The Secret Sayings of Christ Part 1 of 5

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Introduction

After a long period of study by myself and others it has been discovered that the entire Gospel of Thomas can be imbedded into certain strings of verses from other Gospels and

Epistles, using the Gospel of Matthew as the main guide.
This provides Thomas with a timeline it does not have by itself.

I am one of the people who love the Gospel of Thomas of and by itself. It is my desire to discover by combining these texts, rather than create from or of them.

The following is the combination of the Gospel of Thomas, into the Gospel of Matthew, with insertions from the Gospel of Mary, the Epistle of James, Peter, and the Gospels of

Luke, Phillip, John and Mark. Insertions occur in different ways. This has been done with care as not to distort from the intended obvious meanings, and central themes of the

combinations of strings, all from Apostles…

“These are the words that Jesus said…”

Jesus, His Disciples, and John The Baptist

1.

(Thomas 4.) “A person old in days will not hesitate to ask a child of seven days about the Place of Life, and he will live ! For many who are first will become last, and they

will become one and the same.”

(Matthew 11-1. And in those days cometh John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, saying,

(Matthew 11-2. Repent ye; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

(Matthew 11-3. For this is he that was spoken of through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make ye ready the way of the Lord,

make his paths straight.

(Matthew 11-4. Now John himself had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

(Matthew 11-5. Then went out unto him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about the Jordan;

(Matthew 11-6. and they were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

(Thomas 46.) “Among those born of women, from Adam until John the Baptist, there is none greater than John the Baptist that his eyes should not be lowered before him.

Yet I have said, that if one of You becomes like a child he will know the Kingdom and be higher than John.”

2.

(Mathew 3:11. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist: yet he that is but little in the kingdom

of heaven is greater than he.

(Thomas 85.) “Adam came into being from a great power and a great wealth, and he did not become worthy of You. For had he been worthy of You, he would

not have experienced death.”

(Phillip) The soul of Adam came into being by means of a breath (pneuma), which is a synonym for spirit (Pneuma). The spirit given him is his mother.

His soul was replaced by a spirit. When he was united to the spirit, he spoke words incomprehensible to the powers. They envied him because he was seperated from the

spiritual union. This seperation afforded them the opportunity to fashion for themselves the symbolic bridal chamber so that men would be defiled.

(Thomas 75) Jesus said : “Many stand outside at the door, but it is the solitaries who will enter the bridal chamber.

(Matthew 3:12. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.

(Matthew 3:13. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

3.

(Matthew 3-7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the

wrath to come?

(Thomas 40.w the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him;

(Matthew 3-17. and lo, a voice out of the heavens, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

(Mark 10-35. And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.

(Mark 10-36. And he said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you?

(Mark 10- 37. They said unto him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory.

(Mark 10- 38. But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?

(Mark 10- 39. And they said unto him, We can. And Jesus said unto them, Ye shall indeed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized

withal shall ye be baptized:

(Mark 10- 40. But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.

4.

(Matthew 14-1. At that season Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus,

(Matthew 14-2. and said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore do these powers work in him.

(Matthew 14-3. For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.

(Matthew 14-4. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

(Matthew 14-5. And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

(Matthew 14-6. But when Herod’s birthday came, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst, and pleased Herod.

(Matthew 14-7. Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she should ask.

(Matthew 14-8. And she, being put forward by her mother, saith, Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.

(Matthew 14-9. And the king was grieved; but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that sat at meat with him, he commanded it to be given;

(Matthew 14-10. and he sent and beheaded John in the prison.

(Matthew 14-11. And his head was brought on a platter, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.

(Matthew 14-12. And his disciples came, and took up the corpse, and buried him; and they went and told Jesus.
Jesus’ Speeches and Parables To The Multitudes

5.

(Matthew 14-13. Now when Jesus heard it, he withdrew from thence in a boat, to a desert place apart: and when the multitudes heard thereof, they followed him on foot from the cities.

(Matthew 14-14. And he came forth, and saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick.

(Thomas 78) Jesus said : “Why did You go out into the desert ? To see a reed shaken by the wind ? To see a man clothed in fine garments ?

Your kings and Your great men are the ones clothed in fine garments, and they are not able to know the truth.”

(Phillip) The powers do not see those who are clothed in the perfect light, and consequently are not able to detain them. One will clothe himself sacrementally in the union.

(Thomas 36) Jesus said : “Do not be concerned from morning until evening and from evening until morning about what You will put on.”

(Matthew 13- 34. All these things spake Jesus in parables unto the multitudes; and without a parable spake he nothing unto them:

(Matthew 13- 35. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.

(Matthew 14-15. And when evening was come, the disciples came to him, saying, The place is desert, and the time is already past; send the multitudes away, that they may go

into the villages, and buy themselves food.

(Matthew 14-16. But Jesus said unto them, They have no need to go away; give ye them to eat.

(Matthew 14-17. And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

(Matthew 14-18. And he said, Bring them hither to me.

(Matthew 14-19. And he commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed,

and brake and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes.

(Matthew 14-20. And they all ate, and were filled: and they took up that which remained over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full.

(Matthew 14-21. And they that did eat were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

(Matthew 5:2. and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

(Peter 5:8.) Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour,

(Thomas 7.) Fortunate is the lion which the man eats so that the lion becomes a man; and cursed is the man whom the lion eats so that the man becomes a
lion.”

(Mathew 5:10.) Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Thomas 79.) Fortunate are those who have heard the Word of the Father and kept it.

6.

(Luke12:12.) for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in that very hour what ye ought to say.

(Thomas 72) A man said to Him : “Tell my brothers to divide my father’s possessions with me.” He said to him : “Man, who has made Me a divider ?”

He turned to His disciples and said to them : “I am not a divider, am I ?”

(Luke 12-14. But he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?

(Luke 12- 15. And he said unto them, Take heed, and keep yourselves from all covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in abundance

of the things which he possesseth.

(Luke 12- 35.) Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning;

(Luke 12- 36.) And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding; that when he cometh and knocketh,

they may open unto him immediately.

(Thomas103.) “Fortunate is the man who knows where the robbers are going to enter, so that he may get up, gather his {house}, and girds his loins before they enter.”

(Luke 12- 37.) Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you,

that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them.

(Luke 12- 38.) And if he shall come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

(Luke 12- 39. ) And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched,

and not have suffered his house to be broken through.

(Thomas35.) “It is not possible for anyone to enter the house of a strong man and take him by force unless he binds his hands ; then one can ransack his house.”

(Luke 12- 40.) Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.

