Body As Obstacle

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter V-a

“In the next place, let us direct our attention to the solution of your inquiries. There is, therefore, the good itself which is beyond essence, and there is that good which subsists according to essence; I mean the essence which is most an…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VII

“Of the extremes, therefore, one is supreme, transcendent, and perfect; but the other is last in dignity, deficient, and more imperfect. And the former, indeed, is capable of accomplishing all things at once, uniformly in an instant; but the…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIII-a

“But neither must we admit that cause of the distinction of these genera which you subjoin, viz. “ that it is an arrangement with reference to different bodies; as, for instance, 39 of Gods to etherial bodies, but of dæmons to aerial bodies…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIII-b

“Hence, through these things such a corporeal-formed division as you introduce, is demonstrated to be false. It is, indeed, especially necessary not to propose any thing of this kind; but if this should appear to you to be requisite, yet yo…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter X-a

“After these things, you again subjoin another division for yourself, “ in which you separate the essences of the more excellent genera by the difference of passive and impassive .” But neither do I admit this division. For no one of the mo…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XI-b

“Things of this kind, therefore, are introduced for the sake of our soul, and of the diminution of the evils which adhere to it 55 through generation, and of a solution and liberation from its bonds. On this account, also, they are very pro…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XV-a

“After this, you pass on to another division into contraries, viz. the division of Gods with reference to dæmons. For you say, “ that the Gods are pure intellects ;” but you propose this opinion as an hypothesis, or you narrate it as a dog…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XV-b

“Or what passion can accede to a thing of this kind, the purity of which the most worthy human manners cannot easily equal? You say, however, “ that the things which are offered in supplications are offered as to sensitive and psychical nat…”

The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Authorities Create Adam-c

“heat, cold, wetness, and dryness. However, the mother of all of them is matter, but he who rules over heat, Phloxopha; but he who rules [IV, 28] over cold, Oroorrothos; but he who rules over dryness, Erimacho; but he who rules over wetnes…”

The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Spirit is Blown into Adam

“However, all the angels and demons labored until they had formed the psychic body, and their creation was entirely inert and without movement for a prolonged time. When, however, the mother wished to regain the power she had granted to the…”

The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Archons Conspire Against Adam

“When they gazed down, they realized that his intellect surpassed (their own), and they convened in counsel together with the group of archons and all angels. They took fire and earth [II, 21] and water, and combined them with each other to…”

The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Chief Archon Pollutes Eve

“I appeared in the shape of an eagle on the tree of knowledge, which is Reflection of Providence of Pure Light, so that I could instruct them and rouse them out of their deep sleep, because both of them were in a fallen condition, and they w…”

The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Destiny of Souls-a

“I also asked the savior: “Lord, will then all the souls be conducted safely into the pure light?” He answered and said to me: “Great things have arisen in your mind, because it is difficult to explain them to others, with the exception of…”

The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Savior Enters the Realm of Darkness

“Therefore, I, the perfect Providence of the all, transformed myself into my (own) seed, because I was the first to exist, traveling all paths, because I am the wealth of the light. [IV, 47] I am the remembrance of the Fullness, but I enter…”

Gospel of Judas | Another Generation

“The next morning, he appeared to his disciples. [And] they said to him, "Master, where did [you] go and what did you do when you left us?" Jesus said to them, "I went to another great and holy generation." His disciples said to him, "Lord,…”

Gospel of Philip | Section 1a

“(Above image of the Gospel of Thomas courtesy of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont Graduate University) Visit the Bookstore for a complete selection of translations and books about The Nag Hammadi Library The Nag Hamma…”

The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 80 (part 1)

“CHAPTER IX Concerning Infernal Necromancy IT is only within recent times that the attempt to communicate with the dead has been elevated to the dignity of White Magic. Here it is necessary to affirm that the phenomena of Modern Spiritualis…”

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 Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Introduction-d

“Both Pythagoras and Empedocles accepted the theory of transmigration, the latter saying: "A boy I was, then did a maid become; a plant, bird, fish, and in the vast sea swum." Archytas is credited with invention of the screw and the crane.…”

