The Path of the Christian Gnostics

[Immortal4life]

Here is a very interesting film about the teaching of "Gnosis" and the persecution of it by the Church throughout history.

 

Secret Quest, The Path of the Christian Gnostics-

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vt8tRdOnEzc[/media

] Edited January 13, 2013 by Immortal4life

[Mokona]

I know a cool Christian preacher who went through the Kundalini. I can't imagine how his religion relates to that experience.

 

It's very rare to run into Christians that practice energy work or meditation to begin with, it's been so demonized by the church, yah know?

 

There is one Youtube vid out there with a Christian preacher who just vents about how evil Kundalini is. Sucks.

[Ya Mu]

I know a cool Christian preacher who went through the Kundalini. I can't imagine how his religion relates to that experience.

 

It's very rare to run into Christians that practice energy work or meditation to begin with, it's been so demonized by the church, yah know?

 

There is one Youtube vid out there with a Christian preacher who just vents about how evil Kundalini is. Sucks.

"Sucks"

Yes it does. I have faced this all my career. But what is so very funny (at least I thought it at the time) was that these same preachers would come to my clinic for pain relief. Baptist, Methodist, Episcopalian, Catholic, and other. Most didn't want to talk about the medical qigong but all sure wanted to receive it.

 

I also have a friend who is an ex-Baptist preacher. He can quote multiple translations of the bible forwards, backwards, any which way. He practices Stillness-Movement neigong. So some preachers are open to change; both the guy you know and the one I know were a part of those desiring change.

I have taught at several Unitarian churches over the years; in general much more open to energetics.

 

Edit: Most people do not know that my book was edited by a Christian theologian.

Edited April 17, 2012 by Ya Mu

[Jetsun]

Has anyone practised Gnosticism or know of anyone who have developed through practising it? I wonder if the full teachings are still alive today, or whether people are just filling in the blanks with what they would like to be there.

[multiarms]

Has anyone practised Gnosticism or know of anyone who have developed through practising it? I wonder if the full teachings are still alive today, or whether people are just filling in the blanks with what they would like to be there.

 

Unfortunately, I think you hit the nail on the head...

 

Similar to Wicca, Neo-Paganism/Asatru, Hatha Yoga, Ninjitsu, this list goes on and on. These things popped up in the late 19th and 20th centuries as attempts to "revive" ancient traditions, without a direct lineage so its all kind of "made up"...

 

Our friends in Rome made sure that no real Gnostics survived the dark ages. People forget that several Crusades were fought against Christian heretics, mostly in Southern France. All the believers were killed or forced to convert, books destroyed, etc. So all we really know about the Gnostics comes from the propaganda of the orthodox Catholic Church and is unreliable, or it comes from the Nag Hammadi tablets which are much much older and don't tell us a ton about actual "practices".

[multiarms]

Here's a funny article on this phenomenon - 7 'Ancient' Forms of Mysticism That Are Recent Inventions

 

http://www.cracked.com/article_19283_7-ancient-forms-mysticism-that-are-recent-inventions.html

 

[Jetsun]

Unfortunately, I think you hit the nail on the head...

 

Similar to Wicca, Neo-Paganism/Asatru, Hatha Yoga, Ninjitsu, this list goes on and on. These things popped up in the late 19th and 20th centuries as attempts to "revive" ancient traditions, without a direct lineage so its all kind of "made up"...

 

Our friends in Rome made sure that no real Gnostics survived the dark ages. People forget that several Crusades were fought against Christian heretics, mostly in Southern France. All the believers were killed or forced to convert, books destroyed, etc. So all we really know about the Gnostics comes from the propaganda of the orthodox Catholic Church and is unreliable, or it comes from the Nag Hammadi tablets which are much much older and don't tell us a ton about actual "practices".

 

The people in the video say they belong to a Gnostic church which does meditation and practices like dream observation and they say it comes from Gnostic sources, but I have read most of the nag hammidi and most of the recently found gospels and I don't recall any of these teachings being explained, not in any sort of detailed way anyway. I think there are some sources of genuine Christianity available but they are mostly found in some parts of the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, for example the monestaries of Mount Athos were able to resist Vatican influence and their form of Christianity is much more inwardly focused and has many teachings on meditatation and mantra.

