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The purpose of these studies is to acquire self-mastery. Therefore, it is a profound doctrine that only has power in accordance with the depth of our application. Everything we learn in this tradition should be practiced and experienced. It is only through such discipline that we can overcome suffering, realize our true nature, and receive the necessary force to accomplish our spiritual duties. Such duties relate to how we help others eradicate the causes of suffering. However, this is only possible through confronting our own negativity and relying on divinity’s power. In this way, we can dramatically improve our lives and our communities.
It is the purpose of this lecture to provide some universal principles that can benefit anyone in spiritual self-defense, no matter their level of development. However, we want to be very clear that this lecture is not about ordination. It is a preparation for those who seriously long for such a role―if divinity allows it. This comes about after many years of serious work and participation with a physical Gnostic institution. Also, the school must maintain the three-chamber system established by Samael Aun Weor, without exception. Lastly, the student must successfully conquer many rigorous tests and ordeals, proving their seriousness via ethics, service, and chastity. There is a process of true ordination within the Gnostic Churches that we do not publicize. Anyone who does violates the divine law and will have to face the consequences from the Lords of Karma. The principles we will discuss today are practical. They will only work if we are serious about transforming ourselves for humanity’s redemption. As we sincerely practice what Samael Aun Weor taught in his books, we discover that we have the awe-inspiring potential to fully express the divine within our very thoughts, words, and deeds. This is how we can become initiates. 
The Definition of a Magician
Whether or not we know it or not, every man must become a priest and every woman a priestess. This is because a true priest or priestess is a magician of the White Lodge.
The word magician comes from magh: "to be able, to have power." Such power is the capacity of our Innermost, our inner Being, to command our interior and help elevate our neighbor’s spirituality. The term magh derives from the Persian magu: "priest, one of the members of the learned and priestly class," or from the Old Persian magush; the Sanskrit mahas, "power,” as in mahatma: “a great soul.” The Latin magis and German mebr signifies “more,” whereby divinity expresses with greater potency within us through practical works. The word magic is derived from the ancient word mag, which means “priest.” Also, the term priest comes from the Greek presbyteros, “an elder in the church.” This refers to those initiates who, through tremendous ordeals and inner purifications, develop greater maturity in the secret path. With more mystical experiences comes more responsibility for manifesting the divine on earth. Anyone in this path can become a magician. In fact, it is mandatory. As we learn to protect our spirituality from negative forces, it is fundamental and necessary to exercise the divine priesthood. What some people do not realize is that this term “priesthood” applies to both men and women. It was through the degeneration of the Esoteric Christian tradition whereby men were exclusively conferred power and responsibility as a priestly class. Meanwhile we know even from popularized accounts, like The Da Vinci Code, that Jesus of Nazareth was married to Mary Magdalene. Every true priest has his priestess, and the mag of Mag-dalene signifies a “mage.” Mary Magdalene can mean Mary of Magdala, the name of a village on Lake Galilee. גליל Galilee in Hebrew means “district,” “province,” or “circle.” The Hebrew מגדל migdál signifies a “tower.” As you can see from these examples, Hebrew is a symbolic language. Therefore, Mary Magdalene is an alchemical and kabbalistic symbol, how an initiate, through divinely-sanctioned marriage, raises the creative waters of sexuality up the tower of the spine to illuminate the mind. Mary Magdalene, historically, was an authentic priestess of the Gnostic Church. However, she represents any woman who enters, like Jesus, into the path of initiation through the perfect matrimony. Traditionally, all religions, whether from East or West, trained and ordained priests, albeit with different names: lamas, brahmins, imams, shamans, etc. The list goes on. Every culture refers to holy persons who commune with God after a ritual process of purification and initiation. These ceremonies are symbolic of a much deeper work: how divinity perfects the soul for the betterment of humanity. Therefore, even if you do not seek to be ordained as a priest or priestess―since women have the same rights as men―you must still become a priest, priestess, or officiant within your own psychological temple. We must become practical magicians so as to defend ourselves from negativity, both within and without. When you fully command your own psychology, you also become a vehicle through which divinity can reach others. 
Religion is Magic
Unfortunately, many religious traditions have forgotten how to do this. Christianity once taught practical methods for inner transformation. Rather than promote beliefs or convictions without evidence, gnostic aspirants learn to personally experience divinity. Priests and priestesses can provide special help, relaying instruction, guidance, and spiritual force, but only if they are proper intermediaries between divinity and the congregation.
Religions today are merely cadavers. Their corpses may be beautiful, venerable, and ancient, but they are lifeless without authentic magic, magicians, priests, or priestesses. When some hear the term “magic,” they become scandalized and terrified, ignoring that Jesus walking on water, healing the lame, the sick, and the blind, transforming water into wine, resurrecting the dead, and performing miracles, were acts of white magic, pure magic, divine priesthood. This is why Eliphas Levi wrote: Religion is magic sanctioned by authority. ―Eliphas Levi
While authorities ignore the magical dimension of religion, we the gnostics like to explore them in depth. The deepest mysteries of the invisible world open to us through the sense of psychological self-observation.
In gnostic psychology, we pay close attention to the quality of our psychological states, whether mental, emotional, motor, instinctive, or sexual, the five centers of our human machine. Our internal states cannot be perceived with physical senses, but psychological ones. Through self-observation, we directly perceive our quality of mind for what it is, our thoughts, feelings and impulses. This is the invisible world―invisible to material taste, touch, smell, vision, or hearing. However, it is visible to the Essence, the consciousness that knows how to maintain vigilance like a watchman in times of war. By observing our human machine, we discover the secret causes of so much pain. By comprehending and eliminating our secret faults, vices, or defects through meditation, we enact genuine religion, religare in Latin, reunion with the divine. It is important to recognize from experience how our ego, our inner devil, cannot mix with God. We have to choose, moment by moment, whom we want to follow in our consciousness. What we are psychologically determines our life, in every level of experience. This is why Samael Aun Weor wrote in The Mystery of the Golden Flower: Magic, according to Novalis, is the art of influencing the inner world consciously. ―Samael Aun Weor, The Mystery of the Golden Flower
Acting consciously in social situations is a tremendous feat of magic, because our psychological states invisibly affect others. We tend to ignore this fact unless we pay attention. However, a white magician directly perceives this reality and seeks to inspire what is best in their neighbor, even if they are unaware of it.
The Gnostic Church
It is precisely in this invisible world, the superior dimensions, where we find the Gnostic Church. To defend ourselves from negative forces, we always invoke and connect ourselves to this Transcended Church, governed and maintained by the Cosmic Christ.
The head of the Gnostic Church is the Master Aberamentho, who was known as Jesus of Nazareth on Earth. In terms of hierarchy, he is the highest initiate of the cosmos, since among the masters there are levels of perfection. Imagine different light bulbs with greater or lesser capacities to transmit light. The greater the vehicle, the greater the light. The same with the masters of the White Lodge. Master Aberamentho is known in Sanskrit as a परमार्थसत्य paramarthasatya, an inhabitant of the Absolute, the region of Barbelo: the fire and light of the Cosmic Christ as described by the Gnostics. A paramarthasatya signifies “absolute truth,” from para meaning “beyond,” or parama, “that which knows, or the consciousness,” artha, “that which is known,” and satya, “existence, Truth.” In synthesis, a paramarthasatya indicates a being with “the supreme knowledge of all that exists: Truth.” The Master Aberamentho, Jesus of Nazareth, therefore, governs the Gnostic Church, both in the superior and the physical worlds. The Venerable Master Samael Aun Weor reinstituted the Gnostic Church on Earth under the auspices of Jesus of Nazareth. Samael Aun Weor serves the Cosmic Christ and is its patriarch, since he is the human soul or bodhisattva of the Martian Logos, the Archangel Samael. This archangel is a servant and expression of Christ, the God Ares or Mars, who wages war for divinity against the ego, against corruption. This explains why he is very severe in his writings, because his teachings are a battle against degeneration. His name in Hebrew means “the bitter potion or medicine of God.” His wisdom is poison to the ego, but healing to the soul, because it comes from Geburah, the strength and justice of divinity. As we work on ourselves and defend our spirituality from black magic, we constantly invoke the aid of Christ, the superior forces, within our psychological interior and our homes. It is necessary to remember that we cannot do this spiritual work alone. We must receive divine help. We do so through many prayers, practices, conjurations, invocations, and even rituals, since these exercises were instituted by the Gnostic Church to help us connect with Christ. The Gnostic Church can come to our aid, particularly in our own homes as we elevate our level of being through different practices, as we will explain. We can also receive help from the Gnostic Church by physically attending a group that maintains the three chambers, once we have been properly prepared and initiated. This is why Samael Aun Weor wrote the following in The Perfect Matrimony: Our Gnostic Church has its sacraments, rituals, and its convent life. […] We have the path of the monk in our Gnostic religion with its patriarch, archbishops, bishops, and priests. Our Gnostic Church is the Transcended Church. This church is found in the Superior Worlds. We also have many temples in the physical world. In addition, we have opened thousands of Gnostic Lumisials where holy rituals are celebrated and the secret doctrine of the Beloved Savior of the world is studied. We must not forget that our Gnostic Movement has both a school and a religion. ―Samael Aun Weor, The Perfect Matrimony: “The Two Rituals"
For those who are unfamiliar with some of our terminology, a lumisial means “a place of light.” Any temple, whether physical or internal, that follows, invokes, and assimilates the Cosmic Christ, is a place of light. It is an atomic energy plant, whereby the priests, priestesses, and congregants receive inspiration and spiritual force to perform the great work.
