nazz
Doubting Thomas
When people find out I am a gnostic they often ask me to explain what that means. It is hard to put into a few words. but one good way is to encapsulate it in mythical form. This is what a lot of Gnostic scriptures do. Really everyone, even atheists, have their own personal myth, the way they would describe the situation we all find ourselves in. The traditional Christian myth would include the story of creation, the fall, redemption through Christ, etc. The Gnostic myth differs from this in essential ways, and I will present my own personal version below. Bear in mind "myth" does not mean a story that is false but neither should myth be taken as being literally true either. It's not history per se but a way of telling a story about history. So I would really like to hear everybody's own personal myth!
Now what follows is a rough draft of my own I hastily compiled just today. No doubt down the line it will need some tweaking. I've tried to not use a lot of technical terms from Gnostic lore but have preserved a few that are difficult to translate...
Before the Beginning existed as the Source, the Depth of Profundity in Perfect Silence. She is the Mother of the All and from her Womb all that exists came to be. Now, the first Emanation was the Father. Then the Father expressed himself. He spoke the Word, an eternal vibration in space and time, and through the Word all other Aeons came to be. The Fullness appeared and within it all the multiplicity of the Aeonic realm.
The Aeons multiplied like ripples made by a rock dropped in a pond. But in the process Energy was lost so that each successive Aeon contained less of the Divine Presence than the one before. Thus all Worlds from the highest Heaven to the lowest Hell came to be. The Energy stilled and became Matter and this Universe was formed. The stars and planets came to be, governed by the Immutable Laws of Creation. A planet named Earth was formed and on this planet arose Life. At this time the nature of the Universe was hylic but as time progressed the first sentient life came to be and so psychical existence was born. Finally through the course of time a psychic being was formed capable of the apprehension of the Pneuma. That being was Man whose nature was hylic, psychic, and pneumatic, that is body, soul/mind, and spirit. Thus the Sparks of the Divine became encased in Matter, trapped in physical bodies.
Now the Archons, those spiritual beings formed outside the Fullness, and being ignorant of it, wished to keep the Man in a material prison, and to prevent his apprehension of Spirit. They wished to enslave him and that he should serve and worship them as gods. They bequeathed to Man the gifts of Language, the Arts, and the Sciences, thus raising Man from Animal to Human, and Civilization was born. A political, economic, and religious structure based on Power imposed from Above.
Now the Archons desired a perfect slave. So they formed a man, Adam, and placed him in the Garden to test him. In the Garden was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. The Chief Archon forbid the man to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and warned him of Death should he disobey. But Wisdom took the form of a serpent and spoke to the Woman telling her they would not die but become like their creator. And so she ate, and gave her companion, and their eyes were opened having become like gods. So the Chief Archon cursed the couple and expelled them from Eden lest they eat of the Tree of Life and become more like him. Then the sons of God, the Adamic line, intermarried with the daughters of Men and the two became one.
Now the Chief Archon spoke to Abraham and called him to be his slave. He tested Abraham by commanding he should sacrifice his son and through his obedience was accepted by him. Through his lineage came Israel who were set apart as his possession by means of a Covenant. Through Moses the Chief Archon gave his Law and established his Priesthood. He established his Sacrifices and Rituals that Israel might serve him as the only god. But Israel rebelled against their bondage, disobeyed his laws, and served other gods, and Chief Archon cursed them for their disobedience.
There arose in Israel Prophets. Wisdom spoke through the Prophets and foretold the coming of a Messiah, the Liberator, the one to free Man from the bondage of the Archons and the Material Realm. One who would reveal Knowledge (Gnosis) of the Father and grant Eternal Life. In the fullness of time the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his Glory. But the Archons conspired against him and caused him to be put to death. But God raised him from Death to Life and he became the Author of Salvation to all who believed in His Name. He has prepared a place for us so that where he is so may we be also.
