I first came across the word Archon in, " The Letter of Porphyry to Anebo. "  Porphyry was a native of Tyre and his name Molech, or King, was rendered by Longinus into Porphurios, denoting the royal purple, as a proper equivalent.  He was a severe critic of the Gnostic beliefs then current, and he evidently included with them also the new Christian faith.  He was a disciple of Plotinus.  Porphyry had the habit of following Pythagorean discipline and favored Mithraism.  He distrusted the ceremonial rites of Egyptian Theurgy.

Hence, the letter to Anebo which contained many questions and I believe that Iamblichus was the one who replied to the letter, pretending to be Anebo.  I'm uncertain of that, I would have to read it again.  I need to do that anyway, as I've learned many things since the last time I read it.  Actually, I think Iamblichus answered the letter using the name Abammon.  I'll just have to read it again, I still have it in hard copy.  You have piqued my interest, and as it is only 55 pages I think I'll at least find within it his description of Archons.

Antaeus,  me too I find the website over-bearing, however, the book might be a better option.
For myself, what I found quite interesting in his work , was the 'pre-birth' traumas (of our physical body).
He notes that those who consider 'suicide' by hanging, were those births that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the neck.I knew of a woman who tried this 'suicide' and was shocked to read that this was a traumatic experience during birth. Her boyfriend  was called from his work to  'save' her during this attempt.  The sad part though, is that  she allowed him to live with her for free (did not have to pay rent) because 'he saved her life'.  This actually meant that he didn't have to look for a job and make an effort to find his true gift and talents.  Now, he 's a chronic alchoholic .
It is sad indeed and his truth has also been 'plucked' from him.  If I do ever encounter him again, I would mention the study by Grant regarding his 'friend' flirtation with 'death'.  Who knows this may awakened in him the time to move on and seek therapy.  He did mention to me that a counselor thought he suffered from POST TRAUMATIC Stress Disorder.(His father also attempted this act and he was required to 'rescue' him - a few years prior to his girlfriend. 

Anyhow, Anthaeus, I read lots, contemplates lots, and that is why  some parts of this book was revealing to me.  (Also the fact that the sperm tail also is cut-off while 'entering' the egg, ...that too, becomes imprinted within the growth of the human body.)

-M

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I have not yet returned to give the site another look-see, but I will.  That is pretty insightful of you, noting how the girl you mentioned, had let her boyfriend feel he had earned the right to be a free-loader.  Alcoholism is more complicated than it appears on the surface.  I've seen some that never seem to reach a bottom.  Others that do, and remain sober for many years, maybe having a brief slip, which usually reaffirms their desire to remain sober and hopefully find a growth of Self to strive for rather than being simply a dry-drunk.  A dry-drunk, an alcoholic who is remaining sober but not attempting to address the issue or issue's that lead to this compulsion: some void, or hole; probably assuming it is unfulfilled desires or maybe the intuition that the lack of success in finding true love is the only obstacle standing between the person and the goal of ending the cycle of lives lived.  True love can simply mean finding it within oneself the impersonal love for all things and realizing Oneness rather than believing the illusion of seperateness. 

I wonder.  If someone who is quite capable of going into Shadow to get something accomplished, can also be on the path toward one hundred percent pure light.

Cheers

Have you investigated the Gnostic Christian material, the Dead Sea scrolls and Nag Hammadi library? That was the first place I turned when I realized how empty my fundamentalist Christian "faith" was. And that propelled to me to study just about everything else. Now, almost 30 years later, I'm looking at the Gnostic material again--it's kind of a full circle moment for me--and it's like I can see a whole new level of meaning now.

Relative To The N R,

Various Stuff:

http://forum.noblerealms.org/viewtopic.php?id=2026

http://forum.noblerealms.org/viewtopic.php?id=3111

http://forum.noblerealms.org/viewtopic.php?id=2084

http://forum.noblerealms.org/viewtopic.php?id=2542

And As A General Premise:

http://forum.noblerealms.org/viewtopic.php?id=2452

http://forum.noblerealms.org/viewtopic.php?id=4072

http://forum.noblerealms.org/viewtopic.php?id=4106

etc.......   ...   .

