Richard Smoley and Jay Kinney need no introduction to New Dawn readers. After successful careers as editors of Gnosis (1985-1999), the highly respected US journal of esoteric knowledge, in 1999 Richard and Jay published Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions to much acclaim (in May 2006, a revised edition of Hidden Wisdom incorporating new material and insights, was released). Richard Smoley has contributed numerous articles to New Dawn magazine, many of which can be found on … [Read more...]
Gnostic Mysteries of Sex: An Interview with Tobias Churton
August 28, 2016 By
By RICHARD SMOLEY Tobias Churton is one of today’s most visible and prolific writers on the Western esoteric tradition. He first came to the attention of the public in the UK in 1987, with the release of a four-part television series called “Gnostics.” Since then he has written nineteen books, including Gnostic Philosophy, The Invisible History of the Rosicrucians, and biographies of William Blake, the seventeenth-century British esotericist Elias Ashmole, and Aleister Crowley. He holds a … [Read more...]
Kindling the Divine Spark: The Secret to Awakening
September 20, 2015 By
By TIM BOUCHER Blessed is he who has a soul, blessed is he who has none, but woe and grief to him who has it in embryo.1 – G.I. Gurdjieff The United States Declaration of Independence proudly proclaims the mystical truth that “all men are created equal.” What happens after that, though, is anybody’s guess. Once we’ve been created equally, does that mean all our lives are the same? Do the essential differences between us come from genetics, environment, free will, the soul? Do we all end up … [Read more...]
The Rebirth of Gnosticism: An Interview with Dr. Stephan A. Hoeller
May 20, 2015 By
By RICHARD SMOLEY One of the most compelling themes of current times is Gnosis – the idea of a transcendental knowledge that, like enlightenment, liberates the individual from bondage to the world of suffering. While Gnosis and Gnosticism were long relegated to the archives of memory as heretical and obsolete aspects of early Christianity, over the last few generations their ideas have resurfaced, displaying an unforeseen power and resonance. Stephan A. Hoeller is among the leading … [Read more...]
The Gospel of Judas Revealed
May 16, 2013 By
By ROBERT BLACK— The secret account of the revelation that Jesus spoke in conversation with Judas Iscariot during a week three days before he celebrated Passover. ...Jesus said to him, “Step away from the others and I shall tell you the mysteries of the kingdom. It is possible for you to reach it, but you will grieve a great deal.” – The Gospel of Judas1 From an historical point of view this find is as important as the Nag Hammadi writings discovered half a century ago. Everything tells us … [Read more...]
Gnosticism: Ancient and Modern
August 9, 2004 By
BY JAY KINNEY — Every dog has its day, so they say, and it looks like Gnosticism, an ancient approach to spiritual experience, may be having its day, once again. Of course, despite the best efforts of the early Catholic Church, Gnosticism never really disappeared, but its reappearance over the centuries has been fleeting and sporadic. Why, as we march into a new millennium, is this hidden stream of quasi-Christian mysticism triggering a fresh interest among both spiritual seekers and readers … [Read more...]
The Political Gnosis of Philip K. Dick
October 9, 2002 By
BY JAY KINNEY — It seems hard to imagine that it has been nearly twenty years since Bladerunner was released. That riveting and influential film was the first movie to be inspired by the writings of science-fiction author, Philip K. Dick. Other films, of varying success, have followed, including Total Recall and Screamers, but the until now the most Dickian movies have been those that copped his dystopian and paranoid sensibility without directly basing themselves on one of his books or short … [Read more...]
