Analogue 42: The Practice of Resurrection

Analogue 42: The Practice of Resurrection

In this world, one can exist either in the realm of resurrection, or in a domain between them. May it be that I am not found in the latter place! Both good and evil exist here, but the good is not an unmixed good, nor the evil pure evil. Yet in that region, which is death, pure evil does exist. So while we are here in this world, it is to our advantage to be born into the resurrection, so that when the flesh is finally stripped away and we are naked, we shall find ourselves in the place of rest, and not wandering about in limbo. But on their earthly pilgrimage many do indeed go astray. Thus it is good to come out of this world’s system into that place where humankind existed before it became lost.

There are those, of course, who neither long for this, nor are they capable of accomplishing it. And still others who, though they wish for it, can never achieve it because they have no sustained practice. For it is “desire” itself, then, that turns many towards wrongdoing, and the absence of hunger for right-relatedness both blocks a deeper desire and the ability to bring it about.

SYNOPSIS

• As we live on earth we can exist in various states of being and levels of consciousness which the author calls different realms. While we all are in space-time, we do not all inhabit the same conscious space.
• Without necessarily saying it directly, this Gospels implies that we inhabit a three-tiered universe—the realm of resurrection (rising into the divine Life-form), the realm of death or mortality, and the realm between them — which is a kind of ambiguous territory between the two. 
• Reference is made to a realm we inhabited before coming into existence (and becoming lost in) the dimensions of time and space. 
• Where we are now good and evil are mixed with one another so neither exists in its pure form.
• Without clear distinctions, we can find ourselves directionless. Most space-time dwellers inhabit a region that is ambiguous and indefinite, described here as a limbo-like space between realms. 
• While living in this world, however, it is possible to be born into Anastasia—a realm in which one stands up along the vertical axis. 
• If we fail to stand up in or be born again along the vertical axis, we will be unable to enter the realm of rest (anapausis). In this case we will wander through another limbo-like territory (traditionally called purgatory). 
• Wandering describes a condition lacking inner orientation due to having no fixed points (between good and evil) and no vertical marker pointing toward true north.
• The Gospel of Philip may be suggesting that there can be a lateral motion from one state of limbo (here in space-time) to another (there in purgatory). “Going astray” may involve this transition. 
• The world’s system is a disorienting place—a middle realm with impermanent markers. A clear distinction is drawn between this and our previous existence where there were just such markers. In the realm of Paradise, one apparently recovers full orientation, knowing one’s own location and where everything else exists. 
• There is a division in humankind between those who long for this orientation, this movement toward resurrection, and those who have no such desire or attraction. 
• Eros, desire or longing is key to sustained praxis and to the spiritual evolution and growth of the soul, bringing about real change. 
• Longing for righteousness (one of the beatitudes in the canonical Gospels) is central to this state of orientation. Righteousness is right-relatedness (dikaiasune), being in proper relationship to the Real which one desires. 
• Longing itself, however, is not enough alone: one must also become adequate to the task of developing competency through sustained praxis.

COMMENTARY

The Realms

Continuing on from the last paragraph of the previous one, this analogue envisions a spiritual landscape (based in a sacred cosmology) in which three domains exist possible for human habitation: an upper world which it calls the “realm of the resurrection,” a lower world filled with unclean and demonic forces, the realm of pure evil and death, and an intermediate world, a middle ground between the two that is an admixture of both. This middle realm is the place where the upper and lower worlds meet and engage one another. It can also be a limbo-like place where disorientation is common because there is no fixed or permanent ground there. From the vantage point of this text, humanity has potential access to all three realms. These habitable realms could also be interpreted as internal psychological or even psychic spaces or states, but in the ancient world, according to sacred tradition, they were accepted cosmologically.

This analogue is clearly based upon a deep reflection, perhaps even a mystical meditation, on the human condition and the variances and mixtures that humans experience as they traverse the intermediate realms of time and space. Reference is made to a previous existence before entering this domain and it is possible with proper preparation there can be a final return to that realm and know it now while living in this present reality. This analog outlines how we experience this spectrum and its various possibilities and suggests hope for us in the future. 

