Humanity is still living in the late prehistory of true civilization.
The first social system of the future that can justly be called civilized
must be humane and equitable, sustainable, and ecologically sound.
It must have a voluntary, cooperative worldwide economic system that can
provide fully for all Earth citizens.
The foundation of this new society must be a worldwide cultural recognition
of ABSOLUTE INDIVIDUAL LIBERTY AND PERSONAL SOVEREIGNTY.
Such a society is, in our view, the proper destiny of the human race.
Its blueprint is encoded in our genes, awaiting the conscious awakening of a
“critical mass” of Humanity to trigger the changes that will bring it into
being.
It is to this CONSCIOUS AWAKENING that our efforts are dedicated. Our goal
is to make the Utopian vision of “How It Ought To Be” an obtainable
reality in our lifetime.
The teachings of the Church of
Gnostic Luminism will be based on a synergistic and holistic method of
obtaining experiential knowledge of reality ( = Gnosis). Our
approach will harmonize and utilize the combined perspectives of SCIENCE,
PHILOSOPHY, and THEOLOGY — providing access to a new type of mental
comprehension which can overcome the limitations of sterile rationalism.
The traditions of GNOSIS and LUMINISM teach that humanity can have access to
an enlightened and scientifically calibrated subjective intuition, a
precision instrument of consciousness. Once this technique has been learned
and mastered, direct revelation of truth about reality ( = Gnosis)
will be possible, along with liberation from all limitation.
The Church of Gnostic Luminism will utilize technologies of consciousness
expansion ancient and modern, as a means of achieving this power.
The Church curriculum will incorporate safeguards against superstition and
dogma, based on a rigorous critical examination of all things.
Syncretism, the first of two equally important elements of the
Gnostic-Luminist method, prescribes an attitude of openness to and respect
for all of the varied religious, philosophical, and scientific traditions,
disciplines, and schools of thought that exist now or have existed on Earth.
While not necessarily implying acceptance, the syncretic approach
mandates an unbiased and fair evaluation of each school of thought, and an
honest attempt to recognize and appreciate the values to be found therein.
Eclecticism, the second
element, is the selective use of only those aspects of each tradition that
prove to be valid after exhaustive analysis and research, and disregard of
all other aspects. The eclectic approach provides a safeguard against
the superstition and error that has plagued the religious traditions of the
past.
Intuition, the faculty
of direct, unmediated perception of reality, is a natural human
trait, although it has been largely overlooked in modern Western
(Euro-American) traditions. Once it has been awakened and properly attuned,
the intuitive faculty will guide and empower the intellect in its pursuit of
the syncretic/eclectic method.
Training in intuitive receptivity and its practical applications will prove
to be a powerful instrument for the acquisition of the true knowledge of
reality ( = Gnosis) that, in Gnostic theology, confers redemptive and
liberating power.
Revelation and visionary experience are available to all who choose to
make use of the techniques of consciousness expansion or entheogenesis.
Grounded by the syncretic/eclectic method and guided by an enlightened
intuition, the Gnostic Luminist will be prepared to utilize the revelatory
or “psychedelic” (soul-manifesting) experiences that are available on the
frontiers of consciousness to maximum effect. These combined consciousness
technologies constitute a “macroscope,” an instrument that 21st century
science may find to be as vital as the microscope was to the biologists of
the 19th century, or the telescope to the astronomers of the 18th.
The word “gnostic” derives from the
Greek word gnostikon, one who has secret or esoteric knowledge; from
the Greek root gnosis, knowledge. Stemming from the same
Indo-European root as the English word “know,” gnosis forms the basis
of words like “agnostic” (one who lacks knowledge), “diagnosis” (knowledge
obtained by observation), etc.
The “knowledge” referred to, when the word is used in its theological sense,
is absolute certainty with no possibility of error.
The Gnostic schools of spiritual and philosophical thought hold that this
knowledge, which may be obtained by the Initiate, is the basis of all true
“salvation” or spiritual self-transformation — or, in Oriental terms,
liberation from bondage to the limitations of materiality.
Gnosis replaces the “faith” or blind belief
of exoteric religion.
The Church of Gnostic Luminism will assert that such knowledge is both
possible and necessary. Our task will be to research, develop, perfect, and
teach methods by which true gnosis may be acquired.
Various ancient spiritual and/or “occult” movements have been known as
Gnostics, including Egyptian, Persian, Palestinian, and Babylonian
esoteric schools and initiate orders.
Gnostic spokespersons in the ancient world included
Simon Magus
,
Valentinus,
and
Basilides.
The Gnostic movement in the first two centuries of the common era was a
major formative influence on early Christianity — but nearly all Gnostic
influences were purged from “official” Roman Christianity after its
establishment under the emperor Constantine.
