• Montanism
• Marconism

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  The Gnostic Creed

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All Gnostics believe in an Infernally ruled Creation. Some sects directly equating the Creator or Demiurge Yahweh with Lucifer /Satan-el. Remarking that the vengeful and malicious God of the Hebrews could never be the kind and compassionate God of Jesus. Others believe in a Divine Creation but after He had created the Souls of Mankind the Divinity then departed. Entrusting His Creation to a secondary creation: His Ministering Angels. Who then promptly had a civil war and from direct experience of all the suffering and evils in the World... the bad Angels must have won! Or in a dualistic God of Light and a God of Darkness; the former being the Creator and the latter the one currently in charge! In this Dualistic approach the original Universe was split into two mutually antagonistic Principles embodying the sum of all Creation: Good/ Evil; Light/ Dark; Spirit/ Matter; ... With the departure of the Creator the Universe dissolved into Chaos and the two Principles merged into a random mixture. In the distant Future the Creator will return and these Principles will be separated again. All Gnostics also believe that Mankind lives in a Universe in which the original God is absent but that we are still enveloped in the protective Womb of the Primal Female principle. Later this Cosmic Womb was to be characterised as the Primal Great Mother Sophia "Wisdom" and sometimes equated with the Holy Spirit. (See below.) Also Central to the Gnostic Creed is the belief that we are perfect beings each one of us Fallen from a State of Grace and trapped in an imperfect world founded largely on illusion and deceit. Condemned by an Infernally corrupt and corrupting Creation into being constantly (re)born into a literal Hell on Earth! There being no possibility of escape. Until the sacrifice by Jesus who opened up the gates of Paradise and the Empyrean Void to the Pure in Heart. The latter, known to the Gnostics as "The Perfect" or "The Elect", were generally at the apex of a communal lifestyle; supported by a much larger group of "Believers" or Hearers". These sacrificed their own chance of Redemption in this cycle, so that others more worthy could achieve the required Purity of Spirit. In addition to supporting the Elect the essential rites of the Gnostic Faith were largely orthodox: Prayers, Almsgiving, Fasting, Confession and Singing of Hymns. The first stage in achieving this Purity being the self realisation that despite the perpetual and powerful Temptations to remain Corporeal, our Souls or Intellects (Greek: "nous") are Transcendentally connected to the Godhead by unbreakable bonds. It is important to emphasise here that this realisation MUST come from an intuitive quest for self knowledge/mystical revelation. Reasoned enlightenment was not enough and merely being told by some Priest or Bishop that you were to be 'Saved' an anathema. Salvation only came from some form of Vision or Sign indicating that you personally had been chosen by the forces of the Good God as a suitable candidate for Redemption. (It was this rejection of Faith and the belief in the fallibility of the Papacy that were to prove their eventual downfall!) Only after the individual had been Illuminated could the process of purification start. The aim of most Gnostic Creeds being the recreation of a perfect existence without temptations of the flesh. Prohibitions were varied almost always including the traditional fornication and the eating of meat but also of a variety of tasks including work and cultivation! These impossible conditions thus only achievable with the support of a Community of fellow believers awaiting the sign that it was to be their turn!

  The Gnostic Creation

The following version of the Gnostic Creation is merely just one amongst the multitude. This is only to be expected when one of the central tenets of Gnostic belief was that Redemption was only found through Self Knowledge (gnostikos Greek: "good at knowing") and was only intuitively achievable and not derived through Reason. And certainly not handed down as Dogma from a patriarchal organisation all too ready to blame and persecute women just because of their sex!

In the Beginning was the Word and the Word was "                 "! A Nothingness that could not be characterised by any term: Chaos, Silence, ... all imply the presence of something. However this nameless and unnamable space was a place of Gestation and thus the first of the Gnostic Heretical concepts: That the Primal force in the was a feminine creative principle! A 'Goddess' before there was a God!

In this Cosmic Womb there came into being by an act of Kether "Self Will" what can be best described as the Godhead or the First Principle

(Gnostic sects had various names for this First Principle including the Good God, the Ineffable God,.. the term used henceforth is the Godhead.)

