Realities of Life

  

 There is nothing in the material world, in the exercising of the psyche, or in the metaphysical realms that we can hold onto for safety or take for granted. Nor is there a "little self' that we need to rise to be in tune with the world. Everything that we see, feel or experience is just an illusion! So, nobody has to tell us a moral, and what the truth is, because it will be like "sweeping dust under the carpet"…

 The cause of all our suffering or insecurity is a joy-blockage and constant search for something “better” than we have. With time it becomes an attachment. Then our emotions feel like the flow of water that we are trying to dam up. They get higher and higher until they overflow or burst the 'dam'. Our suffering or striving to change the future is a clinging to material interactions… The advice from our ancestor's teachings is to give up our desire as much as we can, by staying in the Middle Way.  That means we must be in our self-silence, what is described as existence and nonexistence, in between any two opposites. It is also a state of not attempting to give up more desire than we can so that we can move out of the extreme.

 Some people think that the state of liberation is some kind of "nirvana" which essentially means “blowout” (blowing out the flame of desire). For me, it looks more like "breathing out" which is a principle of life. We can’t hold our breath forever! Same with our physical life, without inhaling and exhaling, we become dead. What is the point of surviving, when life is a drag?  When you let your breath go, it comes back, the same as joy does for our lives!  That is why "nirvana" is not some undifferentiated void, it’s a state of being here and now in this life.

 The last "reality of life" is “mindfulness” which I want to talk about.  With everything we do, we know that we do it when we’re self-aware.  We discover that there isn’t any way to be absentminded—all thoughts are in the present. But, we very often like to find out all kinds of new things to explore our minds and then teach them to others. The problem is that when our “mindset” starts to grow, as an “acorn” grows into the oak tree, we run back to the original “acorn” so that we can switch it with the new oak fruit, which becomes the seed for another tree. We forget to expand inward and elaborate on what we are already familiar with. We value the written word and speeches which are purely incidental for us. The Taoist sage, Chuang Tzu once said, “Just as a dog is not considered a good dog just for being a good barker, a man is not considered a good man just for being a good talker”...

  So you are invited to let go of control and align yourself with the natural order of the Universe. A true "boss", is someone who minimizes their grip on things, allowing harmony to occur without forceful ruling. It is a strong and flexible person who, at the same time, lets "life’s strings" move freely rather than manipulating them tightly.

  Yours faithfully, 

  HAC 

Thunder, Perfect Mind

  

 The “Thunder, Perfect Mind” exists only in the Coptic version found at The Nag Hammadi Library, a collection of thirteen ancient books (called "codices") containing over fifty texts, was discovered in Upper Egypt in 1945.  The author, date, and place of composition of this poem are unknown, but a cultural milieu like that of second- or third-century Alexandria is plausible.

 The text was originally composed in Greek well before 350 C.E. The surviving text is relatively well preserved, with minor damage near the top of the first four pages (13-16) and more serious damage on the first ten lines of the remaining manuscript pages (17- 21).

 This Primary Gnostic scripture (from the Greek word “gnosis” - knowledge) is an incredibly far-reaching possession of secret knowledge, that is comparable to Biblical works, to the Hymn of Isis and Sophia from the Wisdom of Solomon to the Isis aretalogies, Platonic dialogues and to the Yin/Yang of the Tao.

 The Greek word “thunder”, is a noun, feminine “bronté”, translated means “to roar” (e.g., seven powerful voices of God).  Thunder is often a mark of judgment in Scripture as in 1 Samuel 2:10, 2 Samuel 22:14, and several more places in Revelation (8:5, 11:19, 16:18). Psalm 18:13 says, “The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.”

 The Theogony (Greek: Θεογονία, Theogonía "the genealogy or birth of the gods"), a poem by Hesiod (8th – 7th century BC) says, that Chaos was the first thing to exist, and next, out of Chaos, came Gaia, the Ancestral Mother parthenogenic (from the Greek parthénos, 'virgin' +  génesis, 'creation) of all life. Later, out of Gaia spun other elemental forces - Love, Earth, and Sky.  She bore the Mountains and Sea and the twelve Titans "without sweet union of love" (i.e., with no father). Then she gave birth to the Kyklopes, creatures of marvelous power: thundering Brontes, lightning Steropes, and strong-hearted Arges, who are the makers and givers to Zeus of thunder and lightning.

