“After the nature of the immortals was completed out of the infinite one, then a likeness called Sophia flowed out of Pistis, with the wish that something should come into being like the light that first existed. Immediately her wish appeared as a heavenly likeness with an incomprehensible greatness. This came between the immortals and those who came into being after them, like what is above. It was a veil separating people from the things above. Now, the eternal realm of truth has no shadow within it because the immeasurable light is everywhere within it. Outside it, however, is a shadow, and it was called darkness. From it appeared a power over the darkness. And the powers that came into being afterward called the shadow the limitless chaos. From it every kind of deity was brought forth, one after another, along with the whole place. Consequently, the shadow too is subsequent to what was in the beginning. The shadow appeared in the abyss, which is derived from Pistis, whom we have mentioned. The shadow perceived that there was one stronger than it. It was jealous, and when it became self-impregnated, it immediately bore envy. … Then the bitter wrath that came into being from the shadow was cast into a region of chaos. Since that day a watery substance has appeared. What was enclosed in the shadow flowed forth, appearing in chaos. … Matter did not come out of chaos, but it was in chaos, existing in a part of it.

“Now, after these things happened, Pistis came and appeared over the matter of chaos, which was cast off like an aborted fetus, since there was no spirit in it. For all of that is a boundless darkness and water of unfathomable depth. And when Pistis saw what came into being from her deficiency, she was disturbed. And the disturbance appeared as something frightful, and it fled to her in the chaos. She turned to it and breathed into its face in the abyss, which is beneath all of the heavens. Now, when Pistis Sophia wanted to cause the thing that had no spirit to be formed into a likeness and rule over matter and over all its powers, a ruler first appeared out of the waters, lionlike in appearance, androgynous, with great authority within himself but ignorant of whence he came into being.” ~ On the Origin of the World

Birth of Sophia

Sophia or Sophia Pistis is well-known to those of us who have read almost any Gnostic scripture as the  goddess of wisdom, or, if you prefer, Wisdom personalized as a goddess. We mostly hear her called Pistis Sophia, but the first line of the quote from the Gnostic book “On the Origen of the World,” says Sophia was created “out of Pistis.” The note on this line says that it means faith, so it is saying that Sophia was created out of Faith. I assume that Faith was one of the immortals mentioned at the beginning of the sentence, and so it was this immortal that created Sophia.

Immediately Appeared

When Sophia wished for something, it immediately appeared. This shows that she had the power of true creation. It can also be seen as a cautionary warning on the power of thought. Her creation was something between the immortals created by God, and the being to come after. It acted as a veil separating “people” from the things above.

The Shadow

The quote says the Eternal Realm of Truth, the realm of Spirit, has no shadow. It is filled with light that comes from all directions and never goes out. But with the creation of lesser beings by Sophia, lesser worlds were created, worlds that did have shadows and so were called worlds of darkness. This is the realm of matter. We dwell in the third dimension which has a mix of matter and spirit, and so has shadow. But it is not a place of total darkness (that is the first dimension), so it is still possible for us to turn from the darkness and rise back up toward the Light, toward higher levels of consciousness, toward the Eternal Realm called Heaven.

Region of Chaos

The Region of Chaos that flowed forth out of the Shadow is the material realm. This is another way of saying that the defective realm of matter is not a creation of God, but of lesser beings that didn’t really know what they were doing. Most Gnostic writings call this being, or group of beings, the Demiurge, meaning less than the true God, but still a very powerful being, powerful enough to create the worlds of matter. Yet, the realm of matter is defective because it has death, disease, storms, and other kinds of darkness. It required living beings to kill and eat other beings to survive. This seems normal to most of us, but it is a horror to God.

Truth or Allegory

The hierarchal tale of creation as told in the quote above may be literally true, or it may simply be an allegorical way to try to explain the complicated facts behind the creation of the multi-dimensional universe. I tend to believe it is mostly allegorical, but it doesn’t matter either way. The important points to take away from this tale of creation are:

1. God created a universe of pure Light, pure Love, and pure Peace
2. Lesser beings created lesser worlds
3. With the creation of the lower dimensions came the creation of Shadow or Darkness
4. Death, disease, pain, and want are properties of the shadow words and have no place in the realm of God
5. We have fallen into the third dimension, but have the ability to turn around and climb back up to higher dimensions.
6. It is God’s Plan that the fallen realm of matter be slowly changed back into its original form and all darkness will be gone.