7.
(Luke 10- 25. And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and made trial of him, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

(Luke 10- 30. And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his

raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

(Luke 10- 31. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

(Luke 10- 32. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

(Luke 10- 33. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

(Luke 10- 34. And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

(Luke 10- 35. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him;

and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

(Luke 10- 36. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

(Luke 10- 37. And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

(Thomas 69.) Fortunate are those who are persecuted in their hearts. It is they who have truly come to know the Father.

Fortunate are those who are hungry, for they will satisfy their bellies.”

(Mathew 5:11.) Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

8.

(Thomas19.) Fortunate is he who was before he became. If You become My disciples and listen to My words, these stones will serve You. For there are five
trees for You in Paradise which remain unshaken summer and winter and
their leaves do not fall. He who knows them will not taste death.”

(Matthew 5:3. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

(Thomas 54.) Fortunate are the poor, for Yours is the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Matthew 5:4. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

(Mathew 5:5. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

(Thomas 49.) Fortunate are You, the alone and the elect, for You will find the

Kingdom. Because You came from it, You will also return to it again.”

(Matthew 5:6. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

(Matthew 5:7. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

(Thomas 58.) Fortunate is the man who has suffered ; he found Life.”

(Mathew 5:8. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

(Thomas 68.) Fortunate are You when You are hated and persecuted. Where You were persecuted they will find no place.”

(Matthew 5:9.) Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.

 

9.

(Mattthew 19-20. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I observed: what lack I yet?

(Thomas 63) Jesus said : “There was a rich man who had a lot of money. He said : ‘I shall put all my wealth to use so that I may sow, reap, plant,

and fill my barn with harvest, with the result that I shall lack nothing.’ Such were the thoughts of his heart, but during that night he died.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear !”

(Mattthew 19- 21. Jesus said unto him, If thou wouldest be perfect, go, sell that which thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have

treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

(Mattthew 19-22. But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful; for he was one that had great possessions.

(Mattthew 19- 23. And Jesus said unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, It is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

(Mattthew 19- 24. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

 

10.

(Thomas 8.) Then He said : “A man is like a wise fisherman who casts his net into the sea and drew it up from the sea full of small fish.

Among them he found a fine large fish. The wise fisherman threw all the small fish back into the sea and chose the large fish without hesitation.

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

(Matthew 13-47. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:

(Matthew 13-48. which, when it was filled, they drew up on the beach; and they sat down, and gathered the good into vessels,

but the bad they cast away.

(Matthew 13-49. So shall it be in the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the righteous,

(Matthew 13- 50. and shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

 

Reflection for January 24, 2008:Miss Scarlett, I don’t know nothing about birthing no babies!

 And ye, therefore, now, indeed, have sorrow; and again I will see you, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one doth take from you,

 Sand in that day ye will question me nothing; verily, verily, I say to you, as many things as ye may ask of the Father in my name, He will give you;

 till now ye did ask nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

 

–John 16:22-24

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“Many people want to have a so-called God experience. The name for that is spiritual materialism. Just as some people like to amass cars, clothes, and big houses, other people like to amass spiritual experiences. But that’s not what a relationship with Hashem is all about.

 

        A true encounter with Hashem means seeing, hearing and responding to Hashem in your life. In Hebrew this is called teshuva, a word often mistranslated as ‘repentance,’ but really meaning ‘answer.’ To do teshuva is to answer Hashem’s call.”

 

David Aaron (Seeing God:Ten Life-changing Lessons of the Kabbalah)

 

 

No matter how many times I have sex, as a man I cannot conceive…  (bad paraphrase of a Brit comedy joke from “Blackadder”)

There are no “victors”….

Men cannot give birth, sometimes, you really have to let it go, and live with what is.
Although there is that funky website about the first male pregnancy http://www.malepregnancy.com/

One “spiritual edict” is that one should refrain from needless arguing, especially about beliefs. Ultimatly the seeker knows, one’s belief is what is right for them

This may not be true of another.  As Gnostics, we do not seek to change, or convimce, or convert.  We seperate the wheat from the chaff, and find what is good, what is useful.

A wise man lives free of conflict. 

“Miss Scarlett, I don’t know nothing about birthing no babies!” (Gone with the wind)

 

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Jesus said, “Come to me, for my yoke is comfortable and my lordship is gentle, and you will find rest for yourselves.”

 

–Gosp. Thomas (90)

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When the feelin’ is ended
There ain’t no use pretendin’
Don’t ya worry – It’s only love

When your world has been shattered
Ain’t nothin’ else matters
It ain’t over – It’s only love
And that’s all – yeah

When your heart has been broken
Hard words have been spoken
It ain’t easy – but it’s only love

And your life ain’t worth livin’
And you’re ready to give in
Just remember – that it’s only love

You can live without the aggravation
Ya gotta wanna win – ya gotta wanna win
You keep lookin’ back in desperation
Over and over and over again

When your world has been shattered
Ain’t nothin’ else matters
It ain’t over – It’s only love

And if your life ain’t worth livin’
And you’re ready to give in
Just remember – that it’s only love
Ya – that’s all

Ya it ain’t easy baby
But it’s only love – and that’s all

 

–Bryan Adams (its only love)

 

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The Savior said to his disciples, “Now the time has come, brothers and sisters, for us to leave our labor behind and stand at rest,  for whoever stands at rest will rest forever. 1 say to you, always rise above… time [I say] to you,… [do not] be afraid of [those] …you. I [say to you], anger is frightening, [and whoever] stirs up anger is a [frightening person]. But since you have [been able to endure], it may come from [you] ….

 

“People received these words about anger with fear and trembling. Anger established rulers over them, for no one escapes anger. But when I came, I opened a path and taught people about the way of passage for those who are chosen and alone, who have known the Father and have believed the truth. And you offered praise.

 

 

–The dialogue of the saviour

 

Reflection for January 23, 2008:A river follows its natural course to make a land fertile

 

 

 

All beings by nature are Buddha,

as ice by nature is water;

apart from water there is no ice,

apart from beings,

no Buddha.

 

–Hakuin

 

 

“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judg- ment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son h.on- oureth not the Father which hath sent him” (john 5~2-23).

 

The transcendental God the Father beyond all creation reflected Himself as the Christ Intelligence in creation, to be the underlying guiding Intelligence of all manifestations. The intelligent creative forces of Cosmic Nature all emerge from the supreme Christ Intelligence as accessories of the Holy Ghost Cosmic Vibration. Thus Christ Intelligence is directly responsible for the creation of man and for giving to each man his power of free choice to do good or evil. Hence, all human beings are in turn directly responsible to the Christ Intelligence for the use or misuse of their free will.

