← Home
soteriology

Gnosis Direct Knowledge

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

1,395 passages · 21 traditions
neoplatonism: 280 passagesneoplatonism280western_esoteric: 221 passageswestern_esoteric221gnosticism: 214 passagesgnosticism214christian_mysticism: 193 passageschristian_mysticism193platonism: 79 passagesplatonism79renaissance_hermeticism: 69 passagesrenaissance_hermeticism69theosophy: 64 passagestheosophy64hermeticism: 43 passageshermeticism43hinduism: 43 passageshinduism43egyptian: 38 passagesegyptian38buddhism: 32 passagesbuddhism32greek_mystery: 28 passagesgreek_mystery28taoism: 26 passagestaoism26jewish_mysticism: 21 passagesjewish_mysticism21sufism: 18 passagessufism18mandaean: 15 passagesmandaean15norse: 4 passagesnorse4celtic: 2 passagesceltic2finnic: 2 passagesfinnic2native_american: 2 passagesnative_american2upanishads: 1 passageupanishads1
neoplatonism280
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter I
Hermes, the God who presides over language, was formerly very properly considered as common to all priests; and the power who presides over the true science concerning the Gods 18 is one and the same in the whole of things. Hence our ancest…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter II
We shall, therefore, deliver to you the peculiar dogmas of the Assyrians; and also clearly develop to you our own opinions; collecting some things from the infinite writings of the ancients, but others from those particulars which were comp…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter III
In the first place, therefore, you say, “ it must be granted that there are Gods .” Thus to speak, however, is not right on this subject. For an innate knowledge of the Gods is coexistent with our very essence; and this knowledge is superio…”
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 IX-a
I consider you, therefore, as asking, for it is your inquiry, “ Why, since the Gods dwell in the heavens alone, there are invocations by theurgists of terrestrial and subterranean Gods? ” For 45 what you assert in the beginning is not true…”
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 XII
You also say, “ that invocations are directed to the Gods as to beings that are passive, so that not only dæmons are passive, but likewise the Gods .” This, however, is not the case. For the illumination which takes place through invocation…”
Show all 280 →
western_esoteric221
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 4 (part 1)
PREFACE THE art which is called Goëtic, being that of incantation, of sorcery, fascination and of the illusions and impostures connected therewith, has come somewhat arbitrarily to signify the last issue in diabolism of the more catholic an…”
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 4 (part 3)
The second respect in which the interests of the occult student have been considered is, however, of much more importance, though he may not be as ready to admit the suggestion, having regard to all that it implies. Robert Turner, the Engl…”
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 5 (part 1)
Click to view THE TEMPTATION OF EVIL From Cædmon. INTRODUCTION THE mystic tradition in Christian Times is preserved, apart from all questions and traces of Instituted Mysteries, in the literature of Christian Mystical Theology; it is a lar…”
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 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 Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 5 (part 4)
Blessed and Holy are those who receive the experience of God in the dilucid contemplation, but sanctity and benediction and all in all is that state wherein contemplation is ineffably unified, by a super-eminent leap over of love, with that…”
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 5 (part 5)
The technicalities of the occult sciences may seem hard to the beginner, and they are actually hard like the wilderness, because they are barren wastes, but they are in words of one syllable if compared with the little catechisms of eternal…”
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 5 (part 6)
It is the calculus of probabilities on the basis of experience in respect of empirical things. Putting it aside, on the fringe of the whole circle there are further a few score of follies which one would not term the grades of preparation…”
The Book of Ceremonial Magic (A.E. Waite) | Page 6 (part 5)
There is no extant Ritual, as there is no doctrine, which contains, or can possibly contain, the real secret of magical procedure or the essence of occult doctrine. The reason--whatever may be said in the excess of some self-constituted ex…”
Show all 221 →
gnosticism214
The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | Prologue
[II, 1; IV 1] The teaching [of the] savior, and [the revelation] of the mysteries, [and the] sayings concealed in silence, [even these sayings that] he taught John, [his] disciple. It, [however], came to pass [one day], when John, [the bro…”
The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Savior Comforts John
He asked me: “John, John, why do you marvel, and why [do you] fear? Is this appearance unknown to all of you? I mean, do not [be] of a weak heart. I am the one who [is] always [with all of you]. I [am the Father], I am the Mother, I am the…”
The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Archons Conspire Against Adam
When they gazed down, they realized that his intellect surpassed (their own), and they convened in counsel together with the group of archons and all angels. They took fire and earth [II, 21] and water, and combined them with each other to…”
The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Chief Archon Creates Eve
Reflection of Light then concealed herself inside him, and the chief archon desired to extract her from his rib, but Reflection of Light is beyond grasping. Even though the darkness chased after her, it could not catch her, and he extracted…”
The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Chief Archon Pollutes Eve
I appeared in the shape of an eagle on the tree of knowledge, which is Reflection of Providence of Pure Light, so that I could instruct them and rouse them out of their deep sleep, because both of them were in a fallen condition, and they w…”
