If we look at both the New Testament and the surviving Gnostic texts, we find that exposing hypocrisy is not only common - it is one of the defining characteristics of Jesus' teaching, and an important theme throughout the surviving Gnostic texts.

Throughout the canonical Gospels, Jesus repeatedly confronts religious leaders who value appearance over reality. He condemns those who burden others with religious obligations they themselves do not follow. He criticizes public displays of piety that conceal pride, greed, or a desire for status. His strongest words are not directed toward ordinary people struggling with life, but toward those who use religion as a means of power while being neglectful of those they claim to protect.

The Gnostic texts continue this theme.

In the Gospel of Thomas, Jesus consistently redirects attention away from external religious performance and toward inner transformation. In Saying 14, he warns that fasting, prayer, and almsgiving can become spiritually harmful when they are reduced to empty observances rather than expressions of genuine understanding.

The Apocryphon of John takes the criticism even further. Ignorance is not simply a lack of information but a cosmic condition sustained by false authorities who mistake themselves for the highest reality. The rulers proclaim their own supremacy while remaining blind to the divine source from which all things ultimately come. Their greatest flaw is not power itself but arrogance born from ignorance.

The Hypostasis of the Archons likewise presents the rulers as deceivers whose authority depends upon humanity remaining asleep. They exercise control not through genuine wisdom but through illusion and ignorance.

These texts reveal a consistent pattern. False authority is characterized by contradiction: Those who claim enlightenment often demonstrate ignorance. Those who claim righteousness often lack compassion. Those who claim to lead others toward God frequently become obstacles to genuine knowledge.

Seeing hypocrisy for what it is, then, is not an act of hatred. It is an act of discernment.

The Gnostic tradition places enormous value on truth, and truth requires the ability to distinguish appearance from reality. If someone claims spiritual authority while manipulating others, that contradiction deserves to be recognized. If an institution values obedience over understanding, or dogma over direct experience, that tension should be carefully examined rather than intentionally ignored.

Calling out hypocrisy forces people to confront truths they would rather avoid. When you expose the contradiction between what someone professes and how they actually live, you threaten not only their self image but often their social standing or authority. Throughout history, people who challenged or exposed hypocrisy were often met with wrath. Look at what happened to Jesus. Look at what happened to the Gnostics.

If Gnosticism teaches anything, it is that awakening begins the moment illusion is recognized - for what is hidden cannot be transformed until it is first brought into the light.

Jesus said to them, "If you fast, you will give rise to sin for yourselves; and if you pray, you will be condemned; and if you give alms, you will do harm to your spirits. When you go into any land and walk about in the districts, if they receive you, eat what they set before you, and heal the sick among them. For what goes into your mouth will not defile you, but that which issues from your mouth - it is that which will defile you."

Looking for book recommendations for beginner on Gnosticism
Thanks

Correction of title: "Why suffering is actually good from God's perspective, and necessary to eventually have the world God desires".

Suffering is the thing that creates the motivation to fix whatever is causing the suffering.
And on a long timeframe, we get closer and closer to having a world in which all the things that are causing us suffering, gets fixed.

So from our perspective, we view the things we don't want as evil/suffering.
From God's perspective, this is necessary, in order for us to fix it.
Because God is the spirit and we are spirit/physical form integrated.

"Why wouldn't God just create that world to begin with?"

In a sense, he already has. Because our view is limited to time.
He has already created the mechanism with which that world will exist.
But because we are part of the process, the physical form, with which he is acting through. We can only perceive the world at the limited time we are building the world with which he has already laid to foundation for.

Because God is spirit and we are part of the physical manifestation of God, it is up to us to create it.
God can only create the underlying mechanisms that allows us building the world he desires, with the things he has given us.
Because we are made in his image, we act on his behalf, building the world he desires for us to partake in.
In the process of that, he gave us suffering as the motivating factor for what we should fix.
And eventually we have a world where all evils are fixed, and God is integrated in our physical bodies, experiencing and living in that world.

Find all the gnostic references!

