Forcing Gnosis

A friend has expressed for some time now frustration in trying to keep to a certain practice to find enlightenment. To force gnosis is like trying to force a brick through the eye of a needle. I don't think we're hardwired to accept the daily grind on top of a completely open connection to the divine 24/7. We're too distracted by our responsibilities, family and friends... FOOD! Our body needs sustenance and by gosh we have to work for a living.

Keeping a spiritual calendar seems to inhibit some people's growth. Mandatory time set aside or scheduled ...eh. It's not very organic feeling after a while. And so we find excuse after excuse and emergency after emergency to delay or reschedule our 'practice.' How do you practice for life, exactly? In my experience gnosis comes in fits and starts, droughts-a-plenty when everyday responsibilities have to be taken care of, and a torrential flood has to be harnessed when we are calm and open to possibilities.

So what is a contemplative person to do? Do we become nuns and monks? Do we throw ourselves out on the streets and live in an even more precarious place? Viktor Frankle has a few sage words in Man's Search for Meaning: An Introduction to Logotherapy:

"What is called self-actualization is, and must remain, the unintended effect of self-transcendence; it is ruinous and self-defeating to make it the target of intention. And what is true of self-actualization also holds for identity and happiness. It is the very "pursuit of happiness" that obviates happiness. The more we make it a target, the more widely we miss.

It may now have become clear that a concept such as self-actualization, or self-realization, is not a sufficient ground for a motivational theory. This is mainly due to the fact that self-actualization, like power and pleasure, also belong to the class of phenomena which can only be obtained as a side effect and are thwarted precisely to the degree to which they are made a matter of direct intention. Self-actualization is a good thing; however, I maintain that man can only actualize himself to the extent to which he fulfills meaning. Then self-actualization occurs spontaneously; it is contravened when it is made an end in itself...

We have to beware of the tendency to deal with values in terms of the mere self-expression of man himself... If the meaning that is waiting to be fulfilled by man were nothing but a mere expression of self, or no more than a projection of his wishful thinking, it would immediately lose its demanding and challenging character; it could no longer call man forth or summon him.... I think the meaning of our existence is not invented by ourselves, but rather detected."

Alright, so if gnosis can't be forced and only detected then how do we go about detecting it? How do we sniff this thing out? How do we call it out from wherever we think it's hiding from us? It's not like a dog who'll come hither with a little doggy treat and a "Here boy! Here ya go! Come get some treats and a scratch behind the ears."

Gnosis is more like a sneaky feline hiding under your bed reaching out to swat your ankles every once in a while. You jump in shock, turn around, and yell at... no one? And yet you still sense the cat in the room. You know beyond the shadow of a doubt that it is there. Otherwise you wouldn't keep tip toeing past the bed, right? And in the deepest part of your soul you wouldn't be reaching out to it asking for more information. Heck, if you didn't know it was there you wouldn't be asking about it!!

Human life is rough. Most of the time we don't know which ends is up and which end is down. So what do we do about this? How do we sort out these emotions concerning what we Want and what we Need in order to lead a learning life? I say a learning life instead of a good life because  we don't become wise without stepping in a few mud puddles or even crashing head first into a few walls. We learn by making mistakes; trying things out to see how they feel to us. How do we make progress, to climb up out of the well of frustration we feel we're always in?

I believe that fear holds us back as well as ignorance. It's like being told that there are no monsters under the bed and yet we continue to watch scary movies which scare the crap out of us. I can also equate this to reading literalist holy books with the mindset of Fear(of God) leading to Redemption. And so mentally we live life in fear, huddled with our blankets covering our heads(and hearts). 'If I can't see it then it can't see me,' type mentality. Or worse yet, 'if I am scared of everything then I've got all the bases covered.' But if you're truly reaching out for something good what must you do to overcome this fear? The answer is to read, listen, and relax.

First, I got over my fear of being exposed to the pathogen of anything not accepted by a literalist faith church. (This took years. It did not happen overnight.) I actively sought out books which they condemned. My curiosity has not led me astray yet. When you read the texts which a literalist considers evil then it gives you a new perspective on the people who say that these ideas are bad. When you realize that you don't have to have faith in something unseen but that you can truly BELIEVE in something you KNOW is real(gnosis) and have daily experiences with him(the good god/pleroma/the All, etc is not silent. He's a chatterbox, actually) then the literalist argument turn to dust and you're left with the truth.

