Orthodox forms
of Christianity would have us believe that the Christos is
isolate to the person of Yeshua (Aramaic for "Jesus")
and that he alone is Christ or the Messiah. However, Gnostic
Christianity holds a very different view of Yeshua and the
Christos. Yeshua is viewed as a Christ-bearer and the Christos
is viewed as a Light-Presence; thus, to Christian Gnostics,
Yeshua is a mystic and a magician: a Light-bearer. Rather
than something isolate or exclusive to Yeshua, the Christos
is considered to be embodied by others around the Master,
Yeshua acting as a Center of a Light-Transmission or Christ
Revelation. Essentially, according to masters of Gnostic Christian
Tradition, the Light-Presence of the Messiah is not embodied
by a single individual alone but by a matrix of individuals
and, ultimately, is to be embodied by humanity as a whole--giving
birth to a New and Divine Humanity.
From the Gnostic perspective,
Yeshua is akin to the Image of our Future Self, our True and
Divine Self, and belief in the Incarnation of the Christos
is not merely a belief in the divinity of Yeshua, but a belief
in the Divine Potential within each and every human being.
Thus, to believe that Yeshua is the Incarnation of Christ
is to believe that the Christos is the True Nature of one's
Soul and Self, and that one is destined to evolve toward Christhood.
In this sense, Gnostic Christianity is similar to Eastern
Wisdom Traditions which teach a Path to Enlightenment, and
in the Gnostic view the True Gospel is a Way to the Attainment
of Christ Consciousness. The idea of "salvation"
in Christian Gnosticism is a state of Self-realization.
The name of Yeshua in Hebrew
connotes this idea of Self-realization. It is the Name of
Yahweh, which appears throughout the Old Testament, with the
addition of one letter (the Hebrew letter Shin.) The Divine
Name of Yahweh literally means, "That Which Was, Is,
and forever Shall Be", and the name Yeshua means, "Yahweh
delivers." Yahweh represents the one Being-Consciousness-Force
or Life-Power which is the Source of all, and Yeshua represents
a conscious unification with the Source; hence a state of
Truth-Consciousness (Christ Consciousness). In essence, the
Blessed Name of Yeshua means "knowledge of truth that
will set you free." This truth is the awareness of one's
Soul and Self inseparable from Yahweh.
Glimpses of this truth are
certainly to be found in the gospels that appear in the Holy
Bible, but it becomes more obvious in gospels that were not
included in the Bible, such as the Gospel of St. Thomas, which
was among the scrolls found at Nag Hammadi by an Arab peasant
in 1945. This gospel is quite different than those that appear
in the Bible. Instead of an interpretive story, the Gospel
of St. Thomas is composed of wisdom sayings, the interpretation
of which is left completely to the reader. It is a book meant
to support an oral tradition and to encourage a spiritual
quest for the direct experience of the Spirit of Truth. The
first saying or verse of the gospel makes this perfectly clear.
Basically, it is a proclamation of the gospel as a record
of "secret sayings" that were spoken in the presence
of Didymos Judas Thomas by Yeshua and tells us that if we
gain understanding of the sayings, we will be spiritually
empowered and free from death, which is to say Self-realized.
No one can really say whether St. Thomas actually wrote this
gospel, but the dedication of the gospel to his name is significant,
for Didymos literally means "a twin." If Yeshua
is speaking to a disciple called Didymos Judas Thomas, then
it alludes to the disciple as being like unto Yeshua or resembling
him--hence the idea of the disciple as a Christ-bearer in
the same way Lord Yeshua is a Christ-bearer. Thus, the disciple
to whom these sayings are spoken is one who knows the Indwelling
Christ within himself, and it is implicit that one who reads
and contemplates the Gospel of St. Thomas is to recognize
Christ indwelling her or himself and to identify her or himself
with that Light-Presence. Yeshua may well have spoken these
sayings, but the sayings may also have been spoken by the
Indwelling Christ within the one who wrote them. From the
Christian Gnostic perspective, either way they are authentic
teachings of the Christos. Whether uttered by Christ indwelling
Yeshua or Christ indwelling the disciple, the same Light-Presence
has revealed Itself.
In this light, the sayings
in the Gospel of St. Thomas may be contemplated and meditated
upon as sayings emerging from the Indwelling Christ within
ourselves, as though a still, small voice is speaking them
inwardly as we read and contemplate and meditate upon them.
Study and contemplation of any Scripture in this way can lead
to deep intuitive insights and can easily become an experience
of contact with the Light-Presence within us. This is the
purpose of the Gospel of St. Thomas, and from the Gnostic
perspective, it is the purpose of any Wisdom Teaching or Scripture--a
way to enter into the knowledge and communion of the Divine
Presence and Power within ourselves and our lives. It is interesting
to note the many different gospels we have: the Gospel according
to St. John, the Gospel according to St. Thomas, the Gospel
according to St. Mark, and so on. If one studies them, they
clearly do not tell the same story nor represent a static
or fixed view of Yeshua or the Christos. In fact, each gospel
actually represents the knowledge and understanding of Christ
in the experience of the person who wrote it. In this we gain
a sense of Original Christianity--rather than a fixed doctrine
and dogma, it was a living experience of the Christos (a living
spiritual experience rather than a religion). It suggests
that every "Christian" had his or her own unique
gospel, his or her own knowledge and understanding of the
Truth and Light as it was revealed in his or her own experience
of Christ. In this sense we may say that Original Christianity
was Gnostic, for gnosis is a Greek word meaning "knowledge,"
specifically knowledge and understanding acquired through
direct spiritual or mystical experience, and a Gnostic is
anyone who has acquired such spiritual knowledge to one degree
or another. Essentially, according to the Christian Gnostic
view, the True Gospel is one's own experience of the Truth
and Light, which is "the knowledge of truth that will
set you free." When the Christos is understood in this
way, the fact that some people may use the name Buddha or
Krishna or another name for the Light-Presence does not present
a problem, for by "Christ" we mean the Spirit of
Truth or Light-Presence in whatever form it might appear.
