Problems with Character

The psyche is inundated with stimulus and habituated to patterns. With varying degrees of ignorance and impotence, our psyches struggle with life in the Middle, faced with apparent double-binds and no-win situations.

Guidelines, norms, mores, rules, and principles of ethics are established, argued, re-negotiated, or abolished, amidst much confusion. Tradition and/or Survival rear their heads, claiming Authority. Progress or Rebellion make their pleas, claiming Destiny. The Community insists upon conformity, the Individual insists upon non-conformity, and those who seek a middle ground insist upon moderation or compromise...

But what is Character, and what principles might illuminate its healing or its healthy growth?

Issues of Avoidance

Some would seek to sidestep these questions. They might hope to do so through skeptical individualism, thoughtless relativism, identification with a community, or through rigid and unquestioning adherence to the norms found in some text, tradition, group, authority, or system.

It may be difficult to avoid falling into the traps of evading these questions or ignoring the challenges, if I were to attempt to assert too many answers and opinions.

It seems best to start with some observations about Gnostic teachings, and then to highlight some of the relevant complexities. A sincere and thoughtful reader of good character can be left to their own insight, to pursue the subjects further as they are so inclined. By raising some of the issues and challenges, I hope I have at least acknowledged rather than altogether avoided problems that I may not be able to completely resolve to the satisfaction of a critical reader.

Just because there are unresolved issues and challenges that can be raised by critics, does not make issues of Character unimportant. I do advocate the exploration and development of character, and I do distinguish between admirable and undesirable character traits. I consider some qualities of character to be crucial preliminaries to exploration of gnostic teachings.

Yet being sensitive to such issues and challenges, I hesitate to get too detailed at this point. Degrees of insight will vary among readers. Also, objections or misunderstandings arising from various different points of view, cannot all be anticipated. Let's not avoid the challenge of character, and let's not avoid the complexities and questions either.

Encouraging Challenge

This leads directly to the first observation...

Gnostic texts often portray an individual asking questions, struggling with unresolved issues, and being challenged to continue wrestling and to seek wisdom through sincere and probing thought, through receptive reflection, and through a willingness to experience and to listen.

Gnostic texts that speak of a Demiurge (cosmic craftsman) and/or Archons (cosmic rulers), portray the Demiurge and its Archons' characters as ignorant, arbitrary, authoritarian, and obstructive to the efforts of people to gain spiritual insight.

And this subject is intimately inter-woven with complexities...

Sometimes these texts illustrate how those who seek wisdom learn little by little, and only incompletely, temporarily arriving at partial or erroneous insights in spite of a sincere desire to understand. Sometimes the texts portray Wisdom, or higher aspects of the Divine, working through the words and actions of the ignorant and controlling Archons or the Demiurge.

An affirmation of the character tendencies to question, to seek, and to explore, is NOT a denial that serious errors, mistakes, or ethical lapses may be made by those who have such otherwise admirable character traits.

Similarly, a revelation of the horrors, catastrophes, and grossly perverse effects of ignorance, arbitrariness, authoritarianism, and obstructiveness, is NOT a denial that despite or even through beings with such qualities, despite events which are deplorable, one may learn, explore, and grow in insight.

Simple and Complex Approaches

I cannot deny the value of a simple affirmation of what is clearly desirable. Nor can I deny the value of a clear and direct challenge to turn away from that which is undesirable.

Nor can I deny the value of a complex or nuanced viewpoint, provided that fruitful distinctions and evaluations are not ignored, minimized, eroded, or altogether thrown away.

Matter (Hyle) and Abusive Rulers (Archons)

Matter itself is dumb and quite tolerant of sloppy thinking or the erosion of tools of thought or evaluation. Simplistic nonsense as well as complex distractions are equally acceptable to a principle of ignorance or thoughtlessness.

The Authoritarian impulse, the selfish and arrogant narcissism of the ruling mentality -- the worldly/world-shaping/world-directing power -- can be seen to be at home with dogmatic and unexamined, simplistic assertions. It often discourages personal insight and exploration. One may also recognize contradiction and mindlessness in it. It is a principle associated with the world of matter and flesh, and with the mind and heart oriented towards this world.

Good Rebel, Bad Rebel

Rebellion against ignorance and injustice may be understandable, but not all rebellion involves either good means or good ends, and not all such rebellion indicates a good character. Certainly not all is spiritual.

Drawing upon some of the principles mentioned above:

• To the extent that a rebel is ignorant or authoritarian, that rebel is not rising above the character of this world or its rulers.


