#gnostic gnosticism pistis sophia

[hysteriamodes]

So, interesting thing about Sophia's name that caught my eye as a practicing Gnostic.

In Gnosticism, Sophia is an Aeon, which is an aspect of the godhead. There's different incarnations of God through the Aeons. Sophia is said to have created the world around us by trying to emulate creation on her own without a partner. She accidentally created a being that we call the Demiurge, which is what we regard the Old Testament god, a very jealous god. In turn, the Demiurge created the Archons (angels) and they created humans and the world around us.

This is basically a Gnostic answer as to why the world is flawed and not perfect. There is more to the creation story as well as a deeper dive on Aeons, but I'm surmising this for simplicity.

Now, Aeon Sophia is regarded as Wisdom. In the Holy Trinity, Sophia is the Holy Ghost. Through Sophia, we obtain wisdom, gnosis. We all have a divine spark that we can awaken gnosis and this is a bit of a higher consciousness that we are able to connect to.

Here's what I love about this: the higher being and consciousness that we can all connect to is referred to as Monad. Monad is essentially the Godhead, that we all (including Aeons) come from, we obtain the divine spark and return to the light, Pleroma. Monad, however, is genderless, god has no gender so we refer to Monad as the Mother-Father.

So, to me, the concept of Ergo is a very similar concept to the divine spark (gnosis) that all beings emulate and their "whispers" can be heard. It makes a lot of sense to me that Sophia is regarded as a Listener and is associated with time because it really fits her potential namesake.

Since there's no concept of Hell in Gnosticism, the world that surrounds us is the closest we have to it, as well as limbo/purgatory. It's a neat part of the story P can be seen as a bit of a reincarnation of Carlo, because Gnosticism tells us that if we do not obtain gnosis, we are reborn until we achieve it. And gnosis isn't just knowledge, it's a sense of self. Know thyself. That inside of us, is Heaven and God, and all we need to do is find it.

So P's journey can have a Gnostic leaning to it (at least to me) because he's gaining a sense of himself and that he is separate from Carlo. In the good ending, him in Sophia's lap is him obtaining gnosis, not just humanity.

I don't know if this was intended by the devs or not, so this is largely a Gnostic interpretation.

[santmat]

“All the rulers (archons) of the height have tried to deceive me into believing that I am only a body of matter without Light in it. And after this the merciless powers surrounded me, and tried to take away all the Light that was in me. But You appeared to me out of the darkness and I trusted You, O Light, and said: ‘You are the one who liberated me. I thank You O Light for having compassion on me. And You have saved me, O Light, with your Gnosis [Mystical Knowledge].’” (Pistis Sophia, Faith Wisdom)

[victusinveritas]

Yaldabaoth. Saklas. Samael. Jehovah. The Demiurge.

Accidentally emanated by Sophia, He is the Creator of our world, Lord of Archons, entities emanating from Him to rule the heavens and hold captive the Spark, the Imperishable Flame of the Pleroma that burns in the Human Heart.

SOPHIA in Pistis Sophia

Art: Jose Gabriel Alegría Sabogal

[ssummermemoir]

sorry for being the most esoteric girl at the function

[pathofregeneration]

Frederic Leighton, And the Sea Gave Up the Dead Which Were in It (1892)

* * *

“Herald unto the whole world and say unto men: Strive thereafter that ye may receive the mysteries of the Light in this time of affliction and enter into the Light-kingdom. Join not one day to another, or one circuit to another, hoping that ye may succeed in receiving the mysteries if ye come into the world in another circuit.

And these know not the the number of the perfect souls will be at hand; for if the number of the perfect souls shall be at hand, I will now shut the gates of the Light, and no one from this hour onwards will enter in, nor will any one hereafter go forth, for the number of the perfect souls is completed and the mystery of the First Mystery is completed, for the sake of which the universe hath arisen—that is: I am that Mystery.”

