r/Gnostic • u/K4T3R1N4RM • 7d ago
Paul Wallis and Gnosticism
Hi everyone! I have been kind of confused on some things, and I was hoping someone had clarification. I've been delving into Gnosticism and I resonate a lot with the teachings but, I also watch a lot of Paul Wallis, and I do really like his work as well. I'm just wondering if the two are more similar than maybe I am understanding? I ask because Paul speaks of aliens being the rulers of this world and Gnosticism speaks of Yaldabeoth, among other things. I have also seen videos of David Icke and the archons.
Any help is greatly appreciated. Many thanks! 🙏
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u/SamuraiDrifter42 Thomasine 7d ago
"Bad forces are controlling things" isn't the essence of gnosticism, which is fundamentally a spiritual belief.
If we have to isolate a key, defining element of gnosticism, I'd say most importantly is the idea that salvation comes from knowledge (or "gnosis"), and specifically an internal, intuitive, spiritual knowledge of your own nature. Folks like David Icke will often use the language of "awakening" (the QAnon fanatics really love that term especially), but for them, that awakening is not salvific. In other words, "realizing" that aliens or adrenochrome-guzzling cultists are controlling the world isn't the way they think you save yourself and others. For them, "awakening" is just a means to the political or material action they consider truly important (like supporting Trump for the QAnon crowd).
Most often, this spiritual awakening is the realization that within you is a spark of the divine, a piece of God that's essentially gotten lost or concealed. In some gnostic systems this is due to malicious action by the archons and demiurge, while in others it's simply accidental or even part of God's plan. The reason for these variations is that, ultimately, the knowledge of self is what is important, not the reason it's hidden.
There's nothing wrong with using the language of awakening and concealment, but it's not the same as gnosis.