In this Season 2 finale, David and Gene synthesize their entire journey through Gnosticism, revealing how the four texts they covered create a complete initiatory system for spiritual awakening.

After exploring the Perennial Philosophy through Freemasonry's "Key to the Mysteries" in Season 1, they discovered what that key unlocks: the suppressed wisdom of Gnosticism - teachings so dangerous to institutionalized religious control that possessing these texts once meant execution. This episode traces the path from spiritual sleep to enlightened awareness through:

• The Secret Gospel of John's cosmic blueprint of consciousness,
• The Gospel of Thomas's paradoxical wisdom designed to short-circuit dualistic thinking,
• The Trimorphic Protennoia's first-person autobiography of the Universal Mind discovering itself, and
• The Thunder, Perfect Mind's paradoxical declarations that shatter all notions of separation.

David and Gene map these texts onto the ancient Gnostic initiatory framework using the symbol of a point within a circle with:

• Hylics identified with the material world (the circle's edge),
• Psychics identified with mind and emotion (the radius line bridging matter and spirit), and
• Pneumatics who have achieved direct knowledge of their divine nature (the center point).

Each text addresses a specific stage on this journey from identification with the body to recognition that individual consciousness is not separate but rather the One Universal Mind experiencing itself through countless perspectives.

The ultimate revelation? The Thunder, Perfect Mind's closing promise echoes The Gospel of Thomas's opening declaration: those who find this wisdom will not taste death, for they recognize themselves as the deathless consciousness that animates all life. 🪶

Deep Dives:

• Gnosticism, Freemasonry and Gnosis
• Gnostic Christianity
• Secret Book of John
• The Gospel of Thomas
• The Trimorphic Protennoia
• The Thunder, Perfect Mind

Chapters:

• 01:15 Introduction
• 01:48 Review
• 07:33 The Secret Gospel of John
• 10:21 The Gospel of Thomas
• 12:22 The Trimorphic Protennoia
• 16:10 The Thunder, Perfect Mind
• 19:19 Gnosis Reborn
• 21:42 Neophyte: Hylic
• 23:34 Seeker: Psychic
• 25:37 Knower: Pneumatic
• 28:13 Cultural Convergence
• 30:42 Conclusions

Resources:

• Gnosis.org - The Gnosis Archive
• The Nag Hammadi Scriptures
• The Red Book: A Reader's Edition - Carl Jung
• Jesus and the Lost Goddess - Freke and Gandy
• Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell - Bernardo Kastrup
• The Case Against Reality - Donald Hoffman
• Irreducible - Federico Faggin

In this concluding episode on "The Thunder, Perfect Mind," Gene and David navigate the profound paradoxes of one of Gnosticism's most enigmatic texts. The voice of Barbelo - divine consciousness itself - speaks through declarations that shatter conventional understanding: "I am godless, and I am the one whose God is great," "I am control and the uncontrollable," "I am peace, and war has come because of me." These aren't riddles to be solved intellectually, but invitations to experiential awakening. Each paradox forces a confrontation with the persistent question: who is the "you" that experiences both honor and scorn, shame and shamelessness, closeness and distance?

The discussion reveals how these thunderous statements point toward non-duality and the illusion of separation. David and Gene explore how the text functions as a mirror reflecting the entire human condition - the consciousness that remains constant while experiencing the full spectrum of human emotions and circumstances. Drawing connections to the Hermetic axiom "as above, so below," Egyptian mysteries of Maat's judgment, and Bernardo Kastrup's philosophy of consciousness, they demonstrate how ancient wisdom anticipated modern understandings of the nature of reality itself.

The episode culminates with the text's most radical teaching: "What is inside of you is what is outside of you... it is visible and it is your garment." This obliterates the final duality between self and world, revealing consciousness as the underlying substance of all existence. The text promises that those who stop identifying with "fleeting passions" and temporary forms will find their "resting place" where they "will live, and they will not die again" - a Gnostic vision of awakening to our undying essence. 🪶

Deep Dive:

• The Thunder, Perfect Mind

Chapters:

• 01:15 Introduction
• 02:00 Review
• 06:22 God and Godless
• 09:35 Shame and Shamelessness
• 12:12 Forward to Childhood
• 14:53 Honored and Cursed
• 17:12 Mind of God
• 20:34 The Substance
• 22:57 Sin and Self-Control
• 25:47 Knowledge of Her Name
• 29:06 As Within, So Without
• 31:38 Finding Rest
• 34:38 Conclusions

