noonespecial

And yet, if the Spirit came into existence because of the Material world it is even a greater wonder, the 'wonder of wonders' and look how 'poverty' is used in Verse 3 and who it is used in reference too. Compare now with the the Emerald Tablet of Hermes Verses 1 & 2 - ------- 1) Here (is) a true explanation, concerning which there can be no doubt. 2) It attests: The above (Spirit) from the below (Material), and the below (Material) from the above (Spirit) - the work of the miracle of the One. ------- http://www.levity.com/alchemy/emerald.html edit - add link.

Hi Jeff, Yeah, agree to disagree, all good. Its just when I look at this text I see a really simple concept being put forth that does not require unneeded clutter from the Far East to make sense. Simply because we can trace this tradition (with slight variations here and there) all the way from Egypt (the Ka and Ba), to Sumeria, on to the Gnostics, Chrisitans, the Neo-Platonists, through the Sufis, the Cathars, the Templars, to the Alchemists, etc. all the way up to Jung, who seemingly stumbled upon it. That is Illumination or God is found and contained in the the reconciliation of the conscious and unconscious halves of the Microcosmic Mind. Which when purified and conjoined is able to reintegrate it's new found individuality into the Macrocosmic Mind, which also happens to be trifold. And the way to achieve this is to turn the thoughts and senses inward through a tripartite initiatory process - not by seeking Samadhi or Nirvana but through symbols, ie The Language of the Birds. IMO this is the tradition wherein the keys to understanding GOT are found, not in taosim, buddhism or hinduism. best' NOS

Hi Jeff, Interesting theory, can you point out anywhere else in the text that confirms that motion = rest, and not as an opposite (to be resolved) without resorting to oriental philosophy? And obviously I see the bit about the Father conforming to the more Western notions of the three fold fire. TBHI'm not really into speculation over what creation theories are being put forth here but what the practical, initiatory application of the text is. Also when I use the word Unity in the context of western texts, it is not to be confused with 'oneness' - ie. multiple parts can be 'unified' that is, working properly.

Motion and Rest as a pair are symbolic of a binary system, so then what does that say about the Nature of the Living Father in comparison to the Light? Edit: Additionally, and this is solely my opinion...is that the GOT is closer to what can be considered an original Hermetic document than the actual Corpus Hermeticum. Equally so, it is not Gnostic in the sense of the other Nag Hammadi documents, nor is it quite there with the Canonical Gosples, but falls somewhere in between.

Holy moly, wasn't expecting this, OP let me tell you a story, one of my best friends during HS had one like described in that link you posted, guess what...after a three year relationship - his girlfriend left him for....another woman. And they weren't using massive strap ons either (that was his main insecurity after their parting, that they were using a tool bigger than his already huge one, so of course he had to ramshack her toy drawer like a psycho), lmao. Needless to say as I got older I realized all I had in common with this friend was getting drunk and trying to get laid, and I actually wonder if he has a soul when we chat now and then, additionally he is currently addicted to a wide array of opioids and has severe relationship issues. A big wang wont buy you peace.

I am always reluctant to leave an answer when someone even mentions things such as ending it all, none the less, in my experience I have found that troubles with sleep are almost always, inherently linked to a severe disconnect between the conscious and unconscious poles of mind. Good luck.

I dont know if its that we could not compete our that we were sold out by our leaders on multiple tiers of command, from the president all the way down to the labor unions.

Seeing something as imperfect is the implicit nature of binary perception - that is 'comparison'. When you start talking about attachment I belive it muddies the clear waters of the western traditions, and imho the gospel of thomas is inherently a Hermetic document, that is, it's primary 'concern' is the destruction of binary perception into unity - yet the binary state is not imperfect, it is necessary, attachment has little to do with it.

Honestly, I am not a politician, I do not have the answers. I would be willing to sacrifice material comforts like smart phones, cheap clothes, etc to end slave labor in china and re-establish a manufacturing class in the USA.

