sophiaserpentia (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sophiaserpentia) wrote2003-12-19 09:52 am
sophiaserpentia) wrote2003-12-19 09:52 am
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tat tvam asi... now remember!
A theme that I've been thinking about this morning deals with the notion of the divine being who has forgotten he (or more commonly she) is divine. In a state of forgetfulness, the divine being has allowed itself to exist in an inferior state, in a fog or maze, rescued only by a signal or reminder. In this myth we frequently see the forgetful divinity ravaged by demons.
Modern versions and variations of this myth include the Matrix films and the corpus of Philip Dick's novels. A vivid depiction can also be found in the Gnostic works Pistis Sophia and Exegesis on the Soul (both of which make heavy references to the Old Testament) and the Hymn of the Pearl. Perhaps the oldest variation of this myth is to be found in the Upanishads, which describe the Atman (the soul of the individual) as having forgotten it is one with Brahman. Some reflections of this can be found in Buddhism as well. There are hints at this sort of doctrine in Kabbalah as well; Shekhinah, who represents our own closeness to the divine, is lost in the realm of Malkut.
In all of these myths, what we see is that one must have a guide out of the state of forgetfulness. Sometimes this involves a lengthy involvement with a guru; more usually, though, it comes in the form of a single cue; a passage from scripture, a mystical experience, a calculated remark by an odd stranger.
In the Gnostic Gospel of Truth, this is compared to the calling of a person's name. When you hear someone speak your name, it brings you to a state of sudden awareness. Valentinus wrote:
The Gospels show Jesus walking around and simply calling the disciples with a single sentence. They drop what they're doing and follow him. Read literally it feels silly, but I think it is best understood as a metaphor for the way a single reminder of the divine spark within us can transform us.
While Gnosticism removes the blame for "original sin" from the individual human; in this scheme it is not we who are to blame for our condition of separation from the Root of All; it also places on each of us duty of 'rising' from our current condition to meet the Root of All on the individual:
So when Jesus is quoted as saying, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48), he is placing emphasis on our action and our state of alignment with the cosmic Mind.
The Gnostics also saw this as a call to take on the Cosmic Ascension: a series of esoteric visions which involve rising astrally through the planetary realms into the highest heaven, where the Root of All ("the Father") resides. We see a parallel to this in the ma'asey merkavah or "work of the chariot" from the early rabbinic tradition -- an esoteric progression which brought one to the Throne of God. An earlier parallel, which may be the root of both traditions, is found in the Egyptian Book of the Dead (Ani Papyrus), which describes a progression in stages past several "pylons" or gateways into the realm of Osiris.
In a less esoteric sense it refers to an ongoing personal focus on the rightness of one's health, relationships, life, and mindfulness.
Modern versions and variations of this myth include the Matrix films and the corpus of Philip Dick's novels. A vivid depiction can also be found in the Gnostic works Pistis Sophia and Exegesis on the Soul (both of which make heavy references to the Old Testament) and the Hymn of the Pearl. Perhaps the oldest variation of this myth is to be found in the Upanishads, which describe the Atman (the soul of the individual) as having forgotten it is one with Brahman. Some reflections of this can be found in Buddhism as well. There are hints at this sort of doctrine in Kabbalah as well; Shekhinah, who represents our own closeness to the divine, is lost in the realm of Malkut.
In all of these myths, what we see is that one must have a guide out of the state of forgetfulness. Sometimes this involves a lengthy involvement with a guru; more usually, though, it comes in the form of a single cue; a passage from scripture, a mystical experience, a calculated remark by an odd stranger.
In the Gnostic Gospel of Truth, this is compared to the calling of a person's name. When you hear someone speak your name, it brings you to a state of sudden awareness. Valentinus wrote:
...[T]he one who has knowledge is he whose name the Father has pronounced. For he whose name has not been spoken is ignorant. Indeed, how shall one hear if his name has not been uttered? ... ...[I]f one has knowledge, he is from above. If he is called, he hears, he replies, and he turns toward him who called him and he ascends to him and he knows what he is called. Since he has knowledge, he does the will of him who called him. He desires to please him and he finds rest. He receives a certain name. He who thus is going to have knowledge knows whence he came and whither he is going. He knows it as a person who, having become intoxicated, has turned from his drunkenness and having come to himself, has restored what is his own. -- from the Gospel of Truth
The Gospels show Jesus walking around and simply calling the disciples with a single sentence. They drop what they're doing and follow him. Read literally it feels silly, but I think it is best understood as a metaphor for the way a single reminder of the divine spark within us can transform us.
While Gnosticism removes the blame for "original sin" from the individual human; in this scheme it is not we who are to blame for our condition of separation from the Root of All; it also places on each of us duty of 'rising' from our current condition to meet the Root of All on the individual:
Since the perfection of the All is in the Father, it is necessary for the All to ascend to him. Therefore, if one has knowledge (gnosis), he gets what belongs to him and draws it to himself. For he who is ignorant, is deficient, and it is a great deficiency, since he lacks that which will make him perfect. Since the perfection of the All is in the Father, it is necessary for the All to ascend to him and for each one to get the things which are his. He registered them first, having prepared them to be given to those who came from him. -- from the Gospel of Truth
So when Jesus is quoted as saying, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48), he is placing emphasis on our action and our state of alignment with the cosmic Mind.
The Gnostics also saw this as a call to take on the Cosmic Ascension: a series of esoteric visions which involve rising astrally through the planetary realms into the highest heaven, where the Root of All ("the Father") resides. We see a parallel to this in the ma'asey merkavah or "work of the chariot" from the early rabbinic tradition -- an esoteric progression which brought one to the Throne of God. An earlier parallel, which may be the root of both traditions, is found in the Egyptian Book of the Dead (Ani Papyrus), which describes a progression in stages past several "pylons" or gateways into the realm of Osiris.
In a less esoteric sense it refers to an ongoing personal focus on the rightness of one's health, relationships, life, and mindfulness.