theology
Evil As Privation
Augustinian and Plotinian doctrine that evil has no positive being of its own but is a lack, distortion, or absence of the good — denying ontological dualism while preserving moral seriousness.
562 passages · 13 traditions
neoplatonism216
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter IVb
“This, therefore, subsists contrarily to what you suppose, for the purpose of discovering the peculiarity which you now investigate.
In short, whether you think that there is one genus of the Gods, one of dæmons, and in a similar manner of…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter Va
“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 Vb
“Again, however, according to another mode of considering the subject, it is necessary to ascribe to the Gods the whole of that which is united, of whatever kind it may be; that which is firmly established in itself, and which is the cause o…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VI
“What, therefore, shall we say concerning the media? I think, indeed, that from what has been before said, they will be manifest to every one; for these give completion to the indivisible connexion of the extremes. Nevertheless, it is necess…”
◆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 VIIIa
“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 IXb
“For in things which are of a kindred nature, according to essence and power, or which are, in a certain respect, of the same species, or homogeneous, a certain comprehension, or conservation, may be discovered.
But in such things as are en…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter Xa
“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…”
Show all 216 →christian_mysticism112
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1a
“CHAPTER X Concerning ” Omnipotent ,” ” Ancient of Days “; and also concerning ” Eternity “ and ” Time .” 1.
Now ‘tis time that our Discourse should celebrate God (Whose Names are many) as “Omnipotent” and “Ancient of Days.” The former titl…”
◆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 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 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 11, Section 1c
“And the perfect Peace guards each several individuality unalloyed by Its providential gift of peace, keeping all things without internal or mutual discord or confusion, and establishing all things, in the power of unswerving stability, so a…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 11, Section 1e
“Hence the Good God is called the Fount, first, of the Very Primaries: then, of those creatures which share completely therein; then, of those which share partially therein.
484 484 Migne’s text here is corrupt, I have emended it.
(1) The…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 11, Section 1f
“472 Contemplation, Act of Contemplation, and Object Contemplated are all united together, and so imply a fundamental Unity which exists ultimately in God.
473 Cf.
p.
174, n.
3.
474 D.‘s paradox is the paradox of sanity.
We must hold a…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 12, Section 1a
“181 CHAPTER XII Concerning ” Holy of holies ,” ” King of kings ,” ” Lord of lords ,” ” God of gods .” 1.
Forasmuch as the things which needed to be said concerning this matter have been brought, I think, to a proper ending, we must praise…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 12, Section 1b
“Which meaneth that just as things that have no substantial Being 490 490 i.
e.
The material things (cf.
Myst.
Theol.
I.).
This is the ordinary meaning of the phrase in D.
are transcended by things that have such Being, together with…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1d
“and Manifestations; and following the Holy Scripture they declare that some Attributes belong especially to Undifference, and some, on the other hand, to Differentiation.
190 190 The received text reads: Φᾶσι .
.
.
καὶ τῆς εἰρημένης ἑνώ…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 2, Section 1i
“The Godhead is not a Whole because it is indivisible, nor a Part because there is nothing, on the ultimate plane, outside It.
Yet It is a Whole because It includes the true existence of all things, and is Partitive because It contains the…”
◆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 2, Section 1p
“224 These two phrases well express the meaning of the title “Beyond things and supernally infusing Unity” (ὑπερηνωμένη), which I have generally translated, like ἡνωμένη, as “Undifferenced.” 225 τῇ ἐξ αὐτοῦ θεώσει .
.
.
θεῶν πολλῶν γιγνομ…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1a
“CHAPTER IV Concerning ” Good ,” ” Light ,” ” Beautiful ,” “ Desire ,” ” Ecstasy ,” “ Jealousy .” Also that Evil is neither existent nor Sprung from anything existent nor inherent in existent things .
1.
Now let us consider the name of “Go…”
◆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 1c
“The Good is beyond this distinction, for nothing (on the ultimate plane) is outside It.
See Intr., p.
5.
and Lifelessness an excess of Life and Its Mindless state is an excess of Wisdom, 252 252 This apparently profitless speculation rea…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1d
“Nay, even the foundation and the boundaries of the heavens (as we forgot to say while 91 thinking of other matters) owe their origin to the Good.
Such is this universe, which lessens not nor grows, and such the noiseless movements (if nois…”
◆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…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1f
“But these things are dealt with in the “Symbolic Divinity.” Here I desire to declare what is the spiritual meaning of the name “Light” as belonging to the Good.
267 267 Two worlds: (1) Nature, (2) Grace.
