So, I do believe that Pelagius is one of my favorite early Christian theologians. Living around the 400s CE, he taught against Augustine's view of original sin and the inherent badness of humanity and nature, believing everything was good. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from a book I borrowed from a fellow Celtic Spirituality bookclub member, entitled The Letters of Pelagius: Celtic Soul Friend:
“Many people out of ignorance claim that man is not truly good because he is capable of doing evil. In saying this they are denying the perfect goodness of God’s creation. In fact man is truly good for the very reason that those people say he is not: that he has freedom to choose good or evil. Within the heart of man there is no overwhelming compulsion to act in one way or the other; whereas animals are compelled to act according to their instinct, human beings have free will, enabling them to control their actions. And within the mind of man there is the capacity of reason: human beings are able to consider rationally the consequences of different courses of action. It is the combination of free will and rationality which makes human beings superior to all other creatures. There would be no virtue in doing good by instinct, without exercising free will and reason. But when people, after due consideration, decide to do good, then they truly share in the goodness of God.
To Demetrias”
"By granting us the wonderful gift of freedom, God gave us the capacity to do evil as well as do good. Indeed we would not befree unless God had given us this ability: there is no freedom for the person who does good by instinct and not by choice. In this sense the capacity to do evil is itself good; evil actions are themselves signs of the goodness of God. A person might say that the world would be a better place if everyone within it were always good and never evil. But such a world would be flawed because it would lack one essential attribute of goodness, namely freedom. When God created the world he was acting freely; no other force compelled God to create the world. Thus by creating human beings in his image, he had to give them freedom. A person who could only do good and never do evil would be in chains; a person who can choose good or evil shares the freedom of God.
to Demetrias”
“Come now to the secret places of the soul. Let us each inspect ourselves with care, looking at the emotions which stir our hearts and the thoughts which run through our minds. Let us learn the essential goodness of the heart from the heart itself; let us learn the goodness of the mind from the mind itself. Why do we blush with guilt or tremble with fear whenever we commit a sin? Because our hearts and minds are good, and so recoil from evil. Why do we shine with joy and dance with delight whenever we do good? Because our hearts and minds are good, and so rejoice at every good action. A murderer may try to conceal his identity, but the torments of his conscience are worse than any punishment which the state authorities could inflict. An innocent man who is wrongly accused of some crime may be imprisoned and tortured; but even when his body cries out with pain, there will be peace and serenity within his soul, because his conscience is clear.
To Demetrias”
“When Adam and Eve ate from the tree of knowledge they were exercising their freedom of choice; and as a consequence of the choice they made, they were no longer able to live in the Garden of Eden. When we hear that story we are struck by their disobedience to God; and so we conclude that they were no longer fit to enjoy the perfect happiness of Eden. And we should also be struck by the nature of that tree and its fruit. Before eating the fruit they did not know the difference between good and evil; thus they did not possess the knowledge which enables human beings to exercise freedom of choice. By eating the fruit they acquired this knowledge, and from that moment onwards they were free. Thus the story of their banishment from Eden is in truth the story of how the human race gained its freedom: by eating fruit from the tree of knowledge, Adam and Eve became mature human beings, responsible to God for their actions.
To Demetrias”
“How is it possible, then, for an act of disobedience to God to bring such a blessing? When Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden they were like small children: they simply obeyed God’s instructions without considering the moral reasons for those instructions. To become mature they needed to learn the distinction for themselves between right and wrong, good and evil. And God gave them the opportunity to become mature by putting within the garden the tree of knowledge, by which they could learn this distinction. But if God simply instructed Adam and Eve to eat from the tree, and they had obeyed, they would have been acting like children. So he forbade them from eating the fruit; this meant that they themselves had to make a decision, whether to eat or not to eat. Just as a young person needs to defy his parents in order to grow to maturity, so Adam and Eve needed to defy God in order to share his knowledge of good and evil. By defying God, Adam and Eve grew to maturity in his image.