The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Destiny of Souls-a
I also asked the savior: “Lord, will then all the souls be conducted safely into the pure light?” He answered and said to me: “Great things have arisen in your mind, because it is difficult to explain them to others, with the exception of…”
The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Vile Spirit
I, however, asked: “Lord, where did the vile spirit originate?” He then said to me: “The Mother- Father, who is abundant in mercy, the holy Spirit in every mode, the one who is merciful and [II, 28] who shows compassion for all of you – th…”
The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Savior Enters the Realm of Darkness
Therefore, I, the perfect Providence of the all, transformed myself into my (own) seed, because I was the first to exist, traveling all paths, because I am the wealth of the light. [IV, 47] I am the remembrance of the Fullness, but I enter…”
Show all 214 →
christian_mysticism193
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 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 10, Section 1d
If Time be thought of as an infinite series of finite numbers Eternity is the sum of that series and not its process. But the name may be applied loosely to the process, though this is generally to be avoided. According to St. Thomas, Et…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1a
51 CHAPTER I Dionysius the Presbyter, to his fellow-Presbyter Timothy. 45 45 The name of St. Paul’s companion is intended to give colour to the writer’s pseudonym. See Introduction, p. 1; cf. iii. 2. What is the purpose of the discou…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1c
59 59 ὡς οὐκ ὄντος ἴχνους τῶν ἐπὶ τὴν κρυφίαν αὐτῆς ἀπειρίαν διεληλυθότων. Two interpretations of this passage are possible: (1) Those who have penetrated the hidden Depths cannot describe the Vision (cf. Dante, Par. xxxiii. 55–66) ; (2…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1d
And we press upwards to those beams which in the Holy Scripture shine upon us; wherefrom we gain the light which leads us unto 55 the Divine praises 64 64 πρὸς τοὺς θεαρχικοὺς ὕμνους. Either (1) “leads us to declare the Divine praises”; or…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1e
These mysteries we learn from the Divine Scriptures, and thou wilt find that in well-nigh all the utterances of the Sacred Writers the Divine Names refer in a Symbolical Revelation 72 72 ἐκφαντορικῶς καὶ ὑμνητικῶς. to Its beneficent Emanat…”
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…”
Show all 193 →
platonism79
Plato: Phaedo | Section 1e
And I rather imagine that Cebes is referring to you; he thinks that you are too ready to leave us, and too ready to leave the gods who, as you acknowledge, are our good rulers. Yes, replied Socrates; there is reason in that. And this indi…”
Plato: Phaedo | Section 1f
And being dead is the attainment of this separation; when the soul exists in herself, and is parted from the body and the body is parted from the soul-that is death? Exactly: that and nothing else, he replied. And what do you say of anoth…”
Plato: Phaedo | Section 1g
And he attains to the knowledge of them in their highest purity who goes to each of them with the mind alone, not allowing when in the act of thought the intrusion or introduction of sight or any other sense in the company of reason, but wi…”
Plato: Phaedo | Section 1h
And now that the hour of departure is appointed to me, this is the hope with which I depart, and not I only, but every man who believes that he has his mind purified. Certainly, replied Simmias. And what is purification but the separation…”
Plato: Phaedo | Section 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…”
Plato: Phaedo | Section 1m
And yet from these equals, although differing from the idea of equality, you conceived and attained that idea? Very true, he said. Which might be like, or might be unlike them? Yes. But that makes no difference; whenever from seeing one…”
Plato: Phaedo | Section 1n
For this is clear, that when we perceived something, either by the help of sight or hearing, or some other sense, there was no difficulty in receiving from this a conception of some other thing like or unlike which had been forgotten and wh…”
Show all 79 →
renaissance_hermeticism69
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | INTRODUCTION-b
The Waldensians, who had lately been driven out of Piedmont, and had sought a shelter in the Calabrian territory, were hunted down and given over to the executioner. The convent was the only refuge from violence, and Bruno, either from rel…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | INTRODUCTION-f
He was then advised to doff the Dominican habit, which he still wore; this he was quite willing to do, only he had no money to buy other clothing, and was forced to have some made of the cloth of his monkish robes, and his new friends prese…”
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) | INTRODUCTION-j
The body is in the soul, the soul is in the mind, the mind is in God. The life of the soul is the true life of the man. Of all his various faculties, that which rules all, that which exalts our nature, is Thought. By means of it we rise…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-c
Hence he cries: "O mountain of Parnassus, where I abide! Muses, with whom I converse! Fountain of Helicon, where I am nourished. Mountain, that affordest me a quiet dwelling-place! Muses, that inspire me with pro found doctrines. Fount…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-f
One thing is certain, that he who loves wisely in youth will in age not go astray. But derision is for those of mature age, into whose hands Love puts the alphabet. Cic. Tell me now why Fate is called blind and bad. Tans. Again, blind…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | Second Dialogue-c
I can very well conceive, from what you have said, the condition of that heroic enthusiast, who says, "My hopes are ice and my desires are glowing," because he is not in the temperance of mediocrity, but, in the excess of contradictions, hi…”
Show all 69 →
theosophy64
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 2 (part 2)
