Culmination of Wisdom

A mantra for Barbelo

I like to pick out phrases / paragraphs from various Gnostic texts and put them in a binder for my own personal practice. This binder goes with me when I’m heading to my weekly pilgrimage to the Monte Cassino shrine or when I go out wanting to do any spiritual work. This binder has become a “travel binder”. Being that space is an issue, this is why I pull out various phrases / sections from numerous texts that I think I need to meditate / study upon. Recently I pulled a mantra/prayer to Barbelo from the NHL text Melchizedek. This particular text is a bit fragmented, but this short mantra / prayer is intact. It is as follows:

"Holy are you, Holy are you, Holy are you, Mother of the aeons, Barbelo, for ever and ever, Amen."

I really like the short and simple aspect to this and figured others would appreciate such a mantra for your practice. The artwork featured on this blog post is another MidJourney A.I. creation I put together of Barbelo. It’s a bit different than others I did, but I like it!

Source: http://gnosis.org/naghamm/melchiz.html

Readings from “Gospel of Truth” & “Gospel of Judas”

Another reading video, this time sections from the “Gospel of Truth” and the “Gospel of Judas”. With the Judas reading, I included some MidJourney AI artwork to accompany the text. I’ll post one of those pics below with the transcript of the text.

The section of Truth I decided to recite is of the section titled “Putting Knowledge into Practice.” What I really like about this section is that it’s a call to action. To “practice what you preach” in so many words.

PUTTING KNOWLEDGE INTO PRACTICE

Speak concerning the truth to those who seek it and of knowledge to those who, in their error, have committed sins.  Make sure-footed those who stumble, and stretch forth your hands to the sick. Nourish the hungry, and set at ease those who are troubled. Raise up and awaken those who sleep. You are this understanding that seizes you.  If the strong follow this course, they are even stronger. Turn your attention to yourselves. Do not be concerned with other things, namely, that which you have cast forth from yourselves, that which you have dismissed. Do not return to them to eat them. Do not be moth-eaten. Do not be worm-eaten, for you have already shaken it off. Do not be a place of the devil, for you have already destroyed him. Do not strengthen your last obstacles, because that is reprehensible. For the lawless one is nothing. He harms himself more than the law. For that one does his works because he is a lawless person. But this one, because he is a righteous person, does his works among others. Do the will of the father, then, for you are from him.

The section from “Gospel of Judas” I recite is as follows:

Judas said to him, "Rabbi, what kind of fruit does this generation produce?"

Jesus said, "The souls of every human generation will die. When these people, however, have completed the time of the kingdom and the spirit leaves them, their bodies will die but their souls will be alive, and they will be taken up."

I ran Jesus’ response through the MidJourney A.I. and after several variations, I ended up with one I really liked. I included two of these in the video, but the one below is my favorite:

External links:

Gospel of Truth: http://gnosis.org/naghamm/got-barnstone.html

Gospel of Judas: https://southerncrossreview.org/48/gospel-judas.htm

-bP

Salome

Last month I posted a blog about Mary Magdalene, which included included a conversation between her and Salome from the Pistis Sophia (Link: https://culminationofwisdom.org/2022/07/20/the-feast-day-of-mary-magdalene-july-22/ ), and it got me thinking, we don’t hear much about Salome! (and no, I am not referring to the Salome in the John the Baptist beheading story)

In the canonical gospels, she is mentioned in the Gospel of Mark as a witness to the crucifixion. In the Gospel of Matthew, she is not mentioned by name but rather the group that was at the crucifixion is mentioned and the phrase “The Mother of Zebedee’s children” is used. So it is presumed that person is Salome. Are they the same? The Diatessaron actually lists them as separate people. Personally I am going with the separate person theory, but really, it’s up to the reader. Back to the main point, Salome is barely in the Christian Bible. However, she shows up a few times in the Gnostic texts! She is supposedly a teacher for Marcellina (click for more info), a “Gnostic” teacher from the Carpocratian sect.

I have assembled some of the Salome stories from various texts for your reading enjoyment:

Up first, from the Gospel of Thomas, saying 61:

Jesus said, "Two will recline on a couch; one will die, one will live."

Salome said, "Who are you mister? You have climbed onto my couch and eaten from my table as if you are from someone."

Jesus said to her, "I am the one who comes from what is whole. I was granted from the things of my Father."

"I am your disciple."

"For this reason I say, if one is whole, one will be filled with light, but if one is divided, one will be filled with darkness."

This next bit comes from the GREEK Gospel of the Egyptians, not to be confused with the COPTIC Gospel of Egyptians that was found in the Nag Hammadi library. Let it be known that only fragments exist of this text and are found in the writings of Clement of Alexandria.

The Lord said to Salome when she inquired: How long shall death prevail? 'As long as ye women bear children', not because life is an ill, and the creation evil: but as showing the sequence of nature: for in all cases birth is followed by decay.

