FISHER OF SOULS The Origin of Reality [We would know nothing of the ineffable And nothing of the immeasurable Without the help of the one who comes forth from the One who is the Father. He alone has informed us.] The Father is surrounded by light. He apprehends himself in that light [which is the pure spring of the water of life that sustains all realms]. He is conscious of his image everywhere around him, Perceiving his image in this spring of Spirit Pouring forth from himself. He is enamored of the image he sees in the light-water, The spring of pure light-water enveloping him. His self-aware thought (ennoia) came into being. Appearing to him in the effulgence of his light. She stood before him. This, then, is the first of the powers, prior to everything. Arising out of the mind of the Father The Providence (pronoia) of everything. Her light reflects His light. She is from His image in His light Perfect in power Image of the invisible perfect Virgin Spirit. She is the initial power glory of Barbelo glorious among the realms glory of revelation She gave glory to the Virgin Spirit She praised Him For she arose from Him. [This, the first Thought, is the Spirit’s image] She is the universal womb She is before everything She is: Mother-Father First Man Holy Spirit Thrice Male Thrice Powerful Thrice Named Androgynous eternal realm First to arise among the invisible realms. She, Barbelo, asked the virgin Spirit for foreknowledge (prognosis). The Spirit agreed. Foreknowledge came forth and stood by Providence [This one came through the Invisible Virgin Spirit’s Thought.] Foreknowledge gave glory to the Spirit And to Barbelo, the Spirit’s perfect power, For She was the reason that it had come into being. Primary Structures of the Divine Mind She, Barbelo, asked the virgin Spirit for Incorruptibility The Spirit agreed. Incorruptibility came forth and stood by Thought and Foreknowledge. Incorruptibility gave glory to the Invisible Virgin Spirit And to Barbelo, For She was the reason that it had come into being. She asked for everlasting Life. The Spirit agreed Everlasting life came forth and they all stood together. They gave glory to the invisible Spirit And to Barbelo, For She was the reason that it had come into being. She asked for Truth. The Spirit agreed Truth came forth and they all stood together. They gave glory to the invisible Spirit And to Barbelo, For She was the reason that it had come into being. This is the fivefold realm of the Father: The First Man who is The Image of the Invisible Spirit who is Providence who is Barbelo who is Thought. And Foreknowledge - Incorruptibility - Life Everlasting - Truth [These are an androgynous fivefold realm - therefore it is a realm of ten - of the Father.] Secondary Structures of the Divine Mind The Father looked into Barbelo [into the pure light surrounding the Invisible Spirit] Barbelo conceived and bore a spark of light Who had blessedness similar to, but not equal to, her blessedness, Who was the only child of that mother–father The only offspring, The only begotten child of the pure light, the Father. The Invisible Virgin Spirit celebrated the light that had been produced Coming forth from the first power who is The Providence Barbelo The Spirit anointed him with Goodness, making him perfect [he lacked no goodness whatsoever, for he was anointed with the Invisible Spirit’s Goodness] He stood in the Spirit’s presence and it was poured upon him. Having received this anointing from the Spirit he immediately glorified Him And he glorified the perfect Providence. Because of Her he had come into being. He asked for Mind (nous) to be a companion to him. The Spirit consented When the Invisible Spirit consented Mind came into being. It stood by the Anointed and glorified the Spirit and Barbelo [These beings came into existence through silence and thought.] He wished to act through the Word of the Invisible Spirit. Whose Will became an action and appeared with Mind Glorifying the Light. And then Word followed Will into being. [The Christ, the divine autogenes, created everything through the Word.] Everlasting Life and Will, Mind, and Foreknowledge Stood together. They glorified the Invisible Spirit and Barbelo. Because of Her they had come into being. Tertiary Structures of the Divine Mind The Holy Spirit Brought his and Barbelo’s divine autogenes Son to completion In order that he could stand before the great Invisible Virgin Spirit As the divine autogenes Christ And honor Him with a mighty voice. [The Son came through Providence]. The Invisible Spirit Placed the divine autogenes over everything. All authorities were subordinated to him. The truth within him let him learn everything [He is called by the highest name of all. That name will be told only to those who are worthy to hear it From the light, [which is the Christ,] From the incorruptibility, Through a gift of the spirit The Four Lights arising from the divine autogenes stood before