Divine Simplicity

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter IV-a

“With respect to your inquiry, “ what the peculiarities are in each of the more excellent genera, by which they are separated from each other? ” if you understand by peculiarities the specific differences under the same genus, which are dis…”

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 XIV

“Farther still, with respect to “ what are called the necessities of the Gods ,” the whole truth of this is, that necessities are peculiar to, and subsist in such a way as accords with the nature of, the Gods. Hence they do not subsist as if…”

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…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XX

“After this, you again resume the same inquiries, of which what has been already said may be considered as a sufficient solution. Since, however, it is necessary, according to the proverb, frequently to speak of and consider things that are…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XII

“It appears, therefore, that the divination of oracles accords with all the hypotheses which we have before adduced concerning prediction. For if a power of this kind was inseparable from the nature of places, and of the bodies which are the…”

Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XIX

“But neither does the cause [of the energies] of more excellent natures subsist as a certain middle instrument, nor does he who invokes operate through him who prophesies; for to assert these things is impious. And it is much more true to sa…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1b

“For where Scripture speaks of things as “eternal” it doth not always mean things that are absolutely Uncreated or verily Everlasting, Incorruptible, 171 Immortal, Invariable, and Immutable ( e.g. “Be ye lift up, ye eternal doors,” 461 461…”

Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1c

“It is spoken of by ail the Christian Mystics as the root of our being, or as the spark, or the Synteresis, etc. Our perfection consists in this ultimate reality, which is each man’s self, shining through his whole being and transforming it…”

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

“For even as things which are intellectually discerned 52 52 i. e. The Transcendent Truths which are beyond ordinary knowledge. νοητά . The word νοῦς = Mind in the sense not merely of abstract intellect but of the spiritual personality.…”

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 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 1i

“1 . as “God of Gods” and “Lord of Lords”, 108 108 Ps. cxxxvi. 2, 3 . and “Holy of Holies,” 109 109 Isa. vi. 3 . as “Eternal,” 110 110 Deut. xxxiii. 27 . as “Existent” 111 111 Ex. iii. 14 . and as “Creator of Ages,” 112 112 Gen.…”

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 1m

“65 In the whole of this passage God is spoken of as at the same time Efficient, Formal and Final Cause of the soul’s activity. D. teaches that God is present in all things, but not equally in all. Cf. Intr., p. 14 66 Gen. i. 67 Three…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 2 (part 1)

“The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page xvii]] INTRODUCTORY. ------- "Gently to hear, kindly to judge." -- S HAKESPEARE. S INCE the appearance of Theosophical literature in England, it has become customary to c…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 1)

“The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page 1]] PROEM ------- PAGES FROM A PRE-HISTORIC PERIOD. A N Archaic Manuscript -- a collection of palm leaves made impermeable to water, fire, and air, by some specific unknow…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 2)

“The latter is either "awake" or "asleep." The Svabhavikas, or philosophers of the oldest school of Buddhism (which still exists in Nepaul), speculate only upon the active condition of this "Essence," which they call Svabhavat, and deem it f…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 3)

“The esoteric symbol of Kali Yuga is the five-pointed star reversed, thus -- the sign of human sorcery, with its two points (horns) turned heavenward, a position every [[Footnote(s)]] ------------------------------------------------- * See t…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 4)

“The orthodox Brahmins, those who rise the most against the Pantheists and Adwaitees, calling them Atheists, are forced, if Manu has any authority in this matter, to accept the death of Brahma, the creator, at the expiration of every "Age" o…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 5)

“But this view does not prevent him from believing in its existence so long as it lasts, to wit, for one Mahamanvantara; nor from applying Akasa, the radiation of Mulaprakriti,* to practical purposes, connected as the World-Soul is with all…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 6)

“." For clearer understanding on the part of the general reader, it must be stated that Occult Science recognises Seven Cosmical Elements -- four entirely physical, and the fifth (Ether) semi-material, as it will become visible in the air to…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 7)

“Herbert Spencer has of late so far modified his Agnosticism, as to assert that the nature of the "First Cause,"* which the Occultist more logically derives from the "Causeless Cause," the "Eternal," and the "Unknowable," may be essentially…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 8)