Resources:

• The Thunder, Perfect Mind - translated by George W. MacRae
• Thunder - translated by Willis Barnstone
• The Thunder, Perfect Mind (reading by Maevius Lynn)
• Gnosis.org - The Gnosis Archive
• Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell: A Straightforward Summary of the 21st Century's only Plausible Metaphysics - Bernardo Kastrup
• The Big Chill (1983) - Nic Interviewing Himself Scene (YouTube)
• Emerald Tablet of Hermes
• The Nag Hammadi Scriptures
• The Red Book: A Reader's Edition - Carl Jung
• Jesus and the Lost Goddess - Freke and Gandy

In this episode, Gene and David begin their exploration of “The Thunder, Perfect Mind,” one of the most enigmatic and paradoxical texts from the Nag Hammadi library. This mysterious Gnostic revelation presents the divine feminine Voice (Barbelo) speaking in riddles and contradictions that deliberately shake the foundations of dualistic thinking. "I am the first and the last. I am the honored one and the scorned one. I am the whore and the holy one" - these riddles are not quite they seem. They are actually sophisticated teachings designed to awaken the listener to a deeper truth about consciousness itself.

The hosts reveal how this text is from the perspective of the Trimorphic Protennoia in her second form as the unarticulated Voice - the Thunder that shook the seven Archons' thrones by introducing cognitive dissonance into the mind's rigid structures. Through her paradoxes, the Voice demonstrates that she is the consciousness present in all experiences, both the observer and the observed, the lover and beloved, the slave and ruler.

Gene and David guide listeners through the text's profound psychological dimensions, showing how these apparent contradictions point toward the recognition of oneself as the witnessing consciousness that encompasses all opposites - love and hate, wealth and poverty, power and weakness, life and death.

The episode explores how different spiritual traditions from Maat in Egypt to the Taoist principle of fluidity all point toward this same underlying Unity. The Voice challenges listeners to stop identifying with particular states or emotions and instead recognize themselves as the constant awareness experiencing all of life's polarities.

"The Thunder, Perfect Mind" is a text designed to expand consciousness by holding opposites simultaneously, ultimately revealing that all experiences are movements of the One consciousness knowing itself from infinite perspectives. This teaching method culminates in recognizing that the Voice speaking in the text is not external but our own deepest Self. 🪶

Deep Dive:

• The Thunder, Perfect Mind

Chapters:

• 01:15 Introduction
• 02:00 Review
• 05:44 The Thunder, Perfect Mind
• 08:53 Prelude
• 12:13 Alpha and Omega
• 16:47 Sound and Silence
• 21:20 Love and Hate
• 25:46 Wealth and Poverty
• 30:18 Power and Weakness
• 33:45 The Silent Counsel
• 38:25 Life and Death
• 41:40 Conclusions

Resources:

• The Thunder, Perfect Mind - translated by George W. MacRae
• Thunder - translated by Willis Barnstone
• The Thunder, Perfect Mind (reading by Maevius Lynn)
• Gnosis.org - The Gnosis Archive
• The Nag Hammadi Scriptures
• The Red Book: A Reader's Edition by Carl Jung
• Jesus and the Lost Goddess - Freke and Gandy

In the conclusion to their exploration of the Trimorphic Protennoia, David and Gene delve into the third and final descent of divine consciousness - the emergence of the Son, the Word, from the Voice of the Mother.

In this episode we unpack the full expression of the Gnostic trinity, and discuss how reality itself is structured like a mind. We explore the "seed pattern" of consciousness, a five-fold mystery of foreknowledge, indestructibility, eternal life, and truth that forms the blueprint for the First Man and the enlightened mind. Join us as we journey from the archetypal patterns of Thought and Voice to the fully articulated Word that shatters the illusion of a world built under the illusion of separation, and illuminates the path to Gnosis.

