Aims of the Gnosis Institute (with some Means, Methods, & Reasons)

The Gnosis Institute (TGI) is a secular nonprofit educational organization.

The ultimate aims of TGI always remain the same, the activities of TGI are experiments in what we can do to move towards the aims – within the rather restrictive bounds of the resources available.

These goals can be broadly seen in two main categories, with the second dependent on the first:

1. Individual Emancipatory & Community Development:

• Foster a broad community engaged in transformative emancipatory learning and practice.

• Provide means of connecting and aiding those engaged in study & research for mutual support in a collegial environment.

• Provide means of connecting Gnostic practitioners for fellowship and spiritual friendship in a supportive environment.

• Provide resources and assistance aimed to help individuals assess and critique research reports.

• Provide resources and assistance aimed to help individuals to conduct original scholarly research.

2. Engage with the External Community.

• Engage with the academic scholarly community. With the larger goal of bringing a practitioner's approach (i.e., a Gnostic approach) to Gnosticism. (More below.)

• Develop means of academic training that can provide recognition of achievement.

• At first, the goal was to develop an accredited Graduate School. Early optimism yielded to the realization that this goal could not be achieved. Hope is still held out for a low-priority attempt to slow-grow advanced studies programs patterned on TGI-GS programs. Should TGI-AS offer the means of completing certificate or degree programs, these will be awarded under Utah law, which requires all degree-granting programs be equivalent to accredited programs.

• Provide accessible scholarly information to the broader public. This will not to present a unified view, but rather to show diverse views using diverse methods and modes of inquiry. Essentially, showing the issues and interpretations derived through various means in the field of Gnostic studies, written in an accessible style.