From the SUN TALK collection by Harold Boulette

“Those upon whom the Divine Law is written, not with ink and letters, but implanted in hearts of flesh, these, having the eyes of their mind enlightened, and reaching after a hope, not tangible and seen, but invisible and immaterial, have power to get the better of the stumbling blocks of the evil one, not by themselves, but from the power that never can be defeated. But those who have not been honored with God’s Word, nor instructed by Divine Law, are vainly puffed up, and fancy that by their own free will they can bring to naught the resources of sin—sin which is only condemned through the mystery contained in the cross. It lies in the power of man’s free will to resist the devil, but it does not extend to an absolute command over the passions. Except the Lord build the house, it says, and keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain, and the builder labors in vain.

“You cannot go upon the asp and basilisk and tread under your feet the lion and the dragon, without first purging yourself as far as human ability goes, and being strengthened by him who said to the apostles, Behold, I have given you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy.” ~St. Macarius the Egyptian

Divine Law is Written

As St. Macarius says, the Divine Law is not written with ink on paper, nor found in any books. Some parts of it may be found in books of scripture, but then it is open to misinterpretation. In any case, Divine Law does not really hold sway over you until it is written in spirit and soul, which is what the ancients usually meant when they said it was in your heart. The heart is just an organ of flesh and blood, but it has an energy center associated with it, and that is where the truth is written.

Eyes Enlightened

I have to disagree with St. Macarius on this one. It is not the “eyes of the mind” that are enlightened, but the eyes of the soul in an awakened spirit. This means, of course, that the spirit must be awakened from its dormant state before this can happen. It is only the spirit that can communicate with the spiritual worlds; it is only the spirit that can learn the spiritual truths that are found in the spiritual worlds. Macarius is correct, though, in saying that the one who has been enlightened has the power to resist the stumbling blocks of the evil one and his spiritual minions and human assistants. He is also correct in saying that that power is not with the enlightened person alone, but with the help of the “power that can never be defeated.”

God’s Word

St. Macarius is definitely correct in saying that those who are not receiving God’s Word and are not following God’s Law are just “vainly puffed up” if they think they can achieve enlightenment on their own. True, enlightenment does require we work at it and do so for some time; but we also need to do it with God’s Word or Light. But if you think that God’s Word can be found trapped in some holy book, you are mistaken. It is found only through direct communication with higher levels of being and consciousness.

Tread on Serpents and Dragons

This is just another way of saying that the enlightened person will be able to resist the temptations of the material world and the attempts by demons and devils to turn us away from spiritual growth and development. But again, you can’t do it on your own, you have to have God and the Angels on your side.

Mystery Contained in the Cross

There is a great mystery contained in the cross that is not recognized by most Christians. For starters, they confuse the cross for the crucifix upon which Jesus was hung to die. The mystery cross has been recognized as a symbol of God and God’s Word long before the birth of Jesus. The oldest version of it was a simple circle with a cross inside. This represented God, but also that God’s Light was in the sun; the circle represented the sun, and the cross inside, the Light of God. This advanced over time to new variations with the best-known version being the Maltese cross. Nearly all of these mystery crosses have four arms of the same length, and many have circles at the four tips, usually three. Here are some variations.

The important thing about this type of cross is that it speaks directly to the human soul, which understands geometric shapes, not words. So having a cross of this sort, such as the Cosolargy Cross, and looking at it regularly, or simply imagining it in our mind’s eye, helps awaken our spiritual faculties.

From the SUN TALK collection by Harold Boulette

“The full mystic consciousness attains to what is, I think, its really characteristic quality. It develops the power of apprehending the Absolute, Pure Being, the utterly Transcendent: or, as its possessor would say, he can experience ‘passive union with God.’ This all-round expansion of consciousness, with its dual power of knowing by communion the temporal and eternal, immanent and transcendent aspects of reality—the life of the All, vivid, flowing and changing, and the changeless, conditionless life of the One—is the peculiar mark, the ultimo sigillo of the great mystic, and must never be forgotten in studying his life and work.

