The Way of Mariavite Orthodoxy - A Path of Marian Gnosis
We work for the restoration of the world to the Fullness of Truth, Beauty and Knowledge, united in the Wisdom and compassionate Desire of the Divine Light burning within us. We are called to renew our lives and this very world, using the tools given us by our Mother - the intelligence of our minds and the skill of our hands; of blessed curiosity, creative discipline and a sense of duty toward one another and all of creation.
While we do not believe in any particular dogma or creed that one must profess, we do share the following central points of view:
1. Humanity is endowed with an essential spark of the Divine Light; and yet, as we live in this world, we find ourselves mired in darkness, ignorance and suffering.
2. Our divine nature serves as a compass to guide us to our true home in the Pleroma (a Greek word meaning “The Fullness”) which is the ultimate reality of the Divine Light behind all things.
3. Evil exists. While our souls emanate from the Divine Light itself, evil exists in the world in the form of agents or forces acting as limiters that work to keep us in ignorance of our divine heritage; that heritage which embraces the complete beauty, light and peace of the Fullness.
4. There is a way out that involves the remembrance and return of the soul to its divine origin. A true desire for liberation and freedom on the part of the individual soul may eventually open the way for him or her. There are intermediary beings and powers that can assist us on our path to the Light. These Messengers of Light serve to guide us and open the way for us, and include the many great prophets, teachers and saints of old.
5. As Mariavites within the Gnostic stream, we feel and express an intimate connection to the Divine Mother as incarnate in the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through myth, mystery and metaphor, we consider Her to have been revealed throughout history as a perfect pathway to the Holy Light of Gnosis; most particularly, as the Holy Sophia, the Divine Wisdom and our principal Messenger of the Light. We think of Jesus the Christ as the Word and our redeemer, brought into this world through the fiat of Mary to take on the countenance of Divine Wisdom, and hence, to incarnate the Divine and Holy Sophia Who is that Wisdom.
6. We are Mariavite Orthodox, and specifically, Marian Gnostic - While we find the articulation of mandatory dogma often to be antithetical to gnosis or enlightenment, we do consider that dogmatic metaphor can be useful in the context of relating to the Divine through liturgy and worship. In this respect, we do advocate certain images and concepts as being useful aides to our path toward reintegration and restoration to the Fullness. The metaphors we employ most regularly involve a conception of the divine through varying degrees of enlightened traditional concepts such as the Trinity and the use and belief in the power of the sacraments of the church. Further, we adhere to the authentic expression of the Holy Tradition of the Church - the traditional liturgies, mystical theologies, prayer and esoteric practices, based in a metaphorical, mythical and poetic imagery of the Divine as emanating from the Absolute reality into the myriad of Aeons reaching into manifestation in our world.
While we do not believe in any particular dogma or creed that one must profess, we do share the following central points of view:
1. Humanity is endowed with an essential spark of the Divine Light; and yet, as we live in this world, we find ourselves mired in darkness, ignorance and suffering.
2. Our divine nature serves as a compass to guide us to our true home in the Pleroma (a Greek word meaning “The Fullness”) which is the ultimate reality of the Divine Light behind all things.
3. Evil exists. While our souls emanate from the Divine Light itself, evil exists in the world in the form of agents or forces acting as limiters that work to keep us in ignorance of our divine heritage; that heritage which embraces the complete beauty, light and peace of the Fullness.
4. There is a way out that involves the remembrance and return of the soul to its divine origin. A true desire for liberation and freedom on the part of the individual soul may eventually open the way for him or her. There are intermediary beings and powers that can assist us on our path to the Light. These Messengers of Light serve to guide us and open the way for us, and include the many great prophets, teachers and saints of old.
5. As Mariavites within the Gnostic stream, we feel and express an intimate connection to the Divine Mother as incarnate in the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through myth, mystery and metaphor, we consider Her to have been revealed throughout history as a perfect pathway to the Holy Light of Gnosis; most particularly, as the Holy Sophia, the Divine Wisdom and our principal Messenger of the Light. We think of Jesus the Christ as the Word and our redeemer, brought into this world through the fiat of Mary to take on the countenance of Divine Wisdom, and hence, to incarnate the Divine and Holy Sophia Who is that Wisdom.
6. We are Mariavite Orthodox, and specifically, Marian Gnostic - While we find the articulation of mandatory dogma often to be antithetical to gnosis or enlightenment, we do consider that dogmatic metaphor can be useful in the context of relating to the Divine through liturgy and worship. In this respect, we do advocate certain images and concepts as being useful aides to our path toward reintegration and restoration to the Fullness. The metaphors we employ most regularly involve a conception of the divine through varying degrees of enlightened traditional concepts such as the Trinity and the use and belief in the power of the sacraments of the church. Further, we adhere to the authentic expression of the Holy Tradition of the Church - the traditional liturgies, mystical theologies, prayer and esoteric practices, based in a metaphorical, mythical and poetic imagery of the Divine as emanating from the Absolute reality into the myriad of Aeons reaching into manifestation in our world.
