Circles and Spirals: “Providence sees to it that the circles formed by the serpent are not entirely closed, and that the series of its circles is changed into a series of as many spirals.” Tomberg

The Nature of Spirals: Growth in Two Dimensions

“The so-called ‘tree-ring’ circles, which are formed each year between the bark and the center of the trunk of the tree, constitute traces or effects of the operation of circular growth in two dimensions—vertical and horizontal—at the same time, i.e., proceeding in a spiral. With respect to ideas and problems, they grow in human consciousness through a series of expansions and contractions, i.e., through concentric circles, similar to tree rings on the trunk of a tree, crossing in two directions—in breadth and height.” Valentin Tomberg, Meditations on the Tarot, p483.

Providence and the Opening of Circles

“Intervention from above not only frustrates the formation of completely closed circles, but also gives to the tendency of enfoldment a direction towards solidarity through stages such as the family, the nation and the community of civilization. In other words, Providence sees to it that the circles formed by the serpent are not entirely closed, and that the series of its circles is changed into a series of as many spirals. But the benefits of this gradual metamorphosis of the work of the serpent are not due to the serpent, but rather to the other principle–the contrary principle–that of the ‘light which shines in the darkness’.” Meditations on the Tarot, p251.

The Gospel of the Spiral: Heaven Opened

“The spiral: this is the ‘good news’ (i.e. the ‘Gospel’) to all those in captivity in closed circles. Jesus Christ said to Nathanael: 

Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these…Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. (John i, 50-51) 

‘Heaven opened’—it is the way of the spiral into the infinite which opens.” Meditations on the Tarot, p483.

The Cosmic Drama: Open Circle versus Closed Circle

“This is the cosmic myth, the esoteric drama which underlies the exoteric ‘process of evolution’. It sets forth, in the first place, the idea of the open circle and the closed circle. The open circle—or the spiral—is the world before the Fall of the six days of creation crowned by the seventh day, the cosmic sabbath, which corresponds to what one designates in mathematics as the ‘step of the spiral’. It suggests the idea of unlimited growth and advancement, being through its form only the introduction or antechamber to eternity. It promises unlimited progress. The closed circle, in contrast, is in principle only a prison, whatever its extent may be. It is a wheel which turns on itself and therefore suggests no advancement beyond its circle. The idea that the closed circle—or wheel—suggests, is that of eternal repetition.” Meditations on the Tarot, p240-241

Salvation and Perdition: The Meaning of Open and Closed

“In a world which is a closed circle, whose matter and energy are a constant quantity, there are no miracles. Because the cosmic notion of a ‘miracle’ entails inconstancy of the quantity of matter and energy in the world. A miracle takes place when the energy of the world undergoes either an increase or a diminution. This presupposes an opening in the circle of the world. For a miracle to be possible, the world must be an open circle, the world must be a spiral, i.e. it must have an ‘uncreated’ sphere or a ‘sabbath’.

“Now religion—all advanced religion—teaches that the world is an open circle. For this reason it insists upon the reality of miracles. Miracles (‘the supernatural’) are a reality of action from beyond the circle of Nature, which appears to be closed. This is the reality of the cosmic sabbath. The ‘good news’ of religion is that the world is not a closed circle, that it is not an eternal prison, that it has an exit and an entrance. There is an entrance, which is why Christmas is a joyous festival. There is an exit, which is why Ascension is a festival. And that the world can be transformed, such as it is, into such as it was before the Fall—this is the ‘good news’ of the festival of festivals, the festival of the Resurrection or Easter.” Meditations on the Tarot, p243.

“The world as a closed circle, the world of the eternal return, the world where ‘there is nothing new under the sun’—what is this in reality? It is nothing other than cosmic hell. The idea of hell can be understood as eternal existence in a closed circle. The closed circle of egoism would then be subjective and individual hell; the closed circle of a world of constant energy would then be objective and cosmic hell.

