Chicago Gnosis Podcast

Celebrate both the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur: Oct. 2nd) and an upcoming Gnostic holiday (Saturday, December 13th) in relation to the spiritual Master Melchizedek. Discover how to atone for one’s defects and receive divine blessings from this enigmatic initiate on any day, but especially every Saturday the 13th at the 13th hour (12 - 1 pm). To learn more about this event, you can reference the following resources: Spiritual Practice with Melchizedek (Article) Gnostic Meditation (Course) https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/working-with-the-master-melchizedek  

After tragically failing Margherita, Faust longs for the perfection and beauty of Ancient Greece (Arcadia, the prelapsarian world of Eden) where Mefistofele transports him to administer a more subtle, daring, and intense temptation: that of remaining in the lower heavens of the gods (initiates of the superior worlds). There in the bliss of Nirvana, one easily forgets the sorrows of humanity and the hopes for final liberation (in the Ain Soph). While demons provide temptation in the inferno or Klipoth of kabbalah, Lucifer—the trainer of spiritual initiates—also tempts masters on the path to perfection by offering solace and comfort within the higher dimensions, so as to deter them from ultimate advancement to more elevated esoteric degrees. Even attachment to the sacred feminine (Helen of Troy, the spiritual soul and beloved of Tiphereth) can impede one from supreme self-realization, whereas renunciation of heaven (virtues and mystical powers) is the requisite for transcending all obstacles on the initiatic path. In the denouement of this opera, the significance of temptation, redemption, and transcendence is clarified: for only by giving up what Faust loves most is he able to achieve something higher. See how through his triumph over Mefistofele (desire, ego, Shaitan) and his induction into the conscious circle of self-realized and perfected masters (within the Solar Absolute). Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/the-sacred-feminine-redemption-and-temptation-of-the-gods-in-mefistofele-act-iv-and-epilogue

Margherita (the trapped and conditioned feminine consciousness), has lost her reason due to Faust’s abandonment and the death of her (divine) mother, since the sleeping potion had deleterious effects. Driven to insanity, the distressed Margherita, having born Faust’s child, drowns it in a pond to spite her absent lover. Faust is driven by remorse to seek her in the bowels of a prison with the help of Mefistofele, who provides the key to the initiatic mysteries and the means to unlock wisdom from the well of the world, the bottomless pit or abyss where knowledge must be found, discerned, and consciously integrated. Such a descent into the lower worlds is a common trope within mythological narratives, whereby the warrior (human) soul (Tiphereth) must face the terrors of hell and redeem the fallen consciousness (Sophia) from perdition. Such allegories reflect what Samael Aun Weor called the Ninth Sphere, the transformed and divinely-inspired sexuality between husband and wife who conquer desire and practice alchemy, chastity, or sexual transmutation. However, such a path is fraught with pain and hardship, since lust is difficult to extirpate, and “Bitterness”—(which defines many marriages)—“lies in the (alchemical) cup of even the best love: thus it arouses longing for the Superman; thus it arouses your thirst, creator (alchemist)” (Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra). Learn how to transmute the pain of the Ninth Sphere through a study of the 21st Arcanum of the Tarot, known as the Fool in conventional decks, whereby Margherita, the Essence trapped in our defects or ego, can be liberated towards the higher worlds of the initiatic path. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/the-fool-lust-insanity-and-pain-of-the-ninth-sphere-in-mefistofele-act-iii https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/arcanum-9-the-hermit https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/arcanum-21-transmutation Boito - Mefistofele: Arena, Ramey, Benackova, San Francisco Opera House

Through the gifts of his newfound diabolic companion, Faust recuperates his vitality and youth, capitalizing on his new abilities in the effort to seduce Margherita, a beautiful but naive young woman from town. To assist in the magician’s sensual escapades and dangerous liaison, Mefistofele provides him with a sleeping potion to drug Margherita’s mother and therefore avoid detection during the lovers’ tryst. The couple declares their love despite the rocky foundations of their infatuous and hastened affair. Afterward, the devil transports Faust to the top of a dark (and bald) mountain (sparsely populated by trees) to partake in a Witches’ Sabbath: a Satanic ritual characterized by discordance, chaos, violence, lust, and power. Such dramatizations reflect the tremendous reality of and relationship between seduction and black magic: how the passionate fulfillment of lust and desire are the gateway to spiritual destruction and the development of egotistical powers. While modern people laugh and mock such metaphysical phenomena as the consequence and cause of blind fear, superstition, and ignorance, the truth is that such symbols demonstrate how anyone who cultivates lust with mystical devotion ends up as a demon, a being divorced from the eternal but awakened with powers in, of, and for evil. Such powers are driven by selfishness and produce terror and pain, emotions that are so masterfully depicted in Boito’s terrifying music and choruses in this act. Learn how to conquer lust and to comprehend the essential nature of witchcraft, sorcery, and the machinations of the Black Lodge (the congregations of infernal entities) so as to enact spiritual self-defense and the protection of our spirituality from dark forces. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/seduction-black-magic-and-witches-sabbaths-in-mefistofele-act-ii Boito - Mefistofele: Arena, Ramey, Benackova, San Francisco Opera House The Eternal Tarot, Arcanum 18: Twilight

