Spiritual knowledge or insight
Experience of Spirit.
Gnosticism is knowing through direct experience of spirit. It has been found in all known cultures and times. It is the counterpoint to literalism – word based beliefs and definitions.
One of may favorite examples of gnosis involves my grandson. When he turned 15, I let him make his own decisions. I only intervened if the decision could have negative long term consequences.
When he was 15 1/2, he excitedly told me he was invited to a Saturday night party with all his friends. I responded that I didn’t feel good about it, as I could “see” the parents weren’t going to be home and there would be alcohol and drugs. He argued vehemently that I was mistaken and it was his choice.
Though I felt strongly that my insight was accurate, my “guidance” was to let him decide. With trepidation, I followed my guidance and agreed he could go — and quickly and repeatedly asked Divine Mother to aid him in his highest good.
His ride ghosted him and never came. Bummed and angry, his negative energy y was polluting the house. So I insisted we go to the movie to shift his mood and clear the house. Resistant, he grumbled along.
After the movie, we were walking back to the car when he began to smell something. He said it smelled like perfume, but no other people were anywhere around us. I asked if it smelled like rose, and he said yes. I explained that for me, that always signified the presence of Divine Mother: I smell roses when she is present.
Scoffing, he proceeded to the car, where he hastily retrieved his phone (I don’t allow it in public places like movies, restaurants, etc.).Just as he was face-timing a friend at the party, the police were entering the house. No adults were present, but alcohol and drugs were. The kids were “busted”.
Of course, I couldn’t resist reminding him he had just smelled roses – letting him know he was being protected. He was hardly receptive, but it made the point. He had experienced Spirit in action!
In his book, Chasing Truth: Finding Faith, Tom Rudelius speaks to the power of experiences of God. He traces his journey to reconcile his “physicist brain” with his twin brother’s wholehearted conversion to Christianity. His literalist scientific approach did not provide common ground with his twin’s ardent devotion. He agreed to research Christianity, but could not reconcile with his literal knowledge of the facts about Biblical discrepancies, contradictions, and scientifically unvalidated stories.
Then, Rudelius had an emotional “experience” of God. He was personally connected. Despite his physicist brain’s doubts, he could join his brother as an ardent Christian.
REFLECT:
Do you feel personally connected to Spirit?
If so, what experience(s) create this feeling?
Literalist Beliefs:
* sacred scripture is the Word of God (ie: the Torah, Koran, Bible…)
* this Word of God is the only truth
* it should be followed literally (word-for-word) to please God
* all others who do not agree are “wrong”
Gnostic Beliefs:
* life is a process of awakening
* thinking for ourselves increases consciousness and awakening
* doubt is a prerequisite of awakening
* the most important thing is to awaken and experience spirit
personally
* the way awakening is expressed must constantly evolve to address
the ever-changing human condition
These authors relate gnosticism to lucid living based on pronoia — the faith that life is on your side. It is not blind faith: it is profound trust in fundamental goodness. It is in start contrast to paranoia – the fear that life is
out to get you,
Being pronoid isn’t always feeling good. It’s feeling okay about sometimes feeling bad. It’s not a competition between good and bad, but a dance of the two. It’s about embracing and harmonizing the polarity.
I usually begin a client session with the following:
“What is the best thing that happened this week?” When they relate the
best, I ask what wasn’t so good about it.
Then I ask, “What is the worst thing that happened this week?” When
they relate the worst, I ask what wasn’t so bad about it?
This begins the dance of harmonizing polarities.
APPLY:
Plan ways to dance with polarities.
How can you dance when “good” things happen?
How can you dance when “bad” things happen?
Chasing Truth: Finding Faith, Tom Rudelius, Tyndale Refresh,2023.
The Laughing Jesus, Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy, Harmony Books, NY,
2005.
