Gnosticism - Thunder Perfect Mind - Divine Feminine - Gender, Paradox and Violence

One of the most enigmatic and alluring text in the Nag Hammadi Library of Gnostic texts is the famed hymn-poem Thunder: Perfect Mind. This episode explores the origins, structure, parallels with an eye to Thunder's treatment of gender, language and colonialism. We also explore to what degree we can call Thunder 'gnostic' at all - why did this document survive in the Nag Hammadi library at all?
Recommended Readings:
Thunder: Perfect Mind - www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontl...
Taussig, etc. - The Thunder: Perfect Mind: A New Translation and Introduction - 978-0230105638
Prada Ad - www.prada.com/us/en/pradasphe...
#gnosticism #gnostic #hermeticism

[@Themidnightegardener]

Yahoo! I'm a big Gnerd when it comes to Gnosticism!! Thanks bro!

[@iankrom510]

That pun is horrible! I love it!

[@Riplee]

I’m a Gnome & you’ve just been gnomed

[@Raulduke419]

gnice joke

[@tomg5516]

The title immediately made me think of the Buddhist text Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, "The Perfection of Wisdom Text that Cuts Like a Thunderbolt".

[@ArchieMoore]

Made me think of Current 93

[@sinisterminister4201]

The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong. -C. G. Jung

[@disruptivemusings8363]

I read somewhere: ordered chaos. Am still working all this out 📜

[@sinisterminister4201]

The Disruptive Muse. “In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order.” ― Carl Gustav Jung

[@bobfrancis123]

I IMMEDIATELY looked up the text and read the MacRae translation. Wow. Yes, it is absolutely paradoxical but these words have immense power. “I am the utterance of my name.” What a statement of being! I’ll have to read and reread this poem over and over to grasp at the straws of intent present here. I wish I could read/speak pre-Medieval Coptic, because I’d love to hear this in its original language.

[@kennethbeal]

It really makes a lot of sense to me, "strangely enough" I hear a younger version of me saying. :) It is the author, speaking to us in this book we are in. Mind-bending. Especially the ending; we will meet the author. The "until they become sober" made me laugh; have been for more than 3 years. And, dual meanings exist of course. The "and go up to their resting place" reminded me of the ascension in The Stranger's Book: "What bound me has been killed, and I've been released. I'll go up to my Father, the One above all the great realms."

[@justkiddin84]

Yes. I heard, ‘I AM’.

[@sarahoshea9603]

My thought: "In the beginning, there was the Word" Terrence McKenna speaking of his clockwork elves speaking things into being. The power of what we call things compared to how we interpret them("Shellshock" vs "P.T.S.D.")

[@Supahdenning]

Thunder Perfect Mind isn't originally Coptic, the Nag Hammadi texts are themselves translations. The real original is likely Greek based on some characteristics.

[@a.m.e.]

To me, since the feminine energy is water that comes up, and then fire that comes down, then thunder would be symbolic of integrated energy coming down from sky father to mother earth. The poem paints a picture of what integration looks like, and how the seemingly opposite qualities that contradict each other can actually dance.

[@AlejandroMS67]

Interesting point about the thunder, also perhaps worth noting is that thunder is the sound that comes from lightning, and lightning is a 2 way phenomenon where invisible electric current moves first from sky to ground, and then we see the 2nd half of that process which is the lit part from ground to sky, and it is this visible movement of light from ground to sky that causes the thunder.boom arising from the rapidly heated air channel around the lightning reaching temperatures equal to the surface of the sun.

[@badluckrabbit]

Are any other Mahayana or Vajrayana Buddhist viewers feeling a resonance between Thunder Perfect Mind and the Diamond Sutra, Heart Sutra, and the teachings on Prajnaparamita? Even the title itself "Thunder Perfect Mind" sounds like it should be the title of a Buddhist sutra rather than a "gnostic/hermetic" hymn.

[@cloudsteps]

100%nondual

[@dvklaveren]

I have been fascinated with parallels between platonism/gnosticism and Buddhism. The parallel between Demiurge entities and Great Brahma as depicted in the Pali Canon I thought were striking.

