The Ascension of the Soul in Mandaean Gnosticism: The Soul Within Me Yearns For Hayyi (The Great Life, Supreme Being)

The Ascension of the Soul in Mandaean Gnosticism: The Soul Within Me Yearns For Hayyi (The Great Life, Supreme Being)

“From the day when I came to love the Life [God], from the day when my heart came to love the Truth, I no longer have trust in anything in the world… After my soul alone I go searching about, which to me is worth generations and worlds. I went and found my soul — What are to me all the worlds? I went and found Truth, as she stands at the outer rim of the worlds.” (Ginza Rabba, Mandaean Gnostic Scriptures)

The Gnostic soul has little trust in the religious systems not only of this realm but also of the astral, causal and mental planes. The Gnostic soul has little desire for fellowshipping with those attached to these various material and lower realms either. In Gnostic mysticism, the cosmology of inner regions, beyond the seventh heaven is the realm of The Nameless One or Supreme Being, below referred to as The Great Life (Hayyi Rabbi).

The Soul Within Me Yearns For Hayyi (The Great Life, Supreme Being)

’Bshumayhon ‘d Hayyi rabbi
In the name of the Great Hayyi

The soul within me yearns for Hayyi.
The soul within me demands Hayyi.
My goal is to reach the Place of Life.
I am flying, advancing until I reach the first guardian.
The servants of the first guardian came to meet me.
They said, “Let us take this man with us as our captive.
He might serve as a companion to us.”

They asked me, “Hail, companion;
Where did you come from? Where do you go?”

I came from the earth, I am going to Hayyi,
and my path is to the Place of Life.

They said, “This is the Place of Life;
here it is, so where are you going now?”

I said to myself, “I am not one of them.
If I stayed with them, I would endure every torment.
This is not what my soul desires and wants.
The soul within me yearns for Hayyi.
The soul within me demands Hayyi.
My goal is to reach the Place of Life.”

I am flying, advancing until I reach the second guardian.
The servants of the second guardian came to meet me.
They said, “Let us take this man with us as our captive.
He might serve as a companion to us.”
They asked him, “Hail, companion;
Where did you come from? Where do you go?”

I came from the earth, I am going to Hayyi,
and my path is to the Place of Life.

They said, “This is the Place of Life;
here it is, so where are you going now?”

I said to myself, “I am not one of them.
If I stayed with them, I would endure every torment.
This is not what my soul desires and wants.
The soul within me yearns for Hayyi.
The soul within me demands Hayyi.
My goal is to reach the Place of Life.”

I am flying, advancing until I reach the third guardian.
The servants of the third guardian came to meet me.
They said, “Let us take this man with us as our captive.
He might serve as a companion to us.”
They asked him, “Hail, companion;
Where did you come from? Where do you go?”

I came from the earth, I am going to Hayyi,
and my path is to the Place of Life.

They said, “This is the Place of Life;
here it is, so where are you going now?”

I said to myself, “I am not one of them.
If I stayed with them, I would endure every torment.
This is not what my soul desires and wants.
The soul within me yearns for Hayyi.
The soul within me demands Hayyi.
My goal is to reach the Place of Life.”

I am flying, advancing until I reach the fourth guardian.
The servants of the fourth guardian came to meet me.
They said, “Let us take this man with us as our captive.
He might serve as a companion to us.”
They asked him, “Hail, companion;
Where did you come from? Where do you go?”

I came from the earth, I am going to Hayyi,
and my path is to the Place of Life.

They said, “This is the Place of Life;
here it is, so where are you going now?”

I said to myself, “I am not one of them.
If I stayed with them, I would endure every torment.
This is not what my soul desires and wants.
The soul within me yearns for Hayyi.
The soul within me demands Hayyi.
My goal is to reach the Place of Life.”

I am flying, advancing until I reach the fifth guardian.
The servants of the fifth guardian came to meet me.
They said, “Let us take this man with us as our captive.
He might serve as a companion to us.”
They asked him, “Hail, companion;
Where did you come from? Where do you go?”

I came from the earth, I am going to Hayyi,
and my path is to the Place of Life.

They said, “This is the Place of Life;
here it is, so where are you going now?”

I said to myself, “I am not one of them.
If I stayed with them, I would endure every torment.
This is not what my soul desires and wants.
The soul within me yearns for Hayyi.
The soul within me demands Hayyi.
My goal is to reach the Place of Life.”

I am flying, advancing until I reach the sixth guardian.
The servants of the sixth guardian came to meet me.
They said, “Let us take this man with us as our captive.
He might serve as a companion to us.”
They asked him, “Hail, companion;
Where did you come from? Where do you go?”

I came from the earth, I am going to Hayyi,
and my path is to the Place of Life.

They said, “This is the Place of Life;
here it is, so where are you going now?”

I said to myself, “I am not one of them.
If I stayed with them, I would endure every torment.
This is not what my soul desires and wants.
The soul within me yearns for Hayyi.
The soul within me demands Hayyi.
My goal is to reach the Place of Life.”

I am flying, advancing until I reach the seventh guardian.
The servants of the seventh guardian came to meet me.
They said, “Let us take this man with us as our captive.
He might serve as a companion to us.”
They asked him, “Hail, companion;
Where did you come from? Where do you go?”

I came from the earth, I am going to Hayyi,
and my path is to the Place of Life.

They said, “This is the Place of Life;
here it is, so where are you going now?”

I said to myself, “I am not one of them.
If I stayed with them, I would endure every torment.
This is not what my soul desires and wants.
The soul within me yearns for Hayyi.
The soul within me demands Hayyi.
My goal is to reach the Place of Life.”

I am flying, advancing until I reach the House of Life.
The righteous came forward to meet me.
In thanks, I bow down and praise Hayyi.
They clothed me in radiance, covered me with light,
and numbered me among the righteous.

Soul, you must raise your lamps
to shine among the lamps of light.
The word of truth has come to you.
It came to the faithful and the righteous.

’u Hayyi zaken

— from the Left Volume of the Ginza Rabba (Mandaean Gnostic Scriptures, Codex Nasaraeus)

The Earth-realm and Then Comes the Seven Inner Realms or Heavens, and Yet None Represent the True Highest Heaven so the Soul Continues the Journey of Ascension Until It Reaches The Eighth, the Goal, the Ultimate Reality, the Real Home of The Great Life, Hayyi Rabbi.

“In the Name of the Great Life

Sublime Light be Praised”