The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Introduction-e

“He himself declared philosophy to be the way of true happiness and its purpose twofold: (1) to contemplate God, and (2) to abstract the soul from corporeal sense. The principles of all things he conceived to be three in number: God , matte…”

The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies Which Have Influenced Modern Masonic Symbolism-m

“Of these shoots one is manifested from above, which is the Great Power, the Universal Mind ordering all things, male, and the other, [is manifested] from below, the Great Thought, female, producing all things. Hence pairing with each other…”

The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies Which Have Influenced Modern Masonic Symbolism-n

“In discussing the original meaning of this word, Godfrey Higgins, in his Celtic Druids, has demonstrated that the numerological powers of the letters forming the word Abraxas when added together result in the sum of 365. The same author al…”

The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies Which Have Influenced Modern Masonic Symbolism-p

“In an oracle delivered to the King of Cyprus, Serapis described himself thus: ''A god I am such as I show to thee, The Starry Heavens are my head, my trunk the sea, Earth forms my feet, mine ears the air supplies, The Sun's far-darting, bri…”

The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies Which Have Influenced Modern Masonic Symbolism-w

“The Mysteries were the channels through which this one philosophic light was disseminated, and their initiates, resplendent with intellectual and spiritual understanding, were the perfect fruitage of the divine tree, bearing witness before…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1c

“59 59 ὡς οὐκ ὄντος ἴχνους τῶν ἐπὶ τὴν κρυφίαν αὐτῆς ἀπειρίαν διεληλυθότων. Two interpretations of this passage are possible: (1) Those who have penetrated the hidden Depths cannot describe the Vision (cf. Dante, Par. xxxiii. 55–66) ; (2…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1d

“And we press upwards to those beams which in the Holy Scripture shine upon us; wherefrom we gain the light which leads us unto 55 the Divine praises 64 64 πρὸς τοὺς θεαρχικοὺς ὕμνους. Either (1) “leads us to declare the Divine praises”; or…”

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 1, Section 1l

“The formless essence (ἀμορφία) of a thing is simple and imageless—a Platonic idea—perceived by the mind; things which have bodily form are, as it were, types and symbols perceived by the senses. 54 Or “indeterminate.” 55 Thus the three gra…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1n

“82 ἐν θειοτέρᾳ μιμήσει τῶν ὑπερουρανίων νοῶν—i. e. the angels. 83 Luke xx. 36 84 Meditation leads on to Contemplation; and the higher kind of Contemplation is performed by the Via Negativa. 85 i.e. The Angels. I have throughout trans…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1m

“καὶ τῆς εἰρημένης ἑνώσεως ἴδια καὶ αὖθις τῆς διακρίσεως εἶνάι τινας ἰδικὰς καὶ ἱνώσεις καὶ διακρίσεις. This, as it stands, must be translated: “They say that certain qualities belong to the said Undifference, and that to Differentiation, o…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 3, Section 1d

“233 Cf p. 77, n. 1. 234 This is profound. Spatial metaphors are always dangerous, though unavoidable, in Theology. In space if A is touching B then B must be touching A. In the spiritual world this is not so. God is near me (or rathe…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1e

“260 260 The light permeates water but it does not permeate a stone. It passes over the stone and permeates the water beyond it. Yea, and it contributes to the birth of material bodies and brings them unto life, and nourishes them that the…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1d

“Socrates replied: And have you, Cebes and Simmias, who are acquainted with Philolaus, never heard him speak of this? I never understood him, Socrates. My words, too, are only an echo; but I am very willing to say what I have heard: and in…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1e

“And I rather imagine that Cebes is referring to you; he thinks that you are too ready to leave us, and too ready to leave the gods who, as you acknowledge, are our good rulers. Yes, replied Socrates; there is reason in that. And this indi…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1f

“And being dead is the attainment of this separation; when the soul exists in herself, and is parted from the body and the body is parted from the soul-that is death? Exactly: that and nothing else, he replied. And what do you say of anoth…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1g

“And he attains to the knowledge of them in their highest purity who goes to each of them with the mind alone, not allowing when in the act of thought the intrusion or introduction of sight or any other sense in the company of reason, but wi…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1h