 

“The Father hath committed all judgment unto the Son” does not mean that the Christ Intelligence punishes or rewards each person, but that each individual must suffer the consequences of his own actions when he makes wrong determinations. Man, whose soul is made in the image of the Infinite Christ, should naturally live as a Christ; but when he resists and acts against the Christ conscience in him, he puts himself in disharmony with the ever-flowing judgment or wisdom or harmony or love or peace of Christ. A river follows its natural course to make a land fertile; but if an embankment is put up which impedes that flow, the river indirectly, with no subjective intent, passes judgment of punishment by denying its theretofore freely giving water. So also, when man erects a wall of ignorance and non,-receptivity and matter-identifIed living, he fInds  that the divine waters of Christ-wisdom have passed judgment not to  flow in his-life, in respect of his free will. It would be wrong to ascribe to Christ (who suffered on the cross, saying: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”), and to God or Godlike souls, any revengeful judgment or action.

 

The Father, hidden in all space, manifests Himself through His true incarnate sons who receive and reflect His wisdom. Those who respect the Father and are desirous of knowing Him, but cannot hear His guiding voice, should honor and follow these true sons of God- God-sent enlightened gurus-through whose voices God speaks to truth-seeking devotees. It is so easy for devotees to hear the voice of God in the definite guidance of God-known masters. Ignorant people do not know God because they do not purify their minds to receive Him. Jesus and Christlike souls manifest God; and therefore persons who do not honor or offer respectful attention to these pure channels similarly deny respectful attention to the Father who is responsible for His emissaries’ missions of redemption on earth.

 

 –Paramahansa Yogananda (The Second Coming of Christ: The Resurrection of the Christ Within You, vol. 1  page 355)

…………………….

 

 

Divinity can be found in this world, and the mundane can be found in Divinity.

Rabbi Rami M. Shapiro, in “The teaching and practice of

Reb Yerachmiel ben Yisrael,” points out that ultimately these two worlds are one,

though they do not often appear to be so. Reality is sometimes perceived as being

“out there” and other times as “in here.” Both are valid.

They are simply aspects of the same ultimate reality, and both point to ultimate meaning.

 

–Avram Davis (Best Practices: A distillation of techniques and outlook; found in Meditation in the heart of Judaism)

 

Reflection for January 16, 2008: For the sake of the water

The beings of appearance are like those in a dream.

By their personal karma, they are bound as individuals.

They wander among samsara’s many joys and sorrows.

Though their nature is suchness that is egoless

Still these unknowing children fixate I and ego,

And so samsara’s torments are ever on the rise.

 

–Commentary of “The Great Perfection” (Dzogchen, Tibetan Buddhism,)

……………….

 

If we are really to help the living world-order to which we belong, what animals need is not for us to be nice to them: it is in large measure the ‘negative’ gift of leaving them alone, of granting them their place and honoring them with a recognition outside our own activities. And as the global crisis deepens, it might be a truth worth pondering that, in the end, no amount of legislation will work to save the earth unless we transform our attitude. It is of little use trying to improve our ecological performance if we still retain the assumption that things are usable and dispensable. Ultimately, only recognition of their intrinsic values, their sacredness, is sufficient. Unless we undertake to purify our seas and rivers ‘for the sake of the water,’ and not just our own use, we shall only be postponing not resolving the most urgent problem of our time.

–Andrew Welburn

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When Christ -in renewing the Law of Sinai, which he came to “fulfill” and not to “destroy” – teaches the love of God, he distinguishes between “heart”, “soul”, “strength”( Torah: “might”), and “mind”; this “love” thus excludes no faculty that unites with God, and it cannot be merely one term of an opposition, as when love and knowledge confront each other. If by the word “love” the Torah and Gospel express above all the idea of “union” or “desire for “union”, they make it clear by the adjectives that follow, that this tendency includes diverse modes in keeping with the diversity of man’s nature; hence it is necessary to say, not that love alone draws towards God, but rather that only what draws towards God is love.

–Frithjof Schuon (Gnosis divine Wisdom)

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I am in everything, I bear the skies, I am the foundation, I support the earth, I am the Light that shines forth, that gives joy to the souls.

I am the life of the world: I am the milk that is in all trees: I am the sweet water that is beneath the sons of matter.

 

–Manichaean Psalm Book

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Wheel of Life (Samsara):

Already well-established in India before the time of the Buddha was the psychological system known as The Wheel of Samsara, or The Cycle of Existence, or The Path of Transmigration. It is depicted as a circle divided like a pie into six realms, each having numerous subdivisions. Following Shakyamuni’s enlightenment, four more realms outside the bounds and bonds of samsara were recognized: those who hear the Dharma (sravakas); those who understand the Dharma (pratyekabuddhas); bodhisattvas; and Buddhas.

…………

Saṃsāra, the Sanskrit and Pāli term for “continuous movement” or “continuous flowing” refers in Buddhism to the concept of a cycle of birth (jāti) and consequent decay and death (jarāmaraṇa), in which all beings in the universe participate and which can only be escaped through enlightenment. Saṃsāra is associated with suffering and is generally considered the antithesis of nirvāṇa or nibbāna.

 

He who sees himself only on the outside

I am the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

–Revelation 22:13

Actually, the ground of everything is within me and it is God, and it’s within everybody too. And there’s one ground for everybody, and this ground in the Divine Mercy. . . . The peo­ple of the unveiling, that is to say the Sufis, ask the Mercy of God to subsist in them. These are the ones who ask in the Name of God and He shows Mercy upon them only by making the Mercy subsist in them. This is a totally different outlook. It is the outlook whereby the Mercy of God is not arranged on the outside in events for me-in good and bad events-but it is subsisting in me all the time. Therefore what happens is that if the Mercy of God is subsisting in me-and that goes to say if I am united with the will of God- . . . if I am completely united with the will of God in love, it doesn’t matter what happens outside, because everything that is going on outside that makes any sense is grounded in the same ground in which I am grounded. The opposition between me and everything else ceases, and what remains in terms of opposition is purely acci­dental and it doesn’t matter. And this is . . . a basic perspective in all . . . the highest religions. You ought to get down to this, you get down to it in Christianity, you get down to it in Buddhism, you get down to it in Hinduism, and so forth. It is arriving at a unity in which the superficial differences don’t matter. It doesn’t, mean that they’re not real, it doesn’t mean that they’re not there. They still subsist… .

