Examiner.com recently interviewed Anthony Silvia, Priest for the Apostolic Johannite Church, on the foundation of GnosticNYC—a center for Gnostic spirituality and practice serving the Greater New York City area.
Examiner.com: What is GnosticNYC and why was it formed?
Anthony: GnosticNYC is a non-denominational Gnostic educational not-for-profit organization. In other words, our aim is to promote the practice of Gnosticism in New York City. There is clearly a growing interest in Gnosticism generally, and we saw that there wasn’t anything remotely like this in New York City. We wanted to create a space where Gnostics of all kinds could come together to learn and interact with other like-minded people and feel comfortable doing it. Both Bishop Thomas and I have tried to start something ourselves with limited success, and we thought that pooling our resources and working together would be the best way to move forward. We chose New York City because it’s a rich center of different cultures and spiritualities, and we felt it would be the best place to start. As the bard said, “If I can make it there I’d make it anywhere.” We both see New York as the Alexandria of America, such a wonderful melting-pot that would bring a real vibrancy to our efforts.
Examiner.com: By ‘Gnostic’ how broad or narrow of a category do you mean?
Anthony: Our view of Gnosticism is informed by the Nag Hammadi scriptures, inspired by the Gnostics of the early centuries of Christianity and the Neo-Platonists, and follow generally the two points put forward by Jules Doinel at the restoration of Gnosticism in the late 19th century. Namely: The doctrine of emanations and salvation by Gnosis. This leaves a lot of wiggle room for many different styles of Gnostic practice and education, and we welcome and encourage that. Defining Gnosticism is tricky by its very nature, and whenever you get two Gnostics in a room you get three different opinions, but so long as people are willing to discuss those differences in a respectful manner, we would prefer to be expansive and welcoming, recognizing that those differences aren’t a problem, but an opportunity to learn. We are open to interacting with all individuals and groups that respect the inherent dignity of every person.
Examiner.com: How do you envision the ultimate goal or realization of GnosticNYC?
Anthony: We see GnosticNYC as a thriving center of Gnostic spirituality, practice, education and service in the heart of New York City. It will be a space where people can come, seven days a week, to take part on our programs, which will include:
· Celebrations of masses from different Gnostic churches
· Meditations and other types of spiritual practice
· Retreats
· Classes and workshops
· Lectures on Gnostic topics from scholars, clergy and theologians
· Study and discussion groups
· Community service and outreach opportunities
· Social events
In addition to our work here we hope to serve as a resource for others who want to do something similar in other parts of the world.
Examiner.com: Beyond Gnosticism, what is your view on the esoteric/occult movements in New York City?
Anthony: Our experience of the esoteric and occult “scene” has been overwhelmingly positive. Like everything else in New York, if you’re looking for something, chances are you can find it. One of the things we like about New York is the variety of interesting groups and people working in alternative spirituality, and we’re really excited to work side-by-side with them as GnosticNYC grows. The cross-currents of this American Alexandria can only breed more interesting and varied expressions of the Gnosis in the future.
Examiner.com: How did you encounter Gnosticism and how has it benefited your spiritual and intellectual life?
Anthony: I first came to Gnosticism, believe it or not, through The Da Vinci Code, but my searching started long before that. From the time I was in my early teens I started to question the Roman Catholic faith of my upbringing, as many people do these days. I started to read as much as I could about the different religions of the world to try to find my place among them. The neo-pagan movement appealed to me for some time, but it was never really quite right for me. While reading The Da Vinci Code I came across the concept of Gnosticism for the first time; however, the way it was presented in the book wasn’t exactly what I was looking for either. But, my curiosity won out in the end and I did some research into Gnosticism. What I found, the more accurate Gnosticism, fit me quite well, and the rest is history.
I find that Gnosticism is a religion that encourages questions and learning. It is intellectually very stimulating. I think this is also its biggest challenge. I can very easily get caught up in all of the study, ancient text and modern exegesis, and my spiritual life can certainly suffer as a result. This is why I am drawn to the ecclesiastical side of Gnosticism. I find the traditions and practices extremely useful. The Johannite Church provides an environment for me to explore my own Gnosis using the tools and methods that religious people have used for centuries. Namely, the sacraments, prayers and meditations from both Christian and non-Christian systems. Your mileage may vary, of course, but for me Gnosticism needs to address both the spiritual and the intellectual.
Examiner.com: How would you describe the Gnostic tradition, especially for someone who might not know much about it and might be interested in becoming involved with GnosticNYC?
Anthony: The traditions that came to be called Gnosticism varied widely in theology and practice. The one central unifying point is the understanding of the salvific nature of Gnosis. This quote from the Excerpta ex Theodoto sums it up nicely:
"What makes us free is the gnosis
of who we were,
of what we have become;
of where we were,
of wherein we have been cast;
of whereto we speed,
of wherefrom we are redeemed;
of what birth truly is,
and of what rebirth truly is."
Just as in the popular move The Matrix, we know that there are many today who feel like that there is something wrong with this world we’ve come to know as the “real” world. GnosticNYC is for them. The practices, rituals and dogmas of Gnosticism in its many forms are tools that people can use to escape the Matrix and defeat the archons/Agents.
Examiner.com: I'm sure this questions comes up often: You look like Catholic Priests...are you secretly working for the Vatican?
Anthony: We do get that a lot. The answer is, of course, no. While Bishop Thomas and I both belong to Gnostic churches that consider themselves to be part of the universal Christian church, we have no association at all with Rome. GnosticNYC isn’t a church, even though its founders both belong to churches; it isn’t our intent here to limit what GnosticNYC does to only churchy stuff. That being said, both the AGC and the AJC, our individual churches, are both liturgical, sacramental and Episcopal churches, who value the symbols and traditions of universal “small-c” catholic Christianity.
Examiner.com: How can one actually become involved in GnosticNYC and what should they expect?
Anthony: We have a summer full of activities in and around the city. Monthly meetings and discussions, volunteer meetings, two meditation retreats, community service projects and social events. Our regular meetings are the fourth Sunday of every month at 4pm at CRS in Manhattan. 123 4th Ave., second floor, just off of Union Square. To find out more about that visit gnosticnyc.com. We would love to have your input and energy at any of our events. You can expect to learn a lot about Gnosticism, pick up some techniques to improve your own spiritual practice, and meet with other Gnostics in a fun, friendly, encouraging environment. To support our fundraising efforts towards finding a permanent space of our own you can make donations via PayPal to donate@gnosticnyc.com.
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