november 2004

What I have seen and heard
by mary

"The Gnostic worldview" is, perhaps, something of an oxymoron, as this
sentence has words grouped together into a somewhat contradictory term.


A "gnostic" view is based upon the personal perspective of the  individual
who is seeking, seeing and finding.


Therefore, my own perspective of the universe (based upon my own personal
vision), is simply this:  it is my perspective of the universe.  It is what
I see when I open my eyes each morning, or when I dreamwalk at night, or
when I am awakened by the Light.


By way of its own nature, gnosis is based upon the person's visions and
perceptions.  My perceptions of the universe, therefore, are my own.


My perception does not need to conform to anyone else's perceptions or
visions, and most particularly, they  are not confined within any preshaped
group box of thought. My perception is simply my own, and this is all right.



Gnosis is about seeing things with one's own eyes, and thinking about things
with one's own mind.


Strange things happen when people actively seek  - with opened eyes.  We can
begin to se    ethingsfromdifferentperspectives.


Our individual views will always be somewhat different, because we are, each
of us, the center of our own universe.  The universe was, perhaps, created
that way - so that we might all perceive it from a different perspective.


Therefore, the picture that we see of the universe will be from a thousand,
million, different points of perspective.  Not just one, in which we are
demanded to pledge allegiance to only one *accepted* view.



While organized religion might demand that we only see things from one point
of perspective (theirs), gnosis just   encourages personal vision, personal
insight, and personal interpretation.  This is why all are permitted to
speak.


Actually, it has been said that we are all divinely ordained to speak and
tell others about what we have seen and heard.  I believe this was Ellen
Pagel's beautiful translation of some of the gnostic writings.


What I have seen and heard, therefore, is not really important to others,
other than to simply relay to you what I have seen and heard.


What I have seen and heard is that there is nothing more important than
love.  There is nothing more important than love, because it can change
everything in the most incredible ways.


Love will not seek power and authority.
It will not establish a hierarchy in which a few lord themselves over the
non-selected.


Love will, however, strangely - very strangely - receive its simple and
slow-moving strength because we, as living beings, are drawn to love.