[@Gaia369]

Oh yes, heart sutra is very much ALIGNMENT with the All, as this text reveals.

[@ANiMALFRiENDS_GOLDMAN]

I AM the Nameless The Unamable 1 I AM the Thathomless The Unthathomable 1 I AM the Silence The Unsilencable 1 I AM the Numbers The Numberless 1 I AM the Moment The Momentless 1 I AM the Changing The Unchangeable 1 I AM the Speaking The Speechless 1 I AM the Beholder The Unbeholdable 1 I AM the Knowledge The Unknowable 1 I AM the Crowner The Uncrownable 1

[@ANiMALFRiENDS_GOLDMAN]

TRUTH iS TRUTH MY FRiENDS BELOVED JESUS WAS ALSO GAUTAMA BUDDHA ST ESA HE IS KNOW AS AND WAS ZARATHUSTRA MOSES AND MANY OTHER BELOVED ONES

[@comfylain]

"And the mines are void of diamonds That we carry in our rags (Thunder Perfect Mind) Then all the world seems A sadness song" :)

[@TormodiR]

Once again you triggered my obsession with thunder/lighting and emphasized an enlightening text. I believe this is well done, thank you Dr. Sledge.

[@LandELiberation]

Your mention of Janus and liminality got me thinking about Hekate, and how she evolved from a similar figure to Janus but evolved through association; through the underworld and contacting spirits, to witchcraft by the Roman period, perhaps an interesting topic you could explore in a future video

[@mohammadrahal5394]

That coincidence of opposites sounds pretty much like Taoism to me Thank you for the great work, so many delights on your channel it's amazing ! Wish you the heights 🖖

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Thanks so much!

[@danielpaulson8838]

Good observation. I see the connection too

[@nothanks9040]

Probably my favorite poem; ive always found theme of androgyny in the nag hammadi super interesting and impactful

[@Gnarlodious]

"Everything you know is wrong". It has always impressed my that the writer seems devoted to refuting every assumption about ancient knowledge, every historical and philosophical graven image smashed to pieces by an outsider. Admonishing us that the canonical gods, myths and legends are either made up or embellished/corrupted beyond recognition. And the author being a woman, delicately stating that the male ego has been the corrupting influence that obfuscated the original god (goddess). The only way then to regain the lost knowledge is to free ourselves from gender norms and dualistic paradigm of the masculinized version of history. This would really bring Hellenistic/Egyptian prehistory into agreement with Germanic/Celtic goddess mythologies.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

It is a wonderful text in that it really gets us out of those binaries!

[@QuasarEE]

The goddess does not see herself as female, or Shariputra as male, because she has transcended limiting thinking, has transcended socio-cultural conditioning, and has even gone beyond any biological conditioning.... "All women appear in the form of women in just the same way as the elder appears in the form of a woman. While they are not women in reality, they appear in the form of women. With this in mind, the Buddha said, ‘In all things, there is neither male nor female.'" Here there is no man, there is no woman, No self, no person, and no consciousness. The labels ‘male’ or ‘female’ have no essence, But deceive the evil-minded world.

[@stridedeck]

Thunder Perfect Mind (intellect) is the Gnostic essence, spark, and existence! The poem is going outside the thought-making process that we use in our daily existence. This source is the source of all that breathes into all.

[@bluesteel1389]

This is one of the most interesting pieces of gnostic literature I've heard of. Thank you for bringing this to us!

[@jessicacottrell2426]

I was familiar with Thunder: Perfect Mind before but now I realize I was merely acquainted because I learned so much from this video. Thank you Dr. Sledge.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Absolutely - it great for us all to learn together!

[@Bubblerlol]

Im researching the Xeno- Video games, and so much of it really feels inspired by Gnosticism. Thank you for this channel!

[@lmvath211]

Love your work. The subtle, dry, hints of humor a total plus! I’m always looking for more art historical images on each subject, and more image time to ponder.