Like Beethoven, Arrigo Boito composed only one opera (Mefistofele), yet whose mystical allegory, musical power, and masterful lyricism continues to resonate with audiences worldwide. This clever yet profound opera also inspires, alarms, and, quite frequently, amuses. Based on medieval legends and Goethe’s play Faust, this work depicts the famous and jaded scholar who makes a bet with the devil: to acquire occult knowledge and faculties at the cost of his soul, or to conquer temptation in the service of the sacred. If Faust can overcome passion, power, and desire, he can enter the divine mysteries and spiritual hierarchies where true peace, realization, and understanding is to be found. Surprisingly, all of this occurs under the auspices of the Transcendent, for without divinely-sanctioned temptation and adversity, there is no development, mastery, or faith, like Jehovah approving of Satan’s afflictions upon Job to prove his candidacy to sainthood (Job 1:12). Or as described by Samael Aun Weor throughout his writings, “Temptation is fire. Triumph over temptation is light.” Discover how an initiate enters the secret path to liberation by facing the necessary forces of opposition and resistance—the mysterious and instructive tests of Lucifer (“the light-maker”)—so as to acquire profound self-knowledge and the wielding of esoteric powers with ethics, purity, and wisdom. If you have not already, we recommend you listen to or study the following lecture, since it provides much background knowledge that will deepen your understanding of this opera: The Eternal Tarot: Arcanum 15 See also the following resources and references: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/divine-tests-temptation-and-holy-negation-in-mefistofele-prologue-and-act-i Boito - Mefistofele: Arena, Ramey, Benackova, San Francisco Opera House

The Greek brother-deities Hypnos (sleep) and Thanatos (death) symbolize the deep significance of these phenomena in relationship to spiritual awakening. By learning about the ways humanity is unenlightened or unconscious, it becomes possible to develop our complete potential and awaken to the realities of the spirit beyond death. See how through an exploration of four states of consciousness as well as many practices for understanding our internal mechanisms of distraction, delusion, and spiritual sleep. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/spiritual-sleep-and-mystical-death-why-we-are-unconscious-and-how-to-positively-awaken

To enter spiritual initiation, one must have inner balance, fortitude, and wisdom from practical experience, because the ordeals for proving one’s candidacy in the mysteries are arduous. Without psychological equilibrium, any adversity, accidental or ordained, will throw a person into chaos and disarray. This is why Gnostic students are always taught how to maintain serenity and balance their three brains: intellect, emotions, and actions, for even without the challenges of initiation, life presents difficulties that quickly disorient, disturb, and disable. See how to take advantage of difficult circumstances by harmonizing body, heart, and mind, acquiring deep insights into the psychological causes of affliction, thereby procuring personal knowledge for the alleviation of humanity’s suffering. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/psychological-equilibrium

"Dying is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well." —Sylvia Plath, “Lady Lazarus” Little do people acknowledge that before physical death, we first die in thirds (in bodily capacity, emotions, and mind—one at a time, or two to three if we’re reckless and daring). This depends on how often, quickly, and intensely we exhaust our resources through the abuses of everyday life, the latter which have produced an epidemic of physical and mental illness. However, healthy living is also an art, and a more preferable one with verifiable guiding principles, practices, and results. See how through an exploration of diet; religious observances around meat and vegetarianism; the five tattvas of esoteric Hinduism (or the energetic, spiritual elements in food); the three gunas of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras; the three brains and their proper and improper functioning within Gnostic psychology; the symptomologies and spiritual causes of physical, emotional, and mental illness; the imbalances of body, heart, and mind in ultramodern living; meditative exercises for conscious management and optimal self-maintenance; the nature of and need for true inner equilibrium to attain high initiation; relevant practices for developing greater personal and social harmony, and much more. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/how-to-properly-nourish-body-heart-and-mind-or-else-die-in-thirds

Genuine spiritual healers are rare. Likewise, the process for finding and vetting them is also arduous, uncertain, and time-consuming, usually without positive results given the prevalence of charlatans and “wolves in sheep’s clothing” (Matthew 7:15) who are eager to provide their services for a good buck. This is why it is more practical and beneficial to become one’s own healer, doctor, and master, since it is not only difficult to find uncorrupted traditions and practitioners with proven track records, but that real divine healers are not to be found primarily in the physical world, but in the internal worlds. Likewise, by awakening consciousness in the inner dimensions we inhabit during the normal hours of sleep, we also have more direct means of accessing and knowing the source of legitimate healing, which does not come at any price except a life of virtue and sacrifice for humanity. Discover and apply verifiable, reliable, and effective techniques from the Gnostic tradition of Samael Aun Weor to treat the spiritual causes of illness, thereby transforming oneself into a true Gnostic priest, magician, shaman, or healer. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/spiritual-healing-through-divine-medicinal-masters