God is revealed in both; the forme…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1g
“and because It is the Cause of the harmony and splendour in all things, flashing forth upon them all, like light, the beautifying communications of Its originating ray; and because It summons all things to fare unto Itself (from whence It h…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1h
“Hence comes the bare existence of all things, and hence their unions, 277 277 ἑνώσεις, διακρίσεις, ταὐτότητες, ἑτερότητες.
their differentiations, their identities, their differences, 278 278 Hence parts are united into wholes and wholes a…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1j
“For from It and through It are all Being and life of spirit and of soul; and hence in the realm of nature magnitudes both small, co-equal and great; hence all the measured order and the proportions of things, which, by their different harmo…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1k
“and all things are moved by a longing for the Beautiful and Good, to accomplish every outward work and form every act of will.
And true reasoning will also dare to affirm that even the Creator of all things Himself yearneth after all thing…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1p
“let us now yet further resume and compact them all together into the one and concentrated Yearning which is the Father of them all, and let us collect together into two kinds their general desiderative 109 powers, over which the entire mast…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1q
“In this passage “Non-Existent” is used in three senses: (1) “Matter,” or force, cannot exist without some form (which is its complement) and therefore is technically called non-existent.
(2) Evil cannot exist at all on the ultimate plane o…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1r
“Now we will bid the questioner look towards the truth of things, and in the first place we will venture thus to answer: “Evil cometh not of the Good; and if it cometh therefrom it is not evil.
For even as fire cannot cool us, so Good canno…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1s
“And if any one says that it is productive, and that by the destruction of one thing it giveth birth to somewhat else, the true answer is that it doth not so qua destructive.
Qua destructive and evil it only destroys and debases; but it tak…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1t
“For in the case of other qualities, such as heat or cold, the things which have been warmed have their being even when they lose their warmth, and many of the creatures there are which have no life or mind; and in like manner God transcende…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1u
“For things of the same kind cannot 333 333 Exuberant vitality is per se a good thing and the more exuberant the better, though, like all good things, it is dangerous, and unless properly directed is disastrous.
be wholly contradictory to o…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1v
“cannot be free from pain, nor without a feeling of ill, since there would be something causing Him trouble, yea, all things must in that case be in a state of disorder and perpetual strife; whereas the Good imparts a principle of harmony to…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1w
“For, were they such, they would not have sprung from the Good, nor have a place amongst existent creatures, nor have fallen from Goodness (being by their very nature always evil).
Moreover, are they evil with respect to themselves or to ot…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1x
“Hence if they are always in the same condition, they are not evil; for to remain always the same is a property of the Good.
But if they are not always evil, then they are not evil by their natural constitution, but only through a lack of a…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1y
“(which are not in their essential nature evil, although alleged to be so), the lion, having lost its savage wildness, will be a lion no longer; and the dog, if it become gentle to all, will cease to be a dog, since the virtue of a dog is to…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1z
“And if they say that matter is necessary for the whole world to fulfil its development, how can that be evil which depends for its existence upon the Good?
For evil abhors the very nature of the Good.
And how can matter, if it is evil, pr…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1{
“127 There remains but one alternative: Evil is a weakness and deficiency of Good.
31.
Good things have all one cause.
If evil is opposed to the Good, then hath evil many causes.
The efficient causes of evil results, however, are not any…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1|
“Wherefore Its Providential character is shown herein: that It preserves the nature of each individual, and, in making provision for the free and independent, it hath respect unto their state, providing, both in general and in 129 particular…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1}
“In this present treatise we have, to the best of our abilities, celebrated the Good as truly Admirable, as the Beginning and the End of all things, as the Power that embraces them, as That Which gives form to non-existent things, as That wh…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1~
“And such was the Incarnate Life of Christ and such is the Life of God in eternity.
So too the wisdom of Christ is, from a worldly point of view, foolishness.
For worldly wisdom = self-seeking, but the Wisdom of Christ = self-abandonment.…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1
“Intr., p.
5.
259 Here we get once more the Aristotelian classification of causes.
The Good is:— (i) Formal Cause (1) immanent in the world (Order— τάξις ); (2) containing the world (Embracing Power— περιοχή ).
(ii) Efficient Cause (Caus…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1
“The types of things existent in the permanent spiritual world before the things were created in this transitory material world; the Platonic Ideas.
There was also a Jewish belief in such a pre-existence of things.
Cf.
Rev.
iv.
11 (R.…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1
“Spenser: “He loved Himself because Himself was fair.” CE Plato’s Doctrine of ἔρως.
