The Hymn of the Pearl
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant man seeking fine pearls. Who when he found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it
Mathew 13: 45 : 46 Gnosticism tells us that the apostle Judas Thomas, while in prison, sang the Hymn of the Pearl.
The Son is sent by his Father, then descending to foreign lands and seizing the "one pearl" that is found in the depths of the sea, in the abode of a snorting serpent, he must triumph over it, enabling him to return and dress himself again in a resplendent garment and become the heir of his Father, as promised.
Commentary by Rafael Vargas From the book Encounter with Samael Gnostic Society Rome, 1999
The Hymn of the Pearl of the Apostle Thomas.When I was a little child living In my fathers palace in his kingdom, Happy in the glories and riches Of my family that nurtured me, My parents gave me supplies And sent me out on a mission From our home in the East.The memories of Innocence in the bosom of our Being are pleasing, but Innocence is not enough. It is necessary to have consciousness of it, and it is the transmigration of the soul through matter which will grant this sorrowful opportunity.
From their treasure house they made up a cargo for me it was big though but light enough so I could carry it myself. It held gold from the highest houses and silver of Gazzak the Great and rubies of India and opals from the land of Kushan. In order to create spiritual gold and silver it is necessary to have a small quantity of gold and silver. The same with Rubies (Ruby: from the Latin "rubeus," red, defined in European and Indigenous cultures as the "sun stone;" a symbol of force, interior fire, love or passion). These precious stones of vibrant red colour represent very well the potential spirit; also the agates, which are a wide variety of quartz, considered protector stones and bringers of fortune, where the spirit is enclosed in its beautiful and different forms.
Mathew 13: 45 : 46 Gnosticism tells us that the apostle Judas Thomas, while in prison, sang the Hymn of the Pearl.
The Son is sent by his Father, then descending to foreign lands and seizing the "one pearl" that is found in the depths of the sea, in the abode of a snorting serpent, he must triumph over it, enabling him to return and dress himself again in a resplendent garment and become the heir of his Father, as promised.
Commentary by Rafael Vargas From the book Encounter with Samael Gnostic Society Rome, 1999
The Hymn of the Pearl of the Apostle Thomas.When I was a little child living In my fathers palace in his kingdom, Happy in the glories and riches Of my family that nurtured me, My parents gave me supplies And sent me out on a mission From our home in the East.The memories of Innocence in the bosom of our Being are pleasing, but Innocence is not enough. It is necessary to have consciousness of it, and it is the transmigration of the soul through matter which will grant this sorrowful opportunity.
From their treasure house they made up a cargo for me it was big though but light enough so I could carry it myself. It held gold from the highest houses and silver of Gazzak the Great and rubies of India and opals from the land of Kushan. In order to create spiritual gold and silver it is necessary to have a small quantity of gold and silver. The same with Rubies (Ruby: from the Latin "rubeus," red, defined in European and Indigenous cultures as the "sun stone;" a symbol of force, interior fire, love or passion). These precious stones of vibrant red colour represent very well the potential spirit; also the agates, which are a wide variety of quartz, considered protector stones and bringers of fortune, where the spirit is enclosed in its beautiful and different forms.
And they girded me with adamant that can crush iron. The diamond, the precious gem par excellence, indomitable and hard, with which the Philosophical Stone will be created later, the Resurrected Christ of the Great Work. The name of the diamond derives from the Greek "adamas," invincible. This precious stone is associated with the image of Venus, which is why it's said that it liberates from demonic influences, becoming a symbol of force, valour and invulnerability.
They took off my bright robe of glory, which they had made for me out of love, and took away my purple toga, which was woven to fit my stature.It has already been said, we must acquire Innocence through Gnosis, which is the doctrine of the "Salvator Salvandus", or he who saves himself through knowledge of the Being, because self-knowledge of Oneself is extra and superhuman. It is a superconscious knowledge that depends on the Being, that has nothing to do with the human.
