anthropology
Inner Light
The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.
711 passages · 19 traditions
neoplatonism155
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 V-a
“In the next place, let us direct our attention to the solution of your inquiries.
There is, therefore, the good itself which is beyond essence, and there is that good which subsists according to essence; I mean the essence which is most an…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XIII
“Moreover, “ the pacifications of anger ” will become manifest, if we understand what the anger of the Gods is. This, therefore, is not, as it appears to be to some, a certain ancient and inveterate rage, but an abandonment of the beneficent…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XV-a
“After this, you pass on to another division into contraries, viz.
the division of Gods with reference to dæmons.
For you say, “ that the Gods are pure intellects ;” but you propose this opinion as an hypothesis, or you narrate it as a dog…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XXI
“The division, however, of the passive from the impassive , which you adopt, may perhaps be rejected by some one, as not adapted to either of the more excellent genera, through the causes which we have before enumerated; and it also deserves…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter II
“It follows, therefore, that in the next place we should define the energies of them. And those of dæmons, indeed, must be surveyed as occupied about the world, and more widely extended in their effects; but those of heroes as less extended,…”
Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter III-a
“Let us, however, now proceed to the appearances of the Gods and their perpetual attendants, and show what the difference is in their appearance.
For you inquire, “ by what indication the presence of a God, or an angel, or an archangel, or…”
Show all 155 →christian_mysticism150
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 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 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 1l
“The formless essence (ἀμορφία) of a thing is simple and imageless—a Platonic idea—perceived by the mind; things which have bodily form are, as it were, types and symbols perceived by the senses.
54 Or “indeterminate.” 55 Thus the three gra…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 1, Section 1m
“65 In the whole of this passage God is spoken of as at the same time Efficient, Formal and Final Cause of the soul’s activity.
D.
teaches that God is present in all things, but not equally in all.
Cf.
Intr., p.
14 66 Gen.
i.
67 Three…”
Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 3, Section 1c
“It would be an impiety to do so, for he is almost equal to the Scriptural Writers, as he showed when he met with them to view the body of the B.
V.
M.
even among our inspired Hierarchs (when, as thou knowest, we with him and many of our…”
Show all 150 →gnosticism114
The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Archons Conspire Against Adam
“When they gazed down, they realized that his intellect surpassed (their own), and they convened in counsel together with the group of archons and all angels.
They took fire and earth [II, 21] and water, and combined them with each other to…”
The Secret Writing According to John (Apocryphon of John), Codex II, 1 | The Chief Archon Pollutes Eve
“I appeared in the shape of an eagle on the tree of knowledge, which is Reflection of Providence of Pure Light, so that I could instruct them and rouse them out of their deep sleep, because both of them were in a fallen condition, and they w…”
Gospel of Philip | Section 1c
“And Jesus said, “Whoever will not eat my flesh and drink my blood has no life within him.” What does he mean?
His flesh is the word and blood the holy spirit.
Who has received these has food and drink and clothing.
I condemn those who sa…”
Gospel of Philip | Section 1d
“When the child is grown, however, then the father turns over all he possesses.
THE LOST Those who have gone astray are those born of the spirit.
And they are usually lost because of the spirit.
So from one single breath of spirit the fir…”
Gospel of Philip | Section 1e
“If you say, “I am a Roman,” no one will be upset.
If you say, “I am Greek, a barbarian, a slave, a freeman,” no one will be troubled.
But if you say, “I am a Christian,” they will tremble.
I wish I had that title.
The world will not end…”
Gospel of Philip | Section 1f
“When wanton women see a man sitting alone, the man is overcome.
They fondle him and pollute him.
When wanton men see a beautiful woman sitting alone, they overcome her, and she is violated and polluted.
But when spirits see a man and his…”
Gospel of Philip | Section 1j
“In the world these are the true people.
They are the attendants of the bridal chamber.
POWER AND WEAKNESS In this world, power and weakness mingle when man and woman have sex.
