soteriology
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The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.
1,090 passages · 17 traditions
neoplatonism278
◆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 Va
“In the next place, let us direct our attention to the solution of your inquiries.
There is, therefore, the good itself which is beyond essence, and there is that good which subsists according to essence; I mean the essence which is most an…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIIIa
“But neither must we admit that cause of the distinction of these genera which you subjoin, viz.
“ that it is an arrangement with reference to different bodies; as, for instance, 39 of Gods to etherial bodies, but of dæmons to aerial bodies…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter VIIIb
“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 Xa
“After these things, you again subjoin another division for yourself, “ in which you separate the essences of the more excellent genera by the difference of passive and impassive .” But neither do I admit this division.
For no one of the mo…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XIb
“[31] Things of this kind, therefore, are introduced for the sake of our soul, and of the diminution of the evils which adhere to it 55 through generation, and of a solution and liberation from its bonds.
On this account, also, they are ver…”
◆Iamblichus: On the Mysteries | Chapter XIII
“Moreover, “ the pacifications of anger ” will become manifest, if we understand what the anger of the Gods is. [32] This, therefore, is not, as it appears to be to some, a certain ancient and inveterate rage, but an abandonment of the benef…”
Show all 278 →christian_mysticism191
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1a
“CHAPTER X Concerning ” Omnipotent ,” ” Ancient of Days “; and also concerning ” Eternity “ and ” Time .” 1.
Now ‘tis time that our Discourse should celebrate God (Whose Names are many) as “Omnipotent” and “Ancient of Days.” The former titl…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1b
“For where Scripture speaks of things as “eternal” it doth not always mean things that are absolutely Uncreated or verily Everlasting, Incorruptible, 171 Immortal, Invariable, and Immutable ( e.g.
“Be ye lift up, ye eternal doors,” 461 461…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 10, Section 1c
“It is spoken of by ail the Christian Mystics as the root of our being, or as the spark, or the Synteresis, etc.
Our perfection consists in this ultimate reality, which is each man’s self, shining through his whole being and transforming it…”
◆Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names | Chapter 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…”
Show all 191 →gnosticism157
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1a
“(Above image of the Gospel of Thomas courtesy of the Institute for Antiquity and Christianity, Claremont Graduate University) Visit the Bookstore for a complete selection of translations and books about The Nag Hammadi Library The Nag Hamma…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1b
“TRUTH MADE NAMES Truth made names in the world, and without them we can’t think.
Truth is one and is many, teaching one thing through the many.
RULERS The rulers wanted to fool us, since they saw we were connected with the good.
They too…”
◆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 1g
“THINGS BELOW LIKE THINGS ABOVE The lord said, “I came to make things below like things above, and the outside like the inside.
I came to join them in one place.” He revealed who he is through types and images.
Those who say, “There is a h…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 1i
“His seed was Jesus, and the plant was the cross.” The tree of life in the middle of that garden of paradise is an olive tree, and from the olive tree comes chrism, and from that oil comes the resurrection.
THE WORLD EATS BODIES The world e…”
◆Gospel of Philip | Section 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 1m
“If we know the truth, we shall find the fruits of the truth within us.
If we join it, it will fulfill us.
THE STRONG AND WEAK, THE MANIFEST AND HIDDEN Now we have the manifest things of creation.
We say, “The strong are they who are held…”
Show all 157 →platonism88
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1b
“I thought that in going to the other world he could not be without a divine call, and that he would be happy, if any man ever was, when he arrived there, and therefore I did not pity him as might seem natural at such a time.
But neither co…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1d
“Socrates replied: And have you, Cebes and Simmias, who are acquainted with Philolaus, never heard him speak of this?
I never understood him, Socrates.
My words, too, are only an echo; but I am very willing to say what I have heard: and in…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1e
“And I rather imagine that Cebes is referring to you; he thinks that you are too ready to leave us, and too ready to leave the gods who, as you acknowledge, are our good rulers.
Yes, replied Socrates; there is reason in that.
And this indi…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1f
“And being dead is the attainment of this separation; when the soul exists in herself, and is parted from the body and the body is parted from the soul-that is death?
Exactly: that and nothing else, he replied.