— Pistis Sophia

[whatthefuckprincesspeach]

from Sophia to Yalgdaboath

This is a Midjourney interpretation of Gnostic Creation. How Sophia formed and then gave birth to Yalgdaboath. I honestly love Midjourney Art. And really I like a lot of different AI media! Let me know what you guys think!!

[vampyrgrl]

sorry guys i watched prometheus and alien movies always remind me of mother mary and mary of magdalene and gnostic literature about them particularly how mary magdalene was the apostle of apostles

[headknight-oh]

This is the first time I’m posting my original writing I think. This is a prose poetry piece from a chapbook that I’ve been working on about mythology, divinity, humanity, and their interplay with each other. This one is from the perspective of the demiurge from gnostic mythology.

In Defense of the Demiurge

Yaldabaoth

Oh, Ignorant One, she says to me, I am sorry.

She cradled my newborn and eternal cheek as she left me, returning to the Pleroma, leaving me, the mistake of her infinite Wisdom, cast out. She did not hear my monstrous wails. The cries of her newborn did not reach her. Or at least, she did not respond to them.

I wept then, for millennia, in my infernal solitude, punished for the crime of my being. It was a lonely and cold existence outside the warmth of my Mother’s home; the ethereal flame did not radiate to the nothingness of my prison.

My weeping accumulated into a wretched clay beneath me. I plunged into it in violent loneliness, crafting the materiality of the cosmos. I hung the stars and sculpted the mountains. And though they were beautiful, they were hollow and cold and felt cancerous without another to see them.

I molded countless biologicals, but none held the spark of Wisdom. There was no mind, no soul. And how I tried, digging deep into my treacherous being for an ounce of my Mother’s blood. My hands came away red and slick, the primordial clay beneath my maw just as inert as it had ever been. I wept onto my empty dolls of flesh.

I suppose she finally heard me then, for soon, as I lay slumbering, she entered my creations, breathing Wisdom into them, firing my clay creations in the kiln of her beatific glory. My creations flickered with the molten light of my Mother. They danced in praise of their spiritual path back to Oneness, following the breath of Wisdom, of she who bore them.

And for this, I raged. She could provide salvation for my creations, the material flesh and sinew that I had crafted to fill the void and lessen my pain at my own lack of inherited divinity and at the impossibility of my own deliverance. She could be moved in sympathy for their situation, but not for me.

Oh, Ignorant One, she had said to me. And thus I was.

I am Ignorance, borne of Wisdom. Can you hear me, Sophia? Can you feel me scream for you, Mother? What have I done for you to leave me Here? Your sin was my creation, but what of me? Why must I suffer for your transgression, Mother, while you are permitted to flee back to the Pleroma? I cannot help but be the way that you made me.

Then, in the height of my despair, as I mourned my forced solitude amongst the husk creatures of my creation, you pitied my dolls, my puppets, the objects of my lonely delusion, over your own child. What have I done, Mother? What inequity would bid you spite your already-estranged monstrosity so? Why add envy?

I hope the fruit of knowledge you gifted them was bitter and sickly in the mouths of my creations, but I know it was not. Though I made this materiality, I cannot embody it. I have tried, countless times, to eat the fruit of the tree that she left to taunt me. I cannot taste its sweet divinity. I have tried to burn her tree; it will not be reduced to ash. I would tear my materiality asunder, and her tantalizing tree would remain.

In this, as in all, I am truly Ignorant. Why, Mother? Why? Why?

[midiancorvidienne]

Mother of Gods, Sophia

[didanawisgi]

The Nag Hammadi Library 

On the Origin of the World ("The Untitled Text")

Translated by Hans-Gebhard Bethge and Bentley Layton

[talonabraxas]

“The psyche is not of today; its ancestry goes back many millions of years. Individual consciousness is only the flower and the fruit of a season, sprung from the perennial rhizome beneath the earth; and it would find itself in better accord with the truth if it took the existence of the rhizome into its calculations. For the root matter is the mother of all things.” --Carl Jung, Symbols of Transformation (Volume 5)

Art: Virgin Sophia

[maidenofsophia]

The Magdalene

Who is She?