Joining is different in the eternal realm, though we use the…”
Gospel of Philip | Section 1k
“If you become light, light will share you.
If you are of those from above, one of those from above will rest in you.
If you become a horse or a donkey or bull or dog or sheep or another animal that is wild or tame, then neither a person n…”
Show all 114 →western_esoteric81
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 Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter VII (part 2)
“Man, like Micawber, may exclaim: "The Spirit of my Creator is inherent within me-- and yet I am not HE!" How different this from the shocking half-truth so vociferously announced by certain of the half-wise, who fill the air with their rauc…”
The Kybalion (Three Initiates) | Chapter VII (part 4)
“And just as THE ALL arouses itself from the meditation upon the Universe, so does Man (in time) cease from manifesting upon the Material Plane, and withdraws himself more and more into the Indwelling Spirit, which is indeed "The Divine Ego.…”
The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Life and Teachings of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus-f
“It is doubtful that the deity called Thoth by the Egyptians was originally Hermes, but the two personalities were blended together and it is now impossible to separate them.
Thoth was called "The Lord of the Divine Books" and "Scribe of th…”
The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Life and Teachings of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus-h
“He neither slumbers nor sleeps, and is governed by a Father also both male and female, and ever watchful.
Such is the mystery kept hidden to this day, for Nature, being mingled in marriage with the Sky Man, brought forth a wonder most wond…”
The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Isis, the Virgin of the World-j
“They understood hypnotism, mesmerism, and similar practices long before the modem world dreamed of their existence.
Plutarch describes the requisites of a follower of Isis in this manner: "For as 'tis not the length of the beard, or the co…”
The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Sun, A Universal Deity-g
“According to the mystics, there are three suns in each solar system, analogous to the three centers of life in each individual constitution.
These are called three lights: the spiritual sun, the intellectual or soular sun, and the material…”
Show all 81 →renaissance_hermeticism59
Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter XLIX — Of Light, Colors, Candles and Lamps, and to What Stars, Houses and Elements Several Colors Are Ascribed | Chapter XLIX, Section 1a
“CHAPTER XLIX.
Of Light, Colors, Candles and Lamps, and to What Stars, Houses and Elements Several Colors Are Ascribed .
Light also is a quality that partakes much of form, and is a simple act, and also a representation of the understandin…”
Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter LV — How Auspicias Are Verified by the Light of Natural Instinct, and of Some Rules of Finding It Out | Chapter LV, Section 1a
“CHAPTER LV.
How Auspicias Are Verified by the Light of Natural Instinct, and of Some Rules of Finding It Out .
AUSPICIA and Auguria, which foretell things to come by animals and birds, Orpheus, the divine, himself, as we read, did teach a…”
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-b
“They do not consider that those rules serve principally as a frame for the Homeric poetry, and for other similar to it, and they set up one as a great poet, high as Homer, and disallow those of other vein, and art, and enthusiasm, who in th…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-c
“Hence he cries: "O mountain of Parnassus, where I abide!
Muses, with whom I converse!
Fountain of Helicon, where I am nourished.
Mountain, that affordest me a quiet dwelling-place!
Muses, that inspire me with pro found doctrines.
Fount…”
The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogue-d
“Some are called in vain to put in a ready appearance, and are chiefly those which proceed from the lower instincts, and which obey the reason either not at all, or very little; and forcing himself to prevent their actions and condemn those…”
Show all 59 →platonism43
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 1s
“The lovers of knowledge are conscious that their souls, when philosophy receives them, are simply fastened and glued to their bodies: the soul is only able to view existence through the bars of a prison, and not in her own nature; she is wa…”
Plato: Phaedo | Section 1aa
“For example, when the body is hot and thirsty, does not the soul incline us against drinking?
and when the body is hungry, against eating?
