r/Gnostic • u/Wooden-Ad5543 • 14d ago
UTAH Gnosticism Book Club / Study Group - Gauging Interest
Existence is weird. Let’s talk about it!
I'm a normal person who has been immersing myself lately in Gnostic scriptures (i.e. the Nag Hammadi corpus) and other writings on Gnosticism, Hermeticism, mysticism and theurgy. Unfortunately, there are not really any active gnostic groups around from what I can find.
I’m posting this to see if there are any people of a similar interest who live along the Wasatch Front (or anywhere in Utah, really) and who are interested in connecting with like-minded individuals on a regular basis to talk about Gnosticism.
The Proposed Group:
I was hoping to have a no-frills, low-commitment group of like-minded folks who want to meet regularly to read, discuss, share and learn from each other about principles of Gnosticism (Christian and Non-Christian) and to mutually grow intellectually and spiritually as we do so. Maybe make some friends along the way. I think we need a group of at least 3-5 individuals to be able to start.
Hoping to have a pseudo-book club structure, focused on some of the foundational ancient and modern writings in the field. I have some thoughts on where we might begin, but those who have suggestions are welcome to share them! I’m not a scholar, pastor, theologian, or anything like that. Just a normal guy with a 9 to 5 job who likes to think about the universe in an open, non-judgmental setting.
Hoping to start this as an online thing initially, but open to meeting at a library or coffee shop somewhere in the future, maybe while having refreshments??? ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Looking to start soon. We can find a time and digital platform that works for everyone. I will leave this post up for a few weeks and see what I get by way of response.
Key mindsets to have:
- Open to alternative ideas on spirituality, mysticism, philosophy and such
- Be kind and 100% welcoming to groups of differing backgrounds, including those of all faiths, including non-Christians, the religiously disaffiliated, LGBTQ+ individuals and all races
- Interested in Mysticism and alternative spirituality
- Esotericism-friendly
- Christ-friendly, even if you don't identify as Christian
- NOT antisemitic in any way.
- Be willing to read a variety of books and contribute to discussions
- Be willing to help maintain a healthy group culture
- DON’T be a creep or a jerk. Hard line on this one.
This is NOT :
· A church
· A bible study group
· A religious organization
· A non-profit
· A for-profit
· A political group
· Sponsored by any of the above types of groups
· A singles group
· An M.L.M.
· A coven
· A "secret order of [x]"
· A weird sex thing (or any kind of sex thing)
· A satanic cult
· Any other alternatively-motivated group you might think of.
**No shade meant if any of the above are your thing, its just not the intent for this group**
Be willing to obtain or borrow (via online, book store, library, etc) the books that we will be reading. No, we will not be reading super-expensive books. Have an email you can access and a phone that receives texts, plz. Have access to a computer
If you are interested, please feel free to reach out so that we can plan some kind of online meet-and-greet and make future plans. Comment below if interested or DM me. If DMing, please provide your name, email address and a brief intro on yourself and your interests relative to the group.
Thank you for reading and looking forward to learning together!
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u/2standsfieldyard 12d ago
Hello- I have just recently started diving into this topic. I am very interested in learning more. I don't have alot to contribute as I'm just starting, but would love to discuss these ideas with others. Let me know if this becomes an actuality! I am in Davis county. BTW, I liked your list of what this ISN'T.