Gnosticism Course

This blog is for the Master of Gnosticism course offered through the Universal Life Church Seminary. We discuss the course lessons, aspects of Gnosticism and essays from the students who have finished the course.
Showing posts with label seminary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seminary. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Gnosticism

Master of Gnosticism Final Essay
By Michael Barth

            This course was the toughest course that I have taken through the seminary.  Bishop Pat includes a lot of information in this class.  There is a lot of information that I did not know beforehand.  There is still information that I am still processing from this class.

            One thing that I did not know was that Gnosticism had different schools of thought like the Persian School.  I did not know that there were so many schools that were considered Gnostic.  Even the term Gnosticism is new and was not used until recently.  This course also taught me that some of the early Christians were probably Gnostic as well like the Apostle Paul.

            Before taking this class, I had heard of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi Library but that was it.  I did not know that these two important discoveries shed light on what Gnosticism was and is.  The reason I found out that these documents were hidden was because the early Christian Church had persecuted Gnostics and tried to destroy all their documents and Holy Scripture.

            This course also taught me that in Gnosticism, there are 7 different heavens that are guarded by Archons.  With each Archon, you had to give the right password to enter into that heaven.  Also, I did not know before that this planet was created by an evil Demiurge and that all things were evil.  This was totally new to me.  The author said that this evil Demiurge is sometimes considered Yahweh from the Old Testament.

            This course also presented parallels between Gnosticism and Christianity.  The fact that there is the Gospel of Thomas and other books that portray Jesus in a different light was new to me.  Also, what is new to me is that Jesus might have studied Gnosticism before going on his 3 year ministry in Israel.  This I did not know but would explain where Jesus was for the first 30 years of his life.

            This class was very well written.  There is so much information contained in this class.  The Master of Gnosticism class was well written for the most part.  There were a couple of lessons I did not like because the author took what appeared to me as an anti-Gnosticism view.  This class will require an investment in time due to the amount of information presented and the amount of new terminology that I came across.  As I said earlier, I am still processing a lot of the information and will have to go over some lessons again.  This course did spark an interest in wanting to read the books that were discovered at Nag Hammadi Library and the Dead Sea Scrolls.  This class is not for the light-hearted.  I would recommend this course to people who are ready for a lot of information, new terminology, and have extra time to study this material.


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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Gnosticism

Master of Gnosticism
Final Essay
Dennis W. Zerull

I would once again thank the ULC Seminary for offering this most informative course and Bishop Pat Schwab for his obviously long study and research to author this the Master of Gnosticism discourses. Bishop Schwab no doubt has spent many hours which equates to months and even years of study and devotion to the the history and linage of Gnostic works. He has brought to us a most enlightening and somewhat difficult study which at times can tire the mind with the unlimited possibilities of the Gnostic writings of past history and what the present Gnostics are practicing in order to find the ultimate truth.

I believe there is no doubt that there is some Gnosis or gnostic believe in most of today's modern religions. There also cannot be a question that most religions have some form mysticism in their respective doctrines  for which as the course describes began with designation for certain dualistic religious and philosophical perspectives that existed prior to Christianity and for the specific systems of belief characterized by these ideas, which emerged in the second century and later. Although the radical conclusions of some scholars regarding a highly developed pre-Christian Gnosticism have been discounted, I believe it does seem clear that there were many ideas, assumptions and perceptions about deity, reality and relationships of person to gods and the world that were incorporated into the gnostic sects from outside Hellenistic sources. The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi library are of course the most famous literary discoveries that have supported these ideas.

The classic view as this course points out, is of the heretical gnostic sects as distortions of Christianity by Hellenistic thought has much strength because it easily demonstrated how the gnostics could use the New Testament texts, bending them to their purposes as is demonstrated in 1 Cor. 3:1-4 where Paul chides the Corinthian Christians for being "people of the flesh" or carnal when they should be spiritual. This text could with ease be used as the foundation for supporting the Hellenistic idea of the superiority of certain persons in the Christian community.

This classic explanation does have and leaves some problems unsolved. Little doubt exists that there are ideas, attitudes and practices incorporated into many so called "gnostic heresies "that are found outside of the Greek thought and much earlier than the second century of the Christian era. In particular, the ultimate goal of the gnostics to return to the absolute deity beyond matter and to be in some sense absorbed into the deity belongs to near eastern mystical thought and not primarily to the Hellenistic world which dates pre-christian mystical thought.