“As the ordinary human is the meeting place between two stages of reality—the sense-world and the world of spiritual life—so the mystic, standing head and shoulders above ordinary people, is again the meeting place between two orders. … On the one hand, he knows, and rests in, the eternal world of Pure Being, the ‘Sea Pacific’ of the Godhead, indubitably present to him in his ecstasies. On the other, he knows—and works in—that ‘stormy sea’ and vital world of becoming which is the expression of its will.” … There, the Divine Unity dwells and calls them.” ~Evelyn Underhill

Full Mystic Consciousness

What Underhill is here calling “full mystic consciousness” is what other spiritual writers have called Christ Consciousness, or Ultimate Consciousness. It is the highest level of consciousness that we can reach. It is the level at which we become one with the All, one with God. It is the Level of complete Gnosis. Few achieve that level while still living on the material plane, but some come close. Those who get close to that level are deservedly called mystics.

Apprehending Pure Being

At the higher levels of consciousness, one can apprehend Pure Being, even if only at that level briefly, which is how it usually happens. By continuing to practice advanced spiritual growth techniques, the mystic reaches higher and higher states of consciousness and stays at those higher levels longer. It is more than just apprehending Pure Being, it is a process of slowly becoming Pure Being. It is the process we must all follow to get into Heaven, for Heaven is a place of Pure Spirit, and only a Pure Being can be there; otherwise, it would no longer be pure.

Knowing the Temporal and Eternal

The advanced mystical adept knows the temporal or material world as well as the spiritual. They are able to function well in both worlds. They understand how things work in the material world, yet choose to emphasize the spiritual, for they know that the physical is always temporary, while the spiritual is eternal. This is as it must be today when the spiritual cannot easily withdraw from the world and live away from the problems of the world. In addition, it is the duty of the spiritual student or mystic to help others free themselves from the traps of the physical world, so they must understand that world better than most other people.

Divine Unity

The Divine Unity found in the world of Pure Being does call to mystics and they answer that call and do their best to be a part of that world. And when the mystic passes out of the physical world and into the spiritual realm, the search for that Divine Unity continues until it is permanently achieved.

The call to seek Divine Unity is sent to all of us, not just the mystics, but few hear it. Many of us sense that there is something more to life, but don’t quite know what it is, so seek it in material pleasures that take us in the wrong direction. Divine Unity and Pure Being can be found only in the spiritual realm and by each of us developing our own spiritual Self.

From the SUN TALK collection by Harold Boulette

“How are we to explain the omnipresence of the soul? Does it depend upon the definite magnitude of the material universe coupled with some native tendency in soul to distribute itself over material mass, or is it a characteristic of soul apart from the Body? …

“If soul spread thus wide before material extension existed, then as covering all space it would seem to be of itself a thing of magnitude, and in what mode could it exist in the All before the All was in being, before there was any All? And who can accept a soul described as partless and massless and yet, for all the absence of extension, extended over a universe? …

“We cannot think of soul being diffused as a quality is, say sweetness or color, for while these are actual states of the masses affected so that they show that quality at every point; none of them has an independent existence; they are attributes of body and known only as in body. …

“Obviously, we must take hold of the question from the very beginning in the hope of finding some clear and convincing theory as to how soul, immaterial and without magnitude, can be thus broad spread, whether before material masses exist or as enveloping them. Of course, should it appear that this omnipresence may occur apart from material things, there is no difficulty in accepting its occurrence within the material.” ~Plotinus

Spirit or Soul

Some talk about the spirit, others about the soul. Are they different, or just two names for the same things? First, we must realize that humans are much more complex than most of us believe, and we have, in fact, two souls. We have a mundane soul that is attached to the material world and we share that soul in common with the animals of the world, and possibly even plants. We also have a Divine Soul, which is the one most spiritual writers and teachers are talking about when they say “the Soul.” Plotinus saw Man as consisting of a physical body, intellect or mind, and a soul. It is clear, then, that to him spirit and soul are the same, and he isn’t wrong. What we all have in us is a spirit. When that spirit is Awakened and fully developed until it gains full Consciousness, it becomes a Divine Soul. You might think of it as spirit being a child, and Divine Soul being the adult.

