Gnosticism Course

Essay for the Master of Gnosticism Course
Joseph H Kovacic


Having dabbled in the study of Gnosticism for several years, a formal examination of the subject seemed in order. The course, "Master of Gnosticism," offered at Universal Life Seminary appeared to be a means of satisfying that goal. Early on the World Wide Web provided a plethora of information on Gnosticism. Ecclesia Gnostica offered an abundance of data on their web site (www.gnosis.org/gnintro.htm). Bishop Dr. Steven Hoeller, is a prolific writer, scholar and Bishop of the "Ecclesia Gnostica" Diocese in Los Angeles, California and the expanded Diocese consisting of parishes in several western states. There were reams of data on Ecclesia's Web Site, including a Gnostic Catechism (http://www.gnosis.org/ecclesia/catechism.htm). Various texts on Gnosticism were used to supplement a wealth of information from other sources such as: The Gnostic Bible (Meyer, Barnstone); The Nag Hammadi Scriptures (Meyer) and works by Erhman; Freke and Gandy; Tabor; Krosney; Pagles: Starbird; Nahmad and Bailey; Jacobovici and Pellegrino; Leloup; Baigent, Leigh and Lincoln, et. al. The Gnostic Bible and The Nag Hammadi Scriptures were used primarily as references and The Catholic Encyclopedia was also consulted. It is a good source of information about Gnosticism. One, however, must read the material cautiously and filter out all of the negative propaganda and focus on the history.

In addition, the ULC Seminary's course provided, not only reinforcement for previously learned material, it offered new Concepts. Myth is presented throughout the "Master of Gnosticism" course. Evidently, certain movies reflect the Gnostic Experience. "Matrix" was alleged to contain "many" elements of Gnosticism. Science fiction? Well, . . . don't know about that. This writer saw the movie after reading its reference in an early lesson (lesson two) of the "Master of Gnosticism" course. The movie was alleged to offer many examples of Gnosticism; that, however was not recognized by this student. Only "bits and Pieces" were observed; the movie was found to be boring. It was probably someone's loss having not focused during the preponderance of the "flick."

There were many terms presented, id est: demiurge, aeons, archons, Basilides, Valentinus, Marcion, Docetae, monad, pleroma, Sophia, Jaldabaoth, Jao, Sabaoth, Adonaios, Astaphaios, Ailoaios, Oraios and many others. Basilides, Valentinus, and Marcion were bishops who were excommunicated by the orthodox Roman Church. Having became disillusioned by the narrow views ordered by the orthodox, they drifted to Gnosticism and founded important Gnostic schools. Actually, they drifted prior to excommunication.

This observer finds the KISS principal (keep it simple, stupid) more than adequate for consideration of the Gnostic phenomenon. The many myths seem to be an encumbrance.

Basilides, Valentinus, and Marcion were involved with establishing various schools of Gnosticism. Egypt, Alexandria, and Syria were some of the areas these men congregated and disseminated Gnosticism. Gnostic is from Greek and means knowledge. This is not knowledge one embraces via a book. Here one does not need to search for knowledge outside of oneself. Seeking knowledge from others, priests, bishops, etc. is not necessary. All one need do is look inwardly and commune with God directly. This did tend to pose a threat to the orthodox establishment. Therefore the establishment sot to eliminate the Gnostics. Solitary worship is what is practiced by most Gnostics according to Bishop Hoeller.

Gnosticism is dualistic; good, bad, evil, etc. The Demiurge would be equivalent to the creator god of the universe, earth and all material things encompassed therein. That would be concomitant to the Jewish people's god; angry, punitive and a "witz-vogel", so to speak. Space alien maybe; that was Yahweh. The Absolute God is far above the Demiurge and projects love rather than the hatred and meanness as do the lessor gods.

The Supreme Being was unknowable, a pure Spirit. Jesus was, perhaps, associated with this "loving" God. Love is what Jesus represented, and thus the all powerful God made its appearance through and in Jesus. That would be the basis for the concept of duality, two gods, the materialistic evil god and the Supreme Spiritual Good God of Love; the Trinity, Father, Son and the Holy Ghost with Sophia representing the Holy Ghost; Wisdom.

Bishop Hoeller in one of his homilies mentioned that many people consider themselves Gnostic, but there are few who actually are. Clarification would be helpful. This writer considers himself a Gnostic Christian. Where did he go wrong?

