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.
By the end of this video I had a goofy grin on my face. Couldn't help it. Dolphins are such amazingly intelligent animals and to see one of them so happily PLAY with something as simple as a bubble ring is soothing.
Looking at the video several times what I can deduce so far is that the dolphin spits out a bit of hair through their mouth and then uses their blowhole to push a hole through the center of that bubble, making it separate into a very thin doughnut-like shape. Toward the end of the vid, when you watch the cluster of three dolphins around the bubble ring you'll notice that the one who blew it is slowly turning over onto their back and then glides through the center. That dolphin is truly enjoying him/herself!
I think when the bubble pops it tickles their sensitive skin.
Why can't most humans be this happy without resorting to buying This and That and Every Other Thing in the store which appeals to them? Heck, my two cats get more enjoyment out of a trash cardboard box than any store-bought toys I try to entice them with.
Last night I dreamt I was talking to a therapist. This therapist alternated between asking me questions that a literalist Christian and a gnostic cleric would. Quite confusing for the patient! I answered honestly and with no reservations.
The ending epiphany was that although I went in to talk about managing stress I left(woke up) to discover that it was really my own choice in having that stress and some of the bodily pain which resulted from it.
The literalist asked me why I didn't call out to God to ease my pain and to take the burdens off my heart. I replied that I don't really think that's in his job description. I made every decision in my life which led up to where I am now. Why should he bail me out? I can't do that myself?
The gnostic cleric asked if I felt like an infatuated infant or an adolescent in my relationship with the All. I replied that I don't need to be given a bottle anymore and don't feel the urge to run back to him the very instant things get rough so... an adolescent.
Does the comfort I receive from the All feel different now than in the beginning, the gnostic asked?Yes. Does that bother me? No. In the beginning it was an all encompassing warmth, like honey seeping down between the joints of your bones, type of relief. Now it's a gentle pat on the shoulder and a kiss on the cheek. I don't feel the need for more.
When I feel frustrated with my husband/kids/family and want to lock myself in the closet and scream(and I do sometimes!) I do give in to tears. Crying does relieve the body of stress. And then I have to ask myself after this tidal wave of emotion leaves once again: why do I feel this stress? Why do I feel this angry? My conclusion has remained the same time and time again- I cannot control other people. But that means that I also should not feel badly for their rotten decisions or ignorant behavior.
This is harder than it sounds. My mantra lately has been, "Detach. Let them make their own mistakes. Back off." And this even goes for my husband. Just because you can do something for someone doesn't mean that you should. I can't fix everyone's boo-boos and I can't anticipate everyone's needs or desires. It's not my place to. If people don't fall they can't learn to get back up on their own. I'm finding that letting go feels good. Sure the house is messier than it was before. Yes, the kid's homework isn't always done to perfection and their grades are falling. But letting someone realize how much more they are capable of doing on their own instead of being prodded along like a child is a priceless gift.
Sometimes doing less means getting more positive results for and from people you love.
Zen Fables For Today By: Richard McLean Zen? Buddhism? ... how exactly does this relate to gnosis and why would a gnostic read a book about Zen or Buddhism let alone a combination of the two? Ahhh but Grasshopper, the answer is in the question. Gnosis means knowing. The path to knowing winds and turns, rarely in a straight line, overlaps itself and then delves deeply into other religions to ferret out their kernels of gnostic truth. Zen Buddhism certainly contains some tasty morsels for thought.
In giving you a taste I hope that you will feel inclined to search out more. Here are two short excerpts.
Page 103:
"Tell me about apples," said the Roshi(teacher) to his three most promising students as he placed an apple on the table. "Whoever explains them best gets to go to Kyoto with me."
The first student explained the apples' origin and introduction into Japan and other historical lore.
The second pointed out the marketing uses for apples in cider, desserts, and applesauce.
The third said nothing. Instead he took a pen knife, cut a wedge, slipped it into the Roshi's mouth and gently pushed hi teacher's jaw upwards so the apple would squish inside his mouth.
"Precisely," said the Roshi talking around his slice of apple. "Apples cannot be explained with words. They must be experienced on the tongue. The only way to know about apples is with your mouth shut."
The class shared the remains of the apple and the third student went to Kyoto.
Lesson: Like "knowing" apples, the only way to "know" about one's place in the universe is not through the ears but through the heart.
Page 10, Mindfulness
The Zen concept of mindfulness could be described as "time hedonism." Zen offers a view of the world that is starkly practical; it says we can (and must) live in the present. And the only way to live in the present is to be present in the moment. For example, if we are washing dishes, Zen says to be there washing the dishes and living that simple action rather than tuning out. Zen labels as wasteful recriminations over the past or worry about the future. "Live now," it commands and gives us the tool to live now: mindfulness of the moment, living in the present, not squandering this precious span of life, not putting consciousness on "automatic pilot" or dreaming away today in favor of an impossible-to-predict tomorrow