“And now that the hour of departure is appointed to me, this is the hope with which I depart, and not I only, but every man who believes that he has his mind purified. Certainly, replied Simmias. And what is purification but the separation…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1i

“They are temperate because they are intemperate-which may seem to be a contradiction, but is nevertheless the sort of thing which happens with this foolish temperance. For there are pleasures which they must have, and are afraid of losing;…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1k

“That is clear, he replied. Then the inference is, that our souls are in the world below? That is true. And one of the two processes or generations is visible-for surely the act of dying is visible? Surely, he said. And may not the othe…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1m

“And yet from these equals, although differing from the idea of equality, you conceived and attained that idea? Very true, he said. Which might be like, or might be unlike them? Yes. But that makes no difference; whenever from seeing one…”

Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter XI — How Occult Virtues are Infused into the Several Kinds of Things by Ideas Through the Help of the Soul of the World, And Rays of the Stars; and what Things Abound Most with this Virtue | Chapter XI, Section 1

“CHAPTER XI. How Occult Virtues are Infused into the Several Kinds of Things by Ideas Through the Help of the Soul of the World, And Rays of the Stars; and what Things Abound Most with this Virtue . Platonists say that all inferior bodies ar…”

Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter LVIII — Of the Reviving of the Dead, and of Sleeping or Hibernating (Wanting Victuals) Many Years Together | Chapter LVIII, Section 1a

“CHAPTER LVIII. Of the Reviving of the Dead, and of Sleeping or Hibernating (Wanting Victuals) Many Years Together . The Arabian philosophers agree that some men may elevate themselves above the powers of their body and above their sensiti…”

Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter LX — Of Madness, and Divinations which are made when men are awake, and of the Power of a Melancholy Humor, by which Spirits are sometimes induced into Men's Bodies | Chapter LX, Section 1c

“There are also some prognostics which are in the middle, betwixt natural and supernatural divination, as in those who are near to death, and, being weakened with old age, do sometimes foresee things to come, because, as saith Plato, by how…”

The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | INTRODUCTION-l

“There he passed the first day of that imprisonment which was to last for eight years. The next day he went over the lagoon in a gondola, in the company of his jailors, who took him to the prison of the Holy Office, and left him there. Lev…”

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) | 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-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-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…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn XXXVIII. CORYBAS * The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE

“XXXVIII. TO CORYBAS * The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. THE mighty ruler of this earthly ball, For ever flowing, to these rites I call; p. 170 Martial and blest, unseen by mortal sight, Preventing fears, and pleas'd with gloomy night: Hence…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXV. THE MUSES

“LXXV. TO THE MUSES. The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. Daughters of Jove, dire-sounding and divine, 1 Renown'd Pierian, sweetly speaking Nine; p. 206 To those whose breasts your sacred furies fire Much-form'd, the objects of supreme desire:…”

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…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXXV. THE DIVINITY OF DREAMS

“LXXXV. TO THE DIVINITY OF DREAMS. The FUMIGATION from AROMATICS. THEE I invoke, blest pow'r of dreams divine, Angel of future fates, swift wings are thine: Great source of oracles to human kind, When stealing soft, and whisp'ring to the min…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXXVI. DEATH

“LXXXVI. TO DEATH. The FUMIGATION from MANNA. HEAR me, O Death, whose empire unconfin'd, Extends to mortal tribes of ev'ry kind. On thee, the portion of our time depends, Whose absence lengthens life, whose presence ends. p. 225 Thy sleep pe…”

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 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…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 6 (part 3)

“A woman should not be given to loquacity; for it is a dreadful thing. 77. To be governed by a woman is the extremity of insolence and unmanliness. 78. It is the property of a divine intellect p. 27 to be always intently thinking about…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 7 (part 2)

“Understand that no dissimulation can be long concealed. 24. The unjust man suffers greater evil while his soul is tormented with a consciousness of guilt, than when his body is scourged with whips. 25. It is by no means safe to discours…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 9 (part 2)

“Or in the third place, it is impelled when it is not proper, and to objects to which it ought not to tend. 22. Endeavour not to conceal your errors p. 49 by words, but to remedy them by reproof. 23. It is not so difficult to err, as no…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 10 (part 1)

“p. 53 SELECT SENTENCES OF SEXTUS THE PYTHAGOREAN 1. To neglect things of the smallest consequence, is not the least thing in human life. 2. The wise man, and the despiser of wealth, resemble God. 3. Do not investigate the name of God,…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 10 (part 3)

“Speak not of God to every man. 79. It is dangerous and the danger is not small, to speak of God even things which are true. 80. A true assertion respecting God is an assertion of God. p. 61 81. You should not dare to speak of God to…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 12 (part 1)

“p. 67 THE SYMBOLS OF PYTHAGORAS All the Symbols are exhortatory in common to the whole of virtue; but particularly each to some particular virtue. Different symbols also are differently adapted to parts of philosophy and discipline. Thus…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 12 (part 2)

“At the same time, however, we perfectly fall short of the gods, and neither possess the same power with them, nor equal virtue, This Symbol, therefore, in a particular manner introduces the knowledge of the gods, as beings who are able to e…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 12 (part 3)

“75 words accord with their energies, to honour and reverence them with the greatest earnestness. SYMBOL 9. Cut not fire with a sword. 1 Explanation .--This Symbol exhorts to prudence. For it excites in us an appropriate conception with…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 12 (part 5)

“Explanation .--The Symbol may be considered more Pythagorically, beginning from the same principles with those above. For since nutriment is to be measured by the corporeal and animal nature, and not by a bushel, do not pass your life in i…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 12 (part 6)

“The precept, therefore, admonishes us when we philosophize, and Proceed in the way pointed out, to fly from the snares of, and avoid all connection with, things corporeal and multifarious, but to become familiar with the essence of the inco…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 12 (part 7)

“It admonishes us, therefore, rather to betake p. 90 ourselves to scientific conceptions about intellectual objects, from which a most splendid and stable purity is produced about the eye of the soul, resulting from all intellectual concept…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 12 (part 8)

“Explanation .--This Symbol signifies that it is not proper to divulse the union and consent of the universe. And still further it signifies this, Be not envious, but philanthropic and communicative; and from this it exhorts us to philosoph…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 12 (part 9)

“Honour a figure and a step before a figure and a tribolus. Explanation .--The exhortation of this Symbol is as follows: Philosophize and diligently betake yourself to disciplines, and through these, as through steps, proceed to the thing p…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 12 (part 10)

“98:2 Thales was the founder of this sect, and the most illustrious professors of it were Anaximander, Anaximenes, Anaxagoras, and Archelaus.…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 13 (part 5)

“Δεύτερον αὖτε Ζῆνα, θεῶν πατέρ᾽ ἠδὲ καὶ ἀνδρῶν, ἀρχόμεναί θ᾽ ὑμνεῦσι θεαὶ λήγουσαί τ' ἀοιδῆς, ὅσσον φέρτατός ἐστι θεῶν κράτεΐ τε μέγιστος. Αὖτις δ᾽ ἀνθρώπων τε γένος κρατερῶν τε Γιγάντων 50 ὑμνεῦσαι τέρπουσι Διὸς νόον ἐντὸς Ὀλύμπου Μοῦσαι…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 13 (part 6)

“55 Ἐννέα γάρ οἱ νυκτὸς ἐμίσγετο μητίετα Ζεὺς νόσφιν ἀπ᾽ ἀθανάτων ἱερὸν λέχος εἰσαναβαίνων· ἀλλ᾽ ὅτε δή ῥ᾽ ἐνιαυτὸς ἔην, περὶ δ᾽ ἔτραπον ὧραι μηνῶν φθινόντων, περὶ δ᾽ ἤματα πόλλ᾽ ἐτελέσθη, ἣ δ᾽ ἔτεκ᾽ ἐννέα κούρας ὁμόφρονας, ᾗσιν ἀοιδὴ 60 μέμ…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 13 (part 7)