–Thomas Merton

1. Left Hand Path Practices in the West

“Satanism is not a white light religion; it is a religion of the flesh, the mundane, the carnal – all of which are ruled by Satan, the personification of the Left Hand Path“

The Satanic Bible, Book Of Lucifer 3:paragraph 30

The Left Hand Path is solitary, individualistic, personal, based on self development, self analysis, self empowerment. Altruism is materialistically equated as long term selfishness. I think all forms of Satanism are considered Left Hand Path, even Devil Worship and inverse Christian-Satanists are Left Hand Path, although they are frequently considered deluded. Frequently called “evil” and “dark” by non Satanic religions, the followers of the left hand path often have had to remain in the darkness or face severe persecution from the religions that ironically call themselves “good”. This is testimony enough that the image of the purely “good” icons is a veneer; a non-truth.

Features of LHP philosophies frequently include:

• Emphasis on freethought, not dogma or strict systems.
• Highly individualistic
• A distinct rejection of absolutes and moralism
• Personal, not universal.

Freethought, Individualism and moral relativism
Left Hand Path philosophies all have an emphasis on freethought; not dogma or strict systems. The “rules” in LHP religions are frequently merely “guidelines”. The same attitude it applied to all knowledge, including that of the knowledge of reality and morals. Subjectivism and relativism are almost universally assumed amongst followers of the left hand path.

Personal Belief, not Universal
Left Hand Path philosophies do not claim that they are the best religion for all people and frequently claim they are only a valid religion for some people. “Satanists are born, not made” _{Anton LaVey}. Satanism and the LHP is striking for the lack of missionizing. This is probably the result of the admission that no religion, philosophy or belief system is suitable for all people.

“Yes, I can see why the idea of free thought, individualism and moral relativism (which requires the effort to think for yourself before judging something right or wrong) may be a turn off for some people or why they just don’t get it. I hope that doesn’t apply to you.”

 

oh I get it, I understand it fully

at a fundamental level I think it is un-Christ like though…

give and receive…vessels and light…kabbalah, that is all there is.

I know many see the divine as a nice treasure chest to plunder…I don’t.
I think the “gimme gimme gimme” approach to life and the divine is childish.
At a very real fundamental level it is rape to my mind, forcing the hand, taking the fruit before it is ripe

Agenda is agenda. Agenda is always wrong, as you are not following the true self, the “divine will”; I realize it is your path and that it embraces selfishness and sees that as divine will…to some extent.

However I will never agree to something that is fundamentally about the self, survival is one thing, taking and empowering at the expense of others is another

This is not meant to be an attack, it is just my view.

You wrote
” Self development? Isn’t that what spiritual training is supposed to offer? Isn’t this the point of alchemy?
Self Analysis? Aren’t we supposed to learn about ourselves? Don’t we value the inward path?
Self Empowerment? Don’t we prefer to be beings that have significance in the world of others or do we prefer to be
ineffectual?”

No it is Self development, not self development. In the east views generally speaking there is ONLY self. This is the root of one of the misunderstandings of the LHP since its inception. That self is NOT the self, it is THE SELF; or, GOD. The self development of alchemy etc. is to grow the true self as Thomas Merton calls it. It really has nothing to do with the self at all.

The I before is I and WE, the I after is I, and only I as there is no WE. And there is no i.

 

That is the fundamental point. Your view is like a man who opens a door..but refuses to enter. They are happy quickly going in, and running back out. Having gotten something that they want it is time to stay outside the door. This makes illusion more attractive, nicer, you are indeed self empowering. But illusion is illusion.

 

Like a drug addict you have to carry on taking more drugs to keep that high. That is of course part of where other people come in; little fish feed on big fish at a very real physical and spiritual level. Exploitation. There is someone at the top of the pyramid, sat back laughing, gaining all the power.

Just as the Buddha gained many great powers along the way, he also rejected them all. For trinkets and power is not what it is about. That is the temptation of Christ by Satan in the desert.

So no, I would say spiritual training has nothing to do with self development, no matter how many paper bags you put over your head to “look nice”, you are still wearing a paper bag… This goes for knowing yourself also, knowing yourself is NOT KNOWING YOURSELF. This is fundamental basic thing.

 

 

“He who sees himself only on the outside,

not within, becomes small himself and makes others small.”

–Mani (turfan fragment M 801)

Power and influence, again this is a false notion. God is the only Rabbi as the Jewish proverb goes. Only God has power. Mankind may think he can build a dam and conquer nature, but he is fooling himself. Power is for the weak. Power in its “correct” application is about serving and sacrifice. Agenda is agenda, and again is un-Christ like.

You said

“Emphasis on free thought, not dogma or strict systems? What’s wrong with respecting members to be conscious and
sentient adults who are capable of thinking for themselves and deciding what is the right or wrong course of action
instead of slavish devotion to some ancient text or the words of some “authority figure”? ”

There is nothing wrong with free thought. But often it becomes childish. Too often people seek the mysteries, spirituality etc etc out of rebellion.
Free thought is good, rebellion is good it helps grow new branches, new plants, where none would have grown. However it soon devolves into as what James Dean said “What you got?” Until the point is reached when all you are doing is rebelling. You gain a new uniform, a new prison. Your prison becomes that of the “rebel”, the “free thinker”

The fruitfulness of our life depends in large measure on our ability to doubt our own words and to question the value of our own work. The man who completely trusts his own estimate of himself is doomed to sterility. All he asks of any act he performs is that it be his act. If it is performed by him, it must be good. All words spoken by him must be infallible. The car he just bought is the best for its price, for no other reason that he is the one who has bought it. He seeks no other fruit than his, and therefore he generally gets no other.

If we believe ourselves in part, we may be right about ourselves. If we are completely taken in by our own disguise, we cannot help being wrong.

 

–Thomas Merton

We exchange one strait jacket for another. Instead of embracing what is called the middle way. If we are rebelling we eventually miss the basic truth, the basic truth is we are all on the same boat. Spending your life preening and shouting “look at me, I am special, I think for myself, not like you” is great and dandy, but it really is childish. Like a teenager who dresses up as a punk or a Goth. Nihilism and solipsism only serve to embrace the self as opposed to the SELF. Spiritual masturbation serves no purpose, it may feel good, and seem good..But again, like a drug addict you have to carry on doing it perpetually; or you are back to square one.

Instead there is another way…you open yourself to the wind and fly like a kite, like a kite that is unrestrained..guided by the wind…taken and changed and moved by what is. Instead of fighting the wind and insisting that the wind does not exist. Like the Shakespearean king….you can try to hold back the sea all you like, you are really fooling yourself.

