This is an updated version of an older post from Light and Life:
Do:
1) Read Valis, the Transmigration of Timothy Archer, and the Divine Invasion. Valis in particular is a book that you'll want to return to again and again.
2) Spend some time in contemplative reading of some of the primary texts. The Gospel of Thomas, the Hymn of the Pearl, and the Gospel of Phillip are good places to start. Get a copy of the Nag Hammadi library and other Gnostic readings. Establish a regular lectio divina. If you can't find or afford a copy, the texts are online at the Gnosis Archive, but a hard copy is best--check Amazon.com for used copies.
3) Try to find a real life community to interract with. The internet has some great resources, but discussion groups are not koinonia. There are a few churches around with actual parishes. The Alexandrian Gnostic Church has a parish in the NY/NJ area. There are links to other Gnostic Churches on the sidebar. Try to find a community that has a real group that meets in a physical location on a weekly basis - a Yahoo group or website is not a church. If you can't find a real church close to you, contact the AGC to discuss forming a local discussion group.
4) Do something. And do it every day. Whether it's ritual magick, yoga, centering prayer, dynamic meditation, etc., find a practice and do it every day. Your practice may change over time, but building a daily practice right now has more value than you realize. If you don't know what to do right now, check out the Prayer of the Heart as a daily practice.
5) Realize that you have just begun. This is a first step, an initial question. Yes, you are not in Kansas anymore, but you haven't reached the Emerald City yet. Be nice to the munchkins, listen carefully to the Good Witch, and find some friends for the journey--and watch out for the flying monkeys.
6) Continue to read --and not just Gnosticky religious stuff--General Semantics, Zen, Wilhelm Reich, Freud, Jung, comparative religion, etc.
7) Start keeping a journal. Record your daily practice, even if you don't think there's anything to write about.
Don't:
1) Get caught up in organizational nonsense. Schisms, arguments over legitimacy, debates about who "really is" gnostic, don't really mean much in the end--they're just fodder for the ego. Stay away from people who are caught up in this kind of nonsense. Find a group and tradition, stick with it, and be charitable to all on the Path.
2) Believe anyone who says "I (or my church or group) have the authentic Gnostic tradition. Anyone who does things differently is not Gnostic and shouldn't be allowed to call themselves such." Gnosis and Gnosticism are not the exclusive trademarked property of any organization. If (or I should say when) you encounter someone who claims to know the One True Way™ or to belong to the One Truly Authentic Gnostic Church™ - run, don't walk, in the opposite direction.
3) Get up and start proclaiming your Gnosis as The Divine Revelation. Sure, you may have had an experience with the Divine. Now, sit down with some of the rest of the people on the path and listen to what they've learned. They can teach you how to integrate what you've experienced, how to use it as a spur for further growth, and how to give it context. They can also keep you from becoming a total asshole. Too many people have a Gnostic experience and immediately want to proclaim themselves as the New Prophet. You are not the New Prophet. Say it with me: "I am not the New Prophet."
4) Pay much attention to folks who issue "do's and don'ts." Madly pursue the presence of God, and let everything else flow naturally from that.
See also:
Jordan Stratford's Do's and Don'ts
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