Church of Gnostic Luminism

 

THE LUMINIST MANIFESTO
UPDATED FEBRUARY 22, 2013
Introduction

 

 


 

 

 

THE FUTURE BEGINS NOW

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


INTRODUCTION

This is a draft proposal for the formation of a new Church. It is being circulated in the hope that it may stimulate feedback and discussion.

This proposal is a fantasy — a work of imaginative fiction — describing an institution which does not yet exist, except in the mind of the writer of these words.

But although it is a fantasy, that does not mean that it is not serious. Every idea encompassed in this proposal is presented in utmost seriousness; and it is the author’s intention to work toward the precipitation of fantasy into reality, with the actual creation on Earth of an institution like the one proposed here, should such prove possible.

Readers who wish to assist in this work, or who would like to discuss the ideas involved, are invited to get in touch.

The future is unwritten, and it may be that we can have a hand in editing the script.

As Emerson said: “Every revolution was first a thought in one [person’s] mind.”

Note also Robert Anton Wilson’s remark that... “Reality is what you can get away with.”


 


A word of warning:

The positions necessarily taken by the proposed Church on certain controversial issues may result in conflict with entrenched civil, ecclesiastical, and economic power structures. In the words of Edward Abbey: “If freedom is outlawed, only outlaws will be free.”

If you are not interested in — or if you may be offended by — candid references to controversial issues, then please exit here. See ya later and have a nice day.

 

 


The word “church” derives from the Greek kyrios, “lord.”

In popular usage, a church is “the Lord’s house.”

The term “Lord,” as used here, refers not to any anthropomorphic “God,” or to any hierarchical power; rather it is an esoteric cipher for the consciousness of transcendent unity that lies hidden, like the memories of our dreams, just beyond the reach of our rational minds.

It is our thesis, based not on belief but on empirically verifiable research, that this gestalt consciousness of all being is very real and very powerful, and that conscious contact, communion, and union with it is potentially possible for every woman and every man on Earth.

The consciousness of transcendent unity is repressed, separated off from the normal waking state, in the average member of modern society.

This oceanic communion seeps subtly into our awareness through our dreams, myths, and emotions.

It is the source of aesthetic inspiration, creative imagination, passion, and the sense of humor.

It is the mysterious magnetic energy that, at a touch, transforms our dim, somnolent lives into vibrant clarity, splendor, and ecstasy.

It is the light reflecting from the eyes of a new-born babe and of an aroused lover.
 

Universal gestalt consciousness is the Holy Grail that we all, knowingly or not, spend all our lives seeking, or mourning the lack of.


According to the spiritual tradition that our proposed Church will acknowledge, this higher level of consciousness can be accessed and integrated into our daily lives, through techniques and technologies that have been discovered and refined in “underground” laboratories since the time of Pythagoras.

Indeed, the science of consciousness transformation predates civilization, and has roots in Neolithic shamanism.

Over the centuries its lore has been preserved and passed down the generations, guarded by strict vows of secrecy and transmitted only to select initiates.

This policy of secrecy was necessary for two reasons:

— firstly, because of repression by social forces motivated solely by the pursuit of power and wealth, who have a vested interest in maintaining public ignorance and superstition;

— and secondly, because the tools of Illumination can be dangerous in the hands of those who are unprepared.

We are moving now, however, into an æon in which that which was formerly hidden must be revealed to all.

Our spiritually somnolent society must be awakened so that the human race will be able to cope with the crises that lie ahead in the new millennium.
 

It is “make it or break it” time, and Spaceship Earth will need all hands on deck when we pass through the Straits of Aquarius.


Integration of higher consciousness with the normal waking self is the true goal of all valid religious practice, whatever the symbols used to embody the idea.

Its attainment triggers a personal transformation or “rebirth,” an Initiation; it is the only true “salvation.”

If a sufficient number of individuals develop this integration, the infusion of new creative energy into human society will trigger a worldwide revolutionary transformation, an evolutionary leap into the future.

This will constitute the onset of puberty for Homo sapiens.

It is to this personal and social transformation — Revelation and Revolution — that our new Church will be dedicated. 


                           

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