Chicago Gnosis Podcast

Mainstream Judaism, Christianity, and Islam emphasize the reality of an immortal soul. However, Jesus of Nazareth indicated that within us are many souls, which must be possessed through patience (Luke 21:19). The gnostics present a more nuanced perspective on this issue, in that immortality is not guaranteed, but must be earned through precise methods. See how through a gnostic scripture known as “The Three Forms of First Thought.”

How to utilize the faculty of self-observation to connect with the wisdom of nature and divinity. To perform this exercise, you will need two plants of any two distinct varieties. Resources Simple Observation Practice with Two Plants PowerPoint

Learn how to commune with the spiritual intelligence of the Earth, known in the Bible as Melchizedek (Genesis 14:18-20) and in the Qur'an as "a servant from among Our servants" (Surah 18: "The Cave"). The Sufis refer to him as Khidr, "the Green One," since he is the divine consciousness of the globe, its forests, mountains, abundance, and life. This meditation can be performed any day and time, but has special significance and potency on any Saturday the 13th of the year (from 12 pm to 1 pm, the thirteenth hour). This is because the forces of Melchizedek intensify on this date and are deeply related with the thirteenth arcanum of the Eternal Tarot, signifying mystical death of psychological impurity and the immortality of the soul. By connecting with this incredible initiate and divine being, we learn how to enter, sustain, and complete the path of initiation. Resources Melchizedek Meditation PowerPointSpiritual Practice with Melchizedek ArticleGlorian's Melchizedec Practice

Spiritual life is realized through comprehending and overcoming temptations. Rather than avoid challenges that lead to genuine growth, serious practitioners can take advantage of the worst situations to catalyze their awakening. Both the kabbalistic and gnostic traditions describe this process through mastering five types of soul. They also clarify that such qualities have to be created, developed, and perfected through practical works. Learn how through a gnostic scripture called “The Reality of the Rulers," an alternative narrative of the Garden of Eden.

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. References and Resources Ham-Sah Pranayama PowerPointLecture by Samael Aun Weor: The Conquest of the Illuminating VoidChicago Gnosis Practices

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

Ever have recurring dreams? There are ways to recognize and utilize them to spark your awakening. Internal experiences do not have to occur sporadically, but can be deliberately initiated and sustained. Likewise, there exist methods to consciously return to a dream that has just occurred. By relying on our inner divinity and a repeating dream symbol (unique initiator element), we can activate mystical states in an intentional and lasting way.

Many people dream at night, but do they remember? Learn practical techniques to remember any dream, why dream recall is important, and how to record your deepest spiritual experiences, thereby cultivating a rich internal life.

All religions directly teach the need to awaken yet are indirect regarding how. Discover the Key of SOL: a practice for amplifying, clarifying, and strengthening the consciousness. Through developing self-awareness in daily life, one transfers this same skill during the unconscious dream state. Learning how to question one’s immediate states, environment, and locale allows for conscious recognition that one is dreaming. In this manner, one opens the doors of investigation to spiritual realities beyond the body.

Despite applying spiritual exercises, many individuals struggle to achieve conscious astral projections. Rather than dismiss the practices as ineffective, students can identify hindrances to their dream yoga discipline and learn to systematically address them. By identifying common obstacles to astral projection and applying their remedies, practitioners can eventually learn to consciously astral project at will.

World religions emphasize the potential of sacred sound to empower spiritual action. Through harnessing energies activated through the divine verb, we can consciously facilitate the process of astral projection and intentionally experience the dream world with lucidity, familiarity, and ease.

While we astral project every time we sleep, are we conscious of the process? Just as our body naturally performs many functions without our intervention, we likewise enter the world of dreams every night without intending it. Through proven and effective techniques, take advantage of the delicate transition between wakefulness and dreaming, thereby transforming a mechanical process into a conscious one. By training our perception to maintain mindfulness while our body rests, we can investigate the higher dimensions with full lucidity, serenity, confidence, and control.