One of the possible authors (there were obviously several writers involved in the course construction) of the "Master of Gnosticism" course drew some outstanding contrasts between Gnostic Christianity and Orthodox Christianity in lessons fourteen and fifteen. Perhaps the author overdid the comparisons in lesson fifteen. This writer took offense at the very extreme presentations and called it "tommyrot." Although, there were obvious errors in spelling, grammar and syntax, etc., the information was thorough. Yet, there may have been a bit of redundancy, but that is expected. Driving the issue home may be crucial. Repetition is of value to the student. So, that was, perhaps, a favorable technique.

This writer was confused by some of the text. Run on sentences without definite conclusions plagued this writer, especially in undergraduate school. This may still be a problem.

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Gnostic Meditation

When the esoterist submerges himself into meditation, what he seeks is information. - Samael Aun Weor Prelude This course is a very short introduction to basic concepts and practices that exist within the Gnostic doctrine. There are hundreds of meditation techniques within the Gnostic tradition; those presented here are but a handful of the easiest ones, and are organized to give a mere taste of the practical use of the teachings. This is by no means an "authoritative" or "ultimate" approach; the needs of students are too diverse and multi-faceted for any course such as this to comprehensively address.  If you find that this course is not satisfactory, please refer to the following books, which were source materials used in the creation of this course, and as such may more directly fulfill your needs. Revolutionary Psychology The Great Rebellion The Revolution of the Dialectic Introduction Meditation is a very common term nowadays, much like Self-realization. But there is widespread misunderstanding about what meditation really is, and there are varying ways that people are applying the term. Some say meditation is a relaxation technique, some say it is "satanic." Many are afraid of meditation and believe that someone who meditates opens themselves up to dangerous influences. Some say that meditation is the only way to Liberation. Some say that it is a way to get high or to have sensational experiences.The confusion has arisen because we in the West have not had a longstanding, robust tradition that has carried on the real practice of meditation. It has been present in different schools and religions, and meditation was well known to all the early Christian groups (and remains so to a handful of the modern ones); the Jews have known about meditation for a long time, and of course the Native Americans knew about it. But in general we have no real idea what meditation is, or if we have an idea it is merely a concept, not something we know from experience. We also have the tremendous disadvantage, not to be underestimated, that most of the people who purport to tell us about meditation are only interested in making money or acquiring power, thus the meditation they teach is a product designed to attract people, not to help them in a deep and fundamental way. Meditation is an exact science based on real and tangible energies that are natural to the human being. Meditation is a psychological technology. It is a scientific method to harness and access the most powerful areas of the human psyche. Meditation is a set of tools that provide entry to states of consciousness that anyone, anywhere, can enter, if they know the steps. The steps cannot be altered or skipped. They cannot be improved upon. They cannot be avoided. The arrogance of modern humanity reveals itself in the presumption that we in this "advanced age" can improve upon the meditation techniques of our ancestors. We believe that we can invent machines or pills that will render obsolete the knowledge that created the tremendous civilizations of the past. This is a fallacy, and only leads the foolish into deeper suffering. We must recognize that nature never makes leaps: everything must grow and develop according to certain laws. You cannot force a tree to grow faster. We try, and it shows our arrogance and our foolishness. We try to improve nature, and the result is a disaster. The same applies to meditation. There are rules and there are laws; if we understand the rules, we can move directly to our goal. If we ignore the rules, we will get nowhere and we will instead become disillusioned or confused. Many nowadays are using chemical or mechanical tools to attempt to force states of consciousness. They may enter altered states of consciousness; but this is not meditation. Meditation is the science of activating, through conscious willpower, the dormant consciousness that resides in the psyche of every human being. To activate this consciousness is to open one's inner perception, to see what cannot be seen with the physical sight. Those who seek to activate this consciousness through drugs or machines do so through an artifice, meaning through the will of an external influence. This leads to grave problems. Thus amidst the minefield the brave one must venture. The dangers are great both within and without. But with a solid understanding of the principles and laws that create and organize the human psyche, any individual from any culture, of any race, of either sex, can realize in themselves the truths that all the great teachers of humanity have indicated. Our goal is nothing less than the full experience of those truths. This is our birthright, and we must fight to recover it. Preparation Lacking a deep understanding of the consciousness and the sciences that explore it, we in the West are therefore lacking the words to describe the many states and functions of the consciousness. So, we must rely on terminology that comes from other traditions, like Hinduism and Buddhism, traditions that have a deep and comprehensive understanding of the consciousness and of what meditation is and how it works. The information presented in this course is primarily due to the incredible wealth of knowledge given in the teachings of Samael Aun Weor. However, the level of his instruction is quite elevated, and oftentimes he does not specify elements that are basic to the experienced esoterist. In particular, in his writings can be seen a common remark, "Empty your mind of all thoughts." To the experienced practitioner, this is fundamental. But for the new student, this is an overwhelming statement, and many read such statements and simply pass them by. This is a mistake. In order to comprehend the practices given by Samael in his books, one must accomplish each step of the practice, in the order given. Therefore, we have prepared this course in order to indicate how one may accomplish the basic, fundamental practices of meditation. Thereafter, anyone may investigate the many advanced techniques given throughout the books of Samael and other masters. The remaining material used in the presentation of this course is derived from the teachings of the Buddha Maitreya, as delivered to the Tibetan initiates of the previous several thousand years. The Goal: Comprehension When the esoterist submerges himself into meditation, what he seeks is information. - Samael Aun Weor If we do not know how to retrieve information with the consciousness, then we need to learn how to meditate properly. To retrieve information is to comprehend. Comprehension (conscious understanding) is found in Samadhi (Ecstasy). Samadhi in Tibetan is ting nge dzin, meaning "To hold unwaveringly, so there is no movement." The Two Components of Samadhi Shamatha: Tranquility Meditation. Tibetan shi-ne means "peace." Also called Pratyahara: the Silence of the Mind. Shamatha is one-pointed mind. Vipashyana: Insight. Tibetan hlagtong: "To see the special." Vipashyana (Vipashyana) is the direct perception of the true nature of the object of meditation. Synthesis: One has a calm mind (shamatha) and can then see the nature of phenomena (vipashyana), thus there arises understanding (comprehension). The Practice The entire contents of this book was originally a series of lectures given to prepare a small group of students for the study of the following chapter, excerpted from The Revolution of the Dialectic by Samael Aun Weor.  