Universal Gnostic Church: Another Bishop

[ecosophia]

I'm quite startled, so soon after announcing Claire Schosser's formal recognition as a bishop of the Universal Gnostic Church, to announce the appearance of another UGC bishop on the scene. No, I didn't consecrate anyone: one of the other bishops John Gilbert trained, ordained, and consecrated back in the day has surfaced, and agreed to become part of this small but burgeoning revival of the UGC tradition. Because he lives in the mountains of northern Georgia and has to keep the more esoteric dimensions of his work on the quiet side, he prefers to go by his sacramental title, Tau Palamas, rather than his legal name. That's him on the left.

(Tau is a title, by the way, not a first name. Ordinary Christian bishops like to put a cross in front of their names -- for example, if one John Smith were to be made a bishop, he might write his name afterwards as +John Smith. Bishops in the Gnostic tradition in France and the Francophone world in the nineteenth century started replacing the cross with the word Tau, because the Tau cross is the Gnostic cross -- though oddly, the Franciscans also use it. That's a Tau cross below on the right.  So if you encounter a bishop who uses a sacramental name and it has Tau in front of it, you've got a Gnostic. It's not required to take such a name, but many Gnostic bishops do. I have one, though I rarely use it: Tau Silvanus.)

Tau Palamas, as I was saying, is a published author as well as a bishop of the Gnosis. His focus is esoteric sacramental Christianity, and he is strongly influenced by the classic mystics and mages of the Eastern Christian tradition, as well as by Hermeticism and Zen Buddhism -- a very classic sort of mix for a UGC bishop! He can be contacted, for those interested in his work, at taupalamas at gmail dot the usual.

So there are three of us now. If this keeps up we can call a council and elect a presiding archbishop, and the UGC will be up and running for real.

Comments

[slclaire]

Very pleased to meet you, Tau Palamas! I'll drop you an email from the email address I use most often, which I prefer to keep off of the interwebs. I'll put Bishop Claire in the subject line, so you'll know it's me.

JMG - I had wondered about the use of Tau in some but not all of the sacramental names in Many Paths. Thanks for the explanation!

[ecosophia]

You're welcome. It's one of the details I don't tend to think about much, since I avoid using pseudonyms for purely personal reasons. You have, of course, the right to take such a sacramental name if you so desire.

Wow!

[ysabetwordsmith]

That is excellent progress.

[(Anonymous)]

Delighted to hear this.

Mauve Oscillating Lobster Flaneur

[(Anonymous)]

Is this the same Palamas who wrote this book?

Syzygy: Reflections on the Monastery of the Seven Rays

If so, then some of the currents I've swirled around are converging in an unexpected way.

Mauve (Zone) Oscillating Lobster Flaneur

[taupalamas]

Oh wow, I am SO VERY proud to be included in this movement of the spirit! This is something of a homecoming for me and I can sense Archbishop John Gilbert's approval.

My primary work is with the Society of Spiritual Stoics, or S3, which is developed in the text, "Sympatheia: A Liturgical Guide to Spiritual Stoicism." This is a universalist, non-theistic, deeply philosophical and spiritual Order that develops the sourcework of Western Esotericism within the framework of Stoic philosophical and metaphysical development.

I am also deeply indebted and entrenched in the study of esoteric and mystical Christianity.
Whereas modernity describes "symbol" as a stand-in for something else, Eastern & esoteric Christianity recognizes symbol as a MANIFESTATION of the prototype referenced. For those who have an interest in esoteric, non-dual, Gnostic Christianity--we are an expression of such!

I hope and pray that I can contribute to the UGC and fully intend to offer my services to those inching towards the Lux Occulta.

Blessings & Peace,
+P

[ecosophia]

It is indeed.

[(Anonymous)]

Congratulations, your bishopitude!

—Princess Cutekitten

Currents

[(Anonymous)]

Greetings +P,

Glad to see you here. I have been more interested in the traditions coming out of our host JMG's work in the past five years, and have been a long time reader and commenter on his blog the Archdruid Report and Ecosophia. Before that I was involved in Oryelle Defenestrate-Bascule's Hermaphroditic ChaOrder of the Silver Dusk, and the Horus-Maat Lodge. I still like these people, but my direction has moved on, to other things for awhile, before working with some of JMG's systems. more fully. As you are probably aware a fair number of people in the HML were also involved with the Michael Bertiaux's work in some way or another. I never felt the same pull towards Gnostic Voudon as some of these other people I have done esoteric work with, but I was always highly intrigued by Bertiaux's Monastery of Seven Rays. I am also intrigued by your Stoic work. I hope to explore what you have done in each area in time.

As Nema used to say: Success to your work

JPM

[jenniferkobernik]

Congratulations! Both to Tau Palamas and to the UGC for its revival.

[(Anonymous)]

Just out of curiosity, how many bishops does it take to call a council?

[(Anonymous)]

Tau palamas looks a lot like famed woodworker and author Christopher Schwarz, from “Lost art press”.

J.L.Mc12

[ecosophia]

Interesting. No, I know Tau Palamas's actual name, and it's not that.

[ecosophia]

I'd have to look it up, but it seems kind of silly to do it when there are just three of us.

[(Anonymous)]

Congratulations all. Times are a changing. I don't think this is a coincidence at all, especially as there's been talk amongst the wise on this blog for some time of strong forces at work behind the scenes. If a Council does happen, it should be the opposite of what happened at Nicea, instead of throwing out heretical concepts, bring them in

[(Anonymous)]

If he starts building a traditional mission-style church pew for the gnostic church, be suspicious.

J.L.Mc12

[danius]

Congratulations. This is inspiring.

[jdecandia]

Somehow it is comforting to know that there are many unannounced individuals working silently out there to do the good work. I think of the phrase “Hell has noise” from a blog post on the National Catholic Register titled “Heaven Has Music — Hell Has Noise. Music takes many long toiling hours to make, mostly in quietude. It seems to me that most people make noise these days. To hear of this long, rather contemplative work is heartening.