Gnosticism - Thunder Perfect Mind - Divine Feminine - Gender, Paradox and Violence 

The pendulum of the mind oscillates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong. -C. G. Jung

The title immediately made me think of the Buddhist text Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, "The Perfection of Wisdom Text that Cuts Like a Thunderbolt".

Yahoo! I'm a big Gnerd when it comes to Gnosticism!! Thanks bro!

To me, since the feminine energy is water that comes up, and then fire that comes down, then thunder would be symbolic of integrated energy coming down from sky father to mother earth. The poem paints a picture of what integration looks like, and how the seemingly opposite qualities that contradict each other can actually dance.

"And the mines are void of diamonds That we carry in our rags (Thunder Perfect Mind) Then all the world seems A sadness song" :)

Are any other Mahayana or Vajrayana Buddhist viewers feeling a resonance between Thunder Perfect Mind and the Diamond Sutra, Heart Sutra, and the teachings on Prajnaparamita? Even the title itself "Thunder Perfect Mind" sounds like it should be the title of a Buddhist sutra rather than a "gnostic/hermetic" hymn.

I IMMEDIATELY looked up the text and read the MacRae translation. Wow. Yes, it is absolutely paradoxical but these words have immense power. “I am the utterance of my name.” What a statement of being! I’ll have to read and reread this poem over and over to grasp at the straws of intent present here. I wish I could read/speak pre-Medieval Coptic, because I’d love to hear this in its original language.

Once again you triggered my obsession with thunder/lighting and emphasized an enlightening text. I believe this is well done, thank you Dr. Sledge.

Your mention of Janus and liminality got me thinking about Hekate, and how she evolved from a similar figure to Janus but evolved through association; through the underworld and contacting spirits, to witchcraft by the Roman period, perhaps an interesting topic you could explore in a future video

"Everything you know is wrong". It has always impressed my that the writer seems devoted to refuting every assumption about ancient knowledge, every historical and philosophical graven image smashed to pieces by an outsider. Admonishing us that the canonical gods, myths and legends are either made up or embellished/corrupted beyond recognition. And the author being a woman, delicately stating that the male ego has been the corrupting influence that obfuscated the original god (goddess). The only way then to regain the lost knowledge is to free ourselves from gender norms and dualistic paradigm of the masculinized version of history. This would really bring Hellenistic/Egyptian prehistory into agreement with Germanic/Celtic goddess mythologies.

That coincidence of opposites sounds pretty much like Taoism to me Thank you for the great work, so many delights on your channel it's amazing ! Wish you the heights 🖖

Thunder Perfect Mind (intellect) is the Gnostic essence, spark, and existence! The poem is going outside the thought-making process that we use in our daily existence. This source is the source of all that breathes into all.

Probably my favorite poem; ive always found theme of androgyny in the nag hammadi super interesting and impactful

I was familiar with Thunder: Perfect Mind before but now I realize I was merely acquainted because I learned so much from this video. Thank you Dr. Sledge.

This is one of the most interesting pieces of gnostic literature I've heard of. Thank you for bringing this to us!

Uggghhhh this is giving me a braingasm! Mentioning the Appcryphal acts of John, The Mandaeans, and Indic literature in one sentence! Since I started reading the Bible again and learning what I could about ancient cultures before the NT came about, and praying the Holy Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin daily, this is the exact connection that has been made for me.

"But whenever you hide yourselves, I myself will appear. For whenever you appear, I myself will hide from you."

As a queer person this is an immensely powerful text for me. For me, queerness represents a paradoxical, negational, and fundamentally inscrutable identity to the exclusion of establishment concepts. This subversively queer nature rings eerily loud in Thunder, imo. I am thoroughly convinced this was written from a queer perspective, even if that meant something different in context than how we use the term today, it feels like someone speaking from a position outside of conventional social structures especially with regard to gender and sexuality.

Love your work. The subtle, dry, hints of humor a total plus! I’m always looking for more art historical images on each subject, and more image time to ponder.

While listening to this, my mind couldn't shake the feeling that the work had what might called called anti-patriarchical ideas. That it means to cast aside such rigid structures that would bind folks to roles according to their bodies. The mention of gender nonconformity further reinforced this idea. In the briefest sense from the description given, though I have yet to read the text, it speaks to liberation.

What a fantastic piece of literature. I don't think I can even imagine Blake coming up with something like that and we all know he loved contraries. This poem is utterly strange, enchanting and yet deeply meaningful at the same time. I'll be re-reading it for a while even though I might require some therapy afterwards. I'd heard of it but never bothered to seek it out until watching this video. Thankyou.

Thank you so much for bringing this poem to light. I’ve never heard of it before and to think this poet could’ve been a woman or GNC person makes me so happy. The poem seems so powerful and non-conforming - I love it.

