Ouroboros Gnostic Circle discussion

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I joined the group today. I have a question on the ouroboros/gnosis connection. Can you explain your point of view.
(Not much going on this group, unfortunately)
Cheers.

I joined the group today. I have a question on the ouroboros/gnosis connection. Can you explain your point of view.
(Not much going on this group, unfortunately)
Cheers."
Hey! maybe we can bring it back :P I can't speak for the originator of this group since I haven't been a member long myself, but generally it's a common motif in many Neo-Platonist, Gnostic, and other esoteric sects. The Pistis Sophia: A Gnostic Gospel describes the Ouroboros as an embodiment of peace and eternity and that a coiled serpent surrounds the earth protecting it from the Archons. It also talks about it coiling around sinners and evil and destroying them, and thus renewing the Earth. I tend to lean more towards Plato's idea of the ouroboros being a being of self-sufficiency and constant rebirth. I actually wear a necklace with the symbol on it to remind me that I need to always try to better myself and move on from bad things.

I see it as a metaphor to aid the visualization of a struggle terminating in the revelation of purified Selfhood--what you referred to as "self-sufficiency." Ouroboros is in a sense showing how to remove duality of "in" and "out" in order that the oneness (Plotinus) of the One is experienced (Nirvana).
One point on linguistics: you say "the ouroboros being a being of self-sufficiency and constant rebirth." What if you were to change "a being" to just "being" or "be-ing" to remove the relativity of "a creature?" Self-sufficient God is, for me, not "a being" but "the" Be-ing OwnSelf (for our existence).
I distinguish between existence and be-ing which basically sorts out the dilemma between science (dealing with existence) and religion (dealing with be-ing). Science cannot work/experiment on be-ing. Human, seeking gnosis, is the instrument and laboratory of theology.
Cheers.


Gnosis I believe should be considered "valid" for all religions and wisdom traditions, East and West, since the human individual is the common denominator--the meta "ouroboros" to annihilate self-ego-identity. This means anytime in history and anywhere in the world (perennial philosophy) liberation from limiting ego-identity (I would prefer the word detachment rather than "destruction") leads to awakening to the nature of our origin, our Source in being. For your reading I highly recommend Meister Eckhart (1259-1327, from Dominican Order of Preacher Friars) on "detachment."
"Perhaps no mystic in the history of Christianity has been more influential and more controversial than the Dominican Meister Eckart. Few, if any, mystics have been as challenging to modern day readers and as resistant to agreed-upon interpretation."
—Bernard McGinn, The Mystical Thought of Meister Eckhart
Cheers.
Books mentioned in this topic
Pistis Sophia: A Gnostic Gospel (other topics)The Gnostic 6 (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
April D. DeConick (other topics)Andrew Phillip Smith (other topics)
Recently got my copy of April D. Deconick's new Gnosis Journal. Did anyone else snag this? it's a bit pricey since it's from a high-end journal company, but I'm hoping it's as good as Andrew Phillip Smith's journals like The Gnostic 6. Noticed this page isn't too lively, would anyone like to start some monthly readings?