The Gnostic Gospels Community at Discord

 

The Gnostic Gospels Community at Discord

There is a Gnostic Gospels community, a forum at Discord with much content about Gnostic spirituality with access to all the key Gnostic texts and the world of apocryphal writings.

Invite Link to Join the Gnostic Gospels Server at Discord:

https://othergospels.com/discord

Gnostic Gospels is dedicated to the study and practice of books missing from the Bible. Join our community of heretics, mystics, and other spiritual wayfarers in our discussion of ancient texts!

Explore lost Gospels like Thomas, Nag Hammadi, the Apocrypha, and more!

Our focus centers squarely on scripture and the spiritual insights offered by extra-canonical sources. Become a "heretic" today!

Podcast: An Introduction to the Gnostic Gospel of Mary Magdalene - Mary Understood the Teachings of Jesus Better Than Anyone Else

 

Podcast: An Introduction to the Gnostic Gospel of Mary Magdalene - Mary Understood the Teachings of Jesus Better Than Anyone Else

Mary Magdalene is the ultimate example of a female apostle (spiritual teacher and leader) in early Christianity. But Mary as well as her Gospel have long-since been neglected and forgotten. As it says in the Gospel of Mary: "You did not see me nor did you know me. You mistook the garment I wore for my true self. And you did not recognize me." Today, we commemorate the return of the Gospel According to Mary Magdalene, and her visions of the Resurrected Christ.

In Gnostic scriptures such as the Gospel of Mary, unenlightened human existence is portrayed as a kind of night of the living dead, souls living in a world of sleep caught up in dreams of illusion, trapped in spiritual ignorance somewhere in time, limited to only a couple of dimensions, tethered to material existence seemingly unable to become aware of anything more. One of my favorite passages from Mary is when a liberated soul exclaims: "I was set loose from a world and from the chain of forgetfulness that exists in time!"

For the mystic-soul there is no need to construct outward temples made of wood and stone, as the human body itself is already the ideal temple of the Spirit. I’m sure this "Kingdom of God is within you" message of the Gnostic or mystical gospels is one of the reasons why they were not politically useful to some spiritual bureaucrats in antiquity and were banned. Mary's contemplative view of the teachings of Christ is in harmony with the wisdom of countless saints, mystics and masters, that the focus is "within", not elsewhere in the outer world of the five senses, the kingdoms of this world. Thus, contemplative meditation for mystics serves as a kind of heavenly "portal" or "doorway" to the Divine:

"I left the world with the aid of another world; a design was erased, by virtue of a higher design. Henceforth I travel toward Repose, where time rests in the Eternity of Time; I go now into Silence.’ Having said all this, Mary became silent, for it was in silence that the Teacher spoke to her.'"  ​(The Gospel of Mary Magdalene)    

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IMAGE: The early Jesus movement (the Hebrew Christians or Ebionites) seem to have reinterpreted these images used around the Mediterranean world for the sun god and moon goddess, adopting them, transforming them into the earliest icons of their own faith: the sun of god Christ and his companion Mary of Magdala, surrounded by the Twelve Apostles (related to the twelve signs of the zodiac).

Spiritual Awakening Radio (and Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts) with James Bean, heard on various community, public radio stations and the web, explores the world of spirituality, comparative religion, world scriptures and other books, East and West, God, meditation, out-of-body or near-death experiences (inner space), the vegan diet and other ahimsa ethics -- education for a more peaceful planet.

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A Successful Spiritual Practice Begins With Simran (Remembrance) of God's Names and Meditation -- Sant Mat Satsang Podcast -- Spiritual Awakening Radio

 

A Successful Spiritual Practice Begins With Simran (Remembrance) of God's Names and Meditation -- Sant Mat Satsang Podcast -- Spiritual Awakening Radio

Our awareness is rather tethered to the material plane. Our minds are captivated by countless thoughts, worries, anxieties, memories, impressions, and attachments. For there to be any hope for us to make spiritual progress during this lifetime, this time through, we must call upon a Hidden Power, and discover the Grace of the Divine, in order to catapult our consciousness right out of this universe into the vast Heavenly Realms Beyond.

As it says in the Gospel of Mary Magdalene:  "I left the world with the aid of Another World; a design was erased by virtue of a Higher Design. Henceforth I travel toward Repose, where time rests in the Eternity of Time; I go now into Silence."

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Meister Eckhart: "If the soul is to see God, then it must see no temporal thing, for as long as the soul is conscious of time or space, or of an idea, it cannot know God."