This Yearning is eternally fulfilled in the Trinity.
Cf.
Dante: ”O somma luce che sofa in Te sidi / sola T’ intendi e da Te intelletta / ed intendente Te…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1
“Good cannot have produced it because a thing cannot produce its own opposite; evil cannot have produced itself because evil is always destructive and never productive.
All things that exist are produced by the Good or the desire for the Go…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1
“In the one case we get Immanence without Transcendence: in the other Transcendence without Immanence.
D.
holds a Transcendent Immanence (cf.
Bradley, Appearance and Reality, rebutting charge of Pantheism).
328 e.
g.
The cruelty of Nat…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1
“also “I have said, Ye are Gods.” 344 i.
e.
If totally and essentially by very nature evil with respect to themselves.
In so far as they continue to exist they are good with respect to themselves.
345 Evil is the contrary of the Good.
H…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 4, Section 1
“Evil things are not entirety bad, but are bad only in some partial aspect.
360 περὶ τὴν ἄληστον του ἀγαθοῦ γνῶσιν.
361 Luke xii.
47 .
362 In the previous section D.
has maintained that all people ultimately desire the Good.
Hence it f…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1a
“131 CHAPTER V Concerning ” Existence “ and also concerning ” Exemplars .” I.
Now must we proceed to the Name of “Being” which is truly applied by the Divine Science to Him that truly Is.
But this much we must say, that it is not the purpo…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1b
“367 367 Sense-perception is a direct apprehension of that which we actually touch, see, hear, taste, or smell; Reason or Inference is an indirect apprehension of that which we do not actually touch, see, etc.
Intuition is a direct apprehen…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1i
“364 The ultimate Godhead is reached only by the Negative Path, and known only by Unknowing.
The Affirmative Path of philosophical knowledge leads only to the differentiated manifestations of the Godhead: e.g.
the Trinity, in Its creative…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 5, Section 1j
“Hence the title “Existent” is not quite so general as the title “Good.” “Living” is a less general title still (since a stone, for instance, has no life), and “Wise” is yet less general (since a plant is not wise).
Thus we get the followin…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 6, Section 1a
“144 CHAPTER VI Concerning ” Life .” 1.
Now must we celebrate Eternal Life as that whence cometh very Life and all life, 392 392 The Godhead, though called Eternal Life, is really supra-vital, because life implies differentiations, and the…”
◆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 1c
“And in the same way we attribute lack of Reason to Him that is above Reason, and Imperfectibility to Him that is above and before Perfection; and Intangible and Invisible Darkness we attribute to that Light which is Unapproachable because I…”
◆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…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 8, Section 1a
“CHAPTER VIII Concerning ” Power ,” ” Righteousness ,” ” Salvation ,” ” Redemption “; and also concerning ” Inequality .” 1.
Now since the Sacred Writers speak of the Divine Truthfulness and Supra-Sapient Wisdom as Power, and as Righteousne…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 8, Section 1b
“From this Source come the Godlike Powers of the Angelic Orders; from this Source they immutably possess their being and all the ceaseless and immortal motions of their spiritual life; and their very stability and unfailing desire for the Go…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 8, Section 1c
“The wise Elymas, forsooth, did not perceive this; and so is like an unskilled athlete, who (as often happens), thinking his adversary to be weak, through judging by his own estimation, misses him each time and manfully strikes at his shadow…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 8, Section 1d
“Thus, ‘tis true to say that it is more in accordance with Divine Righteousness not to lull into its destruction the manliness of the noblest characters through bestowing material goods upon them, nor to leave them without the aid of Divine…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 8, Section 1e
“It thus = (1) “equality”; (2) “rightness.” D.
maintains that all things possess the latter though not the former.
421 The highest power our minds can conceive is that of the angels.
But God has the dominion over them, and hence His power…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 9, Section 1d
“Scripture itself declares 451 451 Cf.
e.
g.
Ps.
lxxxvi.
8 .
that God is Dissimilar to the world, and not to be compared therewith.
It says that He is different from all things, and (what is yet more strange) that there is nothing eve…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter Ib
“They are useful and necessary up to a point, but the Truth lies beyond them and is to be apprehended to a supernatural manner by what later writers call “infused” contemplation.
The sum of the whole matter is that God is incomprehensible.…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter IIb
“but now ascending upwards from 196 particular to universal conceptions we strip off all qualities 528 528 The process from the universal to the particular is the process of actual development (existence before life, and life before rational…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter Va
“That He Who is the Pre-eminent Cause of everything intelligibly perceived is not Himself any one of the things intelligibly perceived.
