Before You Come
Frequently Asked Questions About Our Gnosis Classes
The questions new students ask most often, answered plainly. If yours is not here, send us a WhatsApp on +27 79 678 0991 and ask us directly. The question we hear most, whether Gnosis is a religion, has its own page.
About the Classes
What do the Gnosis classes cost?
The introductory lectures are free. The weekly classes that follow are run on donations. Nobody is turned away for money, because the purpose of a Gnostic school is to share the teaching with anyone who sincerely seeks it.
How do I join a class?
Come to the next free introductory lecture at Rabie Ridge Community Hall in Midrand, or register your interest through our Midrand course page. Registering carries no obligation, and we will send you the class day and time and everything you need for your first session.
Where are the classes held?
At Rabie Ridge Community Hall, 437 Korhaan Cres, Rabie Ridge, Johannesburg, 1688. Rabie Ridge is on the eastern side of Midrand next to Tembisa, and Midrand sits between Johannesburg and Pretoria, so you can reach us by car, minibus taxi, or Gautrain to Midrand station and a taxi from there.
What happens in a class?
Each week the class studies one topic from the introductory curriculum, paired with practical work such as relaxation, self-observation or guided meditation that you then apply in daily life. The course moves step by step, from the foundations of Gnosis through esoteric psychology to meditation, the Kabbalah and the mysteries of life and death.
Do I need prior experience in Gnosis, meditation or psychology?
No. The course is designed for complete beginners, and the only requirement is a sincere interest in understanding yourself.
What kind of commitment do the classes require?
Each session builds on the one before, so consistent weekly attendance is what makes the course worthwhile. That said, you remain free to step away at any time, without obligation and without further contact from us.
I live in Johannesburg or Pretoria. Is Midrand practical for me?
Yes, that is precisely why the centre is in Midrand: it sits between the two cities, and students travel in weekly from Sandton, Rosebank, Fourways, Randburg, Kempton Park, Alberton, Centurion, Hatfield and Menlyn. See our pages for students coming from Johannesburg and from Pretoria for travel details.
About the Teaching
What is Gnosis?
Gnosis is knowledge gained through direct, personal experience rather than belief or theory: an ancient path leading to self-realisation and spiritual liberation that embraces spirituality, philosophy, science and art. Our What Is Gnosis page explains it fully.
Is this a religion? Do I have to leave my own faith?
No. Gnosis is not a religion; it predates and underlies all religions, and it respects every tradition as a path to the same truth. Students of any faith, or none, study together, and nobody is asked to change what they believe.
What is Ontological Psychology?
Ontological, or Being-centred, Psychology is an integral approach holding that the psyche is built from the core of our essence, the Being. It unites clinical and scientific psychology with the perennial wisdom of the great traditions, and it forms the backbone of the current Midrand course.
Who was Samael Aun Weor?
A twentieth-century spiritual teacher, born in Colombia in 1917, who founded the International Gnostic Movement, wrote more than seventy books and renounced copyright on all of them. His writings form the curriculum of Gnostic centres worldwide; read his story on our Samael Aun Weor page.
What role does meditation play?
Meditation is central. It is the tool for self-discovery and for exploring the deeper levels of consciousness, and it is taught practically from the early classes, beginning with relaxation and concentration.
What does Gnosis mean by the ego?
In Gnostic psychology the ego is the collection of our psychological defects, anger, pride, envy, fear and the rest, which condition the consciousness. The path consists of observing, comprehending and eliminating these defects so the true self can emerge.
Will Gnosis satisfy a sincere spiritual seeker?
If you are tired of theories and want practical knowledge with verifiable results, yes. The tradition puts it directly: Gnosis lives in deeds and withers in abstractions. Everything taught is meant to be tested in your own experience.
go deeper
The Fuller Answers Behind These Questions
Several of these questions have whole articles behind them. These four are the ones new students read first.
What role does meditation play?
The benefits of meditation in the Gnostic teaching, from inner peace to awakening.
Read: Benefits of MeditationWhat is the ego, really?
The doctrine of the many selves, and how comprehension dissolves them.
Read: Creative ComprehensionWhat is an esoteric school?
What these schools preserve, and what they exist to hand on.
Read: What Is an Esoteric School?What is Gnosis?
An introduction to Gnosis through the writings of Samael Aun Weor.
Read: An Introduction to Gnosis
