Theurgy of Iamblichus Part 1:

 Theurgy of Iamblichus Part 1:

“Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.”

With these essays I attempt to bring some clarity and draw certain parallels between the philosophy of Neo-Platonism and in particular the Theurgy of Iamblichus, with that of the philosophical system of Thelema and modern occult philosophy and qabalah in general. The quotes in the following essays were taken from Iamblichus On the Mysteries or On the Egyptian Mysteries as translated by Alexander Wilder. The book is written as a correspondence between Iamblichus and Porphyry in response to questions posed by the latter regarding the practice of Iamblichus’ Theurgy and his unique interpretation of Neo-Platonic philosophy.

Porphyry:

“It is to be taken for granted that there are gods. I ask then what are the peculiarities of the different races, by which they are differentiated from each other?”

Iamblichus:

“Speaking in this way is not right. For the inborn knowledge in respect to the gods is coexistent with our very being, and is superior to all judging and deciding beforehand. Indeed, it is preexistent both to argument and demonstration and is united interiorly from the beginning to its own divine cause and is coexistent with the inherent impulse and longing of the soul to the Good.”

The essential nature of the soul is ethereal but also eternal, for when we die our ethereal bodies or souls again form part of the All-Soul also termed in psychology the collective unconscious. This is the place where the archetypes that aid our development reside. In death our souls break up and are dissolved into the ether. It is within this expanse where the gods also are, where the creative projections of mankind are still very much alive. Our souls are therefore united with the gods even before our births and bring this knowledge of the gods into life.

“Therefore, even as they have their being always after the same manner, so also the human soul is conjoined to them by Knowledge according to the same principles; never by any conjecture, opinion or reasoning which have their beginning in Time pursuing the essence which is beyond all these, but by pure and faultless intuitions which it received out of eternity from the gods being conjoined with them in these principles.”

Our natures have been decided for us in a sense since before we were born. We are all unique in our experience of the world, our sense of being is experienced through our intuition, making the moral expectations of organized religion forced down on their followers an absurdity that could impossibly be adhered to. It is a form of self-treachery and inexcusable, how this would play out is any one’s guess but the above seems to indicate that the effects would be eternally felt, if our true natures in life are to such a degree repressed. This is the crime of organized religion and especially Christianity, that mankind’s soul has been enslaved by their deceit of self-denial.  

“…and is united interiorly from the beginning to its own divine cause and is coexistent with the inherent impulse and longing of the soul to the Good.”

The divine cause we will here refer to as spirit which manifests in us as Hadit, the centre of knowing in each individual.

“Prior to this knowledge, however, which is as one individual having knowledge of another, the intimate union as in a single concept is self-originating and indistinguishable.”

Before incarnating and becoming self-aware, Hadit and Nuit are united and it is to be born into the phenomenal world and breaking away from this union that creates in us the intuitive longing for spiritual fulfilment, it is our longing for wholeness and the reunion of these opposites that inspires us to know the gods, who as stated, are but aspects of ourselves. The way to union therefore is attained by our worship of the gods as they are united with the divine cause as their nature is incorporeal and not separated from it, as we are separated from it by our physical bodies. 

“I say things to thee, therefore, in regard to the first principles in us, at which it is necessary for those to begin would both speak and hear anything whatever concerning the superior races or about ourselves”

I am drawn to the gods by virtue of spirit, the gods are not drawn to me, they are a part of me. They light up and become, as soon as I become a participant. The gods and the soul have been united eternally and will continue in this union, we are one in a sense, but knowledge and worship of the gods and superior races are still imperatives along the path, as they serve to bring us closer to understanding our true essences.

“But with souls that are ruling over bodies, that are occupied with the care of them, and that are placed in order apart by themselves in the eternal regions, before the transition to generated existence, there is not present either the essence of the Good or the Cause (First Principle) of the Good which is prior to essence; but there comes from it a certain participation and habit of good, as we perceive that a sharing of beauty and virtue is very different from what we observe with human beings. For this is equivocal and becomes manifest in complex natures as sole thing acquired.”

This quote speaks of the nature of evolution and the distinction between Hadit and our ethereal forms, that are here called souls. We are not born equal, not physically, intellectually or ethereally, one may say that fate has decided what our place in the hierarchy would be on our behalf. However, the one unchanging principle in each of us is Hadit, we can see this in the fact that all people are unique and do have different talents, this is how Iamblichus says we may distinguish between the nature of different souls. By the fact “that a sharing of beauty and virtue” is unique to every individual and these we have inherited before birth. However it is within, as he puts it "complex natures" that "beauty and virtue" is accentuated and these are of individuals who have acquired these traits from the nature of their souls, and such is the nature of inherited genius.      

