Llewellyn Worldwide

368 Pages

$17.95 US/$24.50 CAN

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE: Of all the “lost” gospels of the early Christian Bible, the Gospel of St. Thomas is the most well known. According to Tau Malachi, each verse of this Holy Scripture is like an “endless well of Wisdom.” Drawing upon the Holy Kabbalah, contemporary Christian thought, and wisdom of the gnostic tradition, Malachi guides the reader into a true gnostic experience—a firsthand and completely unique exploration of the sacred secrets and spiritual insights in this important gnostic text.

Both intuitive and interactive, the gnostic approach to faith is a sacred quest for greater knowledge, wisdom—a deeper penetration of the Mystery. This path leads to a higher degree of enlightenment experience or gnosis. The Gnostic Gospel of St. Thomas reveals how the reader can use each verse in this scripture as a source of daily contemplation and spiritual growth, while exploring the secrets of resurrection and ascension, the true role of St. Mary Magdalene in the early church, and other mystical and magical teachings.

Tau Malachi (California) is an initiate of the esoteric order O.S.G. and has actively practiced Gnostic Christianity and Kabbalah for over thirty years. In 1983, Malachi founded the Sophia Fellowship and has served as Elder and Tau.

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This sometimes lyrical gnostic document is probably the most “traditionalist Gnostic Christian” material we have reviewed to date (with the exception of SIGNS FOR A MESSIAH)—and since it is gnostic in orientation; it’s not really traditional at all.

That’s one reason why, as Christo-Pagan Gnostics, it is of interest to us.

Tau Malachi presents the full 114 short verses of the original text called The Gospel of St. Thomas and comments on each from a Gnostic Christian perspective. Our Gnostic Pagan School has some major theological disagreements with the author’s point of view, but considering the present critical condition of the Earth and the increasingly violent madness of humanity, we strongly believe in attempting to present a more positive attitude towards others—and that involves a conscious effort to manifest a more inclusive approach. So this review will strive for objectivity within a gnostic framework & omit the subjective & theoretical differences that, while being relevant, can obstruct the free flow of gnosis.

However, it would be remiss not to comment on three major points of contention between Paganism & Christianity: the conception of time, the idea of faith and the practice of charity.

The Christian concept of time is linear, therefore history only began with the birth of a child attributed to be theone & only son of a one & only God about 2,000 years ago, and it will end when he returns to earth in a Bruce Willis-like endzeit (end of time.) The Pagan perception of time is cyclical, more tied into the seasons and the physicality of change. Christianity is one of the three so-called “confessional, monotheist religions” (along with Judaism & Islam)—that is based on the idea of faith (a belief in a “supernatural” world beyond the five senses). Paganism is grounded in earth-based ritual observance of the forces of nature and does not require its celebrants to “believe in” anything they cannot directly experience (but we do believe in high tech training of those senses to experience a reality beyond the mundane. Many experiences that appear to have universal significance can & will be proven to be “normal.”

The only “faith” needed for Gnostic Paganism is faith in the Human Spirit (and that’s a tall order these days.)

Of course the Gnostic Pagan Circle considers pure LSD & “magic mushrooms to be a Holy Sacrament, so it can certainly be said that we have our little foibles too. The use of psychoactive substances is common to almost all Pagan societies, but was nipped in the bud in the last century when the US government realized what a power for transformation A.E.S. (Awareness Enhancing Substances) represented.

One of the reasons so many pagans converted to the Roman and Orthodox churches was that these simple “country folk” were awed by the opulence of an already morally corrupted religion, albeit during an era of extreme social disintegration in the West (and curiously this same time was a period similar to the Renaissance for Islamic countries.) As a consequence, pagans who basically believed in very little at this juncture began to believe that Christianity possessed what they perceived as a better “magic.” They were also coerced to convert by both religious & secular “authorities.” One need only look to the experience of Native Americans & Hawaiians exploited by Christian Missionaries. They forced the Bible on the natives & in return stole their land and their dignity. The method employed by the Missionaries often resembled what today we would 3^rd degree badgering by the police.

As for the concept of “charity” linked to the three religions, as socialists we don’t believe in bestowing “charity” either according to the whim of a dishonest political Order, or by hit or miss gestures arising from a need to feel good in “pitying the poor.” Instead we demand an International Social Revolution, an insurgency of the majority against exploitation by the Capitalist Oligarchy. One of the reasons religion became anathema to Marxists is that the major religions have worked hand in glove with the State to keep people ignorant and poor in body as well as in spirit. Be that as it may, we think the “village atheist” style Marxist position on the subject of religion is foolish in its unnecessary alienating effect on people, as well as being out of date & intellectually boorish. People who don’t experience spiritual depth tend to project this shallowness into the world and expect potential allies who do experience a spiritual dimension to either shut up about it or get lost.

