Living Gnosis: A Practical Guide to Gnostic Christianity [Paperback]

Tau Malachi (Author)

Book Description

Series: Gnostic | Publication Date: September 8, 2005

Gnostic revival is growing in the United States and Europe as people are discovering the mystical roots of their own Western Tradition. This easy-to-read, deeply spiritual introduction to Gnostic Christianity helps beginners down the Gnostic path to esoteric  insights and wisdom.

Focusing primarily on Sophian Gnosticism, Tau Malachi explains the origins, teachings, and nature of this living tradition. Readers also learn how to apply Gnostic practices, such as affirmation, positive thought, and creative visualization, in daily life. More than a practical guide, this text invites everyone to embark on a spiritual quest toward Spirit-connection and self-realization by way of Gnostic wisdom.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Tau Malachi's (Malachi eben Ha-Elijah's) spiritual journey began when he met the acquaintance of a Tau of the Sophian Tradition of Gnostic Christianity, Tau Elijah ben Miriam. He received the oral tradition of Sophian Gnosticism from Tau Elijah, and has been a student and practitioner of Gnostic Christianity for over thirty-five years. In 1983 he founded Sophia Fellowship as an expression of the tradition, and has been teaching and initiating others into Christian Gnosticism, Rosicrucian Philosophy and Christian Kabbalah since that time. He is an initiate of Ordo Sanctus Gnosis and serves as an Elder and Tau within the Sophian lineage.

Tau Malachi is also a Chevalier (a dubbed Knight) in the International Order of Chivalric Companions, a Martinist, and is an ordained and consecrated Independent Bishop. He is co-founder of The Gnostic Apostolic Church of Sophia and is among the leading exponents of Christian Gnosticism and Kabbalah in our times.

Along with his exploration of the Western Mystery Tradition, he has studied extensively in several Eastern Traditions, such as Vajrayana Buddhism and Vedanta, and he also studied within a Middle Eastern Tradition of Sufism, as well as becoming involved in Native American Shamanism. Though Gnostic Christianity has always been his heart's path.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Llewellyn Publications (September 8, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073870718X
• ISBN-13: 978-0738707181
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #254,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Spiritual Spectator or Participant? Gnosis offers a choice!, March 21, 2007

By 

Lee & Steven Hager - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Living Gnosis: A Practical Guide to Gnostic Christianity (Paperback)

Although the title describes the book as a "Practical Guide to Gnostic Christianity," the reader will quickly discover that the author, the founder and Master of the Sophia Fellowship, focuses the majority of his attention on that particular school of thought. That being said, Malachi does explain many fundamental tenets of Gnosticism that will be helpful to anyone who is curious about the subject of historic and contemporary gnosis. Malachi clearly points out profound differences between Gnostic and mainline Christianity. While Christian religions claim that the absolute word of God is contained in specific holy writings, Malachi explains that, "Any inspiration or revelation flowing through an incarnate human being will naturally be limited by the capacity of the individual's own knowledge, understanding and wisdom." Therefore, Gnostics understand that no matter how enlightened or inspired a writer may appear to be it is ignorance to, ". . .assume anything spoken or written by a human being is the `absolute word of God.'"

Malachi points out that spiritual insight is always received through the filters of the times and location of the receiver. While most Christian religions instruct their adherents to adapt themselves to a strict interpretation of a message written for another time and place, Malachi makes the point that gnosis, ". . . grows, evolves, and tends to assume whatever form is necessary to the time and place in which it appears." When reading an ancient text, Gnostics assume that some of the information will necessarily be obsolete and should be discarded. While this appears to be sacrilege to the literalist, Gnostics see this as a necessary component to spiritual growth. Readers will especially benefit from Malachi's repeated emphasis that gnosis is the result of personal spiritual experience. While this may be off-putting to those who prefer "spectator" religion, everyone hungry for direct spiritual experience will be encouraged by much of the information included in this book. Lee & Steven Hager are the authors of Quantum Prodigal Son: Revisiting Jesus' Parable of the Prodigal Son from the Perspective of Quantum Mechanics

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a guide!, March 30, 2006

By 

Dominic Adam - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Gnosis: A Practical Guide to Gnostic Christianity (Paperback)

I'm an Episcopalian who's been discouraged by the itchy sense that there's a bigger picture in Christian faith than its religious traditions allow to be expressed or discussed. Anytime I feel and ask the harder questions, most faithful people who mean very well keep taking me back to what the Bible literally said. While I feel and experience the Bible to be the inspired word of God, I also know that there are other gospels and texts which didn't somehow make it into the approved version. What is Gnosticism saying and how might it deepen what I already believe and feel? Tau Malachi's works, more than any other source I've yet found, has grounded the bigger picture I've always intuited to be present. How the Divine Feminine can be incorporated into Christian tradition is probably the biggest help of all. Going to Mass now isn't the same! I feel so grateful for this and can't recommend it enough!

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful!, March 29, 2006

By 

Ariadni Debussy (Nice, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Living Gnosis: A Practical Guide to Gnostic Christianity (Paperback)

What an amazing work of written art!
This is such a wonderful book I can't tell you how much this book changed my life!
It provides the most sane veiw of the mystical side of Christianity that I know of so far. It is unique, in that, not only are there teachings about Jesus, the Crucifixtion, Resurrection, Mary Magdalene etc... but Tau Malachi also provides a set of extremely useful meditations, so that, a person has the tools to advance in the spiritual life to the degree that they wish, espesially when this book is coupled with the three other books that Tau Malachi has written, but this one definitley offers the best beginning. Most Everything that I have ever really wondered about spiritualy is contained in this book in one way or another. From elucidations of scripture to a teaching on the perfection of sucess.
An Absolutely lovely peice!