The following general overview of gnosis is not intended to be the last word or the definitive work on this subject. Rather it is, as its title implies, intended to provide the participant or reader with a set of guidelines that will familiarize them with the general use of the terms gnosis, ma'rifat, jnana, mystical ecstasy and other related terms. It will also review the trends, study and practice of historic and contemporary experience of gnosis. The purpose of this document is to provide a general overview of the historical and contemporary trends, techniques. It may not be sold or resold without permission of the author.
Gnosis comes from a Greek word meaning 'to know' in the sense of to be acquainted.
Gnosis in a more specific religious sense refers to the knowledge of God and the fullness of the true spiritual realms through direct personal experience. A gnostic is someone who has had such an experience or who has been initiated into a tradition which provides access to such personal revelations. Gnosis is not simply a synonym for mysticism, paranormal, occult, metaphysics, esoteric or knowledge. It is a distinct category of mystical experience beyond the physical or psychic levels of being. A gnostic religious-philosophical movement flourished during the first several centuries of the current era.