Chicago Gnosis Podcast

The Sufi Path of Self-Knowledge 03 Awakening

"And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." ―Daniel 12:2

Awakening is a popular term used in spiritual circles, but what does it really mean? Rather than rely on vague, incongruent, ambiguous and self-contradictory explanations, it is best to rely on one's own conscious experience in conjunction with the scriptures. This lecture explores the basis of genuine spirituality: positive awakening through the soul's liberation from suffering and its subsequent development of virtue, and its opposite: negatively awakening through strengthening the conditions of the mind and the deepening of pain.

The Sufi Path of Self-Knowledge 02 Knowledge and Being

"Knowledge is obligatory only in so far as is requisite for acting rightly. God condemns those who learn useless knowledge (Kor. ii, 96), and the Prophet said: 'I take refuge with Thee from knowledge that profiteth naught.' Much may be done by means of a little knowledge, and knowledge should not be separated from action. The Prophet said: 'The devotee without divinity is like a donkey turning a mill,' because the donkey [intellectual] goes round and round over its own tracks and never makes any advance." ―Al-Hujwiri, Revelation of the Mystery

"A donkey with a load of holy books is still a donkey." ―Traditional Sufi Proverb

Learn how intellectual and spiritual knowledge must be combined with practice in order to elevate one's level of being and way of life. Comprehension is based upon the harmonious balance of knowledge and being, whereas ignorance results from the lack of communion between these factors. See how through a study of various scriptures from the Sufi, Buddhist, and Gnostic traditions.

The Sufi Path of Self-Knowledge 01 Marifah: Self-Knowledge

Allah says, “I was a hidden treasure, and I wished to be known, so I created a creation (mankind), then made Myself known to them, and they recognized Me.” ―Hadith Qudsi

Marifah is Arabic for knowledge of divinity and universal principles, the actualization or experience of the truth within oneself.  This lecture is the first in a course on self-knowledge, how to acquire personal understanding of the divine through the application of psychological, spiritual, and practical works. Learn how the highest wisdom, known amongst the Sufis as Marifah, is manifested through comprehension of the psyche, the mind, emotions, and our willpower, especially as explained within the esoteric writings and heart of the Muslim tradition. You will also learn about the Kabbalah, Tree of Life, and the nature of spiritual ascension to higher ways and modes of consciousness or being through knowing oneself completely.

Gnostic Psychology | The Mind and Intuition

Spiritual development is based on self-mastery, including that of the mind and heart. While the intellect is a useful instrument, it must serve divinity and not the other way around. This is accomplished through awakening intuition: the ability to comprehend without needing to think. Explore how through the writings of Samael Aun Weor, Morya, the Sufis, and the Upanishads.

Gnostic Psychology | The Energy of the Consciousness

“Wherever we direct our attention, we expend creative energy.” ―Samael Aun Weor

Energy is fundamental to physical and spiritual life. Learn about the different gradations of energy in accordance with the Hebraic Kabbalah: the Tree of Life, and how these different forces relate to different spiritual paths and the harmonious development of the soul. This lecture refers to the Fourth Way teachings of Gurdjieff and Ouspensky, the esoteric writings of Samael Aun Weor, the Gospels, and the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche, specifically his esoteric book Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and his analysis of the paths of the Fakir, Monk, Yogi and Gnostic.

Gnostic Psychology | The Solar Bodies and Bodhichitta

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the πνεῦμα [pneuma: spirit], he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh [through the ordinary sexual act]; and that which is born of the πνεῦμα [pneuma: spirit, through tantra] is πνεῦμα  [pneuma: spirit]. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The πνεῦμα [pneuma, wind] bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the πνεῦμα [pneuma, spirit]. ―John 3:5-8

Tantrayana, Dzogchen, and esoteric Christianity teach the secret path to liberation and the birth of the soul through harnessing the most potent force available in the universe, a power that resides within our sexual glands. The enigmatic instructions of Jesus to Nicodemus, "You must be born again," constitute a sexual problem, since no birth within any part of the cosmos is a mere matter of belief, but is accomplished through sexual union. This lecture explains the purpose of tantra or sacred sexuality: how to create the soul or solar bodies, the famous "Wedding Garment" (Matthew 22) worn by those purified beings in the superior regions of great nature. Discover also the nature of enlightened mind within Tantric Buddhism, known in Sanskrit as bodhichitta. This lecture elaborates upon the qualifications of spiritual birth in relation to the Gospels, Buddhism, Hinduism, and the Epistles of St. Paul.

 

Gnostic Psychology | The Science of Mind: Phenomena and Noumena

Consciousness has the capacity to perceive not only the appearances of things, but their innate, hidden, and spiritual nature. By awakening the consciousness, the practitioner transcends superstition, theory, and belief, developing genuine faith in divinity and certainty through one's experiences.

There are three distinct aspects of mind: the Sensual, Mystical, and Internal, the study of which is essential for advancing on the path of meditation. Learn how to develop and experience your full conscious potential through practical works, so as to perceive reality beyond illusory forms, philosophical fallacies, and mistaken beliefs. This lecture explains the three minds of gnostic psychology through the writings of Immanuel Kant, Master Morya, the New Testament, the Qur'an, The Odyssey and Samael Aun Weor.

Gnostic Psychology | Mental Dynamics

"In mental dynamics we need to know how and why the mind functions as it does. Unquestionably, the mind is an instrument that we must learn to use consciously. But it would be absurd for such an instrument to be efficient for us if we first did not know the how and why of the mind. When one knows the how and the why of the mind, when one knows the different functionalisms of the mind, then one can control it. Thus, the mind becomes a useful and perfect instrument through which we can work for the benefit of humanity." ―Samael Aun Weor, The Revolution of the Dialectic

You will learn advanced principles of meditation and the means for developing true comprehension of the causes of suffering. By dominating the mind and understanding its multiple, mechanistic forms, the meditator can overcome his or her conditioning and acquire a revolutionary consciousness. Through the development of self-knowledge, one knows how to profoundly serve divinity and humanity with efficacy, skill, and wisdom. See how through teachings from Buddhism, Kabbalah, Islam, Alice in Wonderland, and Greek mythology.

Gnostic Psychology | The Secret Path of the Heart

Every spiritual teaching possesses a body, soul, and spirit. However, not all students have been initiated into the inner, spiritual teachings of their religion, regardless of their convictions. While public religion constitutes the most basic, exterior form of knowledge (the body of the doctrine), so there is a secret, heart doctrine in the depth of every great tradition provided by the great guides of humanity. Yet unfortunately, many reject the existence or power of this heart doctrine due to superstition, fanaticism, and exclusivity, the blind belief that one already knows when in reality one does not.

Each level of instruction, whether introductory, intermediate, or advanced, provides necessary guidance and wisdom about one's psychology that cannot be skipped or ignored, but must be mastered within oneself. In this lecture you will understand this basic structure of every mystical tradition, especially that of Buddhism, Judaism, and Sufism. This lecture also explains the difference between belief and actual faith (direct, living experience of the truth) through the writings of Samael Aun Weor, the Bible, the Tantras, the Zohar, and the Sufi scriptures.

Gnostic Psychology | Intelligence and Understanding

Perception and comprehension are fundamental characteristics of genuine intelligence. Through seeing and understanding the psychological causes of suffering, one can proceed towards their cessation, thereby developing lasting states of happiness, compassion, serenity, love, and beauty. These qualities, while in potentiality, can only be accessed and realized when we practice the principles of meditation. Learn how through the Four Noble Truths, the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, the transformation of impressions, concentration and visualization exercises, the eternal tarot, and Homer's Odyssey.