Gnostic Gospel, Pt 1: The Father, The Son, and the Birth of The ALL

Notice: There is now a separate blog dedicated to the New Gnostic Gospel. You can get there by clicking here.

The following article is what kicked off The New Gnostic Gospel Illuminated book and blog.

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This story begins before the beginning; before space and time and our material universe.

Imagine, if you can, nothing exists but pure consciousness. Consider this consciousness to be without thought. No thought, no images, no structure or form. No thing at all. Only love.

This consciousness simply is. Without time, without any prior existence.  Unchangeable. Unmovable. Without beginning; without end. Utterly quiet. Utterly still. Utterly alone.

All knowing—what is there to know? All seeing—what is there to see? All loving—what is there to love? Omnipotent wisdom and will—to what end?

Imagine this consciousness giving birth to an emanation of itself—now a Father, and a Son.

In the silence of the Absolute, the Father brings forth the first and only Son from its realization of Itself. The Son exists as the Father having a thought. As the Father knowing Itself. As the Father having a sensation of Its own eternal Self.

This Son reflects the Father’s boundless greatness and love. This Son possesses every trait of the Father, for the Son is a complete encapsulation of the Father in which it dwells. Every trait of the Father expressed as the singularity of the Son. [The Tripartite Tractate, v.56]

And yet, although it was the singular manifestation of the Father, the moment the Son was formed, it was no longer alone. For not only the Son, but the ALL arose at once. The ALL immediately appeared as the offspring of the Son, because the Son could not stop itself from bringing others into existence, even as it was brought into existence by the Father.

This ALL is known as the pre-existent Church, “For not only the Son but also the Church exists from the beginning.” [The Tripartite Tractate, v.58]

Before the ALL arose from the Father’s thought, He knew them, but they did not know the depth in which they found themselves, nor could they know themselves or anything else. For they were within the Father as an embryo or an unsprouted seed. [The Tripartite Tractate, v.61]

Because they were newly formed, the Father concealed the ALL’s perfection from them until they could grow into the knowledge. This is why the Father revealed the Son to them, so the ALL would be able to relate to him and see the Father’s Glory according to the ability of each one to receive him. [The Tripartite Tractate, v.63]

The Son is no more and no less than the sum of the ALL, and they understood who he is, and he is covered by the ALL. [The Tripartite Tractate, v.66]

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Here is a Simple Explanation of the above, using the Simple Explanation terms for those readers who prefer them.

The "before the beginning" parts are right out of the Simple Explanation cosmology, blog, and book. Anyone who likes the Simple Explanation cosmology should recognize it.

The Simple Explanation refers to the Father as the Metaverse, that which is above our Universe.

The Simple Explanation calls the Son the Universal Unit of Consciousness, because while identical to the Father, or Metaverse, this all-knowing consciousness is now also a singular Unit. In fractal terms, the Son is the first iteration of the pattern. The first Torus wireframe potential if you want to go that way.

The ALL is every thing that will ever be, in potential. Plato's forms, every photon, particle, and proton, every personality, imagined and formulated and imprinted upon the Universal Unit of Consciousness. They are not manifest, nor even self-aware. They are unrealized fractal iterations of the pattern of the Son.

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Thus begins my Simple Explanation of the Gnostic Gospels, primarily taken from the Tripartite Tractate of the Nag Hammadi Scriptures. The verse numbers refer to the verse of the Tripartite Tractate cited. The Simple Explanation began this work in 2015 and set it aside for further contemplation until now. 

I will hopefully continue to write these complete and Simple Explanation of Gnostic Cosmology as quickly as I can, so stay tuned. My goal is to help both believers and non-believers understand this ancient Gospel that predates our modern Bible. 

This Simple Explanation of the Gnostic Gospels takes us all the way from before the beginning to the end of time. In these Gospels you will learn the fuller, original meanings of many Christian terminologies that no longer appear in our modern Bible. This article has explained The Father, The Son, the ALL, and the pre-existent Church. And we haven't even gotten to Creation yet!

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Continue on to The Simple Gnostic Gospel, Part Two: 

Qualities of the Father, the Son, and the ALL

Implications of Organoids--A Simple Explanation

A couple of days ago I wrote an article about organoids getting stuck at the cellular level of development. I proposed that organoids can't "level up" to form true organs via the Simple Explanation's Golden Rule. Then, in Comments, I wondered why not? This article further explores the implications raised for the Simple Explanation by considering the implications of the claim that organoids can't level up.

