Reclaiming Christ for the people
What was meant for us will be returned to us.
I got my first glimpse into Christ consciousness in college when I, a self-declared agnostic at the time, came across the Gnostic gospels at my school library. The story of how I ended up seeking these texts in first place is a tale for another day, but what I found there changed my life forever.
Gnosticism, from the word gnosis, meaning knowledge, is rooted in the belief that spiritual and intuitive knowledge of self is the knowledge of god. The Gnostic gospels are a collection of mostly lost writings by early Christians on the teachings of Yeshua ben Yosef (Jesus, of course), writings that are considered heretical texts by the church because of their subversive messages.
The Gnostics brought a spirituality and an aliveness to Yeshua’s teachings that I never encountered growing up Christian and going to Catholic school. Gone is talk of sin and punishment and dogma; instead we find passages in these gospels where Yeshua tells us to seek god within ourselves:
Yeshua said, "If your leaders tell you, 'Look, the kingdom is in heaven,' then the birds of heaven will precede you. If they say to you, 'It's in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you. But the kingdom is inside you and it is outside you. When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living father." - Gospel of Thomas, chapter 3
What’s particularly groundbreaking about this is the fact that Yeshua is teaching something here that is very different than what is traditionally told through Christianity - he does not claim to be the only child of god, and in fact explicitly guides his students to see themselves as inherently connected to divine as well, a relationship that is cultivated through the study of mystery and surrender.
You might see why the church would think these teachings are dangerous! Yeshua was anti-establishment! An independent teacher, a Jewish refugee, an enemy of the state, a champion of the poor and the sick. Preaching that we all can align to a power and sense of value that we do not have to work to earn, and that can’t be touched or defiled by any outer authority, government, or institution.
“I am not your master. Because you have drunk, you have become drunk from the bubbling stream which I have measured out…Whoever will drink from my mouth will become as I am, and I myself will become that person, and the things that are hidden will be revealed to him.” - Gospel of Thomas chapters 13 and 108
Ultimately, the Gnostic gospels became a portal through which I was able to dive into spiritual work and understand Christ on my own terms, even without following any particular religion - a brief attempt to get back into Christianity during this time in college failed after a few months and I once again saw myself as agnostic until I dove into tarot and mysticism several years later. But the memory of Yeshua’s gnostic teachings remained, and over time as I sought more wisdom on oneness, I came to connect with Christ consciousness.
Christ consciousness is a practice, a worldview, that finds you, not the other way around. It is the discipline for those who seek the wisdom of the heart. It’s not a religion but a mystical practice of enlightenment, evolution, and transformation through the path of oneness with the divine. It reminds us that “Christ” is not a name but a title, meaning “anointed one of God”. Yeshua’s is a heart-centered practice that teaches us how to anoint ourselves in the breath of god so that we may know peace and wholeness. Which is why I find it so necessary to take back Yeshua’s message and the concept of Christ back to the people, as it was always intended to be! Christhood is not about the worship of death and a heaven that only exists for some in the afterlife, but a restorative spiritual integration through our living breathing humanity. What can we learn about interconnectedness and living from our values from an ancient radical dissident preaching about love? How would we live if we knew we were all anointed and one with god? How can we take back our power from those who would seek to use it against us?
Where the oppressor tells us we are broken, is where we seek our deepest wisdom. Where we see ourselves divided within, is the space we fill in with divine light. Where we feel lonesome and afraid, is where find our most intimate connections with god.
The time to reclaim Christ is now. We reclaim Christ for the worriers. For the mourners. For the ill. For the impoverished. For the marginalized. For the abused.
I’ll be sharing more about Christ consciousness, spiritual anarchy, and reclaiming Christhood in the coming days and weeks. If you choose to join me, I look forward to seeing you on this journey to take back our birthright of wisdom, knowledge, connection, and love.
xo, Alia
ps I’ve got slots open for readings next weekend, click here to book!