Even as the Hubble Space Telescope had to be placed above the turbulence and distortion of earth’s atmosphere in order to see clearly into the cosmos, so too the mystic needs to rise above body-consciousness and mind to know that Other Realm we also are part of as spiritual beings.

The awareness or attention of the soul (surat) must become untethered and free from the temporal world of the five senses, mental images and memories during meditation practice in order to experience that Other Realm of Spirit that we inhabit. Not many are willing to look through this particular "lens" of the Third or Single Eye and see for themselves, taking the time to do this and enter into the silence and stillness beyond the physical, dream, and mental states and, "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10)

References, Subjects, and Sources Include:

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Spiritual Awakening Radio (and Sant Mat Satsang Podcasts) with James Bean, heard on various community, public radio stations and the web (YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, etc…), explores the world of spirituality, comparative religion, world scriptures and other books, East and West, God, meditation, out of body or near death experiences (inner space), the vegan diet and other ahimsa ethics -- education for a more peaceful planet.

Podcast @ YouTube:  

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Podcast: A Human Being: Where Inner And Outer Worlds Converge

Podcast: A Human Being: Where Inner And Outer Worlds Converge

Podcast: A Human Being: Where Inner And Outer Worlds Converge 

@ Youtube: https://youtu.be/RSI6Cul7LvU

In this labyrinth of existence we can become quite habituated into remaining as surface-dwellers living inundated by all the outward distractions that life on earth provides. We may ask of ourselves, “Am I availing myself of the spiritual direction and wisdom that comes from within?”

Over the centuries contemplative souls have taught that the human body is a kind of temple, and that within this temple are portals that lead to other dimensions, that by looking within this microcosm we may access the macrocosm of the heavens.

"Anyone who has probed the inner life, who has sat in silence long enough to experience the stillness of the mind behind its apparent noise, is faced with a mystery. Apart from all the outer attractions of life in the world, there exists at the center of human consciousness something quite satisfying and beautiful in itself, a beauty without features. The mystery is not so much that these two dimensions exist -- an outer world and the mystery of the inner world -- but that we are suspended between them, as a space in which both worlds meet … as if the human being is the meeting point, the threshold between two worlds." (Shaikh Kabir Helminski)

We are children of both worlds.

We human beings are a Tree of Life

with roots in the earth

and branches rising into a mystic sky.

Spiritual Awakening Radio With James Bean, and the Sant Mat Satsang Podcast -- Education For A More Peaceful Planet

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All for the Love of Wisdom and Radio, Jai Sat Naam, Jai Guru, Radhasoami, Satya Raam, Bandagi Saheb, In Divine Love, Light and Sound, Peace Be To You,

James

Spiritual Awakening Radio

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God is the Ocean of Love, and Souls are Drops from this Ocean.

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A Human Being: Where Inner And Outer Worlds Converge -- New Podcast @ Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/InnerAndOuter

PODCAST: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene and Gnostic Spirituality -- Spiritual Awakening Radio

PODCAST: The Gospel of Mary Magdalene and Gnostic Spirituality  -- Spiritual Awakening Radio With James Bean


Listen @ Youtube:
https://Youtu.be/mUzakymvKAk


We don't have much information about "the Mary Magdalene community", if you will -- the spiritual group that once valued the GofMM as one of its scriptures, other than what can be observed in the contents of the book. It presents Mary as not only equal to her male counterparts as an apostolic leader in early Christianity, but also perhaps as the widow of Christ -- wife of the guru, and his primary spiritual successor with the most insight and understanding of Christ's message. Mary also described visions of the radiant form of her Master, the resurrected Christ.

The Gnostics, like other mystics, see the soul as being beyond gender. The physical, and subtle bodies: astral, causal, mental, etheric… have a gender or combination of genders, but the soul is beyond gender. Therefore the Gnostics of two thousand years ago were generally more open to the idea of the leadership roles of women, including as apostle, as in the case of Mary Magdalene, who is portrayed in the Gospel of Mary as a kind of spiritual successor to Yeshua (or wife of the master), and more enlightened than anyone else in the group. There is also some closeness between sayings of Jesus found in the Gospel of Mary and those in the Gospel of Thomas. Perhaps the same group in antiquity used both – interesting souls no doubt.