Gnostic texts of the early Christian era included the
Apocryphon of John,
the
Pistis Sophia,
the
Gospel of Thomas,
and others, some of which were among the manuscripts discovered at
Nag Hammadi
in the 1940s.
The Ophites and the Phibionites
were among the ancient Gnostic movements.
Of primary importance to medieval and subsequent Gnostic thought was the
Qabalah,
an esoteric Hebrew tradition. The
Knights Templar
preserved the ancient Hermetic and Qabalistic lore, and forged ties with
parallel Oriental and Islamic traditions including the
Sufis and the infamous
Hashishim
or “Assassins,” an
Ishmaili
initiate order founded in 1090 by the legendary Sheikh
Hassan-bin-Sabbah.
In the medieval, renaissance, and
early modern periods, proponents of views influenced by Gnosticism included:
The Gnostic tradition in the 20th century includes the German philosopher
Martin Heidegger
(1889-1976), and the French Islamic scholar and mystic,
Henry Corbin
(1903-1978).
Also showing the influence of Gnosticism are the archetypal or depth
psychologies of Carl Jung,
James Hillman,
David
Miller,
etc.
At the present time, organized representatives of the Gnostic tradition
include the Theosophical
and Anthroposophical
movements, the schools of
Gurdjeiff
and Ouspensky,
the Ecclesia Gnostica,
the
Ecclesia Gnostica Catholica
(religious affiliate of Ordo Templi
Orientis),
the
Ambrosii Magi Hortus Rosarum,
the Universal Gnostic
Fellowship,
and others.
The study of the history, lore, and teachings of this Gnostic tradition will
form a part of our curriculum of study; the Church of Gnostic Luminism will
honor these voices as antecedents in its spiritual lineage.
The word “Luminism” (also spelled
Illuminism)
comes from the Latin
lumen, meaning “light.” Its implication is “inner light” or
“enlightenment” — a subjective experience of spontaneous awareness and
understanding of truths about reality. This term relates to a religious and
philosophical tradition based on direct experience of reality as opposed to
faith, belief, or rational speculation. Rather than trying to obtain true
information about reality through the abstractions of rational thought, the
Luminist will seek to awaken the mind into higher levels of consciousness in
which the object of inquiry can be interacted with directly without the
intermediary of abstractions.
Luminists adopt a rigorously critical skepticism not unlike the modern
scientific method; the major distinction is that the Luminist laboratory
admits evidence acquired by instruments other than the five physical senses.
Early Luminists
Historical antecedents to the Church of Gnostic Luminism in the Luminist
tradition include the pre-Christian “Mystery Religions”: the Greek and Roman
cults of
Dionysus
or Bacchus,
and
Pan;
of Demeter,
Kore
or Persephone;
of
Orpheus,
Attis,
and
Osiris.
Important Luminist movements included the Greek
Mystery
Schools
of Eleusis
and
Delphi,
and the
Pythagorean
school
founded at Crotona
in Southern Italy in the 6th century BC, a syncretistic learning center that
established links with Persian, Syrian, and Egyptian cultures and engaged in
dialog with Hindus, Buddhists and Taoists.
The Ptolemaic
cult of Serapis
of the second century BC and the cult of
Mithra
that flourished in the second century CE contributed to the Luminist
tradition.
The esoteric philosophies of
Neoplatonism
and
Hermeticism
carried the movement forward through the balance of the first millennium.
Later Luminists included the medieval
alchemists,
Paracelsus
(1493-1541), the
Rosicrucian
orders, and renaissance magicians like
John Dee
(1527-1608) and Edward
Kelly
(1555-1597).
Luminism took definitive shape as the doctrine of the esoteric movement
within Freemasonry,
beginning with the Knights Templar,
and including the
Illuminati of Bavaria,
which combined Tantric,
Zoroastrian
and
Manichaean
mysticism with revolutionary
anarchism.
Modern Luminists
More recent manifestations of Luminism include the
Hermetic Order of the
Golden Dawn
and the “Scientific Illuminism” of
Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) as taught through the
O.T.O.
and in Crowley’s periodical, The
Equinox,
and his other writings.
In the 20th century, the Luminist tradition was manifested in the
“psychedelic revolution” of the 1960s, and in the works of
Wilhelm Reich,
Aldous Huxley,
Alan Watts,
Timothy Leary,
and Terence McKenna.
The tradition continues today with the work of contemporary Luminists like
Ram Dass,
Stephen Gaskin,
Stanislav Grof,
and many others. The Church of Gnostic Luminism will respect all of these
sources and draw upon them for inspiration.
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