"When Buddhi absorbs our E GOtism (destroys it) with all its Vikaras, Avalokiteshvara becomes manifested to us, and Nirvana, or Mukti, is reached," "Mukti" being the same as Nirvana, i.e. , freedom from the trammels of "Maya" or illusion.…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 2 (part 8)
This statement is rendered more credible by a consideration of the following facts: the tradition of the thousands of ancient parchments saved when the Alexandrian library was destroyed; the thousands of Sanskrit works which disappeared in…”
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 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 5 (part 2)
Even so of persons and things, which, dropping out of the to-be into the has-been, out of the future into the past -- present momentarily to our senses a cross-section, as it were, of their total selves, as they pass through time and space…”
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 3)
The Lotus thus typifies the life of man and also that of the Kosmos; for the Secret Doctrine teaches that the elements of both are the same, and that both are developing in the same direction. The root of the Lotus sunk in the mud represen…”
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 1)
`The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page]] 86 THE SECRET DOCTRINE. STANZA IV. COMMENTARY. 1. L ISTEN, YE S ONS OF THE E ARTH, TO YOUR INSTRUCTORS -- THE S ONS OF THE F IRE ( a ). L EARN THERE IS NEITHER FIRS…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 8 (part 5)
But inasmuch, O beautiful one, as you came personally to speak to me (in the way you did, i.e. proudly), therefore, O, Sarasvati! you shall never speak after (hard) exhalation." "The goddess Speech" (Sarasvati, a later form or aspect of V…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 9 (part 1)
The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page]] 106 THE SECRET DOCTRINE. STANZA V. 1. T HE P RIMORDIAL S EVEN, THE FIRST SEVEN B REATHS OF THE D RAGON OF W ISDOM, PRODUCE IN THEIR TURN FROM THEIR HOLY CIRCUMGYRATING…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 9 (part 5)
Our learned brother and correspondent judges apparently the Hindu religious systems by their Shastras and Puranas, probably the latter, and in their modern translation moreover, which is disfigured out of all recognition, by the Orientalist…”
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 9 (part 12)
In this "Infinity" of the full Initiate there is neither height, breadth nor thickness, but all is fathomless profundity, reaching down from the physical to the "para-para-metaphysical." In using the word "down," essential depth -- "nowhere…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 11 (part 6)
.' You can never impress it too profoundly on the minds of those to whom you impart some of the esoteric teachings. . ." Again, here are more extracts from another letter written by the same authority. This time it is in answer to some o…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 11 (part 7)
yet if you should work out the problem by yourself , it will be my duty to tell you so ." But they never were so worked out, and the results were -- never-ceasing perplexity and mistakes. Even the teaching about the Septenary constitution…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 13 (part 4)
Thus " S ATAN," once he ceases to be viewed in the superstitious, dogmatic, unphilosophical spirit of the Churches, grows into the grandiose image of one who made of terrestrial a divine MAN; who gave him, throughout the long cycle of Maha-…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 13 (part 6)
Others moving in parabolic curves generally escape destruction, owing to their velocity. Some very critical readers will perhaps imagine that this teaching, as to the cometary stage passed through by all heavenly bodies, is in contradictio…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 14 (part 5)
( a ) This sloka expresses the conception -- a purely Vedantic one, as already explained elsewhere -- of a life-thread, Sutratma , running through successive generations. How, then, can this be explained? By resorting to a simile, to a fa…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 14 (part 8)
These "Father and Son" were interchangeable in their functions and worked harmoniously together in their effects upon terrestrial nature and humanity; hence they were regarded as ONE, though TWO in personified Entities. They were both male…”
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 3)
(5.) Everything in the Universe, throughout all its kingdoms, is CONSCIOUS: i.e., endowed with a consciousness of its own kind and on its own plane of perception. We men must remember that because we do not perceive any signs -- which we c…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 16 (part 4)
It is on the acceptance or rejection of the theory of the Unity of all in Nature, in its ultimate Essence, that mainly rests the belief or unbelief in the existence around us of other conscious beings besides the Spirits of the Dead. [[Vol…”
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 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 2)
Without doubt, this one-sided mode of dealing with the problem is due largely to the pernicious Western practice of subordinating consciousness, or regarding it as a "by-product" of molecular motion. [[Vol. 1, Page]] 328 THE SECRET DOCTRI…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 25 (part 6)
Maia, in its forced derivation, has come to mean with the Greeks, "mother," from the root ma (nurse), and even gave its name to the month of May, which was sacred to all those goddesses before it became consecrated to Mary.* Its primitive m…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 26 (part 1)
The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page]] 403 IDENTITY OF TYPOLOGY. [[This page continued from previous section ]] § X. TREE, SERPENT, AND CROCODILE WORSHIP. "Object of horror or of adoration, men have for the…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 26 (part 2)
Moreover, the modern symbologists and Orientalists -- from first to last -- [[Footnote(s)]] ------------------------------------------------- * The Natural Genesis , by Gerald Massey, Vol. 1, p. 340. [[Vol. 1, Page]] 406 THE SECRET DOCT…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 26 (part 3)
