the answer can be found in the depths of the heart, where ALL truth lies

Hi Worldbridger,

Humor play a very important role even when you start working on yourself. When interacting with others its important to be normal and natural while still doing this work. Humor is part of it. We can be conscious and have a good sense of humor and be really funny. But the kind of humor is different from the one that we are normally used to. We can just make a comment at a specific time and it will make everyone laugh without need to be putting someone down, mock or be raunchy in order to make others laugh.

The main use of spiritual path is to better ourselves and to eventually change ourselves fundamentally. While struggling and fighting with our inner work we gain peace inside something that cannot be taken away from us and something that can be hard to put into words. We also acquire wisdom and understanding about ourselves and the life itself and for me it is something really good because it gives meaning to our life.

Stas

Hello Worldbridger,

The humour is in the essence, all the good qualities are held within our essence. there are different types of humour though and in this I mean we can laugh at people sometimes in a negative way or we can enjoy humour from a point of awareness which can bring out a natural humour of a different quality.

Yes the spiritual path is difficult and we need to struggle to overcome the situations that are placed before us but there are rewards that are given in the path that make it worth it, we don't struggle for nothing, who would do something for nothing? The spiritual path is mapped out by those that have walked it and from it there is the promise of rewards of a spiritual nature as well, true peace that lasts, spiritual faculties, etc.

I don't know exactly what you mean in your last statement about people drawn to gnosticism are continually creating one war after another, could you elaborate as true Gnostic's don't start physical wars but they fight an internal war against the egos and sub conscious states to free themselves of negativity and to head towards enlightenment.

Steve

Hi Worldbridger

The humour is in the heart. Overcoming the negative states, thoughts and emotions that are within each of us is what makes it come alive within us.

Life is a struggle because of these things within us, all the desires and self centred thoughts and feelings; pride, fear, anger and so on. Anyone can reflect on their life and see how much misery comes from our own behaviour and from our own thinking. But the struggle against these things within brings more joy, happiness, peace, love and good will. So which struggle do we take...?

Those who are drawn to gnosticism are those who want to struggle against the evil within them and who want to change and become a spiritual being, a being of love. Yes they do continually declare war, but its not one of conflict, violence or hatred... its a war on all those things within that bring about conflict, violence, hatred, and ill will. They don't want to conquer people or places but conquer themselves.

There is so much beauty, compassion, joy and love in this work and only those that practice the gnostic teachings and gain experiences can verify it...to the rest its just another idea... one that will soon be superceded by another idea...

The only way to know is to give it a good go : )

Wishing you lots of joy and understanding.

Layla

I am also slightly disappointed in the general lack of humour here =(

I am also slightly disappointed in the general lack of humour here

Part of the problem is that everything on the forums is (obviously) in writing. It's quite a different thing when you meet people in person! I've laughed more with people I've met through this site than with anyone else I know :-)

Lack of negative ego humour, and lack of humour, are two very different things.

Liz

"I've laughed more with people I've met through this site than with anyone else I know"

Yes I know what you mean Liz : )

Layla

Since I am new to gnosticweb I am giving you my first impressions based on a browse through the material online, and what is written in the forums and so on.  All this battling with egos and climbing mountains I don't understand. It is like the doctrine of original sin dressed up in different language. And when I start reading that Rabolou and Samael only made it to the second mountain and how Belzebuub is on the third and that this gives him the right to revamp things or whatever ... I mean if this isn't ego then what is? And who on this green earth can argue one way or the other without the true experience, and if you had the experience you would realize that you couldn't prove it to anybody, so it cannot be grounds for any kind of authority over people. Seems like the leaders of the various factions could have done with a little more humour - might have saved a lot of angst in the end. Less of the "I'm expelling you from the movement" and more yuk yuk aren't we silly old gooses would be an improvement.

Hi Worldbridger,

I think I see what you mean.
Why to do all of this spiritual work with so many sacrifices instead of so many things life can offer to us? Why we are taught all this? Who are they to teach us this with such authority and in that certain way?

Well, if you are new to Gnosticweb and really want to learn here, then perhaps you go too far at this point.
In my opinion it's very important to keep thinking and questioning and yet have faith...and overall it may be helpful to simply learn step by step with understanding of own limitation, in both of capacities to understand and perceive.

Spiritual work goes step by step...a person learns to observe themselves and sees all this internal poison of fear, pride, anger, etc., inside and wants to change it...later person tries to be aware and practices it very seriously and experiences that amazing peace really worth of efforts, and then wants more...a person loses a job, there is so much dissapointment, but then finds out with practices that with a bit of less ambition all these extra money is not really necessary and intuitively finds out that there is another much better option to take...etc. etc., etc.

Throw at this person all the amount of information about all what needs to be changed on all stages with all the tools of spiritual work...and they'll just go nuts, "collapse under weight" of it, I guess...
This won't be funny at all.

We will learn and understand more with our efforts to change ourselves together with factor of time. Gnosticweb course framework has been designed to facilitate learning process.
After taking Gnostic Wisdom course the overall picture of spiritual work is very likely to become more clear, especially intellectually.

All the kind wishes,

Vadim, thanks for your words. I guess what I am concerned with is the hierarchic structure that seems at odds with a philosophy that teaches self-knowledge. On the one hand we are told, you must learn and experience this yourself and on the other hand we are told, you must take this on faith. Can't have both.