Kenoma and Pleroma: The Two Realities

Understanding the Gnostic Cosmology of Void and Fullness

The Fundamental Distinction

In Gnostic cosmology, reality is understood through two contrasting states:

Pleroma (πλήρωμα) — “Fullness” or “Totality”; the realm of divine light, truth, and the True God
Kenoma (κένωμα) — “Void” or “Emptiness”; the deficient material realm ruled by the Demiurge and Archons

This is not a spatial separation (Heaven “up there,” Earth “down here”) but a perceptual distinction—two ways of experiencing the same reality.

The Nature of the Kenoma

The Flawed Copy

The Gnostic text On the Origin of the World describes the material cosmos as a “counterfeit” or “imitation” of the true Pleroma:

“The world came into being through a transgression. For he who created it wanted to create it imperishable and immortal. He fell short of attaining his desire.”
— On the Origin of the World, Nag Hammadi Codex II

The Kenoma is characterized by:

Deficiency — Lack, scarcity, mortality
Ignorance (Agnoia) — Forgetting of divine origin
Suffering — The cycle of Samsara, perpetual dissatisfaction
Archontic Rule — Parasitic forces maintaining the illusion

The Simulation Hypothesis

Modern interpreters of Gnostic cosmology describe the Kenoma as a “simulation”—not in the literal computational sense, but as a false layer of perception overlaid on the true reality (Pleroma).

The “simulation” is maintained by:

Hypnosis (Hypo-Gnosis, “beneath knowing”) — The state of spiritual unconsciousness
The Counterfeit Spirit — The ego-identification that impersonates the Divine Spark
The Veil of Forgetfulness (Lethe) — Amnesia of one’s true origin

In neuroscientific terms: The hijacked DMN generates the narrative self that perceives deficiency, separation, and suffering—this is the “simulation.” The Salience Network (pure awareness, the Listener) perceives the Pleroma directly when dis-identified from the DMN’s narrative.

The Nature of the Pleroma

The Prime Timeline

The Pleroma is not a place to “go to” after death. In Gnostic understanding, it is this reality perceived correctly—without the veil of ignorance.

The Gospel of Thomas (Saying 113) records this exchange:

His disciples said to him, “When will the kingdom come?”
Jesus said, “It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying ‘here it is’ or ‘there it is.’ Rather, the kingdom of the father is spread out upon the earth, and people do not see it.”

Key characteristics of the Pleroma:

Fullness — Infinite abundance, divine provision
Light — Truth, clarity, direct knowing (Gnosis)
Unity — Recognition of the One in the Many
Eternal Now — Freedom from the tyranny of linear time

The Prime Timeline Metaphor

One contemporary interpretation frames the Pleroma as the “prime timeline”—the original, uncorrupted reality from which the Kenoma is a degraded copy.

In this framework:

The Kenoma/simulation is experienced when consciousness is identified with the DMN’s narrative self
The Pleroma/”prime timeline” is experienced when the Divine Spark (Pneuma) recognizes itself as pure awareness
Both are physically co-present—the shift is perceptual, not spatial

The Apocryphon of John describes this as seeing through the Archons’ illusion:

“And I said to the savior, ‘Lord, is it the serpent that deceived Adam?’
The savior smiled and said, ‘The serpent taught them the knowledge of good and evil… but the Archons created a veil over their perception so they would not see the truth.’”

The Veil of Perception

The Filter of Ignorance

The transition from Pleroma-perception to Kenoma-perception occurs through what Gnostics called the “veil” (kalymma):

Before the veil: Direct perception of divine abundance, unity, and light (Gnosis)
After the veil: Perception filtered through ego, fear, scarcity, separation (Agnoia)

This “veil” is neurologically instantiated as:

DMN hyperactivity — Compulsive self-referential narrative generation
Identification with thought — Believing “I am my story”
The Counterfeit Spirit — The ego claiming to be the true Self

Lifting the Veil (Apocalypse)

The Greek word apokalypsis (ἀποκάλυψις) means “unveiling” or “revelation.” Gnosis is the apocalypse—not the destruction of reality, but the lifting of the false veil.