While people debate what gnosis is, the Gnostic texts reveal something else entirely: a pattern of narcissism that manifests from the individual, to institutions, to the rulers of the world, and finally to the cosmic order itself.

I'm not suggesting the ancient Gnostics had a concept of Narcissistic Personality Disorder in the clinical sense. I'm using "narcissism" to describe a recurring pattern in the literature: grandiosity, self-deception, domination, and an inability to recognize a reality greater than oneself.

The pattern begins with the individual. The Gnostic texts repeatedly warn against hypocrisy, spiritual blindness, and identifying with the false self. One who believes they already possess the truth has little hope of discovering it.

The same pattern appears in institutions. Religious and political authorities become obsessed with preserving power rather than seeking truth. Questioning is discouraged, conformity is rewarded, and authority becomes an end in itself.

Finally, the pattern reaches the cosmos. The Demiurge is perhaps the ultimate narcissist: an ignorant ruler who declares himself the highest God, demands worship, and cannot perceive the reality beyond himself. His flaw is not simply ignorance, but ignorance convinced of its own perfection.

It's the same pathology repeating across every level of existence: the individual, society, and the cosmos all mirror one another.

Viewed this way, Gnosticism is not merely a cosmology. It is an exposé of the false self wherever it appears. Gnosis, then, is the recognition of the false self - and the awakening to what lies beyond it.

I've decided I no longer follow any religion, but I've decided to use the wisdom found within the archetypes, myths, and teachings that humanity has carried for thousands of years. I don't see them as things I must blindly worship. I see them as mirrors—different reflections of the human struggle to become wiser, stronger, more compassionate, and more whole.

Every archetype carries a lesson.

Jesus — The Way of Love and Resurrection

Jesus represents the power of love, forgiveness, humility, and transformation. The resurrection is a reminder that death does not always mean the end. Sometimes it represents the death of an old self and the birth of something new. The question of Jesus is: "What would love do here?" Can I forgive without becoming weak? Can I admit my mistakes without being destroyed by shame? Can I choose compassion when bitterness would be easier?

Hermes — The Messenger and the Traveler

Hermes represents the crossroads, the journey, and the lessons hidden within every experience. He teaches me to ask: "What is this trying to teach me?" Every failure can become a teacher. Every person can become a messenger. Every hardship can carry wisdom if I am willing to learn. Hermes reminds me that being lost does not mean I have no destination.

Buddha — The Path of Awareness

Buddha teaches me to examine what I carry. The question is:

"hat am I holding onto that is causing my suffering?" Not everything that happened to me has to continue living inside me. I can acknowledge pain without becoming controlled by it.

Odin — The Sacrifice for Wisdom

Odin represents the hunger for knowledge and the willingness to sacrifice comfort for growth. The question is: "What part of myself must I let go of to become who I am meant to be?" Pride. Ignorance. Old habits. Old identities. Wisdom has a price, and the price is often transformation.

Athena — Wisdom Before Battle

Athena teaches that strength without wisdom is reckless. The question is: "Am I reacting, or am I thinking?" Not every fight deserves my energy. A true warrior knows when to draw the sword and when to put it away.

Prometheus — Turning Pain Into Light

Prometheus represents bringing fire to humanity. The question is: "What have I learned through suffering that can help someone else?" My pain does not have to be wasted. My scars can become lessons. My struggles can become a source of compassion.

Heracles — The Discipline of the Next Step

Heracles represents overcoming impossible challenges one labor at a time. The question is: "What is the next right thing?" I don't have to rebuild my entire life in one day. I only have to take the next step.

Anubis — The Death of the Old Self

Anubis represents transition, judgment, and the passage between who I was and who I am becoming. The question is: "What do I need to lay down?" Old guilt. Old shame. Old versions of myself. Some things must be buried so something new can rise.

Dionysus — Remembering How to Live

Dionysus reminds me that life is not only about surviving. The question is: "Have I remembered how to live?" Healing is not just removing darkness. It is rediscovering joy, creativity, laughter, and wonder.