Gnosticism however is important because of its emergence in schools of thought within the church in the early second century and soon established itself as a way of understanding Christianity in all of the church's principle centers. Of course the church was torn by what I must assume, heated debates over the issues which eventually led to alternative churches and belief systems to be viewed by the church as heretical and a threat not only to it's doctrine but also it's leaders. As many as opposed it there were such leaders as Irenaeus, Tertullian and Hippolytus who wrote volumes of text against it as is also pointed out in this course many times. Gnosticism is also important for interpreting certain features of the New Testament as they divided Christians into groups, usually the spiritual and the carnal. the spiritual Christians were in a special class or higher class than the ordinary Christians because they had received, as the elect of the good deity that allowed them to be redeemed and belonged to the heavenly world that was the true one. No wonder this resulted in some gnostics seeking to withdraw from the word in asceticism. Other gnostic systems took this as an opportunity to practice antinomianism or the belief that moral law does not apply and is not valid for a person or group. the claim of course was that spiritual Christians are not responsible for what they did and could not really sin because their fleshy existence was not part of God's plan. Thus they could act in any way they pleased.

I conclude that the gnostics thought faith was inferior to knowledge. The true sons of the absolute deity were saved through knowledge rather than faith. This was the feature of the various systems that gave the movements its designation. They were the gnostics, the knowers. Yet what this precise knowledge was it quite vague. It is more perception of one's own existence that solves life's mysteries for the gnostic than it was a body of doctrine. Ultimately it was self discovery each gnostic had and still has to experience.

I have mentioned this statement and lesson that I have learned before in other essay's that I have written but must emphasize it again. Among all the living creatures studied by modern scientists, only human beings can be said with absolute certainty to have been endowed with the ability to make deliberate choices about the directions of our lives and also to decide whether those choices will lead us to transitory happiness or into the realm of a lasting peace and well-being. It seems that we are wired for temporary happiness genetically but are also gifted with the ability to recognize within ourselves a more profound and lasting sense of confidence, peace and well-being. We also appear to stand alone in our ability to recognize the necessity to forge a bond between emotion and reason and an instinct to survive. And so we create a universe not only for ourselves but also for all creatures who feel pain, fear and suffering in which we are all somehow able to coexist with contentment and peace.

The universe already exists, even if we don't know it at the present time or even realize it. My belief is that only through resting mind can we recognize it and also realize that we are not our thoughts not our feelings and not our perceptions. Everything I have learned as a Buddhist and everything I have learned about modern science and studies in this seminary tells me that humans beings are more than just their bodies. Thoughts, feelings and perceptions are functions of the body and thus will at some point will pass as do all things. Ultimately happiness comes down to choosing between the discomfort of becoming aware of your mental afflictions and the discomfort of being ruled by them. When you see your own desire to be happy, you can't avoid seeing the same desire in others, and when you look clearly at your own fear, anger, or aversion you can't help but see that everyone around you feels the same fear, anger and aversion. 

Sometime before Buddha, Jesus and all of the great prophets dated before the Christian first century, someone had this gnosis. That person looked at his or hers mind and realized that all the imaginary differences between themselves and others automatically dissolved when they recognized the similarities to those around them. I believe this to be true. And if this statement is true than we all have some gnosis in us. Ultimately we return to the source from which we came. This source may be different in perception for each of us but all paths teach us compassion, love and tolerance. This may be the lesson that the Gnostics were trying to teach us and not one of collective ego to serve a selfish purpose.


