Gnostic Philosophy

Gnosticism is one of the great mysteries in the history of Western religion. At its core is an ancient Greek word, gnosis, a word prominent in the writings of Plato which refers to a deep personal knowledge or understanding that often transcends the physical world. The Gnostics painted a picture of a fallen, broken world in which physicality was a product of a lesser deity. This deity was created in defiance of the One and in order to trap humans and blind them to the truths of their predicament and divine origins.

The Neville Goddard Lecture Series will be presented in a 12-volume set, 25 lectures per volume. This volume, Volume XII, contains lectures such as Wonder Working Power; You Are a Cosmic Being; You Can Forgive Sin; You Can Never Outgrow I Am; You Dare to Assume; and many more.

So, why a reprint of a book over 135 years old when there are so many reprints and new editions of the text? Excellent question and one I will endeavor to answer here. Since it is our goal to find and reprint spiritual classics on the verge of falling into the vast abyss, we came upon reference to this work while reading Lifting the Veil by Lillian Dewaters and The Sickle by William W. Walter.

Waite covers a lot of esoteric territory in this work, from mysticism, to alchemy to the Kabbalah, with a spattering of Latin throughout, for those wishing to brush up. The overall theme here being the search for personal adeptship, to which Waite proclaims, "Lift up your eyes." This is the advice that Brother Waite gives the zealous aspirant who may be seeking the secret tradition or the hidden college of the Rosicrucians.

Renowned esoteric scholar Manly P. Hall gives us an overview of the history of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus. He begins with a short piece of fiction, which he was known to do, in which he illustrates the tale of Hermes defeating a dragon in a temple, as the neophyte and initiator observe. Moving to nonfiction, he discusses the identity of Hermes, the lost writings of Hermes, the Book of Thoth in particular, an introduction to Poimandres, and ends with his simplified and condensed translation of Poimandres.