They made a covenant with me And wrote it in my heart so I would not forget: "When you go down into Egypt and bring back the one pearl that lies in the middle of the sea and is guarded by the snorting serpent, you will again put on your robe of glory and your toga over it, and with your brother, our next in rank, you will be heir in our kingdom."Egypt is our Philosophic Land, in whose interior stretches a river, also internal, which we must learn to navigate. This secret Nile in each of us is the dorsal spine with its lower, middle, and upper Egypt, and in its spermatic waters dwells the serpent-dragon, who foaming with desires conceals from us the One Pearl, the conscious Soul. The next in rank to our interior father is the second logos, the Intimate Christ.
I left the east and traveled down To Egypt with my two royal guides, Since the way was dangerous and harsh And I was very young to walk alone.The east is the electronic or solar world, the dwelling of the spirits. Descending from the solar east, the One becomes Two and continues to multiply, as it descends from dimension to dimension. Then the last and first Mystery, the Father, becomes the twenty-fourth Mystery which are the parts of the Being, so that later a lost Soul or primogenial Essence can travel the dangerous path of mechanical laws.
I crossed the borders of Maishan, The gathering place of merchants of the east, Came into the land of the Babylonians, And entered the walls of Sarbug.Merchants from whichever place are always merchants, but what is important is that they represent the interior of our temple: "the merchants of the east," who trade in energetic solar values, deposited in our organic machine, so necessary for self-realization.
The land of Babylon, that of the Babylonians, which if at one time was one of the most glorious for Chaldean wisdom, would later see the birth of the "confusion of tongues," since man, separating from his Being, wanted to conquer the exterior without his help, and so gave way to the confusion of the mind, in which we still continue. Babylon, land of the savage demons of Sarbug or of the "pluralized I".
When I went down into Egypt My companions left me.Companions which are Two initially, Twenty-four parts of the Being later, and as much as Forty-nine fires of the Being, which synthesize into Twelve Parts, if we abide by esoteric Christianity, but which without self-realization will then be in contradiction with each other, until their integration may become possible.
I went straight to the serpent And settled close by him in an inn, Waiting for him to sleep So I could take my pearl from him.The serpent or the dragon is the cosmic fire which in a spiral and particular manner underlies all organic and inorganic life. Fire that palpitates in the nucleus of each atom and each sun, and which in us is associated intimately with sexual potency, mental energy and the innermost fires of the tranquil heart. But plunging down by cause of desire, it is the fire, which hypnotizes the consciousness; however, when ascending, it is the fire that awakens and illuminates it.
Since I was alone I was a stranger to others in the inn, Yet I saw one of my own people there, A nobleman from the east, Young, handsome, loveable, A son of kings-an anointed one, And he came and was close to me. And I made him my confidante With whom I shared my mission.It is difficult but not impossible, to find "free men," masters of the white brotherhood, self realized beings, who are forever guides of humanity, whose mission it is to keep alive the flame of the tradition and revelation.
I warned him against the Egyptians And of contact with the unclean ones. Then I put on a robe like theirs, Lest they suspect me as an outsider Who had come to steal the pearl, Lest they arouse the serpent against me.These "unclean Egyptians" are the men who are slaves of themselves; the "free men: offer us the doctrine, the word of salvation, but it is not enough to hear the word, it must be made flesh and blood.
Somehow they learned I was not Their countryman, dealt with me cunningly, And gave me their food to eat.In truth, the mind is always the principal cause of the fall, in generation and degeneration, and for this reason the "I," separativity, will always resurrect. Meanwhile, the Being never eats "garbage," never drinks anything "unclean" for its nature.
The mind however, as mercury is voluble and unknown to itself, it is restless and therefore unstable, and like a mirror reflects the surroundings in itself and to itself. For this reason it begins to forget the Being, thus losing its participation with the unity, which is the food that does not contaminate.
So what ensues from the mind is its mechanical capacity to react in imitation, duplication, separation, division, justification, condemnation, etc., which is the nature of the "I" it will therefore result in being vain, envious, jealous, prideful, curious etc.
But every cloud has a silver lining; it is this falsehood in which the mind is apt to deviate continuously which gives birth to the possibility of the consciousness to be able to confront the mind with its own contradictions, to know it, to comprehend it, and to eliminate from the mind that which is false, and to apprehend what of ultimate truth truly remains; although this model is not the general rule in everyone.