[@lexstellaris]

This is my first time hearing about this hymn-poem and after I finished watching this I went to find a recitation of it, and it was like being struck by lightning. I'm queer and have a deep interest in Egyptian theology and religion, and this hit me so hard. I'm going to have to return to this piece of writing and contemplate it further.

[@changer1285]

Uggghhhh this is giving me a braingasm! Mentioning the Appcryphal acts of John, The Mandaeans, and Indic literature in one sentence! Since I started reading the Bible again and learning what I could about ancient cultures before the NT came about, and praying the Holy Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin daily, this is the exact connection that has been made for me.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Thanks for all your thoughtful comments!

[@violetchristophe]

While listening to this, my mind couldn't shake the feeling that the work had what might called called anti-patriarchical ideas. That it means to cast aside such rigid structures that would bind folks to roles according to their bodies. The mention of gender nonconformity further reinforced this idea. In the briefest sense from the description given, though I have yet to read the text, it speaks to liberation.

[@Rakkoma6]

Deeply appreciate your videos on Gnosticism; it’s hard to find genuinely good and educational content on the subject. Thank you ♥️

[@jasonmitchell5219]

What a fantastic piece of literature. I don't think I can even imagine Blake coming up with something like that and we all know he loved contraries. This poem is utterly strange, enchanting and yet deeply meaningful at the same time. I'll be re-reading it for a while even though I might require some therapy afterwards. I'd heard of it but never bothered to seek it out until watching this video. Thankyou.

[@IndelibleNihilist]

Thank you for making this!

[@beroberoberoberobero852]

Oh that Prada Ad.... i thought it was some sort of short movie by Riddley Scott when it came out. Man, was i wrong, what a paradoxical experience was clicking that play button, never my expectations were so wrong in my life. But great video, your channel is amazing, thanks for sharing so much knowledge

[@user-rt7wl2yg3u]

man, I enjoyed this video so much. what a double horns badass theme and poem, cheers for the recommendation

[@williamchristensen7354]

Thank you for the presentation and for the link! I appreciate it!

[@rrrosecarbinela]

Thank you, Doctor. May you find blessing.

[@AethyrPrime]

Wow this series on Gnosticism is fantastic! I have been looking for a good source for this topic on KZbin for ages.

[@HMMM13670]

This is a wonderful series, no doubt! If you’re looking for something even more in depth and specific, Professor David Brakke has a course available on The Great Courses that’ll blow your mind. It’s called something like Gnosticism: From Nag Hammadi to the Gospel of Judas. It’s the best education in Gnosticism available, imo. Check it out!!

[@jimliedeka3978]

I first heard Thunder in the Fox TV show Millennium in the 1990s. That is what originally kindled my interest in the Nag Hammadi library.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Man....that was an awesome, awesome show.

[@IndelibleNihilist]

wow you did a video on this! i love this writing more than anything. joined your Patreon - thank you 🙏

[@wowhamba]

I love your videos! I've gained so much knowledge from your efforts. Keep up the amazing work.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Thanks for saying so - I'm happy you find the content worthwhile!

[@ireallylovecilantro]

Thank you so much for bringing this poem to light. I’ve never heard of it before and to think this poet could’ve been a woman or GNC person makes me so happy. The poem seems so powerful and non-conforming - I love it.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Glad you found it interesting and I'm happy that folks are discovering the text through the episode - it's such a wonderful text!

[@ireallylovecilantro]

@@TheEsotericaChannel - Thank you for the reply! The text really resonated with me as a queer witch. Is there anything one should be wary about when looking at the poem online or is the given translation pretty accurate?

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

@@ireallylovecilantro I think the typical translations online are pretty good. I prefer the Taussig, etc., translation, especially because of their attention to gender issues in the text.

[@ireallylovecilantro]

@@TheEsotericaChannel - Thank you for your insight! ✨

[@christopherlatini2520]

"But whenever you hide yourselves, I myself will appear. For whenever you appear, I myself will hide from you."

[@kentschroer8208]

Thank for your videos! They have been of particular interest to me as write my Greek epic, adding flavors from various esoteric/occult influences.

