in the body and come to a stop in it?

Surely the soul is not possibly like the wind, that it should fare to
themountains, be lost there and come to a stop!

Surely the soul is not possibly like the dew, that it should fall on the
fruit and be lost?

When Messiah said this, Yahya cries aloud, tears come to him without
ceasing, and be speaks: God forbid that the high King of Light should look
for lot in deceivers.

The soul is not like the blood, that it should become heated in the body and
come to a stop.

The soul is not like the dew that it should fall on the fruit and be
lost.The soul is not like the wind that it should fare to the
mountains and come
to a stop.

Firmly developed has the soul been brought into the vain body.

If the soul has kept herself perfect, she ascends in a garment of glory.
Sauriel’s knife consists of three flames.

When Sauriel drives the soul to hasten, so as to bear her away he lets loose
the three flames against her.

One he lets loose against her in the evening, the other at cock-crow: the
third lets he loose gainst her at the coming-forth of the rays.

If the fire begins to be fierce, the soul slips out of the feet and the
knees.

Out of the feet and the knees slips she and draws nigh to the hips. Thereon
leaves she the hips, reaches the heart, and seeks to keep there her ground.

then falls she into the breast, and it squeezes [...] the eyes, the face and
the lips of the man Twitch, and the tongue twists hither and thither.

Then Sauriel sits on the eyebrows he sits and speaks to her: Go hence, 0
Soul!

Why dost thou still watch over the body?

Then says she to him: Thou wilt take me, Sauriel out of the body. First show
me my vesture and clothe me therewith;

then take me out and hence bring me.

First bring me thy works and thy wage, makes he answer to her: Then will I
show thee thy vesture and clothe thee.

– Drashia d-Malkia (Secret teachings of the Angelic Kings, Aramaic Gnostic
text)

Past mind can’t be grasped,
Present mind can’t be grasped,
Future mind can’t be grasped.
With which mind will you drink this tea?

- A businesswoman questions Te Shan

“The value of our activity depends almost entirely on the humility to
accept ourselves as we are.  The reason why we do things so badly is
that we are not content to do what we can.”

–Thomas Merton

The thing is

to love life

to love it even when you have no

stomach for it, when everything you’ve held

dear crumbles like burnt paper in your hands

and your throat is filled with the silt of it.

When grief sits with you so heavily

it’s like heat, tropical, moist

thickening the air so it’s heavy like water

more fit for gills than lungs.

When grief weights you like your own flesh

only more of it, an obesity of grief.

How long can a body withstand this? you think;

and yet you hold life like a face between your palms,

a plain face, with no charming smile

or twinkle in her eye,

and you say, yes, I will take you I will love you, again.

Ellen Bass Author, California

I rested on the Spirit of the Lord, and She lifted me up to heaven;

And caused me to stand on my feet in the Lord’s high place, before His perfection and His glory, where I continued glorifying Him by the composition of His Odes.

The Spirit brought me forth before the Lord’s face, and because I was the Son of Man, I was named the Light, the Son of God;

Because I was the most glorified among the glorious ones, and the greatest among the great ones.

For according to the greatness of the Most High, so She made me; and according to His newness He renewed me.

And He anointed me with His perfection; and I became one of those who are near Him.

And my mouth was opened like a cloud of dew, and my heart gushed forth like a gusher of righteousness.

And my approach was in peace, and I was established in the Spirit of Providence.
Hallelujah.

             –Odes of Solomon (36)

In the beginning was God,

Today is God,

Tomorrow will be God.

Who can make an image of God?

He has no body.

He is as a word which comes

out of your mouth.

That word! It is no more.

It is past, and still it lives!

So is God.

–from Zaire

“The secret of pure intention is not to be sought in the renunciation of
all advantage for ourselves.  Our intentions are pure when we identify
our advantage with God’s glory, and see that our happiness consists in
doing His will because His will is right and good.”

–Thomas Merton

It is the voice of Yeshu, the Gnosis of Life, which calls and enlightens his friends.

He explains to the faithfully established the Mystery of this world, the world of full Mystery and suggestion, the world of full Mystery, which no humans have discovered.

The Mystery of the heavens is the anvil.

The Mystery of the light is the day.

The Mystery of the darkness the night

[...) the living water [...] .

The Mystery of the salt is the soul.

The Mystery of the sword is the fire.

The Mystery of death is the sleep.

The Mystery of the worlds is Adam.

The first Mystery is his son.

The Mystery of the vault [...] is of the people established faithfully.

