The Enigma of the Archons

"Human beings are on a quest for consciousness that has been momentarily interrupted by foreign forces. Carlos Castañeda in "Magic Passes".

Written by Dominique Guillet - Copyright Free - translated from French. Xochipelli

"Human beings are on a quest for consciousness that has been momentarily interrupted by foreign forces. Carlos Castañeda in "Magic Passes".

Of all the very strange subjects addressed by the Gnostic writings, the strangest is without a doubt the presence of the Archons. Here we are confronted with a real enigma. Where do we place these mysterious entities in the history of the Gaia Mythos? Should we consider them as real entities, i.e. a species in its own right, even if extraterrestrial? What is their relationship with Gaia, the intelligence of the biosphere? And what is their relationship with humanity?

A non-ordinary reason

The Gnostics have explored these questions seriously and coherently, but if we want to follow them in their reasoning, we must first accept that the study of the Archons is not rational . At least, not in the ordinary sense of rationality. Aristotle observed that the characteristic of a mature mind is the capacity to conceive an idea without making it its own - without swallowing it, as we would say today. My purpose is not to encourage anyone to swallow the Gnostic theory of the Archons. What I am proposing is simply to examine and explore it. Skepticism is essential in any evaluation of the Archon enigma. This investigation requires the use of a capacity that might be called non-ordinary reason. The nature of this type of reason might be illustrated by a comical scene in Woody Allen's film "Manhattan". A man visits a psychiatrist on behalf of his brother who suffers from the delusion of being a chicken and acts accordingly. "It's terrible to see, Doctor. The way he cackles and scratches. Our family is going through hell. What can we do? Can psychiatry help my brother?" The doctor answers in the affirmative. " Even in delusions as extreme as this, therapy can often bring the patient back to reality," he tells her. "I agree to work with your brother, to do all I can, but it's going to take a long time, though." Thinking his visitor has regained his courage, the psychiatrist consults his calendar. "When can you bring your brother to me for the first session?" he asks? His visitor suddenly frowns, "Sorry, Doctor, I'd love to, but I can't. We need the eggs."

Man's response is completely rational in the context of his imagination. When Trekkies (fans of the television series Star Trek) enthusiastically exchange information about the characters and episodes of this television series, they appeal to a non-rational reason. The Pokeman card trading phenomenon triggered an explosion of non-rational reasoning in children who had to describe, in great detail, the specific characteristics and behaviors of more than 100 characters. On the Internet, players of MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) assume fictitious identities that must behave logically with a kind of virtual rationality. The reasoning involved in such role- playing games is rigorous because players cannot let their "avatars" do whatever they want. The "avatars" must conform to certain codes of behavior. The development and maintenance of such codes involves non-ordinary reasoning.

In fact, non-ordinary reason is similar to ordinary reason, except that its subject is imagined rather than perceived.

The Gnostics had to develop their non-ordinary reason in order to interpret the experiences they had during their states of amplified perception. Of course, one cannot reduce everything in the cosmos or in the human psyche to rational criteria, and this is not, in any case, the goal of non-ordinary reasoning. The aim is, in fact, to reach a clear and precise understanding of those aspects of human experience which lie outside the framework of ordinary sensory perception.

This essay deals with the Archons in the context of the imaginary exercise proposed in my chapters "Coco de Mer" (see "Gaïa-Sophia", volume 1 of the Liberterre collection), namely in the context of our participation in the Dream of Gaïa. What we are going to learn about these entities, and about our relationship with them, will appeal to a non-ordinary reason, without however falling into irrational nonsense. Contemplating the Archons is not an exercise in fantasy or make-believe. Far from it. If the Gnostics were right, it essentially means that it is by deciphering the workings of the Archons that we will be able to discover how our mind works and that we will be able to claim the sovereign power of intelligence with which Gaia has endowed us.

Fractal Visions

We may consider the Archons to be the offspring of Sophia, but not in the same sense as the species born and nurtured in Gaia's womb, the Earth biosphere. They are, in fact, called Archons (from the Greek, archai "primordial, first, prior") because they emerged into the planetary system before the Earth had formed into a habitat suitable for life. Sophia's one-sided Dream produced an explosion of power from the cosmic heart and the Goddess, gushing forth like a tumultuous torrent, collided with the inert fields of primordial matter in an unusual way. The Gnostics use the term "aborted fetus" to describe the results of this impact...

"A veil exists between the world above and the realms below; and darkness came into existence below the veil. Part of the darkness became matter and spread. And that which Sophia begat became a creature of matter, like an aborted fetus. ("The Hypostasis of the Archons", 94:5-15).

We can now add a graphic modification to the Coco de Mer icon to suggest how the Archons emerge from Sophia's Dream, like a placental leak. As we have already explained, the Coco de Mer, with its cosmic detail, represents the "Trimorphic Protennoia", the tripartite primordial body world of Sophia's Dream. Our world, namely the Terrestrial biosphere coupled with the sun and the moon, constitutes the manifestation of this Dream.

Through the emergence of the Archons, another Dream comes into play from outside the order of our tripartite world. I propose to call it the Extraterrestrial Dream. (This choice of language will become clearer in the course of the presentation).

This other Dream is a by-product of Sophia's power of manifestation, an exotic overflow that does not, however, thwart Her original Dream.

The Gaia Mythos describes how the collision between the Sophia Aeon and the density of atomic matter produced a massive fracture, much like the pattern of the breakup of ice in a frozen lake. The pattern has a center where Sophia is located (identified by the Mandelbrot Set) and a spider web of fracture lines running in all directions (the frozen sea of fractal waves). Episode 9 describes how Sophia, located in the center of the impact zone, perceives around Her something similar to a sea of expandable waves and, overlapping the waves, or rather composing the waves they seem to overlap, appear shapes that repeat themselves and look like seahorses. These seahorses are similar to the forms that appear, with a high value of iteration, of the equation of the Mandelbrot Set. These forms correspond to the anatomical type spontaneously generated, from the amorphous atomic matter, by the impact of Sophia, a type called "the shadow body", "Haibes" in Coptic.

A few words about fractals: although fractal-like structures occur in Nature (in ferns, for example, the fronds are miniature replicas of the whole), self- similar forms, produced by a system of iterated functions, are not strictly speaking natural. Fractals, such as those presented here, result from a mathematical formula entered into a computer and reproduced ad infinitum. It is true, however, that the shapes thus produced resemble the famous "cashmere fabrics" perceived by many people taking LSD in the 1960s. I would like to point out, first, that fractals are commonly perceived in altered states of consciousness and, second, that it is possible that the images thus perceived represent real, albeit supernatural, processes at work throughout the cosmos.

The fractal formations described in the Gaia Mythos (episodes 9 and 10) are real physical phenomena that manifest spontaneously when an Aeon (a massless stellar plasma flow) bursts into the dense fields of elementary matter. These "fractal seahorses" seem at first to be inanimate, rigid structures of a quasi-crystalline nature, but they then come to life by the very fact that Sophia contemplates them.

In the second phase of development described in the "Trimorphic Protennoia", the Aeon Sophia "descends to animate her fallen limbs by giving them spirit or breath" . The expandable forms thus metamorphose from semi-rigid seahorses into rounded fetal forms with tails, but these tails, it seems, keep falling off and turning into other embryos. Through this bizarre process of permanent self-generation, the fetal horde of the Archons is born.

The leader of the Archons

"The Hypostasis of the Archons" describes, then, a development subsequent to the initial emergence of the Archontic fetal entities. In the quoted passage, I use concepts from modern astronomy to paint a more vivid picture of events that can be assumed to have been observed by the Gnostic initiates in the cosmos: "A veil exists between the world above [the heart of the galaxy] and the realms below [the outer arms of the galaxy]; and darkness came into existence below the veil. Part of the darkness [dark matter] became [atomic] matter and spread [partially formed into elemental fields, the dema]. And that which Sophia begat [by her impact] became a creature of matter, [a fetal form] like an aborted fetus. And [once created] this creature assumed a plastic form fashioned from darkness and became an arrogant lion-like beast. It was androgynous, for it was born of [neutral, inorganic] matter" ("The Hypostasis of the Archons". 93:30, with my comments in brackets).

A close reading reveals a crucial detail: after the initial formation of the embryonic Archontic types, a second variation of "shadow bodies" emerges with characteristics of its own. The "Archon Hypostasis" describes it as "an arrogant lion-like beast," but this creature is also described (in another cosmological text, the "Apocrypha of John," 10:5) as a "serpent body (drakon) with a lion's head." There are thus two distinct types of Archons: an embryonic, or fetal, type and a reptilian, or draconic, type.

In "Hypostasis of the Archons", (93:30 - 94:5), Norea asks the great angel Eleleth "Instruct me about the faculties of the Archons, how they came into the world, and by what kind of childbirth, of what material and who created them and who generated their strength". The teachings given in answer to this question are precise and detailed.

Two distinct variants of the Archon type are mentioned and their behaviors are also specified. Another cosmological treatise, the "Tractate Tripartite," states that "two orders [of Archons] fought each other, struggling for control because of their manner of being" (84:5-15). Because of the two distinct phases of their creation, the Archons have an aggressive and divisive nature and they fight each other. The problem is momentarily solved, however, when the reptilian type establishes its mastery over the massive hordes of the fetal type and, indeed, over the entire elemental field affected by Sophia's descent.

"Opening his eyes, he [the Dragon Archon] saw a vast amount of boundless matter [scattered throughout the galactic arms] and he became arrogant and said, 'I am God [the only God of these regions] and there is no other.'" ("Hypostasis of the Archons". 94:20).

While the fetal Archons are inert, their forms having been frozen during an immature phase of development, the reptilian leader is aggressive, defends his territory and possesses diabolical powers. Above all, he shows a formidable ability to change forms: "Ialdabaoth possessed a greater number of faces than all the others, and he could show himself before all the others with the face he wished... He shared his fire with them, and so he became their ruler. Because of the power of glory that he had acquired from the light of his mother, he called himself God. And he did not swear allegiance to the kingdom from which he came. ("Apocrypha of John". 11:35 - 12:10).

The declaration of the sovereign Archon that he is the only god in the cosmos is, needless to say, a key episode in Gnostic cosmology - if not in all of human evolution. All cosmological texts describe this event, with slight variations. The Gnostics insisted that Yaldabaoth is one with Yahweh or Jehovah, the tribal god of the Hebrews. This deity is not only blind, it is stupid and demented. ("The Hypostasis of the Archons". 89:24-25). For the Gnostics, insanity is not so much the imbalance of the mind as the consequence of the inability to correct mental errors. The Archons' mentality "cannot be amended" and what is worse, "the archontic nature is incapable of development" (Gilhus. "The Nature of the Archons," page 40). Because of the way they were spawned, the Archons have no Ennoia, no intrinsic will. They have, instead, an Extraterrestrial Dream which is dissociated from Gaia's sphere of intelligent life, namely the biosphere.

The concept of a deity who is both demented and without will is apparently specific to Gnosticism. Needless to say, when expressing their view of Jehovah's identity, the Gnostics did not elicit much approval from devout Jews or Christians who also revered the paternal God of the Jews. "The Apocrypha of John" adds crucial elements to the Archon scenario. It is, in fact, the only text that calls Sophia the mother of the Archons. It also says of the ruler of the Archons "that he did not pledge allegiance to the kingdom from which he came." This is an essential element. The fact that the ruler of the Archons does not remain in the spheres from which he came is a key concern for the Gnostics: the Archons are prone to disregard the boundaries of their territories. From their origin, the Archons are an invasive species.

It is said that the Dragon Archon is blind (in Coptic Bille), so he cannot perceive either the Pleroma or Sophia. "The Archons are characterized by an inability to perceive the spiritual world". (Gilhus, "The Nature of the Archons". Page 17). They are called Samael and Saklas. Samael is a Hebrew term and Saklas is an Aramaic term for "one who is blind". It is extremely important to understand the blindness of the Archons in order to see how they affect mankind.

AKA Jehovah

The leader of the Archons is also called the Lord of the Archons. He is also sometimes given the strange name of Yaldabaoth. Scholars cannot agree on the meaning and origin of this name. According to one translation, it means "the child who crosses the space". According to another, it means "the leader of the horde" (Jarl Egil Fossum. "The Name of God and the Angel of the Lord". Pages 332/336). This name thus seems to suggest allusions to both types of Archons.

In the Old Testament, the name yhwh seba'ot, Yahweh Sebaoth, is used 276 times to designate the title of the paternal god. ("Dictionnary of Deities and Demons in the Bible". Page 155). Gershom Sholem, a prominent scholar of Jewish kabbalah and mysticism, explained the name Ialdabaoth as "a compound between the Aramaic active participle yaled (to beget) and the name Abaoth, which represents a shortened form of the name Sabaoth. Thus, 'Ialdabaoth means one who begets Sabaoth'." (Nathaniel Deutsch. "The Gnostic Imagination". Page 55). And there are still half a dozen other interpretations.

It is likely that the name Ialdabaoth is simply a variant of the name Jehovah, the father god of the Hebrews. The Gnostics identified Jehovah with the Lord of the Archons and rejected the Old Testament, and the entire Judaic program of redemption, as a subterfuge of the Archons. It makes sense, then, that they used the very term used by the Jews to denounce the true nature of the Jewish deity.

When it came to knowledge they felt was essential to human survival and humanity's co-evolution with Sophia, the Gnostics could be very confrontational and not care at all about those they might offend.

Their uncompromising and sometimes even contemptuous attitude, in addition to their inability to foresee the intensity of physical violence triggered by their challenge to Judeo-Christian beliefs, undoubtedly fueled the vicious fanaticism that destroyed the Mysteries.

The magnification of the fractal begetting of the Archons presents a graphic image that seems to fit the scenario described by the Gnostic seers. The embryonic type, or fetal Archon, is clearly defined as well as another entity, the reptilian Archon with its greedy jaw and long spermic tail. This "arrogant beast" seems to rush into the entrails of the embryonic type. Just where the embryonic Archon would have a nourishing umbilical cord, the reptilians invade. The fetal Archon remains passive, apparently sucking its finger or thumb.

Something strange is happening in the lower part of the fetal body because its seahorse tail is precariously joined to the trunk. The embryonic type remains absorbed into itself, yet it reacts to the aggression of the archontic type by abandoning its tail, as frightened reptiles do. One wonders whether the dissociated tail will metamorphose into another fetal type or into another reptilian type. The reptilian form does seem to repeat itself fractally, in the caudal structure of the embryonic type, as if the dissociated tail were becoming an independent entity, rather than another embryo.

The element of fear is very present in the behavior of the Archons and in their influence on humanity. In the Old Testament, fear of God is considered one of the most basic manifestations of religious experience. The possibility that human fear is a kind of food, for certain invading alien species, has been widely discussed in the ET/UFO debates. "The Second Treatise of the Great Seth states that the Archons' agenda is "fear and bondage. The Archons want to keep humanity "under the pressure of fear and worry." Other passages warn that the Archons are using fear as a psychological weapon.

Another striking detail reveals that the reptilian type seems to hold a sphere in its jaws, which recalls the mythical image of a snake offering the forbidden fruit: so it is with the Snake in the Garden of Hyperborea with a golden apple in its mouth. Does the embryonic Archon consume this round fruit? The Gnostics had their own version of what actually happened in the Garden of Eden and the events in which the Archons were deeply involved, and it is perhaps not surprising to find clues to the Paradise scenario at this primary stage of cosmic activity.

All this process of fractal generation of the Archons is imaginary but it is not imaginary: it is not a pure and simple creation of our mind. Recreating what the Gnostic initiates observed calls for a sober use of the imagination, it is not an escape into an illusory world. Non-ordinary reason is necessary to describe what is happening here, but the scenario that unfolds is entirely reasonable and coherent according to its own criteria.

Fetal conflict

However the Gnostic seers of the Mysteries came to imagine the birth of the Archons, the high-iteration fractals of the Mandelbrot Set apply to this scenario in mysterious ways. Even more so, since embryonic and reptilian fractals mimic human gestation processes (or vice versa). In human conception, the embryonic complex is made up of two parts: the amniotic sac and the fetus attached to it and suspended in the amniotic fluid. At the moment when the embryo begins to be anatomically determined, it looks like a fish (a fact that medical science likes to emphasize to remind us of our pre- human origins). It has a distinct head and tail and a third element - the umbilical cord - that connects it to the amniotic sac through which it is fed. The fractal procreation of the Archons exhibits all these characteristics in a clear and precise way. As the embryo grows, the amniotic sac contracts and a secondary phase of development begins. The umbilical cord is also connected to the allantois, a vesicle that fills the space between the amnion and the chorion, the outer shell of the placental sac. A kind of morphological tension arises between all these evolving structures: for the allantois vesicle to develop, it must compress the amniotic sac that feeds the growing fetus. Only when the allantois develops in this way can the protective placenta reach full maturity.

A similar tension exists between the embryonic and reptilian Archons. Just as embryonic development in humans is divided between the growth of the fetus fed by the amniotic sac and the contraction of the amniotic sac to allow the full development of the placenta from the allantoic vesicle, so the power of the Archons is divided by the nature of their conception ("because of the way they are," quoted above). This conflict is partially resolved when the reptilian type establishes its dominance over the massive horde of fetal Archons.

The Gnostics certainly knew what a fetus looks like. Morally opposed to biological procreation by humans, they were known to practice birth control and may even have helped others in this. They must have observed, through direct experience, that a late-stage aborted fetus does not look like a half- baked omelet: it already has the characteristics of an anatomical form.

Their choice of this strange metaphor must have been intentional and must have been a reflection of their occult perception that the Archontic anatomy mimics the fetal form of humans. Such a metaphor is extremely valuable, not only because it allows us to visualize what the Gnostic seers had discovered through extra-sensory perception, but also because it establishes a close correlation between the human species on Earth and the pre-earthly Archons.

For a development of this correlation, we invite the reader to refer to the paragraph, at the conclusion of this chapter, "Cosmic Cousins".

The Power of the Snake

The description of Yaldaboath as a "lion-headed serpent" is striking. For the Gnostics, the lion represented the blind force of procreation (an association that probably originated in the Egyptian Mystery Centers, not to mention the intensity and sounds of lion mating in the desert), so the image of the sperm-like body of the lion-headed reptilian is even more appropriate. The draconic type of Archon appears on Gnostic jewelry, not because the Gnostics worshipped reptilians - far from it - but because they saw this symbol as a magical antidote to Archontic influence. Just as a skull on a label indicates a poisonous liquid, to differentiate it from  a drinkable liquid, the image of the lion-snake was depicted on Gnostic amulets to avail against Archontic intrusion.

The lion-headed serpent of the Gnostics is called by magical names such as Ophis, Knuphis and Abrasax. In the occult anatomy of Asian mysticism and Yoga, this reptile is known as the Kundalini, the power of the serpent. The Gnostics who practiced the yoga of the Kundalini were called Ophites, from the Greek ophis, which means serpent. This cult was condemned by the early Christians as a pagan cult of "snake worshippers". To the uninitiated, the serpent of Kundalini can only be conceived in a primal way. For the Gnostics, the lion-headed serpent crowned with rays of the sun was not only the symbol of the Lord of the Archons but also the source of the spiritual power that enables human beings to resist these entities.

Experts in Gnosticism - who are unable to go beyond the framework of Gnosticism in order to really understand it - never mention Kundalini, while esoteric and unconventional scholars, such as G. R. S. Mead, Helena Blavatsky and C. W. King ("Gnostic and their Remains"), routinely make this correlation as do scholars of comparative mythology such as Alain Daniélou and Joseph Campbell. In "The Inner Reaches of Outer Space", Joseph Campbell shows how the image of the Kundalini, the "serpent of power" appears in art from the Indus Valley, around 2300 BC, through all the ancient cultures to the modern era. As late as the 16th century, gold thalers in Germany (Campbell, Figure 8) showed the crucifixion on one side and a serpent draped over the cross on the other. At this late date, Christ could be identified with the Kundalini - no idea why, though - but for the Gnostics, the serpent on the cross negated the redemptive power attributed to the crucifixion (i.e., the glorification of suffering as a redeeming force).

Kundalini awakening generates ecstasy, awakens supraconsciousness, develops the occult faculties and releases waves of healing energy that cause hormonal and physiological secretions to flow throughout the body.

As the mythical serpent guardian of the Tree of Knowledge in Genesis, the Kundalini was the "messenger of redemption" for the Gnostics. In a complete reversal of the conventional interpretation of the Fall, the Gnostics saw the serpent as a spiritual ally for original humanity, "the first to attempt to free humanity from slavery to an unconscious god who had identified himself with the Absolute and thus impeded the path to the tree of eternal life. (Campbell. Page 78). The "unconscious god," who falsely identifies himself with the Absolute, is of course Yaldabaoth, aka Yahweh/Jehovah.

The Gnostics taught that the noos, i.e. the spiritual intelligence conferred on humanity, could be blocked by the Archons. This blockage manifests itself through Archontic intrusion involving a kind of subliminal invasion at the level of thought and language (i.e. at the level of mental syntax). But the noos can be strengthened by accessing the power of the Kundalini, a current of ecstasy that normally lies dormant in the human body. In his monograph on the Archons, I. S. Gilhus notes that "the erotic strategy is the most important means used by the Pneumatics to preserve the lost light" (page 51).

Pneumatics is the Gnostic term for humans who follow the path of psychosomatic enlightenment, the fundamental technique of the Gnostic religion.

Pneuma, the "spiritual force" is developed by cultivating the noos, the "higher intelligence". But the Archons blindly resist this process: in short, they expect humans to remain ignorant of their innate spiritual potential.

When the Kundalini awakens from its dormant state, the higher intelligence flourishes and other effects are also felt. Some Gnostic groups, such as the Ophites, practiced collective Kundalini awakening in order to generate a protective shell against Archontic intrusion. They saw the Kundalini - the spiritual and sexual energy blocked in the body structure - as the main instrument of defense against the Archons. "The Savior's Dialogue" (NHC III, 5.85) contains this exchange:

"Judas said, 'Look, the Authorities (Archons) dwell above us and so they will rule over us.' The Savior replied, "You will rule them. But only when you rid yourself of jealousy, accept the protection of the Light, and enter the nymphion [bridal chamber].

The teacher-savior strongly emphasizes that we can control the Archons, but he also makes it clear that certain human shortcomings invalidate the use of this power. The Greek word phthonos can be translated as "jealousy" or "envy. The Gnostics considered envy to be the signature of the Archons and the key human flaw that makes us vulnerable to their intrusion. "Protection of the Light" emanates from the activation of the Kundalini, often described as a lightning-like wave of electric light that pours into the body. "Nymphion" is a coded term for an ambient cell of psychosomatic protection generated by intense Kundalini activations.

Sir John Woodroffe, the famous transmitter of Hindu Tantric wisdom to the West, clearly identified the practice of Kundalini Yoga (the awakening of the power of the serpent through the channels of the spine) with the Gnostic rites of "snake worship. ("Shakti and Shakta". Page 191). Buddhist scholars, such as E. A. Evans-Wentz, J. M. Reynolds and H. V. Guenther have made similar observations, while Gnostic scholars have not reciprocated, for the latter have made no attempt to broaden their field of investigation in order to understand the theory and practice of Gnosticism.

The symbol of the lion-serpent is repeatedly depicted in hieroglyphic form on the walls of the Temple of Horus at Edfu, 60 km south of Nag Hammadi. In the cult of Hathor that was celebrated there, the lion-snake represented the "royal seed" of the pharaohs. The royal child Horus is often depicted sucking his finger and this reminds us very concretely of the posture of the embryonic Archons.

Did the Egyptian priests, who controlled the mating in the dynastic families, have an intimate knowledge of the Kundalini as well as of the Archons?

The serpent of Kundalini is depicted in Egyptian sacred art by an erect cobra or a pair of cobras, sometimes coiled around a staff, and by the uraeus, the cobra headdress of divine power. The ceremonial braid on the side of Horus' head was also a symbol of the power of the serpent. The pharaonic braid, traditionally worn on the right side of the head, is a visual repetition of the spermatic cobras of Edfu.

Sacred iconography conveys explicit but highly occult knowledge. Horus is the child whose right brain functions are enhanced by the power of the serpent. The "esoteric" imagery of snake power is at work on several levels simultaneously. We will see that the complex biological symbolism of the Gnostic myth has much to teach us about the nature of the Archons and how we can resist them.

The Rape of Eve

Ialdabaoth is also called the Archgenitor, the "master progenitor" ("Apocrypha of John" II, 12.25). The Gnostics, for whom ethics had to be in harmony with cosmology, considered biological procreation, insofar as it is an involuntary act, as an unconscious mechanism that makes humans the instruments of the Lord of the Archons. The information concerning Ialdabaoth's procreation of her own reptilian type, her control of the procreation of embryonic types, and perhaps even her involvement in hybridization with human beings, are among the most disconcerting elements of the Sophia Myth. Several texts in the Nag Hammadi Codex describe the Archons' attempt to "rape Eve": that is, to inseminate the human species. It is clear, however, from the text, that they fail in their endeavor. "The Hypostasis of the Archons" describes this episode:

"The Archons then approached Adam and when they saw his female counterpart talking with him, they became very agitated and were attracted to her.

They said to each other, "Come on, let's sow our seed in her," and they went after her. And she, the mother of the living, laughed at their stupidity and blindness; and when she fell into their clutches, she turned into a tree and left a shadowy reflection of herself before them." (89:15-25).

This passage highlights the imaginative sophistication of the Gnostic vision. The Gnostic seers perceived the Archons' attempt to inseminate Eve - to interfere with the genetics of the human species, so to speak - but they also observed that the attempt was a failure. Eve's metamorphosis into a tree is reminiscent of the Greek myth of Daphne who turned into a laurel tree. (This parallel proves that the Gnostic cosmo-mythology was not the fruit of chance but that it constituted a visionary system of knowledge deeply rooted in the indigenous psychic life of pre-Christian Europe). The Gnostics considered that the visions they contemplated, during altered states of consciousness, were empirically real and could be experienced. Through these visions, they were able to gain extraordinary insight into superhuman worlds, the activities of deities, humanity's relationship with extraterrestrial species, and the long-term adventure of the human species.

The above episode describes how the Archons fail in their attempt to capture Eve but how they manage, however, to penetrate her shadow, a mere reflection. This implies that, although they cannot access our genetic structure, the Archons, nonetheless, can affect or distort our image of woman, of the Feminine, and to some extent, they can thus manage to desecrate Eve. It is also possible that they distort our perception of our own genetic structure.

The Gnostic vision of the cosmic order urges us, as it often does, to understand what is going on in our minds. Have we humans in any way profaned the image of the Woman? By imposing, for example, on women an artificial notion of their identity, a falsification of their real nature? If so, the Gnostics would consider that we have been instrumental in the rape of Eve by the Archons. In today's world, is it not obvious that we have a distorted view of genetics? If so, this distortion, and all that follows from it, would fully deserve to be seen as the consequences of the Archons' distorting influence on human behavior.

The Annunakis enter the scene

The above passage from "The Archon Hypostasis" speaks to the current debates about extraterrestrial intervention in human genetics. Most theories about the ET genetic hybridization program assume that whatever the aliens (usually the Gray fetal types are the most suspected) choose to do, they can do.

However, the Gnostic seers, who applied non- ordinary reasoning to their observations of the Archons, came to a different conclusion. According to the Gnostic view, it would be a monumental mistake to assume that the Archons can do things that they cannot actually do, because that would be giving them power over us that they do not possess.

The Gnostics taught that the main danger we face with the Archons is not so much what they can actually do as what we mistakenly believe they can do. Their trump card is deception (in Greek, apaton and plane), especially deception about the nature and extent of their powers. "For their pleasure is bitter, and their beauty is depraved. Their pleasure is in deception." ("The Apocrypha of John". 56:3-7).

Strange as they are, some elements of the Gnostic myth of our species are now beginning to look familiar. The theme of extraterrestrial insemination of the human race is also found in the archaic writings of ancient Sumer, which date from the third millennium BCE, and it abounds in contemporary ET/UFO discussions. The Sumerian narratives describe an extraterrestrial species, the Annunaki, who are credited with the creation of the human species, through genetic engineering, as well as the advent of civilization. These narratives are found on cuneiform tablets dating from about 1800 BCE, but they present late redactions of much earlier versions. The story of extraterrestrial intervention is, apparently, one of the oldest stories of our species. Most people who follow the ET/UFO debates are familiar with the Sumerian stories of the Annunaki who are easily identified with ETs today; however, to date, none of these debates have ever referred to the Gnostic Archon scenario.

The Gnostic description of the activities of the Archons/Annunaki differs in many key respects from that found in the Sumerian narratives. First of all, the Gnostics did not consider the Archons as superior beings who launch a civilization by snapping their fingers. Nor did they consider the Archons to be capable of manipulating the human genome (which they called the Anthropos), although they did grant some influence to Archontic activity in our physical evolution. This last point is extremely difficult to elucidate, however... The most striking difference by far between the Sumerian and Gnostic descriptions is that the former contains no reference to the myth of Sophia and presents no explanation as to the origin of the Archons, aka Annunakis. This is, to say the least, a considerable gap.

In his elaborate reconstruction of the Sumerian material, Zecharia Sitchin, describes the Annunaki as a highly evolved non-human species that dwells on the planet Nibiru, a planet at the edge of the solar system with a 3600 year cycle. In Sitchin's version of prehistory, the Annunaki arrived on Earth in search of gold in order to manufacture a colloidal suspension needed to stabilize their atmosphere (for more detailed information, see Sitchin's latest book, "The Lost Book of Enki"). Although Sitchin seems to be a recognized Sumerologist, demonstrating a very great mastery of ancient languages, no conventional scholar approves of his scenario concerning the Annunaki. At worst, it is dismissed as a fanciful "ancient astronaut" story dressed up in scientific garb. As far as I am concerned, I am unable to say whether Sitchin's story of the Annunakis on Nibiru is a faithful transcription of the cuneiform texts or a fanciful extrapolation of his brain.