For when she had said, 'I have done well, then, in not bearing children?' the Lord answers and says: Every plant eat thou, but that which hath bitterness eat not.

When Salome inquired when the things concerning which she asked should be known, the Lord said: When ye have trampled on the garment of shame, and when the two become one and the male with the female is neither male nor female.

The biggest source of Salome sayings come to us from the Pistis Sophia. She is featured several times in the discussions. They are as follows:

CHAPTER 58
Jesus sent forth a light-power to help Sophia. And Jesus continued again in the discourse and said unto his disciples: "It came to pass then, when Pistis Sophia had said these words, that the time was fulfilled that she should be led out of the chaos. And of myself, without the First Mystery, I dispatched out of myself a light-power, and I sent it down to the chaos, so that it might lead Pistis Sophia forth from the deep regions of the chaos, and lead [her] to the higher regions of the chaos, until the command should come from the First Mystery that she should be led entirely forth out of the chaos. And my light-power led Pistis Sophia up to the higher regions of the chaos. It came to pass then, when the emanations of Self-willed had noticed that Pistis Sophia was led forth into the higher regions of the chaos, that they also sped after her upwards, desiring to bring her again into the lower regions of the chaos. And my light-power, which I had sent to lead up Sophia out of the chaos, shone exceedingly. It came to pass then, when the emanations of Self-willed pursued Sophia, when she had been led into the higher regions of the chaos, that she again sang praises and cried out unto me, saying:

Sophia uttered a song of praise.

"'1. I will sing praises unto thee, O Light, for I desired to come unto thee. I will sing thee praises, O Light, for thou art my deliverer.

"'2. Leave me not in the chaos. Save me, O Light of the Height, for it is thou that I have praised.

"'3. Thou has sent me thy light through thyself and hast saved me. Thou hast led me to the higher regions of the chaos.

"'4. May the emanations of Self-willed which pursue me, sink down into the lower regions of the chaos, and let them not come to the higher regions to see me.

"'5. And may great darkness cover them and darker gloom come over them. And let them not see me in the light of thy power, which thou hast sent unto me to save me, so that they may not again get dominion over me.

"'6. And let not their resolution which they have formed, to take away my power, take effect for them. And as they have spoken against me, to take from me my light, take rather from them theirs instead of mine.

"'7. And they have proposed to take away my whole light and have not been able to take it, for thy light-power was with me.

"'8. Because they have taken counsel without thy commandment, O Light, therefore have they not been able to take away my light.

"'9. Because I have had faith in the Light, I shall not be afraid; and the Light is my deliverer and I shall not fear.'

"Now, therefore, let him whose power is exalted, speak the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered."

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished speaking these words unto his disciples, that Salome came forward and said: "My Lord, my power constrained me to speak the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered. Thy power hath prophesied aforetime through Solomon, saying:

Salome interpreted the song of Sophia from the Odes of Solomon.

"'1. I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, for thou art my God.

"'2. Abandon me not, O Lord, for thou art! my hope.

"'3. Thou hast given me thy vindication for naught, and I am saved through thee.

"'4. Let them who pursue me, fall down and let them not see me.

"'5. May a smoke-cloud cover their eyes and an air-mist darken them, and let them not see the day, so that they may not seize me.

"'6. May their resolution be impotent, and may what they concoct come upon them.

"'7. They have devised a resolution, and it hath not taken effect for them.

"'8. And they are vanquished, although they be mighty, and what they have wickedly prepared is fallen upon them.

"'9. My hope is in the Lord, and I shall not be afraid, for thou art my God, my Saviour.'"

It came to pass then, when Salome had finished saying these words, that Jesus said unto her: "Well said, Salome; and finely. This is the solution of the words which Pistis Sophia hath uttered."

CHAPTER 54
Jesus continued again in the discourse and said unto his disciples: "It came to pass then, when this lion-faced power saw me, how I drew nigh unto Pistis Sophia, shining very exceedingly, that it grew still more furious and emanated from itself a multitude of exceedingly violent emanations. When this then befell, Pistis Sophia uttered the eleventh repentance, saying:

"'1. Why hath the mighty power raised itself in evil?

The eleventh repentance of Sophia.

"'2. Its plotting taketh away the light from me all the time, and as sharp iron have they taken away power from me.

"'3. I chose to descend into the chaos rather than to abide in the thirteenth æon, the region of Righteousness.

"'4. And they desired to lead me craftily, in order to consume my whole light.

"'5. For this cause then will the Light take away their whole light, and also their whole matter will be made naught. And it will take away their light and not suffer them to abide in the thirteenth æon, their dwelling-place, and will not have their name in the region of those who shall live.

"'6. And the four-and-twenty emanations will see what hath befallen thee, O lion-faced power, and will be afraid and not be disobedient, but give the purification of their light.

"'7. And they will see thee and will rejoice over thee and say: Lo, an emanation which hath not given the purification of its light, so that it may be saved, but boasted itself in the abundance of the light of its power, because it did not emanate from the power in it, and hath said: I will take away the light from Pistis Sophia, which will now be taken from it.'

