Sermon 13—Philip 11
Today’s section of Philip once more develops the metaphoric relationship of earthly things to heavenly things. It begins, in a kind of parable-like format, with a typical catechismic breakdown of the primal essences of nature: water, earth, air, and light; with their analogs in the essences of spirit: faith, aspiration, love, and knowledge. This leads to a reflection on the “calm” of creation, but then it quickly turns to various subtleties of inflection of the term “marriage bed” as they apply metaphorically to the spiritual bridal chamber.
“115. Farming in this world requires four essences: water, earth, air, and light. In the same way, the farming of God consists of four essences: faith, aspiration, love, and knowledge.
Our “earth” is faith in which we are deep-rooted; “water” is aspiration that carries us; “air” is love thanks to which we live; and “light” is knowledge that allows us to mature.”
Note the statement, “light” is knowledge that allows us to mature.” We will come back to that. On with Philip:
“… Blessed be those who have not caused grief to any being. Such was Jesus Christ. He greeted all in this world and did not burden anyone with Himself.
Blessed be those who live like this! For they are perfect men! For Logos is like this.
117. Ask us about Him! For we cannot reproach Him for anything! How can we reproach this Great One? He gave Calm (of the Bridal Chamber) to every one (of us)!”
Antonov commentary:
“Let us notice: the Great Ones give calm. The opposite of them, demonic and devilish people bring enmity, hatred, chaos, violence, devastation, suffering.”
The “calm” of creation is one of the great mysteries upon which Philip abundantly expounds. Two weeks ago we read:
“86. The deeds of man result from man’s power.
Therefore, they are regarded as efforts. But man also begets children, which are conceived in calm. The power of man is manifested in deeds, and calm —in children.
You may find that man is similar to God in this respect.
Because God also performs His deeds (in the Creation)
thanks to His Power, but it is in Calm that He begets
His Children.”
Antonov’s Commentary:
“The sexual function can be realized fully only in the deep calm of both partners. Therefore, Philip speaks about children as about the result of the calm of people. The state of God-the-Father in the Bridal Chamber is the deepest tender Calm. His Sons and Daughters come from It.”
I have pondered this question for some time: why does creation proceed from the deepest tender calm? Philip distinguishes between “efforts”, the doing of deeds, (clearly deeds performed in the physical dimension), and “creation”, a somehow magical alchemical event which comes out of a state of deepest calm. Perhaps this refers to the heavenly relaxation of tension that follows a sexual climax; perhaps it is the turning inward that is part and parcel of the creative process, the quiet of that inner room where the truth is revealed in whispered words; perhaps the neutralizing of positive and negative electromagnetic forces is the calm. In the Renaissance, one joking term for a sexual climax was “the little death”—perhaps when we “rest in peace” we “rest in calm”?
Clearly, Philip is suggesting that the higher spiritual consciousness state is a state of calm. Some Eastern religions refer to a state of “equanimity”, or “bliss”, or “nirvana”; all these states must be thought of as “calm”, but Philip further points out that one who knows this spiritual calm not only MAY evoke it in the mundane dimension, but OUGHT to do so.
Here is Philip:
“118. First of all, one should not distress anyone: either big or small, unbeliever or believer; then one should offer calm to those who live in peace and good. There are Those Who can give Calm to those living in good.
Mere kind people cannot do this, because they themselves are still dependent. And They cannot cause grief, (unnecessary) suffering. But those, who are still on the way to becoming like Them, distress people sometimes.
The One Who has mastered the secrets of the Existence brings joy to good people! However, there are those who grieve and feel angry because of this.”
Why do people “grieve and feel angry because of” someone else’s good fortune? How often have we fallen into the trap of coveting the joys of our neighbors? How often have we revisited the ancient wisdom that “misery loves company”?
On with Philip, who continues to draw a parallel between how a farmer takes care of his estate, and how disciples of God tend to their spiritual estates. Note, especially, the expression: “Fleshly forms do not deceive them, and speaking with someone they look at the state of the soul of that person.”
