Gnosis is a state of mind, as Gnosticism is about the praxis of obtaining Gnosis. Gnosticism then, becomes doctrinal, which seems the antithesis to Gnosis, as it has the potential of getting in the way of individual experience. There is a tact that becomes necessary in our congregation that must seek to respect and admire the individual genius inherent in each of us. And this must be planted at the root of our doctrine.
The servant to others is first, the master of him or herself; only then to uplift the surrounding world. He or she is not the slave that is held by and subsequently, brings down the surrounding world. When one brings nobility to another, by way of inspiration, example or aught else, one serves the other in a most libertine manner that brings both of them to grow.
The most fundamental question we face, from the earliest moments of our lives is how to live. It is from this that we create the personality and come to identify ourselves to both, ourselves, and to the world around us. Building an inner life, along with the outer life we need to create in order to get along in the world, is an essential issue that yet, few people really confront. This only comes to those who have an inner dialogue that is more than just the stream of thoughts pouring through our minds; every moment of every day. And it has to be built wholly of the self in its own regard, before it is then worked into the outer and creative expression that makes the whole personality.
Sacred Space and its mindset produces and emanates from a sense of wonder and awe. Whether this belong to the external landscape of the world around us, or the internal landscape of the mind, it is a key to life’s meaningfulness and its pure joy. Through this inner sensibility, the Divine is reached in a direct manner and one stands face to face with God.
The Self or the Ego is the object of so much misunderstanding that it almost seems impossible to get to any clarity on what it is or who “I” am. And indeed, most people go through their entire lives without ever discovering who “I” am; adding to the difficulty overlaying the subject. But through the many archetypes there are for people in our society and the mythologies that so many types generate, we can intuitively come to an understanding of who “I” am, through them.
The Shadow holds all our forgotten memories, trauma and joy, through all the phases and transitions of our lives. With each period of our life, we in a sense, reinvent ourself and cast off all the thoughts, feelings and desires of our previous self; not unlike the teenager who struggles to become an adult and comes to reject childhood toys. These forgotten memories in their repressed state, lurk to reinsert themselves with so many of our knee-jerk reactions and responses to situations in our current life. To get to this strata of our psyche, we can begin by owning and taking responsibility for those reactions and responses, and then tracing them back to their source.
Rumination is the psychic practice of presence. What that means is that we are bringing all the experiences of our lives into the present moment to dwell consciously with them. They make up the character and personage that we project to ourselves and upon others. These are the elements of our soul and by ruminating over and through them, we are offered the oppotunity to recapitulate images of our past that we hold onto and work them into the more mature mythos of our lives, as we carry them today.
Consciousness is a force of being and beingness that inflicts itself on the body and into the world of contending forces. It pervades within and without all of sentient life, and all life is sentient; per the Doctrine of the 4 Yods in our Rosicrucian Mass. It is the Dao and the Force of Star Wars and Carl Jung’s Collective Unconscious, the Universal Mind, God in its anthropomorphic expression. And it is from this that we create our personality in harmony with those elements that come from the experience of our lives.
The canon of the Holy Books of Thelema provides an entirely new source of Gnosis that more than rivals and contemporizes the ancient Gnostic codices. In particular, the beauty of verse in Liber VII, also called Liber Liberi vel Lapidus Lazuli even rivals and overcomes the beauty of verse in the Psalms of David. In this sermon, we provide a brief introduction to this holy book and hope to inspire our congregation to pursue a deeper reading of this marvelously spirited work.
The beginning of one’s aspiration to Gnosis starts with the Hermetic Axiom: Know Thyself. This look within starts with the contemplation of the self in isolation and away from all others. Even one may come to find oneself to be somehow, special with the onrush of spiritual ecstasy; mistaking the beginning for the end. It’s simply an unavoidable step that is worth taking, despite the fact that one can stand so pompous before the world. Note that ‘this too, shall pass’ and accept this blind step for what it is. Soon the grace of Gnosis will be as the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel and one’s steps will become more rational and more certain.