In turn the Godhead found himself manifested as various abstract concepts of Self Knowledge (IN: Words): Wisdom, Temperance, Compassion,... Love by some accounts totalling eight secondary Principles plus fifteen paired opposites including Light and Dark. Others, this author included, believe that there were nine original Ancient Ones equivalent to the ten Sephiroth: Kether being equivalent to the Godhead himself (See Table below) and that there were then two sets of seven pairs of dualities.

These abstract qualities then coalesced into discrete beings still at one with the Godhead with Self Knowledge but no Will. These are the Gnostic "Ancient Ones" the firstborn Principles of the Godhead (IN Choirs) the equivalent to the first Archangels of orthodox belief.

The Sephiroth 1/ Kether Crown Primum Mobile Ehieh Kether “Initial Will” 2/ Chochma Wisdom Stars Iah “Seed of all things” 3/ Binah Prudence Saturn Elohim “Upper matrix!” 4/ Chessed Clemency Jupiter El “Love, mercy goodness” 5/ Gebura Power Mars Elohim gibor “Severity Punishment” 6/ Tiphereth Grace Sun Eloah “Generosity, Beauty, Splendour” 7/ Nezach Triumph Venus Iehoua Sabaoth “Constant endurance, Victory" 8/ Hod Honour Mercury lohim Sabaoth “Magnificence, Majesty” 9/ Jesod Redemption Moon Elchai uel Sadai “Ground of all Procreation” 10/ Malkuth Kingdom Earth Adonai “The dwelling of God in Creation”

There are minor differences between the terminology of Orthodox and the Gnostic (Heterodox) belief systems notably the term Aeon for Angel and that of Archon for Demon or Devil. In truth mere window dressing to further separate this new version of Christian belief from the mainstream orthodoxy of the central church.

Indeed at this time the Church was itself rife with schismatic beliefs with Bishops all espousing the one true connection to Christ's original teaching. If there was one thing the period of Gnostic Heresy did for the early Roman Catholic Church was to prompt a rapid consolidation of a one true Faith!

During this early period the Ancient Ones with the aid of the Godhead created other Lesser Beings linked to less abstract concepts. "The Lesser Gods" and in turn other lesser Principles in the order: Ancient Ones (the original 38), Lesser Gods, Dominions, Thrones, Powers, Rulers, Authorities. At each stage however there was a lessening of the pure spirit of Creation and an increasing level of contamination: Matter.

Then came the last gift of the Godhead's: Self Will and the ability to shape their own Destinies. Then The Unknowable Father withdrew from this Universe before the traditional Creation. Thus creating The Empyrean Void.

This contraction of The Divine is said by some to have caused the Fall and the creation of the Universe as we know it. However others state that the story is far more complex. From hereon is a personal view specifically tailored for a rather unusual campaign.

Before the Godhead had withdrawn leaving the various Aeons to get on with whatever they wanted, the Ancient Ones gathered around a suitable spot in the Void and there was a debate as to what to do with their new gifts of Freedom, Self Will and the right to choose their own Destiny. One third of the Ancient Ones were of the opinion that a contemplative existence was required praising their original Creator and leaving it at that. The bulk, supposedly 365 in number, decided that independence was everything and attack the best form of defence. Rallying around their Leader, an Ancient One embodying the Word of Light, they attacked the remaining one third and the Godhead. The former were routed and retreated into the Empyrean Void leaving the Godhead undefended which under the assault of His Rebellious Creations shattered into a googolplex of pieces.

[Some Authorities state that in the original Creation there were scraps of the Godhead left lying around which were utilised by a being known as Lucifer. Others state that they were not leftovers but part of the original process of gestation or that they were created by a being called Satan-el but were the only thing he got right!]

The Victors of the Rebellion, now calling themselves Archons to indicate their Superiority over the defeated Aeons, experimented with these scraps of the Godhead. They discovered that each was a duplicate of the Original, in miniature, still radiating the full spectrum of Primal Principles. As Secondary or lesser Principled beings they possessed only one 'wavelength' and even that was attenuated! They found however that they could not incorporate these scraps of the Godhead into their own being as they 'burned' too fiercely and were rejected by their lower ordered Resonances. Then "Light" and the other Archons attempted to duplicate these Collectives in miniature but they were doomed to failure. Not only were the best of their fellows now hiding in the Empyrean but being lesser Principled beings without the help of the Godhead their duplicates were at best low resolution copies. Even "Light" was unable to duplicate the Primal Light of the Godhead and his best efforts only a pale Shadow of his own light. Nevertheless faulty or not they were still of use. The Archons used these imperfect Collectives to add to their natures and create a multitude of lesser Archons. (These imperfect copies being IN: Infernally corrupted Celestial Forces, TA™ Wands: Infernal Mimeses).