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Sunday, March 13, 2011

Gnosticism

Final Essay for Gnostic Study
For Rev. Linda Francis 
                Fifteen years ago my late husband and I began to read about the Gnostic religion.  We read a dozen or more books before his death, and  discussed them by the fireplace or on the back porch each night.  Missing our studies together I enrolled in a couple of local classes and several discussion groups.   Like myself and my late husband, I found that the others that also had an interest in this religion had one major thing in common.  We all were highly formally educated and were seeking to keep our minds informed long past our formal education years to achieve a career goal.  The second factor that we shared was a thirst for truth, or at least information from all sides of an issue to make the best choice possible, and this not only had to do with religion, but political and ethical issues, as well.
Needing one more class to complete my sixty hours I decided to take one more class in Gnosticism. After some of the early classes I was disappointed and almost dropped the study.  It at first seemed as if the teacher was finding the faults within Gnostic teachings to show how wrong they were. The lesson on Hitler as a Gnostic was the one lesson that actually made me sign up for another class to complete my study. It was a class in the Gospel of Thomas  For some reason I did not drop it right away and in a few weeks I decided perhaps the teacher was like myself and was only trying to show both sides. By the time I reached this last lesson I had no doubts that the teacher liked as many things as I found that I liked about the Gnostics.
I especially, enjoyed the idea the teacher tossed out about many scholars believing that Buddhism was a forerunner of many of the Gnostic/Christian ideas.  I too had wondered about the two.  I studied Buddhist meditation for many years and read much that I liked about that faith, as well, even taking some formal classes in this field. I have a little Buddhist sculpture where he is bent over weeping in his lap. One day after finishing my class I picked the Buddha up and said to myself. "I wish I had one of Jesus weeping, too. For surely both weep at what mankind kind and his egoic dogma has done to both of their teachings."  For these reason I find it harder and harder to call myself Christian anymore than I could claim I am a Buddhist.   And when I read one of the last lessons that stated that Gnostics felt they were the only ones with the real truth about God, I thought to myself, well there are the Jews, the Muslims, Baptist and Catholics, etc each believing they are the only right ones and that is why mankind has been killing each other with one war after the other all their lives.
                However, I will agree that a major part of enlightenment is seeking knowledge which was highly promoted by the Gnostics  and part of the narrow vision from other faiths is they refuse to study and open themselves up to the ideas of others, accepting only what their parents, community and the faith they were born into teaches.  The less formally educated the faith as a whole is (both women and children as well as men), the more dogma seems to appear in their rules and the more fearful and violent they are at defending these rules, even at taking the life of those different from them, to speak nothing of the shunning and refusing to show love to those different from themselves.  
The study states that today, "If one desires to become a Gnosis you must seek your path to find your truth and understanding. In order to do this one must clear their mind of all barriers, to include their own ego. Finding the truth for one's self can be obtained numerous ways, meditation, dreams, and yoga among other practices."  I think of myself as on a spiritual path (a personal one) rather than a religious one (founded by an egoic group seeking control and claiming they know God's mind.)
                Our minister was away last Sunday and the sermon was delivered by a local writer and college professor.  Dr. John Nash, from East Tennessee State University.   He spoke of Sofia, wisdom and the Gnostic faith. He ended with a pondering thought. He stated, that at one time in the early foundation of the Christian faith that there was a Gnostic called Valentenus that was suggested  as a good idea as the next Pope.  He lost by just a vote or two. His name  was Valentinus.  Church father Tertullion reported that he narrowly lost the election.  Valentenus was educated in Alexandria, but moved to Rome in 136 AD.  He lived there for nearly 25 years.  The informaiton is in Dr. Nash's textbook,  called Christianity: the One, the Many," vol 1, p 258. The thought he left us to ponder was how might the world have been a different place to live in today, if Vllentinus had been elected … where ego was put aside and power, guilt and fear were not used a tools of control for not just the government, fathers ruling their families and  the Christians.


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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.



Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Friday, February 4, 2011

Gnosticism


MASTER OF GNOSTICISM
BY: REVEREND KURT FONDRIEST


This class enabled me once again to contemplate my own personal ideas and beliefs on spirituality.   I  feel  that if I am moved in any way about my point of life from a class then the lessons were successful.

Gnosticism makes sense to me.  It is enriched in our daily lives if we allow it to do so. The idea of myself as co-creator is an empowering step and ability that I and everyone processes.  We can see the world as spiritual or material.  Can we see the world as both, with a centered balance? Reading the weekly lessons along with a great reference book" LIVING GNOSIS" A practical guide To Gnostic Christianity, by Tau Malachi demonstrated for me this state of flux that is always occurring.  I don't believe there is a carved in stone answer to living a life of gnosis, however I was able to come to a clear understanding about this once tabooed way of thinking.

      The part that drew me into reflecting on my own thoughts of Gnosis was the "Sophian" gospel. This enabled me to see Yeshua as a man who was symbolic of the spiritual once he merged with the "Christo".  This enabled me to say yes to my own belief that the gospels are to be experiences in our own daily life.  These sets of books do me no good locked up or dismissed from the Contemporary Christian Counsel, who I see as the watch dogs on keeping the traditional esoteric belief in order.