Once more, ascending yet higher we maintain 537 537 It is not (1) a Thinking Subject; nor (2) an Act or…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Mystical Theology | Chapter Vb
“The ultimate truth about God and our relation to Him is held to be that He is a “Person” and that He has “made” the world.
(This attitude is seen at its worst in Unitarian theology.
Bradley’s criticisms on Lotze show how this fails on the…”
◆Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | Ia
“THE ATTRACTIVE POWER OF GOD St John vi.
44.
—“No one can come unto Me, except the Father which hath sent Me draw him.” Our Lord Jesus Christ hath in the Gospel spoken with His own blessed lips these words, which signify, “No man can come…”
◆Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | Ib
“It is also a fellowship with the Devil, for everything hath fellowship with its like; and sin maketh the soul and Satan resemble each other.
It is also an expulsion of Christianity, for it depriveth the sinner of all the profit that comes…”
◆Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | IVa
“TRUE HEARING Ecclesiasticus xxiv.
30 .—“Whoso heareth Me shall not be confounded.” The everlasting and paternal wisdom saith, “Whoso heareth Me is not ashamed.” If he is ashamed of anything he is ashamed of being ashamed.
Whoso worketh in…”
◆Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | Va
“THE SELF-COMMUNICATION OF GOD St John xiv.
23 .—“If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” We read in the Gospels that Our Lord fed many people with five…”
◆Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | Vc
“Thus happens it to the noble soul which goes to God to school, and learns there what God is in His essence, and what He is in the Trinity, and what He is in man, and what is most acceptable to Him.
St Augustine saith that the righteousness…”
◆Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation) | VIIc
“When a good work is done by a man, he is free of it, and through that freedom is liker and nearer to his Original than he was before.
The moral task of man is a process of spiritualization.
All creatures are go-betweens, and we are placed…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 2 (part 7)
“The light of God has also the quality of the fire, but in it the wrath is changed into love; hate and bitter pain into mild beneficence and sweet desire or satisfaction." ( Menschwerdung , i.
5–16.) "The fountain of love is a clasping and…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 3 (part 3)
“The seven spirits are in the centre of the Father—that is to say, in the power of the Word.
The Word changes the wrathfulness into sweet joy and shapes it into a crystalline ocean; therein the seven spirits appear in a burning form, like s…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 3 (part 4)
“The will cannot attain this light, and the more it desires for freedom the greater will be the attraction caused by the desire." ( Six Theosophical Points , i, 38.) "There must be au opposition, for the will desires not to be dark, and this…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 3 (part 5)
“The first of these three states, being a beginning of all power and strength, originates from the quality of the Father; the second, being the source of all activity and differentiation, comes from the quality of the Son; and the third, bei…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 3 (part 6)
“49.) Thus the light conquers the darkness, but does not destroy it; it merely becomes victorious over it and consumes it in a manner comparable to that of the assimilation of food by the organism which conquers and consumes that food by mea…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 3 (part 7)
“171.) When the power of the light becomes revealed it manifests its activity first of all in the Fifth Quality , which is evolved by means of the preceding four as sweet love, or a luminous water-spirit.
"The first three principles are mer…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 5 (part 3)
“105 "From all eternity the light of God was lovely, sweet, and clear; but when God moved to create, the matrix (the foundation), with its fiery, dark, acrid and bitter qualities, became manifest; for the angels have been created out of that…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 5 (part 5)
“109 the spirit of holiness cannot enter unless unholiness is chased away.
In this battle against evil the angels are always ready to assist man in an invisible manner against the temptations of the "devils," provided that he is willing to…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 5 (part 8)
“36.) "The foundation of hell was from eternity; however, it was not manifest, but hidden until it became awakened." ( Theosophical Questions , xv.
i.) p.
115 "The four lower principles without the eternal light are the abyss, the wrath of…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 6 (part 1)
“p.
122 CHAPTER VI.
THE RESTORATION OF NATURE AND THE GENERATION OF MAN.
" If we speak about heaven and the birth of the elements, we are then not telling of things that are far away or foreign to us, but of that which is taking place wit…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 6 (part 2)
“"When the eternal Word moved, because of the malice of Lucifer, and for the purpose of expelling this evil guest from his residence into eternal darkness, the essence was rendered compact (coagulated).
God was not willing to leave the mani…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 6 (part 5)
“But when this took place the love in the light of God broke through that heaven of division and ignited the heat." ( Aurora , xxv.