To Demetrias”
Showing posts with label theology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label theology. Show all posts
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Creation Spirituality
Recently, I came across something, I believe through either my church or the Celtic Spirituality group, called Creation Spirituality . It is a fairly recent movement within liberal/progressive Christianity, developed by liberal theologian Matthew Fox in the 1970s. Seeing as how Matthew Fox is an Episcopal priest, it is a form of mystical Christianity, yet it draws from the mystical versions of other religions, as well as indigenous religions, as well. Although some websites list ten principles, the website which seems to be most detailed, and likewise most common in a Google search, lists twelve principles (taken directly from the linked website):
1. The universe is fundamentally a blessing.
Our relationship with the Universe fills us with awe.
2. In Creation, God is both immanent and transcendent. This is panentheism which is not theism (God out there) and not atheism (no God anywhere).
We experience that the Divine is in all things and all things are in the Divine.
3. God is as much Mother as Father, as much Child as Parent, as much God in mystery as the God in history, as much beyond all words and images as in all forms and beings.
We are liberated from the need to cling to God in one form or one literal name.
4. In our lives, it is through the work of spiritual practice that we find our deep and true selves.
Through the arts of meditation and silence we cultivate a clarity of mind and move beyond fear into compassion and community.
5. Our inner work can be understood as a four-fold journey involving:
- awe, delight, amazement (known as the Via Positiva)
- uncertainty, darkness, suffering, letting go (Via Negativa)
- birthing, creativity, passion (Via Creativa)
- justice, healing, celebration (Via Transformativa)
We weave through these paths like a spiral danced, not a ladder climbed.
6. Every one of us is a mystic.
We can enter the mystical as much through beauty (Via Positiva) as through contemplation and suffering (Via Negativa). We are born full of wonder and can recover it at any age.
7. Every one of us is an artist.
Whatever the expression of our creativity, it is our prayer and praise (Via Creativa).
8. Every one of us is a prophet.
Our prophetic work is to interfere with all forms of injustice and that which interrupts authentic life (Via Transformativa).
9. Diversity is the nature of the Universe. We rejoice in and courageously honor the rich diversity within the Cosmos and expressed among individuals and across multiple cultures, religions and ancestral traditions.
10. The basic work of God is compassion and we, who are all original blessings and sons and daughters of the Divine, are called to compassion.
We acknowledge our shared interdependence; we rejoice at one another's joys and grieve at one another's sorrows and labor to heal the causes of those sorrows.
11. There are many wells of faith and knowledge drawing from one underground river of Divine wisdom. The practice of honoring, learning and celebrating the wisdom collected from these wells is Deep Ecumenism.
We respect and embrace the wisdom and oneness that arises from the diverse wells of all the sacred traditions of the world.
12. Ecological justice is essential for the sustainability of life on Earth.
Ecology is the local expression of cosmology and so we commit to live in light of this value: to pass on the beauty and health of Creation to future generations.
These principles are concepts that, overall, I find myself agreeing with very much. It seeks to recognize the Divine within all life. I have long considered myself a Panentheist, one who believes the Divine is both within and beyond creation. Since Creation Spirituality as a "formal" movement is still very new, it does not yet have any set of praxis, or practices, for living out life as a follower of CS, beyond meditation. Nothing quite as clearly laid out as, say, Buddhism's Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path. However, what it does provide in this stage of its development is a spiritual supplement, a deeper way of looking at life around you, and a deeper way of interpreting whatever spiritual practices or rituals the follower of CS already engages in. Like much earth-centered theology, there does seem to be a bit of Celtic flavor to it. As such, perhaps it will provide a bit of structure in the way I live out the more Druidic aspects of my own spirituality. In any case, it seems like a good way of spelling out ones' beliefs within a liberal Christian context, to someone who may not understand liberal Christian theology.
1. The universe is fundamentally a blessing.
Our relationship with the Universe fills us with awe.
2. In Creation, God is both immanent and transcendent. This is panentheism which is not theism (God out there) and not atheism (no God anywhere).
We experience that the Divine is in all things and all things are in the Divine.
3. God is as much Mother as Father, as much Child as Parent, as much God in mystery as the God in history, as much beyond all words and images as in all forms and beings.
