The Goddess Who Became the World: The Story of the Gnostic Sophia & How to Connect with Her

Sophia by Dasha Zeleno

Authored by Mariah K.C. Gutah, Art by Dasha Zeleno, & Editing by Georgina Rose.

Per Gnosticism, there is a peculiar beginning to the unique tale of humanity. When a larger-than-life Goddess created humanity, she was thrust out of the safety of her boundaries, and into the fabric of her own creation. Even as she descended into the product of her creation, it remained in her hand! This seeming paradox occurred, due to the interwoven nature of the dreaming mind of the Gnostic Goddess Sophia, often referred to as an Aeon. Her lapse of her own boundaries was caused by an intrusive compulsion, an intense and emotionally loaded visceral urge, that was brought to her conscious mind by way of her active imagination. This is comparable to humanity’s own ability to manifest through the power of thought. She felt this intense urge, due to her profound need to assist her beloved humanity, and also return to her male counterpart. In that moment, she had no idea how intrinsic her metaphysical power would be to the survival of humanity. This journey pushed her imaginary mind out of the boundaries of the pleroma, causing her to fall through the Milky Way Galaxy, and eventually morph into our very own Planet Earth.

In rebuilding our current understanding of this ancient Gnostic intel, it is vital to look back to the Nag Hammadi Codices. These are a series of texts that were accidentally discovered in clay jars in 1945 by people living in Nag Hammadi, Egypt – all written in coptic. More than 50 books of text were eventually translated in 1970, including the Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of Philip, and The Sophia of Jesus Christ. This discovery has given researchers huge insight into the ancient Gnostics, as this cache of texts were all found to be religious and philosophical manuscripts, many having to do with Gnostic belief and teachings. The translations of these texts can currently be read online and arguably the most unique thing about them is that some of these texts describe the descent of the Aeon Sophia, who the Gnostics revered as the Mother of humanity. Modern-day Gnostic scholar John Lamb Lash connects this same Sophia to our planet Earth, calling her Gaia-Sophia.

The book, On the Origin of the World, found in the Nag Hammadi Codices, has several insights as to who the Gnostic Goddess Sophia is. As a note, it is important to remember that these texts were always quite fragmented – if you look up a photo of them, you will be able to see that much of the pages are missing or deteriorated. On the Origin of the World is a Gnostic rendition of the Old Testament’s Book of Genesis, yet the Gnostic version starts in human pre-History and provides details of the Aeons, as well as the creation of the Demiurge aka Yaldabaoth, well before discussing the infamous Garden scene. The following excerpt is the beginning of this story:

Birth Of Sophia And The Forces Of Darkness

After the nature of the immortals was completed out of the infinite one, then a likeness called Sophia flowed out of Pistis, with the wish that something should come into being like the light that first existed. Immediately her wish appeared as a heavenly likeness with an incomprehensible greatness. This came between the immortals and those who came into being after them, like what is above. It was a veil separating people from the things above.

Now, the eternal realm of truth has no shadow within it because the immeasurable light is everywhere within it. Outside it, however, is a shadow, and it was called darkness. From it appeared a power over the darkness. And the powers that came into being afterward called the shadow the limitless chaos. From it every kind of deity was brought forth, one after another, along with the whole place. Consequently, the shadow too is subsequent to what was in the beginning. The shadow appeared in the abyss, which is derived from Pistis, whom we have mentioned.

The shadow perceived that there was one stronger than it. It was jealous, and when it became self-impregnated, it immediately bore envy. Since that day the principle of envy has appeared in all of the aeons and their worlds. But envy was found to be an aborted fetus without any spirit in it. It became like the shadows in a great watery substance.

This is a stark difference from the Old Testament Book of Genesis that we are collectively used to. This is a backstory of how the Earth came to be, as well as who is the interference, or envy, in everyday human life. The aforementioned “jealous shadow” is the Demiurge, who the Gnostics believe is the same as Old Testament God. The connection between the fall of Sophia and planet Earth was strategically removed from all available documents to hide this secret. However, the Church Father St. Irenaeus preserved this document, keeping this sacred knowledge alive. He did not preserve it in an attempt to spread this wisdom though, he kept this document around to attack it.

In his attempt to debunk the Gnostics, Saint Irenaeus wrote a book called Against Heresies in approximately 180 AD. This text detailed what the Gnostics believed at that time. Unbeknownst to him, this book to debunk Gnosticism would become a great resource for Gnostics today. In an attempt to quash the knowledge, he accidentally kept it alive. The following excerpt is from Book I, Chapter 4:

Account given by the heretics of the formation of Achamoth; origin of the visible world from her disturbances.