“Πὰρ δ᾽ αὐτῇς Χάριτές τε καὶ Ἵμερος οἰκί᾽ ἔχουσιν ἐν θαλίῃς· ἐρατὴν δὲ διὰ στόμα ὄσσαν ἱεῖσαι 65 μέλπονται πάντων τε νόμους καὶ ἤθεα κεδνὰ ἀθανάτων κλείουσιν, ἐπήρατον ὄσσαν ἱεῖσαι.] Αἳ τότ᾽ ἴσαν πρὸς Ὄλυμπον ἀγαλλόμεναι ὀπὶ καλῇ, ἀμβροσίῃ μ…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 13 (part 8)

“Ταῦτ᾽ ἄρα Μοῦσαι ἄειδον, Ὀλύμπια δώματ᾽ ἔχουσαι, 75 ἐννέα θυγατέρες μεγάλου Διὸς ἐκγεγαυῖαι, Κλειώ τ᾽ Εὐτέρπη τε Θάλειά τε Μελπομέενη τε Τερψιχόρη τ᾽ Ἐρατώ τε Πολύμνιά τ᾽ Οὐρανίη τε Καλλιόπη θ᾽· ἣ δὲ προφερεστάτη ἐστὶν ἁπασέων. Ἥ γὰρ καὶ β…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 13 (part 10)

“Ἐκ γάρ τοι Μουσέων καὶ ἑκηβόλου Ἀπόλλωνος ἄνδρες ἀοιδοὶ ἔασιν ἐπὶ χθόνα καὶ κιθαρισταί, 95 ἐκ δὲ Διὸς βασιλῆες· ὃ δ᾽ ὄλβιος, ὅν τινα Μοῦσαι φίλωνται· γλυκερή οἱ ἀπὸ στόματος ῥέει αὐδή. Εἰ γάρ τις καὶ πένθος ἔχων νεοκηδέι θυμῷ ἄζηται κραδίη…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 13 (part 53)

“Ὡς δ᾽ ὁπότ᾽ ἐν σμήνεσσι κατηρεφέεσσι μέλισσαι κηφῆνας βόσκωσι, κακῶν ξυνήονας ἔργων· 595 αἳ μέν τε πρόπαν ἦμαρ ἐς ἠέλιον καταδύντα ἠμάτιαι σπεύδουσι τιθεῖσί τε κηρία λευκά, οἳ δ᾽ ἔντοσθε μένοντες ἐπηρεφέας κατὰ σίμβλους ἀλλότριον κάματον σφ…”

The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 13 (part 58)

“660 Τῷ καὶ νῦν ἀτενεῖ τε νόῳ καὶ ἐπίφρονι βουλῇ ῥυσόμεθα κράτος ὑμὸν ἐν αἰνῇ δηιοτῆτι μαρνάμενοι Τιτῆσιν ἀνὰ κρατερὰς ὑσμίνας. Ὥς φάτ᾽· ἐπῄνεσσαν δὲ θεοί, δωτῆρες ἐάων, μῦθον ἀκούσαντες· πολέμου δ᾽ ἐλιλαίετο θυμὸς 665 μᾶλλον ἔτ᾽ ἢ τὸ πάροι…”

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 1c

“And when she saw that Form of beauty which can never satiate, and him who [now] possessed within himself each single energy of [all seven] Rulers as well as God's own Form, she smiled with love; for 'twas as though she'd seen the image of M…”

Corpus Hermeticum 2: The Serapeum | Section 1a

“To Asclepius <This dialogue sets forth the difference between the physical and metaphysical worlds in the context of Greek natural philosophy. Some of the language is fairly technical: the "errant spheres" of sections 6 and 7 are the celes…”

Corpus Hermeticum 2: The Serapeum | Section 1b

“A: How is it, then, that things down here, Thrice-greatest one, are moved with those that are [already] moved? For thou hast said the errant spheres were moved by the inerrant one. H: This is not, O Asclepius, a moving with, but one again…”

Corpus Hermeticum 4: The Epistles | Section 1a

“The Cup or Monad <This short text gives an unusually lucid overview of the foundations of Hermetic thought. The stress on rejection of the body and its pleasures, and on the division of humanity into those with Mind and those without, are…”

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 6: The All-Father | Section 1b