Everything you learn from lectures and books is public knowledge. What we teach online and on our podcast is part of the exoteric, public level instruction. It relates to the intellectual brain, whereby we receive necessary instructions for how to begin the path. We learn different ways to defend ourselves from negativity. However, there are more expedient and powerful methods for inner transformation relating to the heart. For that one must be prepared, trained, and educated, so as to treat such tools with conscientiousness, with delicacy, with responsibility. 
The Sacraments and Duties of a Priest
Those who wish to enter the Gnostic Church do so through the sacraments.
This term sacrament comes from “sacred,” the Latin sacramentum, “solemn oath,” from sacrare “to hallow,” from sacer, “sacred.” It also derives from אמן amen, the Hebrew word for “sealing an oath,” as in “so be it!” The suffix of sacramentum is “tum,” an exceptionally powerful Egyptian mantra for invoking the three primary forces of nature, the Cosmic Christ, known in Egypt as Osiris-Ra. The sacred amens, the sacraments, are divine principles that guide the consciousness back to Christ. Their power originates within the top three spheres of the Tree of Life: Kether, the Father; Chokmah, the Son; and Binah, the Holy Spirit; or the Crown, Wisdom, and Intelligence of Christ, the Solar Logos, the solar divinity. The sacraments of the Gnostic Church must be lived within the consciousness. They are not only rituals with sacerdotal power, but they are symbolic of steps and stages in the path of initiation, which any serious aspirant must follow to return to divinity, reality, the truth. If we wish to protect our spirituality from the negativities of the world, the black lodge, our mind, we need to fulfill the sacraments within us. We connect ourselves to Christ and the White Lodge through the sacraments, both in their symbolic and practical applications. With Baptism, the initiate is cleansed, purified, and initiated through ritual water. All religions teach about purification through water, such as the ritual bath of Judaism, the מִקְוֶה Mikva, or الوضوء al-wudu, ablution or spiritual cleansing before Islamic prayer. Water symbolizes the creative sexual energy. When it is transmuted, the consciousness is born. After baptism or sexual transmutation, the initiate must enter the wilderness of life, states of suffering, so as to face their own inner devil, the ego. Confronting our own evil is the Sacrament of Penance, psychological work, the elimination of the animal “I.” Just as Jesus entered the wilderness after his baptism in the River Jordan, he then faced his own inner temptations, demons, defects, egos, through meditation. He did so for forty days and forty nights. The number forty represents the Hebrew letter מ Mem, since each Hebrew letter is also a number. מ Mem represents water, as in the Hebrew word for water, מים mayim. By working in chastity, we have the power to see, confront, and conquer our mind. As we eliminate defects in meditation, we open ourselves to receive superior influences. This is where the Sacrament of Communion comes into the picture. When we strive against our own selves, we realize that our own will alone is not enough to conquer the ego. We need help. By performing the Eucharist in our own homes, the transubstantiation, by transforming bread and wine (non-alcoholic wine or grape juice) into the body and blood of our Redeemer, we elevate our level of being and receive tremendous force for our spiritual work. We pray and invoke Christ to descend into the bread and grape juice of our altar, so that the Christic force may saturate our hearts with inspiration, spiritual strength, and clarity. As we prove ourselves in the path, we are confirmed in the light. The Sacrament of Confirmation was obviously applied to teenagers who, knowing the sexual teachings of transmutation, must prove their seriousness. Children under the age of thirteen are allowed to attend the Gnostic Church, but upon reaching this age―the beginnings of puberty―they must be confirmed. The sexual energy activates around this age and transforms the child into a teenager, who must eventually decide whether or not they will pursue the path of chastity. It is the role of the godparents to teach them chastity and transmutation for singles. Youth should learn around this time how to perform pranayama, mantras, runes, and other exercises for individual sexual transmutation. When they become adults, they can be confirmed in the path because they will be ready for a matrimony. The Sacrament of Matrimony comes next. Upon becoming adults, a young couple, married and in love, can begin sexual magic. Young men mature at twenty-one and girls at eighteen, since women tend the mature faster. Sexual magic must never be practiced before this time, because children are seeds in development. A seed cannot reproduce. Neither can a teenager, the seed of an adult, spiritually reproduce. They must mature first. This is why godparents should educate children about the seriousness and responsibilities of sex. Now, after dedicating themselves to the path, aspirants have physically and psychologically prepared themselves to enter into marriage. Man and woman must know how to work together to transform the sexual energy and harness it as a couple. The term matrimony signifies the work of mater, the Divine Mother in Latin, and monium, “action,” “state,” or “condition." A matrimony is therefore “the action, state, or condition through which the Divine Mother acts” within us. Therefore, marriage had always been considered a sacred act presiding within the religious domain, not the state. Through the perfect matrimony, the husband becomes a priest and his wife a priestess. The Sacrament of Priesthood is achieved by married couples who mutually harness the sexual energy. Through working with the Holy Spirit in the sexual act―transforming it into a ritual of delectable spirituality and chaste love―the couple gains sacerdotal power by which to express divinity. Sexuality is the power of God to create through love. There is no greater power within the human being than this. It is this energy―which some call Kundalini, the Pentecostal Fire―that allows the priest or priestess to heal. This is the Sacrament of Extreme Unction. Genuine priests and priestesses are able to manifest the powers of the Holy Spirit through prayers, laying of hands, sacred mantras, chains of protection, healing rituals, elemental magic, exorcisms, and more. Also, they heal the mind by teaching this doctrine, not only through their dissemination of spiritual practices for eliminating suffering, but through the power of their Word. 
Who is the Real Priest?
But despite this explanation, we must ask ourselves: who is the real priest?
Our Inner Christ is the real magician, the real officiant or priest. Jesus represents the role of any terrestrial person who mediates between divinity and the congregation. Jesus, representing the human soul, is a conduit between the Christic energy and humanity. The human soul, תפארת Tiphereth in Hebrew, is the beauty or splendor of the soul that follows the will of God. Bear in mind that among priests there are levels. There are degrees, organized in accordance with greater understandings, realizations, and perfections of the soul. Just as a light bulb can transmit more or less light, the same principle applies to the consciousness in relation to divinity. To become a more effective vehicle for divinity, we must purify our psychology. This is why we talk about the ego. The ego, the self, the “I,” is an obstruction, an obstacle for the full expression of Christ. If we have more ego, we have fewer capacities to express Christ. With less ego, we become greater vehicles for expressing Christ in our interior and for others. Therefore, the quality of a practical magician or priest depends on psychological purity. If our pride and anger is very fat, then the humility and sweetness of the spirit cannot express in our hearts. If we are lustful and greedy, we cannot manifest chastity and altruism. If we are vain and lazy, then our self-love and sloth will eclipse our Being, like the moon before the sun. Now, single people can enter the priesthood of magic, because bachelors or bachelorettes can still harness their sexual energy, but to a limited degree. Some people have even officiated in Gnostic temples while being single. However, they have less power than a priest who is married. A true priest is an alchemist who works with his priestess wife to eliminate the ego. With greater sexual fire comes greater power and potential for psychological purification. Some things to consider: a good priest knows how to be present, mindful, and aware. A true priest knows how to be here and now, to express the Being in each moment and circumstance. The Being is perfect, whereas the human soul is not, so long as the ego exists. Unless the bodhisattva or terrestrial person works on him or herself, then they cannot become fully absorbed in Christ. Sadly, people do not grasp that magic is dual in accordance with our psychology. If we are pure of mind, heart, and body, then we can become manifestations of Christ. If we are impure, hateful, or egotistical, then we continue as participants and perpetrators of black magic, whether intentionally or not. Real magic, white magic, is performed by the soul, the Essence that knows how to put aside selfishness, personality, and conditions of mind―the animal ego―so as to express divinity. However, this again is only possible through psychological work. 
