TGI & Organizations

I've always found it rather confounding that in a religious tradition predicated upon each individual achieving their own Gnosis, that doesn't care what you believe, will administer communion to anyone, that the first topic is always about groups/orgs which are merely tools we use with fellow travelers on that journey.

TGI is secular in its operations, with no requirements for participation other than behavior, and in which anyone who participates is a stakeholder. Interested individuals of any stripe are welcome, not just self-identified gnostics. This is my own crazy dream inspired by what would have been (and will be) helpful to me on my own path.

In TGI the type of material and way of engaging with it is simply one that doesn't rely on the "appeal to authority" fallacy. I don't think our values as individuals seeking gnosis on a gnostic path can support much authority-based claims, especially beyond a basic understanding. And, I think that we need to be honest with ourselves and others about our sources of knowledge and about different interpretations of those sources. All of which fits under the standard academic model. So, one can study dogma via TGI, but one cannot use it as a vehicle to uncritically teach dogma.

What I would like to see come of TGI are some skilled researchers and many skilled critics of research reports and arguments. Individuals who are living examined lives. It would be very sad if Gnostic Studies continues to fade away and practitioners do nothing to enliven it with insights from practice. And, if nothing else, to be able to discuss Gnosticism in a non-hostile environment is something I enjoy immensely, and would choose to do over most things.

Isn't taking this approach going to reduce the tradition to academic and not personal experience? No, studying aspects of the tradition, such as texts, helps us to discover the richness of symbolism, play of ideas, of multiple meanings, etc. These studies bring us closer to the authors of the text and so to the authors' experiences.

Back to Orgs, it is a measurable (quantitative) bias that a member of group A will see his/her group as being more diverse than group B, even while knowing diverse members of group B. So, I will see in my org all of its diversity and openness, while everyone not ego-identified will  see it as being less diverse than their org. And, the nature of the group/org can be trivial.  There are many many biases that we need to become aware of in order to seek to become free from them. This is a path of liberation where self-gnosis is redemptive-gnosis.

Blessings on your journey,

Troy