The Seven Archons: The Planetary Wardens

The Birth of the Seven

After Yaldabaoth was cast out by Sophia, he moved into the "Empty Space" (the Kenoma). He was lonely and arrogant, so he created seven "offspring" to help him rule.

Each Archon was assigned a Heavenly Sphere, which Gnostics identified with the seven "planets" visible to the naked eye at the time. They believed that as a soul "falls" from the Pleroma into a human body, it has to pass through these seven layers, and each Archon adds a "burden" or a "chain" to the soul.

The Roster of the Archons

While names vary between Gnostic texts, the Apocryphon of John gives us a famous list. Notice how they often have animal faces, this represents their "beast-like" nature compared to the pure "human-like" spirits of the Pleroma.

Name

Planet

Appearance

The "Chain" they give you

Athoth

Moon

Sheep-faced

Blindness / Ignorance

Eloaios

Mercury

Donkey-faced

Jealousy / Competition

Astaphaios

Venus

Hyena-faced

Lust / Greed

Yao

Sun

Seven-headed Serpent

Pride / Arrogance

Sabaoth

Mars

Dragon-faced

Anger / Violence

Adonin

Jupiter

Ape-faced

Power-hunger / Fear

Sabbataios

Saturn

Fire-faced

Death / Decay

The "Cosmic Customs Office"

Gnostics believed that when you die, your soul tries to float back up to the Monad. But to get there, you have to pass through these seven gates.

• The Archons act like Customs Officers.

• They try to stop you and ask for your energy or your attention.

• If you don't have Gnosis (the "Secret Passcode"), they trick you into turning around and falling back down into a new body (Reincarnation).

The Fate (Heimarmene)

The Archons’ biggest weapon is called Heimarmene, which is a fancy word for Fate or Astrology. The Gnostics believed the Archons use the movement of the stars and planets to control human behavior. They want you to believe that "this is just the way things are" or "it’s my destiny to be sad/poor/angry."

• To a Gnostic, "Fate" is a lie.

• By realizing you are a Spark of the Monad, you become "greater than the stars" and the Archons lose their power over you.

Comparison: The Archons vs. The Luminaries

The Seven Archons (Dark)

The Four Luminaries (Light)

Rule the Physical Planets.

Rule the Spiritual Realms.

Use "Fate" to control you.

Use "Gnosis" to free you.

Want you to stay in the "Matrix."

Want to wake you up.

Why This Matters to You

The story of the Archons is a metaphor for the distractions of life. Think about when you get really angry, or really jealous, or really obsessed with what people think of you. A Gnostic would say, "That’s not 'you', that’s an Archon trying to weigh your soul down so you don't look up at the Light."

Contemplating the Archons helps you identify which parts of your personality are "fake" (the animal-faced masks) and which part is your "True Self" (the Spark).