I first heard Thunder in the Fox TV show Millennium in the 1990s. That is what originally kindled my interest in the Nag Hammadi library.

Thank you for making this!

As a trans person, "I am the utterance of my name" is one of the most powerful things I've ever read, thanks for introducing this wonderful work to me.

This is my first time hearing about this hymn-poem and after I finished watching this I went to find a recitation of it, and it was like being struck by lightning. I'm queer and have a deep interest in Egyptian theology and religion, and this hit me so hard. I'm going to have to return to this piece of writing and contemplate it further.

Deeply appreciate your videos on Gnosticism; it’s hard to find genuinely good and educational content on the subject. Thank you ♥️

man, I enjoyed this video so much. what a double horns badass theme and poem, cheers for the recommendation

never ending excellence...thank you oh wise one..... thank you for a mind expanding lecture without strangeness or deviance...

Oh that Prada Ad.... i thought it was some sort of short movie by Riddley Scott when it came out. Man, was i wrong, what a paradoxical experience was clicking that play button, never my expectations were so wrong in my life. But great video, your channel is amazing, thanks for sharing so much knowledge

If the author was a gender nonconforming person AND someone who would be defined as a barbarian by the Greeks, that would explain the levels of violence. yes, colonialism does that, but also GNC sorts throughout time have never always been safe, esp under colonizers.

I am the utterance of my Name.

Im researching the Xeno- Video games, and so much of it really feels inspired by Gnosticism. Thank you for this channel!

Glad I'm not the only one profoundly unsettled by the parallels between Thunder and Daughter of Fortitude and what these parallels might imply. Antinomialism as a form of mystical praxis is somewhat common (in what Kripal calls “tantras” in plural), but we can be fairly certain that neither Dee nor Kelley had access to sources, Gnostic or Hindu Tantric, from which they might have drawn inspiration. For me, more evidence that the Angelic Workings contain “true revelation” (whatever that might be) and are not, say, a literary hoax.

Again, another well done scholarly presentation by Dr. Sledge.

Thank you, Doctor. May you find blessing.

Not sure if you are aware, but Sue Monk Kidd's novel, The Book of Longings, uses Thunder Perfect Mind. The novel is about Jesus's wife, who after Jesus's death, joins a sort of proto-gnostic group and writes the hymn.

Wow this series on Gnosticism is fantastic! I have been looking for a good source for this topic on RU-vid for ages.

You mentioned the comparison to Indic literature already, but the paradoxical aspect of the text, especially how it affirms and denies having a trait, also reminds me of Nagarjuna's employment of the catuṣkoṭi (tetralemma) to illustrate śūnyatā (emptiness) and direct one towards the Middle Way. Funnily enough, even the title has a Buddhist feel to it, like it's translated from Sanskrit "śakrabodhicitta" or something.

The divine feminine in all its glory. 👌

This is the first I have ever heard of - or about - this amazingly enigmatic piece of artistic literature. Thank you 🙂 P.S. you just can't seem to escape the shenanigans of those dastardly hellions, Dr. Dee and Mr. Kelly...

I've just realised that this essay was aired right when I started my medical transition.

Thank you for the video, it definitely makes me want to go and learn more about this text!

THUNDER PERFECT PIG For I am the ham and the frozen one. The boiled one. And many are my chitlens. (Sorry. I know that putting that poem of mine here is not exactly kosher.)

Couldn't the dichotomies inherent in Thunder Perfect Mind represent the dynamic tension between pairs of opposites which constitute the structure of pleroma?

The Sons of Thunder were Jesus' inner disciples, James the Great and John - Disciple of Love. The first man was said to martyred in 44 AD. Nevertheless, maybe this poem was written as an elegy for one of those men. James was the 'first' disciple of the twelve. It seems that these two men were called Sons of Thunder by Christ because of their impetuous natures. However, later literature says that James was 'level-headed' and John was 'loving' - we see, therefore, a spiritual transformation in the two men from angry, uncouth individuals into harmonious human beings. The poem sounds to me like the Shekinah or the Holy Spirit addressing the audience - she is the very spirit of Consciousness itself; henceforth, she contains, reconciles and transcends all opposites in the mind because she is the 'perfect mind.' Just in the same way as a Protestant Priest may feel uncomfortable throwing away a book about Catholic mystics, perhaps, this document was stored away respectfully. If it refers to the Sons of Thunder then this poem would have already been three hundred years old by the fourth century. Perhaps, this text was somewhat out of date by the time it was catalogued and hidden. On another level, thunder seems to represent enlightenment. Thunder may signify the sound of the Holy Spirit talking to the individual after their ego has been struck by the thunderbolt of Gnosis. Flowing light and flowing sound may connote the visible and invisible counterparts of the Logos. Just as there is a baptism of water and fire, perhaps, these baptisms are alluded to in the image of the sky (watery firmament) and the fire which lights up that sky through the implication of thunder. The sound of thunder shakes the heavenly mind with its sudden realisation as expressed through its feminine (loving and accepting voice), whilst at other times, the voice appears masculine or gender non-specific. This relates either to the life-force with created the body i.e. you maybe male but the intelligence which created it is not. In any case, this thunderous and perfected mind is the awareness which identifies or does not identify with the contents of its mind.... Just a few thoughts on the subject. Thunder is not mentioned in the text itself this is why I thought it may refer to a person who carried that title... What do you think? Is this idea just a longshot? As always, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL CHANNEL....! Well done on such a magnificent set of lectures, you deliver them with such eloquence. Brilliant!!!!!!! :)

