User:God of War/Modern Gnosticism

Modern gnosticism refers to a group of contemporary theories that treats topics including pantheism, gnosticism, consciousness and demons.

From recent theories like TechGnosticism (Erik Davis) and Infomysticism (Steve Mizrach, [1]), that base themselves on pantheism and quantum physics (regarding quanta as “messenger particles”, i.e. carriers of information, so that quantum teleportation, based on quantum nonlocality, is simply a matter of 'resetting a value'), combined with theory of Formative Causation (Rupert Sheldrake), Information Science and Digital Philosophy, with roots in philosophies dating back to Plato and the ancient Gnostics - we have that all the 'physical universe' is based on underlying information (nature's binary code with two non-physical states/'values' for 0 and 1), so matter itself, as well as the abstract (shapeless, energetic) forms/objects, is just encoded bits of information in this 'Program', that (visually) projects itself (to the Mind) like a hologram (Bohm). Many numerologists as well as mystics back to ancient times, knew that Information, i.e. some numbers ('The Word', that was in the beginning, since they didn't have a better term for a(n) (evolving) 'Program'), is/are the basis for this whole physical world, more basic than matter, energy, vibration or light. 'The Word' was/is WITH 'God' (since God-Demiurge is in interaction with Information), and 'The Word' WAS/IS God (since God-Demiurge becomes a complete self in this interaction, through his creation that results from the interaction).

On this view, Consciousness is understood as a symbiosis of Mind and Information. Mind (or soul) is non-physical, and mind emanates from the Spirit (the manifestable essence). Mind is a 'driver', having an associated organic form (material body) as its 'vehicle', and is manifested through any level in pantheistic holarchy - as a mind/soul of a single cell (with very primitive, elemental consciousness), a human or animal mind/soul (with consciousness on a level of organic synergy of an individual human or animal), or a (superior) mind/soul with synergetically extremely complex and sophisticated consciousness of whole galaxies involving all sub-levels (Demiurge, our whole as a super-Mind, also emanated from the One Spirit). On the other hand, the morphic field of the mind's past is the 'baggage' of an individual (on the synergetic level of an organism with brain, since using existing and generating new abstract forms is only possible with a brain). Abstract (mental, brain-related) forms also have their associated morphic fields, same as organic forms have. One's past, a complex abstract form, is a group of abstract/energetic forms (representing thoughts) with their collective morphic field known as an Akashic Record, one's default (and 'private') mental morphic field consisting of all the experiences and memories of one mind through its physical lifetime (Akashic Records, term used in Vedas, are a subset of this universal database of all the experience of the organic world, the all-connected and perfectly organized morphic fields database).

So, Consciousness, as the interaction of Mind (essence, the 'driver') and Information (quantum energy, the 'vehicle' + information from morphic fields, the 'baggage') is what a complete living self is (Mind + Information = Consciousness).

Movies that deal with Virtual Reality (cyberspace), like Matrix, The Thirteenth Floor, eXistenZ, Total Recall, Vanilla Sky, Lawnmower Man, Tron etc., are proponents of this view, although some combine it with a solipsist aspect as well (being then also related to Zen Buddhism and Taoism, besides Gnosticism).

Interesting to note is that the famous science-fiction writer Philip K. Dick (the 'modern gnostic prophet') defined a homoplasmate, a person 'in Gnosis', as a symbiosis of mind and information (similarly to the mentioned theories), considering heightened consciousness as achieved Gnosis (or insight), necessary for the self-realization and salvation from the Demiurge's Hysterema (imperfect world of disharmony and suffering). Self-realization through Gnosis would mean that higher consciousness gets preserved after physical death somehow (and the 'vehicle' would be successfully transformed from matter into 'pure energy'), escaping from this world back to Pleroma (world of perfect harmony).

Demons and angels should be in fact regarded as Minds (manifestation of the essence that emanates from the Spirit, the manifestable essence) that interact with this 'physical universe', but unlike human and animal minds/souls, demons and angels 'drive' abstract forms (thoughts and complex thoughts/ideas), as their 'vehicle'. Demons as ‘drivers’ of abstract forms, as Minds in interaction with Information, form a counter-consciousness. A human (or animal) mind/soul is 'driving' an organic form (individual material body on a level of a synergetic whole, including the brain as the most sophisticated organ) as a 'vehicle'. The brain is generating and using countless abstract forms/objects. An abstract form/object, although non-dimensional (shapeless), is energetically real (not 'imaginary'), as material form is real (telekinesis, moving material objects/forms with thoughts, is a direct proof of that), and like any organic form, it also has its own associated morphic field. The elemental abstract forms are thoughts, the most complex are skills, sciences, languages etc. Many thoughts (abstract forms), as energy processed by the brain together with the data from their morphic fields, since brain is controlling the whole body, actually can cause some effects, through vibration (subconsciously sent by the brain), to different body-parts (organs, tissues). Often, a fear, creeps, urge, even unusual sweating, are in fact caused by (usually some 'minor') demon, a mind ‘driving’ some thought (that every brain can tune to, under certain condition).

Demons (counter-creation minds that together, in coordination, make what some religions call Satan), are, although not 'intelligent' (in a creative way like human minds are), however extremely skillful to attract/trap (a) human mind(s), with their vehicles easily regrouping and reorganizing (as abstract/energetic forms). Angels, of course are the opposite, they 'drive' positive abstract forms/objects (pure, noble and inspiring thoughts/ideas, that enable spiritual progress of humanity). According to Gnostics, demons (archons) rule this world (Demiurge's creation), being the main reason for the troubles the humankind goes through.

So it is possible that this (thoughts being demons' vehicle) was the main reason why quantum physicist David Bohm (Thought as a System) dedicated many of his efforts bringing up the importance of thoughts to humankind : "Thought runs you. Thought, however, gives false info that you are running it, that you are the one who controls thought. Whereas actually thought is the one which controls each one of us..."