What Is Gnosticism? // 01
The coveted secrets of the mystery "religion"
I started V1 of this blog back in Q2 2023 on other platforms. And, I started writing for it about a year before that. Since then, all of my posts -- both in the backlog and currently published -- have undergone rework after rework as I painstakingly refine the presentation of these rarely spoken and "never-before-thought" ideas. Yet, the posts I've most stalled and blown off have been those pertaining to Gnosticism.
The reason being that it's just overwhelming the amount of wrongs I have to right, the number of misconceptions I must correct, the scope of the programs I have to bypass, and the shear volume of aspects I need to educate on just to convey Gnosticism and the Gnostic spirit accurately, as I tap into it.
And, we haven't even began talking about the number of butts I've got to prick in the process.
So, this a massive undertaking that I have continually delayed. And, I fear, in my delayedness, that I've allowed too much wrong to proliferate in the the meme pool of "Gnosticism" unchallenged. And though, I've been shamefully ignoring the pot, I still feel I have just enough time to stir before the food is burnt.
So, let's begin.
What is Gnosticism?
Gnosticism, as we inherit it in America, is a vein of Orpho-Platonism.
Obviously.
Not Hermeticism. Not Christianity. And, certainly, not Judaism.
But, Orpho-Platonism.
Particularly, Western Gnosticism can be described as a syncretism of the Greek mystery religions centering the Orphic vein -- which comes to us from Orpheus, through Pythagoras (and most likely from Egypt and Babylon through his studies), through Plato. As a matter of fact, the mythological through-line from Gnosticism to Plato, to Orphism, and back to Egyptian mythologies is glaring when you read the myths, even without being a buff.
Yet, this is not the form of Gnosticism we usually first encounter. We don't learn of it as a complete and independent framework of hellenic origin, but usually as a half-thing mix mashed with something else; as a "parasite religion" as I've recently heard it mocked.
This stems from the Christian-centered folly of conflating Gnostic Christianity with Gnosticism itself, both historically and theologically, as if Gnosticism "came from" Christianity. Such beliefs are simply failures of historical and cultural inquiry. But, this "entanglement" that persists in the minds of the many today, is rooted in the fact that Western Gnosticism garnered it's first bout of attention (i. e. major hostilities) when it appeared in the early centuries CE — as a variety of rouge mystery cultists attempted to integrate the Jesus figure into their canons.
As Christ-followers, they'd adopt Jesus as the latest prophet in their esoteric lineage (from Orpheus to Pythagoras, for example) with many choosing to participate in Jesus-worship activities along side the other early Christian varieties. This is the origin of those who call themselves "Gnostic Christians" (a.k.a. Gnostic followers of Christ) today.
However, these mystery cultists -- unlike other Christians -- did not renounce their traditions to become whole converts into the Jewish way. They quietly retained them, seeking not to "convert" or rouse the other Christians, but to cultivate their own understandings of the texts in line with their Greek way. And, that is why their Jesus — "Gnostic Jesus" — is a little divergent from the norm. He is not interpreted to take on the throughly Jewish character and ideological background of Abrahamic Jesus, but a Hellenic character and background inside of a Jewish body (with the body thing being debatable).
And that, as we have learned, is very !!!TRIGGERING!!! to the zealots for Judeo-Christian ideology. This little attempt at cultural assimilation would result in being seeing as not just some kind of competitor, a but a mortal enemy to the ideology and spread the proper Christian -ness. Thus, "the Gnostics" — those retaining the beliefs of the mystery cults -- were branded the worst of "heretics," worthy of being rooted out of all influence and power by any means necessary.
And, so began the hiding.
Transmission Note 01:
The Greeks and other peoples were a lot more open to input from cultures and pantheons beyond their own than the Jews are. I believe this led them to underestimate the extent to which the Jewish -ness defined the character and how Christianity was meant to be an expansion of that -ness rather than an earnest spiritual or intellectual exploration.
Essentially, they did not realize there was this agenda and rigid ethnic claim to ownership of the Jesus character. And, the misstep of trying to engage with it as such is what led the mystery cultists to inadvertently cause such great offense.
Now, of course, the plan was always to convert, kill, persecute, and/or disenfranchise anyone and any culture that did not give way to the planned faith (Catholicism). But, they really stay aggro'd on the Gnostic Christians, which is why everybody finds them and thinks they're the whole of Gnosticism. For half of the last 2000 years, the Christian mystery cultists publicly behaved and saw themselves as Christians, and that is indeed what they called themselves ("Gnostic" is a name that was given to them collectively and retroactively). But, they entertained their mysteries in private. They preserved their belief systems through metaphor and code, they prepared private gatherings, and they participated in both new and ancient rituals in secret. They also, famously, wrote and distributed their own texts among themselves, drew and documented esoteric meaning from The Bible, and as time went on, became the Valentinians, Manichaens, Cathars, Mandaeans, etc...