Then "Light" suggested that they attempt a Creation of their own using these shattered pieces of the Godhead henceforth to be known as Souls. (IN Celestial Forces/ TA™ Cups: Celestial Mimeses) The other Archons readily agreed to his grand scheme. The Souls were bound to some impure eka-Soul material (Infernally corrupted Forces/Mimeses) especially created by "Light" so that the Archons would have control over them. Accomplishing this using Ethereal Matter as binding agent so that they could have (limited) powers of intellect and not have to be guided like mindless automata. The Soul Collectives were finally given an outer coating of Corporeal Matter to hold everything together.

After this complex process, Creating a material Universe for them to live in would be a cinch! Unfortunately the Archons were mistaken. At each stage of the process more and more complications crept in and with these the more and more imperfect the Creation became. Until it ended up as the tottery edifice we have today! The descending orders of Archons with varous Words responsible for the unceasing task of holding it all together like some Celestial juggling act.

During this period the Aeons had not been idle and had hatched up a scheme to repair the damage. They too had gathered up as much of the Godhead as they dared and gathered it together in a special area within the Empyrean known classically as the Pleroma "Realm of Light". Shielding it with an ever circling Host of their bodies praising it and encouraging it to get better. Additionally they formulated a secret plan to regain the fragmented Soul of the Good God and one day atone for their cowardice. This plan involved an insertion of a secret agent operating under deep cover. The Aeon chosen for the role being known as Jesus!

  Historical Note

Historically Simon Magus is the first recorded heterodox Gnostic scholar. In the First Century he arrived in Rome accompanied by the Babylonian temple prostitute Helen. Later identified by the orthodox theologians as the Whore of Babylon and with the Gnostics as a channel to Mary Magdalene. In Rome he preached his big concept: That after Jesus' Mission our Souls are now permanently connected to God and that Evil was a break in this linkage. Otherwise his ideas were still largely Monotheistic. The Dualistic beliefs of the Gnostic Creed being introduced by the Apocryphon of John written in the early part of the Second Century. In the Third Century the Pistis Sophia was written enlarging the role of the Female principle (See Below)

The Legacy of the Gnostic Faith is its effect on the Dogma and Doctrine of the Modern R. C. Church which was largely provoked by the rapid spread of Gnosticism. Without the latter the Ritual Symbolism of the Modern R.C.. Church would probably have been far more diverse. There would not have been the sudden Canonisation of approved scriptures and their interpretation becoming the sole prerogative of Episcopal Authority. Indeed Gnostics could be considered the first theologians of the Christian Faith. For a brief period keeping freedom of thought, the promise of a personalised Redemption and the means by which an individual could achieve a state of Grace alive in the face of an increasingly Authoritarian and Corrupt Papacy.

The most famous of these Theologians was Mani (or Manes) c. A.D. 216 - 276, a Persian Philosopher whose teachings were a synthesis of the ancient Zoroastrian beliefs, Christianity and the Teachings of the Buddha that were filtering into the West. His teachings were to prove overwhelmingly popular. The Gnostics believed that his role was that of a Gnostic martyr and the manner of his death paralleled the death of Christ. Aurelius Augustinus (St. Augustine of Hippo 354 - 430 was originally a Manichean until the Theologians of Rome 'corrected' his erroneous beliefs! Gnosticism disappeared from view during the period of Dogma and Doctrine related above and the threat of the Second Coming receded. Only to resurface in various parts of Europe during the Medieval period: Paulician Heretics of Armenia in the Seventh Century; the Bogomil Heretics of Bulgaria in the Tenth and the more famous Cathari ("The Pure" Greek "katharos") of 12th Century Southern France This sect was split into "The Perfect" and "The Believers" with the former initiated into the Ranks in the ceremony of the "consolamentum". The explosive growth of the Cathars caused the declaration of the infamous Albigensian Crusade in which Simon de Montefort ethnically cleansed Toulouse and decimated various Provence villages. Finally in 1244 he laid siege to the Fortress of Monségur, the last stronghold of The Perfect who were captured and put to the Inquisition. The latter having been largely invented to deal with the last of the Free Thinking Christians.

