The Golden Verses of Pythagoras · 19 of 122 · tr. Florence M. Firth
Section 9 (part 3)
There is not any gate of wealth so secure, which the opportunity of fortune may not open.
50.
Expel by reasoning the unrestrained grief of a torpid soul.
51 .
It is the province of the wise man to bear poverty with equanimity.
52.
Spare your life, lest you consume it with sorrow and care.
53.
Nor will I be silent as to this particular, that it appeared both to Plato and Pythagoras, that old age was not to be considered with reference to an egress from the present life, but to the beginning of a blessed life.
54.
The ancient theologists and priests testify that the soul is conjoined to the body through a certain punishment, and, that it is buried in this body as in a sepulchre.
55.
Whatever we see when awake is death; and when asleep, a dream.
Footnotes 47:1 Hence the dogma of the Stoics derived its origin, that the wise man is independent of fortune.
Themes
◇Rejection Of Hypocrisyethics
Critique of outward religious observance that lacks inner transformation; form without substance.
[auto] The text condemns concealing errors with words and warns against flatterers, prioritizing truthful correction over outward appearance.
All passages →◇Renunciation Of Wealthethics
The spiritual danger of attachment to material possessions; wealth as a spiritual obstacle.
[auto] Verse 30 explicitly critiques avarice by comparing the life of the greedy to a joyless funeral banquet.
All passages →◇Self Examinationpraxis
Daily review of thought and action as spiritual practice.
[auto] The passage explicitly urges the reader not to conceal errors but to remedy them, implying a practice of introspection and moral review.
All passages →Related passages · 2 parallels
◆christian_mysticism|The Life and Doctrines of Jacob Boehme|Chapter 14 (part 3)
“"In so far as a person remains in a will foreign to his true nature, and does not want to be cured of it by entering into the holy Word, this foreign being will take substance in him and hold the celestial essence in subjection; so that the…”
Both passages discuss the state of the soul after death and the consequences of one's actions and character during life. They share a belief in the soul's journey and the importance of moral and spiritual development, though they come from different mystical traditions.
◆neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter III
“The wise, [49] therefore, speak as follows: The soul having a twofold life, one being in conjunction with body, but the other being separate from all body; when we are awake we employ, for the most part, the life which is common with the bo…”
Both passages discuss the nature of the soul and its connection to the body, as well as the idea of a higher, more divine state of existence. They also touch on the themes of wisdom and the soul's ability to perceive and influence the world beyond the physical.