Personal responsibility

This is, without a doubt in my mind, the most important point in Jordan Stratford's Ten Points.

If a level of personal responsibility exists in the present and future generations of Gnostics, then we can be assured that Praxis and Caritas get the attention they deserve. After that-everything else in the Ten Points become easy (relatively) to accomplish.

It is all too easy to abdicate our spiritual lives and responsibilities to 'authority' figures and the teachers of the world. People are always looking to be told where to go and what to do, and even why.

Religious and moral traditions are accepted at face value by many. Lacking an understanding of why they do what they do, or even the reasons it was done in the first place, they focus on goals they don't understand, walking paths without knowingwhere they place their feet.

A solid Gnostic communion needs both firm direction and active participation.

A community does not stand firm because each person derives their support and integrity from the people and parts therein connected. It stands because each person and element is a solid-foundation unto itself. The convictions and efforts of the many, abused and misdirected by leaders lacking ethical integrity, sets the whole structure of the community on a dangerous
platform akin to a well built ship being lead by an inept or, worse, corrupt captain.

On the other hand- a leader with integrity and charism for directing an ecclesia, but blindly followed by a community of people whose motivation, spirtual impetus and integrity are abdicated to that leader is equally destined for failure. In this case it is like a poorly crafted ship with a reliable captain. They fail themselves because they lack the enegry derived from
conscious and active participation that would not only enable the vision of the leader to become reality but would ensure that they do not become trapped in the gravity and limitations of that very vision. Conscious and active participation ensures that the experience retains its relevance and vitality- it's "now-newness".

Thus it is incumbent on every gnostic to cultivate and maintain personal responsibility and awareness.

Curiously though, there seems to be little in the way of building strong individual Gnostics, especially with the supposed understanding that such is a key to a better community. When questioned about these things most will naturally say 'Yes, I agree completely'. This is no different than a person who is nodding off and you ask them 'Are you sleeping'- to which they
will straighten up and say " No, I am not. Just resting my eyes" (A similar example is given in P.D. Ouspensky's The Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution whereby if you question some one who is non-aware as to the state of their non-awareness, they will become for a short time, aware).

Given the fact that everyone -knows- what has to be done (or at least I would like to think they do, but I am not sure if that optimism is to their credit or mine), why are they not doing it, and what are they doing in the meantime.

Refering once again to Ouspensky's Psychology of Man's Possible Evolution, the point is made that the first step and realization in Awareness is the realization that one was previously unaware. The Gnostic Ecclesia do nothing because this would require an admission that they have been doing it wrong, for a long, long time.

What have the Gnostic Ecclesia been doing all this time? Where has their Awareness and personal responsibility taken them in this time?

The focus to date has been in equal parts a scramble for identity and a scramble for power neither of which has created a dash for integrity.

The scramble for identity has been occurring for years- as more attention is drawn to alternative spirituality, esotericism and gnosticism, there has been a scramble to quickly step in the limelight of this pop culture and say 'That's us, yep, that's us'. Yet when the public turns its face towards the Gnostic Ecclesia, they see something that is confused and disheveled. Roman Catholic Churches with new age and Gnostic terms thrown in for good measure, with little understanding as to what those gnostic concepts really mean on the one hand and not even a sound theological or historical understanding of what their all too apparent Roman Catholic tradition means.

The scramble for power is evident when you read any of the writings on the histories of this movement. A cursory reading of any of them shows how quick each Gnostic group is given to schism, separation and power plays. A deeper reading shows a sad trend towards historical revisionism of the worst kind, manipulating history quietly to support one's jurisdictional
supremacy. Supremacy? What supremacy? The right to call one's church the supreme and foremost exponent of a movement that is confused, cannibalistic and sorely lacking in education?

Is this what they are fighting over?

The lack of pastoral training and personal responsibility has created a gross misunderstanding of the nature of power. Power does not exist to serve itself or it's own ends. Power exists to ensure the better enactment and fulfillment of responsibility. It enables one to serve better, not less.