← Home
praxis

Active Contemplation

A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.

420 passages · 16 traditions
neoplatonism: 97 passagesneoplatonism97western_esoteric: 97 passageswestern_esoteric97christian_mysticism: 62 passageschristian_mysticism62renaissance_hermeticism: 61 passagesrenaissance_hermeticism61greek_mystery: 27 passagesgreek_mystery27jewish_mysticism: 20 passagesjewish_mysticism20hermeticism: 15 passageshermeticism15hinduism: 15 passageshinduism15platonism: 10 passagesplatonism10egyptian: 6 passagesegyptian6taoism: 3 passagestaoism3celtic: 2 passagesceltic2gnosticism: 2 passagesgnosticism2buddhism: 1 passagebuddhism1native_american: 1 passagenative_american1sufism: 1 passagesufism1
neoplatonism97
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter IX
“In the last place, the dispositions of the soul of those that invoke the Gods to appear receive, when they become visible, a liberation from the passions, a transcendent perfection, and an energy entirely more excellent, and participate of…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter X-a
“What you introduce, however, for the purpose of obtaining a knowledge of these things, whether it be your own opinion, or whether you have heard it from others, is neither true nor rightly asserted. For you say, “ that to speak 104 boastin…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XIV
“Concerning another kind of divination, also, you say as follows: “ Others who are conscious what they are doing in other respects, are divinely inspired according to the phantastic part, some indeed receiving darkness for a cooperator, othe…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XXI
“I think, therefore, that all who are lovers of the contemplation of theurgic truth will acknowledge this, that the piety which pertains to divine natures ought not to be exercised towards them partially or imperfectly. Hence, since prior to…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIII-e
““The divine Iamblichus, however, doubts how the Gods are said to be allotted certain places according to definite times, as, by Plato in the Timæus, Minerva is said to have been first allotted the guardianship of Athens, and afterwards of S…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIII-f
“Thus they recognised things supreme in such as are subordinate, and the subordinate in the supreme: in the celestial regions, terrene properties subsisting in a causal and celestial manner; and in earth celestial properties, but according t…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIII-g
“So that all things are full of divine natures; terrestrial natures receiving the plenitude of such as are celestial, but celestial of supercelestial essences; while every order of things proceeds gradually, in a beautiful descent, from the…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIII-ad
“But Pythagoras, as he was astronomizing, happened to meet with the Phrygian piper at an unseasonable time of night, and persuaded him to change his Phrygian for a spondaic song; through which the fury of the lad being immediately repressed,…”
Show all 97 →
western_esoteric97
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 5 (part 1)
“Click to view THE TEMPTATION OF EVIL From Cædmon. INTRODUCTION THE mystic tradition in Christian Times is preserved, apart from all questions and traces of Instituted Mysteries, in the literature of Christian Mystical Theology; it is a lar…”
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 9 (part 4)
“The sources of occult wisdom, it proceeds, are, firstly, in God; secondly, in spiritual essences--that is to say, the Angelical Hierarchy; thirdly, in corporeal creatures, the reference being probably to the signatura rerum of Paracelsus; f…”
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 11 (part 3)
“While it thus ensures against evil, it gives happiness in domestic matters and in the enterprises which contribute to prosperity and to the pleasures of a contented life. The proviso is that [paragraph continues] "the instructions must be…”
The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter VII (part 3)
“This Involuntary stage of Creation is sometimes called the "Outpouring" of the Divine Energy, just as the Evolutionary state is called the "Indrawing." The extreme pole of the Creative process is considered to be the furthest removed from T…”
The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter XIV (part 2)
“While at first there seems to be only an "I" existing, a more careful and closer examination reveals the fact that there exists an "I" and a "Me." These mental twins differ in their characteristics and nature, and an examination of their na…”
The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter XV (part 1)
“CHAPTER XV HERMETIC AXIOMS "The possession of Knowledge, unless accompanied by a manifestation and expression in Action, is like the hoarding of precious metals-a vain and foolish thing. Knowledge, like wealth, is intended for Use. The La…”
Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune) | 2. Analysis Of The Nature Of Psychic Attack-a
“THE essence of a psychic attack is to be found in the principles and operations of telepathic suggestion. If we put together what we know of telepathy and what we know of suggestion, we shall understand its modus operandi. Suggestion is o…”
Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune) | 4. Projection Of The Etheric Body-c
“I have never actually seen such bruises myself, but I have been told of them by people who have either had them themselves, or seen them. It is a well-known fact that if an occultist, functioning out of the body, meets with unpleasantness…”
Show all 97 →
christian_mysticism62
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1f
“And in all the other Divine enlightenments which the occult Tradition of our inspired teachers hath, by mystic Interpretation, accordant with the Scriptures, bestowed upon us, we also have been initiated: apprehending these things in the pr…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 3, Section 1a
“CHAPTER III What is the power of Prayer? Also concerning the Blessed Hierotheus and concerning Reverence and the Writing of Divinity. 1. And first of all, if it like thee, let us consider the highest Name, even “Goodness,” by which all t…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 3, Section 1c
“It would be an impiety to do so, for he is almost equal to the Scriptural Writers, as he showed when he met with them to view the body of the B. V. M. even among our inspired Hierarchs (when, as thou knowest, we with him and many of our…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1b
“Hence have they their celestial orders, their self-unities, their mutual indwellings, their distinct Differences, the faculties which raise the lower unto the higher ranks, the providences of the higher for those beneath them; their preserv…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1af
“277 ἑνώσεις, διακρίσεις, ταὐτότητες, ἑτερότητες. 278 Hence parts are united into wholes and wholes articulated into parts, and hence each thing is identical with itself and distinct from everything else. 279 e.g. Moisture interpenetrates…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 7, Section 1b
“(2) Wisdom as a whole = Wisdom embodied in the universe as a whole. (3) Wisdom in each individual instance = Wisdom as shown in the structure of some particular plant or animal, or part of a plant or animal. (1) Is an Emanation; (2) and (…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 7, Section 1f
“The angels are conceived of as being always in such a state of contemplation. 408 God is the Manifested Absolute. Hence qua Absolute He is supra-sapient, qua Manifested He is wise (cf. ch. i, § 1). The Persons of the Trinity possess on…”
Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | VI-e
“Therefore sanctification is the best of all things, for it cleanses the soul, and illuminates the conscience, and kindles the heart, and wakens the spirit, and girds up the loins, and glorifies virtue and separates us from creatures, and un…”
Show all 62 →
renaissance_hermeticism61
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | INTRODUCTION-j
“The body is in the soul, the soul is in the mind, the mind is in God. The life of the soul is the true life of the man. Of all his various faculties, that which rules all, that which exalts our nature, is Thought. By means of it we rise…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-a
“. Tansillo, Cicada. Tans. The enthusiasms most suitable to be first brought forward and considered are those that I now place before you in the order that seems to me most fitting. Cic. Begin, then, to read. Tansillo. 1. Ye Muses, t…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-c
“Hence he cries: "O mountain of Parnassus, where I abide! Muses, with whom I converse! Fountain of Helicon, where I am nourished. Mountain, that affordest me a quiet dwelling-place! Muses, that inspire me with pro found doctrines. Fount…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-d
“Some are called in vain to put in a ready appearance, and are chiefly those which proceed from the lower instincts, and which obey the reason either not at all, or very little; and forcing himself to prevent their actions and condemn those…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-f
“One thing is certain, that he who loves wisely in youth will in age not go astray. But derision is for those of mature age, into whose hands Love puts the alphabet. Cic. Tell me now why Fate is called blind and bad. Tans. Again, blind…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialogue-c
“I can very well conceive, from what you have said, the condition of that heroic enthusiast, who says, "My hopes are ice and my desires are glowing," because he is not in the temperance of mediocrity, but, in the excess of contradictions, hi…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialogue-d
“So that, finding himself thus ascending and descending, he feels within his soul the greatest dissension that is possible to be felt, and he remains in a state of confusion through this rebellion of the senses, which urge him thither where…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialogue-e
“Herein he proves that his love is truly heroic; because he proposes to himself as the chief aim, not corporeal beauty, but rather the grace of the spirit, and the inclination of the affections in which, rather than in the beauty of the body…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-a