"Now, therefore, let him in whom his power is raised, come forward and proclaim the solution of the eleventh repentance of Pistis Sophia."

Then Salome came forward and said: "My Lord, concerning this thy light-power prophesied aforetime through David in the fifty-first Psalm, saying:

Salome interpreted the repentance from Psalm 51.

"'1. Why doth the mighty [one] boast himself in his wickedness?

"'2. Thy tongue hath studied unrighteousness all the day long; as a sharp razor hast thou practiced craft.

"'3. Thou lovedst wickedness more than goodness; thou lovedst to speak unrighteousness more than righteousness.

"'4. Thou lovedst all words of submerging and a crafty tongue.

"'5. Wherefore will God bring thee to naught utterly, and will uproot thee and drag thee out from thy dwelling-place, and will root out thy root and cast it away from the living. (Selah.)

"'6. The righteous will see and be afraid, and they will mock at him and say:

"'7. Lo, a man who made not God for his helper, but trusted to his great riches and was mighty in his vanity.

"'8. But I am as a fruit-bearing olive-tree in the house of God. I have trusted in the grace of God from all eternity.

"'9. And I will confess unto thee, for thou hast dealt faithfully with me; and I will wait on thy name, for it is auspicious in the presence of thy holy [ones].'

"This then is now, therefore, my Lord, the solution of the eleventh repentance of Pistis Sophia. While thy light-power hath roused me, I have spoken it according to thy desire."

Jesus commended Salome. It came to pass then, when Jesus had heard these words which Salome spoke, that he said: "Well said, Salome. Amen, amen, I say unto you: I will perfect you in all mysteries of the kingdom of the Light."

CHAPTER 145
Mary said: "Woe, woe, unto sinners!"

Salome answered and said: "My Lord Jesus, a murderer who hath never committed any sin but murdering, if he cometh out of the body, what is his chastisement?

Of the chastisement of the murderer. Jesus answered and said: "A murderer who hath never committed any sin but murdering, if his time is completed through the sphere, that he cometh out of the body, the receivers of Yaldabaōth come and lead his soul out of the body and bind it by its feet to a great demon with a horse's face, and he spent three days circling round with it in the world.

"Thereafter they lead it into the regions of the cold and of the snow, and they take vengeance on it there three years and six months.

"Thereafter they lead it down into the chaos before Yaldabaōth and his forty-and-nine demons, and every one of his demons scourged it another three years and six months.

"Thereafter they lead it down into the chaos before Persephonē and take vengeance on it with her chastisements another three years and six months.

"Thereafter they carry it on to the way of the midst, and every one of the rulers of the way of the midst taketh vengeance on it with the chastisements of its regions another three years and six months.

"Thereafter they lead it unto the Virgin of Light, who judged the righteous and the sinners, that she may judge it. And when the sphere turned itself, she commanded that it shall be cast into the outer darkness until the time when the darkness of the midst shall be upraised; it [the soul] will be destroyed and dissolved.

"This is the chastisement of the murderer."

Don’t forget to read my blog post of Mary Magdalene for another Salome Pistis Sophia story.

Next up is from the Infancy Gospel of James. This portrays Salome as a midwife to Mother Mary. So in this aspect, she was there at the time of Jesus’ birth, and also at his (physical) death!

Chapter 19: Jesus’ Birth

(1) And look! A woman was coming down from the mountain, and she said to me, “Man, where are you going?”

And I said, “I’m seeking a Hebrew midwife.”

And in reply she said to me, “Are you from Israel?”

And I said to her, “Yes.”

Then she said, “And who’s the one giving birth in the cave?”

And I said, “My betrothed.”

And she said to me, “She’s not your wife?”

And I said to her, “Mary was nurtured in the Temple of the Lord, and it was decided by lot that she would be my wife, yet she’s not my wife; but she’s conceived from the Holy Spirit.”

And the midwife said, “Really?”

And Joseph said to her, “Come and see.”

And the midwife went with him. (2) And they stood in front of the cave, and a bright cloud overshadowed the cave. And the midwife said, “My soul is magnified today, because my eyes have seen something wonderful. Salvation has been born to Israel!”

And immediately the cloud withdrew from the cave, and a great light appeared in the cave, so that their eyes couldn’t bear it. And a little later, the light withdrew until an infant appeared. And he came and took the breast of his mother, Mary.

And the midwife cried out and said, “How great today is for me, that I’ve seen this new miracle!”

(3) And the midwife went out from the cave, and Salome met her.

And she said to her, “Salome, Salome, I have to describe a new sight to you. A virgin has given birth, which is against her nature!”

And Salome said, “As the Lord my God lives, unless I examine her condition, I won’t believe that the virgin has given birth.”

Chapter 20: Salome’s Examination

(1) And the midwife went in and said, “Mary, position yourself, because there’s no small test coming concerning you.”