[@artkoenig9434]

A very astute use of the Fayum mummy portraits. Thank you, sir!

[@BlyssBliss]

Loved this video - thank you! I recently came across your channel via Angela Puca. The seeming contradictions in Thunder made me think of a paper I came across last year by Gregory Shaw called 'Taking the Shape of the Gods: A Theurgic Reading of Hermetic Rebirth'. He talks about the dualist vs monist points of view in the Hermetica and speculates that it relates to the path of initiation. It made me wonder if the play of opposites in Thunder was a different expression of that same dynamic in the larger body of work that it was found with. I'm not an academic so I may be way off base - just wonderin'.

[@notfancy2000]

Glad I'm not the only one profoundly unsettled by the parallels between Thunder and Daughter of Fortitude and what these parallels might imply. Antinomialism as a form of mystical praxis is somewhat common (in what Kripal calls “tantras” in plural), but we can be fairly certain that neither Dee nor Kelley had access to sources, Gnostic or Hindu Tantric, from which they might have drawn inspiration. For me, more evidence that the Angelic Workings contain “true revelation” (whatever that might be) and are not, say, a literary hoax.

[@veenorbury1429]

Thank you for the video, it definitely makes me want to go and learn more about this text!

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Awesome! Thanks for watching!

[@jbaquinones]

Very interesting. Happy New Year Dr Sledge.

[@elliotyu6573]

You mentioned the comparison to Indic literature already, but the paradoxical aspect of the text, especially how it affirms and denies having a trait, also reminds me of Nagarjuna's employment of the catuṣkoṭi (tetralemma) to illustrate śūnyatā (emptiness) and direct one towards the Middle Way. Funnily enough, even the title has a Buddhist feel to it, like it's translated from Sanskrit "śakrabodhicitta" or something.

[@ohamatchhams]

The Esoteric Buddhist path is often called as "Diamond/Indestructible Lightning Bolt Vehicle"/Vajrayana, it has parallels to Flash/Fastest yet most brutal routes to Enlightenment, the first Japanese Buddhist schools and Sects developed in Japan were developing from Chinese Esoteric side of Mahayana Schools that it's either became borderline to full-fledged Vajrayana Tantric by Beliefs to practices

[@madmaxrockatansky]

Your channel is a real gem!

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Thanks for saying so - hope you find the content rewarding!

[@pauliedibbs9028]

This is the first I have ever heard of - or about - this amazingly enigmatic piece of artistic literature. Thank you 🙂 P.S. you just can't seem to escape the shenanigans of those dastardly hellions, Dr. Dee and Mr. Kelly...

[@paulshaddix5290]

never ending excellence...thank you oh wise one..... thank you for a mind expanding lecture without strangeness or deviance...

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Thanks so much Paul!

[@lh384]

Not sure if you are aware, but Sue Monk Kidd's novel, The Book of Longings, uses Thunder Perfect Mind. The novel is about Jesus's wife, who after Jesus's death, joins a sort of proto-gnostic group and writes the hymn.

[@marquisstarks9471]

Great video Dr. Sledge. I especially appreciated the singing theory.

[@asteroxfoundation]

Again, another well done scholarly presentation by Dr. Sledge.

[@FraktalPriest]

Like ur logo, made me go to ur website. Well done.

[@asteroxfoundation]

@@FraktalPriest Thank you Elios. It is a symbol that kept appearing in my mind after some mystical experiences that I encountered from over three decades ago.

[@williammartinactor]

Fascinating exegesis. Thankyou Dr. Sledge!

[@milascave2]

THUNDER PERFECT PIG For I am the ham and the frozen one. The boiled one. And many are my chitlens. (Sorry. I know that putting that poem of mine here is not exactly kosher.)

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Hilarious!

[@lailajamilasmith]

I love your channel. You're amazing. Thank you so much.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Thank you so much!

[@esmeodoherty8209]

Looking for part 2 of this. I just found your channel and have watched so many videos, I am assuming that as its a month old there is no part 2 yet. I am intrigued. Anyways thanks for being here very interesting and educational

[@cbaci]

Couldn't the dichotomies inherent in Thunder Perfect Mind represent the dynamic tension between pairs of opposites which constitute the structure of pleroma?