“Moreover, the Secret Doctrine teaches: -- ( c ) The fundamental identity of all Souls with the Universal Over-Soul, the latter being itself an aspect of the Unknown Root; and the obligatory pilgrimage for every Soul -- a spark of the former…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 3 (part 9)

“As may be judged, however, from the most important, as the best known of the Rosicrucians' symbols, there is one which has never been hitherto understood even by modern mystics. It is that of the "Pelican" tearing open its breast to feed i…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 4 (part 1)

“The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page 25]] PART I . COSMIC EVOLUTION. --------------------- SEVEN STANZAS TRANSLATED WITH COMMENTARIES FROM THE SECRET BOOK OF DZYAN. [[Vol. 1, Page 26]] Nor Aught nor Nought…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 4 (part 2)

“T HE ROOT REMAINS, THE LIGHT REMAINS, THE CURDS REMAIN, AND STILL O EAOHOO IS ONE. 6. T HE ROOT OF LIFE WAS IN EVERY DROP OF THE OCEAN OF IMMORTALITY, AND THE OCEAN WAS RADIANT LIGHT, WHICH WAS FIRE, AND HEAT, AND MOTION. D ARKNESS VANIS…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 4 (part 4)

“I T IS THEY WHO ARE THOU, ME, HIM, OH L ANOO. T HEY, WHO WATCH OVER THEE, AND THY MOTHER EARTH. [[Vol. 1, Page]] 34 THE SECRET DOCTRINE. 2. T HE ONE RAY MULTIPLIES THE SMALLER RAYS. L IFE PRECEDES FORM, AND LIFE SURVIVES THE LAST ATOM…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 5 (part 1)

“The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page]] 35 STANZA I. COMMENTARIES ON THE SEVEN STANZAS AND THEIR TERMS, ACCORDING TO THEIR NUMERATION, IN STANZAS AND SLOKAS. STANZA I. 1. " T HE E TERNAL P ARENT (Space), WR…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 5 (part 3)

“D ARKNESS ALONE FILLED THE BOUNDLESS ALL ( a ), FOR FATHER, MOTHER AND SON WERE ONCE MORE ONE, AND THE SON HAD NOT AWAKENED YET FOR THE NEW WHEEL* AND HIS PILGRIMAGE THEREON ( b ). ( a ) "Darkness is Father-Mother: light their son," says a…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 5 (part 5)

“The impalpable atoms of gold scattered through the substance of a ton of auriferous quartz may be imperceptible to the naked eye of the miner, yet he knows that they are not only present there but that they alone give his quartz any appreci…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 5 (part 6)

“(See Weber, Max Muller, etc.) We labour under the impression that Colebrooke, "the highest authority" in such matters, had long ago settled the question by showing, that "the Hindus were in this instance the teachers, not the learners." [[V…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 5 (part 7)

“is explained in Vishnu Purana as: "that which is the unevolved cause, is emphatically called by the most eminent sages Pradhana, original base, which is subtile Prakriti, viz., that which is eternal, and which at once is (or comprehends) wh…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 6 (part 1)

“The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page]] 53 THE STATE OF PARANIRVANA. STANZA II. C OMMENTARY. 1. . . . . W HERE WERE THE BUILDERS, THE LUMINOUS SONS OF MANVANTARIC DAWN ( a )? . . . . IN THE UNKNOWN…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 6 (part 2)

“No Orientalist, so far, seems to have thoroughly comprehended the real sense of the verses in the Purana, that treat of "creation." Therein Brahma is the cause of the potencies that are to be generated subsequently for the work of "creation…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 7 (part 1)

“The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page]] 62 THE SECRET DOCTRINE. STANZA III. COMMENTARY. 1. T HE LAST VIBRATION OF THE SEVENTH ETERNITY THRILLS THROUGH INFINITUDE ( a ). T HE MOTHER SWELLS, EXPANDING FROM W…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 7 (part 3)

