Gnosticism

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  A few nights ago I attended a seminar on Gnosticism. The following are the notes I took during the talk. They are not things that I necessarily believe or do not believe. They are simply the notes.
  
  
  "Tragic is the existence of they who die without having known the purpose of their life"
  
  - It is the path of self discovery and finding higher purpose in your life
  - Above the doors of many of the temple in Greece appeared the words: "Know Thyself"
  - The universe is the macrocosm and the self is the microcosm
  - What are we here for? What is knowledge?
  - Many seek peace, happiness, etc. but we look for these things outside of ourselves
  - Gnosis teaches that these things are in each of us, we just have to look internally
  - How many people study themselves? How many people study their own psychology?
  - Knowledge of self feeds our consciousness - the divine spark in each of us
  - Knowledge from elsewhere is intellectual and does not feed our consciousness
  - Knowledge of self is obtained through experience
  - Enlightenment cannot come from a book
  - No one can give us the knowledge of ourselves
  - We can begin this process by studying our own psychology
  - We are often our own obstacles in life
  - We need to ask ourselves why we feel and act the way we do
  - Obstacles are created in the mind, such as fear and anger
  - They are often revealed when we look within
  - When we do this we often will uncover both positive and negative aspects
  - These negative aspects are what cause the difficulties in our lives
  - Are we in control of our lives?
  - Gnostics believe that we are born with a purpose, to get from point A to point B, but we are knocked off course
  - We are reactive animals to the circumstances in life
  - We spend out time reacting to external factors and responding to other people
  - Our responses to what others think of us does not create lasting happiness or anger
  - We often respond to environmental factors in our mood or state when we can't change these things
  - We are constantly assaulted by hundreds of thoughts throughout the day
  - We have difficulty being in the present moment
  - Because of this we are never constant or conscious
  - Consciousness of the average person is "asleep"
  - This is why "awakening" is such a popular term in many spiritual paths
  - We need to practice self observation
  - Instead of reacting, we need to develop awareness - be conscious of emotion and not give into them, rather ask ourselves why we are feeling that way
  - We must also receive the feeling implied in order to actually feel them. If you are given an insult, simply do not accept it
  - We need to be aware of how we react
  - When we question what we are thinking we become present
  - Being aware allows us to choose how to react or feel
  The goal is to be aware of everything at every time, to be present in the here and now, the "eternal instant"
  - Don't let others pull you away from your control over your self
  - Get to know your hidden subconscious motives, what we don't know we are feeling or thinking
  - Gnosis is the Greek word for "Wisdom"
  - Wisdom is knowledge obtained through experience
  - This is what links the distillation of all ancient civilizations and major religions
  - They all express the "Truth" - the expression of wisdom for their time
  - All religions are born and die throughout time but they all carry "Gnosis"
  - Common themes in many religions throughout the world and time: A Divine Mother gives birth to a Solar Hero, usually in a special way or in special circumstances. The Mother is usually a virgin and the Solar Hero dies and is resurrected
  - The goal of modern Gnosis is to awaken the consciousness - find out who we really are and what our original path is or purpose in life
  - It speaks of discovering the "Higher Self"
  - It is accomplished by working on meditation techniques, Astral projection, working with the elements, psychology, etc.
  - Most Gnostic group hold workshops and meetings to work on these things for free
  - They believe that one should not have to pay for knowledge
  - They work on a donation system because they believe that you must give something to receive something but it is up to you how much or what you are willing to give

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   For more information:
  
  London Gnostic Association
  116 Emery St. E.
  London, Ontario
  (519)667-0767
  gnosislondon@gmail.com
  
  www.gnosislondon.com
  
  A Non-Profit Organization