Via Purgativa,Contemplativa,illuminativa

Pooja · Post time 2-3-2012 12:34 AM

Reading some orientalist essays I hit these terms
via purgativa
via contemplativa
via illuminativa

Explanation given sounds like three stages to final destiny
but of course I got lost by the lengthy explanation to this Greek terms.
So, if I may seek help member of this bod to simplify.
Shallom.

Sephiroth · Post time 2-3-2012 09:05 AM

Paste the link from which you have taken this terms. Maybe then we could explain it better.

But from what I have gathered, you are talking about Judgement (of God), correct?

Pooja · Post time 3-3-2012 04:20 PM

Hmmm!
“Justice and judgment [are] the preparation of Your Throne.”
1 For since by means of the mind’s affection the soul desires to arrive at per-
fect  union  with  the  heavenly  Bridegroom,  it  is  necessary  that  the
soul—which, still dwelling in wretchedness, desires to be satisfied (as if  by  certain  falling  crumbs)
2 by  the  bread-of-angels,  by  which  the blessed spirits are fed in glory—be elevated (ascending in stages, as it were, by means of a threefold office characteristic of angels) through the transmission of a divine influx... .. .

Pooja · Post time 4-3-2012 11:37 PM

A bit more. . .
Only after a long perio d of purification the via purgativa of Christian
mysticism will he be able to reach the via illuminativa, where he
becomes endowed with love and gnosis . From there he may reach
the last goal of all mystica l quest, the unio mystica. This may be
experienced and expressed as loving union, or as the visio beatifica,
in which the spirit sees what is beyond all vision , surrounded by
the primordial light of God . . . is it not winding?

Sephiroth · Post time 5-3-2012 12:25 PM

Sounds like something from Teaching of Gnosis (which mainstream Christianity reject BTW).

Basically, it speaks of actions a Soul must undertake before it could be reunified with God. FYI Gnosis are teachings of Mystics (some predated Christianity) which seeks to unify the Soul with the Divine Origin (God). It is possible that Jesus was preaching Gnosis when He was referring to God as Father (but doesn't mean that God was His physical father but Father to the Soul which inhabited Him). To a mystic who have reached the highest level, there is no separation of Oneself from God thus He and God is One.

Anyway, the three stages here could be :

1. Purification in Hell Fire (Purgatory). Purgatory is a temporary Hell which exist to cleanse a Soul of it's sins. It is not the permanent Hell which Christians believe they will enter at Judgement Day.

2. Comtemplative of the Divine Knowledge - Which means once a Soul have been cleanse (including from the desire to be reborn or enter heaven for pleasure), it will be given the Divine Knowledge - Understanding of the Spiritual and Physical Universe, which No Man, Woman or Child (still bounded by flesh) could able to understand. This stage serves as a testing stage for the individual to see whether the Soul is capable of understanding the Divine Knowledge as well as to serve All willingly (which means he or she has no desire of his/her own).

3. Illumination - Unification between Individual Soul and the Divine Source (God). In Hinduism, it is called Mohsa, in Buddhism - State of Nirwana. Remember, this concept predates Christianity.

Basically, one loses all identity of the Self and immersed into the Divine Source, same way a single drop of water loses all it's identity as individual when it falls into an ocean.