“. Tansillo . There are several varieties of enthusiasts, which may all be reduced to two kinds. While some only display blindness, stupidity, and irrational impetuosity, which tend towards savage madness, others by divine abstraction bec…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-b
“It is not a fury of black bile which sends him drifting outside of judgment, reason, and acts of prudence, and tossed by the discordant tempest, like those who, having violated certain laws of the divine Adrastia, are condemned to be scourg…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-c
“Here he shows his love not to be like that of the butterfly, of the stag, and of the unicorn, who would flee away if they had knowledge of the fire, of the arrow, and of the snares, and who have no other sense than that of pleasure; but he…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-e
“Others esteem him unhappy through this appearance of an evil destiny, as being condemned to these pangs, for he will never cease from acknowledging the obligation he is under to love, nor cease from rendering thanks to him because he has pr…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-f
“Fitly, therefore, this rapture of heroic enthusiasm feeds on such "high emprise." For the object is infinite, and in action most simple, and our intellectual power cannot apprehend the infinite except in speech or in a certain manner of spe…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-g
“Such over-boldness rarely grief escapes." "Fear not the utmost ruin then," I said, "Cleave confident the clouds and die content, That heaven has destined thee to such illustrious death." Cic . I understand when you say: "Enough that thou h…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-h
“In which generation finding themselves once more through the changes which permutably succeed, they return again to the superior forms. Cic . So that they mean, that souls are impelled by the necessity of fate, and have no proper counsel…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-a
“. Tansillo . Thus is described the discourse of heroic love, in all which tends to its own object, which is the highest good; and heroic intellect, which devotes itself to the study of its own object, which is the primal verity, or absolu…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-b
“He forms intelligible conceptions in his own way and proportions them to his capacity, so that they are received according to the manner of the recipient. Tans. And does he hunt through the operation of the will, by the act of which he co…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-c
“Whence he says, "Come not back to me till thou art mine," and not unworthily may I say with that other— Thou has left me, oh, my heart, And thou, light of my eyes, art no more with me. Here he describes the death of the soul, which by the…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-d
“To be infinite, it must be infinitely pursued with that form of pursuit which is not incited physically, but metaphysically, and is not from imperfect to perfect, but goes circulating through the grades of perfection to arrive at that infin…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-e
“She dispatches the armed thoughts, which, solicited and urged by disagreement with the inferior nature, are sent to recall the heart. The soul instructs them how they should conduct themselves, so that, being allured and attracted by the o…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-f
“Hence it follows that not less do we desire to see things unknown and unseen than those known and seen. And from this it does not follow that the desire does not proceed from cognition, and that we desire something that is not known; but I…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-g
“Behold me, miserable one, deprived of heart, abandoned of thoughts, left by hope, I, who had fixed my all in them. Nothing is left to me but the sense of my poverty, my unhappiness and misery; why does not this too leave me? Why does not…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-i
“And amongst men the same thing is seen, according as some resemble one species of brute beast and some another: these having something of the quadruped, and those of birds, and, may be, some affinity, which I will not explain, but through w…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-a
“. I. Cic . Now show me how I may be able for myself to consider the conditions of these enthusiasts, through that which appears in the order of the warfare here described. Tans . Behold how they carry the ensign of their affections or…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-c
“It means that enthusiast, signified by the naked child as simple, pure, and exposed to all the accidents of Nature and of fortune, who at the same time by the force of thought, constructs castles in the air, and amongst other things a tower…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-d
“Be it far from me to make complaint of love, Love, without whom I will not happy be, And though through him these weary toils I bear. Yet what is given my will shall not reject. Be clear the sky or dark, burning or cold, To that one ph[oe…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-e
“The degrees of contemplation are like the degrees of light, which exist not at all in the darkness, slightly in shade, more in colours, according to their orders, from one opposite which is black to the other which is white; but more fully…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-f