“So then, Asclepius, the name alone of Good is found in men, the thing itself nowhere [in them], for this can never be. For no material body doth contain It - a thing bound on all sides by bad, by labors, pains, desires and passions, by err…”

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…”

The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XIV, Section 1a

“CHAPTER XIV. The Deity said: Again I will declare (to you) the highest knowledge, the best of (all sorts of) knowledge, having learnt which, all sages have reached perfection beyond (the bonds of) this (body). Those who, resorting to this…”

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 4

“Heretofore the Seer has been enmeshed in the activities of the psychic nature. The power and life which are the heritage of the spiritual man have been caught and enmeshed in psychical activities. Instead of pure being in the Divine, there…”

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 15

“Ceasing from self-indulgence is conscious mastery over the thirst for sensuous pleasure here or hereafter. Rightly understood, the desire for sensation is the desire of being, the distortion of the soul's eternal life. The lust of sensual s…”

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 19

“Subjective consciousness arising from a natural cause is possessed by those who have laid aside their bodies and been absorbed into subjective nature. Those who have died, entered the paradise between births, are in a condition resembling m…”

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 31

“Grieving, despondency, bodily restlessness, the drawing in and sending forth of the life-breath also contribute to drive the psychic nature to and fro. The first two moods are easily understood. We can well see bow a sodden psychic conditio…”

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 34

“Or peace may be reached by the even sending forth and control of the life-breath. Here again we may look for a double meaning: first, that even and quiet breathing which is a part of the victory over bodily restlessness; then the even and q…”

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book II | Sutra 40

“Through purity a withdrawal from one's own bodily life, a ceasing from infatuation with the bodily life of others. As the spiritual light grows in the heart within, as the taste for pure Life grows stronger, the consciousness opens toward t…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | PROLOGUE-b

“Knowest thou why thy mirror reflects not? Because the rust has not been scoured from its face. If it were purified from all rust and defilement, It would reflect the shining of the SUN Of GOD.6 O friends, ye have now heard this tale, Whic…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY II

“The Oilman and his Parrot. An oilman possessed a parrot which used to amuse him with its agreeable prattle, and to watch his shop when he went out. One day, when the parrot was alone in the shop, a cat upset one of the oil-jars. When the oi…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY III-a

“The Jewish King, his Vazir, and the Christians. A certain Jewish king used to persecute the Christians, desiring to exterminate their faith. His Vazir persuaded him to try a stratagem, namely, to mutilate the Vazir himself, and expel him…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IV

“Another Tyrannical Jewish King. A certain Jewish king, the same who is referred to in the Sura "Signs of the Zodiac," I made up his mind to utterly exterminate the Christian faith, and with that view he set up a huge idol, and issued comman…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY V-c

“The skill taught by God to the silkworm Is a learning beyond the reach of the elephant. The earthly Adam was taught of God names, 4 So that his glory reached the seventh heaven. He laid low the name and fame of the angels, 5 Yet blind ind…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VI-a

“Omar and the Ambassador. The hare, having delivered his companions from the tyranny of the lion, in the manner just described, proceeds to improve the occasion by exhorting them to engage in a greater and more arduous warfare, viz., the st…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VII-a

“The Merchant and his Clever Parrot. There was a certain merchant who kept a parrot in a cage. Being about to travel to Hindustan on business, he asked the parrot if he had any message to send to his kinsmen in that country, and the parrot…”

The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IX-b

“Woman is a ray of God, not a mere mistress, The Creator's self, as it were, not a mere creature! Moses and Pharaoh, alike doers of God's will, as Light and Darkness. Poison and Antidote. Verily, both Moses and Pharaoh walked in the right…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 12

“Colour's five hues from th' eyes their sight will take; Music's five notes the ears as deaf can make; The flavours five deprive the mouth of taste; The chariot course, and the wild hunting waste Make mad the mind; and objects rare and stran…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 13

“Favour and disgrace would seem equally to be feared; honour and great calamity, to be regarded as personal conditions (of the same kind). What is meant by speaking thus of favour and disgrace? Disgrace is being in a low position (after the…”

The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book V (part 1)