And Salome examined her. And Salome cried out and said, “Woe because of my lawlessness and my unbelief! Because I’ve tested the living God, and look! My hand is on fire and falling away from me!”

(2) And she dropped to her knees before the Lord, saying, “God of my ancestors, remember me, that I’ve descended from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Don’t make an example of me to the people of Israel, but give me the back to the poor, because you know, Lord, that in your name I’ve healed people, and I’ve received my wages from you.”

(3) And look! An angel of the Lord appeared, saying to her, “Salome, Salome, the Lord of All has heard your prayer. Bring your hand to the child and lift him up, and you’ll receive salvation and joy.”

(4) And Salome joyfully went to the child and lifted him up, saying, “I worship him, because a great king has been born to Israel.” And immediately Salome was healed, and she left the cave justified.

And look! A voice was saying, “Salome, Salome, don’t report the wonderful things you’ve seen until the child comes into Jerusalem.”

The First Apocalypse of James also mentions Salome along with Mary, Martha and Arisnoe. I hope these texts help highlight another leader in the early Christian movement that seems to have been forgotten in time. Let us all venerate Saint Salome!

external links:

http://gnosis.org/naghamm/1ja.html

http://gnosis.org/library/pistis-sophia/index.htm

http://www.gospels.net/infancyjames

http://gnosis.org/naghamm/gosthom.html

https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/gospelegyptians.html

Jesus as a Quiet Guide

Today I present artwork and a reading video of the “Jesus as a Quiet Guide” portion from the “Gospel of Truth.” This particular verse is quite interesting and goes well with a few sayings from the “Gospel of Thomas.” Below is the quote I am reading:

Jesus became a guide, quiet and at leisure. In the middle of a school he came and spoke the word, as a teacher. Those who were wise in their own estimation came to put him to the test. But he discredited them as empty-headed people. They hated him because they really were not wise. After all these came also the little children, those who possess the knowledge of the father. When they became strong they were taught the aspects of the father’s face. They came to know and they were known. They were glorified and they gave glory.

This version speaks of people who think they are a bit smarter than they really are and how we should be like children when we come to know the “Father.” Below are a few sayings from the “Gospel of Thomas” that really go well with this line of thought:

37. His disciples said, "When will you appear to us, and when will we see you?"

Jesus said, "When you strip without being ashamed, and you take your clothes and put them under your feet like little children and trample them, then [you] will see the son of the living one and you will not be afraid."

21. Mary said to Jesus, "What are your disciples like?"

He said, "They are like little children living in a field that is not theirs. When the owners of the field come, they will say, 'Give us back our field.' They take off their clothes in front of them in order to give it back to them, and they return their field to them.

46. Jesus said, "From Adam to John the Baptist, among those born of women, no one is so much greater than John the Baptist that his eyes should not be averted.

But I have said that whoever among you becomes a child will recognize the (Father's) kingdom and will become greater than John."

Now obviously one in the modern world can not always act like a child in all situations, but a lot of times, we should take their perspective on various issues. To see the world through that sort of thinking really puts everything in a different perspective. Something to think about next time you are around children, just observe how they act towards life (unless they are being a shithead at that moment, LOL!) and how carefree/happy/in awe they are at the moment.

Below is my reading from the “Gospel of Truth” quote:

The artwork that is at the beginning was made in MidJourney.

The full Gospel of Truth can be read here: http://gnosis.org/naghamm/got-barnstone.html

The full Gospel of Thomas can be read here: http://gnosis.org/naghamm/gosthom.html

Mary’s Spirit at Dormition

August 15 is the feast day of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Earlier in my blog, I posted a three part series about one of the earliest dormition stories (which includes various gnostic thought), so please check out that if you haven’t. Links at the end. With this post, I wanted to focus on the spirit of Mary after she left her body. (Take note, I personally view the soul and spirit to be different entities, but these stories present them as equals, thus I will go with that for this blog posting.) With the MidJourney A.I. artwork generator, I created the picture (above) based on the description from the Book of Mary’s Repose:

And the apostles saw Mary's spirit as it was given into Michael's hands: a perfect form, but its body was both male and female, and nevertheless one, being similar to every body and seven times white.

Very interesting androgynous description of the spirit, which makes sense. I wanted to compare this description to other stories of the dormition. Up next is from the earliest Greek Dormition narrative:

The Lord embraced her, and he took her holy soul and placed it in Michael's hands, wrapping it in indescribably splendid skins.  And we, the apostles, beheld the soul of Mary as it was given into Michael's hands: it was perfect in every human form, except for the shape of male or female, with nothing being in it, except for a likeness of the complete body and a sevenfold whiteness.

