Psience Quest

Quote:After last year’s Astro-Gnostic conference and some extended jungle experience, I want to revisit some comparisons between ‘gnosticism’ and ‘animism’ -whatever they happen to be.

And in particular I want to make the case for how the assertion that the cosmos is a prison built by an evil God and the cosmos is a community of beings can share co-presence in the same overall framework. So this is a gathering of thoughts in that general direction.

Download the audio version here or watch along on YouTube

Quote:Gnosticism is infamous for its conception of the cosmos as the creation of the satanic Demiurge. But along with this entity is a retinue of demonic cosmic powers or Archons that act as co-creators and wardens of this prison universe. Join me as I explore the origins, nature and function of the Archons. From their terrible origins as primeval excretions of the Demiurge, to their dreadful creation of the human physical and psychical body - even a renegade Archon that defied the Demiurge and is even said to have created Jesus Christ. The Archons are an often overshadowed aspect of Gnosticism. Let's trace their origins in the demonization of Yahweh, the Cosmic Daimons and Greco-Egyptian Magic.

Quote:A roundtable conversation hosted by the Embassy of the Free Mind in Amsterdam moderated by Dr. Lucinda Martin, between dr. Justin Sledge of Esoterica and prof. dr. Wouter Hanegraaff on the topic Hermes and Hermeticism, Then and Today.

Quote:Interest in Gnosticism and Gnostic texts has exploded since the discovery of the Nag Hammadi Library. However, Gnostic Scriptures began to be discovered as early the 18th century. In 1769, a Gnostic codex came to light that combined ancient mystical ascent literature, gnostic cosmological speculation of the lower Aeons and celestial "Treasuries of Light," along with the quasi-magical rituals, baptisms, ciphers and seals to ascend into the realm of Light. These two incredibly complex volumes are now known to scholars as the Books of Jeu, after the Demiurge of the text, and are not only the most complete and complex manuals of ritual ascent but also the only illustrated Gnostic texts from antiquity. Join me as I explore one of the most complex and yet understudied texts of ancient Gnosticism - the 2 Books of Jeu.

Quote:While ancient philosophy disagreed on many things, there was broad agreement that the gods were good and the universe a beautiful, divinely made home. However, by the 2nd century CE a scandalous, renegade position emerged that argued that physical reality was created as a cosmic prison by a demonic Crafter - The Demiurge. Variously known as Ialdabaoth, Samael and Saklas, the malevolent Demiurge was one of the core components of what we know call "Gnosticism." But how did this shift happen, how did the Demiurge become evil.

In this first episode in a series on the Demiurge, we explore the earliest movement in this direction: (1) the origins of the Demiurge in Plato and (2) How the Israelite god Yahweh came to be demonized and associated with the Egyptian demonic deity Seth in the anti-Judaic polemics of the ancient world.

Future episodes will cover the rise of Marcion and this Theology and finally a comparison of the various manifestations of the Demiurge in Sethian and Valentinian literature. This episode is collaboration with scholar and friend @m.davidlitwa - check out his companion video and subscribe to his channel for deep dives on Gnosticism, Hermeticism, Ancient Mystery Religions and early Christianity.

(2024-03-05, 09:37 PM)Sciborg_S_Patel Wrote: [ -> ]

Those are some striking and disturbing visuals to accompany dark and heavy yet somehow bittersweet music.

(2024-03-06, 04:36 AM)Laird Wrote: [ -> ]Those are some striking and disturbing visuals to accompany dark and heavy yet somehow bittersweet music.

I liked how without any lyrics, just audio & visuals, they make a good summary of the Gnostic position.

(Which isn't to say *I* accept this position, just that I find it interesting!)