Category: Gnosticism

A Gnostic Martyr’s Day, Giordano Bruno

This is the 2nd Sunday of Lent in both the mainstream and alternative (Gnostic) churches. But according to this awesome new Gnostic calendar I am enjoying, Feb. 17 is also a Martyr’s day and also a modern esotericist’s birthday.

Birthday of Charles Leadbeater (1854-1934), Bishop and Institutor of the Liberal Catholic Church.

Giordano Bruno, Gnostic MartyrDay of Martyrdom of Giordan Bruno, Priest & Martyr. 1548 – Feb 17, 1600 “Perchance you who pronounce my sentence are in greater fear than I who receive it.”

The statue of Giordano Bruno pictured right stands in Mexico City. He seems to be looking into our eyes, we in the future, saying, Listen, listen, if you have an ear. Think, think, if you are drawn. Wake, awake. (I was thinking Giordan or Giordano Bruno’s first name means “Jordan”, as in the sacred river of Judeo-Christianity.)

A hermeticist, esotericist and Gnostic — very much loved by the people for his charismatic street-corner talks –, he was burned at the stake by the church. Jerks. Here’s a cool article, a different picture of him, and a bunch of inspiring quotes of his, over at Jennifer Emick’s exhaustive Alternative Religions archive.

Hail Holy Giordano, Saint in our Hearts, Teacher in the Darkness, baptised in the fire…

–Katia

Honor Gnostic “Saint” Valentinus on Valentine’s Day

My way-cool Gnostic Calendar which I got here: Gnosis.org says for today February 14, “The Holy Valentinus, Guide to Gnosis”. We alternative Christians, including esotericists, gnostics and semi-gnostics, should honor this Gnostic “Saint” today. Gnosticism: A New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowing by Stephan HoellerI put quotes around the word saint because the alternative church and the Gnostics have never had a Pope to declare saints. Since the word saint means “holy”, the author of my nifty calendar, Rev. Troy Pierce of the Ecclesia Gnostica, says it perfectly, “The Holy Valentinus, Guide to Gnosis.” Living legend, author and Gnostic Bishop Dr. Stephan Hoeller aka Tau Stephanus, writes: “Valentinus, a Gnostic for All Seasons. …the Greatest of all Gnostic teachers [is] Valentinus, who is said to have been a disciple of Theudas (or Theodas), a friend and student of Paul.
“…G.R.S. Mead called Valentinus ‘the great unknown’ of Gnosticism, and indeed there is little information regarding his life and personality. He was born in Africa, probably within the territory of the ancient city of Carthage, around or before 100 A.D. Educated in Alexandria, in his prime years he transferred his residence to Rome, where he achieved high prominence in the Christian community between the years 135 and 160. Tertullian writes that Valentinus was a candidate for the office of bishop of Rome and lost the election by a rather narrow margin. [Wow! Would’ve been a Gnostic Pope.]
“…Valentinus, the Gnostic who almost became Pope, was perhaps the only man who could have achieved positive recognition for the Gnostic approach to the message of Christ.
“…Valentinus’s own variations on the Gnostic theme includes the signal importance he gives to Sophia, the feminine emanation from the Pleroma [Fullness, Wholeness, “highest Heaven”]. Though the figure of the Divine Feminine was undoubtedly present in Gnosticism since its inception, as evidenced in the teachings of the earliest known Gnostic, Simon Magus, the myth of Sophia in particular, with all of its rich detail and dramatic elaborations, is largely the work of Valentinus.”
Bishop Hoeller then continues describing Valentinus’s teachings in his 2002 book, Gnosticism: New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowing. It’s a favorite book of mine, and I have all kinds of things scribbled in the margins including, Jesus was a facilitator of wholeness, IAO, Valentinus and the Baby (there’s a cool story about a vision Valentinus had of a newborn), and finally “Valentinus Lives!” I wrote in bold ink, followed on the next page with “Valentinus rocks!” I really love this ancient guy and am glad he can be celebrated on this day of love. Hoeller writes, “…the sublime message of this great technician of human transformation [Valentinus] who beckons to us from across nearly two millennia. Valentinus indeed lives. He was a source of inspiration and guidance for persons in every age and clime, a timeless messenger of the mysteries of the soul.” Hoeller ends with a stirring quote from Valentinus himself:
“From the very beginning have you been immortal and children of life — such life as the aeons enjoy: yet would you have death shared among you, to spend and lavish it, so that death might die in you and by your hands; for inasmuch as you dissolve the world and are not dissolved yourselves, you are lords of all creation and destruction.”
That’s the spot where I wrote, “Valentinus rocks!”
I highly recommend Gnosticism: New Light on the Ancient Tradition of Inner Knowing by Stephan A. Hoeller and this beautiful colorful Gnostic calendar created by one of his priests.

–Katia

SeventhDay Adventists similar to Cathars aka Waldensians, Albigensians

I went to Seventh Day Adventist schools and boarding schools during all my childhood and teen years. They teach a love for the Cathars big time. Our elementary school teachers made us read stories and color pictures of Waldensian and Albigensian children walking perilous mountain cliffs, hiding from the Inquisition on pain of death, carefully writing out copies of the Bible.

I left the Adventist church as a young adult because they don’t acknowledge the Divine Feminine, but I still have a friendly attitude toward some of their doctrine. I have been studying the Gnostic Cathars more in depth than usual lately and found some old notes I made last year. I realized the Adventists have a lot in common with the Cathars — who were called Waldensians and Albigensians in their day, only the Roman Catholic Church called them Cathars, originally a derogatory term meaning “purists” or “pure ones.”