We are liberated from the need to cling to God in one form or one literal name.
4. In our lives, it is through the work of spiritual practice that we find our deep and true selves.
Through the arts of meditation and silence we cultivate a clarity of mind and move beyond fear into compassion and community.
5. Our inner work can be understood as a four-fold journey involving:
- awe, delight, amazement (known as the Via Positiva)
- uncertainty, darkness, suffering, letting go (Via Negativa)
- birthing, creativity, passion (Via Creativa)
- justice, healing, celebration (Via Transformativa)
We weave through these paths like a spiral danced, not a ladder climbed.
6. Every one of us is a mystic.
We can enter the mystical as much through beauty (Via Positiva) as through contemplation and suffering (Via Negativa). We are born full of wonder and can recover it at any age.
7. Every one of us is an artist.
Whatever the expression of our creativity, it is our prayer and praise (Via Creativa).
8. Every one of us is a prophet.
Our prophetic work is to interfere with all forms of injustice and that which interrupts authentic life (Via Transformativa).
9. Diversity is the nature of the Universe. We rejoice in and courageously honor the rich diversity within the Cosmos and expressed among individuals and across multiple cultures, religions and ancestral traditions.
10. The basic work of God is compassion and we, who are all original blessings and sons and daughters of the Divine, are called to compassion.
We acknowledge our shared interdependence; we rejoice at one another's joys and grieve at one another's sorrows and labor to heal the causes of those sorrows.
11. There are many wells of faith and knowledge drawing from one underground river of Divine wisdom. The practice of honoring, learning and celebrating the wisdom collected from these wells is Deep Ecumenism.
We respect and embrace the wisdom and oneness that arises from the diverse wells of all the sacred traditions of the world.
12. Ecological justice is essential for the sustainability of life on Earth.
Ecology is the local expression of cosmology and so we commit to live in light of this value: to pass on the beauty and health of Creation to future generations.
These principles are concepts that, overall, I find myself agreeing with very much. It seeks to recognize the Divine within all life. I have long considered myself a Panentheist, one who believes the Divine is both within and beyond creation. Since Creation Spirituality as a "formal" movement is still very new, it does not yet have any set of praxis, or practices, for living out life as a follower of CS, beyond meditation. Nothing quite as clearly laid out as, say, Buddhism's Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path. However, what it does provide in this stage of its development is a spiritual supplement, a deeper way of looking at life around you, and a deeper way of interpreting whatever spiritual practices or rituals the follower of CS already engages in. Like much earth-centered theology, there does seem to be a bit of Celtic flavor to it. As such, perhaps it will provide a bit of structure in the way I live out the more Druidic aspects of my own spirituality. In any case, it seems like a good way of spelling out ones' beliefs within a liberal Christian context, to someone who may not understand liberal Christian theology.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
A Charmed Theology
Interesting coincidence: as I'm writing this entry, I'm watching an old Charmed rerun. One of the things I've had on my mind lately is wondering where one of my flash drives is, that has been lost. This flash drive contains within it digital copies of all of my spells, spiritual research and studies, that has been done for the last 3-4 years. There isn't a *lot* on it, surprisingly enough, since some of my spiritual contemplating/growth/study was put on a bit of hiatus due to major life changes going on at the time that took priority: being unemployed, in a new city, and having just broken up with my girlfriend of a year and a half, most of my spellwork focused on finding a job and deciding where I should live. Maslow's hierarchy at its finest, I suppose.