You wrote

” A distinct rejection of absolute moralism? What is wrong with seeing that what may be considered right yesterday may not
be right today (such as burning witches, jews, locking jews up in ghettos, killing in the name of religion, executing
homosexuals, not giving women the same rights as men, etc.). And what is wrong when thinking that what may be
acceptable may not be so tomorrow and that there is a better way? Is this “moral relativism” worse than the moral
absolutism that created the atrocities mentioned above?
Personal, not universal? What is wrong with accepting that there are many paths to spiritual growth and development and
that each person has a right to choose which is the best for them? ”

Now right and wrong are arguably subjective terms, yes I agree. In Gnosticism (as you’ll read below if you read it) there is no good and evil per se, there is more “levels of imperfection.” So what are we to do when faced with good and evil, morals and dogmas? We have discernment. Like a good parent would never hand a box of matches and gasoline to a child, we need to work out what is helpful and what is not. For the LHP there is often stated the phrase “nothing is wrong, everything is permissible.” This is the mantra of Chaos magicians, as I am sure you know. Well find and dandy, if we follow this logic, it means we should stick pencils in our ears and nose…after all it is not wrong, and ultimately will help in our spiritual development. Clearly this is absurd. Everything is permissible is nonsensical, an excuse for debauchery and to again bathe in temporary pleasures…back to taking drugs, again.

Your rejection is based upon the idea that absolute moralism=hatred. This is untrue. Anything taken to extremes and to an unswerving ascetic extreme is wrong. Atrocities are atrocities, and are again about the individual not the group. The individual hates the Jew and the homosexual. The individual wants them gone, dead, removed. These people are of the collective, the collective is the collective. By singling out the Jew, the witch, the homosexual…these acts are selfish. Suffer not a homosexual or Jew to live.

“The Jews are undoubtedly a race, but they are not human.” –Adolf Hitler.

The act of purification, inquisition…again is serving a part of the collective, it is serving individuals. NIMBY or “Not In My Back Yard” mentality. “I do not mind homosexuals or blacks, as long as they don’t live near me.”

In the end LHP becomes miniature acts of solipsism, misanthropy and nihilism.
Solipsism is, well just plain “silly.” I have interacted with the non physical since I was child. Before I even knew what I was doing. So I reject solipsism.

Nihilism is rejection, to take it to a tongue in cheek extreme; I would say the ultimate goal of nihilism is suicide. I would argue nihilism is suicide on a smaller lesser “vibration.”

Just as Nihilism is suicide, misanthropy is purely selfish. But that is the LHP, “selfishness and indulgence.” There really is nothing else to the LHP at a fundamental underlying basic level. If Nihilism is suicide, then misanthropy in its embracing hatred of all mankind can only lead to one conclusion. Misanthropy requires you to kill everyone, but yourself…in order that you are more and more self empowered. Of course this never happens, but on a smaller level people try… Or as the rock star Marilyn Manson wrote “There’s no time to discriminate, hate every motherf****** that gets in your way.”

To conclude, this is what is wrong with the LHP, as you can see, I have indeed thought about this…for a very long time. I really do like to think for myself. But I am not afraid to admit and embrace knowledge, experience “energy” etc. that is far more wise, profound and simply BETTER than my self….as opposed to my SELF.

 

“To respect the personal aspect in man is to respect
his solitude, his right to think for himself, his need
to learn this, his need for love and acceptance by
other persons like himself. Here we are in the realm
of freedom and of friendship, of creativity and of
love. And it is here that religion begins to have a
meaning…”
Thomas Merton, Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander, (N.
Y: Doubleday, 1989) p 82.

Further (although flawed, but still interesting):

“TRUE SELF” AND GAY SPIRITUALITY

 

Dear Friends,

I am posting my response to a question in our Yahoo chat room about

the meaning of the term “archon.” I hope this very brief discussion

may interest you in finding more about the subject, perhaps in the

Nag Hammadi text “Hypostasis of the Archons.”

I will be posting a brief discussion before the end of the week in

combination with this one — What is an “Aeon”?

-Matthew

Here is the archon discussion:

An archon, sometimes translated as a “power,” is a spiritual entity

or force that serves the demiurge, the creator of the physical

world. To be really crude about it you could say they are bad

angels, but it is a lot more complicated than that.. just consider

them the forces that define and limit physical existence.

One of the Nag Hammadi texts is called the “Hypostasis of the

Archons,” and has a mythological discussion of their nature.

You know how in Christian mythology there are some beings

called “archangels?” That is borrowed from this same greek word,

meaning “ruler..” so an arch-angel is an angel that is really

powerful and rules over the others, whereas in Gnosticism the

archons are the “rulers of this world,” the princes of the world

that Christ referred to, for example, in the story of Christ being

tempted in the desert. The tempter shows him the world and promises

to give him the “principalities of the world” if he will bow down in

homage…and we would interpret those principalities as the realms

of the archons, so to speak.

The thing I should caution you against is thinking that they

are “demons” or something like that… there are no demons or devils

per se in Gnosticism, because ultimately there is no metaphysical

category of “evil,” just various forms of imperfection. The

demiurge is in some way the full realization of imperfection, just

as God is of perfection. The demiurge personifies and draws within

himself the ultimate manifestations of physical form, limitation,

physical space, time, as well as the dimensions of space-time, as

well as natural laws and natural processes that govern the physical

world — including the law that everything that lives must die.

+Matthew

 

…………….

—
Better than one thousand verses
Where no profit wings the word,
Is one solitary stanza
Bringing peace of mind when heard.

 

reflection for january 10, 2008:that is what I am

To say I was born into sin is to say I came into this world with a false self. I was born in a mask. I came into existence under a sign of contradiction, being someone I never intended to be and therefore a denial of what I am supposed to be. And thus I came into existence and none existence at the same time because from the very start I was something I was not.

 

–Thomas Merton

 

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

The world was not receptive to my visible exaltation. My third immersion in an image that was perceptible. The flame of the seven authorities was extinguished, the sun of the powers of the Archons set, darkness overcame them, and the world became impoverished. They bound this one with many bonds and nailed him to the cross, and they secured him with four bronze nails. He ripped the temple veil with his other hands. An earthquake shook the earth’s chaos, for the souls of the dead were released and resurrected, and they walked out into the open. They laid aside ignorant jealousy and lack of insight by the dead tombs, and they put on the new person. They had come to know the blessed, perfect one of the eternal incomprehensible Father and the infinite light. That’s what I am.

When I came to my own and united them with me, there was no need for many words. Our thought was one with their thought, so they understood what I was saying. We made a plan for the destruction of the archons, and in this I did the will of the father. That’s what I am.

 

–2^nd discourse of Great Seth

 

………………………………

 

Take emptiness to the limit;

Maintain tranquility in the center.

