Introduction to Gnosis

Gnosis is Greek for knowledge [γνῶσις, gnosis]. This knowledge is very old, for it is the Truth that lies behind every religion. The tenor of the message has always changed with the time and place of any new inception in order for it to be more easily understood. Every new religion would bring a few souls to the Light before it was eventually corrupted and overrun by the forces of darkness. In these dark times society is very much in need of a light to show the way. The author shares his knowledge and experience to help us understand Gnosis. The upshot of Gnosis is to know our inner world and how it relates to the outer world. As it turns out, Gnosis tells us that our microcosmos (inner world) is a blueprint of the macrocosmos (outer world). As above, so below. Gnosis is a large body of knowledge comprising Art, Science, Religion and Philosophy. This book presents the knowledge and methods we need to start this exploration of our inner world. We can start with the question: ‘Why are we here?’ From there we can move on to ‘How to Solve a Problem.’ We may then ask, ‘Why do we Suffer?’ The author encourages us to validate everything he says with our own experiences. He is not looking for followers or believers. He does not expound on theories and dogma or engage in philosophical argument. His message is based on his knowledge and experience, which is considerable. If we compare him to our modern-day TV evangelists we see a contrast of opposites. A true master does not preach as a money-making venture, nor does he speak beyond that which he knows from his own experiences. There is an exercise for managing our anger, which can often be our undoing. There is a method for visualizing success in a business venture, which is a surprising topic for a master or guru to expound on. But it is important for us to succeed in this world with a certain amount of comfort and happiness or else how can we address our inner world and have time to explore it? We are given advice on mental hygiene. This addresses the mental pollution in our society and the mental epidemics which are so prevalent. It is surprising how much we focus on the physical aspects of hygiene and never give much thought to our mental health. Certainly there is much to explore in such a small book. Invention, imagination, intuition. These faculties are largely unused and latent in us because our habits and behaviors thwart us. Certainly we need a new approach to break out of the rut of our ignorant behavior. In order to fix ourselves we need to know ourselves first, fundamentally and in depth.

When it comes to life and true awakening - it comes through Gnosis (knowledge). Turning within and doing the "inner work" is what leads people towards happiness, success, and less attachment & suffering here in the physical world. This book is enlightening in many accounts, but for the life long learning and truth seeker that is continually working to better their on consciousness and awareness in life - you must give it a read.

I was studying the author's other books for years before I read this one. I thought this would be a simplified version of what was already written elsewhere but I was pleasantly surprised to find it contains instructions for many useful exercises that I hadn't seen before. Whether or not this is actually the best book with which to start learning gnostic practice depends on who is reading. This book ends most chapters with a practical exercise. That's great for people who are open to trying new spiritual practices. I wouldn't recommend it for people who are investigating gnosis from the perspective of another religion though. For Christians, I would recommend starting with the book, Treatise of Revolutionary Psychology, also by the same author. For those who already have a deeper understanding of more than one religious tradition, I recommend reading The Perfect Matrimony first. This book is a good start for people who are interested in meditation or esotericism but not too firmly attached to any particular religious system.

Good book! I recommend this to anyone looking for a straightforward introduction on this subject.

This book gets overlooked by any one that is in to Gnosis because it goes over basics. However, these basics can be used in all aspects of life just not spiritual. Although to advance spiritual you need to know the basics. It is a fast read with a lot of significance

fantastic piece of literature for a fascinating belief system. The book is less about gnostic-based gnosis, and more about a contemporary view at the concept of personal gnosis, through processes of mindfulness exercises and consciousness meditation. Very insightful.

This book is short yet so tremendously useful and insightful. It contains practical exercises and helpful concepts. I am yet to read a book by Samael that does not leave me in wonder and awe... Pure magic.

The subject matter is vague or flat out wrong and sometimes contradictory with itself. I don’t think it was edited and if it was, I don’t believe the editor had a good grasp on the English language. It was a short read and there were a couple entertaining parts but if you’re looking for an introduction into Gnosis, skip this book at all costs. There are better options that give correct information. Not worth the money.

This little book must be one of my favourites by Samael Aun Weor. Over the course of nine lessons, Samael Aun Weor introduces many important topics in an intense, direct, and clear manner. Every lesson is followed by an exercise. Some of the topics covered in the lessons include: the power of thought, relaxation, the tattvas, the "I" and the Being, altruism, the role of money, sensations, sex and the soul, alcoholism, the universal mind, concentration, meditation, and much more. The thing I love most about this book is it's practicality. I think the author knows very well that we are living busy lives in the modern world without a huge amount of leisure time to spare. This book is for the working man and woman. The author takes the fundamental practical principles of religion and spiritual development and puts them into a format which is perfectly accessible for the modern man or woman. 'Gnostic methods for today's world' indeed! Even though this may be just an 'introduction', I know I will be reading it again and again and referring back to it. This edition also comes with the lecture by the same author 'How to make light within ourselves' and the short book 'Matrimony, Divorce, and Tantrism'. All in all, this book is a fantastic introduction to spirituality. I would invite anyone who is even FAINTLY interested in matters religious/spiritual/supranormal to read this book! It also makes a great gift for a like-minded friend!

Very good book. The author gets to the point. Gnostics are well versed in knowledge of many religions, some have different term for the same thing, a background on various religious systems will help, or you could get lost in translation he refers to one thing one time and refers to it in another religion the next, could be confusing. Other wise, still a great book on practical gnosis, also really great in terms of very relevant today, maby call it neo-gnostic.

This is an excellent small book, but needs to be read carefully and not rushed as it is not that straightforward a read. Read it and keep it near you as you will need to go back to it for referencing if you are planning to walk the path of a Gnostic and raise your spirituality. The fact that it is so small means you can keep it with you easily. If you are a complete novice to Gnostic teachings you will be confronted with a lot of home truths and jaw dropping moments in the book. The book has lots of really great exercises for you to carry out every day and get you started on the path to Gnosis. As the book says Introduction, so it only scratches the surface of a subject that is bigger than anything most people can imagine. But it has the important fundamentals of Gnosis in it. So buy it, read it, keep it close and keep studying further mediums of Gnosis. I find myself continually going back to this book the more I study further teachings of Gnosis and it helps a lot. You will notice that a lot of the book you wont understand until you continue further studies in Gnosis but after a while keep revisiting this book and it will then make a lot more sense. Especially after more practice of Gnosis.

Full of insights. Practical

An interesting and broad introduction to the writings of Samael Aun Weor. I suspect this is an amalgamation of various writings of Aun Weor into a useful introductory text. This book is an introduction to a specific type of "New Age" Gnosticism that was founded in the middle of the 20th century by the author and it has strong links to Theosophy. It is not the book for you if you want to read up on 'classical' Gnosticism. I am not a Samaelean Gnostic, but I still think this is an interesting read - although I prefer Fundamentals of Gnostic Education by the same author. I find all of his books are best read with an open mind and to consider them within the context of the time it was written. Fascinating stuff.