“unable either to measure the first abstraction yielded to you by the Deity, or to get hold of it, you still hope to subject to your measurements the mystery of the Secret Sciences which emanate from that Deity? . . . . And what would y…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 7 (part 6)

“"In the beginning, before Mother became Father-Mother, the fiery Dragon moved in the infinitudes alone" ( Book of Sarparajni. ) The Aitareya Brahmana calls the Earth Sarparajni, "the Serpent Queen," and "the Mother of all that moves." Befo…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 7 (part 7)

“( c ) The ancients represented it by a serpent, for "Fohat hisses as he glides hither and thither" (in zigzags). The Kabala figures it with the Hebrew letter Teth , whose symbol is the serpent which played such a prominent part in the Myst…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 8 (part 2)

“Latent, during Pralaya, and active, during Manvantara, the "Primordial" proceed from "Father-Mother" (Spirit-Hyle, or Ilus ); whereas the other manifested Quaternary and the Seven proceed from the Mother alone. It is the latter who is the…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 8 (part 4)

“He designed and hewed therewith the throne of glory and the wheels, and the seraphim and the holy animals and the ministering angels, and of the three He founded his dwelling, as it is said, He makes his angels spirits and his servants fier…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 8 (part 6)

“The larger lumps coalesce and receive new spawn -- in fiery dots, triangles and cubes, which ripen, and at the appointed time some of the lumps detach themselves and assume spheroidal form, a process which they effect only when not interfer…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 9 (part 3)

“Fohat, then, is the personified electric vital power, the transcendental binding Unity of all Cosmic Energies, on the unseen as on the manifested planes, the action of which resembles -- on an immense scale -- that of a living Force created…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 9 (part 11)

“They circumscribe the manifested world of matter within the R ING "Pass-Not." This world is the symbol (objective) of the O NE divided into the many, on the planes of Illusion, of Adi (the "First") or of Eka (the "One"); and this One is the…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 10 (part 1)

“The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page]] 136 THE SECRET DOCTRINE. STANZA VI. 1. B Y THE POWER OF THE M OTHER OF M ERCY AND K NOWLEDGE ( a ), K WAN- Y IN,* THE " T RIPLE" OF K WAN- S HAI- Y IN, RESIDING IN K W…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 10 (part 2)

“The whole Kosmos in its objective form is Vaikhari-Vach , the light of the Logos is the Madhyama form, and the Logos itself the Pasyanti form, and Parabrahm the Para form or aspect of that Vach. It is by the light of this explanation that…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 10 (part 4)

“Were a truly learned Occultist-alchemist to write the "Life and Adventures of an Atom" he would secure thereby the eternal scorn of the modern chemist, perchance also his subsequent [[Footnote(s)]] ------------------------------------------…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 13 (part 9)

“." It was called into being, a ready and perfect vehicle for the incarnating denizens of higher spheres, who took forthwith their abodes in these forms born of Spiritual WILL and the natural divine power in man. It was a child of pure Spir…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 14 (part 1)

“The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page]] 213 THE CREATIVE POWERS. STANZA VII. 1. B EHOLD THE BEGINNING OF SENTIENT FORMLESS LIFE ( a ). F IRST, THE DIVINE ( vehicle ) ( b ), THE ONE FROM THE MOTHER-SPIRIT (…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 15 (part 13)

“Thus proceed the cycles of the septenary evolution, in Septennial nature; the Spiritual or divine; the psychic or semi-divine; the intellectual, the passional, the instinctual, or cognitional; the semi-corporeal and the purely material or p…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 16 (part 2)

“And there are still weightier reasons to believe that the priceless Bhashyas (Commentaries) on the esoteric doctrine of the Brahmins, by their greatest expounder, will remain for ages yet a dead letter to most of the Hindus, except the Smar…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 16 (part 5)

“As Hermes says, "Knowledge differs much from sense; for sense is of things that surmount it, but Knowledge (gyi) is the end of sense" -- i.e., of the illusion of our physical brain and its intellect; thus emphasizing the contrast between th…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 16 (part 7)

“There were produced out of the Ideos, the elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth, whose birth, however, did not take place in a material mode, or by simple separation," but by spiritual and dynamical, not even complex, combinations -- e.g.,…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 16 (part 8)