Omnipresence

The spirit or soul is omnipresent, just as Plotinus said, but only a person who is tied up with the limitations of matter would find that hard to comprehend. Actually at the end of the section of his talk on the soul quoted above, he answers many of his own questions about who it could be. Suffice it to say that spirit/soul is not limited by either time or space, so is not confined to the material universe, nor to the physical body of any individual. Likewise, it was not born when we were born physically, but is ageless. It has always been, and always will be.

Before the All

If by “the All,” Plotinus means God, then the question of where was the soul before the All existed is meaningless because there was never a time when God didn’t exist. God is spirit and exists outside of time and space. God was not created by any other force or being. If Plotinus means the material universe when he says “the All,” then the answer is that soul was part of the spiritual universe, as was everything else. When the fallen angels, or Demiurge, created the realm of matter, they didn’t create from nothing as the true God does, they created it by changing spirit into matter. The goal of God and the Angels is to reverse that process and turn it all back into spirit, but God won’t do that until most humans want it.

Soul Diffused

Plotinus is correct in thinking that the soul does not get diffused as it expands throughout the All. This seems to amaze him because he thinks too much in terms of matter. The soul, being spirit, is much like a living hologram. Just as the entire picture in a hologram can be generated from a small part of the original hologram, so also with the soul. While the soul can’t be broken into pieces as in the Harry Potter stories, if it could, each piece would be like the whole. It wouldn’t even be smaller because being spirit, it is everywhere at once. It has no size, no age, and no limit. It truly is omnipresent.

From the SUN TALK collection by Harold Boulette

“H. P. Blatvatsky declares that Orpheus taught his followers to affect a whole audience by means of a lodestone, and that Pythagoras paid particular attention to the color and nature of precious stones. She adds: ‘The Buddhists assert that the sapphire produces peace of mind, equanimity, and chases all evil thoughts by establishing a healthy circulation. So does an electric battery, with its well-directed fluid, say our electricians.’

“The Sapphire, say the Buddhists, ‘will open barred doors and dwellings (for the spirit of man); it produces a desire for prayer, and brings with it more peace than any other gem, but he who would wear it must lead a pure and holy life.’

“Mythology abounds with accounts of magical rings and talismanic jewels. In the second book of his Republic, Plato describes a ring which, when the collet was turned inward, rendered its wearer invisible. With this Gyges, the shepherd, secured for himself the throne of Lydia. Josephus also describes magical rings designed by Moses and King Solomon, and Aristotle mentions one which brought love and honor to its possessor. In his chapter dealing with the subject, Agrippa not only mentions the same rings but states, upon the authority of Philostratus Jarchas, that Apollonius of Tyana extended his life to over 20 years with the aid of seven magical rings presented to him by an East Indian prince.” ~Manly P. Hall

Gems, Stones, and Crystals

Mr. Hall is correct. Throughout human history and in many parts of the world, stones, gems, and crystals have been used in various ways for healing, magic, and spiritual development. Some of the claims regarding such gems may have been highly exaggerated, but there is some truth to all of them. In most cases, the color of a gem or crystal can tell us a lot about what it will help with. Think of the colors in association with the physical energy centers (chakras) and what part of the body they are in. So if you have health issues in the stomach area, a yellow gem would usually help best. It is also important to charge and program crystals.

Hall mentions several well-known cases of stones, crystals, and gems in history, but leaves out some important spiritual ones. The breastplate of Aaron is one of them. Aaron was the brother of Moses and became High priest. His breastplate is one of the best-known cases of several crystals being used together for protection and spiritual growth.

Sapphire

According to various parts of the quote, sapphire is practically a cure-all. It gives peace of mind, healthy thoughts, and healthy circulation. It also opens “doors” to the spirit and brings peace. It might be worth getting one if a good-quality Sapphire cost around five dollars, but unfortunately, they are a lot more expensive than that. In any case, I think the claims are somewhat exaggerated and depend a lot on who is wearing (or holding) the gem. One solution is to get a lab-grown sapphire, another is to get some lower-priced gem or crystal that is also blue. It is, to a large degree, the blue color that makes this gem so useful. Aquamarine, Blue Topaz, Spinel, and Labradorite are good alternatives. While each stone may have slightly different properties, they all help in the same general way.