They took off my bright robe of glory, which they had made for me out of love, and took away my purple toga, which was woven to fit my stature.It has already been said, we must acquire Innocence through Gnosis, which is the doctrine of the "Salvator Salvandus", or he who saves himself through knowledge of the Being, because self-knowledge of Oneself is extra and superhuman. It is a superconscious knowledge that depends on the Being, that has nothing to do with the human.
They made a covenant with me And wrote it in my heart so I would not forget: "When you go down into Egypt and bring back the one pearl that lies in the middle of the sea and is guarded by the snorting serpent, you will again put on your robe of glory and your toga over it, and with your brother, our next in rank, you will be heir in our kingdom."Egypt is our Philosophic Land, in whose interior stretches a river, also internal, which we must learn to navigate. This secret Nile in each of us is the dorsal spine with its lower, middle, and upper Egypt, and in its spermatic waters dwells the serpent-dragon, who foaming with desires conceals from us the One Pearl, the conscious Soul. The next in rank to our interior father is the second logos, the Intimate Christ.
I left the east and traveled down To Egypt with my two royal guides, Since the way was dangerous and harsh And I was very young to walk alone.The east is the electronic or solar world, the dwelling of the spirits. Descending from the solar east, the One becomes Two and continues to multiply, as it descends from dimension to dimension. Then the last and first Mystery, the Father, becomes the twenty-fourth Mystery which are the parts of the Being, so that later a lost Soul or primogenial Essence can travel the dangerous path of mechanical laws.
I crossed the borders of Maishan, The gathering place of merchants of the east, Came into the land of the Babylonians, And entered the walls of Sarbug.Merchants from whichever place are always merchants, but what is important is that they represent the interior of our temple: "the merchants of the east," who trade in energetic solar values, deposited in our organic machine, so necessary for self-realization.
The land of Babylon, that of the Babylonians, which if at one time was one of the most glorious for Chaldean wisdom, would later see the birth of the "confusion of tongues," since man, separating from his Being, wanted to conquer the exterior without his help, and so gave way to the confusion of the mind, in which we still continue. Babylon, land of the savage demons of Sarbug or of the "pluralized I".
When I went down into Egypt My companions left me.Companions which are Two initially, Twenty-four parts of the Being later, and as much as Forty-nine fires of the Being, which synthesize into Twelve Parts, if we abide by esoteric Christianity, but which without self-realization will then be in contradiction with each other, until their integration may become possible.
I went straight to the serpent And settled close by him in an inn, Waiting for him to sleep So I could take my pearl from him.The serpent or the dragon is the cosmic fire which in a spiral and particular manner underlies all organic and inorganic life. Fire that palpitates in the nucleus of each atom and each sun, and which in us is associated intimately with sexual potency, mental energy and the innermost fires of the tranquil heart. But plunging down by cause of desire, it is the fire, which hypnotizes the consciousness; however, when ascending, it is the fire that awakens and illuminates it.
Since I was alone I was a stranger to others in the inn, Yet I saw one of my own people there, A nobleman from the east, Young, handsome, loveable, A son of kings-an anointed one, And he came and was close to me. And I made him my confidante With whom I shared my mission.It is difficult but not impossible, to find "free men," masters of the white brotherhood, self realized beings, who are forever guides of humanity, whose mission it is to keep alive the flame of the tradition and revelation.
I warned him against the Egyptians And of contact with the unclean ones. Then I put on a robe like theirs, Lest they suspect me as an outsider Who had come to steal the pearl, Lest they arouse the serpent against me.These "unclean Egyptians" are the men who are slaves of themselves; the "free men: offer us the doctrine, the word of salvation, but it is not enough to hear the word, it must be made flesh and blood.
Somehow they learned I was not Their countryman, dealt with me cunningly, And gave me their food to eat.In truth, the mind is always the principal cause of the fall, in generation and degeneration, and for this reason the "I," separativity, will always resurrect. Meanwhile, the Being never eats "garbage," never drinks anything "unclean" for its nature.
The mind however, as mercury is voluble and unknown to itself, it is restless and therefore unstable, and like a mirror reflects the surroundings in itself and to itself. For this reason it begins to forget the Being, thus losing its participation with the unity, which is the food that does not contaminate.
So what ensues from the mind is its mechanical capacity to react in imitation, duplication, separation, division, justification, condemnation, etc., which is the nature of the "I" it will therefore result in being vain, envious, jealous, prideful, curious etc.