“119. A householder has acquired all sorts of things: children, slaves, cattle, dogs, pigs, wheat, barley, straw, grass, dog’s food, and best food, and acorns. As a reasonable man, the householder knows which food is for whom and thus gives bread and olive oil to the children, castor oil and wheat — to the slaves, barley, straw, and grass —to the cattle, garbage — to the dogs, acorns and bran — to the pigs.
So are disciples of God. If they are wise, they comprehend the discipleship. Fleshly forms do not deceive them, and speaking with someone they look at the state of the soul of that person.”
Note, especially, the expression: “Fleshly forms do not deceive them, and speaking with someone they look at the state of the soul of that person.” This is a reminder that we are all spiritual beings; it is a reminder, lest we forget, in our worldly dealings with people, to avoid making errors of judgment and behavior. We must constantly hold before our spiritual eyes the eternal aspect of ourselves in each other, and love our enemies as ourselves, because we ARE ourselves are our own enemies.
Philip continues by reminding us how easily we are fooled by appearances:
“There are many animals with human appearance in this world. Disciples of God identify them and give “acorns” to the “pigs”, “barley”, “straw”, and “grass” —to the “cattle”, “garbage” — to the “dogs”, “sprouts” —to the “slaves”, and the perfect “food” — to the “children”.”
This passage encourages us to make fine distinctions concerning appropriate social behavior. As we have heard many times, LIKE attracts LIKE and LIKE repels UNLIKE. We need to be sure WHO we are dealing with and what we are giving each to each. We have heard that we are guilty of the sin of adultery merely by becoming one flesh with someone who is not on the same spiritual level with us; likewise, all our interactions with people must be delicately harmonized by communications of the right horse to the right rider.
Antonov commentary:
“Using images of animals, Philip writes about psychoclassification of people according to the psychogenetic age and the qualities which every one of them developed during the personal evolution. Each of these groups needs “food” appropriate only to it.”
Back to Philip. Here we return to the complicated Proselyte/Son dichotomy; there is a lot of talk distinguishing “creating” from “begetting”:
“120. There is the Son of Man (Christ), and there is the
Son of the Son of Man. The Lord is the Son of Man. And the Son of the Son of Man is the One Who was created by the Son of Man. The Son of Man received from God the ability to create. But He can also beget.”
The distinction between creating and begetting has been a problem for me since the very beginning of the book. At this point, it finally starts to make sense. Here Philip tells us the word “create” refers to earthly creation (perhaps we mean “construction out of things already made”?), while “begetting” refers to the transfer of divine knowledge from a higher level to a lower level, thus RAISING the lower level to the higher level:
“121. The one who has the ability to create (earthly things) — creates (them). The one who has the ability to beget (children) — begets. The one who creates (earthly things) cannot beget (at the same time).
But the One Who begets can also create. And the One
Who creates — also begets. The progeny of such (Perfect)
One is this Creation. This (Perfect) One begets also (other progeny) — not earthly children but Likenesses of
Oneself.
The one who creates (earthly things) acts openly, not hiding. The one who begets acts secretly, in private. But this progeny is not like the Progeny of the (Perfect) One.
The One, Who creates, creates (also) openly. And the
One, Who begets, begets the Sons and the Daughters (also) secretly.”
Antonov commentary:
“This fragment has much “play on words”. This can be seen very clearly if one rewrites it without explanations in brackets. The word to create in the second paragraph means to materialize; this concerns the creation of the world by God-the-Father and the ability of Christs to materialize different objects.
This world created by God-the-Father can be also regarded as His progeny. The Christs beget new Sons and Daughters. They do this secretly from the people of the material world.”
This is a very difficult passage, and the Antonov commentary clarifies it somewhat, but the Isenburg translation is really pretty transparent:
“120 There is the Son of Man and there is the son of the Son of Man. The Lord is the Son of Man, and the son of the Son of Man is he who creates through the Son of Man.