The Mystery of the mildness is the eyes to be pushed shut and a hundred and one to know.

The Mystery of the christening is to say one and to hear hundred and one.

The Mystery of the prayer bead is to say one and to hear a hundred and one.

The Mystery of the love is to push shut one’s eyes on the roads and to know a hundred and one.

The Mystery of the poverty is to be sent out into the world. The Mystery of the chosen ones is the myrtle.

The Mystery of the body is the rose.

As the myrtle is freshly resplendent, so are the chosen ones resplendent like unto it, but as the rose wilts, so do bodies disintegrate.

The bodies disintegrate, and the measure of the world becomes full. From where-did you hail from 0 truth telling man, who comes and enumerates the shamefulness of this world?

I am a man from the other world, on whose head is found the sign. The mark is put on my head, and I ascend up thereby to the Light Land.

Life is transcendent and victorious, and victorious are those that have gone forth!

–Drashia d-Malkia (Secret teachings of the Angelic Kings, Aramaic Gnostic text)

“An impure intention is one that yields to the will of God while
retaining a preference for my own will.  It divides my will from His
will.  It gives me a choice between two advantages:  one in doing His
will and one in doing my own  An impure intention is imprudent, because
it weighs truth in the balance against illusion;  it chooses between a
real and an apparent good as if they were equal.”

–Thomas Merton

Peace is the universal healer, as it is written ( Isaiah 57:19) ‘Peace to the one who is far and peace to the one who is near,’ says God, ‘and I will heal him.’ When a person is ill, it is usually because his body’s systems are not functioning in harmony – his four humors or elements are somehow in conflict. He requires medicines which will restore balance and allow healing to take place. Interestingly, medicines are generally very bitter. Yet people are willing to endure a little bitterness in order to be healed – in order to attain inner peace.

        The same is true of spiritual healing. A person might have to endure a certain amount of suffering – and it might be bitter indeed – but then he realizes that this suffering stems from his own spiritual inadequacies; he himself is the source of this own bitterness. Recognizing his faults, he is led to improve himself. The bitterness itself thus turns into the healing power, bringing him ever closer to spiritual peace.”

  – Nachman of Bratslav (Likutei Moharan)

“Straightway, while I was contemplating these things, behold, the heavens opened and the whole creation which is below heaven shone, and the world was shaken. I was afraid, and behold I saw in the light a youth who stood by me. While I looked at him, he became like an old man. And he changed his likeness (again), becoming like a servant. There was not a plurality before me, but there was a likeness with multiple forms in the light, and the likenesses appeared through each other, and the likeness had three forms.

He said to me, “John, John, why do you doubt, or why are you afraid? You are not unfamiliar with this image, are you? – that is, do not be timid! – I am the one who is with you (pl.) always. I am the Father, I am the Mother, I am the Son. I am the undefiled and incorruptible one. Now I have come to teach you what is and what was and what will come to pass, that you may know the things which are not revealed and those which are revealed, and to teach you concerning the unwavering race of the perfect Man. Now, therefore, lift up your face, that you may receive the things that I shall teach you today, and may tell them to your fellow spirits who are from the unwavering race of the perfect Man.”

–The Apocryphon of John

“I must look for my identity, somehow, not only in God but in other
people.

I will never be able to find myself if I isolate myself from the rest of
mankind as if I were a different kind of being.”

–Thomas Merton

For I am the first and the last.

I am the honored one and the scorned one.

I am the whore and the holy one.

I am the wife and the virgin.

I am the mother and the daughter.

I am the members of my mother.

I am the barren one

and many are her sons.

I am she whose wedding is great,

and I have not taken a husband.

I am the midwife and she who does not bear.

I am the solace of my labor pains.

I am the bride and the bridegroom,

and it is my husband who begot me.

I am the mother of my father

and the sister of my husband

and he is my offspring.

–The Thunder, Perfect Mind

All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction.  

Love is therefore the only law of life.

He who loves lives, he who is selfish is dying.

Therefore love for love’s sake, because it is law of life,

just as you breathe to live.

–Swami Vivekananda

Esaldaios: Name that the Naassenes used for the Demiurge.