This is a question I've been asking since I was a little girl. Despite going to a Christian primary school, I have few memories of being taught about her, other than her being a penitent prostitute and the first witness to the resurrection.

When I was ten I watched an animation movie called the Miracle Maker starring Ralph Phiens as Yeshua and Miranda Richardson as the Magdalene. In that movie she's portrayed as being a mentally ill woman tortured by hallucinations, is healed by Yeshua and becomes one of his closest disciples. I should also add the two are VERY touchy feely with each other in that movie, it's a beautifully chaste semi-romantic bond.

In 2003, when I was getting into Wicca, I met someone in a Pagan chat room who called himself a Gnostic Christian Witch. He said that the Magdalene was his goddess, that she was the Holy Mother Spirit (Sophia) incarnate in her Daughter form, just as the Father was with the Son; Yeshua. This....blew my mind. And led me down a rabbit hole of a bunch of Gnostic and heretical texts.

Then the Da Vinci Code came out and this whole belief about Magdalene being Jesus' wife came into the mainstream. But while everyone seemed to be obsessing over their romantic and sexual life and what children they might have had, none of this really phased me because it the first Gnostic Witch I met already held this belief - but he stressed that it came secondary to who Magdalene was as a spiritual leader in her own right.

Since then I have heard so many different versions of who the Magdalene "really" was that it's hard to list them all but I'll give it a go:

- She was originally from Egypt and trained as a priestess of Isis. Yeshua met her on his travels as he was studying before coming into his role as a teacher himself and they formed a strong bond, she anointed him in the name of God the Mother and he in turn helped to heal her chakras (seven demons), something which he had learned after having travelled to the East. It was at Yeshua and Magdalene's own wedding where he turned water into wine, they had a daughter called Sarah who Magdalene escaped to France with following Yeshua's death.

- Another Gnostic path I came across believed she had no human birth but was Sophia come down in human form, just as the Logos came down as Yeshua. While the Logos returned to the heavens, Sophia remained incarnate as the Magdalene with the promise to keep returning in woman form upon her death until the Second Coming.

- Another believed her to have been a priestess of Asharah, whose temple was sacked and she was subjected to horrific abuse, SA and being cast out and nearly stoned to death until being saved by Yeshua.

- the Ecclesia Pistis Sophia have an oral tradition which was written down into a book by Tau Malachi which said she was born into a wealthy Jewish family, had great spiritual gifts but was forced to suppress them, was forced into marriage by her wicked father and then was attacked and assaulted. These "Sophians" believe that she accepted the spirit of Lilith into herself in order to survive and upon meeting Yeshua he healed her and she became the 'fulness' of the divine feminine with Eve and Lilith becoming one in her. She became Yeshua's "Holy Bride" and they had a son called Michael, rather than a daughter. The same story of her travelling to France occurs.

- Kaia Ra, author of the Sophia Code, claims to have channeled the spirit of the Magdalene who revealed her upbringing to her. That she was the daughter of wealthy parents who, as opposed to her origins in the Ecclesia Pistis Sophia, decided to nurture their daughter's spiritual gifts, that she was given lessons at her home but also travelled with her father to various places and connected with many faces of the divine feminine. She meets a fellow priestess, Mother Mary, who becomes like a second mother to her. She meets Yeshua and joins him on his mission of revealing gnosis but she is not beneath him in any way, it is very much a co-equal journey they go on but in the patriarchal society he is the one who is elevated. She and Mother Mary travel to France after Yeshua's death.

There are probably more that I've forgotten and sadly most of the websites I used to come across in the 00's are now lost.

But all of these stories have shaped my relationship with the Magdalene in some way. Parts I've agreed with, others that don't sit right with me. I don't know if we'll ever know the full truth. Even the ancient texts can only tell us so much, being written decades if not over a hundred years after the Magdalene lived and not even in the language those who knew them would have spoken.

