The Two Roots of Yetzer hara

We have already discussed malus, the energy of “evil” — the alienation of the mind’s outer layers from its foundations and depths — arises as a result of distorted perception, which manifests as the opposition between mind’s manifestations and its nature.

Such a distortion, known as the “gravitation toward evil,” “eitzekhore” (and its “carrier” in the psychocosmos — the “Parasite of mind”), can arise for two reasons:

• the refusal of the “outer,” manifested layers of mind (what is usually called the “personality”) to see themselves as mere epiphenomena, a temporary, particular expression of its deep currents — that is, “egoism” and “separateness”;
• the refusal of manifested mind to regard the manifested world as the result of description, observation, and as an environment for the actualization of mind.

Namely, mind acts inefficiently when it mistakenly asserts the reality either of its own manifestations or of the “surrounding world.” Traditionally, these two energies of delusion are called “koach ha-tumah” (כוח הטומאה) — literally the “power of impurity,” and “koach ha-guf” (כוח הגוף) — literally the “power of the body,” with the former considered a “demonic” manifestation, and the latter the force of heimarmene. We have already mentioned that these energies manifest, respectively, in blocking recognition and expression of desires, and in the paralysis of the will. Also, we have drawn attention to the fact that in recent times the role of “koach ha-guf” has increased significantly, and the energy drains associated with it have grown.

The Magi have learned for millennia to recognize “koach ha-tumah,” describe its sources and manifestations, and developed strategies of resisting it. At the same time, traditional schools and lineages were much less prepared for the expansion of “koach ha-guf,” which is largely connected with the enormous scale of the rapid virtualization of the mind.

From the gnostic point of view of a gnostic worldview, “erroneous wisdom,” false perception of reality with ascribing to it “true existence,” appears as a result of shifting the attention of the world’s perceptive activity — Sophia — from the “upper” levels — spirit — to the “lower” — its reflections. That is, when mind, instead of its source, begins to focus its attention on its manifestations, “Yetzer hara” arises. The Gnostics describe such a “change in the direction of the gaze” of mind as the birth of “Sophia Achamoth” — “barren (חמות) wisdom.” We have already mentioned that this state of mind corresponds to the space of the Interval, from which an innumerable spectrum emerges of separate realities, in each of which the manifestation of mind is confident in the reality of itself and the world.

At the same time, paradoxically, the “virtualization” of mind does not destroy its faith in the “reality” of itself and the world; on the contrary, it reinforces it. Indeed, if in a “grounded” state mind more or less clearly identifies the “real” world, and therefore, discovering its “bugs,” inconsistencies, and inner deficiency, may find the strength and the possibilities to step beyond its limits, then in a state accustomed to virtual environments, mind feels that “anything is possible,” “everything is equally probable,” and it bogs down in the “imperfect” quasi-reality of Achamoth, unable to find for itself anywhere either a foothold or a direction. In other words, if in the “old” state the personality is an island amid the ocean of mind, then in the “new,” “virtualized” world it is a continuous swamp, without firm places and obvious depths.

In this vein, Tradition describes “koach ha-guf” as “arel” (ערל, lit. “clogged,” “closed,” that is, insensitive), noting that attention, scattered in all directions, unfocused, cannot discover either its source or the foundations of reality. Thus, it is precisely the attention scattered by virtual environments that is the source of the scattering of energy: just as in the Interval itself there is no stability, mind that takes it as an environment turns from a stream into a cloud, losing effectiveness.

It is no accident that “achamoth” is simultaneously both “death” (“המות”) and “enchantment” (“חָמוּד”): virtuality is alluring but barren, and mind, deprived of direction, loses tension, and with it — productivity. In this vein, Achamoth is also called “Sophia Prunikos” (Σοφíα Προύνικος), “wisdom of lax conduct,” emphasizing the inconstancy, variability, and “unfaithfulness” of mind in virtual spaces.

Thus, in order for mind to be effective, it must, first, exist as a stream — that is, a cohesive cognitive impulse — and, second, have a clear direction, a focus which, of course, may be erroneous, but is always open to correction. Both the sluggishness and loss of focus are accompanied by energy drains and a decline in evolutionary prospects. That is why for a Magus, both the fiery basis of their desires and realizational activity, their embodiment in will and further interactions, are important. Mind entangled in its desires is only a mere fodder for kidemons, and mind that has weakened its realizational activity is only food for archons and Fomorians.