“I understand it all; but what is the meaning of, "May I be happy in this governance and with these bonds, and may that light not cease?" Tans. He means, and he proves, that every sort of love, the greater its dominion and the surer its hol…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-h
“That legend contains all the meaning of the thing in so far as it can be explained, for it means that he turns and is turned, that is to say movement present and accomplished. Cic. Excellent! And therefore those circles which so ill expl…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-i
“It seems to me, that it means that his particular intelligence is to the universal intelligence ever the same—that is to say, the one is ever illuminated by the other, over the whole hemisphere; notwithstanding that to the inferior powers,…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-j
“So also is the hemisphere of this earth ever equally irradiated, although from the watery surfaces she from time to time sends her splendours unequally to the moon,—which like innumerable other stars we consider as another earth—in the same…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-k
“That is a maxim of the Epicureans which, being well understood, would not be considered so unworthy as the ignorant hold it to be, seeing that it does not detract from what I have called virtue, nor does it impair the perfection of firmness…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-l
“Here are shown the pains and troubles which beset love, principally love of a low kind, which is no other than the forge of Vulcan, that smith who makes the bolts of Jove which torment offending souls. For ill-ordered love has in itself th…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-n
“Of necessity, one is according to the sum of the other, seeing that where things are finite it may result in this, that it is more wise than beautiful or good, more good and beautiful than wise, more wise and good than powerful, and more po…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-o
“For love, while it is finite, contented, and fixed in a certain measure, is not in the form of the species of divine beauty, but as it goes on with ever higher aspirations, it may be said to verge towards the infinite. Cic. . How is brea…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-p
“So wills my fate; But blazing every hour From their meridian they burn the afflicted heart. [A] Quando il sen d'oriente il giorno sgombra. Cic. This tablet expresses with greater truth than perspicacity the sense of the figure. Tans. .…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-q
“Nec Veneris fructu caret is, qui vitat amorem, Sed potius, quæ sunt, sine poena, commoda sumit. Cic. What is meant by the meridian of the heart? Tans. That part or region of the will which is highest and most exalted, and where it becom…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fifth Dialogue-r
“But it is not so, if you consider well, for it cannot be that in one instant, which is an atom or point, love persists or endures; therefore one must of necessity understand the instant in another signification. And for the sake of getting…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | PREFACE
“. The second part of "The Heroic Enthusiasts" which I am now sending to the press is on the same subject as the first, namely the struggles of the soul in its upward progress towards purification and freedom, and the author makes use of low…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-c
“And I will say, because to me this pain Is dearer than all other pleasures are. Mar. In reference to this I told you that although one should be attached to corporeal and external beauty yet he may honourably and worthily be so attached;…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-d
“You see, Cesarino, how this enthusiast is justified in his anger against those who reproach him with being in captivity to a low beauty, to which he dedicates his vows, and attributes these forms, so that he is deaf to those voices which ca…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-e
“For nothing is produced absolutely from a homœogeneous (pacifico) principle, but all from opposite principles, through the victory and dominion of one part of the opposites, and there is no pleasure of generation on one side without the pai…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-h
“If one aspires to the supreme splendour, let him retire as much as he can, from union and support, into himself (Di sorte che non sia simile a molti, per che son molti; e non sia nemico di molti per che son dissimili), so that he be not lik…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-j
“So that the continual movement of one part supposes and carries with it the movement of the whole, in such a way that the attraction of the posterior parts is consequent upon the repulsion of the anterior parts; thus the movement of the sup…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-k
“Equally, to be heard by the Divine, is precisely to listen to it, and to be favoured by it, is the same as to offer to it; for from the one immoveable and the same, proceed thoughts uncertain and certain, desires ardent and appeased, and re…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-l