Crystals for Spiritual Growth

When it comes to spiritual growth, gems and crystals in what are the “cooler” colors are best. Green, blue, purple, white, and clear stones are all useful for spiritual development. But one thing that some people forget is that the most important thing is to have a good flow of energy through all of the energy centers, therefore we shouldn’t ignore the lower centers associated with the colors red, orange, and yellow. In Cosolargy, we wear a sacred thread to remind us of the Thread of Life that connects us all together on a spiritual level. On that thread, we have eight gems or crystals in the colors red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet, and white or clear. We want all of our energy centers to be fully functional and alive. We want energy flowing through our bodies and spirits.

Programming and Charging Crystals

While they may be of some benefit without it, crystals and gems work best when charged regularly and programmed. Some schools tell people to charge their crystals under the moon, but in Cosolargy, we change them with the more powerful and positive light of the sun. As for programming, there is no unique formula for it, just tell the stone what you want it to do. If you wish for the blue gem to help rid you of negative thoughts, say so. If you want the stones to help protect you from evil influences, say so. If you want help with physical health, tell them that also. Do not ask them for material things such as money or a new car. Ask only for spiritual help. It is also important to remember that the crystals are an aid only; they will not do the work for you. If a carpenter has a box full of new tools, but just sits and waits for them to do something, the house will never get built. The same with using gems and crystals for spiritual growth. They will help you along the path, but you must walk the path.

From the SUN TALK collection by Harold Boulette

“Three distinct representations of the Universe in its three distinct aspects are impressed upon our thought by the esoteric philosophy: the PRE-EXISTING (evolved from), the EVER EXISTING; and the PHENOMENAL (the world of illusion, shadow, reflection). During the great mystery and drama of life known as the Manvantara, real Cosmos is like the object placed behind the white screen upon which are thrown the Chinese shadows, called forth by the magic lantern. The actual figures and things remain invisible, while the wires of evolution are pulled by the unseen hands; and men and things are thus but the reflections, on the white field, of the realities behind the snare of Mahamaya, or the great Illusion. This was taught in every philosophy, every religion, ante as well as post diluvian, in India and Chaldea, by the Chinese as well as the Greek Sages. In the former countries these three universes were allegorized, in esoteric teachings, by the three trinities emanating from the Central eternal germ and forming with it a Supreme Unity; the Initial, the Manifested, and the Creative Triad, or the three in One.” ~ The Secret Doctrine, H. P. Blavatsky

Three Universes

What Blavatsky is calling the three universes is not the same as dimensions. There are more than three dimensions. This is more like three states or three ages of the universe. In the first age, there was only the preexisting universe of spirit created by God. Then the Great Fall happened creating the realm of matter and the dimensions that are a mixture of matter and spirit. We could say that the first three dimensions are what Blatvatsky is calling the Phenomenal World, or the world of matter. The top three dimensions are the realm of spirit, and the middle three are the ever existing ones. Blavatsky correctly refers to the material world as that of illusion, shadow, and reflection.

World of Illusion

The material levels of existence are called the world of illusion and shadows for several reasons. One is that what we see, or think we see, is not what is truly there. Everything is hidden behind a veil, a shadow, and what we see is the shadow or distorted reflection. In addition, our beliefs and training affect what we see. So, for example, when Columbus landed in America, the Native Americans could not see the ships because they could not believe such large boats could exist. Only the Witch Doctor or Shaman of the tribe could see them. Once he explained what was there to the others, most of them started to see it as well. But in many cases, what we have agreed that a thing is, isn’t the reality of it, but the shadow, as in Plato’s Cave.