“Now we have the cosmic meaning of the terms ‘salvation’ and ‘perdition’. ‘Perdition’ is to be caught up in the eternal circulation of the world of the closed circle, the world without a sabbath; ‘salvation’ is life in the world of the open circle, or spiral, where there is both exit and entrance. ‘Perdition’ is existence in the closed circle of the ‘eternal return’; ‘salvation’ is life under the open sky, where each day is new and unique—a miracle in the infinite chain of miracles…For God is not unknowable, but rather, knowable—through inexhaustible and infinite knowledge.

“The infinite ‘revelationability’ and ‘knowability’ of God: this is the essence of the eternal sabbath, the seventh day of creation. The seventh day of creation is that of eternal life and the source of miracles. For it is laden with possibilities of new things, and from it ‘energies’ can be added to the so-called ‘constant’ quantity of the phenomenal world, just as energies of this world can disappear into it.” Meditations on the Tarot, p243-244.

Christ as the Door: Liberation from Every Circle

“This is an important aspect of the meaning of the formula of Christ: ‘I am the door’—namely, that there is an exit from every closed circle, from all captivity of the spirit. ‘I am the door; if anyone enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.’ (John x, 9), which means to say that if someone is moved by love of God and neighbor, he can enter each closed circle and he can leave it. Instead of prisons he will ‘find pasture’, i.e. he will move in a spiral. It is thus, for example, that Teilhard de Chardin could enter the closed circle of science without being captured, and he could leave this circle by transforming it into a spiral.” Meditations on the Tarot, p482-483.

The Dynamic Spiral of Being

“This letting go of any state, this continuous circulation is the essence of the mind of Christ so that the realms, the Infinite and the Finite are constantly, dynamically interpenetrating each other and spiraling forth.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Claymont 2014 Jacob Boehme, 1:04:00 2b.Wedam.TeachingGWS14.

“Most of the work in what you might call advanced level spiritual discernment are for me around the question of real will and surrender and how they fit together because it spirals apart and together and apart and together through our whole finite journey.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Claymont 2014 Jacob Boehme, 1:40:00 3d.Thurspm.TeachingGWS14.

The Enneagram and Musical Octaves: Three-Dimensional Spiraling

“There is a dialogue between the law of seven and the musical scale and they access each other. … spirals, yeah. It comes back again, it starts new octaves, it does various things.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Claymont 2014 Jacob Boehme, 24:11 4d.Fripm.TeachingGWS14.

“The Enneagram of personality gives the impression that it’s a closed circle, a repeating diagram, and in point of fact when you actually learn how the law of three and law of seven work, it’s not. It’s three-dimensional, it springs up in spirals because there are places that it opens into which something else moves which is not visible as it’s being worked.” —Cynthia Bourgeault, Claymont 2014 Jacob Boehme, 1:04:00 4d.Fripm.TeachingGWS14.

Spiral Dynamics: The Journey of Maturation

“Spiral Dynamics, is the idea that during our personal journey of maturation, as we go from emerging from the womb to reaching responsible adulthood, we go through these recognizable developmental stages in which our consciousness opens out and attains a new level.” Cynthia Bourgeault, Claymont 2020 Gurdjieff-Teilhard II, 12:05 003-Modern perspectives on development of consciousness.

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Logion 18
His student said to him,
“So, tell us, then, what our end and destiny will be?”
Yeshua answered,
“Have you already discovered your origin,
so that you are now free to seek after your end?
It is only at your source that you will find your destiny.
Blessed are those who come to stand
in their place of origination,
for it is there that they will know their end–
never tasting death.”

Logion 50
Yeshua says…
Suppose you are asked,
“Where have you come from?”
say, “We have come from the Light at its source,
from the place where it came forth
and was manifest as Image and Icon.
If you are asked, “Are you that Light?”
say, “We are its children,
and chosen by the Source, the Living Father.”
If you are questioned,
“But what is the sign of the Source within you?”
say, “It is movement and it is rest.”

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Valentin Tomberg, Meditations on the Tarot, Jeremy Tarcher, 1985

Quotations from the Gospel of Thomas are from Lynn C Bauman, Ward J Bauman, Cynthia Bourgeault, The Luminous Gospels (Praxis 2008)

Read the Impression introducing the Gospel of Thomas.