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Gnosis
Gnosis
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; to give gnosis of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our Theos; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. - Luke 1:76-79
Gnosis is a Greek word (γνώσις) that means "knowledge," and imparts several important meanings:
1. The word Gnosis refers to the knowledge we acquire through our own experience, as opposed to knowledge that we are told or believe in. Gnosis - by whatever name in history or culture - is conscious, experiential knowledge, not merely intellectual or conceptual knowledge, belief, or theory. This term is synonymous with the Hebrew "daath" and the Sanskrit "jna."
2. Gnosis is the method to acquire experiential knowledge of the highest levels of existence.
3. Gnosis is the core spiritual wisdom or mystical knowledge within all religions.
Learn more:
A Talk on the Mysteries of Life and Death
We will begin our lecture, and I hope everybody will pay the maximum of attention. Tonight, I am going to speak about the mysteries of life and death. That is the clear intention of this lecture. We will make a clear differentiation between the Law of the Eternal Return of everything, the Law of Transmigration of Souls, and the Law of Reincarnation. The time has come to analyze all of this, in order for Gnostic students to be well informed. It is obvious that the first thing that we need to know in life is, what is the reason of our existence? Why we do exist? What for? Obviously, if we want to know something about our destiny and about life itself, it is indispensable to know what we are. This is urgent and undeferable. The Physical and Vital Bodies The physical body by itself is not all there is to us. A body is made up of organs, and each organ is made up of cells; each cell is composed of molecules, and each molecule of atoms. If we divide any a...
Belief and Faith
This is a transcription of the audio lecture Belief and Faith, which you can download for free. We are going to give the lecture related with belief and faith, in order to understand our position related with the path of Self-realization, a path that some people call “salvation.” First, we have to place ourselves in the right point of view in order to understand who we are. When we talk about ourselves, we always talk as if we are the physical body. We are so identified with the physical body that we feel that we are three dimensional. But remember that the physical body is only a vehicle that the soul utilizes. In Gnosis, we call the soul “consciousness.” The consciousness, the soul, the essence, are all the same. In Latin, we call it anima. In Greek, psyche. We need to be familiar with these words, which all point to the same element: the soul. That spark is our reality...
Daath, the Doorway to Knowledge (1)
This is a transcription of the audio lecture Daath, the Doorway to Knowledge (1), which you can download for free. The doorway to knowledge is what we seek when we enter into a religion, or any kind of spirituality, that doorway of which Jesus spoke in the Gospel: Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. - Matthew 7:7-8 To knock on that doorway, we have to know where it is, and to aid us we have many religions in the world, many mystical teachings throughout all the different groups and ages of humanity. Contained...
Direct Knowledge
Whosoever studies occultism wants direct knowledge, yearns to know how they are doing, wants to know about their own internal progress. The greatest aspiration of every student is to be able to become a conscious citizen of the superior worlds and study at the feet of the Master. Unfortunately, occultism is not as simple as it seems at first glance. The internal powers of the human race are completely damaged and atrophied. Human beings have not only lost their physical senses, but moreover, and what is worse, their internal faculties. This has been the karmic result of our bad habits. The student searches here and there, reads and rereads any book about occultism and magic that falls into his hands and all the poor aspirant does is fill himself with terrible doubts and intellectual confusion. There are thousands of authors and millions of theories. Some repeat the ideas of others; they in turn refute them, and it is all against one and one against all. Colleagues mutually combat among...
Gnosis: The Science of Mysticism
We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. - John 3:11 Throughout the history of humanity, there have been individuals whose mission it was to act as guiding lights within the darkness of the ignorance and hatreds of humanity. These individuals have been called saviors, prophets, masters, magicians, bodhisattvas, Buddhas, arhats, and sons of man… With wise words, miracles, and esoteric written texts, these men and women have brought about changes to advance human spirituality.
Gnostic Egyptian Cosmic Drama
Editor's Note: The following text was presented by Manly P. Hall in his monumental Secret Teachings of All Ages, and was fully explained in the Arcanum 15 lecture of the course The Twenty-two Arcana of Tarot and Kabbalah. We excerpt it here in order to emphasize the unique and useful nature of the text. Adam, banished from the Garden of Eden, represents (the soul of) man philosophically exiled from (the inner circle of Samech) the sphere of Truth. Through ignorance (of Samech, the Vulva or Volva, the feminine sexual power, the soul of) man falls; through wisdom (Chokmah, the fruit of the...