The following text is profoundly significant, and cannot be understood unless practiced with great seriousness and consistency.  This is knowledge for the consciousness; if the consciousness does not use it, the meaning and importance of it will remain elusive. This chapter is only one of several ways that Samael Aun Weor approached the topic of meditation.  But in general, the outline presented here illustrates the key stages of meditation as practiced in the Gnostic tradition. Blue Time or Rest Therapeutics by Samael Aun Weor, from The Revolution of the Dialectic Upon the mysterious threshold of the Temple of Delphi, a Greek maxim existed, which was engraved in the stone and stated: Homo Nosce te Ipsum, "Man know thyself and thou shalt know the Universe and the Gods." In the final instance, it is obvious, evident and clear that the study of oneself and serene reflection conclude in the quietude and in the silence of the mind. When the mind is quiet and in silence (not only in the intellectual level, but in each and every one of the forty-nine subconscious departments) then the Newness emerges.  The Essence, the consciousness, comes out of the bottle, and the awakening of the soul, the Ecstasy, the Samadhi, occurs. The daily practice of meditation transforms us radically.  People who do not work on the annihilation of the "I" are like butterflies that flutter from one school to another.  They have yet to find their center of permanent gravity.  Therefore, they die as failures, without ever having achieved the inner Self-realization of their Being. The awakening of the consciousness is only possible by means of liberating ourselves from mental dualism and by emancipating ourselves from the struggle of the antitheses or from intellectual surges. Any subconscious, infra-conscious and unconscious submerged struggle is converted into an impediment for the liberation of the Essence (soul). Every antithetical battle (as insignificant and unconscious as it might appear) indicates, accuses, and aims to obscure points which are ignored and unknown within the atomic infernos of the human being. To reflect, observe and know these infrahuman aspects, these obscure points of oneself, is indispensable in order to achieve the absolute quietude and silence of the mind. Only in the absence of the "I" is it possible to experience and live the Integral Revolution and the Revolution of the Dialectic. Blue Time or Rest Therapeutics has basic rules without which it would be impossible to emancipate ourselves from the mortifying shackles of the mind.  These rules are: 1. Relaxation: It is indispensable to relax the body for meditation; no muscle should remain with tension.  It is urgent to provoke and to regulate drowsiness by will.  It is evident that with the wise combination of drowsiness and meditation, that which is called Illumination will be the outcome. 2. Retrospection: What are we looking for in retrospection? Due to the mechanical life that he lives in, the intellectual animal forgets the Self.  Thus, he falls into fascination.  He goes around with his consciousness asleep, without remembering what he did at the moment of rising from his bed, without knowing the first thoughts of the day, his actions and the places he has been to. The objective of retrospection is the acquisition of awareness of one's behavior or actions of the past.  When carrying out the retrospection, we should not put any objections to the mind; we will recall memories of past actions, from the moment of beginning the retrospection to the desired moment in our lives.  We should study each memory without becoming identified with it. 3. Serene Reflection: First, before any thoughts surge, we need to become fully aware of the mood that we are in. Serenely observe our mind; pay full attention to any mental form which appears on the screen of the intellect. It is necessary to become sentries of our own mind during any given agitated activity, and to then stop for an instant and observe it. 4. Psychoanalysis: Examine, estimate and inquire about the origin, and root of every thought, memory, affection, emotion, feeling, resentment, etc., while they emerge from within the mind. During psychoanalysis, one must examine, evaluate, inquire, and find out the origin of, the cause of, the reason for, or the fundamental motive for each thought, memory, image and association as they emerge from the bottom of the subconsciousness. 5. Mantralization or Koan: The objectives of this phase are: a) To mix the magical forces of mantras or koans in our inner universe. b) To awaken the consciousness. c) To internally accumulate christic atoms of high voltage. In this psychological work, the intellect must assume a psychological, receptive, integral, unitotal, complete, tranquil and profound state.  One achieves this unitotal receptive state with the koans or phrases that control the mind. 6. Superlative Analysis: Consists of an introspective knowledge of oneself.  During deep meditation, introversion is indispensable. In that state, one will work in the process of the comprehension of the "I" or defect that one wants to disintegrate.  The Gnostic student will concentrate on the psychological aggregate and will maintain it on the screen of the mind.  Above all, it is indispensable to be sincere with oneself. Superlative analysis consists of two phases which are: a)    Self-exploration: To investigate, within the depths of our consciousness and in the 49 levels of our subconsciousness, when that the defect first manifested itself in our lives, when it last manifested itself and in which moment it has had more strength to manifest itself. b)    Self-discovery: To investigate what are the nourishing foods of the "I."  To fraction and divide the defect in various parts and to study each part in order to get to know the kind of "I's" it originates from and the kind of "I's" that originate from it. 7. Self-judgment: To seat the defect being studied in the defendant's chair.  To bring to judgment the damages it causes to the consciousness and the benefits that the annihilation of the defect being judged would bring into our life. 8. Prayer: One will supplicate (ask) the Divine Mother Kundalini, our inner and individual Mother, with much fervor.  One will talk to her with frankness and introvert all the defects and faults that one has, so that She, who is the only one capable of disintegrating the "I's," will disintegrate them at their very roots. It is pleasant and interesting to attend the meditation halls (Gnostic Sanctuaries) any time one is able to do so. It is essential to always practice meditation with closed eyes so as to avoid external sensory perceptions. Try our new free toolbar at: http://ULCSeminary.OurToolbar.com/

