Of Gnostics and Gnosticism

Gnosticism is a Christian belief system that empowers the adherent to ‘become with all’ via their own effort and will. During the formation of the early church, Gnosticism was kind of the beat poetry of its day: iconoclast, edgy and a fairly solo endeavor. And it was this last part that put Gnosticism and the nascent Orthodox Church at odds. Well, this, and not supporting the concept of Jesus’ virgin birth, telling the Myth of he Garden story fro the serpent’s point of view and being pro woman. These beliefs—after the church was officially formed—turned these renegade theologians into heretics, teaching and promoting falsehoods against the established Church order. An important thing to note: The author/s of The Gospel of Truth, Thunder Perfect Mind and The Gospel of Thomas did no view themselves as heretics, but as keepers and participants of a divine knowledge not readily available to the masses. This, as well as the above, provided ammunition for the cleaning house of all Gnostic influences, post-Constantine. While the above explained why the Gnostics were at odds with the established Catholic Church, it is highly relevant to present their differences in experiencing the divine.

While anyone could be called to attend church, listen to the sermons, praise and pray with their congregation, being a Gnostic meant that you were charged with finding your own way to God. Also, what set many against the Gnostic viewpoint was the fact that there seemed to be a kind of spiritual elitism involved. Instead of walking into a building or a meeting hall or any other gathering spot, the Gnostics had to deal personally and individually with their own shortcomings, spiritual and psychic trauma in order for them to attain Gnosis (awareness). In the traditional sit down and genuflect church setting, the congregation is getting second, third, or even fourth-hand knowledge from and about God. Whereas in the Gnostic example, you are winding your own way to God, without the middle man filtering information for you. It was just you, your path and your (hopeful) meting with the divine.


There is an interesting schism between this view and that of the traditional Church. In the traditional view, you may receive the word of God, but the person sitting next to you is receiving the exact same words, even though you may interpret them differently. This makes it kind of hard for many people to go “off-message”, and it is my assumption that the Church is very fond of this: Church followers toeing the line, doing and believing what they are told and not causing too much of an uproar. In contrast, the Gnostic road is built on the foundation of individual experience and being that every person who chooses (or, is called more accurate?) this path, will approach it from his or her own standpoint. So, when/if they achieve Gnosis, their interpretation of what happened, what they received, will most likely be completely different from anyone else. And this is type of experience; the acquisition of individual knowledge—especially spiritual knowledge—is dangerous to any sort of Orthodoxy. Because if you cannot control the flow, interpretation and dissemination of particular types of information, how will you be able to control a populace? And so, what better way to wrest control from the Gnostic viewpoint and establish and maintain power and instill loyalty to the traditional Church position? Declare any type of teaching that does not come directly from the Orthodoxy as heretical, and—being that the Orthodox Church was the official state religion—have an army to enforce this pogrom.

In the end, Gnosticism may have been an ugly blemish to the emerging Church, but we are witnessing a resurgence of the Gnostic ideas in places that are not exclusively Christian: some forms of Paganism, Chaos Magick and even some martial arts disciplines. The will and experience of the individual can be more powerful than an institution, we only have to be brave enough to walk the path and be content with the fact the road to Gnosis is rewarding, yet lonely.

Bullets and the Mystical Experience

In regards to the mystical experience, Plotinus and Plato seem to be covering two sides of the same coin: monism and dualism. In Plotinus’ monistic view, the event of a mystical experience causes one to readily identify with the world around them. It is as if the mystical experience has either given the person a new set of eyes or has removed some type of opaque film, thus enabling said person to see the connections between all things and haw they themselves are connected to all things, as well. On the other side of the issue is Plato’s argument for dualism. As evidenced in his Myth of the Cave, Plato sees a separation caused by the mystical experience. The person having the mystical experience, in Plato’s view, goes through several levels of separation/distancing: He or she is separated from those that he or she once dwelt in darkness with; he or she no longer has the reference points of firelight and shadow; during their decent out of the cave; he or she has to make an adjustment from the “falsehoods” of the cave existence to what is now real for them; and, unlike Plotinus where this new reality could just be acknowledged as part of the All, the person in question in Plato’s view would need a long period of acclimation to process this new phase of their existence.

While both views have their merits, it is extremely difficult to choose a concept that is more realistic over the other. By giving a little personal background, I may be able to explain my point in a much better way. When I was seventeen-years-old I had my own cave-like experience. I was shot in the stomach and was clinically dead for two-and-one-half-minutes. When I came to, I was in was in an oxygen bubble with tubes running from my arms and nose. I existed like this for a week-and-a-half until I stabilized. When I was finally able to walk again, it was if I were a child who was just learning the things that my body had known and done so well without me actually being conscious of it.

