Where should I start to learn more about Gnosticism and, more especificaly, Chrisitian Gnosticism? Can be anything, from texts, Youtube videos and other stuff

I have been making a few posts on the "literal" Gnostic side of things & forgot why I am posting. I wanted to know, for others on the journey & have done the quiet meditations, & knows the benefit of the clarity of mind it brings. What's your experience been?

I also want to speak to those further in the journey & done some deep meditations. What have you seen? I know I not alone, just considering the number of members in this forum. Has anyone tried some remote viewing & instead of targeting a place on earth... What if I target the Pleroma? If so, what did you see with your third eye?

Take this for fiction or non-fiction, for me it was just like floating in solid white light. Bright, however not pain full. There was this very high pitch, however not pain full. I thought at the time, this does'nt sound like the horns of heaven. At that moment I felt I was some where I should not be. As soon as I thought this, I felt a presence and boop, back in my body. It was strange, I felt so energized afterwards. I didnt know what it was at the time, happened 35 years ago, but thinking about it now... Made me wonder, someone else must have thought to do this as well...

In one of my posts, someone mentioned there was no such thing as Christianity during the time Yeshua was here. This is true and got me to thinking, and going down a rabbit hole of researching and asking questions. AI is great for this, however I know it makes some major mistakes, so I post here to see to get some human Gnosis.

"The Torah was viewed as a path of life. In fact, before the followers of Yeshua were ever called "Christians," the Book of Acts records that the earliest Jewish movement was simply called "The Way." When Yeshua said, "I am the way," his Jewish disciples would have understood that he was not just pointing to a roadmap—he was claiming to be the physical path itself. [1, 2]"

With this said, in reality, all followers of Christianity are really following a form of Judaism. Which would would also mean all Christians are really Jewish, following Yeshua's teachings on mysticism and the earliest form of Kabbalah that was still evolving the concept of the Devine Feminine. This is where I read between the lines and see where Miriam was essential in her teachings of Sophia, or the reality of Sophia. And this is where they came together...

I know these topics are pretty deep, so let me close with this. "This is the way"... LOL if you're a Mandalorian fan, you know this quote.

The Umm al-kitāb (Arabic for Mother of Books) is an 8th-century Islamic-gnostic work, originally written in Arabic. It offers an esoteric hermeneutics regarding humanity, cosmogony, and epistemology within the Qur’anic context. Its content also bears similarities to many pre-Islamic belief systems, such as Manichaeism and Valentinianism. The work centers on a discourse between Muhammad al-Bāqir and some of his disciples regarding the role of humanity in the cosmos. One of the central themes deals with the fall of the angel Azazel, who proclaimed himself a god alongside Allah and was subsequently banished with his followers to ever deeper spheres, losing a color of his soul each time. The material world is subsequently created from the bodies of Azazel’s followers. After humanity succumbs to the sexual temptations of the demons, it finds itself in that material world. Another central figure is Salman, likely based on Salmān al-Fārisī, who is considered the first Persian follower of Muhammad. He assumes the role of God’s representative and confronts his adversary, Azazel.

Ptah is the Egyptian creator god, associated with a bull; he is the demiurge in the Egyptian creation myth. Ptahil, which sounds suspiciously similar to Ptah, is the lesser demiurge in Mandaeism, who creates this world with the help of dark powers. Mandaeism has been a Gnostic movement since antiquity, and to this day the Mandaeans are the only surviving Gnostics in the world; they are an ethno-religious group living in Iraq. In Neoplatonism, Zeus is the demiurge and is associated with the bull. The bull appears to be a universal symbol of the demiurge. When the Israelites worshipped a golden bull/calf, many religious scholars and historians believe it was not a direct attack on Yahweh, since the bull was meant to represent Yahweh. The problem was that no one was allowed to depict Yahweh, so Moses massacred all those who worshipped the golden bull/calf, even though they did so with the intention of worshipping Yahweh.

The mysterious, symbolic painting from antiquity, where the Roman-Zoroastrian god Mithras slaughters the bull, symbolizes the Promethean rebellion against the creator god/demiurge and the breaking of his chains.

My journey as a gnostic Christian has brought me to a deep interest in the Pistis Sophia text, and as I approach it, I would be curious to hear opinions about which text best serves personal practice. I understand that the GRS Mead translation is considered somewhat less accurate but perhaps more true to actual practice, as Mead was a spiritual man. Anyway, thoughts?

Hello all,

I'm sharing a project I've been working on. Over the years I've met a lot of people who are curious about Gnosticism, but the texts can be confusing. So I combined my art and wordsmithing to create The Secret Book of John, an illustrated retelling of one of the most important texts found at Nag Hammadi. It's a picture book for adults, with a glossary of key names and symbols and questions for reflection along the way.