Gnosticism

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Did you know: That as a Carpenter Jesus would not have been a man of slender build. At this time in history Carpenters were also Stonemasons. Lugging around stones, lumber and tools would made a man of muscular build. Longhair was not worn in those times by men, unless they had taken the Nasserite vow. Judas had to give a sign, with the kiss to identify Jesus, to the Romans and the Jewish Priests present at the time of arrest. The average height of men of that time was about 5'1". A tallish man of slender build, and long hair, would have made him stand out. Easy to identify, and easy to be captured, when the Romans, and Jewish Elders went about looking for Jesus. First to accuse, then to try to trick him, then to have him done away with, because how dare he challenge their worldly earthly authority. Then would that mean their Authority came from the Prince of the Air? After fulfilling the Nasserite vow, one was to shave their head, and wash, for long hair on men was shameful. Dec. 25th coincides with the Pagan belief in the Deity of Saturnia. To make the one God belief religion more palatable to new converts; many Pagan beliefs were inserted in to this new system. Such as Easter Eggs, Xmas Trees, and many more. Now could have the parting of the Red Sea, and the Flood be examples of the plan of physical death being a requirement for spiritual rebirth. Does it not read-that which is born of the flesh is flesh, that which is born of the spirit, it spirit? Considering the subject of the message below, it seemed only right to insert other, validations of misconceptions. Smile, you are seeing a smile with what teeth are left in my head. Lee