The description in the early Greek narrative is pretty much the same as the Book of Mary’s Repose, except a bit more wordy. The “Ethiopic Six Books” do not describe Mary’s soul like the other two. This particular text has Mary and others saying prayers right up to her dormition. Once she passes, this is what is said:

At the time Mary's soul went forth, and he brought it to the treasuries of the Father.  Then John stretched forth his hand and straightened her out and closed her eyes.  Peter and Paul straightened her hands and feet, but the clothes that she was wearing did not go forth, for the Holy Spirit clothed her with a great light, which cannot be comprehended.

This next sentence is from the Golden Legend (Medieval Roman Catholic) story of Mary’s assumption.

And the apostles saw the soul of her being so white that no mortal tongue might express it.

A longer description of this comes from the sixth century Assumption of the Virgin – Latin Narrative of Pseudo-Melito :

And the apostles saw that her soul was of such whiteness, that no tongue of mortals can worthily utter it; for it surpassed all the whiteness of snow, and of every metal, and of gleaming silver, by the great brightness of its light.

Links to my review of the Book of Mary’s Repose: https://culminationofwisdom.org/2022/03/28/the-book-of-marys-repose-1-of-3/ https://culminationofwisdom.org/2022/03/28/the-book-of-marys-repose-2-of-3/ https://culminationofwisdom.org/2022/03/28/the-book-of-marys-repose-3-of-3/

The First Source

Here is another post with some MidJourney A.I. generated artwork. For these three variants of “the first source”, I used the opening section of the “Untitled text” from the Bruce Codex. I have spoken highly of this text before (it is one of my favorites) and was quite pleased with these results. As you can see with all three variants, they all have the same look to them but in different styles. I love how there is a central light/figure that then splits into various aspects. My favorite of the three is the main photo above, but the other two are really neat as well. I like how there are “garments” that lay on the floor next to the figures on that main photo. That type of imagery is present throughout numerous gnostic texts in that you must shed your worldly garment (flesh suit, if you will) to ascend to the pleroma.

Here is the text used to generate the photos:

He set him up so that they should strive against the city in which was their image. And it is in that they move, and in it that they live. And it is the house of the Father, and the garment of the Son, and the power of the Mother, and the image of the Pleroma. This is the First Father of the All. This is the first eternity. This is the king of unassailables. This is he in whom the All is unconscious. This is he who gave form to it within himself. This is the self-originated and self-begotten place. This is the deep of the All, this is the great abyss, in truth. This is he to whom the All reached. There was silence concerning him. He was not spoken of, for he is an ineffable one, he cannot be understood. This is the first source. This is he whose voice has penetrated everywhere. This is the first sound until the All perceived and understood. This is he whose members make a myriad myriad powers to each of them.

While the source is unthinkable / unknowable, it is interesting to see how A.I. interprets these texts. More experiments to come…

http://gnosis.org/library/untitl.htm

http://www.midjourney.com

Gospel of Philip – Saying 107 (Bridal Chamber)

With this post, I decided to include my MidJourney A.I. artwork based on saying 107 from the Gospel of Philip as well as a reading of it. For the artwork and reading, I used the translation by Daniel McCoy, that can be found at: https://gnosticismexplained.org/the-gospel-of-philip/

I highly enjoy Daniel’s translations, and recommend you all check out his site. Above you can see the artwork that the MidJourney bot outputted. It has a sort of ancient temple “bridal chamber” look, in a literal sense. Now granted the bridal chamber in the religious context is the relationship between oneself and the divine, but I did like what it created. It has that dream-like quality to it, an inviting aspect to it that pulls in the observer.

Below is my reading of the text and I placed a transcript below the video clip:

Each person who enters the bridal chamber will spark the light. This is not like earthly marriages that are practiced under cover of darkness. Their fire burns at night, but is dead by daybreak. No, the mysteries of this marriage take place during a day whose light never sets.

Whoever becomes an attendant of the bridal chamber will receive the light. If the light is not received there, it will not be received elsewhere.

Whoever receives the light can be neither seen nor grasped. Nothing can disturb him, even while he lives in this world. And when he leaves this world, he will have already received the truth through images and symbols. The Fullness, the eternal world, is his world. It has been revealed to him alone; it is hidden from others not by darkness and night, but by perfect day and holy light.

The Feast Day of Mary Magdalene (July 22)

July 22 is the “Feast Day” for Mary Magdalene, so I thought it would be fitting to post various texts from different traditions. Those into “Gnosticism” like to champion Mary as a leader of the movement, but we really have no idea if the historical Mary Magdalene was actually of this mindset. However, gnostic groups did highly venerate her as she does appear in such texts like “The Gospel of Mary”, “The Gospel of Philip”, “Pistis Sophia”, “The Dialogue of the Savior”, “The First Apocalypse of James”, “The Sophia of Jesus Christ”, etc.. etc…

So light a candle, burn some incense and say a prayer to Mary and do some reading!

Gnostic Source:

The Gospel of Mary

Chapter 8 (part of Mary's teaching to the other disciples)

10) And desire said, I did not see you descending, but now I see you ascending. Why do you lie since you belong to me?

11) The soul answered and said, I saw you. You did not see me nor recognize me. I served you as a garment and you did not know me.