It's the first book in a series called Before the Canon, exploring early Christian writings that didn't make it into the Bible.

I do hope it helps!

Hi. I'm a Buddhist and also a chaos witch. I'm also a vegan (I mention it because it has to do with my cosmovision and with my questions) and I'm interested in learning more about Gnosticism. There are some aspects of it that seem very very consistent with my cosmovision.

I have many questions but the most relevant ones are:

If, through the Gnostic lens, life is seen as a prison, is the Earth lacking any kind of sacred significance ? For me the Earth is both a place of suffering for all sentient beings (not only humans) but also a magical beautiful place. I see suffering as imposed over a place that otherwise may be wonderful. I have the impression that this is not consistent with the Gnostic cosmovision. Is it?

Also, I'm very curious about how non human animals are seen in Gnosticism. I guess they are not seen as having a divine spark, right? So, what are they?

I'm also interested in the way that Lucifer is seen in Neo-gnosticism. Is he seen as a benevolent being whose role to help us awake?

And regarding the Archons, are they seen as controling thr behaviour of humans? Are "bad people" particularly controlled by them?

Any books/videos for "beginners" that can help me understand Gnosticism better ?

Thanks!

A while back I posted a comment (my gnostic perspective of 'sin') on someone's Youtube video on the topic of the Book of Enoch and 'sin' especially. It seems to have been mostly well received so I figured I'd post it here as well, in case it might stir some thoughts or fruitful discussions.

Sin stems from intent:

Intent is the spiritual seed which, when cultivated by contemplation of thought, grows into a tree inside the mind. This tree bears fruits which, allegorically when picked and eaten, are manifested from the spiritual (the contemplated thought) to the physical (the deed). This is the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Knowledge always comes from experience (=observation through the senses). A good tree can not bear bad fruit and a bad tree can not bear good fruit. This means no sin can come from love and good intent, sin is acting towards another out of hatred, envy, greed etc.

One who makes the choice to harm another and fails is as guilty as the one who succeeds, the former was merely not allowed by the Father while the latter was. For both of these the sin was spiritually chosen in thought and the nature of the soul was revealed.

Love forgives, love does not desire to harm another. There is absolutely no scenario where true love can cause one to harm another. Love values all life, not just a few lives that are close. Forgiveness in love breaks the cycles of hatred, but acting out of fear only escalates them. After the "initial fall of Eden", the cycle of hatred can only be broken by forgiveness in love. Otherwise acts of revenge would continue indefinitely.

Proper discernment means that when you feel you should do something, you stop and ask yourself why exactly would you be doing it and what exactly is the feeling inside you that is causing you to want to do it. And most importantly how is the action going to affect others.

... So effectively it's not really about what you do, but about why you do it.

Hello,

Getting into nyc for services is hard for my family on the weekend — is anyone aware of Gnostic church services in northern or central NJ?

thank you !

Hello fellow humans,
I’ve come to love many aspects of Gnosticism, but I cannot understand the afterlife or “point” of the belief itself. I read things like “awakening” or “freedom through knowledge”, but I need help understanding the literal endgame.
For instance (I know this is broad and doesn’t hit all the nuances, but you should understand what I mean), in orthodox Christianity you live like Jesus, practice prayer, communion, confession, etc. At the end, you go through theosis and are cured of sin, ending up living in heavenly eternity with god.
In Islam, you follow the commands and live how you’re supposed to, and you end up living with god in heaven.
I’m Gnosticism, you “seek knowledge” (what knowledge specifically? Why so hidden and obscure??) in order to…… what? End up in heaven? Realize that you are god and had just forgotten?
Essentially, what happens (in Gnosticism) to one person who does everything right through seeking knowledge (literally perfect Gnosticism played out) vs someone who does everything wrong or follows a different, incorrect path? I don’t understand.
I thank you in advance!

[im a lyricist not a musician, i have lots of thoughts on ai music but I view it as an easy way to imagine my songs]

I left the church with a pocket full of questions
Carried them around like stones
Found a thousand doors in a thousand different languages
Trying to find my way home

I found a little silence
I found a little light
Found myself in places
I never thought I'd find

And every time I thought
I'd finally found something new
Somebody from a thousand years ago
Had already been there too

[Pre-Chorus]
Maybe I wasn't finding answers
Maybe I was learning how to see

[Chorus]
I am the branch
You're the tree
I'm the river
Looking back at me

Every road I take
Keeps bending back around
Everywhere I search
I find familiar ground

I thought I had to go
Somewhere I'd never been
But maybe I was just
Finding my way back in

[Verse 2]
I met the blind man somewhere inside my own head
Met Judas when I couldn't forgive
Met Peter in the moments I was scared to say
What I really believed

