Chicago Gnosis Podcast

The Secret Teachings of Opera | Attila (Acts II and III)

In the final stages of the path, the spiritual master is purged of all impurity through intense ordeals. To reach perfection, such bodhisattvas are always tested because they must pay all their debts before the divine law. They must suffer for having betrayed the heavenly kingdom, since every resurrection is preceded by death. Likewise, Attila faces poison and the sword (symbolizing a terminal, karmic sickness) before he can reach the heights of self-realization. Divinity conspires against the bodhisattva’s ego through Uldino (the voice of conscience), Ezio (the Tree of Knowledge), Foresto (the elemental forces of the Being) and Odabella (the sword of Kundalini). Discover how every master completes the spiritual work through the last two acts of this powerful opera!

The Secret Teachings of Opera | Attila (Act I)

Upon taking the direct path to liberation, the warrior bodhisattva Attila must face conspiracy, plots, and intrigue. The elemental forces of the Being (Foresto) and the Kundalini sword of divine justice (Odabella) plot his (psychological) death. Karma besets the initiate at every step, for the barbarian king must confront his weaknesses and conquer his ego. However, due to pride, Attila will not bow to divine intercession until his path to Rome (amore, love) is barred by Pope Leo (the Lion of Judah, the Intimate Christ, the terror of love and law). Discover how Attila (Tiphereth, the human soul) receives oneiric premonitions and must learn to fulfill divine will (Kether, the supremacy of God).

The Secret Teachings of Opera | Attila (Prologue)

Giuseppe Verdi was a Freemason who encoded the spiritual path of kabbalah, alchemy, and initiation in his operas. In this seminal work, Attila—the warrior of the spirit—must conquer the kingdom of Rome (amore, love) within himself for the redemption of the psyche. However, his pride, anger, and ego are very alive. All defects must die for the spiritual master Attila (Thelema, divine will) to become perfect. Discover what happens to a warrior bodhisattva, an incarnation of the Martian Christ, upon taking the direct path to the Absolute, the contexts, requisites, obstacles, and dramas symbolized in Attila's choice to conquer Rome.

Gnostic Kabbalah 01 The Yoga of the West

Kabbalah, the esoteric or mystical dimension of Jewish thought, embodies universal principles reflected within the heart of all great religions, particularly Judaism and Christianity. While expressed through Hebrew scripture, narrative, folklore, law, and prayer, Kabbalah conveys spiritual truths applicable to all of humanity, simultaneously elucidating conventional Jewish traditions and the path of personal, divine experience.

Many Westerners lack a fundamental understanding of their social, religious, and philosophical roots. Likewise, many Jews and Christians have distanced themselves from the mystical origins of their traditions. This is why Kabbalah is sometimes referenced as the Yoga of the West, for it offers a form of practical spirituality best suited for our modern dispensation. Discover how through the writings of Dion Fortune and Samael Aun Weor.

Guided Practices | Divine Mother Visualization and Egyptian Mantra

The Divine Mother is referenced in every great world religion and mystical tradition. She is not some external, foreign figure, but a representation of our innermost divinity. The Egyptians venerated and invoked Her by many names, particularly Isis and Nut. This guided practice will lead you in a simple, beautiful, and profound prayer to your internal divine feminine, finalized with the sacred Egyptian mantra: O AO KAKOF NA KHONSA. Through prayer, vocalization, and meditation, we commune with and deeply realize Her compassionate presence in our lives.

Resources

• The Divine Mother (Lecture from Beginning Self-Transformation)
• "The Sacred Cow" from The Three Mountains (Samael Aun Weor)

Introduction to Gnostic Studies | The Work of the Artist

The creation and perfection of the soul is a lifelong work of art. However, to attain such spiritual realizations, the individual must learn to awaken, develop, and master their complete potential through specific means. Through fulfilling the requisites of meditation, the consciousness begins to perceive its true nature and understand the reality of divinity. See how through the four pillars or foundations of Gnosticism: science, mysticism, art, and philosophy. Many thanks to our guest lecturer who made this event possible!

The Voice of the Silence 02 The Three Halls

"Three Halls, O weary pilgrim, lead to the end of toils. Three Halls, O conqueror of Mara, will bring thee through three states into the fourth and thence into the seven worlds, the worlds of Rest Eternal. If thou would'st learn their names, then hearken, and remember." ―The Voice of the Silence

Enclosed within the opening stanzas of The Voice of the Silence is a profound teaching on the four states of consciousness within gnostic psychology. Learn the fundamental make-up of cognizant experience: the ephemeral states of conditioned, sleeping consciousness, as well as the awakened state of alert perception and its unification with the Innermost, our divine being.

Guided Practices | Mantras for Mental Healing (S M HON)

Initiates explain that the physical brain is not the mind nor the originator of thought. The brain is a vehicle, the intermediary between internal psychological processes and physical life. Initiates also demonstrate how the mind is a form of matter, energy, and perception within subtler dimensions of nature. This is most evident when we dream within the fifth dimension, either in the famous Theosophical astral body (कामरूपा kama rupa) or mental body (मनस् manas), the latter which grants us the capacity to think.

However, when the mental body becomes sick, physical illness is the outcome. The mind or mental body is a useful instrument when it is healthy, strong, and aligned with divinity. But when it is sick or depleted of vital energy, it cannot operate optimally, nor serve in the spiritual work.

The mantras S M HON help heal sicknesses of the mental body. In combination with professional treatment, the mantras S M HON can help alleviate symptoms of mental illness, since they transmute sexual energy into the mental body and procure its regeneration. Be mindful that these mantras only work in combination with chastity, meditation, and deep psychological work upon the ego. Through the conservation and transmutation of sexual energy, these mantras radically empower the consciousness, allowing it to control, balance, and heal the mind.

Resources

• Mantras for Mental Healing PowerPoint

Guided Practices | The Rune Laf (ᛚ)

The Rune Laf (ᛚ) is the rune of life, laughter, joy, and hope in the spirit. It is also deeply related with the sexual energy, since the power of generation, creation, creativity and life is in sex. On the 27th of each month, you can awaken and greet the morning sun, performing this rune to receive special assistance with any spiritual, emotional, or psychological problem. By relaxing the mind, heart, and body in this posture, you can pray for divine aid, experience profound insights, and receive inner strength for your spiritual work.

Resources

• The Rune Laf PowerPoint

The Voice of the Silence 01 Initiation

"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness (בַּמִּדְבָּר be'midbar), Prepare ye the way of יְהֹוָה (Iod-Chavah, Jehovah), make straight in the desert a highway for our God (אֱלֹהִים Elohim). Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of יְהֹוָה shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of יְהֹוָה hath spoken it."  ―Isaiah 40:3-5

What is the Voice of the Silence according to the kabbalistic teachings? It is the Christ, Logos, or Word (דָבָר dabar), our profound, innermost divinity who can be accessed through the path of meditation and initiation. Learn how to experience the Word (דָבָר dabar) through traversing the wilderness (בַּמִּדְבָּר be'midbar) of life. By transforming our daily sufferings through the path of initiation, we can in turn enter into the development and experience of the truth within our consciousness, becoming true, enlightened human beings endowed with cognizance, insight, and divine love. This lecture explains the kabbalistic, alchemical, and psychological contexts for interpreting The Voice of the Silence, especially through the writings of Friedrich Nietzsche and Samael Aun Weor.