Essenes: Jewish communal sect known as free thinkers at the time of Jesus. They were said by Josephus to have combined Pythagorean, and Stoic theory, with ascetic virtues, and spiritual knowledge with divine law. In Qumran, the Essenes were the keepers and/or writers (some works) of the ‘Dead Sea Scrolls.’
http://essenes.net/bnei1.htm
,
http://mosaic.lk.net/g-qumran.html
According to Robert Wiseman, author of “James, Brother of Jesus,” there are similar language parallels to some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and first century Christianity. However there is no real proof of this connection and I found Wiseman’s claims to be on very thin ice, and hardly parallels at all. Most experts see no connection to Essenes, and Christians at all. There are no Christian works found in the scrolls.”The sect was an extremist offshoot of the Jewish apocalyptic movement, whose basic doctrine was the expectation of the soon end of days. When it comes, the wicked would be destroyed, and Israel freed from the yoke of the nations. Before this, God would raise for Himself a community of elect who were destined to be saved from the divine visitation, and who were the nucleus of the society of the future.”
http://mosaic.lk.net/g-qumran.html
This is different than the claims of modern Essenes, who claim to be originated by Nazoreans,
http://essenes.net/bnei1.htm

My note:modern essenes claim to be of a different group..from Mount Carmel; of Elijah (Nazoreans). Their texts are preserved in mandaeism, which has been corrupted by Islam and followers of Dositheus (which Islam tells us the modern mandean fiath is an off shoot of) who denied Yeshu; figures such as Simon Magus who despite some modern accounts was not the first Gnostic. Simon was a Dositheus follower, he proclaimed himself to be “Yeshu” and his lunar bride (some acounts say she was a formewr whore) to be an incarnate Goddess.This all have led to the insistence of venerating John the Baptist (Yohana) and denigrating Jesus (Yeshu/Hibil Ziwa/ Manda dHiya)… This can be easily seen (for ONE example) in the Mandaean Ginza Rba which tells the story of Jesus being baptized by John. There are two versions, one where Jesus is wholly rubbished, another where Jesus’ name is transposed with Manda dHiya…We find this Manda dHiya version in the Ginza Rba. The changing of Yeshu or hibil ziwa or any of Yeshu’s several names for Manda d’Hiya makes the obvious redaction of texts easy to spot and correct.
http://essenes.net/ginzaR5_4.html
Whereupon spoke Yohanna to Manda dHiya: A thousand times a thousand people to the Jordan do I let descend, and I baptized ten thousand times ten thousand souls in the water. Yet one like unto you my hand has yet to take. Now explain to me; how do I baptize you?
Then Manda dHiya spoke to Yohanna: as far as the water, go also, and I want to go with you. Baptizing me with your pure baptism, with which you tend to baptize, and speak about me something of the name, which you to tend to utter. So Yohanna went back down to the water from the dry land, and Manda dHiya went with him.
The radiance of the Manda dHiya was over Jordan and its banks.
The fish opened their mouth from the sea, the birds on the two banks of the cosmic sea. They praised Manda dHiya and spoke to him: Blessed art you, Manda dHiya, blessed be the place from which you came, and praised and strengthened is the great place to which you go.
When the voice of the fish from the sea and the birds from the two banks of the cosmic sea entered into the ear of Yohanna, he knew that it was Manda dHiya who went with him. Then Yohanna spoke to Manda dHiya: You are the one in whose name I baptize with the living baptism. And he asked him: In whose name do you baptize? Whereupon Yohanna answered Manda dHiya: In the name of the one who has been revealed to me, in the name of the predestined, of he who is destined to come, as in the name of the Mana well guarded, who has to reveal himself. Now place upon me now your hand of Truth, your great right hand of healings, and speak over me your names, for I am the planting which you planted. In your name will be strengthened the first and the last.

Eucharist: See Eucharist A., and B., in the Nag Hammadi Library. “, ”Pistis Sophia by Mead….”And Jesus said unto them: “Bring me fire and vine branches.” They brought them unto him. He laid out the offering, and set down two wine-vessels, one on the right and the other on the left of the offering. He disposed the offering before them, and set a cup of water before the wine-vessel on the right and set a cup of wine before the wine-vessel on the left, and laid loaves according to the number of the disciples in the middle between the cups and set a cup of water behind the loaves.”

Jesus explaineth the vision of fire and water, and wine and blood. Jesus,–that is Aberamenthō,–said unto his disciples: “Amēn, I say unto you: I have brought nothing into the world when I came, save this fire, this water, this wine and this blood. I have brought the water and the fire out of the region of the Light of the lights of the Treasury of the Light; and I have brought the wine and the blood out of the region of Barbēlō. And after a little while my father sent me the holy spirit in the type of a dove.