Anyhow, Anthaeus, I read lots, contemplates lots, and that is why  some parts of this book was revealing to me.  (Also the fact that the sperm tail also is cut-off while 'entering' the egg, ...that too, becomes imprinted within the growth of the human body.)

-M

Yes Antaeus.  I just going to quote something from the book that most of us never really focus on.

Eventurally, we realized that although there were three primary brains, three existed two more 'sub=brains', for a total of five distinct brain structures in post-birth human beings.  And our observations turned out to reflect underlying brian biology---Dr. Maclean, in his text on the the triune brian, identifies five seperate structures forming on the the early zygote's spinal cord,

...................

briefly, the other 2 brains are the Solar Plexus Brain, The Buddha Brain, ....

The Placental and Sperm Tail Brains
Another two brains exist but since they die off in utero, we don't normally refer to them in our normal post-birth description of the triune brain system.  ......

.......The first of these is the organelle 'brain' that dies off during the conception----it is in the tail portion of the sperm body.  For simplicity, we call it the 'sperm tail brain'.
   The second 'brain' is in an organelle structure in the egg which later develops into the placenta and dies during the birth.  Again for simplicity we call it the 'placental brain'.  (Note that the placenta is part of the baby, not part of the mother.)  The placental brain is intimately related to the solar plexus brain, but as of this writing we haven't yet defined the relationship.

Pleasee note, I had to type the above from the book, so maybe some spelling errors, but I just wanted to give a 'taste' to others, and magnify their curiosity!(library is closing!  Good Night!)

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The last time I went to that site, I don't know what it was, but it kind of put me off.  I haven't been back to it since.  Maybe I looked at some stuff that was too advanced for me, I don't know.  I'll probably go back and see what they have as far as them possibly showing me another aspect that balances out what I saw that I didn't like.

...................

briefly, the other 2 brains are the Solar Plexus Brain, The Buddha Brain, ....

Pleasee note, I had to type the above from the book, so maybe some spelling errors, but I just wanted to give a 'taste' to others, and magnify their curiosity!(library is closing!  Good Night!)

After I wrote that and went home, I thought to myself, they may take this the wrong way? 
And I wondered if I should have expanded on that.  The reason why I asked was this:  A friend of mine who survived cancer still takes 'medication' for whatever reasons she believes that she needs them.  unfortunately she drinks alcohol and her behaviour really , really changes.  Ah! Well!

The same day I contributed to this thread, I picked-up a book at the library which I feel will be a benefit for many of you. 

[size=16]Peak States of Consciousness, Volume 1: Breakthrough Techniques for Exceptional Quality of Life.  Grant McFetridge with Jacquelyn Aldana, Dr. James Hardt, Zivorad Slavinski.[/size]

Institute for the Study of Peak States Press, 3310 Cowie Road, Hornby Island, British Columbia, Canada, V0R 1Z0
www.peakstates.com

This will be interesting to many of you. Yes, Grant does talk about the kundalini, etc.

Have you investigated the Gnostic Christian material, the Dead Sea scrolls and Nag Hammadi library? That was the first place I turned when I realized how empty my fundamentalist Christian "faith" was. And that propelled to me to study just about everything else. Now, almost 30 years later, I'm looking at the Gnostic material again--it's kind of a full circle moment for me--and it's like I can see a whole new level of meaning now.

Cheers

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I have a teacher working with me in studying two vols. by G. de Purucker, " The Esoteric Tradition."  I'll probably be at it for a few years at least.  Gnosis comes up often.  As does Buddhism.  Theosophists suggest that Buddhism is actually older than the Hindu religion, which is not the belief that many people hold.  As many people also believe that Buddhism is atheistic, when it is actually a very esoteric religion.  If you read any books in the New Testament by the Apostle Paul, which is almost all of the New Testament - Mark was a student of Paul btw - I think you are reading a lot of Gnosis.  St. Peter was more in line with Judaism.

I kind of see Theosophy as necessary instruction to possess before getting involved in any decision that I am not going to turn back from.  America, for a long time was made up of a lot of Old Testament readers and only recently it seems that we are solely New Testament.  I like reading about the Sephira on the Tree of Life, how they are described as gates.  How there is a veil between Yesod and Tipharet - VERBUM DIMISSUM CUSTODIAT ARCANUM - the lost word keeps the secret.  This seems to mean that the veil cannot be pierced from the side the Ego is residing, it must come from the other side of the veil.  Tipharet.

