How did you become a Gnostic?

[Jumi]

Did you first study the writings such as Nag Hammadi Library, did you join a group or did you experience Gnosis which led you to learn more about Gnosticism through scripture or group? Do you feel an agnostic visiting a Gnostic Mass is appropriate or no?

 

[ELoWolfe]

There would be two philosophies. And there would be disagreements about them. One is you have to first have experiential knowledge of God before you can get any sort of intellectual understanding. The experience of the divine utterly shatters your preconceived notions and allow you to rebuild. The second is that you have to cultivate your soul to allow for that experiential knowledge.

Receiving the experience of God is not common. At all. Some people do receive it though through no effort of their own. Paul is one such example. But I don't think that intellectual investigation prohibits the experiential knowledge. For me, I did not experience anything until after studying Gnosticism. I feel this study helped understand greater the experience when it did happen, than to be confused if I had no preparation.

But I think common to both is a stirring of the soul when you read and learn. There was always something that felt "right" as I studied. Things made sense to me and in accepting it, it opened up the possibility for the experience.

If you have an opportunity to join a Mass, by all means go. You don't have to be a gnostic to enjoy a mass. It may help you either way; if you like it, investigate. If you didn't like it, no harm.

Unless it Thelemic. That is something entirely different and I don't have the knowledge to make any claims for.

 

[nazz]

Did you first study the writings such as Nag Hammadi Library, did you join a group or did you experience Gnosis which led you to learn more about Gnosticism through scripture or group? Do you feel an agnostic visiting a Gnostic Mass is appropriate or no?

In some ways I always was because gnosis is direct knowledge of God and I had that even as a child. But only started learning about Gnosticism a few years back. The views I saw being expressed just clicked with me.

I see no reason why it would not be appropriate for an agnostic to participate in a Gnostic ritual. Part of the gnostic outlook embracing agnosticism in the sense that we cannot know all there is to know.

 

[frangipani]

It was about thirty years ago that my eyes were opened. I was not a religious person although I tended to believe there was some form of God or divine architect. Anyway at one point I was talking to some work colleagues and the discussion was on Christianity, these people were church going people. They were trying to convince me of their ways, but in my heart I knew this "Jesus loves me I am saved" belief was simply rubbish. However I do thank them for prompting me to think more deeply about spiritualism. I prayed one night, I suppose night was best when all was quiet and I could devote myself wholly to my prayer, and my prayer was simple, 'Are you real God?' That same night I had an out-of-body experience. I was aware of myself as thought occupying space and I was 'seeing' my body lying on the bed, it had an aura silvery-blue glowing around it and in my bodies open mouth a small silver ball spinning around with little sparks shooting off from it. My initial reaction in thought of course was, 'I am delirious, I must be sick'. I admit I felt a bit disorientated. I then recall saying to myself, 'I've died', and with that thought a great calm came over me and I relaxed and looked around the room calmly and felt quite at peace. I looked at my body, and thought, 'what now', at that point I saw myself as Living Thought Energy, if I had to describe its appearance I would say an orb, silvery-blue and the colours moved about within it both darker and lighter shades. With this realisation accepted by me I found myself (as this energy) being drawn back into my body, as I entered the body it felt like I was filling the body as one would fill a bottle and I clearly realised I was looking through my eyes as on looks through a window. It felt like I was moving towards my eyes until I began to not look through them, but see with them. I was back. So that's the initial experience, after that I had a new framework of thought, I saw the world differently, my priorities had changed, and essentially what was previously important to me, was not so important anymore. No church, and I went to many after this experience, conveyed in there teachings what I knew and so I just journeyed on my own and as time passed grew more and more in this way of thinking. I never called myself Gnostic, I called myself Christian. I wasn't until about 2010 I stumbled across the Nag Hammadi Library and began to read it, as I read through various books in it all the boxes were ticked, this was me, and in my heart it was the Truth. I already knew in my heart what I was reading, of course not names and places, but the message and the way of Gnosticism. So that's how I decided if a label was needed at all I would consider myself a Gnostic Christian. A number of years later I found this forum and I joined only because they had a heading 'Gnosticism' and I was curious. My soul was introduced to the Spirit within me at that experience and has instructed and moulded me ever since. My soul and the Spirit within me are one and the same these days and will remain so forever.

 

[Jumi]

Thank you for sharing perspectives, I found all of them interesting.

The Nag Hammadi Library also had some effect on me when I picked it up in my teens from a University Library. There has been some interest ever since, but I never explored it deeper. Somehow the symbolism seemed less foreign to me than I expected. My thought was something along these lines that if this was included in the Bible history would have turned out completely different for us.

I have started genuine inquiry if experience is possible for me. What it might mean, I'm not certain, but it seems I've upgraded my search from "trying it out" to an interested seeker. I'm reading now, just got started with Gospel of Thomas.

 

[MonkeyFire]

Light seeker; knowledge, logic, wisdom, consciousness, virtue, justice, etc.

 

[Jumi]

Do you believe in the Archons? And how would you describe them?

 

[frangipani]

Do you believe in the Archons? And how would you describe them?

The names of some of the archons are, as an example, Greed, Lust, Envy, Competitiveness, selfishness, jealousy, pride, ego, etcetera. These are the demons people allow to into their souls and drive their thoughts leading to all sorts of evil, lies, murder, theft, defamation, hatred, etcetera. These come from the demiurge and not from the Spirit of Truth. These belong in this world and found in it and recognised through the sensory perceptions of the world around us. Letting them in pollutes our soul, destroying all reason and decency. Many do that's why the world is such a screwed up place.

 

[nazz]

Do you believe in the Archons? And how would you describe them?

I define an archon as any power that exerts control by means of force.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

The Matrix opened my mind to it.

 

[frangipani]

I define an archon as any power that exerts control by means of force.

I see your point, and agree in part, because we have a choice when deciding how we develop, what characteristics, beliefs, behaviours, attitudes and actions we take. We can change these also as we grow if we choose. For the Archon to have control or influence over our lives we must first let the demon in. Sometimes the demon enters and is with us through stealth, but when we see it we choose whether or not to let it stay. It takes Spiritual knowledge from the Divine to see these demons and cast them out. They are not forced upon us, even though they try to force their way in, the force they exert does not give them control unless we capitulate. But truly with people who are ignorant of the Truth the Archons run wild and play the people like puppets on a string. Ignorance is not bliss, it is death.