So has Sefekh Abu who builds the house on high, as Wisdom (Sophia) built hers with seven pillars. . . The primary Kronotypes were seven, and thus the beginning of time in heaven is based on the number and the name of seven, on account of…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 26 (part 4)
The early Christians -- besides the Ophite Gnostics -- had their dual Logos: the Good and the Bad Serpent, the Agathodaemon and the Kakodaemon. This is demonstrated by the writings of Marcus, Valentinus, and many others, and especially in…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 27 (part 6)
"They have seized upon the three worlds, and appropriated the offerings which are our portion, taking care not to transgress the Precepts of the Veda. Although we , as well as they , are parts of thee.* . . . . engaged as they are in t…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 28 (part 6)
Isis is also mystic Nature and also Earth; and her cow's horns identify her with Vach. The latter, after having been recognised in her highest form as para , becomes at the lower or material end of creation -- Vaikhari. Hence she is mysti…”
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 8)
If the student of Esoteric philosophy thinks deeply over the subject he is sure to find out all the suggestiveness of the term Ambhamsi, in its manifold relations to the Virgin in Heaven, to the Celestial Virgin of the Alchemists, and even…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 31 (part 1)
The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page]] 470 [[This page continued from previous section ]] § XV. ON KWAN-SHI-YIN AND KWAN-YIN. L IKE Avalokiteshwara, Kwan-shi-yin has passed through several transformations, b…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 31 (part 2)
And it is, therefore, with hardly a smile that we find another preposterous absurdity quoted about "Budh," as being a name "which signifies not only the sun as the source of generation but also the male organ ( Round Towers of Ireland; quot…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 32 (part 1)
The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page 475]] BOOK I. -- PART III. ADDENDA. SCIENCE AND THE SECRET DOCTRINE CONTRASTED. "The knowledge of this nether world -- Say, friend, what is it, false or true? The fals…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 32 (part 3)
Bacon was one of the first to strike the key-note of materialism, not only by his inductive method (renovated from ill-digested Aristotle), but by the general tenor of his writings. He inverts the order of mental Evolution when saying that…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 37 (part 2)
V., pp. 329-34. [[Vol. 1, Page]] 509 THE FIXING OF LIGHT. sensitive paper in a dark place, and at the end of 24 hours it will have left an impression of itself on the sensitive paper, the whites coming out as blacks. . . . There see…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 37 (part 4)
How can Science presume to know anything certain of it? How can it maintain its position and its hypotheses against those of the Occultists, who see in gravity only sympathy and antipathy, or attraction and repulsion, caused by physical po…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 39 (part 4)
Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Space (or Akasa , AEther), Mind, Understanding and Egoism (or the perception of all the former on the illusive plane). . . This is a lower form of my nature. Know (that there is) another (form of my) nature, and…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 41 (part 6)
Under these conditions, is it unreasonable to suppose that, if this flow were kept up, and the body thus robbed of its element, it would in time disappear entirely? All bodies are formed primitively from this highly tenuous ether, animal,…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 42 (part 4)
The "Angel" of that Star, or the Dhyani-Buddha will be either the guiding or simply the presiding "Angel," so to say, in every new rebirth of the monad, which is part of his own essence , though his vehicle, man, may remain for ever ignoran…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 46 (part 1)
The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 1 [[Vol. 1, Page]] 610 THE SECRET DOCTRINE. [[This page continued from previous section ]] § XV. GODS, MONADS, AND ATOMS. S OME years ago we remarked* that "the Esoteric Doctrine may wel…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 46 (part 10)
His "reduced universes," of which "there are as many as there are Monads" -- is the chaotic representation of our Septenary System with its divisions and sub-divisions. As to the relation his Monads bear to our Dhyan-Chohans, Cosmic Spirit…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 46 (part 11)
They say that what is called collectively Monads by Leibnitz -- roughly viewed, and leaving every subdivision out of calculation, for the present** -- may be separated into three distinct Hosts, which, counted from the highest planes, are,…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 47 (part 5)
Yea -- "Wise are they who worship Nemesis"* [[Footnote(s)]] ------------------------------------------------- [[Footnote continued from previous page]] having ruled the earth once upon a time under the human form of actual living, though tr…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 55 (part 7)
"Does it not shine on the head of the great Serpent of Vishnu, on the thousand headed Sesha-Ananta, in the depths of Patala, the Hindu Naraka or Hell"? It does: but what is Ananta? As Sesha, it is the almost endless Manvantaric cycle of t…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 57 (part 14)
Agnostic speculative thinkers have to choose between the version given by the Secret Doctrine of the East, and the hopelessly materialistic Darwinian and Biblical accounts of the origin of man; between no soul and no spiritual evolution, an…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 65 (part 5)