“p. 223 BOOK V. PART I. SECTION V. Teh Khung Fû, or 'The Seal of Virtue Complete 1 .' 1. In Lû 2 there was a Wang Thâi 3 who had lost both his feet 4 ; while his disciples who followed and went about with him were as numerous as those o…”

The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book V (part 2)

“'As a verification of the (power of) the original endowment, when it has been preserved, take the result of fearlessness,-how the heroic spirit of a single brave soldier has been thrown into an army of nine hosts 4 . If a man only seeking…”

The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book V (part 3)

“228 (virtue) which is internal, and not an adjunct of the body, and yet you are continually directing your attention to my external body;--are you not wrong in this?' Dze-khân felt uneasy, altered his manner and looks, and said, 'You need n…”

The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book V (part 4)

“for many months, when I was drawn to the man; and before he had been with me a full year, I had confidence in him. The state being without a chief minister, I (was minded) to commit the government to him. He responded to my proposal sorro…”

The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book V (part 7)

“Shû-shan or Shû hill was, probably, where he dwelt:--'Toeless of Shû hill.' 229:1 'Heaven' here is a synonym of Tâo. Perhaps the meaning is 'unavoidable;' it is so in the Tâoistic order of things. 229:2 It was in the sixteenth year of duk…”

The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book VI (part 7)

“With these views, how should they know wherein death and life are to be found, or what is first and what is last? They borrow different substances, and pretend that the common form of the body is composed of them 1 . They dismiss the thou…”

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) | 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 Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XII

“XII-XVI. Dream Vision of Enoch: his intercession for Azâzêl and the fallen Angels: and his announcement to them of their first and final doom . CHAPTER XII. 1. Before these things Enoch was hidden, and no one of the children of men knew whe…”

The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XIV (part 2)

“None of the angels could enter and could behold His face by reason of the magnificence and glory and no flesh could behold Him. 22. The flaming fire was round about Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none around could draw nigh H…”

The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XXXIX

“XXXIX. The Abode of the Righteous and of the Elect One: the Praises of the Blessed . CHAPTER XXXIX. 1. [ And it †shall come to pass in those days that elect and holy children †will descend from the high heaven, and their seed †will become o…”

The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter LX (part 1)

“LX. Book of Noah--a Fragment . p. 76 Quaking of Heaven: Behemoth and Leviathan: the Elements . CHAPTER LX. 1. In the year five hundred, in the seventh month, on the fourteenth day of the month in the life of †Enoch†. In that Parable…”

Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 4

“Yahyā proclaims in the nights, Yōhānā on the Night's evenings. 4 YAHYĀ proclaims in the nights and says: "Through my Father's discourses I give light and through the praise of the Man, my creator, I have freed my soul from the world and fr…”

Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 7

“YAHYĀ proclaims and speaks: "Ye nobles, who lie there, ye ladies, who will not awaken,—ye who lie there, what will you do on the Day of the Judgment? When the soul strips off the body, on Judgment-Day what will you do? O thou distracted, ju…”

Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 15

“When the youth saw her alone, he set himself free and fell down from the cloud. He set himself free and fell down from the cloud and kissed the mouth of Enishbai. When Anōsh, the treasure, saw him [do this], he spake unto Yahyā in Jerusalem…”

Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 16

“When Messiah said this, Yahyā cries aloud; tears come to him without ceasing, and he speaks: "[God] forbid that the high King of Light should look for lot in deceivers. The soul is not like the blood, that it should become heated in the bod…”

Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 17

“"[The women] who wept ran hither and thither and [the men] who wailed ran hither and thither, as long as the body lay there before them. When the soul leaves the body, four 2 go forth to the graveyard. [The women] who wept ran hither and th…”

Gnostic John the Baptizer — Some Typical Extracts | Section 15

“"Who will come, who tell me what was before this? When the heaven was not yet outspread and stars were not yet in it figured, when the earth was not yet condensed and into the water no condensation had fallen, when sun and moon came not as…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 16 (part 3)

“(5.) Everything in the Universe, throughout all its kingdoms, is CONSCIOUS: i.e., endowed with a consciousness of its own kind and on its own plane of perception. We men must remember that because we do not perceive any signs -- which we c…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 67 (part 4)