him. [The four fundamental powers are Understanding, Grace, Perception, and Consideration.] Grace exists within the realm of the Light called Harmozel, the first angel. Along with Harmozel are Grace Truth Form The second Light is called Oriel and it stands over the second realm. With Oriel are: Conceptualization (Epinoia) Perception Memory The third Light is called Daveithai and it stands over the third realm. With Daveithai are: Understanding Love Idea The fourth Light is called Eleleth and it stands over the fourth realm. With Eleleth are: Perfection Peace Wisdom (Sophia). These are the four lights standing before the divine autogenes. Twelve realms stand before the Son of the Powerful The autogenes The Christ Through the intention And the grace Of the Invisible Spirit Twelve realms belong to the Son of the autogenes. [All of this came into being through the intention of the Holy Spirit Through the autogenes.] From the perfect mind’s foreknowledge Through the intention of the Invisible Spirit And the autogenes’s will. The perfect human appeared, Its first true manifestation The Virgin Spirit named the human Adamas And placed him over the first realm with the mighty autogenes Christ With the first Light Harmozel and its powers. The Invisible One gave Adamas invincible power of mind. Adamas spoke, glorifying and praising the Invisible Spirit: “Everything has come into being from you Everything will return to you. I will praise you and glorify you And the Autogenes And the triple realm: Father – Mother – Son, the perfect power.” Over the second realm was appointed Adamas’s son Seth With the second Light Oriel. In the third realm were placed the children of Seth With the third Light Daveithai. [The souls of the saints are placed there.] In the fourth realm were placed the souls of those ignorant of the fullness Those who did not repent at once But who, after some time, eventually repented, They are with the fourth Light Eleleth. All of these created beings glorify the Invisible Spirit A Crisis that Became the World It happened that the realm (aeon) Wisdom (Sophia) Of conceptual thought (Epinoia), Began to think for herself, She used the thinking (enthymesis) And the foreknowledge (prognosis) Of the Invisible Spirit. She intended to reveal an image from herself To do so without the consent of the Spirit, Who did not approve, Without the thoughtful assistance of her masculine counterpart, Who did not approve. Without the Invisible Spirit’s consent Without the knowledge of her partner She brought it into being. Because she had unconquerable Power Her thought was not unproductive. Something imperfect came out of her Different in appearance from her. Because she had created it without her masculine counterpart She gave rise to a misshapen being unlike herself. Sophia saw what her desire produced. It changed into the form of a dragon with a lion’s head And eyes flashing lightning bolts. She cast him far from her, Outside of the realm of the immortal beings So that they could not see him. [She had created him in ignorance.] Sophia surrounded him with a brilliant cloud, Put a throne in the center part of the cloud So that no one would see it. [Except for the Holy Spirit called the Mother of the Living] She named him Yaldabaoth. Yaldabaoth is the chief ruler. He took great Power (dynamis) from his mother, Left her, and moved away from his birthplace. He assumed command, Created realms for himself With a brilliant flame that continues to exist even now. The Fashioning of This World Yadabaoth united with the thoughtlessness (aponoia) within him. He begot ruling authorities (exousia) Modeling them on the incorruptible realms above. The first is Athoth The second is Harmas [called the eye of flame] The third is Kalilaumbri The fourth is Yabel The fifth is Adonaiu [called Sabaoth] The sixth is Cain [called the sun] The seventh is Abel The eighth is Abrisene The ninth is Yobel The tenth is Armupiel The eleventh is Melcheir-adonein The twelfth is Belias Who rules over the very depth of Hades. He made the first seven rulers to reign in the seven spheres of heaven. He made the next five rulers to reign in the five depths of the abyss. He shared a portion of his fire with them, But shared none of the power of Light he had received from his mother. [He is ignorant darkness. When the Light mingled into the darkness the darkness shone. When darkness mixed with the Light, the Light diminished, No longer Light nor darkness but dim.] This dim ruler has three names: Yaldabaoth is the first. Saklas is the second. Samael is the third. He is blasphemous through his thoughtlessness. He said “I am God, and there is no God but me!” Since he didn’t know where his own Power originated. His rulers created seven Authorities for themselves. Each of these Authorities created six demons apiece, There came to be 365 demons altogether. Here are the seven Authorities’ names and physical forms: First, Athoth with a sheep’s