Trimorphic Protennoia II – Dinner & discussion (Online)

Dinner discussions are an informal time to meet and get to know each other, to discuss what we’re reading, ask questions, and share ideas and experiences.

During this time of home seclusion, we’ll meet using a Zoom video conference (see below for instructions and the giant, friendly yellow zoom button). Please organise some food to eat while we talk, so we still observe the convention of eating together.

Trimorphic Protennoia

Last month, we began our inquiry into Trimorphic Protennoia, or The Three Forms of the First Thought.

The text is another text from the Nag Hammadi corpus (there is a single version in Codex XIII, no other copies of this text survive). It’s classified as “Sethian” material, so it’s within the same tradition as Secret John and several other texts.

We completed the first section last time, so this session we begin the second section.

How to access the text

Versions of the texts are available in most published collections. It’s in The Nag Hammadi Library and The Gnostic Bible, so you may already have it.

Several translations are also available at The Gnostic Society Library:

Please RSVP by email.

Event Details

How to join

Please try to make sure you have headphones with a microphone so any noise in your environment is kept to a minimum. If you can’t, then stay in muted mode unless you’re speaking. You can also turn your video off (use the camera button) if it’s more comfortable.

To join in, you need to have Zoom installed

  • The Zoom web browser client will download automatically when you start or join your first Zoom meeting, so join a little earlier to give yourself time to install it.
  • You can also manually download the Zoom Client for Meetings or a mobile app here: https://zoom.us/download

You can also connect by voice by dialling into one of the following numbers and using your Meeting ID (see above):

+61 3 7018 2005 Australia
+61 8 7150 1149 Australia
+61 2 8015 6011 Australia
+64 9 884 6780 New Zealand
+64 4 886 0026 New Zealand
(dial-in numbers for other countries)

This help article spells out how to download Zoom and join a call – if you’re unsure how to use it, take a look before the first call.

Image: Photograph of a performance of “Barbelo, À Propos de Chiens et D’Enfants” by Anna Popek

Dinner & discussion (Online) – Trimorphic Protennoia

Dinner discussions are an informal time to meet and get to know each other, to discuss what we’re reading, ask questions, and share ideas and experiences.

During this time of home seclusion, we’ll meet using a Zoom video conference (see below for instructions and the giant, friendly yellow zoom button). Please organise some food to eat while we talk, so we still observe the convention of eating together.

Trimorphic Protennoia

After our deep dive into the mysterious territory of the Secret Book of John, we’ve decided to move into some study of related texts, beginning with Trimorphic Protennoia, or The Three Forms of the First Thought.

The text is another text from the Nag Hammadi corpus (there is a single version in Codex XIII, no other copies of this text survive). It’s classified as “Sethian” material, so it’s within the same tradition as Secret John and several other texts.

In some ways, Trimorphic Protennoia expands and augments some ideas in Secret John, so it forms an interesting next step. Like Secret John, it’s dense and complex, though it’s a great deal shorter.

In this first session, we’ll begin the task of unpacking it. It’s likely this will take more than one session.

How to access the text

Versions of the texts are available in most published collections. It’s in The Nag Hammadi Library and The Gnostic Bible, so you may already have it.

Several translations are also available at The Gnostic Society Library:

Please RSVP by email.

Event Details

How to join


Please try to make sure you have headphones with a microphone so any noise in your environment is kept to a minimum. If you can’t, then stay in muted mode unless you’re speaking. You can also turn your video off (use the camera button) if it’s more comfortable.

To join in, you need to have Zoom installed

  • The Zoom web browser client will download automatically when you start or join your first Zoom meeting, so join a little earlier to give yourself time to install it.
  • You can also manually download the Zoom Client for Meetings or a mobile app here: https://zoom.us/download

You can also connect by voice by dialling into one of the following numbers and using your Meeting ID (see above):

+61 3 7018 2005 Australia
+61 8 7150 1149 Australia
+61 2 8015 6011 Australia
+64 9 884 6780 New Zealand
+64 4 886 0026 New Zealand
(dial-in numbers for other countries)

This help article spells out how to download Zoom and join a call – if you’re unsure how to use it, take a look before the first call.

Image: Detail of the cover art of Old Souls Carnival by Medline

Secret John 6 – Dinner & discussion – April

Dinner discussions are an informal time to meet and get to know each other, to discuss what we’re reading, ask questions, and share ideas and experiences.

This month we continue our discussion of The Secret Book of John.

If you don’t have a copy of the text already, I’d recommend the Waldstein & Wisse translation which is available at the Gnostic Society Library. Their translations of the short version and the long version are both available there.

Please RSVP by email.

Event Details

Secret John 5 – Dinner & discussion – March

Dinner discussions are an informal time to meet and get to know each other, to discuss what we’re reading, ask questions, and share ideas and experiences.

This month we continue our discussion of The Secret Book of John.

Last time, we discussed the creation of the Archons and Sophia’s realisation. We also made our way through the creation of Adam’s “soul body”. This time, we’ll discover the surprising role of Eve as a part of the rescue mission of the upper realms.

If you read from section 15 – around the phrase “The Human ex­ists and the Child of the Human” or in some versions “The Man exists and the Son of Man” – up to the end. We’re unlikely to get that far in one discussion, but it’s good context.

Feel free to skip the part about the body aeons.

The first began to create (starting) from the head. Eteraphaope Abron created its head. Megiggesstroeth created the brain. Asterechmen, the right eye. Thaspomocham, the left eye. Yeronumos, the right ear. Bissoum, the left ear. Akiopeim, the nose. Banen Ephroum, the lips. Amen, the teeth. Ibikan, the molars. Basiliasdeme, the tonsils. Achcha, the uvula. Adaban, the neck. Chaaman, the vertebrae. Dearcho, the throat. Tebar, the right shoulder. [etc etc etc]

The notes for this month are here.

If you don’t have a copy of the text already, I’d recommend the Waldstein & Wisse translation which is available at the Gnostic Society Library. Their translations of the short version and the long version are both available there.

Please RSVP by email or Facebook if you’re planning to come.

Event Details

Secret John 4 – Dinner & discussion – February

Dinner discussions are an informal time to meet and get to know each other, to discuss what we’re reading, ask questions, and share ideas and experiences.

This month we continue our discussion of The Secret Book of John.

This time, we’ll continue through the text to look at the Rupture of the Divine Mind and the creation of Ialdabaoth.

The notes for this month are here.

If you don’t have a copy of the text already, I’d recommend the Waldstein & Wisse translation which is available at the Gnostic Society Library. Their translations of the short version and the long version are both available there.

Please RSVP by email.

Event Details