The figure of the mediator is central to the Neo-Sethian mythical structure. In The Secret Gospel of John a Pharisee named Arimanios challenges John about the teachings of Jesus causing John to ask questions. In the same Scripture the Christ comes to John in the forms of a child, and old man, and finally the figure most familiar to John, that of Jesus of Nazareth. In this you have Arimanios acting as the mediator as accuser, and the Christ in the role of mediator as revealer.
In another Sethian scripture called Trimorphic Protenoia it is the Barbelo who extends her-self into the material world. It is she who is the spirit in all beings, whether physically alive, or in the land of the dead. It is she who extends her voice – speech – word to awaken us. She is the Self as the whole of psychic individual, and the mother of the archetypal Self, as well as being the mediator as revealer and redeemer.
In Zostrianos and Marsanes we have the Angel of the Acquaintance, and the aeonic intermediary, Gamliel who act in the role of mediator. The mediator within the structure of Neo-Sethianism is a primary figure. Within Neo-Sethianism there is an understanding that along with spiritual attainment, psychological maturity should be developed.
The mediator in Jungian thought is called the Anima and Animus. Anima is a Latin term for the soul, and Animus is a Latin term for the spirit. These two terms are used almost interchangeably, linking the soul and spirit. Jung decided to use the terms largely because of their gender orientation. Anima has a feminine attribution and is most often used to refer to the mediator in the male. Animus has a masculine attribution and is used for the mediator in the female.
The understanding of gender issues was less complicated in Jung’s time, and the gender attributions reflect this. However, the gendered language of anima/animus gives an important clue as to the typical relationship between the mediator and the persona. Usually, the mediator’s relationship to the persona is as the opposite gender. This is similar to the relationship between the shadow and the persona, where the shadow is morally opposite the persona, but in this relationship the gender of the shadow is usually similar to the gender of the persona.
Today we understand that physical sex and psychological gender are not always the same; and complicating this even further are the many hermaphroditic variations. Recognizing these issues, it is better to describe the attributes of the mediator in relationship to the persona in something like the Taoist terms of Yin and Yang. In this language, if the persona is yang, then the mediator will usually appear as yin. Conversely, if the persona is yin, then the mediator will usually appear as yang.
This is not to say that the mediator has its origin in the persona or the ego. Rather, the mediator has its origins in the deeper reaches of the unconscious soul. In function, it is similar to the persona in that it protects, processes, interprets, and reveals the collective unconscious in a similar way as the persona does for the external world. The relationship between the persona and the ego however is different than that of the ego and the mediator. And the quality of the relationship between the ego and the mediator is different during each phase of the ascent process and the descent process.
During the ascent process, the mediator is guide and revealer. The mediator is an authority figure, and seems to have more “power” than the ego. This is dangerous, because the mediator is a very powerful archetype which can act in much the same way as the trickster figure in many mythologies. This happens when the ego is weak, and the mediator is undeveloped. The cause for a weak ego and an undeveloped mediator is the same thing; over identification with the persona. Remember, the shadow reflects what the persona has deemed bad or evil, and fills the individual with distress. The mediator reflects what the persona has deemed unacceptable and taboo, and fills the individual with excitement and desire. Just as the rejection of personal qualities that are labeled evil feed the shadow, personal qualities that betray taboo (without crossing the line into what is evil) feed the appearance of the mediator. Like the eruption of the complexes of the personal unconscious, if neglected, the mediator can build up enough energy to erupt onto the ego, even to the point of possession. This often is a primary cause of the proverbial mid-life crisis.
The manifestation of this type of eruption will depend on the quality of the persona. It is here where we find the typical successful man who throws it all away for a shiny, new sports cars, and younger women. You will often hear this man say that he just couldn’t help himself, and to a degree he is right. Another manifestation of this is the perfect, dedicated mother and housewife, who has a passionate love affair with passing stranger, and says that she discovered depths of passion that she never knew was there. After the end of both of these situations, in spite of the social cost, both of these people are often psychologically healthier than they were before the eruption. This is because, finally, the mediator has received attention and development. This is the eruption of the mediator, possession is something altogether different.
In possession we see a pathological manifestation of the opposite of the accepted persona. In this situation you will see the hyper-emotionally sensitive man, and the hyper-aggressive, hard woman. In both of these pathologies, the individual feels out of control. They do not see how they can be anything else than what they present to the world. The ego has completely identified with the mediator and has overpowered the persona. If this occurs in mid-life, there will seem to be a total shift of personality, but there is the potential for growing past it with minimal effort. If it occurs in childhood, growing out of it is more difficult.