All of whom, in the end, lost themselves.
Transmission Note 02:
The non-Christian mystery cultists behaved much the same, continuing to exist beneath the surface under other names and "heresies." Seems like most died up to now, but the mysteries of some are still carried by different orgs, lines of thought, and denominations just like the Orphic vein.Sometimes genocided, sometimes not, they all became more and more assimilated into the Christian worldview, losing and twisting up bits of their gnosis until they were no longer carriers of the mysteries, but dead ends. Most notably, the information surrounding death either came to mimic that of Christianity and/or became platitudinal, losing it's instructional value. And, that's just what Christianity does — its function is to destroy the means and routes to Gnosis; forcing you to succumb, in one way or another, to the Evil-bland power of the demiurgic drone.
It breaches. It invades. It colonizes. It burns.
All of this is why, despite modern and historical claims, it is clear that Gnosticism and Christianity share no common cause and are, in fact, fundamentally opposed. This is obvious from their logical ends, on their faces, and Gnostic Christians are lost, or "heretical," Gnostics as far as I am concerned.
Transmission Note 03:
Despite this, there are very few Gnostic Christians who have (so far) maintained a non-Abrahamic Jesus and allegedly find bits of gnosis by focusing through the figure. That certainly makes them distinct from the Judeo-Catholic lineage and this, among other non-standard Christs, are the only reason why I make the distinction between Catholicism and Christianity in other posts. But, thus far, I've (necessarily) given you more of a history lesson on them than an explanation of what Gnosticism really is.
Features of Gnosticism
Globally and as a phenomenon, Gnosticism is the metaphysical worldview positing a duality between self-consciousness and material nature, with need for man to overcome the latter by means of personal knowledge of the self and of the nature of reality (Gnosis). Further, it:
Posits a hostile world order.
Asserts a material reality that naturally restricts the meaningful will and ability of self-conscious man within its objective and knowable parameters.
Affirms the free will and intellectual agency of self-conscious man as means by which he can pursue, gain, and apply Gnosis.
Calls for a personal journey toward individuation, as man cannot attain Gnosis collectively or by means of others, but only through his own efforts.
Gnosticism is an emergent worldview, appearing across time and space organically, rather than as a worldview constructed for socio-political purposes like religions. As such, it does not share the goal or function of religion as a means of socio-political management. Yet, still, it takes on the three forms that all worldviews do -- mythic, secular, and atheistic. Specifically (with examples), there is:
Mythic Gnosticism -- taking on a spiritual character, dealing with immaterial realms and entities
Classical/Theistic Gnosticism
Jungian Analysis
Secular Gnosticism -- taking on a political character, dealing mainly with material powers and principalities
Prometheanism
Reincarnation Truthers (ET)
American Conspiracy Culture (Alex Jones, David Icke, etc...)
Plot of The Matrix
Forms of Anarchism
Gnostic Atheism -- taking on a philosophical character, dealing with ethics and metaphysics
Objectivism
Simulation Theory (some)
e/acc
I, personally, view Gnosticism as a signal you pick up on. A well broadcast fact of reality that you become attune to (if you so have the capacity) after an alienating event: a realization, a condition, or a happening that snaps you out of a given collective drone and spurns the oh, so gnostic sense that something is deeply wrong with the world. Often, it's a noticing of hyleticism, a noticing of a naturally systemic injustice, or a just a longstanding experience of disconnect with the norms and trajectory of the world. But, after boarding the Gnostic-line of thought, a decent amount path-find their way to actual Gnosticism. And, while that Gnosticism may wear many different faces and metaphorical frameworks, it's always says the same thing.
This isn't exclusive to me. I'm the only one I've heard explicitly say this, but I've seen all serious Gnostics talk about this in a way that suggests what I am. Additionally, those "alienating events," as I've coined, are not spontaneous, they're usually a long time coming.That's why I've listed only 4 characteristics — of Gnosticism: because, contrary to what most scholars and enthusiasts would say, that's all you need to describe that thing. And, by being able to identify what are essentially Gnostic first principles, we are able to understand and talk about Gnosticism much more pointedly.
For one, it gives us a kind of tracking system where we can talk about Western Gnosticism but also see Gnosticism itself, Eastern Gnosticism, and Gnosticism's appearance in tribal cultures around the world. We can see it branching off in America or taking on some new flavor in Brazil. We can also see it when it isn't appearing in an explicitly spiritual form, but as a literary theme or a cultural meme. So, fittingly, this understanding of Gnosticism is as broad as the phenomena itself since it is much more in line with how it actually manifests within the world.