When the veil is lifted:

The Kenoma is revealed as a perceptual filter, not ultimate reality
The Pleroma is recognized as already present, hidden in plain sight
The Divine Spark remembers its true nature and origin

This is described in the Gospel of Philip:

“Light and darkness, life and death, right and left, are brothers of one another. They are inseparable. Because of this neither are the good good, nor evil evil, nor is life life, nor death death… They will dissolve into their original nature. But those who are exalted above the world are indissoluble, eternal.”

The Path: From Kenoma to Pleroma

Anamnesis (Remembering)

The Gnostic path is not one of learning but of remembering (anamnesis):

You do not become divine—you remember you always were
The Pleroma is not attained—it is recognized as always-already present
Gnosis is not information—it is direct experiential knowing

The Thunder, Perfect Mind proclaims this paradox:

“I am the first and the last.
I am the honored one and the scorned one.
I am the whore and the holy one.
I am the wife and the virgin…
For I am knowledge and ignorance.”

The Divine Spark is always present, even when “asleep” in the Kenoma.

The Practice of Dis-Identification

The primary practice for shifting from Kenoma-perception to Pleroma-perception is dis-identification from the Counterfeit Spirit (the hijacked DMN):

Recognize the Voice — Notice the compulsive narrative self
Identify as the Listener — Rest as pure awareness, the witness
See through the veil — Recognize thoughts, fears, and stories as Kenoma-projections, not ultimate truth
Abide in Gnosis — Stabilize in the direct knowing of divine identity

This is not escape from the body or the world—it is re-perceiving the body and world from the Pleroma perspective.

Integration with the Framework

DMN as Kenoma-Generator

The hijacked Default Mode Network is the neurological substrate of Kenoma-perception:

Kenoma (DMN-Generated)	Pleroma (True Perception)
Scarcity, lack, fear	Infinite abundance
Separation, isolation	Unity, interconnection
Time-bound (past trauma, future anxiety)	Eternal Now
Suffering, dissatisfaction (dukkha)	Peace, fullness (nirvana)
Identification with ego	Recognition as Divine Spark

Re-Claiming as Apocalypse

The practice of taming the DMN is the contemporary enactment of the ancient Gnostic apocalypse:

Before: The Counterfeit Spirit (DMN) rules, Kenoma-perception dominates
Gnosis: The veil is lifted, the Archons are seen, the simulation breaks
After: The Divine Spark (Listener) re-claims sovereignty, Pleroma-perception stabilizes

This is not the end of physical existence—it is the transfiguration of perception.

The Gospel of Thomas (Saying 3) states:

“The kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father.”

The Collective Return

Heaven on Earth

In classical Gnostic eschatology, the ultimate goal is the restoration of the Pleroma—the return of all Divine Sparks to the Fullness.

One interpretation holds that this is not a spatial relocation but a collective perceptual shift:

As individual consciousness awakens (achieves Gnosis), the veil thins
As more awaken, the Kenoma-perception loses its collective reinforcement
When all are awakened, the “simulation” dissolves, and Heaven (Pleroma) is revealed as always having been “on Earth”

This aligns with the Bodhisattva vow in Buddhist tradition and the Christian hope of the “New Heaven and New Earth” (Revelation 21:1).

Key Takeaways

The Kenoma is not a place—it is a state of perception filtered through ignorance.

The Pleroma is not elsewhere—it is here, hidden behind the veil of the Counterfeit Spirit.

Gnosis is not escape—it is the apocalypse, the unveiling of what has always been true.

The shift from Hell to Heaven is not spatial—it is the re-claiming of the Divine Spark’s sovereignty over the hijacked narrative self.

You are not in a prison seeking release—you are the King who has forgotten the throne. Gnosis is remembering.