Source of Illusion

God is not trapping us in a world of illusion. The source of illusion is primarily the Demiurge, the Gnostic name for the Fallen Angels that created the realm of matter. But while the Demiurge is responsible for most of the illusion, we ourselves create much of the details. The third dimension of matter (with a little spirit mixed in) is where we are when in physical form. Few of us realize it, but our thoughts mold this dimension into what we think of. Sometimes, it is on an individual level, but mostly it is the masses of millions and billions of humans together that shape this realm. That is why the results of individuals trying to manifest what they want rarely works. When a billion people want something different, they override the one. It is said, however, that one spiritual Master can override the thoughts of millions.

Allegorized, in Esoteric Teachings

Yes, much of this knowledge about the overall structure of the total universe can be found in spiritual and religious writings of the ancients in allegorical form. It may be that many references to a trinity refer to the three aspects of the universe. That is not the only thing that is found hidden in allegorical form in those writings. In fact, almost everything in them is allegorical. Even when they describe an actual, historical event, the significance of it is found in its allegorical meaning. Jesus turning water into wine may have been a real miracle, but it refers allegorically to Jesus turning ordinary people (water) into spiritually awakened and aware individuals (wine). And the war in the Bhagavad Gita is really an allegorical reference to the War between the Forces of Light and the Forces of Darkness.

From the SUN TALK collection by Harold Boulette

“In what does the greatness of man reside? In his fairness.

“To be strong in life does not just mean to live, but to know in every moment how to act, to know how to use your thoughts, to have the nicest thoughts, and to understand nature and know her laws.

“Learn to sing so you can rejuvenate yourself. Music is a way for rejuvenation. Man cannot rejuvenate himself if he does not sing. Music is a science and art. It is a power. Music is something internal.

“You have to know however you treat others that is how God will treat you. Good and smart is the person who never forgets the Lord in his thoughts. Good and smart is the one who never forgets the Lord in her feelings. Good is the one who is always fair to all. Deposit Love in your head. Deposit Wisdom in your heart. Deposit truth in your actions.” ~Beinsa Douno

Greatness is Fairness

Douno says that man’s greatness resides in his fairness. While that is true, it is more accurate to say that man’s greatness is in Love because a truly loving person is always fair. Fairness is automatic when you truly love all of humanity. Honesty is automatic when you truly love all. Humility and a desire to be helpful and useful are automatic with love of all. Douno knows that and says so in other parts of the book quoted above.

Strong in Life

Here Douno tells us that being strong in life is not about having big muscles. While there is nothing wrong with having big muscles, being strong in life is more about living to your full potential and living according to the Will of God. To have nice thoughts and understand nature requires that we awaken and develop our spiritual Self. As long as our spiritual faculties remain dormant, we cannot truly know how to live, we can only guess or accept someone else’s opinion. Sadly, the vast majority of people do not even try to awaken those spiritual faculties, but instead, follow the opinions of others. It may be government laws or church laws that they follow, but they are almost always man’s laws which are not the same as God’s Laws. Only the spiritually awakened truly know the Laws of God and the Will of God.

Music for Rejuvenation

Music is a tool for rejuvenation. More importantly, as far as we are concerned, it is an aid to spiritual development and healing of both the spirit and body. We know that music was used in many of the ancient mystery schools during their ceremonies, particularly spiritual sun-gazing. The school of Pythagoras used music that way. Others used singing or chanting as well as, or instead of, playing musical instruments. One recent theory on Stonehenge says that the stones were struck with hammers of some sort to make sounds that helped in the ceremonies held there, ceremonies that were undoubtedly spiritual and included watching the sunrise.

The Australian Aborigines used the didgeridoo as a tool for healing, not just making music. In recent decades, some researchers have found certain sounds can aid the body in healing from physical ailments. Those researchers that are also spiritual find that certain sounds help stimulate certain energy centers and help to clear them of blockages or low energy conditions. Sound and light working together are even more powerful for healing on both the physical and spiritual levels.