1. The following are the transactions which they narrate as having occurred outside of the Pleroma: The enthymesis of that Sophia who dwells above, which they also term Achamoth, being removed from the Pleroma, together with her passion (...) thus she suffered grief on the one hand because she had not obtained the object of her desire, and fear on the other hand, lest life itself should fail her, as light had already done, while, in addition, she was in the greatest perplexity. All these feelings were associated with ignorance. And this ignorance of hers was not like that of her mother, the first Sophia, an Æon, due to degeneracy by means of passion, but to an [innate] opposition [of nature to knowledge]. Moreover, another kind of passion fell upon her (Achamoth).

2. This collection [of passions] they declare was the substance of the matter from which this world was formed. For from [her desire of] returning [to him who gave her life], every soul belonging to this world, and that of the Demiurge himself, derived its origin. All other things owed their beginning to her terror and sorrow. For from her tears all that is of a liquid nature was formed; from her smile all that is lucent; and from her grief and perplexity all the corporeal elements of the world. For at one time, as they affirm, she would weep and lament on account of being left alone in the midst of darkness and vacuity; while, at another time, reflecting on the light which had forsaken her, she would be filled with joy, and laugh; then, again, she would be struck with terror; or, at other times, would sink into consternation and bewilderment.

3.(...) [Find it at the footnote below.]

4. I feel somewhat inclined myself to contribute a few hints towards the development of their system. For when I perceive that waters are in part fresh, such as fountains, rivers, showers, and so on, and in part salt; such as those in the sea, I reflect with myself that all such waters cannot be derived from her tears, inasmuch as these are of a saline quality only. It is clear, therefore, that the waters which are salt are alone those which are derived from her tears. But it is probable that she, in her intense agony and perplexity, was covered with perspiration. And hence, following out their notion, we may conceive that fountains and rivers, and all the fresh water in the world, are due to this source. For it is difficult, since we know that all tears are of the same quality, to believe that waters both salt and fresh proceeded from them. The more plausible supposition is, that some are from her tears, and some from her perspiration. And since there are also in the world certain waters which are hot and acrid in their nature, you must be left to guess their origin, how and whence. Such are some of the results of their hypothesis.

The most compelling bit in that passage is, “For from her tears all that is of a liquid nature was formed; from her smile all that is lucent; and from her grief and perplexity all the corporeal elements of the world.” This is what caused Sophia’s fall and her body to become Earth, as a result of her passion for humanity, and to return home to her male counterpart, whom she had been forcibly separated from by an unexpected anomaly. This anomaly, this feminine sense of pain and longing, was her compelling creative power. Her femininity gave her strength to build this material plane. Even Saint Irenaeus himself felt “inclined” to add some of his own hints to this Gnostic narrative!

John Lamb Lash’s retelling of the Gnostic Myth is broken down into a series of nine episodes, in a fashion that is reminiscent of a screenplay for a vast Hollywood epic. He inserts Sophia’s transformation into planet Earth in Episode Seven of his retelling. He bridges Sophia’s declaration in support of humanity and shows her divine emotions became our elements. Her love and pain, in equal measure, built our cosmos.

Six: (...) Sophia shames the Demiurge by declaring to him that the Anthropos [humanity], though yet unborn, surpasses the Archons in intelligence, for humanity is an emanation of the Pleroma, whereas the Archons arise outside of the cosmic core, without an act of emanation.

Seven: Sophia morphs into terrestrial form, becoming an organic planet, sentient and aware. But the living Earth is then captured in the inorganic system of the Demiurge, the realm of celestial mechanics.

Eight: Sophia’s emotions of grief, fear, and confusion transform into the physical elements of Earth and the biosphere.

The ancient Gnostics and modern Gnostics both deeply recognize a core perennial truth: that the Earth is alive, and she is the Goddess who created humanity. Her presence is undeniable and her intelligence can reach us all – she’s called Wisdom for a reason! Now that her existence is established, it is of high importance that each person who feels her call, connects with her so as to receive her deeply meaningful and personal guidance. This connection is available to each human. At the same time, despite how universal she is, each relationship is unique to every individual. She recognizes us both as the collective of humanity and as individual stars. She often first appears to people in dreams. You may already feel her beckoning you closer.

The first, and most simple, access point to Gaia-Sophia is through the Earth. Specifically, through a divine connection to the ground, the trees, or some other part of nature. She lies within nature’s beauty. When one connects to the forest, the ground, bodies of water, or even certain weather patterns, they receive negatively charged ions, in exchange for positively charged ions. This is both her divine connection to you and a healthy thing that is recognized by modern scientific literature. From the American Psychological Association:

Exposure to nature has been linked to a host of benefits, including improved attention, lower stress, better mood, reduced risk of psychiatric disorders, and even upticks in empathy and cooperation. Most research so far has focused on green spaces such as parks and forests, and researchers are now also beginning to study the benefits of blue spaces, places with river and ocean views. But nature comes in all shapes and sizes, and psychological research is still fine-tuning our understanding of its potential benefits. In the process, scientists are charting a course for policymakers and the public to better tap into the healing powers of Mother Nature.

