Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Aidan Kelly: Including Paganism

Home
Pagan
The Letter to Theophilus, Part II

The Letter to Theophilus, Part II

Last updated on: January 3, 2013 at 7:10 am by Aidan Kelly

The Letter to Theophilus, Part II 2013-01-03T07:10:53-08:00 Aidan Kelly

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Of Saint Mark the Wonderworker

The blessed Saint Mark the Wonderworker drew many men and women into our company as students and initiates, teaching skills and celebration of our abilities and gifts.

In consecrating the sacred cup of thanksgiving, Mark prayed to the Goddess Charis to drop her sacred blood into the cup that all may be inspired and empowered by it, saying, “May that Charis who is before all things, and who transcends all knowledge and speech, fill your inner being and multiply in you her own knowledge, by sowing the grain of mustard seed in you as in good soil.” Remember that Jesus said the Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed.

Mark also allowed the women of his company to consecrate the cup, since in our company women are equal in authority to men.

Mark was both a prophet and a teacher who could enable his students to prophesize as well. He said to the women he was teaching, “I am eager to make you a partaker of my Charis, since the Father of all continually beholds your angel before His face. Behold, Charis has descended upon you; open your mouth and say what comes into your mind immediately, and you will prophesize.”

To overcome their doubts, Mark explained to his students that messages from the gods arise in our minds instantly, so we must have faith in the message and not think ourselves unworthy of divine guidance. At our feasts, we draw lots to take turns practicing prophesizing and divination upon one another, in order to strengthen our abilities to divine the truth and know the will of the Father.

Of the Full Initiation into the Sacred Mysteries

Once a woman gained the skill of prophecy, she had proved herself worthy of admission into the inner mysteries. Preparing the bridal chamber, Mark pronounced this blessing:

“Now the place of your angel is among us: it behooves us to join the two into one. Receive first from me and by me the gift of Charis. Adorn yourself as a bride who is expecting her bridegroom, that you may be what I am, and I what you are. Establish the germ of light in your nuptial chamber. Receive from me a spouse, and become receptive of him, while you are received by him.”

Then they celebrated the sacred mystery that the two may become one, for Jesus said, “When you make the two into one, you will become truly human.”

All of creation was engendered by our Fathe and Mother as they celebrated the sacred mysteries of sexuality, for our pleasure in our sexuality is but a pale reflection of the infinite ecstasy that blazes in the hearts of the divine. The union of man and woman is this derived from the divine emanation of heaven above. We always prepare a nuptial couch to celebrate the sacred mystery with those who are being initiated, for this is the sacred marriage, reflecting the marriage and passion of the gods above.

Great is the mystery of marriage! For without it, the world would not exist. Indeed, marriage in the world is a mystery for those who have taken a wife. If there is a hidden quality to the marriage of this world, how much more is the sacred marriage a true mystery!

For the survival of our race, God has implanted in us a desire that neither law nor custom nor any other constraint can destroy, for it is God’s decree. The law commands us to take a husband or wife and to multiply like the sands of the sea. Passion is our delight, for in passion we fulfill the law. Desire is not evil, for without desire, no one would ever fulfill that first commandment. Hence marriage, love, and the bearing of children are all cooperation with the work of creation.

We know that our sexual conjunction is a sacred mystery that will bring us to the Kingdom of God. We must always celebrate the sacred mysteries, our pathway to everlasting blessedness, for whoever in this world does not so love a woman as to gain her for the truth is not of the truth and shall not attain to the truth. Grace is our own; it descends upon us from above as we celebrate our sacred mysteries in the bridal chamber.

The heretics blaspheme our mysteries, calling them immoral and defilement. They have forgotten what Jesus said, “What goes into your mouth will not defile you. Rather, it is what comes out of your mouth that will defile you.” They have fallen so far away from the truth that they may never awaken.

Sometimes the heretics have kidnapped our initiates and compelled them to recant the truth and to submit again to their heresies that blaspheme and reject the true sacred mysteries passed down to us by the Prophet and his Queen.

Of the Power of the Truth

Mark taught that the infinite fourfold power descended upon him in the form of a woman (for the world could not have borne it coming as a male), to enlighten him about her own nature and about the origin of all things, which she had never before revealed to any one either of gods or of men.

The fourfold power said to him, “I wish to show you Truth herself; for I have brought her down from the dwellings above, that you may see her naked and perceive her beauty, that you may hear her speak and admire her wisdom. Raise your thoughts to the heights. Listen to the words spoken by Truth of the self-begotten Word, who is also the dispenser of the bounty of the Father.”Then Truth spoke to him the name of power that he has taught us.

Truth is one single thing; yet it is many things for our sakes, in order to teach us about this one thing in love through many things. For Truth did not come into the world naked, but it came in types and images. The world will not receive truth in any other way. Truth brought names into existence in the world for our sakes, because we cannot learn truth without names. Truth, which existed since the beginning, is sown everywhere and many see it being sown, but few see it being reaped.

Saint Mark the Wonderworker

Previous Post

December 31, 2012

The Letter to Theophilus, Part I

Next Post

January 3, 2013 The Letter to Theophilus, Part III

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Gnostics Pagan Paganism Poetry Social Justice Theology Uncategorized Witches

Select a Month August 2018 April 2018 February 2018 January 2018 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 November 2015 September 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 September 2014 August 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz