← Home
The Golden Verses of Pythagoras · 11 of 122 · tr. Florence M. Firth

Section 6 (part 3)

A woman should not be given to loquacity; for it is a dreadful thing. 77. To be governed by a woman is the extremity of insolence and unmanliness. 78. It is the property of a divine intellect p. 27 to be always intently thinking about the beautiful. 79. He who believes that Divinity beholds all things, will not sin either secretly or openly. 80. Those who praise the unwise do them a great injury. 81. It is better to be praised by another than by oneself. 82. If you cannot reconcile to yourself the praises you receive, think that you are flattered. 83. The world is a scene; life is a transition. You came, you saw, you departed. 84. The world is a mutation: life a vain opinion.
§ Ask Guru about this passage →
Themes
Active Contemplationpraxis

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

[auto] Verse 78 explicitly describes the divine intellect as 'always intently thinking about the beautiful,' indicating a practice of focused contemplation.

All passages →
Anthropomorphismtheology

Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery.

Verses 78 and 79 attribute human-like qualities such as 'intellect,' 'thinking,' and 'beholding' to the Divine.

All passages →
Body As Obstacleanthropology

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

Verses 83 and 84 describe the world as a 'scene' and life as a 'vain opinion,' devaluing material existence.

All passages →
Inner Silencepraxis

The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence.

Verse 76 warns against loquacity, implying that silence or restraint in speech is a virtue.

All passages →
Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

Verse 79 depicts Divinity as an active agent that 'beholds all things,' suggesting a present and responsive reality.

All passages →
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.

Verse 78 describes intently thinking about the beautiful as a disciplined intellectual activity.

All passages →
Rejection Of Hypocrisyethics

Critique of outward religious observance that lacks inner transformation; form without substance.

Verse 79 warns against secret sin and Verse 82 warns against flattery, emphasizing inner truth over outward appearance.

All passages →
Self Examinationpraxis

Daily review of thought and action as spiritual practice.

[auto] Verses 79 and 82 encourage constant self-monitoring regarding sin and the authenticity of praise received.

All passages →
Related passages · 11 parallels
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 2 (part 3)
“This other will is the sensitivity and conceivability of the primordial will, by means of which that which is nothing finds itself to be something. By so doing the inconceivable causeless will issues by means of that which it has eternally…”
Shared concept: Living God — The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality. (derived)
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1k
“and all things are moved by a longing for the Beautiful and Good, to accomplish every outward work and form every act of will. And true reasoning will also dare to affirm that even the Creator of all things Himself yearneth after all thing…”
Shared concept: Living God — The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality. (derived)
hinduism|Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book III|Sutra 7
“This threefold power, of Attention, Meditation, Contemplation, is more interior than the means of growth previously described. Very naturally so; because the means of growth previously described were concerned with the extrication of the sp…”
Shared concept: Meditation — Disciplined inward attention — sitting, focused, or open-awareness practice — as a stand-alone term that umbrellas active_contemplation, inner_silence, and dhyana-style sitting. (derived)
hinduism|Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Book III|Sutra 47
“Mastery over the powers of perception and action comes through perfectly concentrated Meditation on their fivefold forms; namely, their power to grasp their distinctive nature, the element of self-consciousness in them, their inherence, and…”
Shared concept: Active Contemplation — A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness. (derived)
western_esoteric|Psychic Self-Defence (Dion Fortune)|18. Methods Of Defence II-a
“THERE are two types of practical psychic work which may be used separately or in combination, the latter method, in my opinion, giving by far the best results, though the exponents of each are apt to decry the other. The method which we wi…”
Shared concept: Active Contemplation — A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness. (derived)
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 10 (part 9)
“"All sacrificing without faith and divine desire is an p. 219 abomination before God, and does not reach the gate of divine glory; but if man enters therein with the power of faith, he surrenders to it his free will, and desires by that me…”
Shared concept: Rejection Of Hypocrisy — Critique of outward religious observance that lacks inner transformation; form without substance. (derived)
platonism|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…”
Shared concept: Anthropomorphism — Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery. (derived)
renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialogue-g
“Wherefore not only can we never discourse about things divine, but we cannot even think of them without detracting from, rather than adding to the glory of them; so that the best thing to be done with regard to them is, that man, in the pre…”
Shared concept: Inner Silence — The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence. (derived)
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 9, Section 1c
“For just as, supposing we were in thought to represent the soul itself in bodily shape, and represent this indivisible substance as surrounded by bodily parts, we should, in such a case, give the surrounding parts a different meaning suited…”
Shared concept: Anthropomorphism — Attributing human characteristics, emotions, or form to the divine; embodied divine imagery. (derived)
hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 13: The Discourse of Hermes to Tat|Section 1a
“The Secret Sermon on the Mountain <This dialogue is in many ways the culmination of the whole Corpus, summing up the theory of the Hermetic system at the same time as it provides an intriguing glimpse at the practice. The focus of the dial…”
Shared concept: Inner Silence — The practice of stilling the mind and speech to open receptivity to divine knowledge or presence. (derived)
christian_mysticism|Meister Eckhart's Sermons (Field translation)|VI-e
“Therefore sanctification is the best of all things, for it cleanses the soul, and illuminates the conscience, and kindles the heart, and wakens the spirit, and girds up the loins, and glorifies virtue and separates us from creatures, and un…”
Shared concept: Self Examination — Daily review of thought and action as spiritual practice. (derived)
Contrasts · where traditions diverge
christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 10 (part 13)
“202:2 "Jesus" means "Wisdom." Divine wisdom is love. 202:3 Woman, being on the whole more refined, more submissive and intuitional than man, is also more receptive for the germ of true spirituality. 203:1 Whether a person is of the male o…”
The passages contrast in their views on women and divinity. Passage A from the Golden Verses of Pythagoras presents a misogynistic view, while Passage B from the mystical Christian tradition elevates the feminine principle and sees it as a vehicle for divine wisdom and spirituality.