The Organisation and Religion to Re-unite All Religions

Gnostic Wisdom

 
I want to thank High Priest Rob for blessing me with the job of Leader of the Gnosticism department. I'm pleased that there is a forum, to create an open dialogue in the matters of faith and beliefs. I would hope and encourage those who read my articles, to contact me with any questions, or comments, you may have. If you need to talk, or to pray with someone, contact me anytime. As I write these articles, I wish to express some things about religion and spirituality.
  
Gnosticism isn't the only path to find truth. It is one path of many. In my earlier article we saw that Gnosticism involved harmonizing beliefs and ideas which brought together elements from Asia, Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek, and Syrian pagan religions, from Astrology, and from Judaism and Christianity: the other two being: The remnants of the Jewish Christian sect which was founded by Jesus' disciples after his execution and centred in Jerusalem, and the Churches started by Paul, that were eventually to grow and develop into "mainline" Christianity by the end of the third century. This pretty much brings eastern and western thought together. Most of what we call Christianity today, got its start in Gnostic and Gnostic-Christian circles; although the labels of both Christian and Gnostic were not invented until the Church was established.
 
February 28th, 2004, I attended a showing of Mel Gibson's movie, The Passion of The Christ. It was an early morning showing at 10:00 am. This was a private showing and I was privileged with a free pass. So here I am in the theatre. I sat down in the front of the crowded theatre, of excited and confused Christians. These Christians were members of the Grace Point-- Church of the Nazarene. I had seen "The Passion" the Wednesday before, so I was prepared for the gruesome event to come. Among the chatter of the crowd, the frequent announcements of the Minister and the people moving about, I sat there trying to keep from the cold grip of sleepiness that was trying to befall me.  Literature was handed out, with the tickets, and a small pamphlet was issued to everyone. It was titled with fancy lettering: The Passion of Jesus Christ, with a backdrop of a graphic of a bearded Jesus. I noticed that even though the movie used the title "the Christ", this church still referred to Jesus Christ, like it was his last name. Also interesting in the actual title of the movie, it says "The Passion of The Christ" and Jesus’ name isn't in it. I know from study, that Christ or the Greek version Xristos means "anointed one". This would be something conveyed as a title, not like a last name.
This movie really sparked many questions about Jesus, about the role of a Christian, about being saved, and how the Gnostic comes to fit into these dynamics.

Congregated in small houses owned by individuals, much like a Tupperware party of today, Christians existed as a small, diverse movement, and remained in this state until 325 CE (common era). Christians of the time, never labelled themselves as Christians, but considered themselves as followers of "the Way". When Emperor Constantine established Christianity as his belief system, and the official religion of Rome, the Roman Church, established its authority between five patriarchs (bishops-- meaning "supervisor") located in Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, Jerusalem, and Rome, Christianity began to flourish as a major religious community. In about 1054 CE, the split between the two competing groups established the first "denominations" of Roman Catholic (Catholic means literally "universal") and the Orthodox (straight thinkers) churches, which remains to this day.

Within the Gnostic perspective, Oneness can be seen through this duality that exists... and even a trinity. In this duality we have both religion and spirituality. Religion gives us a solid structure of Knowledge, by which we can Experience through spirituality. Religion, though, is only a shell. Religion teaches to know about God, and Spirituality teaches, or reminds us to know God. Religion and Spirituality balance out the equation and bring us to Mysticism. We see this play out in other ways through, Mind-body-spirit, father-son-holy spirit, or father-mother-holy spirit, thought-word-deed, and so on. I've heard many dishearten seekers say, "I'm spiritual but not religious." What many don't realize is Religion gives Spirituality a structure, a backbone, a skeletal system, by which one can have the freedom to move and grow. Spirituality in turn, allows Religion to move, grow, adapt, and feel. What we get when we have Religion without spirituality is rigid fundamentalist religions. And if we have Spirituality, without a religious structure, we get people who are centred in nothing, emotionally scattered, relying on psychics, crystals, or whatever fad comes out next that takes the seeker away from themselves. If we look at religion and spirituality through the lens of duality, we can see how they both exist as dual polarities of Oneness. Religion has always been Patriarchal, male, static, not moving, but holding everything together; while spirituality is very Matriarchal, feminine, in motion, inner, sometimes hidden, and Emotional. Religion has ONE God; while Spirituality has a multitude of Gods and Goddesses which are the polarities divided into all the Ten Thousand things that make up the essence of this physical world. Gnostic theologies and ideas seek to bring these two polarities into balance. It brings the stability of Religion, and the Flexibility of Spirituality, so that a person is whole and complete in his self, and able to facilitate the direct experience of the All, which is called Mysticism. These truths are very simple. Just like God, these truths are simple, until we make it complicated and create our lives to be havoc. God and Life are interchangeable.

Inner Spark of the Divine 

It is interesting sometimes. We get fascinated by those things "Para" normal or "super" natural. Many traditions and even modern day teachings regard Magick as something that is beyond reality. Which means that when some young wiccans, pagans, and occultists come to use Magick, they do so thinking that it is something outside of themselves. Same thing with the belief in Goddess; that She is something outside of who we are. Christians do this same thing with prayer. They pray to something outside of themselves and then sit back and wait. Mostly asking for stuff and then never working to create what they want... so they never get what they want, just the experience of wanting it. This doesn't mean that Prayer, Meditation, and Magick are useless. Just that they are not outside of ourselves and not outside of life, Love, or God. When you get a photograph with an Orb, a flash of light, or a shadowy figure, this sparks something... a memory of who you are. With Angels and Spirits of those you've lost, they are just saying, "Hello, we are still around, and you are the same as us." Everything in this reality is a reflection of you. Reflecting back to you who you are. And this is the greatest gift you can give somebody, when you are in a relationship. When you enter into a relationship, you can give them the gift of themselves. I'm learning, in my experience that it is easy, a lot of times to be angry with someone. You have issues about yourself, that you can only see in relationship to them... and you don't like that. We don't say that is what it is. We blame them, attack them, and create it to be their fault we are not happy. So we leave. Then we meet other people. Follow the same patterns, and many of the patterns become larger. For example: You might have broke up with someone who you felt wanted too much attention, was battling drug addiction and so forth. You break up. Much of the issues you have, have to do with you really. Maybe you hold resentment for your parent who was an alcoholic. So every relationship you get into, and you haven't resolved or forgiven yourself for the past, you will find another more extreme version of that last person. I don't know if this is other people's experience. But it is mine. (Just what I've been observing) It is in these times that we get the reminders from photographs that we are not alone, what we think is real is false, and what we believe to be false is real. Polar Express stated this when the Conductor says that some of the realest things in life are the things we don't see. So it is all just a gift, of giving you back to yourself. And there is nothing "super"natural or "Para" normal about it.  Gnostic thinking teaches to us discern that which is real from what is false. Through "gnosis", we come to remember who we are, what we are doing here, and what our purpose is. Tarot, Astrology, Numerology, no matter what system of divination you are using, the real power comes from within; the divine spark inside you.  

Namaste.

Written by Priest and Rev. G. C. Koukouris

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