WHAT IS Gnosis ?

Gnosis - Spiritual Knowledge (Oxford Dictionary).

Gnwsiz - Greek word meaning knowledge and wisdom.

Gnosis is in part the awareness that the Heart is the key to unlocking lifes higher Purpose. Among the gnostics Gnosis was the privileged "knowledge of the heart" or "insight" about the spiritual nature of Man and the Universe, that could bring forward the goal of Human Perfection.

"Knowledge of the heart" and techniques of meditation were practiced by the Ancient Gnositics and were believed to be the "short cut" to lifes Goal of Self Perfection. The concept of Self Perfection roughly equates to what Buddists call Enlightenment and to which the Christain Church refers to as Salvation. Other equivalent terms are Self-Realisation and God-Realisation.

Gnosticism

The central Gnostic myth is that of the 'Fall of Man' after eating from the tree of knowledge, for more information click here.

The Logo, Cube and Icosahedron

 Gnosis Solutions Logo

The Gnosis logo incorporates two Platonic solids, the cube (2nd solid) and the icosahedron (5th solid). Blue, the colour of the sky has been chosen to represent the solids in the divine view, that is, with no perspective. At 'the special orientation' of the divine perspective, the cube and icosahedron form the hexagon. 

Cube God, Father	Icosahedron Man (Perfected), Son

The cube has special significance to Jewish, Christian and Islamic faiths, as representing the most holiest of holy. The cube represents the 'all that is' which is known to us as God. The icosahedron is made in the image of the cube, by its divine relationship to the hexagon, and represents Man (perfected).

The Cube, Hexagon and Hexagram

Cube as Hexagon	Interlaced Triangles

The Cube when viewed from the divine orientation forms the Hexagon. The hexagon has its counterpart the hexagram, which is represented as two interlaced triangles and is most commonly known today as the Star of David.  

To the Pythagoreans the Interlaced Triangles represent the inseparable unity of spirit and matter. The pointing upward triangle represents spirit and the pointing downward triangle represents matter. The Pythagoreans know this symbol as the symbol of creation.

The Cube and Cross

Cube as Hexagon	Unfolded Cube, Cross

The cube when its sides are flattened or "rolled out" becomes the Cross. The Cross represents matter, which is but the surface of the whole, 'all that is', cube.

Traditional Cross	Rose-Cross

Christianity teaches the literal crucification of Christ on a cross. The Rosicrucian's use the rose as the symbol of the purity of essence crucified on the cross of matter. Evolution is achieved through sacrifice, represented by the color red, and is the path to human perfection.

Ankh

To the ancient Egyptians the Ankh was the very symbol of life and represented its goal. The (upper) loop symbolises spirit triumphant over the (lower) cross of matter.

Dodecahedron and Icosahedron

Dodecahedron The Rogue Solid	Icosahedron A Perfect Solid

The 4th and 5th Platonic solids are respectively the dodecahedron and Icosahedron. The Icosahedron and dodecahedron are known by mathematicians as dual solids, this is reflected in the fact that the corners of one are the faces of the other. 

The dodecahedron differs from the other Platonic solids in that its faces (pentagons) do not tile a plane, or are imperfect, and from this it is known as the Rouge solid. 

The perfect shapes that tile a plane are the equilateral triangle, the square and the hexagon, shown in blue. The pentagon, shown in red, does not tile the plane. 

The Pentagon and Pentagram

Icosahedron Showing Pentagon	Dodecahedron Embodying the Pentagon

If a corner is cut from the icosahedron a pentagon is revealed, reflecting the faces of its dual solid, the dodecahedron.

Pentagon	Apple Core

The pentagon has its counterpart the pentagram. The apple when cut across the core reveals the pentagram and in mythology references the "Fall of Man" in eating from the tree of knowledge. 

For the Pythagoreans one of their customs was to bring an apple, as a gift, those who understood the symbology would slice the apple across the core revealing the pentagram.

	AD ---  = f AC
	AC ---  = f AB

The Pythagoreans revered the pentagram as it embodied the sacred number f (pronounced PHI) in its ratios. f is also known as the golden mean and is used in ancient architecture such as the Acropolis of Athens and the Pyramids of Giza. f as a number, has some unique properties:

In the Fibbonacci series of numbers, where the latest number is equal to the sum of the two preceding numbers, the ratio of the last two numbers approaches f as we approach infinity.

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34...x, y       y/x ~ f

PHI and Proportions of Man

Pentagram over Vitruvian Man
Study of Proportions

The relationship between f and Man through the ratio of the height of the navel to the height of man, as depicted by Leonardo da Vinci in 'Vitruvian canon of human proportions', embodies a reference to the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden. All the progeny of Adam and Eve have a navel, and thus refer to the fall.  

Not only do the proportions of Man bear a relationship to f and the Fibbonacci series but so do the growth of pine cones, branching of plant stems and the spirals of shells. The number f can be considered the number of (physical) life. 

Fallen and Perfected Man

Dodecahedron Man only aware of Matter Fallen Man	Icosahedron Man fully self realised Perfected Man

The dual relationship between the dodecahedron and icosahedron represents the duality of Man, expressed here as Fallen (Imperfect) and Perfected Man.  Thus these solids represent our inherent potiential for and goal of Self Perfection and its opposite.

Summary

To the ancient Gnostics, mans consciousness is the fulcrum of a cosmic game, between spirit and matter, wholeness and incompleteness.

Man is a microcosm of the macrocosm.

Although we may not be aware, we play in the cosmic game through learning our life's lessons and thus transforming our nature (consciousness). Our collective consciousness is the measure of progress in the cosmic game.

Man is the measure of all things.

They believed that the destiny of this world is guided by a higher world, a world of our higher and already perfected natures, of our souls.

As above so below.

They believed that the events of this world are part of a great cosmic plan, a plan that will soon bring us world peace, harmony and the awareness of our true life goal, Self Perfection...