Perhaps in other parts of the countries it might be different, but you are right, here in Northern California they are absolutely an integral part of the economy and I don't see them in the least taking jobs from honest americans. They are for the most part behind the scenes, at the restaurants, maid services, landscaping, etc. The main problem for me is the word 'illegal' - if I break the law, i get a ticket or go to jail, why should that not apply across the board? We simply need a better way of making them legal immigrants. It's complex.

I see all the Mexican and muslim talk from Trump as a way to get votes, and it worked. Likewise, I do not think those ideas are that outrageous, needless to say, living in California, I know how industrious Mexican nationals are, and they will find a way to get around, under or above that wall regardless, lmao - it would be better to instead say, we will be stricter on illegal immigration but we will also work on ways to get migrants who want to come here legally in speedily. And one of Europe's issues is letting in migrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sub-Saharan Africa who have absolutely no ties to the chaos in the Levant. Properly vetting immigrants from the ME seems completely rational. What is worrisome are his trade plans, the question is, is it too late to be a self-reliant country? Meaning can we re-establish a manufacturing base that would even hold a candle to the global manufacturing machine? And if so, how long would it take to re-establish this self-sufficiency? And in the meanwhile is the average consumer willing to pay $1200 for an iPhone or double the price for clothes and electronics? It will send the economy, both America's and the worlds into a tailspin. Likewise, how is he going to get these outrageous ideas approved? He might just be a four year lame duck with Congress consistently shutting him down...with that being said, I find myself in the anything but Clinton camp, and just might not vote at all. The world is a stage has never rang truer, Salman Rushdie might not have been that far off when he jokingly said Trump is an employee of the Clintons, ie. their very own Manchurian candidate paid to pave the way (ie destroy the Republican party) for an easy Clinton victory.

Does this statement strike anyone else as cowardly. As in, don't embrace life because it might hurt your feelings.

Hi OP, seems like you're looking for a kind of work through book not just general information? From the three you mentioned Bardon seems like the most kosher choice. Additionally, I can heartily recommend Kabbalah, Magic & the Great Work of Self Transformation: A Complete Course by Lyam Thomas Christopher - kind of like a workbook to go along with Regardie's Golden Dawn black brick, likewise Jean Dubui's courses are excellent, readily available, and undoubtedly esoterically sound - I myself completed the first half of Fundamentals of Esoteric Knowledge - and really came away changed and with a better understanding of what the western path is about. Dubuis's course books - http://www.baytallaah.com/bookspdf/181.pdf http://thekingdomwithin.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Dubuis-Jean-The-Experience-of-Eternity.pdf Edit - fix links.

Man is fallen indeed.

Hi Michael, I've read AC's Vision and the Voice, it's a nice little book. But what perks my interest is the part in parenthesis, imho illumination is a state of being wherein there is no difference in whether one closes his eyes and journeys into a forest or actually goes into a forest, that is the point of initiation - merging the two worlds, volatilizing the fixed, and fixing the volatile, the Sufi Adepts would write of always being awake. That is, while they slept they were awake, when they were awake they were sleeping, when they closed their eyes, scenery and intelligences would emerge - in higher modes of attainment, they would close their eyes and all would be LIGHT. When stated so plainly, it's clear why this is dangerous stuff. If All we sense are varying gradations of Mind, what is more real, going into an inner desert or an outer desert, I would guess it depends on the level of the initiate. So, if I go into the forest, do some hallucinogenics and chant some calls, I can always tell myself the day after, "it was just the drugs," and surely I can write some awesome literature based on the experience. In comparison, when the dreamscape and the mundane world are equally real, and the worlds begin to overlap, when we see Imagination working in Nature is when things really get interesting, even better for folks like me is none of this requires any knowledge of Tarot, Astrology, or anything beyond basic Qabalah.

Then dont resist.

None of this is about believing anything, there is nothing to believe when something just is. imo its not about finding a spiritual person, its about seeing the spiritual in other people, the most mundane idiotic people on earth are still spiritual how ever low that function may be or however low you may perceive it to be with rational thinking.

