Gnosteric

Would your jeweller make another one (or two)? My bank aint' that big, though. I've been looking for one ever since spying it on the Gospel of Judas. I, too, would like to wear it proudly. Do you consider yourself a Sethian Gnostic? Eric

Not just the both of you. You would have enough company to make some noise......enough to make some music and be awed by some silence, enough to be challenged by some thoughtful theological discussion and elevated by some mystical sacrament. Enough to get me out of bed every Sunday morning. For me, much better than alternating my Sundays between the two. Hmmmm, let's see, odd weeks must be UU & even weeks mean UCC.

As was I (mostly anyway......not sure what I'd have done if you called me on it ) My point being that it is not real difficult to start a new denomination these days. The law allows for as little as three people to form an independent religious organization. Set up an inexpensive website and presto a denomination is born. Now, making it grow is like the Demiurge trying to bring that first human to life…..needs a little help from the Spirit. I am hopefully waiting for someone (else) to do it. Yes, and until they figure out a way to include it the numbers will continue to decline.

des, wasn't that what you were getting at with your previous post? I have always thought of mysticism as, somehow, being inherently progressive. The mystics have also always seemed to be the ones to be more inclusive of other faiths.......and of other's myths. It would make some sense to have an inclusive and welcoming form of worship where all of us mystics could find some fellowship together. The focus on Christ (however the individual mystic defines Christ) would be the glue that holds (or the thread that links) all those crazy mystics together. Just think of the wealth of religious/spiritual material that would be at our fingertips. It would be easier to find commonality among mystical Christians than the group of people that the UU deals with every day. Do you want to get the UMCC started? It only takes a few people willing to act as founders and start the grass roots movement rolling. BTW, www.umcc.ws is available on Godaddy for only $9.99.

Would that be "The United Mystical Church of Christ"? You'd have me showing up each Sunday! Wouldn't it be great to see Gnostics and Quakers and Creation Spirituality folks and ...... all the other branches of Christian mysticism under the same umbrella.

Would someone be willing to define "religious knowing" (as is being used in this post) for me? As a Gnostic, my brain defaults to Gnosis (that wonderful direct mystical intuitive knowledge of the ineffable "God" ) everytime such a phrase is written. I just might be in agreement with all this, but seem to be missing that common definition. Thanks.

Hello Jim. It's nice to find another Gnostic on this forum. While I don't consider myself exclusively Sophian, it is part of my gnowledge. If I was forced to be more specific than plain old Gnostic? Universalist Gnostic? The Sethian texts speak to me on some topics while the Valentinian mythology connects with my Christian roots and Sophia plays a major role when I'm in a rather Jungian mood. I also fully share your sense of being an "alien." Fearfully, it seems to be a large part of our religion for many. I, too, have had much difficulty finding a spiritual home. The UCC folks haven't found me Christian enough and many UU congregations identified me as too Christian. You are part of a growing movement and your awakening to the call is not done in isolation. I wonder how the religious landscape will be changing over the coming years. The ignorance seems to be lifting for many.

FYI, I started a thread about Hermetic Gnosticism in the "other religions" section.

Namaste. Thank you fathergnosisman! Thank you! I just used that as part of my contemplation/prayer and plan on doing so in the future. I have added it into my rotation (with your permission, of course).

Um, yup, otherwise you're having a conversation with yourself. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Seriously, I do tarot readings on myself where I believe that is what I'm doing - talking to myself, delving into my subconcious. I don't call it prayer though. Meditation maybe? I have a friend that, depending on the day, calls himself an Atheist, Humanist, or Agnostic. He rejects the idea of any transcendent power that intervenes......at all. He does believe in a type of energy (yet to be discovered by science) that can be altered by prayer. He also has some belief in an offshoot of the collective unconscious that can be altered through prayer. He calls it prayer, not meditation. I am afraid that I have offended him on both accounts. I "accused" him of a belief in God....... and I challenged his using the word "prayer." I'm still not sure, though.

Yeah, but what would've happened had you seen "The Omen?" I thought their release date was quite the marketing ploy.

I do like that list, although I think you can pare down the "fundamentals" even further. In fact, I came across a website that whittled them down to the following: 1)The Divine Spark is within everyone. 2)Humanity's true state is to be found beyond the material world with God. 3)Enlightenment is awakening to these facts and reconnecting the Divine Spark with God. Oh, no! The traditionalists might be after my head for posting such a short list. BTW, Bishop Hoeller (+Stephan Hoeller) has some great free lectures Here Yes, but..... Yes, but..... That always seems to be the case when anyone starts trying to describe Gnostic thought. The myths are so difficult to translate into linear forms. How do you describe a mystical moment? Poetry. Art. Storytelling. I think the best Gnostic myths are more Tao-like. In my mind, the Demiurge represents creation absent the Divine Spark. Have you ever witnessed a painting that is technical, not artistic? It is creative and imaginative and the brush strokes are excellent, yet something is missing. A piece of music that makes all the right notes, but doesn't have soul? I think the story warns us of "acting" without being connected to God. It is a story of arrogance and ignorance. Some say the Demiurge is God's "ego." I like the Gospels that tell of Sophia's role in creation. Her wanting to be creative, but trying to do so without the "Invisible Spirit" (or the real God). She creates from a place of separation (separated from that which she emanated from .... and from her opposite) and the result was a flawed creation, lacking in the fullness of the Pleroma. It speaks to syzygy. I'll be back later for more. Good stuff!

In all seriousness: Hail Sophia: Hail Sophia, full of light, the Christ is with you, blessed are you among all the aeons, and blessed is the liberator of your light, Jesus. Hail Sophia, Mother of all gods, pray to the Light for us your children, now and in the hour of our death. Amen. A Closing Prayer: O Gentle, O Kind, O Blessed Sophia, Your children on earth call unto You. We pray You, Beloved Mother, to cast forth your net of woven starlight. Fling it wide across the ocean of the universe to gather us home to the realms of Light. Amen.

That was a stumbling block for me as well. My contemplation on "original sin" vs "original flaw" eventually boosted me up and over something that wasn't there. I look forward to it.

Not a bad article. It’s nice to see all of this attention being given to Gnosticism right now. It’s hard to keep a good idea down! BTW, a good translation and commentary is “The Gospel of Mary Magdalene” by Jean-Yves Leloup. Jacob Needleman, who writes the foreword, points out the text’s focus on mystery and the unconscious. It makes me think of Jung (the great Gnostic that he was) and the impact that the repression of women (as well as Mary & Sophia) has had on the Church. The Church has tried to hide from half of its “being” for a long time. The result is a growing “shadow” that keeps manifesting itself in the most embarrassing, and well documented, of ways. It’s also interesting to keep anima/animus in mind when thinking of the roles of (and ratio of) men/women in the current church population. The archetypal symbolism of "masculine" and "feminine" is all out of whack and it is affecting women and men. If the church had not repressed so much of Sophia then just maybe more men would be involved as congregants and more women would be in leadership thus creating a more “individuated” church body. I agree with the viewpoint that Christ symbolizes “God consciousness” and Sophia (often seen as Mary) symbolizes wisdom and life. When the two are combined (or married) then our psyche (or soul) connects with God in a more enlightened place. The fruits of this “marriage” are seen in our culture’s transformation. When one is absent the other …. well ….. that means trouble (again well documented within the church by its scandals, declining membership….) and our culture's stagnation. IMO, we will never reach our true Fullness (the Kingdom?) until we remedy this current imbalance. Fatherman, still glad you asked?