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The Golden Verses of Pythagoras · 8 of 122 · tr. Florence M. Firth

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 counter to God's laws." it is this strife that should be avoided by yielding to the will of God. 62. The Dæmon of whom they make use is their own soul, or essence, for to see and know this is to be freed from all evils. 67. The Purifications are divided into two parts, one concerning itself with the physical body, and the other with the "luminous body." The Deliverance of the Soul is accomplished by "Dialecticks, which science is the intimate inspection of beings." Of the two former, one purifies through diet and the whole management and usage of the mortal body; and the other employs the Mathematical Sciences, Meditation, and Religious Ceremonies. All three Purifications must be accomplished if man would become free, and Godlike. It is to be noted that they deal with (1) the body, (2) the emotions and lower mind, and (3) the higher mind.
Themes
Active Contemplationpraxis

A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.

The Deliverance of the Soul is accomplished by 'Dialecticks, which science is the intimate inspection of beings,' indicating an active intellectual contemplation.

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Body As Obstacleanthropology

The material body viewed as a prison, tomb, or source of error that hinders spiritual knowledge and return.

The physical body requires purification through diet and management to achieve freedom, implying it is a hindrance in its natural state.

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Detachment Gelassenheitpraxis

Eckhart's Abgeschiedenheit/Gelassenheit — radical letting-go of will, image, and grasping that opens the soul to God; distinct from inner_silence (quietness) and from material renunciation, and adjacent to Sufi tark and Buddhist non-grasping as a practice rather than a metaphysical claim.

The instruction to avoid strife by 'yielding to the will of God' parallels the practice of letting go of one's own will.

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Divine Lighttheology

The uncreated luminous quality of the divine, sometimes experienced directly in mystical states; illumination as revelation.

The passage mentions a 'luminous body' as one of the two parts of Purifications, indicating a divine or spiritual luminosity within the human constitution.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The text advises avoiding strife by 'yielding to the will of God,' implying an active divine ordering of affairs.

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Fasting And Prayerpraxis

Ascetic disciplines that prepare the body and mind for spiritual receptivity or purification.

Purification of the mortal body is achieved through 'diet and the whole management,' while 'Religious Ceremonies' are used for the luminous body.

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Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

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

Salvation is linked to 'knowing the nature of all things' and the 'intimate inspection of beings' through Dialecticks.

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Inner Lightanthropology

The divine spark or luminous quality residing within the human person, potentially recognisable through introspection.

The 'Dæmon' is identified as the 'own soul, or essence,' and a 'luminous body' is mentioned, suggesting an internal divine quality.

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Kingdom Withinanthropology

The claim that the divine realm is present inside the individual, accessible without external mediation.

The text states the Dæmon is 'their own soul,' and knowing this leads to freedom, placing the divine reality within the individual.

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Meditationpraxis

Disciplined inward attention — sitting, focused, or open-awareness practice — as a stand-alone term that umbrellas active_contemplation, inner_silence, and dhyana-style sitting.

'Meditation' is explicitly listed alongside Mathematical Sciences and Religious Ceremonies as a method for purifying the luminous body.

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Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

The aim is to become 'Godlike,' suggesting a union or identification with the divine nature.

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Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The goal of 'Deliverance of the Soul' to become 'Godlike' implies a return to a divine origin or state.

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Spiritual Ascentpraxis

A staged journey of the soul upward through heavenly realms or levels of being toward the divine source.

The 'Deliverance of the Soul' is accomplished through specific sciences and purifications, implying a staged journey upward toward freedom.

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Theurgypraxis

Iamblichean ritual practice that engages the gods directly through consecrated material symbols and actions, on the premise that divine power descends into properly prepared matter — distinct from philosophical contemplation alone.

'Religious Ceremonies' are listed as a means of purification alongside intellectual sciences, suggesting ritual engagement with the divine.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

[auto] The text explicitly identifies the knowledge of the Quaternion as one of the chief precepts among the Pythagoreans.

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Ritual Puritypraxis

The maintenance of a state of cleanliness—physical, moral, or spiritual—required for encounter with the divine.

[auto] The passage states that all three Purifications concerning the body and luminous body must be accomplished for deliverance.

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Self Knowledgesoteriology

The recognition of one's own true divine nature as the primary path to liberation; 'know thyself' as soteriology.

[auto] Liberation from evils is achieved by seeing and knowing one's own soul or essence as the Dæmon.

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Theosis Deificationsoteriology

The doctrine — central to Eastern Orthodox and Maximian theology — that the human person is progressively transformed into a partaker of the divine nature by grace, not merely justified or united in passing ecstasy.

[auto] The ultimate goal described is that 'man would become free, and Godlike' through the accomplishment of all three Purifications.

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Tripartite Soulanthropology

Division of the human being into three principles: spirit (pneuma), soul (psyche), and body/matter (hyle or soma).

[auto] The text explicitly divides the human being into three parts for purification: '(1) the body, (2) the emotions and lower mind, and (3) the higher mind.'