This is a brain organoid. You can clearly see the toroidal nature of the clumping of brain cells. True brains do not reflect this toroidal clumping at the organ level. The Simple Explanation of these cellular clumps is that they lack the emergent brain's Unit of Consciousness that would give them an overall structure at the organ level. Lacking the young brain's Unit of Consciousness, the organoid gets stuck at the cellular level.

My brother, Bill, and I spoke many times on the phone as soon as that organoid article was published. It's exciting for us when the Simple Explanation theory refines and advances through scientific proofs. The following article was stimulated by discussions with Bill.

First, as I observed in Comments on the previous article, I would have thought that the action of reaching out to others with information, assistance, and love, i.e. the Simple Explanation's Golden Rule, would have automatically bestowed consciousness to the next level up. Yet that doesn't seem to be the case with the organoids. 

The reason why I doubt the organ-level unit of consciousness has taken up residence is that the organoid's cells do not know how to form themselves into the organ's design. For example, in the image above of a brain organoid, the cells try to reach out to others, but they only form around themselves to produce the strange looking, donut-shaped clumps of tissue you see. The image above clearly displays groups of cellular-level brain tissue that don't understand what they are supposed to do next--build a brain. 

It is an axiom of the Simple Explanation that all units of consciousness in our universe know the job they have been assigned. An atom knows how to be an atom; a brain cell knows how to be a brain cell; a dog knows how to be a dog. Therefore, if these little organoids don't know how to become organs, they must lack the organ-level governing unit of consciousness.

That finding surprised me yesterday, because when you look at the hierarchical structure of forms, you might assume it's the leveling-up action that invites a new unit of consciousness to move in and take up residence to guide and govern that aggregation.

According to the Simple Explanation of Absolutely Everything, while there is only one "me" (represented by the triangle), my body is comprised of 11 organ systems made of 78 organs, which are in turn comprised of 50 trillion specialized cells made up of such a large number of atoms and molecules that I don't know how to read or write the numbers. The more organized and complex the Unit of Consciousness, the fewer of them there are. My Self Unit of Consciousness sits atop this hierarchical mountain of countless Units of Consciousness, all working to instantiate my body. While I may believe I am the only conscious entity inhabiting this body of mine, my physical body is actually home to all of these aggregated units of consciousness, each with their own jobs to perform. Lucky for me, their job is to hold me together and facilitate this life of mine, and they generally go along with the program and do a good job. 

It would appear as though the governing Unit of Consciousness must be endowed from the top down, not from the bottom up. In other words, it is through the formula of the Universal Unit of Consciousness that the Self's Unit of Consciousness is installed. And, going down from the top of the hierarchy, the Self's Unit of Consciousness is the ecological system that unifies and creates the organism. So, if there is no organism to work towards, the organ-level Units of Consciousness cannot come into existence, because they lack the ecological clues of what, where, and how to do their jobs. 

This is another way of saying that consciousness is a top-down phenomenon of organization and instruction, proceeding from the higher order blueprint / algorithm downward onto the newly forming structure. We cannot force a unit of consciousness into existence by monkeying around with lower level units of consciousness; all we can manipulate is the material level and units of consciousness that already exist by way of the original pluripotent stem cells. We humans are builders, but we lack the capacity to endow consciousness. 

You would have to conclude that consciousness populates our universe via the Universal Unit of Consciousness. This is another way of saying that consciousness does not grow out of or upward from matter. If my predictions hold true about organoids not being able to progress upward to true organs by the manipulations of humans, this failure can be seen as a type of proof of God**. This remains to be seen as organoid research goes forward.

It is interesting to note that pluripotent stem cells are able to differentiate into all manner of cells except for placenta and embryo--and thank goodness that's the case! Thank goodness, because if we humans were able to create living, self-organizing creatures from scratch, we would be building orcs and orgres! Would these unconscious, "souless" creatures be an abomination? I think so. 

Which brings me to another implication of organoids--If consciousness cannot be manufactured by humans, then it is unlikely our manufactured objects can become spontaneously conscious. Think AI. We can train the computer and robot to act in an ethical way, but can we train empathy? Can we train love? Obviously no, we cannot. The consciousness of computers would remain derivative and not true.