 Because there are multiple translators of this beautiful poem (as the most religious scripts), it leads to comparing them and trying to find a way that is the most accurate to present the truth of God’s Word, and understandable by most people. Each translation usually has strengths and weaknesses; ultimately, most are a true combination of the two. So, let us introduce our simplification of this sacred text that is created for our community for a deeper understanding of its meaning and symbolism. Enjoy it!

 

THE THUNDER

 

I created myself from nothing (“Creatio ex nihil”), by My own power.

I AM here for those who seek Me in emptiness and in dark nothingness,

I AM here for those who are ready to hear and receive Me.

Do not cast Me from your presence,

But restore your joy and uphold your free spirit.

Be silent before Me so that I may speak, and let it nurture you because it will.

Be careful and attentive to My words; incline your ear to My sayings.

 

I AM Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

I AM who is honored and who is scorned.

I AM who is fallen and who is a holy woman.

I AM who is a wife and who is a virgin bride.

I AM who is a mother and who is the daughter.

I AM who is in solace of My childbearing, and I AM who is not in labor.

I AM who was born sterile and who has many children.

I AM whose wedding is lavish and who did not have a husband.

 

I AM the bride and the bridegroom, and my husband gave birth to me.

I AM My father’s mother, My husband’s sister, and My husband is My child.

I AM who was begotten by Him before the time of birth and I AM Mother of Him who was born in due time.

 

I AM the bondswoman of Him, and I AM the ruler of My offspring.

I AM the strength of His power, and He is My guide, whatever He wants happens to me.

I AM mute with silence, but My voice’s sound is manifold, and My name's appearance is multiple.

I AM the very first breath, and when I open My mouth wide, I will fill it.

 

Do you love Me? Then why, vilify and loathe the ones who fellowship Me?

Why do you, who deny Me, confess Me, and you who confess Me, deny Me?

Why do you bend your tongue like a bow for lies, and declare that you know Me?

 

Be aware and do right to silence the ignorance of foolish people,

Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor.

Let the proud be ashamed, and the tent of the wicked will be no longer,

For I AM your refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

 

I will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wrongful,

For there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.

I will bring a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

For every My word is flawless; and a shield to those who take refuge in Me.

Give heed to Me, My righteous rules endure forever.

I AM wisdom, I AM better than jewels; nothing can compare with Me.

I AM in the middle of the path of justice; I walk in the way of righteousness.

Do not be arrogant toward the branches;

It is not you who supports the root, but the root that supports you.

Do not fear or be dismayed, I will never leave you nor forsake you.

Look upon Me when you are pelt out among those who are disgraced and have laughed at you.

I AM sound of wisdom and understanding, and I AM power of strength,

Thus, I will show compassion to anyone I choose.

Be on your guard and stay alert!

 

I AM who does not make you timid, but I give you willpower and self-discipline.

I AM who helps you fulfill your fear and seek salvation so that you can achieve your purpose.

I AM who gives you safeness and a comfortable place when you are weak.

I AM who is beyond all senses and wisdom.

 

Pay attention, be silent, listen to Me, for I have more to say.

Why have you contempt for My counsel?

Why have you Greeks rejected Me?

I AM a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and the foolish.

If I know not the force of the words, I will be a foreigner to the speaker,

And the speaker will be a foreigner to Me.

Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom,

And I AM the judgment of the Greeks and of the barbarians.

 

I AM the one, whose image is multiple in Egypt,

And I AM who has no likeness among the barbarians.

I AM who has been alienated in every place,

And I AM who has been loved everywhere.

I AM the one, whom one calls Life,

And I AM the others have called Death.

I AM the one, whom one calls Law,

And I AM the one others have called Lawlessness.