But every cloud has a silver lining; it is this falsehood in which the mind is apt to deviate continuously which gives birth to the possibility of the consciousness to be able to confront the mind with its own contradictions, to know it, to comprehend it, and to eliminate from the mind that which is false, and to apprehend what of ultimate truth truly remains; although this model is not the general rule in everyone.
I fell into a deep sleep. I forgot that I was a son of kings And served their king. I forgot the pearl For which my parents had sent me. Through the heaviness of their food I fell into a deep sleep.Once the "I" is resuscitated, its separativity hypnotizes the consciousness. Much time will have to pass before the battle of interrelation; confrontation, comprehension and elimination of the subjective can commence.
When all these things happened My parents knew and grieved for me. I was proclaimed in our kingdom That all should come to our gate. And the kings and princes of Parthia And all the nobles of the east Wove a plan on my behalf So I would not be left in Egypt.Fortunately, fallen bodhisattvas sooner or later rise from the mud of the earth, and this would surely be the concrete case of the apostle Thomas, who by decree of his Being, that is the Donum Dei or "Gift of God," the grace or gnosis which makes possible the comprehension and realization of the Great Work, was called to become part of a very important mission...
And they wrote me a letter And every noble singed it with his name: "From your father, the king of kings, And your mother, the mistress of the east, And from your brother, our next in rank, And to you, our son in Egypt, peace!The hour had arrived in which he should awaken in order to be a vehicle of his Being.
Awake and rise from your sleep And hear the words of our letter! Remember that you are a son of kings And see the slavery of your life. Remember the pearl For which you were sent into Egypt!Only continuous messages from the Being will be able to help multiply the great longings of the lost soul; no one would survive in the path without them.
Remember your robe of glory And your splendid mantle, which you may wear When your names is called in the book of life, When it is read in the book of heroes, When you and your brother inherit our kingdom."For each dimension exists a vehicle, an existential body, the only method of penetrating the diverse dimensions of nature and of the cosmos, but only the vestment that our celestial Father bestows from on high will permit us to participate in the unity of free life in his movement.
And serving as messenger, The letter was a letter sealed by the king With his right hand Against the evil children of Babylon And the savage demons of the Sarbug labyrinth.A message of compassion from the Father is the absolute guarantee of triumph of the Great Work. The father always seals his works by tracing the divine ray of the Rune Sig, which corresponds with the last letter at the end of some alphabets.
It rose up in the form of an eagle, The king of all winged fowl; It flew and alighted beside me And became speech.The bird is, and always will be, among many other attributes, the Holy Spirit, the great healer, the giver of illumination.
At its voice and the sound of its rustling I awoke and rose from my sleep. I took it, kissed it, broke its seal, and read. And the words written on my heart Were in the letter for me to read. I remembered that I was the son of kings And my free soul longed for its own kind. I remembered the pear For which I was sent down into Egypt, And I began to enchant The terrible and snorting serpent.There exists no manner of enchanting the serpent of our cosmic fire other than changing its magnetic polarity, in the mind with self-observation, in the heart with superior emotions, and in the sex with alchemical transmutation.
I charmed him into sleep By calling the name of my father over him And of my mother, the queen of the east. I seized the pearl And turned to carry it to my father. Those filthy and impure garments I stripped off, leaving them in the fields, And went straight on my way Into the light of our homeland in the east.On my way the letter that awakened me Was lying like a woman on the road. And as she had awakened me with her voice So she guided me with her light As if she were an oracle. She was written on Chinese silk And shone before me in her own form. Her voice soothed my fear And its love urged me on. I hurried past the labyrinth walls of Sarbug And Babylon on the left And came to Maishan, the haven of merchants, Perched over the coast of the sea. My robe of glory that I had taken off And the toga over it were sent by my parents From the heights of Hyrcania. They were in the hands of treasures To whom they were committed Because of their faith, And I had forgotten the robe?s splendor, For as a child I had left it In my father?s house. As I gazed on it, suddenly the garment Like a mirror reflected me, And I saw myself apart As two entities in one form.The treasures are the administrators of destiny, the lords of the Great Law. And when we neither owe the Law nor the law owes us, then, all the truth of the Being is revealed and is objectively reflected in the translucence of a mind, heart, and sexuality purified by the light of the truth.