“The "deva-eye" exists no more for the majority of mankind. The third eye is dead, and acts no longer; but it has left behind a witness to its existence. This witness is now the PINEAL GLAND. As for the "four-armed" men, it is they who be…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 73 (part 5)

“This is clearly instanced in the paradoxical behaviour of Jehovah, who first curses Adam and Eve (or Humanity) for the supposed committed crime, and then blesses his "chosen people" by saying "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the ear…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 84 (part 13)

“The three nails with the three wounds are in number 6, which denotes the 6 faces of the cube unfolded (which make the cross or man-form, or 7, counting three horizontal and four vertical bars) on which the man is placed; and this in turn po…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 90 (part 4)

“The idealism of the present day, not only contrives to absorb, on the one hand, the basic negations of Atheism, but lands its votaries in a tangle of unreality, which culminates in a practical Nihilism. Argument with such writers is almost…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 5 (part 3)

“When Isis heard of this she went to Byblos, and, gaining admittance to the palace through the report of the royal maidens, she was made nurse to one of the king's sons, Instead of nursing the child in the ordinary way, Isis gave him her fin…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 43 (part 44)

“The preservation of the corruptible body too was in some way connected with the life in the world to come, and its preservation was necessary to ensure eternal life; otherwise the prayers recited to this end would have been futile, and the…”

The Egyptian Heaven and Hell | Chapter 30 (part 2)

“When the disk is on the horizon all men know that the monsters of the Tuat have failed to destroy AFU-RA or to obstruct his passage, that the god has, with the aid of KHEPERA, made all his transformations, that he has appeared in the sky ag…”

The Egyptian Heaven and Hell | Chapter 31

“Sacred-texts Egypt The Egyptian Heaven and Hell by E. A. Wallis Budge [1905] This is a three volume collection of texts and commentary about the Ancient Egyptian alternate reality called the Tuat. The Tuat was both the region that the boat…”

The Dhammapada | Chapter III, Section 1b

“That s ru means 'to run,' and is in fact a merely dialectic variety of sru, has been proved by Burnouf, while Boehtlingk thinks the substitution of s for s is a mistake. Â s rava therefore, or âsrava, meant originally 'the running out towa…”

The Dhammapada | Chapter XI, Section 1a

“p. 41 CHAPTER XI. OLD AGE. 146. How is there laughter, how is there joy, as this world is always burning? Why do you not seek a light, ye who are surrounded by darkness? 147. Look at this dressed-up lump, covered with wounds, joined…”

The Dhammapada | Chapter XV, Section 1a

“p. 53 CHAPTER XV. HAPPINESS. 197. Let us live happily then, not hating those who hate us! among men who hate us let us dwell free from hatred! 198. Let us live happily then, free from ailments among the ailing! among men who are ail…”

The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESIN-j

“And the king caused them to fetch Elphin in haste from his dungeon, and placed him before Taliesin. And it is said, that immediately he sang a verse, so that the chains opened from about his feet. “I adore the Supreme, Lord of all animati…”

The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESIN-l

“And then said Taliesin, “Elphin, behold a payment and reward unto thee, for having taken me out of the weir, and for having reared me from that time until now.” And on this spot stands a pool of water, which is to this time called Pwllbair.…”

The Soul of the Indian | Chapter I-a

“THE GREAT MYSTERY Solitary Worship. The Savage Philosopher. The Dual Mind. Spiritual Gifts versus Material Progress. The Paradox of “Christian Civilization.” The original attitude of the American Indian toward the Eternal, the “Great My…”

The Soul of the Indian | Chapter I-b

“Sometimes an old man, standing upon the brink of eternity, might reveal to a chosen few the oracle of his long-past youth. The native American has been generally despised by his white conquerors for his poverty and simplicity. They forget…”

The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1j

“On his ring swore Othin | the oath, methinks; Who now his troth shall trust? Suttung's betrayal | he sought with drink, And Gunnloth to grief he left. * * * 111. It is time to chant | from the chanter's stool; By the wells of Urth I was,…”