In the final descent, the Protennoia reveals herself as the ultimate shapeshifter - a hidden, trickster intelligence dwelling within all levels of reality, from the movements of matter to the minds of angels and men. She is the “hidden root” that the worldly powers are ignorant of, the secret source guiding creation from within. We analyze the profound five-stage initiation rite described in the text, a process of spiritual alchemy involving robing in "shining Light," baptism in the "Water of Life," and enthronement in glory, which purifies the five faculties of the soul. This sacred ceremony culminates in receiving the "Five Seals," the credentials of one who has directly experienced the ineffable and transcended the dark chaos of the fragmented self.

The journey reaches its climax with one of the most startling and radical images in Gnostic literature, in which the Protennoia declares, “I put on Jesus. I bore him from the cursed wood” - which reframes the teachings and death of Christ not as a historical sacrifice, but instead, as deeply symbolic of the internal process of divine consciousness manifesting within the individual. This ultimate revelation ties all spiritual narratives together as expressions of a single, holographic reality where the whole is present in every part.

The text suggests that by understanding this mystical union, we can transform our own consciousness into a “Light in Light,” realizing the deep empathy that flows from the knowledge that we are all expressions of one universal Mind.

Deep Dive:

• The Trimorphic Protennoia - Three Forms of First Thought

Chapters:

• 01:15 Introduction
• 01:47 Review
• 04:48 The Third Descent
• 08:52 The Word
• 11:02 Hidden Light
• 14:02 Three Descents
• 17:43 Hidden Root
• 20:24 Shining Light
• 22:47 Initiation of Light
• 26:18 Shapeshifter
• 28:22 Five Seals
• 32:12 Wearing Jesus
• 36:16 Conclusions

Resources:

• Trimorphic Protennoia - John D. Turner
• Three Forms of First Thought - Willis Barnstone
• Gnosis.org - The Gnosis Archive
• The Nag Hammadi Scriptures
• Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism - Valentin Tomberg
• The Universal Operating System: Patterns Beyond Science and Religion (@marina-karlova)
• The Red Book: A Reader's Edition - Carl Jung
• Jesus and the Lost Goddess

In this episode, David and Gene journey into the heart of one of Gnosticism's most profound and transformative myths - the second descent of the Trimorphic Protennoia. This stage represents the "pregnancy" phase in the evolution of consciousness, following the implantation of the seed idea of Unity, during the first descent.

What follows is a psychic apocalypse, an inner "Dark Night of the Soul" where the very foundations of the ego-built world begin to crumble. The established parts of the mind, the Archons, are gripped by a terrifying premonition of their own dissolution. The text vividly portrays this as the birth pangs of a New Aeon, where the death of the old self gives way to the birth of the True Self, an identity conscious of its divine origins.

The Protennoia, having planted the seed as Father, now reveals herself as the Mother - the womb in which this new consciousness gestates. She is the androgynous and self-contained, as symbolized by the Ouroboros. She is the Voice that emerges from the silent Thought. As a prophetess and teacher, she foretells the end of the age of ignorance ruled by the Demiurge.

Hearing her "exalted Speech," the terrified Archons confront their creator, the "false god" who has claimed to be the sole deity. In this dramatic confrontation, the man behind the curtain is exposed, and the entire authority structure of the ego collapses. The Archons, realizing their "tree of life" is actually a "tree of death," are forced to question their very existence and all the choices they have made while under the spell of separation.

From this chaos, a new hope dawns. Acting as a "Mother of Mercy," the Protennoia speaks directly to the "Sons of the Thought" - those parts of the mind ready to receive her hidden mysteries. She invites them into the "Aeon of Barbelo," a new and eternal state of being.

This is a spiritual initiation, a promise of being glorified, enthroned, and baptized in a perfect, exalted Light. The episode unpacks this mystical initiation, explaining that it is not an external ceremony but an internal transformation, an organic process that unfolds from within. This journey leads consciousness back to its source, culminating in the Protennoia taking her seat on a branch of the true Tree of Life, having weathered the apocalypse to establish a new, unshakable center within the self.