[@BlaineToole]

I think the fairest way to frame it is as a poem about the nature of The Divine Femine in Patriarchal Society, and in one's own life. It's a challenging piece because you're meant to find your own interpretation of it. Because while the answers to most things are simple, they usually aren't easy.

[@Velvet_Intrigue]

I love this channel! Would you consider doing an exploration of the beliefs of classical gnostics and the Manicheans?

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Yep, done a few episodes on the gnostics and mani will get his day as well!

[@livinginparallel]

Thanks so much for putting together this playlist, you have no idea how helpful this is (er, you probably do, actually..)

[@kevanhubbard9673]

A fine series and much to think about.

[@eb6510]

As a trans person, "I am the utterance of my name" is one of the most powerful things I've ever read, thanks for introducing this wonderful work to me.

[@ariasarcana3142]

Same here! Aria signing in!

[@artemismoonbow2475]

Me three makes a trinity. I envisage the author being a Gallae Priestess.

[@6Haunted-Days]

As the spiritual self isn't any sex or gender or any of that....I just don't get those who not only base almost their ENTIRE personality on being trans but also the life of their soul & spirit....🫤 I can already see that in 5yrs we'll probably see all over bad tictok video that now this was FOR A FACT written by someone who's "trans" 🤣😖

[@annikajohansson9171]

​@@6Haunted-DaysI'm not against homosexuality and agree that trans is a representation of the divine of both sexes. However, I have theorized that it's an unbalance of divine feminine and masculine over many lifetimes which would explain the 'genetic' factor. However, unless one undergoes deep hypnosis over a long time to make up for the unfinished business on that past life wherein they were the opposite sex...they are at a loss. So they embrace the duality of the Devine as a trans.

[@jacquiecotillard9699]

Likewise here- peace be with us each, and flowers on the air.

[@lauriel8735]

I searched for the The Pistis Sophia and found this that I really enjoyed, and I have heard you mention The Pistis Sophia but was wondering if you have done a whole segment on this writing? Thank you for bringing light to these lost scrolls.

[@ArachneAnathema]

Ah, this thunder perfect mind. Sorry, still finding your earlier videos. So much to catch up on.

[@duantorruellas716]

The divine feminine in all its glory. 👌

[@mikewallis2987]

More like gory

[@Infinitesimal-ho7it]

I've got to get my hands on Thunder. I think it could inform a novel I'm working on . Just, wow!

[@FrJWF]

In Ephesians 4:6, Paul makes and off-hand comment about God as "above and through and in all things." Thunder Perfect Mind strikes me as an early Christian riff on this idea. It was widespread in pre-orthodox Christianity, with copies circulating in Egypt, Syria, and (at least via Irenaeus) Gaul.

[@sagesherbalapothecary]

Wow! This was super helpful.

[@ConanDuke]

The experience of gnosis is a transcendence of paradox.

[@jasonyalove13]

Thank you! The Prada commercial was fun =^..^=

[@PapaYo4XXX]

Sorry I've been so absent, life and all, Amazing job as always bro!

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

I feel you friend, hope you are doing well and good to hear from you!

[@mouthfeel2601]

this is such an interesting topic. for me being a part of the lgbt+ community the text reminds me of those kinds of spoken words that try to portray the queer experience with all the seemingly inherent viiolence and contradictions it entails growing up queer in a cis-heteronormative world. The author using the word "barbarian" for themselves/herself is also interesting to me bc like you said, there's an aspect of reclaiming the word from a decolonial perspective, which is also a very common thing that POC/queer spoken workd artists do. All in all I am delighted to have learned about this, thanks to you Dr. Sledge.

[@6Haunted-Days]

I'd be real careful assuming and thinking ancient worldviews and all else can be simply BAM correlated to how the modern mind gets info. You kno the whole hot and cold info ....it's WORLDS away different from even how those in medieval times thought .....let alone another 1,000yrs tacked on....