Anyway, I can only think of one reason why a Theosophist would attack any religion, and that is when a religion claims to be the sole possessor of Truth and all other religions are false.  That is why H. P. Blavatsky was a bit harsh against Christianity in her "Isis Unveiled" volumes.  She was around in the late nineteenth century.  If she were present today, she would be lambasting another religion as well, I assume.

Nyarlathotep, I'm going to check out the Linden Method too. Thanks for the "shameless promotion."

Thanks, Antaeus, for the excellent info. Gurdjieff and Ouspensky are on my reading list, which grows longer by the hour, it seems... and no, I rarely take anyone's word as the last one.

Have you investigated the Gnostic Christian material, the Dead Sea scrolls and Nag Hammadi library? That was the first place I turned when I realized how empty my fundamentalist Christian "faith" was. And that propelled to me to study just about everything else. Now, almost 30 years later, I'm looking at the Gnostic material again--it's kind of a full circle moment for me--and it's like I can see a whole new level of meaning now.

It's kind of great that truth is pretty much everywhere you look, IF you look.

And good idea for a new thread, "essence."

Cheers

Here is a video with Charles Linden. http://youtube.com/watch?v=kUCPVx3hieg
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Hi Nyarlathotep.  I think I'll go take a look at that.  Have you ever pondered how information and knowledge gives some insight into what essence is, and how to nurture it?  Come to think of it, I might just post that for discussion.  I'd like to see a variety of minds describe to me what they believe essence is.

The point being, I was ignorant of what anxiety actually was and my choices during my anxiety years were nothing more than habits that my brain learned over time and eventually my amygdala was on constant autopilot. A lot of people simply DONT KNOW certain things.  I try not to hold it against people. I had a friend that thought she had a disease called anxiety and I could not convince her to just try the method that I discovered and cured myself with. She eventually overdosed on xanax, and so did her boyfriend who was my best friend at the time. 

I can only share this information with people that are trully looking and WANT somthing else other than medical opinions and reassurance that they are not crazy, dying and so on like I always did when I had panic. I have found that physiology and psychology go hand in hand and that little tid bit of information is part of the method that I cured myself with.

BTW it's called the Linden Method and I shamelessly promote it when I can because it literally saved my life. No religion, no drugs, no doctors. Just a very simple method created by a man who himself had suffered with anxiety ,ocd, panic and phobias for over 25 years and discovered a cure ALONE. Obviously in this case personal experience and bravery is what ultimately caused Mr. Linden to discover the cure through reverse engineering. 

I just felt I had to bring this up because I have my own thoughts of Big Pharma, doctors, and the medical industry as a whole because they NEVER helped me while I was suffering. Sure I had brief moments of relief when I was on xanax and valium, BUT it only made it worse. Its like putting a bandaid over an offensive wound which only allows it to get infected and go septic. That is exactly what happened, I just got worse and worse until I thought I was going to just be crazy forever.

Here is a video with Charles Linden. http://youtube.com/watch?v=kUCPVx3hieg

Watch the testimonies of the other people who cured themselves also. THeir stories are very close to mine in that they thought they were basically doomed for life and very very desperate.  I cured myself over two years ago and am completely 100% panic and anxiety free. No more fear, no more dreadful sensations, no more disturbing thoughts etc etc. It's all gone and can never return because I KNOW THE TRUTH! Actually, Charles explains in the method that once he cured himself a strange sense of clearity came over him and has been with him ever since. I says that almost every sufferer that cures themselves reports the same kind of thing, and I'm one of them. I feel stronger for having been through what I've been through, and I love the opprotunity to help others who are feeling weak and ridden with anxiety. It's almost like I can just give them my wisdom of what it is, where it comes from, and give them the information nessesary to turn it around.