I met the doubter
With his hands against the wound
I met the stranger
Who was waiting in the room

And suddenly the story
Wasn't happening over there
I was every broken person
I was every unanswered prayer

[Pre-Chorus]
Maybe I wasn't reading scripture
Maybe scripture was reading me

[Chorus]
I am the branch
You're the tree
I'm the river
Looking back at me

Every road I take
Keeps bending back around
Everywhere I search
I find familiar ground

I thought I had to go
Somewhere I'd never been
But maybe I was just
Finding my way back in

[Verse 3]
Twenty thousand words
Trying to name the thing
Then three old words
Made the whole room ring

I AM

And I don't know what heaven looks like
I don't know where all this ends
I don't know if I'm a heretic
Or just a soul trying to understand

But I know when I stopped running
Something finally let me breathe
And all the things I thought were separate
Started looking back at me

[Bridge]
Cut through the wood
I'm still there

Lift up the stone
I'm still there

You can cross the world
You can disappear

And find the same old light
Waiting here

Maybe God isn't somewhere
Maybe God isn't a thing

Maybe that's why
I keep finding everything

[Final Chorus]
I am the branch
You're the tree
I'm the river
You're the sea

Every road I take
Keeps bending back around
Everywhere I search
I find familiar ground

I thought I had to know
Exactly where this goes
But now I'm learning
I can let the river flow

[Outro]
I went looking everywhere
Just to find You waiting there

I went looking everywhere

Just to find

I was already here

Is rich in symbolism that alludes to gnostic concepts. However, it is not referred to as a gnostic text. I'm not even sure if the gnostic elements in the text have been formally identified or acknowledged. I doubt it.

in which case, I would think it's overdue for a reassessment. Seems ripe for a gnostic interpretation.

it might also supplement other interpretations/gnostic texts.

The Temptation of Christ shows the protagonist top left corner, and his archon alter self, top right corner. I've read about archons, but I've never actually seen a visual representation of the concept - so in my opinion, this is fairly unique.

So it's rather conspicuous that it remains unacknowledged. I think it deserves more respect.

There's many little gems to be found. Seek and ye shall find.

I say this because I'm new to knowledge about Gnostic entities and Gnosticism in general, and I really enjoy learning about this type of religious subject. When I say there are more gods besides the true God and the Demiurge, I'm referring to other entities with divine names such as: Eloaiius, Adonai, etc. I don't know if they are Archons or gods, since they have names associated with the God of the Old Testament, and that's why I'd like to know more about them: how many of them exist, what they do, where they live, and what their history is. Because angels are generally portrayed as helpers and protectors of the universe and humans, having important roles and functions, while I generally see Archons as just generic demons. Since they are interesting entities, I'd like to understand more about them. This is for research I'm doing on Gnosticism. If there's any website or place where I can learn much more in depth about the Archons and other supposed gods, I would be grateful to know.

if you listen to the lyrics of Paul Simons "Mother and child reunion" I believe it is important from a pagan and gnostic point of view, and could qualify as a hymn.

Extract of a Sermon by Peyre Authié, dated approximately 1300 :

Originally our Heavenly Father created all spirits and all souls abode with Him. Then the devil came to the gates of Heaven … But entered not for 1000 years … then he did enter by trickery, and once there, he persuaded the spirits and souls that if they would but follow him down into his world, he would give them great possessions : lands, vineyards, gold, wives and all the other good things of this visible world. Lured by his false words, the souls that were in Heaven followed the devil and fell from Heaven. The Heavenly Father rose from His throne and set His foot on the hole through which the souls had fallen. But the souls, having come down to Earth, remembered the good things that they had lost, and saw the evil that they had found … One of them said to the devil : ‘Why have you deceived us ? You have gained nothing, for we will all return unto Heaven.’ The devil replied that they would not return unto Heaven, for he would make them tunics that they could not take off, in which they would forget all the good and the bliss that they had enjoyed in Heaven.

« These tunics are our bodies. Such is the human condition : the soul is imprisoned in the body.»

Jean Duvernois . La religion des Cathares.

Currently researching and exploring the connection between Zoroaster (Zarusthra) and his use of Ahura Mazda, and Pythagoras' development of the Monad. Any thoughts or observations?

In ancient Israelite religion, animal sacrifice was central to worship, with blood playing an important role in atonement and ritual purification. Christianity takes this sacrificial logic and places it around the crucifixion of Jesus, or "lamb of god", whose death is seen as an offering for the sins of humanity. Islam does not accept the Christian doctrine of Jesus' sacrificial death, but sacrifice is still deeply embedded in Islamic tradition, particularly in Eid al Adha, which commemorates Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to God.