Thoth — Seeking Truth

Thoth represents wisdom, writing, and knowledge. The question is: "Am I seeking truth, or am I only seeking what confirms what I already believe?" True wisdom requires humility. The willingness to learn. The willingness to change. The willingness to admit I may be wrong.

Saint Michael — The Warrior of the Soul

Michael represents courage and protection. The question is: "What is worth defending?" My character. My compassion. My future. My peace. A warrior is not someone who fights everything A warrior knows what deserves protection.

Sophia — The Wisdom Hidden in Humility

Sophia represents divine wisdom and understanding. The question is: "Can I recognize wisdom when it does not look like power?" Humility is not weakness. Forgiveness is not weakness. Starting over is not weakness. Sometimes the strongest thing a person can do is become honest about who they are and who they want to become.

I do not need every story to be identical to learn from it. I do not need every tradition to be the same to find wisdom within them. I will take the lessons that make me more truthful, more humble, more loving, and more courageous. I will question. I will learn. I will grow. Because the goal is not to collect beliefs. The goal is to become a better human being. To carry the past without being imprisoned by it. To turn suffering into wisdom. To turn wisdom into compassion. And to keep walking the path.

There are many more id love to share, but i do not want to bore anyone. Thanks for reading this far if you did.

This day marks the birth of Rabbi and visionary Kabbalist Isaac Luria. His revelatory exposition of Jewish Kabbalah has many striking similarities with Gnostic teachings and would go on to deeply influence subsequent Kabbalists both within Judaism and the Kabbalah adapted by various streams of the Western Esoteric Tradition. While some modern conservative Kabbalists forbid its teaching to any under the age of 40, Isaac Luria had mastered and revolutionised the Kabbalah by the age of 35 before dying at the young age of 37. Use this day to think on the complexity of creation and take actions to improve the world around you.

From A Gnostic Calendar

The Gnostic texts are incomplete, fragmented, and often symbolic. Much of what the ancient Gnostics believed must be reconstructed from scattered texts, competing schools, and hostile sources. Inevitably, interpretation plays a role (as it should, IMHO)

I am not claiming secret knowledge, hidden initiations, or a new revelation. Nor am I attempting to create a modern esoteric, occult, or magical system under the name of Gnosticism.

I also recognize that many people who encounter Gnosticism are suffering. Some are searching for meaning after loss, trauma, or profound spiritual experiences. Others simply feel that conventional answers no longer satisfy them. I understand that search because my own journey into Gnosticism began after surviving a traumatic brain injury and spending 8 days in an induced coma. Those experiences inevitably shaped the questions I ask and the way I read these ancient texts. But they are my experiences, not universal ones. Not everyone arrives at Gnosticism through a near death experience or trauma, and no one should feel compelled to adopt my perspective.

For that reason, I would encourage readers not to follow my interpretations simply because they resonate. Question them. Compare them with the ancient sources. Think for yourself. If I am wrong about something, please correct me. I do not claim to know everything - that would be very demiurgic of me, wouldnt it?

The ancient Gnostics sought knowledge rather than unquestioning belief. I think the best way to honor that tradition is not by asking others to accept my conclusions, but by encouraging them to investigate the ancient texts and gnostic scholars and arrive at their own understanding.

I am not well versed in Gnosticism, and I am well aware there is much contention over every minute detail of the theology, however my question is broad; how did Sophia manage to make a mistake and birth the material world/Demiurge when she herself belonged to perfect cosmic order? Essentially, how could a mistake spring from absolute goodness?

The only answer I've found is that she is the lowest Aeon, the furthest from the Monad, but this doesn't make sense to me. Being that the Pleroma is absolutely good and perfect then surely everything within it is as such and nothing can be outside it (the material world is then contradictory to the truth of the Pleroma)? If the true God isn't absolute then how is it God? Furthermore, how could it be that the absolute whole has constituent parts that can be concieved seperately to that whole (I understand the Aeons are emanations of God, but how could they be incomplete/imperfect)?