Every human being is unique and individual, therefore every
individual's experience of the Truth and Light will be unique
to her or himself, as will the Holy Gospel she or he brings
forth from within her or himself. It could well be in modern
times, for example, that some people's experience of extraterrestrials
is an experience of the Christos! After all, in a technological
age, it would be quite logical that spiritual experiences
might assume a technological form in consciousness. In terms
of Self-empowerment and Self-realization, the only question
in the Gnostic view is whether or not the individual having
a psychic or spiritual experience is able to recognize the
Light-Presence (Indwelling Christ) within him or herself,
because it is this inward recognition that opens the way to
various degrees of Enlightenment and Liberation ("Salvation").
This is the key to understanding
the Gnostic Christ: the recognition and realization of the
Light-Presence or Indwelling Christ within oneself and the
bringing forth of that Light and Truth from within oneself.
The message of Gnostic Christianity is that we are powerful
spiritual beings, whether or not we are conscious of it--the
only question is how we receive our empowerment and actualize
the Light-Presence in us. To this end, Gnostic Christianity
is replete with methods of mystical prayer, meditation, and
sacred ritual, all of which have the aim of Self-empowerment
and Self-realization. Above I indicated a way to read and
study the Gospel of St. Thomas, or any other Scripture one
might choose, to put one in touch with Divine Presence and
Power in oneself. Now I'd like to share a meditation practice
common to Gnostic Initiates that may also help you towards
recognizing and merging yourself with the Indwelling Christ.
It is called the Essential Meditation of the Risen Yeshua
or Lord of the Rainbow:
Sit in a quite place where
you will not be disturbed, and let your body find its own
natural rhythm of breath. As you breathe, relax, yet remain
alert. Consciously let go of any tension, stress, or negativity
in the body, heart, and mind, allowing yourself to be present
in the moment, clear and conscious. Let your body relax, your
emotions become still, and your mind become quiet, enjoying
the innate peace and joy of the moment. When you are settled
gently, shift your focus to a point within and behind your
heart and visualize a Spiritual Sun shinning there--aware
that in this Light-Presence and in your breath you are intimately
connected to all that lives. Abide in this awareness of Sacred
Unity for a while, conscious of yourself as Spirit-Connected.
When you feel ready, envision a ray of light shoot out of
the Spiritual Sun and magically appearing as the Image of
the Risen Yeshua before you. His feet are not on the ground,
but the image hovers in the space in front of you. He is wearing
an inner robe of white brilliance and an outer robe of violet-purple.
His body shines like the Sun and he is enshrouded with a rainbow
aura. Holding this Divine Image in mind, you may have a conversation
with the Light-Presence or you may abide in silent meditation
in the Divine Presence and Power, whatever you are inclined
to do. Whether taking up a conversation or abiding in silence,
feel the warmth and love of the Christ-Presence within and
all around you and sense the depth of knowledge, understanding,
and wisdom in the Living Presence. Imagine the Holy One smiling
upon you and blessing you and see light pouring from his body
into your body, your whole body becoming pervaded and enshrouded
with light. Whatever you seek--peace, healing, knowledge,
or any other gift, imagine that it is transmitted to you in
this way. When you feel the transmission is complete, chant
the name Yeshua. As you chant the name, visualize the Divine
Image dissolving into fluid light and pouring back into the
Image of the Spiritual Sun in your heart--your whole body
filled with the Light-Presence. Let yourself merge completely
with the Christ-Presence and, as you fall silent, ending the
chant, let your mind become the Mind of Christ, your heart
become the Sacred Heart of Christ, and your body become the
Body of Christ--be united with Christ. Abide as long as you
can in unification with the Light-Presence, and then consciously
ground the energy, letting go of the meditation and just being
present for a few moments. Then you can go about whatever
activity you have in mind aware of yourself as a Light-bearer.
This practice is a good way
to enter into gnosis and communion with the Indwelling Christ
and to progressively develop a self-identification with the
Christ-Self (the Inner and Higher Self). All manner of spiritual
experiences may unfold from a meditation of this kind, and
it is not uncommon for individuals using this method to acquire
psychic or spiritual gifts. Essentially, with regular practice
of this meditation, one is consciously activating the Light-Presence
within oneself and invoking the Divine Presence and Power
into one's life and one's dreams. Joined to the study and
contemplation of the Gospel of St. Thomas or other Wisdom
Teachings, it will naturally tend to bring about deeper knowledge
and understanding and hopefully serve to bring forth the Gospel
of Truth that is within yourself.
Authors Details:
Jesus and the Christos: A Gnostic Perspective - Tau
Malachi
Malachi eben Ha-Elijah's spiritual journey began when
he met the acquaintance of a Tau of the Sophian Tradition
of Gnostic Christianity, Tau Elijah ben Miriam. He received
the oral tradition of Sophian Gnosticism from Tau Elijah,
and has been a student and practitioner of Gnostic Christianity
for over thirty-five years. In 1983 he founded Sophia
Fellowship as an expression of the tradition, and has
been teaching and initiating others into Christian Gnosticism,
Rosicrucian Philosophy and Christian Kabbalah since
that time. - Unknown Web Site |
|