Anyways, this episode looks to be the season opener of season 2, or at least somewhere near it. It's the one year anniversary of their becoming witches, and their Book of Shadows is stolen by a demon, who reads it backwards in order to undo all the spells the characters have performed, thus bringing back to life all the demons/warlocks they have defeated. A Book of Shadows is basically a spellbook, most commonly used by Wiccans and Witches, and includes spells, the results of those spells, rituals, holiday information, and anything else the particular owner finds relevant to his or her spiritual path. The title "Book of Shadows" is most commonly used by Wiccans, although many non-Wiccan Witches have been known to use that label as well; Christian Witches often call it their "Book of Light" or "Book of Shadows and Light". I personally call mine a more masculine, and more generic/encompassing "Grimoire", which is more commonly used by Ceremonial Magicians and other followers of the more ritualistic spiritual paths. When first starting my experimenting, I used my regular hardback journal that I was already writing in. Once I knew that this was a path that I was going to be practicing fairly long-term, I bought a binder and notebook paper, and organized it and began using that. Some people buy the big expensive, elaborate books that can be found in New Age stores and online, but many of us who are poorer and/or more practical, just use notebooks and binders like any other journal. This way, if I decide to dispose of some sections or reorganize, all I have to do is take the pages out of the binder and put them where I want them. My current book has sections on languages/symbols, prayers, spells, spell results, and rituals. The now-missing flash drive has those sections as well, as well as a few forum posts in past forums I used to frequent, which I found meaningful; research into holidays, spiritual beings(gods/goddesses, saints, etc.), correspondences, etc. As I'm no longer a polytheistic Pagan, much of those sections are no longer relevant to my spiritual practice. Still, I had planned on using it for my current spirituality as well and updating it. So I'm kind of sad, and annoyed, at losing it, and I'm debating whether to buy a new flash drive, or use a second notebook.
The other coincidence is that the demon in this episode was named Abraxas . Abraxas is a prominent character in Gnosticism. In ancient sects he was often considered the greatest Archon, the ruler of the 365 heavens. In those systems, his name spells out Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn - the 7 astronomical entities that can be seen in the night sky without a telescope. In modern Gnosticism, he seems to be seen more the way psychologist Carl Jung described him, a representation of oneness, kind of the Gnostic version of yin-yang.
In the episode, Abraxas was sort of used as a rite of passage on their one-year anniversary, with his theft of their Book of Shadows being the catalyst for them learning about witchcraft's connection to their inner selves and nature, and the "real meaning" behind their powers. Charmed unfortunately has always been kind of cheesy(like, honestly, most 90s shows of that genre), and it did get cheesier as it progressed. But in the early seasons, I did always like how they somewhat incorporated actual elements and informatin of the genuine spiritual practices that are often found in modern-day Wicca, witchcraft, and Paganism. The problem, of course, comes with the New Agey stuff that inevitably sells the show, and with people who are drawn to such spiritual practices thinking(or claiming) that they actually *can* do things like the Halliwell sisters do. Spellwork and magic doesn't work like that. To me, spellwork is like another way of praying. It's just more interactive and focused.... kind of like, if you're in a Catholic/Episcopal church, you pray by standing, kneeling, crossing yourself, and take the Eucharist("The Lord's Supper" to most southern Protestants), whereas in a Protestant church you just stand there passively listening to someone else pray. It's meditating to focus yourself on a desire or goal. It's using that energy, that desire, to work(through a spell as well as "less spiritual" or "mundane" means) towards that desire or goal. Just like many Christians believe "God helps those who help themselves", so do many Witches and Druids believe that if you cast a spell for, say, a job, but don't fill out applications or send out resumes, then you can cast all the spells in the world and you'll still be unemployed.
But it would be nice if life really were like Charmed, though. Just not Buffy. I'm happy without the vampires.