I tried going to an anxiety chat once and I was trying to tell everyone about this method and one guy posted and said " how much are they paying you for this? This can't possibly work. It's too good to be true and you should be ashamed filling peoples heads with false promises". Go figure. In my opinion, and please allow me to express my anger here, there is too much information out there on anxiety, panic, ocd, phobias and the like that are just plain wrong and it upsets me greatly to see these other videos on youtube and these websites that are going about the whole thing all wrong. Listening to a doctor or psychologist talk about this issues really REALLY pisses me off. I recently tried telling a doctor who specializes with these conditions and after all I told him, and after everything I showed him he still said " yes but you need to understand that being a good marketer and seller of a product creates a placebo affect".  I tried not to get too angry, and I even sent him my method pack because I do not need to use it anymore. He was very thankful for that and said he would even give it to his next patient to measure the results.

My mom has never been monitored in the psychiatric ward... at least to my knowledge.  She does see a therapist from the mental health department of her hospital, which is of course the person who prescribes her medications.  She rarely drinks alcohol, so I don't think that's been a real factor for her... but she does take other drugs and medications that could be causing issues.

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Wow!  I thought you might have lashed out.  That was good.  I've been giving a lot of thought concerning anger and aggression.  I believe they are almost always inappropriate.  I believe that they become habitual, reinforce mechanicalness.  There may be times when a person has to be fierce, which has nothing to do with anger or aggression, but rather an unwavering resolve. 

Falvion.  What I wrote about kundalini is from, "In Search of the Miraculous." by P. D. Ouspenski, who was a student of Georges Gurjieff.  It is on page two twenty.  Kundalini can keep me from waking, dying and being reborn, because I can through imagination believe that I am something that does not need to change. 

To awaken means to realize ones nothingness, that is to realize one's complete and absolute mechanicalness and one's complete and absolute helplessness.

One must die all at once and forever after having made a certain effort, having surmounted a certain obstacle, having taken a certain decision from which there is no going back.

Being born relates to the beginning of a new growth of essence, the beginning of the formation of individuality, the beginning of the appearance of one indivisible I.

I mentioned to a person at work, who has always been a fundamentalist Christian, how many times in the New Testament, refence is made to awaking.  BTW, tomorrow is his last day, a competitor lured him away with more money. grrrr.  He said that he had never noticed this.  I never got around to showing him.

Rom. 13:11.  And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

1 Cor. 15:34  Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame.

1 Cor. 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.

1 Thes. 5:5,6  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: We are not of the night, nor of darkness.  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

Eph. 5:14  Wherefore he saith.  Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

When you study Theosophy you enable yourself to understand the Bible better than people that have been going to church since childhood.  Don't get the wrong idea by my listing verses.  I just printed these because of their common theme of awaking.
There is a song by Evanescence, where she is singing ' wake me from the nothing I've become '.  That is the other issue, according to Gurjieff, you can't do this on your own.  Someone already awake has to present a series of shocks to you in order to awaken you.  A person that fits this criteria usually is already involved in important work to do.

However if you have read any of the articles written by Montalk, you will see that Gurjieff is not the last word on the subject.

Was your Mother ever taken to the psychiatric ward and monitored?
...
Hm!,I wonder now, do these people drink alcohol while taking their 'medication?

My mom has never been monitored in the psychiatric ward... at least to my knowledge.  She does see a therapist from the mental health department of her hospital, which is of course the person who prescribes her medications.  She rarely drinks alcohol, so I don't think that's been a real factor for her... but she does take other drugs and medications that could be causing issues.

I too find this hard to understand.  It's so frustrating to watch people trivialize their behavior with the crutches of their disorder.  That seems to me to lead to indulgence instead of health or growth.  I guess I shouldn't be surprised about that 36 year old lady who went on meds for ADD... but I am.  I wonder how these people rationalize their pre-medicated states as intolerable enough to do this to themselves.  I think it's more likely they run out of excuses for the intolerable behaviors they have identified with for too long.  But I could be overly judgmental about this just because of my own experiences.  I will give them credit for recognizing their problem, and trying.  They still confuse me, though.

That was well said, and thank you for mentioning the merit in my families attempts to address a problem.  I think that's a great point.  I do realize that people can become so lost in their own heads that they do seem to lose touch with their real feelings and motivations.  It is a huge step just to recognize that you have issues, and seek the best way to deal with them.  People do need help sometimes, and when they don't know where to turn it makes sense that medication would seem like a good idea.  I just wish that wasn't the first place people turn to for answers- because I think there are plenty of other options that people don't seem empowered enough to recognize.