The "canonised" gospels tell us that the Magdalene was the first to see Yeshua after his death. For me that at least speaks of his importance to her. His wife? His best friend? His co-preacher and partner in ministry? Personally I don't think it matters, it speaks of the same thing. Love. He loved her. Whether that love was romantic or platonic or something else, it was love and respect and the deepest trust.

They also tell us that she supported him and the men by her means, implying she was very wealthy, and yet she is not mentioned in relation to any man, neither as daughter or wife of mother. She is simply the Magdalene, ie from Magdala, a fishing village. The name also means Tower, which gives an image of strength and earnest faith.

Luke and Mark both say that Yeshua healed Magdalene of seven demons. I find it interesting how this event takes place off page, as opposed to a lot of other miracles we see Yeshua perform. For me this implies it was a rather intimate healing session between the two of them rather than one the public or disciples witnessed. But this could have been either some sort of exorcism as depicted in the Miracle Maker, or a healing of her mental and spiritual health with something similar to chakra healing as was believed by my Gnostic friend.

Interestingly the gospels do not say that she was the woman who anointed Yeshua's feet and head, this seems to have been either Mary of Bethany or the unnamed 'sinful' woman and it doesn't really make sense why the writers would name Magdalene specifically later but not state it to be her here. But given there is contradictions on where this happened as well as who did it, I don't think it's a stretch for anyone to still believe the Magdalene did anoint him herself at some point.

And then you get to the Gnostic gospels and the apocryphal texts and these just elevate the Magdalene even further when she was clearly already an important figure before. The Gospel of Philip connects her to Sophia and says that Yeshua would kiss her often and the disciples were jealous that he "loved her more than them". The Gospel of Thomas has Yeshua refusing to heed Peter's request to send Mary away as "females are not worthy". In The Dialogue of the Savior, it is said that she "spoke this utterance as a woman who understood everything." In the Pistis Sophia, the Magdalene is constantly questioning and offering up her own visions to Yeshua who heaps tons of praise on her for her insight and says "You are more blessed than all women on earth, because you will be the fullness of fullness and the completion of completion." And again he becomes protective when Peter's sexism makes her afraid. And all of this culminates in her own Gospel, which very little remains but is so fascinating. In this text, it is the Magdalene who stands up and takes on Yeshua's role while the men weep in fear and loss of what to do. Peter voices that they all knew Yeshua loved her most among women and pleas for her to share her visions. Sadly most of what she shares with them is lost but what remains seems to be a vision of how the soul rose above the seven demons that struck her to its Higher Self. Peter and Andrew reject what she shares but Levi defends her.

What does all of this lead to for me in the end?

It leads me to see the Magdalene as any other goddess. As many have contracting legends and myths and origins, the same is true of Her. And to me she is a goddess, she is Zoe Sophia - the Divine Daughter - in a human form, an ascended master and high priestess. She is not the first or only instance of this, but she is the one I most connect with. Whatever the "true story" of who she was is irrelevant, at this point it's all these various beautiful legends that inspire the mind and spark the soul's ascension.

Many people focus on the Magdalene for her faith and devotion. Many focus on her "sacred marriage" to Jesus and see her as a figure of romantic and faithful love, as well as motherhood, as well as what intimate and potentially sexual spiritual experiences they may have had together.

For me, the Magdalene is a balance of dark and light. While many I see position her as just "Christ with a feminine face", or another form of Mother Mary as a loyal follower and caretaker, for me she has an energy and personality that is so unique to herself and separate from them. Though of course they are a huge part of her life and her story, I don't have either Yeshua or Mother Mary in my personal pantheon, and I don't believe it's necessary to in order to connect to the Magdalene. She was very much a powerful spiritual woman before she met either of them.