Deep Dive:

• The Trimorphic Protennoia - Three Forms of First Thought

Chapters:

• 01:15 Introduction
• 01:56 Review
• 06:25 The Second Descent
• 09:40 Voice From Thought
• 14:00 The Changeless Aeon
• 17:03 Shaking the Foundations of Chaos
• 20:51 False God Revealed
• 23:11 The End is Near
• 26:25 Aeon of Barbelo
• 29:42 Invitation to Initiation
• 33:13 Voice of the Holy Spirit
• 36:05 Conclusions

Resources:

• Trimorphic Protennoia - John D. Turner
• Three Forms of First Thought - Willis Barnstone
• Gnosis.org - The Gnosis Archive6
• The Nag Hammadi Scriptures
• Shekinah (Wikipedia)
• Creative Evolution by Henri Bergson
• The Red Book: A Reader's Edition by Carl Jung
• Jesus and the Lost Goddess by Freke and Gandy

In this episode, Gene and David continue their deep dive into the Gnostic text, "The Trimorphic Protennoia," completing their discussion of the first of three descents of the divine feminine principle. They review how consciousness unfolds through the archetypes of Father (unmanifest thought), Mother (the threshold of voice), and Son (the manifest word), revealing the recursive and mysterious nature of reality itself. The dialogue illuminates the emergence of Christ not as a historical figure, but as the Logos or "Witness Consciousness" within each of us - the single, unchanging "Eye of Light" that observes the endless stream of our thoughts and emotions and gives us our core sense of identity.

The discussion then descends into the cosmic drama of creation and illusion -how Protennoia (aka Barbelo), first establishes the celestial order of the "True Aeons" before it’s reflection emerges in the lower worlds. From the lowest heavenly realm, the ignorant creator god - the Demiurge, known by the names Saklas (fool), Samael (blind god), and Yaltabaoth (child of chaos) - arises to fashion a flawed world in the likeness of a divine pattern he can only dimly perceive. But then, the central mystery is revealed: the Protennoia has played a trick on the this “blind idiot god of chaos,” secretly embedding her own divine essence within his creation. This hidden spark is the very seed of the Demiurge’s eventual demise and the ultimate key to humanity's liberation - the reorganization of the personality into the divine pattern of the Trimorphic Protennoia.

Finally, the text reveals the Gnostic path to wholeness. The Protennoia declares herself the "Father" to the "Sons of the Light" - those who activate their inner spiritual nature - and unveils an "ineffable mystery." She describes her own "Harrowing of Hell," which is an inner process of breaking the psychic chains of the Archons, or demons, that hold the soul in bondage. By working from within and speaking "below their language," she nullifies their power and plants a single, transformative thought: the realization that we are not, and never have been separate from the universal stream of life.

David and Gene reiterate that these ancient texts are not mere stories but living maps for the soul, urging us to move beyond intellectual study and begin the practical work of self-discovery by listening to the silent, inner voice that speaks through dreams and visions.

Deep Dive:

• The Trimorphic Protennoia - Three Forms of First Thought

Chapters:

• 01:15 Introduction
• 01:46 Review
• 04:20 Three In One
• 07:57 Christ
• 10:23 Barbelo
• 12:48 Son of God
• 15:11 True Aeons
• 17:56 The Demiurge
• 21:22 False Aeons
• 23:19 Creation of Man
• 26:00 Sons of Light
• 27:52 Mysteries of the Father
• 32:17 Protennoia Mysteries
• 34:46 Conclusions

Resources:

• Trimorphic Protennoia - John D. Turner
• Three Forms of First Thought - Willis Barnstone
• Gnosis.org - The Gnosis Archive
• The Nag Hammadi Scriptures
• The Little Book of Demons: The Positive Advantages of the Personification of Life's Problems - Ramsey Dukes
• The Red Book: A Reader's Edition - Carl Jung
• Jesus and the Lost Goddess - Freke and Gandy

In this episode of the “Way of the Hermit” podcast, Gene and David embark on a 4-part exploration of the Trimorphic Protennoia (”Three Forms of the First Thought") - a cornerstone text from the Nag Hammadi library. This episode builds on their previous journeys through the "Secret Gospel of John" and the "Gospel of Thomas," tracing the descent and return of the soul through the mythic architecture of consciousness.

In this discussion, the hosts unravel the Trimorphic Protennoia as both a cosmic autobiography and a practical manual for the inner life. They illuminate the text’s central claim: that all reality is an emanation of consciousness, unfolding through three archetypal forms - Thought, Voice, and Word - mirrored in the Gnostic Trinity of Father, Mother, and Son. Through poetic passages and careful exegesis, Gene and David reveal how this triadic process is not only the fabric of the cosmos but also the hidden engine of our own minds. The conversation weaves through profound symbols: Barbelo as the androgynous First Thought, the descent into the underworld as the awakening of the sleeping soul, and the “still small voice” as the intuitive guide within.

