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Hello all,
I've been reading the new book, Gnosticism, by Dr. Stephan A. Hoeller, Bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica. It's a very comprehensive introduction to the subject, and I highly recommend it.
In last night's reading, I was moved by Hoeller's insistance that gnosticism isn't just an intellectual philosophy, it is a religion with spiritual practices like ritual various forms of meditation, including prayer. Of course, it's clear that such practices vary significantly from one group or individual to another.
The important thing to me is the insistence that gnosticism without practice isn't really gnostic. What makes gnosticism gnostic is gnosis, which is a profound inner knowing that is not accomplished through the usual intellectual and emotional processes of philosophy and most mainstream religion. To a large extent, what you think and what you believe isn't as important as the other things you do with your consciousness. By the way, we could substitute the word "mystic" for "gnostic" in all of that and it would be just as true.
This leads me to reflect upon our work with the Gospel of Thomas. This is actually a spiritual practice to the extent that we are each taking these sayings deeply into our hearts in meditation and prayer on a routine basis. We're doing spiritual work on a number of levels here, but one thing some of us may not be getting much of is any kind of ritual to accompany it. So I'd like to offer a very simple little Christ based ritual that anyone can use, without having to commit to any particular doctrinal views.
In the eastern portion of the place where you meditate/pray, light a single candle. As you light it, say with sincereity and feeling, something like this: "The true Light, which enlightens everyone that comes into the world."
Standing and facing east, with the candle in front of you, cross yourself in the style of the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Church, imagining a golden cross of light forming within your body, its crux at your heart. Feel its presence within you. Then place your hands together as you would for prayer, saying with sincerity and feeling something like this: "May I comprehend the Light that shines in the darkness."
Then proceed as you normally would for prayer or meditation. When you are done, stand up and cross yourself again, saying a spontaneous prayer of thanks.
To end the ritual, snuff out the candle, saying something like: "It is finished."
By the way, if you don't like the symbolism of the cross, just place your hands together and imagine your heart glowing with warm golden light. The appropriate feeling to stimulate in yourself during these specific moments is a sense of compassion with inner peace and harmony.
Peace,
Griffin
I've been reading the new book, Gnosticism, by Dr. Stephan A. Hoeller, Bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostica. It's a very comprehensive introduction to the subject, and I highly recommend it.
In last night's reading, I was moved by Hoeller's insistance that gnosticism isn't just an intellectual philosophy, it is a religion with spiritual practices like ritual various forms of meditation, including prayer. Of course, it's clear that such practices vary significantly from one group or individual to another.
The important thing to me is the insistence that gnosticism without practice isn't really gnostic. What makes gnosticism gnostic is gnosis, which is a profound inner knowing that is not accomplished through the usual intellectual and emotional processes of philosophy and most mainstream religion. To a large extent, what you think and what you believe isn't as important as the other things you do with your consciousness. By the way, we could substitute the word "mystic" for "gnostic" in all of that and it would be just as true.
This leads me to reflect upon our work with the Gospel of Thomas. This is actually a spiritual practice to the extent that we are each taking these sayings deeply into our hearts in meditation and prayer on a routine basis. We're doing spiritual work on a number of levels here, but one thing some of us may not be getting much of is any kind of ritual to accompany it. So I'd like to offer a very simple little Christ based ritual that anyone can use, without having to commit to any particular doctrinal views.
In the eastern portion of the place where you meditate/pray, light a single candle. As you light it, say with sincereity and feeling, something like this: "The true Light, which enlightens everyone that comes into the world."
Standing and facing east, with the candle in front of you, cross yourself in the style of the Roman Catholic or Orthodox Church, imagining a golden cross of light forming within your body, its crux at your heart. Feel its presence within you. Then place your hands together as you would for prayer, saying with sincerity and feeling something like this: "May I comprehend the Light that shines in the darkness."
Then proceed as you normally would for prayer or meditation. When you are done, stand up and cross yourself again, saying a spontaneous prayer of thanks.