Simony, Simoniacs, and Fallen Priests
There are many groups who call themselves “gnostic” but who do not follow Christ. This can be confusing, but easier to understand when we remember the duality of priesthood. There are priests of the White Lodge and priests of the Black Lodge. When speaking about the Gnostic priesthood, it is essential to clarify misconceptions using the example of Simon Magus or Simon the Magician.
Simon the Magician is often described as a gnostic priest. If you read his writings, you do not discover anything suspicious or alarming. While he knew, taught, and followed gnosticism, while he knew and practiced sexual magic, Simon became a black magician due to pride. He rejected Christ and the solar hierarchies. He believed he could perform the spiritual work without the help of Christ, manifested through Jesus of Nazareth, the highest initiate of the White Lodge. Rather than edify his heart through the assimilation of the Christic energy, he fortified his mind and divorced himself from divinity. The Cosmic Christ works through different messengers in distinct epochs. While the Cosmic Christ brings new, revolutionary forces into the world, a Simoniac lives attached to traditions, to the past. Simoniacs do not follow or accept the Christic currents revitalizing humanity. This is why Dante in the Inferno depicted such individuals walking with their hooded heads facing the other direction, towards their backs. These are the fortune tellers of the abyss, seers and infernal prophets, who only see within hell. They do not see reality, only their desires. Currently, the Christic current is working through the Archangel Samael. As the Logos of Mars, the Martian Christ, the God Ares or Samael is responsible for instructing the fifth root race, our present humanity, designated in Theosophy as the Aryans. This term was misappropriated during World War II. Rather than exclusively qualifying the Germans, the term Aryan instead refers to our current humanity, which is operating under the jurisdiction of Ares, Mars, Samael. There are many who call themselves gnostics, but who reject the Martian energy of the Cosmic Christ. Christ is now active through this powerful angel and the Sacraments of the Gnostic Church, especially Communion. Those who reject the body and blood of the Christic currents pronounce themselves against Christ, and therefore define themselves as black magicians. You can prove this to yourself. If you awaken within the astral world and attend a gnostic group, speak to their priests and congregation about Christ. If they are really black magicians, they will become extremely mad at you and will try to convince you why Christ is bad. Then you will have your answer. Also, in the biblical book of Acts, Simon Magus wanted to pay the apostles to acquire powers. He was fundamentally mistaken that divinity would confer powers based on desire and materialism. The term Simony also stems from this, referring to those who bought or sold ecclesiastical pardons. Clerics had also sold absolutions and divine favors, promising salvation for money. Simony also occurs if we charge patients for ritual healing. A true priest heals for no charge, because it is the Holy Spirit who heals. Samael Aun Weor mentions in The Divine Science: Logos, Mantra, Theurgy, that a priest once charged for healing. The Holy Spirit reprimanded him internally in the superior worlds, because it is the Holy Spirit who heals, not the human soul. No one can buy powers. Powers are earned through another type of currency, which is good deeds. Therefore, all of those institutions that offer you powers, Kundalini awakenings, and abilities for money are black magic. These are crimes against the soul, because only the Intimate Christ can grant abilities when we have proven ourselves in our ethics, chastity, and service. As a black magician, Simon Magus levitated in the air. But through the conjurations of the apostles, fell to his death. This is a powerful symbol. The powers of the air are often synonymous with black magic in the mental plane. Intellectually, Simon Magus was a gifted speaker, writer, and thinker. However, the mind alone, divorced from Christ, is demonic. If we wish to protect ourselves from black magic, we have to remember our Intimate Christ and work with the Archangel Samael. 
The Power of Ritual
Let us talk about the power of ritual.
We can easily become victims of black magic if we do not utilize effective tools. Rituals were instituted to strengthen our relationship with the divine. However, it is irresponsible to ordain priests who do not fulfill the Sacraments of the Gnostic Church, primarily baptism or chastity. In the worst case, people who mix rituals with lust create a lot of suffering, because rituals amplify and express our current state of being, for good or for ill. On a basic level, fornicators cannot channel Christ through ritual because they have no power. A car cannot run without fuel. Rituals cannot be empowered except through sexual energy. This is because the power of creation through love is sexual. God creates through sex in every level of nature. The same applies to spirituality, since Jesus said, “You must be born again” (John 3:1-8).. Abstinent priests and monks who do not transmute make their waters stagnant and dirty, since lust is not comprehended, transmuted, and purified. We know that fuel degrades in a car after a few months of neglect. The same with sexual energy. When it builds, it must be consciously directed, otherwise it feeds cynicism, fanaticism, lust, and nocturnal pollutions, because the ego takes over. When we seek to protect ourselves from negative forces, we must comprehend this essential tenet of spiritual self-defense, of ritual: how we think, feel, and act determines the quality of our blood and semen. Ever experience your legs falling asleep? This occurs when blood stops circulating freely. Blood is the source of strength. If you lose blood, you become weak and die. The same with the semen and sexual energy. We know from science that a single drop of semen is made from sixty to a hundred drops of blood. If you expel your semen, you lose your physical and spiritual strength. You slowly kill yourself. A person’s state after orgasm is known in French as petite morte, the “little death.” Blood has magical properties because it is the medium through which the sexual creative fire circulates in the body. This is why some of you might have heard that blood transfusions are generally not recommended, because psychological tendencies are transmitted through blood donors. Our blood carries the psychological imprint of our entire mind, emotions, impulses, instincts, and sexuality. Therefore it is important to purify the blood to the greatest degree possible by performing spiritual practices. This is why Samael Aun Weor wrote the following in The Perfect Matrimony: All rituals have to do with blood and semen. Ritual is a double-edged sword that defends and gives life to the pure and virtuous, but hurts and destroys the impure and tenebrous. Ritual is more powerful than dynamite and the knife.
According to this, gnostic priesthood should only be conveyed to responsible people who can handle power without corrupting it. Would you give a weapon to a young child? Rituals are spiritual weaponry against the ego. One must be prepared, mature, and trained in their use.
Another point of consideration in spiritual self-defense: there is danger in trying to accumulate energy while directing it to the ego. Remember that for every step we take in the acquisition of spiritual powers, we must take a thousand steps in sanctity. This is why a probationary period, or years of trials, must test and prove the candidate. 
The Three Priesthoods
We become skilled in spiritual self-defense by exercising the three priesthoods. It might seem unusual to mention three. However, this becomes clearer when we study Kabbalah.
We study and practice these three to be real priests, authentic priestesses. These three priesthoods relate to our three brains (intellect, emotions, and sexuality):
By commanding our mind (Netzach), we can in turn work with the forces of nature to heal. By controlling our emotions and working with Communion (Hod), we awaken the fires of superior emotions. By transmuting our sexual energy (Yesod), we conquer our body and open the door to our inner worlds. 
Sexual Magic
Let us begin with sexual magic.
Where else do we find the power of god to create through love? It is, obviously, sex. A real priest must be able to create through love. As with any sexual creation, two polarities are needed to create life, male and female. The same sexual pole cannot create no matter how much one may “love.” However, to go a little deeper, two poles are not enough. There must also be love, not ambition. Marriages of convenience go nowhere. Conscious love must be the foundation. There must be an affinity within body, soul, and spirit. Love is fundamental. Spiritual ambition results in failure. Marriages of convenience result in pain. Just because two persons are in Gnosis does not mean they are right for each other. The two must truly be unified in all seven levels of being: physicality, chemistry, emotions, mind, will, conscience, and spirit. This is how love ignites and grows, in accordance with the death of the ego. Some marry because they are gnostic, not because of love. Pride and desire do no create a perfect matrimony. The three factors do: chastity, sanctity, and service. A perfect matrimony must be developed. There must be compatibility in all seven levels, yet we do not begin with perfect compatibility because we have ego. If we eliminate the ego, then love can grow. People assume that marriage in Gnosis will take them on the one way track to heaven. It is partially true. It accelerates things since there is more energy involved. However, the greater the energy, the more frequent and intense the ordeals. Ordeals test our true worth. The path of marriage is filled with ordeals relating with the four elements, correlating with how we control the air (our thoughts), fire (our emotions), water (our sexual energy), and earth (our physicality). 