And the Holy Spirit came to dwell in flesh as the visible embodiment of God on earth. Thus we are members of the Body of Christ, his Holy Temple and Church. So shall we be in this world being transformed by the renewing of our minds until we are ready to join our Savior in the Fullness. And when he appears we shall be like him. As for the Emptiness it shall dissolve into Nothingness as the Energy is depleted.
Now what follows is a rough draft of my own I hastily compiled just today. No doubt down the line it will need some tweaking. I've tried to not use a lot of technical terms from Gnostic lore but have preserved a few that are difficult to translate...
Before the Beginning existed as the Source, the Depth of Profundity in Perfect Silence. She is the Mother of the All and from her Womb all that exists came to be. Now, the first Emanation was the Father. Then the Father expressed himself. He spoke the Word, an eternal vibration in space and time, and through the Word all other Aeons came to be. The Fullness appeared and within it all the multiplicity of the Aeonic realm.
The Aeons multiplied like ripples made by a rock dropped in a pond. But in the process Energy was lost so that each successive Aeon contained less of the Divine Presence than the one before. Thus all Worlds from the highest Heaven to the lowest Hell came to be. The Energy stilled and became Matter and this Universe was formed. The stars and planets came to be, governed by the Immutable Laws of Creation. A planet named Earth was formed and on this planet arose Life. At this time the nature of the Universe was hylic but as time progressed the first sentient life came to be and so psychical existence was born. Finally through the course of time a psychic being was formed capable of the apprehension of the Pneuma. That being was Man whose nature was hylic, psychic, and pneumatic, that is body, soul/mind, and spirit. Thus the Sparks of the Divine became encased in Matter, trapped in physical bodies.
Now the Archons, those spiritual beings formed outside the Fullness, and being ignorant of it, wished to keep the Man in a material prison, and to prevent his apprehension of Spirit. They wished to enslave him and that he should serve and worship them as gods. They bequeathed to Man the gifts of Language, the Arts, and the Sciences, thus raising Man from Animal to Human, and Civilization was born. A political, economic, and religious structure based on Power imposed from Above.
Now the Archons desired a perfect slave. So they formed a man, Adam, and placed him in the Garden to test him. In the Garden was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. The Chief Archon forbid the man to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and warned him of Death should he disobey. But Wisdom took the form of a serpent and spoke to the Woman telling her they would not die but become like their creator. And so she ate, and gave her companion, and their eyes were opened having become like gods. So the Chief Archon cursed the couple and expelled them from Eden lest they eat of the Tree of Life and become more like him. Then the sons of God, the Adamic line, intermarried with the daughters of Men and the two became one.
Now the Chief Archon spoke to Abraham and called him to be his slave. He tested Abraham by commanding he should sacrifice his son and through his obedience was accepted by him. Through his lineage came Israel who were set apart as his possession by means of a Covenant. Through Moses the Chief Archon gave his Law and established his Priesthood. He established his Sacrifices and Rituals that Israel might serve him as the only god. But Israel rebelled against their bondage, disobeyed his laws, and served other gods, and Chief Archon cursed them for their disobedience.
There arose in Israel Prophets. Wisdom spoke through the Prophets and foretold the coming of a Messiah, the Liberator, the one to free Man from the bondage of the Archons and the Material Realm. One who would reveal Knowledge (Gnosis) of the Father and grant Eternal Life. In the fullness of time the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his Glory. But the Archons conspired against him and caused him to be put to death. But God raised him from Death to Life and he became the Author of Salvation to all who believed in His Name. He has prepared a place for us so that where he is so may we be also.
And the Holy Spirit came to dwell in flesh as the visible embodiment of God on earth. Thus we are members of the Body of Christ, his Holy Temple and Church. So shall we be in this world being transformed by the renewing of our minds until we are ready to join our Savior in the Fullness. And when he appears we shall be like him. As for the Emptiness it shall dissolve into Nothingness as the Energy is depleted.
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