Gnostic Academy of Chicago

Gnostic Academy of Chicago “Only life intensely lived provides lasting wisdom.” —Samael Aun Weor

​The Gnostic Academy of Chicago is a specialized school of esoteric knowledge where students learn the teachings of universal Gnosticism, consisting of meditation, yoga, consciousness, psychology, self-transformation, esoteric anatomy, alternative medicine, the Hebraic Kabbalah, alchemy, sacred sexuality or tantra, Kundalini, energy work, chakra activation, intuition, clairvoyance and psychic pow

ers, dream yoga and astral projection: otherwise known as out of body experiences or lucid dreams, spiritual initiation, tarot, runes, astrology, Buddhism, the great world religious scriptures, and many other spiritual subjects.

​We study the wisdom of both east and west in a comprehensive, didactic way, unlike many other forms of spirituality that focus on one specific religion alone. At the Gnostic Academy of Chicago, we draw upon a wide body of resources for a very specific spiritual practice: that of radically transforming our consciousness, so as to reunite with divinity and procure the alleviation of suffering for all sentient beings.

​Gnosis is a vast and profound science for actualizing deep, lasting internal change, and—as we seek to demonstrate in our lectures—has been present throughout all mystical traditions. We study the nature of the complete human being through a variety of perspectives and subjects, for each religion complements, educates, and guides through the rich diversity of inner principles and forms. Through study and practical exercises, one identifies, comprehends, and intuits the universal thread connecting all religions, which is the experiential wisdom of an awakened consciousness.

​This ubiquitous knowledge has been taught by innumerable teachers and spiritual guides throughout antiquity. At our center, we study and practice their essential instructions in a balanced way, so as to achieve profound transformation and the mastery of our true potential. These practical teachings are available to all people, regardless of language, culture, race or gender. We welcome people from all religions and denominations to learn, discover, and personally experience their inner divinity and true possibilities with a group of like-minded individuals. To learn more about Gnosis, you can study the following lecture:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/the-spiritual-seed

The following excerpt is from a sermon given by a Gnostic priest (for a public wedding ceremony): “Love is not something...
07/10/2026

The following excerpt is from a sermon given by a Gnostic priest (for a public wedding ceremony):

“Love is not something that you add to your relationship to make it better. Love is already present, and it is your connection to the divine. It is not something you manufacture. It is a free and unlimited resource. Love is infinite abundance. It is our desires, our ego, which impedes and obscures it. When you remove what stands in its way, love is present, ready to give, ready to shine like a light unto the whole world, and those who are able to express it, benefit the world.“

Read the entire sermon:

https://chicagognosis.org/articles/gnostic-sermon-on-marriage

This lecture builds on controversial gnostic motifs in Transcendent Betrayal in the Gospel of Judas. By rebelling agains...
07/09/2026

This lecture builds on controversial gnostic motifs in Transcendent Betrayal in the Gospel of Judas. By rebelling against one’s own false notions good and evil, the initiate recognizes and submits to divine will even when it is contentious, scandalous, and displeasing. Therefore, mystical revolutionaries transcend incipient beliefs and hypocritical sanctimony to perform that which is truly good, even when it is inconvenient and misunderstood.

Read or listen to the lecture here:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/beyond-good-and-evil-in-the-gospel-of-judas

Revolutionary principles for becoming a perfect master.

The Mayan mystics possess an abundance of spiritual knowledge about the nature of the universe and the complete developm...
07/07/2026

The Mayan mystics possess an abundance of spiritual knowledge about the nature of the universe and the complete development of the human being. While their methods of exploring and understanding existence differ from that of conventional, materialistic science, such wisdom is accessible through meditation and the clarified perceptions of an awakened consciousness. From this perspective, it becomes possible to comprehend the organization, unity, and complexity of the cosmos, evidenced by the Mayan symbol of Yaxche, the universal tree of life. Such realities are paralleled by the Jewish mystical tradition of kabbalah, whose representations of the tree of life also depict the structure of divine cognizance, from the highest levels of spiritual abstraction to the most fundamental aspects of materiality and being. Learn how the Mayan mystics, the Jewish kabbalists, and the initiates of Kukulkan (the feathered serpent of divine wisdom) agree upon the same points. By studying and practicing the principles upon which they are based, it becomes possible to verify the multidimensionality of nature and our role in the cosmic plan.

Read, listen, or view the lecture here:

https://chicagognosis.org/lectures/mayan-mysteries-of-the-cosmos

06/24/2026

Questioner: Is all s*xual passion lust? Sexual response is not always the result of thought; it may be contact as when you suddenly meet somebody whose loveliness overpowers you.⁠
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Krishnamurti: Wherever thought builds up the image of pleasure it must inevitably be lust and not the freedom of passion. If pleasure is the main drive then it is lust. When s*xual feeling is born out of pleasure it is lust. If it is born out of love it is not lust, even though great delight may then be present. Here we must be clear and find out for ourselves whether love excludes pleasure and enjoyment. When you see a cloud and delight in its vastness and the light on it, there is of course pleasure, but there is a great deal more than pleasure. We are not condemning this at all. If you keep returning to the cloud in thought, or in fact, for a stimulation, then you are indulging in an imaginative flight of fancy, and obviously here pleasure and thought are the incentives operating. When you first looked at that cloud and saw its beauty there was no such incentive of pleasure operating. The beauty in s*x is the absence of the “me”, the ego, but the thought of s*x is the affirmation of this ego, and that is pleasure. This ego is all the time either seeking pleasure or avoiding pain, wanting fulfilment and thereby inviting frustration. In all this the feeling of passion is sustained and pursued by thought, and therefore it is no longer passion but pleasure. The hope, the pursuit, of remembered passion is pleasure.⁠
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J. Krishnamurti⁠
The Urgency of Change⁠
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828 Davis Street , Suite 5 (Lower Level)
Evanston, IL
60201

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