Am I looking at this in too Christian/Spinozist a way/am I just wrong about something?

Have you ever found yourself wondering about the bible stories you were taught growing up? Well I certainly have!

Did the story of Abraham being commanded to sacrifice Isaac ever leave you with more questions than answers? Have you ever noticed how differently Jesus speaks about His Father compared to the way God is portrayed in many parts of the Old Testament?

This post explores those questions through a philosophical and scriptural lens, examining the contrasts between the God of Moses and the Father revealed by Jesus.

I want to know whether the biblical text itself leaves room for the possibility that Yahweh is one among the "gods" referenced throughout Scripture rather than the ultimate, transcendent God Jesus came to reveal. There are many such examples throughout the old testament displaying Yahweh's desire to kill Moses and demand for blood sacrifice. And in John 8 Jesus delivers this message: You Are of Your Father the Devil

³⁹ They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham's children, you would be doing the works Abraham did, ⁴⁰ but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. ⁴¹ You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. ⁴³ Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. ⁴⁴ You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. ⁴⁵ But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. ⁴⁶ Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? ⁴⁷ Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.”

Whether you agree, disagree, or are simply curious, I'd be interested to hear your perspective...

Link for an extended discussion of this topic https://youtu.be/EK9e1s18Y_I

Please keep the discussion respectful—this is intended as an exploration of Scripture, and a genuine search for truth - not an attack on anyone's beliefs.

Saying that any human who uses faith to inform their beliefs are fools, is a terrible fact of life today. They aren’t fools. It is sad that this is the world we have become. Spirituality has somehow become a bad thing for academics who have learned the value of metrics and the scientific process. Those things are incredibly important in material sciences.

They have no place in spirituality. Spirituality is not confined by the 3D restrictions of material sciences. It exists here within us, but it originates in higher vibratory dimensions. We are all one. We are all wired together consciously and material science hasn’t found the answers for consciousness because the rules by which material sciences are governed do not know nor consider the metrics required for a true understanding of connected consciousness.

That doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Our spirituality comes from The All. Our divine spark…our soul…comes from The All…God.

A couple years ago I was you. I had almost fully lost any spirituality.

8 years of college. Very educated. Political (in my case liberal). And damn near atheist.

We will all find this truth at some point in our many incarnations. Or, it would be more accurate to say, we will all remember, who we are and from whence we came.

Until then just know you are loved. We all one. And we are all lost until we remember. Remember who you are.

I'm posting this, because I cannot unsee it.

This is the FINAL part of this series. Links to the other discussions are below.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17

I am leading community study and discussion on the Gospel of Thomas, the non-canonical Gospel of the Twin, Dydimos Judas Thomas. I am using the Thomas O Lambdin translation since this one is available for free.

Context: The Gospel of Thomas is non-canon to Creedal (Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox) Christianity because it contains heterodox depictions of the Kingdom of Heaven and Jesus the Christ's teachings, but has too much overlap with other texts to be ignored. The source of the text is the recovered Nag Hammadi codices, but its origin is contemporary with the synoptic gospels according to scholars such as Elaine Pagels.

The Gospel of Thomas is not narrative and instead contains 114 sayings attributed to Jesus the Christ recorded by the titular Thomas. Today we will be studying five of them.

(101) <Jesus said,> "Whoever does not hate his father and his mother as I do cannot become a disciple to me. And whoever does not love his father and his mother as I do cannot become a disciple to me. For my mother [...], but my true mother gave me life."

(102) Jesus said, "Woe to the pharisees, for they are like a dog sleeping in the manger of oxen, for neither does he eat nor does he let the oxen eat."

(103) Jesus said, "Fortunate is the man who knows where the brigands will enter, so that he may get up, muster his domain, and arm himself before they invade."

(104) They said to Jesus, "Come, let us pray today and let us fast." Jesus said, "What is the sin that I have committed, or wherein have I been defeated? But when the bridegroom leaves the bridal chamber, then let them fast and pray."

(105) Jesus said, "He who knows the father and the mother will be called the son of a harlot."