68.) "God, the eternal light and the eternal will, shines within the darkness, and the darkness has captured…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 7 (part 2)
“36.) "In Paradise there is perfect life without disturbance, and a perpetual day, and the paradisiacal man is clear like transparent glass, and he is fully penetrated by the light of the divine sun." 1 ( Signature , xi.
5 1.) His body like…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 7 (part 4)
“28.) "In Paradise the substance of the divine world penetrated the substance belonging to time, comparable to the power of the sun penetrating a fruit growing on a tree, and endowing it with such qualities as render it lovely to the sight a…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 7 (part 7)
“The heart of God wanted to have him in Paradise and to reside in him, for it said, 'He is my image and likeness.' The kingdom of wrath wanted him, for it said, 'He is mine; for he has issued out of my fountain, out of the eternal mind of th…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 7 (part 8)
“15.) The forthcoming of the tree of temptation is not to be wondered at, because Adam was endowed with great powers, and an earthly form as a protection to him against the powers of hell.
1 "Reason (man's reasoning) says, 'Why did God perm…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 7 (part 9)
“If it had not been for that circumstance, he would in his selfishness even have become a devil by the power of the fire." 4 ( Stiefel , ii.
363.) "When the devil saw that lust resided in Adam, he acted still more powerfully upon the Sal-ni…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 7 (part 10)
“6.) God had ordered mankind not to eat from the fruits of the tree of temptation; but the devil thought of inducing them to disobey the command, and they were, moreover, p.
160 incited to do so by the spirit of the world, and by their own…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 7 (part 11)
“162 [paragraph continues] Eve, the latter was the first to be seduced to fall away from God.
1 "The lust originated in Adam, but thereupon this perverted desire began to be excited in the woman." ( Stiefel , ii.
375.) "Eve was lusting aft…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 7 (part 13)
“154:1 This is the difference between life in the terrestrial and life in the celestial states of nature, that the former is differentiated into forms, each of which loves to live in the consciousness of its own illusive self— i.e.
, in a s…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 8 (part 2)
“31.) "This terrestrial world is based upon the world of darkness, and if the good bad not been also embodied therein, there would be in it no other doing than that of the world of darkness; but this is prevented by the divine power and by t…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 8 (part 6)
“1.) "The terrestrial consciousness corrupted the celestial one, and the former became the Turba of the latter.
Likewise, the Fiat made the earth and stones out of the eternal essentiality." ( Menschwerdung , i.
9.) "But in the earth we fi…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 8 (part 7)
“The outbreathed desire—that is to say, the love of the divine power for nature, wherefrom nature and self-will have originated—is longing to get rid of the natural perverted self-will, and is destined, at the end of time, to be free of the…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 8 (part 8)
“For the internal being is continually labouring to manifest itself outwardly.
Thus everything has its own mouth for the purpose of revealing itself, and therein is based the language of nature, by means of which each thing speaks out of it…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 9 (part 1)
“p.
180 CHAPTER IX.
GENERATION.
"Let every Brahman, with fixed attention, consider all nature, both visible and invisible, as existing in the Divine Spirit.
For when he contemplates the boundless universe in the Divine Spirit, he cannot…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 9 (part 9)
“183:1 If man's imagination were not excited by the pictorial representations which the objects of the surrounding world call forth in his mind by means of his external senses, but if his mental activity were restricted to forming images by…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 10 (part 3)
“It was she in whom the voice of God promised again to introduce the living, holy substance from heaven, and to generate anew and in divine power the faded image of God that was contained therein." 1 ( Grace , vii.
18.) This, however, did n…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 10 (part 4)
“Therefore the Word and the bruiser of the head of the serpent did not enter into form within their souls; but it stood within the mind to oppose the devils and the kingdom of hell with those that were willing to surrender themselves to it."…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 10 (part 7)
“It is not shown that Esau became subject to Jacob, but the story represents to us a spiritual symbol, showing how the kingdom of nature in man was to become subjected and to be made to submit in humility to the kingdom p.
214 of grace; how…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 10 (part 9)
“"All sacrificing without faith and divine desire is an p.
219 abomination before God, and does not reach the gate of divine glory; but if man enters therein with the power of faith, he surrenders to it his free will, and desires by that me…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 11 (part 4)
“"The Word of promise, which was before the Jews as an antitype, or as an image in a mirror, wherein the wrathful Father imagined and wherewith He extinguished His wrath, began to move essentially, as it had not moved from eternity; for when…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 11 (part 6)
“90.) "The living Word that dwelt within the eternal virgin attracted to itself the flesh of Mary—that is to say, the essences from the corporeal body of Mary—and thus there grew in nine months a complete human being with soul, spirit, and f…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 11 (part 10)
“"Human reason can understand nothing about the kingdom of Christ, nor about His person or office, because the testament of Christ is celestial, and human reasoning is terrestrial; the latter seeks Christ in time, while He can only be found…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 12 (part 3)
“He willingly surrendered Himself to the wrath (to the suffering caused by the lower principles that had been awakened to consciousness in consequence of the sin), and He extinguished it by His love.