What can modern science have to say to such an euhemerization of old fictions? The verdict is not difficult to foresee. Therefore an attempt must be made to answer by anticipation, and prove that fictions and empirical speculations are so…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 80 (part 1)
The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky -- Vol. 2 [[Vol. 2, Page]] 492 THE SECRET DOCTRINE. [[This page continued from previous section ]] C. T HE M ANY M EANINGS OF THE " W AR IN H EAVEN." The Secret Doctrine points out, as a self-evi…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 80 (part 4)
The episode brings on a battle between the gods and the Asuras: King Soma, finds allies in Usanas (Venus), the leader of the Danavas; and the gods are led by Indra and Rudra, who side with Brihaspati. The latter is helped by Sankara (Siva)…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 80 (part 5)
In the oldest portions of the Rig Veda, they are the spiritual and the divine , the term Asura being used for the Supreme Spirit and being the same as the great Ahura of the Zoroastrians. (See Darmesteter's V ENDIDAD). There was a time wh…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 81 (part 6)
In the Zend Avesta, Angra Mainyu (Ahriman), surrounding himself with fire (the "Flames" -- vide supra ) seeks to conquer the Heavens,* when Ahura Mazda, descending from the solid Heaven he inhabits, to the help of the Heavens that revolve (…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 85 (part 2)
King: -- "Whatever the primary meaning (of the gem with the solar lion and vowels) it was probably imported in its present shape from I NDIA, that true fountain head of gnostic iconography" ( Gnostics, p. 218). The mysteries of the seven…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 85 (part 3)
By "intelligence," the Occultist says, Narada means neither "discussion" nor "argumentation," as Aruna Misra believes, but "intelligence" truly, or the adaptation of the fire of Wisdom to Exoteric Ritualism for the profane. This is the chi…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 86 (part 8)
It is the emblem of the activity of Fohat, of the continual revolution of the "wheels," and of the Four Elements, the "Sacred Four," in their mystical, and not alone in their cosmical meaning; further, its four arms, bent at right angles, a…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 89 (part 4)
Nor can one accept the said "sevenfold classification" as having "a closer connection with the Brahminical Logos than with the Buddhist Logos," since both are identical, whether the one "Logos" is called Eswara or Avalokiteswara, Brahma or…”
← Collapse
hermeticism43
Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1a
Poemandres, the Shepherd of Men <This is the most famous of the Hermetic documents, a revelation account describing a vision of the creation of the universe and the nature and fate of humanity. Authors from the Renaissance onward have been…”
Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1b
But when He raised His head, I see in Mind the Light, [but] now in Powers no man could number, and Cosmos grown beyond all bounds, and that the Fire was compassed round about by a most mighty Power, and [now] subdued had come unto a stand.…”
Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1d
Thou seem'st, He said, O thou, not to have given heed to what thou heardest. Did I not bid thee think? Yea do I think, and I remember, and therefore give Thee thanks. If thou didst think [thereon], [said He], tell me: Why do they merit d…”
Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1e
To the first zone he gives the Energy of Growth and Waning; unto the second [zone], Device of Evils [now] de-energized; unto the third, the Guile of the Desires de-energized; unto the fourth, his Domineering Arrogance, [also] de-energized;…”
Corpus Hermeticum 1: Poimandres | Section 1f
All this befell me from my Mind, that is Man-Shepherd, Word (Logos) of all masterhood, by whom being God-inspired I came unto the Plain of Truth. Wherefore with all my soul and strength thanksgiving give I unto Father-God. 31. Holy art T…”
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 3: The Sacred Sermon | Section 1
The Sacred Sermon 1. The Glory of all things is God, Godhead and Godly Nature. Source of the things that are is God, who is both Mind and Nature - yea Matter, the Wisdom that reveals all things. Source [too] is Godhead - yea Nature, Energy,…”
Show all 43 →
hinduism43
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 III, Section 1b
For should I at any time not engage without sloth in action, men would follow in my path from all sides, O son of P ri thâ! If I did not perform actions, these worlds would be destroyed, I should be the cause of caste interminglings; and I…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter IV, Section 1a
CHAPTER IV. The Deity said: This everlasting (system of) devotion I declared to the sun, the sun declared it to Manu , and Manu communicated it to Ikshvâku. Coming thus by steps, it became known to royal sages. But, O terror of (your) fo…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter IV, Section 1b
The acts of one who is devoid of attachment, who is free , whose mind is fixed on knowledge, and who performs action for (the purpose of) the sacrifice are all destroyed. Brahman is the oblation; with Brahman (as a sacrificial instrument)…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter V, Section 1a
CHAPTER V. Ar g una said: O K ri sh n a! you praise renunciation of actions and also the pursuit (of them). Tell me determinately which one of these two is superior. The Deity said: Renunciation and pursuit of action are both instrument…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter VI, Section 1b
That (mental condition), in which the mind restrained by practice of abstraction, ceases to work; in which too, one seeing the self by the self , is pleased in the self; in which one experiences that infinite happiness which transcends the…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter VII, Section 1a
CHAPTER VII. The Deity said: O son of P ri thâ! now hear how you can without doubt know me fully, fixing your mind on me, and resting in me, and practising devotion. I will now tell you exhaustively about knowledge together with experien…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter VII, Section 1b