The treasures had brought me one robe, Yet in two halves I saw one shape With one kingly seal. They gave me wealth, And the bright embroidered robe Was colored with gold and beryls, With rubies and opals, And sardonyxes of many colors Were fasted to it in its high home. All its seams were fastened With stones of adamant,As we already said at the beginning, the beryls, agates, diamonds, sapphires, etc., as well as the rest of the precious stones represent virtues conquered by the soul, with which the Divine Mother makes the vestments of the soul. However, it is not too much to repeat what specialists say about Beryls: it was already known in antiquity that these crystals detoxified and fortified vision, for which reason they came to be used for the production of lenses. Of the Sardonyz it is said that it was the symbol of abundance, virtue, courage and eloquence. Of the Sapphire, whose name comes from the Sanskrit "sani," Saturn, is considered in European and Indian cultures, as the stone of Saturn, in so much as it represented the heavens, angels, magic, trust and friendship.
And the image of the king of kings Was embroidered on it As it rippled with sapphires Of many colors. I saw it quiver all over, Moving with gnosis, in a pulsing knowledge, And as it prepared to speak It moved toward me, Murmuring the sound of its songs. It descended and said, "I am the one who acted for him. For him I was brought up in my Father?s house. I saw myself growing in stature In harmony with his labors."With regal movements The robe was spreading toward me, Urging me to take it,Certainly, the vestment of the soul consists of the consciousness of nature and of the cosmos, which now is offered to the triumphant soul.
And love urged me to receive it, And I stretched forth and received it And put on the beauty of its hues. I cast my toga of brilliant colors All around me. Therein I clothed myself and ascended To the gate of salutation and adoration. I bowed my head and adored The Majesty of my Father, who sent it to me. I had fulfilled his commands And he fulfilled what he had promised. At the gate of his princes I mingled with his nobles. He was happy through me and received me, And I was with him in his kingdom, And his slaves praised him resoundingly. He promised me that I would journey soon With him to the gate of the King of Kings, And with my gifts and my pearl I would appear with him before our king.End of the Hymn that the apostle Judas Thomas sang in Prison.
The King of Kings is the Being of all Beings: Agnostos Theos, the unknown God of the Gnostics, the Good Lord of Jesus in the Absolute Abstract Space.
There where He resides, there are no differences, diversity is unity.
AUM TAT SAT TAN PAN PAZ
When all these things happened My parents knew and grieved for me. I was proclaimed in our kingdom That all should come to our gate. And the kings and princes of Parthia And all the nobles of the east Wove a plan on my behalf So I would not be left in Egypt.Fortunately, fallen bodhisattvas sooner or later rise from the mud of the earth, and this would surely be the concrete case of the apostle Thomas, who by decree of his Being, that is the Donum Dei or "Gift of God," the grace or gnosis which makes possible the comprehension and realization of the Great Work, was called to become part of a very important mission...
And they wrote me a letter And every noble singed it with his name: "From your father, the king of kings, And your mother, the mistress of the east, And from your brother, our next in rank, And to you, our son in Egypt, peace!The hour had arrived in which he should awaken in order to be a vehicle of his Being.
Awake and rise from your sleep And hear the words of our letter! Remember that you are a son of kings And see the slavery of your life. Remember the pearl For which you were sent into Egypt!Only continuous messages from the Being will be able to help multiply the great longings of the lost soul; no one would survive in the path without them.
Remember your robe of glory And your splendid mantle, which you may wear When your names is called in the book of life, When it is read in the book of heroes, When you and your brother inherit our kingdom."For each dimension exists a vehicle, an existential body, the only method of penetrating the diverse dimensions of nature and of the cosmos, but only the vestment that our celestial Father bestows from on high will permit us to participate in the unity of free life in his movement.
And serving as messenger, The letter was a letter sealed by the king With his right hand Against the evil children of Babylon And the savage demons of the Sarbug labyrinth.A message of compassion from the Father is the absolute guarantee of triumph of the Great Work. The father always seals his works by tracing the divine ray of the Rune Sig, which corresponds with the last letter at the end of some alphabets.