And this is only one instance out of ten thousand of the opposition of the soul to the things of th…”
Plato: Phaedo | Section 1ad
“I might compare him to a person who began by maintaining generally that mind is the cause of the actions of Socrates, but who, when he endeavored to explain the causes of my several actions in detail, went on to show that I sit here because…”
Plato: Phaedo | Section 1ao
“Those again who have committed crimes, which, although great, are not unpardonable-who in a moment of anger, for example, have done violence to a father or mother, and have repented for the remainder of their lives, or who have taken the li…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1k
“I thought that you were only halfway and were going to make a similar speech about all the advantages of accepting the non-lover.
Why do you not proceed?
Soc.
Does not your simplicity observe that I have got out of dithyrambics into hero…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1n
“The beginning of our proof is as follows:- The soul through all her being is immortal, for that which is ever in motion is immortal; but that which moves another and is moved by another, in ceasing to move ceases also to live.
Only the sel…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1o
“Zeus, the mighty lord, holding the reins of a winged chariot, leads the way in heaven, ordering all and taking care of all; and there follows him the array of gods and demigods, marshalled in eleven bands; Hestia alone abides at home in the…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1p
“And there is a law of Destiny, that the soul which attains any vision of truth in company with a god is preserved from harm until the next period, and if attaining always is always unharmed.
But when she is unable to follow, and fails to b…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1r
“But he whose initiation is recent, and who has been the spectator of many glories in the other world, is amazed when he sees any one having a godlike face or form, which is the expression of divine beauty; and at first a shudder runs throug…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1s
“You may believe this, but not unless you like.
At any rate the loves of lovers and their causes are such as I have described.
Now the lover who is taken to be the attendant of Zeus is better able to bear the winged god, and can endure a h…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1x
“And now they live again in the grasshoppers; and this is the return which the Muses make to them-they neither hunger, nor thirst, but from the hour of their birth are always singing, and never eating or drinking; and when they die they go a…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1ae
“I quite admit, Socrates, that the art of rhetoric which these men teach and of which they write is such as you describe-there I agree with you.
But I still want to know where and how the true art of rhetoric and persuasion is to be acquire…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1af
“Then clearly, Thrasymachus or any one else who teaches rhetoric in earnest will give an exact description of the nature of the soul; which will enable us to see whether she be single and same, or, like the body, multiform.
That is what we…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1ai
“The specific which you have discovered is an aid not to memory, but to reminiscence, and you give your disciples not truth, but only the semblance of truth; they will be hearers of many things and will have learned nothing; they will appear…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1aj
“Then he will not seriously incline to "write" his thoughts "in water" with pen and ink, sowing words which can neither speak for themselves nor teach the truth adequately to others?
Phaedr.
No, that is not likely.
Soc.
No, that is not l…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1ak
“But he who thinks that in the written word there is necessarily much which is not serious, and that neither poetry nor prose, spoken or written, is of any great value, if, like the compositions of the rhapsodes, they are only recited in ord…”
Plato: Phaedrus | Section 1al
“By all means.
Soc.
Beloved Pan, and all ye other gods who haunt this place, give me beauty in the inward soul; and may the outward and inward man be at one.
May I reckon the wise to be the wealthy, and may I have such a quantity of gold…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1a
“BOOK VI SOCRATES - GLAUCON AND thus, Glaucon, after the argument has gone a weary way, the true and the false philosophers have at length appeared in view.
I do not think, he said, that the way could have been shortened.
I suppose not, I…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1b
“The true lover of learning then must from his earliest youth, as far as in him lies, desire all truth?
Assuredly.
But then again, as we know by experience, he whose desires are strong in one direction will have them weaker in others; they…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1f
“Now, when he is in this state of mind, if some one gently comes to him and tells him that he is a fool and must get understanding, which can only be got by slaving for it, do you think that, under such adverse circumstances, he will be easi…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1h
“Yes, but not in a satisfactory manner; you frightened us by interposing objections, which certainly showed that the discussion would be long and difficult; and what still remains is the reverse of easy.
What is there remaining?