Whichever form (of deity) any worshipper wishes to worship with faith, to that form I render his faith steady. Possessed Of that faith, he seeks to propitiate (the deity in) that (form), and obtains from it those beneficial things which he…”
Show all 43 →
egyptian38
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 4 (part 28)
The Chapter of bringing a boat in the underworld. Vignette: A boat. Chapter C. The Chapter of making perfect the khu , and of making it to enter into the boat of Ra, together with his divine followers. Vignette: A boat containing a comp…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 6 (part 4)
This chapter was found inscribed upon one of the linen wrappings of the mummy of Thothmes III., and a copy of the text is given by Naville (Todtenbuch, Bd. L, Bl. 179); for a later version see Lepsius, Todtenbuch, Bl. 75, where many inte…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 6 (part 12)
Every khu and every god stretcheth out his hand unto this Pepi when he cometh forth into heaven by the Ladder of God . . . . that which he seeth and that which he heareth make him wise, and serve as food for him when he cometh forth int…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 8 (part 2)
Verily it shall be cast forth by my healing words of power, and I will drive it away from before the sight of thy sunbeams." The holy god opened his mouth and said, "I was passing along my path, and I was going through the two regions of my…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 18 (part 11)
He shall (5) enter into the Fields of Aaru in peace, to learn the bidding of him who dwelleth in Tattu; (6) there shall wheat and barley be given unto him; there shall he flourish as he did upon (7) earth; and he shall do whatsoever pleaset…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 19 (part 4)
The draught-board of the ancient Egyptians is often a rectangular wooden box, the top divided into squares, containing a drawer in which the men are kept (British Museum, No. 21,576). Draught-boards were also made of blue glazed faïence ,…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 19 (part 8)
, who are these gods?] Mestha, Hapi Tuamautef, and Qebhsennuf. (83) "Homage to you, O ye lords of right and truth, and ye holy ones who [stand] behind Osiris, who utterly do away with (84) sins and crime, and [ye] who are in the following…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 20 (part 2)
The name of (2) the doorkeeper is Un-hat; (3) the name of the watcher is (4) Seqet-hra; the name of the herald is Uset. (6) Saith Osiris Ani, when he cometh unto this Arit; "He sitteth to do his heart's desire, and he weigheth (7) words as…”
Show all 38 →
buddhism32
The Dhammapada | Chapter II, Section 1a
p. 9 CHAPTER II. ON EARNESTNESS . 21. Earnestness is the path of immortality (Nirvâ n a), thoughtlessness the path of death. Those who are in earnest do not die, those who are thoughtless are as if dead already. 22. Those who are adv…”
The Dhammapada | Chapter IV, Section 1a
p. 16 CHAPTER IV. FLOWERS . 44. Who shall overcome this earth, and the world of Yama (the lord of the departed), and the world of the gods? Who shall find out the plainly shown path of virtue, as a clever man finds out the (right) flow…”
The Dhammapada | Chapter IV, Section 1b
The flower-arrows of Mâra, the tempter, are borrowed from Kâma, the Hindu god of love. For a similar expression see Lalita-vistara, ed. Calc. p. 40, l. 20, mâyâmarî k isad ri sâ vidyutphenopamâ s k apalâ h . It is on account of this p…”
The Dhammapada | Chapter VI, Section 1b
I would rather take the whole sentence together as a gloss upon the word va g anti:--va g antîti arahatta ñ ânena apaka ddh antâ kh andarâga m vi g ahanti; va g anti means that, ridding themselves of lust by the wisdom which Arhatship confe…”
The Dhammapada | Chapter VII, Section 1a
p. 27 CHAPTER VII. THE VENERABLE (ARHAT). 90. There is no suffering for him who has finished his journey, and abandoned grief, who has freed himself on all sides, and thrown off all fetters. 91. They depart with their thoughts well-co…”
The Dhammapada | Chapter VII, Section 1c
In the mischief done by the eye, we have, perhaps, the first indication of the evil eye. (Mahâbh. XII, 3417. See Dhammapada, vv. 231-234 .) On the technical meaning of tâdi, see Childers, s.v. D'Alwis (p. 78) has evidently received th…”
The Dhammapada | Chapter VIII, Section 1b
Buddhism, however, acknowledges the existence of some of the Hindu deities, and from the various friendly offices which those Devas are said to have rendered to Gotama, Buddhists evince a respect for their idols.' See also Buddhaghosha's Pa…”
The Dhammapada | Chapter XI, Section 1b
In the Rudrâya n âvadâna of the Divyâvadâna this verse appears as, Yânîmâny apariddhâni vikshiptâni di s o di s a h , Kapotavar n âny asthîni tâni d ri sh t vaiha kâ rati h . See Schiefner, Mél. Asiat. VIII, p. 589; G âtaka, vol. i. p…”
Show all 32 →
greek_mystery28
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 VII. THE SUN
VII. TO THE SUN. The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE and MANNA. HEAR golden Titan, whose eternal eye With broad survey, illumines all the sky. Self-born, unwearied in diffusing light, And to all eyes the mirrour of delight: Lord of the seasons…”
Orphic Hymns | Hymn XXVIII. PROSERPINE
XXVIII. TO PROSERPINE. A HYMN DAUGHTER of Jove, almighty and divine, Come, blessed queen, and to these rites incline: Only-begotten, Pluto's honor'd wife, 3 O venerable Goddess, source of life: 'Tis thine in earth's profundities to dwell, 5…”
Orphic Hymns | Hymn LI. TRIETERICUS
LI. TO TRIETERICUS. The FUMIGATION from AROMATICS. BACCHUS fanatic, much-nam'd, blest, divine, Bull-fac'd Lenæan, bearer of the vine; From fire descended, raging, Nysian king, From whom initial ceremonies spring: Liknitan Bacchus, pure and…”
Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXV. THE MUSES
LXXV. TO THE MUSES. The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. Daughters of Jove, dire-sounding and divine, 1 Renown'd Pierian, sweetly speaking Nine; p. 206 To those whose breasts your sacred furies fire Much-form'd, the objects of supreme desire:…”
Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXVI. MNEMOSYNE, or the GODDESS of MEMORY
LXXVI. To MNEMOSYNE, or the GODDESS of MEMORY * . The FUMIGATION from FRANKINCENSE. THE consort I invoke of Jove divine, Source of the holy, sweetly-speaking Nine; p. 215 Free from th' oblivion of the fallen mind, By whom the soul with inte…”
Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXVII. AURORA
LXXVII. TO AURORA. The FUMIGATION from MANNA. HEAR me, O Goddess! whose emerging ray Leads on the broad refulgence of the day; Blushing Aurora, whose celestial light Beams on the world with red'ning splendours bright: Angel of Titan, whom w…”
Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXXXVI. DEATH
LXXXVI. TO DEATH. The FUMIGATION from MANNA. HEAR me, O Death, whose empire unconfin'd, Extends to mortal tribes of ev'ry kind. On thee, the portion of our time depends, Whose absence lengthens life, whose presence ends. p. 225 Thy sleep pe…”
Show all 28 →
taoism26
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 14
We look at it, and we do not see it, and we name it 'the Equable.' We listen to it, and we do not hear it, and we name it 'the Inaudible.' We try to grasp it, and do not get hold of it, and we name it 'the Subtle.' With these three qualitie…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 15
The skilful masters (of the Tao) in old times, with a subtle and exquisite penetration, comprehended its mysteries, and were deep (also) so as to elude men's knowledge. As they were thus beyond men's knowledge, I will make an effort to desc…”
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 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 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…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 43
The softest thing in the world dashes against and overcomes the hardest; that which has no (substantial) existence enters where there is no crevice. I know hereby what advantage belongs to doing nothing (with a purpose). There are few in th…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 47
Without going outside his door, one understands (all that takes place) under the sky; without looking out from his window, one sees the Tao of Heaven. The farther that one goes out (from himself), the less he knows. Therefore the sages got…”
Show all 26 →
jewish_mysticism21
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1a
CHAPTER V. 1. (It is written) Isa. i. 4: "Woe unto the sinful nation, unto the people heavy with iniquity, unto the seed of evildoers, &c." (Here the author of the "Siphra Dtzenioutha" reasoneth concerning the small word HVI, "woe," whi…”
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1c
And to it also pertain the following names, namely, the name) IH, Yah (whensoever it is written in full with A in this manner:) IVD HA, Yod Ha (and containeth the number of the numeral powers of the letters of the Tetragrammaton, namely, 26…”
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1d
5; "And thou shalt place upon me thine hand:" KPKH, Khephakha . (Where this word KPKH, if it be written according to the usual p. 100 custom KPK, Khephakh , yieldeth the number 120. But now by adding the paragogic H of the female, there…”
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1e
31: "And He was wise above every man." Because these are not classed with man. 21. (But when it is said) "And the Tetragrammaton gave him wisdom," then is understood the supernal He . (Because he gave unto him the influx of the wisdom of…”
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1h
35: "Ye shall not do iniquity in judgment, in dimension, in weight, and in measure." (Where these four are mystically intimated.) 37. (There is one) rigorous judgment (of severity),another that is not rigorous (that is, of the kingdom). T…”
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1i
And IVBL, Yobel , "jubilee," is H, He (the first He of the Tetragrammaton); and He is the spirit rushing forth over all (because the mother is the world to come, when in the resurrection all things will receive the spirit); and all things s…”
The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XIV (part 2)
None of the angels could enter and could behold His face by reason of the magnificence and glory and no flesh could behold Him. 22. The flaming fire was round about Him, and a great fire stood before Him, and none around could draw nigh H…”
The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XXXVII
p. 56 The Parables XXXVII-LXXI CHAPTER XXXVII. 1. The second vision which he saw, the vision of wisdom--which Enoch the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, saw. 2. And th…”
Show all 21 →
sufism18
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | PROLOGUE-a
HEARKEN to the reed-flute, how it complains, Lamenting its banishment from its home: "Ever since they tore me from my osier bed, My plaintive notes have moved men and women to tears. I burst my breast, striving to give vent to sighs, And t…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | PROLOGUE-b
Knowest thou why thy mirror reflects not? Because the rust has not been scoured from its face. If it were purified from all rust and defilement, It would reflect the shining of the SUN Of GOD.6 O friends, ye have now heard this tale, Whic…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY I-a
The Prince and the Handmaid. A prince, while engaged on a hunting excursion, espied a fair maiden, and by promises of gold induced her to accompany him. After a time she fell sick, and the prince had her tended by divers physicians. As,…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY II
The Oilman and his Parrot. An oilman possessed a parrot which used to amuse him with its agreeable prattle, and to watch his shop when he went out. One day, when the parrot was alone in the shop, a cat upset one of the oil-jars. When the oi…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY III-b
Every night spirits are released from this cage, And set free, neither lording it nor lorded over. At night prisoners are unaware of their prison, At night kings are unaware of their majesty. Then there is no thought or care for loss or g…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IV
