Jesus said, “Woe to the flesh that depends upon the soul; woe to the soul that depends on the flesh.”
The soul of which the Master is speaking is the Nefesh, the bestial or earthly soul. This part of the soul is the personality and life display, and it is the astral matrix within and behind the body and life. Unless the Nefesh is joined to Neshamah through the agency of Ruach (higher intelligence), just as the material body decomposes following death, so also does the Nefesh disintegrate and return to the basic elements of which it was formed. The body, which depends upon Nefesh, decomposes, and the Nefesh, which is dependent on the body, disintegrates at the time of death.
At the outset of this holy gospel, it was said, “Whoever finds the interpretation of these sayings will not experience death.” That is to say that they will acquire the knowledge of how to unite their Nefesh with their Neshamah so that, at the time of death, they will experience a continuity of conscious existence and be empowered to rise into a higher plane of existence—hence attain one degree or another of the kingdom of heaven. However, to not experience death has a greater implication than the attainment of one of the heavens. It is written, “The heavens and the earth will pass away . . .” Thus, the ultimate attainment of Christ-consciousness is beyond the heavens. It is the attainment of the world of Supernal Light, which marks the end of the need for incarnation in the material world, the true attainment of eternal life.
Understanding this, the term “salvation” takes on its true meaning, for one understands that it is one’s Nefesh and Ruach that is in need of salvation from the endless cycles of transmigration, which, until these are joined to the holy Neshamah, remain in bondage. This also reveals the meaning of Divine rapture, for when one joins one’s Nefesh and Ruach to one’s Neshamah, embodying the holy Neshamah in full, then at the conclusion of that life the Nefesh and Ruach are taken up and integrated into the Neshamah, essentially attaining an eternal existence. Neshamah is the bornless and Divine nature—the secret and undying soul—and when Neshamah is attained there is no more death; hence no more breaks in the continuity of one’s conscious existence.
There are many grades of the Neshamah corresponding to the four universes (Atzilut, Beriyah, Yetzirah and Asiyah) and the universe of Adam Kadmon, which is the unity of the four. At the highest level, the holy Neshamah is at-one with the soul of the Messiah, and thus is an individual manifestation of the Messiah, which is to say supernal being. When the teachings speak of salvation through the Grace of Yeshua Messiah, what is meant is this: through the mystery of the Divine incarnation, the truth of our holy Neshamah and the Christ-self is revealed, so that, in the person of Yeshua Messiah, one has an image of one’s supernal self. Living according to that Divine image or Divine idea, the grasp of cosmic ignorance is dispelled and one is empowered to consciously evolve toward that noble ideal and thus work out one’s salvation. If this image was not revealed through the person of the holy Master, one would not know to direct the creative Spirit in oneself toward that holy fruition, but would remain ignorant of one’s soul of Light and thus bound to aimless wandering through countless cycles of transmigration. The Grace imparted through Yeshua Messiah is the gnosis of the soul of Light and Christ-self.
Belief in the Divine incarnation takes on new meaning once we understand this, for it is more than merely belief in the incarnation of the Christos in Yeshua; it is faith in one’s own soul of Light and Christ-self. To believe and be baptized means a progressive shedding of one’s old and unenlightened self-identity, and putting on a new self in Christ—hence the generation of a self-identity with one’s holy soul and Christ-self. One’s soul of Light and Christ-self is, indeed, the only Way, Truth, and Life, and without it, one’s Nefesh and Ruach cannot be delivered from their bondage.
In the gnostic view, while this material universe is the matrix through which we realize our soul of Light, the holy soul has not come from the material universe nor this world but from the universe of Supernal Light, which is “nearness to God” (Atzilut). The root-essence of that holy soul comes from a universe beyond Atzilut, called Adam Kadmon (primordial human being or soul of Messiah). While life-forms through which this soul of Light and Divine spark is realized come from the natural order, the soul of Light comes from a Divine order.
An esoteric teaching in Gnosticism proposes that the soul of Light only descends upon an earthly soul when the earthly soul has refined itself to a sufficient degree so as to be a holy vessel that is capable of receiving the influx of Supernal Light—hence, the terms “profane,” “faithful,” and “elect.” The profane or ordinary individual represents an earthly soul that has not evolved to the point of receiving the soul of Light destined for it, and thus lives devoid of the influence of the soul of Light, often being referred to as a “child of Darkness” on account of this. The faithful person is an earthly soul who is beginning to receive something of the influence of the holy soul—one in whom the Divine spark is awakening and who is actualizing this Divine potential. The elect person is one who has received the fiery intelligence of his or her holy soul and embodies one grade or another of the holy soul. Those who have the influence of their holy soul or who embody something of their holy soul are called the “sons and daughters of Light.”
By these terms, the Gnostic is not preaching a doctrine of elitism, but rather acknowledges three distinct realms of the development and evolution of souls. These three realms in the evolution of souls are clearly reflected in the world by those who have no inclination or interest to spiritually seek, those who seek only on the outer or exoteric level, and those who seek on the inner or esoteric level—one’s own desire to receive reflecting the development and evolution of one’s soul-being. The elect are, thus, individuals in whom something of the mystical inclination has sparked and are naturally drawn to the inner tradition in one form or another.
While we speak of a labor of the soul through which development and evolution has taken place, one has merely created the conditions for the reception of a gift of the fiery intelligence (influence of the soul of Light). In truth, this gift is a manifestation of Divine Grace and, in the experience of the Gnostic initiate, is not the product of anything he or she has done. It is something that naturally and spontaneously happens in the development and evolution of the soul-being, and thus appears as a gift from above or something of a Divine election, hence, the terms “elect” or “chosen.”
Here, the Master speaks of the state of the profane individual and alludes to the blessing upon the faithful and elect. Far from being elite, the elect, as elder brothers and sisters, are responsible for their younger siblings; more than a personal salvation, the labor of the elect in the great work is to help others create the conditions through which they also will receive the Divine gift of the fiery intelligence. Thus, the Master is speaking of the need for the faithful and the elect to act as Light-bearers, sowing seeds of Light in the collective human consciousness. A saying such as this is not meant to create elitism, but rather is meant to remind one of the plight of souls who are as yet in bondage, and to invoke compassion. If one were to see a person trapped, suffering, and in danger of losing their life, would one look down on that person or would one do everything possible to comfort that person and preserve his or her life?
This awareness is very important to anyone who is venturing into the study of esoteric teachings or who seeks to be an initiate. All too often, the realization of various levels or grades of spiritual evolution is allowed to create an egoistic elitism, which is something arrogant, prideful, and self-righteous. It can go so far as a disdain or hatred of others whom the would-be initiate considers inferior to him or herself. One must recognize this tendency as a falling to the other side or the dark side and not allow it. The principle of an elitism of the “elect” represents the path of those who are dark magicians, and not the path of the mystics and magicians of the Light, as Yeshua Messiah.
I pray that you receive the gift of the fiery intelligence of the Holy Spirit and your soul of Light, and that you are empowered in your journey by the sacred heart of Christ! Amen.