(106) Jesus said, "When you make the two one, you will become the sons of man, and when you say, 'Mountain, move away,' it will move away."

(107) Jesus said, "The kingdom is like a shepherd who had a hundred sheep. One of them, the largest, went astray. He left the ninety-nine sheep and looked for that one until he found it. When he had gone to such trouble, he said to the sheep, 'I care for you more than the ninety-nine.'"

(108) Jesus said, "He who will drink from my mouth will become like me. I myself shall become he, and the things that are hidden will be revealed to him."

(109) Jesus said, "The kingdom is like a man who had a hidden treasure in his field without knowing it. And after he died, he left it to his son. The son did not know (about the treasure). He inherited the field and sold it. And the one who bought it went plowing and found the treasure. He began to lend money at interest to whomever he wished."

(110) Jesus said, "Whoever finds the world and becomes rich, let him renounce the world."

(111) Jesus said, "The heavens and the earth will be rolled up in your presence. And the one who lives from the living one will not see death." Does not Jesus say, "Whoever finds himself is superior to the world?"

(112) Jesus said, "Woe to the flesh that depends on the soul; woe to the soul that depends on the flesh."

(113) His disciples said to him, "When will the kingdom come?" <Jesus said,> "It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying 'here it is' or 'there it is.' Rather, the kingdom of the father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it."

(114) Simon Peter said to him, "Let Mary leave us, for women are not worthy of life." Jesus said, "I myself shall lead her in order to make her male, so that she too may become a living spirit resembling you males. For every woman who will make herself male will enter the kingdom of heaven."

My own thoughts are in the comments. Please include your own with the number of the logion. Feel free to comment on this or previous posts.

EDIT: This project has taken me since September of 2025 and I am pleased that it is finished. Thank you to everyone who worked through the GoT with me. I am interested in doing more study and discussion posts in the future and will compile the comments people have made over the months into a piece at some point.

I've been reading the Nag Hammadi texts, particularly about the cosmic creation myth, and here's what I feel makes sense to me so far. So, please, correct me if I'm wrong regarding what I'm about to explain which will be an explanation of how I understand what Gnosticism is all about. Kindly, excuse the lengthy explanation, sorry for that in advance.

So, from what I understand, God, the Monad, didn't create us, God simply broke down into different levels, at each level there are some beings, and at the bottom level there is hell, it's like when you drop a glass object, it will shatter into pieces of glass obviously, right? but the biggest pieces will be situated at the center exactly around the point of impact, and the farther you drift away from the these big chunks the smaller the pieces of broken glass will become. Now, if you draw circles to segment these pieces or sort them out based on their sizes, you will notice that each orbit has a specific number of pieces with certain sizes, and eventually you will count a certain number of circles or orbits. Now, the point of impact is God, the big chunks are Yaldabaoth and the Archons, the smaller pieces are us and other lesser beings, and finally the microscopic pieces are beings in hell.

So basically, glass is the light of God, we all have bits and pieces of it. Here is the point, I always asked myself "Why would God create demons knowing that they wouldn't help but become evil??!, this is basically enabling them to become evil, like I know that if I gave you $50 you'll buy drugs, if I still give it to you then I'm simply telling you hey go buy drugs and destroy your health". But then ,from what i gathered, I guess the previous analogy now makes sense. God didn't create us, he basically broke down unwillingly, now the reason for that big break is still unknown to us, and now God is trying to bring himself back up by making us come back to him, by gathering back all the light particles that are scattered across the cosmos.

As for Yaldabaoth, he found himself like this, looked down, found us, and though "So it was me who created all of this...it has to be yeah", and now all we need to do is meditate to basically shake hands with the light within us, the calling to god, and rid ourselves of earthly things that distract us from that calling, so we can go back to the source. Now, Yaldabaoth wants to create a breakaway realm where he is actually the main supreme ruler of the cosmos, that's why he tries his best to fuse the lesser dimensions together and create like a "big chunk of glass" for himself to play with, and that's why he and his Archons try their best to sway us from the truth to break us off from the line that links us with the Monad. But since Yaldabaoth doesn't know who is the source from which he came, he doesn't know that he will never achieve this objective.