12) When it said this, it (the soul) went away rejoicing greatly.

13) Again it came to the third power, which is called ignorance.

14) The power questioned the soul, saying, Where are you going? In wickedness are you bound. But you are bound; do not judge!

15) And the soul said, Why do you judge me, although I have not judged?

16) I was bound, though I have not bound.

17) I was not recognized. But I have recognized that the All is being dissolved, both the earthly things and the heavenly.

18) When the soul had overcome the third power, it went upwards and saw the fourth power, which took seven forms.

19) The first form is darkness, the second desire, the third ignorance, the fourth is the excitement of death, the fifth is the kingdom of the flesh, the sixth is the foolish wisdom of flesh, the seventh is the wrathful wisdom. These are the seven powers of wrath.

20) They asked the soul, Whence do you come slayer of men, or where are you going, conqueror of space?

21) The soul answered and said, What binds me has been slain, and what turns me about has been overcome,

22) and my desire has been ended, and ignorance has died.

23) In a aeon I was released from a world, and in a Type from a type, and from the fetter of oblivion which is transient.

24) From this time on will I attain to the rest of the time, of the season, of the aeon, in silence.

MidJourney generated art based on this teaching from the Gospel of Mary

The Pistis Sophia has a LOT of Mary Magdalene quotes in it. It is perhaps the largest source of Mary information out there. If you have not read it, I highly recommend it. The following exchange in the PS is between Salome and Mary, in which Mary removes doubt from Salome:

Salome, as envisioned by the MidJourney A.I.

Gnostic Source:

Pistis Sophia - Chapter 132

And when the Saviour had said this, Salome started forward and said: "My Lord, if our parents are the rulers, how standeth it written in the Law of Moses: 'He who shall abandon his father and his mother, let him die the death'? Hath not thus the Law made statement thereon?"

And when Salome had said this, the light-power in Mary Magdalene bubbled up in her and she said to the Saviour: "My Lord, give commandment unto me that I discourse with my sister Salome to tell her the solution of the word which she hath spoken."

It came to pass then, when the Saviour had heard Mary say these words, that he called her most exceedingly blessed. The Saviour answered and said unto Mary: "I give commandment unto thee, Mary, that thou speak the solution of the word which Salome hath spoken."

And when the Saviour had said this, Mary started forward to Salome, embraced her and said unto her: "My sister Salome, concerning the word which thou hast spoken: It standeth written in the Law of Moses: 'He who shall abandon his father and his mother, let him die the death,'--now, therefore, my sister Salome, the Law hath not said this concerning the soul nor concerning the body nor concerning the counterfeiting spirit, for all these are sons of the rulers and are out of them. But the Law hath said this concerning the power which hath came forth out of the Saviour, and which is the light-man within us to-day. The Law hath moreover said: Every one who shall remain without the Saviour and all his mysteries, his parents, will not only die the death but go to ruin in destruction."

When then Mary had said this, Salome started forward to Mary and embraced her anew. Salome said: "The Saviour hath power to make me understanding like thyself."

It came to pass, when the Saviour had heard the words of Mary, that he called her most exceedingly blessed. The Saviour answered and said unto Mary in the midst of his disciples: "Hearken, therefore, Mary, who it is who compelled the man until he sinned.”

The next reading is from a Manichaean Psalm book, particularly the Psalms of Heracleides that details and expands the encounter between Mary and the resurrected Jesus.

Manichaean Source:

Manichaean Psalm Book / Psalms of Heracleides

Stem the tears of thy eyes and know me that I am thy master.

Only touch me not, for I have not seen the face of my Father.

Thy God was not stolen away, according to the thoughts of thy littleness: thy God did not die, rather he mastered death.

I am not the gardener: I have given, I have received the….., appeared (?) not to thee, until I saw thy tears and thy weakness…for (?) me.

Cast this sadness away from thee and do this service: be a messenger for me to those lost orphans.

Make haste rejoicing, and go unto the Eleven. Thou shalt find them gathered together on the bank of the Jordan.

The traitor persuaded them to be fishermen as they were at first and to lay down their nets with which they caught men unto life.

Say to them, ‘Arise, let us go, it is your brother that calls you.” If they scorn my brotherhood, say to them, ‘It is your master.’

If they disregard my mastership, say to them, ‘It is your Lord.’ Use all skill and advice until thou hast brought the sheep to the shepherd.

If thou seest that their wits are gone, draw Simon Peter unto thee; say to him, ‘Remember what I uttered between thee and me.
‘Remember what I said between thee and me in the Mount of Olivers: “I have something to say, I have none to whom to say it.”

"Rabbi, my master, I will serve thy commandment in the joy of my whole heart.

I will not give rest to my heart, I will not give sleep to my eyes, I will not give rest to my feet until I have brought the sheep to the fold."

Glory to Mariamme, because she hearkened to her master, she served his commandment in the joy of her whole heart.