The ten thousand things –side-by-side they arise.

And by this I see their return.

Things come forth in great numbers;

Each one returns to its root.

This is called tranquility.

“Tranquility” – This means to return to your fate.

To return to your fate is constant;

To know the constant is to be wise.

Not to know the constant is to be reckless and wild;

If you are reckless and wild, your actions will lead to misfortune.

To know the constant is to be all-embracing;

To be all-embracing is to be impartial;

To be impartial is to be kingly;

To be kingly is to be like Heaven.

To be like heaven is to be like one with the Tao;

If you’re one with the Tao, to the end of your days you’ll suffer no harm.

–Tao te chin (chap 16)

 

…………………………….

 

“And the Master wrote that belief is not something which is uttered by the mouth, but that which is conceptualized by the intellect, and he labeled ‘stupid people’ those holding to beliefs to which, in their representation, they do not attach any meaning…..

…..the believer must first conceptualize the belief in his mind, but in addition, he has to desire and love this belief so much so that he will be ready to give his life and his possessions for the sake of this belief. When the mind conceptualizes something it yields knowledge, but the assent of the intellectual will [ratzon sichli] yields love which is a necessary condition of faith. Accordingly, a believer is someone who conceptualizes faith and loves it strongly…..”

– David ben Judah Messer Leon (Tehillah le-David)

 

The demiurge

Agnosia: State of not having insight or Gnosis.

………………..

 

“WE MAKE OURSELVES real by telling the truth” –Thomas Merton

 

……………………….

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demiurge

Demiurge (from the Greek δημιουργός dēmiourgós, Latinized demiurgus, meaning “artisan” or “craftsman”, literally “worker in the service of the people”, from δήμιος “of the people” + έργον “work”) is a term for a creator deity, responsible for the creation of the physical universe.

In the sense of a divine creative principle, the word was first introduced by Plato in Timaeus, 41a (ca. 360 BC). It subsequently appears in a number of different religious and philosophical systems of Late Antiquity, besides Platonic realism most notably in Neoplatonism the term also appears in Gnosticism:

• For Plato, the demiurge is a benevolent creator of the laws or the heaven or of the world in Timaeus. Above Plato’s demiurge is the good.
• Plotinus identified the demiurge as nous (divine mind), the first emanation of “the One” (see monad). Neoplatonists personified the demiurge as Zeus.
• In Gnosticism, the material universe is seen as evil, and the demiurge is the evil creator of the physical world. The demiurge is the God that created the human body or flesh, since the flesh is evil then so to, is the flesh’s creator.

Alternative Gnostic names for the Demiurge, include Yaldabaoth, Yao or Iao, Ialdabaoth and several other variants. The Gnostics identified the Demiurge with the Hebrew God Yahweh (see the Sethians and Ophites). He is known as Ptahil in Mandaeanism.

……………….

It should be noted the following is largely my opinion; it is not particularly “true” or “accurate.” As a result you may disagree with some or all portions of the following (you may already “know” all the following also).

 

……………..

 

Gnosticism…what is Gnosticism and what is Gnosis? I was asked a few weeks ago now, “What is the Demiurge?” To examine the Demiurge we have to examine what Gnosis and Gnosticism IS. So what is Gnosis?

 

Gnosis is knowing, to know. Gnosis is spiritual knowing, to KNOW the divine.

 

Gnomon (γνώμων) is an ancient Greek word meaning “knower” or “judge”, from the Proto-Indo-European language *gnō-, to know. It has several specific meanings:

 

Gnome (knower of the earth), Gnosis etc….

In Gnosticism we differentiate the two types of knowing. We have mundane knowledge and divine knowledge. Other “religions” such as Buddhism also refer to two types of knowing. Episteme or mundane knowledge is akin to knowing mundane information. Episteme is like knowing a bus time table and applying that knowledge. Of course nothing is wrong with this knowledge; it is very useful and helpful. However there is more: Gnosis.

 

“God is a dyer. As the good dyes, which are called “true”, dissolve with the things dyed in them, so it is with those whom God has dyed. Since his dyes are immortal, they become immortal by means of his colors. Now God dips what he dips in water.

It is not possible for anyone to see anything of the things that actually exist unless he becomes like them. This is not the way with man in the world: he sees the sun without being a sun; and he sees the heaven and the earth and all other things, but he is not these things. This is quite in keeping with the truth. But you saw something of that place, and you became those things. You saw the Spirit, you became spirit. You saw Christ, you became Christ. You saw the Father, you shall become Father. So in this place you see everything and do not see yourself, but in that place you do see yourself – and what you see you shall become. “–Gospel of Philip

“It is not possible for anyone to see anything of the things that actually exist unless he becomes like them.” Thus to truly gain Gnosis, to KNOW, we must BECOME that which we seek to know. To give of the self totally, to become…to give, to LOVE. For it is in love that we give totally, without want, without agenda…

” For your sake, I hurry over land and water:

For your sake, I cross the desert and split the mountain in two,

And turn my face from all things,

Until the time I reach the place

Where I am alone with You.”

–Al Hallaj (8^th -9^th cent. Iranian Sufi)

LOVE, the Beatles once sang, all you need is love….for the seeker, the mystic, the Gnostic, of the entire world’s great paths; this is the one universal truth, LOVE. Often called the only true religion.

“All life is just a progression toward, and then a recession from, one phrase — I love you.” –F Scott Fitzgerald

So what about the Demiurge?

“It was Christianity which painted the devil on the world’s wall; it was Christianity which first brought sin into the world. Belief in the cure which it offered has now been shaken to its deepest roots; but belief in the sickness it taught and propagated continues to exist.” –Nietzsche

 

Although Nietzsche’s sentiment is perhaps a bit abhorrent and naïve let us examine it. Satan, from the Hebrew, means adversary. Adversary..Opposer, opposition.

 

“Opposition is a natural part of life. Just as we develop our physical muscles through overcoming opposition – such as lifting weights – we develop our character muscles by overcoming challenges and adversity.”

— Albert Schweitzer

 

Satan, shtn, shit, excrement, excretum…something to be removed, lost..purified. The Bagavad Gita a key Hindu text is about the self, the battle of the self. For the mystic the greatest battle is the self, and overcoming it. To LOVE…to give of ourselves entirely..to achieve union, Gnosis…

 

So what IS the Demiurge? The demiurge is the ego, the self, the I that must be overcome. In various Gnostic cosmologies we see “God himself” falling to the trap of the ego…The Demiurge, Samael (blind god) imperfect child of Sophia declares himself to be the one true God. Just as one full of arrogance, ego..declares themselves right above all others.