• That a ruler that abuses power through enforcing strict laws with heavy punishments, presenting himself as enforcer of religious morals, and reinforcing his rule through religious leaders who are legalistic or dogmatic, is not an excuse for a rebel to commit rape or torture.


• That a ruler that operates through sheer power and whim, inconsistently advocating a moral principle one day when convenient and ignoring the same moral when power is threatened, is not an excuse for a rebel to coerce others and to bully them into following a severe, strict, unmerciful moral code, just because such rules are applied consistently.


• Liberation is not an excuse to be sadistic or cruel. Purification is not an excuse to be overbearing, unmercifully perfectionist, or extremely controlling. Fighting against injustice is not an excuse for reckless destruction and opportunism.

Claiming to be able to do better is not the same as doing better. Not all destruction brings about positive change. Not all ideas work out as planned when they are put into action.

Upon this backdrop, we can more fruitfully assert more specific Gnostic teachings on character.

Ideal Character

The great and holy, hidden invisible spirit, is said to be good because it bestows goodness, merciful in that it bestows mercy and ransom, is said to be spiritual knowledge in that it bestows such spiritual knowledge, kindness in that it bestows kindness. The Divine Mind and its forethought, is described as reflecting upon this great hidden spirit, basking in its light, asking for good things, good qualities, to be disclosed, asking to be given good qualities. The product of the hidden spirit and its reflective Mind or Forethought, a luminous spark of light, is said to be anointed (Christos) with kindness (Chrestos).

The lights that are brought forth from this great Spark that is begotten by the hidden god and its Forethought, are associated with such qualities of character as grace or loveliness, love, perfection, and wisdom. The quality of the entire spiritual reality is described as a Fullness. One text repeatedly uses the term 'sweetness' to describe the invisible spirit and the Christ. The concepts of Divine Father, Mother, Child, expresses an ideal, healthy, loving relationship, as do concepts of a Divine Totality of Aeons in Spiritual Fullness, and the Aeon pairing of the spiritual Human with the Spiritual Assembly/Church.

Cosmic Character

In the middle, caught between the principles of Ideal Spiritual Fullness and the Non-ideal Cosmic Emptiness, the nature of the challenges to our healthy expression in relationships, brings forth character considerations that involve unfortunate limitations in insight or ability. And yet even when stuck in the middle with an obstructed view, we may have partial glimpses of higher realities.

The essence of being in the middle, involves contact with realities that are not wise, perfect, loving, ideal, or aware. It is quite common to experience spiritual blindness or at best a distorted perception of illuminating principles. This world is spiritually dis-empowering and ignorant misuse of power is pervasive.

Our encouragement and nurturing of others, especially of those who are of good will and who are seeking wisdom, helps us to collectively deal with such unfortunate realities.

Encouraging generosity, compassion, peacemaking, humility, love, and understanding, as best we can, can help us to recognize and manifest a possible potential in our characters that is above and beyond the conditions we face.

Encouraging self-control, personal insight, and receptivity to a Spirit beyond this world, can help us to combat the seductive enchantment of greed, addiction, or habitual patterns that this world has impressed upon us.

Defects of Character

This world, the flesh, and the powers that be -- the ruling system of domination and ignorance -- pervades our experience.

Among those of us who do have some character, among people who are spiritual, the reality of physical or bodily limitations, or the obstruction and pain of scars on the mind and heart that come from past experience or the effects of ignorance, are still obstacles to the expression of our true character or our spirits.

Some can be expected to grow or to learn. Others may possibly change after some bad experience or as a result of much effort, or due to grace beyond any worldly explanation. The soul can be quite obstructed and hidden. Some do not display obvious signs of character, compassion, or conscience, whether it is because their soul is a mere counterfeit or they do not have a soul, or whether it is because their soul is very deeply buried and dis-empowered. May spiritual light shine upon all souls and illuminate them.

It is understandable that people in this world will take various worldly actions to combat worldly problems. What can really be expected of people who are victimized by cruel people who have no concern for fairness or justice?

If someone is not cruel or lacking concern for justice, if they want to be fair, if they want to understand the truth, then however imperfect they may be, such qualities rise considerably above the grossest ignorance and depravity that can be found in this world. And awareness of higher realities, greater potentials in the human soul, illumination by realities above that are spiritual, can lead one yet further towards ideals that exist far beyond this world.

Advancing upon the Path

Total mindless immersion in this world, captivity to the flesh, and affliction by the scars in our psyches, is not conducive to either healing or advancement, though there may be learning or insight about such matters that allows us to rise above. An attempt to have clearer and deeper awareness of our own experience, can lead to such learning or insight.