[@jessiross84]

You're the BEST!!!

[@promiscuous5761]

Thank you.

[@CamiloGaetePuga]

Awesome video as usual Dr. Sledge. I wonder if you have read Lamb Lash's NOT IN HIS IMAGE, and if you can share any thoughts on his rendition of Gnosticism. Thank you so much!

[@Phoenix-the-Poet]

If the author was a gender nonconforming person AND someone who would be defined as a barbarian by the Greeks, that would explain the levels of violence. yes, colonialism does that, but also GNC sorts throughout time have never always been safe, esp under colonizers.

[@ktkatte6791]

I have thoughts about the inversion stuff seen here and in other texts... it's attempts to convey things that we have the precise language for, to describe now, but didn't exist back then...

[@mickswann357]

Do you think the curious preformance/audience aspects of TPM might suggest that it was either adapted from, (or alternatively adapted to resemble) a text from one of the mystery traditions?

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

It's possible but given the difference in cultural context I would look for more indigenous Egyptian influences.

[@SKP-op4vd]

"Thunder perfect mind" sounds almost like the title of some Vajrayana Buddhist terma text.

[@comradegarrett1202]

As a queer person this is an immensely powerful text for me. For me, queerness represents a paradoxical, negational, and fundamentally inscrutable identity to the exclusion of establishment concepts. This subversively queer nature rings eerily loud in Thunder, imo. I am thoroughly convinced this was written from a queer perspective, even if that meant something different in context than how we use the term today, it feels like someone speaking from a position outside of conventional social structures especially with regard to gender and sexuality.

[@ScienceFindsGod-Official]

Any form of hedonist sexuality is contrary to the essence of Gnosticism. So, while I'd agree there's an element of androgyny expressed, I'd argue that androgyny is meant to convey the nature of ourselves as energetic spirits existing within this material realm, ultimately indistinguishable from one another after that instance of transcendence when we shed biology, and pass through the membrane of death, into the deeper sensuality of the incomprehensible existence for which we are actually meant. This material realm is a waiting room, a place where a spark of life is gestated into a conscious being. Really, this place is no more than a second phase of the womb. We are no more meant to find our meaning here, than a unborn child is meant to find its meaning in their mother's body. A waiting room may be filled with distractions and activities, to keep us from getting bored. But all of that is the illusion of meaning, there is no true meaning in this waiting room, there's only a purpose. The purpose is to generate entities. I've long rejected, for example, that every living being isn't sharing this single destiny of ethereal existence. Don't animals, bugs, plants, germs and everything else have the right to continue existence?

[@matthewkopp2391]

Aside from the spiritual Hermaphroditism in Gnosticism, Clement of Alexandria writes about the Gnostic Basilideans, who interpreted the eunach vs for acceptance of Gay men and why they should not marry women. „The followers of Basilides, on the other hand, say that when the apostles asked whether it was not better not to marry, the Lord replied: "Not all can receive this saying; there are some eunuchs who are so from their birth, others are so of necessity." And their explanation of this saying is roughly as follows: Some men, from their birth, have a natural sense of repulsion from a woman; and those who are naturally so constituted do well not to marry.“ - Clement of Alexandria And Irenaeus , Epiphanius, and Clement accuse them of a libertine code of ethics. But I think there was much more open Queerness in Egypt. For example this statement is written by Philo at the time of Jesus. Philo did not approve: In former days the very mention of (pederasty) was a great disgrace, but now it is a matter of boasting not only to the active partner but to the passive partners, who habituate themselves to endure the disease of effemination (vócov Orretav). They let both body and soul run to waste, and leave no ember of their male nature to smoulder. Mark how conspicuously they braid and adorn their hair, and how they scrub and paint their faces with cosmetics and pigments and the like. In fact, the transformation of the male nature to the female is practiced by them as an art and does not raise a blush.. Certainly you may see these hybrids of man and woman continually strutting about through the thick of the market, heading the processions at the feasts, appointed to serve as unholy ministers of holy things, leading the mysteries and initiations and celebrating the rites of Demeter. Those of them who, by way of heightening still further their youthful beauty, have desired to be completely changed into women and gone on to mutilate their genital organs, are clad in purple like signal benefactors of their native lands..., each of them a curse and a pollution of his country.