Yet, you’ll also see that it is somehow much more precise than the long, droning lists that Stephan Hoeller and a few others have produced:
There is an original and transcendental spiritual unity from which emanated a vast manifestation of pluralities.
The manifest universe of matter and mind was created not by the original spiritual unity but by spiritual beings possessing inferior powers.
One of the objectives of these creators is the perpetual separation of humans from the unity (God).
The human being is a composite: the outer aspect is the handiwork of the inferior creators, while the inner aspect is a fallen spark of the ultimate of the divine unity.
The sparks of transcendental holiness slumber in their material and mental prison, their self-awareness stupefied by the forces of materiality and mind.
The slumbering sparks have not been abandoned by the ultimate unity; rather, a constant effort directed toward their awakening and liberation comes forth from this unity.
The awakening of the inmost divine essence in humans comes through salvific knowledge, called “gnosis.”
Gnosis is not brought about by belief of by the performance of virtuous deeds or by obedience to commandments; these at best serve to prepare one for liberating knowledge.
Among those aiding the slumbering sparks, a particular position of honor and importance belongs to a feminine emanation of the unity, Sophia (Wisdom). She was involved in the creation of the world and ever since has remained the guide of her orphaned human children.
From the earliest times of history, messengers of Light have been sent forth from the ultimate unity for the purpose of advancing gnosis in the souls of humans.
The greatest of these messengers in our historical and geographical matrix was the descended Logos of God manifest in Jesus Christ.
Jesus exercised a twofold ministry: he was a teach, imparting instruction concerning the way of gnosis; and he was a hierophant, imparting mysteries.
The mysteries imparted by Jesus (which are also known as sacraments) are mighty aids toward gnosis and have been entrusted by him to his apostles and their successors.
Through the spiritual practice of the mysteries (sacraments) and a relentless and uncompromising striving for gnosis, humans can steadily advance toward liberation from all confinement, material and otherwise. The ultimate objective of this process of liberation is the achievement of salvific knowledge and with it, freedom from embodied existence and return to ultimate unity.
— Gnosticism: New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowing by Stephan A. Hoeller
Lists like this, while not all wrong, do not form a cohesive or accurate explanation of Gnosticism.
I will say that, while I disagree on the language, universality, “divine feminine,” and the implications of “oneness” — which mostly come from Christian contamination — the first 10 points comprise a very accurate characterization of Mythic Gnosticism. But the list, as a whole, is completely ignorant of Gnosticism’s non-spiritual manifestations and, again presupposes that Gnosticism is a denomination of Christianity, a plain falsehood.
Worse yet, they're the works of those who futilely take it upon themselves to "revive" and "spread" Gnostic Christianity, with these lists as blatant — and often plainly stated — attempts to define a canonical doctrine. The ultimate intent being to make "Gnosticism" structurally and massively participatory so that it can be marketable to the masses. But, those who desire this do so because they view Gnosticism as a religion and have adopted Christian/Abrahamic views as to the purpose of belief systems.
Yet, Gnosticism is neither beholden to nor compatible with those views.
Transmission Note:
This should not be interpreted as an attack on Stephan Hoeller. The aforementioned book is informative as a whole and I agree with a lot of it. However, I disagree with many of Hoeller's conclusions.
Funny enough, while revisting that chapter, I discovered that Hoeller, being well before my time, has a lot more context on where guys like David Lindsay (I think that's his name?) come from. Page 182. Practicing Gnosticism
One does not practice Gnosticism, mythic or not. But, Gnostics often practice rituals that they believe will induce Gnosis.
Because Gnosis must be attained personally and intellectually, these rituals historically involved psychedelics and circumambulatory* acts meant to remind the practitioner of his goal. Additionally, this pursuit meant that Classical Gnostics were (and continue to be) open to trying out practices from other belief systems if they're believed to have the potential to induce Gnosis. Many, however, also turn to plain ol' knowledge, choosing to immerse themselves in more interactive ways of knowing about the world such as science, math, and esoterica as a path to personal knowledge of reality.
*circumambulatory meaning acts repeated in order to center an ideal or concept, not literal walkingYet, while varied and individualistic, Gnostics did not always go about their spiritual journeys alone. While Gnosis is pursued personally, individual findings, experiences, and speculations were/are shared among each other for consideration and guidance in personal journeys. Individuals with similar findings and personally efficacious mediums of Gnosis would form groups and participate in rituals together. And, because Gnosticism is classically hostile or indifferent to the body, historical Gnostic groups tended to go one of two ways: ascetic or degenerate. The first involved fasting, abstinence, and denial of bodily pleasures. The second, I will leave to your imagination. But, thankfully the former won out in popularity and is how Gnostics are commonly portrayed.