And what do you say of anoth…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1g
“And he attains to the knowledge of them in their highest purity who goes to each of them with the mind alone, not allowing when in the act of thought the intrusion or introduction of sight or any other sense in the company of reason, but wi…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1h
“And now that the hour of departure is appointed to me, this is the hope with which I depart, and not I only, but every man who believes that he has his mind purified.
Certainly, replied Simmias.
And what is purification but the separation…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1i
“They are temperate because they are intemperate-which may seem to be a contradiction, but is nevertheless the sort of thing which happens with this foolish temperance.
For there are pleasures which they must have, and are afraid of losing;…”
◆Plato: Phaedo | Section 1j
“I reckon, said Socrates, that no one who heard me now, not even if he were one of my old enemies, the comic poets, could accuse me of idle talking about matters in which I have no concern.
Let us, then, if you please, proceed with the inqu…”
Show all 88 →renaissance_hermeticism74
◆Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter I — How Magicians Collect Virtues from the Three-Fold World is Declared in these Three Books | Chapter I, Section 1
“CHAPTER I. How Magicians Collect Virtues from the Three-Fold World is Declared in these Three Books . Seeing there is a Three-fold World—Elementary, Celestial and Intellectual—and every inferior is governed by its superior, and receiveth th…”
◆Agrippa: The Philosophy of Natural Magic, Chapter IV — Of a Three-Fold Consideration of the Elements | Chapter IV, Section 1
“CHAPTER IV. Of a Three-Fold Consideration of the Elements . There are, then, as we have said, four Elements, without the perfect knowledge whereof we can effect nothing in Magic. Now each of them is three-fold, that so the number of four ma…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | INTRODUCTIONh
“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) | INTRODUCTIONi
“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) | INTRODUCTIONj
“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 Dialoguea
“.
Tansillo, Cicada.
Tans.
The enthusiasms most suitable to be first brought forward and considered are those that I now place before you in the order that seems to me most fitting.
Cic.
Begin, then, to read.
Tansillo.
1.
Ye Muses, t…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialoguec
“Hence he cries: "O mountain of Parnassus, where I abide!
Muses, with whom I converse!
Fountain of Helicon, where I am nourished.
Mountain, that affordest me a quiet dwelling-place!
Muses, that inspire me with pro found doctrines.
Fount…”
◆The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part I (Gli Eroici Furori) | First Dialogued
“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 74 →western_esoteric73
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies Which Have Influenced Modern Masonic Symbolismc
“They taught man to use his faculties more intelligently, to be patient in the face of adversity, to be courageous when confronted by danger, to be true in the midst of temptation, and, most of all, to view a worthy life as the most acceptab…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies Which Have Influenced Modern Masonic Symbolism|
“A cone expresses the sun, a cylinder the earth; the phallus and triangle (a symbol of the matrix) designate generation." (From Essay on the Mysteries of Eleusis by M.
Ouvaroff.) THE PROCESSIONAL OF THE BACCHIC RITES.
From Ovid's Metamorph…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Ancient Mysteries and Secret Societies Which Have Influenced Modern Masonic Symbolism
“The Bacchic state signifies the unity of the rational soul in a state of self-knowledge, and the Titanic state the diversity of the rational soul which, being scattered throughout creation, loses the consciousness of its own essential one-n…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Atlantis and the Gods of Antiquityg
“At the first gate the great crown is removed from her head, at the second gate the earrings from her ears, at the third gate the necklace from her neck, at the fourth gate the ornaments from her breast, at the fifth gate the girdle from her…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | Atlantis and the Gods of Antiquityi
“From Kircher's Œdipus Ægyptiacus.
The great Pan was celebrated as the author and director of the sacred dances which he is supposed to have instituted to symbolize the circumambulations of the heavenly bodies.
Pan was a composite creature…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Life and Teachings of Thoth Hermes Trismegistusi
“Knowing only the body which is subject to death, they believe in death because they worship that substance which is the cause and reality of death." Then Hermes asked how the righteous and wise pass to God, to which Poimandres replied: "Tha…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Life and Teachings of Thoth Hermes Trismegistusj
“"Then, being naked of all the accumulations of the seven Rings, the soul comes to the Eighth Sphere, namely, the ring of the fixed stars.