He came from God into this world and too…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 12 (part 4)
“There was then no earthly food or drink, and the soul of Christ knew very well that she was in God, and that she could make terrestrial bread out of stones, as there was no other bread there.
But she did not desire to eat with her celestia…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 12 (part 12)
“255:1 However gratifying it may be for the curious seeker in history to know whether or when such an event has actually occurred in the history of the Jewish nation, such a historical belief would be of little benefit to him if he could not…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 13 (part 2)
“265 To form a correct conception of the regeneration of man, and of what kind of a being it is which is to be brought to life in us, we must learn to know what is eternity and time, light and darkness, good and evil, and especially the orig…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 13 (part 7)
“27.) The first and greatest danger for the new-born being arises from pride; as is illustrated in the New Testament, for hardly is the new-born Saviour laid in the cradle, standing between the ox of self will and the ass of ignorance in the…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 13 (part 9)
“279 free will already in the beginning (of a desire) destroys the desire, so that it does not become substantial, then is the physician (for the cure of that disease) already born, and there will not be needed such great earnestness as will…”
◆The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 13 (part 12)
“In the place which formerly was the seat of self-will there is now nothing, and wherever there is nothing there the love of God is solely active." ( Supernatural Life , xxviii.) "A true Christian knows himself to be a servant of God, whose…”
◇The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 5 (part 7)
“2.) "Lucifer had within himself the fire and the light.
He p.
113 was free.
Why then did he imagine (project his consciousness) into the fire?
The light and the power of God did not draw him into the fire, but the wrath of nature.
Why…”
◇The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme | Chapter 9 (part 2)
“If the soul does not do this, but imagines within herself, in her own fierce forms or states conducive to the fire-torture (passion), and not in the fountain of love, then will her self-torture arise from her harshness, acridity, and bitter…”
← Collapseplatonism106
◆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 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 1j
“I reckon, said Socrates, that no one who heard me now, not even if he were one of my old enemies, the comic poets, could accuse me of idle talking about matters in which I have no concern.
Let us, then, if you please, proceed with the inqu…”
◆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 1l
“But if, said Socrates, you are still incredulous, Simmias, I would ask you whether you may not agree with me when you look at the matter in another way; I mean, if you are still incredulous as to whether knowledge is recollection.
Incredul…”
Show all 106 →western_esoteric35
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Introductionf
“Euclid maintained that good has no opposite and therefore evil does not exist.
Being asked about the nature of the gods, he declared himself ignorant of their disposition save that they hated curious persons.
The Megarians are occasionall…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Pythagorean Mathematicsh
“For example: 1/2 of 28 = 14; 1/4 = 7; 1/7 = 4; 1/14 = 2; and 1/28 = 1.
The sum of these parts (14+7+4+2+1) is equal to 28.
The perfect numbers are extremely rare.
There is only one between 1 and 10, namely, 6; one between 10 and 100, nam…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Pythagorean Theory of Music and Colora
“HARMONY is a state recognized by great philosophers as the immediate prerequisite of beauty.
A compound is termed beautiful only when its parts are in harmonious combination.
The world is called beautiful and its Creator is designated the…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Ceremonial Magic and Sorceryi
“The aforesaid Bond of spirits, together with the seal and character of the planetary angel, must be written m virgin Parchment and laid before the Spirit [for signature] when he appears; at that time the invocant must not lost confidence bu…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Fundamentals of Qabbalistic Cosmogonyg
“According to the Qabbalists, the life of the Supreme Creator permeates all substance, all space, and all time, but for diagrammatic purposes the Supreme, All-Inclusive Life is limited by Circle 3, which may be called "the boundary line of D…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Conclusionf
“*** War--the irrefutable evidence of irrationality--still smolders in the hearts of men; it cannot die until human selfishness is overcome.
Armed with multifarious inventions and destructive agencies, civilization will continue its fratric…”
◆Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XIV (part 5)
“1 Behold!
human beings living in a sort of underground den; they have been there from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained—the chains are arranged in such a manner as to prevent them from turning round their heads.