Ceremonial Magic: The Eucharist
Contrary to popular belief, the Eucharist was instituted by Melchizedek to Abram or Abraham in the Bible. Jesus brought it back to the consciousness of humanity.
Jesus said that man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). By this he stated that alchemy is not enough, symbolized by bread. Bread is made of flour (the earth), water, heat or fire, and air (through yeast). We can assimilate the four elements within our matrimony, can transmute and elevate them, but again it is insufficient of itself. We must receive Christ through the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the Word of God. On the most superficial level, the Word of God is often interpreted as scripture. But in reality, the Word is Chokmah, the Logos, the Christic energy, which we accumulate through the bread and grape juice of the Eucharist. All you do is prepare an altar with a white cloth, a pentagram, a candle, a piece of bread and a glass of grape juice. Pray the Pater Noster, the Our Father, on your knees, and imagine the bread and wine accumulating superior Christic forces. Afterward, consume the body and blood of our Redeemer. This was demonstrated in a video from Glorian Publishing, which you can find via this PDF and on their website.
Also, this practice of the Eucharist can be performed every day in you own home. You can officiate as a priest or priestess in your own temple, your house, apartment, bedroom, wherever it may be. Samael Aun Weor explained how in his explanations of Arcanum 14: Temperance in Tarot and Kabbalah and The Seven Words, included in The Divine Science.
Hermetic Magic, Mantras, and Extreme Unction
We also should learn hermetic or elemental magic related to the mind.
A priest commands the cross, symbolizing the four elements, so as to heal others. Sicknesses of any type correlate to the four elements. Imbalances or conflicts occur within our physical and internal bodies. The four elements are referenced in the alchemical traditions as spiritual principles, not literal scientific elements in the sense of the periodic table. We can also call them Tattvas: Vayu (air), Apas (water), Tejas (fire), and Prittvi (earth). These elements are not only found in our foods, but also in our internal bodies: mind, heart, vitality, and physicality. By mastering our own minds, we can consciously utilize the souls of plants to heal others in accordance with the law of karma and the will of divinity. Priests also work with the hermetic arts, the science of Hermes, Mercury, another symbol of how the transmuted sexual energy can awaken the true capacities of a superior mind, a solar mind. Priests can perform chains, whereby disciples hold hands in a circle of prayer, and the officiant leads the congregation in invoking Christ. These are very powerful practices that you can only perform at gnostic institutions maintaining the three-chamber system established by Samael Aun Weor. To perform plant magic, a priest utilizes mantras. Mantras or sacred words are universal. They convey power so as to help the congregation and practitioners in the remembrance of divinity. Also, the power of God, as we said, is in sex. The larynx and sexual glands are intimately related, as demonstrated by the development of men and women’s voices during puberty. The true power of the Word comes from sex. However, there are three ways to utilize the Word, evidenced by Samael Aun Weor’s statement from Esoteric Medicine and Practical Magic: One can articulate with the creative larynx, one can vocalize with his thought, and one can vocalize with the superlative consciousness of the Being. ―Samael Aun Weor, Esoteric Medicine and Practical Magic
Also, the ultimate form of healing is through gnostic knowledge, teaching, and instruction for how to change. Superior knowledge, applied and practiced, is what leads individuals to self-transformation and healing.
Conjurations
We have spoken at length about the conjurations and invocations before. Here we will summarize some key details.
Every Gnostic priest should officiate using the conjurations and invocations. These must be memorized so they can be used spontaneously at will in any circumstance, especially in dreams when you lack A Gnostic Prayer Book. Obviously you cannot take a physical book with you into the internal worlds. However, you can remember, recall, and apply its contents. Also, the conjurations prepares our home environment for ritual. It cleanses any space for prayer, meditation, or alchemy. These prayers prepare the mind and heart for any situation. Conjurations call upon the power of Christ to heal, protect, and cleanse. If you are in any danger, whether physical or internal, recite these prayers with all of your soul. As stated in the Gnostic Prayer Book: To conjure (Latin, cum-jurare; to swear together) is to evoke a superior force in order to reject its opposite or inferior force. To conjure is to make a common act of faith with the invoked force or forces. The greater the strength and enthusiasm of this faith, the more efficacious the conjuration will be. ―Gnostic Prayer Book Prayers for Spiritual Protection
We have included here some videos from Glorian Publishing for how to understand and perform the Conjuration of the Four, the Conjuration of the Seven, and the Invocation of Solomon. Every magician or priest must know how to spiritually defend themselves using these prayers. They are exceptionally powerful. When performed with consciousness and divine remembrance, they radically reject any negative influence.
There are also courses on how to comprehend their meaning, such as Defense for Spiritual Warfare on Glorian.org. We will not detail everything about each prayer today, since that will be covered in future lectures. Here we are providing them as a resource for your continued study and practice.
Exorcisms and Healing
We will introduce, in relation to becoming a practical magician, the practice of the four exorcisms. Exorcisms have been a long-standing tradition in the Catholic Church. However, the roots of these exorcisms comes from the Transcended Gnostic Church. Here is what the Gnostic Prayer Book has to say about this practice:
To exorcise is to call up or conjure spirits or to claim an isolated spirit. It is important to recite the following exorcisms in Latin (not in English) since Latin is the language that is most in tune with the forces of nature than any of its derivatives. ―Gnostic Prayer Book
Some people become intimidated or discouraged by Latin, because it sounds difficult. However, Latin conveys tremendous powers, because it is a sacred language in tune with the higher worlds. A priest must know these exorcisms by heart so as to use them when necessary. Do not be discouraged, since you can learn, memorize, and apply these prayers effectively. It just takes time, consistency, and practice.
A real priest, in commanding his own psychology, must purify the four elements. The hurricanes of disturbing thoughts must cease. The raging fire of negative emotions must be extinguished. The tempests of sexual passion must calm. Lastly, the earthquakes and tremors of desire must rest. The four exorcisms can bless any home, space, or temple after having cleansed it internally with the Conjurations of the Four, the Seven, and the Invocation of Solomon. These exorcisms invoke the intelligences or angels who govern these principles, not only without, but more importantly within. I will recite these exorcisms for you along with their accompanying mantras. You also can face the four cardinal points while performing these exorcisms: Fire to the South, Air to the East, Water to the West, and Earth to the North. 
The Exorcism of Fire
Facing the South, we recite:
Michael, King of the Sun and Lightning,
The mantras are either INRI or S, pronounced as follows:
The Exorcism of Air
Facing the East, we recite:
Spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas, et inspiravit in faciem hominis spiraculum vitae. Sit Michael dux meus, et Sabtabiel servus meus, in luce et per lucem. Fiat verbum halitus meus; et imperabo Spiritibus, aeris hujus, et refrenabo equos solis voluntate cordis mei, et cogitatione mentis meae et nutu oculi dextri. Exorciso igitur te, creatura aeris, per Pentagrammaton, et in nomine Tetragrammaton, in quibus sunt voluntas firma et fides recta. Amen. Sela, fiat. So be it. ―Exorcism of Air
For the sake of clarity, I will read a translation:
The Spirit of God hovered above the waters and breathed into the face of man the breath of life. Be Michael my leader, and Sabtabiel my servant, in and by the light. May my breath become a word, and I will rule the spirits of this creature of air; I will curb the steeds of the sun by the Will of my heart, by the thought of my mind, and by the apple of the right eye. Therefore I do exorcise thee, creature of air, by Pentagrammaton, and in the name Tetragrammaton, wherein are firm will and true faith. Amen. Sela: Fiat. So be it. ―Exorcism of Air
The mantra for this exorcism is a prolonged sigh of exhalation, as follows:
The Exorcism of Water
Facing the West, we recite:
Fiat firmamentum in medio aquarum et separet aquas ab aquis, quae superius sicut quae inferius, et quae inferius sicut quae superius ad perpetranda miracula rei unius. Sol ejus pater est, luna mater et ventus hanc gestavit in utero suo, ascendit a terra ad coelum et rursus a chelo in terram descendit. Exorciso te, creatura aquae, ut sis mihi speculum del vivi in operibus ejus, et fons vitae, et ablutio peccatorum. Amen. ―Exorcism of Water
The Latin is translated as follows:
Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters; the things which are above are like unto things which are below, and things below are like unto things above, for the performance of the miracle of the unity. The sun is its father, the moon its mother, the wind hath gestated it in its womb. It ascended from earth to heaven, and again it descended from heaven to earth. I exorcise thee, creature of water that thou may become unto men a mirror of the living God in His works, a fountain of life, and ablution of sins.―Exorcism of Water
However, for those with more knowledge of Kabbalah, we have included some deeper knowledge in brackets. It is not our intention to explain each exorcism in detail today. However, we will do so in the future of this course.