“1: That of heroes or half-gods, which not only ranks higher than the order of souls in power and virtue, moral beauty and greatness, and excels in every good quality which is incident in souls, but is also closely joined to them by the kindred relationship of a similar form of life. 2: The other, the race of demons, which is closely allied to the gods, yet is in a certain sense inferior to them, following that it was not first in rank but accompanying in subservience to the good pleasure of the gods. This race causes the otherwise invisible goodness of the gods to become visible in operation, becoming itself both assimilated to it, and accomplishing perfect works that are like it. For what was before unutterable in it is made capable of being uttered, what was without form is caused to shine forth in visible figures, whatever of it was beyond all reasoning is brought forth into plain words, and having already received the participation of beautiful gifts it bestows the same ungrudgingly, and transfers them to the races that rank after itself.”

Blavatsky called these heroes and half gods the hidden Mahatmas and in Thelema we refer to them as the Secret Chiefs. They are considered ascended masters and at times serve to inspire certain people to create works of influence, that carry with them inspiration from the divine realm. One such demi-god or hero is Aiwass, who appeared to Aleister Crowley, and from whom he received the ‘Book of the Law’. Therefore, the quote states, that works of divine inspiration are received from these intermediaries, through our connection with the gods, that are facilitated by our relationship with demons or in fact demons serve to “render the connection with them indissoluble”. Therefore, an adept is tasked to strengthen his connection with the divine realm in the same way, as is done in the Abramelin working, where one must evoke all the infernal spirits once Knowledge and Conversation has been attained thus completing the ritual. It is also interesting to note that Abramelin who taught the sacred magick and after whom the ritual is named, is said to have been an Egyptian. The soul’s union with the race of demons is what raises us to understanding the language of the gods, that is translated into anagogic works of Beauty, for the benefit of mankind. The heroes are then through their kinship to humanity the messengers of the gods, therefore it becomes the work of the Theurgist to establish a relationship with these heroes or Secret Chiefs.

“Hence there may be perceived the complete joining together into one of the first and last races (all gods and souls) through the intermediates (the demons and half gods), and the entire sameness of nature, alike equally in substance and alike equally in energy.”

The whole hierarchy is connected in spirit and it is this spirit or LVX that keeps everything balanced and in their proper places, once union with these worlds or hierarchies have been achieved, we unite with the Demiurge and are capable of reflecting this light to the world. Everything is in its proper place and bound by its unique dealing with the Demiurge. The soul is the only one of these races that may by virtue of its nature raise itself to power and understanding and it is through this raising the soul to power, that we may come to understand the function of the soul’s dealings with the celestial races. As stated earlier in this essay, the gods and our relationship with all the races is found in the essence of our beings and the collective unconscious, we are then to raise our souls and unite with the gods so that conscious communion with the All-Soul is achieved.

“…, I describe the race of heroes and demi-gods as being placed over more common distribution and multitude, and likewise over action and commingling, and matters akin to these.”

Commingling here refers to our relationship with these heroes that result in creative expression of a divine nature. Therefore, they are akin to the messengers of the gods being able to travel between the incorporeal worlds and plant their seeds of creativity in the material world through the soul’s union with the gods. In the beginning of the chapter Iamblichus states: “Hermes, the patron of literature, was rightly considered of old to be a god common to all the priests and the one residing over the general learning relating to the gods, one and the same among all. Hence our predecessors were wont to ascribe to him their discoveries in wisdom and to name all their respective works Books of Hermes.”  Iamblichus was not Greek, he was from Syria and was said to be a descendant of the Priest Kings of ancient Egypt, in this quote he is referring to the anagogic nature of the writing of the priests and the aim of Theosophy and Theurgy. In ancient Egypt, Hermes was worshipped under the name Thoth and was revered in the same context, as having had great affinity for humanity, and relaying to us the knowledge of the gods.  Iamblichus goes on to say: “Accordingly, I myself engage thus in the present discussion. Thou, if thou dost so choose, art at liberty to consider the person who is now writing to thee as the individual to whom thou hast sent the letter. If, however it shall seem to thee more proper, then regard the individual who is discoursing with thee in writing to be one or some other prophet of the Egyptians, for this is not a matter worth differing about.”

“Love is the law, love under will.”