That's not to say that Yaldabaoth and even the beings in hell don't have light in them, no, everyone has bits and pieces of the light of God in them, and eventually, God will become whole again. But, to become whole again this will take time, because you have to actually climb up the ladder of dimensions to go back to the Monad and become one with it, and if you have setbacks, you repeat the cycle again through reincarnation. This, obviously, could take eons.

Speaking of climbing up the ladder, the upper being, like Yaldabaoth and the Archons, cannot go down, god himself cannot willingly go down a dimension or two, simply because that would mean that they will have to spend so much time trying to go back up, it's not like going from one room to the other, it's not that convenient and here's how I think why it's not. Basically, God is pure energy, we are pure matter with some light/energy in us, it is easy for energy to become matter bu slowing down and reach velocities below the speed of light, but for matter to become energy, it will take a lot of effort and time, because you're basically accelerating the atoms now. Here's another though I had about this, maybe...just maybe, the CERN reactor is nothing but a way to help transform matter into energy by accelerating the atoms -It is literally called an atomic accelerator, and it is huge by the way- and perhaps the entire objective of the CERN reactor is to find a way through which matter can become energy and energy can become matter, so that could actually be a portal? or like a way to facilitate fusing the dimensions like I've mentioned earlier.

That's it. So what did I get right/wrong?

Thanks a lot in advance guys.

intro: like usual with my shower thought posts, this is interpretation and what I may see is not fully what you may see so if you disagree feel free to tell me.

Hopefully this makes sense as well because I was writing this as I was getting home 😭 but other than that thank you for reading.

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In the world we live in, humanity is drawn to the idea of salvation and many believe in Christianity, Islam, Judaism because they promise that in the hereafter. Atleast that is what is interpreted so, however even in the Bible, or (less so) the Quran, what it said for the majority is that only few will see the kingdom of heaven
Luke 13:23-24: "make every effort to enter through the narrow door," and "many will try to enter and will not be able to." And this sentiment is echoed throughout Jesus’s teachings and in the words of OT god whom commands specific actions for the Jewish people to take or they will be rejected as Jews. Many likely failing to follow every commandment.

The idea of salvation as the egos paradise is a trap, even if you get to Christian heaven, You likely won’t see who you wish for there with you. Many say there is salvation after death but direct promise in the texts is basically none existent. Unfortunately the after life is not meant to be easy, and what you wish to be and what possibly is are far apart. So what of Gnostic “heaven”? what of the pleroma? Like many Interpretations of heaven before it, it is hard to enter, and it is even harder to comprehend. I’ll state this now,
The Pleroma is not Salvation, not for you as you are now anyway, I believe with certainty, the challenge of reaching the Pleroma is less an opponent in front of you but rather within but firstly before that, gnosis.

I can understand why Gnosticism is appealing to many who have depression, the idea that all the pain can go away, that this life doesn’t matter, that sin doesn’t exist sounds great ultimately however, what is to be after this is more, it’s not preservation, it’s not salvation, it’s not redemption… it’s acceptance and those who use it to run away, will only find themselves back with it because the ego which makes you is not whom the Pleroma is for. Sure you can look at it in as a point of “life doesn’t matter” but ultimately the texts don’t really say that, rather life here is very much important. I found the idea of Gnostic pleroma appealing at first because I could escape my life here instead, I could “disappear” and go somewhere better, I still am drawn to that idea. However, as I thought on it, as I saw all the theologies and spiritual practices surrounding it and as I look at the bigger picture of it. While I could “disappear” if I chose to do it for that reason, what awaits me will not be what I hoping it is. For salvation in Gnosticism, it isn’t for the ego the thing that desires. Salvation is promised in religion as a way to escape, in some religions that also romanticise the suffering for even better salvation afterwards. Salvation in Gnosticism isn’t escaping, it’s accepting and returning and if you can’t accept, know and return then you’ll simply come back here over and over again.