[multiarms]

The people in the video say they belong to a Gnostic church which does meditation and practices like dream observation and they say it comes from Gnostic sources, but I have read most of the nag hammidi and most of the recently found gospels and I don't recall any of these teachings being explained, not in any sort of detailed way anyway. I think there are some sources of genuine Christianity available but they are mostly found in some parts of the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, for example the monestaries of Mount Athos were able to resist Vatican influence and their form of Christianity is much more inwardly focused and has many teachings on meditatation and mantra.

 

^ bingo

[RiverSnake]

Indeed, so many traditions have been lost...yet at the same metaphysically and theoretically speaking nothing is ever lost. Many mystics would argue that everything in history is recorded and if you really have a strong desire to revive a traditions all you need to do is pull it from the "source".

 

Its always an interesting thought to entertain.

 

-My 2 cents, Peace

Edited April 18, 2012 by OldGreen

[Prince...]

There's really no need to go out looking for "original Gnostic" teachings or groups. Think about what Gnosticism actually is-- inner knowing/knowledge. Why do you need to be taught anything? Why does there need to be groups practicing? You can be in "The Church" and be a practicing Gnostic. Don't think it's possible?

 

When I was a 3.5 student at Seminary, I was studying Taiji from a Yang Family disciple, Yiquan, and taking KAP with Tao and Santiago.

 

I never exeperienced persecution-- it was more just bad experiences with some of my classmates. After awhile you get tired of being the "weird guy." Do you want to go to chapel and get hit with kriyas that last for hours? Try explaining to your classmates why your body is shaking uncontrollably.

 

Anyway, my original point-- when you notice trends that exist in all the contemplative traditions, you will realize that it's possible to do all this stuff within a Christian context. What is the difference between a Catholic praying the rosary beads, an Orthodox saying the Jesus prayer with their prayer knots, and a Buddhist meditating with their beads? There really is not a whole lot of difference.

 

Anyway, there are Gnostic groups out there, and there are Christian groups for opening up kundalini. I was contacted by a group in Cyprus which practices an early Byzantine form of Christianity. A lot of their practices are similar to things taught in KAP, but much more detailed. They even get into how to bilocate, healing the sick, and travelling to other dimensions (plane of emotions, spirit plane, etc.)

 

There is also Phillip St. Romain who has a book called "Kundalini for Christians" where he talks about his Kundalini Awakening that took place in the 80s following a Catholic Pentecostal Revival.

[Mokona]

There's really no need to go out looking for "original Gnostic" teachings or groups. Think about what Gnosticism actually is-- inner knowing/knowledge. Why do you need to be taught anything? Why does there need to be groups practicing? You can be in "The Church" and be a practicing Gnostic. Don't think it's possible?

 

When I was a 3.5 student at Seminary, I was studying Taiji from a Yang Family disciple, Yiquan, and taking KAP with Tao and Santiago.

 

I never exeperienced persecution-- it was more just bad experiences with some of my classmates. After awhile you get tired of being the "weird guy." Do you want to go to chapel and get hit with kriyas that last for hours? Try explaining to your classmates why your body is shaking uncontrollably.

 

Anyway, my original point-- when you notice trends that exist in all the contemplative traditions, you will realize that it's possible to do all this stuff within a Christian context. What is the difference between a Catholic praying the rosary beads, an Orthodox saying the Jesus prayer with their prayer knots, and a Buddhist meditating with their beads? There really is not a whole lot of difference.

 

Anyway, there are Gnostic groups out there, and there are Christian groups for opening up kundalini. I was contacted by a group in Cyprus which practices an early Byzantine form of Christianity. A lot of their practices are similar to things taught in KAP, but much more detailed. They even get into how to bilocate, healing the sick, and travelling to other dimensions (plane of emotions, spirit plane, etc.)