From the SUN TALK collection by Harold Boulette

“TRUTH IS THE MOUTH OF THE FATHER. Each one loves truth because truth is the mouth of the father. His tongue is the holy spirit. Whoever touches truth touches the mouth of the father by his tongue at the time when one will receive the holy spirit. This is the manifestation of the father and his revelation to his eternal beings. He revealed what is hidden in him and explained it. For who is it who exists if it is not the father himself? All the spaces are his emanations. They knew that they stem from him as children from a perfect man. They knew that they had not yet received form, nor had they yet received a name, every one of which the father produces. If they at that time receive the form of his knowledge, though they are truly in him, they do not know him. But the father is perfect. He knows every space that is within him. If he pleases, he reveals anyone whom he desires by giving him a form and by giving him a name; and he does give a name and cause to come into being. Those who do not yet exist are ignorant of him who created them. I do not say, then, that those who do not yet exist are nothing. But they are in him who will desire that they exist when he pleases, like an event that is going to happen. On the one hand, he knows, before anything is revealed, what he will produce. On the other hand, the fruit that has not yet been revealed does not know anything nor is anything either. Thus each space that, on its part, is in the father comes from the existent one, who, on his part, has established it from the nonexistent. For whoever has no root has no fruit, but although thinking, “I have come into being,” that one will perish. For this reason, whoever does not exist at all will never exist.” ~Gospel of Truth

Truth is the Mouth of the Father

It is an interesting way that the writer of this gospel chose to word this. He doesn’t say that only truth comes from the mouth of the Father, or that what God speaks is truth and nothing but truth, but that truth is the mouth of the Father. In this way, he is stating emphatically that everything that comes out of the “mouth” of the Father is truth, and always truth. Of course, God doesn’t have a mouth in the physical sense, yet He does have a voice, and that voice is the voice of Truth and Wisdom, always and forever.

One might ask at this point, “Why then are there so many contradictions in the Bible, especially between the Old and New Testament, and also in the scripture of other religions?” The answer is complex. First, much of what is written in those books is the interpretation of humans of what God showed them in visions, or otherwise. This may result in different interpretations of what is the same truth. Another reason is that some of what many believe to be the Word of God is actually the Word of the Demiurge, the Lesser God, or False God that created matter, but not spirit. That is why matter is defective (death, disease, destruction, etc.) while spirit is not.

All the Spaces Are His Emanations

This is true in one sense, and not true in another. Everything spiritual is from God, but matter is not. At least not directly. Matter is the creation of the Demiurge, the false god, but it is not true creation. Because the Demiurge created matter by changing spirit, some spirit remains in matter, and therefore some of the essence of God remains in matter. It is that spirit within matter that has God in it. And the matter that is not from God is beginning to undergo the changes that will turn it into spirit once again. That is God’s Great Plan: to restore everything to spirit.

No Form or Name

I don’t know about the idea that within God’s mind there are beings that do not yet have a form or a name, so they don’t really exist and are not conscious until God gives them a form and a name. This may be an allegory, but its significance escapes me. Since God’s Consciousness is all that truly exists, anything that is held in that consciousness must be real. At least it seems that way to me. God thinks of a being and it comes into existence. But I could be wrong.

From the SUN TALK collection by Harold Boulette

“I am first thought, the thought that is in light. I am movement that is in all, she in whom the realm of all takes its stand, the firstborn among those who came into being, she who exists before all. She is called by three names, although she exists alone, since she is perfect. I am invisible within the thought of the invisible one. I am revealed in the immeasurable, ineffable things. I am intangible, dwelling in the intangible. I move in every creature. I am the life of my afterthought that is within every power and every eternal movement, and in invisible lights, and within the powers and angels and demons and every soul in Tartaros, and in every material soul. I live in those who came into being. I move in everyone and I enter them. I walk upright, and those who sleep I awaken. And I am the sight of those who dwell in sleep. I am the invisible one in all. I counsel those who are hidden, since I know the whole realm of all that exists in it. I am numberless beyond everyone. I am immeasurable, ineffable, yet whenever I wish, I shall reveal myself. I am the head of all. I am before all, and I am all, since I am in everyone. I am a voice speaking softly. I am from the beginning. I am in the silence that surrounds every one of them. And the hidden voice is in me, in intangible, immeasurable thought, in the immeasurable silence. I descended into the underworld and shone down on the darkness. I poured water. I am hidden in radiant waters. I gradually dawn on all by my thought. I am weighed down with the voice. Through me knowledge comes. I am in the ineffable and unknowable. I am perception and knowledge, uttering a voice by means of thought. I am the real voice. I cry out in everyone, and they recognize it, since a seed lives in them. I am the father’s thought, and through me came the voice: the knowledge of everlasting things. I am as thought for all. I am joined to unknowable and intangible thought.” ~Three Forms of First Thought

