There’s an old saying whispered among mystics:
“Envy is the rust that eats the soul from within.”
No matter how bright the vessel, rust begins quietly - a speck of dissatisfaction, a small comparison, a single moment of why them and not me?
For those still asleep to their own divinity, envy feels natural. It is the echo of a mind that believes it is separate, small, and unseen.
But for the spiritually awakened - for the Gnostic, who knows that all light springs from the same Source - envy becomes a stranger.
Let me tell you a story.
The Parable of the Two Lamps
Long ago, there were two lamps in a great temple. One stood at the altar and was polished daily; its flame burned high for all to see. The other sat forgotten in a dark corner, dust gathering on its brass.
One night, the forgotten lamp whispered bitterly,
“Why should that one shine so bright while I remain unseen?”
And so it tried to make its own light higher, burning its oil too quickly. By dawn, its flame was gone.
When the temple keeper came, he took the dim lamp and placed it beside the altar - cleaned, refilled, and gently lit once more. But it had learnt something: that its place in the temple was not about where it stood, but that it burned at all.
So it is with us.
Those who compare themselves to others waste their oil.
Those who tend quietly to their own flame, without envy or pride, illuminate the world.
The Gnostic Understanding of Jealousy
A true Gnostic - one who seeks knowledge not from the world, but from within - recognises jealousy as a symptom of blindness.
The jealous mind looks outward and says, “You have what I lack.”
The awakened soul looks inward and realises, “You reflect what I have forgotten.”
In this way, jealousy is a distorted form of yearning - a longing for the forgotten divine spark within oneself.
The problem is not the desire to shine; the problem is forgetting that you already are light.
The Reflection of the Unawakened
Yet, how often the spiritually asleep will accuse the awakened of jealousy for just speaking an uncomfortable truth that they don't want to hear.
They see someone at peace, someone unbothered, and they cannot understand it. So they project their unrest outward, saying,
“They must secretly envy me.”
“They are threatened.”
But projection is a mirror - a shadow cast by the ego trying to protect its fragile self-image.
The philosopher Seneca once wrote,
“He who envies others admits their superiority.”
To accuse another of envy is often to reveal one’s own.
We see this especially among those who pretend at spirituality - who wear the language of light but carry the heart of competition.
They speak of energy, empathy, vibration - but underneath lies the same old hunger to be admired, to be above.
They will tell you how “humble” they are, how much they’ve healed, yet their words sting with subtle comparisons.
This is spiritual vanity - the ego wearing a halo.
When a true mystic reveals something profound they will often claim it is something they already knew, as if their ego needs to claim everything as its own and can never just listen and learn. For knowing something, is not living it.
The Tale of the Sculptor and the Mirror
In a certain ancient city, there lived a sculptor known for his skill. His statues were said to breathe with life.
But one day, a young artisan arrived - and his work was extraordinary. The people praised the newcomer, and soon, the sculptor’s name began to fade from the lips of the crowd.
The older man grew bitter. He could not bear the sound of others admiring someone else.
So one night, in his workshop, he took up his hammer, determined to destroy the statue that everyone adored.
Yet as he swung, his chisel struck something hard - the edge of a great bronze mirror leaning against the wall.
It cracked, and in the reflection he saw his own face twisted with rage. The sight stopped him cold.
He stared at himself for a long time, until tears blurred the reflection. He saw that what he wanted to destroy was not the young man’s beauty, but his own forgotten devotion - the passion he once had, before pride replaced love.
So he laid down his tools, walked out into the morning, and began to sculpt again - not for praise, not for competition, but for the simple joy of creation.
And when people came to see his new work, they said,
“It feels alive again.”
For it was.
Thus the wise learn: jealousy is the hammer that strikes the mirror - and the mirror always shows the face of the one who wields it.
The Path Beyond Comparison
When one begins to awaken spiritually, comparison dies a quiet death.
The truly advanced no longer see “above” or “below.” They see different levels of remembering.
The jealous person lives in measurement - they say, “I am less,” or “I am more.”
The awakened person lives in acceptance - they say, “I am.”
And from that simple state of being comes freedom.
When you stop comparing, the soul expands. You realise that everyone’s journey is written in divine handwriting - no one’s line is straighter or higher; they are merely different verses of the same cosmic poem.
Even the envious, the cruel, and the arrogant are part of the story.
They are not villains - they are teachers in disguise, showing us what we no longer wish to be.
The Illusion of the False Empath
Beware, too, the false empath - the one who declares themselves “so sensitive,” yet uses that sensitivity to manipulate.
They cry compassion, but harbour quiet resentment. They claim to heal, but drain others to fill their own emptiness.
True empaths do not announce their empathy - they live it.
They are gentle, observant, and without envy, for they know that each soul’s journey is sacred.
The false empath, however, thrives on the illusion of superiority.
Their envy wears robes of virtue.
But the awakened one simply smiles - not from pride, but from understanding.
For they see the false empath not as a threat, but as someone still entangled in the dream of the self.
The Still Mind and the Clear Heart
The antidote to jealousy is not denial, nor righteous indignation - it is stillness.
Sit with your envy, and it will show you where you feel unworthy.
Embrace that shadow, and it will lead you home.
In stillness, comparison dissolves. The heart opens.
You begin to see that you were never in competition, because you were never separate.
As the ancient mystics wrote,
“To know thyself is to love all things, for all things are thyself.”
And once you know that - truly know it - jealousy becomes as meaningless as a shadow chasing the sun.
Reflection
So when someone accuses you of envy, and you know your heart is at peace, do not defend yourself.
Smile gently, and let them speak. They are seeing their reflection in you.
In time, they will learn - as all must - that their enemy was never you, but the unrest within their own heart.
And you?
You continue walking quietly, joyfully, free of comparison.
For those who have touched divine knowledge, who have glimpsed the spark of eternity within themselves, have no use for jealousy.
Their joy comes not from being more than others, but from being one with everything.
And that - that is true gnosis.
“The flame that burns without envy never dies.”
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