Zartian Gnostic

A Zartian Gnostic seeks out wisdom in order to become useful in the world.

We follow the example of Zoroaster who saw the world in trouble in his time and sought a solution. This involved the development of a Daena or moral vision based around abstract concepts. He sought a religious reform that replaced an existing religious vision that didn't contribute to good morality with a new one derived from purer philosophical ideas.

The path of a Zartian Gnostic starts with Gnosis, or the acquiring of Deep Knowledge about existence.
Such knowledge includes knowledge of the 'world out there' , how it really works, what are the principles underlying its unfolding. However it also includes pychic wisdom (i.e. personal psychological understanding) for our mind-souls are the instrument through which we experience the world, and only if it is in good order can we see the world clearly and engage with it honestly and appropriately.

However the path of a Zartian Gnostic doesn't end with Gnosis, for we need to put our enhanced abilities to good use.

How exactly you should do this we can't tell you. If you have genuinely achieved Gnosis or deep knowledge, then you will be able to work it out for yourself.

However we believe that the most important task for a Zartian Gnostic with sufficient ability is to instigate new cultural movements that help others to lead good lives and do good work. In other words what potentially has most impact on world transformation is the creation of new religions, belief systems and cultural practices which are better than what came before.

Of course it is not necessary or desirable that every Zartian Gnostic starts a new cultural movement from scratch. Most people will build and improve upon some existing pathway. (Of course our hope is that some people will build on our ideas for Zartian Agathism and associated movements)

NB Achievement of Gnosis is a hard task and in reality people cannot expect to achieve full gnosis in all areas. They need to maintain humility for acting on a belief that you have a full grasp of reality when your knowledge is in fact partial can lead in dangerous directions.

More on Gnosis

Gnosis is deep knowledge. We have Gnosis if we have deep knowledge of the fundamentals of life.

The Gnostic path is essentially an individual path of self-development to gain a true understanding of existence. Those who become gnostic masters are able to judge their own lives and the wider world from a fully objective viewpoint, unswayed by their own psychological quirks or the manipulative trickery of others.

While the individual has to make their own journey, they can make faster progress if the ground is favourable than if it is not. It helps if they make contact with those who are further along the path than they whether interactively or just being able to listen to what they have to say. It helps in some respects if for instance there is space for free dialogue, and if multiple viewpoints are encountered.

Gnosis is true knowledge of existence and as such it is the same destination whoever is you teacher. There is not a specifically Zartian Gnosis different from other kinds. However some teachers or movements may provide a restricted understanding of the destination, and of course some will be much more helpful to you in making speedy progress than others might be.

Here we can only hint at the way forward, and then you must search out for yourself the best path.

Five kinds of Gnosis

Zartians recognise at least five kinds of Gnosis:

Psychognosis

Knowledge of the soul. Direct knowledge of one's own soul. Understanding of psychology.

Cosmognosis

Knowledge of the Universe. Knowledge of cause and effect. Appreciation of existence as a whole and as a complicated system of interactions of which you yourself are just one small part. Understanding of order and disorder and of how the world tends to one or to the other.

Agathognosis

Knowledge of Good. Both subjectively and objectively. Subjectively by having good experiences, by encountering Beauty, by having your soul deeply touched by the good. Objectively by understanding what is Good in absolute fact, and what are the Good thoughts and activities that lead to the achievement of absolute Good.

Kakognosis

Knowledge of the Bad and of Evil. Both subjectively and objectively. Subjectively by having bad experiences, by suffering discomfort and pain, by encountering the tragedies of life whether directly or by empathy with others. Objectively by understanding what is Bad in absolute fact, and what are the Bad thoughts and activities , of yourself and of others, that lead to the achievement of absolute Bad.


Ideognosis

Knowledge of pure ideas, of logic and mathematics.


Of course there is overlap between these - as for instance Agathognosis and Kakognosis intersect with Psychognosis and Cosmognosis. But we think it helpful to keep these five distinct in your mind.

Updated April 2024