"Mary answered and said, What is hidden from you I will proclaim to you." (Gospel of Mary Magdalene)

"When Mary said this, she turned their hearts to the Good, and they began to discuss the words of the Savior." (Gospel of Mary Magdalene)

"Thou art blessed before all women on the earth, because thou shalt be the fullness of all fullnesses and the perfection of all perfections." (Yeshua to Mary Magdalene in the Book of Pistis Sophia/Faith Wisdom)

Several places in the book of Philip Mary Magdalene is described as “the companion” of Christ, saying that Yeshua loved Mary, was closer to Mary than the other disciples, and also records that Yeshua used to often kiss Mary on her mouth. Actually that last part: “often kiss Mary on the... [mouth]”, is a restoration of the text, is likely what it said according to Coptic scholars. On this page of Phillip in the original Coptic papyrus it reads: “used to kiss her often on her [......]”, then there is a lacuna or break in the text with the last word missing. Given the other comments from the disciples, who asked: “Why do you love her more than us”, and that Mary is “his companion”, I would say this is likely to be an accurate rendering. Also, the surrounding context in the Gospel of Philip is about marriage, the bridal chamber, and sexuality. Sacraments, in particular the sacrament of marriage, are a major theme in the Gospel of Philip, another early text similar to the Gospel of Mary.

Mary was an apostle or master who was a visionary, one who saw many visions of various inner planes or heavenly regions during her meditations, and the Radiant Form of her spiritual master. A beautiful passage from the Gospel of Mary about a soul Mary saw during one of her visions when she was exploring the Second Heaven. This soul was being questioned by a being or power given the name “Desire”:

"The soul answered saying, You did not see me nor did you know me. You mistook the garment I wore for my true self. And you did not recognize me."

There is a similar passage in one of the Aramaic Mandaean Gnostic texts from Iraq that goes something like:

"The soul says, 'I dwelt in your midst but you never recognized me, you never really knew me.'"

How easy it is to only see the surface, to in fact be wasting away whole lifetimes being a surface-dweller, neither knowing one’s self nor seeing the true identity of others as souls. In truth we are all particles of Light dwelling within bodies, we are Notes that make up a divine symphony:

“All beautiful forms and tones of this world are mere reflections of some aspect of that ultimate Love-Music of the Great Creative Word. Within the vast complex of creation, each individual spirit is himself/herself a spark of that Eternal Song of Love.” (George Arnsby Jones, initiate of Sant Kirpal Singh)

In Gnostic scriptures such as the Gospel of Mary, unenlightened human existence is portrayed as a kind of night of the living dead, souls living in a world of sleep caught up in dreams of illusion, trapped in spiritual ignorance somewhere in time, limited to only a couple of dimensions, tethered to material existence seemingly unable to become aware of anything more. One of my favorite passages from Mary is when a liberated soul exclaims:

“I was set loose from a world and from the chain of forgetfulness that exists in time!”

Another “Mary” further to the East by the name Mira Bai once said,

“My mind, birth after birth,
lost in slumber,
Awoke on hearing the Sound
my Master gave."

“When the Blessed One had said this, he greeted them all. ‘Peace be with you!’ he said. ‘Acquire my peace within yourselves. Be on your guard so that no one deceives you by saying, ‘Look over here!’ or ‘Look over there!’ For the Seed of True Humanity exists within you. Follow it! Those who search for it will find it.”

Some commentary found in a footnote of the same translation adds:

“The disciples must search within themselves, to find the Seed of True Humanity that is within each person. They must guard against those who try to lead them astray by requiring that a person conform to what is outside.” (The Complete Gospels, Robert J. Miller)

For the mystic-soul there is no need to construct outward temples made of wood and stone, as the human body itself is already a temple of the Spirit. I’m sure this “within you” message of the Gnostic or mystical gospels is one of the reasons why they were not politically useful to some in antiquity, and thus they were banned. The saying above reflects a theme found in the teachings of countless mystics and masters, that the focus is “within”, not elsewhere in the outer world of the five senses, the kingdoms of this world. Thus, contemplative meditation for mystics serves as a kind of heavenly “portal” or “doorway” to the Divine.


Jai Guru. Radhasoami. Jai Sat Naam. Satya Raam!

All for the love of wisdom and radio,
James Bean

LINKS -- RESOURCES

Website:
http://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com


About Me:
https://about.me/SpiritualAwakeningRadio


An Introduction to Sant Mat Spirituality and Meditation:
https://www.SpiritualAwakeningRadio.com/sant-mat

Sant Mat Radhasoami @ Facebook:
https://www.Facebook.com/SantMatRadhasoami

Ingredients of a Living Spiritual Path -- Seven Gnostic-Sant Mat Parallels:
https://SantMatRadhasoami.Blogspot.com/2016/05/ingredients-of-living-spiritual-path.html

Gospel of Mary Magdalene, Article by James Bean:
https://medium.com/sant-mat-meditation-and-spirituality/5735032b3d2b

Sant Mat Radhasoami Blog and Satsang Newsletter:
https://SantMatRadhasoami.Blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Seed of Child Humanity Within You -- Gospel of Mary Magdalene

 

The Seed of Child Humanity Within You -- Gospel of Mary Magdalene 

 

"Be on your guard so that no one deceives you by saying, 'Look over here!' or 'Look over there!' For the child of true Humanity exists within you. Follow it! Those who search for it will find it."

