The Road to Samaria
I realize I don't write as many posts as some of you here in what we've charmingly named "The Logosphere." It's not that I don't have anything to say, it's that I don't Know enough to say anything.
One of the questions I've asked myself and others is "What do Gnostics do?" And the answer to that question has been very telling, because it's exceptionally elusive. Nobody, including myself seems to have any idea.
What led me to consider the Thomasine Church in the beginning, aside from an aesthetically pleasing website and a lack of Romanized trappings, was its Illuminist Philosophy; they said what they had to say in a clear, concise way, and it made sense. Eventually, I exchanged a series of lengthy e-mails with Deacon Joseph ("Randy") Knapp, and I realized through that exchange just how radically different the Thomasine philosophy was from that expounded by other Gnostic churches.
I became uncomfortable, perhaps even afraid. Why not go with what I already knew? Why embrace a philosophy that was going to force me to confront the imperfections of my perception? Why not go with the nice re-hashed Tridentine masses with smatterings of "Gnosis" and "Sophia" sprinkled in for good measure?
What is Gnosis? Is it something external? Something given by an entity, a deity? In the convoluted cosmologies and hierarchies of emanations in the Valentinian corpus, it can certainly seem that way. But there's Thomas. He put down the hookhah and opened his eyes. Gnosis not external to you. It is you. It's there, in front of your face. Reach out and rend the veil of your own perceptions.
In a way, in embracing the Thomasine Church, I've gone back to the beginning of this journey. To know the end, you've got to know the beginning, eh?
One of the questions I've asked myself and others is "What do Gnostics do?" And the answer to that question has been very telling, because it's exceptionally elusive. Nobody, including myself seems to have any idea.
"If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a hole."-- Logion 34, Gospel of Thomas
What led me to consider the Thomasine Church in the beginning, aside from an aesthetically pleasing website and a lack of Romanized trappings, was its Illuminist Philosophy; they said what they had to say in a clear, concise way, and it made sense. Eventually, I exchanged a series of lengthy e-mails with Deacon Joseph ("Randy") Knapp, and I realized through that exchange just how radically different the Thomasine philosophy was from that expounded by other Gnostic churches.
"Yeshua said, Seek and do not stop seeking until you find. When you find, you will be troubled, you will marvel and rule over the All."--Logion 2, Gospel of Thomas
I became uncomfortable, perhaps even afraid. Why not go with what I already knew? Why embrace a philosophy that was going to force me to confront the imperfections of my perception? Why not go with the nice re-hashed Tridentine masses with smatterings of "Gnosis" and "Sophia" sprinkled in for good measure?
"Know what is in front of your face and what is hidden from you will be disclosed. There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed."Logion 5, Gospel of Thomas
What is Gnosis? Is it something external? Something given by an entity, a deity? In the convoluted cosmologies and hierarchies of emanations in the Valentinian corpus, it can certainly seem that way. But there's Thomas. He put down the hookhah and opened his eyes. Gnosis not external to you. It is you. It's there, in front of your face. Reach out and rend the veil of your own perceptions.
In a way, in embracing the Thomasine Church, I've gone back to the beginning of this journey. To know the end, you've got to know the beginning, eh?
posted by +Sar Shimun | 11:29
4 Comments:
And yet, you've missed the whole point of Gnostic practise: the 'trappings' as you call them, are merely the vehicle to take you there. They assist in the process and are not means that get you there in themselves (for that is already you). Gnosis is you, as you say. But the vehicle to take you there needs to be more than just you, in *our* opinion, or people would be finding enlightenment (Gnosis) on street corners all the time and we would soon have a very enlightened population. Such is not the case.
The only reason we tie into the greater community of Christianity using common Rites is because we are not already perfect beings that can do this on our own. We need community. As Buddhism states, the 3 Jewels include 'Sangha'. Every interaction with another person is an opportunity to turn towards the Divine - not externally, but *within*, by learning and living *compassion*. By seeing and living unity with that other person.
If you see great ego that says that it has all the answers, then ego is by definition, a separateness from unity.
I'm glad for you that you found a spiritual home to hang your hat in for a little while.
Be wary of those who say that they have all the answers.
I don't object to ritual and meaningful ceremony, but I do object to 'trappings,' because they're precisely that: traps. The liturgy used by most Gnostic jurisdictions are lightly edited versions of the mass of the Liberal Catholic Church, which is in turn an edited version of the Tridentine rite of the Mass. Where's the Gnosticism? Those masses are 95% similar to their counterparts. They're comfortable, they're familiar; that's exactly why they're traps.
These so-called common rites are Christian rites with Gnosis as an afterthought; the greater Gnostic Ecclesia is very attached to these so-called common rites, and that's where there's danger. We do need community, and the mind does make very effective use of ritual, I'd even go so far as to say they're necessary up to a certain point, but give the mind too much comfort, and there's no growth.
The community isn't going to do your work for you. It's a body of like-minded people with similar goals, and that's helpful, but it's still your work to do. Jesus and Buddha, for example, didn't achieve enlightenment on their own; they had teachers and a community to help them along the way; We (whoever you are) aren't far apart in terms of agreement tha community is necessary and healthy.
Nobody has all the answers, mate, and nobody is professing to have them all, certainly not in the Thomasine Church.
re: trappings- I agree- I think it's ok to have ritual etc as long as it is clear that the ritual isn't the thing itself, it isn't going to get you there or anywhere unless there is an experiential understanding of the things it is supposed to point to..and after that, like Buddha's analogy of the raft- you can discard it. As my teacher would say, some have taken the finger that points at the moon and encased it in glass and up it up on their wall.
It is most unfortunate.
Good luck to you on your path.
+I
The Gospel of Thomas has presented me many points to ponder as well.
Look forward to meeting you the beginning of March when you come for your consecration.
Sr. Hannah Roggenkamp
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