It rose up in the form of an eagle, The king of all winged fowl; It flew and alighted beside me And became speech.The bird is, and always will be, among many other attributes, the Holy Spirit, the great healer, the giver of illumination.
At its voice and the sound of its rustling I awoke and rose from my sleep. I took it, kissed it, broke its seal, and read. And the words written on my heart Were in the letter for me to read. I remembered that I was the son of kings And my free soul longed for its own kind. I remembered the pear For which I was sent down into Egypt, And I began to enchant The terrible and snorting serpent.There exists no manner of enchanting the serpent of our cosmic fire other than changing its magnetic polarity, in the mind with self-observation, in the heart with superior emotions, and in the sex with alchemical transmutation.
I charmed him into sleep By calling the name of my father over him And of my mother, the queen of the east. I seized the pearl And turned to carry it to my father. Those filthy and impure garments I stripped off, leaving them in the fields, And went straight on my way Into the light of our homeland in the east.On my way the letter that awakened me Was lying like a woman on the road. And as she had awakened me with her voice So she guided me with her light As if she were an oracle. She was written on Chinese silk And shone before me in her own form. Her voice soothed my fear And its love urged me on. I hurried past the labyrinth walls of Sarbug And Babylon on the left And came to Maishan, the haven of merchants, Perched over the coast of the sea. My robe of glory that I had taken off And the toga over it were sent by my parents From the heights of Hyrcania. They were in the hands of treasures To whom they were committed Because of their faith, And I had forgotten the robe?s splendor, For as a child I had left it In my father?s house. As I gazed on it, suddenly the garment Like a mirror reflected me, And I saw myself apart As two entities in one form.The treasures are the administrators of destiny, the lords of the Great Law. And when we neither owe the Law nor the law owes us, then, all the truth of the Being is revealed and is objectively reflected in the translucence of a mind, heart, and sexuality purified by the light of the truth.
The treasures had brought me one robe, Yet in two halves I saw one shape With one kingly seal. They gave me wealth, And the bright embroidered robe Was colored with gold and beryls, With rubies and opals, And sardonyxes of many colors Were fasted to it in its high home. All its seams were fastened With stones of adamant,As we already said at the beginning, the beryls, agates, diamonds, sapphires, etc., as well as the rest of the precious stones represent virtues conquered by the soul, with which the Divine Mother makes the vestments of the soul. However, it is not too much to repeat what specialists say about Beryls: it was already known in antiquity that these crystals detoxified and fortified vision, for which reason they came to be used for the production of lenses. Of the Sardonyz it is said that it was the symbol of abundance, virtue, courage and eloquence. Of the Sapphire, whose name comes from the Sanskrit "sani," Saturn, is considered in European and Indian cultures, as the stone of Saturn, in so much as it represented the heavens, angels, magic, trust and friendship.
And the image of the king of kings Was embroidered on it As it rippled with sapphires Of many colors. I saw it quiver all over, Moving with gnosis, in a pulsing knowledge, And as it prepared to speak It moved toward me, Murmuring the sound of its songs. It descended and said, "I am the one who acted for him. For him I was brought up in my Father?s house. I saw myself growing in stature In harmony with his labors."With regal movements The robe was spreading toward me, Urging me to take it,Certainly, the vestment of the soul consists of the consciousness of nature and of the cosmos, which now is offered to the triumphant soul.
And love urged me to receive it, And I stretched forth and received it And put on the beauty of its hues. I cast my toga of brilliant colors All around me. Therein I clothed myself and ascended To the gate of salutation and adoration. I bowed my head and adored The Majesty of my Father, who sent it to me. I had fulfilled his commands And he fulfilled what he had promised. At the gate of his princes I mingled with his nobles. He was happy through me and received me, And I was with him in his kingdom, And his slaves praised him resoundingly. He promised me that I would journey soon With him to the gate of the King of Kings, And with my gifts and my pearl I would appear with him before our king.End of the Hymn that the apostle Judas Thomas sang in Prison.
The King of Kings is the Being of all Beings: Agnostos Theos, the unknown God of the Gnostics, the Good Lord of Jesus in the Absolute Abstract Space.
There where He resides, there are no differences, diversity is unity.
AUM TAT SAT TAN PAN PAZ
