Let’s Clarify, What is “Gnosis”?
We see there are so many fixed ideas about this; invented definitions, misconstructions of what this is, beliefs of grandeur. None of that is helping; so let's clarify.
To be fair, I’ll begin with an overview of what Gnosis is because, without that, the rest falls out of context. Gnosis is not a single idea or subject, but all of the following:
A very natural function of the consciousness.
A philosophy that is eternal and universal, as they say, “perennis et universalis”.
Enlightened knowledge of the divine mysteries.
A knowledge that escapes the analyses of normal, subjective rationalism.
A state where the Inner Being, your Innermost, becomes Self-Known.
“Wisdom” understood as experiential knowledge: when revealed, is immediate, direct, and intuitive.
In his book, “The Secret Doctrine of Anahuac,” Samael Aun Weor takes it a bit further, and speaking directly to the consciousness of the reader, he writes:
“Gnosis is revelation or disclosure, refined aspirations, conceptual synthesis, maximum achievements.”
In my own words (as insignificant as they may be), Gnosis is measured as a state of Being. It is a continuous unfolding state of consciousness that reveals itself in as many degrees as there may exist between this plane of dense substance, to the infiniteless expansion that leads to the realm of THE ABSOLUTE, or the “Agnostos Theos”, [who/what/that] is the “Ignored or Unknowable God, the one reality from which the Elohim emanate at the dawn of any universal creation.”
By the way, “Elohim” is a plural for “gods and goddesses”, as EL is “god” and ELOAH is “goddesses,” so “Gods and Goddesses”. You will not be wrong to visualize the Elohim as those hierarchies of Powers, Thrones, Dominions, Virtues, Angels, Archangels, etc.
Thus, “Gnosis” is an ever-evolving state of being, and this is important. This Self-Knowledge of the Being is an effort that exists beyond the rationality of the mind and depends entirely on the Being itself, as it has nothing to do with intellectualism. Only the Being (call it Spirit) can recognize itself, and that act is autonomous, and we as personas are not only insufficient but too weak to perform.
This is why the word “Gnostic” must be used with care. Saying “I am a Gnostic” carries great weight. In most cases, what is truly meat is: “I am a student of Gnosticism.”
Gnosticism, then, is the body of language, methods, teachings, symbols, and practices that guide a sincere student down a path to attain Gnosis. I say “attain” and not “achieve” because attaining implies reaching a state of Gnosis through a long-term effort. “Achieving” would imply accomplishing something that is difficult by applying skill, and frankly, there is no personal achievement in Gnosis. There is only the Being recognizing itself by moving the consciousness (a fraction of the Spirit that exists within you) to become conscious of its creations, by eliminating what is of no use (the ego), creating what is necessary to embody the Spirit (the superior existential bodies of the Being), and to sacrifice for others.
Let’s wrap this up:
Gnosis is a state of being that must be attained, and the degree to which you have attained Gnosis is akin to the degree to which you have awakened your consciousness. If you sit to meditate and Samadhi is natural, if you can move consciously in the Astral Plane, at will, and receive the teachings from the lips of the Great Masters, you have likely attained a great deal of Gnosis. But if you are still figuring out where you left your phone, you get bent out of shape when someone insults you, or your pride still gets hurt when you feel alluded, then there is still plenty more to attain.
Gnosticism is the means by which we can attain Self-Gnosis. It is “the map and the instructions”. It must be studied, walked, verified, and lived, as Gnosis leaves no room for “beliefs”. No one will ask you if you believe in water, as you have some Gnosis of “water”: you know it brings life, you know it can save you, and you know it can also kill you, and you know these things without having to rationalize, much less believe.
So, Gnosis is not books; it is not groups or doctrines; it is not a religion (much less a cult); it is not an element of a social elite or a group of “chosen people” because they have discovered esoteric knowledge found in Gnosticism. Someone who calls themselves “Gnostic” is simply one who has encountered a system of gnosticism, is familiar with some of its teachings, and puts them into practice to a certain degree. That’s all.
“The adjective Gnostic can and even must be applied intelligently to conceptions that are related in one way or another to Gnosis or Gnosticism.”
- Samael Aun Weor, The Secret Doctrine of Anahuac