“Besides which, because he does not believe that all which is not, could not be, he prays the divine light, that by its beauty, which ought not to be entirely concealed, at least according to the capacity of whoever beholds it, and by his lo…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-m
“Thus everything has an impetus towards its beginning retrogressively, and progressively towards its end and perfection, as Empedocles well said, and from which sentence I think may be inferred that which the Nolan said in this octave: The s…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-n
“So much so that whatsoever you might add thereto would appear to me superfluous. IX. Ces. Let us see what is here represented by those two radiating arrows upon a target around which is written: Vicit instans. Mar. The continual strugg…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-o
“Because those lights which made present the illuminating, acting intellect and sun of intelligence found easy ingress through his eyes; that of Truth (the intellect of Truth?) through the door of the intellectual faculty; that of Goodness (…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-q
“Solomon calls it furtive waters. Samuel named it the whisper of a gentle wind. The which three significations show with what sweetness, gentleness, and astuteness, in seas, on earth, in sky, does this fellow come and tyrannize over the wh…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-r
“But where the entire affection is all turned towards God, that is towards the Idea of Ideas, from the light of intelligible things, the mind becomes exalted to the super-essential unity, and, all love, all one, it feels itself no longer sol…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialogue-a
“Maricondo. Here you see a flaming yoke enveloped in knots round which is written: Levius aura; which means that Divine love does not weigh down, nor carry his servant captive and enslaved to the lowest depths, but raises him, supports him…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialogue-c
“Therefore in this present time it is proper that noble spirits equipped with truth and enlightened with the Divine intelligence, should arm themselves against dense ignorance by climbing up to the high rock and tower of contemplation.[L] [L…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialogue-d
“The long life of Archimedes, of Euclid, of Priscian, of Donato, and others, who were found up to their death occupied with numbers, lines, diction, concordances, writings, dialectics, syllogisms, forms, methods, systems of science, organs,…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialogue-e
“Now, it must be said that the outcome of the mind is that alone which is always by it desired, sought for, and embraced, and that which is more enjoyed than anything else, with which it is filled, comforted and becomes better,—that is Truth…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialogue-f
“[P] Number is, as the great writer (Balzac) thought, an Entity, and at the same time, a Breath emanating from what he called God, and what we call the ALL, the breath which alone could organize the physical Kosmos.—("The Secret Doctrine.")…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-a
“. Interlocutors : Liberio. Laodonio. Lib. Reclining in the shade of a cypress-tree, the enthusiast finding his mind free from other thoughts, it happened that the heart and the eyes spoke together as if they were animals and substances…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-f
“Here the eyes imprint upon the heart, that is upon the intelligence, and rouse in the will an infinite torment of love, where there is no pain because nothing is sought which is not obtained; but it is happiness, because that which is there…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | Third Dialogue-g
“The eyes, when they move (the heart), are dry, because they perform the office of a looking-glass, and of a representer; when they are moved, however, they become troubled and perturbed, because they perform the office of a diligent execute…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-g
“The fifth results from the disproportion of the means of our cognition to the knowable; seeing that in order to contemplate Divine things, the eyes must be opened by means of images, analogies and other reasonings which by the Peripatetics…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori) | Fourth Dialogue-h
“All which you have explained where it says: "When will the bright spark of the visual ray Darting, spring through each veiling obstacle." But let us return. The sixth, represented in the following, is caused only by the imbecility and unre…”
← Collapse
greek_mystery27
Orphic Hymns | Hymn I. THE GODDESS PROTHYRÆA
“I. TO THE GODDESS PROTHYRÆA * . The FUMIGATION from STORAX. O venerable goddess, hear my pray'r, For labour pains are thy peculiar care; in thee, when stretch'd upon the bed of grief, The sex as in a mirror view relief. Guard of the race, e…”
Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXVI. MNEMOSYNE, or the GODDESS of MEMORY
“LXXVI. To MNEMOSYNE, or the GODDESS of MEMORY * . The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. THE consort I invoke of Jove divine, Source of the holy, sweetly-speaking Nine; p. 215 Free from th' oblivion of the fallen mind, By whom the soul with inte…”
Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXVII. AURORA
“LXXVII. TO AURORA. The FUMIGATION from MANNA. HEAR me, O Goddess! whose emerging ray Leads on the broad refulgence of the day; Blushing Aurora, whose celestial light Beams on the world with red'ning splendours bright: Angel of Titan, whom w…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 4 (part 1)
“p. 1 THE GOLDEN VERSES OF PYTHAGORAS 1. First worship the Immortal Gods, as they are established and ordained by the Law. 2. Reverence the Oath, and next the Heroes, full of goodness and light. 3. Honour likewise the Terrestrial Dæmon…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 4 (part 2)
“Wherein have I done amiss? What have I done? What have I omitted that I ought to have done? 43. If in this examination thou find that thou hast done amiss, reprimand thyself severely for it; 44. And if thou hast done any good, rejoice.…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 5 (part 1)
“p. 9 NOTES ON THE GOLDEN VERSES OF PYTHAGORAS FROM THE COMMENTARIES OF HIEROCLES. The Golden Verses may be divided into two parts, the first treating of the Practical or Human Virtues, whose aim is the making of Good Men; and the second,…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 5 (part 2)
“The mortal Oath--that used amongst men--has to be reverenced as an image of the other, and as leading to the greatest strength and stability of character. And if man would reverence the Oath, then must he do all in his power to understand…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 5 (part 3)
“"Thou shalt not hope what thou ought'st not to hope," knowing the nature of all things, and what is possible. 55. The Gods near at hand are virtue and truth. p. 17 59, 60. The fatal strife is caused by our inclination "madly to run cou…”
Show all 27 →
jewish_mysticism20
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1a
“CHAPTER V. 1. (It is written) Isa. i. 4: "Woe unto the sinful nation, unto the people heavy with iniquity, unto the seed of evildoers, &c." (Here the author of the "Siphra Dtzenioutha" reasoneth concerning the small word HVI, "woe," whi…”
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1c
“And to it also pertain the following names, namely, the name) IH, Yah (whensoever it is written in full with A in this manner:) IVD HA, Yod Ha (and containeth the number of the numeral powers of the letters of the Tetragrammaton, namely, 26…”
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1d
“5; "And thou shalt place upon me thine hand:" KPKH, Khephakha . (Where this word KPKH, if it be written according to the usual p. 100 custom KPK, Khephakh , yieldeth the number 120. But now by adding the paragogic H of the female, there…”
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1e
“31: "And He was wise above every man." Because these are not classed with man. 21. (But when it is said) "And the Tetragrammaton gave him wisdom," then is understood the supernal He . (Because he gave unto him the influx of the wisdom of…”
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1f
“[The letters of the Hebrew alphabet are divided into three classes, the three mothers as they are called, AMSh; the seven duplex letters, BGDKPRTh, so called because they are sometimes tenues and sometimes aspirates, according to whether th…”
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1h
“35: "Ye shall not do iniquity in judgment, in dimension, in weight, and in measure." (Where these four are mystically intimated.) 37. (There is one) rigorous judgment (of severity),another that is not rigorous (that is, of the kingdom). T…”
The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter II
“CHAPTER II. 1. Observe ye everything that takes place in the heaven, how they do not change their orbits, ⌈ and ⌉ the luminaries which are in the heaven, how they all rise and set in order each in its season, and transgress not against thei…”
The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter III
“CHAPTER III. Observe and see how (in the winter) all the trees ⌈⌈ seem as though they had withered and shed all their leaves, except fourteen trees, which do not lose their foliage but retain the old foliage from two to three years till the…”
Show all 20 →
hermeticism15
Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1a
“Poemandres, the Shepherd of Men <This is the most famous of the Hermetic documents, a revelation account describing a vision of the creation of the universe and the nature and fate of humanity. Authors from the Renaissance onward have been…”
Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1b
“But when He raised His head, I see in Mind the Light, [but] now in Powers no man could number, and Cosmos grown beyond all bounds, and that the Fire was compassed round about by a most mighty Power, and [now] subdued had come unto a stand.…”
Corpus Hermeticum 3: The Sacred Sermon | Section 1
“The Sacred Sermon 1. The Glory of all things is God, Godhead and Godly Nature. Source of the things that are is God, who is both Mind and Nature - yea Matter, the Wisdom that reveals all things. Source [too] is Godhead - yea Nature, Energy,…”
Corpus Hermeticum 4: The Epistles | Section 1b