To end the ritual, snuff out the candle, saying something like: "It is finished."
By the way, if you don't like the symbolism of the cross, just place your hands together and imagine your heart glowing with warm golden light. The appropriate feeling to stimulate in yourself during these specific moments is a sense of compassion with inner peace and harmony.
Peace,
Griffin
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Unsu...
Qabalistic Cross
Fri, October 15, 2004 - 7:17 AMFriends:
Here is a more complex form of the ritual of crossing. It's a good practice at three crucial times of the day: upon arising from sleep, at noon, and just before sleep.
Stand and face East. Imagine a brilliant white sphere touching the top of your head. Reach up with the first two fingers to connect with the light and inhale as you bring a beam it down into the forehead.
Touch the forehead and vibrate "ATEH" (Hebrew: "Thou art").
Inhale as you continue to draw the beam of light down through your body, forming another sphere of energy beneath your feet.
Pointing at that sphere, vibrate "MALKUTH" (the Kingdom).
Inhale, drawing energy back up the beam and then from the heart center horizontally to the right shoulder. Visualize a sphere of light there.
Vibrate "VE-GEBURAH" (and the Power).
Inhale, drawing energy horizontally across to the left shoulder, and visualize a sphere of light there.
Vibrate 'VE-GEDULAH" (and the Glory).
Imagine a completed cross of light running from head to feet and shoulder to shoulder. Bring the hands together at the breast as if praying, visualizing a sphere of light at the heart and crux of the cross.
Vibrate "LE-OLAHM, AMEN" (Throughout Eternity, so may it be).
Here is good article on this ritual:
www.geocities.com/alex_sumner/qx.htm
Peace,
Griffin -
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another practice!
Sat, October 16, 2004 - 12:56 AMI was pondering what you all shared, and wondering if I knew some lovely divine technique that doesn't require doing millions of mantras.
aha!
Meditating with the Angels
the idea is that you go into nature, where you can meditate quietly and uninterrupted by human beings. helps to take a blanket or towel or something to sit/lie on (-- it's never a good idea to meditate on the bare earth, you reap no benefit from it because the earth's nature is so magnetic is autmatically sucks your meditation power out of you WHILE you're charging through meditation).
anyway, in nature, doing whatever meditation you do, until you go deep (start to feel drowsy, for example, or physically heavy, or some energy running). in that state, then, you ask the 4 great questions, internally, of Nature:
1) who am I?
2) where did I come from? (where was I before I was born?)
3) what is my mission (dharma) in this life?
4) where will I go after I die?
if you are in a deep meditative state and you ask these questions of Nature from that state, Nature has to respond. the angels are automatically attracted to such a state, and to such questions.
Ramana Maharshi recommended dwelling on these 4 questions. my teacher Kaleshwara agrees wholeheartedly & recommended doing them in nature. he was also kind enough to explain part of the mechanism of WHY it's important to ask them in Nature, in trance (the angels are attracted).
it's a POWERFUL process.
enjoy!
Alx
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Re: Gnostic Practice
Fri, October 15, 2004 - 12:12 PMSo long as we're on the subject, I'll mention a few practices that I've found highly beneficial --
The Mantra O
Sit in a relaxed position. Begin to vocalize the vowel O (as in "more"). As you do this, picture a plate of white energy spinning around your heart (or a lotus flower if you prefer). If you were to look down, you would see it spinning clockwise.
This mantra is said to strengthen the faculty of intuition. Vocalize for at least 10 minutes a day whenever it's convenient for you. My dreams were striking me in new ways after performing this exercise for a few weeks.
Concentration on a Candle
Sit in a relaxed position. Light a candle in front of you. Observe the light and shadows. Close your eyes and try to see this in your mind's eye. Don't try to force it. Just put the image together in a relaxed fashion.
If stray thoughts pop up, gently return to the exercise. You will probably find this happens a lot. The situation will improve along with the ability to concentrate.
Pushing this one will definitely give you a headache, so start with 10 minutes a day and build up slowly. Be sure to be consistent in the practice. This way you will get the greatest benefits.