Anyways, this episode looks to be the season opener of season 2, or at least somewhere near it. It's the one year anniversary of their becoming witches, and their Book of Shadows is stolen by a demon, who reads it backwards in order to undo all the spells the characters have performed, thus bringing back to life all the demons/warlocks they have defeated. A Book of Shadows is basically a spellbook, most commonly used by Wiccans and Witches, and includes spells, the results of those spells, rituals, holiday information, and anything else the particular owner finds relevant to his or her spiritual path. The title "Book of Shadows" is most commonly used by Wiccans, although many non-Wiccan Witches have been known to use that label as well; Christian Witches often call it their "Book of Light" or "Book of Shadows and Light". I personally call mine a more masculine, and more generic/encompassing "Grimoire", which is more commonly used by Ceremonial Magicians and other followers of the more ritualistic spiritual paths. When first starting my experimenting, I used my regular hardback journal that I was already writing in. Once I knew that this was a path that I was going to be practicing fairly long-term, I bought a binder and notebook paper, and organized it and began using that. Some people buy the big expensive, elaborate books that can be found in New Age stores and online, but many of us who are poorer and/or more practical, just use notebooks and binders like any other journal. This way, if I decide to dispose of some sections or reorganize, all I have to do is take the pages out of the binder and put them where I want them. My current book has sections on languages/symbols, prayers, spells, spell results, and rituals. The now-missing flash drive has those sections as well, as well as a few forum posts in past forums I used to frequent, which I found meaningful; research into holidays, spiritual beings(gods/goddesses, saints, etc.), correspondences, etc. As I'm no longer a polytheistic Pagan, much of those sections are no longer relevant to my spiritual practice. Still, I had planned on using it for my current spirituality as well and updating it. So I'm kind of sad, and annoyed, at losing it, and I'm debating whether to buy a new flash drive, or use a second notebook.
The other coincidence is that the demon in this episode was named Abraxas . Abraxas is a prominent character in Gnosticism. In ancient sects he was often considered the greatest Archon, the ruler of the 365 heavens. In those systems, his name spells out Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn - the 7 astronomical entities that can be seen in the night sky without a telescope. In modern Gnosticism, he seems to be seen more the way psychologist Carl Jung described him, a representation of oneness, kind of the Gnostic version of yin-yang.
In the episode, Abraxas was sort of used as a rite of passage on their one-year anniversary, with his theft of their Book of Shadows being the catalyst for them learning about witchcraft's connection to their inner selves and nature, and the "real meaning" behind their powers. Charmed unfortunately has always been kind of cheesy(like, honestly, most 90s shows of that genre), and it did get cheesier as it progressed. But in the early seasons, I did always like how they somewhat incorporated actual elements and informatin of the genuine spiritual practices that are often found in modern-day Wicca, witchcraft, and Paganism. The problem, of course, comes with the New Agey stuff that inevitably sells the show, and with people who are drawn to such spiritual practices thinking(or claiming) that they actually *can* do things like the Halliwell sisters do. Spellwork and magic doesn't work like that. To me, spellwork is like another way of praying. It's just more interactive and focused.... kind of like, if you're in a Catholic/Episcopal church, you pray by standing, kneeling, crossing yourself, and take the Eucharist("The Lord's Supper" to most southern Protestants), whereas in a Protestant church you just stand there passively listening to someone else pray. It's meditating to focus yourself on a desire or goal. It's using that energy, that desire, to work(through a spell as well as "less spiritual" or "mundane" means) towards that desire or goal. Just like many Christians believe "God helps those who help themselves", so do many Witches and Druids believe that if you cast a spell for, say, a job, but don't fill out applications or send out resumes, then you can cast all the spells in the world and you'll still be unemployed.
But it would be nice if life really were like Charmed, though. Just not Buffy. I'm happy without the vampires.
Friday, July 2, 2010
Yaldabaoth
In the beginning was the Pleroma. The Fullness.The Ultimate Reality. The First Thought. The Ultimate Reality had a thought, and the Aeons, or angelic forces, were borne from this thought. The first and most revered of these Aeons was Sophia, or Wisdom. Sophia wanted to create something on her own, without the aid of the Pleroma, and thus (in some myths accidentally) created the Demiurge, also called Yaldabaoth or Samael. In shame, Sophia hid him within a cloud. The Demiurge, unaware of either Sophia his mother or the Pleroma, used his mother's energy to create the material world, in essence trapping her power within it. Thus the aim of Gnosticism is to recognize this spark of Sophia, of the divine within, and therefore escape the material world and reunite with the Pleroma.
