Why Gnostic Christians Should Meditate on the Aeons, Not Chakras

 

# **Why Gnostic Christians Should Meditate on the Aeons, Not Chakras**  

**Welcome to *Pleroma Pathways* apocalyptic and mystic Christianity, where we explore esoteric and apocalyptic texts.**  

Throughout early Christian history, the Aeons have been central to the spiritual life of the Gnostic believer. The term *Aeon* occurs over a thousand times in the Nag Hammadi Scriptures and in the writings of the early Church Fathers, emphasizing their significance. In contrast, the concept of Chakras, which originates from Eastern traditions and has been absorbed into New Age mysticism, is entirely absent from early Christian writings. The Gnostics did not focus on energy centers within the body but instead meditated on the names of the Aeons, particularly those within the Ogdoad.  

Just as Jewish mystics meditate upon the **Sefirot** of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life to draw closer to God, so too should Christian Gnostics focus on the Aeons, divine emanations that lead us back to the Pleroma. The Ogdoad, consisting of **Bythos Βύθος (the Depth) and Sige-Charis  Nous Νοΰς (Nus, Mind) and Aletheia Άλήθεια (, Truth) (the Word; Logos Λόγος) and  (the Life; Zoe Ζωή) Anthropos Άνθρωπος (Man) and Ecclesia Έκκλησία**, represents the divine order through which Christ came into the world. By meditating upon these Aeons, we attune ourselves to the divine, becoming luminaries in the midst of mortals.  

## **The Biblical and Gnostic Basis for Meditating on the Aeons**  

The *Letter of Peter to Philip* from the Nag Hammadi Scriptures records Jesus saying:  

*"Concerning the Pleroma, it is I. I was sent down in the body for the seed that had fallen away. … They [the Aeons] were brought to completion, filled with rest through his salvation. Since he was deficiency, he became fullness."* (Nag Hammadi Codex VIII, 2)  

This passage affirms that Christ came to restore the fullness of the Aeons and that those who follow Him will also be restored to this divine state. To meditate on the Aeons is to follow Christ’s own path, moving from deficiency to fullness.  

Similarly, the *Gospel of Philip* explains that through Christ, believers also become Aeons:  

*"You saw the Spirit, you became spirit; you saw Christ, you became Christ; you saw the Father, you will become the Father."* (Gospel of Philip, II 61,29-32)  

This mystical identification with Christ is the goal of the Gnostic path. The Pleroma is not merely a distant realm—it is an inner reality accessible through divine knowledge. The *Gospel of Truth* elaborates on this:  

*"Thus fullness, which has no deficiency but fills up deficiency, is provided to fill a person’s need, so that the person may receive grace. … When the diminished part was restored, the person in need was revealed as fullness."*  

Likewise, in the *Secret Book of James*, Christ urges His followers:  

*"Be filled and leave no space within you empty."*  

The meditation on the Aeons is the method by which Gnostic Christians fill themselves with divine knowledge and grace.  

## **Man as a Microcosm of the Aeons: The Valentinian View**  

Valentinian Gnosticism, one of the most developed early Christian mystical traditions, taught that humanity was a reflection of the divine order. The early Church Father Irenaeus records the Valentinian teaching:  

*"Man, also, being formed after the image of the power above, had in himself that ability which flows from the one source. This ability was seated in the region of the brain, from which four faculties proceed, after the image of the Tetrad above, and these are called: the first, sight, the second, hearing, the third, smell, and the fourth, taste. And they say that the Ogdoad is indicated by man in this way: that he possesses two ears, the like number of eyes, also two nostrils, and a twofold taste, namely, of bitter and sweet."* (*Against Heresies*, 1.18.1)  

This passage demonstrates that the Ogdoad is not only a cosmic reality but is also inscribed within the human form. Rather than relying on foreign concepts such as Chakras, Gnostic Christians should recognize that their bodies already reflect the divine emanations. The Ogdoad is hidden within the human being, waiting to be revealed through meditation and divine knowledge.  

## **The Corrupting Influence of New Age Mysticism**  

The term *Chakra* originates from Hindu and Buddhist traditions and was never used by early Christians or Gnostic thinkers. Its introduction into Christian discourse is a result of New Age mysticism, which seeks to merge incompatible religious traditions. While Eastern practices may hold wisdom in their own right, they do not align with the revealed teachings of Christ and the Pleroma.  

Many New Age practitioners claim that Chakras are energy centers that must be balanced to achieve enlightenment. However, Gnosticism teaches that salvation is not about balancing bodily energies but about **ascending through the Aeons** to reunite with the divine fullness. The *Tripartite Tractate* confirms this:  

*"The redemption … is called 'an ascent to the degrees which are in the Pleroma' and is accomplished 'according to the power of each of the Aeons'."*  

This ascent is not about energy centers but about spiritual realization. The Aeons are the path to salvation, not the Chakras.  

## **Why Christians Must Meditate on the Aeons**  

The *Treatise on Resurrection* states that when a person is redeemed, **"fullness fills what it lacks."** This fullness is found in the divine emanations—the Aeons—not in foreign mystical systems. To align with Christ, believers must meditate upon the names of the Aeons, focusing on their spiritual meanings:  

 

- **Bythos Βύθος (the Depth) and Sige-Charis** – Contemplating the ineffable source of all things and the silence that allows divine wisdom to emerge.  

- **Nous Νοΰς (Nus, Mind) and Aletheia Άλήθεια (, Truth** – Awakening divine intelligence and recognizing the hidden things of truth.

- **the Word; Logos Λόγος) and (the Life; Zoe Ζωή) ** – The active Word of God and the divine life that sustains creation.  

- **Anthropos Άνθρωπος (Man) and Ecclesia Έκκλησία** – The spiritual image of the divine and the collective body of believers.  

Meditating on these Aeons restores believers to the divine harmony from which they originated. As the *Gospel of Philip* states:  

*"For those who are in the Pleroma, everything is inside them, and outside them there is nothing."*  

By meditating on the Aeons, Gnostic Christians fulfill the commandment of Christ to become **luminaries in the midst of mortals** (*Letter of Peter to Philip*). They are filled with divine knowledge, transformed into fullness, and prepared for the age to come.  

## **Conclusion**  

Gnostic Christianity does not need to borrow from New Age mysticism. The true path to spiritual restoration lies in the Aeons, as revealed in the Nag Hammadi Scriptures and Valentinian tradition. Just as Jewish mystics contemplate the **Sefirot**, Gnostic Christians must meditate on the divine emanations of the Pleroma. By doing so, they follow in the footsteps of Christ, ascending from deficiency to fullness, and becoming illuminators in the world.  

*"You saw Christ, you became Christ."* (*Gospel of Philip*)  

Let us, therefore, turn our attention away from the foreign concepts of Chakras and return to the sacred tradition of meditating upon the Aeons—the true keys to divine knowledge and transformation.