The Son of Man received from God the capacity to create. He also has the ability to beget.
121 He who has received the ability to create is a creature. He who has received the ability to beget is an offspring. He who creates cannot beget.”
Here, we encounter a contradiction: Antonov says, “The one who creates (earthly things) cannot beget (at the same time).
While Isenburg states “He who creates cannot beget.” What is the significance of the clause, “at the same time”?
Isenburg’s commentary asks the same question:
“(Why cannot a physical parent beget spiritually?)
(It is because outer reproduction copies the demiurge while the spiritual children are inner.)”
Going on with the Isenburg translation:
“He who begets also has power to create. Now they say, "He who creates begets". But his so-called "offspring" is merely a creature. Because of [the heritage] of birth, they are not his offspring but [of the demiurge].
[Sidebar: We have encountered the term “demiurge” repeatedly in Philip and have glossed over it in a casual way. In this case a precise definition is needed in order to understand the distinctions Philip is making:
“Demiurge: in Gnosticism and other theological systems, a heavenly being, subordinate to the Supreme Being, that is considered to be the controller of the material world and antagonistic to all that is purely spiritual.”
Thus, a “creature” is a son of Earth, while a Son of Man is a Son of Heaven.
Back to Philip:
“He who creates works openly, and he himself is visible. He who begets, begets in private, and he himself is hidden, since [he is focused on the] image. Also, he who creates, creates openly. But one who begets, begets children in private.”
Isenburg commentary:
“(Why is the Bridal Chamber so private?)
(Because you cannot see a bride with the bridegroom unless you become one.)”
The next section develops the idea of the privacy and tranquility (calm) of the bridal chamber.
“122. No one can know when a husband and a wife united with each other except themselves, since the tranquility of their union is a secret for the outsiders. If an impure union is hidden, then how much more a confidential mystery is a pure union! It is not fleshly, but pure. It is not determined by passion, but by sober will. It does not belong to the darkness and night, but to the day and light.
A (sexual) union, if exhibited to others, becomes adultery.
A wife is considered unchaste not only if she unites with another man, but even if she leaves her bride-bed and is seen by others.
Let her meet only with her parents, friends of the husband, and the children of her bridal chamber; they may enter her bridal chamber every day. But let others dream of hearing her voice there and of enjoying the fragrance of her incenses! And let them be satisfied, like dogs, with the crumbs that fall from the table.
The Husbands and Wives (of God) belong to the Bridal
Chamber. One cannot see Them unless one becomes as
They are. No one except the Father can see and know the Greatness of Those Who attained the Bridal Chamber, unless one attains the same level of development.”
Isenburg Translation:
“122 No one can know when the husband and the wife have intercourse with one another, except the two of them. Indeed, marriage in the world is a mystery for those who have taken a wife.
If there is a hidden quality to the marriage of defilement, how much more is the undefiled marriage a true mystery! It is not fleshly, but pure. It belongs not to desire, but to the will. It belongs not to the darkness or the night, but to the day and the light.
If a marriage is open to the public, it has become prostitution, and the bride plays the harlot not only when she is impregnated by another man, but even if she slips out of her bedroom and is seen.
Let her show herself only to her father and her mother, and to the friend of the bridegroom and the sons of the bridegroom. These are permitted to enter every day into the bridal chamber. But let the others yearn just to listen to her voice and to enjoy her ointment, and let them feed from the crumbs that fall from the table, like the dogs.
Bridegrooms and brides belong to the bridal chamber. No one shall be able to see the bridegroom with the bride unless he become such a one.”
