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Ask Ella S. Anything

Ella S.

Dispassionate Goth
You could ask about my perspectives on Gnosticism or Neo-Sethian alchemy in particular, but you could also ask me anything else.

I'm not sure that anyone has or will ever have a reason to ask me anything, but I think it's nice to give them an avenue if they do and don't want to DM me or think it's too off-topic for wherever else I've posted.
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
Do you actually practice alchemy? I mean, do you try to turn lead into gold?
 

Ella S.

Dispassionate Goth
Do you actually practice alchemy? I mean, do you try to turn lead into gold?

I actually practice alchemy, but I don't try to physically turn lead into gold.

Turning lead into gold was a metaphor for purifying the spirit. Lead was seen as a base metal, whereas gold was a precious and pure one, often associated with God due to resembling the sun.

It wasn't until centuries later that alchemists began trying to literally change metals into one another. This was done under the hypothesis that the material world is merely an emanation of the "world of ideas" and that the manipulation of abstract symbols could cause physical change. This is the core ideology behind spagyrics and Paracelsianism, too.

However, this was a mistake. Alchemy came from Taoism (where it's called Neidan) and influenced Aristotleanism and Platonism. It was always a spiritual practice. The confusion comes from a literalist approach to the symbols, which were often used as a form of steganography to hide pagan mysticism from Christian persecution.
 

Eddi

Agnostic
Premium Member
I actually practice alchemy, but I don't try to physically turn lead into gold.

Turning lead into gold was a metaphor for purifying the spirit. Lead was seen as a base metal, whereas gold was a precious and pure one, often associated with God due to resembling the sun.

It wasn't until centuries later that alchemists began trying to literally change metals into one another. This was done under the hypothesis that the material world is merely an emanation of the "world of ideas" and that the manipulation of abstract symbols could cause physical change. This is the core ideology behind spagyrics and Paracelsianism, too.

However, this was a mistake. Alchemy came from Taoism (where it's called Neidan) and influenced Aristotleanism and Platonism. It was always a spiritual practice. The confusion comes from a literalist approach to the symbols, which were often used as a form of steganography to hide pagan mysticism from Christian persecution.
I didn't know any of that, thanks for sharing :)
 

Ella S.

Dispassionate Goth
Can you summarize this topic?

Sethianism was one of the earliest sects of Gnosticism.

The Sethians themselves gave birth to a wide variety of splinter-sects which added on to the original "Sethian" texts. There is some disagreement on which sects these are, but as a general listing we have: Ophites, Cainites, Archonitics, Audians, Borborites, and Phibionites.

Many of these groups died off on their own or grew into other sects which were later stamped out due to persecution. As a Neo-Sethian, I return to the original Sethian texts and practices as best I can given that their central organization is extinct and their traditional lineage has been broken.

Some Sethians, particularly Zosimos of Panopolis, blended Sethian scripture with Hermetic spiritual practices. Hermetic influence can be seen in some Sethian texts, too, such as the Apocryphon of John and Zostrianos. These spiritual practices are known as alchemy.

So Neo-Sethian alchemy can be seen as a blend of ancient Gnostic reconstructionism with syncretic practices from Hermeticism.
 

Ella S.

Dispassionate Goth
What's your avatar?

My avatar is a combination of two symbols.

The first symbol represents the alchemical Magnum Opus and it's sometimes called the Lapis Philosophorum. The square represents the four phases of alchemy (Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas, and Rubedo) contained in the triangle which represents the three essences (Salt, Mercury, and Sulphur.) The outer circle represents the external, material world and the inner circle represents inner, mystical experience.

Contained within the inner circle, I placed what's known as the Gnostic Cross. It is, essentially, just the variation of the cross symbol used by several Gnostic sects. However, there is a deeper symbolism to it, because it technically contains two crosses. The first is the material cross of literalism, but the smaller cross contained within the circle represents the deeper, higher cross of esotericism; it symbolically places an emphasis on spiritual orthopraxy over religious orthodoxy.

Together, it symbolizes Gnostic alchemy.
 
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Ella S.

Dispassionate Goth
What's your favorite genre of music?

Goth rock! The Cure, The Smiths, Joy Division, Bauhaus, Siouxsie and the Banshees, etc.

This is a great time for me to plug a "Nu Goth" band that I really like who is virtually unknown; Mercurine. My favorite song by them is "Nu Groove." They aren't really goth rock in the traditional sense, and the Nu Goth genre itself is really obscure, but they're stylistically influenced by the movement.

I'm also pretty into emo and shoegaze. For an obscure shoegaze band, I really like Fever Dream. My favorite song by them is probably "Flux." All of the emo bands I know are pretty well-known, though.
 

We Never Know

No Slack
My avatar is a combination of two symbols.

The first symbol represents the alchemical Magnum Opus and it's sometimes called the Lapis Philosophorum. The square represents the four phases of alchemy (Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas, and Rubedo) contained in the triangle which represents the three essences (Salt, Mercury, and Sulphur.) The outer circle represents the external, material world and the inner circle represents inner, mystical experience.

Contained within the inner circle, I placed what's known as the Gnostic Cross. It is, essentially, just the variation of the cross symbol used by several Gnostic sects. However, there is a deeper symbolism to it, because it technically contains two crosses. The first is the material cross of literalism, but the smaller cross contained within the circle represents the deeper, higher cross of esotericism; it symbolically places an emphasis on spiritual orthopraxy over religious orthodoxy.

Together, it symbolizes Gnostic alchemy.

If dogs could fly would horses go moo?
 
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