The questi…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1l
“Then the aspirant must not only be tested in those labours and dangers and pleasures which we mentioned before, but there is another kind of probation which we did not mention--he must be exercised also in many kinds of knowledge, to see wh…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1a
“GLAUCON - SOCRATES Still, I must implore you, Socrates, said Glaucon, not to turn away just as you are reaching the goal; if you will only give such an explanation of the good as you have already given of justice and temperance and the othe…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1b
“You mean the sun, as you and all mankind say.
May not the relation of sight to this deity be described as follows?
How?
Neither sight nor the eye in which sight resides is the sun?
No.
Yet of all the organs of sense the eye is the most…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1a
“BOOK VII SOCRATES - GLAUCON AND now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened:--Behold!
human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1b
“And first he will see the shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven; and he will see the sky…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1c
“Moreover, I said, you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs; for their souls are ever hastening into the upper world where they desire to dwell; which desire of theirs is ver…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1d
“But what if there had been a circumcision of such natures in the days of their youth; and they had been severed from those sensual pleasures, such as eating and drinking, which, like leaden weights, were attached to them at their birth, and…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1e
“Whereas the truth is that the State in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quietly governed, and the State in which they are most eager, the worst.
Quite true, he replied.
And will our pupils, when th…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1h
“Then this is knowledge of the kind for which we are seeking, having a double use, military and philosophical; for the man of war must learn the art of number or he will not know how to array his troops, and the philosopher also, because he…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1i
“Yes, I said, but for that purpose a very little of either geometry or calculation will be enough; the question relates rather to the greater and more advanced part of geometry--whether that tends in any degree to make more easy the vision o…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1l
“You mean, I said, those gentlemen who tease and torture the strings and rack them on the pegs of the instrument: might carry on the metaphor and speak after their manner of the blows which the plectrum gives, and make accusations against th…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1m
“This, however, is not a theme to be treated of in passing only, but will have to be discussed again and again.
And so, whether our conclusion be true or false, let us assume all this, and proceed at once from the prelude or preamble to the…”
Plato: Republic | Section 1q
“Now all this is very natural in students of philosophy such as I have described, and also, as I was just now saying, most excusable.
Yes, he said; and, I may add, pitiable.
Therefore, that your feelings may not be moved to pity about our…”
Plato: Symposium | Section 1z
“Marvel not then at the love which all men have of their offspring; for that universal love and interest is for the sake of immortality." I was astonished at her words, and said: "Is this really true, O thou wise Diotima?" And she answered w…”
Plato: Symposium | Section 1ad
“Well, said Eryximachus, before you appeared we had passed a resolution that each one of us in turn should make a speech in praise of love, and as good a one as he could: the turn was passed round from left to right; and as all of us have sp…”
Plato: Symposium | Section 1ae
“When we hear any other speaker, even very good one, he produces absolutely no effect upon us, or not much, whereas the mere fragments of you and your words, even at second-hand, and however imperfectly repeated, amaze and possess the souls…”
Plato: Symposium | Section 1ag
“Now I feel that I should be a fool to refuse you this or any other favour, and therefore I come to lay at your feet all that I have and all that my friends have, in the hope that you will assist me in the way of virtue, which I desire above…”
Plato: Symposium | Section 1ai
“You may imagine Brasidas and others to have been like Achilles; or you may imagine Nestor and Antenor to have been like Perides; and the same may be said of other famous men, but of this strange being you will never be able to find any like…”
Plato: Timaeus | Section 1aj
“And the converse happens when some gentle inspiration of the understanding pictures images of an opposite character, and allays the bile and bitterness by refusing to stir or touch the nature opposed to itself, but by making use of the natu…”
Plato: Timaeus | Section 1av
“Wherefore of all modes of purifying and reuniting the body the best is gymnastic; the next best is a surging motion, as in sailing or any other mode of conveyance which is not fatiguing; the third sort of motion may be of use in a case of e…”
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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 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 V, Section 1b
“For the enjoyments born of contact (between senses and their objects) are, indeed, sources of misery; they have a beginning as well as an end .