This is where Christianity for me has fallen off of the human path. Yesua was a man born with no more enlightenment then any other individual is, however he seeked the mission of life and found that life was not the mission rather the mission was of life. The way ones celebrates their divine mission to the life of living.

     The connection of male and feminine being in balance and harmony is seen in the life of Yesua and Mary of Magdelene is a vision of dualistic nature within each of us. These natural states of consciousness are what will enable people to be  "LIGHT BEARERS''.  The Church of Universal Light uses the concept as part of their tenets.  I belong to this church as well and as a Holistic Minister I can see many more congregations coming back to this living of Gnosis.

     The symbolism created in Gnosticism is expressed for the person to understand it to the level of their belief and spirituality.  The expression taught in these lessons I found to be of an eclectic verse. some of these resonated with me while others were not in sync to my level of living, however I did not dismiss their teachings since living the gospels is an experience that changes daily.  All of this is based on my mental, physical and spiritual awareness at any given time on this journey.


     As with the course on Christian mysticism I found myself seeing Jesus and Mary as people who were learning about the "Christo" as they experienced it.  I have always believed Jesus was not the exception yet the example.  For me it makes natural sense that Yesua and Mary were destined to be soul mates.  Each approached their destiny from different paths that brought them together.

     For me a good contemporary reference is the Rock Musical "JESUS CHRIST SUPER STAR."

This demonstrates the life of Gnosis.  It takes all the rhetoric teachings and throws it out to the simple truth.  Again I found myself listening to the soundtrack of this musical as I read the lessons and the book on living Gnosis.  What also I found very enlightening was how Gnosis symbolizes The Creator and Satan .  It was using the dualistic elements that we as fractions of the creation of light have forgotten for some reason or another. Basically it is from Human understanding we will connect to the greatness of Creation .  Not through rhetorical principles and teachings.  We already know within ourselves what we hold true of the self and this is the step to be taken, I feel, to re-awaken our divine right and duty as light bearer's.

 


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As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.


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Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Gnosticism


Master of Gnosticism
By Rev. Patricia Buben

The Gnostics had a very different worldview from that of most other religions.  In their view, the natural world is temporary and evil.  For example, giving to the poor in a world that is temporary and everything is evil, would make no sense.

Their salvation would depend on gnosis (knowledge) so the affected soul wouldn't pass the Archons. It is their fault and not the fault of the Gnostic.

One of the second century church writers Irenaeus wrote:  "The Gnostic must indulge in everything. To be saved, they must sin. They must learn the role of the poorest farmer, to the wealthiest merchant."

The soul aspiring to enlightenment must first rid itself of all debts and obligations. The Gnostic seeks to be like the light and return to it. According to Irenaeus, it is impossible for the spiritual element to suffer corruption, no matter what actions they have indulged in. He goes on to explain and illustrates their logic by comparing this spiritual element to a bar of gold dipped in filth, which will preserve its worth and be unaffected by the filth. Such enlightenment is not possible from the creator, for this entity cannot recognize the power greater than itself. It is flawed and imperfect, so he couldn't hope to achieve this revelation.

The concept of salvation to the Gnostic is somewhat simple while at the same time very complex. Most religions require faith, good works or both to avoid damnation. Gnostics believe salvation comes through gnosis or knowledge. Gnosticism seems to indicate that even those who are not pursuing saving knowledge can return to the light someday.

However there are those few unfortunate souls who seem to be damned forever. Studying the universe though comes into play when discussing the Gnostic salvation. 

There are many types of Gnosticism that spread throughout the world, but most can be defined as:  "a religious movement consisting of various belief systems generally united in the teaching that humans are divine souls trapped in a material world created by an imperfect god, the demiurge, who is frequently identified with the Abrahamic God.

Gnosticism is very interesting to study, but I did have difficulty relating to some of the underlying philosophies (especially in the beginning).  I'm glad I took the course, though.  Bishop Pat took something that was (in my opinion) very difficult to understand and broke it down thoroughly so that the concepts can be better understood.  I liked the contrast he gave between Gnostics and Christians.  It was very effectively presented.  In summary, I enjoyed the course—both the history and descriptions of the Gnostic beliefs.


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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church  materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.


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Thursday, November 4, 2010

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.

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.



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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