Despite the brutal suppression the Heretical Texts of the Gnostics have survived down to the modern day often in surprising places! The Seven Works by Mani have been recovered from copies in Chinese Turkistan and Egypt! The fragmentary texts of the Pistis Sophia were discovered in a largely intact form as an untranslated Coptic text discovered in Ethiopia. And a near complete collection of Gnostic Works were recovered in 1945 when a local farmer unearthed a large pottery jar. Inside were a set of primitive books, thirteen in all, with the various Gnostic: Gospels, Epistles and Acts written in Coptic on papyrus and vellum sheets stitched into leather bindings. This took place at Naj Hammadi in Upper Egypt!

 The Feminist nature of the Gnostic Heresy

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A recurring theme in Gnostic Beliefs and in the practical nature of their Ministry was the central Role of the Feminine Principle and women as fully ordained members of the Clergy. The Gnostic creation does not stop with the Primal Womb of the First Principle or Godhead as described above . Of the Aeons emanating from the Godhead the first was described as Wisdom "Sophia" and ascribed a feminine Role. Thus the first Angel was Female! Sophia had an increasing mystique as the Gnostic Creed embellished it's version of events with her role as a central part of the story. She was regarded as both the Mother and Lover of the other Aeons. The archetype of the Dual feminine roles in society extended by the addition of the Godhead hence the feminine Trinity "Pistis-Sophia-Prunikos". Tiring of the mysteries of Spiritual Intercourse with her fellow Aeons before they did she departed the Empyrean only to become entangled in the material Creation of the Archons. These captured her and forced her to submit to all the indignities that a woman can endure. At this stage she was considered as having Fallen and thus an Archon. And for a period Sophia became enamoured of the more Earthy pleasures of the Corporeal. Only by a supreme effort of Self Will did she achieve Redemption and purity of Spirit to rise once more into the Empyrean as an Aeon. Thus having experienced both the Sacred and the Profane had a greater understanding of the First Principle than her fellow Aeons and Archons. In the process becoming the greatest of them all. This story is linked in the Gospels to the Salvation of Mary Magdalene and her relationship with Jesus! There are many accounts of professional and temple prostitutes converting to the new message of the Gnostic Faith. Rejecting their past life in imitation of the example set by Sophia. Such women were especially noted for becoming ecstatic Visionaries and High Priestesses of an essentially Feminine Credo. Many versions of the Creed had the esoteric understanding of Christ's Mission as only properly perceived by Mary Magdalene, the Male Apostles having failed to understand the true nature of his message. Even her detractors in the Holy See, whilst denying her existence nevertheless ascribed to Sophia the role of Lilith as the wife of Satan and the Mother of a Thousand Demons and as the Whore of Babylon in John's Revelations.

"I am the First and the Last, the Honoured and the Despised, the Whore and the Holy One, Wife and Virgin, Barren and Fertile " Sophia from the Scrolls of Naj Hammadi

 Montanism or The Cataphrygian Heresy

This Sect is of particular interest because of the prominent role of Women in the Rites. The Sect arose in Phrygia Asia Minor when in 156 AD the Spirit of Truth "The Paraclete" promised in the Teachings of Jesus appeared to Montanus a priest of Cybele: The Great Goddess. The message was one of the imminent Second Coming and the Mission: Purification. The Means: Spiritualist Possession with ecstatic Rites demonstrated by his two female Companion High Priestesses Priscilla and Maximilla. These both experienced ecstatically induced visions, speaking in tongues, fits and other displays common to the modern day Spiritualist Movements. Their examples encouraged others to seek their own personal Revelation and the Cult spread with the Leaders calling themselves The Illuminati "the enlightened"! The Montanists were all excommunicated in 177 but continued to flourish without the support of the Holy See. As part of his general Pogrom against non Established religions of his empire i.e. all of them!) the Emperor Justinian destroyed its places of worship and killed its leaders in the period 527-565. Montanists preached a rigorous morality common to most Gnostic beliefs in order to purify Mankind in time for the Final Judgement. Marriage being discouraged and a second marriage forbidden.