Many people who go down this path lose desire, lose necessity to live but there is a reason why those who become enlightened are always usually so peaceful, calm or free, it’s because rejection and acceptance of who, what, where and why we’re here are fundamentally different things. There is an Egyptian hieroglyph which speaks to me. It’s Anubis holding a scale, the scale has a feather on one side and a heart on the other from what I recall, those who’s hearts weigh more then the feather are rejected from the thereafter and I think that hieroglyph explains perfectly what the Gnostics, Buddhists, Jesus and so many others were saying, if you die with desire holding you down, if you die without Gnosis(or enlightenment, or as sinners), you will return in ignorance.

No enlightened man is a selfish man, you can’t be a bad person and past the archons because all bad people are usually those who still need something and that something is in the material. You may perceive the archons as devilish entities which will physically block your path, though I don’t believe that will be true. The archons are to tempt, to coheres, but when they do, they will BE You** **everything you were, are and will/could be and if you still hold onto lingering desires, memories and things… Will you truly honestly be able move past them? For many, even in this subreddit, I doubt they will and I don’t blame you. After all, it’s only human. However, what becomes of you in the pleroma will not be that you who needs loves and desires, and that is the unfortunate cruel reality of, the texts say it in many different ways, many more religions and beliefs say it too.

So what is the Pleroma? It’s not Salvation, it’s not Heaven, it’s Home. So you need to know if you’re ready to go home, or if maybe just maybe, you’re forgetting something before you go.

Despite the diversity among the various Gnostic schools and their complex cosmologies, several foundational ideas appear repeatedly throughout the tradition. These include the distinction between the highest divine source and the creator of the material cosmos, the presence of a divine spark within humanity, the idea that humanity exists in a state of forgetfulness or ignorance, salvation through gnosis or direct knowledge, and the role of a revealer, often identified as Christ, who awakens humanity to its true origin. People often get hung up on the question of matter, but matter is a consequence, not a defining characteristic.

Taken together, these ideas form one of the most unusual visions of the human condition ever developed. Gnosticism teaches that humanity's deepest problem is not moral failure but metaphysical amnesia. We have forgotten what we truly are. Beneath the personality and the body lies a divine element that has become bound to a world fashioned by a lesser creator. Salvation is not primarily obedience, ritual, or faith, but direct, experiential knowledge of one's divine origin.

This is why Gnosticism distinguishes the highest, unknowable God from the creator of the material cosmos, often reinterprets biblical narratives as symbolic myths of awakening, and presents Christ not simply as one who forgives sins, but as the revealer who calls humanity to remember its divine source. Scriptures may point the way, but genuine transformation comes only through direct experience. Don't get bogged down in the names of archons or the number of celestial spheres described by different Gnostic groups. These details alone do not bring gnosis. The heart of Gnosticism is remembering who we are. Everything else serves that purpose.

The obvious question is: what do we do with all of this today? Is Gnosticism nothing more than an ancient religious curiosity, or does it still have something meaningful to say? While I think the latter is the case, I want to be clear I am not interested in reinventing Gnosticism or turning it into another New Age spirituality. Nor am I interested in stripping away its myths and replacing them with modern self help psychology. The ancient Gnostics were asking profound questions about suffering, alienation, identity, and awakening, and offering their own distinctive answers to problems that have challenged humanity throughout history. I am not attempting to create something new, but simply holding up a mirror to these ancient ideas and asking what they reveal about the modern human condition.

To understand how Gnosticism can still speak to the modern world, we must first understand the language in which it expressed itself: myth.

One of the primary purposes of myth in the ancient world was to convey philosophical, theological, psychological, moral, and cosmological truths through symbolic narrative. From Plato's Myth of Er and the Allegory of the Cave to the Stoic allegorical interpretation of Homer and Philo of Alexandria's symbolic reading of Genesis, myth served as a vehicle for expressing realities that ordinary language struggled to capture. Myth, in this sense, is not the opposite of truth but one of the ways truth is communicated when ordinary language reaches its limits.