Glory and victory to the soul of the blessed Mary.

To end with Gnostic sources (I could go on for days), here is a short quote from the Dialogue of the Savior which really nails it on the head with Mary (the last part of the quote):

Gnostic Source:

The Dialogue of the Savior

Mary said, "Thus with respect to 'the wickedness of each day,' and 'the laborer is worthy of his food,' and 'the disciple resembles his teacher.'" She uttered this as a woman who had understood completely.

Up next is a phrase that I just found here recently. It is from a third century writing titled The Didascalia Apostolorum which has a section in it where the disciples are at the last supper and each giving a lesson/ talk about various topics. In this, Martha makes mention that Mary is laughing, but Mary points out what exactly she is laughing. I thought it’s pretty interesting:

Third Century Source: 

The Didascalia Apostolorum

Martha said about Mary, I saw her laughing between her teeth joyfully.

Mary said, I did not surely laugh, but I remember the words of our Lord, and I rejoiced, for ye know that He said to us before, when He was teaching, He that is weak shall be saved by the means of the strong.

Next up is from the Eastern Orthodox tradition and is pulled from an Akathist Hymn to Saint Mary Magdalene. This particular section relates to the popular scene in Eastern Orthodoxy that portrays Mary holding the red egg.

Eastern Orthodox Source:

Akathist Hymn: Saint Mary Magdalene, Equal of the Apostles
Kontakion Xl & Ikos XI

Kontakion Xl
There are no words which suffice fittingly to hymn the divine joy of Thy resurrection, O Christ, which, with the other women, the glorious Mary announced to the apostles on this appointed and holy day, the feast of feasts and solemnity of solemnities. Wherefore, bowing down before the magnitude of the ineffable compassions which Thou hast bestowed upon us, O Christ our King, with humility and love we cry out to Thee: Alleluia!

Ikos XI
Thou wast shown to be a radiant star shedding thy light upon our sinful world, O Mary Magdalene, when, after the glorious ascension of the Savior, thou didst go about the cities and villages, proclaiming the word of the Gospel everywhere and laying the easy yoke of Christ upon many. And when thou didst reach ancient Rome, thou didst stand manfully before Caesar Tiberius and didst explain to him, by means of a red-dyed egg and thy wise words, the life-bearing power of Christ. And thou didst also denounce the wicked Pilate and the ungodly high priest, that they might receive a recompense worthy of their iniquitous deeds. And marveling at this great feat of thine apostolate, with joy we cry out to thee thus:

Rejoice, glorious herald of the teaching of Christ;
Rejoice, radiant dispeller of the darkness of paganism!
Rejoice, thou who didst release many men from the bonds of sin;
Rejoice, thou who hast taught the wisdom of Christ unto all!
Rejoice, thou who hast brought many people out of the darkness of ignorance into the wondrous light of Christ;
Rejoice, thou who hast provided us with a model for standing steadfastly for the righteousness of Christ!
Rejoice, thou who loved the salvation of sinners' souls more than thine own life;
Rejoice, thou who understood well the commandments of Christ!
Rejoice, thou who followed them faithfully; rejoice, thou who boldly denounced the darkness of the heathen!
Rejoice, thou who didst not fear the wrath of Caesar;
Rejoice, thou who showed him the malice and designs of the enemies of Christ!
Rejoice, O holy Mary Magdalene, equal of the apostles, who loved the sweetest Lord Jesus more than all good things!

The next section is from the Roman Catholic “The Golden Legend of Mary Magdalene”, a story I did a modern translation of. This particular section relates to when Mary was a hermit and would receive daily visits from angels who provided for her.

Roman Catholic source:

The Golden Legend of Mary Magdalene

And then the good pilgrim received his wife and child, and went to the ship. Soon after, they came to the port of Marseille and found the blessed Mary Magdalene preaching with her disciples. They kneeled down to her feet and recounted to her all what had happened to them, and then received baptism of Saint Maximin. They then destroyed all the temples of the idols in the city of Marseille, and made churches of Jesus Christ. And with one accord, they chose the blessed Saint Lazarus to be bishop of that city. Afterward, they came to the city of Aix, and by great miracles and preaching, they brought the people there to the faith of Jesus Christ. There, Saint Maximin was ordained to be bishop. In the meanwhile, the blessed Mary Magdalene, desirous of sovereign contemplation, sought a right sharp desert and took place there which was ordained by an angel of God, and to abode there for thirty years without knowledge of anyone. In this place, she had no comfort of running water, no solace of trees and no herbs. That was because our Redeemer had ordained for her to not partake of bodily meats but rather that of a celestial nature. Everyday at each canonical hour, she was lifted up in the air of angels, and heard the glorious song of the heavenly companies with her bodily ears. She was fed and filled with right sweet meats, and then was brought again by the angels to her proper place, in which she had no need of bodily nourishing.