Here, freed of all illusion, it dwells in the Light and sings praises to the Father in a voice which…”
◆The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Manly P. Hall) | The Zodiac and Its Signse
“Grant us Thy peace."' Therefore, the Lamb of God is a title given to the sun, who is said to be reborn every year in the Northern Hemisphere in the sign of the Ram, although, due to the existing discrepancy between the signs of the zodiac a…”
Show all 73 →egyptian50
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 5 (part 3)
“When Isis heard of this she went to Byblos, and, gaining admittance to the palace through the report of the royal maidens, she was made nurse to one of the king's sons, Instead of nursing the child in the ordinary way, Isis gave him her fin…”
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 6 (part 15)
“The Egyptians called them " per kheru ," that is to say, " the things which the word or the demand made to appear ," or " per hru kheru ," that is to say, " the things which presented themselves at the word " or " at the demand " of the dec…”
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 7 (part 2)
“But side by side with neter , whatever it may mean, we have mentioned in texts of all ages a number of beings called neteru which Egyptologists universally translate by the word "gods." Among these must be included the great cosmic powers a…”
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 9 (part 3)
“5.
Lanzone, Domicile des Esprits , p.
1; Dizionario , p.
1292.
6.
Maspero, La Mythologie Égyptienne ( Études , I.
ii., p.
207); Jéquier, Le Livre , p.
3 The eastern mountain peak was called Bakhatet, and the western Manu.
7.
I.e.…”
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 12 (part 3)
“This scent is that which distilleth from Horus, this scent is that which distilleth from Set, and it is that which stablisheth the hearts of the two Horus gods.[2] Thou purifiest thyself with the Heru-shesu;[*] thou art purified with natron…”
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 14 (part 2)
“The numbers in parentheses indicate the lines of the papyrus.
2.
The god Khepera is usually represented with a beetle for a head; and the scarab, or beetle, was sacred to him.
The name means "to become, to turn, to roll," and the abstrac…”
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 16 (part 3)
“The palettes of the Egyptian scribe were rectangular, and were made of wood, stone, basalt, ivory (see Nos.
5512a, 5513, 5525a, and 12,779, etc., in the British Museum).
They measure from 10 to 17 inches in length, and from 2 to 3 inches…”
◆The Egyptian Book of the Dead (Papyrus of Ani) | Chapter 18 (part 9)
“"(37) O ye who open the way and lay open the paths to perfected souls in the Hall of (38) Osiris, open ye the way and lay open the paths (39) to the soul of Osiris, the scribe and steward of all the divine offerings, Ani (40) [who is triump…”
Show all 50 →greek_mystery40
◆Orphic Hymns | Front Matter, p. 4 (part 7)
“And although the same employment is common both to the ruler, and those who are ruled; yet the latter, if destitute of a leader, could no longer conspire together in one occupation; as the concord of the fingers and ` dancers, and the exped…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Front Matter, p. 4 (part 8)
“43 these unnatural habits." As, therefore, it is not wonderful that the greatest part of those who inhabit a pestiferous region, should languish and decline, but that a very few should preserve their natural strength; so we ought not to won…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Front Matter, p. 4 (part 10)
“For in this solemnity grass is carried about, enwrapping the kernels of olives, attended with figs, all kinds of pulse, oaken boughs or acorns, the fruit of the strawberry, wheat, and barley, a mass of dried figs, cakes composed from the me…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Front Matter, p. 4 (part 11)
“As the husbandman, therefore, performs sacred rites, by presenting handfuls of pulse and fruits, so ought we to sacrifice our purest thoughts, and other goods of the soul, thanking the divinities for the sublime contemplations they afford u…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Front Matter, p. 4 (part 14)
“If this is the case, do not they who deny that prayers are to be offered to the Gods, and who prevent their souls from being united with the divinities, that is with beings more excellent than themselves, appear similar to those who are dep…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Front Matter, p. 4 (part 15)
“For the generative causes of things, are contained by similitude in their effects; and in causes themselves their progeny subsist, comprehended in perfect union and consent.