Places of Human Habitation

We currently live in an admixture of darkness and light, good and evil, and other dualities, none of which is entirely separate from the other. Yet we have access to realms of light radiating from regions transcendent to this one as well as access to realms of darkness existing below our ordinary levels of awareness. We traverse all of these internally as they become our realities, creating either heaven-on-earth or an interior state of dystopia often describe as “living in hell.” 

In the view of this Gospel, if one feels lost in one’s life on earth, one is likely also to become lost in the realm we enter upon death. Naked (without the body), we may wander aimlessly, finding no rest. This is certainly a warning to the human soul. This Gospel is saying, pay attention to where you are now—the interior spaces in your mind, heart and consciousness while you still inhabit the earth. It is easy to become lost in this world’s system (its socially constructed spaces). Creation is a maze (or even a warren of domains) and abandoning ourselves to its admixtures and proclivities without the vertical orientation of the light and guidance of heaven is dangerous.  

Sustained Inner Practice

This Gospel also asserts that sustaining an inner spiritual practice gives one access to the realm of resurrection. The word “resurrection” here means the ability to stand up along the vertical axis as opposed to living exclusively within the principles and practices of the horizontal flatland of space-time. Access to the vertical axis brings one its Light and gives new freedom. Descent into darkness and pure evil binds and contaminates the soul, leaving it bereft and enslaved. Living in limbo between them means that humanity has no sure ground, no orientation toward the light or to what we might call “vertical North” (the direction from which Spirit flows). We can be so easily lost in either the shadowlands of this intermediate land or in the underworld below it. It is to our advantage, therefore, to be born into resurrection—to stand up now into alignment with the vertical axis. Experiencing this new form of birth while still walking through this mixed ream of darkness and light is a great benefit. Such an experience this Gospel calls the practice of Resurrection which would entail both dying and rising before one leaves the planet (dying before you die). Yeshua was a practitioner and teacher of just such a sapiential practice. (See the Luminous Gospels, and in particular the Gospel of Thomas Logia 42, Gospel of Philip Analogue 10, as well as this analogue). 

Notice the subtlety and skill with which the author uses the language of the canonical tradition (Pauline and Johannine language in particular) while giving it a particular context or nuance. Here resurrection is a shared experience and not the Christ’s alone (Paul). Being born again is standing up into a new vertical orientation. Being in limbo is to have no orientation either now in this life or beyond it (John). Spiritual practice involves conscious attention and inner desire in regards to dying and rising, and not simply the completion of conventional rites or religious duties. A sustained practice is based upon a deep longing, hunger or desire for being in right-relationship to both worlds—inner and outer, horizontal and vertical. The absence of desire hinders the Spirit and its powers to sustain and guide the human soul through life’s dangers. 

Creation is a maze (or even a warren of domains) and abandoning ourselves to its admixtures and proclivities without the vertical orientation of the light and guidance of heaven is dangerous.  

It is clear that not only do humans inhabit a vast ambiguous space, but also that we need guidance, spiritual stamina, and a sustained practice relating us to something higher (into which we stand) in order to find both rest and light. All of these references express the wisdom of a form of contemplative practice that was clearly at the heart of Yeshua‘ s life and the basis of his own sapiential teachings. Imagine, then, that these teachings entail a sustained contemplative practices in the deep interior of the soul and the patience to maintain it. This instructive wisdom is rich, developed and complex. Such a viewpoint involves not only contemplative practice but also practical wisdom as one navigates the world of human affairs constituted by spiritual opposites and the passageway between them. Here one can become so easily disoriented. All these realms are domains which the soul access through specific states of spiritual consciousness. 