At a…”
◆Tertium Organum (P.D. Ouspensky) | Chapter XIV (part 6)
“And at last he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him as he is in his own proper place, and not in another, and he will contemplate his nature.
Certainly.
And after this he will reas…”
Show all 35 →gnosticism20
◆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…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1i
“His seed was Jesus, and the plant was the cross.” The tree of life in the middle of that garden of paradise is an olive tree, and from the olive tree comes chrism, and from that oil comes the resurrection.
THE WORLD EATS BODIES The world e…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1l
“Now they say, “He who creates engenders,” but his so-called offspring is merely a creature; therefore his children are not offspring but creatures.
He who creates works openly and is visible.
He who engenders does so in private.
.
.
.…”
◆Gospel of Thomas | Logion 3
“Jesus said, "If those who lead you say to you, 'See, the kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and i…”
◆Gospel of Thomas | Logion 24
“His disciples said to him, "Show us the place where you are, since it is necessary for us to seek it." He said to them, "Whoever has ears, let him hear. There is light within a man of light, and he lights up the whole world. If he does not…”
◆Gospel of Thomas | Logion 67
“Jesus said, "If one who knows the all still feels a personal deficiency, he is completely deficient."…”
◆Gospel of Thomas | Logion 74
“He said, "O Lord, there are many around the drinking trough, but there is nothing in the cistern."…”
◆Pistis Sophia | Document FIRSTj
“And the Adamas the great Tyrant with all the Tyrants who become in all the Aeons began to war without cause against the light and they knew not [24 ] with whom they are warring, because that they were not seeing anyone except the light whic…”
Show all 20 →renaissance_hermeticism17
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialoguea
“.
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 Dialoguec
“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 Dialoguee
“What power or spell of herb or magic art Can tear thee from the centre of my heart, Since he, who with an ever-growing zest, Tormenting most, yet most does make me blest?
How can I of this weight unburdened be, If pain the cure, and joy th…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialogueb
“On the contrary, I mean that there is in these another species of foolishness and a worse.
Cic.
Who, then, is wise, if foolish is he who is content, and foolish he who is sad?
Tans.
He who is neither merry nor sad.
Cic.
Who?
He who s…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialoguec
“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 Dialoguee
“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) | Fifth Dialoguee
“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 Dialoguei
“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,…”
Show all 17 →hermeticism16
◆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 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 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 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…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 8: The Eight Sphere | Section 1a
“That No One of Existing Things doth Perish, but Men in Error Speak of Their Changes as Destructions and as Deaths <The idea of cyclic change central to CH III, "The Sacred Sermon", also takes center stage here.
A current of ancient specula…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 8: The Eight Sphere | Section 1b
“Now the third life - Man, after the image of the Cosmos made, [and] having mind, after the Father's will, beyond all earthly lives - not only doth have feeling with the second God <i.e., the Cosmos>, but also hath conception of the first; f…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount | Section 1b
“For It doth will to be, and It is both Itself and most of all by reason of Itself.
Indeed, all other things beside are just bacause of It; for the distinctive feature of the Good is "that it should be known".
Such is the Good, O Tat.
Tat…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount | Section 1c
“For that the soul who hath no knowledge of the things that are, or knowledge of their nature, or of Good, is blinded by the body's passions and tossed about.
This wretched soul, not knowing what she is, becomes the slave of bodies of stran…”
Show all 16 →sufism12
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | PROLOGUEb
“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 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 Vc
“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 Vd
“But the light that lights the heart is the Light of God, Which is distinct from the light of reason and sense.
At night there is no light, and colors are not seen; Hence we know what light is by its opposite, darkness.
At night no colors…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VIIIa
“The Harper.
In the time of the Khalifa 'Omar there lived a harper, whose voice was as sweet as that of the angel Israfil, and who was in great request at all feasts.
But he grew old, and his voice broke, and no one would employ him any lo…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IXb
“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…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IXd
“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 XII
“Joseph a‚Žd the Mirror. An old friend came to pay his respects to Joseph, and, after some remarks upon the bad behaviour of his brethren, Joseph asked him what present he had brought to show his respect. The friend replied that he had long…”
Show all 12 →greek_mystery10
◆Orphic Hymns | Front Matter, p. 4 (part 2)
“For a self-motive being, is the cause of motion to those, which are moved by another, in the same manner as that which is immovable, inserts in all beings the power of moving.