“And the fire, the water and the wine are for the purification of all the sins of the world. The blood on the other hand was for a sign unto me because of the human body which I received in the region of Barbēlō, the great power of the invisible god. The breath on the other hand advanceth towards all souls and leadeth them unto the region of the Light.”

“And for this cause I took also a cup of wine, blessed it and give it unto you and said: ‘This is the blood of the covenant which will be poured out for you for the forgiveness of your sins.” (P.S. Bk. 5.)

Eugnosis: Freely developing (gnosis.)

Eusebius: ( 260-341 A. D.) Eusebius Pamphili, Bishop of Cæsarea in Palestine, known as the “Father of Church History.” Known to have been counsel to Emperor Constantine who converted the Roman Empire to Christianity. Was an anti-Gnostic,who carried on the teachings of Irenaeus, and Hippolytus against heretics. ”At the opening of the Council of Nicæa Eusebius occupied the first seat on the right of the emperor, and delivered the inaugural address which was couched in a strain of thanksgiving to Almighty God on his, the emperor’s behalf.” (New Advent, Catholic Encyc., Online.)

Eusebius of Caesarea

Exegesis: An explanation of a passage, or word. It is related to allegory and translation of scripture.

Exousiai: Name for the powers of the entities in the Pleroma. (See “Pistis Sophia.”) Referred to as rulers and wicked powers in the “1st Book of Jeu.”

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Jesus said,
"When you see one who was not born of woman,
prostrate yourselves on your faces and worship him.
That one is your father."

The umbilicus is the physical mark

of being "born of woman".

I think the goal of the Gnostics "ascents" into

the heavens was to "ascend" to the level of the Father. They will know they have arrived when

they encounter a Being without this mark.

This reminds me of the question:
”Did Adam have a belly button?”
If so, why?
pure aesthetics?
so he could have it pierced?

If the Father created Adam, then he would

be created, not born, thus Adam would also

share the title, “one who was not born of woman”.

However, if Sophia, a woman, created the

Universe of matter, and everything within it,

then only that which transcends this world

of opposites is “not born of woman".

That means your earthly body and your

genetically inherited instincts are "born of woman".

That which is “not born of woman" would include:

the twin souls of heart and mind united

through Knowledge to produce a living Spirit.

(my comment: God is not born of woman…)

“Your real accomplishments do not happen on the stage of the outside world for all to see and admire. Your real accomplishments happen inside of you. They are the lessons you learn, the attitudes you adopt, and the qualities of kindness, fairness, honesty, compassion, and forgiveness that you embody…..

Even when you chose to do good but your efforts did not produce results – don’t feel bad. You are not responsible for the results. Results are God’s department.

We could even say that you and God are co-writers of the drama of life. But you write the choices and He writes the results. You are only responsible for the choices. The rest is in God’s hands…..

You become good even when you simply choose to do good, although because of circumstances beyond your control you are not always able to accomplish the deed. The Talmud teaches that when a person chooses good but something prevents him from exercising his choice, his reward is the same as if he did it, because the choice is what changed him. The reward is who you become.”

–David Aaron (The Secret Life of God)

A monk asked Chao-chou Ts’ung shen “Has the oak tree Buddha nature?”
Chao-chou said, “Yes, it has.”
The monk said, “When does the oak tree attain Buddhahood?”
Chao-Chou said, “Wait until the great universe collapses.”
The monk said, “When does the universe collapse?”
Chao-chou said, “Wait until the oak tree attains Buddhahood.

–Wu Men

In general, we feel that the results of any activity we do, whether it is artistic or otherwise, depends upon goodness of mind. And therefore, any music or artistic form, if it is performed with a view of aggrandizing one’s self, removing one’s own immediate discomfort, gaining profit or fame, or drawing attention to one’s self in any way, will not be good. But if it is done with forgetting one’s self and only concerned with how to be benefit to others, to inspire them, to cheer them, wishing them well and to be free from disturbances rather than further heightening their negative afflictions, then it is almost certain that one’s creation would be excellent.

–Lungri Namgyal

The tree of love its roots hath spread
Deep in my heart, and rears its head;
Rich are its fruits: they joy dispense;
Transport the heart, and ravish sense.
In love’s sweet swoon to thee I cleave,
Bless’d source of love . . . ,

- St. Francis of Asissi

Write down how many things you want.
Meditate on how many things you need.
When you write them down
You will see
That you want millions of things.
When you meditate
You will notice
That you need only one thing
And that is God the Compassion,
God the eternal Compassion.

–Sri Chinmoy