“"Glory to the unchangeable, holy, eternal Supreme Vishnu, of one universal nature, the mighty over all; to him who is Hiranyagarbha, Hari, and Sankara (Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva), the creator, the preserver, and the destroyer of the world; t…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 19 (part 1)

“The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page]] 325 THE IMPARTIALITY OF SCIENTIFIC DENIALS. [[This page continued from previous section ]] § III. PRIMORDIAL SUBSTANCE AND DIVINE THOUGHT. "As it would seem irrational…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 19 (part 3)

“Therefore, such being the case, all those who sought to give a name to the incognizable Principle have simply degraded it. Even to speak of Cosmic Ideation -- save in its phenomenal aspect -- is like trying to bottle up primordial Chaos, o…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 19 (part 4)

“We shall speak further on of the intelligent "principle," or rather of the invisible immaterial properties, in the visible and material elements, that "sprung from the primordial Chaos." For, "What is the primordial Chaos but AEther?" it is…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 20 (part 2)

“This "First-Born," however, was only the aggregate of the Host of the "Builders," the first constructive Forces, who are called in ancient Cosmogonies the Ancients (born of the Deep, or Chaos) and the "First Point." He is the Tetragrammaton…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 21 (part 2)

“In his "Revelation," speaking of divine mysteries expressed by means of letters and numbers, Marcus narrates how the "Supreme Tetrad came down unto me (him) from the region which cannot be seen nor named, in a female form , because the worl…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 21 (part 3)

“Even AEsculapius, called the "Saviour of all," is identical, according to ancient classics, with Phta , the Egyptian Creative Intellect (or Divine Wisdom), and with Apollo, Baal, Adonis and Hercules ( see Dunlap ' s " Mystery of Adonis ," p…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 23 (part 3)

“"Awaking at the end of his night, the unborn . . . creates the Universe anew. . . . " ( Vishnu Purana. ) This is "incidental" pralaya; what is the Elemental Dissolution? "When by dearth and fire," says Parasara to Maitreya, "all th…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 28 (part 3)

“It exists in a latent condition in the bosom of Parabrahmam at the time of Pralaya. . . ." (During Manvantara) "it has a consciousness and an individuality of its own . . . . ." (It is a centre of energy, but) . . . . . such cen…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 28 (part 8)

“Moreover, the three metaphysical Sephiroth or " the periphrasis of Jehovah " are not Jehovah; it is the latter himself with the additional titles of Adonai, Elohim, Sabbaoth, and the numerous names lavished on him, who is the periphrasis of…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 29 (part 1)

“fThe Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page]] 445 GOD IS OUR HIGHER SELF. [[This page continued from previous section ]] § XIII. THE SEVEN CREATIONS. " T HERE was neither day nor night, nor sky nor earth, nor dar…”

The Secret Doctrine | Page 88 (part 9)

“183); the Arabs anciently divided the year into six seasons, each composed of two months; in the Chinese astronomical work called Kioo-tche, it is said that two moons make a measure of time, and six measures a year; and to this day the abor…”

The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 5 (part 2)

“The anonymous Cloud of Unknowing belongs, I believe, to the early part of the fifteenth century, and it is to be classed among the most signal presentations of the conditions and mode of the Union which I have met with in Christian literatu…”

The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter IV (part 1)

“CHAPTER IV THE ALL "Under, and back of, the Universe of Time, Space and Change, is ever to be found The Substantial Reality--the Fundamental Truth."--The Kybalion. "Substance" means: "that which underlies all outward manifestations; the es…”

The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter IV (part 2)

“And still more presumptuous are those who attempt to ascribe to THE ALL the personality, qualities, properties, characteristics and attributes of themselves, ascribing to THE ALL the human emotions, feelings, and characteristics, even down…”

The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter IV (part 3)

“It must be Infinite in Space--it must be Everywhere, for there is no place outside of THE ALL--it cannot be otherwise than continuous in Space, without break, cessation, separation, or interruption, for there is nothing to break, separate,…”

The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter V (part 2)