Hence the celestial orbs impart a copious defluxion of good to th…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Front Matter, p. 4 (part 16)
“This heated paper we may compare to a certain relation of inferiors to superiors; and its approximation to the lamp, to the opportune use of things according to time, place, and matter.
But the procession of fire in the paper aptly represe…”
◆Orphic Hymns | Front Matter, p. 4 (part 17)
“82 bitumen, and the sprinkling of marine water.
For sulphur purifies from the sharpness of its odour; but marine water on account of its fiery portion.
Besides this, in the worship of the Gods, they offered animals, and other substances c…”
Show all 40 →taoism34
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 6
“The valley spirit dies not, aye the same; The female mystery thus do we name. Its gate, from which at first they issued forth, Is called the root from which grew heaven and earth. Long and unbroken does its power remain, Used gently, and wi…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 24
“He who stands on his tiptoes does not stand firm; he who stretches his legs does not walk (easily). (So), he who displays himself does not shine; he who asserts his own views is not distinguished; he who vaunts himself does not find his mer…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 25
“There was something undefined and complete, coming into existence before Heaven and Earth. How still it was and formless, standing alone, and undergoing no change, reaching everywhere and in no danger (of being exhausted)! It may be regarde…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 33
“He who knows other men is discerning; he who knows himself is intelligent. He who overcomes others is strong; he who overcomes himself is mighty. He who is satisfied with his lot is rich; he who goes on acting with energy has a (firm) will.…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 55
“He who has in himself abundantly the attributes (of the Tao) is like an infant. Poisonous insects will not sting him; fierce beasts will not seize him; birds of prey will not strike him. (The infant's) bones are weak and its sinews soft, bu…”
◆Tao Te Ching | Chapter 62
“Tao has of all things the most honoured place. No treasures give good men so rich a grace; Bad men it guards, and doth their ill efface. (Its) admirable words can purchase honour; (its) admirable deeds can raise their performer above others…”
◆The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book 123 (part 1)
“p.
164 THE WRITINGS OF KWANG-DZE.
BOOK I.
PART I.
SECTION I.
Hsiâo-yâo Yû, or 'Enjoyment in Untroubled Ease 1 .' 1.
In the Northern Ocean there is a fish, the name of which is Khwän 2 ,--I do not know how many lî in size.
It changes…”
◆The Writings of Chuang Tzu (Inner Chapters) | Book 124 (part 1)
“p.
176 BOOK II.
PART I.
SECTION II.
Khî Wû Lun, or 'The Adjustment of Controversies 1 .' 1.
Nan-kwo Sze-khî 2 was seated, leaning forward on his stool.
He was looking up to heaven and breathed gently, seeming to be in a trance, and to…”
Show all 34 →buddhism29
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter II, Section 1b
“A Bhikshu (mendicant) who delights in earnestness, who looks with fear on thoughtlessness, [25.
Childers explains this island again as the state of an Arhat (arahatta-phalam).
28.
Cf.
Childers, Dictionary, Preface, p.
xiv.
See Vinaya,…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter III, Section 1b
“That s ru means 'to run,' and is in fact a merely dialectic variety of sru, has been proved by Burnouf, while Boehtlingk thinks the substitution of s for s is a mistake.
 s rava therefore, or âsrava, meant originally 'the running out towa…”
◆The Dhammapada | Chapter IV, Section 1a
“p.
16 CHAPTER IV.
FLOWERS [1] .
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)…”
◆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 1a
“p.
23 CHAPTER VI.
THE WISE MAN (PA ND ITA).
76.
If you see an intelligent man who tells you where true treasures are to be found, who shows what is to be avoided, and administers reproofs, follow that wise man; it will be better, not wo…”
◆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 VI, Section 1c
“Fausböll seems inclined to take âsava in this passage, and in the other passages where it occurs, as the Pâli representative of â s raya.
But â s raya, in Buddhist phraseology, means rather the five organs of sense with manas, 'the soul,'…”
◆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…”
Show all 29 →hermeticism22
◆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 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 9: The Decalogue | Section 1b
“But I return once more to the Discourse (Logos) on Sense.
That sense doth share with thought in man, doth constitute him man.