Here are a few activities I've participated in which have brought me peace and helped develop a closer relationship with the good god:

• Yoga: it forces your brain to shut up and opens your heart to possibilities. We store stress in our bodies like we store energy from the food we eat. To find peace you must find calm. Yoga is detoxifying, confidence building, and creates a calm place in your heart to retreat to when the world becomes too much. www.yogajournal.com is a wonderful resource. Their articles are fantastic. Start with baby steps and you'll really surprise yourself!
• Meditation: there are several methods. Meditation on the very cusp of sleep seems to work the best in the beginning for most. The more relaxed you are the easier it is to find that quiet spot in your mind. Make sure you keep a notebook and pen handy. Breathe naturally and slowly and don't be freaked out by the light shows and nonsensical seeming dramas going on in your head. It's simply your consciousness waking up; like jump starting a dead battery on a car. Just relax and enjoy the sound of your own heart beat. If you start with yoga and then try to meditate at a different time that day, don't be surprised if during your 'dutiful lotus position meditation' you suddenly feel the urge to get up and stretch your body into a yoga position(asana) with your eyes still closed. Go with it. You'll find that you're letting yourself dive deeper into your consciousness by the movements. Your mind will still with your body's movements. Go with your instincts. If you feel the urge to lay in Child Pose during a portion of your meditation and then some modified version of Downward Dog... go with it! There are no rules written in stone for finding a place of peace-- however you will find a great deal of success to be had by trying out some suggestions by people through the ages who have struggled with the same struggles you are. You don't have to sit still in order to meditate.
• Reading: definitely! Dig deep into philosophy, the arts, and comparative religion books. If you're truly struggling then grab a philosophy 101 book. See a person or topic of interest? Research them! Dig deeper and wander around to your heart's content.
• Painting: Color is powerful to the human psyche. Let go. Don't paint between the lines- make your OWN lines! Or better yet, don't let lines exist. Let the color flow.
• Write: keep a dream journal. Also, keep track of your process and progression by giving yourself a small writing assignment on topics as they come to mind. Some beginning topics can be "what I think about ____this____ religion or philosophy" and you can move on to other philosophies and schools of thought. Really though, any religion IS a school of thought. It has structure and confines; it is a school. You've got your mascots(crucifixes, Star of David, a moon and star, etc), your cheerleaders(clergy), and then you've got your students(parishioners). Can you stay within the confines of the school? Do you want to? What do you get out of it? Do you live in fear or do you live in love? You can also write reviews of books you've read and try to put into words your feelings about their ideas.

Gnosis isn't a school of thought, though. It's a process and a path. It rips the roof off the schoolhouse of literalism and turns the walls into dust. There are so many sects of gnosticism that one would think wars would have broken out though so many millenia. No, no wars and no Crusades of any sort. Gnostics don't kill non-gnostics. 

Gnosis is inclusive, not exclusive, unlike literalist religions or the confines of philosophies. Gnostics everywhere realize that we are all in various states of awakening and that we must respect that process in one another in order to respect that in our self. To expect change is to live your life to the fullest and that is what the good god wants for us- to live and learn.

So it's vitally important that you learn about the differences between various world religions and philosophies. The more educated you are the more information will naturally flow to you from the All. Connections will be made which you couldn't have expected. You'll think you visited a library in your dreams. Guess what? You did!

No question is left unanswered, even the big ones. He wants you to learn. He wants you to not live in ignorance but instead to live in love. To live in love you have to learn about love itself. This requires study. So consider yourself a student in the school of love. This does not mean you will never cry again. This simply means that you will learn to dissect this experience we call life and not take it for granted; to live IN THE MOMENT with our heart wide open to possibilities. We have the potential to learn so much from one another but if we can't even look each other in the eye then there is a lot of learning lost and thus, a lot of love lost.  

A simple exercise in love can be resolving to look everyone you walk past today in the eye and give them an acknowledging nod and smile. Gauge their reaction. Keep a mental tally of who smiles back at you and who does not. You'll learn quite a bit about our society today with just this one simply action.