Method of Gnostic Dharma
The methodology of the Gnostic Dharma is based in practical science. To understand what the Gnostic Dharma is we have to understand the meaning of the words. Dharma is from Sanskrit and carries many meanings. It can be interpreted as law or truth. The word Dharma can be used to describe the way something works in its fundamental basis. Dharma is an essential truth, the essential nature of how phenomena occurs. This is the root meaning that we are most interested in. It is the use of the word Dharma in relationship with truth, or how reality actually comes to be, is sustained, and is understood. Of course, we also use the word Dharma to talk about the nature of the teachings. So you will often hear about "the Dharma" in reference to any teaching that is grounded in the practical use of the consciousness. That leads us to arrive at our own personal experience, our own direct conscious knowledge of the way reality truly is. And this is where we arrive to this word...
Religious Principles
All religions are precious stones strung on the golden thread of Divinity. All religions conserve the eternal values. False religions do not exist. All religions are necessary; all religions fulfill their mission in life. It is absurd to state that our neighbor’s religion is useless and that only ours is authentic. If the neighbor’s religion is not good then my religion is not good either because the values are always the same. It is stupid to state that the religion of the indigenous tribes of America is idolatry because they too have the right to say that our religion is idolatry. If we laugh at them, they can also laugh at us. If we say that they adore or that they adored idols, then they too can say that we adore idols. We cannot discredit the religion of others without discrediting ours as well because the principles are always the same. All religions have the same principles. Under the sun, every religion is born, grows,...
Salvation and Belief
This is a transcription of the audio lecture Salvation, Faith and Belief, which you can download for free. There are always discussions or arguments related with this topic of ‘salvation.’ in which the fundamentalists or believers state that they are saved just by believing. Thus, indeed this word ‘believe’ is something that should be studied. If you look in the dictionary, ‘believe’ is made from two words: ‘be’ and ‘lieve’ (livid, lividus). "Be" is related to that famous phrase, ‘To be or not to be,’ while ‘lieve’ is related with love: ‘livid’ from Latin ‘lividus’ which is related with a strong emotion, love, desire. Thus we have be-liever (be-liver, be-lividus)....
Seeking the Master: Teachers and Students
In today’s lecture we will discuss some practical aspects of spirituality and religion that affect all of us, at whatever level or with whatever interest in approaching these kinds of studies. We are going to be looking at an aspect of yoga known in the east as Guru Yoga. The word "yoga" does not refer to stretching exercises, postures or work with the physical body. The word yoga really means “to unite, to yoke, to harness.” And it comes from Sanskrit, from the traditions of India. Yoga in its root is the same as our western word "religion," which comes from the Latin "religare," which also means “to unite or to bind, to yoke, to harness.” But the implication in both terms is a reunion. To unite again - to reestablish - to reform something that has been lost or broken. When we hear the term yoga these days, of course most people are referring to...
Self-knowledge
The study of Gnosis is concerned with a very special form of knowledge. When we say the word "gnosis" what we are referring to is not the kind of knowledge that you can read, or that you can acquire from a book or a lecture, but instead this knowledge refers to something that one acquires by one's own experience. It is important for this definition of Gnosis to be maintained in a clear way within the mind of the student, for without it, the study of the doctrine of Gnosis can quickly become mere dogma or belief; it can remain as a theory. One of the central postulates of any Gnostic...
Sophia uttereth a song of praise
1. I will sing praises unto thee, O Light, for I desired to come unto thee. I will sing thee praises, O Light, for thou art my deliverer. 2. Leave me not in the chaos. Save me, O Light of the Height, for it is thou that I have praised. 3. Thou has sent me thy light through thyself and hast saved me. Thou hast let me to the higher regions of the chaos. 4. May the emanations of Self-willed which pursue me, sink down into the lower regions of the chaos, and let them not come to the higher regions to see me. 5. And may great darkness cover them and darker gloom come over them. And let them not see me in the light of thy power, which thou hast sent unto me to save me, so that they may not get dominion over...
The Apocryphon of John
Apocryphon Ioannis: Secret Writings on the Generosity of God This important scripture was lost to public knowledge for many centuries and only discovered very recently. It is currently known by many names, given the variety of ways the original title can be understood. The Secret Book of John, The Apocryphon of John, or The Secret Revelation of John all have accuracy, but knowing the roots of the name leads to a clearer understanding. The title of this scripture in Greek is Apocryphon Ioannis. Apocryphon comes from απόκρυφος, apokryphos, "hidden, obscure," from apo- "away" and kryptein "to hide." This is important because at the time of its writing, the knowledge of Kabbalah was jealously protected by a powerful elite (their power was demonstrated in the torture and killing of Jesus, Paul, Stephen, and many, many others). Those who were outside of that elite (whether called Jews, Christians, Gnostics, or by many other...
