A Gnostic Perspective on the Fall and Redemption of Tiger Woods

Everybody is excited over Tiger Woods winning the Masters golf tournament. His victory is a great archetypal story none of us can get enough of--a disgraced fallen hero battles through defeat after humiliating defeat for twelve grueling years, finally coming to his triumphal reentry.

Tiger Woods Triumphs over the Fall
photo credit: https://www.ffgolf.org

Since writing The Gnostic Gospel Illuminated, I can't help but notice the Gnostic mythos enacted through the story of Tiger Woods Masters' win. In Simple Explanation terms, this is  a fractal of a Gnostic mythical tale, one that is played out over and over again in a myriad of forms, but always with the same overall pattern.

This particular Gnostic story involves that aeon often called the "demiurge," but which I refer to as "Logos"--he who was the best of them all. Christians are taught his name is "Lucifer," the Light, for he was a bright and shiny star placed atop the hierarchy of angels.

Logos sat atop the hierarchy of the aeons. He was the final aeon created by the ALL, and he embodied every good and perfect aspect of all the aeons. 

All of the other aeons loved Logos, for he was their youngest and he represented the best of them all. 

In like manner, Tiger Woods was the same type of young talent, representing the best that golf and golfers had in them, and fully in charge of the powers given him by God and by his earthly father.

Logos mistook himself for the Fullness, forgetting that he stood on the shoulders of giants. Ego overcame Logos and he overreached for the heights, stumbled, and fell.

Logos forgot all about his role in the Fullness, and he let personal pride propel him to overreach and fall.

Tiger Woods suffered a similar fall from exalted status. If you are not familiar with his story, you can look up the details elsewhere. What we need to know for our purposes is that Tiger Woods was hailed as a conquering hero from an early age. He was the best and brightest of them all, but only as long as he kept his eyes on the ball, the flag, and the hole. In other words, Tiger was good at his job and this was why he was elevated above the Fullness of the other golfers.

When one is highly talented and given glory by others, they may be filled with pride. Pride cometh before the fall. This is what happened to Tiger Woods. He took his eyes off the prize and quickly stumbled and fell. And, because he was lifted up, his fall was all the more disastrous when it came.

When Logos fell, his true Self broke apart and all of his lovely virtues that had made him so special and beloved shriveled up and became weak little Egoic versions of his prior glory. What was light was now dark. What was strong was now weak. What was virtuous was now vice. The Fullness was shocked and horrified by what their beloved had become. Logos himself was disgusted and ashamed by the condition of his own fallen Ego.

Logos broke apart into dark phantoms of Ego after the fall.

The phantoms born of Logos after the fall are sad, weak, and isolated. They think only of themselves and operate out of a drive for dominion, not duty. And for every virtue of the ALL that exists, there is a corresponding Egoic vice that mimics and mocks the original.

Love becomes lust and marital vows are exchanged for passing pleasures. The body's temple becomes defiled and rather than feed it with nutrition, it is polluted with pharmaceuticals, junk food, soda pop, and alcohol. Devotion becomes obsession, abstinence is traded for indulgence, health is propped up with medicine rather than vitality. Abilities and talents no longer occupy the vessel of their birth, and excellence is replaced with simply trying to survive.

Tiger's fall resulted in his utter, very public, disgrace. He lost his reputation, his wife, his abilities, and his health as he passed through injuries, addictions, hookers, and run-ins with the law. 

Those who are fallen are weak and isolated, blindly struggling to get by.

After the fall, Logos was aghast at what had happened. He was unable to control the monsters he had unleashed. Logos quickly repented and returned to the Fullness for healing. The healing of Logos was begun by his repentance, but it required concentration, prayer, and the effort of All to bring about his redemption.

Logos, the Fullness, and the Father create a Second Order of Powers to correct the deficiency and restore the fallen.

Like Logos, the fallen Tiger struggled to claw his way back from deficiency. The gallery became his Fullness, packed with observant supporters, rooting him on. Months and years of sobriety, surgeries, and hard work replaced the shadow's vices with virtues and Tiger began to shine again.

The redemption of Tiger Woods bore fruit on Sunday, when he won his first major tournament in twelve years. Now his story is the story of redemption from the fall and resurrection from his deficiency. 

When we cheer for Tiger's redemption, let us not forget to give glory to his Father and creator, whose perfection empowers all of our champions, brilliantly illuminating the best and brightest among us.

This has been a presentation of a fractal story of an archetypal Gnostic myth, and one we can all expect to experience from time to time as we repent from our own falls and seek redemption and resurrection from above. 

You can read the entire Gnostic story in one short, easy-to-read book. Please consider buying a copy for yourself and another to share with a friend. 

There is a 6"x9" deluxe edition that sells for $23.45 and a 4"x5" pocket edition only available through my website for only $7.50.