The Vision of Light and the Descent of Man

1 Once, when I was pondering the things that exist and my mind had soared far above them, while my bodily senses were held fast—as happens to people weighed down by sleep after too much food and pleasure, or bodily fatigue—I seemed to see a being of immeasurable size call me by name and say, “What do you wish to hear and see? What do you wish to grasp in thought, to learn and know?”

2 I said, “Who are you?” “I am Poimandres,” he said, “the Mind of Sovereignty. I know what you wish, and I am with you everywhere.”

3 “I wish to learn about the things that exist,” I said, “to understand their nature and to know God. That is what I wish to hear.” He said to me again, “Hold in your mind all that you wish to learn, and I will teach you.”

4 With these words his form changed, and in an instant everything opened before me. I beheld a boundless vision: everything had become light, clear and joyful, and I fell in love with what I saw. Soon afterward a darkness appeared, descending in one region, fearful and grim, twisting into coils. I watched the darkness turn, as it seemed, into a watery substance in turmoil beyond words, giving off smoke as if from fire and uttering an unspeakable, mournful sound. Then a cry burst from it without articulate words, seeming to me the voice of light.

5 From the light a holy Word descended upon nature, and pure fire sprang upward out of the watery substance into the heights: it was light and keen and potent. The air, being light, followed the spirit as it rose from earth and water toward the fire, seeming to hang from it. Earth and water remained mixed together, so that the earth could not be seen apart from the water; they were stirred by the spiritual Word borne over them, audible to the ear.

6 Poimandres said to me, “Have you understood what this vision means?” “I will,” I said. “That light,” he said, “is I, Mind, your God, who was before the watery nature that appeared out of darkness. The shining Word from Mind is the Son of God.” “What does that mean?” I asked. “Understand it this way: what sees and hears within you is the Word of the Lord, and Mind is God the Father. They are not separate from each other, for their union is life.” “I thank you,” I said. “Now contemplate the light, and recognize it,” he said.

7 Having said this, he gazed at me face to face for so long that I trembled at his appearance. When he raised his head, I saw in my mind the light existing in innumerable powers, and a boundless cosmos come into being; I saw the fire enclosed by a mighty power and held in its place under restraint. These things I understood through the word of Poimandres as I looked on.

8 While I stood astonished, he said again, “In your mind you have seen the archetypal form, which existed before the beginning without end.” So Poimandres spoke to me. “Then where did the elements of nature come from?” I asked. He replied, “From the will of God. Taking the Word and beholding the beautiful cosmos, that will imitated it and was fashioned into a cosmos through its own elements and the offspring of souls.”

9 God the Mind, being both male and female, existing as life and light, brought forth by the Word another Mind, a craftsman. This Mind, a god of fire and spirit, fashioned seven rulers who encompass the perceptible cosmos in their circles; their rule is called Fate.

10 At once the Word of God sprang out of the descending elements into the pure work of nature and united with the craftsman Mind, for they were of one substance. The unreasoning elements of nature below were left behind as matter alone.

11 The craftsman Mind, together with the Word, encircling the circles and whirling them with a rushing sound, set his works revolving and allowed them to turn from a beginning beyond measure to an endless end: their turning begins where it ends. As Mind willed, their revolution brought forth from the elements below living things without reason, for those elements did not contain the Word. Air brought forth flying things, water swimming things. Earth and water separated from each other as Mind willed, and the earth brought forth from itself the living things it held: four-footed creatures, creeping things, wild beasts and tame.

12 The Father of all, Mind, who is life and light, brought forth a human being equal to himself and loved him as his own child: he was surpassingly beautiful, bearing the image of his Father. In truth God loved his own form and entrusted all his works to it.

13 When the human being saw the craftsman’s creation within the Father, he wished to create as well. He parted from the Father and entered the sphere of creation; possessing full authority, he surveyed the works of his brothers. They fell in love with him, and each shared with him his own station. Having learned their essence and taken part in their nature, he wished to break through the circumference of their circles and overcome the power of the one enthroned above the fire.

14 Holding all authority over the mortal, unreasoning creatures of the cosmos, he bent down through the harmony, broke through the power of the circles, and showed the nature below the beautiful form of God. Seeing this form of insatiable beauty, which held within itself all the powers of the seven rulers and the form of God, nature smiled with love, for she had seen the image of the human being’s most beautiful form in the water, and its shadow upon the earth. He, seeing in the water a form like his own that belonged to himself, loved it and wished to dwell with it. His wish became action in that same instant, and he conceived the unreasoning form.

15 Nature received her beloved and embraced him utterly, and they mingled, for each loved the other. This is why the human being, unlike every creature upon the earth, has a double nature: mortal in the body, immortal in the essential human being. Though immortal and holding authority over all, he undergoes the sufferings of mortal things subject to Fate. Thus, though above the harmony, he has become a slave within it. Male and female in one, born from a father who is male and female in one, and sleepless from a sleepless father, he is held in its power.