Let there be a firmament [Tiphereth] in the midst of the waters, and let it [the heart] divide the waters [of Daath] from the waters [of Yesod]; the things which are above [in Adam] are like unto things which are below [in Eve], and things below [in Eve] are like unto things above [in Adam], for the performance of the miracle of the unity [the sexual act]. The sun [in Tiphereth] is its father, the moon [in Yesod] its mother, the wind [Aleph, Mercury] hath gestated it in its womb [the spinal medulla]. It ascended from earth [the female] to heaven [the male], and again it descended from heaven [the male] to earth [the female]. I exorcise thee, creature of [the sexual] water that thou may become unto men a mirror [image] of the living God [Shaddai El Chai] in His [alchemical] works, a fountain of [eternal] life, and ablution [expiation] of [comprehended] sins. ―Exorcism of Water
The mantra we perform is the letter M, as follows:
The Exorcism of Earth
Lastly, we face the North and recite:
By the pole of loadstone which passes through the heart of the world, by the twelve stones of the Holy City, by the seven metals that run inside of the earth, and in the name of Gob, obey me, subterranean workers! ―Exorcism of Earth
The mantra for Earth is IAO, as follows:
The Exorcism of Salt
There is one more exorcism to cover. When you wish to perform healings, you bless and exorcise the element salt. This is most especially important in The Divine Science: Logos, Mantra, Theurgy. You can perform the Exorcism of Salt and utilize this element to consecrate items, to give them Christic charge and sacerdotal power. The prayer is pronounced as follows:
In isto sale sit sapientia, et ab omni corruptione servet mentes nostras et corpora nostra, per Chokmahel et in virtute Ruach-Chokmahel, recedant ab isto fantasmata hylae utsit sal coelestis, sal terrae et terris salis, ut nutrietur bos triturans et addat spei nostrae cornua tauri volantis. Amen. ―Exorcism of Salt
Here is the translation:
In this salt there is sapience, thus, we must keep our minds and our body from all corruption by Chokmahel (the wisdom of God) and by the power of Ruach-Chokmahel (the spirit of the wisdom of God), phantoms go away from this substance as the salt of heaven, the salt of the earth, and earthly salt that nourishes the threshing cow and increases our hope in the horns of the winged bull. Amen. ―Exorcism of Salt
If you wish to perform healings with exorcised salt, whether for yourself or a loved one, you can study The Divine Science: Logos, Mantra, Theurgy. See the chapter on Light and Darkness, especially the section “Symptoms and Theurgic Therapy.”
The Three Chambers and Gnostic Groups
Despite these explanations, some will still ask: how can I be ordained as a Gnostic priest?
We will not unveil this process. If you wish to pursue that path, you must be a serious member of a physical Gnostic institution maintaining the three-chamber system established by Samael Aun Weor. You must attend a school for years before the missionaries or instructors determine your qualifications. There is no other way. As we mentioned, with great power comes great responsibility. We become prepared through following the three-chamber system instituted by Samael Aun Weor. First chamber is exactly what we are doing now: classes, lectures, seminars, workshops, and public teachings to guide the intellect. Second chamber pertains to the heart, whereby practitioners cultivate superior emotions through the rituals of Hod, the astral world, splendor. This obviously requires more seriousness to initiate, utilize, and perfect. Third chamber is even more serious, relating to the motor-instinctive-sexual brain, to action. Samael Aun Weor used to lead rituals in a temple known as the Summum Supremum Sanctuarium in the Sierra Nevada. However, he said that eventually this temple would enter the Jinn state, the fourth dimension, and that the only way to attend would be in the Jinn state. Therefore, you must be serious about this work to proceed further. Priests must always strive to embody these three levels of knowledge, which are the balance of the three brains and the three chambers. Priests always teach and lead rituals, but we also look for qualified candidates who show more seriousness in entering higher levels. This is a patient process, one guided by divinity within the internal worlds. Even though you might not have a physical gnostic school to participate with, today’s lecture will prepare you internally and psychologically for finding and participating with one, if that is the will of your Innermost, your divinity. Divinity always determines the time and place to enter second chamber or attend a physical group. It must always be earned. However, be patient, because you can always make great progress internally. You can even attend the Gnostic Church internally through Dream Yoga and Astral Travel without any physical school. Some think that progress can only be made in a physical group. This is not true. There are many who attend groups who do not progress, and many students who work in solitude and suffering to awaken within the superior worlds, so as to attend the rituals of Christ in the astral dimension and even beyond. A physical group is a blessing and can provide extra strength. We need help. However, if you cannot physically attend a group now, you can still make leaps and bounds if you are serious, if you take advantage of every day to die to your ego, transmute daily, and serve humanity. The three factors for spiritual revolution will prepare you for dream yoga, astral projections, jinn states, etc. Remember too that a physical lumisial, temple, or school is merely an instrument of the transcendent Gnostic Church of the higher worlds―if its practitioners are working seriously. If you find a group, be patient and take the time to assess if it is effective, accessible, and supportive of your spiritual work. Many students, out of yearning and loneliness, long to find a community and get involved with any spiritual group, for which they later regret. In some ways, these circumstances are due to karma. In others, it is making poor choices when knowing better. The truth is that when you attend any gnostic school, you will face heavy ordeals. It is true when people say that groups will help one advance. But every exaltation is preceded by terrible and frightful humiliations. This is the requisite and reality of initiation. Groups accelerate processes that are already present amongst the congregants, for good and for ill. These ordeals originate from your own inner Being and unfold as a result of karma, your own past deeds. How your karma plays out in your life will be particular to you. For some, conflicts arise because of members in the school. It could be the head priest or priestess, the missionaries or the association. For some students it can be their spouse or partner who does not like the knowledge. There are many reasons why conflicts emerge. They are inevitable. In many ways you cannot avoid them, because your Innermost is applying your karma to your life for your own benefit, so that you can grow spiritually and mature. What is normal is for ordeals to afflict groups. What is unusual is for individuals to conquer them. All of that depends on us, what we choose to do and how we choose to respond to karma. 
The Training of a Gnostic Priest
While we do not talk about how to ordain priests, we can speak about some general requirements for becoming a serious student, instructor, missionary, or magician on the path. While there may be some differences in how gnostic groups instruct and train new teachers, a white magician, a real priest, derives their authority from the Being, from within, not from lineage, inheritance, belief, or mere intellectual study, as exemplified by Jesus in Matthew 7:28-29:
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. ―Matthew 7:28-29
Jesus spoke with authority as a gnostic priest because of his conscious development, not merely from titles or recognition. While the Master Aberamentho was cultured and educated in the mysteries, his real power came from his connection with the truth. However, it would be impossible to teach the greatest spiritual wisdom without knowledge of how to communicate it, without proper training.
