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 Syncretic / Eclectic Method
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.
Gnosis
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.
Early Gnostics
Various ancient spiritual
and/or “occult” movements have been known as gnostics, including Egyptian, Persian (Iranian), Palestinian (Hebrew and
Arabic), and Babylonian (Iraqi) 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 Orphites 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.
Modern
Gnostics
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 Apostolic
Gnostic Church in America,
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.
Luminism
The word “Luminism” 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.
Also spelled “Illuminism,” 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, and 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 (1554 -
1595).
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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