The First Thought

The First Thought is God’s Thought. We can’t really say that it is God’s first thought, but it is God’s first thought that began the true creation, the creation of spirit. It is the first thought that is significant to us. The quote from the Gnostic text known as “Three Forms of First Thought,” has God using the feminine “She” as a self-reference. This is rather unusual, but it should be noted that it is not incorrect. God is as much female as male, Mother as well as Father. The quote also says that this first thought is “the movement that is in all.” Today, of course, we all know that light moves, and moves fast, so if the first thought took the form of Light, then the first thought moves and moves fast. Yet it doesn’t seem to move so fast down here on earth. That is because the material realm that we live in is so far away from God that everything here moves much more slowly.

Intangible Dwelling in the Tangible

God is intangible but also dwells in the tangible. Even matter has spirit in it, and where there is spirit, there is God. Therefore, the First Thought that came from God is also in the intangible places of spirit as well as the tangible ones of matter.

Those who Sleep I Awaken

This doesn’t mean that First Thought awakens us from physical sleep, although it may sometimes affect our physical sleep through dreams. What it means is that those who are spiritually asleep are awakened by First Thought, which is also God’s Light. But then, why are most people still asleep, including most of those who claim to be awake? It is because a spiritual awakening rarely happens by accident. It must be sought and sought in the proper place. Seeking a spiritual awakening in dark, cave-like churches doesn’t work. Seeking an awakening by staring at the moon at night doesn’t work. It is the Sun that is the messenger of God, not the moon. It is the Light of the Spiritual Sun that awakens those who are ready to be awakened, and that means more than just those who wish to be awakened. They must want it for the right reasons, those reasons being to help people including themselves develop spiritually, and to aid God in the Divine Plan to save the world. Seeking it for selfish reasons doesn’t work.

Through Me, Knowledge Comes

Real Knowledge, the kind that the Gnostics called Gnosis, isn’t found in books or in sermons. It is found in connecting with higher levels of consciousness. As we develop and raise our own consciousness, we are able to connect with higher and higher levels until we reach the highest level where we connect with God and First Thought. Then we will have Gnosis.

From the SUN TALK collection by Harold Boulette

Theoretical model of causal pathways to physical health for Western monotheistic religions (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism). Original source: Koenig et al.

Review Article: “Religion, Spirituality, and Health: The Research and Clinical Implications,” Harold G. Koenig, 2012. Published by International Scholarly Research Network, ISRN Psychiatry, Volume 2012, Article ID 278730, 33 pages

Summary:
This paper provides a concise but comprehensive review of research on religion/spirituality (R/S) and both mental health and physical health. It is based on a systematic review of original data-based quantitative research published in peer-reviewed journals between 1872 and 2010, including a few seminal articles published since 2010. First, I provide a brief historical background to set the stage. Then I review research on R/S and mental health, examining relationships with both positive and negative mental health outcomes, where positive outcomes include well-being, happiness, hope, optimism, and gratefulness, and negative outcomes involve depression, suicide, anxiety, psychosis, substance abuse, delinquency/crime, marital instability, and personality traits (positive and negative). I then explain how and why R/S might influence mental health. Next, I review research on R/S and health behaviors such as physical activity, cigarette smoking, diet, and sexual practices, followed by a review of relationships between R/S and heart disease, hypertension, cerebrovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, immune functions, endocrine functions, cancer, overall mortality, physical disability, pain, and somatic symptoms. I then present a theoretical model explaining how R/S might influence physical health. Finally, I discuss what health professionals should do in light of these research findings and make recommendations in this regard.

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Harold G. Koenig, M.D.
Director, Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health
Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
Associate Professor of Medicine
Duke University Medical Center
Adjunct Professor, Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Adjunct Professor, Department of Public Health, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, People’s Republic of China
Adjunct Professor, Department of Psychiatry, School of Osteopathic Medicine, Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina
Visiting Professor, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran

Article submitted by Michael McIntyre