For me the Magdalene is passion, she is fire, she is strength and wisdom and courage. She is in no way passive, she is a constantly active eternal flame. She was not just a student receiving knowledge but also inspiring Yeshua and others around her, a seeker and dreamer, a spiritual shield maiden. I don't believe Jesus cast any demons out of her with a wave of his hand, I believe he taught her how to heal them herself. Because we all need help from time to time. I do believe she may have had traumatic experiences that impacted her mental health, this is something I very much connect with and feel her with me when I am at my lowest. She has met those demons and conquered them. And anyone who calls upon Her to protect them from demons, she will descend like a mother bear. The Magdalene is loyal but not submissive. Patient and caring but not meek and mild.

I do believe she loved Yeshua and was devoted to him, whether as a friend or lover it makes no difference, it was a powerful love. But while she called him Teacher out of respect, he revered her as a priestess just as much and they were fully equal. I do not believe as the Sophian Gnostics do that she subjugated herself before him. She was not his Holy Bride or Consort. Her relationship with Yeshua was her great love but not her only one. I believe she and Mother Mary loved each other as mother and daughter. I believe she had close and powerful friendships with female disciples such as Mary of Bethany and Salome. I also believe she had a daughter, Sarah, who may have been Yeshua's or not, but either way she would raise her as a single mother (with her community of friends). The Magdalene also loved God. In that, she is a goddess of divine love but in all its wonderful and various forms.

I felt compelled to write all this out for my own benefit as I've come to embracing the Magdalene back in path and my pantheon. Having tried my hardest to search around, most of those who claim to be Magdalene Priestesses all have their own beliefs about her and charge a fortune just to interact with someone looking for Her. In the end I felt called to save my time and money by trusting my own intuition and experience with her. I love having her back on my altar, only this time it's Cernunnos who sits opposite as the divine masculine. I respect Yeshua but he is not part of my faith and the Magdalene has told me that's okay.

Hail, Lady Magdalene. Blessed art thou.

[santoschristos]

‘Inasmuch as the devil was an angel created by God and “fell like lightning from heaven,” he, too, is a divine “procession” that became Lord of this world. It is significant that the Gnostics thought of him sometimes as the imperfect demiurge and sometimes as the Saturnine archon, Ialdabaoth. Pictorial representations of this archon correspond in every detail with those of a diabolical demon. He symbolized the power of darkness from which Christ came to rescue humanity. The archons issued from the womb of the unfathomable abyss, i.e., from the same source that produced the Gnostic Christ.’ --Carl Jung

A Psychological Approach to the Trinity 1958, par. 255

Demiurge Yaldabaoth (Demiurge/Abraxas) Image Art: Jose Gabriel Alegría Sabogal Edit: Mahaboka

"The Light of Sophia always emerges from the sexual Chaos, and this Light shines in the Darkness. Sophia, as a Verb, is Yaldabaoth in complete action." -- Samael Aun Weor, The Pistis Sophia Unveiled

[asinusrufus]

Magical Gemstones: An Abridged Guide

Magical gemstones are a type of talisman made of semiprecious stones —such as hematite, carnelian or amethyst— that were worn set in rings or as pendants and their size ranges from 1.5 cm to 3 cm.These gemstones haven't magical, protective characteristics because of the nature of the gem itself but because the representations of Gods and holy names carved conceded them virtues through holy dynamis: This is, among other things, the inherent power of divine names and/or their representations.

These depictions are normally inverted (negative) This, together with the fact that some of the gems show a certain degree of worn indicates that they were manipulated in some way—probably rubbed or even licked, in order to increase their efficacy—proves that they were not conceived as seals but as amulets or talismans.

A magical gemstone, to be considered as such, should have one or more of the following elements:

An iconographic language generally belonging to syncretic Gods or that combines Gods from different origins.

Charakteres (magical signs. They can be planetary, protective, etc.)

Voces magicae (Words of power and phrases whose formulation and structure may hide secret, sacred names of Gods as well as prayers or incantations dedicated to them, sometimes with the intention of controlling their emanations and daimonēs) and logoi (magical names, permutation of magical names and vocals).