In some sects, Yaldabaoth is seen as downright evil. In one Gnostic interpretation of the Flood Story(which I became interested in upon watching a documentary on those lame Ark-seekers earlier today), Yaldabaoth decided that humanity was growing too quickly, and essentially becoming too smart. Therefore, he decided to flood the whole earth to wipe out the intelligent people and save only the dim-witted or stupid people, the stupidest of all being Noah. However, Eve's daughter Norea learned of this, and attempted to enter the Ark. Noah would not allow her to, and so she burned down the Ark- three times. Finally, Yaldabaoth attempted to overpower her. She cried out for help, where she was rescued by Eleleth, an Aeon of truth and understanding, who reminded her that she was a daughter of the First Thought, an incarnation of Sophia, and that Yaldabaoth could do nothing to her.
Other Gnostic sects, mainly the Valentinians, saw the Demiurge not as some evil being, but simply ignorant. In their versions of the aforementioned myth, Yaldabaoth was trying to destroy his creation, but the First Thought told Noah, so that he could save anyone who would listen.
Ultimately, to me, the Demiurge and his Archons, or "Rulers", rulers of the material world and essentially synonymous with demons, are symbols of whatever holds you back, or keeps one from reaching his or her full potential in life. For a theist/spiritual person, it is those things that cause us to be caught up in the material, getting stuck in our short-term problems and day-to-day worries that distracts us from our spiritual selves and our awareness of the greater spiritual world that exists above and around us. If we can become more aware of the more important things in life, then we can control our inner "demiurges" or "rulers".
In some sects, Yaldabaoth is seen as downright evil. In one Gnostic interpretation of the Flood Story(which I became interested in upon watching a documentary on those lame Ark-seekers earlier today), Yaldabaoth decided that humanity was growing too quickly, and essentially becoming too smart. Therefore, he decided to flood the whole earth to wipe out the intelligent people and save only the dim-witted or stupid people, the stupidest of all being Noah. However, Eve's daughter Norea learned of this, and attempted to enter the Ark. Noah would not allow her to, and so she burned down the Ark- three times. Finally, Yaldabaoth attempted to overpower her. She cried out for help, where she was rescued by Eleleth, an Aeon of truth and understanding, who reminded her that she was a daughter of the First Thought, an incarnation of Sophia, and that Yaldabaoth could do nothing to her.
Other Gnostic sects, mainly the Valentinians, saw the Demiurge not as some evil being, but simply ignorant. In their versions of the aforementioned myth, Yaldabaoth was trying to destroy his creation, but the First Thought told Noah, so that he could save anyone who would listen.
Ultimately, to me, the Demiurge and his Archons, or "Rulers", rulers of the material world and essentially synonymous with demons, are symbols of whatever holds you back, or keeps one from reaching his or her full potential in life. For a theist/spiritual person, it is those things that cause us to be caught up in the material, getting stuck in our short-term problems and day-to-day worries that distracts us from our spiritual selves and our awareness of the greater spiritual world that exists above and around us. If we can become more aware of the more important things in life, then we can control our inner "demiurges" or "rulers".
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Beginnings
I've had this blogspot account since about January, I believe. I created it in order to subscribe to a couple of blogs some friends sent to me. In reading those blogs, and upon the suggestion of a couple of those friends, I've decided that perhaps it's time for me to give a hand at a blog for spiritual purposes. At one point, I had intended that for Xanga, but I'm not much of a fan of Xanga anymore, as there seems to be too much spam and too many teenagers the few times since 2007 that I have logged in there. So then I proposed that my livejournal blog be a "spiritual diary" of sorts, but it evolved into a place to rant about things and people that I didn't/don't want to make easily read by everyone who is on facebook and myspace. So here I am, creating a new blog specifically for spiritual purposes. Spiritual matters tend to get pushed aside when life gets busy - and boy, has my life been busy these last few months, balancing two jobs and school! Apparently, I didn't balance them all that well though, as evidenced by my being put on academic probation for having a 2.9 GPA(3.0 is required to not get expelled), and the class I did the worst in was an online class at that. I quit one job, and in less than a week I will be officially part-time/flex at the other. Thank God, because we're getting some crazies there! But I digress. Perhaps this blog will help me maintain some sort of 'spiritual focus', some sort of bigger picture during the crazy times when I feel like I'm getting stuck in the problems of the day. And isn't that, after all, what spirituality is? Finding some kind of divine connection, some sort of hand to hold onto when life gets tough, to help the seeker feel as though it will all be okay in the end?