-- Yeshua, quoted in, The Gospel of Mary Magdalene

The Gospel of Mary Magdalene Online:
https://web.archive.org/web/20210302161710/http://www.maryofmagdala.com/GMary_Text/gmary_text.html

"Christ existed before Jesus and exists even now. Christ is the God Power; it continues working at different human poles for the guidance of the child Humanity. They called It Christ power -- they called it Master Power; they called it Guru Power."

-- Kirpal Singh

Exploring the World Religions: Mary Magdalene

Exploring the World Religions:

The Spirituality of Mary Magdalene

By James Bean

Copyright December 2006
 

 

Were Mary Magdalene and Yeshua Married?

As I begin this exploration of the teachings of Mary Magdalene, also known as Miriam of Magdala, I should first of all address the question of Mary's relationship with Yeshua (Jesus). You might be interested in the actual historic basis for the belief that Mary and Jesus were married or at least were more than just good friends. While there has been much speculation about this over the years, there is an actual ancient text which preserves this understanding, showing that as far back as the Second or Third Centuries AD, probably much earlier then that, many held the view that Jesus and Mary had some kind of special intimate relationship. The text that documents the basis for this view is called the Gospel of Philip, one of the newly discovered gospels unearthed at Nag Hammadi in upper Egypt. At Gnosis.org you can access the Gospel of Philip online. Philip is a holy book once used by a denomination known as the Valentinians, named after a mystic and spiritual Master from Alexandria by the name of Valentinius.

Several places in the book of Philip Mary Magdalene is described as "the companion" of Christ, saying that Yeshua loved Mary, was closer to Mary than the other disciples, and also records that Yeshua used to often kiss Mary on her mouth. Actually that last part: "often kiss Mary on the...[mouth]", is a restoration of the text, is likely what it said according to Coptic scholars. On this page of Phillip in the original Coptic papyrus it reads: "used to kiss her often on her [......]", then there is a lacuna or break in the text with the last word missing. Given the other comments from the disciples, who asked: "Why do you love her more than us", and that Mary is "his companion", I would say this is likely to be an accurate rendering. Also, the surrounding context in the Gospel of Philip is about marriage, the bridal chamber, and sexuality. Sacraments, in particular the sacrament of marriage, are a major theme in the Gospel of Philip.

Books On Mary

Some great books on this subject include: "The Gospel of Philip, Jesus, Mary Magdalene, and the Gnosis of Sacred Union"; "The Sacred Embrace of Jesus and Mary -- The Sexual Mystery at the Heart of the Christian Tradition", both authored by Jean-Yves Leloup, and both are published by Inner Traditions. A very key book to have, the one has gathers together many of the ancient texts and quotes attributed to Mary is: "The Gospels of Mary -- The Secret Tradition of Mary Magdalene the Companion of Jesus", by Marvin Meyer and Esther A. De Boer, Harper Collins. I find the best translation of the Gospel of Mary Magdalene to be contained in, "The Complete Gospels", edited by Robert J. Miller, a great collection of what survives of around twenty gospels from antiquity. The largest number of chapters attributed to Mary, a series of questions of Mary to Jesus along with her mystical interpretation of the Hebrew Book of Psalms and another work known as the Odes of Solomon, can be found in a holy book called, "Pistis Sophia", translated by G.R.S. Mead.

A Gnostic-Buddhist Connection?

The phrase "the Blessed One" appears in the Gospel of Mary Magdalene: "When the Blessed One had said this, he greeted them all, saying, 'Peace be with you. Receive my peace to yourselves'". The thing is, the Buddha is referred to as the Blessed One in countless Buddhist sutras. "Compassionate One" is a popular Buddhist phrase and somehow also turns up in Pistis Sophia, another Gnostic gospel: "Jesus, the Compassionate, answered and said to Mary: 'Mary, thou Blessed One, whom I will complete in all the Mysteries of the Height [inner planes or heavenly realms], speak openly, thou art she whose heart is more directed to the Kingdom of Heaven than all thy brothers'" And Mary herself is also called a "Blessed One" in another verse of Pistis Sophia: "Mary, thou Blessed One, thou Pleroma [Heavenly Fullness] or thou all-blessed Pleroma, who will be blessed among all generations". Those are the ones I have noticed, and I'm sure there must be lots more. These four examples could make one wonder if perhaps there might have been a Buddhist influence in the West during those days.