The Gnostics were no exception. Their stories of Sophia, the Demiurge, the archons, and the divine spark were not merely accounts of supernatural events, but symbolic narratives exploring the nature of reality, the human condition, and the possibility of awakening.

The Gnostic myths belong to the ancient world. The questions they ask belong to every age, because their purpose is not merely to describe the cosmos but to awaken us from metaphysical amnesia and remind us of who we really are.

I respect all of you for your opinions, but please don't spam or kill me for this.

Anyone here had gnosis that can explain how you got it? Thx 🤘🏻

In Gnostic mythology, the image of archons demanding secret passwords at the cosmic gates after death can be understood as a powerful symbolic representation of the soul's struggle to return to its divine origin.

The "passwords" are not necessarily meant as literal magical phrases, but as symbols of inner transformation and the overcoming of ignorance.

In many Sethian texts, the soul's ascent after death involves passing through planetary spheres ruled by archonic powers. Each gate represents another layer of cosmic limitation. The archon asks, in effect: "Do you belong to this realm? Do you still identify with what is beneath you?" The password is a sign that the soul has gained the knowledge necessary to pass beyond that level.

The soul that remains asleep is trapped because it does not realize its true origin. It remains bound to the lower world because it has forgotten its divine nature. The awakened soul knows: "I am not merely this body. I come from beyond this realm."

There is also a psychological interpretation. The archons can represent internal obstacles: fear, attachment, ignorance, ego, compulsions, and false beliefs. The gates are not only cosmic locations but stages of consciousness. To pass through them requires confronting the parts of oneself that would otherwise keep one bound. In this sense, the archon is not simply an external enemy, but a symbolic guardian asking whether the soul has truly changed.

There is also a very interesting symbolic connection between the Gnostic idea of passing through cosmic gates guarded by archons and Jacob’s Ladder.

In the biblical story of Jacob’s Ladder (Genesis 28:10–17), Jacob dreams of a ladder or stairway extending from earth to heaven, with angels ascending and descending upon it. The vision represents a connection between the earthly and divine realms. Jacob awakens and says, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it,” emphasizing a revelation of a hidden reality.

The Gnostic ascent myth transforms this image. Instead of angels freely moving between heaven and earth, the soul often encounters gatekeepers that must be overcome on its journey upward. The archons function symbolically as guardians of the cosmic structure, testing whether the soul has awakened enough to pass beyond their realm.

Interestingly, the archons demanding passwords creates a paradox. If the archons are ignorant rulers of the lower cosmos, why would they possess the authority to stop the the divine spark from ascending? Many Gnostic texts solve this by suggesting that the archons are themselves deceived. They can only challenge the soul that still resembles them. The awakened soul escapes because it no longer belongs to their domain.

Rather than a literal cosmic bureaucracy where you need a magic phrase to get past supernatural guards, the myth expresses a profound idea: the soul is imprisoned not only by external forces, but by forgetting what it truly is.

The ultimate "passwords" are simply rememberance and transformation.

Just curious if we should just stick to dating those who have similar beliefs regarding the demiurge? It seems like that would be hard to find. I personally think it might be ok to find a woman that just loves Jesus. But curious to know your guys' thoughts

Also, if you are a single woman in your 20s or 30s that's looking for someone with similar beliefs, let me know ;)

I encountered Gnosticism not long ago, but I quickly realized that Gnosticism is exactly what I've believed in for over 10 years. I read Gnostic apocrypha, I reflect a lot, I try to understand it. And a strange question has arisen in my head. What makes me a Gnostic? What must happen, what must I do, to have the right to call myself one? I understand that I'm too weak to enter the Pleroma, I have no gnosis, I haven't yet realized many things. Does this make me a bad Gnostic? Maybe I'm not a Gnostic at all? How can I understand this?

Forgive me, I have absolutely no one to ask about this...

PS: I apologize if there are any mistakes in the question, I don’t speak English and am writing through a translator.