Greetings, and welcome back as we continue to explore chapter 25 of Albert Pike’s Morals and Dogma.
This time, Pike writes about the notions that the souls is returned to the body as a punishment for sins. And he also explores the beliefs of the kabbalists and the gnostics in the exploration of the soul and its journey with us, and beyond us.
Now, LET’S READ PIKE!
Some philosophers held that the soul was incarcerated in the body, by way of punishment for sins committed by it in a prior state. How they reconciled this with the same soul's unconsciousness of any such prior state, or of sin committed there, does not appear. Others held that God, of his mere will, sent the soul to inhabit the body. The Kabalists united the two opinions. They held that there are four worlds, Aziluth, Briarth, Jezirath, and Aziath; the world of emanation, that of creation, that of forms, and the material world; one above and more perfect than the other, in that order, both as regards their own nature and that of the beings who inhabit them. All souls are originally in the world Aziluth, the Supreme Heaven, abode of God, and of pure and immortal spirits. Those who descend from it without fault of their own, by God's order, are gifted with a divine fire, which preserves them from the contagion of matter, and restores them to Heaven so soon as their mission is ended. Those who descend through,
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their own fault, go from world to world, insensibly losing their love of Divine things, and their self-contemplation; until they reach the world Aziath, falling by their own weight. This is a pure Platonism, clothed with the images and words peculiar to the Kabalists. It was the doctrine of the Essenes, who, says Porphyry, "believe that souls descend from the most subtile ether, attracted to bodies by the seductions of matter." It was in substance the doctrine of Origen; and it came from the Chaldæans, who largely studied the theory of the Heavens, the spheres, and the influences of the signs and constellations.
In these paragraphs we learn that some philosophers did believe our souls to be imprisoned or incarcerated in the body as a punishment for some sin, but the philosophers could not explain, according to Pike, the when and where of the “sin” in relation to the particular soul.
The Kabbalists united a belief that God sent the soul to live in the body from the heavens, partially due to “sin” and partially due to only the will of God.
The Chaldeans, we read, were seduced by matter.
No matter which way the philsophers in antiquity viewed the soul, it is interesting to me that the soul always wants to make its journey back to the heavens or to the spiritual realm.
Many times as we journey along in our physical lives, we find a little “empty”, we seek inspiration and guidance. Often times when I am in the state od emptiness, I realize that I have been neglecting my spiritual studies, and then I do my meditations and prayer book readings and concentrate on the “unseen”.
Then I feel invigorated and re-energized.
The soul seems to get hungry sometimes.
Next
The Gnostics made souls ascend and descend through eight Heavens, in each of which were certain Powers that opposed their return, and often drove them back to earth, when not sufficiently purified. The last of these Powers, nearest the luminous abode of souls, was a serpent or dragon.
In Gnosticism we find that the souls battle with certain powers that can drive the soul back to matter if not purified enough.
Gnostics see an eternal sort of struggle, but also a progression.
In freemasonry, our goal should be to always progress as well. I often say the toughest aspect of being a Mason is the harsh introspection we must continually be doing IF we are serious about being a better part of society.
If you really want to know the truth about yourself, ask somebody dearest to you how THEY think you can be better to them, and be prepared to do the work!
The next paragraphs change gears some, so we will end here for today.
Be sure to check out our YOU TUBE channel, there is a NEW presentation there now Universal Freemason Channel.
This presentation is a departure from the normal studies as it details my own battle with bladder cancer and makes everyone aware of the signs of bladder cancer. I feel this is important to know as cancers of all types ARE becoming more common.
Thanks for reading! I will see you next time!