Perception-Reception-Imaging-Integration-Impulse

There are better and worse ways to deal with the confusions and distortions of our mixed up experiences.

In The Apocryphon of John (an excellent translation is found in Bentley Layton's Gnostic Scriptures, and also in Barnstone/Meyer's Gnostic Bible) there are glimpses of the wholesomeness and goodness of the Divine Fullness which are contrasted with the nature of experience of Lack.

Perception is both an Aeon of the Spiritual Fullness, and also the worldly domain of forces of ignorance and perversion in this world of the flesh and bondage of the psyche. Spiritual reception is demonstrated in the spiritual realms repeatedly, and is also listed after perception in the realms of lack, and contrasted with the Demiurge's theft of power from Wisdom. Similarly the Image which is an Annointed Spark, Christ, corresponds to the distorted reality in the world of lack in various ways. The wholesomeness and Fullness of Spiritual integration of Aeons is again contrasted with the strife and confusion of the combined actions of rulers below. The impulse of Spiritual Will has its corrupted reflection in the impulses of the bodies of flesh and confused psyches and powers-that-be outside of the Divine Fullness.

Together the process of perception, reception, imaging, harmonizing/integrating images, and impulse to action, can be more or less dominated by lack outside of the Divine Fullness, or illuminated by light of insight. We can persistently work through these ideas, day by day, integrating new insights into our lives. By exploring such subjects and applying insights that are based firmly in our growing experience and increasing clarity, we may grow in Gnosis.

Perception

• Lies and Misdirection
• This World Is Not Home
• Courage
• Wisdom that is Desired-For
• Seek and Find
• Fight or Flight?
• Teacher Taught
• Perception of Wisdom
• Initiating Liberation
• Inviting Guidance
• Formal Introductions
• To Be Sealed
• Asking for a Challenge
• Integrating the Path into Life
• Brevity befuddles the word-ensnarers
• Confusion or Complexity?
• Are you ready...
• This Too Shall Pass

Reception

• Spiritual Reception vs Worldly Reception
• Toward Receiving Self-Knowledge
• Conscious Reception
• Clarifying Reception
• Gracious Reception
• Receiving Aeons
• Receiving From Spirit
• Vision of the Moon

Imaging

• Initial Reflections Upon Imaging
• Image leading to Image
• Making an Image
• Another Visionary Image
• Imagining Spiritually / Spiritual Images
• The Image that Remains when False Images Fade
• Spiritual Shaping, a Blessed Image
• Images in Experience with This World
• A Hint of an Image in Darkness
• Images in Experience with This World
  
• Spiritual Shaping, a Blessed Image
  

Integration/Harmonizing of Images

• Integration of Images
• Spiritual Integration
• Light In Life
• Integrating the Path
• Integrating Images of Others, and An Other

Impulse to Action

• Impulse to Action?
• Spiritual Desire/Will

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[The reader is also directed to Against Archons June 2006 Archives and also the Against Archons July 2006 Archives, which offer additional reflections on these subjects, sometimes as counterpoint or as poetic reflection, sometimes simply as a reflection of my mundane concerns at the time I was making these posts on Gnostic Path. Against Archons is a bit more anarchistic in its approach, and a bit more personal in the sense of venting mundane frustrations and poetic fancy. I try to keep the two separate because I want Gnostic Path to be more focused and more free from such distractions and my personal ideosyncrasies. But often there is counterpoint or relevance, and in this case Against Archons addresses some of the problems of the realm of Lack very directly in terms of the confusion and frustration of perception, etc.]

Spiritual Desire/Will

Apocryphon of John Study

The impulses to action that arise from this world, the flesh, and the activation of our psyche/soul in this cosmos of lack, can be contrasted with the examples of spiritual desire and will in the Spiritual reality beyond this world. The Apocryphon of John deals repeatedly with this theme.

In the spiritual reality, there is pure light, a wellspring of good and spiritual qualities that wills/desires good and spiritual things, discloses them, and then brings them forth out from itself. The Divine Forethought requests and the Invisible Spirit consents. The Invisible Spirit gazes, the Divine Forethought conceives, and a Spark is begotten. The Spark requests and the Invisible Spirit consents again. The Divine Thinking desires something to come from the Word/Verbal Expression/Logos/Seed of Spiritual Reason. Will becomes deed, will is expressed in word/logic/blueprint/seed/reality. The desire and the gift of the invisible spirit is bestowed upon its offspring. By the will of the holy spirit the spiritual entirety is strengthened.