But 'tis not [every] man, as I have said, who benefits by thought; for this man is material, that other one subs…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount | Section 1a
“The Key <This longer tractate presents itself explicitly as a summary or abridgement of the General Sermons (CH II-IX), and discusses the Hermetic view of knowledge and its role in the lives and afterlives of human beings.
The attentive re…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount | Section 1b
“For It doth will to be, and It is both Itself and most of all by reason of Itself.
Indeed, all other things beside are just bacause of It; for the distinctive feature of the Good is "that it should be known".
Such is the Good, O Tat.
Tat…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount | Section 1d
“Spirit pervading [body] by means of veins and arteries and blood, bestows upon the living creature motion, and as it were doth bear it in a way.
For this cause some do think the soul is blood, in that they do mistake its nature, not knowin…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount | Section 1f
“But God is o'er them all, and God contains them all.
God's rays, to use a figure, are His energies; the Cosmos's are natures, the arts and sciences are man's.
The energies act through the Cosmos, thence through the nature-rays of Cosmos u…”
◆Corpus Hermeticum 12: The Prayer | Section 1c
“All things incorporeal when in a body are subject unto passion, and in the proper sense they are [themselves] all passions.
For every thing that moves itself is incorporeal; while every thing that's moved is body.
Incorporeals are further…”
Show all 22 →jewish_mysticism15
◆The Book of Concealed Mystery (Siphra Dtzenioutha) | 1f
“[The letters of the Hebrew alphabet are divided into three classes, the three mothers as they are called, AMSh; the seven duplex letters, BGDKPRTh, so called because they are sometimes tenues and sometimes aspirates, according to whether th…”
◆The Book of 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 XXXIX
“XXXIX. The Abode of the Righteous and of the Elect One: the Praises of the Blessed . CHAPTER XXXIX. 1. [ And it †shall come to pass in those days that elect and holy children †will descend from the high heaven, and their seed †will become o…”
◆The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter XLII
“XLII. The Dwelling-places of Wisdom and of Unrighteousness . CHAPTER XLII. 1. Wisdom found no place where she might dwell; Then a dwelling-place was assigned her in the heavens. 2 Wisdom went forth to make her dwelling among the children of…”
◆The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter LVII
“LVII. The Return from the Dispersion . CHAPTER LVII. 1. And it came to pass after this that I saw another host of wagons, and men riding thereon, and coming on the winds from the east, and from the west to the south. 2. And the noise of the…”
◆The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter LXX
“LXX. The Final Translation of Enoch . CHAPTER LXX. 1. And it came to pass after this that his name during his lifetime was raised aloft to that Son of Man and to the Lord of Spirits from amongst those who dwell on the earth. 2. And he was r…”
◆The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter LXXXIX (part 2)
“And a sheep which had been saved from the wolves fled and escaped to the wild asses; and I saw the sheep how they lamented and cried, and besought their Lord with all their might, till that Lord of the sheep descended at the voice of the sh…”
◆The Book of Enoch (1 Enoch, Charles translation) | Chapter LXXXIX (part 3)
“And that sheep took other sheep with it, and came to those sheep which had fallen away, and began to slay them; and the sheep feared its presence, and thus that sheep brought back those sheep that had fallen away, and they returned to their…”
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◆Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 3
“Then all of the priests arose and said to Old Father Zakhriā, [they
said] in reproach: "Be at rest and keep thy seat, Old Father, and let the
calm of the Good (pl.) rest upon thee. Old p. 39 Father, if there were no dreams
in Judća, then wo…”
◆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 9
“JOHN AND THE BAPTISM OF JESUS (§ 30).
Yahyā proclaims in the nights, Yōhānā on the Night's
evenings.
YAHYĀ proclaims in the nights.—Glory rises over the worlds.
Who told Yeshu (Eshu)? Who told Yeshu Messiah, son of Miryam, who told
Yeshu…”
◆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 13
“"If thou knowest," he makes answer unto her, "that this does never
happen, why dost thou press me with asking: When dost thou return? I go hence
and return not. Happy the day when thou dost still see me. If there were a
going-away and retur…”
◆Gnostic John the Baptizer — Portents at John's Birth | Section 16
“When Messiah said this, Yahyā cries aloud; tears come to him without
ceasing, and he speaks: "[God] forbid that the high King of Light should look
for lot in deceivers. The soul is not like the blood, that it should become
heated in the bod…”
◆Gnostic John the Baptizer — 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…”
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◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | PROLOGUEa
“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) | STORY Ia
“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 IIIa
“The Jewish King, his Vazir, and the Christians.
