As I began my journey into the world of Gnosticism, it quickly became apparent that there was sooooo much I didn’t know or understand.  I realized that there were some EXTREMELY learned people in Gnostic communities and I, almost immediately, was intimidated and went into ‘lurk mode’.

I decided that until I felt I had learned enough to participate in the community and in conversations I would simply sit back, watch and learn.  As time went on, it became clear that the more I learned, the more I realized I still needed to learn.  I found myself getting lost in the historical aspects of gnostic texts, their relation to ancient society, their influences on the people and on contemporary religion. (I am an anthropology/archaeology student so I suppose you can’t blame me for wanting to learn about these aspects)  With Gnosticism, though, even a lifetime’s worth of study would still leave one with speculation, hypotheses and unanswered questions.
After months of study, I realized the meaning of the texts — their true essence, had eluded me.  Don’t get me wrong.  I got the basics; understanding what gnosis is, the Wisdom that is Sophia, the Pleroma, The Spark of the Divine, the Demiurge, but, I was so busy with the scholarship aspect of it, I completed neglected the spiritual side of it all….the REAL reason I had decided to start on this path in the first place.

Once I realized this, I dissected my situation a little more and came to the conclusion that I had felt that if I didn’t understand Gnosticism the way all those other learned and highly respected Gnostics did, I couldn’t be a ‘Good Gnostic’….I even questioned if I was, indeed, a Gnostic at all.
Needless to say I’ve gotten past the above.  I do feel that I am not alone here, and I post this so that others can learn from my mistakes and save themselves some time and frustration.

Beyond that, I hope to contribute some practical ways of relating to the Gnostic texts here to a:  keep myself in check, and b:  share with others some realistic and practical ways of nurturing and expressing gnosis.

Remember, it’s not how much you ‘know’, it’s what you ‘Gnosis’.

I’ve recently developed a fondness for the archangels.  I don’t know if it was because of seeing “Archangel” in the new Xmen movie…but, the timing coincides nicely. *wink*

At any rate, I found a list of the archangels and their attributes along with their associated Kabbalistic Sephirah that I thought might be nice to add to my blog:

1. Keyter - Voice of God - Metatron (Brother/Twin Flame of of Sandalphon)
2. Chokmah - Wisdom and teaching - Raziel
3. Binah - Compassion and Knowing - Tzaphquiel (zuff quiel)
4. Chessed - Mercy and Order - Tzadquiel (zud quiel)
5. Geburah - Strength and Courage - Kamael
6. Tipharet - Healing and Hormony - Raphael
7. Netzach - Caregiver - Haniel
8. Hod - Speaker of truth - Michael
9. Yesod- Bestower of blessing - Gabriel
10 Malkuth - Humility - Sandalphon (Brother/Twin Flame of of Metatron)

Take note that all but two of the archangels have names that end in ‘el’.  ‘El” in Hebrew means ‘of God’.  Metatron and Sandalphon are the exception to the rule.  There is one distinct difference between Metatron, Sandalphon and the rest of the archangels…..Metatron and Sandalphon were both, once human; Metatron being Enoch from the Sefer Hekhalot, and Sandalphon being the prophet Elijah.

If the archangels peak your interest, there is tons of info online you can mine.  I’ll add anything more about them I find intriguing as I continue my perpetual spiritual journey.

Last week, in two places on the net that I frequent, there was discussion on the reality of an historical Jesus. There were some who felt that the current archaeological evidence, indeed, pointed to a living Jesus, while others felt any evidence was peripheral and not concrete. I tend to fall on the ‘not enough evidence’ side of the fence.

Father Jordan made many good points to support a lack of archaeological evidence, however, the one that made the most sense to me didn’t refer to any particular piece of archaeological evidence at all. He said that if, indeed, there was substanciated evidence supporting an historical Jesus, the news itself would be bigger than the Dead Sea Scrolls and Nag Hammadi put together. Indeed. The world would be a very different place if that sort of archaeological evidence were a reality.

With that established, there is a natural progression of thought — Does the current state of archaeological evidence in support of an historical Jesus make His message any less important? Absolutely not. Does Christianity’s relevence hinge on the reality of His historical existance? No. Should it? Again, absolutely not.

With the gospels being written close to 80 years after the reported ressurection of Jesus, it seems that even at the inception of Christianity, there wasn’t a need for tangible proof of Jesus’ historical existance. The stories, and the ideas and lessons behind them, have taken on a life of their own.  He lives.  He breathes, and He most certainly rightfully claims a seat as an aspect of the Pleroma.

Added: I really should put a little disclaimer here, so, I will. The ideas expressed here are my own, and do not nessecarily reflect those of the Gnostic community as a whole, nor those who identify themselves as a Witch. What you find here are musings on MY understanding and experience as, what I understand to be, a Gnostic Witch.

I am a Gnostic Witch. Bet your bottom there are people out there who feel this is completely incompatible. I mean, the Gnostics are dualists. They hate the Earth and the physical plain, and a witch relishes in and worship it, right? I don’t know how many times I’ve heard this.

The problem is that Gnostics are not dualist. They simply see the worldly plain as a limited manifestation of being or existance. Being a Witch aids one in cutting through the physical and connecting with The Divine. So, for me the two paths fit perfectly together.

Now I’m going to make it even more complicated.

Gnostics believe that everyone and everything are part of the Pleroma, or ‘The Fullness’; God. Here is a quote from the following website: http://www.gnostic-church.org/misperceptions.htm (an interesting read for anyone interested in learning about gnosticism)

The picture above is Athena, in whom the ancient Greeks recognized the manifestation of the divine feminine in all forms of Wisdom. We see in Athena one of the many aspects of Sophia.

Ultimately, every God/Goddess in any pantheon can be seen as an aspect of The Divine. And each and every God/Goddess is going to have something unique to offer to help with your goal of gnosis.

This is all so simplistic, but it is a base for me to work with, here.

Are we having fun yet?