The Mayans were not only advanced in astronomy, astrology, and mathematics, but also spiritual psychology. Explore the nature of our internal universe and the way to awaken consciousness through Mayan symbolism, mythos, and principles, beautifully demonstrated within The Flight of the Feathered Serpent, a revolutionary book of Mayan esotericism. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/mayan-principles-of-being

While modern occidental medicine recognizes and treats physical symptoms of disease, such prescriptions often fail to address the internal causes of illness, primarily since health is not merely a physical reality, but a multidimensional problem. The Gnostic tradition, on the other hand, offers deeper remedies for the psychological, metaphysical, and internal causes of sickness that can safely complement the work of medical professionals without causing serious complications. This is because complete human beings are not merely material, but energetic, conscious, and spiritual, and by simultaneously correcting both external infirmities and their internal causes, symptoms are alleviated and the root of disease can be comprehensively cured. See how through an exploration of the Tree of Life: a map of our body, psyche, and mind; the three brains of esoteric psychology; and the art and science of meditation. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/the-five-causes-of-illness

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” —Daniel 12:2 Not all “spiritual” awakenings are positive, demonstrated by the pervasive testimonies of those who profess enlightenment while their lives fall apart. Much of what is promulgated as legitimate mystical experience is often the byproduct of psychological negativity and internal conditions of mind, not the liberated, spontaneous, and free consciousness that knows how to resolve problems with intuition (the ability to discern and know without having to think). Learn how to differentiate between the illusory perceptions of conditioned selfhood and the harmonizing, equilibrating states of divine reality through practical exercises from authentic spiritual traditions. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/awakening-is-not-always-positive-manifesting-the-law-of-attraction-and-black-magic

Numerous spiritual traditions speak about the miraculous power of Kundalini, the transformative energy and intelligence of the Divine Mother. However, much propaganda abounds regarding its requirements, effects, manifestation, and evolution within the individual. What people don’t realize is that the widespread psychological imbalances, confusion, and dangers attributed to Kundalini is actually its opposite: Kundabuffer, symbolized by the tempting serpent of Eden (Genesis 3:1), the fiery serpents that afflicted the Israelites in their desert sojourn (Numbers 21:6), and the inverted tail that characterizes demons (Revelations 12:4). Kundalini is different: the brazen serpent of Moses that redeems and heals (Numbers 21:8-9); the prudence, serpentine wisdom, and dove-like harmlessness that guides authentic initiates (Matthew 10:16); the sacred power that uplifts the Son of Man (John 3:14) and the Pentecostal tongues of fire or Holy Spirit that descends upon the inspired apostles (Acts 2:3). The way to know and experience the difference depends on a person’s ethics, purity, and cooperation within a perfect matrimony, not expensive workshops, fees, or blessings from a “guru.” By fulfilling spiritual laws through the qualifications of the heart, it becomes possible to work with the real power of divinity, the sexual force that allows one to be truly born again (John 3:5). Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/kundalini-awakening-think-again-how-most-people-experience-kundabuffer-instead

Every disciple of the straight and narrow way that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14) must inevitably experience the afflictive consequences of their former actions. The question becomes if they do so with resignation, acceptance, and perseverance, so that by consciously and patiently paying what one owes before the divine law, spiritual debts are reconciled and wisdom is cultivated. However, the process is a prolonged and grueling one, designated by some authors as “dark nights of the soul.” In such moments of despair, loneliness, and abandonment, the practitioner lacks inner illumination to guide them forward in the psychological work, or as Christ exclaimed on the cross: “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” (Matthew 27:46). While spiritual nights are painful and experienced by everyone in the Gnostic path, they are a necessary step towards self-realization, for ordeals and tests are fundamental for proving one’s candidacy in the mysteries. As Beethoven demonstrated in his life and his only opera, the initiate can overcome the punishment of the law through tenacity, negotiation, forgiveness, and supreme faith in divinity. See how in the conclusion of Beethoven’s only opera, whereby Florestan seeks his liberation from the prison of karma with the help of his courageous wife Leonora, the divine soul that descends like an angel from heaven to redeem the fallen Sophia. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/spiritual-nights-and-gnostic-soteriology-in-fidelio-act-ii Beethoven - Fidelio: Janowitz, Kollo, Popp, Vienna State Opera