The primary focus is of our work is to realize the Being, divinity. We do so by developing our Essence, the consciousness, the soul. The personality, in this process, must become cultivated to a relative degree, since it is the intermediary between our psyche and the social realm. Our personality is constituted by our language, customs, inheritance, and social characteristics. It is necessary to develop a personality in our youth so as to know how to interact with the world. If we lack knowledge of how to effectively communicate with others, we cannot be a real priest, because a priest must know how to appropriately lead and instruct others. We must always provide spiritual wisdom in an accessible way, dependent upon the idiosyncrasies of our character, students, time, and place. A missionary or instructor program can provide basic communication, pedagogy, or teaching skills to develop a Gnostic personality. It can also help you get serious about developing your personal practice. Yet real wisdom and brilliance comes from divinity. There must be a balance of knowledge and being. Both are necessary for comprehension of the doctrine. While a physical Gnostic monastery, a missionary or instructor program can provide training―in accordance with the three-chamber system instituted by Samael Aun Weor―the cultivation of your Being comes about through your own practice. This is why Samael Aun Weor wrote in The Great Rebellion: Being and knowing must be balanced to establish a sudden blaze of comprehension within our psyche. When knowing is greater than being, it causes all kinds of intellectual confusion. If being is greater than knowing, it can produce cases as serious as that of a stupid saint. ―Samael Aun Weor, The Great Rebellion
It is noble to train as a Gnostic missionary, a priest, since one learns essential skills for living and teaching the doctrine. Yet despite this gift, there have been missionaries who have fallen short due to poor character. A real priest or missionary will always seek improvement, especially when it is humiliating and difficult. This is the basis of initiation, whereby we strive to eliminate fanaticism, fear, and pride. Otherwise we remain as scribes and Pharisees, inheriting traditions but not living the doctrine.
We should always strive to be humble and learn from everyone, especially our students who may know more about certain things because of their sincerity, enthusiasm, and experience. For any instruction to have force, we must always strive to teach from experience. The most potent teaching comes from conscious development. However, patience is fundamental because we are all in process. A priest with knowledge but no Being is a charlatan, because his deeds contradict his words. We may speak about kindness, but be inwardly cruel. A priest with Being and no knowledge lacks facility and skill for transmitting the teachings to others. Neither position is optimal or encouraged. We must develop through both study and practice to be a practical magician, a Gnostic priest. 
Resources
We have included below some links to relevant books by Samael Aun Weor that will prepare you for the divine priesthood. The Major Mysteries describes how to prepare for initiation, the importance and dangers of spiritual schools, and many aspects of ceremonial magic.
Esoteric Medicine and Practical Magic provides numerous gnostic methods for ritual healing, invocation, and performing elemental and hermetic magic. Igneous Rose is its sister or companion, discussing the elemental magic of Netzach or how to work with the souls of plants. The Perfect Matrimony introduces everything in the gnostic teachings. It is fundamental, especially how to work in sexual magic. The Divine Science is a combination of three books: Logos, Mantra, Theurgy; Esoteric Treatise of Theurgy; and The Seven Words. The first two books provide the best techniques for spiritual self-defense. The Seven Words teaches how to work with the Eucharist in the privacy of your own home. Questions and Answers
Question: What does sacerdotal mean?
Instructor: It relates to the priestly power, the sacred power that a priest or magician invokes and manifests. We do so through conjurations, prayers, invocations, and especially working with the exorcism of salt, which you can learn more about in the book The Major Mysteries. Question: Does one need to be a priest to use and benefit from the various rites and rituals for personal needs? I live in a part of the world that is somewhat remote, and although I aspire to these more advanced levels, I do not have a group or any gnostic people anywhere near me. What I am learning through these studies have been my deepest wish since I was eleven years old, so I am kind of lost and a wee bit discouraged. How does a 61-year-old dude living in the Yukon elevate himself? Instructor: It’s a genuine concern. You do not need to be ordained as a priest from the Gnostic Church to begin using these practices. Everything we are using or describing here today is something that you can train with wherever you’re at, whether you are in solitude or in company. In fact, if you are seriously training in these practices, they will prepare your consciousness to enter that role if it is something that is your destiny. You do not need to be ordained to work with the Conjurations of the Four, the Seven, the Invocation of Solomon, the exorcisms of the elements, the exorcism of salt. You can work with these rituals and practices at your degree. Obviously there is more power to be conferred by levels of development, which correlate with eventually entering the priesthood in the Gnostic Church. I would not be discouraged because personally when I studied in this teaching, I was alone for quite a long time. I was not around any gnostic groups physically and I desperately sought to have company and to discuss these teachings with people of like mind. Eventually, because I was serious, and especially practicing dream yoga, working on myself, the initiates of the Gnostic Church started to visit me in the astral plane. They were giving me comfort and guidance, and teaching me what I needed to know. Eventually I physically encountered groups. It took about two years, I think, before I physically met other gnostics. But initially I was meeting them in the internal planes. So sometimes that can happen. You can have that inner experience before you physically meet a group. It is very beautiful and profound. It is a beautiful thing. It is obviously your karma to live where you are at and to find these teachings at your age. So be patient. Do not be discouraged. In fact, if you are making fundamental changes in your level of being, transforming your mind day by day, you naturally begin to resonate with higher levels, and you start to experience these things, not only physically, but internally. Then eventually your physical life might shift around. Who knows? Your Being is the one who is managing that karma. Have faith in Him. Question: How do we find these gnostic lumisials? Instructor: Obviously, you can look on Meetup. There are different gnostic groups throughout the world, especially in the United States who are open and having schools. They have their lectures and classes you can attend. Obviously that is the first level or first chamber of any gnostic institution. But obviously, to enter any spiritual temple, a gnostic lumisial or the Gnostic Church, you have to be a part or a member of that school for some time, so they can determine your qualifications, and based on your own psychological work, and your seriousness and your dedication, may open the doors. Better said, they may open the doors to second chamber and deeper levels. Question: How do I transmute my semen? Instructor: We have a lot of books, lectures, and courses on that topic. You can study The Perfect Matrimony, especially. That is perhaps the best book that introduces the fundamentals of sexual alchemy and transmutation. If you are single, you can also practice with pranayama. That is perhaps the best practice that single persons can use to begin working with the waters of baptism, the sexual transmutation of the creative force. You can study Kundalini Yoga by Samael Aun Weor, or The Yellow Book. Those two books are profoundly practical, teaching different forms of pranayama, how to transmute. We also have a course on our website. It is called Gnostic Meditation. The third lecture, I believe, is called Pranayama and Sexual Transmutation. You can study that and learn more about how to practice pranayama. Very powerful and effective. Question: How does the holy Megillah fit in with gnosticism? Instructor: We have to understand that gnosticism is a beautiful and vast tradition, and incorporates many religions. Actually, gnosis in its original sense is the Greek word form for experiential knowledge of the truth. To clarify for people, I believe the Megillah has to do with the Book of Esther, especially, one of five megillahs (מגילה scrolls) that are included in the biblical canon or Hebraic writings. There are a lot of scriptures that fall under this category of gnosticism, not merely just the first Christians of the Middle East in the first to second centuries, especially. We know that in the Gnostic Church, we study Hebraic Kabbalah, the Hebraic scriptures, the Buddhist Tantras, Zoroastrian scriptures, the Qur’an, the Bible, the New Testament. Many scriptures attest to the universal experiential knowledge of the divine. We talked about this a little bit in our course called The Gnostic Gospels. You can study that course, especially the first lecture called The Esoteric Christian Tradition, where we discuss some of the universal roots between Hebraic Kabbalah and the gnostic teachings because they are the same fundamental science. They are all very integral. We can study them in separate courses and lectures but they are really different keys to the same door. They have different perspectives that can help us be more well-rounded in our knowledge of the divine. That is why we study all religions in their unification, in their synthesis. So those Hebrew scriptures do relate―whether apocryphal writings or the canonical Gospels themselves, or canonical scriptures of the Old Testament―these all work together to show us different aspects of the same truth. Question: Can you please repeat when and how to use the exorcisms of the elements? Instructor: You can use them to bless any home, your home or any space. Now, you can also work with the exorcisms to bless any element around you. If you are out in nature too, you can work with these exorcisms as well. You can even bless a cup of water when you need it for ritual as described in Logos, Mantra, Theurgy. We work with the four exorcisms especially after the Conjurations of the Four, the Seven, and the Invocation of Solomon. When you want to elevate the energy of your environment, you first cleanse it of any negativity through those previous conjurations. You invoke Christ through the Invocation of Solomon, and then you purify the elements within the internal planes with the four exorcisms. Very powerful. Question: Can you please explain how someone is selected, appointed, or trained in priesthood through a gnostic lumisial? Instructor: Obviously as priests, we look out for people who are more dedicated and serious. Obviously people may attend a group for a long time. It is more common for people to just come and go. But those who really stick around and are really dedicated to this