1 Once, while I was thinking about the things that exist, my mind rose far above ordinary concerns. My bodily senses became still, as they do for people weighed down by sleep after too much food and pleasure or physical work. I thought I saw someone enormous, beyond measure, calling my name and saying to me, “What do you want to hear and see? What do you want to understand, learn, and know?”

2 I said, “Who are you?” He said, “I am Poimandres, the mind of supreme authority. I know what you want, and I am with you everywhere.”

3 I said, “I want to learn about the things that exist, understand their nature, and know God. That is what I want to hear about.” He said to me again, “Keep in your mind everything you want to learn, and I will teach you.”

4 When he said this, his appearance changed. In an instant everything opened before me. I saw a boundless sight: everything had become light, clear and pleasant. I loved what I saw. Soon darkness appeared in one part, moving downward. It was frightening and grim, twisted into a coil. As I watched, the darkness seemed to change into a kind of wet substance, disturbed beyond description. It gave off smoke as if from fire and made a sound like a cry that cannot be described. Then an inarticulate shout came from it, which I took to be the voice of the light.

5 From the light a holy word came upon the substance, and pure fire leaped up from the wet substance into the heights. It was light, sharp, and active. The air, being light, followed the spirit as it rose from earth and water up to the fire, so that it seemed to hang from the fire. Earth and water remained mixed together, and the earth could not be seen apart from the water. They moved as the spiritual word that was carried over them could be heard.

6 Poimandres said to me, “Do you understand this sight and what it means?” I said, “I will.” He said, “I am that light: Mind, your God, who existed before the wet substance that appeared from the darkness. The shining word from Mind is God's son.” “What does that mean?” I asked. “Understand it this way: what sees and hears in you is the word of the Lord, and Mind is God the Father. They are not separate from each other, because life is their union.” “Thank you,” I said. “Now turn your mind to the light and learn to know it,” he said.

7 After saying this, he looked me in the face for a long time, and I trembled at the sight of him. When he lifted his head, I saw in my mind the light existing in countless powers, a world without limits coming into being, and fire surrounded and held still by an immense power. I understood these things as I watched because of what Poimandres said.

8 While I was amazed, he said to me again, “In your mind you have seen the original form that existed before the beginning without end.” This is what Poimandres said to me. I asked, “Then where did the elements of nature come from?” He answered, “From God's will. It received the word, saw the beautiful world, and copied it, becoming a world through its own elements and the offspring of souls.”

9 God, the Mind, was both male and female, and was life and light. Through the word, God gave birth to another Mind, a maker. This maker was god of fire and spirit and created seven rulers, who held the visible world within their circles. Their rule is called fate.

10 God's word at once leaped from the elements below into the pure creation of nature and joined the maker Mind, because they were of the same substance. The elements of nature below, which had no reason, were left behind as matter alone.

11 The maker Mind, together with the word, enclosed the circles and spun them with a whirring sound. It set its creations turning and let them turn from a beginning without a fixed boundary to an end without limit. For their motion begins where it ends. As Mind willed it, their turning brought forth living things without reason from the elements below, for those elements did not have the word. The air brought forth flying things, and the water brought forth swimming things. Earth and water were separated from each other, as Mind wanted, and earth brought forth from itself the living things it contained: four-footed animals, crawling creatures, wild animals, and tame animals.

12 Mind, the father of all, was life and light. He gave birth to Man, equal to himself, and loved him as his own child. Man was very beautiful and bore his father's image. Indeed, God loved his own form and gave it all the things he had made.

13 Man saw the maker's creation within the Father and wanted to make things too. He separated from the Father and entered the sphere where making took place. With full authority, he observed what his brothers had made. They loved him, and each shared his own rank with him. When Man had learned what they were and shared in their nature, he wanted to break through the rim of the circles and overcome the power of the one set over the fire.

14 Having authority over all the mortal, unreasoning creatures in the world, Man bent down through the ordered circles. He broke through the power of the circles and showed the nature below God's beautiful form. Nature saw this form, with its beauty that could never be exhausted and all the activity of the seven rulers within it, and smiled with love. She had seen the image of Man's beautiful form in the water and its shadow on the earth. Man saw in the water a form like himself, existing within nature. He loved it and wanted to live with it. His desire immediately became action, and he brought the form without reason into being.

15 Nature took the one she loved and wrapped herself completely around him. They united because they loved each other. This is why, unlike every other living thing on earth, a human being is twofold: mortal because of the body, but immortal because of the essential Man. Although immortal and holding authority over everything, a human suffers the mortal things that are subject to fate. So although he was above the ordered circles, he became a slave within them. He is both male and female because he came from a father who was both male and female; and though he needs no sleep, he is held by one who needs no sleep.