O son of Kuntî!
a wise man feels no pleasure in them.
He who even in this world, before his r…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter X, Section 1a
“CHAPTER X.
Yet again, O you of mighty arms!
listen to my excellent words, which, out of a wish for your welfare, I speak to you who are delighted (with them).
Not the multitudes of gods, nor the great sages know my source; for I am in ev…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XIII, Section 1a
“CHAPTER XIII.
The Deity said: This body, O son of Kuntî!
is called Kshetra , and the learned call him who knows it the Kshetra g ña.
.
And know me also, O descendant of Bharata!
to be the Kshetra g ña in all Kshetras.
The knowledge of…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XIII, Section 1b
“The supreme spirit in this body is called supervisor, adviser , supporter, enjoyer, the great lord, and the supreme self also.
He who thus knows nature and spirit, together with the qualities, is not born again, however living .
Some by c…”
The Bhagavad Gita | Chapter XV, Section 1
“CHAPTER XV. The Deity said: They say the inexhaustible A s vattha has (its) roots above, (its) branches below; the Kh andas are its leaves. He who knows it knows the Vedas. Upwards and downwards extend its branches, which are enlarged by th…”
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book I | Sutra 3
“Then the Seer comes to consciousness in his proper nature. Egotism is but the perversion of spiritual being. Ambition is the inversion of spiritual power. Passion is the distortion of love. The mortal is the limitation of the immortal. When…”
Show all 24 →hermeticism21
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 1c
“And when she saw that Form of beauty which can never satiate, and him who [now] possessed within himself each single energy of [all seven] Rulers as well as God's own Form, she smiled with love; for 'twas as though she'd seen the image of M…”
Corpus Hermeticum 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 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 5: The Discourse of Hermes to Asclepius | Section 1a
“Though Unmanifest God Is Most Manifest 1.
I will recount to thee this sermon (logos) too, O Tat, that thou may'st cease to be without the mysteries of the God beyond all name.
And mark thou well how that which to the many seems unmanifest…”
Corpus Hermeticum 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 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 9: The Decalogue | Section 1a
“On Thought and Sense <This somewhat diffuse essay covers a series of topics, starting with (and to some extent from) the concept that the set of perceptions we call "thoughts" and the set we call "sensory perceptions" are not significantly…”
Show all 21 →greek_mystery16
Orphic Hymns | Hymn LXVI. ESCULAPIUS
“LXVI. TO ESCULAPIUS. The FUMIGATION from MANNA. GREAT Esculapius, skill'd to heal mankind,, All-ruling Pæan, and physician kind; Whose arts medic'nal, can alone assuage Diseases dire, and stop their dreadful rage: Strong lenient God, regard…”
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…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 5 (part 3)
“"Thou shalt not hope what thou ought'st not to hope," knowing the nature of all things, and what is possible.
55.
The Gods near at hand are virtue and truth.
p.
17 59, 60.
The fatal strife is caused by our inclination "madly to run cou…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 7 (part 2)
“Understand that no dissimulation can be long concealed.
24.
The unjust man suffers greater evil while his soul is tormented with a consciousness of guilt, than when his body is scourged with whips.
25.
It is by no means safe to discours…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 8 (part 1)
“p.
37 THE SIMILITUDES OF DEMOPHILUS 1.
Flattery is like painted armour, because it affords delight, but is of no use.
2.
Learning is similar to a golden crown; for it is both honourable and advantageous.
3.
Flighty men, like empty ves…”
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras | Section 10 (part 2)
“It is not proper to despise those things of which we shall be in want after the dissolution of the body.
36.
You should not ask of divinity that which, when you have obtained, you will not perpetually possess.
37.
Accustom your soul aft…”
Show all 16 →sufism14
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 III-a
“The Jewish King, his Vazir, and the Christians.
A certain Jewish king used to persecute the Christians, desiring to exterminate their faith.
