Sacred Codes: Gnostic & Kabalistic Worldviews

As life would have it, my schedule in the last week has not at all been what I had planned.  I dare not judge, however.   Like the bamboo tree, I have bent in the wind, curious at what it brings my way and knowing that all is simply what it is.

Vienna has become cold and rainy. I’m glad I got a 10 km walk in on Wednesday as any outdoor excursions since then have required the greatest of will on my part (due to both weather and focus).   That day, I walked to the Belvedere Gardens and then through the adjoining Botanical Gardens where I read for a while before going to life drawing class.

Much of the week, I have been engrossed in “The Hidden Passion: A Novel of the Gnostic Christ Based on the Nag Hammadi Texts” by my school’s director, Laurence Caruana.  I had seen it on the sales table of all our school events, but as is often the case when faced with too much visual stimulus (big shops, libraries, markets, museums, etc.), I get overwhelmed and ignore the details.

Gnostic Worldview:

Thursday of last week, however, before leaving for the Czech Republic, I attended a Sacred Codes lecture presented at the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art.  Laurence was presenting the Gnostic Worldview.  After that, I just had to read his book, and so he lent me a copy.When I was full-time at the academy, I attended Laurence’s regular Sacred Codes lectures on how both Humanist (Classical Greek, Renaissance, etc.) and Hieratic (Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist) worldviews had affected art throughout the ages.  I had already been familiar with some of the founding principles behind those worldviews, but had never thought about their effects on art.  I had therefore found them quite interesting.

This lecture, however, appealed to a much deeper curiosity.  Having been raised Catholic with a lifelong connection to Jesus, through my early religious years and continuing through my more universal spirituality, I was intrigued by this different version of his well-known story. Although I knew the term ‘agnostic’ (a person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God…; a person who claims neither faith nor disbelief in God”.- Apple Dictionary), I had never heard of the term ‘Gnostic‘ or ‘Gnosticism‘ before:  “a collection of ancient religions that taught that people should shun the material world created by the demiurge and embrace the spiritual world”.  I also didn’t know (or didn’t remember hearing) that a series of Gnostic texts had been found in the desert in 1945 and later translated by a group from the United Nations (completed in 1970) – these are called the Nag Hammadi Texts. Even so, I must have been familiar with some of their beliefs because books/movies like “The Matrix” and “The Da Vinci Code” were based in part on these texts.

Of course I was familiar with the books and Gospels of the Bible.  The Nag Hammadi Library, however, includes Gospels from others in Jesus’s circle, including Thomas and Mary Magdalene – as well as dozens of other books and codices.  Fascinating!

As Laurence explained, the condition of these texts and the nature of translation makes it difficult to decipher all the information they contained. Some pages had been ravaged by time, for example, with literal holes in the text.  Still, huge volumes were produced from these official translations.  According to Laurence, although some of the passages therein are very poetic in nature, others are simply difficult to read or understand for the layman.  With his Philosophy degree in Hermeneutics (the study of Biblical Interpretation), he tackled the task over several years and amassed a huge list of sayings from these texts in preparation for the writing of “The Hidden Passion” – this list he calls the Gnostic Q is available online.  Unlike in the time of the Bible, however, he had to contend with the copyright laws protecting the translations of these ancient texts, and so the sayings he uses in his novel are paraphrased.

Laurence positions his novel in the middle, between the dry academic interpretations / translations and the many esoteric novels that are “loosely based on the Nag Hammadi Texts”. Of course, being a novel, he also exercised creative license.  He doesn’t hide that, though. His afterword describes his creative choices, adding even more value to the experience.

I knew Laurence was talented, but both his presentation and novel have impressed upon me a greater depths to his gifts.  I love stories. In this book, he’s managed to convey a lot of philosophical and intellectual knowledge in a way that was both easy and entertaining for me to explore. I am not up to the task of summarizing what I have read or learned about Gnosticism – but I will quote the summary I found on Amazon.com. I leave it up to you to decide whether you’re interested in finding out an alternative interpretation of Jesus’s life and the world as we know it (or don’t know it) – from the Creation, Adam & Eve, all the way to the crucifixion:

This is the tale of the Gnostic Christ, based on the ancient sources. In a compelling narrative, L. Caruana seamlessly weaves over 1500 sayings from the Nag Hammadi texts to recount The Hidden Passion of the Gnostic savior. Wandering round Galilee, increasingly hailed as the Messiah of the Five Seals, the Gnostic savior preaches divine awakening through compassion. But he must still contend with Judas, his dark twin, and Magdalene, his promised bride. At once earthly and spiritual, the Nazarene’s love for these two is finally transfigured into a higher, hidden passion. Each page of this novel rings with the authentic message of the lost gospels. By combining numerous narrative fragments from the Nag Hammadi texts, The Hidden Passion makes the Gnostic Gospels come alive. Complete with a map, diagram and glossary, this novel elucidates the Gnostic worldview in an eloquent , engaging narrative.

You can also purchase the novel directly from Laurence’s website.

While reading this novel, I understood that the painting I had created in the visionary art workshop in Bali was that of Mary Magdalene.   Because of the blue veil, I had thought my subconscious had brought to the surface a representation of the Virgin Mary, but that never felt right.  Instead of “In-Sight”, therefore, I’m renaming this painting “The Magdalene”. That feels right.  So does the accompanying crane – symbol of loyalty and longevity, with a divinatory meaning of “drawing your eyes to the heavens, lifting your spirits, and inspiring you to trust in the universe.”

The Magdalene

Here’s an interesting video I found on YouTube on the role of Mary Magdalene according to these new texts.

Kabbalistic Worldview:

On Friday evening, with a new version of Heaven, Earth, and everything in between still running through my brain, I got dressed from head to toe for the rain and walked to school for yet another Sacred Codes presentation.  This time,  Emma Watkinson, another member of the Visionary Guild, presented on the Kabbala.

I would have benefited from reading a brief introduction of the Kabbala on Wikipedia before attending the lecture.  Emma dove right in at super speed without my having a basic understanding of the word itself.  The name rang a bell, but that’s about all.  I’m glad I interrupted her to find out that the Kabbala is an ancient worldview based in Judaism but adapted by various esoteric and occult schools of thought.  It is not a religious denomination by itself.  It does, however, present yet another version of the universe and our journey towards Oneness.

Emma chose to present the various levels of this universe through artworks she felt represented them. It was a great way to journey up and down the tree.  Equally interesting was her description of how the various major arcana cards of the tarot deck related to the various transition states between the various levels / worlds. Having used tarot cards for decades, this was of particular interest.

A few of the Academy teachers are scholars of the Kabbala and I can now see how this is reflected in their artwork. From what Emma showed us, it seems that Ernst Fuchs was also influenced by it – whether consciously or unconsciously.  Emma told us that when asked, he would tell her that some of the symbology she referred to came to him in dreams.  Having come from a Jewish background before converting during the war, she believed that the Kabbala’s influence on his work would make sense.

Worldviews and Beliefs:

Our exploration of the various worldviews at the Academy has done more than increase my understanding of the earth’s populations and of visionary art throughout time.  It has expanded my own spiritual journey.  It would be hard to describe what my specific beliefs are.  It’s simply something in and of me that requires no explanation or defense.  My spirituality has been shaped by all I have lived and learned, so that I may live to the best of my ability while on this earth. It’s something I feel and something that guides me.  I am very comfortable with that even if I couldn’t spell it all out for you. While some things ring true to me, and others don’t, I am aware that I may not know the real Truth until I transition back into spirit state – a belief that itself has been shaped by what I have learned along my journey. So be it.