I AM the one whom you have pursued.

I AM the one whom you have seized.

I AM the one whom you have scattered.

I AM the one; you have gathered together in My name,

And I AM the one who is in the midst of them.

I AM the one before whom you have been ashamed,

And I AM one whom you have been shameless.

I AM one who does not keep rituals,

And I AM who shows you many signs with symbols.

I AM beyond all forms,

 And I AM the one whose God is multiple.

I AM one about whom you meditate,

And I AM one whom you scorned.

I AM one, who unlearned,

And I AM one from who you learn.

I AM one that you have despised,

And I AM one who you honor.

I AM one from who you are hiding,

And I AM one who you searching.

 

Stop ruminating about secrets, they will come to light.

Open your heart, that when you come to Me, I will be not hidden from you.

Let Me take your grief away by helping you understand it.

Let Me help you pass through being crushed and disgraced by seeing beauty in the ugliness.

Let Me help you pass guiltlessness and shamelessness shamelessly.

Come toward Me, you who know Me, and you who know just parts of Me.

Take the lowest place that you can raise to spiritual greatness.

Be like a child.

Do not despise virtue because it is immaterial.

Do not reject the small parts of greatness because they are undersized;

Smallness is recognized from within greatness.

Do not imprecate, revere, hurt, and ask mercy at the same time.

Do not judge and you will be not judged.

Do not reject and you will be not rejected.

Forgive, and to you will be forgiven.

Love and you will be loved.

 

I AM the mind and true essence of your being.

I AM your greatness, the power, and the glory.

I AM your own good, who leads you in the way you should go.

I AM the mighty one who does Her word.

I AM the breath of the Almighty.

I AM the Designer of All Creation.

I AM Mother, the Spirit of God Moves.

I AM the spirit of all men who exist.

I AM women who dwell in me.

 

I AM who is revered and adored, and who is reviled with contempt. 

I AM for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.

I AM a stranger and an alien residing among you.

I AM the substance of things hoped for, the evidence and the womb of things not seen.

Those who are in darkness and ignorant, let them be ignorant.

Those who really know Me will know their substance.

Those who acknowledge Me in the presence of others I acknowledge them in My presence.

 

I AM the vine; you are the branches.

I AM the energy of all things; I AM the way, the truth, and I AM the life.

I AM within the light of the world and within the essence of your soul.

I AM who controls and who is uncontrollable.

I AM the union and I AM isolation.

I AM the manifestation and I AM cloudiness.

I AM not of this world and I AM earthy.

I AM the judgment and I AM acquittal.

I AM humble and I AM noble.

I AM lust and I AM refrained.

I AM the knowledge and I AM ignorance.

I AM a mute who does not speak, and My words are endless.

Hear Me in gentleness and learn of Me in harshness.

I AM gentle and humble in heart, and in Me, you will find rest for your soul.

I AM thrown down your altars, and I AM who prepares food for your mind.

I AM unknowable, and you understand that I AM.

  

You honor Me with the lips, but your heart is kept far away from Me.

You who pass judgment on someone else, have no excuse.

For at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself.

What is inside of you, that is outside of you.

The one who fashions you on the outside is the one who shapes the inside of you.

Rend your heart, and not your garments.

If you live in Me and what I say lives in you, ask for anything you want, and it will be yours.

Listen closely and don’t ever forget My words; keep them always in mind.

They are the key to life for those who find them, and they will give you life.

I AM the hearing that is attainable to everything.

I AM the speech that cannot be grasped.

I AM the justice that will prevail.

 

The mere sound of My name will signal hope even among far-off unbelievers.

Everyone who calls on Me, I will deliver them safely back to land.

Grace and peace to the One who created Me. 

And will speak His name.

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy.

Blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it.

Blessed are those who come from Holy Essence, and who come from the Seven Spirits.

Glory for those who are before His throne, the angels,

And those who have been sent from Pneuma,

And those who have arisen from the dead.

 

I AM the One, who alone exists,

And there is no other, none like Me,

And I have no one who will judge Me.