Here is what I jotted down last year when I realized the uncanny similarity between the SDA’s and Cathars / Waldensians / Albigensians. The SDA founder, Ellen G. White, visited the Cathar / Waldensian valleys area in Europe (Italy and France border area) twice in 1885 to 1887 while she was in Europe. Chapter 4 of her famous book, The Great Controversy, is about these cool heretics. Adventists really really honor heretics!, good for them.

Similarites between Cathars & Adventists. Both Cathars and SDA’s practiced the following things:

Vegetarianism

Distrust of the Roman Catholic Church to the point of calling it and the Pope, Anti-christ & “the Beast”

Sabbath-keeping. See pic of SDA kids at Waldensian stone table room http://npucnewsletter.wordpress.com/2007/08/21/why-not-try-this-learn-lessons-from-the-waldenses/
Proof they were Sabbath keepers see: http://www.sabbathtruth.com/history/sabbath_history12.asp

Bible carrying

“Run to the hills!” teaching

Ascetisism: No adornments of any kind: no steeples, no stained-glass, no crosses, no rituals, no jewelry not even wedding rings. No christenings, no priests. These are all SDA no-no’s.

No swearing of oaths, no killing or soldiering (SDA’s are conscientious objectors in war-time)

* * * *
Adventists teach Waldensians and Albigensians are heretic heroes whom children should revere, study about, and use as role models. The word Cathar was originally an insult of the RCC, so true descendants of the Cathars actually call themselves Waldensians or Albigensians – just like the SDA’s who never used the word Cathars.

The fact that Adventists instill in their children from an early age love of (and affinity to) Cathars and love of Judaism (sabbath keeping) makes you wonder…

References: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathar

http://www.ellenwhite.org/gc1.htm

Lots of groups, evangelicals, especially Baptists, use the Waldensians aka Waldenses to provide themselves with pedigree stretching back to the Apostles. It’s called Baptist successionism. EG White has a chapter in GC about the Waldensians, but she doesn’t claim pedigree thru them, just that they kept the Sabbathkeeping torch alive thru the dark ages. They may not have even kept the Sabbath, but EG White’s limited research concluded they did. She probably read 17th century English author Sir Samuel Morland’s book about the Vaudois, another name for the Waldensians which said they kept the Sabbath.

Those who attempt to establish a pedigree for the Waldenses anterior to Waldo himself often refer to the work of Sir Samuel Morland, a 17th-century English author and diplomat who claimed to have found evidence that verifies the great antiquity of the sect. [4] Morland reproduced documents supposedly from the year 1120, which, he said, show that the Waldenses (French, -Vaudois-) had the scriptures for about forty years prior to the translation that Waldo obtained.

The documents in question, however, show the Bible divided into chapters, and such divisions did not appear before about 1250 or later. [5] The confession of faith produced by Morland makes it appear that the Waldenses held to a strongly Protestant-evangelical theology centuries before Luther. It is now known that this document originated in the 16th century. It contains teachings of Martin Bucer, reformer of Strasbourg, copied almost verbatim. [6]

Despite their usual aversion to Roman Catholic sources, successionists have not hesitated to cite a remark by Reinerius Saccho that the Waldenses movement is ancient,

“for some SAY that it has existed from the time of Sylvester, some from the time of the apostles.” http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/num3.htm

The Virgin & the Whore, Mary & Magdalene, Gnosis of Melchizedek

For our Order of Mary Magdala we have a set of lessons based on the most-inspiring book, Saint Mary Magdalene: The Gnostic Tradition of the Holy Bride, by Tau Malachi.
On page 43 in the section titled, the Union of the Bride & Yeshua there is a reference made to what Sophian gnostics call the Gnosis of Melchizedek. It reads:

“The Virgin & the Whore

Now it has been said that the Mother was the virgin and that the Bride was the whore, and both were called “Mary.” Why should the Mother be called a Virgin and the Bride called a whore? Because Mother Sophia is concealed and Bride Sophia is revealed. Anyone who seeks to know the Holy Bride will know her, but no one shall know the Mother, save the Daughter.

There is a great mystery in this, for the Mother gives birth to the Son of the Father, and the Son recognizes the Holy Bride, who is the image of her Mother. Beholding the Daughter, the Son beholds the Mother; yet Mother Sophia is ever-transcendent and it is the Daughter who is realized.

The Mother remains ever in her purity, without taint, trace, stain, nor mark, and this is also true of the Bride. Yet the Bride becomes everything and everyone, and appears to have taint and trace and stain and mark! The Mother is transparent, but the Daughter is visible light and glory and she is also fire and darkness; though in her inmost essence, the Daughter is the Mother.

Thus it has been said that Logos came for the salvation of Bride Sophia, for it is she who was bound under the dominion of the demiurgos and became the whore to the archons and even to Satan. Is not Logos the presence of awareness through which cosmic ignorance is dispelled and Wisdom nature recognized, thus enlightening and liberating the soul? A great mystery is revealed in this, for in the inmost secret teachings, the Mother and the Son and the Bride are merely personifications — what they are exists within you and is your own bornless nature. This is called the Gnosis of Melchizedek.(13) [Footnote 13: The body of inmost secret teachings of enlightenment among Sophians.]

St. Mary Magdalene sought to impart these inmost secret teachings after the Lord’s ascension. Even among the chosen apostles, few would listen and hear the secret teachings from her because she was a woman. Indeed! Rejected, the Bride was labeled a “whore” in the ignorance of men! “