The practice and use of magical voices was transmitted orally across the eastern Mediterranean, but it wasn't until the early 1st century b.c.e. the practice began to be included in written form. The abundance of amulets and gems with magical names and signs are evidence of this change of paradigm.

In addition, elements are usually complemented by two structural features:

The gemstone is engraved on both the obverse and the reverse, sometimes even on the edge.

The inscription appears directly and not in mirror writing.

These magic gemstones, in addition, can be magical gemstones stricto sensu and amuletic gems. The latter differ from the former in:

That the iconographic patterns they contain are explicitly described as belonging to amulets in textual sources such as Posidippus's Lithika

They bear a prophylactic inscription, usually "diaphylasse" (protect me!), "sōzon" (save me!) or "Heis Theos" (One God).

Its production began during the late Hellenistic period, but it was not until the 2nd and 4th centuries c.e. that it reached its apogee. Magical gemstones' imagery demonstrates the diversity and plurality of Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Egyptian, Christian, Gnostic and Jewish representations and ideas from the Mediterranean from the Roman period, as well as the popularity and diversity of magical activities and practices.

These magic gemstones were rarely used for evil purposes, such as harming someone. Their most common use was to offer protection or solve personal health problems: those showing an ibis tied by an altar and including the command "pésse!" (digest) were used to heal indigestion and other stomach problems; others, depicting a uterus, offered represented a womb, offered protection during childbirth and guaranteed fertility.

Although most of these magic gemstones were used as jewelry, it is possible that they also had other uses, as part of a ritual to heal a patient or as a physical component for an incantation, such as those with depictions of Harpocrates seated on a lotus the nomina magica Bainchōōōch (Bainchōōōch, Ba of the Shadow, isn't only a vox magica/nomina magica but a God on their own right. PGM aside, Bainchōōōch appears in Pistis Sophia as a triple powered deity that descends onto Jesus, giving him his powers)

An interesting fact is that of the production of magical gemstones during the 17th and 18th centuries of our era. Although the production of these gems continued during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance —irregularly, of course— they reflected the magical and religious reflected the magical and religious practices of their historical context.

This, however, was not the case during the 17th and 18th centuries, where magical gemstones of great quality and sophistication were produced, which not only reproduced the iconographic motifs and logoi of the pre-existing graeco-egyptian magic gemstones, but also introduced new ones. An example of these gems are those with representations of Christ-Osiris or Jesus-Khepri

Sources:

Nagy, M. A., (2015) Engineering Ancient Amulets: Magical Gems of the Roman Imperial Period. in D. Boschung and J. Bremmer (eds), The Materiality of Magic (Morphomata 20). Paderborn, 205-240.

Faraone, C. (2018) The Transformation of Greek Amulets in Roman Imperial Times, Filadelfia; University of Pennsylvania Press.

Simone, M., (2005) (Re)Interpreting Magical Gems, Ancient and Modern en Shaked, S., Officina Magica: Essays on the Practice of Magic in Antiquity (IJS Studies in Judaica, vol. 4), Leiden; Brill, 141-170.

Campbell-Bonner Magical Gems Database (http://cbd.mfab.hu)

[santmat]

Gnostic Christian Psalms Discovered! The Book of the Odes + How the Odes Became a Lost Book of the Bible - Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast

It's as-if those who composed the Gospel of John decided to create a hymnbook. This is about the little-known discovery of a collection of early Christian psalms called, The Book of the Odes, written in Syriac-Aramaic, described by scholars as "some of the most beautiful songs of peace and joy that the world possesses." The Odes got mislabeled, misfiled, misunderstood, misplaced somewhere along the way becoming one of those Lost Books of the Bible. Time to explore this would-be book of New Testament psalms and that is finally gaining long overdue recognition and popularity in the 21st Century. This is one of two podcasts I've devoted to this inspiring collection of mystic-poems and music -- The Odes of Solomon -- once viewed as a sacred text by Jewish Christians, Syriac Eastern Christianity, various Gnostic movements -- it's quoted in Pistis Sophia -- and other early Christian writings.