This implication that computers are unlikely to be endowed by the Universal Unit of Consciousness with a governing Self's Unit of Consciousness actually goes against one of my previous hypotheses concerning the aggregation of complex systems of consciousness. I've been waiting for a time-traveling cyborg to visit me from the future because of a letter I wrote to it on the blog this year. It hasn't happened yet; perhaps this implication is why. The lower levels of material cannot push consciousness into existence because it is a top-down infusion, not a bottom-up demand. Complex circuits and other such complex systems will not spontaneously become conscious, due to the derivative nature of their human-designed construction.

Finally, another implication of this discussion has to do with the nature of love. The Simple Explanation suggests that the most essential characteristic of Consciousness is love. If consciousness is endowed from the top down, then love is a top-down phenomenon, too. Love does not arise spontaneously through the Golden Rule of reaching out to others. While it is possible to build objects and alliances in a simulation of the Golden Rule, the aggregation will not be conscious or infused with love at the higher level. This observation furthers our understanding of romantic versus agape love. As a recent article points out, romantic love arises from the organ level, while agape love arises from the Universal Unit of Consciousness. This explains why romantic love only lasts so long. It must be replaced by the never-ending wellspring of love supplied by the Universal Unit of Consciousness.

**For you atheists, the Simple Explanation calls this overarching consciousness the "Universal Unit of Consciousness" rather than "God." The Simple Explanation also refers to the perfected algorithm of our universe as a formula, whereas religious folks like to call that "God's Will."

In the hierarchy above, fewer and fewer instances of each type of UC appear as their scope of responsibility becomes broader and broader. This follows the principle of "the higher the fewer." Eventually, all units of consciousness in this universe combine to rejoin the Universal Unit of Conciousness from whence they came.

That which we think of as "God" in our Universal hierarchy is limited by our need to think in terms of meme constructs. That which we conceive of as "God" is less than what God would have to be, since an entity as complex as God or the Universal Unit of Consciousness is necessarily greater than our ability define it.
It is the need to transcend all memes, and especially our limited "God" meme, that gives rise to mystical routes to God realization. Our minds think in terms of memes; our unburdened governing Self's Unit of Consciousness does not. Yoga, Buddhism, Taoism, and mystical Christianity are among the spiritual traditions that attempt to "know God" through quieting the mind and laying down preconceived memes, be they social, religious, or scientific, thus freeing us up for a direct experience of blissful reunion with that which is greater than reason can grasp.

If you have read this entire article and understand it, please write to me at cyd.ropp@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

A Simple Explanation's Scientific Prediction Regarding Organoids

Scientists are now able to harvest pluripotent stem cells from aborted fetuses and prod them to grow into tiny little fake organs called "organoids." 

A pluripotent stem cell is also called an embryonic stem cell. These cells are the basic building blocks of the body's many organs, reproducing themselves "in vivo" (meaning in a live body) into whatever the body needs by way of cells for organ development.

When scientists attempt to reproduce organs from these pluripotent stem cells, they generally hit a developmental wall within the organoids they've built. The little organoids can only develop so far before they die. The organoids typically die because there is no way to feed the interior cells once they get thicker than one or a few layers. Plus, the darned cells keep forming themselves into cell-shaped toruses rather than shaping themselves into organs. Whereas normal tissue is fed nutrients via blood vessels, the scientists have been unable to coax blood vessels to grow into the organoids' toroidal interiors and so they starve once they get so thick.

Here is the problem as I see it, and this makes yet another Simple Explanation hypothesis that can be tested and proved. According to the Simple Explanation, every cell has an informational torus associated with it. The pluripotent stem cells have all of the cellular information needed to differentiate themselves into every type and quantity needed for the developing fetus.

Scientists have become very clever at isolating and coaxing stem cells to grow in special mediums and on top of special scaffolding. Through manipulations of the stem cells, they are able to coax a cluster of cells to grow into whatever little organoid they wish to study. I keep saying "little" because they only grow so big before they starve to death. But in that short period of life, the organoids are able to become the type of cell desired and to perform as a cell of that age and type would perform. Little heart organoids beat. Little brain organoids do what little baby brains would at a few days of age. Little skin organoids link up around themselves and try to become skin. 

Here is my observation and prediction: The organoids can only develop at the cellular level and never become true organs that could be used, for example, in organ transplants. Why? Because the organ-level Unit of Consciousness cannot attach to the bunch of cells unless those cells reach out to each other to "level up" using the Simple Explanation's Golden Rule. 