Very interesting. Happy New Year Dr Sledge.

In Ephesians 4:6, Paul makes and off-hand comment about God as "above and through and in all things." Thunder Perfect Mind strikes me as an early Christian riff on this idea. It was widespread in pre-orthodox Christianity, with copies circulating in Egypt, Syria, and (at least via Irenaeus) Gaul.

Loved this video - thank you! I recently came across your channel via Angela Puca. The seeming contradictions in Thunder made me think of a paper I came across last year by Gregory Shaw called 'Taking the Shape of the Gods: A Theurgic Reading of Hermetic Rebirth'. He talks about the dualist vs monist points of view in the Hermetica and speculates that it relates to the path of initiation. It made me wonder if the play of opposites in Thunder was a different expression of that same dynamic in the larger body of work that it was found with. I'm not an academic so I may be way off base - just wonderin'.

I love your videos! I've gained so much knowledge from your efforts. Keep up the amazing work.

wow you did a video on this! i love this writing more than anything. joined your Patreon - thank you 🙏

I love your channel. You're amazing. Thank you so much.

I think the fairest way to frame it is as a poem about the nature of The Divine Femine in Patriarchal Society, and in one's own life. It's a challenging piece because you're meant to find your own interpretation of it. Because while the answers to most things are simple, they usually aren't easy.

I searched for the The Pistis Sophia and found this that I really enjoyed, and I have heard you mention The Pistis Sophia but was wondering if you have done a whole segment on this writing? Thank you for bringing light to these lost scrolls.

The experience of gnosis is a transcendence of paradox.

Thank you for the presentation and for the link! I appreciate it!

hey! I’m doing a large scale vocal + small ensemble piece using this text very soon, I’m abt halfway thru the commission! You mentioned it was meant to be performed, I hope this will live up to that promise 😂

this is such an interesting topic. for me being a part of the lgbt+ community the text reminds me of those kinds of spoken words that try to portray the queer experience with all the seemingly inherent viiolence and contradictions it entails growing up queer in a cis-heteronormative world. The author using the word "barbarian" for themselves/herself is also interesting to me bc like you said, there's an aspect of reclaiming the word from a decolonial perspective, which is also a very common thing that POC/queer spoken workd artists do. All in all I am delighted to have learned about this, thanks to you Dr. Sledge.

Thank for your videos! They have been of particular interest to me as write my Greek epic, adding flavors from various esoteric/occult influences.

I can only express what I feel around me that is so much bigger than any of us. I represent he who created me and my love is for protecting all of the earth. I am spiritual. My words have been turned into weapons for the opposition, and I am no profit or nor am I superior or do I have direct conversations with God. That’s something the Vatican would tell you . Get to know yourself and start paying attention to things that was always taken for granted, and once you truly understand yourself in the world around you. then I believe you will understand exactly what I’m saying

Thank you.

Great Nag Hammadi business

I love this channel! Would you consider doing an exploration of the beliefs of classical gnostics and the Manicheans?

"Thunder perfect mind" sounds almost like the title of some Vajrayana Buddhist terma text.

I've got to get my hands on Thunder. I think it could inform a novel I'm working on . Just, wow!

Thank you for the video, what a great way to start the year! One thing I'm not entirely clear about - at one point, you seem to discuss the identity of the author as if Thunder really was really meant to be read "literally" (i.e. the author talking about themselves) - I understand there may be little reason *not* to do so, but were contemporary texts generally written like that? Or is that simply one of the possible interpretations (given the surrounding mystery)? Oh and, at 4:39 you say a word that I hear as "eratology" (?), and even the RU-vid transcript seems to agree, but I cannot find this word anywhere, my search queries instead return "erotologies" and "teratology" - what is that? :)

Your channel is a real gem!

A very astute use of the Fayum mummy portraits. Thank you, sir!

