Chicago Gnosis Podcast

Guided Practices | Ham-Sah Pranayama

This is the first in a series of guided practices where students can apply Gnostic methods for spiritual transformation. Ham-Sah Pranayama is an essential technique for conserving and elevating creative energy from the sexual organs to the mind and heart. When the consciousness is empowered by sexual energy, it has greater activity, potential, and strength to perform the spiritual work. Learn how to perform Ham-Sah Pranayama and apply it for as long and as often as you need. We recommend starting with 15 minutes and building up your practice as you gain momentum and stamina.

Resources and References:

• Ham-Sah Pranayama PowerPoint
• Lecture by Samael Aun Weor: The Conquest of the Illuminating Void
• Chicago Gnosis Guided Practice

Gnostic Gospels | The Spirituality of Sex

The Gnostics were revolutionary and provocative in enough ways to incur the wrath of the established Church. The most notable reason includes their views on the sacrament of marriage. Such controversial groups understood that the spiritually-transformed sexual act could raise the fallen Sophia (the wisdom of an awakened consciousness) to the heights of Pleroma (the direct experience of divine reality). See how through an explanation of the Gnostic Gospel of Phillip.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/the-spirituality-of-sex

Gnostic Gospels | Initiation, Revelation, and the New Age

The gnostics represented the path of divine reunion through mystical symbolism. Those candidates who had proven their maturity within the ancient mystery schools were initiated into the secret teachings of Esoteric Christianity, whereby they could decipher and apply the meanings of such abstract scriptures in their individual, spiritual work. The Gospel of Thomas communicates the nature of sacred revelation and its psychological requisites: the purification of the consciousness in striving for the highest reality. Discover the basis and nature of initiation in relation to the New Age of Aquarius for which the Gnostic Gospels predicted and foretold.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/initiation-revelation-and-the-new-age

Gnostic Gospels | Our Divine Potential

The Gnostic Gospels teach that we are presently a seed that can blossom into an angel. A prophet, saint, or perfect being is not the product of theories and beliefs, but practical spirituality. Discover how to develop and master your divine potential through three mystical sciences: kabbalah (the Tree of Life), alchemy (the Tree of Knowledge), and psychology (as taught in the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas).

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/our-divine-potential

Spiritual Defense 04 How to Be a Gnostic Priest

A real priest is a magician, from the Indo-European root mag or Persian magush: an initiate who masters his or her own psychology and the inferior elements of nature. Magic, therefore, is the ability of the consciousness to influence the inner and outer cosmos, either with purity of mind and harmony with superior law, or with animal desire in violation of divine commands. Develop power as a magician over your own inner universe and benefit humanity through the three disciplines of the Gnostic priesthood: ceremonial, elemental, and sexual magic.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/how-to-be-a-gnostic-priest

Gnostic Gospels | Know Thyself

All religious and spiritual movements emphasized the importance of self-knowledge for developing a personal relationship with divinity. Rather than rely on convoluted theories or convictions without evidence, aspirants of any tradition can develop experiential wisdom of mystical truths through the application of practical techniques. See how through an examination of the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas, Socrates’ daemon in the Apology, Samael Aun Weor’s explanation of spiritual inquietudes, and the famous Greek maxim of Delphi: “Gnothi Sauton” or “Know Thyself.”

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/know-thyself

Spiritual and Mental Health | Energetic and Psychic Hygiene

Many great spiritual traditions emphasize the importance of physical, moral, and psychological cleanliness. Through maintaining bodily, emotional, and mental health, individuals establish greater serenity and stability within various domains of life: the social, economic, professional, familial, and personal. By cultivating positive energy from spiritual practices like meditation, we can enhance and enliven our level of being for the betterment of self and other. Likewise, we strengthen and protect our psyche from psychological contagion, characterized by harmful internal states and negative external influences.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/energetic-and-psychic-hygiene

Dream Yoga and Astral Travel 15 Navigating the Internal Worlds

There are many things a competent investigator of the internal worlds can do. Learn how to invoke a master, visit temples, explore other planets, investigate the hell realms, conjure demons, practice white magic, manifest divine powers, overcome ordeals, study the Akashic Records, negotiate your karma, prophesy the future, remember past lives, receive divine teachings, and more.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/navigating-the-internal-worlds

Dream Yoga and Astral Travel 14 Analyzing Dreams through Meditation

Going to a dream dictionary is not enough to provide clarity. Instead, students often become perplexed when relying on contradictory explanations and subjective readings rather than their own consciousness. While numerous books about dream interpretation exist, genuine understanding of our inner experiences arrives when we practice meditation.

As the science of acquiring information beyond our ordinary senses, meditation teaches reliance upon divinity and spiritual facts. Rather than confuse oneself through a multitude of conflicting ideas about dream symbols, practical meditators do not need others to decipher their unique, subtle, and idiosyncratic visions. Dream interpretation establishes a deeply personal relationship with divinity, which is why dependency on others to unveil our inner life is unnecessary and counterproductive. With enough meditative training, one gains enough intuition, confidence, and certainty in the truth of their perceptions.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/analyzing-dreams-through-meditation

Dream Yoga and Astral Travel 13 How to Interpret Dreams

As dream yogis develop familiarity with astral projection, dream recall, and awakening consciousness, there remains the difficulty of interpreting experiences. Practitioners must know how to discriminate what they perceive, the spiritually real from the illusory ego, through three spiritual parameters: Imagination (perceiving a dream), Inspiration (recognizing dream symbols), and Intuition (comprehending their meaning).  

Since divinity communicates through the language of parables, interpreting dreams also requires a profound, practical understanding of the cosmic laws upon which they are based: philosophical and contrary analogies, correspondences, and numerology. By meditating upon these factors in combination with the psychological impression of a dream, one acquires insight into its significance.

Resources and References:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/how-to-interpret-dreams