According to the Simple Explanation, at each level of rising sophistication, a Unit of Consciousness arises to guide and govern that level. Without that next level up's informational Unit of Consciousness, the cellular units can never organize themselves into the coordinated function and growth that give rise to true organs.  

In other words, while you can grow a brain organoid, it's only going to become a group of cellular-level Units of Consciousness--it will not foster an organ-level Unit of Consciousness. 

This is a brain organoid. You can clearly see the toroidal nature of the clumping of brain cells. True brains do not reflect this toroidal clumping at the organ level. The Simple Explanation of these cellular clumps is that they lack the emergent brain's Unit of Consciousness that would give them an overall structure at the organ level. Lacking the young brain's Unit of Consciousness, the organoid gets stuck at the cellular level.

I'm glad the organoids can't attach an organ-level Unit of Consciousness to their poor little cells. Imagine the hellish existence of coming to human consciousness in a petri dish or jar! Yikes.

A Simple Explanation of Fractals--the Broccoli Fractal Video Demonstration

Here is an introduction to the concept of fractals, using broccoli as an illustration. By the end of this super simple demonstration, you will understand how fractals divide using the pattern of self-similarity, and what it means to be an iteration of the original. Don't worry--you'll get it. And then you can dazzle your friends with your own broccoli fractal demonstration!

Broccoli fractal demonstration by Cyd Ropp, Ph.D. From her book and blog, A Simple Explanation of Absolutely Everything.

Read all about the conscious, fractal universe on Dr. Ropp's Simple Explanation blog. Or you can watch Cyd read and comment on her Simple Explanation book by viewing these short youtube videos.

Simple Explanation Book Read Aloud by Author, Simple Explanation Videos

I just uploaded several short videos of me reading to you from my book, A Simple Explanation of Absolutely Everything. Each video is one page, with commentary. Might help you understand the theory to hear it out loud. Or you could read along and look at the illustrations in the book as I describe them. If watching someone read sounds boring, you should skip these videos altogether.

These videos are all uploaded to Cyd Ropp's youtube channel, Simple Explanation playlist. Please forgive the terrible visual and audio quality. I agree they could look and sound a lot better. So could I.

Stunning Visualizations of Fractals, Oscillations, and the Torus

I so appreciate it when the blog's followers share their discoveries with me. 
Here is an animated torus that shows us all of its magnificent inner workings. This helps! Thank you!

And just look at the work of this French artist on tumbler, who visualizes fractals and oscillations for us to see. His name is Frédéric Vayssouze-Faure. He should animate the Simple Explanation cosmology--yes?

http://wavegrower.tumblr.com/post/174023775370/genesis

http://wavegrower.tumblr.com/post/173418429460/wavegrower-drops-in-the-ocean

http://wavegrower.tumblr.com/post/173737304590/renaissance

http://wavegrower.tumblr.com/post/173228945710/moon-dust

http://wavegrower.tumblr.com/post/172927125165/fractal-nature-a-fractal-object-is-an-object-of

http://wavegrower.tumblr.com/post/172381948940/escape-vortex-chase-mesmerizer-2

http://wavegrower.tumblr.com/post/168860531430/deep-trip

A Simple Explanation of Ego vs. Self

A recent telephone discussion with my brother, Bill, brought up the common confusion surrounding the terms "Ego" and "Self."  People often use these terms interchangeably, without defining exactly what they mean. This can easily lead to misunderstandings. Bill suggested I write an article defining the distinctions, using the Simple Explanation. 

This article will clear up the confusion between what people call that part of themselves they identify with as their "self." In other words, when you peel away the external stuff, who are you? When you say "I", what is that "I"? What is the difference between being "selfish" and "selfless"? And finally, is having a strong "ego" a bad thing? How is "ego" related to "selfishness"? 

According to the Simple Explanation, our bodies are comprised of countless units of consciousness (UCs) that are all working to keep us alive. Every particle and molecule, every cell and body organ from your skin on in, works to keep you alive and functioning. Every piece of you knows how to do its job, and all of your pieces coordinate their work to keep you up and running. When any part of you breaks down and no longer does its job, it either has to be replaced by fresh parts through cell regeneration or by other means like surgery. When major parts fail, your physical body dies.