Irenaeus wrote Against Heresies trying to rein in his flock of Christians for control of an empire. He repeatedly states, "they have not examined the Gospels..." thus creating a circular argument that leads NOWHERE. No one is wiser. No one knows any more about life or death than what is supposedly in those hand selected Gospels. The clergy hold the door handle to Heaven and Jehovah help you if you don't pay your tithe or eat the sacramental bread.

The answer is so easy. You already know it. You've always known it! It's there, right there inside that bright spark you hold dear: your conscience. It speaks to us every day. But the Eternal Truth is not so easily seen or heard when we have blinders on with the so-called reality we see every day around us. So we must study, pray, and listen. And then we learn how to love.

 

Day-to-Day Gnosis

Everyone's journey is different but there are key insights which all gnostics can agree on:

1) Make love not war, it's so much more fun. *wink*
2) There is no One Way toward gnosis. There is no certified Correct way which will earn you points in Heaven and you're not damned to hellfire and brimstone if you 'screw it up' a few times. Those bumps in the road on your path toward gnosis are all lessons learned and have far more worth than what you may see right now. Consider them the 'flavor' in your pot of gumbo you call Life.
3) We take ourselves far too seriously- LAUGH! Life is the most hilarious rollercoaster ride we could ever imagine experiencing. We're all imagining it together and that is what makes it more fun.
4) Live lucidly; minute by minute and hour by hour. This lifetime is fleeting so live life in the moment and enjoy whatever we can whenever we can. Count your blessings by the ounce, not the pound.
5) Living is not the same thing as learning. Learning takes effort and mindfulness to the task. Just because you see something happening doesn't mean you've learned from it. Seeing and doing is not the same thing as retention.
6) All living creatures are connected through pleroma(the fullness/the totality). Respect ourselves and one another. We are one another. If we remember this and live like this then we can truly be at peace with ourselves and one another. Big Love is the answer.
7) There is no such thing as a coincidence. Irony, yes. Comedy and poetic justice, most definitely. The All does have a wicked sense of humor. But there is no such thing as a coincidence.
8) Everyone talks to themselves and when we do we are reinforcing our own innate wisdom. It's something we do by instinct. Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that we are wise beings so we don't get bogged down in the day-to-day crap that we forget our divine heritage.
9) Past is not prologue! We can learn from our mistakes and our bright sparks will shine all the more brightly for it. Dare to break the mold of what your friends/family members may tell you is your fate. It's your life. So live it!
10) Dream. And then share those dreams with others. Communicate your visions so that others can know they are not alone.
11) And if you're really depressed take a look around at Nature. It'll always give you a good chuckle. Take this cat for example:



See, you're laughing and already further on your path toward gnosis than you were five minute ago!

If we can't laugh at life and the quirky creatures and situations we're surrounded with then truly, what can we laugh at? We tend to get angry with other human beings but animals.... animals show us what we need to see. Like for example: the not-so-subtle hint that you're out of toilet paper; a priceless lesson in humility.

Pleroma's Alarm Clock

Today was supposed to be the day when I wrote a second reactionary piece to the previously posted article on the woman who was fired for having premarital sex, thus conceiving her(in the eyes of the Church) bastard child. But the All had other plans for me today.

I was woken up this morning(ahem.. afternoon) by Pleroma, who effectively kicked me out of my nice warm bed with the most irritating alarm-clock'ish musical tones I've ever heard. Instead of only hearing something with your auditory receptors, Pleroma forces you to feel his metaphysical foot on your ass shoving you out of bed.

One medium pitched and then one higher pitched tone that I can feel vibrating in my chest. This isn't the first time it's happened. Yeah, try going to back sleep when the All decides that you have had quite enough sleep. Ain't gonna happen. He doesn't have a snooze button. (!!grrr!!!) Instead, he jacks into your brain and gives you something akin to a super caffeine high. What a lovely way to start your day.

So, I'm up. Unwillingly. I am up out of bed. Apparently I'm supposed to do something today. I'm guessing this has something to do with the article I'm supposed to write on the blog. And the drawing I'm working on for a convention I'm attending. I've only got two weeks to get it done so I better get moving. I don't even have a firm plan in my mind of a layout. *sigh* Need to take some more pictures to get a grip here on what I'm trying to convey. I don't have a clue. The artist in me is suffering from painter's block. Hopefully I'll recover in enough time to put something together for the convention.