 

That is the Demiurge, YOU are the demiurge…But the demiurge only exists..if you let it. It is all too easy to fall into the trap and state “Satan made me do it.” This is foolish talk, this is what Nietzsche is discussing. Many fall into this trap, which I think is wrong. It is all too easy to create a new Satan, a new adversary. But why? there is only LOVE…

Only LOVE…. to see the world as “evil” is a literalism I disagree with….

 

“What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. This is the law: all the rest is commentary.” Talmud, Shabbat 31a.

………

“One yin and one yang constitute what is known as Tao.” (I Ching) In “The Lau Tzu” (Tao Te Ching) the two forms of yin and yang refer to heaven and earth. This directly correlates with the concept of the Taoist trilogy, the San Ti, which postulates man is the same as heaven and earth.

1.. In Taoism, the basic, eternal principle of the universe that transcends reality and is the source of being, non-being, and change.
2.. In Confucianism, the right manner of human activity and virtuous conduct seen as stemming from universal criteria and ideals governing right, wrong, and other categories of existence. (American Heritage)
“Wu Chi creates Tai Chi, Tai Chi is the one Chi. One Chi generates Yin and Yang, and Yin and Yang can change in infinite ways.” This is also stated allegorically in the “Lau Tzu,” (”Tao Te Ching”). ” Tao produced oneness. Oneness produced duality, Duality evolved into the ten thousand things. The ten thousand things support the yin, and embrace the yang. It is the blending of the breaths (of yin and yang) that their harmony depends.”

Now compare this idea with the description of the monad from the Chaldean Oracles of Zoroaster….

This sequence of from the “Oracles,” reflects a parallel to the monad and Tai Chi that is unmistakable..

25. The Monad first existed, and the Paternal Monad still subsists.
26. When the Monad is extended, the Dyad is generated.
27. And beside Him is seated the Dyad which glitters with intellectual sections,
to govern all things and to order everything not ordered.
28. The Mind of the Father said that all things should be cut into Three, whose
Will assented, and immediately all things were so divided.
29. The Mind of the Eternal Father said into Three, governing all things by Mind.
30. The Father mingled every Spirit from this Triad.
31. All things are supplied from the bosom of this Triad.
32. All things are governed and subsist in this Triad
33. For thou must know that all things bow before the Three Supernals.
34. From thence floweth forth the Form of the Triad, being preexistent; not the
first Essence, but that whereby all things are measured.
35. And there appeared in it Virtue and Wisdom, and multiscient Truth.
36. For in each World shineth the Triad, over which the Monad ruleth.”

As you can figure the two concepts are the same, although they may be stated somewhat differently. We do not have to achieve Tao, we are already part of it. All we need to do is realize its potential.

Tom Saunders

……………….

Salutations in the Light of the Messiah!

The demiurge is cosmic ignorance, and the archons are spiritual forces manifest in the ignorance – this ignorance manifests as an illusion of separation or dualism in consciousness, it is self-cherishing, and the play of desire and fear in this state of egotism; the shadow of this is called the “Adversary,” Satan, and whatever evil might be named it is the byproduct of the demiurge, this cosmic ignorance or cosmic egotism.

This ignorance is cosmic in that it pervades all realms, worlds and universes throughout the Entirety, and affects all sentient beings in the Entirety – but it is also primordial, without beginning, for arising from primordial unconscious unity this ignorance is in effect from beginningless beginning as souls individuate; in individual sentient beings is becomes fundamental ignorance.

In a manner of speaking, this very principle we call the “demiurge,” this ignorance, is what facilitates the individuation of mind or soul-streams, and the play of creative evolution towards self-realization or enlightenment; yet, it is the principle of bondage, obstructing self-realization or enlightenment.

This ignorance rules the world – what is to be done with it? It has always ruled the world, and until the world passes away it will hold dominion; with every generation of life there is a constant influx of souls new to human incarnation, as well as those passing beyond what we call “human,” and this matrix of spiritual forces is like a womb through which all pass – it is what it is. What is to be done with it?

Lord Yeshua enacted the mystery of the Holy Gospel in the midst of very dark times – under the dominion of the Roman Empire, the primary expression of the dominion of the demiurge in that time and place. The grand debate among the Jewish people was whether the Messiah would be a socio-political revolutionary, a warrior-king after the fashion of King David, leading the people to overthrow the Roman Empire’s dominion through God’s power, or was to be a holy priest-king after the fashion of Melchizedek, leading a spiritual revolution having little or nothing to do with this world – in Lord Yeshua, in the midst of the darkness of the world, we have a holy priest-king of the Order of Melchizedek, one who proclaims, “My kingdom is not of this world.”

We may very well gain insight into his view of all of this from a teaching he gave, understanding “Caesar” as the demiurge. Presented with the question of whether taxes ought to be paid or not, he asks for a coin and inquires whose image is on it, and he is told it is the image of Caesar – his response was, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

To understand how charged this question and answer was in the day – taxes were very high and were constantly being raised, and one had no say in the matter at all; if you could not pay taxes assessed – anything could be taken from you in payment, including your family and yourself being sold as slaves for payment.

If we look and see the darkness, the ignorance, that dominates the world – that dominates us, what is to be done? The answer is really very simple: we must put an end to the ignorance in us, put an end to the ignorance in ourselves – pointing at the ignorance in the world, while remaining in ignorance ourselves, accomplishes nothing, and is itself a manifestation of the ignorance.

In this regard we must learn not to be distracted from the true aim of the spiritual path – actual self-realization in Christ, the enlightenment and liberation of the soul.

The Sophian tradition focuses on an integral self-realization in Christ – the realization of the Supernal or Messianic Consciousness; we focus on going within and living within, and upon guidance from the indwelling Christ Presence and Holy Spirit – rather than a socio-political revolution, we focus upon a *spiritual revolution*, as did Lord Yeshua. Our aim is the cessation of ignorance in us, the cessation of the violent inclination in us – a radical transformation of consciousness. If there is any change to be brought about in the world, or in the larger collective of humanity, it is brought about through a change in the individuals – for we are the world and the world is us, only through a transformation of consciousness in us are we empowered to bring about a greater transformation in the world.

In terms of socio-politics, or any other mundane affair or activity, living within and receiving guidance from within, and generating spiritual love and compassion, we will know what is to be done in all matters – our noble ideal being the expression of the Light-presence (Christ) and Light-power (Holy Spirit) through our thoughts, emotions, words and actions in all activities of life.