Thanks so much for putting together this playlist, you have no idea how helpful this is (er, you probably do, actually..)

This poem rocks! Thank you, Justin. Don't get hung up on the genders, folks - this is a treatise against binary thinking, among many other things. I am not a face side, I am not an obverse side - I am a coin.

Fascinating exegesis. Thankyou Dr. Sledge!

Hello, i just came across your channel and i am glad i did because i am new to learning about Gnosticism and i am craving more guidance. Just wanted to introduce myself.

Also an uncanny parallel: Walt Whitman's "I Sing the Body Electric"

Ah, this thunder perfect mind. Sorry, still finding your earlier videos. So much to catch up on.

Great video Dr. Sledge. I especially appreciated the singing theory.

Looking for part 2 of this. I just found your channel and have watched so many videos, I am assuming that as its a month old there is no part 2 yet. I am intrigued. Anyways thanks for being here very interesting and educational

I feel like when someone's done shrooms, thunders mind and mindless concepts make a lot of sense

IMHO. Metaphoric representations. Try seeing the female as your soul. (Or subconscious mind) It retains our memories of experiences and the current emotion attached to the experiences. The good and the bad. We are the paradox. I mean each of us contains the paradox to various degrees. It’s a poem about normal human life. A very unpopular lesson that few like, encapsulated in a complex poem enjoyed and shared by the masses. The nested teaching gains the widest possible dissemination in a carrier shell. I believe it has deep personal significance.

Amazon has the hardcover currently available for 104.38. Out of stock, but price holds and won’t charge till shipped. Paperback is 99.99. Ouch

I wish this was longer

Watching this in Aug 2021, and 2021 is shaping up to be, the dumpster fire of 2020, spreading to the other surrounding dumpsters and buildings.

A fine series and much to think about.

That ad makes as much sense as any other ad for perfume.

Thunder Perfect Mind without a colon is a great band name or cheesy late 90s fantasy magic spell

Do you think the curious preformance/audience aspects of TPM might suggest that it was either adapted from, (or alternatively adapted to resemble) a text from one of the mystery traditions?

I have thoughts about the inversion stuff seen here and in other texts... it's attempts to convey things that we have the precise language for, to describe now, but didn't exist back then...

Regarding the use of this text in a Prada advertisement, I cannot help but feel a profound…something. Irritation? Anger? Sadness? I’m having a hard time pinning the emotion down but whatever it is, it’s in the realm of deep upset. I feel, unequivocally, that regardless of one’s orientation to God, or religion, or spirit, that these passages are due a respect and a reverence that should exclude them from such uses. Blurring the lines between art and advertising has been going on since the birth of sales but combining Thunder Perfect Mind, or esoteric text of any kind, with the ultimate call to action being “buy this” is a particularly egregious exploitation.

What do you make of the translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls by John M. Allegro and his ideas about the use of mushrooms as items of worship and in the creation of cults (asexual reproduction, vision inducing properties, etc.) And his claims that the ancient texts were not translated correctly?? He was cast aside as a heretic much the same way Graham Hancock is ridiculed by historians for his claims that ancient cultures we highly developed, existed in both continent's, etc...?

Thank you! The Prada commercial was fun =^..^=

I feel sorry for Issis. I'd imagine her heart is still not whole. He mentioned her at the first of the video. Bless her heart.

Janus also sees the future, based on cycles that occurred in the past.

The space between being and non being. Beginning and ending, something and nothing. Is this like a koan to focus the mind for revelation, enlightenment?

i think thats the one Maria Sabina used to recite. quite the nod. and a good anthem for anyone living in post reset earth. It all is and isnt now.

There is the meditative flash and following visions; lightening and thunder.

Thanks for mentioning that gender-nonconforming people did indeed exist in ancient times. 🙂 Even Paul said "there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus". I wish orthodox Christianity had put more emphasis on that kind of nonbinary thinking that seeks to integrate apparent opposites.

Has very similar themes to Shaivism, hasn't it? Essentially also encompasses the themes of the Great Goddess and the Age Set Goddesses merged into a depersonalized totality. If you are familiar with Glorantha, very reminiscent of the Goddess Sedenya, and the phases of that Moon Goddess, in particular Gerra, grief and fall, Natha, waxing and Lesilla the full moon.

Thanks for such a well prepared playing list for gnosticism. May I ask your personal opinions about gnosticism?

Sorry I've been so absent, life and all, Amazing job as always bro!

Question please?! You mentioned the word thunder within the poem and that it was a big reveal you would not spoil. I did not remember this reveal so I went back and again found no thunder word within the poem as Translated by George W. MacRae . . . . . can you redirect me to a different translation/interpretation? Thanks for the sharing ans depth you cover on your channel.