The Book of Thomas
One of the famous texts uncovered in the Egyptian desert, The Book of Thomas the Contender expresses a great deal of Gnostic wisdom. As with all of the written documents in the genuine mystical traditions, the story has multiple levels of meaning. The least important meaning is the literal one: that is, the historical or literal circumstances of the story. This of course, is all that most people see. The real meaning of the text can only be understood when one penetrates into the symbolic or hidden part of the story. Gnosis, as an ancient and widespread mystical tradition, never presented the core of its wisdom in written words. The written word was used as a means to teach those who already know certain keys or codes, with which the real meaning of the text could be perceived. That is why modern scholars and intellectuals theorize and speculate continually about these texts, but never arrive at the real meaning.
The Four Paths to Liberation
Thomas interpreteth the seventh repentance from Psalm XXIV From The Pistis Sophia: 1. O Lord, unto thee have I lifted up my soul, O my God. 2. I have abandoned myself unto thee; let me not be put to shame and let not mine enemies mock at me. 3. For all who wait upon thee shall not be put to shame; Let them be put to shame who do iniquity without a cause. 4. O Lord, show me thy ways and teach me thy paths. 5. Lead me in the way of thy truth and teach me, for thou art my God and my Savior; on thee will I wait all day long. 6. Call to remembrance thy mercies, O Lord, and the favours of thy grace, for they are from eternity. 7. Remember not the sins of my youth and those of my ignorance. Remember me according to the fullness of thy mercy because of thy goodness, O Lord. 8. The Lord is gracious and sincere; therefore will he instruct...
The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene
Editor's Note As with all the genuine Gnostic scriptures, this Gospel is a kabbalistic and alchemical treatise in disguise. Without a deep study of the Two Trees of the Garden of Eden (Kabbalah and Alchemy), this text remains as just another dialogue. Written by initiates for initiates, the advanced knowledge encoded in this text is clearly designed to emphasize important psychological aspects of the Path, and to address the necessity of teaching the complete doctrine, just as the Christ gives it. In the times it was written, as in contemporary times, many are those who would dilute the true teachings. As with most of the Gnostic scriptures, The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene is a work of sophisticated and deeply symbolic mysticism, whose...
The Gospel of Judas
The cosmic drama of Christ would be impossible to represent without the role of Judas; this apostle is then the most exalted adept, the most elevated amongst all of the apostles of the Christ Jesus. - Samael Aun Weor (1973) Samael Aun Weor stated in his commentary to The Pistis Sophia that each of the apostles in the Christian Gospels is symbolic. As in all mythological and religious narratives, the literal truth becomes illustrative of spiritual truths. In other words, we know that Jesus and his disciples existed, but the story that is written of them is symbolic, not literal. The written Gospels preserve teachings, not histories. As such, those who look to ancient writings for literal truth will always be disappointed, for the writers of the Gospels were not concerned with telling the literal history: they were concerned...
The Hypostasis of the Archons
One of the texts discovered at Nag Hammadi, this treatise explains more details about the story told in Genesis / Bereshit, in particular about the origin and cause of suffering. As with any genuine scripture, understanding the message of the text requires a solid understanding of the doctrine it comes from - that is, one must first know Kabbalah and Alchemy, the two aspects of the secret doctrine that were symbolized in Genesis as the two trees in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, if the notes and explanations provided here are not sufficient to illuminate the wisdom contained in this scripture, return to it after studying and meditating on the two trees as explained in Gnosis. This scripture is worth returning to again and again, for there is much of value to extract here. First, some terminology: Archon: (Greek) Literally, "prince" or "ruler." Esoterically, primordial planetary spirits. We have previously stated that the Golden...
The Knowledge of Oneself
We are going to talk a bit about spiritual restlessness. The first thing we need is a deep creative comprehension, for this is fundamental to know oneself. Where do we come from? Where are we going? What is the objective of existence? Why do we live? What do we live for? There was a phrase at the entrance of the Temple of Delphi which read, "Homo Nosce Te Ipsum," which means, "Man, know yourself and you will know the universe and it's gods." To know oneself is fundamental. Everybody thinks they know themselves when, in actual fact, they do not. Therefore, it is necessary to reach the full knowledge of oneself. This can be done with incessant self-observation. We need to see ourselves as we really are.
The Law of the Pendulum
Certainly, humanity lives in the battle of the opposites, among the crude fight of the opposites. Sometimes we are very happy; other times we are depressed, sad. We have epochs of progress, of well being - according with the law of Karma - we also have critical times, in the economic and social field, etc. There are times when we become optimistic people and times that we fell into pessimism. It has always been seen that, after epochs of happiness, comes a depressive and painful period of time, etc. No one can ignore that we are always subjected to many alternations in the practical field of life. Normally, after the epochs that we call the "happiest," follow epochs of anguish. It is the Law of the Pendulum, which really governs our life. You have seen the pendulum of a clock: in a moment it...