 

There is also Phillip St. Romain who has a book called "Kundalini for Christians" where he talks about his Kundalini Awakening that took place in the 80s following a Catholic Pentecostal Revival.

 

That's really cool information, I had no idea such groups existed - Thanks for sharing.

[Aetherous]

.

Edited May 2, 2014 by Aetherous

[FieryWind]

I'm not sure if any of you are aware, but the Gnostic tradition was re-ignited by Samael Aun Weor in the late 50s-60s.

 

Im sure there are other organizations out there that teach Gnosis, yet the best resource that ive found online to-date and continue to visit and listen can be found here (be prepared to encounter a deep and vast sea of knowledge):

 

Gnostic Teachings

Gnostic Audio Lectures

Archived Forum

[multiarms]

I'm not sure if any of you are aware, but the Gnostic tradition was re-ignited by Samael Aun Weor in the late 50s-60s.

 

Im sure there are other organizations out there that teach Gnosis, yet the best resource that ive found online to-date and continue to visit and listen can be found here (be prepared to encounter a deep and vast sea of knowledge):

 

Gnostic Teachings

Gnostic Audio Lectures

Archived Forum

 

Thanks for the links. These podcast lectures look interesting and I think I'll take some time to listen.

[FieryWind]

multiarms: That's great, I hope that you extract something beneficial out of them

 

As it was stated in the Zohar:

 

The narratives of the doctrine are its cloak.

 

The simple look only at the garment - that is, upon the narratives of the doctrine, more they know not.

 

The instructed, however, see not merely the cloak, but what the cloak covers.

 

Also id like to add an interesting video by the same group who ive linked above, enjoy:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JlKBIoAr9g

Edited April 19, 2012 by FieryWind

[Meroe]

The people in the video say they belong to a Gnostic church which does meditation and practices like dream observation and they say it comes from Gnostic sources, but I have read most of the nag hammidi and most of the recently found gospels and I don't recall any of these teachings being explained, not in any sort of detailed way anyway. I think there are some sources of genuine Christianity available but they are mostly found in some parts of the Greek and Russian Orthodox churches, for example the monestaries of Mount Athos were able to resist Vatican influence and their form of Christianity is much more inwardly focused and has many teachings on meditatation and mantra.

 

Possibly. But in my honest opinion the oldest forms of christianity will be found in ethiopia, aka abyssinia, which is actually the very first christian nation in the whole world. little known fact, but true. the book of enoch, something that is very widely circulated among gnostics, was removed from the bible during the council of nicea in the roman age, was only rediscovered when an ancient version of the bible was found in ethiopia, along with the testament of john, & other passages, if im not mistaken. i can only imagine what ancient lineages still dwell hidden within that nation.

Edited April 19, 2012 by Meroe

[resonant111]

I'm not sure if any of you are aware, but the Gnostic tradition was re-ignited by Samael Aun Weor in the late 50s-60s.

 

Im sure there are other organizations out there that teach Gnosis, yet the best resource that ive found online to-date and continue to visit and listen can be found here (be prepared to encounter a deep and vast sea of knowledge):

 

Gnostic Teachings

Gnostic Audio Lectures

Archived Forum

 

i'm bumping this thread for a simple warning: stay the f*** away from samael aun weor and his batshit crazy teachings.

 

i believed that junk for the better part of a year and it almost ruined my life. his "transmutation" teachings seem liberating on first read, but they're completely cloaked in subtle shades of fear and death anxiety.

 

his basic teaching is that if you ejaculate, just ONCE, you reverse your kundalini and fall into qlipoth or "the abyss,"...basically hell on earth. if you become totally chaste and transmute your energies you become enlightened. he calls it a "practical science" towards enlightenment, but it's really just a bunch of crazy beliefs that lead to even more guilt and suffering than one can imagine.

 

it's a bunch of hogshit that keeps followers in a state of sexual fear and repression. the longer i went on believing that garbage, the more isolated and psychologically messed up i became over time.

 

all i'm saying is that if you're even getting into SAW's teachings even slightly...get out. immediately.