Quite naturally, we are called to labor to improve the lives of others around us – all our relations, and to do what we can to relieve the sorrow and suffering of sentient beings; how each of us goes about enacting good works and the love of Christ, however, depends upon our call, and the spiritual gifts and talents we receive from the Holy Spirit – perhaps some might have the call, gifts and talents for social and political activism, among other similar activities. Whatever our call in the Holy Spirit, as spiritual Christians we will follow it – taking up our call we will follow Christ.

Generally speaking, though, our concern is not for the world and the goings on of the world – the world is an impermanent phenomenon and the matters of the world are secondary to us; the aim is to use this body and life in the world as a vehicle of self-realization in Christ, transforming this life and transcending this world. If we look into the gospels, canonical and gnostic, this is what Yeshua Messiah teaches us – of course, even after some two thousand or so years this message is very difficult for us to listen and hear, as we cling to name and form, and to the world and things of the world, rather that to the Pleroma of Light and God, the True Light.

Essentially, from a Sophian perspective, the greatest possible benefit to others that we can be is to facilitate the enlightenment and liberation of mind or soul-streams from their bondage to the demiurge (ignorance) and gilgulim (transmigration) – hence, the best help we can offer is to facilitate the realization of Supernal or Messianic Consciousness, tending the Continuum of Supernal Light Transmission. That’s not to say that we do not engage in practical works of assistance on a material level when we see the need and have the means to do so, as well as engage in good works on the psychic and spiritual levels, but rather that our central focus is on the psychic and spiritual, as with the Gnostic experience in place we are especially empowered to it. In fact, in that relatively few know and understand the way of Supernal or Supramental Realization as yet, it is very important that those who do know it focus upon this Gnostic and Light Transmission, and the works of psychic and spiritual assistance that can be taken up within it.

It is entirely possible, for example, that a Templar in our tradition might be called to a special material action, even socio-political action; but in whatever action to which they might be called, the Continuum of Light Transmission will remain their central aim and focus, and the Divine Light from above will guide and direct their action, and in perfect performance Divine Grace will take up their action.

As for political commentaries – are any of them from the perspective of Divine Illumination or Christ? If we look into the extreme right and extreme left, are either the whole truth, and nothing but the truth – will either enlightened and liberates souls, or lead them in the Path of the Great Ascension? Frankly speaking, both are founded upon the same fundamental ignorance, and the two opposite poles, like all other apparent opposites, reflect the same fundamental dualism in consciousness. In much the same way as we do not wish to be caught up in the distraction of the play of “saint” and “sinner,” neither do we wish to be caught up in political extremes and such – we seek the inner knowing of the Divine Light and see to act in accord with that faith and gnosis, in whatever way the Light-presence and Light-power leads us.

Having said all of this, perhaps we might close with a contemplation of a saying of Hayyah Yeshua from the Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas:

Yeshua said, “Whoever has come to know the world has discovered a corpse, and whoever has discovered a corpse, of that person the world is not worthy” (56).

May we be blessed to recognize the Light Realm within and all around us, and be empowered to act from that Pure Vision – all in the Risen Messiah; amen.

Blessings & shalom!
_________________
Tau Malachi
Sophia Fellowship
Ecclesia Pistis Sophia
O. S. G.

 

 

Gospel of Thomas 35

(35) Jesus said, “It is not possible for anyone to enter the house of a strong man and take it by force unless he binds his hands; then he will be able to ransack his house.

 

Isaiah 49:24-25 “Can spoil be snatched from the strong man…? Yes, says the Lord,”

 

Mark 3:27  “On the other hand, no one can break into a strong man’s house and make off with his goods unless he has first tied up the strong man; then he can ransack the house.”

 

Matthew 11:12 “Since the time of John the Baptist the kingdom of Heaven has been subjected to violence and violent men are taking it by force.”

 

Luke 11:21 “When a strong man fully armed is on guard over his palace, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he carries off the arms and armour on which the man had relied and distributes the spoil.”

 

Thomas (21) … Therefore I say, if the owner of a house knows that the thief is coming, he will begin his vigil before he comes and will not let him dig through into his house of his domain to carry away his goods. You then, be on your guard against the world. Arm yourselves with great strength lest the robbers find a way to come to you,  …”

 

The phrase “unless he binds his hands” always seemed ambiguous to me. Although I always assumed it meant to bind the hands of the “strong man”, it might also mean,  “bind your own hands”, even though you are

the same one entering the house by force!

   Matthew 11:12 claims violent men are taking the kingdom by force; I believe we are to identify with these violent men. I read (35) as being related to (98), “Slayer of the powerful man”, in that it promotes violence, ransacking and killing when necessary. I also believe the “house” to be ransacked and the “person” to be killed reside within us.

 

Built from lies and fear,

we fabricate a false illusion of ourselves,

piling them up like a house of cards.

This false self must die

and the house (soul) it resides in must be ransacked in order to free our true Spirit.

 

Note that Luke has softened this Saying.  We are

not to identify with the attacker, but should be defending ourselves with armor against attack. 

This makes it less violent and brings it in line with Saying (21)’s  “thief” who is trying to rob us. 

Luke’s idea of armor may have been influenced by

Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:8

“but we, who belong to the daylight, must keep sober, armed with the breastplate of faith and love, and the hope of salvation for a helmet.”

 

 

Reflection for November 30, 2007:the Lord of Totality

Jesus said, “The souls of every human generation will die. When these people,

however, have completed the time of the kingdom and the spirit leaves them, their bodies will die but their souls will be alive, and they will be taken up.”

 

–Gospel of Judas

 

My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who truly knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.

–Matthew 11:27

 

My Father has given me everything, and he is the only one who knows the Son. The only one who really knows the Father is the Son. But the Son wants to tell others about the Father, so that they can know him too.

–Luke 10:22

 

When Jesus and his disciples had finished eating, he asked, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than the others do?”  Simon Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know I do!”

   “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus said.

    Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

   Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you!”

   “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus told him.

    Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

   Peter was hurt because Jesus had asked him three times if he loved him. So he told Jesus, “Lord, you know everything. You know I love you.”

   Jesus replied, “Feed my sheep. I tell you for certain that when you were a young man, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted to go. But when you are old, you will hold out your hands. Then others will wrap your belt around you and lead you where you don’t want to go.”

    Jesus said this to tell how Peter would die and bring honor to God. Then he said to Peter, “Follow me!”

—John 21:15-19

 

The Father of Greatness is Love – he who dwells in his glorious land. The entirety of the divine has been revealed (therein)!

These two are a single living body: the Father and his Love. For he has given himself for everything.

He exists in his aeons. Indeed, because of this they called the Father the Lord of Totality, ‘Love.’

For he gave victory to his aeons and his limbs.

—Kephalaia (Manichaean)