Listeners are invited to contemplate the omnipresence of consciousness, the mystery of the “door” between the ineffable and the manifest, and the transformative power of recognizing the divine seed within. The discussion makes connections to alchemy, Kabbalah, and Jungian psychology, offering both theoretical insights and practical methods for tuning into the quiet, radiant voice at the heart of being.

We hope that this episode deepens your understanding of the perennial wisdom tradition and inspires your own journey toward wholeness and gnosis.

Deep Dive:

• The Trimorphic Protennoia - Three Forms of First Thought

Chapters:

• 01:15 Introduction
• 02:27 Review
• 05:54 Trimorphic Protenoia
• 08:49 Protennoia - First Thought
• 12:23 Epinoia - Subsequent Thoughts
• 15:19 Invisible One
• 18:12 The Quiet Voice
• 20:21 Radiant Waters
• 23:32 The Door
• 26:41 Seed and Fruit
• 28:22 The Son
• 30:55 Conclusions

Resources:

• Trimorphic Protennoia (Wikipedia)
• Trimorphic Protennoia - John D. Turner (“Bible-like” but leaves names intact)
• Three Forms of First Thought - Willis Barnstone Translation (clearer, more readable)
• Analytic Idealism in a Nutshell - Bernardo Kastrup
• Irreducible: Consciousness, Life, Computers, and Human Nature - Federico Faggin
• Creative Evolution - Henri Bergson (Amazon)
• Gospel of Nicodemus (Sacred Text Archive)
• Gnosis.org - The Gnosis Archive
• The Nag Hammadi Scriptures
• The Red Book: A Reader's Edition - Carl Jung
• Jesus and the Lost Goddess: The Secret Teachings of the Original Christians - Freke and Gandy

In this concluding episode of their five-part series, David and Gene explore the final 22 sayings of the Gospel of Thomas (93-114), revealing the text's most profound mysteries about spiritual transformation and divine realization.

These culminating teachings address the protection of sacred wisdom ("pearls before swine"), the gradual process of inner transformation symbolized by yeast working through dough and hidden treasure requiring patient excavation, all of which support the ultimate goal of uniting the dual aspects of consciousness in the alchemical "Sacred Marriage."

The hosts delve into Jesus's radical redefinition of kinship in spiritual rather than biological terms, the three Gnostic worlds of Spirit, Soul, and Matter that require different navigational approaches, and the esoteric meaning behind traditional spiritual practices like prayer and fasting. They examine the provocative final saying about Mary Magdalene needing to become "male," as representing the need for integration of analytical and intuitive faculties into divine wholeness - and how the saying speaks to the tension between orthodox (Peter) and esoteric (Mary) interpretations of spiritual truth.

Other concepts discussed include:

• the door of consciousness that opens from within through persistent spiritual "knocking,"
• the distinction between those who seek firsthand Gnosis versus blind obedience (the "black sheep" who wanders away from the flock),
• and the intimate spiritual communion described as "drinking from Jesus's mouth."

The episode culminates with the hosts' realization that the Gospel of Thomas presents the most revolutionary concept in Gnostic literature: that achieving Gnosis is itself the divine pattern - a fractal process where God comes to know Himself through human self-discovery, making each individual's spiritual journey a unique cosmic contribution requiring active practice rather than passive study.

Deep Dive:

• The Gospel of Thomas

Chapters:

• 01:15 Introduction
• 01:52 Sayings 93-95
• 07:19 Sayings 96-98
• 12:41 Sayings 99-101
• 17:28 Sayings 102-104
• 21:05 Sayings 105-107
• 26:26 Sayings 108-110
• 30:25 Sayings 111-114
• 41:55 Conclusions

Resources:

• The Gospel of Thomas (history and various translations - Gnosis.org)
• Gospel of Thomas (Patterson and Robinson translation)
• Gnosis.org - The Gnosis Archive
• The Nag Hammadi Scriptures
• Creative Evolution by Henri Bergson
• The Exegesis of Philip K. Dick by PKD
• The Red Book: A Reader's Edition by Carl Jung
• Jesus and the Lost Goddess: The Secret Teachings of the Original Christians by Freke and Gandy