Gnosis
Since the Gnostic gospels were discovered in Nag Hammadi in 1945, gnosis has become a popular subject. And like all popular subjects, conflicting information accumulates that quickly becomes confusing. Let’s sift through some of the misconceptions as we define gnosis, gnostic and Gnosticism.
Gnosis is often associated with “awakened” or “higher” consciousness. To reach these levels of consciousness, many teach that purification of the mind and body are necessary. This usually requires adherence to a specific practice or set of values. Others teach that reaching higher levels of consciousness requires that a person go through a series of steps that begins with initiation. These steps are generally associated with acquiring knowledge that becomes progressively more arcane (secret). For this reason, many associate gnosis with anything magical or metaphysical, such as astral travel and out of body experiences. But is this what gnosis really means? The original meaning of the Greek word gnosis gives us a very different understanding.
Gnosis actually means “knowing” or “knowledge”
But this is not the kind of knowledge that we attain through intellectual pursuits. This form of knowing is experiential; it comes through having a direct, personal experience. Riding a bicycle is experiential. You can read instructions and watch someone else ride, but you will “know” how to ride only by having the experience. When you have acquired this “knowing,” you will understand bicycle riding, but it will be impossible for you to transfer your “knowing” to anyone else. You can describe the balance and momentum needed to keep the bicycle moving, but another person can’t “know” until they’ve had the experience too.
The word gnosis has been applied to anything that requires our direct, personal experience to understand. However, in the purest sense of the word, it means a direct, personal experience of Divine Presence. When we experience Ultimate Reality, we also “know” the true nature of the universe and the Self. Although this sounds odd, there’s a logical explanation. Discoveries in the field of quantum physics are revealing what ancient sages discovered through gnosis: universal oneness. Instead of “finding ourselves” in the sense of figuring out what we want in life, gnosis shows us that we are not a body, but an indivisible part of All That Is.
Gnosis is not a paranormal activity. It does not require the spiritual seeker to enter an altered state of consciousness. Gnosis does require that we begin thinking from the mind rather than the brain. That may sound odd, but scientists have recently discovered that the brain and the mind are not the same thing. The brain is a sophisticated computer and receiving unit, but the mind is part of a field of conscious energy that’s shared by everything in existence.
In the gnostic writing Dialogue of the Savior, the gnostic teacher Silvanus pointed out that the mind is the only teacher we need He wrote:
Bring in your guide and your teacher. The mind is the guide . . .live according to your mind. . .acquire strength, for the mind is strong. . .enlighten your mind. . . light the lamp within you.
Each of us is capable of accessing the mind when we willingly set aside the brain’s preconcieved notions.
Gnostic
When we use the term gnostic, we’re inferring that something is associated with a direct, personal experience.
The “gnostic gospels” refer to a group of writings that were supposedly based on gnosis. The question we want to ask is whether or not gnosis means the direct, personal experience of All That Is, or a knowing based on some other type of direct experience. Some of the gnostic gospels very clearly record teachings of Jesus that were based on his direct, personal experience of the Divine. How can we say this?
Although everyone experiences the Divine in their own way, the core of the Divine experience always centers on the oneness of All That Is.
But other writings labeled as gnostic gospels appear to be the result of magical thinking and are filled with arcane information. Even when we do feel that a text was inspired by a direct, personal experience of the Divine, we do well to keep in mind that reading about the experience can’t substitute for having the experience any more than watching someone else ride a bicycle can give us the experience of riding.
Gnosticism
The word Gnosticism is completely out of sync with the definition of gnosis.
When we add the suffix “ism” to a word, the word describes a distinctive doctrine, theory, system, or practice such as Catholicism, Judaism or Buddhism. Although organizations have been formed that label themselves gnostic, the individual experience central to gnosis makes gnosis impossible to organize, let alone institutionalize. As we said earlier, willingness to let go of our own ideas and accept the experience without reservation makes gnosis easier, but there are no practices, systems, rules or doctrines involved. Gnosticism is more accurately described as a spiritual approach that has been used by seekers in all cultures, eras and areas of the globe.
How do we define gnosis, gnostic and Gnosticism?
Gnosis describes:
- a direct, personal experience of Divine Presence, the cosmos and the true Self.
- a natural connection to the One Mind we share with everything in existance.
- free and available to everyone willing to open themselves to the experience.
- liberating. Understanding gained through gnosis always frees us from the misperceptions that make us miserable. Gnosis never restricts or condemns us.
Gnosis is not:
- an intellectual pursuit. It cannot be taught to us or learned through books. It cannot be acquired by faith or belief.
- the result of a particular practice, adhering to a certain set of values or acquiring “secret” information.
- Second-hand
- secret, magical or occult knowledge
- paranormal activities
Gnostic describes:
- Understanding or “knowing” that results from any direct, personal experience. Gnostic does not automatically mean a direct, personal experience of the Divine.
Gnosticism describes:
- A dynamic spiritual approach that’s as relevant today as it was centuries ago.
Gnosticism is not:
- a religion
- a specific doctrine, practice or belief system
Copyright © 2011 Lee and Steven Hager