  Marconism

Another sect admitting women to the priesthood
This flourished in Second Century after Marcion a young Philosopher and Theologian travels to Rome. Here he meets "Cerdo" a Gnostic Christian whose beliefs are a constant thorn in the side of the early Holy See. After exposure to the Gnostic Creed, Marcion developed his own version. Essentially that The God of Christ's Mission had nothing to do with this World or the Souls thereon. Instead this was a New ineffable God who as an act of Pity had sent Jesus as a deliberate Sacrifice to free Mankind's theological indenture to their original Creator: The vengeful and malicious God of the Hebrews. Christ did not die to Redeem our Sins but now at least we would have a chance to Redeem ourselves. Unusually for a Gnostic Creed, great importance was placed on Faith in the importance of Christ's Act of Sacrifice. The emphasis on personal and mystical self Revelation being of lesser importance. The Sect was still rigidly Ascetic with the reward of eternal bliss in the Heavens with the "other worldly" New God of Christ. Most importantly Women played an equal role to Men in the Church ceremonies which were based on an Equality in the Face of the New God.

Marcion continued to develop and preach this new Creed and even after he was excommunicated A.D. 144 but his movement was already widespread and powerful. Considered in its time as the most dangerous of Sects. Marcion being described as "the First Born of Satan" by the Theologian Polycarp.

Marconism rejected the Old Testament as having any part of Christian teaching but rather than declaring its Text as Heretical, as other Gnostic Sects were prone to do, Marcion maintained that its tenets were fine but only for those of the Jewish Faith.
For this reason Marcion condemned the Holy See for attempting to reconcile the Old Tenets with the New. Indeed he was even selective about these; using only the Testament of Luke and the Pauline letters but only after a heavy editing out of all references to Judaic practice.

  The Gnostic Campaign

The Aeons are the underdogs or Rebels lurking in the vaults of the Empyrean Void. Operating undercover in a Hostile Creation stealing/saving reluctant Souls away from Lucifer and his fellow Creationists. With each success their attempt to reconstruct the Godhead is moved one small stage further. Conversely it is the Archons and not the orthodox Angels that have the bulk of the work: Responsibility for maintaining the Corporeal status quo. Constantly on guard to prevent those sneaky Aeons snatching another Soul away and constantly trying to invent new Temptations or Distractions to encourage us to remain. Thus Sex, Beer, Chocolate, Roleplaying Games,... are all Archon Words and inventions: Mere 'maya' or illusory distractions to satisfy imagined Corporeal Needs that bind us to an endless cycle of Rebirth... when we could be Illuminated beings of pure spirit with no Need for anything.

Thus a simile or parable for an IN Gnostic Campaign would have the Aeons aiding the escape of Mundane Souls from a Corporeal Concentration Camp with Lucifer as the Commandant from Hell. The Crucifixion and Passion of Christ not only digging an escape tunnel under the wire but creating an underground railway through occupied territory to the Empyrean Void. Those special Souls selected by the Aeon backed Escape Committee smuggled out of the Camp by experts. Others in the Role of the French Resistance performing acts of Terrorism and safeguarding the occasional Soul into the next Village. Eventually the Soul is conveyed through the various Celestial Spheres to join the other portions of the Godhead in the Empyrean /Nirvana /Switzerland! In this location far from the Archon scheme of things, the Aeons are working on their secret projects and busy rebuilding the Godhead to atone for deserting it in the first place.

In my opinion a Gnostic campaign is a more challenging Roleplaying concept for Players and D/M alike. It also resolves a number of inconsistencies in the Game Mechanics (and in the Real World) Such as Free Will vs Predestination? There is none! Why do we live in an imperfect world? Because it's Lucifer's! Why do so many believe in Reincarnation? Because it is our Fate to be trapped in a Corporeal existence without Supreme Effort. Why is it so easy to become Tempted? Because it has been engineered into the Mechanics of The Game!

Rules!

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. .	Graces I : Thalia The Two and Twenty Levels of Salvation and Damnation (2.2MB/ 86 KB) Graces II : Euphrosyne The Division of the Divine (2.2 MB/ 57 KB) Graces III : Aglaia Dissonance, Imperfections and Angelic Vices; Assonance, Perfections and Demonic Virtues (0.5MB/ 32 KB)