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Post by phantasman on Jan 21, 2014 11:59:25 GMT -5
Soulgazer has used the "Russian dolls" analogy to help me understand a different image of existence.
Can each of the dolls be considered Aeons? Is that how that image is seen? I have pondered this. The Father is:
He is an aeon-giving aeon.- Secret John
And in WIKI:
This source of all being is an Aeon in which an inner being dwells-WIKI
As for the Russian dolls, one smaller doll could have millions (billions) of smaller dolls, before rising to the next doll, who could have millions or billions of dolls as well, before rising again.
The Universe (material) is an Aeon, with billions of Aeons living in it. When a human has life inside his body, he is an Aeon. The Universe is the next doll up, that has billions of Aeons inside of it. When we move to spirituality, it is an Aeon with, again, billions of Aeons within it.
Am I seeing this correct so far according to the Gnostic idea?
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Post by xpistissopheiax on Jan 22, 2014 0:49:24 GMT -5
It seems like Christ and Sophia are the big ones and after that there are the next tier (Barbelo and Norea maybe?) and then after that second tier a nearly unlimited number of lesser aeons.
The only odd man out is Abraxas which is possibly an evil aeon (?) He's an especially confusing figure that seems to be used in different ways in different texts...I actually wonder if the uniqueness of Abraxas is due to a writer deciding there should be some sort of wild card that doesn't fit the pattern.
I do think the Russian doll describes the aeons and archons both since in the Secret Revelation of John talks about Ialda looking into heaven and seeing the structure, then creating the archons in similar or inverted pattern.
I feel like since the writers of The Secret Revelation of John wanted a very logical way to present the universe the "Russian doll" pattern was the best way to describe it. It's kind of a marriage between monism and dualism. All things come from the source of the Monad, but the free will of the lesser aeons/archons results in the evils and corruption of our world.
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Post by Soulgazer on Jan 22, 2014 15:08:04 GMT -5
I couldn't have answered your question any better than you have yourself. As to "Abraxus", that is not a figure that is incorporated into our church(A&O) mythollogy; We just never found a usage for it that would bring us along faster than without it....so maybe someone else would be better qualified to anwer that part.
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Post by phantasman on Jan 25, 2014 11:16:25 GMT -5
It would appear that we are in a menagerie, a false Aeon, by my understanding. It is the "mistake" spoken of in Philip. So we in turn have to move into the infinities to understand.
He called out, saying: "Whoever has ears to hear about the infinities, let him hear!"; and "I have addressed those who are awake." Still he continued and said: "Everything that came from the perishable will perish, since it came from the perishable. But whatever came from imperishableness does not perish but becomes imperishable. So, many men went astray because they had not known this difference and they died."- Sophia of Jesus Christ
We are perishable Aeons within an Aeon that will perish, a mistake, imperfection, a "counterfeit". It was this way from the beginning of our Aeon. The Father knew it would never work, loved us, and is trying to save us. He instilled the Epinoia (the spark, light of the Father,IMO) in us. There never was a tree in Eden.
"But what they call the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which is the Epinoia of the light....)- Secret John
To think that Eden was perfect, sinless, one would have to think the creator made it "imperishable". But how can "imperishable" reside in "perishable". And if Philip says the world is a corpse-eater, yet sons live eternal, the intent is to all become sons (or in other words, Christs, anointed by the Father). One may be going "astray" if they don't understand.
This image seems to be becoming clearer. Does anyone else see it this way? Or can they offer more?
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Post by xpistissopheiax on Jan 25, 2014 19:58:47 GMT -5
I don't know if I would have much to add...although if I remember correctly Pagels said that "Epinoia" means "creative imagination." Although I'm not sure how it fits that way when I come across the term.
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