Such expressions of spiritual desire, spiritual will, flowing from the great wellspring of goodness and spirituality of the invisible Spirit, demonstrate something of the Divine Fullness to us. In contrast to this world of lack (the realm of confusion in flesh and traps of the psyche), the Spiritual Desire is for good and spiritual things illuminated in forethought as opposed to mere worldly things in the dim light of ignorance; the Spiritual way is request and consent as opposed to domination and bondage; the Spirit gazes and the receptive Womb receives, and a Spark is begotten, as opposed to ignorant solipsism/egotism/narcissism that masturbates alone as if there were no other half-making partial dim reflections; the Spiritual expression of Spiritual Will is a gift of things like loveliness, love, form, and prudence, as opposed to worldly manipulation through carrot and stick; the will of the holy spirit strengthens and illuminates while the will of the worldly powers that be dis-empowers and blinds.

In the world of lack there is bondage to impulses; in Spiritual Fullness there is Spiritual Will which is in accord with Spiritual Qualities, and such qualities are in integrated relationships that surpass the lower 'harmony' of material nature, or the limited 'harmony' of the psyche; the images of such Spiritual reality surpass the corrupt images below; the reception of Spiritual qualities is qualitatively different than reception from this world; the perception of Spiritual and Good realities brings light and insight and molds us in the direction of Spiritual Perfection.

The actions flowing from the Invisible Spirit are not whimsical, are not described as a matter of arbitrary choice. Spiritual reality is disclosed, when a request for a spiritual and good reality is made and the Invisible Spirit consents to disclose such a reality. Such desire, such will, arises from Spiritual Being. It is the nature of the good and spiritual source, the Invisible Holy Spirit, to bestow goodness, mercy, and grace, from itself; it is super-abundant in these things, and it gives without suffering any loss whatsoever. Its gaze is on an image of its spiritual reality, illuminated perfectly, and from such a gaze, such potentials proceed.

The Invisible Spirit's Will
Thought Disclosed

"For it is this that gazes at its own self in its light around it, that is, the wellspring of living water; gives unto all the aeons; and in every way thinks of its image, beholding it in the wellspring of the spirit and exercising will in its watery light, that is, the wellspring of the pure, luminous water around it. And its thinking produced something, and the thinking was disclosed, standing plainly in its presence in the brilliance of its light. This is... the perfect forethought of the entirety ... the glory of the Barbelo..."

Divine Forethought's Request
The Invisible Spirit's Consent

"And the emanation, that is, the Barbelo, made a request of the invisible virgin spirit, that it be given prior acquaintance (prognosis). And the spirit consented. And when it had consented, prior acquaintance became disclosed. [...] And furthermore, the Barbelo made a request that it be given incorruptibility. And the spirit consented. While it was consenting, incorruptibility became disclosed. [...] And the Barbelo made a request that it be given eternal life. And the invisible spirit consented. And while it was consenting, eternal life became disclosed. [...] And furthermore it made a request that it be given truth. And the invisible spirit consented. And truth became disclosed."

The Begotten Spark, its Will and Word
Expression of Anointing by Kindness

"And the invisible spirit gazed at the Barbelo ... and the Barbelo conceived by it, and it begot a luminous spark consisting of light in an image that was blessed. ... This was the only-begotten offspring of the mother-father which appeared ... And it made a request that it be given a co actor, namely intellect. And the spirit consented [...]. And while the invisible spirit was consenting, intellect was disclosed. ... And thinking wished to make something by the Word (or verbal expression) of the invisible spirit. And its will became deed, and was disclosed along with intellect and the light ... And Word (or verbal expression) followed after will. For by the Word, the anointed (Christ) divine self-originate made the entirety. Now, eternal life is with its will. And intellect is with prior acquaintance (prior knowledge/prognosis)."

Qualities Belonging to The Entirety
By Gift out of Light
Through the Will and the Word

"For by the gift of the spirit, out of the light that is the anointed (Christ) and out of incorruptibility, the four luminaries from the divine self-originate gazed out so as to stand before it. And the thee: will, thinking, and life. And the four powers: intelligence; loveliness; perception, prudence.