A certain Jewish king used to persecute the Christians, desiring to exterminate their faith.
His Vazir persuaded him to try a stratagem, namely, to mutilate the Vazir himself, and expel him…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IV
“Another Tyrannical Jewish King. A certain Jewish king, the same who is referred to in the Sura "Signs of the Zodiac," I made up his mind to utterly exterminate the Christian faith, and with that view he set up a huge idol, and issued comman…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VIa
“Omar and the Ambassador.
The hare, having delivered his companions from the tyranny of the lion, in the manner just described, proceeds to improve the occasion by exhorting them to engage in a greater and more arduous warfare, viz., the st…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY VIIa
“The Merchant and his Clever Parrot.
There was a certain merchant who kept a parrot in a cage.
Being about to travel to Hindustan on business, he asked the parrot if he had any message to send to his kinsmen in that country, and the parrot…”
◆The Masnavi, Book I (Rumi) | STORY IXc
“When love of God kindles a flame in the inward man, He burns, and is freed from effects.
He has no need of signs to assure him of love, For love casts its own light up to heaven.
Other details are wanting to complete this subject, But tak…”
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◆The Kalevala | Rune Ia
“OF WAINAMOINEN.
In primeval times, a maiden, Beauteous Daughter of the Ether, Passed for ages her existence In the great expanse of heaven, O'er the prairies yet enfolded.
Wearisome the maiden growing, Her existence sad and hopeless, Thus…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune VIId
“This the reason for my weeping; I have lived in toil and torture, Since I left my home and country, Left my native land and kindred, Came to this the land of strangers, To these unfamiliar portals.
All thy trees have thorns to wound me, Al…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune XVi
“Northland's ugly hostess, Louhi, Will not give to me her daughter, Fairest maiden of Pohyola, Till I kill the swan of Mana, With my bow and but one arrow, In the river of Tuoni.
Lemminkainen's mother answers, In the sacred stream and whirl…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune XVIId
“"Go, thou demon, hence to wander, Flee, thou plague of Northland heroes; Never come again for shelter, Nevermore build thou thy dwelling In the body of Wipunen; Take at once thy habitation To the regions of thy kindred, To thy distant field…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune XXIIIh
“From his couch I leaped impulsive, In the coldest night of winter, But the husband fleetly followed, Caught me at the outer portals, Grasped me by my streaming tresses, Tore my ringlets from my forehead, Cast in curls upon the night-winds T…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune XXIXf
“When the hero's feast had ended, Straightway was a magic vessel Given by the kindly hostess To the weary Kaukomieli, Bark of beauty, new and hardy, Wherewithal to aid the stranger In his journey to his home-land, To the cottage of his mothe…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune XLd
“Louhi, hostess of the Northland, Took the harp-strings in her fingers; All the youth of Sariola, Youth of every tribe and station, Vainly touched the harp of fish-bone; Could not find the notes of joyance, Dissonance their only pleasure; Sh…”
◆The Kalevala | Rune Lf
“In thy years, for greater follies, Greater sins and misdemeanors, Thou wert not unjustly punished.
In thy former years of trouble, When thou gavest thine own brother, For thy selfish life a ransom, Thus to save thee from destruction, Then…”
celtic1
◆The Mabinogion | Tale TALIESINd
“I will supplicate my Lord that I get refuge in him, A regard I may obtain in his grace; The Son of Mary is my trust, great in him is my delight, For in him is the world continually upholden.
God has been to instruct me and to raise my expe…”
mesopotamian1
◆The Descent of the Goddess Ishtar into the Lower World | Section 1c
“Sprinkle Ishtar with the waters of life and take her out of my presence.
Namtar went, knocked at the strong palace, Tapped on the threshold of precious stones.
He brought out the Anunnaki and placed them on golden thrones, He sprinkled Is…”