“And having raised themselves so far they sight the Good; and having sighted it, they look upon their sojourn here as a mischance; and in disdain of all, both things in body and the bodiless, they speed their way unto that One and Only One.…”
Corpus Hermeticum 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius | Section 1a
“Though Unmanifest God Is Most Manifest 1. I will recount to thee this sermon (logos) too, O Tat, that thou may'st cease to be without the mysteries of the God beyond all name. And mark thou well how that which to the many seems unmanifest…”
Corpus Hermeticum 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius | Section 1b
“Would that it were possible for thee to get thee wings, and soar into the air, and, poised midway 'tween earth and heaven, behold the earth's solidity, the sea's fluidity (the flowings of its streams), the spaciousness of air, fire's swiftn…”
Corpus Hermeticum 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius | Section 1c
“And for this cause hath He all names, in that they are one Father's. And for this cause hath He Himself no nome, in that He's Father of [them] all. Who, then, may sing Thee praise of Thee, or [praise] to Thee? Whither, again, am I to tur…”
Corpus Hermeticum 7: The Seven Powers | Section 1
“The Greatest Ill Among Men is Ignorance of God 1. Whither stumble ye, sots, who have sopped up the wine of ignorance and can so far not carry it that ye already even spew it forth? Stay ye, be sober, gaze upwards with the [true] eyes of the…”
Show all 15 →
hinduism15
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter VIII, Section 1a
“CHAPTER VIII. Ar g una said: What is that Brahman, what the Adhyâtma, and what, O best of beings! is action? And what is called the Adhibhûta? And who is the Adhiya g ña, and how in this body, O destroyer of Madhu? And how, too, are yo…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter X, Section 1a
“CHAPTER X. Yet again, O you of mighty arms! listen to my excellent words, which, out of a wish for your welfare, I speak to you who are delighted (with them). Not the multitudes of gods, nor the great sages know my source; for I am in ev…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XII, Section 1
“CHAPTER XII. Ar g una said: Of the worshippers, who thus, constantly devoted, meditate on you, and those who (meditate) on the unperceived and indestructible, which best know devotion? The Deity said: Those who being constantly devoted, and…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 17
“Meditation with an object follows these stages: first, exterior examining, then interior judicial action, then joy, then realization of individual being. In the practice of meditation, a beginning may be made by fixing the attention upon so…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 38
“Or a pondering on the perceptions gained in dreams and dreamless sleep. For the Eastern sages, dreams are, it is true, made up of images of waking life, reflections of what the eyes have seen and the ears heard. But dreams are something mor…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 39
“Or meditative brooding on what is dearest to the heart. Here is a thought which our own day is beginning to grasp: that love is a form of knowledge; that we truly know any thing or any person, by becoming one therewith, in love. Thus love h…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 42
“When the consciousness, poised in perceiving, blends together the name, the object dwelt on and the idea, this is perception with exterior consideration. In the first stage of the consideration of an external object, the perceiving mind com…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 47
“When pure perception without judicial action of the mind is reached, there follows the gracious peace of the inner self. We have instanced certain types of this pure perception: the poet's divination, whereby he sees the spirit within the s…”
Show all 15 →
platonism10
Plato: Phaedo | Section 1ad
“I might compare him to a person who began by maintaining generally that mind is the cause of the actions of Socrates, but who, when he endeavored to explain the causes of my several actions in detail, went on to show that I sit here because…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1ab
“The two speeches, as you may remember, were unlike-I the one argued that the lover and the other that the non-lover ought to be accepted. Phaedr. And right manfully. Soc. You should rather say "madly"; and madness was the argument of th…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1ae
“I quite admit, Socrates, that the art of rhetoric which these men teach and of which they write is such as you describe-there I agree with you. But I still want to know where and how the true art of rhetoric and persuasion is to be acquire…”
Plato: Symposium | Section 1b
“But when I hear another strain, especially that of you rich men and traders, such conversation displeases me; and I pity you who are my companions, because you think that you are doing something when in reality you are doing nothing. And I…”
Plato: Symposium | Section 1m
“For if they had understood him they would surely have built noble temples and altars, and offered solemn sacrifices in his honour; but this is not done, and most certainly ought to be done: since of all the gods he is the best friend of men…”
Plato: Symposium | Section 1z