I had to concentrate on my vision, forcing myself to accept the changes in light and contrast of shadow, without freaking out. Walking, a task that I used to thoroughly enjoy was now something wholly alien.
My entire recovery was one of realization and contemplation. During this time, I had to reintroduce myself to the world, announce my bodily and psychic intentions and be completely deliberate in my actions. Before I embarked on anything as simple as sitting up, turning to take the pitcher from the nightstand, use my other hand to pick up a cup, tilt my wrist to pour some water in the cup, put the pitcher back down, open my mouth, tilt the cup to my mouth—remembering to drink slowly so that I wouldn’t cough and rip my stitches—put the cup down, lean back on my pillow and then swallow, I had to enter into a contract with myself. I had to think on if the drink of water was worth the possible pain that I might feel from twisting incorrectly.

I was no longer of my former world; I was now to worlds removed: pre-gunshot, lengthy hospital stay with oxygen bubble, the painful world of recovery and finally the doctor’s say-so that I was fit to resume any and all of my previous activities. I was healed. I may have been healed, but there was no way that I could go back to my cave experience and not—quite literally—lose my mind. Even though it took me a while to orient myself to my new world/existence/reality/truth, my pre-gunshot world might as well have been someone else’s life. I once saw and experienced the world in one way, but due to a shocking event, I now saw the world in a completely different light. But it was by passing through this threshold that I transitioned from the cave into a world of beauty and interconnectedness.

Now that I was fully recovered and could do what I wanted to physically, I returned to practicing the martial arts that I held so dear. No longer were punches just punches and kicks just kicks; they were hands and feet connected to a person who was quite talented in the martial arts, and they had family, a job, wants and needs and being that I had these same things, I saw how we were related and connected because we came from the same essential stuff.
So, in my direct experience, I find it difficult to discern whether the monistic or dualistic view is the more realistic orientation. At various times, both were realistic and viable and served me for where I was at the time. But if I had to give a semi-definitive answer, I would have to conclude that I find monism to be the most realistic view for this time in my life. I say this because I like myself better as a person because I am possessed with the ability and desire to see how all of this (meaning my worldview) is one thing made up of the same stuff. And instead of thinking on it, trying to figure out what it all means, I can just accept it and move freely throughout my life without contemplation stopping my forward motion.

Rest In Peace

Kurt Vonnegut 1922-2007

The Tao and the Future of the West

Public thought and opinion about the future of the West (as it relates to technology) has been—some would say nearly irreversibly—marred by the science fiction genre. Books like Asimov’s I, Robot, Harlan Ellison’s Demon with a Glass Hand and Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey; movies with sinister names and premises, such as The Matrix, The Terminator and the Mad Max trilogy show humans in either an adversarial relationship with sentient technology, or living an almost prehistoric lifestyle due to technology going awry. But if we apply Taoist thought to tech (software) and mech (hardware) we will be forced to view emergent technologies as part of our natural order.

To put it bluntly, technology is natural. If we consider the views of cosmological thinkers such as Thomas Berry and Brian Swimme, the entire universe (including all life forms) was created from the same star stuff. If we travel along this line of thinking, whatever we choose to create is ostensibly of the same materials. Hence, technologies (our creations) are a part of our natural world. But to further, and fully, individuate this forward-thinking mindset into our current Western paradigm, we should look at the concept of wu-wei.

Among the many interpretations and definitions of wu-wei; “without action” is the most accurate to further explore the Taoist application to Western future. By not taking any action—in this context, the concept should be taken as not resisting—the West will be in a better psycho-social position to incorporate the rapidity of our technological innovations, products and services. If we resist, we run the risk of being left behind. The West would be a Luddite, trapped and lost in a future hall of digital mirrors. Wandering about confused, screaming futile words of stubborn and pointless anti-technological defiance. Change is inevitable, and if we stand against it, we will be rendered as obsolete as the Commodore 64. As presented here, applying the Tao as an addition to the expression of our Western future can be a very beneficial thing, especially if we can become of the mind that is interested in making all tech and mech universally available. But there is a less benevolent side to the Western Taoist future.

Te (used here as an individual finding his or her own personal expression via the Tao) can be easily manipulated to “put people in their places.” The dangers of a caste system are not too far-fetched, when we consider some of the other meanings of Te. If we use Te in its capacity to denote purpose/duty, many people could be relegated to doing only certain types of jobs, without any hopes of rising above their station, trying new things or expanding their general interests.

With the transhumanist talk of designer genes, memory and skill implantation and biological upgrades, workers could be created for specific industries. And this Te would be passed down to the children of these enhanced workers. If an entire family has been engineered to be rescue personnel, the child would not have any choice other than to be bio-engineered in to the rescue profession. To take this even further, would the child of the rescue worker even have the desire to be other than the Te of his or her family? I find it difficult to imagine the child of a bio-engineered firefighter to say that they want to be a veterinarian. How would they even know that vets exist, being that their Te’s may never intersect? There is a potential for there to be these various Te continuums, existing independently of each other, never coinciding or informing each other, unless their duties force them into proximity and cooperation. Even though this is all just speculation, there are a few things regarding the Tao and the West that are fact.

- The future is coming, whether we want it to or not.

- This future will consist of rapidly emerging technologies that will have a direct effect on how we will play, work and communicate.

-The concept of the Tao (and its various attendant concepts) will play a part in this new future, for better or for worse.