So, in the ascent process the mediator acts as authority in the face of the maturing ego. In the descent process the relationship is a bit different. At this point, the ego has unified with the Nous, and the Self is consciously in control through the light of awareness. Even though the ego is the servant of the Self, it is in many ways the governor of the soul. From this perspective, the mediator is still guide and revealer, but now it is the servant to the Self-strengthened ego. Possession at this point is all but impossible. The mediator serves the purpose of guiding the saturation of the psyche and the soma with the spirit. In this situation, the mediator acts as companion, and even friend to the consciousness. It is here where we find the illuminating angel of our higher natures, who guides the light of awareness through the depths of the unconscious, bringing this light to the darkness of the depths of our soul. It is in this guise that we can find the lower Sophia (wisdom), who works diligently with the Logos (the developed, mature, and unified ego/Nous) to bring the light of redemption to every aspect of the individual universe.
But where do we start?
The mediator is a major aspect of the soul, and needs to be cultivated if consciousness is going to be raised to the heights of the spirit. The appearance of the mediator (in feeling, voice, and image) engenders attraction and the desire for union. The mediator is our guide through the adventurous terrain of our own unconscious. The charge that the mediator carries is one of dramatic movement that leads us to transformation.
As dramatic and attractive as the mediator is, it is necessary to refrain from running headlong into the passionate embrace of this image. Like the ego, if the mediator is going to serve the purpose of leading us deeper into relationship with God then it must be developed and refined. We do this through the dialectical process. In this process we deconstruct the appearance of the mediator through challenge and dialogue. It is in this process where the differentiation between the ego and the mediator is determined and accepted. Within the mind and soul, this process will usually begin on an emotional footing. With time, however, the emotional content of the attitudes will lessen and the intellect can be brought to bear.
Why do we do this? Why not just drown in the sea of the Holy Spirit? Why not just run into the arms of the goddess and loose ourselves in her embrace? Because we still have a life to live. Possession is psychosis. Spiritual growth is fulfilling our lives, not abandoning them. As discussed above, the raw energy of the unrefined mediator will seek to dominate and possess the ego. Running into its embrace, without challenge, is like throwing your-self off a skyscraper. You will feel the ecstasy of fight, until you hit the ground. Remember, the key to growth in Gnosis, is raising and strengthening consciousness, which requires strengthening the ego.
We challenge the appearance of the mediator because we need to be able to see through the illusions that we have projected onto the mediator. When we first encounter the mediator, like most things, we are encountering our own projections, rather than the-thing-in-truth. And with an essence like the mediator, there are layers of projections to see through. This is the reason for the principle of radical-personal-integrity.
For over a century our spiritual culture has treated content that comes out of the unconscious as if it is somehow truer than anything else. We trust the images and messages we receive from the depths of the unconscious without testing or reservation. We believe insight and intuition without the balance of the intellect. We think that because a message seems to come from a “higher” source, it can be trusted without challenge. There is a hard truth for many of us to grasp; we lie to our-selves. Much of the content that we see, and the messages that we receive from our unconscious or what we perceive as the spirit realm has its origin or has been tainted by the trauma’s and programming of our lives. If we do not rigorously and even ruthlessly test these things, we will do nothing but strengthen the prison of our own illusion.
This is even more important if the image or message really is coming from a transcendent source. It is foolish to recklessly give our trust to an entity who claims to be an ascended master, or enlightened being from another place, time, or dimension. It is even more foolish to allow such an entity to possess you. All things, material, psychological, and spiritual should be tested with the same intensity. The first step in this testing is the dialectical process.
What this process does, on the inner plain is to allow us to dissect our own internal universe. Not only will we become familiar with our own illusions, but we will learn the ins and outs of whom and what we actually are. It is an adventure of discovery. It is profound in its depth and height. We are so much more than we think we are, and we have the opportunity to discover that through experience. It is through this process that we begin to understand the whys of our-selves. It is only then that we can choose to be what we always have been, or to transform into something new.
Most of us are simply stimulus – response machines, and we misunderstand our automatic responses to stimuli as intuition. It is through the application of conscious understanding that we develop the ability to choose our responses to stimuli. Through this application of consciousness we discover the richness of the mythical universe that is our souls. This universe is filled with figures out of legend, ancient gods and heroes. It is this universe that gave birth to the richness of myth, legend, fantasy, and lore that is the true art of the human being.
