Session 2
The Six States of Wisdom

Reflection

In a newly discovered Gospel from the first centuries of Christianity, we hear what many claim to be teachings from the mouth of Yeshua which are entirely new to us in our century. The following example is the second saying (called a logion) from the Gospel of Thomas:

If you are searching,
you must not stop until you find.
When you find, however,
you will become troubled.
Your confusion will give way to wonder.
In wonder you will reign over all things.
Your sovereignty will be your rest.

(Logion 2)

What is most significant about this saying is that it clearly contains new material expressing Yeshua’s original teachings that describes the six states of wisdom through which an individual passes as they begin to live and know its principles. The first two states (seeking and finding) were already known to us from other Gospels and the Hebrew Bible. In the Gospel of Thomas, however, four more states of great significance are added (trouble/confusion, wonder, reign/sovereignty, and rest), giving us a complex understanding about how we grow into wisdom and what we experience as we do.

We might imagine these six states as essential steps in order to become a truly wise human being. Each of these entails specific inner practices and states of knowing and being that affect us as we continue our journey that started by searching. Perhaps we pass through these six in the manner of a spiral—spiraling through them over and over again throughout a lifetime of contemplative experience and practice. Yeshua is teaching us something both ancient and new—a profound way of seeing ourselves and the richness of our spiritual journey that perhaps we never knew before.

Practice

1. Read through the Logion twice. Sit in reflection, pondering its many meanings and these six states of wisdom. Let insight come to you about what these may mean.

2. Journal also what you are experiencing as you read and reflect on this saying of Yeshua. What insights do you have about your own spiritual experience?

3. Look at images for each point of the Seal of Solomon. What do you see? How does each image help you to understand the entire saying and these six states?

4. Make a list of each state and then journal any new understandings that come to you as you reflect on each image.

5. What questions about Yeshua’s teaching would you like to have answered or explore more? Journal these important questions.

Home > Explore Our Path Introduction > Session 1 - Bi-Axial Beings > Session 2 - The Six States of Wisdom

Continue to Session 3 > Chanted Prayer