This marks the final episode (part 5) of a multi-episode series where I will read aloud chapters from Manly P. Hall's “The Wisdom of the Knowing Ones: Gnosticism, the Key to Esoteric Christianity.” In this episode, we'll be reading chapter four, “Meditation Symbols in Christian and Gnostic Mysticism.”
What you'll learn:
· Why most major religions during this time became divided into two sections: one which was for the public (exoteric) and one which was reserved for the few who were willing to dedicate their lives to enlightenment (esoteric / mystical)
· How the Neoplatonists and Gnostics became aware in the beginning of the Christian era that there was one essential story underneath practically all the religious traditions of mankind (the idea that the heavens, the stars and the planets were dieties)
· How the silk caravan routes between China and the Roman Empire connected previously remote lands, giving rise to the esoteric sects of various major world religions due to a mingling, mixing, blending (and confusing) of faiths, which continued until the late third – early fourth century AD
· What the insights from the Dead Sea Scrolls and Gnostic Library of Nag Hammadi taught us about the mysterious beliefs and practices of the Essenes, Nazarenes and the Gnostics
· The rise of mystic Kabbalism and comparative religion
· How many priests of major world religions became corrupted, which led to the persecution and extermination of more mystical sects, which they deemed “heretical”
· How Yogic philosophy and systems of Oriental meditation were available in Europe earlier than many are aware of and the impact this had on mystical Christianity
· The ritualistic (and pagan) roots of the Catholic Mass, also known as “The Eucharist” (esoteric signs and symbols in the Catholic mass)
· The rise of Hermetic philosophy and its connection to the development of alchemy
· The esoteric meaning behind the Christian symbol of the cross and its connection to the Ceremonial Magic of the Middle Ages
· The meaning behind the Gnostic symbol of the lion-headed serpent and how it was taken from the Egyptian legend of the god Harpocrates
SELECTED READING: “The Wisdom of the Knowing Ones: Gnosticism, the Key to Esoteric Christianity.” (Pages 1-22)
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