I think, in the end, I've always been a Gnostic Druid. Like many who find their spiritual path, rather than simply being raised into it, when I finally took the time to explore it, I realized I had believed it most of my life, I just didn't have the exposure or words to realize it.
In early Christianity, there were many sects: Jewish Christians, Gnostic Christians, and what would later become "orthodox" or "mainstream" Christianity. From my understanding, most of them simply referred to themselves as "Christian" - labels such as "Gnostic" were put on them later by academics for differentiation. The books that made it in the canon via the Council of Nicea did so partly because those were the ones most widely circulated at the time, and therefore already the "most popular".
Gnostics, although still Christian, held some very different beliefs from the "orthodox". For example, early Christians(and I assume most Christians today) view(ed) that they worship the same God as the Jews. Gnostics believed there were two different "gods"... the Demiurge, which created the physical world and is evil(and was equated with the Jewish YHWH), and an Unknowable Supreme Being of sorts. To the Gnostics, Christ came not from the Demiurge, but the Unknowable Being, to liberate us from the physical world, which could be done by recognizing our spiritual selves and escaping the physical world. Likewise, the serpent is seen as another Christ-figure, for making us aware of the limitations of the physical world and showing us our greater spiritual selves. This is just a very brief overview, as Gnostic mythology is very complex and diverse.
It should be noted that while ancient Gnostics were very ascetic and viewed the physical world/Demiurge as downright evil, most modern-day (neo)Gnostics do not believe as such, seeing the physical world as more of a "learning place" to prepare us for union with "God". Most of us consider ourselves just as much Christian as any other Christian, the main differences being that we are typically more moderate/liberal, believe in the possibility of reincarnation, view much of the Bible as metaphorical rather than literal, many(including myself) have a bit of a Buddhist flavor in our thinking, and we incorporate Gnostic writings into our spiritual practices in conjunction with/instead of the canonized Scripture - my current scriptures of choice are The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible with Apocrypha and Deuterocanonical books not included in most Protestant Bibles; and The Other Bible, which holds a collection of Gnostic(Christian and Pagan)Gospels, Jewish Pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls texts, and Kabbalistic writings. My daily prayers involve a combination of the aforementioned scriptures, structured within the liturgical prayers from Celtic Daily Prayer.
Druidry is another subject altogether. I discovered it in my brief time with Paganism. It, obviously, is very nature centered, and follows the cycles of nature. While I'm still not as "in touch" with nature as I would like to be, I am more so because of this path. I've always felt connected to nature in some way. I just did not have the means, courage, or knowledge to strengthen it. While I always felt more connected to what we call "God" in nature, I never was exposed to anything that would open my eyes to the fact that God could be worshipped in nature, as part of nature, and through nature. Paganism, and ultimately Druidry, opened my eyes to that fact. Yes, like witchcraft, there is use of spells and ritual, and as such, it holds a bit of stigma and is seen with a more skeptical eye than most other spiritual paths. But,even if only psychological(and ultimately *any* faith or spiritual practice can be argued as solely psychological), the things I have tried have worked well for me, and so, for the most part, I am a believer. Unlike witchcraft, however, there is less emphasis on those spells, and more emphasis on the connection with nature. Once I finish school for my career goals, I plan on putting more effort into the Druidic practices and lessons found in The Ancient Order of Druids of America, including learning more about local wildlife and plantlife. In the meantime, I content myself with as many beach trips as possible(I'm definitely a water-based person, it seems) and spending at least a little bit of time outside each week, weather permitting.
Perhaps it's a bit New Agey, a bit weird. But I've always been weird. And I'm finally in a place in my life where I'm okay with that. I close this admittedly long, link-filled post with these words from The Gospel of Thomas, which is one of my favorites, and one I feel represents well the sum of my beliefs:
"Jesus said, 'It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the all. From me did the all come forth, and unto me did the all extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.' "
- Gospel of Thomas, 77
I think, in the end, I've always been a Gnostic Druid. Like many who find their spiritual path, rather than simply being raised into it, when I finally took the time to explore it, I realized I had believed it most of my life, I just didn't have the exposure or words to realize it.