So prepare your mind for action.

Be completely sober and alert.

 Fix your hope completely on the grace,

And you will find Me there,

And you will live,

 And you will never die.

 

***

 In the end, please allow us to present one of our favorite prayers, “Prayer to the Creator of the Universe”: Meditation on "The Lord's Prayer" in ancient Aramaic, where we also made our own simplifications. 

 Contemplation on world prayers is always very beneficial. It is a great opportunity to step into a unique human mind, heart, and sacred thought, and by understanding those treasures of our history to proceed to create a better world for all of us.

 

Prayer to the Creator of the Universe

Father/Mother of all, from whom the breath of life comes,

Who fills all realms of sound, light, and vibration.

Your love and wisdom are found everywhere and in everything.

Help us bring more harmony into the Earth and sprout acts of mercy and kindness for all creatures.

Untangle the knots within, so that we can mend our hearts’ simple ties to each other.

Help us to see clearly, what holds us back from our true purpose.

From You comes the glory and the lively strength to act, the song that beautifies all and renews itself from age to age.

Amên.

Sealed in trust, faith, and truth.

(I confirm with my entire being)

  

Yours faithfully, HAC 

Select Bibliography:

1.     “Thunder, Perfect Mind.” Translation from James M. Robinson, ed., The Nag Hammadi Library, revised edition. HarperCollins, San Francisco, 1990.

2.      “Simon Magus: The First Gnostic?” By Stephen Charles Haar. 2003.

3.      “Thunder, Perfect Mind.” By Buckley, Jorunn J. The Anchor Bible Dictionary. 1992.

4.      “Images of the Feminine in Gnosticism.” By King Karen. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1988. 

5.      “The Riddle of the Thunder. “ The Function of Paradox in a Gnostic Text from Nag Hammadi.” By Layton, Bentley. Hendrickson publ. 1986

6.      “The Thunder – Perfect Intellect.” By Layton, Bentley. The Gnostic Scriptures. NY: Doubleday, 1987.

7.      “The Ego-Proclamation in Gnostic Sources.” By MacRae, George W. Naperville, Ill.: A. R. Allenson, 1970.

8.      “Discourses of the Gnostic Revealer.” By MacRae, George W. Stockholm, 1973

9.      “The Thunder, Perfect Mind.” By MacRae, George W., Protocol of the Fifth Colloquy of the Center for Hermeneutical Studies in Hellenistic and Modern Culture, 1973, Graduate Theological Union, and the University of California-Berkeley. Ed. W. Wuellner. Berkeley, California, 1973.

10.  “Thunder, Perfect Mind.” By McGuire, Anne.  Searching the Scriptures. New York: Crossroad, 1994.

11.  “In Praise of Nonsense.” By Miller, Patricia Cox.  Ancient Mediterranean Spirituality. Ed. A. H. Armstrong. New York: Crossroad, 1986. 

12.  "The Thunder," By Rev. Hal Taussig. "A New Testament. ".Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 2013

13.  “The Thunder: Perfect Mind.” By Anne McGuire. 2000

14.  Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus. 2009, by Neil Douglas-Klotz 

15.  King James Bible Online: Authorized King James Version (KJV) of the Bible- the preserved and living Word of God. Includes 1611 KJV and 1769 Cambridge KJV.

16.  Holy Bible from Ancient Eastern Manuscripts Hardcover – Large Print, October 1, 1982, by George M. Lamsa 

17.  The Place of the Peshitto Version in the Apparatus Criticus of the Greek New Testament (Analecta Gorgiana) Paperback – December 28, 2006, by G. H. Gwilliam 

18.  The Babylonian Expedition of the University of Pennsylvania. Series A: Cuneiform texts.Vol. XX, Part 1, Mathematical, metrological and chronological Tablets from the Temple Library of Nippur / by HUGO RADAU, edited by H. V. Hilprecht. 1911

19.  Theosophy and the Dissenting Western Imagination. By Dara Tatray. Literature & Aesthetics. June 2011