...with ... [Harmozel] are three additional aeons: loveliness; truth; form. ... with ... [Oroiael] are three additional aeons: afterthought; perception; memory. ... with ... [Daueithai] are three additional aeons: intelligence; love; ideal form. ... with ... [Eleleth] are three additional aeons: perfection; peace; wisdom (Sophia).


Those are the four luminaries that stand before the divine self-originate, and those are the twelve aeons that stand before the offspring of the great self-originate anointed (Christ), through the desire and the gift of the invisible spirit. The twelve aeons belong to the offspring of the self-originate. And it was by the will of the holy spirit that the entirety became strong through the self-originate"

The Perfect Human Being

"Then-- deriving from prior acquaintance (prognosis, prior knowledge, prior gnosis) and perfect intellect through disclosure of the desire of the invisible spirit and the desire of the self-originate – the perfect human being, the first manifestation and true person, was named “the Ger-Adamas [unyielding/steel/diamond human]” by the virgin spirit."

Impulse to Action?

Having attempted to sort out perceptions, those that are more or less accurate, those that are more or less spiritual...

Having attempted to receive more consciously, that which is more fruitful in one's Path, more helpful Spiritually, more Wisely Desired-For, more accurately reflective of the light that is within and without...

Having attempted to be illuminated by higher images, which may refine lower images...

Having attempted to integrate all the insights one has available, into one's life, one's path, one's understanding of others, one's interaction with others...

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There is yet the question, what dynamic impulses arise, what seeds have sprouted such impulses, which impulses ought one to act upon? Are we to be impelled by shadow?

Not all impulses are Spiritual, not all are intuitive, and not all intuition is clear or pure enough.

Impulses that are likely to lead to what which is clearly gratifying to the flesh or the lower aspects of the psyche, may be identified easily enough. Those impulses which cater to higher patterns/idols/tendencies of the psyche, may be less easily assessed.

Integrating Images of Others, and An Other

Having both eyes open, to faults and strengths, to see wisdom as well as folly, in friends as well as those who are not friends, can help sort out and integrate our view of our experience in life.

It can be difficult to see reality when our expectation of people's past tendencies, or their role in life, or our assumptions, get in the way automatically. We can try to become more aware of our blindspots and expand our viewpoint, integrating more information into our view of reality.

As an example, we might view someone who has a bad temper as if they are a hot head. But that may only be their flesh, more specifically, a hormonal imbalance, it isn't necessarily the core reality of that person. This may become clear if we find they have a much better temper after taking antidepressants or medicine for a thyroid condition.

As another example, we might view a person who is moralistic, as if they were conscientious. But that may be a mere habit or a pattern that mimics something that was in their environment at a formative stage of life, only some illusion made by their psyche and its idiosyncrasies. We may discover this to be the case when certain situations happen and we find that they are not so conscientious.

By integrating experiences and observations of flesh and matter into an understanding of the physical and biological world(s), and integrating experiences and observations of the psyche into an understanding of the philosophical, sociological, cultural, and psychological world(s) -- and further by leaving a remainder for something ELSE or to put other experiences that may fit elsewhere into various other remaining speculative categories -- we can try to integrate a view of life that can embrace more of the complexity that is found in life experience, our view can be more integrated into such complexity.

Perhaps something ELSE may appear simple and beautiful, empowering, wonderful, and wise. Perhaps then we can integrate more of THAT into our lives, into our image of our lives. Perhaps we can integrate something that moves us more towards a sense of Spiritual Fullness.

Integrating the Path

The enchantment of synchronicity, of comprehensive conceptual sophistication, of the power of synergy, can be a very dangerous worldly lure, may not be spiritual at all, despite appearances.

And yet as we walk a spiritual path and integrate it into our lives, we may note how some things happen, how some ideas 'click' and are amazingly relevant in different areas of our life, and feel a sense of fullness when different aspects of reality are put together in a spiritually fruitful manner.

Antidotes to Counterfeits

One antidote to confusion is to be aware of the possibility that we are not getting what we think we are getting, to be aware of imitation coincidences, imitation insight, imitation integrity. Other antidotes include awareness of the nature of the flesh's lures and awareness of the nature of our psyche's confusion and patterns.

Instead of seeking confirmation from events, coincidences, and possible messages, we might reflect upon how this world also can dominate us with its own messages from it's deceptive and tyrannical forces of fate. If confirmation seems to come to us, it may be wise to doubt.