[@I_Am_NAKOA]

queer means strange. wtf are you talking about.

[@SirBallsDeepOfHouseManthrust]

If that’s what your getting out of it then I guess that’s good. But that’s totally not at all the point of that text in any way.

[@LadyEnchiridion]

Fascinating now self insert that modern take into something we don’t have the full scope of information on. My input would be held until we know more.

[@danielpaulson8838]

Amazon has the hardcover currently available for 104.38. Out of stock, but price holds and won’t charge till shipped. Paperback is 99.99. Ouch

[@buciorjakub]

I wish this was longer

[@michaeldantepoet9863]

The Sons of Thunder were Jesus' inner disciples, James the Great and John - Disciple of Love. The first man was said to martyred in 44 AD. Nevertheless, maybe this poem was written as an elegy for one of those men. James was the 'first' disciple of the twelve. It seems that these two men were called Sons of Thunder by Christ because of their impetuous natures. However, later literature says that James was 'level-headed' and John was 'loving' - we see, therefore, a spiritual transformation in the two men from angry, uncouth individuals into harmonious human beings. The poem sounds to me like the Shekinah or the Holy Spirit addressing the audience - she is the very spirit of Consciousness itself; henceforth, she contains, reconciles and transcends all opposites in the mind because she is the 'perfect mind.' Just in the same way as a Protestant Priest may feel uncomfortable throwing away a book about Catholic mystics, perhaps, this document was stored away respectfully. If it refers to the Sons of Thunder then this poem would have already been three hundred years old by the fourth century. Perhaps, this text was somewhat out of date by the time it was catalogued and hidden. On another level, thunder seems to represent enlightenment. Thunder may signify the sound of the Holy Spirit talking to the individual after their ego has been struck by the thunderbolt of Gnosis. Flowing light and flowing sound may connote the visible and invisible counterparts of the Logos. Just as there is a baptism of water and fire, perhaps, these baptisms are alluded to in the image of the sky (watery firmament) and the fire which lights up that sky through the implication of thunder. The sound of thunder shakes the heavenly mind with its sudden realisation as expressed through its feminine (loving and accepting voice), whilst at other times, the voice appears masculine or gender non-specific. This relates either to the life-force with created the body i.e. you maybe male but the intelligence which created it is not. In any case, this thunderous and perfected mind is the awareness which identifies or does not identify with the contents of its mind.... Just a few thoughts on the subject. Thunder is not mentioned in the text itself this is why I thought it may refer to a person who carried that title... What do you think? Is this idea just a longshot? As always, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL CHANNEL....! Well done on such a magnificent set of lectures, you deliver them with such eloquence. Brilliant!!!!!!! :)

[@t9h3m]

Thank you for the video, what a great way to start the year! One thing I'm not entirely clear about - at one point, you seem to discuss the identity of the author as if Thunder really was really meant to be read "literally" (i.e. the author talking about themselves) - I understand there may be little reason *not* to do so, but were contemporary texts generally written like that? Or is that simply one of the possible interpretations (given the surrounding mystery)? Oh and, at 4:39 you say a word that I hear as "eratology" (?), and even the KZbin transcript seems to agree, but I cannot find this word anywhere, my search queries instead return "erotologies" and "teratology" - what is that? :)

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Aretology - sorry! Should have put that word on the screen!

[@ireallylovecilantro]

Thank you for asking because I also use CC and I know KZbin isn’t the best at that.

[@FraktalPriest]

@@TheEsotericaChannel Yes that is a word I didn't know and that would be helpful for a description or an explanation first/after. I too couldn't hear what it was or truly meant... The fact is that you are so good at explaining things I really notice when I don't understand something - Keep up the *a m a z i n g* work!

[@darren.mcauliffe]

That ad makes as much sense as any other ad for perfume.