“Well, then, secondly, Man pro-creates or reproduces his kind by the process of begetting, which is self-multiplication accomplished by transferring a portion of his substance to his offspring. But this will not do, because THE ALL cannot t…”

The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter V (part 3)

“You speak of the Fatherhood of God, and the Motherhood of Nature--of God, the Divine Father, and Nature the Universal Mother--and have thus instinctively acknowledged the Principle of Gender in the Universe. Is this not so? But, the Herme…”

The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter V (part 4)

“And at the end of the Grand Cycle of Aeons, when THE ALL shall draw back into itself all of its creations--you will go gladly for you will then be able to know the Whole Truth of being At One with THE ALL. Such is the report of the Illumin…”

The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter VI (part 3)

“To know it otherwise, but actual experience, we must be THE ALL itself. It is true that the higher we rise in the scale--the nearer to "the mind of the Father" we reach--the more apparent becomes the illusory nature of finite things, but n…”

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 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 1c

“H: Alack, Asclepius, for thy far-wandering from the truth! Think'st thou that things most full and most replete are void? 11. A: How meanest thou, Thrice-greatest one? H: Is not air body? A: It is. H: And doth this body not pervade al…”

Corpus Hermeticum 2: The Serapeum | Section 1d

“Not only, then, is God not understood by all, but both unto the gods and some of the men they out of ignorance do give the name of Good, though they can never either be or become Good. For they are very different from God, while Good can n…”

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 4: The Epistles | Section 1c

“It is Itself Its Source, since It may have no other Source. The Oneness then being Source, containeth every number, but is contained by none; engendereth every number, but is engendered by no other one. 11. Now all that is engendered is…”

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…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 1

“The Tao that can be trodden is not the enduring and unchanging Tao. The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name. (Conceived of as) having no name, it is the Originator of heaven and earth; (conceived of as) having a n…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 4

“The Tao is (like) the emptiness of a vessel; and in our employment of it we must be on our guard against all fulness. How deep and unfathomable it is, as if it were the Honoured Ancestor of all things! We should blunt our sharp points, and…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 6

“The valley spirit dies not, aye the same; The female mystery thus do we name. Its gate, from which at first they issued forth, Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth. Long and unbroken does its power remain, Used gently, and wi…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 21

“The grandest forms of active force From Tao come, their only source. Who can of Tao the nature tell? Our sight it flies, our touch as well. Eluding sight, eluding touch, The forms of things all in it crouch; Eluding touch, eluding sight, Th…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 22

“The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he whose (desires) are many goes astray. Therefore the sage holds in his embrace the one thing (of humility), and…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 25

“There was something undefined and complete, coming into existence before Heaven and Earth. How still it was and formless, standing alone, and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere and in no danger (of being exhausted)! It may be regarde…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 28

“Who knows his manhood's strength, Yet still his female feebleness maintains; As to one channel flow the many drains, All come to him, yea, all beneath the sky. Thus he the constant excellence retains; The simple child again, free from all s…”

Tao Te Ching | Chapter 32

“The Tao, considered as unchanging, has no name. Though in its primordial simplicity it may be small, the whole world dares not deal with (one embodying) it as a minister. If a feudal prince or the king could guard and hold it, all would spo…”

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

“The primal idea of Pythagoras, which Bruno worked out to a more distinct development is this: numbers are the beginning of things; in other words numbers are the cause of the existence of material things; they are not final, but are always…”

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

“The life of man is more than an experience or trial; it is an effort, a struggle to reproduce and represent upon earth some of that goodness, beauty, and truth which are diffused over the universe and constitute its harmony. Long, slow, an…”

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) | 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) | 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-m

“In conclusion, whatever love it may be, it is ever afflicted and tormented in such a way that it cannot fail to supply material for the forge of Vulcan; because the soul, being a divine thing, and by nature, not a servant but the mistress o…”

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 II (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-g

“Wherefore not only can we never discourse about things divine, but we cannot even think of them without detracting from, rather than adding to the glory of them; so that the best thing to be done with regard to them is, that man, in the pre…”