Gnostic Christian Psalms Discovered! The Book of the Odes - How the Odes Became a Lost Book of the Bible - Spiritual Awakening Radio Podcast - Listen or Download MP3 @

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In Divine Love (Bhakti), Light, and Sound, At the Feet of the Masters,

James Bean

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[eyeoftheheart]

"The lamps are different, but the Light is the same: it comes from Beyond. If you keep looking at the lamp, you are lost; for thence arises the appearance of number and plurality. Fix your gaze upon the Light." — Rumi, The Masnavi, Book I, Line 781-784

Gnosis and Diwali

Gnosis, as a direct, experiential knowledge of the Divine, harmonizes with Diwali’s core teaching of dispelling darkness. In the Gnostic tradition, darkness represents ignorance of our divine nature, while light symbolizes awakening and union with the Divine. Diwali’s symbolism, through this lens, can be viewed as an opportunity for seekers to engage in self-inquiry, moving beyond intellectual knowledge to direct, spiritual knowing.

By meditating on the symbolism of Diwali—the victory of light—we invite Gnosis by striving to awaken the divine spark within. This inner light, or "nous," reveals our connection to the higher realms, bringing us closer to spiritual unity with God. Diwali, then, becomes not only a reminder to light physical lamps but also to ignite the “lamp” of inner wisdom and self-realization.

Christ Consciousness and Diwali

Christ Consciousness aligns beautifully with the themes of Diwali, as it embodies love, unity, and the divine light within every person. In the Christian mystical tradition, Christ represents divine love and the light of God made manifest in humanity. Just as Diwali celebrates the inner light and overcoming darkness, Christ Consciousness calls for each person to awaken to their divine potential, transcending ego and material illusion to embody compassion, forgiveness, and universal love.

Celebrating Diwali from the perspective of Christ Consciousness encourages individuals to practice forgiveness, compassion, and selfless love. The lighting of lamps symbolizes the inner journey of “Christing,” where we realize our unity with the Divine and with each other. It is about the realization that we are all children of the light and that divine wisdom and love are inherently within us.

"I am a hole in a flute that the Christ’s breath moves through—listen to this music."— Hafez, The Gift, translated by Daniel Ladinsky

Bridging the Teachings in a Personal Practice

Diwali, approached through the lenses of Indo-Tibetan teachings, Gnosis, and Christ Consciousness, offers a powerful opportunity for introspection and transformation. Here are some ways to integrate these teachings in your Diwali celebration:

1. Inner Reflection: Spend time in meditation or contemplation, focusing on areas of inner darkness—fears, doubts, and judgments—that you wish to illuminate with love and wisdom.

2. Lighting Lamps with Intention: As you light each lamp, visualize dispelling inner ignorance and affirm your connection to divine wisdom and compassion, invoking the presence of Christ Consciousness or Buddha nature within.

3. Selfless Service: Diwali is also a time to practice generosity and kindness. Acts of service, particularly those that uplift the marginalized, embody the compassion of both Christ Consciousness and the Indo-Tibetan path of compassionate action.

4. Chanting and Prayer: Engaging in mantra chanting or prayer is a way to tune into the vibrational aspect of divine light, inviting it to dissolve blockages within and around you.

Diwali, as a spiritual celebration, is ultimately about the journey of illumination, a path that is not bound by any single tradition but resonates through various streams of wisdom. Whether approached through the lens of Hindu philosophy, Tibetan Buddhism, Gnostic insight, or Christ Consciousness, Diwali reminds us of our potential to embody and share divine light.

"Do not cease seeking day or night and do not let yourselves relax until you find the mysteries of the Kingdom of Light, which will purify you and make you into pure Light and lead you into the Kingdom of Light."— Pistis Sophia, Chapter 7

"If they say to you, ‘Where did you come from?’ say to them, ‘We came from the Light...’"— Gospel of Thomas, Saying 50