 

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION

1. This passage suggests that in our soul we may inhabit many realms and states of consciousness. What regions have you already have experienced? Make a list of them and share your journal reflections with others who are studying the same text. 
2. Have you ever experienced a realm darker than normal or one that is more expanded and light filled than you are used to? Describe these in a journal entry. 
3. What is your understanding of the underworld, place also called limbo, which means the world between?
4. There is a hypnogogic state between waking and sleeping. This could this be one such limbo realm leading to the regions of dreaming and dreamless sleep. What have been your experiences in this realm?
5. What are the most important spiritual practices that keep you stable and oriented spiritually? How would you describe a sustained practice to someone who has never tried one? What would you tell them about its importance to you?
6. Yeshua speaks in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:6) about hungering for righteousness. What is your understanding of this term? In what way does it describe something with which you are familiar?
7. What role does longing or desire play in your spiritual life? How does it motivate you?

 

NOTES FOR FURTHER STUDY 

AND REFERENCE

1. Eros or longing is said to have a place at the core of the human soul, perhaps as that which motivates and stimulates us to keep moving and growing instead of simply experiencing inertia. Looking at the human race as a whole, we seem to be extraordinarily motivated to achieve, search, discover, and create. We also long for adventure. Though this may not be true in the same degree for everyone, it appears to be a constant in human behavior. Some teachings in the wisdom tradition have called this the energy that is at the heart of an “erotic universe,” which means it has been put there as a part of the creation that draws things together: the energy of their attraction and desire for one another. One expression of this is, of course, sexual desire, but that is only one among many examples. These natural desires appear to be a normal part of the human condition. There is also something called “constant craving” which may or may not be at the core of this good or natural energy, but which may express instead the ego’s need for attention, fulfillment and self-aggrandizement. It is difficult sometimes to distinguish between the two, but they are have dissimilar motivations. Perhaps only at the level of our own self-awareness is it possible to discern the difference. Nonetheless, whether it is the natural pattern of the human condition, or something imposed or overlaid on top of it, we need of a kind of discipline that will allow these energies to find and sustain healthy balances. 
2. The term limbo (chosen here to describe a realm between differing dimensions) has been described also as a liminal state in the afterlife somewhere between a heavenly state and one described as hell. All of these terms used in the first century of Christianity stand out as theological categories that are cosmological stations describing realms that either hold humanity for only some time time or else become permanent places of habitation. Doctrines and teachings about them differ, but it is clear that this Gospel and other early Christians writers had a very hopeful sense of these as passageways which ultimately lead to permanent reconciliation or salvation (apocatastasis). Limbo was understood to be an impermanent, temporary realm through which some souls pass in their process of learning and liberation. This analogue does not describe it further but suggests that it is a place of ambiguity and hence disorientation. Human beings often experience and live in just such a state, but this text suggests it need not be so. It is possible for us to create conditions for reclaiming a state of stability and orientation even in the midst of change and impermanence. 
3. Typically we think of resurrection as referring only to the historical events around the crucifixion of Yeshua at the end of his earthly life. These were followed by a dramatic reversal and various appearances back into our realm. This is the normal narrative concerning the events that Christians have called the resurrection. While there is much to ponder from these accounts concerning its meaning, there is an entirely different way of looking at the practice of resurrection. Rather than being a sudden and dramatic one-time event, resurrection can also be understood to be a process of awakening, standing up, and growing in stages along the vertical axis. As a process of metamorphosis, an individual is aware not of one’s own body, soul and spirit, but also with the resurrected being of the Anointed One. To begin to practice resurrection in this life, therefore, one must from an exclusive attachment to horizontal orientation to the transcendent-immanent axis that is at once physical, psychological and spiritual. This understanding of the practice of resurrection involves forms of daily contemplation which allows the soul to evolve spiritually. 

Notes ON the Translation

• The term “limbo” translates the idea of a middle state between realms which is the exact wording used in the Coptic text.
• The word “rest” can also be translated “repose,” both of which refer to the state transcending the restlessness which is common to this world.
• “Right-relatedness: is the essence of the term in Greek which is usually translated as ‘righteousness’,