Anyway. Back on the topic of Pleroma's annoying snooze-button-less alarm clock. Do all gnostics have this experience? The answer to that would be no. So what's different about me? Why do I have Pleroma's foot invading my personal space?

Lay gnosis is an invitation for Pleroma to take a more hands-on approach with us in our daily lives. And boy oh boy does he love it when we sleep! We're more open to having conversations with him when our brain has slowed down and our inhibitions don't get in the way. Think of it as nighttime therapy for the soul. An intimate communion.

What do practitioners of lay gnosis get out of the whole deal? Balance. Peace. Knowledge. Also, a head full of universally funny jokes. (Be ready to discuss the absurd!!) The All has a sense of humor and he really wants to share it with you. "Why be so serious?" he asks. "Your life should be fun. Enjoy it. Learn from it. I'll be here when you need rest and even when you need a shoulder to cry on."

That is the first stage of being open with Pleroma. You are child-like in every way. The second phase sets the stage for a more mature relationship with the All. You question. You don't always receive the answers when you think you need them. Demanding doesn't work. He gives you space to ask those questions which are important to you at the moment but he also gives you space to find the answers on your own. Daddy is distancing himself so you can grow, so you can find out what you are capable of. He is not a crutch and he doesn't want you to use him like one.

He doesn't have you swaddled up in a blanket like a baby anymore, smothering you with love. Because in the beginning that is truly what it feels like. You feel high. Inebriated. Drunk on love. In love. With everything and everyone and most importantly him. Finding that divine cord connecting you to him isn't hard to do. It's neon pink, baby! A live wire! He wants to firmly imprint upon your soul just how much he loves you. He doesn't want you to forget it any time soon.

In phase two he is giving you room to run away from him if you so choose. And I have done so a number of times. Home life, married life, life with two kids/two cats/bills/etc can intrude upon your internal dialogue with the All on a daily basis. This isn't necessarily a bad thing. This is about learning how to balance your physical life with the divine. It is possible to have both. You don't have to cloister yourself away to have this connection. But it does demand some acrobatics. Thankfully, Pleroma is eternally patient.

However, that does NOT mean he is not adverse to soundly kicking you out of your own bed because he believes you are being a lazy ass! Such is the lesson I learned today.

To reiterate: lay gnosis is an open invitation extended by you so that the All can have a more direct communion within your soul. Literal interpretation of the Bible, Koran, Bhagavad Gita, and other religious texts wont get you there. This is something entirely different.

Lay gnosis steps outside the boundaries of the literal, the inane, and the superficial. It gives you something real. Tangible. Something you can live with and feel it's worth.

I highly recommend visiting Steve, of TrueBlueHealer.com's website and browsing around. He is present on YouTube with a user ID of kimbo99. Browse around. Have fun.

Here's his first intro video for lay gnosis. It is worth your time!! Note: please make sure you have your volume turned on.

"Gnosis is knowing by internal experience rather than faith, hope or belief in an externally produced report. Gnosis is as real as eating and drinking, and is part of the human life cycle." ~Steve

gnōthi seauton
Know Thyself

Science vs. Faith

An excerpt from Mark Noll's book The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind,

"Attempts to think-both profoundly and as Christians- about history, nature, the arts, and society have been frustrated by the very success of an institutional arrangement that maintains several mutually distinct forms of academic endeavor."

Unless the soul can be quantified in a scientific way, the great divide between evangelism and modern academia seems an uncrossable chasm. I don't think it's about proving God's existence or us being good enough for Him to show us proof of himself out of pure generosity. I think it's about slowing down as a society; about not getting so caught up in all the shiny marvels we discover daily under a microscope. Life is about the delicate balancing act between the two disciplines. If we grow so enamored with the past(keeping to the Old Testament ways) as the evangelical faith has, we will never be able to grow into a new future. Look to the future too closely and passionately and we'll overlook the serendipitous lessons from our forefathers.

A delicate dance indeed.

I believe that while our theology differs from evangelists' we can also learn a great deal from one another. There are few writing and teaching gnostic scholars just as there are few evangelical writing and teaching scholars. The money just isn't there. And unless that scholar feels particularly moved to 'evangelize' cheaply, they just wont do it. Everyone has bills to pay. Why not keep your theology to yourself instead?

If this chasm could be bridged between the secular and the spiritual, imagine how learning could progress! Imagine how society could be changed for the better.