It will be up to us—those that live work and play in the West—to ride this technological wave and ensure that it will work to our mutual benefit. Because whether we actively engage it or not, our technological future is coming and we will be forced to ask ourselves the following question: Am I willing to be upgradeable or do I want to be an eight-track?

Sick Buildings

-The question that I want to present is this: Can a building be sick? There is Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) but it only refers to the inhabitants of a building getting sick due to some structural and/or design flaw: poor insulation, improper chemical use, shoddy ventilation, etc. But I want to expand this a bit further and suggest that a physical location, divorced from human occupancy, can be sick.

-I bring this up because I was walking through my old neighborhood (in Oakland, CA) and was disturbed to find a particular storefront empty. I lived around the corner from this place for close to five years and there were nine different businesses that tried to make a go of it. Obviously, all of said businesses failed.

-The spot help everything from a fruit and vegetable market, to a café, to a barbershop, but everything failed in that location. Is that storefront sick? Is it even possible for a location to be sick?

-Were the business owners just poor proprietors, or is there a convergence of energies and circumstances and histories that are not conducive to sustained habitation in that locale?

-I’m planning to do more research on the location. I’m going to research the history of the place, who built it and in what year, then I’m going to search through news archives to see if any murders or other tragedies happened on the premises. Then I’ll track down the previous tenants and get their opinions as to why they thought their businesses did not succeed.

-Another question I will address is the symbiotic relationship between places and people. Do we affect our habitats as much as they affect us?

-I’ll keep you posted on the results of my investigation.

Head, Fist and Gut

-Not to sound all Fight Club, but I truly believe that everyone should get into a brawl. Whether it is in the street or sanctioned and controlled in a gymnasium; a brawl will give you some insight into who you are.

-Not too long ago, I was sparring with a kid who was fifteen years my junior. Dude made me realize that my current fighting style was on some Commodore 64 shit. Way outdated. -This kid was faster than me—and I’m really fast—and he was stronger than me—and I’m very strong—but he was just handing me my ass.

-While trying to defend against his rain of punches, kicks and elbows, a dilemma presented itself: Do I continue to allow this dude to whoop on me or do I alter my current combat strategy?

-By allowing him to continue taking me apart, I would have to concede defeat. I would have to acknowledge that my nearly thirty-five-year-old body had physically peaked a while back and my effectiveness as a fighter—while still formidable—was being usurped by the younger, fitter, faster, 21st century fighter.

-But if I changed my strategy, mid-fight, I may be able to disorient him, give myself some breathing room and, quite possibly, counter him and swing the fight in my direction.

-My ego is far too big for capitulation, so I switched approaches. While I am a powerful striker, I excel in the trapping and grappling ranges.

-Every time he threw a strike, I’d let him complete the full motion, but I’d either be in too close or too far away for it to do any damage. Once I gauged his fighting pattern, I’d slide into my comfort zone and either tried to clench with him or trap him up so badly that he’d get frustrated and break away.

-After this set of techniques seemed to wear him down, I pulled more from my toolbox. I growled at him, barked, feinted, spoke poorly about his mother, did everything I could to freak him out, get him angry and off his game.

-After two more rounds of my all out, albeit unorthodox assault, he slipped up. He overcommitted to a punch and threw himself off balance, making himself vulnerable to a choke. Slamming him to the ground, I maintained my choke until he eventually tapped out.

-Yeah. He was pissed.

-He questioned my tactics and intent, but he was too much of a gentleman to call me a cheater outright.

-Playing the role of the wise old sage, I asked him how could any violent encounter be fair.

-That stopped him, for a bit.

-We spoke for a while longer and we discovered that our reasons for fighting were different. He trained in hopes of making it big in either the UFC or IFL. I was training for the streets—for combat. Real-world self-defense.

-Congratulating each other on our fight (these UFC-type guys are probably the most respectful people I have ever met) we went our separate ways, both having learned some valuable lessons.

-This may seem a bit contradictory but I not a violent guy, nor do I believe that violence can solve things. However, I do believe in defending me and mine and I also feel that everyone should have some type of self-defense knowledge.

-As sad as it is, our world can be a dangerous place and it is best to be prepared.

-So, why do I feel that everyone should get into a brawl? Because when you find out that you can take a hit and are not as fragile as you thought, and that you can strike back with intensity and purpose, it is a liberating feeling.

-I knew that I couldn’t beat the kid, so I was forced to “evolve or perish”. I evolved, switched up my normal paradigm and came out the victor.

-The interior process that I underwent, leading up to my change in methods, is applicable to any other conflict driven situation. If something isn’t working, search yourself for the answers. Most of the solutions to our various problems are within our immediate grasps. I am aware how difficult this may seem, but it is necessary. We spend more time searching our exterior environments for protection and guidance, but we sometimes forget that we are the central focus for most of our problems and we have the ways and means to solve said problems. The solutions reside within us.

-Change or die. Adapt and live.

-Don’t believe me. I’d be more than happy to meet you at the gym.

--Shawn