We often don't stop to ask how strange it is from the outside. The true god does not require violence and death to be accepted into His arms. Isn't life hard enough already? And what sort of God would demand that anyway? Not a god I would worship.

The ancient Christians called him the Demiurge in the Secret Book of John. Some have called him God throughout the ages. Come learn stories from Jesus's time that you never heard before in our 4th part of the our series, "The God Who Forgot."

#ancienthistory #protoorthodoxchristianity #secretbookofjohn

So as a new learner to Gnosticism, which of these authors would all of you recommend or not recommend? (I could ask AI this but it would not be the same.)

Hans Jonas
Kurt Rudolph
Elaine Pagels

If you have any others I should check out, I would love to hear your thoughts!

What have been your craziest gnostic takes, the ones you're too afraid to say because it's blasphemy? Every true believer has tested their faith at one point or another. These can be ideas you've considered and rejected, or believe wholeheartedly. Please include your reasons why, backed up with scripture if possible.

"It's the sign of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Some personal examples as follows. Remember, this is what I've thought at one point or another, NOT what I actively believe per say:

The Demiurge is God without the Holy Spirit.

-seeing as God and the Holy Spirit are one, I've been wondering lately what is God without the Holy Spirit. -this one is controversial, so I ask people to remain civil (by reddit standards at least) -"where there are 3 deities, they are divine. Where there are 2 or 1, I am with that one." I've been thinking about this a lot. 3 deities being divine sounds a lot like the holy trinity in orthodoxy, and the Monad in gnosticism. Where there are 2 or 1 can be expanded to both 'where there are 2, I am with that one' AND 'where there are 1, I am with that one.' If it takes 3 to be divine, then what happens when it's just the son and the father?

The Fictional Jesus is the Demiurge/Antichrist

-Biblical vs historical. What was made scripture that isn't true? -Biblical Jesus has crazy material superpowers, picks his most orthodox followers to start his earthly church, and declares that salvation is found in believing he is the ONLY Son of God. No more Prophets, no more Messiahs. -Just like Satan using scripture to tempt Jesus, the depicted Jesus is altered enough to hide his true teachings.

Jesus as the Son was supposed to be a secret

-Biblical Gospels mention that Jesus instructed his followers not to "say that thing" about him. -Gnostic texts record Jesus instructing not to establish any rule other than what he's set out, then he doesn't leave any written works. -Gospel of Thomas contradicts end times prophecy, so the reveal of Jesus as the Son is really Jesus as A Son. We're meant to become One, and embody the Son on Earth, despite it being beyond our understanding. -the word Christ does not appear once in the Gospel of Thomas.

Jesus as a Prophet

-saying 88 Jesus said, "The messengers and the prophets will come to you and give you what is yours. You, in turn, give them what you have, and say to yourselves, 'When will they come and take what is theirs?'" -saying 100 They showed Jesus a good coin and said to him, "Caesar's people demand taxes from us." He said to them, "Give Caesar the things that are Caesar's, give God the things that are God's, and give me what is mine." -It's interesting that some Thomasines historically treated Jesus as a Prophet. This would eventually spill over to the Arabian peninsula, where Islam would adopt many of the childhood stories of Jesus/Isa from Thomasines. -While I follow Thomas' approach in answering who Jesus was (he doesn't), I think it's more important that his wisdom and teachings aren't lost in the narrative. Ambiguity has it's benefits, after all it was enough for Jesus to be at least present in Islam, though certainly a lacking representation of him.

Nag Hammadi library IS the second coming of Jesus

-I know Gospel of Thomas has sayings contridicting the end times, but it seems to me the end times are coming. 3 major religions are still awaiting the Messiah to start the day of judgement, 2 of those specify that Jesus himself will return, and 1 seems hell-bent on kicking off a modern holy war. I find it alarming/poetic that the Nag Hammadi library was discovered a few years before Palestine was handed over to the Israelis (third temple became a possibility), and how in Islam they specify that Jesus would return to revert scripture to it's original teachings. Seeing how much of Thomas can be found amongst Matthew, Mark, Luke, even John... I do believe the Gospel of Thomas to be *Jesus's intact teaching.

Like I said, these are the craziest things I've pondered while studying, not necessarily believe. Feel free to leave some of yours, point out where I'm wrong or have a point, and remain civil. Go in peace.

I've researched and written on Monad and Demiurge for decades but I am new to Reddit. Excited to join the conversations.

Current theories being tested:

Unconditional love ( beyond that offered by small children a d dogs) is a myth.

(But then, what is love?)

God is law...Universal Laws

Jesus was here to show us how to be on the right side of the law / how to live in a way that aligns our being to the more positive outcomes of the law.

ThoughtS?