Thank you UFA, and agreed. Whats funny is I do want to move on to other works (especially the Masonic tracing boards), but this work of Vaughan has so many layers of meaning I cannot leave it alone, lol. So, I agree, the shoeless man, can be a newly minted initiate, but any guide worth his weight (in gold ) will tell us, many a man or woman approaches, and is initiated...but very few learn to be like children, that is, putting down the arrogance of a jaded adult and actually trusting in the organic process of illumination, trusting in their guide, that is..becoming like a child and learning absolute humility, not as a virtue but as a tool, this is my interpretation of the text on the serpent. And, if he does progress to the world of the Soul, what does it mean that he is blindfolded there, it means he is still trying to see, but what is the use of seeing in a world where vision is something that has nothing to do with eyes. edit: typos.

Thinking a bit more about the original image, I went ahead and overlaid a TOL on top of it, it adds a new dimension - I prefer the classic triune approach to the tree, wherein the lowest most section is the Body, the topmost is Spirit, the middle, the Soul. Also, I agree with Michael and Eques, I think the shoeless (sole-less) man represents the materialist, the everyday man, barely aware there is another world beyond the senses.

Excellent additions, briefly...imo the tow rope is important, good catch, this is to tow the initiate back if, or more likely 'when', he falls into his own fantasies - making the angel either an inner guide or symbolic of the outer initiator him or herself. Also, of note...the light of nature is right in front of the initiate, yet he does not 'see' it and is fact walking the opposite direction into his fantasies, similar to the Sufic idea of Allah being next to the believer (closer than the jugular) and far off at once, keeping in mind of course, in general the Sufic Allah is more or less the HG. And thanks UFA for the wonderful thread. Edit: Great as well connecting the 32 stars (perhaps the -1 suggests a sort of incompleteness to be fulfilled by the initiate?), with the Wisdom of Christ juxtaposed with the Wisdom of Nature, and the link between Vaughan and Paracelsus, Gareth Knight writes something very similar in his introduction to Qabalistic Symbolism akin to prophetic wisdom being superior to natural wisdom.

Another question, if past life regression is possible, why not future life progression? Is there a ring pass not, wherein we can guide the mind to the past but not the future, if time collapses in the subtler fields underneath reality, it seems like both should be possible, in that we can access all lives (sensory input and subsequent reactions) through the memory of Nature, so that life experience is not limited to an ego or HG/daimon. edit: typo

Hi Nungali, my point was you do not sound stuffy when discussing such things, and I thank you for that. I wish I had that knack. The original post was excellent, but what got my attention was the trolling (well done mate), to imply such things in this thread, to negate the feminine energy is to kick the Rosicrucian/Hermetic/Alchemical tradition right in the proverbial nut sack (no pun intended). Because what we are dealing with historically, is the survival and the reintegration of the divine feminine in the West. The lifting of the Veil of Isis, the reintegration of the lower Shekinah with the higher Shekinah, the Animus embracing the Anima, etc, etc. And this is quite serious in many ways, when we look at the world to day, unconsciously crazy, unsustainable, schizophrenic, this is a result of the negation of the feminine, quite literally the World has lost it's Soul. From the Chymical Wedding when CRC's 'psychopomp' appears: "I looked back, and behold it was a fair and glorious lady, whose garments were all sky-coloured, and curiously (like Heaven) bespangled with golden stars; in her right hand she bore a trumpet of beaten gold, on which a Name was engraved which I could well read but am as yet forbidden to reveal it. In her left hand she had a great bundle of letters of all languages, which she (as I afterwards understood) was to carry to all countries. She also had large and beautiful wings, full of eyes throughout, with which she could mount aloft, and fly swifter than any eagle." And again: If the poor human race Were not so arrogant It would have been given much good From my mother’s heritage, But because the human race will not take heed It lies in such straits And must be held in prison. And yet my dearest mother Will not regard their mischief, She leaves her lovely gifts That many a man might come to the light, Though this may chance but seldom That they be better prized Nor reckoned as mere fable.

See if I wrote the same thing it would have sounded totally stuffy and snobby, thanks Nungali!

Feel free to explain.

And again...