Whether we are experiencing much ignorance and making many mistakes, or whether we are following the wisest guidance on a spiritual path, an attempt to see clearly and to experience fully, can make us more aware of what may help us see more of the reality of our situation or of some aspect of ourselves.

And so one of the first steps to advancing upon the path, is to pay more attention and to seek greater clarity and understanding of our character, experience, attitudes, expectations, and actions. It is good for us to take a step out of mindlessness.

Regularly asking for spiritual assistance and insight, and regularly exploring and challenging ourselves, is recommended. Such habits can increase the likelihood of receptivity to the spiritually desired-wisdom, and they affirm the possibility of exploring and improving our character.

Ultimately, it is by allowing our character to be molded into the likeness of the spiritual Fullness above this world, asking to participate in the Divine qualities, the character of the Ideal Spiritual world, and realizing the emptiness of the ignorance of worldliness and the authoritarian character of the powers that be, that we purify our souls and orient towards spiritual illumination.

These are the underlying principles of Character found in Gnostic teaching. Different texts and teachings describe different aspects of character or of lack of character, and recommend different norms, guidelines, and attitudes towards liberation, purification, and insight. Different people with different insights and differing degrees of insight, at different times, may be attracted to different approaches.

My own insight from my personal life and from working with Gnostic texts and teachings, has lead me to conclude the following:

• Bondage of Ignorance: Materialism, greed, addiction, and compulsive reaction to overwhelming emotions such as impatience, etc., are forms of bondage. They pull down the soul and limit its receptivity to the spirit. They indicate a degree of bondage to ignorance, to this world, to the flesh. Any practice that may lead to the sort of insight that might be liberating to some extent, from such bondage, is worth considering.


• Growth more important than Merit/Blame: Those who seem less controlled or less battered by some of the more obvious forms of bondage, may simply be lucky or different. They may be healthier, or they may have been raised well or happen to have had experiences that were conducive to developing better character, with less effort. Perhaps some of their bodily drives are just weaker, or they are less sensitive, or their senses are not as acute, and so they are less enticed by some of this world's snares. Maybe some are more disciplined. Maybe some are actually more insightful. They may also be as bound and ignorant in other ways that are not detected. Their souls may be more or less advanced or pure, as appearances may be deceiving, and some forms of bondage are very severe, but very subtle and ordinarily unnoticed. Pride and guilt often distract people from seeking freedom and liberation from oppression. It is desirable for the soul to be healed and purified, more free and less oppressed -- emphasis upon blame or merit can distract from more important matters.


• Encouraging Examples of Character: In any case, those who display freedom from such obvious traps and fetters, may serve as a great example of potential freedom from at least those traps and fetters. Their character as it concerns those issues, is to be admired, whether their freedom is a matter of luck or circumstance beyond their control, or whether it is the result of discipline or insight that is based in much personal effort. It is good to encourage people when they demonstrate self control, insight, wisdom, compassion, love, skill at peacemaking, generosity.


• Discernment of Depravity: Sadism, cruelty, authoritarianism, extreme narcissism, bullying, etc., are horribly worldly. Perhaps some who display these traits may come to see the ugliness. Perhaps some who fall into such error, will come to see clearly enough, begin to care, and to value good character enough to realize the desirability of leaving behind such hideousness. Perhaps others have no empathy for others, or no real consciousness or conscience about such matters. Perhaps some simply have no souls, are devoid of conscience or defective in empathy. Perhaps some souls are too scarred by experience, or too deeply buried by the flesh, too obscured and dis-empowered to display high qualities of character. Perhaps some are only able to counterfeit the higher qualities of character. In any case, such qualities are to be renounced as worldly to the core. Such qualities are intimately intertwined with the worst of evils.

Such precepts of character are based upon insights into the nature of the ignorance of matter, insights into the nature of the abusiveness, perversity, and authoritarianism of ignorant worldly rule, and insights into the more positive qualities and potentials of the soul when it is ordered harmoniously and oriented so that it reflects light from beyond this world.

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For further exploration of this subject, the reader is encouraged to contemplate the Gospel of Truth, the Apocryphon of John and/or other texts (see this site's Guide to Gnostic Texts) which explore matters of the soul and its character, keeping these principles in mind (the translations, commentaries, and footnotes found in Bentley Layton's book, the Gnostic Scriptures, are highly recommended)... Previous articles on this site that relate to these issues include Body, Soul, and Spirit -- Overview, Reflections Upon This World and the Flesh, and The Corpse, the Cave, and the Cross.