In the last analysis, the individual person is responsible for living his own life and for "finding himself." If he persists in shifting his responsibility to somebody else, he fails to find out the meaning of his own existence.

-Thomas Merton

The Assumption of the Holy Sophia

Today is the feast of the assumption of the Holy and Blessed Sophia. This day is a celebration of the turning about of Sophia from her captors and unfaithful lovers after crying out in despair.

There are various versions of this story. A version that is striking in its imagery and sense of cosmic drama and heroism is from the book Pistis Sophia.

It starts here (G.R.S. Mead translation) with the Christ being Sophia's counterpart and bridegroom being sent by the First Father to rescue Sophia.

"It came to pass, therefore, that the power which had come out of the Height, that is I, in that my Father sent me to save Pistis Sophia out of the chaos, [that] I, therefore, and also the power which did go from me, and the soul which I had received from Sabaōth, the Good,--they drew towards one another and become a single light-stream, which shone very exceedingly. I called down Gabriēl and Michaēl out of the æons, at the command of my Father, the First Mystery which looketh within, and I gave unto them the light-stream and let them go down into the chaos to help Pistis Sophia and to take the light-powers, which the emanations of Self-willed had taken from her, from them and give them to Pistis Sophia.

Later

"It came to pass then, when the light-stream had ingathered into Pistis Sophia all her light-powers, which it had taken from the emanations of Self-willed, that she became shining throughout; and the light-powers also in Pistis Sophia, which the emanations of Self-willed had not taken, became joyful again and filled themselves with light. And the lights which were poured into Pistis Sophia, quickened the body of her matter, in which no light was present, and which was on the point of perishing or perished. And they raised up all her powers which were on the point of being dissolved. And they took unto themselves a light-power and became again as they were before, and they increased again in their sense of the Light. And all the light-powers of Sophia knew themselves mutually through my light-stream and were saved through the light of that stream. And my light-stream, when. it had taken away the lights from the emanations of Self-willed, which they had taken away from Pistis Sophia, poured them into Pistis Sophia, and turned itself about and went up out of the chaos."

The imagery with its "light powers" and cosmic archangels calls to remembrance a universal drama that is in some way a map or mirror of our own journey here and back out of each of our own personal edge-points on the rim of chaos.

This day then is a celebration also of our own turning about when we've come as low as we can and we begin the slow and halting ascent back to our true home in the Pleroma. It marks the point where our individuation begins.

The Tarot

I'm relatively new to the Tarot and have recently began studying. It is promoted as great tool for contemplation and meditation that many use to get in touch with their sub-conscious. Some gnostics use it in this manner as a tool for praxis. A lot of the symbols come from the Golden Dawn and the Kabbalah. The Golden Dawn derived much of their symbols from earlier alchemical knowledge.

Each of the 22 major arcana have been mapped to the 22 paths between the sephiroth on the Tree of Life and as such they can be seent to represent the "movement" between the various realms between heaven and earth. The language of the conscious mind is through language where words mean very specific things. Conversely the sub-conscious mind seems to work well with symbols. In the west most of us have developed our left analytical mind at the expense of our sub-conscious mind.

It is the working with symbols that are designed to stimulate and interact with a part of ourselves that we aren't usually directly aware of that the Tarot is used for.

I have found these books pretty informative in the use of Tarot in a contemplative fashion:
The Kabbalah Experience and The Watkins Tarot Handbook both by Naomi Ozaniec

It should be clear that the sacred images of the Tarot serve a spiritual purpose. In common with the vast variety of worldwide spiritual icons, the sacred images of the Tarot serve to feed the contemplative and reflective instincts and as such have rightfully earned a place within the spiritual traditions of the west. The sacred icons of the Tarot form a key aspect of a Mystery School curriculum as doorways leading into the realm of ageless Wisdom. This is the deeper gift of the Tarot.

-from the foreward of The Watkins Tarot Handbook

Peace

The Eternal Feminine

I am the crown of manifold births and deaths:
I am the interpreter of mysteries and the enlightener of souls.
In the elements of the body is love imprisoned: lying asleep in the caves of Iacchos;
in the crib of the oxen of Demeter.
But when the day-star of the soul ariseth over the earth, then is the epiphany of love.
Therefore until the labor of the third day be fulfilled, the light of love is unmanifest.
Then I shall unlock the gates of dawn;
and the glory of God shall ascend before the eyes of men.

- Anna Kingsford

Holy Mary of Magdala

The Gospel According to Mary

Chapter 5

3 Peter answered and spoke concerning these same things.

4 He questioned them about the Savior: Did He really speak privately with a woman and not openly to us? Are we to turn about and all listen to her? Did He prefer her to us?

5 Then Mary wept and said to Peter, My brother Peter, what do you think? Do you think that I have thought this up myself in my heart, or that I am lying about the Savior?

6 Levi answered and said to Peter, Peter you have always been hot tempered.

7 Now I see you contending against the woman like the adversaries.

8 But if the Savior made her worthy, who are you indeed to reject her? Surely the Savior knows her very well.

9 That is why He loved her more than us. Rather let us be ashamed and put on the perfect Man, and separate as He commanded us and preach the gospel, not laying down any other rule or other law beyond what the Savior said.

10 And when they heard this they began to go forth to proclaim and to preach.

Gospel of Thomas

The Fool

silly † naive † fortune cookies † La La La † unabashed † kitten † yawn † tripping clumsy † no-thought † late riser † impetuous † curious † conversation killer † bulldoze † impulsive † spontaneous † playful † surfacey † shallow † pretty lights † sparkly † dazed † glazed with sprinkles on top † drunk † thoughtless † treading † right to the edge † daring † jokester † sprawled out † ice cream licker † sharing lollipops † bare feet † no worries † ignorant † innocent † unknowing † happy † trusting † unwitting sacrifice † sleepy eyes † clever


Did I forget anything?