The Dance of the Dissident Horsewoman
What liberates us is the knowledge of who we were, what we became; where we were, whereunto we have been thrown; whereunto we speed, wherefrom we are redeemed; what birth is, and what rebirth. Theodotus
After my post on Eight Things You Don't Know About Me, a couple of you have asked me for some information and resources on Gnosis and the Gnostics.
First of all, rest easy. Gnostics don't evangelize or proselytize. Therefore, I will not be knocking on your door in my Sunday best, twenty-five-pound King James (or even the Nag Hammadi Library) tucked beneath my arm. Nor will I or do I pretend to know everything. I'm really very leary of those types who claim they have the answers all wrapped up in ribbons. (And you should be too.) I'm just treading the path ...
Gnostics are one of the few religious groups (maybe the only) who haven't killed others in the name of their beliefs. (I find that an interesting fact in light of what's going on in our post-911 world today.) The Cathars, a medieval Gnostic movement that flourished for a time in the Languedoc region of Southern France, and who were known to their neighbors as the "Bon Hommes," or "Good Men," were the first casualtioes of the Crusades. (The Albigensian Crusade, conducted by the Roman Catholic Church, consisted of some twenty-thousand Knights and a large number of soldiers and mercenaries. It was a slaughter of the Bon Hommes.)
So, that said, here's the info--
What does Gnostic mean, anyway? Well, first of all, there was never a 'Gnostic religion'. Pronunced 'Nostic' which means 'knowledge' or knowing, having direct knowledge. 'Gnosis'.
The word gnosis (from the Greek word for knowledge), refers to a Hellenic philosophical term for knowledge. It is also used to mean a form of spiritual knowledge that is more commonly familiar to people as enlightenment,though the Greek word for enlightenment would be closer to the word informed rather than knowledge.
Gnosis can also be defined as direct knowledge of god through awareness of the divine spark within. (I like this one the best.)
Gnostic Books. A good reading list can be found here. The first book I read on Gnosticism was Gnosticism: New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowing by Stephan A. Hoeller. Another excellent introduction to the gnostic tradition is The Gnostic Gospels by Elaine Pagels.
Gnostic Blogs. A list of gnostic blogs in what has been dubbed The Logosphere is available at Jeremy Puma's excellent website The Palm Tree Garden.
Gnostic Webcasts.
For over fifty years The Gnostic Society in Los Angeles has sponsored activities dedicated to furthering an understanding of Gnosis and Gnosticism. The Society's "Friday Evening Lecture Series", directed for the last three decades by Dr. Stephan Hoeller, provides a distinguished and uniquely focused forum for individuals interested in Gnosticism, Jungian psychology, Kabbalah, mythology, and other subjects related to Gnosticism. The Gnostic Society Web Lectures.
Miguel Conner produces the first ever weekly webcast on Gnosticism and early Christianity. This is my all-time favorite podcast. I don't do tobacco, but I do brew myself up a big cup of steaming hot java for Coffee, Cigarettes and Gnosis, an "approachable, comprehensive, and affable discussion about the impact of the world’s favorite Heretics, The Gnostics, and their esoteric brethren." Hang onto your seats for this one! His scholarly podcast guests are impressive and mind expanding.
Interested in Carl Jung? Jung thought of the gnostics as old friends. There are many similarities between Gnostic inner illumination and Jung''s concept of individuation. Jon Betts, a Zurich-trained Jungian Analyst in Victoria, British Columbia produces The Jung Podcast. Superb. And I especially recommend C.G. JUNG: PORTRAIT OF A TWENTIETH CENTURY WIZARD, a series of lectures by the Wasatch Society of Salt Lake City, Utah. This is a special tenth anniversary edition of Dr. Lance Owens’ popular “Jung course”, formerly offered at the University of Utah. (Scroll to the very bottom of that web page for these four lectures.)
Finally, I'll leave you with one of the most beautiful gnostic myths ever. The Hymn of the Pearl. Most people can't read this once through without feeling something. "Embedded within the Acts of Thomas we find a beautiful and complete statement of a classic Gnostic myth describing the exile and redemption of the soul." I'm not giving too much away when I tell you there's a big journey, complete with dragon.