path, obviously, “by their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:16). We do have a process by which we reflect internally, we meditate, we get guidance from divinity, and when a particular individual is very serious, we offer instructor courses and a program that can help train the student to become a teacher. As we were explaining, that process will depend on the institution that you are with, because there are many gnostic groups and some have different procedures, certain trainings or qualifications that they expect. Some institutions will have a three-month program at a monastery. But entering that particular level of instruction depends on the group you are with. Obviously, one has to be very serious and to take the time to study, practice, and live the teaching. But again, that is something you will be guided internally about. Your inner Being will show you the process, and more importantly, if you are very serious in yourself about transforming your mind and eventually becoming a member of second chamber, which is really the prerequisite, you will be taught how to become a priest. But that process we don’t explicitly detail to the public because people have to be responsible and enter that path themselves. So you can find that if you attend a school that is very seriously maintaining the three-chamber system established by Samael Aun Weor. Again, the one who really selects and appoints the individual to enter the Gnostic Church is precisely your Inner Being. Now when your Inner Being promotes that, as well as demands it of you, He will show you, and then your circumstances in your physical life will come to reflect that. Things happens internally first and then physically. Question: How do I overcome anger, resentment, disdain for the teachings, teachers, and chamber system after so much bad experience and failure? Instructor: Comprehension is what heals. Comprehension is what gives strength. Understanding occurs through meditation. It is not enough to intellectually label and understand or identify anger, resentment disdain, these negative emotions. We have to look at them. We have to examine them. We have to patiently meditate upon them. There is no other way. Meditation is the fundamental science of the gnostics. Any negative emotion, any negative thought, any toxic element of the mind which pollutes our wellbeing, makes us sick, makes us confused, that is the enemy. That is our worst enemy in itself. Other people, external people and groups, are merely the karma of our life. What is more important than the people or situations we find ourselves in is the psychological reactions that we have. The fundamental purpose and crux of this teaching is learning how to transform our reactions to life. This is how we become a real priest, a real magician. You make magic when you look at anger and you do not feed it. You see it for what it is. If you wane in your ethics, if you let in the beast at the door, if you open up the hallway door a crack, even a little bit, even if you allow a sliver of anger in your mind, then it takes over. You have to catch it before it blooms. You have to nip it at the bud. You have to really be cautious with negative thoughts and negative emotions because they are infections. They make you sick. They make us despairing and in pain. They are not useful in any way. In fact, they are precisely some of the biggest obstacles to the path. We learn through meditation and with patience to taste the quality of the conscious states of divine being, which are free from ego, free from any resentment or pride or vanity. That quality can only be recognized if we are willing to sacrifice our pain. We have to give up our pain, the pain of “so-and-so wronged me,” the pain that “such-and-such a person betrayed me.” Or that “this person did not help me, did not give me what I needed.” We have to give it up. It doesn’t mean we don’t act and do not speak our mind and to say the truth about our emotional state or where we are at, to communicate it with diplomacy, with art, with skill, with sincerity. It does not mean that we bottle up and suffocate our heart. Instead we have to look at it for what it is, to voice it if we need to, but not out of spite and resentment. Really, anger makes us fail. Resentment makes us fail. The more we churn in the quicksand, the deeper down we go. So negative emotions are like that, and negative thoughts. I recommend that you study the chapter from the Treatise of Revolutionary Psychology by Samael Aun Weor called “Negative Thoughts.” Really he clearly gives a powerful teaching about the real source of culpability, of problems, of conflict. When you understand that ego in you or defects in you that churn that negativity, you can start to become free of it. But so long as you give it space in your mind, the more sick it will make you. If you are already in that state, you can do a breathing exercise. You can do a pranayama, and that will help you calm your mind and your heart, so that you can ease your mental state and get control and rein of your own mind. Mantras are effective for that for protecting you from your own negativity.
The mantra Klim Krishnaya Govindaja Gopijana Vallabaja Swaha—which forms the gnostic pentagram—sing it in your mind. Pray to your Inner Being to reject this state.
Also in a moment of anger you can breathe deeply. Inhale and count for six seconds. Hold for six seconds, and exhale for six seconds. You can do it for longer time than that, whatever is natural for your breathing capacity. That is one way to diffuse that element. Question: Can everything be done silently? Anything that can’t? Instructor: You can do all of these mantras and prayers in the mind, whispered, aloud, or in your Being. It depends on the circumstance and what you need. Obviously if you are around other people and you do not want to be whispering or perhaps muttering, or saying these prayers aloud, especially when people do not know what you are doing, and obviously that can alarm them. So you can do it in the mind, especially, but you can vocalize in the privacy of your home. Question: What is the best time to partake in the Eucharist? Would it be OK to do this at nighttime? Instructor: You can perform the Eucharist at any time of the day. Do it when you have the most energy and zeal to work. Question: Could you provide your thoughts and insights on the Apostle Paul’s statement, “Be ye married and unmarried.” Instructor: He said if you are married, live like you are single, or better said, act like you are single, and if you are single, act as if you are married. This is a psychological teaching, not a literal one. If you are single, live like you are married to your Divine Mother, so that by working and dedicating yourself to chastity, to sanctity, and to service, you prepare yourself for the dharma of marriage. If you are married already, live like you are single. That means learn to become hermetically sealed, meaning: learn to conserve your sexual energy and to not be attached. Do not be attached to your partner. You can love them but we have to be psychologically strong, and not driven by desire. To live like one is single is to be unitary, to give up those egos of perhaps dependency or attachment especially. You also when you are married want to live like you are single, meaning: learn to transmute the sexual energy. Obviously if you are in a relationship, through marriage or before finding the teaching, you already are married, live like you are devoted to your Divine Mother for the first time, obviously. We begin where we are at. It is a psychological attitude. Question: How important to gnostic studies is the study of kabbalah? Instructor: It is essential. Gnosis is based upon two trees, the Tree of Life (which is kabbalah) and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (which is alchemy). There is no way to understand any scripture, religion, teaching, science, methodology, or practice without knowing these two trees. Now kabbalah obviously for some people can be complicated. Some people find it to be very disconcerting or difficult. But the truth is that when you learn the basic principles of the Tree of Life, you will become very skilled with dream yoga if you are practicing seriously. Kabbalah is the language of the internal worlds. If we do not know the Tree of Life, the kabbalah, the different sephiroth, the different symbols and principles related to each sphere, when we have dreams in the internal worlds that relate to these diagrams, we will be very confused. We need to know the map, and kabbalah is a map of the Being. It is a map of the universe. Without it we become lost. We have to know how to navigate the internal worlds. We do so through knowing the map, and once we travel there, we use this tool in order to be competent investigators of the higher worlds. Question: How does the potentiality of the perfect matrimony work? How does one enter into a perfect matrimony? Instructor: We find our partner based on our level of being. If you are lustful, proud, vain, arrogant, deceitful, then your level of being will attract its corresponding partner. If we are eliminating lust, pride, anger, vanity, jealousy, then the qualities of our heart will attract a corresponding partner. We attract our partner based on karma. Obviously, we have many recurrences in life. Perhaps we meet people who may be a potential partner or someone who was our partner in a past life. But knowing whether or not that is the right person to enter with into the spiritual work is another thing. There are levels of affinity within the Tree of Life, but also psychologically, more importantly. We talked about a few. Obviously, the best relationship is one that your Being gives to you, and your Being will show you internally, if you are working seriously, who your partner will be. It is a very beautiful thing when you see that for yourself and watch it manifest. But the process of it is developed in accordance with our actions. If we are working to be a better person, really working on our lust, our anger, our ego, then by law of nature we attract the partner that corresponds to that level of work. But even in a very compatible matrimony or compatible partnership between a husband and wife, there are levels of work because the couple in the beginning obviously has a lot of ego. Through the work, they can eliminate more. This is why single people would prepare for a long time, whether as monks or nuns before becoming married, becoming priests or priestesses. The potentiality of a perfect matrimony becomes realized when you perform the corresponding deeds that relate to that level of being. So our actions determine everything. Be patient. Be patient. Also it is important to remember that a perfect matrimony doesn’t start at the beginning. It is something that is developed because there are levels of compatibility based on the elimination of the ego. It is the ego that is not compatible. The soul, the spirit, are unified. Question: Will you please give an example of knowing and being in balance? Instructor: This is a really good question. It is not enough to read about astral projection. One has to experience it and know it for oneself. When you not only read but experience what is written, you have comprehension, because it really validates and gives you faith. For example, it is even more beautiful when you read about something, such as in the works of Samael Aun Weor, and then you experience it. It is a very powerful