In early Christianity, there were many sects: Jewish Christians, Gnostic Christians, and what would later become "orthodox" or "mainstream" Christianity. From my understanding, most of them simply referred to themselves as "Christian" - labels such as "Gnostic" were put on them later by academics for differentiation. The books that made it in the canon via the Council of Nicea did so partly because those were the ones most widely circulated at the time, and therefore already the "most popular".
Gnostics, although still Christian, held some very different beliefs from the "orthodox". For example, early Christians(and I assume most Christians today) view(ed) that they worship the same God as the Jews. Gnostics believed there were two different "gods"... the Demiurge, which created the physical world and is evil(and was equated with the Jewish YHWH), and an Unknowable Supreme Being of sorts. To the Gnostics, Christ came not from the Demiurge, but the Unknowable Being, to liberate us from the physical world, which could be done by recognizing our spiritual selves and escaping the physical world. Likewise, the serpent is seen as another Christ-figure, for making us aware of the limitations of the physical world and showing us our greater spiritual selves. This is just a very brief overview, as Gnostic mythology is very complex and diverse.
It should be noted that while ancient Gnostics were very ascetic and viewed the physical world/Demiurge as downright evil, most modern-day (neo)Gnostics do not believe as such, seeing the physical world as more of a "learning place" to prepare us for union with "God". Most of us consider ourselves just as much Christian as any other Christian, the main differences being that we are typically more moderate/liberal, believe in the possibility of reincarnation, view much of the Bible as metaphorical rather than literal, many(including myself) have a bit of a Buddhist flavor in our thinking, and we incorporate Gnostic writings into our spiritual practices in conjunction with/instead of the canonized Scripture - my current scriptures of choice are The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible with Apocrypha and Deuterocanonical books not included in most Protestant Bibles; and The Other Bible, which holds a collection of Gnostic(Christian and Pagan)Gospels, Jewish Pseudepigrapha, Dead Sea Scrolls texts, and Kabbalistic writings. My daily prayers involve a combination of the aforementioned scriptures, structured within the liturgical prayers from Celtic Daily Prayer.
Druidry is another subject altogether. I discovered it in my brief time with Paganism. It, obviously, is very nature centered, and follows the cycles of nature. While I'm still not as "in touch" with nature as I would like to be, I am more so because of this path. I've always felt connected to nature in some way. I just did not have the means, courage, or knowledge to strengthen it. While I always felt more connected to what we call "God" in nature, I never was exposed to anything that would open my eyes to the fact that God could be worshipped in nature, as part of nature, and through nature. Paganism, and ultimately Druidry, opened my eyes to that fact. Yes, like witchcraft, there is use of spells and ritual, and as such, it holds a bit of stigma and is seen with a more skeptical eye than most other spiritual paths. But,even if only psychological(and ultimately *any* faith or spiritual practice can be argued as solely psychological), the things I have tried have worked well for me, and so, for the most part, I am a believer. Unlike witchcraft, however, there is less emphasis on those spells, and more emphasis on the connection with nature. Once I finish school for my career goals, I plan on putting more effort into the Druidic practices and lessons found in The Ancient Order of Druids of America, including learning more about local wildlife and plantlife. In the meantime, I content myself with as many beach trips as possible(I'm definitely a water-based person, it seems) and spending at least a little bit of time outside each week, weather permitting.
Perhaps it's a bit New Agey, a bit weird. But I've always been weird. And I'm finally in a place in my life where I'm okay with that. I close this admittedly long, link-filled post with these words from The Gospel of Thomas, which is one of my favorites, and one I feel represents well the sum of my beliefs:
"Jesus said, 'It is I who am the light which is above them all. It is I who am the all. From me did the all come forth, and unto me did the all extend. Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there.' "
- Gospel of Thomas, 77
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