Most of us here are old enough to remember the John Lennon song, “You’ve got to hide your love away.” I have considered the wisdom of these lyrics many times. At first, it seems cynical—we have to hide because the world is a low-class brothel where every beautiful thing is desecrated, and brought down to its own low level. Philip seems to be saying that the privacy of the marriage bed is a function of inner experience. He is also saying that outer knowledge of an inner experience invites compromise of the purity that obtains between two lovers exclusively devoted to each other. The alchemy of the bridal chamber is a specific mix of energetic identities which ought not to be corrupted by false complementarities. Perhaps too many cooks spoil the broth. Perhaps hiding your love away is the same thing as feeding your pigs the right acorns.
Philip goes on to distinguish between the “visible” and the “hidden”. Obviously, we are to take the “visible” as the fleshly, and the “hidden” as the “private” spirituality.
“… Abraham in order to perceive the One Whom he had to perceive performed circumcision of the foreskin, showing by this (symbolically) that we should rid ourselves of the fleshly — that which is of this world.
… As long as the intestines of man’s body are hidden, the body is alive. But if the intestines are uncovered and fall out, the body dies. It is the same with a tree: while its roots are hidden, the tree blossoms and grows. If the roots are uncovered, the tree withers.”
I find this point to be radically significant: “while its roots are hidden, the tree blossoms and grows. If the roots are uncovered, the tree withers.” We know that when the roots of a tree are exposed to air, they wither and stop functioning as roots. Likewise, when we hide our love away, it remains protected from worldly corruption, whereas exposing it to outside scrutiny robs it of its potency and vitality. Some primitive African natives won’t allow you to take a photograph of them because they feel you are robbing them of some private essence. Is this true or not? Perhaps more true than we want to admit.
My whole life I have lamented my failure to achieve a worldly reputation as a composer, but these days I begin to wonder if this was not a blessing in disguise. I have known many famous people who belittled the benefits of fame. I had trouble believing them, but as I approach the ending of my efforts as a composer, I begin to suspect that my pearls were lucky to escape the desecration of swine.
On with Philip:
“It is the same with any phenomenon in the world, not only in the material but in the hidden one as well. Thus, as long as the root of evil is hidden it grows and is strong.
When it gets known, it begins to bloom. But if its root is uncovered, it perishes.”
Here, we start to get into the subject of “knowledge” that will be expanded a few lines down. The implication of this paragraph is that: knowledge of evil things, brought out from its secret place, subjects its roots to the same worldly corruption that destroys the roots of love. Thus, divine knowledge chooses to reveal evil to the world, while keeping righteousness protected in secrecy.
Going on:
“Therefore, Logos says, “Already the axe lies at the roots of trees! If it does not cut up completely, that which was cut will grow again. Hence, it is necessary to drive the axe deep enough so that it tears out the roots.”
And Jesus destroyed those roots in the place where He worked. And He also did this partially in other places.
As for all of us, let us cut into the roots of evil, which we find within ourselves, and tear out evil with its roots from the soul!”
And here comes the role of KNOWLEDGE”:
“We can tear evil out only if we know it. If we are ignorant of it, it will continue to grow its roots and multiply itself in us. Thus it will get the complete control over us, and we will become its slaves. It will enslave us more and more, forcing us to do that which we do not want to do and forcing us not to do that which we want to do… It is very powerful until we know about it in ourselves!”
I believe this is the basic premise of Freudian psychanalysis!
“While it exists, it acts. Ignorance of it is the mother of evil in us. Ignorance leads us to death. And those who have not become free from ignorance have not existed yet as (true) people, do not exist, and will not exist!
Those who are in the true knowledge fill themselves with Perfection as the Truth reveals Itself to them.
Because the Truth, just as ignorance, — while it is hidden, rests in itself, but when it is revealed and recognized, it blooms, being praised. How much more powerful it is than ignorance and errors! It gives us Freedom!
Logos said, “If you know the Truth, it will make you free”.
Ignorance is slavery. Knowledge is Freedom.
Seeking the Truth, we discover its seeds within us.
If we unite with It, It will receive us in the Primordial
Consciousness.”
Antonov commentary:
“Philip discusses the mechanism of repentance and insists on the necessity of paying serious attention to the intellectual work.