Feel free to substitute another object, such as a glass of water, your heart, etc.
Astral Projection
A good concentration/visualization routine will allow us to get into the astral on a regular basis.
Concentration is like a muscle. What happens when we stop going to the gym? That's right -- muscles go bye bye. Same deal with concentration. This is why it is so important to do the practice consistently.
So, as long as we're working on that most important ingredient on a daily basis, the following exercise will become easier and easier.
Get into bed at a decent hour. Close your eyes. Relax your body thoroughly -- take it one muscle group at a time if you have to. Release all of the tension. Then do it again!
Intone the following mantra 7 times --
Inhale, Exhale Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (sounds like "law")
Inhale, Exhale R-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-raaaaaa (trill the R)
Inhale, Exhale Sssssssssssssssssssss (like a snake)
Then continue to intone it mentally. That's the focal point. There is nothing else.
When the astral split approaches, you will experience a bunch of different phenomena (voices, wooshing sounds, clicks and pops, vibrations throughout the body, feeling that your heart is about to explode, etc.).
Simply concentrate on the mantra and don't let fear or excitement ruin the whole thing.
If you manage to get out into the astral and immediately encounter darkness, immobility, or so-called demons, I recommend using the conjurations given on the astral travel course at mysticweb.org. I've found them to be highly effective.
If you try and try, but still have no luck, consider setting your alarm for 3 AM and waking up to try the practice at that time. You might want to get out of bed and take a little walk around the room to wake the body up a bit. Otherwise, you might just doze off into another heavy sleep.
Set the alarm for 4 AM if you like. It will give you another chance if sleep wins the battle at 3 AM.
Get the routine going! Push laziness aside when it tells you "Oh, well, I don't have a whole 30 minutes to dedicate to my spiritual practices!"
Practice makes perfect. :)
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Re: Gnostic Practice
Fri, October 15, 2004 - 2:39 PMGrieein and Denny,
I like the concepts that you both put forth. I enjoy having something to DO instead of something to LEARN all the time. I have found that doing something requires different mental skills than learning something. Now, where did I put my bag of mental skills........? -
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Re: Gnostic Practice
Sat, October 16, 2004 - 12:33 AMI think it's a fundamental truth that spirituality relies 95% on practice, not on knowledge. that goes back directly to the Gnostic principle of direct experience of god. it's not something you can 'learn' about per se, no matter how many books you read. without practice -- meditation, different techniques, whatever -- for 99% of people, there won't be any real results.
I also think it's obvious when you read the Gnostics that Jesus ISN'T revealing, nor are his students, the real teachings he gave about what practices to do and when. that was all secret. -
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Re: Gnostic Practice
Sat, October 16, 2004 - 6:01 AMAlx,
Yes, Gnosis seems to me to be a state of be-ing. Last night I watched the movie Glory, about the first black regiment to fight in the civil war. Toward the end of the movie there is a scene that takes place the night before their first battle. They are singing a spiritual song. The music swells and ebbs. Several people stand up and give short speeches or sermons during the lulls. I was struck by the similarity between this process and chanting a mantra and recieving spiritual instruction. As a viewer I flet that the group was brought mentally to a stronger cohesive structure through this process. I hope I have been able to describe what I felt adequately.
4W -
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Unsu...
Re: Gnostic Practice
Sat, October 16, 2004 - 7:25 AMHi 4W,
Yes, that was a very touching scene, and I had the feeling that if I had gone back to such a time and place, then I would have been very much in that moment with them. You're right that the scene also demonstrated some of the power of ritual music and chant, which can lead to a trance-like state.
But, just to be clear, what was demonstrated in that scene was, in Gnostic terms, more of a psychic (soulful) experience and not so much of a pneumatic (spiritual) one. The Gnostics are clear about this, that the realm of feelings, passions, personalities, and intellectual concepts must be transcended to attain the truly spiritual levels of consciousness and experience.