 

debunking samael aun weor

 

edit: sorry if i sound bitter here...but honestly...samael aun weor is a straight up cult leader and i have to expose his blasphemy

Edited July 24, 2012 by resonant111

[Birch]

I posted a link to an interesting book by a Mr Lamb Lash in the books section of this forum. Worth a gander IMO.

The part I found really interesting was the idea that the Gnostics (apparently a derogatory term for them) were skilled enough to forsee the long term issues of the adoption of a 'Christian' belief system that relied on an "off planet" male creator god and what comes with. And indeed they were massacred for it. Also mentions enthogens, ecstatic and sexual practices. And the 'clear light'.

[Unseen_Abilities]

i'm bumping this thread for a simple warning: stay the f*** away from samael aun weor and his batshit crazy teachings.

 

i believed that junk for the better part of a year and it almost ruined my life. his "transmutation" teachings seem liberating on first read, but they're completely cloaked in subtle shades of fear and death anxiety.

 

his basic teaching is that if you ejaculate, just ONCE, you reverse your kundalini and fall into qlipoth or "the abyss,"...basically hell on earth. if you become totally chaste and transmute your energies you become enlightened. he calls it a "practical science" towards enlightenment, but it's really just a bunch of crazy beliefs that lead to even more guilt and suffering than one can imagine.

 

it's a bunch of hogshit that keeps followers in a state of sexual fear and repression. the longer i went on believing that garbage, the more isolated and psychologically messed up i became over time.

 

all i'm saying is that if you're even getting into SAW's teachings even slightly...get out. immediately.

 

debunking samael aun weor

 

edit: sorry if i sound bitter here...but honestly...samael aun weor is a straight up cult leader and i have to expose his blasphemy

 

I second that. I spent some time in a group that teaches SAW's stuff, and everything you said is right. To stay away is the best idea.

Edited July 24, 2012 by T.S

[Dainin]

Has anyone practised Gnosticism or know of anyone who have developed through practising it? I wonder if the full teachings are still alive today, or whether people are just filling in the blanks with what they would like to be there.

 

 

Hi Jetsun,

 

As far as I know, the only remaining group of "real" Gnostics in still existance are an ethnic group called the Mandaeans, a few thousand of whom live near the border of Iraq and Iran. Like other religious minorities in the Middle East, they are enduring a lot of persecution by the Muslim majority, so I'm not sure how much of their faith that they share with outsiders. There are a few books about them in print.

[resonant111]

I second that. I spent some time in a group that teaches SAW's stuff, and everything you said is right. To stay away is the best idea.

 

for sure. i just had to vent my frustration with weor's teachings. they initially seem plausible because they "seem" to synthesize alot of stuff from taoism, and other eastern religions...it's easy to overlook all the guilt, fear and elitism placed into his "teachings" because of all the benefits he promises.

 

i feel sorry for people involved with it.

Edited July 24, 2012 by resonant111

[Dainin]

I once watched part of a video of SAW giving a talk. It was in Spanish, so I could not understand the words, but his mannerisms and style of oration reminded me of Adolph Hitler.

[resonant111]

I once watched part of a video of SAW giving a talk. It was in Spanish, so I could not understand the words, but his mannerisms and style of oration reminded me of Adolph Hitler.

 

yea i've seen the talks you speak of. for someone supposedly "enlightened" he doesn't have an ounce of joy or even humanity in his mannerisms.

 

it's really odd.

[Jeff]

Has anyone practised Gnosticism or know of anyone who have developed through practising it? I wonder if the full teachings are still alive today, or whether people are just filling in the blanks with what they would like to be there.

 

Here is a very good forum and site. The main teacher (Tau) is very knowledgable...

 

http://www.sophian.org/forum/

 

[resonant111]

Here is a very good forum and site. The main teacher (Tau) is very knowledgable...

 

http://www.sophian.org/forum/

 

 

hey, thanks alot for that link! i'm already getting alot of good information. the "tau" guy you speak of also seems to have a very healthy, open-minded view of sexuality and all that goes along with it.

 

it's definitely a healthier approach than samael aun weor's crazy gnostic teachings

Edited July 25, 2012 by resonant111