His Vazir persuaded him to try a stratagem, namely, to mutilate the Vazir himself, and expel him…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY 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…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY V-e
“"In yourselves are signs; will ye not behold them?" (Koran li, 21).
12.
See Gulshan i Raz, I.
92.
Mr.
Mansel (Bampton Lectures, p.
49) says: "A thing can be known as that which it is only by being distinguished from that which it is n…”
The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VI-b
“They possess freewill and compulsion besides, 4 As in oyster-shells raindrops are pearls.
Outside the shell they are raindrops, great and small; Inside they are precious pearls, big and little.
These men also resemble the musk deer's bag;…”
Show all 14 →taoism10
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 22
“The partial becomes complete; the crooked, straight; the empty, full; the worn out, new. He whose (desires) are few gets them; he whose (desires) are many goes astray. Therefore the sage holds in his embrace the one thing (of humility), and…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 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…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 52
“(The Tao) which originated all under the sky is to be considered as the mother of them all. When the mother is found, we know what her children should be. When one knows that he is his mother's child, and proceeds to guard (the qualities of…”
Tao Te Ching | Chapter 70
“My words are very easy to know, and very easy to practise; but there is no one in the world who is able to know and able to practise them. There is an originating and all-comprehending (principle) in my words, and an authoritative law for t…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book II (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…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book II (part 10)
“Of the sounds of Man very little is said, but they form the subject of the next paragraph.
Nothing is said in answer to the disciple's inquiry about the notes of Heaven.
It is intimated, however, that there is no necessity to introduce an…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book IV (part 4)
“I have heard of the knowledge of the wise; I have not heard of the knowledge of the unwise.
Look at that aperture (left in the wall);--the empty apartment is filled with light through it.
Felicitous influences rest (in the mind thus emble…”
The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book V (part 2)
“'As a verification of the (power of) the original endowment, when it has been preserved, take the result of fearlessness,-how the heroic spirit of a single brave soldier has been thrown into an army of nine hosts 4 .
If a man only seeking…”
Show all 10 →egyptian6
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 6 (part 9)
“supported by a passage in the XCIInd Chapter of the Book of the Dead, where it is said:-- em xena ba-a sauti xaibit-a un uat Let not be shut in my soul, let not be fettered my shadow, let be opened the way en ba-d en xaibit-a maa-f neter aa…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 20 (part 1)
“PLATES XI.
AND XII.
Vignette I.
: Ani and his wife Thuthu approaching the first Arit, the cornice of which is ornamented with ### i.e.
, emblems of power, life, and stability.
At the entrance sit three gods, the first having the head o…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 32 (part 1)
“PLATE XXV.
Vignette: A swallow perched on a conical object painted red and green.
Text [CHAPTER LXXXVI.]: (I) HERE BEGIN THE CHAPTERS OF MAKING TRANSFORMATIONS.
THE CHANGING INTO A SWALLOW.
(2) Saith Osiris Ani, triumphant: "I am the sw…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 33 (part 2)
“I shall behold sacred things which are hidden, there shall be done unto me holy (37) hidden rites, I shall see what is there; my words shall make full the majesty of Shu, and they shall drive away evil hap.
(38) I, even I, am Horus who dwe…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 39 (part 3)
“8258, mottled glass buckle having the loop inlaid with blue composition; No.
8259, red faïence double buckle, pierced lengthwise for threading in a necklace.] deceased] he shall be among those who follow Osiris Un-nefer, triumphant.
The g…”
The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 43 (part 51)
“i-nek sexem-k am xu Cometh to thee thy sekhem among the khu's. [1.
I.e.
, Horus.
2 Recueil de Travaux , t.
v., p.
19 (l.
174).
3.
Recueil de Travaux , t.
v., p.
41 (l.
289).
4.
See below, p.
117.
5.
See below, p.
115.
6.…”
theosophy5
The Secret Doctrine | Page 4 (part 4)
“I T IS THEY WHO ARE THOU, ME, HIM, OH L ANOO.