Superficiality & insensitivity is just as unattractive in a Marxist as it is in a Capitalist.

[See also, FALL OF THE HOUSE OF MARX, OR A NEW UNITY? and DEEP SOCIALISM by Peter Wilberg]

And finally, Christianity has traditionally been obsessed with converting anyone & everyone. This need for conformity is almost unique to monotheist religion. It is rare to find it in Pagan or Gnostic organizations. The Gnostic Pagan School advocates cell or “coven” groups in which psychic energy is first individually raised & then collectively focused. The concept of “going to church on Sunday” and hearing the same sermons over & over again is as unacceptable as being forced into the confines of a “hallowed” structure with people you don’t know, or who are spiritually out of synch or simply go to church for appearance sake or, even worse, attend Church for business reasons. Leave them to their priests and pastors, eventually they may see the light—or get literally bored to death.

It’s one thing being civil to people, and quite another to “worship” the Demiurge (Yahweh) with them!

For a detailed exposition of the Gnostic Pagan Tradition refer to the FOUNDING DOCUMENT.

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Malachi has an excellent metaphysical Glossary at the end of the book, and few terms might be mentioned here, as it may be particularly useful to readers with little or no acquaintance with the language of Mysticism, Gnosticism & Kabbalah.

Adam Kadmon: Primordial human being; the fifth Kabbalistic universe; the union of the four Kabbalistic universes; the source of the essence of human souls associated with the soul of the Messiah.

Ain: No-Thing or No-Thingness; a term for God in the Kabbalah; an indication of the nature of God; the emptiness which is at the same time Divine fullness; the transcendence of God and Godhead.

Ain Sof: The infinite, a term for god in the Kabbalah; an indication of the nature of God; the infinite and eternal potential; the unmanifest, another aspect of the transcendence of God and Godhead.

Ain Sof Aur: Endless Light, a term for God in the Kabbalah; an indication of the nature of God; the One Being-consciousness-force transcendent.

Bridal Chamber: A specific Gnostic ceremony of initiation; a Gnostic mass…

Chrism: Anointing, a specific Gnostic ceremony of initiation…

Christ-Consciousness: A metamind or supramental state of consciousness…a state of non-dual Gnostic awareness.

This last statement re: non-duality is interesting. We agree with it, but it is not a position advocated by any other Gnostic system we’ve read or heard of. In fact, it’s darn right refreshing. The concept of Duality permeates early Gnosticism, reflecting its probable connection to Zoroastrianism, a fire cult centered on concepts of Day & Night, Darkness & Light. Tau Malachi’s view is almost astounding. There are obviously new strains of Gnosticism emerging, forms that bring it into the 21^st Century.

Cosmic Consciousness: The state of universal mind…the attainment of Messianic…Christ-consciousness, which is beyond mental being…

The traditional Gnostic doctrine that the author is indicating here describes a human as having three basic natures: the physical, the mental or psychic, and the highest level beyond duality. The idea of spiritual levels of attainment is also inherent in Kabbalah & the Vedic Charkas. The ancient Egyptians also had a very sophisticated metaphysical system pertaining to “layers” of the soul.

Cosmic Forces of Ignorance: Most common terms for Archons in Sophian Tradition…imperfect knowledge—includes both titanic and demonic forces.

Now here we’re in more familiar gnostic territory. These ideas are archaic and projected from the unconscious into a belief that they exist independently of human experience. As forces of nature (Archons) they are the Gods that man created early on in order to orientate the evolving mind and create meaningful experience on earth.

Da’at: Knowledge…appears when Keter is absorbed into Ain Sof Aur; maintaining the number ten, and represents a hidden dimension of Tiferet. It is also said to be Yesod in another dimension than the Tree of Life immediately appears—hence the next higher universe from the one in which it is experienced…it is the Sefirah of Gnosis.

The author indicates that to fully understand Kabbalah on this level takes more than a beginner’s knowledge of it. He’s right and for people who are new to Kabbalah, even from our “middle level” understanding of the subject, we can only say that Malachis’ interpretation does make sense. The Tree of Life and its Sefirah is a complex Judaic metaphysical system not included in the approved biblical documents accepted today. The Tree of Life can be viewed as the DNA imprint of God that is encoded in all aspects of creation. It may also be seen as an intuitive view of the idea of parallel universes & the space/time continuum.

[See also, NUMBERS, MAGICK & MOTION]

Demiurgos or Demiurge: Cosmic ignorance, cosmic illusion…often cosmic evil is seen as a product of the Demiurge having a relative reality of its own.

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