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 IV. FIRE

“IV. TO FIRE. The FUMIGATION from SAFFRON. O Ever untam'd Fire, who reign'st on high In Jove's dominions ruler of the sky; The glorious sun with dazzling lustre bright, And moon and stars from thee derive their light; All taming pow'r, æther…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn V. PROTOGONUS, Or the FIRST-BORN

“V. TO PROTOGONUS, Or the FIRST-BORN. The FUMIGATION from MYRRH. O Mighty first-begotten, hear my pray'r, 1 Two-fold, egg-born, and wand'ring thro' the air, p. 119 Bull-roarer, glorying in thy golden wings, 3 From whom the race of Gods and m…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn IX. NATURE

“IX. TO NATURE. * The FUMIGATION from AROMATICS. NATURE, all parent, ancient, and divine, O Much-mechanic mother, art is thine; p. 127 Heav'nly, abundant, venerable queen, In ev'ry part of thy dominions seen. p. 128 Untam'd, all-taming, ever…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn X

“X. TO PAN * The FUMIGATION from VARIOUS ODORS I Call strong Pan, the substance of the whole, Etherial, marine, earthly, general soul, Immortal fire; for all the world is thine, And all are parts of thee, O pow'r divine. p. 131 Come, blessed…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn XII. SATURN

“XII. TO SATURN. The FUMIGATION from STORAX. ETHERIAL father, mighty Titan, hear, 1 Great fire of Gods and men, whom all revere: Endu'd with various council, pure and strong, To whom perfection and decrease belong. Consum'd by thee all forms…”

Orphic Hymns | Hymn XIII. RHEA

“XIII. TO RHEA * . The FUMIGATION from AROMATICS. DAUGHTER of great Protogonus, divine, 1 Illustrious Rhea, to my pray'r incline, p. 138 Who driv'st thy holy car with speed along, Drawn by fierce lions, terrible and strong. 4 Mother of Jove,…”

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…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 8 (part 5)

“The opinion of Tiele is that the religion of Egypt was from the beginning polytheistic, but that it developed in two opposite directions: in the one direction gods were multiplied by the addition of local gods, and in the other the Egyptian…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 8 (part 6)

“, the litany from the tomb of Seti I., published by Naville, La Litanie du Soleil , Leipzig, 1875, p. 13 ff. 2. E.g. , Hymn to Amen-Ra, translated by Goodwin from papyrus No. 17, now preserved in the Gizeh Museum (see Les Papyrus Égypt…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 8 (part 7)

“The sacred Form, beloved, terrible and mighty in his two risings (?), the lord of space, the mighty one of the form of Khepera, who came into existence through Khepera, the lord of the form of Khepera; when he came into being nothing existe…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 14 (part 7)

“Thou hast knit (10) together the mountains, thou has made mankind and the beasts of the field, thou hast created the heavens and the earth. Worshipped be thou whom the goddess Maat embraceth at morn and at eve. Thou dost travel across the…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 43 (part 64)

“xi.) that the Prisse papyrus was copied about the period of the XVIIth dynasty and that the works in it only date from the XIIth dynasty; but many Egyptologists assign the composition of the work to the age of Assa. See Wiedemann, Aegyptis…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 43 (part 70)

“He giveth life to man, He breatheth the breath of life into his nostrils--God is father and mother, the father of fathers, and the mother of mothers. He begetteth, but was never begotten; He produceth, but was never produced; He begat hims…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 43 (part 71)

“the walls of tombs, stelæ, and papyri of the XVIIIth dynasty; and these prove that the Egyptians ascribed the attributes of the Creator to the creature. The religious ideas which we find in these writings in the XVIIIth dynasty are, no dou…”

The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 43 (part 98)

“It has been urged that the Egyptians never advanced to pure monotheism because they never succeeded in freeing themselves from the belief in the existence of other gods, but when they say that a god has "no second," even though they mention…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1o

“For admitting that she may be generated and created in some other place, and may have existed before entering the human body, why after having entered in and gone out again may she not herself be destroyed and come to an end? Very true, Si…”