Come to think of it, the whole attempt to shock oneself into Gnosis is kind of like trying to relive the alienating event that made one Gnostic in the first place. But, more intense. So, the point being made is that, when thinking of Gnostic groups or Gnostics gathered, one should avoid conceiving of them as one does a church. Rather than platforms where an orthodoxy is espoused and downloaded, Gnostic gatherings were/are information exchanges, more akin to get-togethers.
Gnosticism has an investigative and antinomian character, rather than faithful and obedient character.
Secrets
I've thus far laid out that Western Gnosticism comes from the Greek mystery cults (and by extension Egypt, and, in likelihood, Babylon). I've highlighted that those holding their beliefs went into hiding and were given the name "Gnostic" by their persecutors ("Gnosis" meaning "knowledge," "Gnostic" approximating "knower"). And, I've repeatedly used word like "private," "personal," "individual," "metaphor," "code," and "secret" to describe their activities.
All of these things, in a sort of snowball effect, have had Christians unwaveringly convinced that Gnosticism is about "keeping secrets." And, with a strange intensity, they've been all riled up about Gnostics having "secret knowledge" for thousands of years. In fact, if you ask a Christian (who has heard of Gnosticism) today, that's exactly what they'll tell you: "Gnostics were people who thought they had secret knowledge."
With a tone suggesting an absurd level of contempt for a supposedly dead heresy, to boot.
But, Gnosticism was poorly understood by its enemies and is not about "secret knowledge." Despite the fact that Christians love making themselves angry imagining such silly ideas that are more attributable to themselves, Gnostics are not and were not meeting up to go: "teehee, they don't know our seeecret!"
In fact, here are the mythic secrets of such great concern:
The mysteries of the mystery cults tended to be along these lines:
You have an immortal soul.
You belong to a spiritual reality (often phrased: "you are/can become a god").
You are trapped in a cycle of material death and rebirth.
You need to do XYZ to escape materiality.
The mystery cultists/Gnostics were secretive to preserve the purity of the above beliefs and techniques and to avoid persecution -- and ultimately inquisition -- at the hands of hostile powers.
Gnosis is personal, private, and "secret" because it is incommunicable. Personal knowledge can be talked about, but cannot be literally shared person to person and Gnosis comes differently to each person.
Gnosticism doesn't have an imperative for conversion or being a "big tent" because Gnosticism itself is incommunicable to the majority.
These things are not really "secrets" but, even if they were, they could be talked about freely (given the absence of persecution) due to bullet four.
Transmission Note:
I know because I've tried.
It isn't possible to invite those who are not Gnostic-minded into Gnostic thinking, because it just... doesn't work. The ideas don't go through. It is too far off from the dominant worldview to be comprehensible to normal folk and you just end up with offense on both sides. They have a surreal inability to accurately interpret what you are saying along with a seeming determination to misinterpret back into the dominant worldview and they seem to just be naturally hostile to Gnosticism of any kind.
You can posit an idea or share content that is unequivocally Gnostic and they will find a way to evade the Gnostic premise or conclusion it leads to. And, if they can't they're hostile. Imagine that no matter what....
Bonus "Secret": A common premise is that Gnosis is applied at death on a post-mortem spiritual journey, similar to that of the Ka of Egyptian mythology.Books
Many religions and even philosophies are centered around holy books as definitive canonical, instructional, and behavioral guides. They function as the source and reinforcement of a given worldview, which allows it to persist fundamentally undiluted for extended periods of time.
This is not so for Gnosticism -- mythic or not.
Instead, Gnosticism has no holy book and, in the section called "Features of Gnosticism," I've already laid out its presence and reception through alienating events. It requires no human regulation in order to continue to authentically exist.
Now is a good time to mention that there is a multiple discovery aspect of Gnosticism which is generally how I, at least, track alignment and continuity while identifying "the signal," as I call it, as the source in others.Yet, the ancient Mythic Gnostics were known to be prolific writers, as attested by the Nag Hammadi library. And, the penchant for writing seems to persist across time and mode, as Secular Gnostics and Gnostic Atheists (beknownst or not) have been absurdly influential in American media and culture by this means.
So, why do Gnostics write so much and how do they use books?
Gnostics tend to view books as spiritual journals, rather than instruction manuals, and literature at large as a means of preserving knowledge. Contributing to the Gnostic meme pool is a form of participation in the imperative, which is why Gnostics, unlike Christians and others, have little issue putting their pieces forward. Rather than the book study and faith characteristic of Abrahamic maintenance, Gnosticism, again, tends toward investigation and information sharing. And, it is for these reasons that Gnostics have been known to not only write their own texts, but to adopt and reinterpret the texts of other belief systems according to the Gnostic worldview.