T HEY, WHO WATCH OVER THEE, AND THY MOTHER EARTH.
[[Vol.
1, Page]] 34 THE SECRET DOCTRINE.
2.
T HE ONE RAY MULTIPLIES THE SMALLER RAYS.
L IFE PRECEDES FORM, AND LIFE SURVIVES THE LAST ATOM…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 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 13 (part 9)
“." It was called into being, a ready and perfect vehicle for the incarnating denizens of higher spheres, who took forthwith their abodes in these forms born of Spiritual WILL and the natural divine power in man.
It was a child of pure Spir…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 14 (part 11)
“But there is still as little cause to regard them as devils, and this is precisely what the Roman Catholics maintain against all reason and logic.
( b ) The concluding sentence of this sloka shows how archaic is the belief and the doctrine…”
The Secret Doctrine | Page 81 (part 4)
“It is mankind which has become the "Serpent of Genesis," and thus causes daily and hourly the Fall and sin of the "Celestial Virgin" -- which thus becomes the Mother of gods and devils at one and the same time; for she is the ever-loving, b…”
jewish_mysticism4
The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1h
“35: "Ye shall not do iniquity in judgment, in dimension, in weight, and in measure." (Where these four are mystically intimated.) 37.
(There is one) rigorous judgment (of severity),another that is not rigorous (that is, of the kingdom).
T…”
The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter 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 Kabbalah Unveiled | Introduction, Section 1b
“[But the first idea of equilibrium is the Ancient One (the first Sephira, or Crown Kether), because it is the first potential limitation of the boundless light which proceeds from the Limitless One.
That is, the central point of Kether is…”
The Kabbalah Unveiled | Introduction, Section 1o
“And the mother is illuminated (that is, in the second part of the ordinary averse Tetragrammaton, which consists of the letters IH, to the letter I, Yod , which hath the signification of the father, is added the letter H, He , which is the…”
celtic2
The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESIN-b
“And just as she was about to stoop upon him, and he was in fear of death, he espied a heap of winnowed wheat on the floor of a barn, and he dropped among the wheat, and turned himself into one of the grains.
Then she transformed herself in…”
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…”
mandaean2
Gnostic John the Baptizer — Some Typical Extracts | Section 13
“The Treasury am I, Life's Treasury. A crown I became for Life's Gnosis.
He bestowed on me the rulership over the treasures and the shekīnahs which
are there [yonder].
The Treasury am I, Life's Treasury. Of the light-worlds was I the
enligh…”
Gnostic John the Baptizer — Some Typical Extracts | Section 15
“"Who will come, who tell me what was before this? When the heaven was
not yet outspread and stars were not yet in it figured, when the earth was
not yet condensed and into the water no condensation had fallen, when sun and
moon came not as…”
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 V-a
“THE UNWRITTEN SCRIPTURES A Living Book.
The Sioux Story of Creation.
The First Battle.
Another Version of the Flood.
Our Animal Ancestry.
A missionary once undertook to instruct a group of Indians in the truths of his holy religion.
H…”
zoroastrianism2
Avesta (Gathas) | Ahunavaiti Gatha, Yasna XXXII, Section 1c
“(And) this entire 3 (reward of the righteous) is from that Best One who teaches 4 in the wide (mental) light of the pious 5 , ruling (as supreme), O Mazda Ahura 6 !
whose are my woes and my p.
67 doubtings 1 (yea, they lie in His power to…”
Avesta (Gathas) | Ahunavaiti Gatha, Yasna XXXIV, Section 1a
“1.
As to those (three gifts of blessings), Immortality, the Righteous Order, and the (established) Kingdom of Welfare, which Thou, O Mazda!
hast given through (holy) deeds, words, and the sacrifice unto these (Thy servants here in my sigh…”
biblical1
The Gospel According to John (American Standard Version, 1901) | 10:25-11:10
“[10:25] Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believe not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, these bear witness of me.
[10:26] But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep.
[10:27] My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, a…”