As much as dialectic is the starting place for our interaction with the mediator, we must never forget that the core of this interaction is relationship. Because of the gendered nature of the mediator, we will most often encounter it through projection onto someone of the opposite gender. This is important for us to keep in mind. When we meet a new person, and we find them attractive, especially if that attraction has energy, and “ummmph,” we are invariably dealing with a projection of our mediator onto this person. This is another reason why the initial dialectic is necessary. If we can recognize the projection when it occurs, we are more likely to be able to see through that projection.
There is a lot of confusion as to why the divorce rate is so high in the Western world. Since the fifties (and even before then) the educational system in the West has continued to move away from the art and skills of philosophy and critical thinking. We are not nearly as scientifically minded, or intellectually based as we like to think we are. What occurs in infatuation is that the individual falls in love with a projection of the part of them-selves that is most enticing. The other person is almost beside the point. These individuals believe them-selves to be in love with the other, when in fact they are in love with them-selves. As time goes on, the reality of the other challenges the illusion of the projection and these individuals think that “the spark is no longer there.” This is when they either try to find a way to re-project onto the partner, resolve them-selves to living in a “loveless” marriage, or they abandon the relationship as a failure, or they grow up, and learn to love this person for them, not who they want them to be.
This occurs on the inner plain as well. We will often encounter the mediator as our projection, and never learn to see beyond it. If we do this, we may develop a rich fantasy life, but we will not grow beyond this place. This is because we are not seeing the mediator for what it is; we are seeing the projection of the opposite of the persona onto the essence of this archetype. Just like what we do when infatuated, we never learn to see the mediator as what it is, we only see it as what we want it to be. It is important to note here, that we do this to all of the archetypes. If we have not learned to see beyond our own projections, we will never grow beyond our own concepts. We will remain imprisoned by our programming, and we will never learn to be a true human being beyond that programming.
So, the first step is to stay aware of your responses to people. If you find someone attractive, especially when that attraction has a touch of passion, don’t run head long into a relationship, pause and learn to observe yourself at that place. Notice the emotions that arise. Try to see inward to what image those emotions are attached to within your own mind. Try to do this with each of the responses you have to this individual. Learn to see the why of your attraction. Make a list of the attributes that attract you and your responses to those attributes; if you have discovered the source of those responses than write that down too.
Once you have the list then use it to build a mental image. Fill the image with personality traits that also trigger the same type of response. Open a dialogue with this image. Understand that this image is of your making, and is obscuring the essence of the mediator. However, also understand that it is this depth of emotional response and desire that will call the mediator forth. But be prepared, there will be a moment when this image will seem to take on a life of its own. When this occurs, the attraction to the image will redouble. Maintain the distance, and challenge this image with questioning. You will find that answers will arise in you consciousness in responses to these questions. Once this occurs then start challenging the validity of the image you created. Begin to try to see beyond that image. One way to begin this process is through Thematic Amplification. The image you are dialoguing with will have an echo in mythology. Research and find that echo. Use the information you have to expand on the theme of the archetype. Then use the mythical figure to find similar figures of mythology (both in the same culture and in others). Use this information to expand your interaction with this archetype. This includes animal companions, associated holidays, colors, scents, jewels, plants, etc.
At some point, the figure will take on a numinous (or holy, sacred) quality. When this occurs, the mediator can act as guide to and through other archetypal figures and realms. As you begin to interact with these other figures, do the same. Embrace the dialectical process first, recognizing the archetypal projection on those around you, gathering information, creating a mental image, developing relationship with that image, expanding your understanding of that archetype until you can move beyond that archetype.
This process will do many things for you. You will develop sensitivity to people, their moods, their pains, their needs that you have never had before. But this will be a sensitivity that does not possess you. You will develop the ability to understand what needs to done for that person, and what will exacerbate the situation. In other words, you will begin to develop what Paul called, the discernment of spirits. And this will be true intuition (sub-conscious conclusions based on more information than the ego is aware of having access to) and not pre-patterned reactions that could do as much harm as good.
You will also develop the ability to center yourself in a place of calm, while in the midst of the storms of passion, emotion, pain, and joy, and make decisions based on wisdom and understanding rather than reaction. Related to this, you will develop a great deal of understanding of your own needs, desires, priorities, values, strengths, and limitations. But it begins with controlling that initial reaction to run forward and embrace that which entices you.
Also, you will come to understand what type of person you are truly compatible with. You will come to understand what qualities this person needs to have in order for you to have a healthy and lasting relationship. Remember, in the beginning the projections of the mediator represent the undeveloped side of the individual. Through this process, you will begin to develop that side of yourself, and this development will lead to deeper, related elements that can now be actively cultivated. This process takes discipline, but condemnation and punishment will work against you. So, embrace the process but refrain from self-condemnation.
That is where we will end today.
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