Disguised as Fidelio, a male prison guard, Leonora seeks access to her incarcerated husband's secret cell in the effort of freeing him. Like other metaphors in religion, the gnostic mythos describes the descent of divine light into the prison of the mind, seeking to liberate and elevate Pistis Sophia (the revolutionary consciousness) back to her rightful spiritual hierarchy. In the same manner, Leonora (the "light of Leo," Helios, the Sun, Christ), disguises herself within the world of forms to perform a very sacred mission: the redemption and liberation of her forsaken husband Florestan, wrongly imprisoned due to political rivalry. Don Pizarro, the corrupt politician who governs the prison and Florestan's persecution, symbolizes the gnostic archons, karma, and metaphysical laws that punish and oppress Pistis Sophia's efforts towards self-realization. Discover how our own inner divinity (Leonora, the divine embodiment of the Christic light) makes super-efforts to orchestrate the greatest work in the cosmos: the liberation of the psyche from suffering and the complete development of our human potential. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/theophany-and-spiritual-descent-in-fidelio-act-i Beethoven - Fidelio: Janowitz, Kollo, Popp, Vienna State Opera  

Mastery is not the end of spiritual development, for while an individual can acquire, cultivate, and express their soul in this physical world, such a laudable achievement does not signify perfection in mastery. While many masters exist in Nirvana, heaven, or bliss, few are willing to renounce their happiness, return to this physical world, and guide humanity out of suffering. However, this is the essential requirement for incarnating Christ, the divine forces of boundless, enlightened compassion represented in many religions. Discover superior stages of initiation symbolized by Christ’s mystical life in the Gospels, or how a developed human being enters a true inner revolution against their own psychological defects, thereby performing a tremendous humanitarian mission. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/the-venustic-initiations

Beethoven's only opera encodes tremendous metaphysical truths gleaned from his own inner spiritual development on the initiatic path. What is more remarkable is that he conveyed gnostic principles on the demiurge, archons, aeons, and redemption without physical access to classical gnostic texts. This is because as a master of meditation, he was privy to knowledge inaccessible to the mind, personality, or senses, and through his psychological work, was able to witness, live, and portray first hand the very root source of such knowledge informing the conception and documentation of the Gnostic Gospels and Nag Hammadi corpus. He composed Fidelio not only to musically uplift humanity's level of being, but also to teach the realities of divine law (karma), atonement, and the esoteric spiritual work for candidates of the mysteries. Such wisdom is elucidated by Samael Aun Weor's rich commentary on The Gnostic Bible: The Pistis Sophia Unveiled, which serves as the basis for future viewings of Beethoven's masterpiece. Discover the deep insights of this truly gnostic opera, and how a prophet of music demonstrated true love for divinity and the overpowering realities of Pistis Sophia's salvation (the penitent soul who longs for and aspires to the light). Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/karma-archons-aeons-the-demiurge-and-salvation-in-beethovens-fidelio Beethoven - Fidelio: Janowitz, Kollo, Popp, Vienna State Opera

"For every step that we take in the development of our occult powers, we must take a thousand steps on the path of sanctity." —Samael Aun Weor, The Major Mysteries While New Age doctrines fixate upon awakening psychic powers, what many so-called "spiritual" advocates fail to recognize is the greater need for moral character. The acquisition of mystical abilities is not commensurate with virtue, but subordinate to it, for power without responsibility produces demons: beings who have the capacity for deeply impacting the world, but in seriously detrimental ways. See how to safely and responsibly cultivate internal powers for the furtherance of real ethics and the complete development of a true human being. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/chakras-are-good-but-not-everything-spiritual-empowerment-on-the-path-of-sanctity

Every New Year brings about its impending challenges, conflicts, ordeals, and sufferings. Likewise, there is hope for rejuvenation and a revitalization of purpose despite the debts and psychological baggage of the past. For meditators, every effort to empower our spirituality promises the blossoming of divine potential and the hope for a spiritual renaissance in our daily lives. One such essential practice for this is pranayama: the conscious harnessing of vital breath to conserve, redirect, and amplify creative energy. Discover the principles and praxis for energizing our most virtuous qualities and overcoming the impurities of the psyche. By controlling breath, one can harness the most powerful force of the universe, which resides precisely in our sexual glands. Initially a raw, brute, and dynamic potential that can produce physical life, the creative energy can also engender the possibilities of inspiration, insight, intuition, and mystical revelation when fully mastered within ourselves. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/inspiration-aspiration-expiration-respiration

New guest lecturer! Many people often turn to spiritual practice when dissatisfied and disillusioned by materialism. However, they may not know where to start when confronted with the abundance of information out there, or, after practicing for some time, do not get the results they hoped for. In this lecture, we will discuss the fundamental factors required for spiritual development, addressing different practices that can affect the seven levels of our being, thereby awakening our consciousness. Resources and References: https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/cultivating-an-effective-spiritual-practice