Living Gnosis (Tau Malachi)
An Introductory Guide to Sophian Gnosticism|
[My 2-star Amazon review (NDA) of “Living Gnosis: A Practical Guide to Gnostic Christianity†by Tau Malachi.]
Although the subtitle of “Living Gnosisis†is somewhat misleading --it should have been subtitled “An Introductory Guide to Sophian Gnosticismâ€--this is an excellent book, one worth reading by anyone interested in learning about Gnostic Christianity, particularly Sophian Gnosticism. The author of the book, Tau Malachi, is a sagacious mystic with a background in Vedanta, Sufism, Vajrayana Buddhism, and Rosicrucian philosophy, and he clearly possesses deep knowledge of the Gnostic Christian tradition. Moreover, he is an outstanding writer.
Although I have read several books on Gnostic Christianity, prior to reading this one I hadn’t encountered much information on Sophian Gnosticism. This book remedied that.
Sophian teachings are interesting because they have strong roots in Jewish mysticism and also bear a resemblance to Hindu and Buddhist tantrism. Sophian teachings are big on mythologies and cosmologies, and although I don’t subscribe to these mythologies, I still resonate with the teachings.
Malachi writes: “Basically, according to Sophian teachings Mary Magdalene was the consort and wife of the Master, was coequal and coenlightened with him, and was co-preacher of the Gospel with him.†I don’t buy this “story,†but I understand how it serves to elevate The Bride to equal status with the Bridegroom, much in the way that tantric mythologies serve to elevate Shakti to equal staus with Siva.
I particularly like the terms that Malachi uses to describe spiritual en-Light-enment. He talks about the “light-presence,†the “light-continuum,†and “light-transmission,†and he also describes one’s nature as being-consciousness-force, which is a very Hindu-tantric-like description.
The book does include some spiritual instructions, but is essentially about Sophian metaphysics, cosmology and mythology. If you’re interested in an introduction to the mystical tradition of Sophian Gnosticism, you’ll doubtless find this book a felicitous and enlightening read.
[My 2-star Amazon review (NDA) of “Living Gnosis: A Practical Guide to Gnostic Christianity†by Tau Malachi.]
Although the subtitle of “Living Gnosisis†is somewhat misleading --it should have been subtitled “An Introductory Guide to Sophian Gnosticismâ€--this is an excellent book, one worth reading by anyone interested in learning about Gnostic Christianity, particularly Sophian Gnosticism. The author of the book, Tau Malachi, is a sagacious mystic with a background in Vedanta, Sufism, Vajrayana Buddhism, and Rosicrucian philosophy, and he clearly possesses deep knowledge of the Gnostic Christian tradition. Moreover, he is an outstanding writer.
Although I have read several books on Gnostic Christianity, prior to reading this one I hadn’t encountered much information on Sophian Gnosticism. This book remedied that.
Sophian teachings are interesting because they have strong roots in Jewish mysticism and also bear a resemblance to Hindu and Buddhist tantrism. Sophian teachings are big on mythologies and cosmologies, and although I don’t subscribe to these mythologies, I still resonate with the teachings.
Malachi writes: “Basically, according to Sophian teachings Mary Magdalene was the consort and wife of the Master, was coequal and coenlightened with him, and was co-preacher of the Gospel with him.†I don’t buy this “story,†but I understand how it serves to elevate The Bride to equal status with the Bridegroom, much in the way that tantric mythologies serve to elevate Shakti to equal staus with Siva.
I particularly like the terms that Malachi uses to describe spiritual en-Light-enment. He talks about the “light-presence,†the “light-continuum,†and “light-transmission,†and he also describes one’s nature as being-consciousness-force, which is a very Hindu-tantric-like description.
The book does include some spiritual instructions, but is essentially about Sophian metaphysics, cosmology and mythology. If you’re interested in an introduction to the mystical tradition of Sophian Gnosticism, you’ll doubtless find this book a felicitous and enlightening read.
