Ascension, Theosis, and Dogmatic Suppression

Focusing on human ideological differences leads to animosity and war, while focusing on commonalities leads to knowledge and wisdom. One of the most common themes found within all traditions across the world is the idea that human beings are born with an internal divinity which has the potential for transmutation into a higher life form. A dormant “soul seed” ready to be awakened by a disciplined and mindful human.

In Western esoteric traditions, this is known as the Great Work, or the Magnum Opus. In Rosicrucianism, the primary symbol is the Rose Cross: a divine and unfolding soul, the Rose, growing at the center of the limited material body, the Cross. This is also the true meaning of Alchemy. The “Lead” is the crude human ego and body, and the “Gold” is the divine spirit. All Hermetic traditions are based on the teachings of Hermes, which tell us that what we call the physical world is a mental construct created by the Divine Mind, with the help of human consciousness. In Freemasonry, this is symbolized by the Ashlar: the rough stone that must be shaped into a “Perfect Ashlar,” representing the refinement of the self.

Eastern Philosophies are markedly older, and instead of the Rose symbolism of the West, the East uses the Lotus. In Yoga, the human body is viewed as a vessel created for ascension, it teaches that the central nervous system is a mechanism that can be consciously operated to activate higher faculties and ultimately achieve liberation. Hindu Vedanta teaches that the separate human identity is an illusion, and if we free ourselves of this dream, we will realize that we are all the same divine source. Mahayana Buddhism teaches that all beings possess the seed of enlightenment. One of the most revered archtypes in Buddhism is the Bodhisattva, one who achieves this enlightenment but chooses to remain in the cycle of rebirth to help all other sentient beings achieve the same.

This teaching can also be found in the Abrahamic religions. In Jewish Mysticism, the Tree of Life exists within the human form, and by ascending the tree, the human transforms from a lower soul to a divine spirit. Sufism teaches that through a deep love for the Divine, one can merge completely with it. In Gnosticism, the material world is viewed as an illusion that imprisons a “Divine Spark” within the human body, and through direct experiential knowledge, one can awaken this spark and liberate it. In Eastern Orthodoxy, there is the concept of the “Uncreated Light.” Theosis. As St. Athanasius famously said, “God became man so that man might become God.”

Early Christianity clearly taught this doctrine. For centuries, it was understood that every individual possessed a divine spark, that sin was a “sickness” of the soul, and that salvation was achieved by cultivating this divine spark, just as Christ taught through his actions. However, around 400 AD, St. Augustine replaced this view with his own doctrine of Original Sin, which asserted that humans are naturally broken and cannot heal themselves, and therefore require the external authority of the Church system to be saved.

The Great Schism of 1054 AD marked the moment the Christian world split in two. Orthodoxy maintained that the goal of Christian life is to merge with the Divine, and the Western Church became heavily authoritative, focusing on the suffering of Christ rather than his teachings of transmutation and Theosis.

After the Schism, those in the West who attempted to revive the original teachings were tried for heresy. This is a complete historical inversion. As the Orthodox perspective suggests, the Great Schism was arguably an act of heresy by the Catholic Church itself, for heresy is defined as a deviation from original teachings, and the original teachings did not include Original Sin or salvation through a hierarchic system of man. And with the Protestant Reformation of 1517 AD, came the doctrine that human nature is totally depraved and that salvation comes only through faith, not through action.

If these changes in Church doctrine were not meant to make mankind more fallen and submissive, then what on Earth were they meant for? The most effective way of dumbing down the population has been convincing them that they are a depraved animal and must submit to the authority of man. No matter, the divine spark is within you, and only you can choose to ignore it, or not.