“Marvel not then at the love which all men have of their offspring; for that universal love and interest is for the sake of immortality." I was astonished at her words, and said: "Is this really true, O thou wise Diotima?" And she answered w…”
Plato: Symposium | Section 1aa
“"These are the lesser mysteries of love, into which even you, Socrates, may enter; to the greater and more hidden ones which are the crown of these, and to which, if you pursue them in a right spirit, they will lead, I know not whether you…”
Plato: Symposium | Section 1ab
“This, my dear Socrates," said the stranger of Mantineia, "is that life above all others which man should live, in the contemplation of beauty absolute; a beauty which if you once beheld, you would see not to be after the measure of gold, an…”
Show all 10 →
egyptian6
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 19 (part 9)
“, the "house of cloth," was a district belonging to the temple of Suten-henen or Heracleopolis in Upper Egypt.] Ubes-hra-per-em-khet khet,[l] and Maa (106) -em-qerh-an-nef-em-hru. The chief of the holy ones (107) who minister in his chamber…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 29 (part 2)
“Text [CHAPTER CXXXIII.]: (1) TO BE SAID ON THE DAY OF THE MONTH. (2) Osiris Ani, the scribe, triumphant in peace, triumphant, saith: "Ra riseth (2) in his horizon, and the company of his gods follow after the god when he appeareth from his…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 32 (part 2)
“May I enter into the presence of Ra daily to hear his words, and may I sit down among the (8) mighty gods of Nut. May a homestead be made ready for me, and may offerings of food and drink be put before me therein. May I eat therein; (9) m…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 33 (part 1)
“PLATE XXVI. underworld fear me, and they (17) fight for me [in their habitations]. I, in very truth I am a shining one and a dweller in light, who hath been created and who hath come into being (18) from the body of the god. I am one of…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 40 (part 4)
“I have sailed on its Lake that I may come unto its cities, and I have drawn nigh It unto the city Hetep. For behold, I repose at the seasons [of Horus]. I have passed through the region of the company of the gods who are aged and venerable…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 43 (part 95)
“see also Maspero, Hymne au Nil, publié et traduit d'après les deux textes A Musée Britannique , Paris, 1868. 4to. 2 Pyramid of Unas, l. 219; Pyramid of Teta, ll. 60, 286; Pyramid of Pepi I., ll. 444, 593, etc. 3. Pyramid of Pepi I.,…”
taoism3
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 10
“When the intelligent and animal souls are held together in one embrace, they can be kept from separating. When one gives undivided attention to the (vital) breath, and brings it to the utmost degree of pliancy, he can become as a (tender) b…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book I (part 1)
“p. 164 THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-DZE. BOOK I. PART I. SECTION I. Hsiâo-yâo Yû, or 'Enjoyment in Untroubled Ease 1 .' 1. In the Northern Ocean there is a fish, the name of which is Khwän 2 ,--I do not know how many lî in size. It changes…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VI (part 5)
“Dze-sze 1 , Dze-yü 1 , Dze-1î 1 , and Dze-lâi 1 , these four men, were talking together, when some one said, 'Who can suppose the head to be made from nothing, the spine from life, and the rump-bone from death? Who knows how death and birt…”
celtic2
The Mabinogion | Tale PEREDUR THE SON OF EVRAWC-l
“And in the morning he arose, and when he went forth, behold a shower of snow had fallen the night before, and a hawk had killed a wild fowl in front of the cell. And the noise of the horse scared the hawk away, and a raven alighted upon th…”
The Mabinogion | Tale PEREDUR THE SON OF EVRAWC-m
“And while thy speech and thy soft words last, a coat of thin linen were armour sufficient for thee, and thou wilt not need to break either lance or sword in fighting with the knight in the state he is in.” Then said Gwalchmai to Kai, “Thou…”
gnosticism2
Gospel of Thomas | Logion 2
“Jesus said, "Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All."…”
Gospel of Thomas | Logion 9
“Jesus said, "Now the sower went out, took a handful (of seeds), and scattered them. Some fell on the road; the birds came and gathered them up. Others fell on the rock, did not take root in the soil, and did not produce ears. And others fel…”
buddhism1
The Dhammapada | Chapter II, Section 1a
“p. 9 CHAPTER II. ON EARNESTNESS . 21. Earnestness is the path of immortality (Nirvâ n a), thoughtlessness the path of death. Those who are in earnest do not die, those who are thoughtless are as if dead already. 22. Those who are adv…”
native_american1
The Soul of the Indian | Chapter II-d
“Names of any dignity or importance must be conferred by the old men, and especially so if they have any spiritual significance; as Sacred Cloud, Mysterious Night, Spirit Woman, and the like. Such a name was sometimes borne by three generat…”
sufism1
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY V-e
“"In yourselves are signs; will ye not behold them?" (Koran li, 21). 12. See Gulshan i Raz, I. 92. Mr. Mansel (Bampton Lectures, p. 49) says: "A thing can be known as that which it is only by being distinguished from that which it is n…”