However, having said that, a gnostic who has experience of the spiritual levels knows that the spirit reaches all the way down through consciousness, having its effects in different ways according to the level of being. Which is to say that gnostics can still be soulful, but there is a different level of realization informing that soulfulness. And I would insist that there are and have been many people in this world who have attained spiritual awakening without ever realizing that it might be called something like "a gnostic experience."
Peace,
Griffin -
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Re: Gnostic Practice
Sat, October 16, 2004 - 11:18 AMGriffin,
Thanks for your comment. It helps me to understand both what I saw and the nature of Gnostic thought.
4W -
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Re: Gnostic Practice
Sun, October 17, 2004 - 2:49 AMto embroider on Griffin's theme -- which I agree with -- many people have had spiritual awakenings without necessarily having had those 'soulful' moments of experience (beautiful song, intiation, group experience, whatever) -- AND there are TONS of people out there who have those 'soulful' experiences and routinely assume they had a spiritual awakening.
it's a big confusion point.
I liked your post, 4Winds, very much. it also reminded me that music is one of the nine ways to reach the divine, to become enlightened. one of the nine doorways to god, you might say.
& chanting a mantra isn't like music, exactly (says the weary veteran of literally millions of mantras over the last few years) -- chanting a mantra pulls a direct channel of energy to your soul and starts purifying it. that's the purpose of mantra -- it's not a light subject, or a nice group experience (though of course mantra being ubiquitous, it can be taken that way and nice enough). mantras are like divine energy signatures, structures.
you know, like in chemistry, how water is always H20, no matter what state it's in (frozen, steam, or water as liquid) -- at the molecular level, water is ALWAYS H20.
in this creation, certain energies always conform to certain mantras. certain bijas (usually but not only one-syllable mantra 'letters', like lam, yam, tham, gam, sreem, hessraim, etc.), that is, bijakshra or 'seed' mantras, like in the exercise for astral projection that Denny described above, will always vibrate at a predictable level, in creation.
string the right ones together in the right mantra, and suddenly you know the structure of, the vibration of, the PIN code, if you will, for, say, an element of Nature like water. since we're also made of the same five elements (water, earth, fire, air, and sky -- or ether) as everything else in creation, if you start charging your soul with the mantras that correspond to one of the elements, you begin to purify that element in yourself AND gain some measure of command on that element. (good for healing others...)
there are millions of mantras in creation -- some more useful than others. some more powerful than others. I'm just going off at some length (sorry, all!) to scratch the surface about why mantras are so powerful. (and usually trivialized or misunderstood.)
btw -- Jesus was a mantra expert. that's part of how he could show the miracles that he did, because it means he was an expert in the five elements and in commanding them to transform at will. (any great soul who demonstrates miracles is by definition an expert in the five elements.)
fun!
Alx
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Re: Gnostic Practice
Sun, October 17, 2004 - 3:33 PMA couple more --
Remembering Dreams
Train yourself to remain completely still upon waking. When your eyes open, close them at once and begin remembering your dreams. If nothing comes, recite the following mantra mentally --
RaaaaaaaOoooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmm
GaaaaaaaOoooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmm
Consider keeping a journal by your bedside and recording the details there. And not to sound like a conspiracy theorist or anything, but it's probably best to keep the journal well hidden. Some symbols are intended for your eyes only.
Waking Up In Dreams
Come up with a trigger of some sort, such as walking through a doorway. Everytime you encounter the trigger, question your surroundings sincerely.
Is this a dream? Dreams feel just as real as the physical at times, so why can't this be a dream? As a matter of fact, you might be reading this post in the astral. Pull your finger and see if it stretches out like rubber (I mean, seriously, right now) or take a few hops with the intention of floating. If it's a dream, you shouldn't have a problem doing either.
However, if you have some subconscious conviction that it's impossible, chances are good that you won't realize you're dreaming. You really have to question Sincerely (yes, with a capital S).
Peace,
Denny -
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Re: Gnostic Practice
Wed, June 14, 2006 - 9:18 AMYou know, there are some pretty excellent posts back there in the past from people on this site... here's one!
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