[@user-pv6lm1ik6t]

I think I read it wean I did my paper on Gnosticism cool very interesting video

[@1snakebob]

❤❤❤❤ ty

[@joekennedy5110]

Great Nag Hammadi business

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

Thanks!

[@joekennedy5110]

@@TheEsotericaChannel Thanks for the awesome content :)

[@mediocrates3416]

There is the meditative flash and following visions; lightening and thunder.

[@elementalliving916]

I feel seen, thank you.

[@spilledinfinity8652]

i think thats the one Maria Sabina used to recite. quite the nod. and a good anthem for anyone living in post reset earth. It all is and isnt now.

[@K_F_fox]

Also an uncanny parallel: Walt Whitman's "I Sing the Body Electric"

[@danielpaulson8838]

IMHO. Metaphoric representations. Try seeing the female as your soul. (Or subconscious mind) It retains our memories of experiences and the current emotion attached to the experiences. The good and the bad. We are the paradox. I mean each of us contains the paradox to various degrees. It’s a poem about normal human life. A very unpopular lesson that few like, encapsulated in a complex poem enjoyed and shared by the masses. The nested teaching gains the widest possible dissemination in a carrier shell. I believe it has deep personal significance.

[@elusuariosecreto2458]

I know that pic you chose for the Channel. It's from the Necromancers manual about a ring that can make the dead seem alive and the living seem dead. As a fun fact I did the ritual with some changes lol.

[@inma5665]

wow, which necromancer manual?

[@Tarnbar]

How did the ritual turn out?

[@flowerpt]

This poem rocks! Thank you, Justin. Don't get hung up on the genders, folks - this is a treatise against binary thinking, among many other things. I am not a face side, I am not an obverse side - I am a coin.

[@JenniferIrvine556]

I feel sorry for Issis. I'd imagine her heart is still not whole. He mentioned her at the first of the video. Bless her heart.

[@serget4693]

I feel like when someone's done shrooms, thunders mind and mindless concepts make a lot of sense

[@elainedaprano9130]

Is the Gnostic Adam&Eve story the same one as in "The Forgotten Books of Eden"/ Pseudopigrapha?

[@claires4869]

do you see any connection between the narrator of thunder and the daughter or fortitude monologue delivered by babalon in dee and kelley’s work? the tone and themes seem very similar to me

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

She's not called Babylon there but "the daughter of fortitude" but yep, I mention as much in the episode

[@claires4869]

@@TheEsotericaChannel oh yep, commented before i got to that part. thanks for another awesome video!

[@rhrh9128]

Question please?! You mentioned the word thunder within the poem and that it was a big reveal you would not spoil. I did not remember this reveal so I went back and again found no thunder word within the poem as Translated by George W. MacRae . . . . . can you redirect me to a different translation/interpretation? Thanks for the sharing ans depth you cover on your channel.

[@wisconsinengines]

Thunder Perfect Mind without a colon is a great band name or cheesy late 90s fantasy magic spell

[@laurenelizabeth2592]

What do you make of the translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls by John M. Allegro and his ideas about the use of mushrooms as items of worship and in the creation of cults (asexual reproduction, vision inducing properties, etc.) And his claims that the ancient texts were not translated correctly?? He was cast aside as a heretic much the same way Graham Hancock is ridiculed by historians for his claims that ancient cultures we highly developed, existed in both continent's, etc...?

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

I think Allegro makes interesting points and there is an anti-psychedelic bias in academia. Though I find the argument for much of that circumstantial.

[@segundoteran6687]

Dr. Is it me or does it seem that there are some writing symbols in the necklace of the portraits of the women!? Please let me know!

[@TormodiR]

Would you happen to know where the original can be found.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

You can find the facsimiles at a large university library - individual volumes are very expensive. The Coptic original can be found in the volume I recommended.

[@Gaia369]

I am the utterance of my Name.

[@TheEsotericaChannel]

I am the comment and the reply

[@Gaia369]

@@TheEsotericaChannel I am Sofia. Now Sacred times have Come. 👁️