Gnosis
The word
gnosis (from the
Greek word for
knowledge, γνώσις) refers to the ultimate
spiritual knowledge that is more commonly familiar to people as
enlightenment. The word has a common ancestral root (from
Proto-Indo-European) with the
Sanskrit word
gnana (pronounced
nyana) that has an equivalent meaning in Buddhist and Hindu spiritual treatises. The knowledge to which gnosis refers is that of the unconditioned ground (and source) of phenomenal reality, variously called
Brahman (The
Upanisads), the
Dharmakaya (
Mahayana Buddhism), the
Tao (
Tao Te Ching) and
God (
Theistic religion). One who having followed a spiritual path in order to return to the origin and arrived at this transcendental knowledge is called a gnostic (
Gnani in Sanskrit and Hindi).
* Gnosis being a Greek word has its origin in Greek philosophy. See
Plato (c. 427â€"c. 347 BC),
gnostikoi' and
gnostike episteme.
Politikos in Greek or
Politicus in Latin (258e-267a) which means the knowledge to influence and control. Gnostike episteme also was used to indicate one's
aptitude. The
Neoplatonic philosopher
Plotinus rejected followers of gnosticism as being anti-
Hellenistic and anti-
Plato due to their
vilification of Plato's
demiurge, see
Neoplatonism and Gnosticism.
* Among the
sectarian gnostics,
gnosis was first and foremost a matter of self acquaintance which was the goal of
enlightenment. Also stated as direct knowledge of God through awareness of the divine spark within. Later,
Valentinius, more usually called Valentinus, taught that gnosis was the privileged "knowledge of the heart" or "
insight" about the
spiritual nature of the
cosmos, that brought about
salvation to the
pneumatics - people who
believed they could achieve this insight. Gnosis was distinct from the secret teachings they only revealed to initiates once they had reached a certain level of progression. Rather, these teachings were paths to obtain gnosis. Gnostic ideas of salvation were similar to
Buddhist conceptions of
enlightenment, hence gnosis was not expressible by words. (See e.g.
ineffability, a quality of realization common to many, if not most, esoteric traditions; see also
Jung on the difference between
sign and
symbol.)
* Among
heresiologists,
gnosis denotes different
Jewish,
Christian or Pagan belief systems of
esoteric nature such as, first and foremost,
Gnosticism and other
dualist systems from the
1st and
2nd centuries
A.D., but also
Rosicrucianism,
Kabbalah, etc.
* Gnosis also carried over from
Plato into
Greek Orthodox christianity via
St Clement of Alexandria,
Hippolytus (writer),
Hegesippus, and
Origen but in an
intuitive knowledge type of meaning in relation to the greek words
theosis,
theoria. Gnosis meant an experience of God.
* The term Gnosis is related to the sanskrit
jnana (as in Jnana Yoga) and to the Hebrew
daath, which is the hidden sphere in the Kabbalah, or that knowledge which was only given to the initiated.
* In the teachings of
Sri Aurobindo, the
Gnostic being refers to the future
supramental state of
divinised humanity, living a spirit-filled existence.
* Millions of non-English speakers associate Gnosis with the movement started by
Samael Aun Weor. This tradition is now becoming known in English, largely through the efforts of Gnosticweb [
1] and publishers such as
Thelema Press.
*
Gnosis is the name of magazine [
2] published between
1985 and
1999 in
California as a "Journal of the Western Inner Traditions" covering traditions of
spirituality and
mysticism. It was a project of the
Lumen Foundation.
* Among certain modern
occult movements, esp.
chaos magic,
gnosis refers to an altered state of awareness in which the will is "magickally" effective.
* In the movie series
The Matrix, one of the hovercrafts is named
Gnosis.
* Modern disciples of
Aleister Crowley and his Doctrine of
Thelema have also formed a number of Gnostic Religious Organizations. http://user.cyberlink.ch/~koenig/church.htm
* One of the main characters in the movie/musical
Hedwig and the Angry Inch used the stage name
Tommy Gnosis.
*
The Gnosis is the name of ancient sorcery from the North in R. Scott Bakker's
Prince of Nothing fantasy epic.
* One of the ships in
Alastair Reynolds' novel
Absolution Gap is called the
Gnostic Ascension.
*The
Gnosis are a group of surreal monsters in the game
Xenosaga, by
Namco. The only way to bring these creatures into our plane of our
dimension is the
Hilbert Effect.
*The World of Darkness roleplaying game
Werewolf: The Apocalypse by
White Wolf Game Studio used the term gnosis to measure of how attuned to the spiritual world a character, usually a Werewolf, was (and as the primary mechanic for enabling magical effects). In the revamped World of Darkness books the term is used in the
Mage: The Awakening roleplaying game, again as an overarching mechanic for measuring the magical power of a character, in this case primarily for mages and similar chracters.
*Punk rock band Bad Religion have a song titled "Billy Gnosis."
Gnosis has been associated and often cited as synonymous with terms from numerous cultures and religions:
*
Enlightenment -
Buddhism*
Moksha -
Hinduism* Kingdom of God -
Christianity* Body electric -
Walt Whitman* Rapture -
Plato (in the sense of ecstasy, not the Christian
Rapture)
* Irfan -
Sufism* Inner Light and Sound
Sant Mat*
The Gnosis are mysterious alien attackers in the
Xenosaga games for the Sony Playstation 2. The Gnosis have the ability to turn humans into salt by touching them.
* In the game
Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean for the
Nintendo GameCube, Gnosis is the boss at the end of the "Passageway of Souls." Baten Kaitos was created by the same company as Xenosaga, and it is likely a reference to it. Like in Xenosaga, Gnosis is a creature that exists between dimensions.
* The term Gnosis is used in the White Wolf Role-playing game "
Werewolf: The Apocalypse" (both their tabletop and LARP editions) and the collectible card game entitled "Rage."
*Though not featured, Gnosis is a hovership from
Enter The Matrix and
The Matrix series.
*
Gnosticism*
History of Gnosticism*
Plato*
Neoplatonism and Gnosticism*
Gnosis Venezuela - Official portal in Venezuela with some books in English for download.
*
The Gnosis Archive - A source of primary texts.
*
Gnostic Teachings - Practical Gnosis
*
Thomasine Church*
Gnosis Magazine - Gnosis covered from many angles
*
Ashe Journal- Special Issue on Gnosticism: From Valentinus to Burroughs
*
Free Church of Antioch- An independent, sacramental, gnostic-theosophical Catholic church*
Gnosis: Good News for the Third Millennium by Todd C. Settimo- a modern gospel (published by Bag End Press)*
Illuminism; The Way of St. Thomas the Apostle* The Gnostic Movement (VM Belzebuub) -
Gnosticmovement Gnosticweb Mysticweb Astralweb*
Gnostic Judas - Incredible insights into The Gospel of Judas