Another Tyrannical Jewish King. A certain Jewish king, the same who is referred to in the Sura "Signs of the Zodiac," I made up his mind to utterly exterminate the Christian faith, and with that view he set up a huge idol, and issued comman…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY V-c
The skill taught by God to the silkworm Is a learning beyond the reach of the elephant. The earthly Adam was taught of God names, 4 So that his glory reached the seventh heaven. He laid low the name and fame of the angels, 5 Yet blind ind…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY V-d
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…”
Show all 18 →
mandaean15
Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 4
Yahyā proclaims in the nights, Yōhānā on the Night's evenings. 4 YAHYĀ proclaims in the nights and says: "Through my Father's discourses I give light and through the praise of the Man, my creator, I have freed my soul from the world and fr…”
Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 7
YAHYĀ proclaims and speaks: "Ye nobles, who lie there, ye ladies, who will not awaken,—ye who lie there, what will you do on the Day of the Judgment? When the soul strips off the body, on Judgment-Day what will you do? O thou distracted, ju…”
Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 8
[What follows is presumably the beginning of the Letter.] Gnosis of Life 8 who is far from the height [writes]: "I have come unto thee, O Soul, whom Life has sent into this world. In robes of the Eight 9 went I into the world. I went in t…”
Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 10
"A blind man who writes a letter: a villain who has become virtuous. He abandoned wantonness and abandoned theft and reached unto faith in almighty Life. "A desolate house who ascends again to the height: one of position who has become hum…”
Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 12
Thereon they 3 fashioned for Yahyā a wife out of thee, thou Region of the Faithful. 4 From the first conception were Handan and Sharrath born. From the middle conception were Birhām and R'himath-Haiyē born. From the last conception were Nṣa…”
Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 14
When Enishbai heard this, she cried out and she said: "Of all these names which you name, will I not give him one; but the name Yahyā-Yōhānā will I give him, [the name] which Life's self has given unto him." When the Jews heard this, they…”
Gnostic John the Baptizer — The Story of the Breach with Judaism | Section 2
Thereon he cried: "Come (pl.), look on Miryai, who has left Jewry and gone to make love with her lord. Come, look on Miryai, who has left off coloured raiment and gone to make love with her lord. She forsook gold and silver and went to make…”
Gnostic John the Baptizer — The Story of the Breach with Judaism | Section 3
Thou hast won the victory, Gnosis of Life, and helped all thy friends to victory. And Life is victorious. THE EXILED COMMUNITY SETTLE ON THE EUPHRATES (§ 35). In the Name of Great Life, may hallowed Light be glorified. MIRYAI am I, a vi…”
Show all 15 →
norse4
The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1m
I ween that I hung | on the windy tree, Hung there for nights full nine; With the spear I was wounded, | and offered I was To Othin, myself to myself, On the tree that none | may ever know What root beneath it runs. [138. In the manuscrip…”
The Poetic Edda: Hovamol | Section 1n
Knowest how one shall write, | knowest how one shall rede? Knowest how one shall tint, | knowest how one makes trial? Knowest how one shall ask, | knowest how one shall offer? Knowest how one shall send, | knowest how one shall sacrifice…”
The Poetic Edda: Voluspo | Section 1h
Here the Volva turns from her memories of the past to a statement of some of Othin's own secrets in his eternal search for knowledge (stanzas 27-29). Bugge puts this stanza after stanza 29. The horn of Heimdall : the Gjallarhorn ("Shrieki…”
The Poetic Edda: Voluspo | Section 1l
44. Now Garm howls loud | before Gnipahellir, The fetters will burst, | and the wolf run free; Much do I know, | and more can see Of the fate of the gods, | the mighty in fight. 45. Brothers shall fight | and fell each other, And sisters…”
celtic2
The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESIN-a
In times past there lived in Penllyn a man of gentle lineage, named Tegid Voel, and his dwelling was in the midst of the lake Tegid, and his wife was called Caridwen. And there was born to him of his wife a son named Morvran ab Tegid, and…”
The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESIN-c
Elphin of notable qualities, Be not displeased at thy misfortune; Although reclined thus weak in my bag, There lies a virtue in my tongue. While I continue thy protector Thou hast not much to fear; Remembering the names of the Trinity, Non…”
finnic2
The Kalevala | Rune XVII-a
FINDS THE LOST-WORD. Wainamoinen, old and truthful, Did not learn the words of magic In Tuoni's gloomy regions, In the kingdom of Manala. Thereupon he long debated, Well considered, long reflected, Where to find the magic sayings; When a…”
The Kalevala | Rune XVII-g
Spake the hero, Wainamoinen: "O, thou Antero Wipunen, Open wide thy mouth and fauces, I have found the magic lost-words, I will leave thee now forever, Leave thee and thy wondrous singing, Will return to Kalevala, To Wainola's fields and fi…”
native_american2
The Soul of the Indian | Chapter I-a
THE GREAT MYSTERY Solitary Worship. The Savage Philosopher. The Dual Mind. Spiritual Gifts versus Material Progress. The Paradox of “Christian Civilization.” The original attitude of the American Indian toward the Eternal, the “Great My…”
The Soul of the Indian | Chapter IV-a
BARBARISM AND THE MORAL CODE Silence the Corner-Stone of Character. Basic Ideas of Morality. “Give All or Nothing!” Rules of Honorable Warfare. An Indian Conception of Courage. Long before I ever heard of Christ, or saw a white man, I h…”
upanishads1
Îsâ-Upanishad | Îsâ, Section 1a
p. 308 p. 309 VÂ G ASANEYI-SA M HITÂ-UPANISHAD, SOMETIMES CALLED Î S ÂVÂSYA OR Î S Â-UPANISHAD p. 310 p. 311 VÂ G ASANEYI-SA M HITÂ-UPANISHAD. 1. ALL this, whatsoever moves on earth, is to be hidden in the Lord (the Self). When thou…”