face Second, Eloaios with a donkey’s face Third, Astaphaios with a hyena’s face Fourth, Yao with the face of a seven headed snake Fifth, Sabaoth who has the face of a dragon Sixth, Adonin whose face is that of a monkey Seventh, Sabbataios with a face of flame and fire. These are the seven of the week. These Authorities rule the world. Yaldabaoth has many faces. More than all that have been listed So he can convey any face he wants to the seraphim around him. Yaldabaoth shared his fire with his seraphim But gave them none of his pure Light Although he ruled them by virtue of the power and glory Of the Light had received from his Mother. [Therefore he called himself “God” and defied his place of origin.] He united his thought’s sevenfold Powers with the Authorities who accompanied him. He spoke and it happened. He named those sevenfold Powers starting with the highest one: Goodness paired with the first: Athoth Providence paired with the second: Eloaios Divinity paired with the third: Astaphaios Lordship paired with the fourth: Yao Kingdom paired with the fifth: Sabaoth Zeal paired with the sixth: Adonin Understanding paired with the seventh: Sabbataios Each has its own realm modeled on one of the higher realms. And each new name refers to a glory in the heavens So that Yaldabaoth’s demons might be destroyed. The demons’ own names, given by Yaldabaoth, are mighty names But the Powers’ names reflecting the glory above Will bring about the demons’ destruction and remove their Power. That is why each has two names. Yaldabaoth modeled his creation On the pattern of the original realms above him So that it might be just like the indestructible realms. [Not that he had ever seen the indestructible ones. Rather, the power in him, deriving from his mother, made him aware of the pattern of the cosmos above.] When he gazed upon his creation surrounding him He said to his host of demons The ones who had come forth out of him: “I am a jealous God and there is no God but me!” [But by doing this he admitted to his demons that there is indeed another God. For, if there were no other God, whom would he possibly be jealous of?] His mother began to move back and forth Because she had become aware that she now lacked Light For her brightness had dimmed. [Since her consort had not approved of her actions, she grew darker] [I said “Master, what does it mean ‘she moved back and forth’?” He laughed, saying, “It’s not as Moses said ‘upon the waters.’ Not at all.”] When she saw the evil that had taken place and The theft of light that her son had committed She repented. In the darkness of ignorance She began to forget. She began to be ashamed. But she could not yet return above Yet she began to move. And so she moved back and forth. [The arrogant one removed Power from his mother For he was ignorant He thought no one existed except for his mother. He saw the host of demons he had created And he elevated himself above them. But when the mother realized that that miscarriage Was so imperfect She came to realize that her consort had not approved. She repented and wept furiously.] All of the divine realms (pleroma) heard her repentant prayer They sought blessing for her from the Invisible Virgin Spirit. The Spirit consented. He poured the Holy Spirit over her Brought forth from the whole full realm. [Her consort did not come down to her on his own, but he came through the whole full realm to restore her to her original condition.] She was elevated above her son, But she was not restored to her own original realm. She would remain in the ninth sphere until she was fully restored. Humanity Begins Then came a voice from the highest realms saying: “The Man exists! And the Son of Man!” Yaldabaoth, chief ruler, heard it He thought it came from his mother He did not know the true source of the voice: The Holy Mother-Father Perfect Providence Image of the Invisible Father of Everything In whom everything has come to be. The First Man [This is the one who appeared to them. He appeared in the form of a human being.] All of the realm of the chief ruler quaked! The foundations of the abyss moved! He illuminated the waters above the world of matter, His image shown in those waters. All the demons and the first ruler together gazed up Toward the underside of the newly shining waters. Through that light they saw the Image in the waters. Yaldabaoth said to his subordinate demons: “Let’s create a man according to the image of God And our own likeness So that his image will illuminate us.” Each one through another’s Power created aspects of the man; Each added a characteristic corresponding to the psychic factors They had seen in the Image above them. They made a creature of substance In the likeness of that perfect First Man And they said, “Let us call him Adam, so that his name will give us the power of light.”
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 20:18:46 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015