Max Theon, Gnosticism, and Mirra Alfassa

Max Theon, was a mystic and theosoph, and as such the first teacher of Mirra Alfassa, who later came to India to become the companion of Sri Aurobindo. There is a strong suggestion that much of her philosphy reflected Max Theons, and this is true to some, though lesser degree, also for Sri Aurobindo. This webpage gives a comparison of Theons philosophy and Gnosticism.You can also check the Agenda of Sweet Mother (Mirra Alfassa), a diary kept by her secretary Satprem for more than 13 years, with the search-word Jehovah, and see the negative image she has of the jewish creator god as the demiurge, which is typical for gnostics. It is suggested that the early Bible descriptions of the creator god, resemble the human ego by Jungian psychology, which tried to built upon Gnosticsim as an ancient source.

Gnosticism developed in the same cultural milieu as Neoplatonism, the mingling of diverse philosophies and religions in an age of anxiety (not unlike today's world!). But whilst Neoplatonism was more philosophical, mystical, and theurgic, Gnosticism was more specificically mythopoetic, individually creative, and religious. And although Gnostic teachings indicate profound insights, these are often distorted by the virtually unreadable quality of the texts themselves - like the worst of Blavatsky's Secret Doctrine in their dense jumble of symbolism that is written too badly to ever be made readable (if you doubt me - just try reading the Nag Hammadi!). But for all this, a basic theme shines through, especially in the Sethian and Valentinian schools. Here there are influences not only of Judaism and early Christianity, but of Zervanism and Zoroastrianism, and of Neoplatonism and Hermeticism.