And for one more tidbit, this comes from the Speculum Sacerdotale, yet another Roman Catholic tale I translated for this site earlier. Like the Golden Legend, it speaks of various post-resurrection tales involving Mary. This section is about one of her devotees who has an encounter with her:

Roman Catholic Source:

Speculum Sacerdotale

Also there was a clerk of Flaundres who fell into a stream of multiple crimes, and he was in such vices that he would neither do good nor hear of it.  Nevertheless he had great devotion to Mary Magdalene.  He worshiped her on her feast and fasted for her devoutly.  So in time, he had visited her sepulchre.  As he lay in his devotion, he had fallen into a half awake, half sleeping state, Mary Magdalene appeared to him.  She appeared as a celestial body, appearing in between two angels.  She said to him “Answer me now.  Why does thou act so wickedly against the prayers and merits that I make for thee?  I make for thee great instance and speak to my Lord, that thou should not perish, and thou will not amend, for I have prayed for thee to God, for the great devotion that thou has had for me.  Therefore, rise and amend it, and I shall never leave thee until thou be reconciled to God.”  And at that moment, this clerk felt the grace of God and Mary Magdalene, that he forsake the world and entered into religion and was of an exceptionally perfect life.  At the time of his death, Mary Magdalene was seen standing with angels beside his bed.  She took up his soul, like a white dove, to heaven.

I hope you enjoyed all these tidbits! I’ll do more compilations like this in the future.

-bP

Axion Estin

Axion Estin, or it’s translation meaning “It is truly meet”, is the name of a Eastern Orthodox magnification and hymn to the Theotokos (Virgin Mary). It also refers to an icon of the same name. Below is a reading of the hymn (sorry, you don’t want to hear my singing voice, LOL) that I did on the grounds of an orthodox church outside Bloomington, Indiana. They have a nice forest walking path through their grounds and at one point, they have a gazebo featuring two icons of the Theotokos. I want to do some more recordings in this are in the future (perhaps when it’s not quite so hot outside!).

It is truly right
to bless thee, O Theotokos,
the ever blessed, and most pure,
and the Mother of our God.

More honorable than the cherubim,
and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim,
who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word,
the true Theotokos,
we magnify thee.

Barbelo, as envisioned by A.I.

I figured I would share this interesting artwork I was able to put together with the help of AI. Here lately it seems that artificial intelligence artwork software is all the rage. Most of these programs have you input words / phrases and it will create various artworks based on those words. Most of these programs put out interesting results but still have a long way to go IMO. However, Mid-Journey (www.midjourney.com) may be the best one out there, at least with what I have tried. The software is currently in the beta testing / invites only stage right now, but I was able to get an invite for a free trial. This limited trial allowed me to do a handful of pictures and I toyed around with it to create some interesting results. Some of those pictures I will use in future blog posts, but for this post, I wanted to include the Barbelo pictures it generated. So when it asked me to prompt in the words I wanted to convert to artwork, I used this phrase from the Secret Book of John:

“She is Barbelo, the most perfect glory of all beings, the glory of the disclosure of the Father’s thought. Her own first thought was to glorify and praise the Virgin Spirit from whom she had come forth.”

So after processing for a few minutes, it spit out a picture featuring four different versions of Barbelo. With the software, you can make adjustments to each of the pictures. I decided to make adjustments to 3 of the 4 pictures. Now I did not save that original picture, so I am not able to show that for this post. These other three pictures, I find merit in all of them, with the last one being my absolute favorite. To me, they do resemble the same character, just from different view points. Now I realize this software is personifying an entity/concept which is a reflection of an unknowable source, but let’s just play along for a moment.

Up first:

Something I have noticed with A.I. software is the fetish with reptilian / blob like creatures. Not sure what is up with that and it would be interesting to know why it does that. This particular version of Barbelo looks like something that is just forming, perhaps an early version. The way the clothes melds with the skin shows a sense of oneness with itself. This is a version of Barbelo I could see Clive Barker putting together.

Next up:

So this second picture brings us up close and personal. Now she represents the traditional Madonna look with the halo surrounding her head. I do like the oft-ness of her face and fingers though. Yes it resembles human-like qualities but it’s not quite there, nor should it. I do realize this may appear slightly nightmarish to some but I adore the look.

And finally:

This is my favorite of them all. The halo is a bit different and is blue rather than gold/amber. She now has a spark of light at her crown as well as her throat (one could say these correspond with the chakras). The face of this picture I find to be quite mesmerizing. The eyes are different from each other but has that stare that just pulls you in. The multi-colored veil is very beautiful. I plan on using this picture in meditation as it really does take my mind to somewhere else. The picture does sort of remind me when I would use psychedelics and look at my reflection in the mirror with the colors and the slightly off features of the face.

This A.I. software is something else. I haven’t decided yet to buy into their subscription tier (I hate getting subscriptions after subscriptions on stuff) but this software has some very esoteric implications that one could use. I would like to enter other gnostic phrases into the software, as well as ritual passages. Who know what it may conjure up……?