Repentance is purification of oneself from vices. Two foundations of all our vices are the following:
- 1. The ability to intentionally cause suffering to other beings (for example, just by “distressing” them); by doing this we manifest our egoism, the vicious “I”, and a lack of developed love in ourselves. With the hypertrophied “I” and without developed love, one cannot really approach God-the-Father.
- 2. The absence of permanent orientation of the attention to God-the-Father, the absence of aspiration to Him.
In connection with this, let us discuss faith. Faith as a simple “yes” as an answer to the question “do you believe?” — is too little. The true faith is indeed the permanent and unshakeable remembering about God-Teacher, Who teaches us all the time; it is especially important to remember about this at the moments of critical situations, which are also His lessons for us. The thing which brings one to such a level of faith is large and long intellectual work done under His guidance.
Only thanks to such efforts of spiritual warriors, God becomes for them a Living Reality, and not just a symbol, an abstraction which you are supposed to worship. Thus faith turns into knowledge about Him.
On the highest level of its development, the faith changes— necessarily through the stage of knowledge about Him, knowledge of Him — into passionate Love, which alone can help one to become close to Him and then to enter His Abode and merge with Him.
… Penitential work is not just recalling aloud in front of a “father” all your true and imaginary deeds-sins. Penitential work is studying of oneself as a soul and transforming oneself by introspection and self-education. It is necessary to note that “sins” are not the main things we have to struggle with: they are just manifestations of qualities of the soul which are called vices. Therefore, it is vices that one has to struggle against with the help of the axe about which Jesus and Philip told. And this struggle can be launched in full strength only after one realizes
God — as a Living Teacher.”
It is interesting that the outer manifestation of inner qualities of the soul are called “vices”. How often have we heard, “It is not you I hate but your behavior”? Maybe this is a lie—maybe your actions are not the problem—it is YOU. In any case, soul development can go both ways: on the one hand, by working on the outer behavior, the “vices”, we impact the inner Man, but also by working on the inner Man, we change our behavior and transform vice into virtue.
We have discussed the issue of imagination creating spiritual reality. We know that Jesus said that if you IMAGINE something it is the same as DOING it; I’m sure this is absolutely true in the higher eons, but on Earth, our inner Man is most truthfully expressed in ACTS. C.S. Lewis was a big believer in the outward manifestation as the true index of an inner reality. Lewis refers to the true inner Man as his WILL. In The Screwtape Letters we are reminded of this, by these familiar words:
“Whatever their bodies do affects their souls. It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out...
As long as [man] does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance... Wallow in it... Write a book about it; that is often an excellent way of sterilising the seeds which [Heavenly Father] plants in a human soul... Do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm [the cause of evil] if [it is kept] out of his will... The more often he feels without acting, the less he will ever be able to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.”
As long as [man] does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance... Wallow in it... Write a book about it; that is often an excellent way of sterilising the seeds which [Heavenly Father] plants in a human soul... Do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm [the cause of evil] if [it is kept] out of his will... The more often he feels without acting, the less he will ever be able to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.”
Thus the interplay between the inner and the outer Man results in a composite being consisting of idealized inner realities, and outer worldly manifestations expressed through ACTIVITY.
Back to Antonov’s commentary:
“… The result of the entire work on purification and development of oneself is one’s birth and maturing in the highest eons. As this happens, all the material, fleshly become less and less significant and then is “cut off” completely (at what Abraham hinted by his circumcision).
Then only He remains.”
“Then only He remains.” How we struggle to realize the HE in ourselves, vacillating back and forth between positive and negative polarities seeking that moment of celestial calm in which we are, at one and the same time, born into Being, and absorbed into Non-Being, Oneness with nameless singularity.
Let us pray. Jesus, the mysteries compound daily as we venture farther and farther into the extremities of the Father’s domain. We once were lost but now are found, and, being found, the I AM of Being takes us, lock stock and barrel into His undefined personality, and we are One. Amen.