Plato: Phaedo | Section 1ai

“And now, he said, I think that I may begin again; and to the question which I am about to ask I will beg you to give not the old safe answer, but another, of which I will offer you an example; and I hope that you will find in what has been…”

Plato: Symposium | Section 1y

“And this is the reason why, when the hour of conception arrives, and the teeming nature is full, there is such a flutter and ecstasy about beauty whose approach is the alleviation of the pain of travail. For love, Socrates, is not, as you…”

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…”

Plato: Timaeus | Section 1l

“This entire compound he divided lengthways into two parts, which he joined to one another at the centre like the letter X, and bent them into a circular form, connecting them with themselves and each other at the point opposite to their ori…”

The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Savior Appears

“Immediately, [as I was musing on these matters], lo, the [heavens were opened, and] the [entire] creation underneath heaven glowed, and [the world] was shaken. [II, 2] [I grew fearful, and lo, I] saw inside the [light a child standing] near…”

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

“[I also] asked to [understand it; and he said] to me: “The monad [is a unity with nothing] higher than it. [It is that which exists] as [God] and as Father of the All, [the unseen] one, who is higher than [the All, who exists as] indestruct…”

Gospel of Thomas | Logion 22

“Jesus saw infants being suckled. He said to his disciples, "These infants being suckled are like those who enter the kingdom." They said to him, "Shall we then, as children, enter the kingdom?" Jesus said to them, "When you make the two one…”

Gospel of Thomas | Logion 61

“Jesus said, "Two will rest on a bed: the one will die, and the other will live." Salome said, "Who are you, man, that you ... have come up on my couch and eaten from my table?" Jesus said to her, "I am he who exists from the undivided. I wa…”

The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter II, Section 1b

“It is not born, nor does it ever die, nor, having existed, does it exist no more. Unborn, everlasting, unchangeable, and primeval, it is not killed when the body is killed . O son of P ri thâ! how can that man who knows it thus to be ind…”

The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XIII, Section 1a

“CHAPTER XIII. The Deity said: This body, O son of Kuntî! is called Kshetra , and the learned call him who knows it the Kshetra g ña. . And know me also, O descendant of Bharata! to be the Kshetra g ña in all Kshetras. The knowledge of…”

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 45

“Subtle substance rises in ascending degrees, to that pure nature which has no distinguishing mark. As we ascend from outer material things which are permeated by separateness, and whose chief characteristic is to be separate, just as so man…”

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book IV | Sutra 12

“The difference between that which is past and that which is not yet come, according to their natures, depends on the difference of phase of their properties. Here we come to a high and difficult matter, which has always been held to be of g…”

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 Kabbalah Unveiled | Introduction, Section 1b

“[But the first idea of equilibrium is the Ancient One (the first Sephira, or Crown Kether), because it is the first potential limitation of the boundless light which proceeds from the Limitless One. That is, the central point of Kether is…”

Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation) | Section 1a

“Wescott, tr. (1887) CHAPTER 1 1. In two and thirty most occult and wonderful paths of wisdom did JAH the Lord of Hosts engrave his name: God of the armies of Israel, ever-living God, merciful and gracious, sublime, dwelling on high, who i…”

Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation) | Section 1f

“The Third Path is the Sanctifying Intelligence, and is the basis of foundation of Primordial Wisdom, which is called the Former of faith, and its roots, Amen; and it is the parent of Faith, from which virtues doth Faith emanate. The Fourth…”

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…”

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

“I knew of myself what ye thought, But I desired that ye should speak it; As this boasting of yours is very improper, So shall my mercy be shown to prevail over my wrath: O angels, in order to show forth that prevailing, I inspired that pret…”

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

“The useless thorn desires the autumn, That autumn may associate itself with the garden; And hide the rose's beauty and the thorn's shame, That men may not see the bloom of the one and the other's shame, That common stone and pure ruby may a…”

Vajrakkhedika (Diamond Cutter) | Section 1n

“This prophecy is supposed to have been addressed by Dîpankara to S âkyamuni, before he had become a Buddha.] perfect knowledge has been known, he would speak an untruth, and would slander me, O Subhûti, with some untruth that he has learned…”