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Related passages · 12 parallels
christian_mysticism|Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation)|Vb
It is necessary, therefore, for all the creatures which issued forth from God to co-operate earnestly with all their powers to form a Man who may again attain that union with God which Adam enjoyed before he fell, and who may again restore…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of aligning oneself with divine will and the process of purification or union with the divine. They share themes of divine union, purification, and the transformation of human nature through divine connection.
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 1 (part 5)
' Not that a person should run away from his home, and desert his wife, child, or relatives, commit suicide, or throw away his property, so that he may not be therein corporeally; but he should kill and annihilate his self-will, the will th…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of surrendering one's self-will to the divine will, seeking divine union, and achieving a state of humility and resignation to attain spiritual knowledge and freedom.
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 1 (part 13)
A man knowing nothing of God, and having no faith in the power of anything divine, which may become revealed in him, cannot be in possession of divine self-knowledge; but if man, by being obedient to the law, enters into a state of harmony…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of aligning with divine will and the pursuit of divine knowledge. They share the theme of spiritual purification and the attainment of a higher state of being through obedience to divine laws and the recognition of divine presence within oneself.
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 3 (part 4)
The will cannot attain this light, and the more it desires for freedom the greater will be the attraction caused by the desire." ( Six Theosophical Points , i, 38.) "There must be au opposition, for the will desires not to be dark, and this…”
Both passages discuss the internal struggle within the human soul, with Boehme focusing on the conflict between desire and freedom, and the second passage emphasizing the strife caused by opposing divine will. Both highlight the need for purification and alignment with higher principles to achieve spiritual freedom.
hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 4: The Epistles|Section 1b
And having raised themselves so far they sight the Good; and having sighted it, they look upon their sojourn here as a mischance; and in disdain of all, both things in body and the bodiless, they speed their way unto that One and Only One.…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of spiritual purification and the pursuit of divine knowledge. They share themes of transcending the physical body, aligning with divine will, and achieving a higher state of being through knowledge and self-discipline.
neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 7
Section 3 3. We may treat of the Soul as in the body- whether it be set above it or actually within it- since the association of the two constitutes the one thing called the living organism, the Animate. Now from this relation, from the Sou…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the soul and the body, exploring how the soul interacts with and is affected by the physical form. They share a mystical perspective on the purification and elevation of the soul.
neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 38
Section 5 5. But what of sorrows, illnesses and all else that inhibit the native activity? What of the suspension of consciousness which drugs or disease may bring about? Could either welfare or happiness be present under such conditions? A…”
Both passages discuss the relationship between the soul and the body, and the pursuit of happiness or freedom from suffering. They emphasize the need to transcend bodily concerns to achieve a higher state of being, though they use different terminology and cultural contexts.
neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 355 (part 1)
Section 35 35. But we must give some explanation of these powers. The matter requires a more definite handling. How can there be a difference of power between one triangular configuration and another? How can there be the exercise of po…”
Both passages discuss the interconnectedness of all things and the importance of understanding and aligning with the universal order. Passage A emphasizes the knowledge of the Quaternion and the will of God, while Passage B describes the All as a comprehensive living being with a unified soul, highlighting the interconnectedness and mutual influence of all parts.
platonism|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…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of purifying the soul and the body to attain higher knowledge or truth. They share the idea that the body and its desires hinder the soul's ability to achieve pure knowledge or union with the divine.
renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|Second Dialoguec
Therefore in this present time it is proper that noble spirits equipped with truth and enlightened with the Divine intelligence, should arm themselves against dense ignorance by climbing up to the high rock and tower of contemplation.[L] [L…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of focusing on higher, spiritual pursuits rather than trivial or material concerns. They advocate for contemplation, understanding the divine, and purifying the soul as means to achieve a higher state of being.
2 more
western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic I: The Doctrine (Éliphas Lévi)|20. The Universal Medicinea
CAPUT RESURRECTIO CIRCULUS THE MAJORITY of our physical complaints come from our moral diseases, according to the one and universal dogma, and by reason of the law of analogies. A great passion to which we abandon ourselves corresponds alw…”
Both passages emphasize the importance of aligning with divine will or higher truths for spiritual purification and immortality. Passage A discusses the purification of the soul and becoming Godlike through dialectics and religious ceremonies, while Passage B talks about the Universal Medicine and becoming immortal through wisdom and growth in reason and goodness.
western_esoteric|Transcendental Magic II: The Ritual (Éliphas Lévi)|8. Warning To The Imprudenta
THE operations of science are not devoid of danger, as we have stated several times. They may end in madness for those who are not established firmly on the basis of supreme, absolute and infallible reason. Terrible and incurable diseases…”
Both passages emphasize the dangers of engaging in mystical or magical practices without proper preparation and self-control. They also stress the importance of balance and the need for a disciplined approach to these practices, though they use different metaphors and frameworks.