The Very "Eastern" Sounding Mystical Teachings of Mary Magdalene

A saying of Yeshua found in the Gospel of Mary: "When the Blessed One had said this, he greeted them all. 'Peace be with you!' he said. 'Acquire my peace within yourselves. Be on your guard so that no one deceives you by saying, "Look over here!" or "Look over there!" For the Seed of True Humanity exists within you. Follow it! Those who search for it will find it.'" Some commentary found in a footnote of the same translation adds: "The disciples must search within themselves, to find the Seed of True Humanity that is within each person. They must guard against those who try to lead them astray by requiring that a person conform to what is outside." (The Complete Gospels, Robert J. Miller) Regarding "the Seed of True Humanity", another translation renders that as "Son of Man" or "Son of Adam", "the Son of Man is within you". The Eastern term is "atman", the true self or Spirit of Life within.

For the mystic-soul there is no need to construct outward temples made of wood and stone, as the human body itself is already a temple of the Spirit. I'm sure this "within you" message of the Gnostic or mystical gospels is one of the reasons why they were not politically useful to some in antiquity, and thus they were banned. The saying above reflects a theme found in the teachings of countless mystics and Masters, that the focus is "within", not elsewhere in the outer world of the five senses. Thus contemplative meditation for mystics serves as a kind of "portal" or "doorway" to the Divine. In the poetry of the Indian mystic Dadu it says: "God is within the self; He is close to the worshiper. But leaving Him aside, men serve external constructions, lamenteth Dadu. This is the mosque, this is the temple, so has the Master shown. The service and salutation are performed within. With happiness and bliss within, there is happiness and bliss in all places. Without happiness and bliss within, none was seen happy. The treasure is nowhere to be found, that treasure is within everyone. There are two hearts inside, one obscure and the other lustrous. Within the obscure heart nothing is visible, but within the lustrous the Supreme Being is revealed. I found the true home within the house itself. Entering the state of blissful meditation, dwell within. Thus hath the Master discovered and taught. For the sake of that home, I wandered everywhere, but the Lord has been revealed within my very self. The doors of the palace have been thrown open, the Everlasting Abode has been shown. All fears, doubts and delusions have disappeared. That state of bliss has it entered, where the self, transcending the body, ascends." (Sant Dadu Dayal, Criterion Publications, New Delhi)

Mary was an apostle or Master who was a visionary, one who saw many visions of various inner planes or heavenly regions during her meditations. A beautiful passage from the Gospel of Mary about a soul Mary saw during one of her visions when she was exploring the Second Heaven. This soul was being questioned by a being or power given the name "Desire": "The soul answered saying, You did not see me nor did you know me. You mistook the garment I wore for my true self. And you did not recognize me." There is a similar passage in one of the Mandaean Gnostic texts from Iraq that goes something like: "The soul says, 'I dwelt in your midst but you never recognized me, you never really knew me.'" How easy it is to only see the surface, to in fact be wasting away whole lifetimes being a surface-dweller, neither knowing one's self nor seeing the true identity of others as souls. In truth we are all particles of Light dwelling within bodies, we are Notes that make up a divine symphony: "All beautiful forms and tones of this world are mere reflections of some aspect of that ultimate Love-Music of the Great Creative Word. Within the vast complex of creation, each individual spirit is himself/herself a spark of that Eternal Song of Love." (George Arnsby Jones)

In Gnostic texts such as the Gospel of Mary, unenlightened human existence is portrayed as a kind of night of the living dead, souls living in a world of sleep caught up in dreams of illusion, trapped in spiritual ignorance somewhere in time, limited to only a couple of dimensions, tethered to material existence seemingly unable to become aware of anything more. One of my favorite passages from Mary is when a liberated soul exclaims: "I was set loose from a world and from the chain of forgetfulness that exists in time!" In history there have been many "Dr. Quantums" (experiencers of realms beyond). Dr Quantum visits Flatland (earth), coming to liberate flatland souls, making us aware of the existence of other dimensions previously undreamt of in our philosophy. (What the Bleep) Another "Mary" further to the East by the name Mira Bai once said,

"My mind, birth after birth,
lost in slumber,
Awoke on hearing the Sound
my Master gave."