It is significant that Sitchin never describes the physical appearance of the Annunakis, of either type. One of the great advantages of the Gnostic Archon scenario is that it provides concrete descriptions of these entities. Is it a coincidence that the Reptilian and Embryonic Archons, described in the Gnostic texts, are identical in appearance to the two most common types of ETs encountered today, namely the Greys and the Reptilians? If the Gnostics were right about this episode of the intervention scenario, what other aspects were they right about?

Cosmic Cousins

"The same manifestations that created our religious beliefs also created our UFO beliefs. A serious study of the Phenomenon would lead to a rethinking of our perception of religion." John Keel. "UFO: Operation Trojan Horse".

It is surprising to find detailed and vivid descriptions of predatory aliens in obscure texts dating back to the 4th century B.C., but the Gnostic revelations are no less surprising. It is certain that ancient testimonies of UFO sightings exist, but the Gnostic material on the Archons does not simply present "testimonies". The Gnostics explain their origins in the cosmic order, their nature (inorganic, imitative, without a will of their own), their appearances and strategies, their attitudes towards mankind and more. We would be hard pressed to imagine a clearer and more coherent solution to the "Phenomenon" (i.e., the ET/UFO enigma).

It is true that the very strange character of the Gnostic material, as far as the Archons are concerned, poses a problem of credibility. We have a choice between believing that these texts represent an accurate description of what the Gnostic seers observed in altered states of consciousness - that is, a reliable description of a truthful parapsychological investigation carried out by clairvoyant observation, lucid dreaming, remote viewing and then carefully evaluated by non-ordinary reason - or believing that the Gnostics were pure fantasists, mystics misled by their visions, sectarian lunatics, or even worse.

How can we, therefore, determine whether the Gnostic account of the Archons was a pure illusion or a reliable description of extraterrestrial intervention?

In the chapter "The Gaia Mythos: The Sources", I present the Aboriginal concept of DreamTime, the perpetual play of creative consciousness in the Eternal Now, and its variant, Dreaming.

"When the Dreamtime comes to be expressed in a particular behavior or knowledge, the Aborigines refer to the Dreaming of the creature that embodies that knowledge or personifies that behavior. The Dreaming of the Kangaroo, for example, is the sum of the innate knowledge and instinctive behavior of all kangaroos, going back to the Dreamtime ancestors.

All creatures, organic and inorganic, human and non-human, live and die by the Dreamings that work through them. In the Aboriginal worldview, the unique gift of humans to create culture emanates from our ability to remember and tell ourselves the Dreaming, not only of our own species but of all

other species. The Indigenous belief that humanity's role is to remember the events of the Dreaming for all other creatures is consistent with the suggestion presented in the chapter "The Gaia Mythos: Sharing": the human species is the activator of a memory circuit for Gaia."

If we are to apply these ideas to the Archon problem, we must remember that we, the human species, are involved in a specific way in the Dream of Gaia, which originates in the Trimorphic

Protennoia, the original tripartite intention of the Aeon Sophia. Our own boundaries are defined by the Earth-Moon-Sun trinity and our wisdom, endowed by Sophia, flourishes within the specific conditions of the biosphere, Gaia's womb. There is, however, another Dream that seeps into the Dream of the Earth, like a wireless message that creeps into a conversation taking place on another frequency.

Something extremely strange is manifesting itself on Earth because of a fracture in the human mind, and this fracture, in turn, proceeds from an anomaly in the cosmic order. " The world in which we dwell originates in an error" ("Gospel of Philip". NHC II, 3, 75.1). The magical adventure of consciousness, through which we co-evolve with the Dream of Gaia, is disturbed or distorted by an extraterrestrial influence, according to the teachings of the Gnostics. On this esoteric point, it seems that they were in agreement with the old Yaqui shaman, Don Juan, who said to Carlos Castañedas: "Human beings are on a quest for consciousness that has been momentarily interrupted by alien forces".

Everything we learn about the Archons teaches us something fundamental about ourselves.

Dominique Guillet - Copyright Free - translated from French. Xochipelli