How are Gnosticism and Christianity related?

Gnosticism and Christianity are intertwined and influenced by each other, with many Gnostics considering themselves Christians.

What is gnosis and how can it help overcome existential entrapment?

Gnosis is a transformative knowing that can help overcome existential entrapment by engaging in ritual behavior, altered states of consciousness, and a supportive community.

What is the relevance of the Gnostic movement today?

The Gnostic movement represents the culmination of the axial revolution and its relevance today is explored through the cognitive science of gnosis, drawing on the work of Harry Frankfurt and LA Paul.

How did Plato and the Gnostics explain the intersection of time and eternity?

Plato used mythology to explain the relationship between eternity and time, while the Gnostics believed that the suffering in the temporal world was evidence that whoever created it was stupid or evil.

How did the Gnostics challenge societal structures and beliefs?

The Gnostics challenged traditional views of gods, societal structures, and gender differences, advocating for a shift in perspective from servitude to liberation.

Gnosticism, Christianity, and the Power of Transformative Knowing

Name: Gnosticism, Christianity, and the Power of Transformative Knowing
Uploaded: 2023-08-30 12:53:35
Description: Gnosticism and Christianity are intertwined and influenced by each other, with gnosis being a transformative knowing that can help overcome existential entrapment and self-deception.

This article is a summary of a YouTube video "Ep. 18 - Awakening from the Meaning Crisis - Plotinus and Neoplatonism" by John Vervaeke

TLDR Gnosticism and Christianity are intertwined and influenced by each other, with gnosis being a transformative knowing that can help overcome existential entrapment and self-deception.

Plotinus and Neoplatonism as Transformative Systems

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The recovery of serious play through ritual behavior can help individuals bridge the gap between their current self and the self they want to become, addressing the modern confrontation with meaninglessness and nihilism.
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"The core of spirituality is not worship. The core of spirituality is self transcendence healing and freeing people from existential entrapment and their suffering."
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Plotinus and Neoplatonism aim to recover a kind of knowing that can bring about transformation and liberation, challenging historical patterns that fragment our world and tear apart our agency.
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Plotinus' writings offer a unique experience where readers are not just reading an argument, but are immersed in a deeply integrated system of thought.
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The spiritual exercise of transforming one's state of consciousness and cognition is a central aspect of Neoplatonism.
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"We're altering what level the self is at and as we alter the level, we're more capable of living in that higher level of reality."
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The process of becoming more real is not just a theory, but a change in our existential mode.
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The one, which represents the principle that integrates everything together, cannot be known or possessed, but can only be experienced and embodied.
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Plotinus's system integrates spirituality, science, and therapy, highlighting the interconnectedness of these domains in the pursuit of higher consciousness.

The Gnostic Movement and Liberation

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The Gnostic movement is seen as the culmination of the axial revolution, bringing important relevance to our present time.
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The Gnostic vision offers a radical form of revolution, symbolically recognizing our suffering and offering the potential for liberation through knowledge.
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The response to the meaning crisis is the gnosis of the God beyond the god of theism, where we need to discover the sacredness that liberates us from existential suffering.

Q&A

How are Gnosticism and Christianity related?

— Gnosticism and Christianity are intertwined and influenced by each other, with many Gnostics considering themselves Christians.
What is gnosis and how can it help overcome existential entrapment?

— Gnosis is a transformative knowing that can help overcome existential entrapment by engaging in ritual behavior, altered states of consciousness, and a supportive community.
What is the relevance of the Gnostic movement today?

— The Gnostic movement represents the culmination of the axial revolution and its relevance today is explored through the cognitive science of gnosis, drawing on the work of Harry Frankfurt and LA Paul.
How did Plato and the Gnostics explain the intersection of time and eternity?

— Plato used mythology to explain the relationship between eternity and time, while the Gnostics believed that the suffering in the temporal world was evidence that whoever created it was stupid or evil.
How did the Gnostics challenge societal structures and beliefs?

— The Gnostics challenged traditional views of gods, societal structures, and gender differences, advocating for a shift in perspective from servitude to liberation.

Timestamped Summary

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00:00
Gnosticism and Christianity are intertwined and influenced by each other, with gnosis being a transformative knowing that can help overcome existential entrapment and self-deception.
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08:51
Plato and the Gnostics used mythology to address the intersection of eternity and time, with Plato proposing a rational agent shaping reality and the Gnostics seeing suffering as evidence of a flawed creator.
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14:43
The Gnostics challenged societal structures and viewed gods as imprisoning forces, advocating for liberation and finding the divine spark within ourselves.
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21:20
Gnostics challenge gender differences, prioritize transformative knowledge and freedom from suffering, emphasize analogies and myths, and seek self-transcendence and liberation from existential entrapment.
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28:32
The Gnostic vision offers a radical revolution but has a dark side seen in Christianity and Star Wars, with Nazism being a dangerous response to the meaning crisis influenced by the intertwining of Gnosticism and the persecution of Gnostic Christianity by the Apostolic Church, while Tillich suggests that Christianity could help in self-transformation beyond theism.
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36:03
Plotinus and Neoplatonism provide a framework for transformative therapy, resisting fragmentation and promoting sacredness, while integrating Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics in a unified spiritual system.
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44:43
Conforming to higher levels of reality allows us to deeply remember our true being, and understanding the integration of all parts uncovers deeper underlying principles that make things more real.
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52:20
The integration of spirituality, science, and therapy in Plotinus' system of consciousness and awakening is the culmination of the Greek Axial Age.