thing to witness in oneself. You can also see something internally and then you can read about it later. That can give you even more faith because you see that the knowledge corresponds with your level of being. The facts are verified. It is real. It gives you certainty. When you have intellectual knowledge that is comprehended through experience, you have faith. It gives you a lot of strength to continue against ordeals and challenges in the path because you know this teaching is real. It keeps you going. Question: What is a great practice to astral project? Instructor: We gave a whole course on that. Study our course called Dream Yoga and Astral Travel. There are fifteen lectures in it. Dive in, practice what’s there, and see the results. Question: If gnosis is a personal connection with the divine and we are guided internally, how do we know that the exoteric rules that you laid out apply to everyone and are not just applicable to the person who originally received them? Basically, are there different paths for everyone depending on their internal guidance? Instructor: That is a really good question, really nuanced. Hopefully I can give a very adequate response to that. The principles of the Gnostic Church are universal. They have been known in different traditions with different terms. They are laws of nature. They correspond to scientific truths about the awakening and development of the soul. Obviously the Gnostic Church has its terms and its terminology for these principles. Baptism has been known in different traditions in terms of different languages and names, in accordance with the traditions. I gave a few. The Jews refer to it as the Mikvah. Ritual cleansing in Islam is known as al-Wudu. You even find rituals of purification and water even within Buddhism. Now the terms are different. The names are different, but the rules are the same. They are eternal because they are laws of nature. If you wish to resonate with superior laws of being, we have to enact the causes and conditions of their fruition within us. So they are applicable to everybody, but obviously the traditions and religions that teach these principles have different ways of expressing them. We obviously give them in accordance with the Gnostic Church because currently the Gnostic Church is very active within the physical world. As for what religion, tradition, or teaching you follow, obviously that is dependent upon your idiosyncrasy, the inspiration of your inner divinity, because there are many practitioners of different religions who are seriously working in their faiths, who are working with the creative waters, whether through pranayama, prayers, mantras, different exercises, because different religions do teach this science although in a more veiled way. If you practice them, then you or those people or individuals will receive the benefits or results of those actions. Basically, those principles are the same. We can say that although different religions and traditions of the world are diverse, have different languages, terms as we said, they speak about or point to a unified science. In our lectures we are trying to be as explicit as possible about what these terms mean, what do they practically mean for us, but more importantly, not only what the symbols mean but the practical application of them. These are not just my beliefs. These are some things that you can internally verify from experience. So yeah, different traditions, different names, different religions. I hope that answers your question. Question: Are we supposed to keep our spiritual life and experiences with divinity secret from others or should we share stories? Instructor: It is a good question. Samael Aun Weor gave a recommendation to beginners, especially, to keep experiences private, usually, and he did for a very conservative reason, one of many being sometimes students when they talk to other people about experiences can get ridiculed. Some people may be skeptical, negative towards our experiences, our spiritual, mystical states. For beginners especially that can be very harmful. In the beginning people can be very sensitive as you are learning to work with these exercises, pranayama, transmutation, meditation. In becoming aware of one’s own mental states and mind, and also seeing the minds of others, sometimes exposure to negativity can be harmful for oneself. That is why it is important to be cautious. Obviously, it can be good to ask for clarification, especially from people who are more experienced. I remember for a long time having many mystical experiences, I would go to my instructors in gnosis to help give me understanding, and they did help me. They gave me a lot of orientation to navigate my own inner worlds, but they did state, “Even though this is our interpretation, you need to know this for yourself.” They emphasized and encouraged me to be more independent. With time, obviously, I started to become more competent in understanding and interpreting my experiences, keeping my spiritual life very rich, robust, cultivated, and secure. Sometimes when we have taught, we have given examples from different experiences, but one has to be cautious about that too because we can develop pride. We can become very proud about having astral projections. What happens with that is that if we become very proud, our head fills up, our heart depletes. If you remember studying our course on Dream Yoga and Astral Travel, the real faculty that develops astral projection is the heart. Pride, ego, negative emotions pull us out. Sometimes we can lose experiences because of talking too much, talking about things that we should keep secret. Samael says we should become like a walled garden. We should not really talk to others about our experiences in general for those two reasons I gave. But I know my instructor who studied from Samael Aun Weor how he would relate his experiences to the master all the time, and Samael Aun Weor would help him. You can have that dialogue with someone or an instructor, especially if you have a relationship and if it is a good one. So follow your heart. Examine your heart. Question: So what would potentially happen to my current partner who is not understanding of this spiritual practice? Instructor: It is a good question. I know a lot of people maybe worry that if one is studying gnosis and the other partner is not, then that could be a source of conflict, and it can. It can be a source of conflict, obviously, if we or if the partner is perhaps not working on the ego. What causes divisions in relationships is the ego, not the religion, not the teaching, not the doctrine. If you are in a situation where your partner is against gnosis and you are studying spirituality and they may have a dislike for the teaching or may criticize you for it, obviously that is your karma. You have to be patient and demonstrate with your actions these teachings. We do so through love, through forgiveness, through patience—infinite patience—compassion. We have to understand the partner who is perhaps averse to gnosis, who may not follow this teaching, who may not like it. We have to respect their level of being. We have to respect their will. People who do not respect the will of their partner create problems. That is where fights begin, and when there are fights, if you let anger and resentment corrode your relationship, then it will rot. But if you transform a hard situation and ordeal of this kind with patience and love, with ethics and responsibility, with purity and practice, and with forgiveness, then your partner might see your level of being and be inspired by you. Paul of Tarsus said in the Bible that how do you not know, husband, that you shall save your unbelieving wife? Or how do you not know, wife, that you shall not redeem your unbelieving husband (1 Corinthians 7:16)? Sexual union is a serious connection. It is a sacrament. It is marriage in God’s eyes. We have to respect that. But if the partner is against gnosis, we have to respect their will, and reflect the teachings, the integrity of the doctrine through our actions. It is not easy. It is not simple. You have to learn that through a lot of patience and meditation, especially meditating on your own reactions to criticism. But who knows? Maybe by your good deeds, your partner may change, may even become inspired to enter this knowledge. So you would be the vehicle of your partner’s spiritual elevation. Question: What if you are working hard and your Being seems to be guiding you to a potential partner, maybe, but black magicians and other external adversaries are constantly interfering and putting blocks in your way to achieve what you need to? Instructor: It is an interesting question. We have to understand that when black magicians confront us in the internal planes, or in our physical life, that they are there because of karma. They are there because of our actions. They are there because of what we have earned. They come to us because we have a connection with the black lodge. Therefore we have to get rid of the fear and perhaps resentment or anger, which are very common emotions when being attacked by black magic, or being the victim of negative attacks. Now in truth when these black magicians put blocks in our way or try to obstruct us in any particular work, they are really showing us indirectly something about ourselves. Our Being allows them to enter our life, like the snake of temptation entering the walled garden of Eden. It wasn’t a perfectly protected place but there is the possibility of potential temptation and downfall. We need temptation. Temptation is fire. Triumph over temptation is light. The common thing is to react, get afraid, get angry, get resentful. But these are wrong responses. Look in yourself to see what egos are brought up in you that are making your situation worse. In truth, demons are really doing us a favor. They are showing us weaknesses in ourselves that we need to comprehend and eliminate, so we have to not blame them for what they do. For even as Christ said on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). In terms of potential partners, finding a spouse obviously is a very difficult thing for a lot of people because we have too much desire. If we are clouded with desire, if we want to fulfill perhaps our longings for partnership and companionship, to no longer be alone, we have an interest in a particular person of the opposite sex and they are in our life, but we maybe fantasize or imagine things—we have to really put all of that aside. Put it all aside. Look at it, and if there are conflicts in the external situation, the circumstances, the environment, we have to look at the psychological and internal source within ourselves. That is the only way to be free of that karma and for things to resolve themselves magically. Then as you may be encountering black magicians or negative entities, really, they cannot do anything, because if that ego in you is dead, then they will have no leverage. There is no way they can break down your door, so you’re safe. So meditate. Meditate on your reaction about what in you may be flustered or frustrated or is in doubt and confused. You have to go into the astral plane to seek the answer. Seek the answer from your Innermost Being. Your Inner God will show you in dreams and will teach you the right way of acting regardless of the situation or the intensity of the ordeal. OK! Well I thank you all for attending!
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