This is evidence of the living intelligence of the Goddess. She takes our carbon dioxide and turns it into oxygen. She is also doing this same mystical alchemy with our energy, our emotions, and our physicality. When we connect with Nature, we are also connecting to the Gnostic Goddess Sophia. She washes over us with feelings of calm, stillness, and peace. She naturally brings our attention to the next portal of access to her mysteries: the body. Once we calm our mind and body by grounding ourselves into Nature, we can then receive the messages she has for us. These messages all start with loving the human body; the vessel she so carefully had created for us to experience the best joys of life.

In order to use our bodies to the fullest of potential, the Goddess encourages us to love our body deeply, and accept that the human body is also her divine creation. For women, this is no easy feat, especially in a society where our insecurities are marketed to us, in order to sell us products we don’t need to be our most beautiful selves. The Goddess is all about beauty and she assists us in building it from within. Once a relationship with her is established, she will gently nudge you towards deep self care, confidence, and correct your thoughts. This will bring you closer to joy and fulfillment.

Essentially, what she is doing is helping her dear humanity shift into right-brain practices, which in turn, helps us to be more creative, and more in tune with nature. These are her gifts. This is our ability to learn from the wind and trees, to intuit what else is going on around us, instead of thinking that we are the only ones in this matrix, and have to solve all its problems on our own. She wants to remind us that she can make all things new. This is also why many people who take plant psychedelics note that they meet The Mother during their trips. She is everywhere, yet most of us are too stuck in the left-brain busyness to see her.

Once this baseline of communication is established through nature and the body, the best way to bring the Goddess further into your life is to invite her into your space and energy field. The easiest way to do this is by crafting a Goddess Altar, a place where you are reminded that she exists, and is with you now. She is always with you, but a Goddess Altar full of your most beautiful items, such as: Goddess statues, and things that remind you of her beauty, will pull you into her energetic frequency. That is where you can begin to enjoy a powerful two-way relationship with her. Once you see her, you’ll understand that her most wonderful gift to you is co-creation. This is what New Agers call ‘manifestation,’ but if you look a little bit deeper, you will discover that it is co-dreaming with the Dreamer of reality, the Gnostic Goddess Sophia. She is feeding reality back to us, based on our thoughts. Reality is indeed malleable, because it is her dream. And sweetly doth she order all things!

From here, she will push you into new paths. This will likely include deity work, earth magick, deep shadow work, and self-love practices that help you to realize what she knew for you all along: that your potential is immense. With the right guidance, life can get so much more beautiful than you can even imagine it to possibly be.

As a gift from Her to you, take a moment to ground yourself into meditation, then ask Gaia-Sophia for an affirmation that you can repeat that will move your life forward in the best way. This may be short and sweet, but trust it! It is the medicine you need right now to reframe your thoughts and expand into your fullest self. This is all the Goddess wants for humanity, and she is equipped to help each and every one of us with that task.

Listen closely, do you hear Her call?

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FOOTNOTES:

1 Comparative Mythologist John Lamb Lash is the brilliant mind who pulled this all together — I recommend listening to his YouTube lectures and reading his book, Not In His Image.

2 The Claremont Colleges Digital Library, Nag Hammadi Archive, accessed Nov 21, 2025,

https://ccdl.claremont.edu/digital/collection/nha

3 This is the thesis of Not In His Image.

4 The Gnostic Society Library, The Nag Hammadi Library: On the Origin of the World (“The Untitled Text”), translated by Willis Barnstone and Marvin Meyer, accessed Nov 20, 2025,

https://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/origin-Barnstone.html

5 Translated by Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight.

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103104.htm. Accessed Nov 29, 2025.

6 You can find this in Not In His Image and also here: https://sophianicmyth.org/

7 John Lamb Lash, Not In His Image (2021), Chelsea Green Publishing, page 159.

8 Kirsten Weir, “Nurtured by nature,” last updated April 8, 2025, accessed Nov 29, 2025,

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/04/nurtured-nature

9 For more information on opening up the right brain, look into the science of BioGeometry from Dr. Ibrahim Karim.

10 I provide a free “Recipe for a Goddess Altar” on my website:

https://www.mariahkgc.com/free-goddess-gift/

11 Paraphrased from King Solomon’s Book of Wisdom, chapter 8. I recommend reading that chapter.