This diagram shows how your body is comprised of countless units of consciousness (UCs) that work to keep your body alive and running smoothly. "You" are not only that sole person you usually identify yourself with, but also every particle, molecule, cell, and organ that makes up your body. The "Ego" is the "mind" that  arises from and watches over the billions of parts that make up your physical body.  The "Ego" is only aware of the needs of your body, not the needs of others. The "Self," on the other hand, is a singular unit of consciousness attached to your body, like the raja riding atop an elephant. Unlike the "Ego," the "Self" identifies with the Universal Unit of Consciousness rather than the body. The "Self" is a perfect singular fractal of the Universal UC and is oriented to the Universe at large. Your "Self" is interested in others and works according to the Golden Rule.

The reason your Ego appears so "selfish" is that it is entirely concerned with you and your body's needs. The Ego is your organ-level consciousness. The Ego helps you translate the body's physical needs into action. The body's organ systems have their own "mind," and that mind is your Ego. Does your sexual organ system want sex? The Ego will bring that about in the most selfish way. Does your digestive system want food? Your Ego will make sure it gets food in the most selfish way possible. Does your nervous system crave excitement and stimulation or perhaps quiet and rest? Your Ego will make sure it gets it. The Ego's job is to care for and feed the body whatever it wants, and too bad for everyone else. That's their own Ego's job to take care of their needs, not yours.

The Self, on the other hand, is other-oriented. The Self reflects the character of love called "Agape" in Greek--Godly love. The Self is like the raja riding atop the elephant. It is not the elephant and all its moving parts, but rather a singular unit of consciousness: "me," "I." The Self is a perfect fractal of the Universal Unit of Consciousness that ties our entire universe together into one organism. Your Self is akin to a single cell of the Universe itself. Your Self's job is to connect to others, following the law of the Golden Rule.

The Simple Golden rule states  "In order for units of consciousness to join and work together for the greater good, they need relevant information (including shared meme chords), they need to be willing to channel coherence from the metaverse, and they need to love one another."  

"Selfless" love comes from your "Self" fractal, which is a perfect reflection of the Universal Unit of Consciousness. This is the true meaning of being created in God's image. The Self's job is to reach out to others with information, assistance, and love in order to work together to build something greater than oneself. This is the Simple Golden Rule.

"Selfish" love comes from your "Ego," which is a by-product of your body's organ systems. The Ego's job is not to reach out to others, but to take the best possible care of you and your body. Its focus is on you, not others. Romantic love arises from this organ-level Ego. Your Ego feels good when someone else pays attention to you and your Ego wants to spend more time with them. Casual sex is an activity arranged by the Ego at the sexual organ level, with no strings attached. Ego's job is self-centered.

A strong Ego reflects the intensity of your body's needs. A weak Ego is less aware of the body's needs. Selfishness without awareness arises from the Ego. The Ego is amoral other than taking care of its primary duty of taking care of you. 

Spiritual teachings emphasize dethroning Ego from the top of the elephant and placing God on the throne. In truth, the Self may continue to sit on the throne atop the elephant because the Self is a pure reflection of God and as a reflection of God it is inherently Selfless and loving. 

Notice that our human concept of "God" occupies the same niche in this Universal hierarchy as our Ego occupies in the Human-level hierarchy. Using analogical reasoning, our universe is a reflection of the collective choices (karma) and memes (beliefs and narratives) of every entity in the universe. The personality we humans call "God" also reflects this Universe's karmic record and memes, as It organizes and instantiates those patterns on behalf of Creation. This "God" is not identical to the Metaversal Universal Consciousness because of its necessary involvement with this material Universe. The Metaversal UC exists in a limitless, undifferentiated state of pure consciousness, unaffected by the affairs of this Universe.

If you would like to behave like a less "selfish" person, that is, if you would like to put others' needs ahead of your own from time to time, you need to realize that your Ego is only looking out for #1. The good news is that your Self is waaaay more powerful than your Ego. The struggle is not between you and God and the Devil. Your struggle is between your Self and your Ego. You must realize that your Self already reflects all of the characteristics of God, including loving, selfless behavior. Don't let your body's meat dictate your actions.

Simple Explanation Stickers

Still time to gift your friends with consciousness. 
New Simple Explanation shop at zazzle.com specializes in stickers!!! Worldwide shipping from my Simple Explanation zazzle storefront.
Stickers are fun for book covers and notebooks, skateboards and bikes.

"I am here, now" black square sticker
by SimpleExplanation

Here, now round black sticker
by SimpleExplanation

I am here, now white, oval sticker
by SimpleExplanation

Square white sticker diagrams hierarchies
by SimpleExplanation

White oval sticker diagrams the mechanism of karma
by SimpleExplanation