Instead of becoming enchanted with cohesive, comprehensive presentations about 'reality' from whatever source, we might reflect upon how the human mind is often impressed by any significantly cohesive and comprehensive view, when it 'clicks'. We might consider that there are other views which may also 'click' for us, at different times.

Instead of over-emphasizing the power of synergy, instead of standing in awe of an idol of power and energy, we might reflect upon stories about how Wisdom's power was stolen and used by an ignorant Ruler, and note that the appearance of mystical or spiritual power, can be Lacking when compared to the Divine Fullness it is Wise to Spiritually Desire.

Some Success

Then perhaps, with some testing and personal insight, we might focus our efforts at integrating our path, on applying insights more comprehensively to our own life, and see if we can reunite what Dynamism we may perhaps find, with Wisdom.

Perhaps we will see strange events line up, perhaps everything will seem to 'click' together in our understanding on some issues, perhaps we will feel we are thriving on such integrated spiritual activity and insight in our lives. Perhaps we will be able to re-claim some spiritual Power and use it Wisely, to further our journey to our Spiritual Home in the Divine Fullness, or to assist us while we are here.

Perhaps this will truly be very spiritual. Perhaps we will have bypassed many such traps, delusions, distortions, and distractions.

Keeping our Eyes Open
For Something Better

One function of dualist teachings, is to remind us that there is better and worse. There is something that may be an image from above that we ought to seek to Know, and then there is something that may be a distortion or from below, that we ought to try to see through with clarity, so that we might avoid a trap or seek something that is better.

We can always seek what is better. When we think we have an insight, when we think we are being guided, when we think intuition is telling us something, we can seek something more spiritually fruitful, more integrated with the Divine Fullness.

We can seek to understand what it means to be integrated with all the Spiritual Aeons mentioned in Gnostic texts, beyond the Rulers of This World. We can seek greater illumination that partakes of peace instead of worldly comfort, love instead of worldly pleasure, loveliness instead of mere cosmic harmony, prudence instead of a confident answer that pleases our psyche that is agitated by the flesh, etc.

Extending the Scope of our Paths

We may pray from time to time, regularly. We might also make listening compassionately to others, into a prayer. We might try to make our work or play, prayers.

We may contemplate texts and teachings now and then. We might also contemplate them and put them into practice, as we go about our day.

We may recognize personality flaws, and spiritual fruit, and other things, in texts and teachings, that remind us of other people, of ourselves. We might also apply such insights to challenge us to bring forth, to participate in, the Aeonic Spiritual qualities of the Divine Fullness to compensate for the Lack in our life and in the lives of people around us.

Our entire life may become more inter-woven into a Gnostic Path. Do you hear the call? If so, what is your answer?

Light In Life

From the Apocryphon of John:

the heavens opened, and all creation shone with light [...] And the [...] world moved. For my part, I was afraid, [...] saw within the light a child standing before me. When I saw [...] like and elderly person. And it changed its manner of appearance to be like a young person. [...]in my presence. And within the light there was a multiform image. And the manners of appearance were appearing through one another. And the manner of appearance had three forms.

It said to me, John, John, why do you have doubts, and why are you afraid? Are you alien to this kind of thing? This is to say, to do not be timid. It is I who am with you always. It is I who am the father; it is I who am the mother; it is I who am the son. It is I who am the undefiled and the unpolluted.

Within the forms of life, light is multiform and manners of appearance appear through one another. Are you foreign to such light, or is it always present with you? We are called to rise up out of the multiform darkness that dominates life. In perfect illumination by the manners of appearance that are beyond this world, we are challenged not to act as if we were strangers to such light, which is from our real home.

Spiritual Integration

From the Apocryphon of John:

For from the light, which is the Christ, and the indestructibility, through the gift of the Spirit the four lights appeared from the divine Autogenes (self-generated). He expected that they might attend him. And the three are will, thought, and life. And the four powers are understanding, grace, perception, and prudence.

May we perceive some of what it means to have Will, Thought, and Life spiritually integrated and dynamically productive.

May we participate in some measure of the Divine Fullness of Loveliness (Grace), Perception, Understanding, and Prudence (Wisdom) in harmony, integrated into our will, our thought, and our life.

May we begin to appreciate the difference between such hints of Spiritual Fullness and the worldly condition of Lack.