And again, that which is moved only, must depend on those natur…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Hymn XXXIII. APOLLO (part 3)
“Ζεὺς δέ τε πάντων ἐςὶ ϑεὸς, πάντων τε κεραςὴς, Πνέυμασι συζι#ων, ( ) φωναῖσι τε ἀερομικτοις· That is, "But Jupiter is the God of all, and the mingler of all things; whistling with the breathing winds and aerial voices." And this perfectly a…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXII. EQUITY
“LXII. TO EQUITY. The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. O Blessed Equity, mankind's delight, Th' eternal friend of conduct just and right: Abundant, venerable, honor'd maid, To judgments pure, dispensing constant aid, p. 195 A stable conscience,…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXXVI. DEATH (part 2)
“The waters of Thames, heavy laden with the wealth of merchandize, and sonorous with the din of trade, may devolve abundance in a golden tide; but we must remember that the Dæmon of commerce is at the same time advancing with giant strides,…”
◆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 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 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…”
Show all 10 →jewish_mysticism8
◆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) | 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 Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XLIX
“XLIX. The Power and Wisdom of the Elect One . CHAPTER XLIX. l. For wisdom is poured out like water, And glory faileth not before him for evermore. 2. For he is mighty in all the secrets of righteousness, And unrighteousness shall disappear…”
◆The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter LXIII
“LXIII. The unavailing Repentance of the Kings and the Mighty . CHAPTER LXIII. 1. In those days shall the mighty and the kings who possess the earth implore (Him) to grant them a little respite from His angels of punishment to whom they were…”
◆The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XCII
“THE CONCLUDING SECTION OF THE BOOK. p. 129 (XCII-CV.) XCII. XCI. 1-10. 18-19 Enoch's Book of Admonition for his Children . CHAPTER XCII. 1. The book written by Enoch-- [ Enoch indeed wrote this complete doctrine of wisdom, (which is) praise…”
◆The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XCVIII
“XCVIII. Self-indulgence of Sinners: Sin originated by Man: all Sin recorded in Heaven: Woes for the Sinners . CHAPTER XCVIII. 1. And now I swear unto you, to the wise and to the foolish, For ye shall have manifold experiences on the earth.…”
◆The Kabbalah Unveiled | Introduction, Section 1p
“66 the sins of the inferiors, no influx can come into the universe in a proper manner.) [Following out the symbol of the equilibrium in the Sephiroth, the sin of the inferior paths would be the introduction of unbalanced force.
The reader…”
taoism8
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 16
“The (state of) vacancy should be brought to the utmost degree, and that of stillness guarded with unwearying vigour. All things alike go through their processes of activity, and (then) we see them return (to their original state). When thin…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 17
“In the highest antiquity, (the people) did not know that there were (their rulers). In the next age they loved them and praised them. In the next they feared them; in the next they despised them. Thus it was that when faith (in the Tao) was…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 18
“When the Great Tao (Way or Method) ceased to be observed, benevolence and righteousness came into vogue. (Then) appeared wisdom and shrewdness, and there ensued great hypocrisy. When harmony no longer prevailed throughout the six kinships,…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 24
“He who stands on his tiptoes does not stand firm; he who stretches his legs does not walk (easily). (So), he who displays himself does not shine; he who asserts his own views is not distinguished; he who vaunts himself does not find his mer…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 38
“(Those who) possessed in highest degree the attributes (of the Tao) did not (seek) to show them, and therefore they possessed them (in fullest measure). (Those who) possessed in a lower degree those attributes (sought how) not to lose them,…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 46
“When the Tao prevails in the world, they send back their swift horses to (draw) the dung-carts. When the Tao is disregarded in the world, the war-horses breed in the border lands. There is no guilt greater than to sanction ambition; no cala…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 69
“A master of the art of war has said, 'I do not dare to be the host (to commence the war); I prefer to be the guest (to act on the defensive). I do not dare to advance an inch; I prefer to retire a foot.' This is called marshalling the ranks…”
◆The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book 124 (part 5)
“A third class held that there was such recognition, but there had not begun to be any expression of different opinions about it.
p.
186 It was through the definite expression of different opinions about it that there ensued injury to (the…”
egyptian1
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 10 (part 20)
“Next, he was delivered over to merciless tormentors, who tortured him in a place where there were multitudes of savage beasts; and, when he had been cast into the place of outer darkness, he saw a ditch more than two hundred feet deep fille…”
finnic1
◆The Kalevala | Rune XLIXa
“OF THE SUN AND MOON.
Thus has Fire returned to Northland But the gold Moon is not shining, Neither gleams the silver sunlight In the chambers of Wainola, On the plains of Kalevala.
On the crops the white-frost settled, And the cattle died…”