Knowledge vs. Gnowledge
Knowing vs. Gnowing
Head vs. Heart
Gnôsis is the Greek word for “knowledge” or “insight”. In a modern context gnosis signifies knowing through observation or experience. However, gnosticism is the name given to a philosophical movement which thrived in the first and second centuries. The gnostics were those who traveled this spiritual path, as it were, and gnosticism historically has emphasized personal spiritual knowledge above the traditional and more orthodox religious teachings and dogma.
Gnosticism, as an intellectual product, is grounded firmly in the general human act of reflecting upon existence. The Gnostics were concerned with the basic questions of existence or “being-in-the-world” (Dasein)—that is: who we are (as human beings), where we have come from, and where we are heading, historically and spiritually (cf. Hans Jonas, The Gnostic Religion 1958, p. 334). https://iep.utm.edu/gnostic/
I’ve spent a fair bit of time examining what I think I ‘know’ and believe to be true. We’re taught in school to diligently study the ‘right’ answers so we do well on the test. We tend to stick with this model of learning throughout our entire lives. We seek and find what we believe *(or are told) to be the right answers and this is where we stop. After all, if we have the ‘right’ answer then there is no purpose in looking any further, right?
Looking back across the long course of human history we can pick any point in the progression of time, and see the contemporaneous versions of ‘truth’ and ‘knowledge’ were always only partial. Hindsight, as they say, is twenty-twenty. At some point our ancestors got more information and their perceived ‘truth’ changed – no matter how much some may have kicked, screamed and resisted the new knowledge. Why would today’s truths be any different? Looking at the historical evidence, it is reasonable to suggest that truth is always partial.
A wise person told me: “Be very careful of the mesmerizing bias of what you think you know.” These words changed me. I have arrived at a deep understanding that all knowledge truly is partial - even the things I think I know - and if I want to keep learning I must be open to new information. My dear friend, Steve Villalobos said: “The power of the vessel is in it’s emptiness.” This includes me! Thus, I strive daily to practice ‘kenosis’… to continually become an empty chalice with room for new knowledge/gnowledge.
Wikipedia states: “Kenosis” is derived from the Greek word “kenoo” which means “to empty.” In Christian theology, kenosis (Greek: κένωσις, kénōsis, lit. [the act of emptying]) is the 'self-emptying' of Jesus' own will and becoming entirely receptive to God's divine will.” I keep the word, kenosis on a sticky-note on my mirror – a reminder of the importance of continually emptying myself of what I think I know.
If I’ve learned anything in the last four years since Scott transitioned it is that there is always more to learn and far more to know/gnow than I ever imagined. I make the distinction of knowing *(head) vs. gnowing *(heart) because each are different and both are important and have their place. There are things I need to know in my head but others can only be found with my heart.
“Consciousness does not, by itself, give knowledge. Knowledge must be acquired. No amount of consciousness can give knowledge and no about of knowledge can give consciousness. They are not parallel, and cannot replace one another. When you become conscious you can see things you could not see before.” – P.D. Ouspensky/The Fourth Way.
The most significant ‘jump’ I've made in my own consciousness and gnowing over these past few years is regarding the idea of ‘continuity of consciousness’ after the physical death of the body. A strong body of evidence exists pointing to the ‘truth’ of the idea that we continue to exist in some form after our body dies. The religious and spiritual communities are open to this idea, but now even the scientists, researchers and quantum physicists are coming around.
That being said, we may think we understand the 'truth' of the continuity of consciousness; certainly many religions have their doctrines suggesting what happens after physical death. We may have read books, attended workshops and gathered information from very smart people and we believe this information is the ‘truth’. However, no matter how accurate we feel our understanding is, the full depth and breadth of how we function after death can only ever be partial while in 3D life – even for those who have had near-death-experiences. There are sundry spiritual opinions about how the ‘afterlife’ works and countless beliefs presented as 'truth'…but as soon as we ‘know’ the 'truth' we’re in our heads and access to more information is cut off. Once we know the ‘truth’ we are a full vessel with no space for new information.
Our ‘truths’ are akin to the shadows on the wall in Plato’s allegory – we see the part and decide it is the whole. We make decisions based on partial information we believe to be the whole truth. The shadows tell us is something is there. We see the general shape, we decide what it is based on the information available but the information is always partial. The shadow cannot tell us the color, size or contents of the thing we are observing any more than looking through a single window can tell the contents of an entire house.
I like how author, Itzhak "Ben" Bentov put it:
“I have decided to start writing at my present level of ignorance simply because the circumstances forced me to do so. [..] For example, when one acquires a bit of new information, there are many new questions that are generated by it, and each new piece of information breeds five or ten new questions. These questions pile up at a much faster rate than does the accumulated information. The more one knows, therefore, the greater his level of ignorance. [..] Therefore, I do not claim that the information contained here is the final truth, but I hope that it will stimulate more thinking and speculation by future scientists and interested laymen.”
Excerpt From: Itzhak Bentov. “Stalking the Wild Pendulum: On the Mechanics of Consciousness.”
So, dear readers, on this New Year’s eve 2021 I will bring us full circle:
May your GNOWING be ever flowing. We would be wise to learn the way a river learns! We
would be wise to travel light, flowing over the watery, often mucky liquid path before
us, observing all, but holding onto nothing too tightly. We will, not doubt,
encounter downed trees and rocks which may, for a time, impede our progress; portages may be necessary.
However, if we remain fluid and receptive, we will undoubtedly find our way
around these obstacles and learn to live the lessons they offer. The River
loves the river bank. The River gnows it will never be separate from the riverbank
because they are integral to each other, and thus it keeps flowing onward without fear.
The River knows every point along the waterway is ‘truth’ and yet every
truth-point is partial. The River knows the boundlessness of the reservoirs of truth; it appreciates the deep confluence of knowing and gnowing...and so it sings and laughs, it dances and breathes and lives only one sparkling question: ‘What
if?’
Truth, like The River, is a force of nature that is fluid. Ride the waves, listen, see, taste, feel and trust the ever-flowing process. Always travel with your head but remember to trust your heart. A cup of water scooped from the river is still…The River! You are The River and the 'truth' of you is still partial and ever unfolding! Enjoy the ride and...
Gnow what you Know!
Happy New Year!
Cheryl
“It is one of the commonest of our mistakes to consider that the limit of our power of perception is also the limit of all that there is to perceive.”- C.W. Leadbeater
...At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half heard, in the stillness
Between the two waves of the sea.
-T.S. Eliot/Little Gidding
